I told Yunyun that people who take friend fees are not true friends, advised her to use that money to buy things she needs or save it for the future if she doesn't need it, told her to rest tomorrow, and sent her back.
The next morning, I woke up early and got ready. Today is an important day. It's the day Kazuma learns the thief skills [Enemy Detection], [Hide], and [Steal] from Chris, and also Cabbage Harvest Day. The skills Kazuma learns, [Enemy Detection], [Hide], and [Steal], have endless applications.
[Enemy Detection] is a skill that detects enemies within a certain range, as the name suggests, allowing real-time understanding of the enemy's numbers and current location.
[Hide] is a skill that conceals oneself and an allied person in contact, preventing detection by enemies; it can conceal not only presence but also scent quite well.
[Steal] is Kazuma's main skill, a skill that randomly plunders an opponent's item, but with Kazuma's insane luck, he can pretty much steal the item he wants.
Such good skills cost only 1 point each. I must learn them. And here, I plan to also learn [Skill Bind], [Treasure Detection], and [Lockpick] among the thief skills.
[Skill Bind] is a truly cheat-like skill; it's a skill that seals a target's skills. Against powerful foes, it only prevents them from using skills for a short while, but in actual combat, that short moment decides victory or defeat. It might even become a main skill.
I plan to learn [Treasure Detection] and [Lockpick] because they might be needed if I go to other worlds. For example, I think they could be useful for finding Dragon Balls or opening hidden rooms.
And 'Cabbage Harvest Day' is one of the unique settings in the Konosuba world; there are strange settings like bananas being caught in rivers or sardines growing in fields. Cabbages are the same; they fly around in swarms like locusts and attack people with body slams. They are stronger than you'd think, making them hard to catch if you're not an adventurer, and they taste good, so they are expensive. But not all cabbages are expensive. Occasionally, a head of lettuce is mixed in among the swarm; it looks similar to a cabbage, making it hard to distinguish, and it's not very valuable, so harvesting it doesn't earn much money. It's a kind of dud. Considering that, it's still a welcome event for poor adventurers, a chance to easily earn big money. That cabbage swarm comes to Axel Town today.
I was moving to a restaurant to eat breakfast first, and I saw the receptionist Luna eating a meal alone at the restaurant.
"Ms. Luna! Good morning. Having breakfast?"
"Oh! Cassian, good morning. I usually eat at home, but I had to work overtime yesterday because there was too much work, so I woke up a bit late today."
"Is it perhaps because of us who arrived late yesterday?"
"No. Actually, an adventurer who went missing yesterday was found dead, so I was a bit late dealing with that matter."
I had forgotten because Konosuba is a comedy fantasy work. That this world is also at war, and dangerous monsters roam around. Hearing this, I once again realize it's a world where I could easily die if I'm not careful.
"Was it someone you knew?"
"Yes, he was an adventurer who would sometimes come, take requests, and flirt."
"It must be quite disturbing for you since someone you knew met such a fate."
"Working at the guild, such things happen often. At first, I couldn't even eat properly, but now I'm a bit used to it."
"It's a bit of a sad familiarity."
Luna stopped eating and looked at me as she spoke.
"So, to reduce such incidents, we actively discourage adventurers from taking reckless requests, but it's not easy."
"Ahaha, are you talking about me?"
"Yes! You!"
"Ahem, can't be helped. Being a hero is my dream, so I'm sorry in advance to Ms. Luna who will be worried~"
"Sigh... Still, don't take too reckless requests."
I also ordered a meal and ate with Luna while talking about various things.
"Oh my! It's already time. I'll go ahead first. Talking with you, Cassian, I didn't even notice the time passing. See you at the guild later."
Luna rushed to the guild in a flurry. I finished my meal and got up to move to the blacksmith. Kazuma would come out around noon, so I had time, and I planned to have light, easy-to-move armor made with the money earned from requests.
Since I had worked at a blacksmith before, the blacksmiths were quite pleased to see me.
"Cassian! Long time no see. Word about you has reached here already. I heard you already took down a One-Hit Bear? Amazing!"
"I'm embarrassed. I had help from competent comrades."
"So, what brings you here?"
"Actually, I've earned some money and would like to have a set of light armor made."
"Are you using that sword you're carrying as your weapon? Hmm... Then I should make it easy to move and light. How much funds do you have?"
He certainly had skill. Judging what kind of armor is needed just by looking at the client's weapon.
"I can spend up to 4 million Eris."
He roughly cleared the table and showed me a few blueprints.
"How about this design? It seems to suit you, and if made using light metal, you'll be able to move nimbly enough."
I looked over the blueprint and nodded. It was armor where leather and iron plates blended naturally and well.
"Yes, that's good. Please make it like this."
"Understood. Then I need to take measurements, so come this way."
I had my measurements taken and gave my regards, asking him to take care of it.
"It'll take a few days, so go handle other requests or something in the meantime."
I left the blacksmith and moved to the guild, where Kazuma was looking at his adventurer card as if contemplating something, and Megumin was eating a meal beside him.
"Hey~! Kazuma, Megumin."
"Ah! Cassian."
"What are you so troubled about that you're staring holes into your card?"
"Actually, I reached level 4 and got skill points, so I'm contemplating what skill to learn."
"How many points do you have?"
"3 points."
Here you can see how pathetic Kazuma's potential is. Aqua received enough points to learn all her skills as soon as she got the Arch Priest job. Even if Aqua is a goddess and that's why, I also started with 100 points and receive 10 points per level up. Well, he solves it cleverly later, but starting with 0 points and getting 1 point per level... I should be nice to Kazuma.
"Hmm... I found out that usable attack skills mostly cost over 10 points. That doesn't mean skills that cost few points are bad. It depends on how you use them. The dilemma here is whether to first learn skills that cost few points and gradually learn stronger skills, or to endure and save points to learn a powerful skill all at once."
"So it's a difference in growth policy?"
"Right."
Then Megumin, who was eating, spoke.
"Just go for Explosion magic."
"Kazuma only has 3 points. Explosion magic costs 50 points, I hear."
"Uwah... That magic costs 50 points?"
"Yes, I heard the points required vary slightly depending on magic comprehension, but on average it's 50 points. It is the strongest magic, after all."
Megumin started striking a pose, acting proud.
"Fufufu~ Now you understand my greatness? So let's walk the path of Explosion together."
"But Cassian, how do you know so well?"
"I... have been gathering information since I first came here. Reading books and asking people."
'This is why I dislike perceptive people,' I might hear something like that, it seems. Then Darkness and Chris approached. Chris had short sky-blue hair and a vertical scar on her cheek that seemed to say 'I'm a thief.' And as per the original, Chris was... too flat. I must definitely gift her a Wind-Breast Jewel if I get one.
"Found you! You said you'd think about it yesterday and left, but today I must talk..."
Kazuma answered without hesitation.
"I'll decline."
"Grrrr~~~An immediate answer... like that~~!"
Darkness, perhaps excited from being rejected, blushed and twisted her body. Then Chris approached Darkness and spoke.
"Haha, you can't do that, Darkness, being so pushy."
"Hey, and you are?"
"I'm Chris! As you can see, a thief, and you could say Darkness and I are friends?"
My guess, but probably because Darkness, a devout Eris believer, wasn't accepted by other parties, Chris took pity on her and they travel together.
"You, don't you want useful skills? How about thief skills? They cost few points to learn and are quite useful, convenient in various ways."
"Heh~"
"Right now, I'll teach you for a glass of Chuwachuwa."
"So cheap!"
I also spoke up to learn thief skills.
"Can I learn too? Thief skills."
"And you are?"
"I'm Cassian! Nice to meet you, adventurer. And I'm a friend of Kazuma here."
"Wait! Cassian, weren't you a samurai? Can you learn thief skills too?"
The perceptive Kazuma, as expected, interrupted and asked what he was curious about.
"Ah! Didn't I say? I have the same job as you. The basic job, Adventurer."
"What? You're that strong but have the same basic job as me???"
"Yes."
"Then how are you so strong?"
"Special perk."
"Aha~"
Kazuma understood immediately. Chris asked again.
"You'll learn thief skills, right? Then I'll take a Chuwachuwa~"
"Got it~ A very cold one for this person here, please~!"
"Then will Toad Tofu do for me?"
"No, Cassian, you are more capable than Kazuma. That alone won't do, will it?"
I tried to make it easy, but Chris didn't go along easily.
"Then what do you want?"
"Help me when I ask for it!"
'This guy, she's being troublesome, planning to ask for help when she's searching for divine relics...'
Chris was involved in finding and stealing divine relics that negatively impacted the world. Divine relics are cheat items that reincarnators receive from the goddess and bring to this world; they are often left in the world when reincarnators die or are robbed and are misused.
"No! Since I don't know what kind of request or how it will be, that seems difficult."
"Then are you giving up on thief skills?"
"Instead, I'll get you a 'Wind-Breast Jewel'."
"Wind-Breast Jewel? What's that?"
"I'll tell you the legend of the Wind-Breast Jewel. Listen well, ahem!"
I cleared my throat.
"Long, long ago, there existed a mysterious treasure called the Wind-Breast Jewel. It invoked endless war among those who sought to possess it.
The once peaceful Misu Kingdom waged war with neighboring countries to obtain the Wind-Breast Jewel. The kingdom's army was powerful, but the curse of the Wind-Breast Jewel could not evade them. As the war dragged on, the kingdom gradually became impoverished, and the people suffered from hunger and pain.
In the end, the Misu Kingdom obtained the Wind-Breast Jewel, but the price was too great. The kingdom was devastated by war, and the king went mad from the curse of the Wind-Breast Jewel. Neighboring countries attacked, taking advantage of the kingdom's weakness, and eventually, the Misu Kingdom was destroyed.
The Wind-Breast Jewel lost its owner again and vanished into legend. However, the legend is still passed down among people, and those seeking the Wind-Breast Jewel constantly appear. They all met the same fate, which was that anyone who tries to possess the Wind-Breast Jewel ultimately meets destruction."
Gulp
Everyone swallowed.
"That's a lie! I've never seen or heard of such a country or such a divine relic!"
Chris spoke, unable to believe it.
"Fufu, is that so? The Wind-Breast Jewel caused so many people to die that the goddess, pitying them, blew the Wind-Breast Jewel away to another dimension. I wonder where that dimension could be?"
"Don't tell me!?"
"Yes! That 'don't tell me'!"
Kazuma asked curiously.
"But what kind of treasure is it that causes a kingdom to be destroyed?"
"It makes your breasts one cup bigger."
"Ehhhhhhhhhhh~~~!!!???"
"Just for making breasts a little bigger?"
Chris and Megumin spoke with serious faces.
"I understand why the kingdom was destroyed now!"
Ding~!
You have acquired the [(E)Swindler] ability. It makes people believe lies.
"Ahem..."