Now that she had mastered rolled omelets, was fried chicken next?
I admired the spirit of wanting to perfect one thing at a time, but fried chicken first thing in the morning was rough on the stomach. Would morning karaage become unbearable once I turned thirty?
「Takato-san! Please put up a partition around the kitchen!」
Miriel’s anger was understandable. So please don’t take it out on me.
「A-Alright」
Good thing I earned money yesterday. I was able to install a wall dividing the central room and kitchen, along with a ventilation fan.
「Misaro. Don’t forget to load the magazines too」
「Got it. I’ll load them after I do a little more」
She was clearly focused, but she had not forgotten her own duties. Since she was still doing what needed to be done, I could not exactly tell her to stop cooking…
「Come on, Miriel. It’s time to leave」
Today, I had to take the second group to the town of Mars. I led the still-fuming Miriel outside.
For some reason, Miriel and Misaro did not get along. According to the quiet Ladarion, the two never spoke in Home, and long stretches of silence would pass between them.
…What was this? Was this how a husband felt when stuck between his wife and mother-in-law? Well, just the image of it…!
「Takato-san. Home is best with three people at a time, so let’s use it by turns」
「Y-Yeah. Let’s take turns using it」
Of course, I would make sure Miriel and Misaro did not overlap.
We split into two Pioneers and set out for the town of Mars.
The second group consisted of Miriel, Mishinie, Bisha, and the dwarves Roz and Raigo, five people in total.
Some staff members had asked to join, but this operation was meant as an offering to the acting lord. Since soldiers were also heading there, it would be better to keep the number of Goblin Extermination Guild members lower. Miroid Fort was not that large either. From the look of it, I doubted it could hold more than fifty people at most.
After dropping them off, I put Unit Two into Home and watched them head toward Miroid Fort.
「──Mister!」
Whoa, damn, you scared me! Don’t just appear out of nowhere! My heart nearly stopped!
「You again」
It was the tax collector, needless to say. Since I had returned so quickly yesterday, I had completely forgotten she existed.
「Yep. Mister, you went home right away yesterday, so today I waited nearby」
You were nearby?! I didn’t notice you at all! Are you some master of stealth?!
「Here. I’m busy, so use your time wisely」
I gave her three silver coins. That covered yesterday and tomorrow too. So tomorrow, don’t sneak up on me with your stealth arts.
「Thanks, Mister!」
Once she got what she came for, the tax collector withdrew immediately. Had she received some kind of training? Her timing for retreating was flawless…
Feeling strangely unsettled, I climbed into the Pioneer and headed for the city.
As I traveled along the road I had once taken by carriage, I sensed several dozen goblins in the ruins of what used to be the old capital.
「There used to be a lot more here. They’ve almost completely disappeared now」
So the goblin numbers had not increased since Rondario-san and the others exterminated them. It really did seem like the Demon King’s army had infiltrated Koraus and carried out sabotage.
Maybe because winter was approaching, there were fewer homeless-looking people in the streets, and here and there I saw some warming themselves with things like brazier pots.
「Are they surviving winter with that?」
If so, that was as impressive as goblins. If it were me, I would freeze to death the next day.
I arrived at the Adventurer’s Guild. After parking the Pioneer in the plaza beside it and getting out, I was surrounded by more than a dozen tax collectors. W-Where did they all come from?!
「Mister! Have mercy on us!」
When the usual tax collector said it, the others joined in a grand chorus asking for charity. What kind of organized extortion was this?!
「Don’t you have any work besides begging for handouts?」
Instead of teaching people how to take money from others, teach them how to earn it, damn god!
「In winter, all we can do is endure quietly」
「Moving around just makes you hungry」
「Firewood is expensive too」
What was this, some contest of hardship? If it was about suffering, I would not lose. Well, not that I was going to compete against children.
「Honestly… Here. Curse the gods while you survive the winter」
I dropped five silver coins into the box held by the usual tax collector.
「Also, someone keep watch over this vehicle. I’ll give you one copper coin for the trouble」
「Leave it to us!」
At that, the tax collectors all surrounded the Pioneer. No, one person was enough! You didn’t need nearly ten of you doing it! More ruthless than yakuzas!
It was too late to take it back now, so I left the Pioneer in the hands of the tax collector legion. I would have to retrieve copper coins from Home later.
Even while thinking that, what I actually retrieved was Mister Donuts. It had been a while since I came to the Adventurer’s Guild, and this was a gift for greeting the new Guild Master.
Winter was the guild’s slow season, so the number of staff had been reduced, making the place unusually quiet.
「Hello. I’d like to sell these, and also greet the Guild Master, if that’s alright」
I placed the magic stones recovered from Miroid Fort on the counter. This was not funding for the guild’s operations, but activity funds for Sefuti Bullet. Though some of it would be stolen by tax collectors!
「Ah, and this is a gift. Please share it with everyone」
A female staff appeared without making a sound and collected the donut box. She was smiling, but her eyes were not smiling at all.
「Sorry about that. There’s no one left who can keep the women in line, so there’s nothing we can do」
You mean Sierra. She was managing the staff at my place now.
「We’ll appraise these. The Guild Master is in the office upstairs. Just head up as you like. He should be reading reports」
「That seems careless」
「He’s a former Gold Seal. Unless you challenge him seriously, he’ll crush you」
Come to think of it, Cyrus-san said something like that too. Well, I was not here as an enemy, so there was no need to be afraid.
「Then excuse me」
With that, I went upstairs to the second floor.
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