Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 30
“Whew…”
In the familiar cave upstream by the river, I reverted back to my form as Same.
…Yeah, I definitely feel most at ease when I’m Same. It’s like I can think most like myself this way.
And what I found myself reflecting on was… the incredibly intense two days I spent as Silent.
“If I were back to being Shizuma instead of Same… I probably would’ve puked.”
So many vivid, blood-soaked memories.
All those violent impulses and choices.
It’s clear I was heavily influenced by Silent’s memories and background.
“A war between Lindblum and Golda… and in the chaos, I was going to kill my former classmate… That bitch… That was the plan?”
The scale of it all… is just insane. Going that far for revenge!?
Well, if you wanted to kill someone openly, without being blamed, without anyone able to stop you… yeah, this method is the most straightforward. I get it… but still!
“Wouldn’t an assassination be enough…?”
I mean, I’m not against killing her. But I don’t feel that strongly about it. It’s more like… if she were in trouble, I wouldn’t help. And if her life were in danger, I wouldn’t save her either. That kind of feeling.
“Still… maybe I just got lucky, or maybe it’s thanks to how well Silent handled things… Sapphire Rank, huh… With this, the guild’s attention will be entirely focused on Silent now.”
Which means I can go back to living honestly as Same. Once I get the money from the auction, it’ll finally be time to buy a house.
Then I won’t need to change identities in such a roundabout way, and I can give Melt a proper place to live too.
“Well then… Should I head back to town tomorrow morning, or just walk there now?”
It was late at night. But I had slept straight through the evening as Silent, so I was wide awake.
Alright, I’ll head back. Spending a night in a cave sounds way too boring anyway.
And so, I descended the mountain and made my way back to Lindblum.
“Hold it! Traveling at this hour requires identification.”
“Ah, here. Please take a look.”
The usual guards at the east gate — by now I felt like they knew me — looked at my adventurer’s tag.
Apparently, the guards have tools to verify ID tags, cards, and guild registration documents.
“Hm… You’re a registered adventurer of this town. Impressive, still so young and already Ruby Rank!”
“Ahaha… Honestly, I just got lucky.”
“Haha, don’t be so modest. Alright, go ahead.”
They let me through without any issues.
Yeah, this is way better. Compared to when I was Silent? That was a nightmare.
“Now then… Hamusutei Inn should still be open at this hour… I think the husband handles the night shift.”
I headed through the adventurers’ hub toward the inn.
Even this late, there were still people around. Not noisy, but the streets still had life.
From some of the late-night taverns, I could occasionally hear arguments break out.
Eventually, I arrived at the cozy-looking Hamusutei Inn and knocked on the door.
“Good evening… Sorry to bother you so late. It’s been a while.”
“Hm… you’re the one who’s with that girl Melt, right? You’re back?”
“Yes, I just arrived in town. Sorry, but can I stay in the same room as Melt again? I’ll pay anew.”
“No need. The room’s already paid for — two people, one month in advance. Bit of an odd arrangement, but no problem.”
“Is that so? Then…”
“Most of the other guests and the girl are probably asleep by now, so walk quietly.”
I carefully crept up the stairs, quiet enough not to make a sound.
I could hear Melt’s soft breathing from the other side of the door…
I unlocked the door and slipped into the unused bed.
I wasn’t tired at all, and yet… hearing Melt’s gentle breathing beside me, I started to doze off…
“SAME!! SAME! SAME! SAME!!!”
I was jolted awake in the morning by a loud voice shouting right into my ear.
“Ugh… Morning, Melt.”
“When did you get here!? Welcome back, Same!”
Melt was grinning ear to ear, overflowing with energy and joy.
This must be what dads feel like when their kids welcome them home — I totally get it now.
Although… isn’t she like 17? She’s not really the age to be bouncing around like this. More like, at that age she should be saying stuff like “you’re annoying,” “you stink,” or “get lost” to her dad, right?
“Haha… I came back late last night. Man, I’m exhausted.”
“You did great, huh? So, what were you doing as Silent?”
“Shhh… Keep your voice down. I want people to think Silent is working alone right now. Sorry I treated you coldly the other day.”
“No worries. I told the others you were just someone I happened to travel a bit with.”
“Oh, nice thinking.”
She must’ve read the situation and judged it was necessary.
She really is smart — probably just lacking experience living in society.
“Hey Same? If you’ve got time today, could you meet the kids I’ve been taking jobs with lately? The three of them said they wanted to talk to you.”
“Hm? To me? Well, I should be free after the evening. I was thinking of heading to Pigeon Trading Company today.”
“Ah, that place. I’ve got stuff to do at the guild, so I can’t come with you. Is that alright?”
“Yeah, no problem. I can read now, after all.”
“That’s great. Okay, be back at the inn by evening, okay? I’ll bring the three with me.”
I wonder what they want with me instead of Melt?
Maybe they want to officially invite her into their group and are coming to me — her sort of guardian — to ask for permission?
Hmm… I don’t want to restrict her freedom, but I do feel a bit sad.
We were talking about living in the same house, and I’d like to keep working together if possible…
But if Melt wants to stand on her own, I’ll support that.
After breakfast, we went our separate ways to follow our individual plans.
“Good morning. Hope they can appraise it today.”
“Morning, Melt. Yeah, we couldn’t get it done yesterday after all.”
“Hey, aren’t those mushrooms and berries gonna spoil?”
“No, perishables are stored in specialized cold storage. Rare monster parts too. They take quality control seriously.”
Melt met up with Rikka and the others to finally get their gathered items appraised.
“It was still pretty chaotic yesterday… We newbies weren’t told anything, but sounds like something happened inside the guild building too.”
“Yeah. I heard the courtyard’s still closed off.”
“Rumor has it there was some kind of explosion…”
The midnight assault incident — its shockwaves were still being felt among other adventurers and guild users. But the truth was known to only a select few.
The next morning, Melt and her group were finally able to get their haul appraised.
“Hm, these mushrooms are good. Barely any insect damage, and the shapes are nice too. You selected only the good ones, huh?”
The appraiser was Sigurd, someone they’d seen a few times before.
“These berries… Oh, these are helpful. The Apothecary Guild has been buying these since yesterday. They boost potion potency.”
“Eh? That’s wrong — they’re used as catalysts for Elixirs. They can substitute for Sekka Grass fruit. You just need about five times as much.”
“Huh? Never heard that before… Well, I’ll report it just in case. But the price stays standard.”
“Ehh…”
Melt voiced her dissatisfaction, but the appraisal values for the mushrooms and berries were much higher than expected. Her companions looked at her with admiration.
And… a bit of envy, too.
“Hm? What’s this? Firewood?”
“It’s fatwood. Really dense stuff too.”
“Hm? Was that even on the buy list…?”
“Ehh!? This stuff should sell for a lot!”
Then came the problem item: the “fatwood” branches, which all three of them had helped gather.
The lackluster response caused a shadow of concern to creep onto everyone’s faces.
“Wait here a sec. I’ll go ask the Blacksmith Guild.”
Perhaps feeling sorry for the situation, Sigurd headed off to ask questions at the reception desk of the blacksmiths’ guild, which often handled fuels like firewood.
“That’s odd… those branches were really popular, though…”
“Maybe they’re not that well-known, or just not in high demand?”
“If that’s the case, then if we can just find someone who wants them, maybe we can sell them for a good price!”
“Well, even if it doesn’t work out, we can just go gather more mushrooms. It doesn’t seem dangerous anymore, right?”
“Yeah, that’s true.”
After a short while, Sigurd returned with a man—short in stature and sporting a beard.
He was from the dwarf race, known for their deep knowledge of natural materials and for producing many skilled craftsmen.
“This is it, right? Is this stuff worth anything?”
“Hmm? Tinderwood, huh. It’s rare for someone to go out of their way to gather so much of it. These days, there are plenty of oils and chemicals to use as fuel, so not many folks are looking for this kind of thing, young lady.”
“Aww… really…?”
Melt drooped her shoulders, disheartened by the words of the dwarf man, who was likely an expert in the field.
She hadn’t known that the buying price from traveling merchants could change depending on the region and timing.
Well, she’d always used the same local merchants, so it was understandable.
“But still, there are craftsmen who insist on using this stuff. Alright, I’ll buy it off you. I can’t take a huge amount, but for what you’ve got here, I know some folks who’ll be glad to have it. Let’s see… around 300,000… how about six gold coins?”
“What!? That much!?”
“Huh? You’ll really buy it from us!?”
Kash and Rikka’s voices cracked in surprise at the offered price.
Melt, overjoyed at the unexpected fortune, beamed with a broad smile and danced in place.
“The quality is top-notch. It’s heavy, and the cut surface gleams with resin. If it’s filled with resin this consistently at this length, then it’ll last quite a while. Superstitious craftsmen prefer natural fire starters.”
“Th-then please! We’ll sell it to you!”
“You got it.”
And so, the four of them left the guild beaming, each holding onto one of the six gold coins they’d earned unexpectedly.
“Okay, one for each of us first… What should we do with the two leftover coins?”
“Hmm, maybe break them down into smaller coins and split them?”
“Let’s do that. We also need to restock some adventuring gear, so let’s head to the commercial district.”
“Man, I can’t believe what we got for just some sticks! Combined with the reward from the quest, that’s two gold coins each! Melt really came through!”
“Seriously. Since we can’t go into the high mountain areas yet due to our rank, we wouldn’t have earned this much otherwise. We’re lucky we could form a four-person party.”
“Right? I wish Melt-chan could stay in our party forever.”
Pleased with the unexpected earnings, the three discussed where to go next while once again trying to recruit Melt.
Then, Melt said—
“Oh, right! My partner? Companion? The person I was traveling with came back yesterday. You said you had something to talk about with him, right?”
She told them that Same had returned the night before.
“That’s… actually convenient. Yeah, we should definitely talk to him while we can.”
“For real? Where is he now?”
“Umm, I think he said he was going to Pigeon Trading Company.”
Melt remembered Same’s plans and shared them.
But that led to an unexpected reaction.
“Pigeon Trading Company… that’s the one that opened recently in Lindblum, right?”
“Yeah, near the entrance to the commercial district. I heard they’re doing really well.”
“…If he’s dealing with that company, maybe they’re involved in ‘goods that can’t be shown in public’…”
Already, the three had started to believe that Same—the man who had been looking after Melt—was involved in human trafficking or kidnapping.
And just hearing that he was connected to a rapidly growing trading company only deepened their suspicions.
“…I’ve heard the neighboring country of Golda is terrible with beastkin discrimination. And Pigeon Trading Company… I think it’s based in Golda.”
“Oh yeah! Both Same and I are from Golda.”
Melt admitted it casually. For her, it simply meant that they came from that country. But for the three, it was the final piece of the puzzle.
Now, they were fully convinced:
Melt is a beastkin who had been treated like a slave in Golda,
and Same was trying to sell her to the Pigeon Trading Company.
“What should we do… Should we report it to the guild…?”
“No, owning slaves isn’t illegal… But trading them within Lendia is. Unless we catch them in the act, the guild won’t do anything.”
“What now…?”
Melt, not fully grasping what they were talking about, could still sense they were troubled about Same.
So she suggested—
“Then let’s go now! Same should already be there, right? Let’s head to the Pigeon Trading Company!”
And with that, she proposed they go together—unaware of the chaos that might follow.