Volume 3, Chapter 2.1

Volume 3, Chapter 2.1

Translator: Kureha

Editor: Weasalopes

---------------------------------------------------------------

「So, what happened with you guys?」

「Nothin’ in particular, we’re jist separatin’ the crystals from the stones.」

「No, no, what I wanted to hear was what happened before that…」

The group was currently at Darl Branch of Igreos temple. Reuniting after they finished their jobs and filling in necessary paper works, they decided to have lunch (their meal was rice and seaweed bento. Although it was a stereotypical meal in Japan, in this universe, it was a very exotic mix of ingredients) that was a detail which Hiroshi failed to notice. Usually, Tatsuya would have made a common comedic gesture seen in Japan. However…

「whaddaya mean by before that?」

「Like where did that massive pile of stones came from, or why the newbies were looking up to you guys so much and so on.」

「Welp I guess lotta stuff happened…」

「Sensei, Haru-nee, where should we start explaining?」

「dunno,」

To Tatsuya and Makoto’s question, they started to discuss where they should start explaining. Not a long time has passed. However, so many things have happened in that short period of time that they had no idea where to start.

「… er whad happened again?」

「You’re kidding me.」

「Seriously, there was lots more happenin’ than what y’all saw. If we were reactin’ to somethin’ that was happenin’ in front of us, bam! ‘nother thing’s happens behind ya.」

「I guess it’s better to explain it in the order that it happened.」

「Even when ya say that, flow of the story aside, I don’t ‘member everythin’ that was goin’ on. Since I was focused on what was in front of me. 」

Apparently, a lot has happened. With Hiroshi, it was very likely that he didn’t even notice half the things which were going on since he was too focused on what was going on in front of him.

「Anyway, we want some time to sort through our thoughts so how about you guys go first?」

「Alright. Well, we don’t have much to explain anyway.」

「Yeah, you’re right. We were just hunting down ants than a swam of Rock Worms showed up on our way back. There were chariots nearby and one of them happened to have the priest and the priestess from the temple. The other one belonged to a travelling merchant on their way back from the sweltering tower. And that’s about it.」

「Hold up, Rock Worms as in…」

「That bothers you too Haruna?」

To Haruna and Makoto’s exchange, Hiroshi showed a confused look for a moment, then his face suddenly lit up. On the other hand, Mio could not tell what was wrong with that situation.

「Heya, Makoto-san, how many Rock Worms were in dat swarm?」

「I’d say around fifty. To be honest, if the knights weren’t holding back the worms, to begin with, we wouldn’t have been able to take them down.」

「Dat’s real strange.」

「Hiroshi-kun, you think so as well?」

「Ya.」

At this point, Mio started to understand what was wrong with the situation. However, as she didn’t know much about the monsters in this area, she wasn’t exactly sure what was wrong with the situation.

「Is it really that abnormal for Rock Worms to be in a large group?」

「Well, they certainly don’t make a colony of that size?」

「T’ would be inconvenient for em, ‘specially lookin’ at their size.」

To Mio’s question, Haruna double-checked the information with the other members; to which Hiroshi confirmed.

「I don’t know much either but I’m pretty sure it’s unusual.」

「Ye, if there’s more than two of em, the worms’ll eat each other til there’s only two left. Tis why ya only ever see young Rock Worms ‘round.」

「Is that so?」

「Tis true. Just think ‘bout it, these worms would’ve used up all the resources if they always formed colonies of that size. ‘Specially since the nutrients in soil ain’t well balances. It just ain’t practical for their survival.」

「I see, that makes a lot of sense…」

Everyone agreed to Hiroshi’s explanation. However, this situation was now more peculiar than the group has originally thought. In fact, it was at a point where the group saw it as some type of bad omen.

「By the way, Rock Worms have a real fine magic-based stone on em. How many did ya guys manage to bring back?」

「That’s the first thing you ask?」

「’T important」

「Well, I guess …」

As expected, the first thing Hiroshi asked was the materials. With a bitter smile, Tatsuya gave an honest answer. After hearing that they were only able to bring back three Rock Worms, Hiroshi started to mention things like how they still had time to go back. To begin with, there weren’t a lot of people who could properly take down Rock Worms. So, around about now, people would have taken them down enough so that they could clear out the road; leaving the pile of treasure on the side.

「Leaving aside the materials, you guys were involved in a temple related incident too, huh?」

「Well, something like a swarm of Rock Worms is probably aimed at people who are working for the temple.」

「When you say ‘too’ I’m guessing your drama had something to do with the temple as well? 」

「Well, I’m pretty sure they’re the cause.」

「What do you mean?」

To Haruna’s words, Tatsuya and Makoto could only frown in confusion. To their reaction, Hiroshi gave a tired-out smile. Hiroshi got so excited about the materials that he forgot how much of a hustle the incident was.

「Seriously, what happened?」

「I’ll explain from my perspective so Haruna-san and Mio, could ya back me up??」

「Okie dokie.」

「Sensei, please don’t go off track.」

「I’ll try.」

After giving out an uncertain answer, Hiroshi started to explain what has happened.

==

It was around the time when Tatsuya and Makoto were taking down Stone Ants.

「Sensei….」

「Hiroshi-kun….」

The two girls looked down at Hiroshi with a disappointed look. The reason was simple, Hiroshi, despite being warned earlier, found a spot on the roof where the undercoat was barely painted and decided to make an adjustment. However, that section of the roof had a very neat undercoat, making it stand out from the rest and they were harshly questioned by the chief.

「I just couldn’t look over dat,」

「Then why didn’t you report it to the chief?」

「I had the material with me so I thought ‘t would be quicker if I painted it myself. I regret nothin’.」

「Seriously?」

Haruna glared at Hiroshi who showed no shame to his actions. In the end, it only increased Hiroshi’s workload so Haruna wasn’t disadvantaged by this situation.

「They have their eyes on you.」

「 Tis just how the society works.」

「Sensei, you’re in no position to be so confident.」

They exchanged such words while completing chores at a mild pace. The other adventurers were also carrying materials and preparing equipment. The situation changed when the owner of the cottage, Carly Dentlis showed up. He was one of the nobilities who had many influences on this country.

「How is the progress?」

「Half of the roof for the main building has been completed. We should finish painting the main building by the end of the day as long as nothing else happens.」

「Very well, it seems that I would be able to use the main building this afternoon then.」

The three of them continued to work as Mr Dentlis and the chief continued to talk, thinking how the chief sounds a lot politer when talking to nobilities. The paint which they were using in this project was a type which can be evenly dried off when magic is applied to it. Understandably, these paints are very valuable. So, they are only ever used for nobilities or authority related buildings.

The reason why this project was progressing so smoothly was due to the “foreign method” which Hiroshi has taught the chief. So, they were using a technique which was a step beyond an extra skill. At this point the chief was heavily relying on Hiroshi, using and adapting his skills, finishing the project much faster than they have originally intended to.

「… huh?」

「Is something wrong?」

「It’s just, I have spotted a beautiful flower who doesn’t suit this scenery very much.」

「Oh, you must be talking about Haruna.」

The chief knew immediately who Dentlis was talking about. Currently, the only female at the construction site was Haruna and Mio. They were both good looking, yet between the two of them, Haruna was Dentlis’s type. The reason why the chief remembered Haruna and Mio’s name was because it was very unusual for female Adventurers to take on these types of jobs. With Hiroshi mixed in the trio, the chief was surprised to see three class 8 Adventurers take on a miscellaneous job.

「So, her name is Haruna.」

「Yes, she’s an adventurer taking place of the injured employee. However, she’s in class 8 so I’m sure she is very talented.」

「How unusual for a class 8 adventurer to take on construction-related jobs.」

「They said they are taking on miscellaneous jobs to familiarise themselves to the geography of this land as they have only moved into this area recently. 」

The three of them continued to do their work, over-hearing the very much expected comment. It doesn’t seem to bother chief but the three of them always worked together and their teamwork was superior compared to other Adventurers. So, it was obvious to everyone around there that the three of them have formed a party.

「I see, how interesting.」

「Okay…」

To Dentli’s words, the Chief thought to himself “here we go again”. Dentlis family was very considerate towards the society’s needs. Although they didn’t engage with exploitation, they invest their money on improving people’s lifestyle. So, they were kind-hearted people considering they are politicians. However, Carly Dentlis could not hold back on his sexual desires. The moment he spots a woman of his type, he will carefully approach them like a snake. Thankfully, his type was a woman over the legal age, able-bodied with large breast. So, the others had no complaint about his addiction. If his type was younger looking females like Mio, there definitely would have been an uproar.

All of that aside, he would never abuse his wealth and power to force a relationship. However, excluding woman from foreign noble families, most women who he has seduced have accepted his invitation. Half of those women accepted because they lost to the social hierarchy. Although they were over-all satisfied, they realised that they could not form a bond which they have hoped for. For the other half, around 70% of them were in it for his wealth and the remaining 30% saw it as a game with the flashy man from the Dentlis family. So, not a single woman has accepted his invitation due to genuine attraction. From his wife’s perspective, their formal relation was nothing more than a political marriage. Although their relationship wasn’t bad, Mrs Dentlis was mostly in it for his wealth and his “techniques”. So, their relationship was much closer to friends with benefits.

So, he wasn’t reluctant on hitting on some female adventurer. Carly Dentlis was a womanizer who would hit on any woman who was his type. He would not hold back even if the woman was in a higher position and it could potentially lead to a political affair with a foreign country.

「How unusual for a beautiful woman like you to be working in a place like this.」

「That is very flattering but if you excuse me, I’m currently busy.」

To a man who is nobility and has a strong influence in politics, Haruna showed a perfect customer service smile and gave a casual response. She was used to hearing pick-up lines from when she was in Farlane. She was also used to being approached by men who were only interested in her body. So, she had enough experience to know what was Dentlis’s intentions. She could tell that he wouldn’t abuse his wealth and power and she knew he wouldn’t guilt-trip her into a relationship. Yet the opponent was creepily passionate. Now that he had his eyes on her, Haruna knew that Dentlis would not back down easily. So, she decided to play along well enough to not get on his nerves.

The issue could be solved very easily if Haruna whined about it to the court. However, she thought it would be foolish to cause such a ruckus over a small matter. So, she continued to show her lack of interest with a perfect customer service smile. If anything, Hiroshi and the court wanted Haruna to rely on the court over this matter as they wanted Azuma workshop to remain a free and open place. They knew that the court would easily cooperate with them as long as they knew what their situation was.

「Hard to get type, are you?」

「I don’t mean to brag but this isn’t my first time getting hit on.」

She politely rejected his interest, not resting her hand from her work. Meanwhile, Hiroshi and Mio were giving out instructions to newbie adventurer’s who has started to panic over the weird atmosphere, then checked the progress of the project and gathered the required materials.

「As you can see, I am currently working and this could potentially have a negative impact on me. So, if you would like to have a chat with me, I would appreciate it if you could do so in later days.」

「You’re not very social are you?」

「That’s just the way I am.」

「Very well then, I’m sorry for interrupting your work.」

He took a step back, seeing that trying any harder will only back-fire. He stepped back quicker than usual as this matter involved his client. This would have been very different if Haruna showed the slightest hint of interest. However, it wet against Dentlis’s policy to forcibly hit on a woman who was currently working. Also, he knew that anyone who would have accepted his invitation in that situation was not emotionally invested in him. So, even if Haruna did accept his offer, he would have made sure not to disappoint her.

「I will not interfere with your work anymore. So, could you please give one more chance afterwards?」

「You will try anyway even if I decline your offer, right?」

「Of course,」

As Dentlis showed a bright, confident smile, Haruna responded with a bitter smile and agreed, giving up to his determination. Opposing her expression, she emitted somewhat of a cold atmosphere and her eyes which seemed to smile at Dentlis showed no emotions towards him. If anything, she was irritated at the fact that this womanizer was wasting her time on some unflattering desires; and frustration from being treated like an escort in front of a male who she was genuinely interested in. She had no interest whatsoever in Dentlis who was meant to be one of the higher nobilities in this country.

「Haru-nee, are you okay?」

「I don’t mean to talk behind his back but guys like him who are only interested in other’s appearance just pisses me off.」

As they saw Dentlis walk away looking very pleased, Mio asked Harun in a whisper which she responded with a cruel comment. As the surrounding area has suddenly become very quiet, the people around them could hear Haruna’s response.

「We, well, he’s the complete opposite of someone like Sensei so… I guess it can’t be helped.」

「Exactly, I won’t say be a gentleman like Hiroshi-kun but can’t he have a little more decency? I can’t stand that he came to hit on me while I was working.」

「Well I think sensei is a different kind of problem but…」

Even putting aside his trauma, it was hard to say that he was a gentleman. As a matter of fact, Hiroshi is startled by the irritation which Haruna is emitting. So, he avoided eye contact and went off to check the ratio of the paint, even though it wasn’t an urgent job.

Nobody won’t tell him to go seduce a woman but when one of their team-mates was troubled, finding excuses to walk off and do something else was something Mio could not appreciate. This is only from Mio’s perspective, but she thought a male should have said something in this situation. She didn’t see how his phobia towards female could affect this as well.

「Either way, are they inviting a guest to a cottage when it’s still under construction?」

「Oh, so that crossed your mind too Mio-chan?」

「Yeah.」