Chapter 81

Chapter 81: Reward 3

Nels accepted the carrot gift for the horses.

For Nels, I took out a gift as a token of appreciation.

"What's this?"

"This is a gift for you, Nels-san. It's not something too expensive, so please accept it."

I said as I half-forced it upon him.

The item we gifted Nels was a cushion for the coachmen.

"Nels-san, you mentioned before that you needed to replace your cushion, so I thought you might like this."

"Oh, this is just what I wanted..."

"It happened that the shop we stumbled upon earlier was the one you usually visit. When I asked for recommendations for a gift for you, they suggested this."

It was truly coincidental; the miscellaneous store we happened to visit was an acquaintance's shop of Nels. I told the shop owner about my dilemma in choosing a gift for Nels, and they mentioned that he had been wanting that cushion.

"The texture is quite nice. Thank you."

"No problem, it really helped us yesterday... By the way, Chloe has been staring at the horses for a while now, what's going on?"

"Huh? Oh, it's just that a moment ago, Nels-san was feeding the horses, and I thought I'd like to try..."

Upon hearing Chloe's words, Nels suggested, "In that case, would you like to feed them?" He handed her some carrots, demonstrating how to do it.

Watching this scene, I suddenly recalled my past experience working at a stable in my previous life. While the smell seemed to be mitigated by magic here, in my past life, the stables reeked of horse manure, and I often found it hard to enjoy my lunch. However, it was during that time that I first experienced horseback riding and discovered the joy of it.

Considering that I had been reincarnated in a different world, I wondered if I should try owning a horse myself. If I had my own horse, I could easily go on long journeys.

"Wow, they're eating so eagerly!"

Thinking back to the past, Chloe fed the horses following Nels' instructions, and she laughed joyfully at their enthusiastic eating.

"What about you, Jin-san? I think this one can eat a lot more."

Upon Nels' suggestion, I replied, "Sure, let me try," and fed the horse carrots just like Chloe did, joining in their lively meal.

Afterward, we finished all our business at the stable and returned to the castle.

Once back at the castle, I realized that despite the reduced smell in the stable, I couldn't walk around the castle in my current state. So, I took a shower and changed my clothes.

"Phew, there was still a bit of smell on my clothes. I feel much better now."

After that, as I was walking down the hallway on my way back to my room, I heard that the princess had called for me through her attendant. I headed to the princess's room.

Knocking on the door and entering, I found Chloe already there, apologizing for our lateness.

"So, what's the matter? Why did you call us here all of a sudden?"

"I called you here to present a reward for both of you, as it has been decided."

The princess called one of her attendants, who had been waiting by the wall, and placed some documents and a box on the table. She opened the box first and, after checking its contents, explained that it contained a large sum of gold coins and valuable healing potions.

"What I have prepared for you this time is 600 gold coins and high-quality healing potions."

"600 gold coins?" I was taken aback by the amount of money the princess mentioned.

"Wait, 600 gold coins? Seriously!?"

Both Chloe and I were surprised by the amount of money the princess mentioned.

"Well, isn't that a bit too much to receive?"

"No, we believe it's appropriate. Julius is the Sword Saint, a valuable asset to our country. You two were the ones who found him before anyone else, as I mentioned in the morning. If you hadn't found him in time, there was a possibility that Julius would have suffered lingering effects and been unable to fulfill his role as the Sword Saint."

Certainly, that's what I had thought - if Julius were to disappear, it could lead to war. The story in this world was about the Demon Lord appearing, and the Hero and seven Maidens fighting to defeat him, but it was also mentioned in the original work that there were other countries hostile to the one we were in.

"Even though most nobles can't get permission, can adventurers like us really accept this?"

"Of course. You have achieved such a great feat. My father also said that if it weren't for you two, it would have been dangerous. After all, we couldn't even consider the place Julius went to at first."

The princess said this, and I realized that she had worked quite hard for Julius.

After that, we received another reward in the form of documents. The princess explained, "This is not from me but from the country itself. You are aware that there are several places in the Dold Kingdom where entry is restricted unless you have permission, right?"

"Yes, there are several near the capital. Some have dungeons, and only adventurers authorized by the country are allowed in."

I replied, and then my gaze shifted from the documents to the princess, sensing something.

The princess smiled as if she knew what I was thinking.

"We have decided to grant you and Chloe entry rights to those places, as well as to any future companions you may have."

"Wha—!"

I was so shocked by the princess's words that I stood up, and Chloe was also rendered speechless by the magnitude of the reward.

"Even nobles can't get permission, but adventurers like us can?"

"Indeed. You have accomplished so much. It was thanks to Julius hearing about the mithril from you and going to the dungeon that this incident occurred. However, we don't believe it's your fault that the incident happened. If Julius had reported properly and gone to the dungeon, this incident wouldn't have occurred. So, you should not feel responsible."

After that, Chloe and I were comforted by the princess, and I finally let out the emotions I had been holding in for the past few days.

After the discussion was over, I returned to my room and lay down on the bed.