An Adventurer Mom, Who Awakened [Housewife] Skill Through a Login Bonus, Is Making the Most of Her Adventurer Life With the Weekly Flyers She Gets! - Chapter 5

“Kachua, that’s enough for today. Please be careful on your way home.”

“Thank you. I look forward to working with you again.”

“No, thank you. But, are you sure about this?”

“Yes. I couldn’t have made it to the fourth floor on my own.”

Since her backpack was full, Kachua parted ways with the adventurers and used a teleportation scroll to warp back to the first floor.

In the end, Kachua and the adventurers split the Muscle Grass evenly. Normally, whoever finds an item keeps it, but since Kachua couldn’t have made it to the fourth floor on her own, she figured splitting it was fair.

After offering a prayer at the goddess statue, Kachua left the dungeon and went to the item shop to sell the items. She exchanged the adventurers’ portion and sold the Muscle Grass she had collected herself.

Even half of the Muscle Grass was worth 50,000 gold.

“With this, I can buy Ed that Slime Hat.”

The Slime Hat was sold at a different shop in the market. Kachua headed there with a spring in her step when she suddenly stopped in front of the store.

“Huh?”

A sign in front of the shop read: One Slime Hat per household.

The hat had become so popular it was now sold in limited quantities.

“What should I do?” Kachua stood frozen in front of the store.

“Mother? What’s wrong?”

“Oh, Ed.”

It was her son, Ed, who called out to her. He was carrying the schoolbag required for his primary school.

“Are you on your way home from school? You’re early.”

“Yeah, today was just a test.”

“Oh, really?”

“But what’s wrong, Mother?”

“Well, I got an unexpected bonus today, so I thought I’d buy you a Slime Hat, but…”

“A Slime Hat?!”

For a moment, Ed’s face lit up with joy, but after reading the sign in the store, his expression returned to its usual calmness.

“I don’t need it. If we can only get one, it wouldn’t be fair to Barbara. And it’s expensive.”

“But Ed, didn’t you want one? At least let me buy one for you.”

Though still young, Ed was thoughtful and always looked out for his sister and mother, which worried Kachua. He had a tendency to hold back too much.

With a furrowed brow, Ed firmly said, “I don’t need it.”

“Ed…”

At that moment, a man approached Kachua.

“Excuse me, are you Ed’s mother?”

“Uh, yes… Oh, hello, teacher.”

The man who called out was Ed’s homeroom teacher, a dedicated educator well-liked by his students.

“This is perfect timing. Actually—” the teacher began, but Ed quickly cut him off.

“Please don’t tell my mother about that, sir.”

Ed was only eight years old, yet he spoke firmly, like an adult.

“But Ed, this is a rare opportunity.”

Ed looked down sadly. “We can’t….”

“Excuse me, teacher, what is this about?” Kachua asked.

“Oh, it’s about Ed’s future. He’s an excellent student, and I’d like to recommend him for the junior school at Loa Academy.”

“What? Loa Academy? The university where the great sage studied?”

Loa Academy, located in the labyrinth city of Loa, was a prestigious school attended by many geniuses. Graduating from its junior school was almost a guaranteed path to success.

“Yes, but the school is a full-time boarding academy, and since the tuition is expensive, Ed wants to decline.”

This was news to Kachua, and she was surprised, but her mind was already made up.

“No way… Ed, don’t worry about our situation. This is such a great opportunity. You should go.”

“I can’t. I promised Dad I’d protect you and Barbara.”

“Ed…”

“And the junior school isn’t free like primary school.”

In primary school, the children of knights didn’t have to pay tuition because it was covered by the benefits of the knight corps. However, there was no such financial aid for Loa Academy.

Ed understood all too well the financial strain his family was under.

“…I’m sorry, Ed.”

“Huh?”

Ed had expected her to oppose the idea, but he didn’t expect her to apologize, so he looked up at Kachua in surprise.

“I gave up without even trying because I thought it was impossible from the start. That’s why you’re giving up too, isn’t it?”

“Mom?”

Ed used to call her “Mom.” When his father, Alan, was around, he had been a bit more of a spoiled child, but at some point, he had started calling her “Mother.”

“I want you to go to Loa Academy, Ed.”

“But…”

Kachua hugged Ed tightly. “I’ve been relying on you too much, Ed. But I’ll become stronger. Don’t worry about the money. So…” She said the words she was sure Alan would have told their son if he were still there, “Don’t give up, Ed.”

***

“The recommendation can wait a little longer. Please take your time to discuss this as a family.”

“Yes, teacher. Thank you so much.”

After parting ways with the teacher, Kachua and Ed went into the shop and bought the Slime Hat. Ed held the Slime Hat carefully, then nervously asked, “Is it really okay? What about Barbara?”

Seeing his concern, Kachua reflected on how much Ed had been holding back.

“I’ll take care of Barbara’s share. You’re right—she’ll probably want one when she sees you wearing yours, so just lend it to her for a little while.”

“…”

Ed thought for a moment and then asked Kachua, “Do you have a Slime Hat for Barbara? Is it okay for me to keep this one?” Worried that his sister wouldn’t get her own Slime Hat, he hesitated to keep it for himself.

Kachua nodded firmly. “Yes, I’ll definitely get one within a week. So don’t worry, Ed.”

Determined, Kachua resolved to use her monster point card to get a Slime Hat as a reward. She had thought she wasn’t cut out for fighting, but if it meant preventing her son from feeling sad, she was willing to take on the monsters.

Luckily, Kachua had weapons—just a ladle and a pot lid.

“Here,” Ed said, handing the Slime Hat back to Kachua.

“Huh?”

“Until you get Barbara’s, hold onto it for now, Mom.”

“What? Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I want to wear it together with Barbara.”

Kachua was moved, thinking, What a wonderful son I’ve raised.

In the end, Kachua held onto Ed’s Slime Hat for safekeeping.

She planned to head to the dungeon on the next point-triple day, the 7th, to fight monsters and earn enough points for another Slime Hat.

During her novice adventurer training, she had fought monsters created by the Guild’s mages, including slimes and giant ants. They were said to be the weakest monsters; with proper weapons and armor, an adult could defeat them in one-on-one combat.

“That’s why I can do it. I’ll make it happen!” Kachua encouraged herself.