Kikori no Isekai Tan - Chapter 14

Drip, drip—the sound of blood falling onto the stairs.

Holding the 2,000 yen he had just exchanged, Kikori made his way down to the basement of the Adventurer’s Guild.

His consciousness which had already begun to fade, was it leading him to death?

When he reached the counter, the staff there showed a much more human reaction than the receptionist he had met earlier.

The receptionist had been so… so calm, handling the situation as if it were just another day.

“A potion.”

“2,000 yen.”

“I thought it was 1,000.”

“I’m giving you one that works immediately. If you don’t want it, I can give you the 1,000-yen one.”

There was no time to hesitate. As he tried to open the potion he had received in exchange for the 2,000 yen with his trembling hands, the staff member snatched it from him.

“Open your mouth.”

She poured the potion into his open mouth and then closed it for him.

Gulp. As the potion he swallowed took effect, the pain disappeared, and warmth returned to his body.

“…Alright, you’re good now.”

“Thank you. But the 1,000-yen one would’ve been fine.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. If you’d tried to treat a life-threatening condition with a 1,000-yen potion, you would have needed four of them.”

“Is that so?”

“Cheap potions have their reasons for being cheap. Just like expensive ones have their reasons for being expensive.”

Now that she mentioned it, that might be true.

No matter how many cheap ones you stack up, they can’t match the quality of something good and expensive. That’s a simple fact.

“…I understand.”

“Really. Then that’s good. So?”

“Eh?”

“What did you do that got you almost died? Judging by how you’re carrying a club and a knife which you didn’t have yesterday, it was goblins, right?”

“Yeah, well. I got lured into an ambush by a decoy.”

“I see…”

The staff member leaned on the counter, letting out a sigh.

“It’s kill or be killed out there. If you let your guard down, that’s what happens.”

“I experienced that personally. I got cocky because things went well yesterday… I underestimated the goblins.”

“Well… I wouldn’t say it went well, considering the state you were in yesterday… but whatever.”

After clearing her throat, the staff pointed to the displayed items.

“With that experience in mind, would you like to buy some armor?”

“…I don’t have the budget for that. I don’t even have money to stay somewhere tonight. I need to earn more.”

“Uwa, that’s a quandary. You’re sounding like someone who’s about to meet their end.”

“I can’t afford to waste time getting robbed by bandits.”

“Maybe not…”

The staff sighed again, then pointed at the round shield in Kikori’s hand.

“So, how did that work out for you?”

“Ah, it’s thanks to this that I survived. Right, I should thank you for recommending it. Thank you.”

At Kikori’s words, the staff sighed once more and then asked, “What was your name again?”

“It’s Kikori.”

“That’s a ridiculous name… Haa… I’m Aria.”

“Ah, okay.”

“Please wait outside. My shift’s almost over.”