Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 11: Old man receives a request
Geez...
Rikka looked at me and asked
"Tatsuya, are you an adventurer?"
"Yeah, I'm a freelancer."
Smack.
Rikka grabbed the quest paper from the counter and showed it to me.
"You're a freelancer, huh? Perfect timing. Would you take this?"
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[Request: Map Creation]
Objective: Create a map of the area surrounding Grinova City (survey areas with no enemies).
Destination: Surrounding area of Grinova City
Reward: 300,000 gels
Difficulty: D-rank
Requested Completion Time: 3 days
(Map creation, huh?)
"I'm not really good at spatial awareness or map-making."
"Oh, you can use this. It's simple, trust me."
Flip.
She handed me a map of the area surrounding the city.
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It was mostly white, but it was kind of understandable, like a blank canvas.
Is it a blank map?
"Could you just write down the results of your survey on this map?"
"Sorry. What exactly should I survey? I'm a beginner and I don't know anything."
When I asked that, Rikka answered without making a displeased face.
"In this area, there are monsters called 'Mad Frogs.'"
"Mad Frogs?"
"Yeah, they're frogs buried in the ground. When you pass over the area they're buried in, they suddenly emerge and attack."
Sounds like landmine monsters.
Nasty, huh?
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"Are they strong?"
When I asked, Rikka shook her head.
"They're not strong. But, you know, they jump out so forcefully that carriages can overturn. And that often ruins the merchandise."
Saying that, Rikka continued.
"When Mr. Garde from Garde Trading Company was faster earlier, right? The Garde Road is the shortest route without Mad Frogs.”
At that moment...
Bang!!!
The guild door swung open again.
And from there entered...
(The guy from Garde Trading Company earlier?)
He spotted Rikka and smirked.
Then he walked over.
"Hey, clumsy merchant. Still scared of Mad Frogs, huh?"
"Well, merchandise gets ruined, you know."
"Poor merchants without a proper road."
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The old man said so and took out a map.
On the map he showed me, there were several lines drawn.
Then the old man looked at me.
"I'll tell you. The routes marked by these lines are safe routes. They are routes where Mad Frogs do not appear. This road was completed at great expense by me, Iyami Garde."
I asked Rikka.
"Can't we just use this route?"
"It's impossible."
Rikka answered with a frustrated tone.
Iyami chuckled.
"This route is occupied by the Garde Company. If other companies want to pass through, the toll is 500,000 gels per passage."
"500,000?!"
"Hahaha! Isn't it obvious? It's the Garde Company that conducted the survey for the safe route, and it's also the Garde Company that maintained the road. It costs money. What's wrong with occupying it? If you want to pass, pay up, poor folks. This is private property."
Iyami put away the map.
With a loud laugh, Iyami left the guild just like that.
"They're delivering their luggage too quickly, causing our business to suffer as well. So, we've decided to open up our own route."
Rikka spoke up.
"Please. If you don't go through the guild, I can pay double the stated fee, and I'd like to request map creation. I can also extend the deadline."
She pleaded with upturned eyes.
So, it wasn't like I wanted to take on the job, but...
"Alright. I'll take on this request. Can I have two weeks for the deadline? Um, just in case. I'm a bit anxious."
Paaaaaa.
Rikka's face brightened.
"Alright. Two weeks is totally fine!"
I glanced at the receptionist I had ignored.
"Sorry about that. I've got work to do now, so, well..."
With a crisp salute to the receptionist, Rikka and I decided to leave the guild.
And so, Rikka and I decided to head to the tavern in this town for now.
There, we received detailed explanations.
Rikka also spread out the map and explained.
【Map】
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□ = Grinova Town
■ = Madfrog Spawn Point
→ = Route
【GardeTrading Company's Route, commonly known as Garde Road】
→→→→→→→→→
↑ ■■■■■■■■■■↓
↑ ■■■■■■■■■■↓
↑ ■■■■■■■■■■↓
↑ ■■■■■■■■■■↓
→ ■■■■■■■■■■→→→→□
■■■■■■■■■■
【Routes of Other Trading Companies】
→→→→→→→→→
↑ ↓
↑ ↓
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↑ (No Entry) ↓
↑ ■■■■■■■■■■↓
↑ ■■■■■■■■■■↓
↑ ■■■■■■
■■■■■■■■■■↓
↑ ■■■■■■■■■■↓
→ ■■■■■■■■■■→→→→□
■■■■■■■■■■
Ricca drew a map like that.
"Garde Trading Company has a route to avoid Mad Frogs like this. But others don't have it, so there's a temporal loss just by detouring."
I watched with my hand on my chin.
"Hmm. Indeed, Garde Trading Company seems to be quite fast."
"So ideally, it should be like this."
【Ideal Route】
→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→□
She said so as she came.
"So basically, it's about wiping out these Mad Frogs?"
"As an ideal, yes. But it's impossible, so I want you to find a way."
Let's consider the direction of subjugation, just in case.
"By the way, how long do you think it would take to defeat them all?"
"I don't know. There might be 1000 of them, or maybe just 100. By the way, to attack them, you have to lure the Mad Frogs out of the ground first. Even experienced people might only be able to defeat three in an hour. They're invincible while they're underground. They're disliked because they're bothersome to deal with and their drops aren't good."
The numbers Rikka mentioned were staggering.
(But seriously, are these what you'd call nuisance monsters? Invincible while underground... huh.)
Phew, what should I do?
As I was thinking that, Rikka added this.
"As you heard, the numbers are staggering, so it's fine to search and investigate areas without Mad Frogs. I think there might be routes that are faster than now."
Saying that, Rikka stood up.
"Well then, I have to load and unload cargo, so let's meet again in 5 days. I'd be happy to hear about the progress of the work."
She said this lastly.
"Even if it's not finished, I'll pay you for the progress, so don't worry."
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With that, Rikka left.
(If I work hard, her job will also become easier, and I'll get paid.)
It's a win-win situation.
Well then, shall I do my best?