The Exiled Knight Takes Up Life as an Adventurer — A Former Captain's Secret Power and His Carefree Days in a Distant Land - Chapter 8

The Emarepa Empire—one of the great nations located in the far southeast of the continent.

Far to the west of its capital, Taluska, lay a quiet, rural port town on the shores of the Marsole Inland Sea: Tirkoa.

That’s where I—Mardin Lutréze—currently work as an adventurer.

I’m a mid-tier C-rank adventurer.

After being permanently exiled from my homeland a year ago, I headed south in search of the sea. I passed through several places in the Emarepa Empire, and six months ago, I finally settled in this town.

For someone like me, who was looking for a place to call home, this town felt just right.

A warm climate and delicious food.

I especially like the spicy dishes made with Emarepa’s famous local seasonings.

The exotic atmosphere of the town itself also charmed me.

Most of the buildings here are made of pale yellow sandstone and have a distinctly square design.

The reason for that is the typhoons.

This coastal region along the Marsole is often hit by typhoons.

I’ve already experienced one myself—and learned just how dangerous they can be.

Aside from that, everything here is comfortable. I have no reason to leave.

Most of all, the adventurer’s guild in this town is absolutely the best.

“Mardin! There’s a quest request for you!”

“Work? What’s the job, Palma?”

“Hunting down a Clawfang Bear, Berua. The reward’s three gold coins!”

“Clawfang Berua? That’s a nasty one, even for a C-rank quest. I’m gonna pass on that.”

“Come on, man! Take it!”

I’d come to the guild cafeteria to have an early lunch when Palma, one of the guild staff, brought me the offer.

But I had already decided today was going to be a rest day.

“I don’t take on jobs I don’t feel like doing. That’s my policy.”

“That’s why you’re still stuck at C-rank!”

“C-rank’s good enough to live off.”

“Tch! You should be trying harder! You’re thirty-three already! The younger ones are all passing you up!”

“If someone wants to push themselves, let ‘em. I’m fine just taking it easy.”

As long as I take on a few quests each month, I can make enough to get by.

No point risking your neck for money. If you die, that’s the end of it.

And besides, there’s always the risk of losing your fortune anyway.

“Life’s long. Better to take it easy and live comfortably.”

With a wooden mug of cold ale in one hand, I took a big bite of a pizza made with cheese from a waterhorn bison called Kwai.

The stretchy, piping-hot cheese and dripping tomato sauce melted together perfectly.

A sprinkle of herbs on top really brought out the flavor.

“Hot! Damn, Ferleat, your cooking is as good as ever!”

“Hehe, thank you!”

Ferleat, the cafeteria staff member.

She’s twenty-three years old, with golden hair down to her shoulders and bright, expressive eyes.

Cheerful and charming, she’s the poster girl of this guild.

Her cooking is famous among the adventurers—it’s absolutely top-notch.

“Hey, Mardin, you’re not heading out on a quest today?”

“Nope. I decided today’s a rest day. That’s why I’m here, enjoying your food.”

“Hmmm, I’m glad you’re here, but… you’ve got a tab running, you know.”

“Ugh… Could you give me a little more time?”

“Then why not take the Clawfang Berua quest? You’d still have money left over after paying the tab.”

“I’d need a party for that one. Prepping for it’s a pain.”

“Well, if you don’t pay soon, I can’t let you eat here anymore. The manager’s already upset.”

“Tch… Guess I’ll take on a different quest, then. So much for my day off.”

“Hehe. Go earn some gold!”

Draining the rest of my ale in one gulp, I stuffed the last of the pizza in my mouth and made my way over to the quest board.

The guild’s quests were posted by rank.

“All right, where’s my lovely little money-maker quest hiding?”

I hummed to myself as I stood in front of the board.

In a quiet backwater guild like this one, high-difficulty quests almost never show up.

At best, the occasional B-rank quest might pop up.

But this branch didn’t have any adventurers ranked B or above.

The younger adventurers had all moved to bigger cities, looking for better opportunities.

Thanks to this laid-back branch that didn’t pressure anyone to take on quests, I was able to live a relaxed adventurer life.

I turned my eyes to the C-rank quest board.

As a C-rank adventurer, I could only accept quests of C-rank or lower.

Most C-rank jobs involved hunting or subjugating monsters of the same rank, or guarding important figures and merchants.

Hunting and subjugation of monsters—the star attractions of adventuring—typically require a dedicated party.

The standard setup is a team made up of adventurers, a dismantler, and a transporter.

These days, airships or balloons are sometimes used to reach quest sites, so it’s not uncommon for scholars or guild officials to join the party as well.

However, in this quiet countryside guild, there were no airships to speak of.

For larger-scale quests, transporters would drive large, covered wagons.

Other than that, we’d travel on foot, horseback, or use smaller carts.

Forming a party was a hassle.

You had to gather the right number of people, coordinate schedules, and gather supplies, tools, and food.

That’s why I only take on quests I can do alone.

“No good C-rank quests today. Nothing worth my time.”

I shifted my gaze to the D-rank quest board.