No to Being the Suffering Heroine!

The next day was a nonstop flurry of busyness.

Before Heid arrived to look for the Vespians, there were a few tasks I had to tackle in advance.

First, I needed to visit the merchants partnered with the magic tower to sell off Rivilla’s cargo.

The usual shops favored by adventurers would undoubtedly nitpick and try to undercut prices as much as possible.

Monster byproducts or shabby weapons could be sold anywhere for pretty much the same price, but items like this loot that are easy to nitpick meant I had to choose my selling spots wisely.

“Hmm… Customers, did you happen to steal this from some merchant guild…?”

Even merchants associated with the magic tower looked embarrassed, wondering if this was loot. Imagine the guild’s local merchants who prey on adventurers for a living!

“This is a bit troublesome. If you’re looking to dispose of loot or stolen goods, you should seek other shops…”

Just like the man in front of me, suggesting I look elsewhere if I wanted to sell stolen goods indicates he’s in the top 1% of decent merchants.

Most merchants on Guild Street would either offer ridiculous low prices or, even worse, hint at reporting me to the guards if I dared to refuse their offer.

As this was legitimately obtained loot, getting reported wouldn’t really hold much ground; however, having the guards investigate would definitely be a hassle.

That’s why I came to this merchant, introduced by Amy.

“Don’t worry. I’ll guarantee it.”

Of course, I had Amy tagging along.

“I swear by the name of the magic tower, these items are legitimately acquired treasures.”

Amy flashed the merchant the mark proving her affiliation to the magic tower and gave a subtle shrug.

That was a hundred times more reliable than my hundred words.

“Hmm… This is Lord Rayfield’s mark. Then it should be fine.”

After closely examining the mark, the merchant nodded, seemingly convinced.

“Rayfield?”

“My mentor. He’s the one who recommended me to the magic tower.”

Amy whispered quietly in my ear.

Milena Rayfield, a high-ranking magician of the magic tower.

She was Amy’s mentor and guardian, recommending children gifted in magic for years, mentoring and watching over them.

Of course, that “mentoring” meant tossing one measly adventure contract at them—nothing more.

“…If that’s the case, why even take on students?”

“Well, I’m not quite sure. Maybe it’s for the tuition fees. Or perhaps to increase faction numbers. It could just be a whim?”

Regardless, as a mentor, she might be a conditional underachiever, but her reputation was solid, making her a convenient name to drop in situations like these.

“Alright then. I’ll take all of this and this, but this shabby weapon here… This has no real value.”

While Amy and I chatted, the merchant picked through our list and decided what he would buy.

I hoped he’d take it all, but I guessed that kind of naïveté wouldn’t happen.

Items like those shabby weapons left by bandits clearly had ambiguous value and he swiftly dismissed them; it seemed I had to sell such junk back at Guild Street.

“Are you going to sell that horse too? If so…”

“Just two. I plan to hold off on the other two for now.”

The merchant asked if I intended to sell the draft horses I brought.

Since horses tended to sell quite high, I initially wanted to get rid of them all, but Friede and Amy suggested it might be better to keep two.

Having our own horses and cart would help avoid the hassle of renting one every time we went on a job.

Thinking it over, I had to admit that was a fair point, so we decided to keep the draft horses.

Unlike the horses, the cart was practically a rag by the time we got to the city, so we would need to repair it or buy a new one.

“Is that so…? Hmm, well then, two gold coins should suffice for payment.”

Two gold coins.

In other words, it meant giving two hundred silver coins.

Divided among four, that’s fifty silver each.

Honestly, considering the world’s prices, it felt like a bit of a steal, but given that the merchant was taking it with the intention of reselling, it showed some goodwill on his part.

If he wished, he could easily secure the same items at an even lower price.

After all, that’s just how merchants operate.

They bribe the higher-ups to monopolize distribution rights, buy items cheaply, and then sell them for a considerable markup—pocketing the difference.

So even if I needed at least five gold coins to buy those items, I was selling them for only two gold coins.

In reality, even offering two coins felt generous. Other merchants would’ve likely tried to pull it off for just one.

Without the magic tower as a backing, this merchant probably would’ve done just that.

If he couldn’t stand the outrageous fees, he should have ditched being an adventurer and joined the merchant guild instead…

‘…Not a chance!’

That was just a joke, a ridiculous thought, though it was ultimately impossible.

To join a merchant guild, you’d need two things: either pay a staggering fee or inherit the profession from a parent already in the guild.

In other words, outsiders—without connections and cash—were not welcome!

Of course, who would share a sweet pie with complete strangers?

So, I guess this was the way it had to be. I couldn’t complain about collecting two gold coins.

“Ah, make half of it silver, please. I need to divide it among the party members.”

“That’s no problem at all. Here you go. Enjoy.”

The middle-aged merchant pulled out a gold coin and a hundred silver from a storage behind the sofa, handing it to us in a leather pouch while smiling. A good deal, he said.

Well, of course it was a good deal! Just reselling the items we handed over would yield a net profit of over three gold coins!

◆◆

“Alright, everyone gets fifty silver.”

Emerging from the building with money pouches in hand, I distributed each member’s share to Amy, Friede, and Kikel who had been waiting outside.

“Fifty? Isn’t that a bit much? For me, at least?”

Kikel tilted his head, questioning my generosity.

That might not seem excessive for seasoned adventurers like Friede or Amy, but for him, still a rookie, was it really fair to give fifty silver?

It was rare to see someone in the human world declare much more than enough cash out of altruism.

“As a party, it feels wrong to differentiate, right? If you think it’s an excessive reward for a rookie, consider it a sign of high expectations.”

With a smile, I encouraged him to accept rather than decline.

“I believe that once your temperature issue is resolved, you could be ready to aspire for the bronze rank. If it’s a burden, use those funds to gather some fire crystals and power up!”

That was a gentle hint to enhance his strength with the funds I provided.

“…Kaka-chack!”

Perhaps touched, Kikel paused in silence before breaking into a broad grin.

“I’m grateful! Your recognition is like family! I call you brother! You can drop the formalities!”

Kikel—thrilled to express his gratitude—claimed we’d treat each other like siblings moving forward.

He surely didn’t think I was treating him like a little sister just because I handed him fifty silver coins, right?

It seemed my efforts to be considerate over the past few days spurred that familial fondness within him.

Well, I wasn’t complaining. I often struggled navigating speaking formally to Kikel while casually addressing the others.

“Indeed. I can do that. I think it’s easier for me too.”

So, nodding, I immediately dropped the formalities. Voices became warmer, and even jokes flowed more naturally.

“Then are we calling you ‘Brother Kikel’ now?”

Brother? Just saying it made me chuckle. I would’ve never uttered such a word, ordinarily.

“Hih, Hilde? That’s a bit….”

Friede, who had been quietly listening, frowned. I couldn’t tell her reasoning. Perhaps she thought it didn’t suit me?

Well, it was just a joke.

I was merely kidding about calling him brother, and if asked, I wouldn’t genuinely call him that.

If I did, my limbs would twist up like I was trying to hug a blue robotic raccoon.

“Wrong! No right! Call me Kikel!”

However, Kikel firmly shook his head at my joke, insisting it was unacceptable to call him brother.

“Uh… Fair enough. Maybe I got a bit too casual too quickly?”

I nodded, feeling a bit sheepish.

Even if we were like siblings, calling him brother might have been crossing a line?

Although I felt awkward, it was an understandable response.

“Different! Not brother! I call you sister!”

…That reply that came back was utterly baffling.

“What sister?”

My mouth dropped open in disbelief. Sister? Where on earth did that come from? We were not far apart in age, what was with that?

…Wait a minute.

Had I ever asked Kikel how old he was?

Thinking back, I hadn’t. I just assumed from his speech and rugged look that he was older than me.

But sister?

Could this lizard man actually be younger than me?

“Uh, Kikel, how old are you right now?”

“…As a matter of fact, I’m fourteen!”

Amy, seemingly just as shocked as I was that Kikel could be younger, turned her head to ask him, her expression almost incredulous.

And then…

“Kaka-chak! Fourteen!”

Kikel burst out laughing, proudly exclaiming his age.

“….”

“….”

“….”

The three of us couldn’t bring ourselves to laugh. His answer was utterly absurd.

“Fourteen?!”

“Kaka-chak! That’s right! So, Hilde, you’re a sister now!”

He was fourteen.

Before discussing being young, he was just a child.

Oh my God, had I really had a boy of such an age by my side this whole time?

I was having a fourteen-year-old child as a shield against monsters all along?

It was genuinely an unbelievable reality.

---