Poor Noble Nord’s Adventure

11. What Is Required

Rank-up quests change in content from time to time. There isn’t always a quest with just the right difficulty.

Waiting for a quest you can complete without strain, rather than forcing yourself to take on a rank-up quest that doesn’t suit you, is considered a wise choice.

Knowing your own abilities and not overestimating yourself is a virtue for adventurers who risk their one and only life. (Though, overdoing it can get you mocked as a coward.)

Nord decided to pass on taking the rank-up quest.

While advancing to Gemstone Adventurer would mean better earnings, he disliked the risk. Even if he didn’t die, an injury would reduce his income until he recovered.

That wasn’t the only reason for declining.

Among the monsters recognized for rank-up quests, Rock Wolves were considered one of the tougher foes.

Of course, Nord was still confident he could win in battle.

Since becoming a Slate Adventurer, Nord had gained plenty of experience.

He had defeated goblins, forest wolves, giant toads, and giant boars. Flying lizards, honeybees, horned rabbits—he had slain many types of monsters.

In addition to combat, Nord had also actively accepted gathering quests, further honing his skills, leveling up multiple times in the process.

Under his hardened leather armor, he wore chainmail. His reinforced armor wouldn’t be easily penetrated by enemy attacks.

He was now skilled at handling his shield, armor, and sword. With his current abilities, Nord would likely defeat a Rock Wolf without difficulty.

––If there weren’t too many.

Wolves hunt in packs.

While there are lone wolves, that’s a rare case, and a one-on-one duel would be unlikely.

He could pierce through gaps in their armor with his sword, cut them down, and block their attacks with his shield and armor. As the number of enemies decreased, Nord’s advantage would grow.

He was confident he could completely defeat three or four wolves. Even with ten or so, he would likely win after some struggle.

But wolf packs usually numbered more than ten, sometimes even more than a hundred.

The rank-up quest stated, “A large number of Rock Wolves have been confirmed.”

It was safe to assume there were at least twenty or thirty.

The larger the pack, the more attacks there would be. If surrounded, even Nord wouldn’t be able to protect his back.

He’d be dragged down by Rock Wolves pouncing from his blind spots, and their powerful jaws would finish him off.

Unlike forest wolves, which lacked armor, Nord wasn’t confident he could solo Rock Wolves.

While a party would increase his odds, that wasn’t an option.

Currently, Nord was the only Slate Adventurer in the royal capital eligible to accept a rank-up quest.

That’s because, not long ago, several Slate Adventurer parties coincidentally accepted rank-up quests at the same time and all advanced to Gemstone Adventurer.

They hadn’t planned it, but it happened to overlap, depleting the easier rank-up quests and leaving only the difficult Rock Wolf extermination.

It was also bad timing that the Genius party wasn’t in the royal capital.

Nord had built a relationship with the Genius party after helping them in a goblin fight during an herb gathering quest.

Since then, he’d occasionally joined them as a temporary helper on quests, working in sync with their team.

However, the Genius party was currently out on a long-term gathering quest, prioritizing equipment upgrades after their battle with a large goblin group taught them the importance of proper armor.

They had just left the capital to earn funds for that purpose.

Nord and the Genius party were at about the same level of contribution, and they would likely take a rank-up quest after a few more successful quests.

Nord decided he’d join them then. For now, he accepted a quest suitable for Slate Adventurer.

§

A few days later. Nord was troubled by something.

That something was the request for the rank-up quest: the mission to hunt the rock wolf.

No new requests had been issued for the newly recognized rank-up quests, and as it stood, the only way for him to be promoted to the Gemstone Adventurer was to take on this hunt.

However, it was a heavy burden for him to accept this request solo, and Nord found himself in a situation where he had no choice but to take it.

“Do you not have enough money?”

The day after he postponed taking on the rock wolf mission, Nord learned of this problem at the residence of the Ferris Knight family, located in the noble district of the royal capital, where noble mansions stood in a row.

Though he was active as an adventurer, Nord continued to live with the Ferris family. Living alone would only incur more expenses.

Since he had managed to prepare a full set of equipment, he no longer had any major expenses planned for the time being, so he was currently handing over most of his earnings as an adventurer to the Ferris family to help with their household finances.

After completing a request at the adventurers’ guild as usual and receiving his reward, Nord headed straight home without wasting his earnings at the tavern. He passed through the gate that evoked the history of the Ferris family and entered the mansion. The interior, adorned with sturdy and simple furnishings, welcomed Nord.

Nord’s room was on the second floor of the mansion. As he began to climb the historically resonant wooden stairs to take off his armor and maintain his weapons, he was called out by an elderly man in a butler’s outfit—Alex, the steward of the household.

Saying he had something to discuss, Nord returned to his room to change out of his armor and into his everyday clothes, deciding to do his weapon maintenance later in the evening before heading to Alex. There, he found Alex organizing the ledgers at a desk.

Alex had served the Ferris family for many years—indeed, since before Nord was born—and was in charge of managing the household.

From paying the servants’ salaries to purchasing daily necessities and settling other accounts, all financial matters were entrusted to Alex.

When Nord spoke up, Alex lifted his head from the ledger he had been staring at and turned to face him.

He then straightened his posture and began to speak in a serious tone.

“I believe you are aware, Nord, but allow me to explain once more: the finances of the Ferris family are in dire straits.”

And so, he continued explaining the reasons.

Simply put, their expenses were far too high compared to their income. Nord’s father and mother, along with the maids, had a harmonious—indeed, overly harmonious—relationship, and in the past few years, several younger siblings had been born. They were still young, and their small bodies meant their food expenses were less than those of adults.

However, there were “seven” younger siblings aged six and under. Even small things add up, and thus, their expenses were considerable.

His younger sister, Lilia, took good care of her younger brothers and sisters, but as she herself was of marrying age, she had begun attending a school for noble girls this year to receive an education befitting her status. The fact that Nord had decided to become an adventurer was partly due to the reality that if he were to enter military school as well, the additional tuition for both of them would strain the Ferris family’s finances beyond recovery.

“However, thanks to Lord Albireo’s salary, Johann’s remittances, Lady Hannah’s assistance, and above all, your help, Nord, we have managed to catch our breath.”

Indeed, while the Ferris family had many children, the older ones were becoming somewhat independent. The eldest brother, Albireo, was already working as a knight and heir to the Ferris family, while the second brother, Johann, had married into another family and even sent remittances back. The eldest daughter, Hannah, was working as a maid for another noble family and diligently brought money she earned from her side job in embroidery back to the Ferris household.

And Nord, who had become an adventurer this year, began putting his quest rewards into the family without wasting them (he had prioritized acquiring the necessary equipment, after all).

As a result, the Ferris family’s finances were finally able to escape the red for the first time in a long while. (Even so, it was only breaking even.)

Moreover, it was also related to the fact that the servants—Alex included—were working for the Ferris family at salaries lower than what they were entitled to. Thus, the people of the Ferris family couldn’t help but feel indebted to them in their hearts.

“However, we urgently need a substantial amount of money by mid-next month…”

Alex continued explaining, with an air of regret for being unable to help.

Until now, the Ferris family had been covering their insufficient expenses through debt. Though it is said that it is ill-regarded for nobility to take on debt, it is not uncommon. However, typical cases of noble debt involve the ability to pay it back at harvest time for those who own lands or have a clear repayment plan.

In contrast, the Ferris family’s income was limited to two sources: a noble pension and service allowances. Their only property was the ancestral mansion they had inherited, and they had no connection to the wealthy bourgeoisie that spoke of land and vested interests.

Therefore, they had no means of repayment for their debts, and those who lent them money were mostly relatives or friends of Albert, the head of the Ferris Knight family. They had not yet been able to repay those debts, and the members of the Ferris family were greatly troubled by this.

Given their situation, when a considerable amount of money was needed for payments that must be settled next month, no lenders were willing to help them.

As a last resort, they could pawn items from their home, but sadly, that “last resort” had already been exercised multiple times. (The Ferris family’s simple yet sturdy decor was a result of this.)

There was nothing else that could be pawned except for swords and armor, and doing so would mean the end of the Ferris family as a warrior household. This was not merely a matter of noble pride, but because they were expected to serve as royal direct military forces, they were entitled to certain treatment as nobles—as warrior nobility (only the military noblemen directly under the royal family could claim such a title). Without swords and armor, they would not be able to fight adequately, and if it came to that, the Ferris family would be abolished as nobles.

Some methods surpassed even that last resort, but they involved borrowing from usurers or taking loans from notorious high-ranking nobles, and the “end result” of such methods was all too clear.

To avoid such extreme measures, Nord had no choice but to seek help from Johann, who had married into another noble family, but since Johann was now part of that household, taking on debt without a means of repayment would tarnish the reputation of his new family. In the best-case scenario, he would be stripped of real power and made a mere figurehead, and in the worst case, he would be divorced and returned, deemed unfit to lead—of course, without any acknowledgment of the debts.

Other options included withholding servant wages or begging nearby residents for loans, or even leveraging the Ferris family’s status as guards to demand bribes or divert supplies—though none of these were viable solutions. Until now.

Currently, though he was still a Slate Adventurer, Nord was earning money as an adventurer.

Adventurers do not have a stable position, but since they take on jobs with their lives as the price, they receive appropriate rewards (whether that reward is commensurate with their lives is another matter). Even if the armor they use is cheap compared to the genuine knightly armor (the full plate armor made of all metal that the head of the family, Albert, uses is worth a fortune), it was still possible to gather a full set of armor in a short period.

Thus, upon hearing the amount that Alex had mentioned—a considerable sum—Nord felt that it was not impossible to earn it ‘if he pushed himself.’

Nord responded to Alex, saying, “I’ll find a way.”

Alex seemed relieved, letting out a sigh of relief, then wiped the wrinkles from his forehead with a handkerchief.

Nord knew that Alex respected the Ferris family and cared for the Ferris children—Nord and his siblings—like his own.

That was precisely why the fact that Alex had come to Nord asking for money indicated that the Ferris family was truly in a desperate situation, and Nord took this fact seriously.

The amount proposed was a tough sum to earn while still holding the slate rank adventurer plate. While it wouldn’t be a problem if he had time, he wouldn’t make the payment deadline that way.

However, whether by good or bad timing, Nord found himself presented with a way to earn more right before him.

“Hmm.”

That method was to ‘defeat the rock wolf, rank up to a Gemstone Adventurer, and then take on a slew of requests meant for Gemstone Adventurer.’

“—It’s still reckless, isn’t it?”

Nord kept groaning in the adventurers’ tavern.