Lily's Observatory

After continuously using enchantment magic for a while, I had expended a fair amount of mana. The sun had already set, and darkness had fallen. About a quarter of the magic stones had been successfully turned into lightstones. It was strange that Arisa hadn’t come back yet, even at this late hour. Even if she had taken her time eating, she was still running far too late. The town isn’t particularly dangerous, but it isn’t completely safe either. Arisa-san isn’t exactly the most polite or cautious person, so it wouldn’t be surprising if she’d gotten into some kind of trouble. For now, I should go out and look for her. Assuming she was still at one of the nearby restaurants, I left the house to search for her. ——— I had barely walked a short distance from the house when I found her. Or rather, I noticed her right away because she was in the middle of an argument on the main street. “Heh, give it up already, girl. A chick like you’s never gonna make it as an adventurer.” “I told you, I’ve...

When I returned, Arisa came over to me. “Hey, old man. Where’d you disappear to?” “I went to the Adventurers’ Guild. I managed to get my hands on some items that might become products.” As I spoke, I held up the item storage pouch to show her. “Hmm. Anyway, I’m hungry.” “Ah, it’s already evening. You haven’t had lunch yet?” “Well, I was kicked out this morning, remember?” “In that case, here. Go grab something you like to eat.” I said, pulling out a few silver coins from the pouch and placing them in Arisa’s hand. “And how much are these worth?” “Let’s see... I’d say about a ¥1,000.” I estimated the value based on my memory. A few copper coins can buy things like apples or bread. And —  100 Copper coins = 1 Silver coin, and; 100 Silver coins = 1 Gold coin; If we convert the value of apples or bread into Japanese currency, then one copper coin is roughly worth ¥10. It’s smaller than a Japanese ¥10 coin, about the size of a ¥50 coin. A silver coin, being a hundred times more valuable...

Upon arriving, I first headed to the guild reception. “Hello, Otsugi-san. What brings you in today?” The receptionist greeted me with a smile. Incidentally, it wasn’t Shirley-san — she usually takes afternoons off, so she wasn’t at the guild right now. “Actually, I was hoping to acquire some magic stones.” “Magic stones? The guild buys them, but if you’re looking to purchase, we usually direct people to a specialty store.” The receptionist tilted her head. That was understandable. Magic stones are crystal-like organs embedded in the bodies of monsters. They store magical power and act as an energy source that monsters use to function — kind of like how humans store fat. When a monster is defeated, it usually leaves behind a magic stone. These stones retain the magic power the monster had stored, making them valuable and something the guild buys from adventurers. In human society, magic stones are used like batteries. They’re commonly used not just in households, but by adventurers too ...

The former inn turned out to be even more ideal than I expected. The entrance faced the main street and was fairly large. Upon entering, there was a spacious lobby that once served as a tavern, with a kitchen and storage room further in. Upstairs were four rooms. It was indeed a small inn, and it seemed like they turned a profit by serving alcohol at night. I decided to renovate the lobby into a storefront, turn the kitchen into an office, and use the second floor for living quarters and inventory storage. The reception counter, which had once been used for the inn, would be dismantled and a new counter — with a register — set up in the office. A locked door would be installed at the staircase to the second floor to keep customers from wandering up. One of the rooms could also be used as an employee break room. But first things first – cleaning. The building had been unused for a while, so dust had accumulated. I also needed to prepare a room for Arisa to live in. “Alright, Arisa-san. ...

After making the promise to hire Arisa as an employee, I finally left the guild with the identity certificate they issued and headed to the real estate office. I brought Arisa along. She was acting completely docile, like a cat in a new home. I was relieved to see she wasn’t dumb enough to act out of line in public. With this behavior, she might actually be suited for customer service. When I handed over the guild-issued identity certificate, the realtor was surprised. “Oh, a guild certificate! And not just that — this is a Guild Liability Guarantee Certificate.” “A liability guarantee certificate?” “Yes. It means the guild will partially take responsibility if any issues arise. … These are only issued to veteran and highly capable adventurers. You must be quite the skilled one, sir.” Apparently, the document issued by the guild was a rather prestigious one. This makes me want to do something to repay the guild in return. At the very least, I should prioritize buying stock through the ...

I managed to calm down the excitable Arisa and got her into a state where we could talk. Then we sat on a sofa, and I listened to the details of her situation. As expected, Arisa had been expelled from the royal palace. The reason lay in her skill, « Calculator ». Apparently, it's a skill that allows for computer-like high-speed calculations, but since Arisa herself isn’t very smart, she didn’t know how to use it. Because of that, her progress had stalled significantly. Before she knew it, Arisa had fallen to the bottom of the school caste. Even a guy named Mayama, apparently a despised otaku in the class, made fun of her. She was constantly insulted by her gyaru friends and the guys who used to follow her around. At times, she was even called a "meat toilet" and nearly forced into sexual acts. (E/N: Wtf, that's disgusting behaviour!) She said she barely managed to protect herself thanks to the help of some knights. During those days at the royal palace, her expulsion...

Having successfully completed her registration as an adventurer, Arisa stepped away from the reception. Without delay, she headed toward the bulletin board where request slips were posted and began scrutinizing the requests. “What the heck, this makes no sense.” She seemed rather confused. “There’s no way I can figure out how to do any of this.” She was muttering in a faint, weak voice. Apparently, she doesn’t even know how to complete a request, and so she can’t even pick one. That’s understandable. Even the simplest standing request involves gathering materials outside the capital. That’s not a job a child, from another world with no knowledge of the terrain, can handle. And adventurers aren’t errand runners. There are some odd jobs and requests like helping with residents’ problems, but those are rare. And even if they do exist, rookie adventurers snatch them up early on. At this hour, they’d already be gone. In short, there are no requests that a girl could safely complete within t...

After receiving today’s payment from Shirley, I headed to a real estate agent. We chatted briefly, and then I ended up heading back to the Adventurer’s Guild. Apparently, with the amount of money I have, I can afford not just to rent a place, but to buy a property along with the land. However, in order to purchase land, a simple ID like the guild card isn’t enough — I need formal identification documents. So I returned to the guild to request the issuance of official ID paperwork. ——— It was 9 a.m. — peak crowding hours. Just as expected, the guild was crowded. I reluctantly joined the line and eventually made it to the counter, where I explained that I needed identification documents issued. The staff told me it would take some time and asked me to wait. So I ended up sitting on a sofa in a corner of the guild while I waited. As I sat and absentmindedly watched the flow of people, I heard the guild doors open again as someone entered. Without thinking much, I turned my gaze toward the...

“You know… now that you’re quitting adventuring, I think I’ll miss you a little, Otsugi-san.” Shirley said this while casting her eyes downward. “Since we’re being honest now… the truth is, I became a receptionist because I wanted to support admirable adventurers like you. … So, hearing that you’re leaving—it doesn’t make the job feel meaningless, exactly, but it’s like the wind’s been taken out of my sails.” “I appreciate that you think so highly of me. But… am I really that good of an adventurer?” “Of course you are!” When I asked, she leaned forward with passionate conviction. “You’re diligent, skilled, and polite. You have it all. There are barely any adventurers in the capital like you. … Maybe some high-rankers, but those people are exclusive assets—they never show their faces at our counter. … For me, you were the ideal adventurer, someone close by I could admire. Honestly… I look up to you, Otsugi-san!” Being told someone admires me like that… well, I can’t deny it made me happ...

“Actually, I’m thinking of scaling back my work as an adventurer.” I revealed this to Shirley one morning, during our now-routine herb delivery session. Her mouth fell open in surprise at my sudden announcement, dropped into the middle of casual chatter. “Um, what was that just now…?” “I said I’m going to cut back on adventuring.” “You’re quitting, Otsugi-san!?” Shirley stopped sorting herbs and looked at me, her face a mix of confusion and a tinge of sadness. “No, not quitting completely.” “Th-then what do you mean…?” “The thing is, I’ve saved up enough money now.” She tilted her head. “Sure, you’ve been raking it in, but I doubt it’s enough to just drop everything and retire for good.” “I didn’t say I was retiring, did I?” Despite my clarification, she kept tilting her head in confusion. “I mean, I plan to start a small shop using my savings as capital.” “A store?” “Yes.” “That’s not unheard of… but someone like you, with real potential, could aim for high-rank adventurer status. You...

After that, I entered into an exclusive contract with Shirley. An exclusive contract is a special type of agreement between an adventurer and a receptionist. It’s something occasionally used by adventurers who don’t want their work techniques or information leaking to others. Under such a contract, an adventurer can only submit their deliveries to a specific receptionist. In return, the receptionist takes on a duty of confidentiality, ensuring the adventurer’s secrets are kept. For the receptionist, an exclusive contract comes with a bonus. This is because they must handle all of the deliveries and paperwork for that adventurer alone — a heavier and more difficult workload. Exclusive receptionists are also protected by certain rights. It would be a problem if they overworked themselves and collapsed, making them unable to manage their exclusive adventurer’s deliveries. Likewise, if the adventurer were to unreasonably demand work from the receptionist until they collapsed, that would al...

After collecting herbs all night, I finally left the forest at dawn and returned to the royal capital. It was around 6:30 in the morning — a time when almost no one was around — and I showed up at the Adventurers’ Guild. “Fuaa~ So bored~.” The moment I stepped in, I heard a lazy yawn and a voice. I turned my gaze toward the source — Shirley. She noticed me entering the guild and quickly tried to compose her expression. “H-how can I help you?” “No need to panic. I understand how tough early morning shifts can be.” When I said that, Shirley-san let out a sigh of relief. “Thank you, really. I just can’t help being sleepy in the morning.” “Working from early in the morning must be tough. Are you the only one here?” “Yes. Until an hour before the quest board goes up, the reception is usually staffed by just one person.” “That sounds hard.” “Not really. Hardly any adventurers come at this time.” “To the point where you accidentally yawn and mumble to yourself at the counter, huh?” “Oh, Otsug...

To drive the goblins away, I focused my mind on activating a certain skill strongly. Immediately, a foul stench started emanating from my body. Even I, the source of the smell, grimaced at the horrid stench. For goblins, who have a more sensitive sense of smell than humans, it was unbearable. All five of them instantly threw up their arms and fled. After making sure they were gone, I deactivated the skill. The name of this skill is « Aging Body Odor » — a skill that causes a bad smell to be emitted from the body. Apparently, this « Aging Body Odor » skill wasn’t given to me by the goddess, but rather something I acquired on my own. That’s because I have a skill called « Skill Check », which allows me to examine the details of the skills I possess. Thanks to this, I’m able to look into and keep track of the countless skills I hold. Even back when I was in the royal palace, I had been using this skill to examine my own abilities. That’s when I found this skill — « Aging Body Odor ». At f...

After dealing with the man, I checked the requests posted at the guild. Requests are broadly divided into two types:   - One is the standard request — These are the ones taken on by a single adventurer or a party, and the job ends once the request is fulfilled.   - The other is called a permanent request — For example, exterminating wolves or gathering medicinal herbs – jobs that are always available and have no limit. These do not require prior acceptance at the counter; simply bringing proof of the monster hunt or collected materials will be enough to process the request as completed. No matter how many times these are fulfilled, permanent requests are never withdrawn. By the time I checked the requests, it was already early afternoon, so the easy jobs had all been taken. Therefore, I didn’t formally accept any request and decided to fulfill a permanent one instead. Among them, the one I aimed for was herb gathering . There were several reasons, but the main one was simple —...

I turn my gaze toward the voice that sounded like it was jeering at me. There, I see about five men. They all appear to be in their 30s to 40s. They have sturdy builds and are equipped with armor and swords. Most likely, they are veteran adventurers. Well then, we’re all middle-aged here. I’d like to get along, but I wonder if it’ll go smoothly. “Oi, you. Switching careers to adventurer at your age?” “Yes. I used to work in customer service, but due to certain circumstances, I was kicked out of the place I lived. … I finally made it to the royal capital in tears. I became an adventurer just to earn enough to survive.” I explain my situation lightly. Just that much causes four of the five men — excluding the one who spoke — to grimace awkwardly. They probably aren’t bad guys. They must’ve felt it would be wrong to tease someone with such a rough backstory. However, the one guy bothering me shows no signs of remorse. “Oi, oi! You think some scrawny, noodle-armed guy who used to work cust...