Kays Translations

Chapter 16: Old man is praised for his work

Having finished all the work, I arrived at the tavern.

I've already informed Rikka that the work is done.

Having a meal in a corner of the tavern with Hina, Rikka appeared.

"Hey, Tatsuya" 

She said as she sat across from me.

I handed over the completed map.

"Already finished? That was fast"

Rikka began to look over the map.

She screamed.

"What's this?! Haaaah?!!!"

"Was there something wrong? Sorry, it's my first time making a map, so there might be some mistakes."

I started to feel a little uneasy.

(Strange, I double-checked everything at the end to make sure there were no mistakes.)

She pointed to the route I had made.

"How did you secure such a short route? It's a straight line, isn't it? Didn't the Mad Frogs gather around here? How did you make this route?!"

"I buried them."

"Buried them?"

"To prevent the Mad Frogs from coming out, I killed them and then filled the holes with concrete. This road is all concrete."

"Concrete?"

I decided to explain to Rikka.

"Oh, that. It's the concrete that rich big shots use. Wait, whaaat?!!!"

She screamed.

"Why are you so surprised?" I asked, and Rikka cleared her throat.

"Concrete is expensive, you know? I think it was about 50,000 gels per liter."

I remembered buying cement for about 1,000 gels.

It seems concrete is indeed expensive when bought like that.

"Hey, Tatsuya. Is this really a concrete road?"

"Yeah, but why lie about it?"

"Do you think I can sell this road to the country? I'm sure they'll buy it."

"You can do whatever you want with it."

Upon saying that, Rikka began to make a call somewhere.

After waiting for a while, Rikka stopped the call and looked at me.

"I want to go see this road together tomorrow morning. Will you come?"

"Of course."

Huh?

At first, it was something I started for Rikka's sake, but somehow the country got involved?

◇

The next morning.

I arrived at the concrete road with Rikka.

"Wow. It's so solid."

*Knock knock.*

Rikka squatted down and tapped on the concrete.

"This whole area used to be the Mud Frogs' habitat, it's amazing" 

She said in admiration, as footsteps approached.

*Clank clank.*

Due to being clad in armor, even those sounds were audible.

Turning towards the source of the footsteps, soldiers were coming towards us.

And when they reached us, they bowed.

"I'm the checkpoint manager. Are you Rikka-san?"

"Yo."

Rikka responded and pointed to the concrete road.

"This is all concrete. They filled up all the places where Mad Frogs used to come out."

As Rikka spoke, the armored person looked behind.

There was a horse pulling a cart.

"We'll pass through this road once. Please accompany us."

The armored person led the horse and walked along the concrete road.

After several tens of minutes, they finished crossing.

It was just an ordinary road with nothing special.

However, the fact that there was nothing special surprised the armored person.

"Foolish! This road was previously impassable due to Mad Frog appearances! To think it can be crossed so easily now!"

After shouting, the armored person looked at Rikka and said

"Let me buy this road. We'll manage it as part of the country."

Rikka raised a finger.

The number of fingers raised was five.

"50 million."

My mind went a little blank, and then I screamed inwardly.

(50 million?! Didn't you hire me for this job for 800,000?!)

However, the armored person was perplexed, placing a hand on their chin.

"50 million?!"

They were astonished.

The amount seemed to leave them bewildered.

(I understand the feeling. It's way too much. Well...)

The price of 50 million for this road was too high.

I also thought so.

"Is 50 million okay?"

The armored person began to speak.

"Huh?"

Rikka also had her mouth open.

The armored person continued.

"This road is worth 200 million. The route owned by the Garde Company takes 5 hours, while this road takes only about 30 minutes to reach. The time-saving effect alone is worth more than 200 million."

Rikka shouted

"Yes! Then I’ll sell it for 200 million!"

"Understood. We'll buy it for 200 million."

I saw Rikka's delighted face.

Then the armored person looked at me.

"Did you complete this road in just a few days?"

"W-well, yeah."

"I can't believe it. Completing a road like this in just a few days."

Saying that, the armored person asked us,

"Is there anything you would like to ask us before we start operating this road?"

Rikka smiled mischievously and said,

"Of course, the Garde Company is forbidden from passing through! Especially Iyami, absolutely not allowed."

Rikka turned to me, expecting me to say the same thing.

"The Garde Company is forbidden from passing through."

Upon hearing this, the armored person nodded.

"Understood. Passage of the Garde Company will be prohibited."

The armored person began to make various contacts.

As a result, soldiers were quickly stationed at the entrance and exit of this route.

And signs saying "No Passage for Garde Company" were erected at the entrance and exit. It's truly a case of poetic justice.

(I guess you should be more careful with your actions and words in the future.)

After that, I returned to the town and entered the tavern with Rikka.

"Thanks, Tatsuya. My pockets are full. Here's your reward of 800,000."

*Plonk.*

I received the 800,000 for now, but...

"You're still owed, right? About half? No, since it was your job, should I give you 200 million?"

I shook my head.

"No, it's okay. Rikka, you suffered losses because of the Galdo Company, right? You should use the 200 million to compensate for that."

"Indeed, but are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure."

After considering various things, I decided to owe Rikka a favor.

(Above all, she's a traveling merchant. I think she'll spread my name far and wide.)

I chose to look beyond immediate gains and focus on future benefits.

But then, Rikka handed me an additional pouch.

[I obtained 4.2 million jewels.]

"For now, that makes it a total of 5 million, right? I'm really grateful to Tatsuya, so I'll pay you that much."

With that, Rikka stood up.

Then, she picked up the bill and said:

"Please, if anything happens again, feel free to ask for my help. Tatsuya. I'll rely on you again. And if anything happens, just let us know. We'll fly to you for free immediately."

I decided to exchange contact information with Rikka.

She left the shop, paying for my portion as well.

After finishing my meal, I decided to go to the administrator of the mine where Hina is owned.

Visiting the prefab near the mine, the administrator came out immediately.

He was a well-built middle-aged man in light clothing.

"What is it?"

"I want to buy this child."

He pointed at Hina.

"5,000 is fine."

"5,000? Is it that cheap?"

The man nodded.

"Well, you see, I bought several hundred slaves here in bulk, and some women were mixed in. She's one of them. I didn't need the women, so I'm happy to get rid of her. You can have her for 5,000."

It was cheaper than I expected.

I handed over 5,000 to the man.

"Here you go."

He handed me a key.

"So, her collar comes off now. From here on, do as you please."

I removed the collar from Hina.

*Click.*

It opened without any resistance.

Returning the key, the man went back inside the prefab.

The process of acquiring her was surprisingly straightforward.

"Now, it's up to you" 

I said, but Hina showed no signs of wanting to leave my side.

"I'll always be by your side, Tatsuya-san. I don't need any salary, so please let me work" 

She said with a smile.

"Is it really okay for free? Well, then, I'll continue to rely on you from now on"

I had been considering trying freelancing alone, but having at least one more person around wouldn't hurt.

I decided to take her with me.

It was when I had finished acquiring Hina.

My adventurer card started to glow.

Taking it out, I noticed a change in my adventurer card.

[Received 3-star reviews]

The display switched.

[Received a very good job. Completed a 100-point job at about 10,000 points. A hard worker who goes above and beyond, even doing things we didn't ask for! - by Rikka]

100% high rating, 0% low rating

Number of reviewers: 2

Previous chapter | TOC | Next chapter