We told the villagers that we had defeated the goblins and about the Maanu pack, asked them to handle the cleanup, and borrowed a house so we could rest.
「Is Mishinie staying too?」
「Is that a problem?」
「No, if you’re fine with it, then I am too」
If you’re an adventurer, sleeping in the same space is probably common enough. With Bisha here, nothing inappropriate is going to happen anyway.
「I’m at my limit, so I’m going to sleep first」
「Got it. Sleep as much as you want. I’ll protect you, Takato!」
That’s reassuring. I told her I was counting on her and sank into a deep sleep.
And when I woke up feeling refreshed, it was already morning. Seriously?
「You’re awake. How do you feel?」
How do I feel?
「Ah, yeah. I slept really well and woke up feeling great. Were you up the whole time?」
「No. Bisha and I took turns. You’re drenched in sweat though. Go wash up」
That’s when I noticed. I was soaked. How much did I sweat? Was it that hot last night?
「Y-yeah. I will. I’m counting on you for a bit」
After saying that, I went back to Home.
「Miriel, are you sleeping in your wheelchair again」
Honestly, that girl pushes herself too hard.
I didn’t want to carry her to the mattress while I was soaked, so I took a shower and changed first.
I wanted a beer, but until we got back to the capital city, this was still march training. Well, it stopped being that, but we were still in the middle of it, so I restrained myself. Sports drink would have to do. Gulp, gulp.
「Man, I’m really hungry」
Well, I hadn’t eaten properly, and I skipped dinner. I sweated a lot too, so of course I’d be hungry.
「Guess I’ll go with a business hotel breakfast buffet again today」
I’ve been doing this a lot lately. It has around twenty different items, plus soups, juices, and milk. The downside is dealing with the containers afterward. After three days in a row, just taking them outside to throw away is a chore.
「Once I’ve got more money, I should build a business hotel cafeteria. Then I can heat soup properly and have a drink server too」
It might end up costing around ten million yen, but dreaming is free. I’ll live while imagining a bright future.
The fridge was almost empty too, so I restocked it. Seriously, one refrigerator gets emptied in a single day. Does Ladarion keep a black hole in his stomach or something?
After laying Miriel down on the mattress, I transferred the food onto large plates, put the bread into baskets, poured the corn soup into a pot, and took everything outside.
「Mishinie. Can you eat?」
「No problem. Adventurers eat whenever they can, whether it’s morning or night. I could even drink wine if I wanted」
I envy that. I can only eat when I actually get the chance.
「Buy your own wine. Alcohol expenses add up more than you’d think」
We’ve made about two million yen in profit over the last three days, but that kind of money disappears fast once you start buying necessities. If I think of it as food expenses, I can’t afford to waste it.
「Fufu. Goblin extermination looks profitable, but it really isn’t」
「Sounds like most of it disappears into alcohol for you」
「Not just alcohol. Clothes cost money, food costs money. I also have to buy magic stones, so I still need to do my regular work. Even this profit will be gone in less than thirty days」
She must have earned at least a million yen, and it’s gone in a month? What kind of lifestyle is that? Is she supporting someone? If she’s alone, that should be more than enough to live on.
「I see. If goblins could be exterminated safely and on a regular basis, it’d be a great business」
But that’s not how it is. Nobody told me there were so many different kinds of goblins. If that’s the case, they should have given me a bit more cheat power.
Bisha was sleeping soundly, so the two of us finished breakfast and let Mishinie take a nap until departure.
While waiting, I replaced the batteries in the weapon lights and loaded rounds into Glock magazines. While I was doing that, Bisha woke up.
「Takato, are you okay?」
The moment she woke up, she started worrying about me. Was I really in that bad of a state?
「Yeah, I’m fine. Go wash your face. I’ll get breakfast ready」
「Okay. Got it」
While she was washing her face, I brought breakfast out from Home, left the rest to Mishinie, and stepped outside the house we were borrowing.
Mornings in the village started early, with people already up and moving before six.
「Good morning. Already heading to work?」
I greeted the men carrying axes.
「Yeah. We have to split firewood before winter. Well, before that, we still need to deal with the goblins」
「Sorry for the trouble」
「It’s nothing. The goblins have been a nuisance, so cleaning them up is no bother at all」
People in this world are sometimes surprisingly open-minded, or maybe just generous. In certain countries back home, they would scam you out of your money, or rob and kill you for it. Well, if you don’t know, then study world affairs a bit more. You youngsters who’ll shoulder tomorrow’s Japan.
After parting with the men, I headed to the village chief’s house, or what I assumed was it. Several villagers were gathered there, talking.
「Good morning. Is the village chief here?」
The taciturn chief came out of the house, accompanied by a man. Honestly, is this old woman really the chief? Wouldn’t the man with her make more sense?
「We plan to leave the village shortly. This is a token of thanks for handling the cleanup. Please accept it」
I handed over two magic stones from the Maanu. At this size, they should be worth twenty or thirty silver coins.
「A-are you sure?」
「I’m sure we’ll trouble you again when we come back. Cleanup is work too. Let’s build a relationship where both sides profit」
I’ve decided I’m going to die of old age, so I need to think ahead. Goblins will gather again in a few years. It’s better to build a good relationship now.
Once Mishinie woke up, we finished preparing and headed for the cave.
To kill the last one still alive.
Leave a Reply