One swing, two swings. I swung the sword repeatedly.
No one had ever taught me swordsmanship.
Back in my village, various people had taught me how to do chores, and someone had once shown me how to navigate the forest.
When it came to swords or combat, however, I had never received any instruction at all.
And so, I simply swung the blade, mimicking what I had seen others do.
"...As expected, huh."
In the corner of my vision, I kept that status-like screen displayed.
Yesterday, while fighting monsters, I had wondered whether the window updated in real time.
To test this, I brought up the screen before engaging in combat with a slime and kept it visible as I fought.
Sure enough, a few seconds after I crushed the slime's core, the numbers changed.
Having confirmed that, I decided to keep it open this morning as well throughout my swordsmanship practice.
"Skills level up with EXP too, so I wondered if this ability might help me acquire new skills, but I guess it won't be that easy..."
Lost in thought, I continued swinging the sword.
Even without a skill, my body would gradually commit the proper movements to memory.
Lacking a skill was no excuse to slack off on training.
Telling myself that, I kept up my practice until Amanda-san came outside.
"My, you're working hard early today. Good morning, Erik."
"Good morning, Amanda-san."
I had been practicing for about thirty minutes.
Right around her usual time, Amanda-san stepped out from the inn carrying a basket of laundry, and we exchanged greetings.
After saying good morning, I leaned my sword against the building wall and offered to help.
"Are you helping out again today?"
"Yes. After all, I'm hoping for some of your delicious cooking."
"Fufu, you really are an honest boy. But I'd love the help. You always do a wonderful job!"
With a warm smile, Amanda-san set down the basket, and we started washing together.
Today, too, there was a mountain of bedsheets and towels that needed cleaning.
"...Ah."
"Oh my, sorry about that. Looks like some of our personal laundry got mixed in."
As I was sorting through the wash, my hands grabbed something that was definitely not a sheet or a towel.
It was a pair of underwear printed with a cute, bear-like creature.
Judging by the size, it certainly didn't belong to Amanda-san or Ted-san.
"I-I'm sorry!"
"No need to apologize, it's fine. Though if Anna found out, her face would turn bright red from embarrassment. Finding out that Erik, whom she sees as a little brother, saw and touched underwear meant for a little kid..."
"H-Here, please take it! It wouldn't be right for a guy like me to wash Anna-san's clothes."
Flustered, I let go of the garment and quickly set it aside on Amanda-san's pile.
"It really would've been fine, you know. Honestly, doing this laundry is supposed to be that girl's chore. But she's useless in the mornings, so the job just naturally ended up falling to me."
Amanda-san chuckled as she went back to scrubbing the laundry.
Once we finished, I retrieved my sword, headed inside the inn, and made my way to the dining room.
As a reward for helping with the chores, I was treated to a slightly larger breakfast portion again today.
After eating my fill of the delicious meal, I returned to my room to prepare to head out.
"What are your plans for today? Will you be taking requests in the city this morning?"
"Yes. If anyone is in trouble, I'd like to take care of that before heading outside the walls."
"...Erik-kun, you really care about the townspeople, don't you?"
"I don't have such noble motives, honestly. It's just that I can't earn much outside yet, so I'm relying on requests around town to cover my living expenses."
Earlier, I had paid the renewal fee for my room at the inn, which made a dent in my savings.
It was such a wonderful inn that I wanted to stay there for the foreseeable future.
To do that, though, I needed a reliable income.
Right now, even if I ventured outside the city to hunt, the amount I could earn in a single day was meager at best.
Under the circumstances, taking on odd jobs within the city to supplement my earnings was my only real option.
"The fact that you don't recklessly push yourself to earn money outside the gates is one of your best qualities, Erik-kun. Well then, let's look through the city requests first."
With that, Reina-san laid out several quest postings on the counter, as she always did.
As I looked through the papers, one in particular caught my eye.
"Why is there a request from Marina-san here?"
Sure enough, the sheet bore Marina-san's name.
The requested task, naturally, was household chore assistance.
"It's not for her home this time. Apparently, some cargo collapsed in a warehouse, and she put in an urgent request to help clean it up. When she posted it, she specifically asked if Erik-kun could take it. Direct nominations aren't permitted for your rank yet, so I told her it might be difficult, but I held onto the slip thinking you'd probably drop by today."
A client I already knew.
It wasn't that I was terribly shy around strangers, but working for someone I was already familiar with made communication much simpler.
Besides, knowing the work would go smoothly, I decided to take the job.
"Um, is it around here...?"
I made my way to a massive building located right near the commercial district.
Emblazoned on the facade was the name of a merchant company renowned even within the royal capital.
The Starsia Company.
It was a merchant firm whose traveling peddlers used to visit my home village, and a name I had heard quite recently as well.
"Erik-kun! Thank you so much for coming!"
Having arrived outside the building, and finding no bell to ring, I called out to an employee standing near the entrance.
Less than a minute later, Marina-san came bolting out from the interior, practically in tears.
Right behind her walked Hannah-san, wearing an exasperated expression.
"Good to see you again so soon, Erik-kun. You're a lifesaver for coming out."
As I thought, this was the merchant company run by Hannah-san's husband.
When I had heard that name yesterday, I had been genuinely shocked.
I had wondered why someone from such an esteemed family would hire ordinary adventurers for odd jobs, but Reina-san explained that even nobles occasionally issued guild requests.
Hearing that had made me resolve to mind my manners even more carefully.
After exchanging greetings out front, Marina-san and Hannah-san guided me inside.