Chapter 28: Talk About Great Snow

But Kai didn’t give up.

He concedes in a panicked voice to ask for Ren’s help.

He puts his hands together in front of him and bows his head.

“Just come with us. I’d appreciate it if you’d join us just one way, not on a round trip…..”

I felt sorry for his desperate attempts to make me go along, and part of me felt honored that he was buying my skills, but I still wouldn’t agree.

Even if I were to accompany him on a one-way trip, it would take two weeks and a few days, simply calculated.

In all likelihood, this wasn’t a job suited to Ren, who had been entrusted with the management of the old building.

So Ren tried again to refuse.

“With an explanation like that, I don’t think Hero-dono would agree to it. We should explain in more detail.”

This time, the werewolf spoke and encouraged Kai with some perfectly honest words.

Kai let out a short sigh beside the werewolf, who smiled, showing his white canine teeth.

“Maidas, I guess you’re right.”

(Maidas?)

The werewolf laughed as he twisted his head at the sudden mention of his name.

“That’s my name. I never thought we’d both have to introduce ourselves in this fashion.”

Maidas, the werewolf, smiles and says, “Nice to meet you,” and shakes hands with Ren.

Then he poked Kai in the side with his elbow.

“This guy is always like this. I’m always warning him that he doesn’t explain himself well, he’s too general.”

“Hey! You don’t have to tell him that!”

Kai, with a Buddha’s expression, propped his face on the table.

When Kai complained, “What the heck,” Maidas laughed at him, as if he had no choice than to do so.　

“Forget about this guy who is making fun of me. As for the content of the tour, the plan is to follow a route like this.”

Kai slides his finger over the map he has prepared.

The route was one that even Ren could remember. He had followed the exact same route when he had toured the villages with Licia, Weiss, and the other knights.

There was only one difference.

Kai’s fingertip headed north without stopping on the map and crossed the Baldor Mountains.

Ren’s eyebrows lifted for a moment.

“We don’t need much strength up to the Baldor Mountains. But once in the Baldor Mountains, the roads are bad, it’s winter, and the number of monsters increases. That’s why we need you, hero-dono, to help us in the Baldor Mountains.”

Ren strongly felt that he had made the right decision not to accept the offer.

Going to the Baldor mountains was an unexpected request.

(It’s an extra no-no – ……)

Naturally, the answer remains the same.

But to be honest, I would like to go there, not only for the treasures in the hidden map, but also for the steel-eating gargoyle that’s sure to appear.

However, I still didn’t accept the offer.

“I hear it’s very cold this year, but are you okay with that? I mean, I don’t know if it’s a good idea to go all the way through the Baldor Mountains at a time like this.”

It even seems suicidal.

Ren thought that if he were a purveyor, he would definitely avoid the Baldor Mountains, but after hearing Kai’s reply, he was a little more convinced.

“I don’t know about that. The merchant insisted he had to deliver the goods to the nobles. He also offered me a lot of money, so it’s not a bad deal. There’s a bonus if I can get him there in one piece.”

The merchant must be desperate to maintain his relationship with the nobleman. 

Kai then wrote numbers on a piece of paper in his hand.

It was a very rich deal.

“What do you think? Not a bad deal for hero-dono, is it?”

“Yes…”

“As expected, is it difficult?”

“Yes, I think it will take a reasonable number of days. If it’s an escort quest through the Baldor Mountains. The weather is also a factor to consider….I’m under the care of the Clausel family, so please allow me to decline this time.”

Kai then hung his head in resignation.

He plopped down on the table and let out several sighs, his weak body exuding a sense of pettiness.

“Isn’t it?”

“It can’t be helped.”

“I’m s-sorry….”

“Oh, no, don’t worry about it. I’m going to try to get someone I trust to go with me. —- Actually, Maidas there can’t make it because of another job, so I wanted to take someone I trust. I’ll see who else I know.”

Kai said he doesn’t always work with Maidas.

It’s not uncommon for them to be working separately, as they are sometimes working on different assignments.

“I’m really sorry.”

“No, don’t worry about it. I have almost two weeks until the job starts, so I’m sure I’ll find at least one person soon.”

“Oh… I didn’t expect it to have such time gap.”

“The truth is, it depends on the schedule of the merchant who is being escorted. As for me, I’d like to get there and back home as soon as possible, but there’s no use complaining about it.”

But even at that, the Baldor Mountains is likely to be a harsh environment in the wintertime, especially this year.

The cold weather is particularly severe this year, and snow is expected to be as fierce as it should be.

But Kai knows that.

In the summer, his partner, Maidas, went around the villages of Clausel and brought magical tools for the winter and I’m sure he has heard many stories about the harshness of this winter.

“You came all the way to the guild. I’ll buy you a drink.”

“……I’m still a kid, so I’ll just have a juice, please.”

I remember that the age of adulthood in Leomel was fourteen.

As he sipped the juice that arrived, Ren muttered, “I’ve grown up, too”.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

I wondered what I would do about hunting in the winter, but I didn’t have the luxury of being able to leave the old mansion to go hunting.

This was because, as the caretaker of the old mansion, I was kept busy with winter work.

Therefore, even if I went out of town by chance, I could only investigate the monsters.

—-It was one such day, a few weeks after he had turned down a request for a nomination.

The roof of the old building collapsed under the weight of the snow.

Looking up from the entrance hall, one could see a hole so large that one could look up to the sky.

“The heat inside the old building must have been transferred to the roof when you came to live there. The melted snow froze, and the snowfall added to its weight.”

Weiss, who had heard the commotion that morning and had come to the house.

He looked up at the roof from outside the old building and laughed, while Ren, who was standing next to him, had a slight twitch in his cheek.

“I’ve been trying to get the snow to come down as it usually does…….”

“There will be days like this. It was especially cold last night. No wonder this happened in one day. —-But still, that’s amazing. Another great hole on the roof.”

“It’s no laughing matter, though.”

“Anyway, we’ll have to fix it.”

“Are you going to call a craftsman?”

“Hmm? Ah, I will, but the craftsman in charge of the family’s carpentry work doesn’t live in Clausel. He is in one of Clausel’s territories, but I have to go to that village to call him.”

Ren’s cheeks tightened even more at the thought of the hole that would be left open until then.

Weiss, however, has no desire in his heart to leave the roof of the old building unattended.

“We’ll have to do some first aid ourselves.”

“Oh, I see. That’s what we should do.”

“Mm-hmm. Even if we can’t fix it as well as the craftsmen, we don’t want the snow to fall inside and it would be cold for you who lives here.”

So, it’s a bit of carpentry work.

Weiss left Ren’s side, saying that he would explain the situation to Lessard and that he would get the necessary materials from the warehouse.

Licia came in and said to Ren with a white breath. 

“Are you sure you want to fix the roof?”

“Yes. If not, the inside of the old building might be damaged by snow this time.”

Licia chuckled and shook the hem of her white coat with light steps.

The hair ornament that she has been wearing every day since her birthday party in the summer is also shaking quietly.

It was Licia’s hair, which had gradually grown more mature, that had a definite presence.　

“Of course, you’re going to the roof, right?”

“Yes. Otherwise, I can’t fix it.”

“Then —-.”

Her smile, as shiny as her platinum feathers, told him what she was going to say next.

“No, you can’t do that.”

“I haven’t said anything yet.”

She didn’t have to say anything.

It’s Licia, and I could imagine it when she was interested.

“You can’t go up on the roof. It’s okay if you’re just observing, but even then you have to get approval from Lessard-sama or Weiss-san because of the possibility of snow and materials falling from the roof.”

“…… stingy.”

“…… haha.”

I’m not going to break no matter what she says.

Ren let out a dry laugh and turned away.

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