Chapter 161 - A Man Easily Entangled

I woke up at the same time as Daniela the next morning. We washed our faces, ate breakfast in our room and made plans for the day. By the way, breakfast was scrambled eggs, salad, freshly baked bread and fruits. So, an incredibly fresh, juicy, delicious and overall happy meal.

“I will go and make a report about Eve. Bacon, was it?”

“Yeah. You can’t forget a name like that. Not even if you wanted to.”

“It sounds awfully familiar to me… But nevermind. What are you going to do?”

I was getting changed now, and pointed at my bag with my foot.

“I think I’ll try and get rid of all the materials we’ve been gathering.”

“Selling, yes. Is there a guild here?”

“There is. I asked about it yesterday.”

While leaving the food district, I had followed some Adventurer-types. They went straight to the guild, so I knew where it was now.

“I see. By the way, about that wind dragon…”

Daniela opened and closed her left hand. She had already finished changing.

“Ah, your equipment?”

“Aye. I would like to use some of the materials.”

“Sure. Why not get new clothes too? Those are ripped.”

As she had been bitten by the wind dragon, everything below the shoulder had been torn off. Of course, that included the armor.

“Indeed… I am rather attached to this after all these years, but I think the time has come to make a change.”

“Alright then. We’ll use the wind dragon to upgrade our equipment and sell what’s left.”

“Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.”

It was important to be careful when dealing with money, even though we were a party. Even though we were lovers. But at the same time, it was even more important to help each other. We would shoulder each others’ burden and walk together. I wanted her to depend on me more. It wasn’t good to require permission for everything and only care about rules all the time. There was nothing wrong with just having a few appropriate guidelines used in moderation.

“Alright, I’ll be off then.”

I strapped the Glampanzer to my belt and put on my backpack. My clothes were the usual cheap set I used for walking in the town. There was no need to dress up. Though, everything was in this bag anyway.

“I will go to the bathroom first. Do not try to look.”

“I won’t!”

“And no listening either.”

“Why would I!”

“I will be using Presence Detection, just so you know.”

“You don’t trust me!?”

Damn it! I puffed up with indignation as I left Room 106 behind me.

It was not Karamus, but someone else who greeted me at the counter. I told them that I was going out on business and then left the inn. It was a short walk to the main street. It was filled with the expected liveliness of a bustling crowd. I had to be careful not to bump into other people as I made my way to the guild.

“Adventurers Guild. Usk Branch.”

It was a fine building made mostly of white bricks. Something about it made me think of palaces, but there was no point in allowing that to intimidate me. Hell, it was bound to be filled with the typical rough Adventurer types.

There was a guarded curtain instead of a closed door that I had to pass. Inside, the scene was mostly a familiar one. But as this was a trade town by a river, there was much variety in equipment. Perhaps this was also a form of communication between people of different cultures. No, that’s not it.

The structure of the place was mostly the same as other guilds. There were counters for Registration, Quests, Requests, Rewards, Conversions, and Questions. In the back, I could see a bar. And there was a resting area near the side of the entrance. There you could hear many Adventurers boast about their exploits.

I looked around, like the little outsider that I was. Eventually, I found my position at the back of the Conversion line and stared at the materials on the counter. …Orc fangs. Yes, they were unique in shape. So he must have hunted orcs. I hoped it wasn’t Arthur’s fangs… Where was he anyway? I ended up crossing the river without meeting him. Do orcs cross the river too…?

As I folded my arms and considered this question, someone cut into the line. I looked up to see three faces with sleazy grins. Well, there wasn’t much point in blowing a fuse here. My turn would come with a little patience. I shouldn’t let it bother me. I shrugged and returned my thoughts towards Arthur.

“Hahaha! Nile, this one can’t even talk!”

“Hey-hey, Zanbage. He must be ill. Don’t mock the poor thing!”

“Ahahaha! Zanbage, Nile, this guy’s ear don’t seem to work either! I don’t think he can hear us!”

…And I had been so kind as to overlook their earlier rudeness. And yet they were fanning the flames like nobody’s business. I snapped just enough to look up with a glare.

“…Eh? What’s this now? Have you got a problem with us?”

“If you do, we’re listening. Supposing you can actually talk!”

“Ahahahaha!”

These three had a gift for irritating people. It must be an important aspect of their craft, differentiating between irritating people and making them angry. They attacked with very precise blows. How did they do it?

“Bah! So you got nothin’ to say after all. This bastard has no balls.”

“How sad. You should just quit the trade. You’re making the rest of us look bad.”

“Ahahaha! Yes, turn left and go home, you coward!”

There was an audible sound of the camel collapsing under the last straw.

“Ah, sorry about that. I was just thinking about something else.”

“Eh?”

“Yes, I was thinking about how I would handle a situation when someone cut the line while I was waiting.”

“Ahahahaha! Indeed, what would a bastard with no balls do in such a situation?!”

The one with the most irritating laugh threw a shoulder around me as he said this.

“This!!”

I grabbed his arm and threw him onto his back. As soon as he hit the floor, I rammed my foot into his stomach, sending him sliding across the room.

“Senagal! You little shit!”

Then I activated Legs of the Forest Wolf for a split second around my left foot and launched myself into the air. It was a little higher than necessary, but I didn’t care as I kicked upwards with my right foot, right into the first guy’s jaw. He must have bit his tongue, because blood splashed from his mouth.

“How dare you…! …gg!?”

I dodged the biggest one as he shouted and swung at me. Daniela was both faster and more intimidating. I dropped to the floor and kicked his legs out from under him, causing him to rotate fully before crashing down to the floor. Then I grabbed him by the hair and pulled his face up before slamming it down again. A stream of blood flowed from his nostrils.

“Get it? That’s what happens when you cut the line.”

“Shi-shit…bastard…mmm..ggg…!!”

There was still a strong sense of resistance there, so I slammed his face into the ground once again.

“Still having trouble?”

“Ugh…gg…”

His eyes were wet, and yet he could not seem more alive as he glared at me. I wondered if I should make him taste the floor again, but then my time was up. A pair of legs stopped right in front of me. I let go of the man’s hair and stood up.

“Uh, forgive me for disturbing you while you are so preoccupied. But do you have some time to spare?”

“Uh, sure.”

I thin man stood there. He was just standing there with his perfect posture, and yet there was something very guarded about him. Even his smile seemed misleading as he guided me passed the counter and opened a door marked, ‘Reception Room.’ …It brought back horrible memories of Fiona.

“Is there something wrong?”

“Uh, no.”

I gave him my own ‘customer service smile’ and entered the room. I glanced back just before entering and saw the three men being dragged away by their feet by some guild workers. That alone gave me an idea of the situation. But that was all I saw, as the man quickly closed the door behind us.

“Ah. I must say, those men have caused us so much trouble up until now!”

“Oh.”

“They seemed to do little but pick fights with every newcomer to the guild. At times, they would even force people to give them money!”

“Huh.”

“But we try to avoid getting involved in personal quarrels… And they are rather strong.”

“Eh…”

“Still, they do have a knack for getting under people’s skin, do they not? It is really quite genius, even. Genius!”

“Uh, right… Who are you?”

As soon as we sat down on the couch, the man burst into a fit of complaints, as if he had been waiting for this moment for years. But I hadn’t got his name yet.

“Ah, ah, forgive me. I am Rio Grande. The Guild Master of the Flugelnian Empire’s Usk Guild.”

“Guild Master… I…”

“You are Asagi, are you not? Asagi Kamiyashiro. The sharp and swift swordsman known as Silvergreen! Ah, you would not have known this, but I am a great admirer of yours. Yes, we shall be the best of friends from now on.”

I guess there was no need for introductions on my end. I felt a chill when he suddenly grabbed my hand and shook it excitedly, but at least he didn’t seem to be the bad sort.

“Are they well known then? Um…for better or worse.”

“Oh, yes. Very. No one has ever been a bigger nuisance… You don’t know how good it felt to see you give them a good beating!”

“Thanks. …Uh, is there a penalty for starting fights within the guild?”

When all was said in done, I had done the worst of it. I was quite pissed off in the moment, and a part of me wondered if I had gone too far.

“Ah, think nothing of that. There is indeed a penalty, but that shall be withdrawn from their accounts, and not yours.”

“Should you be doing that? You are the Guild Master…”

“It is fine. If anything it is the one thing I can do as Guild Master. And so I must do it!”

I wasn’t sure if he was taking his job seriously enough. Well, if this meant that I was getting out of this unscathed, then I had no complaints. I had only come here to collect some money. If the guild could clean up the mess that this misfortune caused, then I was all for it.

“Well, that is all I wanted to say. Thank you for your time.”

“No, thank you. And sorry about all of this.”

“Think nothing of it!”

Rio stood up and opened the door for me. All eyes moved towards us. However, it only lasted for a second, and they all dispersed and the room was full of mutterings.

“Hehe. You are quite famous.”

“I prefer to live quietly. I have no use for fame.”

“Ah, so modest. But it is too late for that, Mister Asagi!”

Rio said, much to my annoyance. Then he disappeared in some backroom behind the counter.

Uhh…damn it. Replant had been so peaceful in comparison. I felt quite tired as I rejoined the line. This time, there was no one who tried to cut in.