CH 77

Some adventurers came around to visit Bennyboy. It looked like he was going to depart at long last.

Nowadays he had completely settled down in our mansion as one of its residents by shrewdly securing himself a room. On top of that, he was earning some pocket money after having opened up a street stall for our eggs, milk, and processed goods. But the adventurers’ visit reminded me that he was actually a peddler.

“Heeey, Lady Indra, let me introduce you! This is the party I belonged to back when I was an adventurer myself, 【Pale Moon of Dawn】.”

……Totally sounds like a bad omen. Or did they choose that name because of their exceedingly weak presence?

Somehow I managed to nod at the inconspicuous quadruplet of small people.

“Ah, you must be thinking something rude, am I right!? Don’t be deceived by their appearance. They’re excellent B-Rank adventurers.”

I widened my eyes in slight surprise.

It seems like there’s almost no A-Rank adventurers around these days. Well, Sword and 【Peerless Strength】 used to be two A-Rankers, but both became S-Rank. There was another party, but they were missing ever since the dragon attack. So you could rightfully claim that B-Rank was essentially the highest rank among adventurers.

【Pale Moon of Dawn】 consisted of two men and two women. Both of the women held wands, but also shouldered bows. One man was equipped with a short spear and daggers while the other had a club and bow.

“We mostly do escort requests, as a party that focuses on ranged attacks.” A woman said after noticing my stare. “I’m the leader of 【Pale Moon of Dawn】, Shine. It’s an honor to meet you, the partner of 【Thunderclap Whitefang】.”

She held out a hand.

“I’m Indra, Sword’s partner. Nowadays we go under the name 【Allrounders】. We plan to have Bennyboy sell our liquor in the near future. Please take care of him and the goods as his escort.”

When I clasped her hand, she had quite the grip, as might be expected of an archer. Probably. All I can sense is her probably trying to apply pressure. Maybe?

“…Hey, what you doin’ there?” Sword turned up.

“Hmm? As you can see, we’re exchanging greetings.”

Just as I answered, my hand was suddenly released.

“Mmh? Is something the matter?”

“N-No, nothing at all.”

She cracked a smile at me while seeming flustered, so I replied with a smile of my own.

“You have quite the grip. I guess that’s only to be expected of an archer. It’s proof of your diligent training, I’d say.”

Then again, it makes sense for the training regime to be different when it comes to B-Rankers.

The other party members looked back and forth between their leader and me, grinning broadly.

“Is it alright for me to greet you as well?”

Ah, we’ve got another playboy over here, too.

“I’m Tran!”

I shook his hand.

…

……

………

“Could I have my hand back anytime soon now?”

He let go of my hand while looking crestfallen.

What’s going on? Is it something like a handshake event because I’m such a beautiful girl? I wonder whether I should sing and dance a song.

All of them requested a handshake from me.

Am I kinda popular? Am I’m in the period where I draw the most romantic interests?

When I looked back at Sword, he was watching with narrowed eyes, and yet a fed-up expression.

“Am I possibly popular? Did they want to shake my hand because I’m such a beauty?”

Bennyboy immediately burst into laughter.

Pfft! He went Pfft! on me!!

“Maaan, that’s Lady Indra for you! I must lower my head at your calmness of handling everything at your own pace, seriously.”

“Then lower it.”

I grabbed his head and pushed it downwards.

“Ouuuch! I give up!”

Once I let go, Sword stroked me.

“Yep, your a bundle of conceit while bein’ quite strong. It ain’t because your popular, just so you know. Also, your looks aren’t bad, sure. But, no one would ever think of you as a beautiful girl, you know?”

What was that!?!?

“That’s not true! The maids and servants keep telling me that I am!”

“Ahhh, them, huh……? They’re special. They blindly worship you, no matter what you might do. In reality, it’s already weird to consider you as a woman.”

How terrible!!!

Sword looked at the other adventurers, “So, you with your prided grip? What did you think of my partner’s hand grip? Or rather, your aware that my partner grabbed your hand as carefully and kindly to not crush it like a ripe tomato, are you? All while misunderstandin’ it as her bein’ popular.”

“That stung! Nothing would be weird about a beauty like me holding a handshake event! It isn’t odd in any way if everyone crowds towards me while wishing to touch my hand!” I snarled loudly in anger, but Sword didn’t listen.

“You had luck that it was someone like her. My partner is a dud. I mean she’s really so silly to misunderstand somethin’ like folk lungin’ at her as being popular. Otherwise you’d be stuck gulpin’ down healin’ potions ’round now.”

Dud!? What’s with him calling me a dud!?! I’m no disappointing beauty!

“Now, now, calm down. It’s just their usual way o’ greeting people. Please don’t get so pissed at them, okay?” Bennyboy went between the two parties.

“A handshake event is a greeting? No, shaking hands is normal, isn’t it? Sure, I won’t deny being a clean-freak, but just because the other party’s hands are dirty, I wouldn’t do something as rude as shaking their hand with a glove on.”

“Yeah okay, that comment just now went out of bound in rudeness.”

The adventurers all stared at their hands. Meanwhile Sword sighed very deeply.

＊

Afterwards, the adventurers apologized to me. They explained that they always compared grip strength in the name of performing a greeting with people who ridiculed them for being small and powerless.

“Wait, I didn’t ridicule you in any way, though, did I? I just thought that you were unfortunate to have a thin presence just like your party name suggests.”

“Whoa, that’s even worse.”

All of them felt dejected.

“Aren’t you glad? This girl here doesn’t shy away from callin’ other folks’ party names as pathetic into their face. Yours is still better as an evaluation, isn’t it?”

“Sword’s nickname is so bad that my brain refuses to translate it. It’s so painful on the ears that it almost drives tears into my eyes.”

Immediately following I was grabbed by an iron claw.

“I’ll make you forget by squeezin’ it outta you just like that.”

“Don’t worry! I’ve already forgotten!”

It was a prickling pain. As I stroked the place he’d grabbed, the adventurers looked at us, dumbfounded.

“No doubt, 【Allrounders】 is a nice party name. It fits you two to a tee,” Bennyboy commented.

“Eh…this girl, too?” Their leader asked.

“Lady Indra is incredible! She can use magic arts and build magic tools! I’ve also seen her train the sword. It was friggin’ awesome!”

He said friggin’ awesome just now, didn’t he? 1 That doesn’t really sound strong.

“She’s capable of cuttin’ a big rock apart with the sword at her waist.” Sword pointed at my wooden sword.

The adventurers were lost for words.

“At some point I’ve simply become able to do so. Very likely, the only thing I can’t cut with this is ［Konjac］.” 2

“”Haah?””

“…Nevermind, just ignore it.”

This world has no konjac, so yeah…

“Anyway! It’s time to unveil the transport golem Lady Indra built and lent to me!!”

Bennyboy is super excited. He totally looks like he wants to brag.

Previously we’d have gone to the barn with everyone, but now the golems are stored away in a golem parking lot.

“”Eeeeeekk!!””, the two women shrieked.

“A-Ain’t t-t-hose m-m-monsters!?”

They don’t look anything like monsters, do they?

“You’d think so, I guess. But, Lady Indra is a genius. If she makes up her mind to build something, she simply goes ahead and finishes it in a whiff. Though, for some reason she’s obsessed with bugs. But! Despite that, their performance is marvelous!!”

Once Bennyboy passed through the infrared sensor, accompanied by a peep, the windscreen slid down with a whoosh.

“Eehh? W-What was that just now?”

“Awesome, isn’t it? It moves independently, you know? Now, come on and hop in. Hurry, hurry!”

Bennyboy beckoned them over.

“It totally feels like willfully entering the mouth of a crazy-ass demonic bug just to be eaten…”

How awful! But, it looks like they got startled when they took a look at the interior.

“Wow!! The inside is as incredible as an ancient city!”

“Eh? Ben, can you control all of this?”

“Yeah, around half of it, I think. Basically it’s fine as long as you don’t start fiddling around with it. Ah, but Mr. Sword loves to play around by tampering with this and that, so I learned some from that, I guess.”

When I directed a powerful glare at Sword, he quietly averted his face.

“Wheee! Contrary to its exterior appearance, its insides are the height of comfort, aren’t they!?”

“What the hell!? The seats are all fluffy and soft, you know?”

“Oh my, this seems like the ideal place for sleeping…”

Bennyboy was beaming with pride.

“I’ve been practicing driving this baby every day, so I think I’ve got the basics completely down. Anyway, lemme give you a little ride around here!” He said and then they soon drove off.