Chapter 5: The Footsteps of Disaster
The next day, the three of us set out with the road repair team, determined to climb the ranks once more. Perhaps because of yesterday’s conversation with Pardomikhov, all three of us were brimming with motivation.
Today, Mr. Stroman joined us.
“By the way, the other day, Miree-san used magic to bind Sid. Was that really as impressive as it seemed?”
“Yes, it is quite difficult to immobilize someone ranked in the triple digits.”
The priests of the Sky Temple are considered elites among the people of the Willbrand Holy Kingdom. Especially since the Sky Temple receives visitors from various worlds, a certain level of combat prowess is necessary.
Despite her slender appearance, Miree must be quite skilled. I secretly sighed. She’s not only beautiful but also strong in battle.
We finished our hunt without any issues today. Though I grumbled about not being able to climb to the third rank, if it were that easy, this world would be full of powerful people.
After reporting the gathered materials at the state military outpost, I was told to visit Yarzak’s room. I left the reporting to Nishina and the others and went to see Yarzak.
“Excuse me.”
“Ah, sorry for calling you in.”
“No, it’s fine.”
“Actually, after hearing about Shigeto-sensei’s story yesterday, I did a little research…”
“Ah, are you talking about our living situation?”
“Yes, I heard it was originally an inn.”
“That’s right, it did feel like that kind of building.”
Yarzak works fast. He had already checked out Vito’s building and, finding no issues, had even started selecting carpenters for the repairs.
“That’s… quick.”
“I think it’s better to handle these things quickly. Besides, leaving a little girl alone like that is concerning.”
“…Huh?”
“Huh?”
“Wait, a girl?”
“Right?”
“Wait… Vito is a boy… right?”
“Eh? No, she’s a girl.”
“Seriously…?”
Now that I think about it, I had always treated Vito as a boy, but now that it’s mentioned, she could be seen as a girl. Well, saying it like that might be rude.
Oh no. I’ve been treating her as a boy all this time. I hope I haven’t said anything disrespectful. I desperately try to recall, but… I think it’s probably fine.
When I look up, Yarzak is laughing at me, probably because of my panicked expression. Feeling embarrassed, I quickly thank him.
“Thank you so much.”
“Not at all. It was troubling to keep people like you, blessed by the great spirits, in such cramped quarters. We’re relieved to help.”
“No, no, not at all.”
I thank Yarzak again and leave the room.
About a week later, the repairs on Vito’s inn finally began. We went to the site with the four of us to discuss the room layouts.
At the site, several Nowin state soldiers were inspecting the condition of the house.
“This is no good. The wood here is rotting.”
Well, it’s to be expected. A house left abandoned for nearly fifty years wouldn’t be in good condition. Still, the wood used for the pillars was of good quality, so the foundation was solid. The walls and other materials had crumbled, so those would need repairs. Kamurog, the person in charge, muttered complaints while checking the building.
“We’re fine with the current layout. It would be great if we could have four individual rooms.”
“Are you sure? Not sharing a room with your wife?”
“Eh? No, it’s not like that…”
“Tsk. If you’re so laid-back, she might run away. Right, sis?”
“It’s fine. I won’t run away.”
“Wow, that’s hot~. Sensei!”
Bam! Kamurog laughed and slapped my back. I’m in trouble…
The town of Doodle Valley itself is located along the road connecting Gallarblue and other major cities of the Hodgkin Federation, so it has a strong history as a post town. Among the uninhabited houses, there are buildings that resemble inns, but currently, there are no operating inns.
“I’ll stay on the first floor, so you can have the second floor.”
“Thanks. Then we’ll use the guest rooms on the second floor.”
After finalizing the details with Vito, we decided on the rooms we’d use.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.PAGES.DEV
Once the discussion was over, we left the site so as not to disturb Kamurog.
We were talking about doing some nearby rank climbing when we noticed a crowd gathered in the town’s central square. Curious, we approached and found a large beast-drawn cart at the center of the commotion.
“Sensei, it’s a traveling merchant!”
This was my first time seeing one, but Nishina and Sakuragi had encountered a traveling merchant once before while fleeing from Gallarblue.
For this village, the arrival of a traveling merchant is a major event. It’s also important for the state soldiers. An unused small house is lent out to the merchant for free during their stay.
The house the merchant borrowed was located around the central square. The beast-drawn cart parked in front of the house had been modified into a mobile shop, and just seeing it set up made us feel excited.
It wasn’t just the state soldiers gathering; the few villagers also came. While everyone was shopping, we checked out the shelves set up on the cart.
“Hey, little lady, glad you’re still here.”
“Eh? Of course, I’m here.”
“Fufu. I thought you might’ve gone to a bigger town. By the way, you like sweets, right? I’ve got all sorts this time.”
“Yay!”
The merchant showed a shelf full of sweets. Sakuragi looked at it with delight.
“Wow, there’s so much. Anything else good?”
“Sure, sure. You’ve got to buy something, or I’ll be in trouble. You can buy the whole shop if you want. Hahaha!”
Given their line of work, remembering faces must be important. Even though it was only the second time, the merchant clearly remembered Nishina and Sakuragi.
This world also has sweets, like hard jelly made from fruit juice and agar, and dried fruits. Sakuragi bought some, and Kimishima, who was watching beside her, happily reached out too. Living in the village, it’s natural to want to stock up on sweets when the opportunity arises.
We had some money from the temple and our state military salaries, but since we didn’t have much to spend it on, we had plenty to spare. We kept adding things we wanted to our baskets.
“Is this alcohol?”
“Hm? Yeah, all those bottles are alcohol. You a drinker, brother?”
“Not that much, but I do like to drink occasionally.”
“Hahaha. You want to buy a barrel of ale, brother?”
As mentioned before, the state military has many Nowin people, and most of them are heavy drinkers who particularly enjoy ale.
In fact, about a third of the merchant’s cart was filled with ale barrels. But, rather than drinking lukewarm ale, I’d prefer something more like sake.
“Hmm. Do you have rice wine?”
“Rice wine? Unfortunately, it’s hard to get in the Federation. I’ve got some potato wine, though.”
The merchant recommended a shochu-like drink. I decided to buy that.
This world is a fantasy one, but there are no gold or silver coins. All currency is stored in the Divine Ledger, which works like electronic money.
After calculating the total, the merchant had me place my Divine Ledger on the payment machine. Once the amount was entered, the payment was complete.
“Thanks. I’ll be here until the day after tomorrow, so come back if you need anything.”
“Thank you.”
After I finished my shopping, Sakuragi and Kimishima, who had filled their baskets with sweets, handed them to the merchant. One by one, everyone enjoyed their shopping.
As it got darker, the crowd thinned. With the small population of the town, the merchant would finish their business by opening shop tomorrow and the day after. As the merchant was closing up the cart by attaching boards around it, someone called out from behind.
The merchant turned to see a man peeking out from the window of the house he was staying in.
“Wow. Didn’t expect to see such a beauty in this countryside.”
“Those two from earlier? They’ve been here since last month. They seem to have just transferred here and don’t know much about this world.”
“In a place like this? Why?”
“Who knows? But, you know, there was that story a while back about a transfer suddenly replacing a Celestial ranker. Seems like the guy with those girls is the one. He looks spaced out, but he’s probably a monster.”
“…That guy? I’ve been hearing rumors in town…”
“Probably. He’s something else.”
The merchant finished packing up and locked the cart, now resembling a large box. The guard, who had been cracking jokes earlier, now looked in the direction Shigeto and the others had left with a sharp gaze.
“Hey, hey. Don’t go thinking about challenging a Celestial rank replacement. You’re the only guard I’ve hired. If you get beaten, I’m in trouble.”
“Hahaha. No, no. If I could take down a Celestial ranker, I wouldn’t be guarding a traveling merchant.”
“Cheeky.”
The guard laughed and brushed it off with a joke.
…But his eyes held something far from laughter—something sharp and dangerous.
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