The Ultimate Sage Who Faked Incompetence and Was Disinherited Just Wants to Enjoy His New Life! - Episode 5: Temporary Party

Episode 5: Temporary Party 

I returned to the Adventurers’ Guild. The sky had turned completely dark. The only sources of light were the lanterns carried by passersby and the glow from food stalls and restaurants. 

Since I didn’t have a lantern, I used the Small Light spell to create a small light source in my palm. 

However, it seemed that this sight was unusual. As I could feel quite a few people staring at me. Using Small Light might not be the best idea—I was standing out too much. I should save up and buy a lantern. 

Lilia had taught me this spell, calling it “a basic life magic”. But I couldn’t help feeling that something was off about that claim. 

Tilting my head in thought, I entered my rented room on the third floor. I turned the switch of the magic tool near the entrance, and the room lit up faintly. 

The air inside was stuffy. It was probably because I had left the room shut for too long. When I opened the window, a cool breeze immediately flowed in. 

“Ahh, this feels nice.” 

“Yeah, but… it stinks in here.” 

“Huh? …Oh, you’re right. It smells like grilled skewers. You were with me, so you probably smell like it too, Lilia.” 

Lilia was standing with her hands on her hips. I then grabbed her facing me. 

“Hey! Cut it out! It’s rude to sniff a lady’s scent!” 

“Ow!” 

She smacked me, and I let go of her. But sure enough, she also smelled like skewers. Time for Clean Up magic. This spell could get rid of even stubborn dirt and unpleasant odors. 

“Come here, Lilia. I’ll cast Clean Up on you.” 

“Really? You’re not just saying that as an excuse to sniff me again?” 

“I promise I won’t.” 

After some hesitation, Lilia finally approached. And I cast Clean Up. A light breeze swept through. It took the smell and grime with it. 

This spell was so useful that I technically didn’t even need to bathe or brush my teeth. Truly a wonderful magic. 

Since I had already done some work in the forest and my stomach was full, I figured I might as well call it a night. Thinking that, I lay down on the bed for the first time in days. The bed creaked loudly. It was hard. But it was still far better than sleeping on dirt or wooden planks. 

Lilia lay down next to my head. Normally, she used me as her bed. So this was unusual. Was she still mad about me sniffing her earlier? 

“Lilia…” 

“I’m not mad. But isn’t it uncomfortable? It’s so hard.” 

She patted the bedding, checking the feel of it. 

“It’s fine.” 

“Do you miss soft beds?” 

“………..” 

“Sorry, that was insensitive. I won’t say it again.” 

“I’m not mad.” 

I gently pulled Lilia into a hug. She didn’t resist. 

She once said she didn’t like being touched. But, I was sure that was a lie. Because right now, she looked perfectly comfortable. 

—

The next morning. 

I went downstairs early. But the first floor was already packed with adventurers scrambling for requests. Among them, I spotted Liner—alone this time. 

“Good morning, Liner. Did you get a good request?” 

“Morning, Fel. Wait, do you stay here too?” 

“Yeah. I’m broke, after all.” 

I raised both hands and shrugged. Liner laughed. 

“Same here. I need to find a good request to make some money. Did you know, Fel? Only those with potential can stay here.” 

“I had no idea. I thought anyone could rent a room.” 

“If that were the case, the place would be overflowing with people.” 

“Yeah, you’re right.” 

Unlike the adventurers frantically grabbing requests, Liner seemed relaxed. It was because he had already secured one. 

As for me, I had already given up on taking a request today. I wasn’t brave enough to throw myself into that chaotic crowd. 

“Oh, right, about the request—I’m planning to take this one.” 

Since he had been assigned as my mentor, Liner showed me the request. 

It looked like an investigation of the forest we went to yesterday. The request asked adventurers to survey the distribution of Goblins in the area.

“A Goblin investigation? Did something unusual happen?” 

I tilted my head in thought. Goblins were the weakest monsters, so famous that they appeared in countless stories. But why investigate their distribution? 

“Who knows? Goblins multiply quickly. So requests like this come up regularly. If the number of rookie adventurers decreases, there won’t be as many people hunting them.” 

I see. Goblins only fetched two small silver coins. Once adventurers became more experienced, they moved on to hunting more lucrative monsters. Liner and his group had been hunting Forest Wolves instead of Goblins, after all. 

“What about you, Fel? What’s your plan?” 

“I was thinking of gathering materials while hunting whatever monsters I come across—same as yesterday.” 

“In that case, why don’t you team up with us in a temporary party? Solo adventuring has its limits. It wouldn’t hurt to gain some party experience while you can.” 

“Hmm…” 

I looked at Lilia. Technically speaking, I wasn’t alone—I had Lilia. That’s why I felt it was important to ask for her opinion. She was my precious partner, after all. 

“I don’t see a problem with forming a temporary party. Everything is a learning experience, after all. Working in a party is an important skill too. And it might be necessary to rank up as an adventurer.” 

Lilia spoke as if trying to convince herself. She probably wasn’t too excited about it. But she was willing to go along with it—for my sake. 

I couldn’t waste that sentiment. 

“Alright, it’s decided then. Liner, I’ll be counting on you.” 

“We’ll split the reward four ways. That okay with you?” 

“No problem.” 

With that, we headed to the reception counter together. 

“We’d like to accept this request along with Fel. Could you explain the details?” 

“Oh? You’re forming a party already? That’s a great mindset to have. Just a moment… Let’s see…………. Found it.” 

Carrot-san, the cat-eared receptionist, pulled out a thick file. It seemed to be a collection of Goblin-related requests. 

“Recently, the number of Goblin magic stones being submitted to the guild has dropped significantly.” 

“Isn’t that just because there are fewer rookie adventurers?” 

Liner asked with a puzzled look. 

He had a point. If fewer people were hunting Goblins, the number of magic stones being turned in would naturally decrease. 

“That’s not the case. This guild has plenty of Iron Rank adventurers. Taking that into account, the higher-ups have concluded that the number of submissions is still unusually low.” 

Carrot-san tapped her cheek with a clenched fist. A thinking habit, maybe? 

“So that’s why they want an investigation of the Goblin distribution. Could it simply be that Goblins are on the verge of extinction?” 

Liner kept firing off questions. I see—by gathering more information, we could approach the request more safely. This was a good learning opportunity. 

“Hmm…” 

Carrot-san flipped through the thick file. She was seemingly cross-referencing past records. 

“There’s no record of Goblins in this area ever reaching the brink of extinction. Likewise, there’s no sign of a large number of Goblin magic stones being submitted at once. However… the last time something similar happened, it turned out the Goblins had formed a settlement deep in the forest.” 

“I see. So they’ve just holed up together in a settlement.” 

Liner nodded in understanding. 

A Goblin settlement… I remembered reading about that in books. If such settlements grew too large, Goblins would eventually start attacking towns and villages. 

And if enough time passed, stronger Goblin variants would start appearing.