Poor Noble Nord’s Adventure

7. First Expedition

Nord, who had achieved his immediate goal (or rather his recent task) of acquiring his own armor, enjoyed his first day off in about a month while waiting for his beloved sword to return from sharpening.

That said, Nord’s wallet was nearly empty after buying the set of armor, even though it was cheap. To lessen the burden on the Ferris household, he continued to take requests from the adventurer’s guild, even during his break.

Without his sword, he took on minor jobs within the capital, like gathering herbs or helping out, which didn’t pay much. But it was a nice change from slaying monsters.

A few days later, his beloved sword, polished to a gleam, was back at his waist. The longsword had been sharpened without a single chip left, and he now wore his hardened leather armor.

Having finally assembled a proper adventurer’s gear, Nord walked with slightly lighter steps toward the adventurer’s guild.

During the time his sword was being sharpened, Nord hadn’t been mindlessly taking on requests. He had been assessing which jobs to take next to accomplish his next goal.

Nord’s new goal was to further upgrade his gear. First on the list was buying chainmail to wear under his armor. He also thought about buying a second sword, even a cheap one.

Defense was, after all, the most important aspect to consider. Chainmail is expensive, even more so than the hardened leather armor Nord had purchased. Properly made chainmail is crafted by linking small metal rings together, which takes time and effort, driving the price up.

In fact, it’s so costly that you could buy several sets of hardened leather armor for the same price.

However, since chainmail is worn under the armor, its defensive power stacks with the outer armor. Additionally, it can be reused even if the outer armor is replaced.

In the long run, despite its price, it’s an item worth purchasing.

With that in mind, Nord picked up a request and headed to the guild counter to handle the formalities.

§

Having completed the request paperwork, Nord headed to the designated location specified on the request slip.

That place was the plaza right in front of the nearest city gate from the guild.

The stone-paved plaza was bustling with people from early in the morning, filled with the sounds of the crowd.

In one corner of the plaza was what Nord was looking for.

It was a single carriage stationed at a rest area. It was a covered wagon hitched to two horses, with the emblem of the Alchemist Guild painted on its tarp.

Near the wagon were several people who appeared to be adventurers. They were probably the others who had taken on the same request as Nord.

As he approached the wagon, the driver addressed him.

“Ah, you there. Are you one of the adventurers who took the gathering request?”

When Nord replied that he was, the driver continued,

“Then there’s an official over there, please show them your guild card.”

Following the instructions, Nord showed his guild card to the official, who wrote his name down on a clipboard.

It seemed to be a check to make sure none of the adventurers had swapped places with someone else.

After the paperwork was done, he was instructed to get on the wagon, which the other adventurers had already boarded.

Nodding lightly in greeting, Nord took a seat toward the back.

Inside the wagon, adventurers around Nord’s age were chatting. Their conversation was casual, along the lines of “Did you pack enough items?” or “Can you adjust your position? Your weapon’s poking me.” The adventurers sitting nearby occasionally joined in or threw in comments, suggesting they might be a party.

That said, not everyone was chatting. Most were simply waiting for the wagon to depart in silence.

More adventurers filled up the seats—though there were no actual seats; everyone just sat in the back of the wagon—and with a flick of the driver’s whip, the wagon began to move.

The request Nord had taken from the adventurer’s guild was for herb gathering.

However, this wasn’t just for low-grade herbs; these were high-quality medicinal plants found about half a day’s ride from the capital.

Apparently, these herbs were in season, and the Alchemist Guild had posted the request.

The job was paid by base reward plus commission, and while it wasn’t enough to buy chainmail in one go, spending several days at the gathering site could provide a decent payout, even factoring in travel days.

Since the request didn’t specify otherwise, it was standard for adventurers to provide their own food. Nord had prepared preserved food and brought along a bag, rope, and a lantern for night camps to make gathering easier.

The other adventurers seemed to have similar setups.

One thing that concerned him was that although the request mentioned monsters appearing at the site, few adventurers were as heavily armored as Nord.

Most only wore a breastplate, and even those with leg and arm protection were in the minority. Their heads were completely unprotected.

Well, since this was mainly a gathering mission, it’s possible there wouldn’t be much combat…

Nord started to worry, but then he quickly reconsidered. Although adventurers were supposed to help one another, in the end, it was each person’s responsibility.

If they judged that their gear was enough, it wasn’t Nord’s place to interfere.

With that thought, Nord let his body sway in rhythm with the wagon. The cobblestone path had already given way to an unpaved road.

§

After resting and camping overnight, the group’s wagon arrived at the destination just before noon the next day.

“Man, my butt’s killing me!” a young adventurer, seemingly part of a party, yelled while rubbing his rear. Nord couldn’t help but agree.

The alchemist guild’s wagon didn’t have any suspension, so even the slightest bump made the journey unbearable. It was no surprise that a wagon equipped with such features wouldn’t be used to transport low-ranked adventurers.

The Alchemist Guild had brought two other wagons besides the one Nord and the others had been riding in. In total, three wagons were at the gathering site. The guild members, identifiable by their uniforms adorned with the Alchemist Guild emblem on their shoulders, began unloading barrels from the other two wagons.

As Nord watched, a guild member not involved in unloading barrels began giving instructions, calling the adventurers to gather for a briefing.

Nord quickly shifted his attention and moved toward the guild member.

After being shown samples of the herbs they were to gather, they received instructions on the length of their stay, how to submit the herbs they collected, and where they would be camping.

Once the briefing ended, the group of more than ten adventurers split up. Those with companions formed groups, while acquaintances teamed up, and they headed into the forest where the herbs grew.

There were only a few adventurers who acted alone, and Nord was one of them.

The forest was dense with overgrown trees, their tall branches blocking out sunlight, making the interior slightly dim.

Still, the forest floor was lush with vegetation. At first, there was a small animal trail, but soon Nord found himself walking off the beaten path.

After pushing through the undergrowth and navigating the uneven terrain, Nord found a patch of the herbs they had been shown earlier.

Cautiously, he began gathering the herbs.

The medicinal properties were concentrated in the leaves and stems, so he carefully cut the stems, leaving enough behind to allow the herbs to grow back in the future.

Nord worked steadily and quickly finished gathering the targeted herbs. He then moved on to find another patch of the same herbs. In about an hour, he had collected a decent amount.

This was Nord’s first time accepting a request that took him far from the capital, but things seemed to be going well. He had chosen a stable request with a low risk of failure for his first long-distance job, and it seemed that was the right decision.

His previous experience gathering herbs around the capital had come in handy. Although the herbs were different, the basic techniques were the same. If he remembered the location of this herb patch, it could be useful for future gathering requests.

With these thoughts in mind, Nord moved on to find the next herb patch.

§

Along the way, occasionally engaging with the monsters that inhabited the forest (though they weren’t much of a threat), Nord continued gathering medicinal herbs smoothly, slung a bag swollen with herbs over his shoulder, and left the forest. Nord exited the forest before sunset and completed his first day’s delivery. Compared to other adventurers who also returned to deliver, his results were as good as, if not better than, theirs.

The delivered herbs were carried into a carriage where members of the Alchemy Guild seemed to be working on something. It was likely the preliminary preparations for potion-making used in magic potions.

Unfortunately, perhaps due to the inclusion of some secret technique of the Alchemy Guild, a curtain was hung at the entrance of the carriage, so it was impossible to peek inside, leaving the details of the work unknown.

Since nothing good would come from being disliked by the Alchemy Guild, who was the client,

Nord decided not to approach the carriage too closely and quickly focused on preparing for the night’s camp.

Having delivered the herbs, he stuffed the now significantly smaller bag into his tool pouch at his waist, and feeling lighter, Nord headed back into the forest.

But this time, it wasn’t to gather herbs; it was to collect firewood for the camp. He deftly picked up fallen twigs and branches, gathering a sufficient amount. Next, Nord decided to gather food.

He spotted some mushrooms in the forest, but unfortunately, having grown up in the royal capital,

Nord couldn’t tell which were edible. If he were to continue going on expeditions in the future, such knowledge—survival knowledge—might one day mean the difference between life and death.

Not to mention, it’s always better to fill one’s stomach without spending money.

The preserved food sold in adventurer shops or grocery stores is long-lasting, but it’s mostly hard bread or dried meat. Even though it’s seasoned, the preservation takes priority, so the taste is lacking, and above all, it’s expensive.

Once this job is over, maybe I’ll ask an adventurer with ranger skills at the Adventurer Guild tavern for some advice, Nord thought, imagining the regular drunkards at the tavern.

Maybe if I treat them to a drink, they’ll teach me. People tend to loosen their tongues when they’re drunk. Though he couldn’t eat the mushrooms, Nord had another idea for food. He had come to a river not far from the camp. It was a spot that had been pointed out as a place to fetch water.

Nord pulled a string from his tool pouch. He securely tied it to a suitable stick he had picked up while gathering firewood, and cast the string into the river. A hook was attached to the string, and on it was a bug he had casually caught as bait.

Fishing was a skill Nord could take pride in, apart from the swordsmanship he had honed in the Felis Knight Family.

Since a river flowed near the royal capital, Nord often went fishing there. Over the years, he had grown quite skilled at it, though the reason his fishing skills improved was out of necessity—he had to catch fish to fill his belly because he was poor. Even though this was a different place from the familiar river in the royal capital, Nord’s fishing skills remained impressive.

Fish after fish bit on the line he had cast, and within no time, Nord had caught several fish, skillfully managing the rod as he reeled them in. Using a flat stone by the riverside as a cutting board, he expertly gutted the fish, then skewered them with sticks he had also picked up in the forest. All that was left was to roast them, and a fine dinner would be ready.

With skewered fish in one hand and firewood in the other, Nord returned to the campsite, where adventurers had already kindled fires and were sitting around them.

A campfire is essential for camping. Naturally, Nord had both the tools and the skills to start a fire, but if someone else had already made one, it was better to borrow it. Nord asked one of the adventurers around the fire if he could borrow their flames, and the adventurer agreed without hesitation.

Thanking them, Nord began cooking the skewered fish. Though all he had to do was stick the skewers into the ground and wait for the fish to roast over the fire. Since he had caught three fish, Nord decided to stop fishing at that point, and soon three grilled fish were ready.

He offered one to the adventurer who had lent him the fire as a thank-you gift. “Really? Thanks!” the adventurer said and began eating the grilled fish without any reservation. Nord also took a bite of his own fish.

The simple seasoning of just a sprinkle of salt tasted especially good after a day of hard work.

As he chewed on the bread he had bought as preserved food, Nord enjoyed a slightly luxurious camp meal by the now-dark forest.