Helping with Adventurer Party Management - Chapter 188

After asking the priest for permission, I approach the tombstone and run my fingers over the surface of the stone. The smooth texture, warm to the touch, indicates that a skilled craftsman has taken considerable time to polish it. This signifies a significant investment has been made.

“It seems you have provided quite a fine quality of stone. I appreciate it,” I whispered.

While I wouldn’t claim that funding is everything, it does show that the church is genuinely committed to utilizing adventurers for its development projects. I sincerely thank the priest.

“The work adventurers do requires a considerable amount of divine protection. I believe it’s a good thing that tombstones have been made for adventurers,” he replies.

Even without being registered on the city’s birth roster, a person remains a person. This priest, who interacts with adventurers daily, seems pleased that such common truths are respected. I am grateful for that.

◇　◇　◇　◇　◇

As I walk away from the church in the third-class district, Sara calls out to me. “Kenji, I’m glad for you.”

“Yeah”

“Does this mean everyone can go to heaven now?”

While I examine the tombstone, Sara is probably checking to see if the names of our former party members are engraved on it.

“Yeah. I’m sure they can.”

“Let’s come back again, Kenji.” Sara is quietly crying as she says this. 

“Yeah.”

While softly sniffing, she reaches out her right hand, and I take her hand with my left, allowing her to pull me silently along.

Even Kiriku, who usually jokes around, keeps a respectful distance this time as he follows us.

It’s not good for the reputation of an older man to hold the hand of a crying woman. Still, I’m not so worldly that I would let go of her hand, so I borrow the eaves of a nearby shop and sit down, ordering tea and a light meal.

Although the shop caters to the poor in the third-class district, the area around the church is a fairly prime location within that block. The tea and light meal served there, probably intended for locals visiting the grave, are quite edible.

A year ago, both Sara and I were poor adventurers with limited finances. Although we’ve improved recently, our palates haven’t become particularly refined. After taking a bite of the bread, Sara exclaims, “Oh, this bread and dried figs are quite delicious. And the walnuts too!”

“Yeah. I prefer it when they’re kneaded into white bread, not served separately.”

Even though it’s called bread, the bread served in the third-class district isn’t the freshly baked, white, risen bread of modern times. It’s cheap black bread, baked so hard that it’s like a cookie.

It’s served with a thin vegetable soup for dipping, and at this shop, perhaps to complement the sweetness of the bread, it comes with dried figs and walnuts. Of course, I can’t deny the possibility that they come from completely different plants.

“You knead nuts into white bread? On such soft bread! How luxurious! White bread is already luxurious just because it’s white, but adding dried fruit to it! I think I’ll ask the bakery to do that next time.”

“That’s right. In my hometown, we used to put ham and cheese between white bread,” I say without thinking.

“You can’t get ham or cheese unless you’re a farmer who slaughters livestock for the winter, right? Kenji, were you actually a farmer? Or were you born to a wealthy merchant or nobleman since you could eat white bread?” Sara asks curiously.

I find it strange that someone would associate eating white bread with nobility, but it’s true that in this world, where livestock are hard to come by, ordinary farmers have limited opportunities to eat ham. When it comes to sausages, there are ones made from scraps of meat and blood, so if you live in a city, it’s a little easier to get.

It might have been an inadvertent remark. Stuck on how to explain, especially with Kiriku, my bodyguard, present, I hesitate for a moment.

“Now that I think about it, I’m feeling hungry after crying! Are there any sausages and ale?” Sara says, ordering food and drinks for the three of us, including Kiriku, turning it into a full-blown feast in broad daylight.

Well, since I’m making money with the shoe business, I suppose it’s okay to have days like this once in a while.