CH 226

“Oh, come on, stop doing that against a newcomer.”

“Ahhhh, but she’s certainly a cute kid.”

“He’s good-looking, too. He says you can’t because he wins against you in looks.”

“So he’s called Lars-kun, a nobleman. …… I’d like to get closer to know him.”

“It’s amazing you heard that …… Oi, the guild’s reputation is becoming worse because of you, you know.”

The other adventurers who were watching us from afar tried to distract him by teasing him and putting their hands on his shoulders, but he shook them off.

“You …… even though you’re rookies, you don’t seem to know how to talk to your senior adventurers, do you?”

“For my part, I don’t think you should be making accusations of failing to pick up newbies, though?”

So to speak, it’s no exaggeration to say that he’s a muscle daruma, a muscular man, stands in front of me with veins appearing on his forehead and says something like that.

But I’m not going to let that stop me from hiding Makina behind my back while I glare back at him, and then Linea-san, the receptionist, slams her hands and opens her mouth.

“Yes, yes, that’s enough, Roy. The kid is right, it’s your fault for doing a boring pick-up. And from what I can tell, you’ll be in for a world of hurt if you go at it, you know?”

“The hell ……!? You think I’m going to lose to a kid like this!”

“Are you questioning my [Discerning Eye] ……?”

“N-No, that’s not what I’m saying ……”

The atmosphere instantly cooled down for a moment as Linea-san narrowed her eyes and the man she called Roy took a step back from me. Then Linea-san threw an apology at us.

“I’m sorry, for doing something that would provoke you. As I said before, many of the noblemen who start out as adventurers with women do it for fun, and it’s easy to fall victim. I’ve [looked] at you guys with my skills and you have a good color. There was some unexpected interference, but I’ll tighten up on that guy later.”

“Hmm, I guess I passed then?”

“Oh, I look forward to working with you, Makina-chan.”

Linea-san smiled, and a few female adventurers came around behind me to shake Makina’s hand.

“Nice to meet you! There aren’t many female adventurers here, so I’m all for it!”

“I’m a wizard, what about you?”

“I’m a martial artist mainly.”

At first, Makina rolled her eyes, but she soon smiled and joined the conversation, partly because only girls talked to her. As I was thinking that this reminded me of the academy, the man who had just put his hand on Roy’s shoulder approached me.

“I’m sorry, making  you have a bad experience right from the start.”

“No, I’ve heard that the guild in the town where I grew up is just calm, so I’m not that bothered.”

When I said that, the man’s eyes widened for a moment and then he started laughing.

“I see, as I thought, Linea-san’s judgment is not wrong. You’re young but you’ve got a lot of guts. I’m Doun, nice to meet you.”

“Welcome aboard!”

“I’m Lars. Nice to meet you.”

Doun seems to be a level-headed man. Is he the leader of a party? He shakes my hand, saying he is a calm man.

But then I look at the man I’ve been told is Roy, who has a sullen look on his face beside him, and open his mouth.

“It seems that some people do not welcome us?”

“……”

“Well, there are many different kinds of people who come to the guild. There have been times in the past when a person would act like a cat in the guild, but be arrogant outside. The key to getting along is to avoid them.”

“I see ……”

When I heard those words, I called out to Roy’s back.

“Roy, right? How can I make you welcome us?”

“Ahhn? You’re still coming at me even though Linea saved your life?”

“I don’t care how you take it, but I’m afraid I’m not going to have to keep my mouth shut when someone picks on my girlfriend like that.”

When I said that, Roy narrowed his eyes, turned to me and opened his mouth.

“…… Well, if you’re really as strong as Linea says that you are, let’s see what you can do. I don’t like your attitude either, and you don’t like the fact that I picked on your girlfriend either. Then there’s only one thing to do, right?”

“That’s fine.”

“Hey, Lars, after the interceding that Linea-san did for you ……”

So I whispered to Makina.

“In this situation, It’s better to show your abilities so you don’t get tangled up later on. I’ve been told that by Tigre-sensei when I met Mizuki-san’s childhood friend, Mash.”

“Oh, really?”

“Hey, what are you sneaking around talking about? Let’s go in the back.”

“OK, let’s go.”

“Hah~ …… You’ve got a belligerent personality despite that face. So it’s alright even if I don’t stop it. Just don’t kill anyone, okay.”

Linea-san let out a sigh, scratching her hair as she looked away from us. The rest of the adventurers followed suit, shouting in unison.

“It’s starting to get interesting.”

“Let’s go too, Roy’s an idiot but it’s true that he’s good.”

“Shut up!? Are you still my friend!?”

Following Roy’s shouting, I, Makina, and the adventurers head out to the back training area. I was a little nostalgic, thinking that all places have this.

“Here, is a wooden sword okay for you?”

“Thank you.”

I took the wooden sword and swung it around to get a feel for it. Then the other adventurers, including Roy, fell silent, and the air became tense. Not really caring, Roy and I faced each other on the ground a bit apart.

“I’ll be the judge then …… Are you ready?”

Doun held up his hand to us, and as Roy and I nodded, his hand came down. 

Now, Linea-san seems to have tested them, but is it Lars’ turn to test them now?

Thank you for reading!

[Afterword Theater]

“It’s like he’s trying to make them understand.”

Well, I guess it’s a cliche, and also a way to make it easier to receive requests for future activities.

“Or rather, what is Basleigh after taking the horse ……”

No, it’s okay for now ……