So that’s why he looked so tired.

  Dent mentioned that he, too, had encountered a man named Ares and had his work disrupted.

  "I’m serious, Liberta. Those guys have absolutely no regard for common sense. They think everything can be solved just by spouting pretty words about ‘protecting’ and ‘helping.’ Justice doesn’t fill your stomach, and yet—"

  He seemed extremely irritated, even starting to jiggle his leg impatiently. From Dent’s demeanor, it was clear he was under a lot of stress.

  "If they’re causing that much trouble, hasn’t the guild issued any warnings?""Of course they have. The guy’s an A-rank, but since he’s been wreaking havoc in our workspace, the Guild Master was pnning to personally deliver a warning. But then someone interfered, and it all got swept under the rug.""Interfered?""That ‘esteemed person’ I mentioned earlier. Apparently, they called those guys here to clear that unexplored dungeon—the one with the Dulhan causing the Stampede. They said it’d be a problem if they got offended and left. Taking advantage of the fact that we haven’t cleared the dungeon yet, they just do whatever they want."

  So, the reason they went out of their way to summon an A-rank adventurer from another continent…Was it for the dungeon conquest?

  "But the knights and adventurers are already working hard to clear it, right? Why go through the trouble of calling someone from another continent? Is it really that difficult?""No way. I’ve heard the knights and the adventurer’s guild are cooperating and making steady progress. The Guild Master wouldn’t lie to us, so that’s definitely true.""Then why—?"

  But, as Amina pointed out, it was strange.If Dent was right, there should’ve been no need to bring someone from another continent.

  "It’s all about the power struggles among the elites. One of those ‘esteemed persons,’ who’s very chummy with the western faction, wants to hand over the title of S-rank adventurer in this continent to that guy to strengthen ties with the western big shots. Right now, it’s fine because a member of the royal family holds the S-rank title, but if some duke’s puppet becomes the top adventurer? Gives me the chills."

  Dent expined the situation with clear disgust, as if he couldn’t believe they’d go so far as to stir up trouble for such a reason.

  "But he’s an adventurer from another continent, right? Couldn’t they just use one from this continent?""That wouldn’t satisfy the western elites. This is all about them holding hands and pying nice to secure an S-rank together. The fact that even we’ve caught wind of this stinking deal means you’ve bitten off more than you can chew, Liberta.""But if he has that kind of backing, why did he back down when it came to me?"

  Power struggles? Give me a break.But was that guy really such a nuisance?

  This might’ve turned into a bigger problem than I thought.If I’ve earned their resentment, their backers probably won’t be happy either.But the strange thing is, despite all the bluster, they backed off in the end.

  "Probably because of that maid girl. They might act high and mighty with commoner-born adventurers like us, but they wouldn’t dare cause trouble for a noble from this continent. If compints reached the king through noble channels, even a ducal house would have a hard time covering for them. My guess is they were warned not to stir up trouble.""So that’s how it was.""You should be grateful to that maid. If commoners like us picked a fight, our lives would mean nothing in front of nobles. I already lectured you, but if you handle things poorly, it won’t just be you—Nel and Amina will be in danger too. As the leader of a party, you need to be more careful about that.""I’ll keep that in mind.""You’d better. I can’t afford to lose a valuable source of income over some stupid mess.""I might’ve respected you a little more if you hadn’t added that st part.""Listen, Nel—keep those thoughts to yourself, got it? Even adults can get hurt by words like that."

  I never expected that having Ingrid as part of our group would pay off like this.Dent’s unserious closing remark lightened the mood, drawing ughter from everyone.

  It almost felt intentional—proof of his experience as a veteran adventurer.

  Maybe what I ck is this kind of consideration.

  "Well, I’ve said what I needed to. I’ll head back for today. Gotta start testing things out and earn some living expenses.""Thank you for your help.""Don’t worry about it. We’re both tangled up with the same troublesome folks. If I hear anything else about them, I’ll let you know."

  It wasn’t exactly a thank-you, but I gave Dent some tips on how to tackle some long-neglected quests that had been piling up at the guild.

  He left the inn looking satisfied.Talking to Dent was really helpful—identifying my shortcomings is a plus for future growth.

  "A guardian, huh… Do we need one for the auction too?"

  Right now, the biggest issue is the fact that we’re kids.I’m worried the same thing might happen at tomorrow’s auction.

  In the game, auction items were dispyed in the venue so you could see what was being sold.This world has paper, but printing technology isn’t advanced enough for pamphlets.

  "The auction ensures privacy by providing private rooms for each participant. You shouldn’t have to worry about being harassed like today.""I see. Then we just need to be careful when inspecting the items.""Yes. Besides, many nobles will be there. If any trouble arises, guards will intervene, so it’s unlikely to escate."

  Items will be avaible for viewing starting tomorrow morning. The auction itself begins around noon.

  What’s being sold is a surprise for the day, though some participants spread rumors about their own listings to draw attention.

  In the game, auctions existed too, and pyers often posted on social media about what they were selling and when.

  This auction is state-run, so it’s at least somewhat trustworthy.

  We might end up overpaying, but right now, items are more important than money.

  "Let’s turn in early and prepare for tomorrow!""Aren’t you the one who might have trouble sleeping, Liberta?""Liberta-sama, would you like some hot milk with honey before bed? I’ve heard it warms the body and helps with sleep.""Huh? Honey milk?! I want some too!""Me too!""Then let’s all have some before bed.""Yay!!"

  Despite the earlier trouble, identifying areas for improvement helped us stay positive.

  "Don’t forget to allocate your stats. It’ll make the next fight much easier.""Liberta, please!!""Don’t just dump it all on me because the ratios are annoying. I’ll teach you, so pay attention.""Okay!"

  Somehow, the leveling had gone smoothly up to this point.

  [Liberta — Css 2 / Level 92]Base Stats:

  Vitality: 60

  Magic: 40BP: 92EXBP: 184Skills (4/6 Slots):

  Spear Mastery — Css 10 / Level 100

  Magic Edge — Css 10 / Level 100

  Scythe Mastery — Css 10 / Level 100

  Stealth — Css 6 / Level 77

  This was the result.The BP gain rate was incomparable to Css 1.Total acquired: 276 BP (including EXBP).I distributed mine in a 3:2 ratio (Vitality:Magic).

  Ideally, by Css 2, I’d have 240 Vitality and 160 Magic.I just needed to allocate the remaining points accordingly.

  [Liberta — Css 2 / Level 92]Base Stats:

  Vitality: 226

  Magic: 150BP: 0EXBP: 0Skills (4/6 Slots):

  Spear Mastery — Css 10 / Level 100

  Magic Edge — Css 10 / Level 100

  Scythe Mastery — Css 10 / Level 100

  Stealth — Css 6 / Level 77

  This looked about right.Yeah, at this point, the chances of losing to an orc were practically zero.

  Hell, I could probably handle a chaotic melee head-on now.

  "Um… 2 Vitality and 3 Magic? One, two, three…?"

  While Amina counted on her fingers beside me, Nel finished allocating her points effortlessly and lounged on the sofa. Ingrid had already gone to the kitchen to prepare dinner.

  "Hey, Liberta. About this—""Oh, the rumored auction listings?"

  All that was left was dinner, a quick wipe-down, and then bed.

  During the downtime, Nel handed me a sheet of paper.

  It was a list of rumored auction items she had gathered since we decided to participate.

  "Yeah, I checked as much as I could.""Not many good items?""Mostly paintings and other art pieces. There are some monster materials, but not many. A few weapons, and only one scroll."

  Merchants are sensitive to rumors.Especially a merchant’s wife—she could pull information from all sorts of pces through women’s networks.

  Sometimes, she could even dig up noble secrets. Impressive.

  I bet Teresa was the source.I should bring her some sweets ter as thanks.

  "Hmm… I hope there are some hidden gems beyond this, but the main attraction is probably the items brought back by that S-rank party, right?""But we can’t afford those, can we?""Well, there might still be a chance."

  Ultimately, we wouldn’t know until we saw them. But expectations were low.

  "If there’s nothing good in the morning, maybe we should skip the afternoon auction and focus on leveling. I also want to take down the Swamp Dragon.""Let’s do that. Honestly, I’m itching to test my new strength.""At this point, we could probably clear the Swamp Dragon hunt much faster."

  Looking at the listings, there wasn’t much of interest.The real hope y in unannounced items and the rumored centerpiece.

  "Hey, help me."

  While discussing the auction with Nel, Amina tugged at my sleeve, on the verge of tears.

  "Alright, where are you stuck?""I don’t even know where I’m stuck!""Ah, maybe I should just start from the beginning.""Listen, Amina. This calcution is—"

  Good at singing, bad at math—that was Amina.Maybe I should buy a bckboard and hold a study session.

  This world doesn’t have textbooks or notebooks.

  Well, they probably could be made, but no one bothers gathering the materials for them.

  "Done!! Is this right?""Yeah, looks good."

  [Amina — Css 2 / Level 92]Base Stats:

  Vitality: 150

  Magic: 226BP: 0EXBP: 0Skills (5/6 Slots):

  Staff Mastery — Css 10 / Level 100

  Alchemy — Css 6 / Level 22

  Singing — Css 10 / Level 100

  Song of Accim — Css 10 / Level 100

  Song of Tailwind — Css 10 / Level 100

  She’s quick to grasp things once taught, so she’s not unintelligent.I think her mental block is the real issue.

  "Phew… Using my brain made me tired. And I worked my body too, so I’m gonna eat a ton tonight!!""You always eat a lot, though.""Yeah! Because even at home, my brothers eat so much that I get less! They say, ‘You’re small, so you don’t need as much,’ but I wanna grow bigger, so I have to eat a lot!"

  With that, Amina hopped off the sofa and dashed to the kitchen.

  "Ingrid, I’ll help!""Then could you set the table, please?"

  Watching her retreating figure, Nel and I exchanged gnces.

  "She’s totally going to sneak a bite.""Yep. Ingrid will probably let her ‘taste test’ too."

  We were sure she was just looking for a snack.

  "Mmm, delicious!!""Thank you. Now, could you help pte this?""Okay!"

  And just as predicted, their voices confirmed our suspicions, making us ugh.

  "By the way, Liberta, aren’t you going to sell anything at the auction? Swamp Dragon materials would fetch a high price.""We still don’t have enough for our own use. Besides, if we sell at the auction and draw attention, we’ll just invite more trouble."

  After sharing a ugh, I immediately shook my head when asked if I’d list anything.

  Given our current situation, being known as kids with money would make us targets.

  Just because we leveled up today doesn’t mean we’re invincible.

  I want to grow stronger, secure our safety, then start making money openly.

  "That’s true. If we weren’t kids, maybe we wouldn’t have been harassed like today.""Maybe. I wish I were taller.""I want to grow up fast too."

  Everything is still a work in progress.Perhaps our biggest limitation right now is simply that we’re still childre