Chapter 29 - Halfling
"I never thought I’d get to eat something this delicious while on an adventure..."
Franz, looking content after filling his stomach, rubbed his belly as he spoke.
"What do you usually eat during your adventures?"
"Mostly jerky, hardtack, raisins—basically whatever preserves well."
"Yeah, it’d be nice if we could at least get a small magic bag..."
"With our current earnings, that's not gonna happen."
"Are magic bags really that expensive?"
"Yeah, a magic bag with about the same capacity as that shower room would cost around two hundred gold coins."
The capacity of the shower room? That was smaller than the Item Box built into my camper van, yet it cost that much?
"Then, how many people actually have Item Boxes?"
The Item Box users that Haku had mentioned existed.
I also have an Item Box, albeit a limited one, thanks to my camper van.
I couldn’t help but wonder just how many people in this world actually owned an Item Box.
"People with the unique skill Item Box are rare, but we see them sometimes, right?"
"Yeah. They’re occasionally found among merchants affiliated with large trading companies or under the employ of nobles."
"Just having an Item Box guarantees success in business, so you won’t find any adventurers with one."
I see. So, while people with the unique skill for Item Box exist, they’re exceedingly rare. In that case, it wouldn’t seem too out of place for me to use the Item Box in my camper van.
That said, if its capacity was too large, it might draw unwanted attention. I decided I’d better not overdo it to avoid catching the wrong kind of eyes.
"Wha—!? What is this place?!"
"Rick’s awake!"
I was about to ask more about unique skills when a high-pitched voice of surprise echoed from inside the camper.
With no choice, I cut the conversation short and headed inside with Franz and the others to check on Rick.
Inside, I found a red-haired boy sitting on the camper’s permanent bed, looking around nervously.
"Hey, Franz! Where the hell am I?!"
"Calm down, Rick. We'll explain it all to you in a moment."
"Oh, okay."
Franz and the others came over and gently tried to calm him down. Rick, still sitting up on the bed, seemed to relax a little.
After a bit, Franz and the others began explaining.
It took some time for him to understand that Haku, the most powerful species, was my familiar and that we were inside my camper van. Eventually, though, he managed to wrap his head around the situation.
"I’m Rick, a scout."
"I'm Tohru."
"So, you’re the one who saved me? Thanks."
"Well, saving a kid is only natural."
"Huh?! Who are you calling a kid?!"
As soon as I said that, Rick suddenly snapped, his anger flaring up.
Was he at that age where he hated being treated like a kid?
"Hey, Tohru, could it be you don’t know Rick’s race?"
"His race? Isn't he just a human child?"
"No! I’m a halfling!"
"Halfling?"
As I tilted my head in confusion, Franz and the others burst out laughing.
"Hahaha! Relax, Rick. Tohru’s from far away and doesn’t know much about the races around here. ...Pfft!"
"Damn it! Halflings are half the height of humans, but we’re a dexterous and agile race! We look young for a long time, and only start aging visibly after we hit eighty!"
Rick, though clearly irritated, explained it all carefully.
S-seriously? So you stay looking young even as you age? That sounds pretty great.
"I-is that so? By the way, can I ask how old you are?"
"Twenty-eight!"
"Huh?! You're a year older than me?!"
Despite looking like a twelve-year-old, he turned out to be older than me.
When I let out a surprised exclamation, Franz, Eslina, and Dormund burst out laughing, as if they could no longer hold it in.
Rick's face turned bright red.
"I’m sorry for treating you like a kid. I honestly didn’t know!"
"Tch, it’s fine. You really didn’t seem like you knew."
I apologized with a bow, and although Rick looked a bit pouty, he eventually forgave me.
Though his words were a bit sharp, he didn’t seem like a bad guy.
"Could it be that I misunderstood Franz, too...?"
"Nah, I’m Human. I’m twenty-three years old."
"Ah, good. That’s a relief."
I had been worried that I might’ve misjudged Franz as well, but that wasn’t the case.
"And what about Dormund’s age?"
"I’m fifty-five."
Oh, finally someone whose appearance matched their age.
It was a relief to see that his appearance matched his age.
Letting out a sigh of relief, I suddenly locked eyes with Eslina.
""......""
Logically, it would only make sense to ask her age next, but prying into a woman’s age felt inappropriate.
"So, do Dwarves look like that even when they’re young?"
"Aye, we look about the same from a young age."
"In this situation, you should ask about my age too!"
I turned to Dormund to steer the conversation in a different direction, but Eslina jumped in, interrupting.
"I thought it’d be rude to ask a woman her age."
"When you tiptoe around it that much, it just makes things bothersome!"
She had a point—I probably came across like I was walking on eggshells.
Since she herself insisted, I decided it’d be best to just ask.
"Eslina, how old are you?"
"I’m thirty-two! And just so you know, Elves live a really long time, so I’m still considered young! Got it?!"
"Oh, I see. Thanks for explaining so clearly."
I nodded, taking Eslina’s words to heart, to show I understood.
I figured that referring to elves as "old" was probably a big no-no.
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