“Then please register me.”
After hearing about the combat training, I completed the application. I was the first student to enroll in the upcoming session.
“It will begin the day after tomorrow. I don’t expect any trouble from you, Erik, but please don’t be late.”
“Understood.”
With the registration complete, I looked through the day’s requests.
Unsurprisingly, Marina’s name wasn’t among them. While searching for something else worthwhile, I found a request from Stacia Trading Company.
It was another cleaning job, this time at the company’s shop rather than its main warehouse.
“The reward is good. How is this request still available?”
“It’s still early. Someone would have taken it soon, but I kept it here because I wanted to offer it to you.”
“I see. Then I’ll accept it.”
As a company request, it paid well: two silver coins.
I thanked Reina for setting aside such a good job, left the guild, and went to the address.
“The warehouse was large, but this shop is enormous too.”
It occupied a prime location in the commercial district, and its size overwhelmed me. Reminding myself that it was simply today’s workplace, I entered.
“My, I thought you might come, Erik, and here you are.”
“Hanna, we meet again today. I didn’t expect to find you here.”
“Hee hee. My husband intended to handle the request, but he hurt his back this morning, so I came in his place.”
“Is he all right?”
Hanna smiled at my concern.
“He’s old enough to know better, but something made him happy and he jumped down several steps at once. That’s how he injured himself.”
“Oh…”
“Ridiculous, isn’t it? I left his care to the servants and came here.”
She explained the request.
Although it was another cleaning job, the target was the storage room attached to the shop. The collapse in the main warehouse had raised concerns throughout the company.
Even more people entered and left the shop. A shelf might be bumped and collapse without warning, so they wanted the storeroom organized before that could happen.
Few employees were skilled cleaners, which was why the company had hired an adventurer.
“The request did specify someone good at cleaning, but having you arrive is perfect.”
“The guild kept the request because they expected me to accept it. I’ll begin right away.”
“Please do.”
I started work. This time, an employee worked alongside me instead of leaving me alone.
“You’re the adventurer Madam told us about, the one who’s excellent at cleaning, aren’t you? How did you become so good at it?”
“Most people probably dislike cleaning because it involves touching dirty things. But I enjoy looking at a place I’ve cleaned myself—the feeling of seeing something filthy become spotless. I loved that satisfaction, so I grew good at cleaning.”
The employee had asked why I was so skilled.
Since early childhood, I’d cleaned many homes as an odd-job worker. I’d done it to survive and to save money for the day I could leave the village.
But as I continued, I realized that I loved the fresh, clean space left behind. A place I’d cleaned with my own hands seemed to shine more brightly to me than to anyone else.
“Ah, I think I understand. I sometimes let dishes pile up, but once I begin washing, I want to clean everything around them too. When I’m finally done, I often think, ‘I worked hard!'”
“It’s a similar feeling. It made me want to clean even better, so I gradually learned to work faster and more carefully.”
My hands never stopped as I told the employee my story.
The shop’s storeroom wasn’t especially large, and the employee helped move the merchandise. We finished in two hours.
“Madam, look! It’s so clean!”
“Erik’s cleaning skill is incredible!”
The employee enthusiastically reported to Hanna when she came to inspect the work. Hanna smiled at the excitement.
“It truly is unrecognizable. You even reinforced the shelves as you did in the warehouse.”
“That was part of the request.”
After the inspection, Hanna filled in the completion report.
“Oh, one more thing. Would you use this, Erik?”
“This is brand-new… And it’s still sold in the shop. It definitely isn’t leftover stock, is it?”
She handed me a small waist pouch designed for adventurers.
I already used one, but it had been discarded in my village, and I’d repaired it in several places. This new pouch held much more and had hooks on its belt for attaching additional items.
“The one you use is extremely old, isn’t it? You would probably keep repairing it forever, but I think you should have something better. I bought this for you. Please accept it as a gift.”
“…Hanna, thank you very much. I’ll take good care of it.”
“Thank you for accepting it. Keep doing your best as an adventurer.”
After saying goodbye to Hanna and the employees, I left the shop.
I’d received another bonus, but I reminded myself that this wasn’t normal. It was a special kindness.
Since I had a new pouch, I stopped at the inn before returning to the guild. In my room, I transferred the contents and fastened it around my waist.
Its material was far better than that of my old pouch patched with scraps of cloth. The black color looked handsome and wouldn’t show dirt easily, and the belt still had room for me to grow.
“If I care for it, I should be able to use this for years.”
I gently stroked the new pouch, then left the inn and returned to the Adventurers’ Guild.
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