The Yashiro Commission was always bustling with people coming and going.
The head of the clan was busy, the servants were busy—there was a mountain of affairs waiting to be handled.
The young lady of the Kamisato family, with hair the color of snow, sat in the courtyard. Practice blades lay beside her, but the young lady had already changed out of her training attire. She was practicing tea ceremony—though "practice" was an understatement, as she had already mastered it.
"Good morning, young lady."
Thoma walked briskly past, carrying wooden buckets of various sizes. He needed to clean the northern part of the courtyard; the recent rain had left mud stains from all the foot traffic. To prevent the floorboards from wearing out too quickly, regular washing and maintenance were essential.
Kamisato Ayaka also wished him a good morning.
The young lady suddenly remembered something. "Thoma—"
The young man stopped in his tracks.
Ayaka thought for a moment, then shook her head. "It's nothing."
Thoma: ?
She recalled that Thoma had been missing the entire afternoon yesterday. Although he had gone out to collect lacquerware for the upcoming Youkai Festival, the merchant had sent an apology letter in advance stating that the delivery would be delayed by a day due to material issues. At most, all that was needed was a follow-up inquiry, yet Thoma didn't return until very late.
Moreover, the elemental traces on him were strong.
As a Cryo Vision holder, Ayaka was particularly sensitive to the residual Cryo energy.
The Shuumatsuban had not reported any conflicts involving Thoma.
Thus, she guessed that Thoma might have encountered something special—something he hadn't yet had the chance to share with them.
After serving as the Kamisato family's chief retainer through difficult times, Thoma had once asked the clan head, Kamisato Ayato, to help investigate the Ryuguu family, who had previously served the Kamisato clan. Their unique surname made them memorable to many. After leaving the Kamisato estate, the Ryuguu family had settled in Inazuma City and gradually grown into a minor clan.
However, the family's eldest son, Enji Ryuguu, violated clan rules by secretly marrying a foreigner who had drifted to Inazuma. That foreign woman, Minella, was Thoma's aunt, though she was not recorded in the family registry. Considerable effort had been spent tracking Enji Ryuguu's whereabouts.
In the end, all they found were two crude, unnamed gravestones and the long-missing girl named Miya Ryuguu.
Could it be that girl—
——
If it were just killing a few Hilichurls, it would be no problem at all. I had even managed to take down two Hilichurl Berserkers. Getting slashed in the stomach by an axe, nearly spilling my intestines—none of that mattered. I just needed to staunch the wound and keep eating Violetgrass.
The psychological pressure of seeing a Berserker, mountain-like and roaring, charge at me from close range was truly awful.
But everything has a first time.
Since acquiring the save function, I no longer needed to fear death.
Gritting my teeth to block, never letting go of my weapon no matter what—even if my fingers broke, even if my bones snapped, I held on until I could tear through the monster's belly and steal a moment to breathe. But even after fighting non-stop like this, clearing out all the Hilichurls near Yashiori Island until none remained to kill, a full day passed with my level still stuck at 20, barely budging—
Maybe the EXP from Hilichurls just wasn't enough for me anymore?
The whole process felt like playing a brutally difficult souls-like game, but it was beatable. And the one-time save function could be reused—just save before every battle.
But—
I held the severed head of a Treasure Hoarder in my hand, silently watching another one scream in terror, so frightened he lost control of his bowels.
"How do I put this? This is my first time killing a person, so I'm a bit scared."
［Level 21 will come soon］
So killing people really does give different EXP than Hilichurls.
I spoke to the System, but the poor wretch in front of me thought I was a lunatic talking to myself, his face pale with terror.
Cryo energy seeped from my hand, freezing the bloody, gruesome head. I tossed it into a nearby bush. Hilichurls and bloodstains would disappear over time, but some of the people I killed wouldn't vanish. I couldn't just leave corpses lying around everywhere. Besides, elemental energy could preserve them for a while, delaying the stench.
"Hey, it's your fault for attacking me when I was just walking alone. I'm exhausted from just finishing a mission. Why does this make me look like some kind of serial killer?" I said, watching him crawl on the ground.
"I only hit you once, and you're already down?"
The considerable weight of my weapon was now easy to swing thanks to my rapidly increasing strength. For someone with specialized attack stat bonuses like me, it felt light as air.
"Well then."
I raised the Debate Club. The man's tears flew out as he let out a scream loud enough to make my head ache.
"It won't hurt much. I'll smash your head in one go."
"Heave ho—"
The System remained silent.
As expected, even toward someone weaker than herself, Miya Ryuguu was the kind of host who would toy with her prey before killing them.
This part of her hadn't changed at all. In fact, it had only become more exposed as she grew familiar with this world.
——
"System, there was someone in the bushes earlier, right?"
［Yes］
I put away the Debate Club. "Who could it be? If they were secretly following me..."
"That watermelon-smashing move might have scared them into reporting to their superiors or employers."
Now that I thought about it, I had a candidate in mind.
"If I interacted with Thoma yesterday, then the people coming today are likely from the Shuumatsuban."
［Rather than worrying about that, your savings are only at 10,000 Mora—barely enough for one night at an inn］
"Uwah, you heartless machine! I spent last night sleeping in a tree! Have some sympathy for your poor host!"
We'd gotten familiar enough to bicker like this. The System sighed internally. She seemed so serious before.
No matter what, I had to get a proper night's sleep today. At any cost. I remembered that after parting with Thoma the day before yesterday, I specifically went to a secluded spot and slept in a tree. The hard, uneven bark was absolutely awful. I had no idea how that child Sayu managed to get used to sleeping everywhere—
Ninjas are truly something else.
［Traveler Favorability: +3］
"Huh?" I was baffled by the sudden notification. "Why?!"
［The two Treasure Hoarders you just dealt with were originally extra commissions the Adventurers' Guild assigned to him. They've now been resolved］
"But I just happened to take them out. Does the Adventurers' Guild really spread news that fast?"
What is this, gratitude from a fellow grind-bot?
Thinking this, I entered Inazuma City, but was stopped as I crossed the bridge.
"Um, Miss Miya Ryuguu?"
The speaker was a young man wearing the green Adventurers' Guild uniform. He looked like he had just reached adulthood, with a bit of baby fat still on his face—fair and clean-looking.
"I'm Miya Ryuguu. What is it?"
"Great! So it really is Miss Miya Ryuguu! There's a commission right now—are you available?" The young boy's eyes shone as he quickly explained his purpose.
"How much is the pay?"
The boy paused. "Aren't you going to ask about the commission details first?"
I smiled. If anything, I'd been smiling all along. "I'm really short on funds right now. After all, staying at inns and renting places both cost money. I'll take any commission that comes my way."
［You're not even socially anxious when money's involved］
Shut up.
The boy's expression faltered for a moment before he offered a resigned smile, as if he'd expected this. "The rumors about Miss Ryuguu are true, after all."
"Huh?"
"They're about the new adventurer Miss Ryuguu who wanders the wilderness, super skilled at extermination but always short on money. Some even say Miss Ryuguu is always muttering to herself while traveling, like she has some kind of secret weapon or spirit following her."
What kind of light novel trope is this?
A spirit following me, though? I mentally cue the System, but it couldn't hear me.
"No, no—" I raised a hand. "I've only been an adventurer for a few days. And I've only been killing a few Hilichurls. How did these rumors even start?"
According to the System, the average person in this simulated Teyvat was around Level 5. Important story characters were around Level 50, while stronger entities like the yet-unseen Archons were probably around Level 80—
Was Level 20 considered strong?
"Didn't Miss Ryuguu clear out all the Hilichurl camps in northern Yashiori Island? A super powerful rookie taking on over a dozen extermination commissions a day—that's incredibly impressive."
No, I just hadn't noticed.
Besides, I hadn't even dared to challenge an Abyss Mage with an elemental shield.
While these rumors were spreading, I was probably crying and eating simultaneously because my intestines were nearly spilling out—even crying until I vomited, my stomach bloated and painful. To think I'd been killing Hilichurls for so long only to be stuck at Level 20—what a terrible realization.
Seeing my surprised expression, the boy smiled. "I'm Gong. Nice to meet you, Miss Miya Ryuguu. The commission is for the upcoming Youkai Festival. There was an issue with the materials originally meant for the props, and the Yashiro Commission is short-handed, so they urgently delegated it to the Adventurers' Guild."
The Yashiro Commission again. But the name of this boy, Gong, was unusual—a single character. His eyes were a darkish purple. He wasn't someone I recognized from the story.
"What materials are needed?" Though I could already guess.
"Various types of wood and raw materials for pigments. A lot of them, but—" Gong pulled out a list as he spoke. "The reward is 500,000 Mora. If you have any questions..."
"No, no questions."
"Huh?"
I decisively snatched the list and scanned it. A fierce determination ignited within me. It took several days of fighting outdoors to barely earn 10,000 Mora. Just chopping wood for a few days to earn this much? Of course I'd take it. "Please make sure the reward is ready."
"Of course, Miss Ryuguu."
Gong efficiently handed me a simpler, more understandable task list. "Just follow these."