Kays Translations

Chapter 48: Luggage Carrier (6)

A few hours after seeing them off.

Despite it being daytime, the cider Inn felt unusually empty.

As I looked around, I caught eyes with Axe-san.

“Over here, Wof.”
“Yes.”

I walked over to the table he had called me to.

There sat Axe-san and two men I didn’t recognize.

“Well, take a seat.”

I sat down as instructed.

“Want to order something?”
“Then, I’ll have a lemonade.”

Even though it was lunchtime, I wasn’t particularly hungry.

Axe-san placed the order, then introduced the two men.

“First, this is Rel.”
“Hello, nice to meet you.”
“Ah, yes. Nice to meet you too.”

The one who gave a short greeting was a tall elf man with long silver hair.
He wore black clothing, glasses, and even black pants with a silver belt.

As expected of an elf, he was quite handsome. But more than that, his demeanor and presence exuded nobility.

“And this here is Hoss.”
“Hoss. Nice to meetcha.”

The one who bowed slightly was a short man.
He had a somewhat square face, slit-like eyes, and a button nose.
From his stocky build, it was clear he was a dwarf.

In front of him sat a massive mug of ale, already half-empty.

“Ah, nice to meet you.”

“These two are members of Lightning fang. For reference, I handle melee, Hoss handles mid-range, and Rel handles long-range.”
“That’s a well-balanced team.”
“It’s just how our weapons are.”
“That’s right. Axe uses a sword, I’ve got a halberd, and Rel’s got a bow.”
“I see… By the way—”

I immediately noticed something.

Someone was missing from the table.

This was supposed to be an important introduction.
And yet, the key member wasn’t here.

“I know what you want to say. Whether it’s good or bad…”

Axe-san gave a wry smile.

The other two also had an awkward look on their faces.

Her absence meant only one thing.

“Did something happen?”
“She hasn’t arrived yet. She was supposed to arrive yesterday or the day before.”

Rel adjusted his glasses with a sharp motion as he spoke.

Axe-san let out a sigh.

“Well, as long as she arrives by tomorrow, it’s fine.”
“And if she doesn’t, what then, Axe?”
“Well, there’s no choice. We’ll leave without her.”
“Mm. That’s the way it is—it’s a job, after all.”
“Exactly.”

Even as they said there was no choice, their true feelings were obvious—they hoped it would come to that.

The other two seemed to share the sentiment.

The idea of having a woman join the team and changing the dynamic clearly made them uncomfortable.
I couldn’t say I didn’t understand their feelings.

If possible… I also hoped it wouldn’t come to that.
No one seemed to want her here.

“Even though she’s not here yet, could you tell me what you know about her?”
“Sure, but all I know is her name.”
“That’s it?”
“…I was only told her name too. They said it was a surprise.”
“Ah… One of those types.”

There are always people like that.

“Her name is Mineha.”

Mineha. That was all they had. Clearly not enough.

Rel opened his mouth to speak.

“We tried looking into her a bit. But all we found were rumors.”
“The rumors said she was made an explorer under special circumstances.”
“That’s it. She stood out for that, but nothing else came up.”

That’s all I knew as well.
Well, rumors tend to be like that.

“What did you just say!? The subjugation team already left? What’s that supposed to mean!?”

Suddenly, a loud voice rang out.

I looked over and saw a small girl floating above one of the tables.

She had long orange hair, part of which was braided.

“That’s a Fairial.”
“Oh.”
“Rare to see one.”
“So that’s what they look like.”

On her back were four translucent wings, though they didn’t seem to be moving.

Despite the still wings, she floated in the air.

She wore a red outfit with armor. Her skirt flared out like flower petals.
A spear-like weapon hung at her waist.

On the table in front of her were multiple empty plates stacked high.

Could she have eaten all of that herself?

A female server timidly responded to her.

“They left this morning.”
“What’s that supposed to mean!?”
“Well, as I said…”

The small girl, hands on her hips, started arguing with the server.

Axe-san glanced over and whispered to us.

“She’s small, but her voice is so loud.”
“I’m not good with people like her.”
“Rel isn’t good with any woman.”
“She reminds me of my third sister.”
“Rel, you’ve got a lot of sisters, don’t you?”
“That’s why I’m sick of women.”

Rel sighed bitterly.
I see. That would explain it.

However, watching her filled me with a sense of unease.
No, it couldn’t be…

“…………”
“What’s wrong, Wof?”
“I have a bad feeling.”
“A bad feeling?”
“What is it?”
“That Fairial girl…”
“Don’t stare too much. If she catches you looking, she might attack.”

Rel lowered his voice as he said this.

“Huh? No, I didn’t mean that.”
“Seriously, Rel?”
“She sounds scarier than a monster.”
“My sixth sister was like that.”

Rel adjusted his glasses again as he spoke.
What kind of sisters does he have? And how many are there?

“No, I mean, could she possibly be—”
“What? You’ve been whispering this whole time.”

Suddenly, the Fairial girl flew toward us.
She put her hands on her hips mid-air, wearing a clearly irritated expression.

“Whoa!”
“……”
“Eek!”

Axe-san was startled, Rel went silent, and Hoss looked terrified.
The Fairial girl glared at us.

“What’s with those reactions?”
“Ah, uh, no, s-sorry!”
“……”
“Eek!”

Axe-san stammered nervously, Rel stayed quiet, and Hoss shrank away.
The Fairial girl looked over each of us.

“You lot were staring at me, weren’t you?”
“We only glanced for a moment.”
“…I wasn’t staring.”
“I-I mean, I looked, but, uh, not really…”
“And you?”

She directed her attention toward me.

“I did look, but, um, can I ask you something?”
“What is it?”
“Sorry if I’m wrong, but… by any chance, are you Mineha?”

I asked her.
All the while praying she wasn’t.

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