Welcome to the Special-Grade Guild! ~ The Beloved Elf Poster Girl Soothes Everyone’s Hearts ~
Chapter 169

169. Arriving at the Village

By the time we reached the village two stops away, the sky was dyed red. Huh? Did we pass by the neighboring village? When I voiced this question, Licht told me, “Our destination is two villages over, why would we bother going through the neighboring village for no reason?” R-Right, good point…!

“We pretty much arrived on schedule! I’ll be staying at an acquaintance’s house, what about you guys?”

As we got off the wagon at the village entrance, we each expressed our gratitude to Jet-san for the ride. “Don’t worry about it,” he said with a cheerful laugh. Jet-san is definitely a cool guy!

“Yeah, we’re planning to get a room at an inn. Can you recommend a place?”

“In that case, go straight down this road, turn right at the second corner, and you’ll see it right away. There’s only one inn in this village, but most of their customers are just there for meals, so I don’t think staying the night will be a problem.”

“Okay, got it. Thanks so much, you’ve been a huge help!”

“Don’t mention it. I’ll be in this village all day tomorrow, so if anything comes up, feel free to ask for help. Just tell someone at a store my name and they’ll probably be able to tell you where I am!”

He said he’d be going around to various places to resupply and greet people, so it would be easy to find him. He even has the aftercare covered.

“Ah, thanks. We’ll definitely ask for help if anything comes up.”

“Well then, take care. Get some good rest today.”

“Thank you so much!”

Ronny and I also expressed our gratitude following Licht’s words of thanks, and Jet-san patted each of our heads in turn. I was happy, but the two boys looked quite embarrassed. Boys of their age are complicated!

“Alright, let’s head straight to the inn. We’ll buy a few necessary things tomorrow and set out around noon.”

“Because we need to hurry, right?”

“Yeah… We’re still not that far from the Eastern Castle.”

Neither the previous village nor this one seemed to have received any news from the castle. But conversely, if they had received news, it would mean we’re late. We’d be found immediately.

“And Ronny and Meg, the sooner you get home, the better, right?”

Just as I was about to be enveloped in a bit of anxiety, Ravi-san said this with a smile. Geez, Ravi-san is too good at saying exactly what I need to hear when I need it! I like her!

With that settled, we headed straight for the inn. Walking down the twilight road, holding hands with Ravi-san. …I wondered if this is what it would be like if I had a mother.

We were able to secure rooms at the inn without issue. We got two rooms, considering safety. Ravi-san and I in one, Licht and Ronny in the other, for one night. The fee was to be paid upfront, so Ravi-san paid for all of us, but… Uu, I feel so guilty!

When we went to the room to drop off our luggage, I offered to pay my share. Naturally, Ravi-san gave me a dubious look. Of course she would! Even if she knows I’m rich, it’s weird for a little girl to say she’ll pay. But I just had to say it!

“You know, Meg really thinks like an adult… Licht and Ronny didn’t seem to mind at all. Ah, Ronny did look a bit apologetic.”

I’m sorry, it’s because I’m an adult on the inside… Honestly, there are a lot of times when it’s troublesome to only think like an adult. It helps sometimes though! But at times like this, I wish I could think like a carefree child. They’ll think I’m just a spoiled little girl who’s butting in!

“I think you already know the answer, but I have no intention of accepting money from you guys. But…”

Ravi-san paused, put her luggage in the corner of the room, and then turned to face me, her hands on her hips.

“The truth is, at this rate, my money will run out soon. So I’ll have to rely on your tools, Meg.”

Ravi-san put her hand on my head, and then crouched down to look up at my face. My confused expression was reflected in her amber eyes.

“And if we really do run out of money, I’m planning to take on some simple quests. I’m an adventurer, after all. If that happens, will you help me out then? The reward we get will be yours too, not just mine.”

Is that no good? Ravi-san asked with a toothy grin, and I couldn’t help but smile back. She’s really good at handling children. If it were the guild members, they’d definitely refuse to let me pay, or they’d put it off, saying I could pay them back later.

“Okay! I’ll do my best to help!”

“Alright, it’s a deal.”

After we said this, Ravi-san raised her hand next to her face, so I lightly slapped it. I wanted it to make more of a ‘smack’ sound, but it was different. But I was happy to be treated as an equal, so it’s fine. Feeling content, we left the room to go get Licht and Ronny.

The rooms were on the second floor, so we all went down to the first floor together. To the right was the entrance and reception, and to the left was the dining area. Our goal was dinner, of course. Maybe because it was still a bit early, there didn’t seem to be many customers. But there were still a few groups!

We all sat at a suitable table, and a girl who looked to be around 6 or 7 brought us water. She had black hair tied in two, with a cute smile. I unconsciously stared at her, thinking she was probably close to my physical age.

“? What is it?”

“Ah, um, well…”

Maybe she noticed me staring, because the girl smiled and called out to me. I don’t have many chances to interact with kids this age, so I got flustered!

“You’re not from this village, right? Are you traveling?”

When I hesitated, the girl brought up a new topic. What great communication skills! Compared to her, I’m… pathetic for an adult… sniff.

“Yeah, um, we’re going to the central capital.”

I answered with a smile, trying not to show my inner dejection, and the girl’s eyes widened.

“The central capital? I’ve heard it’s really far! You must be amazing to go there, even though you’re still little!”

Wow, she complimented me! Aww!

“No, I’m just being taken there by everyone…!”

“It’s still amazing to travel! I’ve never left here.”

“I-I think it’s more amazing to do your job properly at the store!”

When I conveyed my thoughts in response to her many compliments, the girl tilted her head in confusion. Huh? Did I say something weird?

“This is the first time someone’s called it a ‘job’… Everyone else says ‘good job helping out’…”

After murmuring this, the girl’s face quickly broke into a smile. It was a face that said she was truly happy. It made me smile too.

“Because it is a job, right?”

“Yeah, a job. It really is a proper job!”

We smiled at each other as she thanked me. I was later told by Ravi-san that the people around us were watching over us with kind eyes, which made me embarrassed… but it was a refreshing moment for me too, so I’ll take it!