After a scandal where the top brass was arrested by the knights, they would never have managed to rebuild on their own. There was no flattery in saying she saved them.
That’s why he wanted to help her, but──
《Hey, old man, good job.》
“Stop calling me old man.”
《Wanna play?》
“Please, later.”
──He never imagined that helping her would mean babysitting a mysterious little girl who floated in the air like a scarlet fairy.
“Sorry about this, Ganen. Thanks for looking after Akane.”
“No, it’s fine. I have a daughter around three, so I’m used to it.”
Thus, although he had mixed feelings about the “deal” involving the girl, it was originally Lugola’s sin and also their sin for not condemning it. He couldn’t blame Diz for anything. The only thing he could do was──
《Ah, it’s Niitan!》
“Akane, he’s here.”
Even when exhausted from labyrinth exploration, he would still frequently visit his sister. Ganen could only hope that the brother’s efforts would be rewarded.
Day 15 of training. Two participants. No dropouts.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.PAGES.DEV
At the Greed Branch of the Golden Phoenix.
“Well, it’s gotten pretty troublesome.”
“The number of rivals will inevitably increase. The Hunting Festival has a long history.”
“Is that so?”
“It’s a traditional event. The residents are used to it. In a few days, the decorations will be up.”
Today, Ur visited the moneylender, the Golden Phoenix, which was taking care of his sister.
The reason for his visit, of course, wasn’t to see Diz or to hear about the history of the Hunting Festival.
《Niitan, are you in trouble? Are you okay?》
Akane, in her fairy form, was perched cheerfully on Ur’s head. The spirit-possessed Akane could change her form freely, adapting to avoid drawing attention. She liked taking the form of a cat, but today she felt like being a fairy.
“I’m really in trouble… What should I do?”
《Need help?》
“Just the thought is enough, thank you.”
Ur gently patted her on the head, making Akane smile happily. He found her demeanor adorable and wanted nothing more than for her to be happy, but there were obstacles.
“You seem to be having a hard time. I sympathize.”
The cause of those obstacles was Diz, who was smiling while watching Ur and Akane interact. “Thanks to you,” Ur frowned.
“Just the condition of getting the Bronze rank is troublesome enough, and now more rivals? Give me a break…”
“Well, I set that condition assuming the Hunting Festival would happen.”
“What?!”
Ur scowled at Diz’s words, but she shrugged.
“I set the Bronze rank as a condition, but it wouldn’t mean anything if it was impossible, right? Just defeating the Gem Dolls alone is a bit too weak.”
“……Did you predict we would target the Gem Dolls?”
“If you’re serious about getting the Bronze rank, there aren’t many choices. It was easy to imagine.”
Diz laughed. Ur opened his mouth to organize his complicated thoughts.
“……I was the one who proposed this challenge, but why are you so eager?”
Ur found it hard to understand why she was so interested in him. He couldn’t think of any reason why Diz, who had nothing to gain, would go to the trouble of setting conditions considering bounty hunters and related events.
Diz tilted her head and thought for a moment before speaking.
“……For entertainment, I suppose.”
“The worst answer possible!”
It was an even worse answer than he expected.
“Honestly, I was wondering how to answer this… I couldn’t come up with any excuse.”
Diz groaned as if she was surprised by herself.
“Rationally, I should ignore your plea. If I felt sympathy, I should return Akane.”
Instead of choosing either, she accepted Ur’s plea, gave him trials, and watched him suffer. Indeed, it was a form of wicked entertainment.
“Giving you an opportunity and watching you struggle is pure selfish pleasure. There’s no excuse for it.”
Saying that, Diz suddenly raised her hand. It was a simple gesture, but before he knew it, Akane had disappeared from Ur’s head.
《Oh?》
“Two weeks left. I’ve grown fond of you and Akane.”
Akane was now in Diz’s arms, looking puzzled. Diz smiled at Ur.
“Even so, I won’t show mercy in this contract. That’s why I expect you to fight hard.”
“Evil rich person.”
“Ha ha ha, poor person.”
《Poor person.》
“Oh no, my sister betrayed me.”
Akane imitating Diz was amusing. Of course, he couldn’t just leave it at that. Ur stood up and nodded.
“……I’ll do it, you bastard.”
At Ur’s words, Diz laughed, “I’m looking forward to it.”
///
continue
///
*** continue
The guests left, and the maid began to clear the cups. Diz stretched her shoulders to return to the piled-up work on her desk.
《Hey, Diz.》
“Hmm?”
In the meantime, Akane, still in her cat form, looked up at Diz. Even as a cat, her beautiful scarlet eyes stared intently at Diz.
《What do you want to do with this “selfish pleasure”?》
“Hmm.”
Indeed, she hadn’t told Ur what she desired. However, since Akane, the prize of this bet, was asking, she should answer.
“I want to be defeated.”
《Hmm? Are you a masochist?》
“Maybe so.”
Diz agreed and petted Akane. She laughed, recalling the bravado words of a nameless boy.
“I’m really looking forward to it, Ur.”
Labyrinth City Greed, Marching Avenue
“……It’s really gotten complicated.”
Bronze rank promotion, bounty hunters, the Hunting Festival.
Even with barely any awareness as an adventurer, the situation was overwhelming. Of course, it was what Ur had wished for. He had no right to complain to anyone. However, confusion and anxiety gnawed at his spirit.
“Calm down… I have to take it step by step.”
He made a fist and rubbed it against his forehead.
What he needed to do now was think of a way to defeat the Gem Dolls. Fight and defeat the Gem Dolls. First, he needed to get the right weapon.
“This better get fixed…”
The dragon tooth spear, splendidly broken in the tavern, was wrapped in cloth and strapped to his back. It wasn’t a cherished weapon yet, but he had to do something about it first.
Currently, Ur was heading east from the main street. In the eastern district, there were fewer citizens and more adventurers like him. He also saw people wearing thick work clothes and gloves.
That was natural. This area was──
“Ur-sama!”
As he moved forward, Shizuku appeared at the meeting place. She waved with a bright smile, approaching him, and Ur responded.
“Shizuku, sorry to keep you waiting.”
“I just got here.”
He wanted to say he’d never seen anyone who actually just arrived when they said that, but he refrained from pointing it out. Instead, he looked ahead.
“……It’s quite noisy.”
“Such liveliness here.”
Greed, often referred to as the adventurer’s nation. While adventurers are the main focus, there are others who support them. Craftsmen who create and refine the weapons and gear used by adventurers. Ur visited the Craftsmen District managed by the Artisan Guild.
“I hope I can fix it with the three silver coins those drunks gave me. …… “
“It’s good they compensated.”
“They were crying, though. Those guys.”
Though they had squandered their winnings from gambling, it wasn’t entirely their fault. Ur and Shizuku had no time to spare to show mercy. Their current focus was reaching the Craftsmen District.
“…Well, whether it’s enjoyable or not, it’s time to shop.”
“Not enjoyable?”
“I dislike expenses.”
“Buying equipment? I see. Here.”
Before heading to the Craftsmen District, Ur informed Glen. He casually tossed a sack on the ground. Opening it revealed several silver coins.
“…What’s this money?”
“The income we collected from you.”
According to Glen, it was earnings collected from Labyrinth explorations. The money they thought was being extorted was actually being held for safekeeping.
“Why bother?”
“Some idiots don’t know what to do with small sums once they get their hands on them.”
Indeed. Thanks to this, Ur and Shizuku now had quite a substantial savings.
Despite living expenses and daily necessities, they now had about twenty-six silver coins, including three coins from the hoodlums. This sum would determine their future. However…
“This thing is terrible.”
“Yeah, unbelievable. What a pitiful sight.”
“Trying to make a Dragon Fang Spear. It’s sacrilegious. Terrible…”
“Let’s destroy it in one go. That’s a form of respect.”
“Alright. Let’s blow it up. Everyone, pray to the spirit of war.”
“Wait, wait, wait!”
It began with an odd stumble over the repair of the Dragon Fang Spear.
Ur intervened as craftsmen began to dismantle his spear without permission.
“Don’t interfere, customer.”
“Don’t call customers blasphemers.”
“They’re interesting people, aren’t they?”
They had stumbled upon a strange smithy.
Introduced by regulars from the “Hideout” as having solid skills, it turned out their skills were the only reliable aspect. Who were these guys?
Visit the request page If there’s a Japanese Light Novel (LN) or Web Novel (WN) you’d like me to translate
When the donation goal progress bar above hit 100% one novel will be chosen for translation
| Table of Contents | Next* |
Support the Author by Buying the Original Books!
