by CHIROLU
“It looks pretty crowded, so that’d be a big help. Plus it ended up even bulkier than expected,” Dale said while holding up the bundle of documents. By this point, it was more of a small parcel than a letter. And since he had also included the agate-eyed dragon scales wrapped carefully in oil paper, that only strengthened that impression.
After separating from the party, Dale entered the postal building through a door that was every bit as showily adorned as you would expect from such a large town. And true to his first impressions, it really was bustling, with a great number of people coming and going. However, the reception desks were well-staffed, meaning he didn’t have to wait as long as expected.
As Dale was filling out the form to have his report sent back home at the time, he didn’t directly observe what happened next. But when he heard about it later, it was something he hadn’t expected at all: Kenneth, who was supposed to be visiting that shop for the first time on business, was hitting on the waitress.
When Dale finished with the postal service, he found the bar known as the Dancing Ocelot, which was denoted by the green flag with a winged horse on it that was the symbol of Akhdar. And when he approached, what he saw was the rest of the group looking clearly at a loss, while Kenneth was there in the center with a sloppy smile on his face.
With that, he was informed of what had happened.
It was just too unbelievable for anyone who knew Kenneth as he usually was, so Dale was also left dumbfounded and uncertain how to handle the situation.
“Huh?”
“Ah, I mean, it’s just that he looks awful happy for someone who got chewed out in response.”
“Eh? I don’t really get it...”
“No worries there. Even those of us who were there the whole time don’t really understand it.”
“I don’t really get Kenneth hitting on anyone to begin with...” Dale muttered, and everyone else agreed.
“It was our first time seeing it ourselves.”
“Yeah.”
However, the question a troubled-looking Dale asked next was far from what anyone expected.
“What does... ‘hit on’ mean?”
It was just such an unbelievable question that nobody wanted to give him a straight answer.
“I mean, can’t you figure it out from context?”
“Why did you do something like that, Kenneth?”
With that, Kenneth shot him a wide grin, seemingly paying no heed to the fact that they were still out in public.
“I had no clue up till now either, but it looks like there really is such a thing as love at first sight.”
“Huh?”
“Like I said, it was love at first sight. So I tried to woo her.”
“Huh...?”
“I know that they say that haste makes waste, but I made a strategic decision that the saying that the early bird gets the worm took precedence.”
“Huh...”
From the look on Dale’s face it was clear that he wasn’t keeping up with what was happening, but then Kenneth broke out in a smile that said that he was going to leave the lad even further behind.
“Becoming an adventurer was just a means to an end for me.”
“You said something like that before, too.”
“And after I one day retire, I’d like to run an inn or something, and end up having plenty of kids with a beautiful wife. That’s my goal in life.”
“...Huh...”
“Now that I’ve accomplished my goal as an adventurer, that’s what I should focus on. I finally remembered that!”
Around when Dale finally vaguely sensed he wasn’t the only one feeling out of the loop, the energy had fully returned to Kenneth’s expression as he stared up at the sky.
In all likelihood, the rest of the group was probably also thinking to themselves that they were glad to see him back on his feet, but also that they hadn’t at all expected the circumstances that would bring it about.
At the same time, the girl Kenneth had confessed to hadn’t gotten a handle on the situation at all, either.
As the only daughter of the couple who ran the Dancing Ocelot, Rita was tasked with handling a portion of the affairs of her parents’ combination bar and inn.
The shop had been granted an affiliation with the temple of Akhdar, and an information terminal, but the task of using it couldn’t just be entrusted lightly to some outside employee. And so, that fell upon the owners of the place. As her parents’ only daughter, Rita had made up her mind at a young age that she would take over the business, so she underwent higher learning at an Asfar temple in order to polish up the essential skills like accounting. All of that was because she was the shop’s heir, and would have to take charge of it in the future.
She was still a young woman, but that was the sort of enthusiasm that drove her as she sat behind the shop’s counter.
Since she had grown up in a bar, she was used to being teased by drunk customers and having statements with a hint of sexual harassment thrown her way.
And yet... Or no, perhaps precisely because of that...
“I’ve fallen for you. Let’s get married.”
“What’re you saying? Is your brain busted?”
Having someone she just met propose to her with a totally serious look on his face was definitely a new one for her.
“It’s destiny. I can feel it.”
She could swear she shot him an icy glare, but it didn’t seem to get through to him at all. It seemed even her sharp tongue wasn’t enough to shake him.
“I hear death’s the only cure for stupidity, so how about giving that a try?”
“If the undead are what you’re into, Rita, then I’ll give that some serious consideration.”
“Then we’ll have to make sure to use thorough enough purification magic that there won’t even be a single ash of you left behind.”
She had thought she had built up a tolerance for drunks and vulgar jerks, and believed she could ward them all off. Perhaps that was why she didn’t know how to handle him staring straight at her like this.
Her thoughts were all a mess.
And so...
“Rita...”
Unable to bear his gaze any longer, her hand shot out reflexively.
Despite the resulting dry, light bang reverberating through the air, for some reason the large man in front of her was still staring at her with a look of complete and utter satisfaction.
The men accompanying him must have realized it would be bad if this blew up into an incident, as they dragged him out of the shop and closed the door.
And in that instant, Rita was unable to hold herself back any longer and yelled out, “What in the world was that?! Seriously, what the heck?!”
“Huh...? I mean, he was hitting on you, right?” a bearded regular called out while taking a drink, seemingly finding even Rita’s rage amusing.
The regular had made a name for himself as an adventurer, earning enough fame and fortune to become well known around town. Normally, you would expect someone like him to patronize a high-class shop in the western district, amongst all the mansions. The owner being his childhood friend, and his interest in watching over the man’s daughter, were likely both reasons he preferred frequenting this cheap bar in the southern district.
Doing business with ruffians like adventurers carried some risk even for an adult man, yet Rita had decided from a young age that she would take over the shop from her parents. And unsurprisingly, she ended up thinking of her father’s friend as “Uncle Sylvester.”
That was how long the regular had known her for, and yet even he had never seen her this out of sorts.
“And my hand hurts!”
“That’s what happens when you slap someone as hard as you can,” Sylvester said with a grin.
Honestly, he had some interest in the fact that the man was skilled enough to not only track the course of Rita’s slap, but also close his eyes in response. He had never seen the man in Kreuz before, but Sylvester susp
ected he belonged to a mid-level party with a good bit of experience.
“I don’t know him, but I wonder if he’ll be coming here for work from now on...”
“I don’t care in the least!”
“You say that, but if he’s an adventurer based out of Kreuz, then I’m sure you’ll be seeing plenty of him in the future.”
“Ugh...”
“The doctrine of a shop with an Akhdar flag is that they’re supposed to be open to anyone seeking information, right? You can’t just go around choosing your customers based on your personal feelings. If you do, it’ll be just like your old man says...”
Rita was clearly shaken, yet when Sylvester said that she put on a bold front and replied, “I know, he always says it’d be impossible for a woman to run this bar. I’m sick of hearing that. I can easily ward off a flirt or two.”
“Oh, I see.”
Having heard just the response he expected from Rita, Sylvester had nothing else to say, so he just held out his now empty cup towards her.
Kenneth wasted no time at all and came walking through the door of the Dancing Ocelot the very next day, as if to prove what Sylvester had said. Today he was accompanied by a boy with black hair that had a bit of brown mixed in, and he seemed to pay no attention to Rita’s murderous glare, as they just parked themselves in front of the notice board. The board displayed local information and bounties sent by the temple of Akhdar, as well as requests posted by folks from around town. Looking at the two of them gave the impression that the youth was something of a novice being given a thorough lecture.
As he looked intently over the posted requests, the boy, Dale, voiced his thoughts.
“There sure are a lot of extermination jobs.”
“There’s a forest near this town where a lot of magical beasts live. There’s a lot of demand for ingredients from them, so apparently a good number of merchants interested in such things gather here in town.”
“Having a reliable supply of ingredients is essential for craftsmen, too...” Dale muttered, then he made a request of his “big bro.” “Could we try taking jobs like this for a while?”
“It sure is rare, hearing you say something like that.”
“I think I really am most suited to hunting-style work like this. And so I’d like to build up more experience, for when I eventually start working separately from you all.”
At first Kenneth couldn’t hide his surprise at this unusual request from his “little bro,” but then he went and ruffled Dale’s hair.
“Don’t treat me like a kid!”
“I do have to praise you for saying you’ll still rely on us rather than suddenly run off on your own.”
“It just sounds to me like you’re talking to a child...”
“When you’re managing a party, dividing up roles properly is a crucial skill. And I really did mean it when I said that was praiseworthy.”
Rita, having started listening in on the conversation at some point, thought to herself that they got along rather well. But then she came back to her senses and looked back down at the documents in front of her.
After all, it was like she was actually interested in him of all things, with the way she was looking their way and wondering what they were discussing. It was downright stupid paying him any heed. Like the sort of nonsense a drunk would ramble on about.
Yes, it was totally foolish to be the only one paying any attention.
She didn’t seem to realize that the fact she was trying so hard to act like she wasn’t paying any attention to them meant she actually was quite focused on them. As he gave an awkward smile at that side of the girl that he had never seen before, “Uncle Sylvester” moved from his usual table to the counter and called out to the pair of newcomers.
“I’ve never seen you before. I’ve been hearing tell around the eastern district that someone’s brought in dragon parts to town, but was that you folks?”
Dale wore a look of suspicion upon being suddenly approached by the stranger, but Kenneth put on a faint diplomatic smile.
“We just got lucky.”
“No need to be modest.”
“We managed to quickly find a prospective buyer, too. I guess that’s the second most prominent town in all of Laband for you.”
“Sounds like business is going smoothly, then.”
“Yeah, fortunately. So much so that I’d love to treat you to a drink after you introduce yourself, but I seem to have gotten on the waitress’s bad side, so I suppose I’d better leave that for another time.”
“Right,” Sylvester replied, lightly raising his hand in response.
Then, having finished with such pleasantries, Kenneth turned around and prompted Dale to head out of the shop.
However, at the very last second, he looked at Rita, who was still pointlessly shuffling around documents.
“Well then, see you later, Rita.”
“I’d prefer it if you never came again.”
Kenneth grinned wide, seemingly just happy to have gotten a response. As a result, Rita wasn’t able to look straight at him, and felt a sense of defeat that was hard to put into words.
“Well then, shall we start off by handling the request from the alliance of healers?” Kenneth asked with a smile as soon as they were out the door, but Dale was left with a number of questions. They weren’t anything serious, though, so he could just ask on the way. And so, that was just what he did, keeping up his pace so as not to fall behind the larger man.
Kreuz was laid out so that the main streets formed the same cross shape as the town itself, so it was easy for even outsiders to grasp more or less where they were, unless they wandered down the narrow alleys. It really was helpful, as it meant you needed to spend far less effort memorizing roads.
“There are other requests, so why did you pick that one?” Dale asked first, choosing a question related to work rather than one driven purely by curiosity.
“We’re not familiar with the layout or the state of the area. But if we can get some information from local parties who frequently head into the forest and match that up with jobs, then that’s killing two birds with one stone.”
“I see...”
His “little bro” looked innocent in a way that was fitting to his age as he nodded along, much as the lad would hate to have that pointed out. In fact, Kenneth had to force himself not to smile at how adorable the boy looked.
“So do you know that old-timer?”
“Not exactly, but he matches the details of someone I’ve heard rumors about. I guess that’s Kreuz for you, for a big shot like Mr. Delius to be hanging out like it’s only natural.”
“Delius...?”
“Even you must have heard of the adventurer named Sylvester Delius, right?”
“Huh...? A-Ah! Wait, he was a real person?”
“Yeah, most folks react like that.”
“When you come from out in the country like me, he sounds just like a character out of tall tales meant for kids.”
Minstrels sung tales of adventurers and epics. And the great tasks sung of in such stories often crumbled the boundaries between fact and fiction. Dale hadn’t become an adventurer out of admiration for such tales, though, so he had never paid much attention to the adventurers who really did exist.
“When exactly did you have time to chase gossip anyway, Kenneth?”
“I managed to gather plenty of different bits of information even while you were staring at that notice board. Like in regards to Mr. Delius, let’s see... He was seated at the same table both yesterday and today, so he shows up at the shop enough to have a fixed spot. And from how much attention he seemed to be paying to Rita, they’re probably pretty close.”
“So Rita’s the name of that woman behind the counter...? When did you ask her that?”
“I didn’t, I just heard other folks calling out to her. It’s a wonderful name, isn’t it?”
Apparently he had managed to gather all that crucial information in such a short period of t
ime. That level of skill was worthy of praise, yet Kenneth had that sloppy grin on his face the whole time they were talking, so Dale ultimately just awkwardly averted his gaze. As he still hadn’t spent all that long as a “little bro,” he didn’t have any clue how to properly quip at this entirely unfamiliar side of his “big bro.”
Meanwhile, back in the Ocelot, Sylvester was holding out his empty cup towards Rita.
“You just haven’t had enough to drink.”
Rita’s cheeks were still a bit red as she silently filled up the cup.
Despite feeling somewhat complex emotions upon seeing that, Sylvester continued on, “Apparently, someone brought parts from an aquatic dragon into the eastern district yesterday. The passionate youngsters around there are even saying that because they don’t seem to have gone bad at all, it must have been a case of that group exterminating it rather than just stumbling on the corpse. That would definitely take some serious skill.”
“There haven’t been any requests to exterminate a dragon around here lately.”
“Right, and I’d imagine we should hear more before long. After all, it’d be a serious issue if their habitat shifted.”
“That’s for sure...”
“The guy in charge of the adventurer party who brought those parts in is called Tarnat. That’s the same name as a guy who I’ve heard specializes in guarding merchant caravans, and he has a pretty good reputation.”
“Huh...”
Rita kept acting as if she didn’t care at all, showing her overall stubborn personality. And so she started using the nearby Akhdar message board, seemingly looking for some sort of information among what came from the temple.
The daughter of his friend of many years had never reacted to someone like that before, so Sylvester found it no surprise at all that she was investigating him.
For folks without much rumors and reputation about them, if they were trying to keep it that way it was best not to openly take jobs around Kreuz, and they certainly shouldn’t come anywhere near this shop. So since he hadn’t done so, it certainly made things go easier.
And yet, though Kenneth and his friends did indeed have a reputation, she couldn’t find anything bad said about them no matter how much she dug. And considering they were being requested by name for a number of guard jobs from merchant groups, they certainly seemed to have plenty of trust placed in them.
