by Ao Jyumonji
I think it is.
While watching over the merciless party with his sleepy eyes, Haruhiro looked around to ensure no new enemies were coming. No matter how advantageous their situation, even if the battle were more or less decided, something could suddenly happen to turn everything around. If that happened, it happened, and they just had to accept it and move on, but he didn’t want to make that sort of decision if he didn’t have to.
The nape of the white giant’s neck and the back of its head were more or less destroyed, and it had already stopped moving. It seemed to be dead.
But in some ways, the hard part of dealing with a four-meter giant was yet to come. It was a time-intensive and bothersome task, but it paid off well.
At first, the white giants had been these huge, dangerous things that had just gotten in their way, and they had treated them as something to run away from as soon as they saw them. However, Shinohara of Clan Orion had discovered that the white giants had a number of organs inside them where an unknown metal was concentrated. Ever since someone had spread word of that discovery, the white giants had become a favored target for volunteer soldiers.
By the way, this wasn’t a recent development. It had happened close to a month ago.
“I got me some rainbow pyroxene!” Ranta shouted like an idiot, holding up an orb with a fifteen-centimeter diameter that shone with the rainbow of colors its name suggested.
As far as Haruhiro knew, these rainbow pyroxene organs that were unique to the white giants were usually fist-sized, so that one would be considered large.
“Yahoo! Me, too! Me, too! Me, too! I got one!” Kikkawa lifted another rainbow pyroxene up high, with one eye closed and his tongue stuck out. This second one was ten centimeters across, maybe. Still, that wasn’t small.
In the end, those were the only two rainbow pyroxenes they extracted from the white giant. However, when they stripped the cultists of their ponchos and searched them, they were able to find a number of accessories with small pieces of rainbow pyroxene embedded in them. These rainbow pyroxenes had been diligently ground and polished, so they had a high value for their small size.
“Well, I’d say we’ll make around six,” Tokimune said from atop the giant’s remains, his white teeth sparkling as he smiled.
While thinking, Wow, they’re brilliant, Haruhiro tilted his head to the side in thought. “Nah... I’d say about five, maybe?”
“That’s all, you think?” Tokimune asked.
“Probably.”
Five gold. Split fifty-fifty with the Tokkis, Haruhiro and the party’s take would be two gold and fifty silver. Split six ways, that was a bit over 41 silver each. Not bad. Or rather, it was an incredible amount that they could never have imagined making a few months ago.
I shouldn’t get used to this, he thought. I have to assume making this much won’t be a given.
The white giant’s remains would have to be left where they were, but they at least dragged the cultists’ corpses to the side of the road before Haruhiro’s party and the Tokkis moved on.
Soon, they passed by someone. Not a cultist, and not a white giant, but a human.
No, humans. Volunteer soldiers, to be precise.
“Oh.” The hunter that led the group gave off an unpleasant vibe. He wore a hide outfit, a cap with a feather in it, and had a bow and a quiver of arrows slung over his back. He was probably a little older than Haruhiro and the others. He had eyes like a fox and a crooked mouth. “It’s the Goblin Slayers and the comedians.”
“Hello, Kuzuoka-san.” Haruhiro bowed his head slightly.
Among all the senior volunteer soldiers, there were a few he was less than happy about having to address with a -san. This was one of them. They hadn’t had much in the way of interaction, but he did have a grudge against this man. When they had just arrived in Grimgar, Kuzuoka had scouted Moguzo to join his party, then stolen his money and abandoned him.
“Tch...” Ranta clicked his tongue with distaste.
Kuzuoka narrowed his eyes and tried to intimidate them with a “Huhhh...?”
There were a warrior, thief, mage, priest, and dread knight following Kuzuoka. One looked as if he wanted to say, Here we go again..., while another was impassive, and yet another seemed amused. Each of the five had their own reaction, but none of them were anything remotely friendly.
“Why, hello, hello, Kuzuoka-saaaan,” Kikkawa butted in, slapping Kuzuoka on the shoulder in that over-friendly manner of his. “It’s been, like, ages. You been doing all right, Kuzuoka-saaaan? Like, how’ve things been lately?”
“Damn it, don’t touch me, Crap-kawa!” Kuzuoka yelled.
“Huh? What’s this? I’m cute as crap? Man, I always thought I was.”
“I didn’t say that, you dolt!”
“No, no, no, no need to be shy, Crap-oka-saaaan. Oops, got it wrong, it’s Kuzuoka! Soz, soz! I’m gonna reflect on what I did!”
“There’s no way you’re reflecting on anything!” Kuzuoka screamed.
“Yup! I’m not! Teehee!”
“You piss me off, you know that?” Kuzuoka snarled. “Move it, or die! I’ll kill you!”
“That’s not possible,” Tokimune said with a friendly smile. “I don’t know you all that well, but I do know you’re weaker than me. Want to try it and see?”
“I-I’m not gonna do it!” Kuzuoka pushed Kikkawa aside.
“We’re going!” he ordered his comrades, and they shuffled along. Even as he left, the way he kept muttering what sounded like insults at the group was very like Kuzuoka.
“That guy.” Ranta kicked the ground. “With his rotten personality, I’m amazed he manages to be a party leader. I can’t believe him.”
“Yeah...” Haruhiro rubbed the back of his neck. “You’re not one to talk, though...”
2. My Love Is Always Like This
There was no sun that rose or set in the Dusk Realm, no mornings or nights. Compasses were worthless here, leaving no way to tell the cardinal directions. That was inconvenient, so Shinohara of Orion had come up with a proposal.
Looking out from the initial hill, off in the distance, there was a pillar-shaped object rising into the sky. It was of a size and shape that didn’t seem natural, and it had probably been created by someone. He suggested that, for the sake of convenience, that direction would be North. With no objections, everyone had accepted that idea.
East of the initial hill, a pair of adventurers called Lala and Nono had discovered a valley where plants grew, and a spring with clear water at the bottom of it. Incidentally, it had also been Lala and Nono who’d arrived five days after Haruhiro and the others to discover the hole that had appeared in the Grimble Mineshaft in the Wonder Hole.
On top of that, Lala and Nono had named those bat-like creatures “gremlins.” The name “ri-komo” wasn’t being used anymore. Even Haruhiro and the rest called them gremlins now.
Lala and Nono named the area where the gremlins were thought to lay their eggs the Egg Storage, and the area past there the Gremlin Flats. Naturally, Haruhiro and the rest were using those names too at this point. Lala and Nono had a knack for business, and they had made money by inviting Orion, Iron Knuckle, and the other influential clans to the Dusk Realm and charging them to show them around.
Lala and Nono were apparently very diligent and meticulous. They searched every nook and cranny of the Gremlin Flats and discovered the entrance to another world, separate from the Dusk Realm, where it was always dark and the dawn never came—the Night Realm.
The Night Realm was still more or less untouched. It was dark, after all, and there were rumors that volunteer soldiers may or may not have gone in there, never to return. It seemed to be a very dangerous place, and there were rumors that Lala and Nono were secretly continuing to investigate it.
On this day when those idle rumors were feeling like they might have some truth to them, the Dusk Realm was the number-one hunting ground for volunteer soldiers. It had become that way in almost no time whatsoever.<
br />
Haruhiro stood out in front of his tent, taking a sip of water from his canteen. He sighed. “It sure is amazing...”
In the area between the valley Lala and Nono discovered and to the east of the initial hill, there were not just ten, but tens of tents lined up.
Most of them belonged to volunteer soldiers who, like Haruhiro and the Tokkis, were staying in the Dusk Realm. The rest were for those that did business with volunteer soldiers—an itinerant cafeteria, an itinerant bar, a blacksmith, a bathhouse, a reseller, a branch of the Yorozu Deposit Company, and even... those sorts of people who sold “companionship.” These people had their tents set up near the valley, while the volunteer soldiers’ tents were set up around them, forming a sort of miniature village.
It was being called the Dusk Realm Volunteer Soldier Corps Settlement.
No, that was a lie. Almost no one called it such a fancy name. “The settlement” was what it was called for short.
Night never came here.
On the outside, it was probably the middle of the night now, but in a way, there was no time here, so it didn’t really feel like it. Anna-san had a mechanical clock, so Haruhiro and the others relied on it to wake up in the morning, be active during the day, and then sleep as much as possible at night.
Haruhiro really wanted to do that, but he was feeling a little bit of insomnia. That was why he was here alone, huddled outside the tent.
He could hear Ranta’s snoring.
No way I’m getting to sleep over that, he thought.
The voices of the volunteer soldiers at the itinerant bar were sounding awfully noisy.
I’m not going to be getting any sleep at all, he thought.
“The way that, y’know, it never gets dark here is getting to me,” Haruhiro mumbled.
Is it making me nervous? he wondered. I’m not completely insensitive to these things like Ranta is, but I don’t think I’m excessively sensitive, either.
“I want to live alone... someday...” he murmured.
There’s just something intolerable about having people around at all times. It can get suffocating. Pretty often, actually. It’s a pretty big dream, but I want to rent a room all to myself.
“Ugh, I hate this, hate this, hate this, hate this, hate this, hate this, hate this, hate this, hate this, hate this, hate this, hate this, hate this, hate this, I can’t take it anymore...” He buried his head in his arms and muttered to himself for a while. That helped him feel a little better.
Let’s be realistic. I mean, even if I were going to rent a room, we won’t be back in Alterna for a while. In the Lonesome Field Outpost and the settlement, we’re gonna be living in tents. When it comes to moving around, the fewer tents the better. The current arrangement, one for the guys, one for the girls, two total, is probably the best. I know that, so why do I occasionally have such an urge to be alone?
I can’t think of a reason.
Maybe it’s partly because I’m the leader, a role I’m fundamentally not suited for... actually, mostly because of that, I try to be considerate to the others.
That’s fine when we’re working. There’s a lot to think about, a lot to do, so I don’t focus on it so much. But when the day is over and I’m freed from my duties, it all weighs down on me, making it hard to breathe.
I don’t think I want to throw it all away. I don’t plan to run away from it, either.
Just, it’s hard.
I can’t throw anything away, and I have no intention to, but it’s rough. I’m doing more than I can handle, and I can’t help but feel inadequate. But still, I have to do it.
I can’t whine about it, either. I don’t want to worry my comrades, and I don’t want to rock the boat. It could affect our performance.
Anyway, I’m being considerate of their feelings. Both with my comrades, and the Tokkis. I have no other choice. That emotional labor is wearing me out.
I want to be alone.
“Well, I am, though,” he murmured. “Alone...”
That’s right. I got my wish. I am alone now. Haruhiro got up. I’ll go for a walk.
He left the tent and headed towards the valley. There was no day or night here, so there were customers at both the itinerant cafeteria and bar. There were volunteer soldiers wandering around, too, but Haruhiro moved stealthily to avoid their attention.
There was a large number of volunteer soldiers gathered here in the settlement. Still, it wasn’t like there were two or three hundred of them. He was at least acquainted with most of the volunteer soldiers, but they were his seniors, and Haruhiro and the others were generally the subject of ridicule. If one of them called out to him and he had to engage in pointless small talk, he was sure to have an unpleasant time. Besides, he wanted to be alone.
The members of Iron Knuckle were having a party at the itinerant bar. They were what you’d call a clan, but for some reason they called themselves a family, and addressed each other as brothers. In the center of the group was a man with a buzz cut who wasn’t especially large, and had a baby face, but even at a distance gave off an intimidating aura, “Titan” Max. The man with a short goatee sitting next to him was his right-hand man, Aidan.
Apparently Max’s real name was Masafumi and Aidan’s was Eisuke, but anyone who spoke those names in front of either of them was guaranteed to end up seeing their own blood. It wasn’t just Max and Aidan; most of the brothers had nicknames they called each other by.
“We! Are! Iron! Knuckle! Yeahhhhh!” the brothers shouted.
Haruhiro heard that shout from them often. The brothers got very excited when they shouted it together with their throaty voices. He didn’t really get it, that sort of culture.
Iron Knuckle had been the next ones to storm into the Dusk Realm after Orion, and they had quickly demonstrated how fierce they were.
Orion was a reflection of Shinohara’s character, and its members were generally elegant, a sort of large-scale explorers’ club, but Max and his lot were completely different. They were bellicose to the core, a terrifying group of fighters.
They killed them. Every cultist they got their hands on, they killed. It was a massacre.
There were cultist towns scattered around the Dusk Realm. Before Orion came, Haruhiro and the others had discovered two of them. However, they had never approached them, since there were cultists living there. That would have been clearly dangerous.
However, Iron Knuckle had charged into one of those towns like it didn’t matter. From what Haruhiro had heard, they had spent a full day, over 24 hours, staying in town and murdering cultists. In the end, the surviving cultists had left town, and Iron Knuckle had returned singing manly songs about their victory.
They had occupied the town. No, perhaps it was more accurate to say they had destroyed it.
In fact, it just so happened that these days, that was the town Haruhiro and the others sometimes used as their hunting ground.
After that, Iron Knuckle hadn’t continued to occupy the town; they’d set off on a journey of raids and slaughter. Did they spend their day’s earnings the day they got them? No, that wasn’t it. Anyway, the cultists had been returning to the town in small groups, but they only cleaned up the corpses of their fallen comrades and patrolled the area, showing no intention of living there for now.
Furthermore, the white giants were usually in the areas called cultist bases, or just bases, and not in the cultists’ towns. That had been true, from what the party had seen so far.
For starters, unlike cultists, white giants weren’t just anywhere and everywhere. It was only in the ruins of the temple of the giant gods that the Tokkis had fled into on their second day in the Dusk Realm, or in the basin to the southwest of the initial hill called the Great Cauldron of the Gods that there had been confirmed sightings of white giants.
However, ever since Iron Knuckle had crushed one of the cultists’ bases, the white giants had begun to wander around. Sometimes, they were even seen acting in concert with the cultists.
For that reason, it was now easy to catch a limited number of cultists and white giants in the base that Iron Knuckle had destroyed, making it a convenient hunting ground for volunteer soldiers. Among volunteer soldiers, it was called “the first.”
Did that come from it being the first base destroyed by humans, or from it being the first hunting ground? Or both, perhaps? Haruhiro didn’t really know.
“Well, we’ve got a lot to thank Iron Knuckle for, that’s for sure...” he murmured.
They were terrible people, yeah. It wasn’t going to be easy to wipe away that feeling completely. But as Haruhiro and the others were living off the spoils of their work, that meant they were just as terrible, and they were also petty. They were in no position to criticize.
That aside, Haruhiro put his skills as a thief to use, reaching the edge of the valley without attracting anyone’s attention. He savored the small feeling of accomplishment.
I’m such a small-timer, he thought. But I’m fine with that. Being small-time. It’s great. I want to be a small-timer forever. Honestly, what I don’t want is to be a small-time leader, and it really hurts that I have no choice in the matter.
When this place had first been found, it had been verdant and green, but now it was much more desolate. The trees had all been cut down, not a single one left. There were some bushes left here and there. That was about it.
The spring in the bottom of the valley was being used as a water source. Haruhiro’s canteen contained water from this spring that had been boiled. The water looked clear and clean, but if you drank it straight, it was guaranteed to give you the runs. Intensely, too. The volunteer soldiers didn’t hold back in their use of water, so there was the risk of the spring running dry, but it seemed fine for now.
When he looked into the spring, for some reason, it calmed his heart. Doing this let him get back to a level state of mind. He was such a simple, cheap person. He was happy to be a simple, cheap person. If Haruhiro had been a refined and complicated person, he would no doubt have worried himself sick over more things.
