「Morning!」
The giant-sized door opened and Marg walked in.
TN: The author seems to forgot him. His name was マグル(maguru) and now it’s マルグ(marugu)
「Ah, it’s teacher! Your back!」
Because he is a kid, his voice pierces my ears. I should buy electronic earmuffs that adjust sound.
「T-teacher?」
「W-well, things happened and I ended up as this kid’s teacher」
「Teacher, are you going to stay for a while? I made a new slingshot and need some rubber! Ah, dad wants to see you!」
Marg fires off words one after another and I have to cover my ears until Ladarion appears and stops him. Thank goodness.
「Marg. Sorry, but go get your dad or mom. I will give you candy. Ladarion」
I signal Ladarion with my eyes to hand him the candy.
「Got it! I will bring them right away!」
Marg runs off and I let out a sigh. I have become a dirty adult who lures kids with treats.
Before either of them arrives, I finish preparing everything. Just as I finish setting up, Gorg and the wives show up.
「Takato, you should have told us when you got back! We were waiting!」
A child’s voice is intense, but an adult yelling is on a different level. It is basically an acoustic weapon.
「Sorry. There were too many goblins and I could not return until I finished dealing with them. Did something happen?」
「The wine. We cannot forget that taste and everyone wants it. Teach us how to buy it」
Ah, right. I left before teaching them. Still, they probably do not need that much wine… or maybe they do. They could probably drink twenty bottles in a day.
「Alright. Show me your card」
A contractor card sized for a giant is placed on the table. Or maybe it is the house’s foundation. I teach them how to find alcohol, sewing tools, and other supplies.
「Anything Gorg pulls out will disappear in ten days if you do not touch it. If you touch it even once, the time extends, but do not sell tools. That will cause trouble. Alcohol and tea are consumed, so that is fine, but if you start selling everything, you will ignore your work and run around hunting goblins. So have them capture goblins and you be the one to kill them」
I had about one million five hundred thousand yen, but if they drank wine every day it would be gone before winter came.
「Looks like I took on something troublesome」
「Then should we make one or two more people contractors? I would welcome it if the number increased」
Making a living by taking a cut would be the best.
「Ah, can I ask you to build a shed big enough for two wagons? I can pay five silver coins」
「Three silver coins is fine. It is not that much work」
「We can build a shed. You always give us tea and snacks」
Romy and the other wives volunteered.
「Ladarion was handy too, but are giants good with their hands regardless of gender?」
「Pretty much. We cannot match real craftsmen, but a shed would take less than half a day」
To a giant, it would be like stacking blocks. They built this house in only a few days.
「Ah, this is Kainzel. He will be living with us. I hired him to teach me swordsmanship. Could you spread the word to the villagers? Once things settle down I will greet the village chief」
「Is he Kainzel, the former captain of the guards?」
Hm? They know him?
「If I remember right, Morg’s older brother? We met during the repairs to the second wall」
「So, it really is Kainzel. We heard you had died, but you survived…」
So Kainzel is famous? If he is famous, why was he living on the streets? Why did his second life fail? Is there some kind of dramatic hidden story?
「I was as good as dead, but Takato hired me. Please look after both of us」
「Why would a former captain of the guards be…?」
「It is all in the past. From now on I am just an old man who teaches Takato the sword while helping with goblin extermination」
There is no trace of the ruined man I first met. His way of speaking and even his build are different. Is he really the same person? People in this world have changes that are way too extreme.
「……Kainzel-sama……」
Gorg looked at him with pity. It was pity born from knowing Kainzel’s past.
But I did not know anything about Kainzel’s past. I did not want to know either. What I wanted was his experience. The skills to survive. As his student, all I needed was to treat him with respect.
「Ladarion. Give Marg the rubber」
I called out to Ladarion to change the subject.
「Gorg. We will be here for a while, so come by in the morning or at night if you need something」
「Ah, yeah, I understand. I will tell the village about Kainzel-sama」
Gorg seemed to understand and hurried out of the house.
We went outside as well and showed the wives where to build the shed, and they started working right away.
「Ladarion. I am counting on you to deal with Romy and the others」
I could not handle that group of wives. Do not misunderstand. I was not offering her as a sacrifice.
「Marg. Show me what you can do later」
「Okay. I got pretty good at it!」
Sorry for being a master who leaves you alone all the time.
We moved out of the way so no one would step on us, and I handed Kainzel a wooden sword.
「As I said before, I am a complete beginner. I do not even know how to hold a sword. I would appreciate it if you teach me with that in mind」
In other words, please go easy on me.
「Yeah, I know. Takato is not aiming to become a swordsman. I will teach you a sword meant for survival. First, strike at me however you like. You can go all out. You will not hit me」
Even before he took a stance, I could tell he had no openings. The difference between us felt like an elephant and an ant.
But if I wanted to survive, I had to challenge him. I was not ready to die yet.
I raised the wooden sword and struck.
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