“Fuh …… Fuh ……”
“Whoa, Basleigh-sensei!”
“Agagaga ……”
“Wow, what a way to concentrate …… on a vital point …… .”
The situation was dire enough to make me squirm, but the worst of it was averted because it was something that could be managed with recovery magic. I told the man as I slowly helped him to his feet.
“I’m sure Basleigh-sensei has gone too far, but that’s what happens when you touch a woman’s breasts out of the blue. You’d better be careful in the future.”
“Fuh, thank you for your help, but I can’t promise that.”
What the hell is this guy?
I thought it was no use dealing with a drunkard, so I called out to Makina and the others.
“For the time being, everything but his head seems to be fine, his injuries are healed and Basleigh-sensei was molested, so let’s call it a painful split.”
“You’re right. I’m getting hungry, so let’s go to the restaurant already.”
“Yeah. Now that Basleigh-sensei has calmed down too.”
“Fuh …… I’ve shown you such a disgraceful side. Then–“
We were about to leave the man behind and move, when the man opened his mouth.
“Wait. If you rush, you’ll miss your chance, you know?”
“Chance ……?”
“Umu.”
I turned and asked, and the man smiled.
And then–
◆ ◇ ◆
“Himmel-sama, it looks like we’ll be arriving in town today.”
“It looks like it, well, we’re a big group and it’s not a good idea to split up. There’s no need to rush, just go slowly.”
At the time Lars and the others were talking to the man, Himmel and the others were finally arriving at their first town. The departure was early in the morning as declared, but the speed of movement was quite slow because they used three carriages and increased the number of people in order to be able to control the investigators in case something happened.
“At any rate, I didn’t expect Minister Basleigh to go ahead.”
“It’s not that I’m troubled by the fact that she’s going ahead, it’s just that my sister’s pretense is the Treants and Qliphoths investigation, so it’s okay if she’s not with me. It’s better to be on the same pace, though.”
“Hahaha, it’s hard to have a family member who’s a maverick.”
Mixing the truth in with the lies makes them more believable.
Himmel smiled and thought about this in his heart. He’s right about Treant and Qliphoth, so there’s no need to go at the same pace.
But Basleigh was concerned about Lux. He thought that she would turn their attention to him first, so he judged that they would not be able to move freely if they arrived at the same time, and would have anticipated that they would have moved ahead of him.
“(Still, we can’t make much of a loss of time. The rest is up to Basleigh, though.)”
Himmel closed his eyes, wondering if they could manage with that sister and Lars, the king’s favorite. Eventually, the carriage entered the town and took an inn.
“Himmel-sama, let’s get some rest.”
“Thank you. Thank you for your hard work in the camp, let’s get some rest today.”
— It’s going to take a lot of time for this many people to leave. Is it possible to extend the time a little longer? That’s what Himmel was thinking as he got out of the carriage.
◆ ◇ ◆
“Wahahahahaha!”
“Nuhahahahaha!”
…… Two people were laughing at each other. One of them is one of our Basleigh-sensei, of course. What about the man? The man that Basleigh-sensei had ripped into at the entrance of the tavern, it seems that his name was Birdie, smiled at us and offered to buy us drinks as an apology.
So now we have Basleigh laughing with Birdie, who has changed her mind on him as long as he’s buying.
“I said it would be a while ……”
“Well, at worst, I think you can let him sleep until we get there. I’ll probably have to rely on you a lot when I get there.”
“Ho-ho, Lars knows what he’s talking about.”
“Well, I don’t hate people unless they do something wrong.”
This is because human relationships in this world are that much more fun, I added in my mind, laughing a little as I sipped my glass and ate a snack. Oh, I forgot to bring the Great Condor ……
“You were just a pervert at first, and that perception hasn’t changed, but I do like a generous man!”
“Ha-ha-ha, now you said it! I like a woman who speaks her mind! So, what kind of party are Basleigh and the others? An old lady, two young kids, and you. Are you Adventurers?”
“I guess so. We’re going to Glasco territory to earn some money, and since there seems to be a lot of monsters, we’re full of requests and dreams.”
“Buh!?”
Makina gushed a little and opened her mouth to say in a whisper, “I’m amazed you can say something that isn’t true so easily.”.
“Muhaha, so you’re a flat-chested? In fact, I’m more into that girl–!?”
“Umu, good fist.”
“I wonder if they’ll be a good match for each other since they’re alike ……?”
Makina took the sausage while watching the comedy act at the next table. I’m thinking of the word “homophobia,” but as I’m thinking about it, Birdie, who was hit, holds the bridge of her nose and points her fork at Basleigh-sensei with a serious face.
“So you’re going to Glasco territory …… No offense, but I think that it’s better if you don’t go there, okay?”
“Why? I want money, you know!”
“Oh, what’s this, you smell suspicious. Especially when it’s all women.”
“It’s nice of you to be concerned, but we’ve got our own problems. We have to pay our debts. A million beryls, it’s not easy, is it?”
When I told him this, Birdie let out a sigh and opened his mouth.
“Debt, huh …… Money. It doesn’t sound like gambling …… but did you get cheated or something? Money is really scary, you can lose everything in an instant.”
He mumbled something like that to himself, not to us. I wondered if he had any bad experiences with money. I’ve never had any financial problems in my previous life, except with my parents, but I have seen people at work and people who spend all their time playing pachinko and slots and end up with no money at the end of the month.
…… I hate to say it, but it’s an ugly thing …… I wish I hadn’t done it, though ……
“What’s with the sullen look on your face! I don’t think a man who would molest someone would look good with a face like that? A smiling …… guard is waiting for you.”
“That’s not funny, okay!? Pfft …… Ahahaha! You’re really funny! I’m sure it’ll have fun if you were my girlfriend.”
“Guh ……”
“So you’re sleeping!? …… Hah, whatever. If you’re going to Glasco town, be careful.”
“Yeah, I’ll keep that in mind.”
Basleigh-sensei fell seriously asleep, so we left the tavern, leaving Birdie to pay the bill.
“Okay ……. You’re a bit light, aren’t you, teacher.”
“It’s hard to tell because your clothes is a robe and baggy, but you’re thin. She’s almost as beautiful as Verna-sensei.”
“Maybe there’s more to her than meets the eye. She may be a bit of a joker, but she’s got a strong heart.”
“Hmm?”
“Guha …… Oh, no! Please don’t ……!”
“She’s having a nightmare …… I wonder if she’s doing something weird in her dreams ……”
Laughing, we quickly went to bed and left before the sun came up. Even Birdie, a mere adventurer, would go so far as to say that the town of Glasco may be more serious than we thought …… I regained my composure, got my energy up, and drove the carriage.
–Of course, Basleigh-sensei hadn’t woken up from her sleep and was lying in her seat.
Next time is the town of Glasco. Where’s Lux?
Thank you for reading!
[Afterword Theater]
“With a name ……”
You can’t judge them like that, okay!?