"Woah, there are so many quests…" Sein said in amazement.
On the quest board were quests of many different ranks going to F-rank to A-rank.
As a whole, the quantity of quests on the quest board was enough to feel suffocated.
Although, as you go up to the lower ranks and to the upper ranks, the quests diminished in quantity, but even so, there was still quite a lot.
That was especially true for the F-rank quests. There were too many to count to the point one could only wonder if they could even finish this in a day.
"...First, let's pick something that is suitable for us." Leiya proposed.
"Sure." Sein agreed and nodded.
They skimmed through the quest board.
"Ah, I found one!" Sein quickly gestured at Leiya.
"Really? Where?" Leiya got closer to Sein.
"How about this one?" Sein pointed at a quest that was posted in the upper left corner of the F-ranked category.
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[F-ranked Quest]
Mission: Go to the Apothecary's House for simple assistant work.
Requirements: Two people only.
Reward(s): 10 silver coins, 10 common herbs, and an apothecary hat.
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It was posted in a location that could be easily overlooked.
"Ohh, that indeed looks like a good quest. Nice job, Sein!" Leiya patted Sein in the back.
Sein chuckled, "No problem."
They took the quest off the quest board.
After that, they proceeded to go to the receptionist to register it as their quest.
"Hello, we would like to do this quest together."
"Sure thing." The receptionist accepted the quest and registered it into their accounts.
"Additionally, here is the additional information for the quest such as the location." The receptionist handed them a document.
Leiya accepted it.
"You may now proceed with your quest." Said the receptionist.
"Thank you." They thanked the receptionist together.
They left the Adventurer's Guild.
Leiya opened the document, "Hmm… Let's see… the Apothecary's house should be nearby, let's go. I'll lead the way."
Sein nodded.
They quietly walked together, side by side, with Leiya slightly ahead of Sein, towards the Apothecary's house.
After walking for a short while, they finally arrived at the Apothecary's house.
'Oh, the house is just a bit near the Adventurer's Guild.' Sein silently commented.
Leiya knocked on the Apothecary's house.
Knock, knock.
No response.
Leiya knocked again.
Knock, knock.
Still no response.
"Huh?" They both looked at each other.
Just as Leiya was about to knock on the door once again, the door finally opened.
There, a wrinkled middle-aged man with a monocle and an apothecary's hat appeared before them.
"I heard you loud and clear. No need to knock twice." The apothecary softly said.
"Oh, we're sorry about that." Leiya apologized.
The apothecary silently looked at them for a short moment, "No need. Come inside, the both of you." The apothecary dismissed it with a wave of their hand and invited them both inside.
As Sein stepped his foot inside, his vision blackout all of a sudden.
"Huh?"
.
.
.
***
Sein opened his eyes abruptly.
In his view was an all familiar living room. With the TV just right in front of him.
"...I'm back?" Sein questioned in disbelief.
"...Damn, just as I was getting to the good part…" Sein shook his head in disappointment.
"Tsk, tsk…" He clicked his tongue.
"Anyways, what time is it now?" He turned to look at the clock hanging in the wall.
[9:01 PM]
"...Eh? It was that long?" Sein was dumbfounded.
'Let's see…' Sein calculated how much time he slept.
He got home at 2:30 PM, then slouched on the couch for at least two hours, or at least between that time… so considering he slept till 9:01 PM, it meant he took a very long nap of… 4 hours and 31 minutes??!
"What the hell… Was I that tired?" Sein grumbled.
As he grumbled, his stomach rumbled.
Gurgle~
"Ughh, now I'm hungry too…" he frowned.
He got up from the couch and headed straight to the kitchen.
When he arrived, he went directly to the cabinet to find something.
He rummaged for a few times, then took out his stash of noodles.
"There you are." Sein grinned.
Sein took out one pack of Shin Hyun Ramen from his noodle stash.
After that, he returned the stash in the cabinet, closed it, then started taking out the necessities such as cooking utensils, pots, and more.
"Yosh! I'm all set!" Sein murmured.
He first placed two cups of water in the pot, afterwards, he placed it on the stove and turned it on.
Tuk!
While waiting for the water to boil, Sein took out a chinese pechay from the refrigerator, plucked a few strands, washed it, and then placed it on the chopping board to slice.
He first cut the stem into even parts first, then separately cut the leaves into two even parts.
As soon as he was finished with that, the water came to a boil.
Bubbling~
He took out the stem of the pechay that he cut into even pieces, and dunk them first into the pot.
Plop!
Afterwards, he took the pack of ramen he placed on a countertop and opened it.
He took out the two sachets of seasonings in the packet.
After waiting for one minute, he opened the lid of the pot, and dropped the noodle in it, alongside the seasonings.
Then, he finally closed it.
"Now, all that's left to do is wait for five minutes." Sein said.
Five minutes later…
He took out the lid, and mixed the noodles in the pot.
After doing that, he made his way to the drawers and grabbed a bowl to put the noodles into.
He returned back to the cooktop to turn off the stove, then grabbed the pot to fill the bowl with noodles.
Shwopshhh~
And there you have it!
The noodles were done!
Sein looked at his bowl of noodles with satisfaction.
"Hehe." He grinned.
He took the bowl of noodles to the living room.
"This would have been nice as a late night snack, but, this will do!"
Sein grabbed his chopsticks and dug right in.
Slurp~
"Yum~" Sein said in satisfaction.
He turned on the TV to watch some shows while eating.
This lasted for a long while.
.
.
.
Sein was now in his room.
"Ahh~ it's time to sleep again…" He finished washing up and prepared to sleep.
"...I hope it's still the same dream" He murmured as his eyes slowly closed.
***
"---Sein? What are you doing just standing there?"
Sein's eyes suddenly widened with a renewed light as shock filled across his face.
"Huh? What's wrong?" Leiya tilted her head in confusion.
Sein, however, didn't respond, '...I'm back?"
While he was still feeling peculiar about it, a hand waved in front of his face.
"Hello? Sein, are you there?" It was Leiya waving her hand in front of Sein.
"Ah! Yeah, I'm fine." Sein replied after a moment of peculiarity.
"That's good." Leiya nodded.
"Anyways, let's go, the apothecary is waiting." Leiya grabbed Sein's arm.
"Uh, yeah. Let's go." Sein shook his head to clear his head.
After walking a few steps, they arrived at the Apothecary's alchemy room.
"Took you two long enough." The apothecary said.
"We're sorry about that." Leiya said
"...Never mind that. The things that you two will be doing is to assist me. So, whatever errand I order you two to do, fulfill it." The apothecary said.
"Yes, understood." Sein and Leiya nodded.
"Well then." The apothecary began to ready his ingredients and place.
While the apothecary was getting ready, Sein, who had been quiet since earlier, spoke up.
"Umm… But, what do we call you, sir?" Sein asked.
The apothecary glanced at him, "Just call me Apothecary."
Sein nodded.
Afterwards, both Sein and Leiya helped the Apothecary in cleaning and preparations in the Alchemy room.
After finishing that, the Apothecary took a seat at his work desk to start doing alchemy.
He was about to start, but then, he noticed some of the materials he needed were missing.
"...Ah, some materials are missing." The apothecary mumbled.
He turned his head to look at Sein and Leiya, "You two, get ten empty glass bottles in the storage room located outside the back of this house, and also one bundle of Basils, Mandrakes, and two strands of nettles while you're at it."
"Yes sir." They both replied.
As Sein and Leiya were about to go together to the storage room, the Apothecary suddenly said, "Ah, wait, I changed my mind, you girl, stay here, assist me with this pot."
Leiya turned around, "Huh? Me?" She pointed at herself.
"Yes, you." The apothecary bluntly affirmed.
Leiya could only stay, "Ah… yes."
Seeing that Leiya was called to assist, Sein could only go to the storage room alone.
'He said the storage room is located outside the back of this house, right?'
He got out of the house through another door at the back.
There, he saw a single shed nearby.
'That must be it.'
He made his way to the storage shed and entered.
As he entered, the smell of medicine wafted through the air.
Sniff.
"Smells of medicine." Sein remarked.
Inside the storage shed were two herbal medicine cabinets lining up on the left side of the room. And on the other side was a glass bottle rack, pots, and a medicine cabinet that consisted of two sides; the right side contained potions in a glass wall, and, on the left side of it, covered, was perhaps medicine.
He started looking for the materials and ingredients that were requested by the Apothecary.
"There it is."
"Let's see… ten empty glass bottles, a bundle of Basil, Mandrakes, and two strands of Nettles, right?"
"...But, how am I supposed to carry them all?" He muttered.
Sein looked around the storage shed, and saw a basket in the left corner.
He grabbed it and appraised it.
"This would do." Sein said.
He quickly filled the basket with the necessary materials.
Afterwards, he returned back.
"Here you go."
"You're back. Took you long enough." The apothecary shot a glance at him.
"Sorry." Sein could only smile wryly.
As the Apothecary and Leiya were working, Sein asked.
"Are you making potions for the upcoming monster stampede, Sir Apothecary?"
"Yes." The apothecary shortly replied.
"I see."
Sein stood still doing nothing for a while.
He waited for more orders.
But, no matter how much he waited, there was none. He could only stare at them while doing nothing…
Eventually, he moved and helped Leiya with some things.
After a few hours of working…
They were finally done.
"Phew, we're finally done." Sein said.
"Mhm," Leiya nodded while wiping her sweat.
The apothecary looked at them for a while before rummaging something from his desk, and giving it to them.
"What's this?" Both of them looked at the item the apothecary gave them.
It was tied and wrapped with a cloth.
"There is one last errand I will have to give you two." The apothecary said while putting his hands behind his back.
"What is it?" Sein said.
"You two deliver this to the City Lord Mansion and give this to Lady Amelia, the City Lord's daughter. After that, I will give you your rewards and an additional bonus through the guild's channel."
"Really?" Their eyes widened in surprise.
"Yes."
Sein and Leiya looked at each other.
Leiya nodded at Sein.
Seeing that Leiya nodded, Sein also agreed.
"We'll take it."
"Good. Go on then." The apothecary walked them to the door.
"See you, Sir Apothecary." Sein said.
The apothecary nodded.
Thud.
The door closed.
"Woah, I didn't know we spent so much time there already. It's already almost evening." Leiya remarked.
Sein looked up, "Now that you say it, it does look like it."
The sun was almost partially setting in the horizon, meaning that it was now almost dusk.
"Should we go deliver this now? Or do it tomorrow?" Sein bought up the last errand the apothecary gave them.
Leiya looked at the item in Sein's hand.
"...I guess it's better to do it today. It's nearby, so let's go." Leiya led the way.
"Ok." Sein followed her.
They wandered through the streets as they made their way to the City Lord Mansion.
From afar, one could see the City Lord Mansion as it was situated on a hill.
As they proceeded from one street to another towards the City Lord Mansion, Sein observed the people around him.
"There are fewer people than before now… Is it because it's almost evening?" Sein murmured as he watched the people walking by as he walked.
All of a sudden, Leiya said, "No. That isn't the case."
"Huh? What's that supposed to mean?"
"While there are always a few people in the streets every almost evening, it's not usually this few."
"Then, why?"
"It's because of the monster stampede, that's why."
Sein opened his mouth in realization.
"And plus, tomorrow is the last day, so people are probably preparing for shelter and stocking food in case something goes wrong this year."
"Ah, is that why there were too few people in the inn?"
"Mhm-hm, that's right. That's why I also have the luxury to accompany you this time around."
"I see."
As they were talking, they finally arrived at the City Lord Mansion.
"Who are you? State your purpose." The guard stationed at the gate asked.
"Hello, we are adventurers that were sent on an errand by the apothecary." Leiya stated her purpose.
"Apothecary? You mean Sir Pear sent you?" The guard asked for more information.
"Uhh, yes, I think so…?" Leiya said.
"Well, if you were sent by Sir Pear, you're probably here for Lady Amelia right?"
"Yes." Leiya affirmed.
"Ok, you may go along with your companion." The guard nodded.
'So, that apothecary's name was Pear, huh.' Sein thought.
The gate opened as their identities were verified and were confirmed to enter.
Clank!
The gate opened.
They both entered through the gate.
As they entered, an old butler was waiting for them.
"Hello, you must be the adventurers sent by Sir Pear. Please follow me."
"Ah, yes…" They nodded.
They followed the old butler.
'Woah, so this is a castle, huh?.' Sein thought in wonder.
They walked through the pathway leading to the lady's private chambers.
And soon, they arrived.
The old butler nodded at the guards stationed at the entrance.
"Sir!" They saluted the old butler.
"At ease. These are adventurers sent by Sir Pear. They are here for the usual treatment."
"Ah, yes sir. Please." The guards gestured with their hands.
The door opened.
As Sein, Leiya, and the butler entered, a cough could be heard around the room.
"Cough, cough."
The sound of coughing echoed throughout the room.
"Is that you, Clover?" A crisp voice that seemed to belong to Lady Amelia called to the old butler.
"Yes, my lady, it's me." The old butler, Clover, answered.
"Is my medicine here?" Lady Amelia asked.
"Yes, I have them here with me."
"Good, bring it to— Cough, cough!" Lady Amelia suddenly coughed a lot.
"My lady!" The old butler rushed in.
Sein and Leiya, seeing this, also rushed in.
As they made their way, they finally properly saw the person called Lady Amelia.
Before, they couldn't tell what she looked like because she was covered by the canopy, but as they got closer, they saw it.
A small face with blushed cheeks, shiny blonde hair, short nose, eyes that seemed to be that of the ocean, with skin that is as white as snow, and her physique was petite.
She was nothing short of a fairy-tale princess.
Sein was stunned by the sight.
"Cough, cough!" Lady Amelia was coughing up blood.
"The medicine!" The old butler, Clover, shouted.
"Ah, right! Here!" Sein handed over the medicine packet.
The old butler quickly snatched it from Sein's hand, untied it, took out a teapot nearby with hot water conveniently in it, and then poured the packet over.
He rapidly mixed it, then poured it into a cup.
"Here my lady, drink this." The old butler swiftly moved the cup to the lady's mouth.
Lady Amelia quickly drank it, albeit a bit unsteady.
Gulp, gulp…
After a short while, she quickly finished it.
"Haa…" She slowly calmed down.
"Are you okay now, my lady?"
"Yes…" Lady Amelia said while grasping for her breath.
She looked at Sein and Leiya standing in the corner.
Lady Amelia forced a smile, "Thank you for bringing the medicine."
"Ah, no worries, it's our job after all." Leiya said.
"Still, thank you." Lady Amelia said with tired eyes.
Even after suffering from a serious illness just now, she didn't lose her dignity in front of strangers, and quickly recovered from it.
'She's amazing…' Sein thought in amazement.
Lady Amelia looked over to the windows in her room, then turned around again to look at them.
"Seeing that it's late, how about you both stay here?" Lady Amelia generously offered them a stay.
Sein and Leiya were surprised.
"Pardon?" They said in unison.