Maelstrom of Cold Steel

by MercenaryGrax

Arriving in a new world with no memory of how he got there, Naruto is taken in by Rutger, the Jaeger King, & given a place to belong. Eventually he winds up in Class VII with his closest friend. With all the chaos in the country of Erebonia & the social divide & massive corruption throughout the country, Naruto will certainly have his work cut out for him in this new world.

6. Chapter 6

A/N - Okay, fair warning here, but this chapter is long as hell. It ended up being 56 pages 18,037 words long. And this chapter only covers day 1 of the Celdic field study! Keep that in mind while reading this chapter. The next chapter's bound to be just as long. lol

Anywho, damn did I have fun writing this chapter. I really hope you all enjoy it as well. It took me forever to write this chapter. Hell, I had to get some sleep after a while because it was getting so damn long. lol

Alrighty, not much else for me to say. Hope you enjoy!

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Chapter 6 – Celdic Field Study – Day 1

As Naruto glanced around, he took a moment to think over what they should do first. After a time, he glanced at his team and said, "Before anything else, we should have a look around and gather what information we can from the people. This will not only help us familiarize ourselves with the town and the surrounding areas, but it will also allow us to make nice with the people and come to understand them. There is no point in rushing ourselves to get everything done in a matter of hours. We have two days to spend here, and the first day sounds like it won't be too much of a problem. Personally, though, I want to learn from the people about what exactly is going on here. I want to get a feel for how they feel about their current situation, what they think about the tax hikes and whatnot, etc. Something here is just rubbing me the wrong way and I don't like it. So, let's be careful while we're here, but not to the point where we can't get anything done."

Alisa frowned for a moment as she asked, "But, would we have enough time to handle our tasks? Sure, I'd love to do a little shopping and see the sights, but what if we run out of time?"

Rean shook his head and said, "We have all day to finish our tasks. I think that, once we've finished our tasks for the day, that we might even have enough time to enjoy ourselves a bit. But we'll probably want to turn in early for the night, so we're well-rested for tomorrow and the tasks ahead of us then."

Laura nodded and said, "We'll be fine, Alisa. I believe Naruto is in the right, in this case. I trust in his judgment and believe that his idea holds merit for us. But, I, too, feel that something isn't right here in Celdic. We shall likely bear witness to things that might disturb us a great deal. I am not sure what could be happening here, but there is a certain tension in the air. Of that there can be no doubt."

Naruto nodded in thanks to Laura before he turned and began to look around. We'll hit the church last, considering that is where our optional task requires us to go. Sooo…" Spotting a man walking along the road in their direction, Naruto greeted the man kindly.

The man, named Hama, said, "Hello there! I assume you're tourists? The Grand Market's in the northern part of town, if you're looking for that. There's a variety of goods on sale there, from food to jewelry, and even stuff from different parts of the continent. I definitely recommend you give it a visit, even if you don't plan on buying anything. There's plenty of daily necessities on sale at the Grand Market, too, so those of us that live here shop there often. In case you were wondering, there's no orbal factory or diner there, though, so we also make use of the stores on this street."

The spiky-haired teen smiled at the man and said, "Thank you for the information. Sounds like the Grand Market's definitely worth a visit. Who knows, we might even find some stuff to buy. And, if you really want some jewelry or something, I don't mind forking over the mira for whatever you'd like." Looking at Alisa and Laura, he smiled kindly at the two of them and gave them a thumbs-up.

Alisa smirked at him and said, "Now you're just trying to butter us up. Not gonna work, Mr. Uzumaki."

Naruto chuckled softly as he walked past her. "Oh well. Just a thought, anyways." he said.

When they came across an old woman wearing a straw hat, she paused to speak to them. "The market manager's been out of town a lot recently…I wonder what's got him so busy? It's certainly not ideal for him to be gone while the Grand Market's going on, to be honest. The market manager is Celdic's representative, after all. It really isn't ideal for him to be gone while the Grand Market's going on, especially considering all the issues that've been popping up recently."

Rean frowned slightly and said, "That really doesn't sound like an ideal situation. I wonder what could be keeping him so busy. Any thoughts, Naruto?"

Naruto shook his head and said, "I can only posit a theory at this time. I assume he's likely been trying to plea with Duke Albarea to stop with the tax hikes and to actually lower the taxes to a reasonable level. As it stands, the duke is only making things worse for the people of Celdic. With how expensive everything's become, people aren't able to buy as much anymore and the merchants are finding it difficult to do business. So, the market manager is likely trying to help his people in the only way he knows how. Sadly, Duke Albarea is a coldhearted man and doesn't much care for his people. The market manager would have more luck talking to a brick wall."

Elliot frowned and asked, "Wouldn't that only cause the market manager and his people more problems? If he continues on like this, he's likely only going to upset Duke Albarea more and he'll make things even worse for the Grand Market."

"You're right, Elliot. However, the market manager has to do something, or else the Grand Market runs a very real chance of shutting down for good. No, someone is likely going to have to use force to make Duke Albarea comply. Even then, it's not the best scenario. Truthfully, there is very little that anyone can do to remedy this situation." Naruto explained.

None of his allies liked that possibility, but they had nothing more to say on the subject. So, walking towards a boy wandering around between the well and the train station, they listened as he said, "Hey there! Interested in buying the latest Imperial Chronicle? I'm telling you, you oughtta buy it! Other papers can't compare to the Imperial Chronicle's 120 year history! If you don't, you're gonna miss out on all the latest news and be left behind by society!"

Rean and his friends chuckled softly. "Way to go for the hard sell." He said, a smile on his face.

"I see that even the children here are skilled beyond their years." Laura said.

"Whoa, there, missy! Let's not lump me together with the rest of those kids! You can't come to Celdic without hearing about me, Chris the Newsboy. I'm always hanging around here, so feel free to stop by again if you ever need me!" the now-named Chris said, a grin on his face.

Naruto chuckled a bit and said, "Sorry kid, but this is the first we've heard about you. They might have just forgotten to mention you. You do have quite the sales pitch, though. I'm impressed. Unfortunately for you, you don't have any new issues for me. Maybe next time."

Chris snapped his fingers and said, "Dang. Oh well, can't sell 'em all, I suppose."

Patting the kid lightly on the head, Naruto and his team proceeded to enter the nearby house, which turned out to be the market manager's house. Spotting an old woman in the kitchen, they approached her and listened as she said, "If you're looking for Otto, he's currently in Bareahard to the south. He has some important business to take care of over there, you see." Sighing softly, she shook her head a moment before saying, "I do hope everything goes well. Anyways, Otto happens to be the Grand Market's manager. I do hope his business in Bareahard goes well."

Rean looked at Naruto and said, "It seems you were right. I hope he'll be okay."

Naruto nodded and said, "Yeah, me too. Poor guy's got it rough."

Leaving the house, they took the road leading west out of town. They could see a small blockade in front of the western exit, but they ignored that particular problem for the time being. Instead, they spoke to the drunken man slumped down against the fence.

The man, named Johnson, downed some more alcohol before looking blearily into their eyes. "That'sh the shtuff…" Blinking a couple of times, almost as if he just noticed them, he asked, "What're you lookin' at? Huh?!"

Laura frowned deeply and shook her head in pity for the man. "It's only midday and you're drinking so heavily. Whatever burden is weighing you down, I hope your troubles end soon."

Instead of replying to her, he hiccupped once before asking, "Are you all…all students…? Musht be nice…bein' young…"

Naruto frowned sadly, but didn't say a word. Instead, he and the others approached the provincial army soldiers. As if sensing them, the Platoon Officer turned to face them. "Hmm? Who might you be? I don't recall seeing any of you around here before. Do you have some form of identification?"

Alisa frowned slightly and whispered to her friends, "Soldiers? Wait. I think I recognize those uniforms…"

Rean decided to speak up for the party. "We're students from Thors Military Academy. We're currently visiting Celdic as part of a field study."

One of the soldiers blinked a couple of times before asking, "Thors? You mean THE Thors?"

The officer looked each of them in the eyes for a time before glancing at the emblem on their uniforms. "Hmm, now that you mention it, I do recognize the emblem. My apologies for any rudeness. We're members of the Kreuzen Provincial Army. Our main duty is to keep the peace in Celdic."

Elliot glanced at his friends and asked, "The provincial army? Isn't that…?"

Alisa looked at Elliot and decided to explain. "They're military forces operated by the ruling lord of each province, charged with maintaining security."

Laura took over at this point. "They function as a secondary unit, separate from the formal Imperial Army."

Naruto scowled distastefully, but didn't say a word. Instead, he listened as the officer spoke once again. "Hmm…I've never heard of any 'field study' program at Thors. Seems a little early in the year for something like that, too. But many graduates of your academy currently serve in our ranks. So you be sure to uphold the academy's good name! Don't do anything you shouldn't."

"We'll take your words to heart. Thank you." Naruto said as politely as he could.

Rean bowed his head to the officer before saying, "Thank you very much. We'll be sure not to let you down."

"I'm glad to hear it. Take care, now. And keep your noses clean!" the officer said.

"W-We will!" Elliot quickly exclaimed, definitely feeling a little nervous in their presence.

The officer turned to his soldiers and said, "That concludes our patrol. Back to the guardhouse, men!"

"Yes, sir!" both soldiers exclaimed as one. Shortly afterwards, the three of them left.

Once they were gone, Naruto scoffed to himself and folded his arms in front of his chest. "Pompous blowhards."

Rean chuckled somewhat nervously, but didn't say anything. Instead, Elliot spoke up. "Man… He was scary."

Alisa looked in the direction the soldiers left in. "If they're the Kreuzen Provincial Army, doesn't that mean they're ruled by…?"

Rean nodded in response. "Yeah, Jusis' family. The Albareas. Celdic is in the northern part of their territory, after all."

"I think it would be best for us to keep out of their way. We should return to the task at hand." Laura said.

"You're right. Best stay out of their way and avoid them as much as we can. However, I reserve the right to kick all their asses if they try anything with us." Naruto said.

Rean just chuckled nervously before he led the party into the nearby house. Once inside, a purple-haired boy greeted them before saying, "My sister moved away a while ago. She said she was goin' to school! I keep sending her letters, but I never get any back…I wonder what she's daein' the now."

Naruto blinked at the familiar way of speech. However, rather than pose a question just yet, he listened as the boy continued speaking. "My daddy's a brilliant merchant! He's always at the Grand Market, first thing in the morning! I wanna be a merchant like him when I'm older!"

The blonde shinobi frowned for a moment before shaking his head. I might just be imagining it. Still, if my hunch is right…

Approaching the boy's mother, they listened as she said, "Oh! I recognize those uniforms… You wouldn't happen to be students from Thors Military Academy, would you? Your uniforms are somewhat different from my daughter's, though…"

Rean chuckled softly before saying, "We happen to be from a special class."

"I presume that makes you the mother of one of our fellow students, then?" Laura questioned.

"That's correct. She enrolled at Thors this year, in fact. She left in high spirits, going on about how she's off to see the world for herself…" Sighing softly, Jenna shook her head and said, "Oh, Becky. I hope you're doing well… Regardless, I'm pleased to meet you all. There's not much here, but feel free to make yourselves at home." Then, as if a thought struck her, she said, "I'll have to send some allowance over to Becky now that it's starting to get warmer lately. I do hope she's doing well with her classes. She had a tendency to focus entirely on math and neglect her other studies while in Sunday School."

Naruto smiled brightly and said, "So I was right, after all. Trust me, ma'am, Becky's doing just fine. She's always in high spirits and gets along well with damn near everyone. I'm not sure how she's doing academically, but she really knows how to brighten a person's day. Honestly, I think she's a good person and someone I'm proud to call my friend."

Jenna smiled thankfully at him and said, "Thank you. I'm glad she's doing so well. What's your name?"

The blonde smiled and said, "I'm Naruto Uzumaki. Nice to meet you."

"Likewise, Naruto. I'm Jenna. Please, take care of my daughter. She's a bit excitable, but she means well."

"Of course. I'll always be there for her." Naruto said reassuringly.

"Thank you. Now, I do believe you're here for a reason. So go on and take care of whatever you have on your plate. Try to enjoy your time here, as well. If you need anything, we'll be happy to help you however we can." Jenna said.

Smiling thankfully at her, the Class VII members left the house and made for the Grand Market. As they reached the steps leading down into the Grand Market, they paused to take in the sight of it. "Wow… Just look at all the people here." Rean said in awe.

"Yeah, it really is bustling. I guess there's a reason people come from all over to visit it!" Alisa said, sounding awfully giddy.

"Look, over there! There's even someone performing!" Elliot exclaimed joyfully. "I could see myself spending hours here."

Laura smiled and said, "I see no harm in taking this opportunity to shop, as long as it's done in the process of completing our field study tasks."

Rean chuckled softly and said, "Yeah, it would be a waste not to see what all this town has to offer. We'll just have to make sure not to get carried away."

Naruto smirked at them for a moment before looking out at the Grand Market. I wonder if there's anything here I can buy for Fie-chan, Anko-chan, and me. Some nice souvenirs.

Proceeding down into the Grand Market proper, they started to browse the shops and spoke to some of the merchants and those visiting the Grand Market for the day. One such encounter was with a man called Merchant Lymon. "Here, you lot… You wouldnae happen tae be from Thors, would ye?"

Naruto smirked at the man and said, "You bet we are."

Lymon shouted, "Yassss, I knew it! My daughter's started there this year, too, ye see. Her name's Becky. She's a wee cheeky girl whose heed's always thinkin' about mira. But, well…do try tae get along wae her if you ever spot her at the academy."

Smiling softly, the spiky-haired teen said, "Of course. Becky is a good person and an excellent friend."

Lymon looked Naruto over for a moment before shaking his hand. "Firm grip, good attitude, ye're alright in my book. Tae me, what do ye think of ol' Becky? She nae thinks aboot much besides making a couple mira, but she's a good lass that enjoys talkin' tae people a lot." Smirking at Naruto, he asked, "So dae ye think me Becky's a cute lass, eh?"

Naruto blinked a moment before saying, "Honestly? Yeah, she really is. I definitely enjoy her company, and her style of speech is pretty refreshing, as is yours."

"Ah. Well then, ye have me permission to court the wee lass. She'd make for a fine wife, dinnae ye think so?" Lymon asked, a smirk on his face.

The blonde chuckled for a moment before saying, "We're only friends, sir. Whether something happens to bring us together like that or not, no one can be sure. We'll just have to wait and see where things go. It's my hope that she finds a nice guy to settle down with. Someone that understands her and enjoys her company would be ideal."

"Aye, lad. Sounds tae me like ye really care fae her already. Look after me daughter an' make sure she has a fun time at Thors. I'm trustin' me daughter tae ye, lad. Be good tae her." Lymon said.

"Of course." Naruto said before he walked off with his friends to browse the market stalls some more.

As they walked away from Lymon's stall, Alisa smirked at Naruto and nudged his shoulder a bit. "Sounds like he expects you to seduce his daughter. How's that make you feel?"

Naruto chuckled softly and shook his head. "I'm honestly not sure what to think about Becky. Yeah, she's cute, but I just don't know much right now. I'd like to remain friends with her and talk a while. Besides, her mind's on the mira and I doubt she really has time for any sort of romance." He admitted with a shrug of his shoulders.

"So? She might grow to have quite the crush on you. And, don't you want your friend to get better? She might be able to help." Alisa said.

The whiskered teen shrugged again and said, "That's entirely up to her. Kurama would understand."

Shrugging it off, the party began to browse the stalls once again. Stopping at a stall that sold goods from Liberl, Naruto was more than happy to buy the first two chapters of the Carnelia Reprint. He planned to read them before he went to sleep for the night. Score! I've heard nothing but good things about this series!

The stall just next to that one was called Hofen's Stuffed Toy Stall, and it sold some rather adorable plushies. Looking over the selection, Naruto grinned and thought, These are adorable! These'll make for fine souvenirs. Purchasing three of each plushy: Sitting Mishy, Pikkard Plush, and Kobold Plush, he sealed them away in a storage scroll and thanked Hofen. Afterwards, the party proceeded to explore a bit more.

Again, they browsed the various stalls, spoke with some people about a variety of things, and more. After a time, they ended up walking through the western part of the Grand Market. A little girl by the name of Anita looked at them and said, "I ended up getting a free book while I was shopping earlier. I've already got too much to carry home as it is, though… Oh, well. It's fine. You can have it." At this point, she handed over Red Moon Rose – Chapter 2 to Naruto.

Looking it over, Naruto grinned and said, "Chapter 2, huh? Thank you. I'm going to enjoy reading this."

After browsing for a short while longer, Naruto and friends left the Grand Market and made their way towards the Celdic chapel. Ignoring the children outside, they entered the church and entered the room on the right. Upon spotting them, Sister Olive spoke to them with a smile on her face. "The Septian Church offers simple treatment to those who suffer from injury free of charge. It's in particularly high demand here in Celdic due to all the farms in the region. It's not unusual for farmers to get injured, after all. It's almost part of the job description."

Naruto nodded in understanding, but didn't say anything just yet. Instead, he listened as Olive continued speaking. "Now, then, I believe the medicine Moulbaix requires is here…"

"Here's hoping you can find it, Sister." Laura said, a kind smile on her face.

Leaving her to her own devices, they stepped out into the main area of the church and climbed the stairs. Ignoring the woman sitting nearby, they approached Father Zirbel to discuss their task. "Excuse me… Are you Father Zirbel?" Rean questioned.

"That's correct. And you would be… Oh, I see. You must be the students who will be helping with my request." Zirbel said.

"That's us! We came here from Thors Military Academy." Elliot explained.

"I suspected as much. Thank you for taking the time to come and speak with me. I'd like to request that you collect the ingredients I need to make some medicine. Do you have the time to do this request for me?" Zirbel questioned hopefully.

"We're ready to help, Father." Rean said.

"My thanks." Zirbel said.

"Can I ask what sort of medicine these ingredients will be used for?" Alisa questioned.

Father Zirbel nodded and said, "It's essentially medicine to deal with the common cold by strengthening the body's immune system. Many people tend to catch it during spring and fall, when the temperature switches between hot and cold, you see. This is why I ended up running out in the first place."

"Ahh, that makes sense." Rean said.

"I've had to rely on the church for medicine a bunch of times, too. Definitely made my life easier." Elliot said, chuckling a bit afterwards.

"Agreed. We owe much to the vast amount of medical knowledge the church possesses." Laura said.

"We really do, especially since modern pharmaceutics still can't compare to it." Alisa explained.

"If Anko and I knew any medical ninjutsu, we could use that to tend to people's wounds and even granting them some relief from various illnesses. However, since we don't have any knowledge on that particular subject, the Septian Church is our go to place for any form of healing and recovery." Naruto said.

Zirbel smiled at the students and said, "You students certainly know your stuff. But getting back to the matter at hand, there are two ingredients I want you to collect for me. The first is a medicinal plant known as a bear claw, which grows in humid areas. It's not common to find them growing in Celdic, but you can still get them at the Grand Market. There's a drugstore run by a man named Flint. Tell him that I sent you."

Elliot nodded and said, "I'll note that down. What's next?"

"The other ingredient I need is Imperial carrots. You can get these from a farmer named Paul, who lives in a farmhouse on the West Celdic Highway. Again, simply tell him that I sent you and he should share some with you." Zirbel explained.

Rean nodded and said, "Understood."

"That should be it, then. Is there anything you'd like me to go over again?" the Father asked.

Alisa shook her head and said, "No, that's fine."

"Which of our two destinations should we make our way to first?" Laura asked.

"Doesn't seem like it'd matter." Elliot said.

Rean nodded his head in agreement. "Yeah. I agree. We'll be off then, Father."

Zirbel smiled kindly at them and said, "I will be awaiting your return. Take care out there."

"We will. And we'll get you those ingredients in no time, Father." Naruto said before he and his teammates left the church. Afterwards, they decided to head for the Grand Market first. Once there, they spoke to Old Man Flint. "Hi, sir. Can you help us, please?"

Flint looked him in the eyes and said, "Is there anything specific you're looking for, perhaps?"

"Hmm… This must be the store that Father Zirbel mentioned." Laura said.

"We're here on behalf of Father Zirbel, actually. He asked us to come here to collect a bear claw from you." Rean explained.

"Oho! Is that so? Here you go, then." Flint said before handing over a bear claw.

"Thank you, sir. I'm surprised at how thorny this is, though, considering it's a medicinal herb." Rean said as he looked the plant over.

"Its resemblance to a bear's claws is where it gets its name from, after all. Unrelated, but my supply of them happens to come from Liberl. They were flown in to Heimdallr, where I had them sent along by train." Flint explained.

"Wow, really? Guess it just goes to show how much of a big deal this market is." Alisa said, sounding genuinely impressed.

"Yeah. There really is a bunch of unusual stuff here." Elliot said.

"The market's popularity is well justified. Well, then, we should make our way to the farmhouse on the western highway next." Laura said.

"Yeah. Let's get this over with quickly." Rean said.

Before they could walk off, Naruto stopped them and said, "We should first check out the equipment shop/orbal factory in town. We can ask the client about the details for his request. Then we can make way for the farmhouse."

"Good point. Let's go, team." Rean said as he led the way to the shop, which was called Oddvin's Arms & Orbal Factory.

Upon entering the shop, they approached the owner, Oddvin, and listened as he spoke to them. "Oho! I take it you're those students the market manager was talking about? Well, feel free to take a look at my wares. They might not compare to what you get in bigger smithies, but they should come in handy either way. I wanted Samus, my son, to succeed my smithy for me. Little did I know he was going to come back wanting to tinker with orbments instead. I wasn't too pleased at the time, but after lots of questioning, I decided to just leave it. Now we just work here together. Anyways, I'm here for all of your arms-related needs, and he's here for all your orbment-related needs."

Nodding in understanding, they browsed the various pieces of equipment the man had available for them. Seeing as the man had better equipment for them than they already had, Naruto paid for what they needed and led them over to speak with Samus.

"Welcome! This is the shop's orbal factory. Oh, you wouldn't happen to be the students from Thors, would you?" Samus questioned somewhat excitedly.

Rean nodded and said, "That's correct. We're here in regards to your request."

"It involved replacing the orbment light in a road lamp on the highway, right? Could we ask for the details?" Alisa questioned.

"Sure. Let's get right to it. As you read, one of the road lamps on the western highway stopped working the other day. And the cause of that is the orbment light inside it breaking. So basically, I want you all to go switch the broken orbment light for a new one. Speaking of which, here you go." Samus explained before handing over a New Orbment Light.

"So, all that's required of us is to replace the broken one with this, then?" Laura questioned.

"Yup. That's about the size of it." Samus said.

"So where exactly on the western highway is it?" Elliot asked.

"Once you're on the highway, keep heading north until you can see a place called Lunaria Nature Park. There's a windmill in front of it that you can't miss. The lamp's near there. Make sure you check the maintenance panel to be sure that it's the right one. It'll have B-02 written on it." Samus explained.

"Near the windmill in front of the nature park… Understood." Alisa said.

"Is it safe to leave such work in our hands? I believe none of us have any experience related to this." Laura asked.

"Don't worry! Pretty much anyone can do it. All you're doing is taking the light out and putting the new one in. Simple. I guess the most difficult thing about it is remembering the code to unlock it, but you can just write that down." Samus explained.

"There's a code?" Rean questioned.

"Yeah. You need to input it so you can open the maintenance panel. Let's see here… The code for B-02's 466515" Samus said.

"466515… Got it." Rean said, having written it down in his notebook.

"Oh, yeah! Almost forgot to mention… The light from the road lamps actually repels monsters. So in other words, in places where there's no light, they're much more likely to appear. So keep an eye out when you're replacing it—the last thing you want is to be caught off guard by monsters." Samus explained.

"I see. Thanks for the warning." Elliot said.

"That's pretty much it, then. Would you mind heading out to do it now?" Samus questioned hopefully.

"Leave it to us." Alisa said.

"Let's go, then." Laura agreed.

Afterwards, the party left the orbal factory behind and ventured out onto the West Celdic Highway. Once out there, Naruto stopped the group and said, "Okay, so we have two objectives out here. First, let's explore this area and see if we can find anything of value. Then we'll head north towards Lunaria Nature Park. We'll replace the orbment light first and then we'll proceed to the farmhouse to pick up the other ingredient for Zirbel's medicine. Ready?"

"Yes!" everyone replied before they began their trek through the West Celdic Highway.

As they walked along the path, Alisa looked around with a smile and said, "All these windmills sure make the town feel pretty laid back."

Laura nodded in agreement. "True. The scenery is surprisingly relaxing."

"Gotta agree with you there." Naruto said, a genuine smile on his face. "I like it out here."

After they were finished collecting the various treasures on the first part of the highway, they ventured north into the second area. Once there, they easily spotted the orbment light that needed to be replaced. However, they also saw a number of monsters in the way. So, moving forth, they went about striking down each of the monsters, though Naruto was still holding back, much to Laura's consternation. I want to see what you're really capable of, Naruto. Maybe someday, I suppose. If there's an opponent we can't defeat, I hope you can help us.

Approaching the orbment light, Elliot asked, "It's supposed to be near the windmill in front of the nature park, right?"

Laura nodded and said, "Hmm… This light doesn't appear to be working."

"Which means that's probably the one Samus was referring to." Alisa said.

"Probably. Let's check the number on it." Looking closer, Rean said, "B-02… Yeah, this is the one."

"All right. Then we must enter the code…" Sighing aggravatedly, Laura turned to face the foes that had shown themselves to them. "After taking care of our uninvited guests."

Elliot blinked and asked, "What?"

Rean scowled distastefully and said, "Monsters…"

Alisa frowned deeply and said, "There sure are a lot of them. Guess those lights really work…"

Elliot nodded and said, "We need to change that thing quick."

Laura nodded and glanced over her shoulder. "Rean, can we entrust the task itself to you?"

Rean nodded and said, "Sure thing. The rest of you, keep the monsters at bay while I make the switch."

Naruto smirked at him and cracked his knuckles. "Won't even need to use Yato to deal with this lot."

Rean smiled in thanks before he turned and got to work on inputting the code. "Okay. First things first, I need to input the code to open the maintenance hatch. Pretty sure it was…466515. There we go. That should do it." When it opened a moment later, he grinned and said, "It opened! Now, let's get the new orbment light in place…"

A short while later, the light was changed. Turning to the others, he watched as his teammates slayed their foes. Once it was over, Rean smiled at them and said, "Thank you so much for your help. Looks like things have finally calmed down."

"Thankfully! Hard to believe how much of a difference those things make." Alisa said.

"You got that done in record time, Rean." Elliot said thankfully.

"Yes. I was expecting the process to take much longer." Laura said.

"Well, it was a pretty simple procedure…since I wasn't being harangued by monsters the whole time, anyway." Rean said.

Alisa giggled a bit and said, "Still, good job! Aaaand, I guess that's a wrap."

"Yeah. Now we just need to go report back to Samus." Elliot said.

"First, though, we need to head for the farmhouse. Then we can explore a bit more, see what we can find, and then we can head back to Celdic." Naruto said before he led them around, collecting what they could before heading into the nearby farmhouse.

They ignored the younger man inside and instead spoke to his father. "Excuse me. Would you happen to be Paul?" Rean inquired.

Paul nodded and said, "That's right. Who might you be?"

"We're students from Thors Military Academy. Father Zirbel requested that we come here to collect Imperial carrots." Elliot explained.

"Oh, is that so? I'm pretty sure I set a batch aside for him… Can you wait a few minutes?" Paul questioned.

Naruto nodded and said, "Sure. Take your time, Paul."

Together, they watched as Paul began to rummage through his things until he finally found what he was looking for. Returning to the Class VII members, he said, "Hey! Sorry for the wait. Here you go."

Naruto took the carrots from Paul and sealed them away for the time being. Paul looked confused for a moment, but shrugged it off. Was it odd to see someone do such a thing? Sure. Still, Paul had seen a lot of weird things in his days, so he wasn't about to question it.

Alisa spoke up at this point and said, "Wow…I don't think I've ever seen carrots this color before."

"Likewise. They certainly do seem nutritious, though." Laura said.

"Don't they? They're actually rare enough that people present them to the Imperial family as gifts. They're said to have medicinal properties on top of being nutritious, too. So make sure you're careful while carrying them back. Or, well…" Looking at Naruto at this point, he asked, "Um, do I need to get you some more carrots? What exactly happened to the carrots I just gave you?"

Naruto pressed his fingers to the seal on his uniform and made one of the carrots appear again. "Nope. They're safe this way and easier to carry, as well. It'll be fine."

Paul blinked, but decided he would stay quiet for now. He could have a meltdown later. Didn't need to exacerbate the problem right now. Taking the silence as his cue, the musician of the group asked, "That should be everything we need, right?"

Rean nodded. "Yeah. Let's report back to Father Zirbel. Thanks again, Paul." And with that, the party left the farmhouse before walking along the path to Lunaria Nature Park a little way. Before going up the hill, Naruto and Rean grinned as they came upon a rather nice fishing spot. So, pausing for a time, the two of them began to fish, much to the amusement of their comrades.

Once they were finished, the party climbed the hill up towards the nature park. Upon reaching the top, they paused and looked ahead, taking in the sight of all the rather large trees beyond the gate. "Heh. This kind of reminds me of the Forest of Death. That place really was kind of fun." Naruto said.

Deciding they could question Naruto about that later, Rean looked around and said, "This area seems kind of different from anywhere else we've been so far."

Elliot nodded and said, "Lunaria Nature Park, huh? Seems less like a park and more like a forest."

Alisa nodded in agreement. "Yeah. It really does feel a little out of place, sitting smack dab in the middle of farmland as far as the eye can see…"

"It may have had some religious significance in ages past. Perhaps it was a place where the animists of ancient times chose to enshrine the spirits of the forest. There's a place much like that in my hometown." Laura said.

"Yeah, there's one in mine, too." Rean said.

Naruto looked at the tall trees again and said, "Something is definitely odd about this park. It really does remind me of the Forest of Death, but it's also different, in a way. Perhaps you are right, Laura-chan."

Before they could say anymore to each other, one of the guards out front asked, "Hmm? Who're you?"

The other park ranger asked, "And what are you doing here?"

Elliot panicked a little as the rangers stepped up to them. "U-Umm…"

Naruto placed a hand gently on Elliot's shoulder and smiled kindly at him. Afterwards, he looked into the park rangers' eyes and said, "We're really just travelers. We're passing through the area and figured we'd enjoy the sights. Personally, I've heard rather interesting things about Lunaria Nature Park, so I wanted to investigate a bit. We certainly weren't expecting to run into you two. Who are you two, really?"

The ranger on the left said, "We're the park rangers here. And as you can see, the park's off limits right now. So I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

Rean frowned in confusion and asked, "Off limits? Is there some construction work going on or something?"

"Something like that, yeah. But that's beside the point! It's off limits, so get lost. We've got things to do here!" the ranger on the right said.

When Alisa looked about ready to snap at the men, Naruto spoke up instead. "I don't buy into what you're saying. I don't have any proof of anything, but I highly doubt you two are actually park rangers. I'm willing to bet that you and your buddies are up to something in there. But, without proof of anything, I do believe it would be best for us to be on our way. Good day, gentlemen."

After collecting a few more things, Naruto led them back down the hill before stopping. Turning to face his team members, he asked, "You sensed it too, didn't you, Rean?"

Rean nodded and said, "Something just feels off about those two. I can't quite put my finger on it, but they're definitely up to something."

Alisa frowned slightly and asked, "How can you tell? I mean, they were pretty rude and had really bad attitudes, but…"

Laura shook her head and said, "It's instinct for them, Alisa. I say we trust in their intuition. For now, let us make our way back to Celdic and complete our tasks. Afterwards, it's off to the East Celdic Highway. I'm eager to get our monster hunt over and done with."

Naruto smirked at her and said, "You really are enjoying this, aren't you, Laura-chan?"

The blue-haired noble giggled a bit and said, "Most definitely, Naruto. I'm honestly hoping to see a little more of what you're truly capable of. But you're not about to show us, are you?"

The blonde shrugged and said, "Who knows? At the moment, I'm barely using even a fraction of my real power. I won't brag or anything, but I'm probably one of the strongest people in this world. But we shall see. I might be pleasantly surprised and meet some people that might truly test me. If that happens, though, I just hope you all don't get caught in the crossfire. I refuse to let anyone get hurt because I got reckless and endangered all of you."

Laura nodded in understanding. "Very well. I'm trusting you to use your best judgment. For now, we should get moving. Back to Celdic, everyone!"

Celdic

Upon reaching Celdic, the party went straight to the orbal factory. Approaching Samus, they listened as he said, "Hey there! I take it the job's done?"

"It is. Allow us to give you a detailed report on it, too." Rean said before he delved into a field action report.

Once he was finished, Alisa handed over the Broken Orbment Light and said, "We have the old orbment light here, too."

"Thanks. I'll get this fixed up so it can be used again. I'm glad you're all safe after dealing with those monsters, though." Samus apologized.

"They were hardly a threat." Laura said.

Elliot chuckled nervously and said, "We did take the request up knowing it could be dangerous, after all."

"You miliary academy kids really are a tough group. Oh, yeah. Can't forget to give you your reward now, can I?" Samus questioned rhetorically before handing over a Detection quartz.

"Are you sure we can take one of your quartz?" Rean questioned.

"Of course. You did some solid work, you know? Thanks for the help! Feel free to come along whenever you need me to give your orbments a checkup." Samus said, a bright smile on his face.

After turning in their quest, the party of five decided to make use of Samus' skills to upgrade their ARCUS units some more. Once they were done, they ventured outside and went to the church to speak with Father Zirbel.

"I see you've returned with the ingredients." Zirbel said.

"We have. Here you are, Father." Rean said before handing over the bear claw. Then he turned his gaze to Naruto and watched as he handed over the Imperial carrots.

"Please, accept my thanks. Now I can get back to making the medicine. I'd like you to accept these as well, as a token of my appreciation." Father Zirbel said before handing over three Teara Balms and three Celestial Balms.

"Thank you, Father." Elliot said.

"Did you happen to make these as well?" Alisa questioned.

"That's correct. There's not much of it, but it should come in handy." Zirbel said, a smile on his face.

"Thank you for your concern." Laura said.

"We'll make good use of these." Rean said, smiling at the man.

"Good luck with the remainder of your tasks, and may Aidios' guidance be with you." Zirbel said before watching as the team from Class VII left and ventured out onto the East Trista Highway.

As they walked along the path, Elliot glanced around for a moment before setting his eyes on a nearby monster. "You know, this would be a really tranquil area…if not for the monsters."

"Yeah. Let's be careful, guys." Rean said before he and the others went on the attack.

Once the monsters were finished, they proceeded to explore a bit, gather some items and sepith mass, and battle more and more monsters. Thankfully, nothing out here was all that dangerous and they easily fell to their combined might.

After a time, they stopped by the southernmost windmill and proceeded to open the nearby chest for a Proxy Puppet accessory, which they knew might come in handy later on. Afterwards, Rean and Naruto smirked upon finding a suitable fishing spot nearby. Once again, the duo stopped to do some fishing, much to the amusement of Elliot and the girls.

When they had finished, they proceeded back onto the main road and ventured further down the road until they reached the farm. "This must be the farm that put out that monster extermination request." Rean said.

"Should we go inside and ask for more details?" Laura asked.

Elliot nodded once and said, "Yeah, we might as well. It's certainly better than just wandering around blindly until we find the thing!"

Alisa said, "Agreed. We're here, so now's as good a time as any to introduce ourselves and…ingratiate ourselves to the locals, I guess?"

Naruto chuckled a bit, but didn't say anything. Instead, he led the team onto the farm grounds where they saw a few people working.

"Wow. This farmhouse is huge." Alisa said in awes.

Elliot chuckled a bit and stared at the fields excitedly. "Look at the cows!"

Chuckling some more, Naruto patted Elliot on the shoulder and said, "It's beautiful, isn't it? I've always loved things like this. Farming, growing crops, raising various plants, mingling with the animals and the rest of nature…" Smiling wistfully, he said, "I love nature. I love animals and plants as well. And growing your own fruits and veggies is usually so much better because it's something you made. Something you brought to life on your own. Things just taste so much sweeter that way."

Rean smiled at him and said, "Sounds like you've got experience with that. Just a little something more about yourself, hm?"

Naruto shrugged and said, "Perhaps. I did join the Gardening Club for a reason, after all. It's not just because Edel and Vivi are cute." Winking at them, he chuckled at the looks they were giving him. "You're no fun. I was only teasing you. Truthfully, gardening is a hobby of mine. Has been since I was a young boy. It means a lot to me."

Alisa nodded in understanding and said, "You'll have to let me try some of the fruits and vegetables you raise. I'm interested in seeing just how they taste when compared to others of their kind."

The spiky-haired teen nodded and said, "I'll be sure to raise plenty for everyone to enjoy. It will take some time, but it'll be worth it. I guarantee it."

Walking up to the female farmhand, a woman by the name of Coco, they listened as she began to complain. "Ugh. The cows stink, harvesting the crops is exhausting… Farm work is just the worst. Why did I have to be born into a family like this?"

Frowning at Coco, Naruto shook his head and said, "Never question why you were born or the family you were born into. They gave you life and I'm sure they care for you a great deal. When the time comes, I'm sure they'll support you, no matter what you choose to do with your life. I doubt they'll just keep you here against your will for the rest of your life. Try to understand their point of view and where they're coming from. And express your discontent to them, as well. They'll understand, I'm sure of it. In fact, I'm sure they'll encourage you to seek out something you'll really enjoy doing. And, even if you don't like it, farm work is necessary. They really aren't asking a lot from you. So try to tough it out until you're ready to set out on your own. Okay?"

Coco frowned slightly as she looked into his eyes. At first, she wanted to snap at him for daring to lecture her, but the more she thought it over, the more she realized that his words rang true. So, sighing softly, she nodded once. "Sure. I'll do the best I can. And I'll talk to my family. Thank you."

"Anytime." Naruto said with a kindhearted smile. Afterwards, they turned and entered the farmhouse.

Once inside, they listened to the boy, named Ritt, as he began to speak to them. "There's a reeaaally scary monster that shows up near the highway! I can hear it in the middle of the night, too. Now I'm too scared to sleep by myself at night."

Alisa gently patted his head and said, "Aww. You poor thing. Don't you worry, we'll deal with the big, scary monster. Okay? Then you can sleep easy at night again."

Ritt smiled at Alisa and nodded his head. "That sounds great! Thank you, pretty lady!"

Alisa giggled a bit and said, "You're welcome."

With that taken care of, they approached their client for this particular request. "Hello. Would you happen to be Syro?" Rean questioned.

"We're here to take care of the monster that's causing issues here. As such, we'd like some further details on it." Elliot explained.

"Oh, you are? I'm the man you're looking for, then. Hmm… While I did know that it would be students taking care of it, I wasn't aware that you had young ladies in your company. The rest of you are younger than I had expected, too… Perhaps this request may be too dangerous for you, after all." Syro said unsurely.

Naruto shook his head and said, "I assure you, you have nothing to worry about, Syro-san. We're more than capable of handling ourselves, and our lovely lady friends can probably kick most guys' butts if they were so inclined."

Alisa giggled a bit and said, "Thank you for your concern, Syro. However, Naruto is right. There's no need to worry about us. All of us here have combat experience already."

"Indeed. This all serves as part of my training, too, so please allow us to undertake the request." Laura said.

Syro frowned somewhat, but soon shook it off. "Well, if you insist… You'll come across a plateau of sorts if you proceed beyond here. That's where the monster tends to appear. It truly is a ferocious one, so much so that passing by the area is impossible, as it attacks everything it sees. Do take extra care when approaching it."

Elliot looked a little nervous as he said, "R-Right. Being careless with this one doesn't seem like an option."

"We'll have to be thoroughly prepared for it." Alisa said.

"Allow us to make our way there once our preparations are complete, then." Laura suggested.

"Yeah. Let's give this everything we've got." Rean said before he turned and led the team back out of the farmhouse and onto the highway once more.

Proceeding to the east, they stepped out onto the next part of the highway. Immediately upon doing so, they heard the blaring sound of a train engine as it sped along the tracks in the distance. "The Transcontinental Railroad, huh? Guess that'll take you out of the country." Rean said.

"Yeah. If you keep on heading east, you'd eventually reach Garrelia Fortress." Alisa explained.

"Huh. I've heard about Garrelia Fortress, but I've never had the chance to visit before. I've heard it's massive and damn near impenetrable. I'd love to see it for myself someday." Naruto said.

Without another word, the party continued their exploration of this section of the East Celdic Highway. After collecting the various treasures along the highway, including the Earth Lance quartz located past the plateau, they returned to the small path leading up to the plateau. Looking up the hill a short ways, Naruto said, "This is the place. I can sense the creature up there. You guys ready for this?"

Elliot and the others nodded before he said, "Ready as I'll ever be."

Together, they climbed the hilly path until they came across the creature located a short ways away. "I-Is that the monster we're looking for?" Elliot asked upon seeing the Scary Dinosaur they were meant to fight.

"It certainly seems to be." Laura said in response.

"It looks pretty tough. What should we do?" Alisa asked.

"We don't really have any choice, do we? We have to kill it. It's causing problems for the farmers. Everyone, double check your equipment. We need to be prepared for whatever this thing might throw at us." Rean suggested.

Naruto nodded and said, "Agreed. I doubt this thing is much of a threat to us, but it never hurts to be prepared for any eventuality. When we're ready, we go on the attack. We hit it hard, we hit it fast, and we'll get through this just fine."

"Understood." Laura said before making absolutely sure she was ready for this fight.

"R-Right!" Elliot exclaimed as he quickly went about checking his equipped quartz, as well as his basic armor and weapon. Once he was sure he was ready, he nodded determinedly as he psyched himself up for the fight to come. Immediately afterwards, he and the others rushed forward and engaged the Scary Dinosaur in battle.

As they did battle with the creature, Laura couldn't help but eye Rean suspiciously. He's holding back. But why? I understand why Naruto won't use his full power, but Rean as well? What could he be hiding?

Just as Naruto predicted, the Scary Dinosaur wasn't all that tough. They made sure to knock it off balance and use follow-up attacks to dish out some serious hurt on the creature. Naruto even made use of his new Earth Lance quartz to finish the monster off.

Once it was dead, Naruto grinned and said, "Great job, guys! We fought well, I think."

Rean nodded as he sheathed his sword. "That takes care of that, I suppose."

Elliot breathed a sigh of relief before saying, "I-I don't know how we did it, but we won."

"It would have been even tougher if not for the power of our combat links. I hate to admit it, but ARCUS does seem to have a lot of potential. Though, I think we would have killed it quicker if a certain someone wasn't holding back all the time." Alisa said as she narrowed her eyes at Naruto.

Rubbing the back of his head, Naruto chuckled somewhat nervously. Rather than say anything, however, he settled for looking at Rean. Rean's hiding something. He's far more skilled than what he's showing us. I can sense something inside of him, as well. Something powerful, but dangerous. It's almost like he's afraid of his own power. Kind of reminds me of my relationship with Kurama for most of my life. Now, I can't imagine my life without the big fuzzball. Frowning slightly, Naruto rested a hand on his belly and muttered quietly to himself. "Don't worry buddy, I'll make you better as soon as I can. Just hold on."

Rean frowned slightly as he picked up on Alisa's little slip of the tongue. "You 'hate to admit it'? Why's that?"

"N-Never mind that! Anyways, we should go tell the people at the farm that we took care of the monster they reported." Alisa insisted, trying to deflect the questioning off of her.

Rean's frown never left, but he decided to just let the matter drop for the time being. After all, everyone had their secrets to carry, so it was best not to pry too much. "You're right."

"I hope they're pleased." Elliot said with a smile on his face.

Laura frowned as she stared at Rean. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Naruto watching Rean as well. Naruto has noticed as well. Why are you hiding your true strength, Rean? I don't get it.

Noticing Laura's look, Rean turned to her and asked, "Is something wrong, Laura?"

Shaking her head, the blue-haired woman said, "No…it's nothing. Let's go."

Rean frowned in confusion and said, "O…kay?" He sounded unsure, but decided to simply let the matter drop. Instead, he began to lead the party as they descended the hilly path and began to head in the direction of the farm once more.

As they walked along, Laura moved closer to Naruto and looked into his eyes. "You noticed it too."

Naruto nodded and said, "I did. He's holding back on us. I can't help but wonder why. I can sense some kind of monstrous power inside of him, but I don't know the source or what exactly it could mean. Then there's his swordsmanship. He's not utilizing his full skill with his blade. It's almost as if he's afraid to show what he's really capable of."

The bluenette frowned and said, "I noticed that, too. I guess we can talk to him about it later. For now, let's go report to Syro and then return to Celdic. I don't know about you, but I'd very much like to enjoy a nice, warm dinner. I've worked up quite the appetite."

Chuckling softly to himself, Naruto smiled warmly at her and said, "If we were back at the dorm, I'd gladly cook you something nice. Though, enjoying a meal at the Weathercock Inn seems like a good option, as well."

Laura giggled a bit and looked ahead as the farmhouse came into view. As they made their approach, she contemplated taking Naruto's hand, but eventually decided against it. She knew she was drawn to his power, and she would admit to anyone that she found him to be highly attractive, but she knew for a fact that her feelings for him at this moment in time were purely platonic. He was a friend, but nothing more than that. Still, the thought of starting a relationship with him was not an unpleasant one.

Stepping into the farmhouse once again, they approached Syro and listened as he greeted them with a smile on his face. "Oho! I assume you've taken care of that monster?"

"That's correct." Rean confirmed.

"Oh, thank goodness… Thank you so much. Now we can finally begin harvesting again. I'll have to let the family know right away." Syro said, greatly relieved by the good news.

"You're welcome." Alisa said.

"I found myself surprised at how close this area is to Celdic, however. Wouldn't it have been much quicker to make a request to the provincial army, instead?" Laura questioned.

Syro shook his head and said, "Well, it is admittedly close, but…this area, and Celdic as a whole really, is on the very outskirts of the Kreuzen province. As such, the provincial army isn't very interested in aiding us."

"Tch." Naruto scoffed. "Of course they're not interested in helping the people. Why go out of their way to ensure the roads are safe when it's only inconveniently affecting people that don't matter to them? They're corrupt and don't have any interest in truly helping anyone. And you can't ask some bracers to handle it because Osborne figured it was a great idea to chase out the bracers in Erebonia. So now, the people are pretty much on their own. And nobles like Jusis' father don't give a shit about the people of their lands. It's shameful and it pisses me off."

Laura placed a hand on his shoulder and said, "I understand your frustration, but do try to calm down. Perhaps one day, we can put things right again. For the time being, we'll simply do what we can and hope that our actions make a difference. It's all we can do as students."

The blonde sighed and nodded his head. "You're right, Laura-chan. Sorry for losing my head like that."

The bluenette smiled at him and shook her head. "It's okay. I share in your frustration. I wish more nobles were like my father. Fair, kind, and caring towards the people we protect. Sadly, most nobles are as you said. It's not fair and it's not right, but there isn't much we can do right now."

"I know. Thanks, Laura-chan." Naruto said.

"Anytime, Naruto." She replied, smiling kindly at her friend.

After Naruto's rant, Syro looked a bit unsure as to what he could or should say, so he simply listened as Rean spoke up. "Yeah, that's really not too hard to believe, considering the attitude the provincial army took with us earlier."

Laura nodded and said, "That certainly doesn't sit well with me, either. I honestly wish there was more we could do."

Syro simply nodded and said, "I probably shouldn't say any more on the matter. However, I do still owe you all your reward for this. Please, take these." And with that, the farmer handed over 10 Fresh Eggs, 10 Starberries, 10 Honey Syrup, and 10 Coarse Rock Salt.

Rean was somewhat astonished at the reward. "That's really generous. Can we really have this much?"

Syro smiled at them and said, "Why, of course! We've got enough to last us here as it is. After all your help, it's the least that I can do. I hope you enjoy them."

Alisa smiled thankfully at the man and said, "These look great, thank you."

Elliot chuckled somewhat giddily. "You don't get much fresher than this. I'm looking forward to digging in!"

"I'm rather envious that you have the opportunity to eat such delicious food every day." Laura said.

Syro chuckled good-naturedly and said, "That's one of the benefits of being a farmer. Unfortunately, though, it's not all good. Things have been getting tougher lately, seeing as how goods are being imported so cheaply nowadays."

Naruto frowned and said, "Unfortunately, that does seem to be the case. It's not easy for people like you to make a living with that problem looming over you the way it is. And the tax hikes don't help any, either."

Rean frowned slightly and said, "Huh. I wasn't aware of any of that."

"Importing's become a much easier task now thanks to the Transcontinental Railroad and international flights. Furthermore, more and more goods can now be legally imported as a result of the rising population." Syro explained.

"Come to think of it, I have noticed an increase in cheaper ingredients lately…" Elliot said.

"Oh, my apologies. I shouldn't be wasting your time with all this. Regardless, you all have my thanks for today. Now we can move on to harvesting without any worries." Syro thanked them once again.

"Allow us to thank you, too. We actually learned a lot from doing this request." Rean said.

"Feel free to get in touch should anything else come up." Alisa said.

Syro smiled thankfully at the group and bid them a good day. Afterwards, he decided to get some things together before he could go out and begin the harvest.

Turning, the party of five made their way outside once again. "Whew… Guess that does it for all the mandatory tasks. I don't know about you guys, but I'm pooped…" Elliot said, chuckling tiredly afterwards.

Alisa giggled a bit and said, "Same. I don't venture out onto the highways very often… The three of you sure seem okay, though."

Rean chuckled somewhat bashfully and said, "Well, my hometown is in the countryside, too, so I'm kind of used to this. And with all the training Laura does, I imagine this is probably nothing for her. Then, of course, Naruto is Naruto. What else can I say?"

Laura giggled a bit and said, "Indeed. I find this level of exercise to be quite manageable. However…"

When Laura looked at Rean again, he tilted his head slightly in confusion. She's been staring at me quite a lot ever since we killed the Scary Dinosaur. Is she upset with me or something?

Alisa looked between Laura and Rean and asked, "What is it?"

The bluenette shook her head and said, "No, I'm sure it's nothing. I believe we should return to the inn now, should we not?"

Rean nodded in agreement. "Yeah, let's. I'm guessing Instructor Sara is still there. We can give our report and also ask her a bit more about the purpose behind these field studies."

"That would definitely be good to know. She hasn't told us anything about what's happening tomorrow, either." Alisa said in agreement.

"All right, then. Let's head back to town!" Elliot exclaimed, giddy about the prospect of returning to the safety of Celdic once more.

Naruto smiled to himself as he thought about Sara. It'll be nice to see her again. We've been so busy today that I actually kind of missed her. I know I have Anko back, but there's just something about Sara. Ah well, I should just let it be. For now, getting back to town and enjoying a nice, hot meal sounds wonderful.

Celdic

Upon arriving back in Celdic, the party of five were more than happy to return to the inn and enjoy a nice meal. However, as they approached the inn, they heard the sound of arguing, more like yelling, coming from the Grand Market. "Don't give…crap…! …the one…paid…!"

Quirking a brow, Rean asked, "What's going on?"

"It sounds like something's happening over at the market." Elliot said.

"Hmm… There appears to be some manner of dispute occurring." Laura said.

"I wonder what's up… Should we go take a look?" Alisa questioned.

Naruto nodded and said, "We should. Even if we don't have any logical reason to investigate, this, too, falls within the mission parameters of our field study. Look underneath the underneath and you may find the truth each and every time."

The others blinked in confusion, but figured it was just another ninja thing and left Naruto alone. Instead, they hurried over to the Grand Market to investigate what was going on.

Upon arriving, they saw two merchants arguing in front of an empty market stall near the front of the Grand Market. "Don't give me that crap! This is MY spot! I paid for it, so it's mine!" Merchant Marco exclaimed angrily.

"I'm the one who paid for this spot! Look, I've even got the permit for it! So stop lying to me and vamoose!" the other merchant exclaimed angrily.

Approaching the angry duo, Rean decided to posit a question to a nearby girl. "Umm, may I ask what the problem is? Perhaps we can help in some way."

Before the girl could reply, Naruto shook his head and said, "It's obvious what's going on here. Duke Albarea is screwing with his people again. They both were given a permit for this stall, they both paid an exorbitant fee for it, and these two can't see what's going on because they're both too angry to grasp the situation." Sighing in frustration, Naruto shook his head before he approached the arguing merchants.

When they appeared about ready to come to blows, Naruto chopped them both on the head just hard enough to get their attention. "Listen here, and listen well. Neither of you are in the wrong, here. You both paid for this spot, you both received permits, and it's the duke's fault. He did this on purpose, hoping something like this might happen. If you two would calm down, you could come to some kind of compromise with one another. For instance, you could have this particular stall for one day, and you can have it the next day. And, if I remember correctly, there's another empty stall in the back of the Grand Market. It might not be the best solution to your problem, but it's better than breaking down into a fistfight and both of you losing out in the end. So man up, behave like proper adults, and deal with it. Because, quite honestly, there really isn't much either of you can do about it."

When Marco looked about ready to snap at him, Naruto leveled a fierce glare on him and said, "Shake hands, come to an agreement, and behave like proper adults. NOW! Do you really want to cause more chaos than you already have with your senseless arguing? Besides that, what if the provincial army decided to get involved, hm? I highly doubt they'd judge this situation fairly. In fact…"

Before Naruto could say anymore, they heard a man's voice asking, "Oh dear. What in Aidios' name is happening here?"

After a moment, an old man walked up to them and looked the two of them over for a time. Afterwards, he looked at Naruto with a smile and said, "I heard you talking with them. Thank you for trying to calm them down and work out some form of arrangement. I can take it from here."

Naruto nodded once and smiled kindly at the man, who was quite obviously the market manager. Before he could walk off, he heard Merchant Heinz said, "Oh great, now look what you've done!" he exclaimed, pointing all the blame on Marco.

Marco looked at the market manager apologetically and said, "M-Manager Otto…"

"I've been filled in on what happened. This kind young man here has the right of it. You both have a permit for the same stall. This is not a coincidence, but I cannot speak my theory so openly. I'm sure that cooler heads will prevail in this situation. So let's take some time to breathe slowly and release all of the anger you have built up inside of yourselves. Then, we can discuss the situation at length and figure out what to do from here. I do believe the boy's idea holds merit. For now, let us simply discuss things calmly and rationally. Okay?" Otto suggested, a kind smile on his face.

Alisa smiled at the others and said, "Well, that was a close one. Seems like everything's going to be fine now, though. Naruto really kept his cool there and settled a pretty volatile situation with a few words. And the market manager has really helped, as well."

Rean nodded and said, "Yeah. It's nice to see someone like that's in charge."

Otto took this moment to look squarely into Naruto's eyes. "I truly appreciate you stepping in to help defuse the situation. You have a good head on your shoulders and quite the astute business sense. I'm impressed. Then again, I really should expect no less from the infamous Class VII I've heard so much about. If I'm correct, you must be Naruto. Right?"

Naruto chuckled a bit and said, "That'd be me. Nice to meet you Mr. Manager."

Elliot spoke up at this point. "H-How do you know about Class VII?"

The market manager turned to the other members of Class VII and smiled kindly at them. "My name is Otto. I'm the manager of Celdic's Grand Market. I have some things to discuss with you, if you'd be so kind as to come along. I'll treat you to some tea."

Market Manager's House

"So, you were responsible for choosing our assignments?" Rean questioned as he looked into Otto's eyes.

"Indeed, I am. Principal Vandyck is an old friend of mine, you see. He asked me to personally select a few tasks that you might be able to complete." Otto explained.

"Well, that was nice of him." Elliot said.

"We appreciate your consideration as well." Laura said politely.

"Oh, it was no trouble at all. Likewise, I'm grateful to you for taking some troublesome tasks off my hands. And I can't thank you enough for your help at the market. If you hadn't been there, I imagine someone would've wound up getting hurt." Otto said, smiling politely at Naruto.

The blonde smiled back and said, "It was the least I could do for you and the people of Celdic. We've had a wonderful time here, so far, and the people have been very kind to us. And when I saw them arguing, I knew instantly what the problem was. Unfortunately, I think this kind of problem might occur more than just this one time, if you're truly unlucky. This was no coincidence, Otto-san. I worry that you might be in trouble here, and we won't be here after tomorrow. I just hope nothing goes wrong, though knowing how my luck works…"

Alisa frowned at him and said, "Your luck on missions sucks. You mentioned that to us before. I swear, if anything crazy happens, I'm blaming it on you and your weird luck." Turning her attention back to Otto at this point, she asked, "So, both merchants will be taking urns using the same stall at the front of the market? That's just like what Naruto suggested. I'm glad they listened to you, Mr. Manager."

Otto nodded and said, "That's right. Both of their permits are genuine, but their merchandise and temperaments don't lend themselves to sharing a space. Eventually, they agreed to a compromise where they would each make use of the front stall on alternate weeks. The other stall we reserved is near the back of the market, however, so whoever's relegated there will likely see far lower sales numbers."

Elliot frowned distastefully at this piece of news. "That's…better than nothing, I guess. But it's still really unfortunate. Sounds like Naruto's been right about everything this entire time."

Naruto turned his gaze onto Elliot and frowned slightly at him. "That kind of hurts, you know? I'd like to think I'm pretty wise and rather intelligent for my age."

The orange-haired musician blinked for a time before what he said registered in his mind. Quickly shaking his hands in front of him, he said, "No, no! I didn't mean it like that! I'm just kind of surprised, is all. Wait, that's not much better. Umm…shutting up now."

The spiky-haired teen chuckled softly before he turned to look back into Otto's eyes without a word.

"I must admit, I do find this whole mater rather perplexing. To my knowledge, the issuing of market permits is the sole responsibility of each province's ruling lord. For a mistake such as this to have been made in the first place raises some rather unpleasant questions." Laura said, looking into Naruto's eyes. "Naruto is, most assuredly, right about everything. Duke Albarea must have some reason for doing this to his people. I can't help but wonder why, though."

Naruto frowned and shook his head. He didn't bother to say a word, however. Instead, his mind went back to his first mission outside of Konohagakure. Gato. That's what this whole situation reminds me of. I know it's not the same, but I can't help but remember the stranglehold he had on the Land of Waves. Duke Albarea is a monster disguised as a human being. He's lower than scum.

Seeing Naruto's expression souring, Laura frowned and asked, "What's on your mind, Naruto?"

Naruto shook his head and said, "I'll tell you later. Right now, we should listen to Otto-san."

Rean nodded in agreement, but he felt he needed to add his two cents to the conversation. "That's true, Laura. It's a lord's duty to control the flow of goods. If he can't handle it, the local economy could really suffer."

Otto frowned and nodded his head sadly. "Quite right. Ordinarily, that responsibility would fall upon the duke's household."

Elliot and the others frowned at this piece of news. They each knew exactly who the duke of the Kreuzen province was, and they each believed wholeheartedly in what Naruto had been saying. "The duke, huh?" the orange-haired teen asked.

"Duke Albarea. Jusis' father." Alisa said.

"One of the four most powerful nobles in the entire country. But lately, the situation surrounding the duke's household has been getting a bit…complicated." Otto said.

"Complicated, how exactly?" Rean questioned for the party.

"A few months ago, he increased the sales tax for our market rather significantly. And with a larger percentage of their profits being taken from them, the merchants have begun to get rather desperate. Fights like the one you saw earlier are becoming more and more commonplace." Otto explained.

Naruto clenched his fists angrily and snarled out, "That bastard. If things don't improve soon…if Duke Albarea continues down this dark, spiraling path…" I might just assassinate the shit stain and be done with it. Then again, Rufus would likely take over in that case, and I don't trust him one teeny tiny bit. No, it would be better left in Jusis' hands, but he has some maturing to do before he's ready for something like that. Dammit!

Laura frowned as she watched Naruto closely. "You're thinking of doing something dangerous…aren't you, Naruto?"

Seeing the looks on the faces of his friends, Naruto sighed and unclenched his fists. "Yes. But I can't act on it right now. Just…don't worry about it. I'll be okay."

Deciding to put Naruto's behavior to the back of his mind for the time being, Rean offered Otto a smile and said, "I see. That's troubling."

"Sales tax is something which should not be raised without careful consideration. History has shown us how damaging such actions can be." Laura said, though her eyes never left Naruto. Naruto…if you're going to do something about Duke Albarea, I hope you don't regret it. But…do you have it in you to assassinate someone? I don't know. I certainly hope not. You're too pure a person to let yourself become mired in the darkness of the world.

"Hmm…I've never heard of anything like that happening in the capital." Elliot said.

Alisa frowned and asked, "Have you…tried raising objections to the increase?"

Naruto scoffed, but didn't say anything in response to her inquiry. Instead, he listened as Otto began to answer her question. "Of course! I've even gone to Bareahard numerous times to petition the duke personally. But they always just drive me away at the gate without listening to a word I have to say. This has been going on for roughly two months now."

"Of course. They have absolutely no intention of hearing you out, Otto-san. Duke Albarea is scum, through and through. I just wish there was something I could do to help you and the people of Celdic. This just isn't right!" Naruto exclaimed angrily.

"If that's the case, the mix-up with the permits is definitely more than just an unfortunate accident. Just like Naruto was telling us." Rean said.

Alisa nodded and said, "They might be getting careless when dealing with the market. Or maybe they're deliberately trying to cause problems."

Otto frowned slightly and shook his head. "I don't think it's a good idea to jump to conclusions. But I will say that before all this began, the soldiers in the guardhouse absolutely would have intervened in a scuffle like that."

Elliot blinked and asked, "Oh?"

Laura nodded and said, "Unlike the Imperial Army, a provincial army's main priority is maintaining the status quo throughout their territory. So mediating arguments which threaten that status quo should absolutely fall within the scope of their duties."

"Correct. It seems that unless we accept this tax increase, they intend to turn a blind eye to the market. The commanding officer at the guardhouse has even made comments suggesting as much." Otto explained sadly.

"That's not right at all!" Alisa exclaimed angrily.

"No. No, it's really not." Naruto said sadly. "I'm sorry, Otto-san, but while you don't want to jump to any such conclusions, the truth of the matter is darker than you might have thought it to be. Duke Albarea cares nothing for his people. He's greedy, he's scum, and he's evil. All of this is done to prove a point to you. You need him, but he doesn't need you. The people of the Kreuzen Province have no choice but to bow to his whims and do as he says, or they can suffer the consequences. Things here are only going to get worse before they ever have a chance of getting better. I know it's not what you want to hear, but I've dealt with a scumbag like Duke Albarea before."

Sighing softly, Naruto looked at his friends and said, "I was going to tell you all later, once we were in our room at the inn…but now seems to be the appropriate time." Frowning slightly, he looked down at the floor and said, "I can't remember if I told you or not about the village I came from. Konohagakure, in the Elemental Nations on a planet called Earth." Looking at Otto, he smiled slightly and said, "I'm trusting you with this information, Otto-san. You deserve to hear this, as well, after all."

Otto simply nodded before motioning for Naruto to continue with his tale. "On my first true mission outside of the village, my team came to learn about the stranglehold a business tycoon named Gato had enacted on an island nation called the Land of Waves. He had killed the nation's leader, the daimyo, as they were called in my world. Afterwards, he took over the country. It started small, buying up businesses and gradually making changes here and there. Then, before they knew it, Gato had taken control of most everything in the Land of Waves and everything in Waves changed completely from how it used to be."

"Gato killed all those who stood in his way, and…" Scowling angrily, Naruto said, "Women were taken as 'payment' when families couldn't pay him off or afford the new taxes in effect. They were raped and tortured until…until they broke. And children were left homeless, with nowhere to go and barely any food to eat. Gato was a true monster." Naruto explained.

"When I arrived in the Land of Waves, I did everything I could to help the people there. And in the end, I managed to inspire them into standing up and taking back their country with their own hands. We stood as one and killed Gato and his men. Things improved significantly after that, and they became truly happy again. However, nothing could change what happened to those women and children. Husbands, fathers, grandfathers…they knew the price that their women had to suffer. It's hard to come back from something like that. It just…it's not right." Naruto explained.

Looking into Otto's eyes at this point, he said, "Duke Albarea reminds me a lot of Gato, Otto-san. He's corrupt and evil. Things are only going to get worse for your people and for the Grand Market from here on. Until something is done about Duke Albarea…"

Otto frowned and shook his head sadly. "I understand where you're coming from, Naruto. And I thank you for trying to open my eyes. However, there is nothing we can really do to fix our problems. I agree, Duke Albarea needs to be stopped, but we just don't have the means or the power to make our voices heard. It will take some kind of miracle to save us at this point."

"I know. And I'm not saying that I'll assassinate him for you. But eventually, something has to be done about him. The people of the Kreuzen Province are suffering under his reign." Naruto said.

Otto nodded before saying, "I understand. And I'm sorry. I shouldn't have mentioned all of this. These are matters for us to handle for the time being. This is strictly an internal affair to be dealt with among us merchants. You have no reason to concern yourselves with it. Instead, your focus should be on your field study. And I'll have a new list of tasks for you tomorrow morning as well."

Naruto smiled thankfully at Otto and said, "Thank you, Otto-san."

"So you were asked to prepare some for each day of our visit, then." Alisa surmised.

"That's right. I've got a few difficult ones in mind, too. But I'm sure you're up for them. Or at least, I hope you are!" Otto said, chuckling a bit afterwards.

Elliot chuckled and said, "Don't worry, we are."

"We'll do our very best to meet your expectations." Laura said before she and the rest of Group A stood up, bowed to the market manager, and then left his house.

Once outside, Group A stopped by the well and began to discuss what they had just learned. "That all sounds really unfair." Elliot said.

"Yeah, I agree." Rean said.

"Provincial lords have the duty and the right to decide upon and collect taxes in the regions they control. And as long as that remains the case, there's not really much the general populace can do to stand against them." Alisa surmised.

"I'm reluctant to comment on how others choose to rule their own territories. But harassing one's people like this seems clearly inappropriate. I've heard many rumors about the current head of House Albarea…" Laura said, looking into Naruto's eyes. "I still believe you are right, Naruto."

"Umm… The current head is Jusis' dad, right? So…couldn't we ask Jusis for some help here?" Elliot posited.

Rean shook his head and said, "I doubt there's anything he could do. Among the nobility, decisions made by the head of the house are absolute. And since the Albareas represent one of the Four Great Houses, that old tradition is absolutely guaranteed to be alive and well."

"The emperor himself is probably the only one with more power than the heads of the Four Great Houses." Alisa said, frowning afterwards.

Elliot slumped over and said, "Guess that's a no, then."

Naruto patted Elliot on the back and simply smiled at him without a word. It was then that Laura looked into his eyes and said, "That story you told…"

The blonde nodded and said, "All true. Gato really was making the people of that country suffer needlessly, just because he could. He was evil, through and through."

The bluenette nodded and said, "I didn't doubt your story. I'm simply appalled by what I heard. Women and children suffering in such ways is unthinkable. It's too terrible to even imagine. I cannot imagine how you must have felt when you witnessed such atrocities. How did you cope with what you saw?"

Naruto shrugged and said, "When my team returned to Konoha, I sought out the one person I knew I could trust: Anko Mitarashi. I talked with her about everything I saw and what we had to do. She helped me through all of it, but I was grieving for quite some time after that. I may not have suffered the pain they were going through, but dammit I felt for those poor people. It was that mission that proved to me just how evil human beings could really be. I honestly didn't quite know how to handle it, but she was with me every step of the way. It really helped me in the long run."

Before anyone could say anything in response, they heard a voice calling out to them. "I see you're all busy mulling things over. Excellent, excellent!"

Looking at the person who spoke to them, they saw Instructor Sara walking up to them. "Instructor Sara…?" Rean questioned somewhat hesitantly.

"What brings you here?" Alisa asked.

"I figured it was about time for me to get going. Group B's not getting anything done, as expected, so I'm off to help sort them out." Sara explained, releasing an aggravated sigh afterwards.

"Figured something like that would happen. Good luck, Sara-chan." Naruto said.

"You're going to see Group B…now?" Elliot questioned somewhat unsurely.

"The town of Parm is a considerable distance from here." Laura said.

"Now, now, you let me worry about that. You five are perfectly capable of looking after yourselves anyway, right? Put your heads together and think, and I'm certain you'll see what you need to do." Sara instructed.

"Ah…" Rean said as a figurative lightbulb lit up in his head.

As Sara walked away, waving her hand over her shoulder at them, she said her parting words. "May Aidios be with you all. I'm sure you'll be just fine."

"I can't believe it." Rean said in disbelief.

"I-It's as though she knows exactly what's going on…" Elliot said.

"Even though she's spent the whole day drinking at the inn… Can she read minds or something?!" Alisa questioned somewhat in disbelief.

Naruto chuckled softly and said, "She's an ex-bracer. She keeps her ears open and listens to the people. Great source of information, after all. I'm sure she already knew the whole situation here when she was picking the location for our field study."

Rean and the others blinked as they looked at him. "And how do you know that she's an ex-bracer?" he asked curiously.

The blonde smirked at his friends and said, "Because the group I was with before coming to Thors was very well-informed. Fie and I were once jaegers. It's not so different from what was required of me when I was a ninja in the Elemental Nations."

Everyone's eyes widened in shock at what they had just heard their friend admit. "J-Jaegers?! Are you serious?!" Elliot exclaimed.

Naruto chuckled and said, "Yep! We were a pretty lively bunch and had a lot of fun together. Then the boss died and we all kind of broke apart. That's when Sara approached Fie and me and invited us to study at Thors. It's been fun, so far. I'd say I can't complain, but certain people at the academy definitely rub me the wrong way."

As Naruto shrugged his shoulders, the others looked at one another and decided they'd let the matter drop for the time being. No point in freaking out about it right now. They still had things to do here in Celdic, after all! So, looking back at Naruto, Rean said, "Okay, with that bombshell out of the way, how about we return to the inn and rest for the night?"

The blonde shook his head and said, "We should talk to the locals again. Who knows, someone might have another request to make of us before we turn in for the night. The same thing happened with me when I was exploring Trista after our foray into the Old Schoolhouse. You never know what somebody might need help with, after all. So once we've handled that, we can turn in and get some much-needed rest. Sound good?"

Elliot nodded and said, "Sounds good to me. I just hope we don't run into anything too difficult for us to handle."

Naruto chuckled and said, "Only one way to find out, really. Come on, it'll be fun! Now let's go!" And, together with their friend, Group A decided to do exactly as Naruto suggested.

The more I learn about you, Naruto, the more you intrigue me. Not only are you powerful, but you're wise and kind as well. You don't make me feel like I'm different. You find a way to make me feel like a beautiful woman, and yet a fierce warrior at the same time. I want to know more about you. You're an enigma to me, and I am quite eager to figure out what exactly makes you tick. Laura thought as she followed her friend. I'm sure father would be quite pleased if I chose to court you. We shall have to wait and see.

After chatting with a number of people and learning very little about anything new, they approached Lymon's stall in the Grand Market. "Awrite, troops! How's it goin'? Are ye all learnin' much oot here?"

Rean chuckled softly and said, "For the most part, yes."

"It's serving as a reminder that we still have quite the ways to go. However, we have every intention of making the most out of this experience." Laura said.

"That's what I like tae hear. I'm actually about tae get started on our evening sale here, so I'll give ye all a wee discount if… Wait a minute! I think I just had a belter of an idea!" Lymon exclaimed as an idea came to him.

"Umm… What might that be, exactly?" Elliot questioned unsurely.

"Right. I know ye'll all be tired after yer hard work today, but…any of ye fancy havin' a wee go at runnin' the store for a bit?" Lymon suggested.

"Are you sure?" Alisa questioned somewhat unsurely.

"Oh, aye! It's fine. This line of work's all aboot havin' the skills tae negotiate well, so it'd be some good experience for ye all. So, how about it?" Lymon asked, a grin on his face.

"It's certainly an interesting proposal…" Laura said, seemingly eager to face this unique challenge.

"Hmm… If you're willing to let us do it, then I don't see why not." Rean said.

Lymon chuckled good-naturedly before saying, "Good tae hear. Let's get started right away, then. I mentioned that I was about tae get started on our evening sale, didn't I? It might be a wee bit tough, but I'd like you tae handle it."

"That does sound kinda rough…" Elliot said nervously.

"The idea behind it's simple enough, at least. All ye need tae dae is give appropriate discounts tae make a sale. The amount ye discount varies, but sometimes ye'll be talkin' up to half price." Lymon explained.

"H-Half price…?! That's… That's a lot." Rean said, now feeling nervous himself.

"Is it even possible to make a profit by doing that…?" Alisa questioned unsurely.

Lymon chuckled again and said, "It doesn't always work out, aye. I've even went intae the red a few times thanks tae it. But even then, I still think daein' it's worthwhile."

"Worthwhile enough to even send yourself into the red?" Laura questioned.

"Aye. My personal philosophy is that the amount of sales ye make is more important than how much ye make. The more sales ye make, the more happy customers ye've got… And if ye've got more and more customers walkin' away happy, then yer store's gonnae have a good reputation. So basically, it all ends up benefiting ye in the long run." Lymon explained.

"I see where you're coming from there." Elliot said.

"Though there's nothin' tae say that I'm 100% correct. Oh, aye. I meant to say—how do ye all feel about handlin' the store separately at different times?" Lymon asked.

"I'm okay with it, but…any particular reason why?" Rean asked.

Naruto smirked and patted Rean on the back. "Because it'll be a competition to see which of us makes the best merchant. Make a little game of it, if you will."

"Aye. The laddie's got the right of it. There's nae harm in competin' wae each other, is there? Think of each other as rivals and try as hard as ye can tae win." Lymon said.

"That does seem like an effective way to motivate oneself." Laura said.

"I don't know about you guys, but sales aren't exactly my forte. Guess I'll take it as a learning experience." Elliot said.

"It does sound like it'll be fun, though." Alisa said. "Can I ask if there's any specific guidelines when it comes to giving discounts, though? I assume how much of a discount you can offer differs based on the type of goods being sold."

"Aye, spot on. I've split everything up into fresh goods and processed goods. Fresh goods speak for themselves, really. Ye'll want to get them sold out as quick as ye can. That bein' said, yer free to make these up tae half price if it comes tae it, just so we can get them all sold. Processed goods willnae expire like fresh ones, though, so there's nae point in discountin' them too much. Ye cannae just sell them at full price, so 20% off is the max you should go." Lymon explained.

"So fresh goods can be sold for as much as 50% off, while processed goods can only be sold at up to 20% off… Got it." Rean said.

"H-Here's hoping I remember that." Elliot said, once again sounding incredibly nervous.

"Oh, aye! Don't be shy to bump prices up a wee bit, either. Deciding when the best time tae dae that though is all up tae you lot." Lymon said.

"One can assume doing so all depends on how well we negotiate with each customer, then." Laura said.

"Aye. Now that that's sorted, let's get started. It doesnae matter what order ye all go in, but…how about you go first?" he suggested, pointing at Naruto.

Naruto chuckled a bit and said, "Sure thing. I'm up for the challenge."

"Glad tae hear it, lad. I believe in ye, especially if ye're to start courtin' my dear wee lass, Becky." Lymon teased.

The blonde chuckled as he took his spot. "Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up." He said, chuckling afterwards.

Alisa smiled at Naruto and said, "Let's see what you're made of, Naruto."

"I wish you luck." Laura said.

"Thanks. I've never done this before, but I think I can manage all right. Sooo, here goes nothing." Naruto said as the others walked away a short distance to watch Naruto work.

Cracking his knuckles and stretching to loosen himself up, Naruto smiled out at the gathering of people and exclaimed, "Welcome, everyone! It's time for the good ol' evening sale! Come one and all and purchase some fresh produce! The quality on these goods is sure to brighten anyone's day!"

Alisa smirked from where she was standing with the others. "He's a natural at this. I wasn't sure how well he'd do, but he seems to have a handle on it."

"Aye lass, he'll bring in plenty of customers wae guts like that." Lymon said, smiling brightly.

"Wow. I don't think I could put myself out there like that. He's as impressive as always." Elliot said.

"I'm rather worried, myself…" Laura said, sounding awfully nervous. It was a bit out of character for her, but the others understood her plight well enough. "Oh, his first customer has arrived."

Naruto smiled at the woman that approached him. "You're a new face. Are you working here part-time? I almost thought you were a pro with a sales pitch like that."

The blonde smiled in thanks and said, "Indeed I am, Miss. Now, which of these fine goods can I interest you in, Ma'am? We have fresh produce ranging from tomatoes and turnips to fruits such as apples and bananas. We even have some quality processed goods available for sale. Feel free to point out what you'd like and I'll be sure to give you a good price. Gotta be good to the customers after all, am I right?"

The woman giggled and said, "I'll take seven tomatoes. Can you please tell me how much that would come out to? I'm quite eager to hear the sale prices on such fine goods."

Naruto chuckled good-naturedly as he bagged the tomatoes for her. "Considering these usually sell for 10 mira a tomato and you're purchasing seven of them, I would normally have to charge you a bit more. Buuut, as we've got quite the sale going on right now, I'm willing to part with seven of them for the modest price of 40 mira. How does that sound to you, Ma'am?"

The woman blinked a couple of times before smiling brightly at him. "That sounds wonderful! Thank you so much. You're really quite good at this, aren't you?"

The blonde chuckled softly and said, "I'm still learning, Ma'am. But thank you very much. You have a wonderful evening and be sure to come back again soon, okay? We'll be looking forward to your continued business."

The woman giggled and said, "With a sales pitch like that, I'll be sure to come back regularly for everything I might need."

"Thank you. Have a wonderful evening." Naruto said as he watched the woman walk off.

Elliot blinked a couple of times and said, "Dang. That was impressive. He's made his first sale."

"Indeed. It appears to have gone rather smoothly, too." Laura said.

"Oh! Here's another customer." Alisa said, sounding somewhat excited as she watched the next customer approach the stall.

"Hm, a sale, eh?" the man asked as he looked at what was available. "Quite curious."

Naruto smiled pleasantly at the man and said, "We're offering discounts on all our fine goods. Please, feel free to browse and let me know if anything catches your eye. I promise you'll receive a fine deal on all goods purchased."

"Hmm…" looking over the goods, the man soon pointed to some fine wine. "I assume that applies to this wine, as well?"

"Of course, sir. Normally I'd charge you a pretty penny for such fine wine, but just for today, I'm willing to part with a bottle for the low price of 850 mira. That's quite the discount, my good sir. I guarantee you that wine this good won't stay in stock for long. Best to purchase it now before it goes out of stock." Naruto said.

"Hmm, that still seems a bit pricey for a single bottle of wine. Are you sure I can't talk you into lowering the price just a tad more?" the man asked hopefully.

Naruto shook his head and said, "I'm afraid not, good sir. Buuut, considering we value your patronage, I'll make you this fine deal to sweeten the deal just a bit more. If you buy it now, I'll throw in some cheese at 20% off. How's that sound to you?"

"Oho! Now that is an interesting offer. Cheese does accompany fine wine rather well. I think I shall take you up on your offer. You strike a hard bargain, but I'm more than pleased. Thank you." The man said before paying for both items and walking off.

"Wow." Laura said as she watched Naruto work. "Another successful sale for him."

Alisa giggled a bit before saying, "Seems like he's gotten into the swing of things. He's good at this."

Lymon beamed as he watched Naruto work. "Aye. I look forward to hearing how much he sold it for. The customer looked mighty happy."

"Oh! Here's another customer." Elliot said.

Naruto smiled as a young girl approached him with a basket hanging from her arm. "Oooh, the evening sale's finally started, has it? These all look so good!" Then, as if just now noticing him, she asked, "Huh? What happened to Lymon?"

The blonde said, "Lymon stepped away for a moment and left me in charge for the time being. Don't you worry, though. I'll be sure to give you a good deal. Now, what can I interest you in today?"

"Well, I was asked to pick up some things for dinner. Hmm…how much are you selling cabbages for? I only need three, but she wanted me to buy extra if they're being sold for a reasonable price." The girl asked.

Naruto smiled and said, "Well, normally these would go for 20 mira per cabbage, but I'll tell you what. You're a cutie and I bet your mom and you are feeling mighty puckish, right? So, I'll give you a good discount. How does seven for 70 mira sound? That's 10 mira per cabbage. That's a mighty fine deal, if I do say so myself."

The girl blushed a bit at being called cute. Smiling at the kind man, the girl nodded her head and gladly paid what she owed. Afterwards, she placed the cabbages in her basket and hurried off, giggling happily all the while.

Chuckling softly to himself, Naruto thought, This is a lot easier than I thought it would be. I'm actually having a lot of fun right now.

Lymon approached at this point and said, "Ye've done rather well. It's time to switch out with yer friends. Ye made quite the salesman, Naruto. Ye'd make for a fine son-in-law."

Naruto shook his head in disbelief. "You're not going to let that drop, are you, sir?"

Lymon chuckled heartily and patted Naruto on the back. "If anyone's aboot to court my Becky, then I'd want it tae be a lad like you. Ye've got a good head on yer shoulders, lad. She'd be in mighty fine hands if ye were to take care of her."

"Thank you, sir. I'll consider it." Naruto said.

"Thank ye, lad. Now, let's watch yer classmates fer a while. Then we can see who makes the best salesperson, eh?" Lymon said.

Later

"Right! You all had yer turns, then. Good job, troops." Lymon said once everyone had finished.

"We owe you our thanks for giving us an opportunity to experience this." Rean said, a genuine smile on his face.

"I agree. I'm sure experience like this will come in handy down the line." Alisa said.

Lymon chuckled a bit before saying, "Glad to hear it. The lot of you did well too, considerin' it was yer first time. It was pretty interesting seeing how your personalities affected your results, too."

"Speaking of which, how did we all do in the end?" Elliot asked.

"Well…you had the least amount of sales out of everyone, Elliot. Ye did manage to make a fair amount, though. But that also means ye didn't really offer that much of a discount. Ye have tae be more aggressive, really." Lymon said.

Elliot chuckled a bit and said, "Sorry about that."

"Next up is Laura. You were a wee bit too generous with the discounts. Makin' lots of sales is good, but…ye still have to consider how much yer makin' from them, too." Lymon said.

"U-Understood. My thanks for the advice." Laura said, sounding somewhat disappointed in herself.

"Next up is Rean. You ended up doin' really well in both the number of sales and how much you made. I'm pretty impressed, honestly. With a bit more experience, ye could become a fine merchant." Lymon said, sounding genuinely impressed by the black-haired teen.

"You really think so?" Rean asked.

"I guess we've discovered another of Rean's hidden talents." Elliot teased.

"Well done, Rean." Laura said.

"Being told that by someone with experience here really is impressive." Alisa said, smiling at her friend.

At this point, Lymon looked at both Naruto and Alisa. "Are ye sure you two dinnae have any prior experience? Ye tied fer the most sales at the best prices. I'm mighty impressed!"

Alisa shook her head and said, "Not really, no…"

Naruto shrugged and said, "Honestly? I can't really remember if I have experience at something like this or not. I just know I had a lot of fun."

Lymon whistled and said, "Well, that really is amazing, then. I have tae be honest here, ye almost managed to sell as much and make as much as I normally do. Ye've even got a unique style that brings the customers in, so there really isnae any advice for me tae give ye both."

Rean looked at Naruto and Alisa and said, "That's quite the evaluation…"

Alisa chuckled somewhat nervously and said, "I-I think that's a bit of an exaggeration…"

Laura smirked as she looked between Naruto and Alisa. "So, these two have the skill to potentially become successful merchants, then."

"I have to admit that I'm a bit surprised." Elliot admitted.

"Aye! I didn't expect them tae be this skilled, either. Do any of yer relatives happen tae be involved with this line of work?" Lymon asked.

"N-Not that I know of, no..." Alisa said, though it was obvious to Naruto that she was lying.

Ignoring the obvious lie by Alisa, Naruto looked at Lymon and shook his head. "I'm afraid my relatives have all passed away. I'm an orphan, you see. I didn't even know who my parents were until I turned 16. Learning that they had already passed on hurt, but I'm sure they're smiling down on me from Heaven. At least, that's what I'd like to believe."

Lymon frowned sadly at him and said, "Sorry tae dredge up bad memories for ye, lad. Either way, today ended up bein' pretty interesting thanks to you lot. Here! Take this. Your wages for the day." With that being said, the merchant handed over a Coral Bracelet. "You made some good money, too, so here. A wee bonus." This time, he handed over a Marble Bracelet.

Taking the accessories offered to them, Rean said, "Thank you very much. We really appreciate it."

"Are you sure about this?" Alisa asked.

"Aye, nae danger. Ye all earned it. I'll catch ye all later, then. And Naruto, remember tae talk to Becky and show her that ye're interested in her! I willnae accept any less from ye." Lymon said, grinning at Naruto.

The blonde sighed and palmed his face. Choosing to just wave goodbye to the man, he led the group off towards the inn. I swear, my life was never meant to be boring. Can't really complain though. I've met some good people, and Lymon's a pretty cool guy. I wonder what tomorrow has in store for us.

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A/N - And that's the chapter! I know, long as hell, wasn't it? lol

As you can see, Lymon's taken quite a liking to Naruto and is trying to convince him to give Becky a chance. Thought that'd be an amusing little bit between them. Also, a looot happened in this chapter, including Naruto revealing a very small bit of his past with not just his friends, but Otto the market manager as well!

Okay, I have not had much sleep. I'm going to end this here. Hope you all enjoyed this as much as I had fun writing it!