A white teacup was placed on the table.
The thin gold rim along its edge lent it an air of luxury.
I curled my fingers around the handle and lifted it.
Inside was a pale green liquid that shimmered with an inner light.
From the liquid, bubbles rose with what sounded like a groan.
It must have been my imagination.
"Would you happen to have a recipe book for brewing potions?"
I set the teacup down without drinking.
The witch grinned.
"Oh my, oh my. So that's how it is."
"I managed to get a herb encyclopedia, but I couldn't find a recipe book."
"Hee hee, so you got the herb encyclopedia. As expected of young Wof."
"Do you have a recipe book?"
"Of course, of course. I do. I certainly do."
"Good. So, um... is it expensive?"
I understood that it would be something valuable.
But I couldn't estimate by how much.
I held two contradictory sets of values.
The values of this world, and the values of my past life's world.
In this world, books are precious.
A recipe book for potions is all the rarer.
But in my past life's world, books were not precious.
When it came to compounding—well, not potions exactly—it wasn't rare either.
These clashing values and emotions.
I realized they were both a strength and a weakness of mine.
"Hmm, hmm. I knew you'd come asking, but getting your hands on a herb encyclopedia this quickly—how shall I put it... hmm, hmm. It's sooner than I expected."
She mumbled on to herself.
So she really had some ulterior motive when she gave me that crescent-shaped vessel.
The witch groaned. This was tough. It might be impossible.
But I had a trump card.
The egg-shaped elixir container at the bottom of my pouch.
It was empty, but the container alone had to be worth something.
Come to think of it, I'd been carrying it around the whole time.
I'd never taken it out since putting it in.
Somehow, I'd been reluctant to look at it or even touch it.
It scared me.
That's right. Now was my chance to let it go.
I gently slipped my hand into the pouch at my waist and reached for the egg at the bottom... Hm?
"Huh...?"
"That's right, that's right. Yes, yes, that's it!"
"W-what is it?"
I quickly withdrew my hand from the pouch.
That sensation just now—no, no, that couldn't be.
"Heh heh, heh heh—Com has an old friend's child. They're a delver now."
"A delver?"
"Mm-hm. A Class IV delver, and they've formed a party."
"I'm not sure I follow."
"The important part is still coming. That party is planning to dive into a dungeon soon. They're looking for an errand boy."
"...You mean like a hired hand?"
An aversion naturally welled up in me.
"Now, now, not quite. It's not like being a hired hand."
"Just carrying luggage?"
"That, and that, and odd jobs here and there."
"...If I take the job, you'll give me the recipe book?"
"Mm-hm. You're quick to get to the point. That helps."
"That's just for the duration of the dungeon dive and back, right?"
"Of course, of course. What do you say?"
I thought it over for a moment.
Errand boy, or rather, odd-job runner.
That alone made the recipe book a steal.
There was no reason to refuse, but... I was nervous. I'd never done anything like it.
I'd never done it, but... yeah.
Right. That was exactly why.
"Alright. I'll take the job."
"Good, good. You've saved me."
"So, what are they like?"
"Hmm, hmm—has young Wof ever heard of 'Thunder Fang'?"
"...Sorry. I'm not really familiar with that sort of thing."
"Oh my. Well, Com doesn't know much about them either."
"Shouldn't you at least know about people you know?"
"Ha ha, ha ha—how harsh."
"So it's a party called 'Thunder Fang.'"
"That's right. Why don't you see for yourself what they're like?"
"Understood."
"Well then, I'll get in touch. Let's see... it'll take two or three days."
"Understood. I'll come back in three days."
"Ah, ah—wait, wait."
As I stood to leave, the witch handed me a piece of paper.
"What's this?"
"Heh heh, heh heh—it's a recipe for something even young Wof can brew."
"Even me, at my current level!?"
"Mm-hm. You can get all the ingredients you need in town and the forest."
"...Thank you."
I left the witch's house.
The recipe she'd given me was quite intriguing.
But there was one thing bothering me most of all.
The egg-shaped container that had held the elixir.
I'd used the elixir, so the container should have been empty.
Empty means light. That's only natural.
Yet... I had felt its weight.