"Oh, right—I completely forgot to ask about 'Clans'."

After leaving the temple, I remembered that I originally planned to ask Priestess-chan if she knew anything about clans.

Because of the boy's blessing ceremony and Elepipi's situation, I had completely forgotten about that. Well, I can always ask next time...

As for Elepipi, she's already recovered and is now happily chatting with Marina about knight stuff.

She herself says that she occasionally gets those emotional aftershocks, but she calms down quickly, so it's not a problem. However, a "trauma powerful enough to induce sickness." is something difficult for me, raised in modern society, to imagine.

—This is something I only heard later, but apparently Elepipi's family used to be Imperial nobility—though a lower-ranked one.

Her father inherited the family estate at a young age, but due to business failures and other issues, the family fell into ruin before Elepipi was born. After that, they moved from the Imperial Capital to Erishe and lived in such dire poverty that even whispering the words "restoring the family'" felt embarrassing.

Despite the downfall, her parents never stopped wishing for the family's restoration. They probably couldn't forget the prosperous life they once had.

In such circumstances, their first daughter, Elepipi, was born.

Naturally, they pinned their hopes on her. Despite their poverty, they raised her with the wish that she would receive a good vocation—a blessing that would secure her future.

Elepipi grew up to be bright, lively, polite, and adorably beautiful, meeting her parents' expectations.

And then came her fateful 10th birthday.

She received her blessing... and was granted the Heavenly Vocation of [Knight].

She says she still occasionally dreams of that moment. Her mother, pale-faced and expressionless. Her father, who spat out, "You unfilial daughter," and walked out of the temple in the middle of the ceremony. And from that day on, her parents suddenly became cold and only showed affection toward her younger sister...

"...If only it had been [Holy Knight]." Elepipi muttered.

Unlike a regular Knight, women can become [Holy Knight] without issue, apparently.

I don't know what the difference is, but that's how it is. That's how it's decided. That alone is the truth.

Incidentally, regarding family revival, her parents had already started some groundwork even before Elepipi received her blessing, intending to find a noble marriage connection using their old aristocratic contacts.

If the engagement went through, family revival would become realistic. Any ordinary vocation would have been fine...

But of all things—[Knight].

"Can't a female knight get married? There's no Heavenly Vocation for [Noble's Bride] or anything, so it shouldn't matter, right?"

I asked, genuinely confused. I couldn't understand why a Knight vocation would ruin marriage prospects.

"...We can get married, Young Master. Just... not to nobles. A female knight is treated as 'defective'. No noble would ever choose one as a bride—or let their son choose one."

"That's just... what can I say. But hey, that just means you dodged a bullet not having to marry into a family with such a narrow mindset, right? So I bet it's a good outcome in the end."

Elepipi kept her usual expressionless face, looked down, and said:

"...Don't say it so lightly. It's... not that simple."

I had meant it as encouragement, but I clearly didn't grasp the reality of her situation.

Casual comfort can sometimes irritate people.

"...My bad. That was insensitive of me."

"Ah... no... I'm the one who's sorry. I guess I got a little emotional."

Elepipi had grown up understanding that as someone born into a noble family—even a ruined one—had no freedom in marriage. And she had naturally come to accept that if it was her parents' wish.

But that path was closed to her now. She was abandoned by her parents too.

As a result, Elepipi—rebelled.

She declared she would become an actress, a profession she secretly admired, and joined a theater troupe on impulse. But regarding that too, her parents apparently said nothing.

But she didn't leave home.

Unlike modern Japan, you can't just leave home that easily. So, she apparently commuted for her lessons and training.

Well, after that, seven years have passed since her Blessing, and there have been various developments: changes in her mindset, the distance with her family, the guilt she felt toward her sister...

"...It's all ancient history from when I was a kid. Things aren't awkward anymore. Though my sister might still resent me..."

"You've brought her up a couple of times now; so you have a younger sister, huh?"

"Yeah... my sister who ended up carrying all our parents' expectations instead of me. She's only twelve, but she's always scolding me, like, ‘Big sis, you're always slacking off! It's not fair!'"

"Sounds like a responsible kid."

"...More like she had no choice but to be. My parents... put a lot of weight on their expectations."

Apparently her little sister received the rare vocation [Secretary] and now works at the town hall—as an apprentice, of course, so the pay is what you'd expect.

"...In the end, I'm just sponging off them. When I have a role in a play, I get a little income, but when I don't, I'm truly just a freeloader."

"So part-time actress, part-time NEET. I kinda relate."

"...NEET?"

"I forget the strict definition, but simply put, it's a ‘young person not in employment, education, or training.'"

"...Then that's me."

"I was basically a NEET too, back in the day. Now I at least work a little, but my parents often scolded me to work hard—Ah, sorry."

"Hm? Oh, it's fine. My relationship with my parents isn't that bad anymore. They still occasionally tell me to just get any job and contribute money to the household, though."

As she said that, a faint, lonely smile crossed Elepipi's profile.

"Not that bad" probably means "not that good either."

I suppose the critical rift between them... hasn't truly been healed.

"...There's just one thing. I can't show emotion properly in front of my parents anymore. No matter how much I practice acting... I just can't do it..."

Elepipi muttered as if not to be heard by anyone.

The always-expressionless Elepipi.

She seems quite expressive when talking with Marina, and on stage she becomes a completely different person—but in front of her parents, she just can't manage it. And with a smile of resignation, she added, "The saving grace is that my parents have never once come to see a performance."

"Speaking of which, do your parents at least give you an allowance?"

Trying to change the subject, I asked.

It felt like a slightly failed attempt, but Elepipi let out a puff of laughter, pursed her lips slightly as if embarrassed, and muttered.

"...Sometimes... I-I get some from my little sister..."

Well, I guess things like that happen!

We both burst out laughing.

Still... getting pocket money from your twelve-year-old sister...

Elepipi might be a bit more hopeless than I thought.

* * *

The next day, I went to the flea market.

The flea market in Erishe is held regularly. Unlike the usual market, it's an event where citizens sell used goods and unwanted items, so there's a high chance of finding hidden treasures.

First, you have to get there at the crack of dawn.

Even if there are hidden gems, other dealers are obviously gunning for it too. The only solution is to outrun them—literally show up first and snatch it before anyone else can.

Even a certified sloth like me drags himself out of bed on flea-market days. I arrive at the location by 7 AM, yawning while I scope out the stalls as vendors are still setting up.

Morning-phobic Diana doesn't wake up, so my companion is usually just Marina.

Around noon, we usually return to the mansion to drop off our goods and have lunch. That’s when this kind of scene tends to happen:

"Why didn’t you wake me, nodesu!? I told you I was coming this time!"

"Oh, Princess! I was so busy this morning that it slipped my mind, de arimasu. I promise I won’t forget next time, de arimasu!"

“Y-You…! You idiot, Marina!”

—That was what happened last time, but thinking about it isn’t important right now.

I saw a young man pulling a cart loaded with items into the venue, so I immediately went to check it out.

Flea-market booths are super basic: lay down a cloth, dump your goods on it, done. No price tags needed—just ask the seller.

Sure enough, he had everything laid out in no time.

"Good morning. Mind if I take a look? You've got some pretty unusual stuff here."

"Ah, good morning. Well, my grandfather passed away, and these are his belongings, but he was a strange man who loved odd things. I'm having trouble because all he left behind is this junk. I wish he had left money instead."

This is it. This is the jackpot pattern.

'An elderly collector passes away, and their uninterested heir sells off the stuff'. When you hit this golden scenario, the profit it generates is something even the buyer can't fathom.

Reminds me of a time I picked up a collection of beautifully crafted Japanese fishing rods at a nearby flea market in Japan. The seller (an older woman, probably the daughter) thought they were just dirty old rods. Unbelievably, she was selling them for 1,000 yen each.

I didn't know much about Japanese rods, but even I guessed they'd go for around 5,000 yen each. But one sold for 47,000 yen, and even the cheapest fetched 8,000—A literal treasure pile.

From the bidder questions and winner comments, apparently almost all of them were made by famous craftsmen. I heard that my series of listings at that time became a minor topic among Japanese rod enthusiasts online...

—Anyway, back to the topic.

In short, flea market holds the potential to find huge bargains precisely because things like that can happen.

I casually scanned the young man's wares with the [Mirror of Truth].

Oddly designed ceramic plates, a silver frog figurine, a gorgeous sword scabbard with no blade inside, a rock that kinda looked like a face, a collection of empty bottles, carved wooden masks... Nothing special, sadly.

I liked the scabbard and one of the masks enough to maybe buy them anyway. The frog and bottles would probably sell fine on Japanese auctions, but there's only so much I can physically carry.

"Oh, wait—there's this too. This one's a bit unusual."

As if just remembering, the young man took out from his bag a scroll that looked somewhat familiar. A dusty parchment scroll, like the kind you see in games.

"It's a weird scroll. The contents are a map, but the information written inside switches when you press it with your finger. It seems like some kind of letter. How about it? Pretty cool, right?"

"Whoa, it certainly is unusual."

I feigned pure surprise while my brain went full merchant mode on how to snag it cheap.

This was—almost certainly—the same "Quest Commission Sheet" Efta had shown me ages ago. The exact same thing he'd received from the mayor when we had the match with Diana as the wager.

I opened it just to be sure. Yup—touch-panel-style magic map. The text switches when you tap the "screen". I can't read the writing anyway, so whatever.

After a bit of haggling, I managed to buy the scabbard, the mask, and the scroll for three silver coins. Predictably, the young man had no idea of the market price for a magic map. The market price for a magic map was supposedly (if I trust Efta) 20 gold coins. That meant I bought it for about one-hundredth of its actual value.

This is exactly why I can never quit flea markets. Heh heh heh...

Later, when I checked the scroll's contents:

『I want someone to bring me the magical fruit that can cure my mother's illness. The fruit apparently grows on a hill near the northern forest...』

...Huh? That's basically zero information.

The one Efta showed me had way more details—reward, location, and everything.

Well, I'll just appraise it with the [Mirror of Truth].

* * *

【Type】

Quest Commission Sheet (Normal Mode)

【Name】

No.01068

The Crouching Beast and the Sky-Blue Fig

【Description】

Item Delivery Quest Commission

Difficulty: D

—

Deliver a fruit rumored to cure the mother's illness to the girl.

The fruit is said to grow on a tree standing on a hill near the forest west of Lucraella!

Rumor has it that the magic fruit is a favorite food of monsters.

Come prepared for battle!

【Magical Property】

Converts into reward upon completion.

【Spirit Blessing】

None

【Owner】

Jirou Ayase

* * *

Difficulty D, huh...

Pretty sure the [Goblin-Mother Extermination Quest] Efta showed me before was also Difficulty D.

So this is about the same difficulty as "go deep into a mine and defat the goblin mother"?

Rank D doesn't sound very difficult, but... since I don't know where the bottom rank is, it's hard to tell. It would be fine if D was the lowest rank, but what if E is the lowest? What if there's an F below that? If F is the absolute lowest, then D might be way deadlier than the letter suggests.

I mean, I could be in serious danger.

I could bump into a monster who came to eat the fruit, and I could become the fruit instead. Moreover, there is a possibility that A is the easiest and Z is the maximum difficulty...

To play it safe, it would be more wiser to sell this map to Efta for 20 gold coins. 20 gold coins is a massive amount of money, after all. Converting it to Japanese yen, that's 3 million yen.

Converting it on this currency of this world (El), I could potentially live off that for several years. I could also buy equipment for the Knight Order, and even purchase a horse. I might even have the option of hiring another servant. I don't know the quest reward, so financially, selling it is definitely the better option.

But I didn't want to cut that corner.

Because I want to try it! I want to do a quest!

Money is secondary! I'm not exactly hurting for cash right now, and this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to actually accept a real fantasy quest!

Who knows when I'll ever get another magic map? This one literally fell into my lap—I'd be stupid not to try. Even if monsters show up, Rebecca-san or Shello-san can probably handle it. Probably. Maybe.

The real problems are:

1. I have no idea where the fruit actually is.

2. This map is supposedly a thousand years old—does it even match modern geography?

3. The girl who commissioned it is almost certainly long dead.

So yeah, it's pretty much impossible.

But whatever—I'll give it a shot.

If I only get the magic fruit, I can sell it to Efta, and if I can't complete the quest, I can sell the map to Efta anyway. That way, I can also accomplish long-pending Guidance of [Make a transaction with the Imperial trader 2/3] that I've been neglecting. Either way, it's a win-win.

Thinking all this, I stared at the magic map.

The terrain depicted on the map looked extremely similar to the area around my mansion.