TFCG 60

Chapter 60

Cash’s sales pitch continued relentlessly.

“Then how about this little one? It’s a wonderful companion that picks up items that fall to the ground and puts them straight into your inventory. How about naming it Pengsoonie? I can give you this one for thirty Rainbow Stones.”

Before I knew it, she was shaking a baby emperor penguin from side to side, smiling brightly.

“Stop. Please stop.”

I bit my lip and shouted almost involuntarily.

I couldn’t even explain why I felt so awful.

It was true — I did miss those pets.

I’d said I wanted to ride my mount pet again, that I missed Pengsoonie, who used to pick up items for me.

And after the class change, I’d grumbled that I no longer had any use for Rainbow Stones.

But now that the “Cash Shop” had suddenly appeared right before my eyes, my mood had hit rock bottom — no, it had fallen straight through it.

Cash gave me an awkward smile but at least closed her mouth, allowing me a moment to reflect on why I was so upset.

Ah, I see now.

It was that feeling — like being toyed with by a goddess.

She dragged me into this world without asking, forced me into this “hero” role, making me save people left and right.

And now it felt like she was reading my every thought —
“Oh? You don’t like that? Fine, I’ll fix it for you.”

What kind of “great goddess” manipulates people like puppets?

“Hey, are you the goddess’s lackey or something? Then go tell her this — stop toying with people!”

Fuming, I shouted at her.

Cash tilted her head, feigning innocence with an infuriatingly clueless expression.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m just Cash — the Cash made only for the Goddess’s Hero.”

“…Forget it. Even if you don’t tell her, I’m sure she’s listening anyway.”

I muttered furiously in my head:

“Stop messing with me already! You, whatever-your-name-is Hagi-whatever goddess! You’re nothing but a stupid diaper-wearing goddess!”

I shook my fists at the sky for emphasis, then turned on my heel and stormed out of the shop.

As I left, Cash’s voice followed behind me.

“Hmm, leaving already today? But think it over carefully. Aren’t these all things you’ll need eventually? Even if not here, I’m sure we’ll meet again — somewhere.”

Her words were cryptic and unsettling.

I stomped my feet extra hard as I left the shop.

And the moment I stepped out — time, which had been frozen, began to flow again.

“Hero! Thank you so much!”
“Please come again next time!”

The citizens’ cheers filled my ears.

When I glanced back, the Cash Shop had vanished — the spot had returned to what it was before: a narrow alley between two shops, with not a trace of the building remaining.

Was I… hypnotized or something?

It still felt surreal, like it hadn’t really happened.

Now that I thought about it, Cash’s impossible appearance might have been the personification of a Rainbow Stone itself — how else could I explain that shimmering, iridescent hair?

Ugh, forget it. Better not to think about it.

Besides, it’s not like I even had a hundred Rainbow Stones. I didn’t even have thirty. Barely a dozen, maybe — not enough to buy anything anyway.

With that, I headed back to Phaenna Square and cast the teleport spell to return to Mid-Isle.

* * *

Bzzzzzzzzzzzz!

The magical chainsaw roared like a motor, scattering sawdust as it cut through the wood.

Wearing safety goggles, I grunted as I processed a log of merbau wood into lumber.

“Seriously, where did you even get merbau wood of this quality? Impressive.”

Over the noise, I heard Carpenter’s voice.

She was the owner of the woodworking shop — a healthy, strong woman with cropped hair and muscles honed by years of carpentry.

“Ah, I recently won the harvesting rights to the Silvagrove Forest.”

I shouted back, raising my voice to compete with the sound.

To be heard over this racket, you had to speak from the diaphragm.

“Ahh, so you’re the one who saved Silvagrove Forest! If you’ve got any left over, sell me some. I’ll pay well.”
“Sure thing. I brought back a ton, so take as much as you need.”

I’d been using her facilities and learning from her for a while now, so I didn’t mind sharing extra wood — not for free, but at a fair price.

If I gave it away, the lumberjacks of Silvagrove would lose business. And Carpenter wasn’t the type to take handouts anyway.

So I kept working, shaving and shaping the wood.

The sturdy texture felt different from when I’d worked with spruce.

“Phew, that was tough.”

I wiped the sweat from my forehead and brushed sawdust off my face.

Time to stretch my back a little.

Even with strong core muscles, overuse would eventually lead to injury — maintenance was important.

One, two, one, two…

I stretched in rhythm when—

“Oh dear, look at the time. I’m clocking out early today. The key’s under the violet flowerpot by the door.”

Carpenter tossed me the shop key.

“Huh? Is that… okay?”

I caught it automatically, blinking in confusion.

She was leaving me in charge of the shop?

“What’s the problem? We know each other well enough. Looks like you’ve still got a lot to do anyway — don’t mind me, just finish up.”

Was this… small-town island hospitality?

Come to think of it, I’d kind of stolen some of her clients since my labor was cheaper… and yet she was letting me use her workshop for free and trusting me with locking up.

Before I could protest, Carpenter just waved coolly and left.

Left alone, I gave a helpless shrug and went back to work.

Alright, sanding time.

I polished the carved wooden doll pieces until they were smooth to the touch.

After quite some time, only the varnish remained.

I brushed a coat of oil over the wood — natural varnish made from pressed flaxseed oil.

“Whew, done.”

Stretching my arms, I left the shop, locked up carefully, and tucked the key beneath the flowerpot as instructed.

Humming, I walked toward the dorm building — when suddenly,

“Oh, Miss Adrian!”

I bumped into Adrian, who was just getting off work.

I waved happily and ran over, but he looked at me with a curious expression.

“What were you doing out this late instead of returning to the dormitory?”

Ah, here we go — the nagging had begun.

“Well, if you put it that way, weren’t you working late too, Adrian?”

I pouted, half teasing, half rebellious.

It’s not like he needed to worry — I was way stronger than him now.

If some thug attacked, he’d be the one hiding behind me.

He went silent, apparently out of retorts.

So we just walked together under the dim streetlights.

After a while, he spoke again, casually —

“Did you… go somewhere else today?”

I glanced up at his face, unsure of what he was getting at.

“Uh, yeah. I did. Wait, how did you know?”

Technically, I had gone to Silvagrove Forest, so it wasn’t a lie.
But how would he, who spent all day buried in the library, know that?

“Hmm… you smell different.”

His answer stunned me.

…Smell? What was he, a bloodhound?

“Oh, do I smell like the forest or something? Wow, Adrian, you’ve got a sharp nose — I was in Silvagrove today.”

He always liked cleanliness, so maybe that extended to scent, too.

“…No, I wasn’t referring to the forest scent, but… never mind.”

He trailed off.

“…?”

If not the forest, then what? I sniffed at my sleeve.

All I smell is linseed oil.

That couldn’t be what he meant.

I had no idea what “strange smell” he was talking about.

“Please, don’t mind me. I may have spoken out of turn. My apologies.”

He seemed flustered now.

“Huh? Oh, it’s fine. I don’t think it was that rude or anything.”

I scratched my cheek absentmindedly — I really wasn’t offended.

“It’s just… I realized saying something like that could be taken as implying that a lady ‘smells,’ which would be rude. That wasn’t my intention.”
“Ahh, yeah, I guess someone could take it that way.”

Some people might get embarrassed if told that, sure.

But not me — I wasn’t the type to fuss over that stuff.