Semi-retired Adventurer Lives Leisurely Chapter 18

Published at 6th of June 2021 10:50:50 AM

Chapter 18: The Trip to the Capital

Henry: (*YAWN)

I belched out a long and loud yawn as I descended the stairs of the Bear’s Keg Inn.

I woke up late again and missed out on the breakfast special. My life at Flowtier has been slowly digressing into laziness.

When my home country was still around, I remember that I wasn’t much different from how I live now.

And waking up later, the captain of the guard would be waiting to grill and drill me with choice words about responsibility and dignity.

Those were the good ol’ times now.

As I descend to the bottom, I don’t see Lana who is usually cleaning and preparing for the lunch rush.

Actually, no, she is here but just not cleaning.

She’s sitting beside Mr. Nord, and they’re talking to a woman sitting across from them.

She looks like she may be in her 40’s and has a slender figure. Wearing glasses, you get the strong impression that she’s an intellectual.

“Oh.”

The woman noticed me as I came down the stairway.

“I’m so sorry, I wasn’t aware that you still had customers.”

“...It’s okay. He’s not one to mind.”

With few words, Mr. Nord assured her.

Lana: “I’m so sorry, Mr. Henry. We’re talking to my teacher right now. I did save a breakfast special for you.”

As usual, Lana’s a good girl. I love you so much.

But a teacher? She does look and fit the type, but what’s she doing here?

Lana: “We’ll be done shortly. Could you wait until we finish?”

Henry: “If it’s a private conversation, I don’t mind excusing myself, so you all can talk…”

I could tell from the atmosphere that things were a little tense, and I was all for leaving the scene.

Lana: “It’s really not a big deal. My teacher’s asking if I would like to go to the University at the Capital.”

“Ms. Lana...oh dear…”

I catch the paperwork sitting on the table.

It had a lot of text, but key words stuck out like a sore thumb — it read “Alvenia Central University.”

Henry: “When you say a university at the capital, are you talking about…”

“(*sigh) Yes. We’re discussing her future with Alvenia Central University.”

Hey hey hey hey.

I know we talked briefly about how smart Lana is, but we’re talking about the school that gathers the greatest minds of this Kingdom. That’s way above just being “smart.”

I’ve seen the campus when I went through the Capital, and it was a very large campus with tall buildings. Needless to say, the security there was equally impressive. They had the Royal Knights patrolling the area.

The overall education level of each university in this country is very high, but they say the Central University at the Capital is a level above the rest. Someone who was a university grad and became an adventurer told me this.

Lana: “But...I’m just a girl who just likes to read and study for fun…”

“A person who can prove the Theorum of Clooge Noin is not someone who just happens to like studying. The professors at the Central University practically fell over their seats reading your dissertation.”

Yup, no clue what those words mean. Did Lana make some kind of discovery?

Lana: “I only asked you to briefly review it. I didn’t ask for that paper to be submitted.”

“I’ll be frank. The contents of that paper were well beyond my knowledge and understanding...”

Okay, so a woman who’s probably really smart couldn’t understand Lana’s paper.

Holy crap. Really? Everyone I meet here is like some sort of child prodigy.

“Regardless, they have strongly insisted that I immediately send you to their campus and have you take their entrance exam. They are offering to give you a full scholarship!”

Lana: “But…”

Lana doesn’t look happy with the offer or opportunity, but her teacher continues.

“For now, let’s speak with your parents. Mr. Nord, ultimately, the decision will fall upon you. I personally think that any parent would want their child to be in an environment where they can fully utilize their talents and gifts.”

Nord: “Mrs. Shelly… I understand. I will take your words into consideration.”

Mr. Nord and Mrs. Shelly bow to one another, and she leaves.

Um… What should I do? I kind of heard everything, and now it’s really hard to just leave.

Henry: “Umm… so…”

Lana: “OH! I’m so sorry! I’ll go warm up your breakfast right away!”

Lana hurries to the kitchen.

Henry: “Mr. Nord, I apologize for eaves dropping on your family’s personal matters.”

Nord: “Please… it was nothing we were trying to hide.”

With his shaggy, manly beard, Nord was brushing it while deep in thought.

Well, of course. I can’t blame him. We’re talking about his daughter’s future. What parent wouldn’t worry, and how difficult would it be to send her off so far away? I can’t blame him for not being able to immediately come up with an answer.

Nord: “Mr. Henry, what do you think?”

Henry: “What, me?”

Nord: “I’m sorry to bother you with this. I only know of this town. You have been to other cities, and I’d like to hear your opinion.”

Oh, he looks pretty desperate for any advice or direction. Why me? There are so many others who would be better suited than me. But, since he asked, I can’t be rude. I sit down to think myself.

Henry: “Well, this will be my own personal opinion but….”

This might not be helpful for Lana’s future, but this is just how I feel.

Henry: “Since she has parents, why can’t she remain with them until she reaches adult age?”

I am too, but many adventurers are orphans or have lost their families. As time passed, the pain lessened, but everyone always wished they could spend more time with their families if given the chance.

...so being 14, why be separated from her family right now?

Nord: “I see…”

Henry: “Oh, but please speak to others about this too. I’m just an inexperienced youngin.”

Nord: “No, thank you for you input.”

And at that point, Lana brought me my breakfast.

It was delicious as always.

The next day, I was doing some cleaning and maintenance on my equipment.

You have to leave actual repairs to the professionals, but there are things you can do yourself to keep the costs down. Otherwise, your wallet will empty quickly.

I sharpen my blades, fix tears in my clothes, replace the soles of my shoes - these are all things I learned how to do on the way.

Oh, I wonder if Jend and Cyril can do these things? Teo said she already knows how.

I’ll ask them the next time I see them,

I can’t help but feel happy to take care of them. They learn and grow so fast.

I’m sharpening my knife as I let my thoughts run and I hear noise from downstairs.

Henry: “....huh?”

The noise seemed to grow slightly louder.

Today, the Bear’s Keg Inn is closed. It’s their once a week break. The Inn is running, but the restaurant side is closed for the day. All the rest of the inn customers are gone except me, and Mr. Nord and Lana are usually quiet on these days.

Did something happen?

From the sounds I’m hearing, I don’t think there’s trouble brewing.

I was curious. I stopped my maintenance tasks and headed downstairs.

As I walk down the steps, I can also hear the sound growing… These are… laughter? It’s the laughter of a woman I never heard before.

“HHHA! Here Lana! Hold him for me. It’s your little brother. It’s you or him that’s gonna take over this business one day!”

Lana: “Oh, yeah. Oh wow…”

There’s a tall, stout, and beautiful woman handing a baby over to Lana to hold.

Nord: “Linda, why does he cry whenever I hold him?”

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Mr. Nord doesn’t look very pleased.

Linda: “That’s ‘cuz your face is freakin’ scary! Don’t worry. He’ll get used to it soon enough. When I first met you, I was scared to death of your face, but I got used to it quickly.”

Nord: “....Wait, no you weren’t. Why are you lying?”

Linda: “I’m just joking!”

She slaps Nord hard on the back several times as she laughs.

Linda: “Hm? Oh, an Inn customer?”

Henry: “Oh, hello. How are you? My name is Henry. I’ve been staying at this inn long-term.”

Oh—, yeah, I can guess who she is.

Mr. Nord’s wife. I remember being told that she went back to her family to have the baby. And I’m guessing that that’s the baby over there.

Linda: “Oh, then you’re a valuable customer. I’m Linda. I run this inn with Nord. I hope you’ve been enjoying your stay!”

Henry: “Yes, um, it’s been great being here.

She’s a really energetic woman. She’s the total opposite to Mr. Nord. I’m a little concerned about how they get along at all.

But I guess judging from their interaction just now, there’s nothing to worry about.

Wait, is Lana going to turn out this way in the future? She does have a very strong core and can be stubborn… yeah, I think it’s possible.

Linda: “And Nord, there’s something about Lana you wanted to discuss?”

Nord: “Yeah, just a little something.”

Oh, they must be talking about yesterday’s thing.

It looks like they’re about to have a family meeting, so I should excuse myself quickly. It’s about lunch time anyways. It’s closed here today, so I can go out and find a place to eat.

Henry: “Alright, I’ll be heading out. I’m rooting for you, Lana~”

Lana: “Oh, yes, thank you.”

I send some encouragement to Lana who’s holding the baby.

Okay, so what should I eat for dinner...

So…

Linda: “Putting aside whether you’ll enroll or not, why not just go and see what they have to say first. You haven’t even looked at the campus! Don’t just sit there thinking about it and do something first!”

Apparently, that’s what Lana’s mother said.

In the letter from the University, there was a section asking Lana to just come and take a look at the research facility, so with Mrs. Linda’s guidance, the decision was made.

For Lana who’s never been outside of her city, going to the Capital would be a good opportunity and experience to expand her views of the world. Putting aside whether it would help her determine her future, I don’t think this trip will turn out to be a bad experience for her.

Henry: “So that’s the story.”

Cyril: “Wow… So Lana really was THAT amazing…”

Teo: “...Mmhmm. Lana is a girl who can do anything if she puts her mind to it.”

Cyril and Teo are genuinely impressed.

Jend: “Wait wait wait. What do you mean, ‘So that’s the story’? What does that have to do with us?”

And Jend cuts in.

Henry: “Yup. So here’s the deal. Lana is going to the Capital, but Mr. Nord has the business to run, and Mrs. Linda has the baby to take care of, so they can’t go with her.”

The rest of their relatives also have their own work to do, so no one can go to the Capital just like that.

Henry: “So we have a Quest for our party specifically. Our objective is to safely deliver Lana to the capital. I’ll be honest. The reward isn’t that much, but what do you guys think?”

I’ve been a customer here for quite a while, and they’ve been really good to me. I’m not against going. It makes me happy because it’s also a proof of how much they trust us.

Cyril: “? Is there a reason why we should refuse?”

Cyril and Teo have no objections.

Henry: “What about you, Jend?”

Jend: “Well, if everyone else wants to go, I don’t mind, but honestly, I prefer expeditions over this.”

Henry: “To be frank, we’ve been doing things at too high of a pace. I don’t think it means that we have to let our guard down, but it won’t be bad for us to take a vacation. If we don’t take a break somewhere, we’ll trip sooner or later.

Having your concentration break is like cutting a tight string. There are many stories where adventurers suddenly make an error against a common opponent they’re used to.

Jend: “I guess… I can see your point.”

Henry: “You might be able to go see that Feris girl.”

I bring up a name of Jend’s crush.

Jend: !!! “Whatever! You don’t have to bring that up!”

Henry: “Hey don’t worry man. So how about it?”

Jend is now torn.

But Cyril who knows him longer already sees which way Jend will go, and is saying to herself, “I wonder what kind of stores are in the Capital?” and she’s revving up to go.

Jend: “Gah, fine. Fine. I get it. Fine. I”ll go too.”

Henry: “That settles it. Our departure is in one week.”

Jend: “Then we’ll go to our expedition as planned tomorrow?”

Henry: “Yeah, that’ll be our last one, and then we prepare to go to the Capital.”

I did go by the Capital while coming to Flowtier, but at that time, I just passed through and didn’t stay. It’s been a while since I last visited the Capital.

I wonder what’s there now.

Chapter end