Chapter 7

“Wow! It’s a real-life town!” Lorna had finally arrived safely at her destination—the town of Aiphoné. Her eyes sparkled with excitement as she took in the sights. She’d spent most of her life confined to her family’s estate, and this was her first time seeing such a place. The streets bustled with the comings and goings of people. Colorful stalls lined the avenues like little jewelry boxes. On second thought, maybe things were a little too bustling… “Gaaaaah! A calamity’s befallen the Ipple Woods!” “This town is done for!” “We’ve gotta get outta here!!!” Surely this wasn’t normal… “It’s the Demon Lord! The Demon Lord is back! We’re done for! It’s the end of the world!” “Just what are those Guugelheit fat cats thinking?! They’re always bossing us around! Now look what they’ve done to us!” “Waaaaah! Mommyyy! Help meee!” “…………Huh.” Lorna looked out into the distance. It’s a bit different than I expected… It seemed the spells Lorna cast in the woods were causing quite a panic in town. She kept walking, pretending she didn’t see anything. But then… “Ngh…” Gurgle… The sweet smell wafting from a nearby street stall made Lorna’s stomach grumble. Come to think of it, I haven’t eaten much of anything since I got kicked out… She’d only munched on a couple of Ipple fruits she found at spots the internet had labeled gathering points. Lorna staggered toward the food stall, drawn in by the delicious scent. “P-pardon me… One Ipple pie, please.” “Huh? Oh, uh, right. You’re surprisingly calm right now, young lady.” “Well, y’know, I’ve gotten used to it.” “…?” The stall owner looked perplexed as he handed her the pie. According to the internet, this dish was the town’s local delicacy. Item: Ipple Pie Type: Cooking Price: 200 shil Effect: Restores HP/MP by 10 (cannot be used in battle) Details: Aiphoné’s local specialty. Despite its cheap price of 200 shil, it restores a set amount of MP. This makes it an invaluable item early on in the game. “This…this is the first time I’ve ever bought food for myself.” Lorna gulped. Then, resolving herself, she took a big bite of the pie. “Yum, it’s very—HHHHOT?!” The moment her teeth crunched through the pie crust, Lorna felt a scalding gush of fruity goodness hit the inside of her mouth. She was unaccustomed to biting into piping hot pies, and she could feel her mouth burning. “Ho-hot…! Hot! Bu’… Goo’! It’sh sho goo’! Mmm.” The crust was nice and crispy, and the filling had a full-bodied sweet taste balanced with a hint of refreshing sourness. The aroma of butter and cinnamon tickled Lorna’s nostrils ever so slightly. Now that she had bought the pie, Lorna had only one hundred shil to her name. But she didn’t regret her purchase for a second. “…I love adventuring,” she said, satisfied. Back home, she’d only been allowed to eat so-called delicacies (basically, fancy junk that looked pretty but tasted horrible). On top of that, the atmosphere at the dinner table was always so intense that it was hard to enjoy one’s food. “I looove being freeee! ” Lorna was once again grateful for her expulsion from the Guugelheit family. As she finished off her Ipple pie, she wandered around and looked at some nearby stalls. Whoa, the most basic potion costs two thousand shil. Even a bundle of herbs is four hundred… And some preserves are one thousand? Oh man… Look at the armor. A decent piece’ll set you back a whopping one hundred thousand. Everything she looked at was completely out of her price range. And according to the internet, these prices were on the cheap side. She’d been hoping to get out of the Guugelheit domain as quickly as possible, but… It looks like preparing for an adventure, even just getting the basics, is going to set me back at least thirty thousand shil. And if I want to get out of the Guugelheit domain, I’ll need at least one hundred thousand… I can’t believe how much adventuring costs.