Chapter 204:
Butting Heads
“I’m exhausted.”
“That’s because you’re pushing too hard, Ivy.”
“Well, you’re a bullethead, Mr. Druid.”
“Well, you’re stubborn, Ivy.”
Druid and I were glaring at each other in silence. I never thought we would get into an argument…over our travel fund, of all things.
The way I saw it, since we would be traveling together, we should go fifty-fifty on our travel fund. Because of that, our journey would wind up being a bit less lavish than what Druid was picturing. And though I did feel bad about that, I figured we would just have to grit our teeth and bear it.
But when I suddenly got way more money than I was expecting, that meant we could have a much more luxurious journey even if we did split the expenses evenly. So that’s how I opened the conversation with Druid. But then…
“I’m the grown-up, so it’s only natural that I should contribute more to the travel fund. In fact, you don’t need to pay anything, Ivy.”
For some reason, Druid had drawn a line in the sand…and he wasn’t willing to budge at all.
“But it’s going to be a really long trip. I don’t feel right relying so much on you.”
The longer the journey, the greater our expenses would be—and I would be more and more of a burden. And when I thought about what lay ahead, I knew I had to be strong and carry my own weight.
“Ivy, you’re just one person. It’s no problem at all for me to cover you. I’ve saved up a lot of money.”
“No, I can’t let you do that.”
“You don’t need to be so by-the-book with your father.”
“But that’s a completely different thing.”
For some reason, we were talking past each other. When I said I would pay for part of the trip, he insisted he cover 50 percent of my expenses. When he wouldn’t surrender a single percent, I face-palmed. But I wasn’t going to back down, either, so I countered with “At least make it 48 percent.” And then it devolved into a quibble over numbers. And as you can imagine, it wiped me out.
“Well, I don’t think arguing like this is going to get us anywhere,” Druid sighed. “So why don’t we lock down some of the other travel details first?”
“That’s a good idea.” Thank goodness. I was about to let Druid’s momentum crush me.
“It’s going to be winter soon, so let’s decide where we’re going to settle for the season.” Druid spread a map out on the table. “You’re a pretty fast walker, aren’t you, Ivy?”
“If I do say so myself.” I was a fast walker and runner, probably because my whole journey began with me running away from home. I didn’t need to run from anyone anymore, but I could still keep pace with the average adult…and I was pretty proud of that.
“Um, I have a little request,” I said.
“What is it?”
“I want to forage fruits and nuts deep in the forest, so I’d like to plan on taking extra time.” In Oll, I’d learned that selling fruit and nuts actually got you a pretty good price… Well, make that a really good price. So I definitely wanted to make time to search for tree fruit during the journey.
“Okay. Considering that, we’ll probably stay in the next village or town.”
The next village or town? I looked at the map and saw that there were two main roads connecting Oll to the capital. One path led to a town, the other to a village. Then, after those areas, the paths converged back into one road that led to a tiny village. Huh? This map is different from the one I own.
“Um…this map…it’s different from my map.” I pulled my map out of my bag and spread it out on the table. It showed two villages next to Oll. Beyond them was a town, and a very big one at that.
“Oh, right. This kind of map is based on descriptions from adventurers, so whoever drew it probably misheard them. Either that or there wasn’t enough information, so the cartographer just filled in the gaps with their best guess.”
Oh, so that’s why. I didn’t know maps could be so uncertain. I’d always assumed they were made with a lot more precision.
“So, which way would you rather go?” Druid asked. “And while we’re on the subject, what are your plans for winter?”
“My plans for winter? Is there anything I can do? Where I used to live, it snowed so hard that you couldn’t even leave the house much.”
“Oh, okay. Well, the town of Kohl and the village—Hatow Village—both have snow up to your waist in the heaviest years, but you can still leave the house. You just have to be careful when there’s a blizzard.”
“Yes, blizzards are pretty scary. Back in my home village, many people died every year in them.”
“Yeah, well, you lose all sense of direction in a blizzard. What are you going to do about hunting in the winter?”
“Can we hunt in the winter?”
“Yeah, some monsters only come out in the winter, so adventurers like to go after them. The merchant guild’s prices rise in the winter, too—that’s why they do it. Then again, the prices are still cheaper than they are with the adventurer guild.”
“Winter monsters…”
Adventurers do have clients to serve, after all. But just think, I can sell meat with the merchant guild, too. Druid registering me with them has opened up a lot more options for me.
“From the way you hunt, Ivy, you’d be more successful if you went for the smaller monsters. That means Hatow Village might be better for you than Kohl. Lots of small monsters come out in the wintertime over there.”
“I always thought monsters and animals stayed in their dens for the winter.”
“Oddly enough, these monsters only come out in the winter.”
“Only in the winter?”
“Yeah, people have searched for them in the summer, but with no luck.”
What strange monsters. It’s good to know I can still hunt in the winter, though. I’ve got a lot of work ahead of me.
“Okay, let’s go to Hatow Village,” I said, looking at the place on Druid’s map. Hatow and Kohl were about the same size. Either one was bound to have several options for lodging.
“You can’t tell from the map, but Kohl is bigger. In fact, it’s even bigger than Oll.”
“Oh, really? But it looks the same size on the map.”
“Well, it’s really hard to find maps that are drawn to scale.”
Maybe we just shouldn’t depend on the map too much? Though I have relied on mine an awful lot thus far.
“Hatow Village is about the same size as Oll, but since it’s surrounded by towns on both sides, it’s often overlooked. It’s actually a hidden gem of sorts.”
“Oh, really? Do you know anything about the lodging available there?”
“It’s probably got plenty of places to stay, since it’s a big village. And it’d be cheaper than the inns in Oll and Kohl.”
“Now that’s good news. Is there somewhere near Hatow where Ciel can stay?”
“There is. There’re some caves nearby—a lot of them, in fact.”
That should cover Ciel, then. “Um, Ciel told me a while ago that it doesn’t hibernate, but do you think it would be all right living in the cold?”
“I’ve never heard of adandaras not doing well in the cold…but we should probably ask Ciel personally.”
“Okay.”
So our next destination is Hatow Village. All that remains now is…well, we’ve already talked about what belongings we’re going to take with us…so it’s just the money question.
“About how much does it cost to stay in Hatow Village?” Let’s figure out first how much money we’ll need.
“Well, you rent by the month in the wintertime, so it’ll be about three to ten gold plates.”
That’s quite a range… “What do the different prices get you?”
“The price is based on the lodging’s location. If it’s near a main road or off by a little street, it’ll be more expensive.”
Okay. So the most accessible places cost the most.
“There’s also our meals to consider. If we can cook for ourselves, we’ll save a lot of money, especially if we gather our own ingredients.”
So the more help we get from the inn staff, the more expensive it will all be. Well, I can cook, and we can store food in magic bags for long periods of time. I wonder if we can borrow some for cheap?
“The next question is whether we want an inn with a bath. If you ask me, having a bath is a huge plus.”
“Really?” Taking baths at his house definitely felt great…but I don’t think I have to take one every day. I’d be fine with just a sponge bath.
“If you plan on doing any hunting, baths are an absolute must. You’ll catch quite a chill out in the elements.”
Oh, that’s right! I wanted to hunt.
“Unless you warm yourself up afterward, you’ll easily catch cold, so I think a bath is an absolute must.”
“Okay. Let’s get a place with a bath, then.” I hope I can earn a lot from hunting.
“I guess all that’s left is to talk it over with someone who works at an inn. They might be able to give us some tips for saving money.”
“Understood.” So I guess we should set aside about five gold plates for our lodging?
“Right, are you okay with sharing a room?”
“Yes, of course.”
If anything, I needed to share a room to feel safe. I’d never rented a place to live before… Just the thought of it made me nervous. But I was definitely excited about it, too.
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