CH 261

Bakkenheim's response

***---***

"Kent, can you take a look at Bakkenheim for a moment?"

I returned to the guesthouse attached to the Guild, and after taking a short break, Klaus-san asked me.

"Since we're inside the Guild, there is almost no need to worry about being attacked. As long as you leave a Kobold for communication, we'll be fine. In that case, tell them that we are also starting to move, and ask them about their response status."

"Understood, I'll try to get back to you as soon as possible."

"Aahh, no, instead, investigate slowly. I wonder what the adventurers on the streets are thinking, and how the people in the town, such as shopkeepers, feel."

"Yes, I'm going."

Leaving Mart and Mirt as liaisons with Klaus-san-tachi, I headed for Bakkenheim.

The first place I went was in front of the Guild's counter.

Peeking out from the shadows, it was evening and it was crowded with adventurers who had come to report on their quests.

[ Kent-sama, look at that ... ]

[ Aree, what are they doing at this hour? ]

Looking in the direction Reinhardt was pointing, there was a crowd in front of the bulletin board with the requests.

It wasn't as busy as in the morning, but it seemed that many adventurers were examining the requests.

[ Most likely, the rush of requests for escorts has caused a lack of adventurer hands. There will probably be requests other than escort ones, so there must be some good work left at this time of day. ]

[ I see, there's a labor shortage going on. ]

In the staff space behind the counter, Master Reese's right-hand person, Rita-san, was giving instructions to the staff while wrestling with piles of documents.

Ice blue short hair that suited her, a Cool Beauty wolf girl, that was Rita-san, but she had dark circles under her eyes.

The head of any Guild had a hard-working black constitution, didn't they.(TN:black constitution is like a black company as in they overwork, etc.)

At this rate, Rita-san's will further delay getting married ... Hii, I was glared at.

Even though I was in the shadows, I was sent a ghastly stare.

It seemed like it would be better to call out after a while.

[ Should we go take a look at the city first? ]

[ I agree. Also, I'll have a little meal. ]

It was still a bit early for dinner, but let's finish dinner before we start investigating and scouting.

We headed to the 'Moonlight Grotto', a meat restaurant that I visited before with Takayama.

As expected, it must be meat!

Looking at the store from the shadows, there were no customers yet, probably because it had just opened.

I came out in a hidden back alley and opened the door of the store.

"Good evening, I haven't made a reservation, but is it okay?"

"Welcome, how many people are there?"

"I, there's just me."

"It's okay, please, this way ..."

An Onee-san with a lovely smile guided me to a seat.

I had steak for lunch, so I had stew and deep-fried food for dinner.

"Are you a student of the advanced school?"

"No, I'm a humble adventurer."

"Is that so. Recently, everyone seems to be doing well."

"Aahh, I guess that is so. I'm an adventurer from Volzard ..."

"Maa, then, did you work as an escort through the Irosun Great Forest?"

"Eehh, something like that."

"I heard that the number of monsters has increased considerably, but what is the actual situation?"

"Let's see. It seems that there are more than before, but since people are moving in a caravan, the battles are done by the skilled ones, so it doesn't feel like much of a difference."

"But, to be asked to be an escort at your age, it's because you have the ability, right? It's amazing."

"N, no way, someone like me, there's still a long way to go."

Because other customers had not come yet, I was asked various questions by the Onee-san of the store.

Even though I knew it was a sales smile, it still made me nervous.

The food that came out was as exquisite as ever, and I thoroughly enjoyed it to my heart's content.

After paying the bill, I asked the store Onee-san for information.

"Umm, where is the shop where the most adventurers gather around here?"

"Let me think ... It's a bit of a walk from here, but a bar called 'Ogre's Severed Head' is famous. However, it seems that there are many people who are a bit rough, so I don't recommend it."

"Is that so, then, I'll take a peek from the outside and just taste the atmosphere."

"Fufufu ... You sure are an interesting person."

"Ehh, is that so?"

"Yes, if an ordinary adventurer were told the same thing, there's nothing to be afraid of ... they would say such a thing."

"I see ... Then, th, that kind of thing, th, there's nothing to be afraid of."

"Ahahaha ... Customer-san is really an interesting person. Umm, may I ask your name?"

"Mine, is it? My name is Kent."

"Ehh, no way, an adventurer from Volzard, you said ..."

"I'll be in your care again another time."

Instead of opening the door, I put out a shield of darkness and dived into the shadows.

Mufuu, I feel like I'm something of a celebrity.

Next time, how about visiting just before closing time, after this, how about a drink ... inviting her to do such a thing ... If I did, everyone would get mad at me.

In my case, there's no way they wouldn't find out.

I followed the directions as instructed and soon found the location of the store.

Above the entrance to the shop were two large skulls with two horns on their foreheads.

If 'Moonlight Grotto' was a quiet restaurant, 'Ogre's Severed Head' had the atmosphere of a pub in the outskirts of town.

Cigarette smoke filled the store, along with the echoes of laughter and yelling.

Sturdy adventurers were throwing mugs of ale at each other, and magicians in robes were having secret conversations in the corner of the store.

An adventurer who touched the buttocks of a dog-beast employee received a backfist without delay and was blown away.

"How dare you touch me with such dirty hands! Next time you do it, I'll cut off your arm!"

At the Onee-san's brisk caustic words, a burst of laughter arose.

"To have the nerve to do that, this amateur ..."

The man lying on the floor, raised an angry voice while bleeding from the nose, but was forced to Fade Out in the middle.

The store employee Onee-san, who had closed the distance as if she were flowing, pointed a Trench Knife at his neck.

"This is not a brothel, if you want a woman, go somewhere else!"

The man who turned pale nodded, then after putting the drink payment on the floor, stepped back and went out of the store, then ran away at once.

Even so, with a pile of tableware on the tray in her left hand, that quick movement was that of no ordinary person.

The tavern 'Ogre's Severed Head' seemed to be very busy, but I didn't know how it usually went, so I didn't know how prosperous it was.

Let's listen to the conversation for a minute.

"Hey, did you get the request for tomorrow?'

"Yeah, it's the escort of the Togar Company."

"Seriously, how much?"

"It's 3,000 at a round trip of 6 days, so 18,000."

"That must be a lie, I'll only receive 2,200."

"Stu~pid, it's because you didn't search properly."

"Damnit, I received a different request ..."

Apparently, even just by listening to the story, I could feel that the reward for the request had increased.

Certainly, if the adventurers were getting rich, the expenses of those who asked for escorts would continue to rise steadily.

[ Is the price going up by 800 Helts in one day ... ]

[ Kent-sama, there are times when they need twice as many people as before. ]

[ Uwaa ... This is going to cost too much for an escort. ]

Let's listen to the other tables, shall we.

"Orcs aren't rare anymore."

"No, seriously, the frequency of hitting monsters is odd."

"That's right, I heard that Slakka was in danger."

"Aahh, it seems that the 'Real Thing' has taken care of that."

"I heard, he manipulated more than ten Gigawolves and killed all the Minotaurs, right?"

"Isn't that a lie? No matter how you look at it, that's just exaggerated rumors."

"You idiot, it's someone who can erase a Salamander."

"Kent Kokubu, seriously dangerous."

Yup, it looks like the Slakka case has been exposed as my work.

What's more, it seems to have become quite the rumor.

"What's that, Kent Kokubu, huh. I'm going to put a stop to that brat someday."

I heard a familiar loud voice, so when I turned my gaze, I saw A-rank adventurer Graciela-san, who had the nickname of Oni Eater.

The people around her seemed to be a Group called Aoki something or another.

"But, Ciela-Anego, that Kent bastard is dangerous."

"Fuun, I don't know if he's S-rank or something, but I know what a single person can do. Look, the Volzard guys will start crying soon."

"Volzard crying you say ..."

"That city, you know, depends on Breichberg for its staple food. Wheat and potatoes won't reach Volzard unless they can cross Irosun. Remember, don't accept escorting goods to Volzard."

"But, if the reward is good, there will be people who will receive it."

"Maa, it doesn't matter. Even just the goods to Volzard has the expenses of the escort. If that's more expensive than going to Marburg, they will throw in the towel."

"As expected of Anego, you're on the ball."

"Pass the notice on to your acquaintances, if done well, the rewards for other quests will also increase."

The underlings of the Aoki something or another immediately started talking to the people sitting at the nearby tables.

Some people left the store and headed somewhere else.

[ Hmm, I wonder what it is ... If it doesn't turn out to be Bakkenheim's disadvantage, I wonder if they think they don't mind doing anything. ]

[ They are utterly narrow-minded idiots. Soaring escort costs lead to higher costs for materials, the people who feel the burden the most is the poor, why can't they think about that ... It's a group of dumbfounded people. ]

For Graciela-san, compared to when we first met, my image of her has considerably lowered.

[ Let's carry all the goods from Breichberg to Volzard by ourselves. If you rent a warehouse somewhere, collect the goods, and transport it to Volzard's Guild via the shadow space, you'll be able to save on escort costs. ]

[ Indeed, if it is a job of that extent, we will do it on behalf of Kent-sama. ]

[ For Volzard, that's fine, but the problem is Marburg. ]

[ As expected of Kent-sama, are you thinking about that. ]

[ Orlean-san of the Dukas Company has given me a lot of advice. ]

[ Are you going to carry only the goods of the Dukas Company? ]

[ Hmm, I wonder if that's too blatant ... I'll ask Reese-san for her opinion. ]

[ That's fine. ]

When I returned to the Guild in Bakkenheim, the lights around the counter were dimmed and the adventurers were only in the tavern, but the staff space was lit up.

It seemed that several employees were working overtime, led by Rita-san.

Looking at this situation, I thought that Reese-san must be busy with her duties as a Guild Master, so I looked around in the staff space, such as the room where I met her, but she was nowhere to be seen.

I thought that maybe she was discussing countermeasures with the Lord of Bakkenheim, but I didn't know the location of the Lord's Mansion.

Before looking for it, I checked the living space for the time being, and I was already exhausted.

As if she had already finished her bath, she was wearing a bathrobe, with alcohol and snacks on the table, and smoking her pipe as usual.

"Everyone, they were still working."

"Kent, is it, it's just right, treat yourself to alcohol."

"Mou, is it okay for you to be getting drunk?"

"What, my job is to listen to reports and give instructions~, it's no problem~."

"No, you could say it's like that, but ..."

"And you came here to talk to me about that?"

"Haa ..."

It couldn't be helped if it was recommended by the Master of the Headquarters Guild.

It's not because I succumbed to the temptation of the Libre liquor ... I definitely didn't.

As expected of Reese-san, the Libre liquor had a mellow aroma that seemed to be vintage.

When I put it in my mouth, the taste and aroma permeated my body after the thick texture.

"Aa~hhh, fuuu ..."

"Kuu kuu kuu, Kent really likes Libre liquor ..."

"That is, when I came to this world ... no, it was the first job I've ever been involved in."

"I see, you did say that ..."

"Look, another drink, drink it up."

"Haa ..."

I ended up having a few drinks as I was advised, but Rita-san and the others were busy with work even while I was doing this.

Really, although I felt sorry about it, I couldn't stop ...

"Kuu kuu kuu, Kent, before you talk about work, you're going to pass out, aren't you?"

"A, about that ... No, it's better to finish it first."

"Kuu kuu kuu, Kent is really cute ..."

"S, so, about the Irosun Great Forest ..."

"Didn't you send Klaus to Breichberg?"

"Heeh? Why do you know that ..."

"Both Klaus and Nacios like scheming."

I wondered if it was the result of age, it seemed that Klaus-san's actions were foreseeable.

"Klaus-san is, tonight, he's thinking about countermeasures with Nacios-san, won't the Bakkenheim Guild take any countermeasures?"

"Thinking about countermeasures ... I don't know about that, about this time, they're probably talking nonsense while drinking. The real discussion about countermeasures will start from tomorrow afternoon."

"Aahh ... So that's why he asked me to investigate slowly."

"Kuu kuu kuu, if that's the case, about this time they'll have young women attending them, and they'll be ogling them."

"Haa ... I'm not in a position to say anything, but Augusto-san is too pitiful."

Augusto-san was spending a lonely night alone at the Guild guesthouse ... No, was he seriously reading a book or something?

Or maybe, it seemed like he was having a serious conversation with Mirt, who was accompanying him for contact purposes.

"Augusto? I think he was Klaus' successor. Did you bring him along to Breichberg?"

"Yes, for the sake of the future, he's going to inspect the city ..."

"Hou, then, it's up to Nacios, but he might be willing to arrange a formal marriage interview."

"A formal marriage interview you say?"

"Maa, it wouldn't be that ceremonious, but I think Nacios had a daughter, so after meeting face-to-face, if the two of them don't mind, I'm sure they'll be willing to proceed with the marriage talks."

"I see, I see, either way, I would be a hindrance."

"In that case, you should relax and take it easy."

As soon as I finished drinking the cup, Reese-san poured more Libre liquor immediately.

"Hey, Reese-san, let's talk about work ..."

"What's that, is an S-rank adventurer crushed by this kind of liquor?"

"No ... A, and, what will you do about Irosun?"

"For now, we'll wait and see. Do you know what kind of measures are being taken when going through Irosun?"

"Yes, I went to see it for a while yesterday."

"At the front and back of the five caravans are skilled adventurers. Younger adventurers will be able to watch their performance for free. No, they can even get money rather than being free. There is no other job with such conditions."

"Certainly, it's a good situation for adventurers, but if you think about Landshelt as a whole, isn't there a lot of problems?"

Aahh, it's clumsy, it's clumsy, I'm all floaty and feeling good.

"Kent, it's not my job to take countermeasures in the first place."

"Ehh, but, Reese-san is the Guild Master, right?"

"That's right, but I'm not the Lord."

"Ahh, I see, umm, Andel-san was it?"

If I remembered correctly, the Lord of Bakkenheim was said to be a straight-laced person.

"In that respect, that Andel boy, that stubborn Marburg person too, even if you try to call upon the other party, they won't move of their own accord. If I could move all carefree like Klaus, the situation would be resolved quickly ... Maa, let's wait and see until next month."

"Reese-san, I was just looking into the bar ..."

When I talked about the 'Ogre's Severed Head' tavern where I eavesdropped on Graciela-san and the Aoki something or another, Reese-san let out a sigh of exasperation.

"Anyway, if it's about Kent, you already have countermeasures in mind, right?"

"M, maa, just in case ..."

"Then, is it okay to end the formal talk?"

"Umm, umm ... Yes."

"Then, it's time to have some fun from here."

With a bewitching smile, Reese-san untied the strings of her bathrobe.

"Hiu ... I, I'll come again!"

"Ahh, hey, Kent!"

When I tried to stand up, my waist gave out on me, so I hurriedly pulled out a shield of darkness and fell into it.

[ Buhahahaha, Klaus-dono seems to be enjoying himself, and wouldn't it be better if Kent-sama had a relationship with Reese-dono? ]

[ No good, no good, if I go too far with drunken momentum, it's gonna rain blood later. ]

I hadn't even gotten married yet, but like Klaus-san, I thought that I understood Marcel-san's feelings for a moment.