Chapter 91
*
"Thanks a lot, I owe you one, masked person."
The one who thanked me was a bearded, slightly older male adventurer.
Given his large muscles but relatively low strength in physical enhancement for his age, he probably became an adventurer recently.
As a side note, it seems the earlier someone becomes an adventurer, the less likely they are, mysteriously, to develop large muscles.
I'm not sure if it's true or not, but according to my mentor, using physical enhancement magic from a young age increases muscle density instead of size.
While reattaching the arm I received from the bearded man's companion, I tilted my head inwardly, wondering what muscle density even means.
This happened while dragging the screaming guy yelling, "My arm, aaaah!" out of the forest.
I take a bit of pride in my healing magic and physical enhancement magic, but even so, I'm not good at casting healing magic on others.
If it were Erika, she could've reattached this cleanly severed arm in an instant right on the spot.
Unfortunately, in a forest swarming with monsters trying to cut off heads or arms, I don't have the confidence to leisurely reattach an arm.
So, I had the man's companion hold the severed arm while I dragged the screaming guy out of the forest.
By the way, this is already the fourth person.
Since I've hunted twenty Jewelhead Bunnies, that means someone's arm or leg gets severed for every five of them.
I let out a sigh as I watched the bearded man, whose arm was reattached, head back into the forest with his companions.
"You're quite kind, masked person."
The one who said that to me was a merchant standing in front of a small wagon.
If fools gather in the Forest of Fools, then sages who aim to make money off them also gather.
"It's part of maintaining my health. Feeling bad after waking up isn't good for the body."
As I said that, I handed the man an amber-colored gem.
It's worth little more than trash, but merchants can sell even trash.
"Thanks for your business."
While receiving money that hardly matches the risk of putting my life on the line, I watched the amber-colored gem being carelessly tossed into a barrel.
Apparently, it'll be processed into buttons.
"By the way, has any adventurer hit the jackpot recently?"
"I don't recall hearing about any lately."
The man answered my question.
"I see. Then I think you'll hear about one soon."
As I said that during a short break, the man narrowed his eyes and looked at my face.
"Got some kind of secret plan?"
The look on the man's face as he asked that was one of exasperation, as if to say, "Here we go again."
He's probably heard the same kind of thing from countless adventurers. I can understand how he feels.
For some reason, adventurers often come with baseless confidence.
Boasting, exaggeration, and bluffing.
I recalled the tall tales told by senior adventurers at the Adventurer's Guild in Faltarl.
Like, "My left arm was holding luggage, so I took down a dragon with just my right arm."
Or, "I beat a Golden Ogre with my bare hands."
Even for "bluffing," that's some impressive bluffing for a young adventurer like me to hear.
Since they were "friends of my mentor," they all had strong quirks.
But I'm not like those muscle-brained types.
I'm the logical type.
"Actually..."
I said, careful not to let confidence leak into my voice.
That would make it sound cheap.
"I'm a lucky guy."
"——Huh?"
I preached the truth of the world to the surprised man.
"After all, I managed to marry the best woman in the world, Erika."
Leaving the man speechless at the world's truth I preached, I headed back into the forest.
*
Shortly after re-entering the forest, I found the bearded man who had lost his arm again, along with his companion holding the severed arm with a troubled look, and turned back.
The merchant sarcastically said, "You're quite lucky, huh?" and just like that, it was already noon.
After selling an additional forty or so amber-colored gems to the merchant, I chewed on some dried meat for lunch.
The dried meat I bought at the clearing before the west gate was a good find.
Whether it's their strong business spirit or not, there seem to be quite a few sages around, as by noon, food stalls had even appeared to sell lunch to the fools.
The bearded man, whose arm I reattached three times, called out from a seat at the food stall, "Thanks, masked person!"
I casually waved back with one hand and then called out to a familiar face near the food stall.
"We meet again, Edds, Pal."
It seems Edds and Pal, while being adventurers, are on the side of the sages.
Apparently, they're working as bodyguards for the food stalls.
It must be worth the two-day journey from Hekatai, as the request fee seems pretty good.
Just how much are these fools being fleeced by the sages?
"Um... masked person, are you after the gems?"
Edds, perhaps following the bearded man's lead, called me masked person.
That's right, I'm Shin Longdagger, formerly Jin Goldendagger, and now, the masked person.
"Masked person, take this as thanks," I said, giving some fruit I received from an adventurer whose leg I reattached to Pal.
While saying, "Thank you," and biting into the fruit, I thought Pal looked like a rodent as I nodded in response to Edds' question.
"Sh——masked person, wouldn't you earn more if you went to the Demonlands?"
"It's not about earning money; I need the gems."
Something like the 'Priestess's Eye' or a ring of equivalent value would cost quite a bit.
Moreover, the value of magic stones is currently down overall.
Unless it's a designated target with a defeat reward bonus, trying to earn that much purely from the value of magic stones would require doing something pretty reckless.
For Erika's sake, I'm not opposed to taking risks, but if I go all out only for the demand to not match up, it wouldn't even be a funny story.
So, aiming for gems is the natural choice.
Besides, I'm a lucky man.
My odds of success are high.
I nodded to Edds, who silently asked with his expression, "Are you sure about this?"
I'm the logical (Erika) type.
I've got everything covered.
By the way, when I asked Edds why he mistook me, the masked person, for Shin Longdagger...
After making a slightly troubled face, he answered, "If someone has the same equipment as a rumored adventurer in town and carries a sheath with Tepe Torurosso's emblem, pretty much anyone would misunderstand, right?"
I see, so it's Tepe's fault.
In other words, it's fine. My logic isn't broken; it's not my fault.