Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 49: Luggage Carrier ⑦
Axe widened his eyes in surprise and spoke.
“Woah. Surely not.”
“No way, impossible.”
“That couldn’t possibly be true, could it?”
Rel and Hoss chuckled wryly, while the fairy-like girl opened her eyes wide in shock.
“Why do you know my name!?”
“What?”
“No way…”
“You’re kidding, right!?”
Ah, just as I thought.
“How do you know!? I’ve been taking precautions not to reveal myself!”
“Did your master teach you those precautions?”
“Y-yeah. But how do you even know that much?”
The fairy-like girl, now identified as Mineha, looked at me cautiously, though still startled. Axe spoke up.
“That master is my mother.”
“You’re… Axe?”
Mineha looked intrigued.
“That’s right.”
“The master’s kid? Huh, I can see the resemblance. I’ve heard of the ‘Lightning Fang.’”
“That’s correct. The members are Rel and Hoss.”
“Ah, nice to meet you.”
“N-nice to meet you.”
“And him?”
“I’m only helping out this time, carrying Mineha-san’s things and running errands.”
Mineha stared intently at me. Her honey-colored eyes seemed to gleam ominously.
“Huh. So you’re a hireling, then.”
“Well, something like that.”
Not entirely accurate, but I nodded.
“Fine. I’ll introduce myself. I’m Mineha, ten years old, a fairy-like species, and a Grade III explorer. On my master’s orders, I’m participating in this dungeon exploration.”
“I’m Axe, leader of the Lightning Fang. Pleased to meet you.”
“So this isn’t a monster-slaying mission? I thought for sure it would be.”
“No, no. We’re Grade IV. That would be far too dangerous.”
Axe chuckled wryly.
“What a shame. I wanted to join.”
“Quite aggressive, aren’t you? You remind me of my fourth sister.”
“She must be a formidable woman.”
“Yeah, a battle maniac.”
What kind of sister is that?
“I’m not like that! I just want achievements. I want to aim higher.”
“To the same Grade II as my mom?”
“No. If I’m aiming, it’s for the top.”
Mineha crossed her arms confidently.
“Grade I, huh.”
“I’m a genius, after all. And I have a relic worthy of it.”
At that moment, ever so slightly, Axe and the others seemed to flinch.
“…?”
Was it just my imagination? Maybe. But the atmosphere had certainly shifted, and not in a good way.
Mineha noticed it too.
“What’s with that reaction?”
“Mineha… hasn’t your master told you anything?”
“My master? No, nothing in particular. About a relic like hers?”
“…I see.”
This is bad. Not only me but Rel and Hoss also looked concerned. Even Mineha seemed to sense the awkwardness in the air.
“What is it? This is annoying.”
“Mineha-san.”
Unable to hold back, I spoke up. Mineha turned toward me with a sour expression.
“What?”
“Fairy-like species are born with one relic, right?”
“Yes, that’s right. Every fairy-like being has one relic.”
“What kind of relic is yours?”
“Huh? Why should I tell a stranger like you?”
“S-sorry.”
She had a point. But this tension was unbearable. Finally, Axe opened his heavy mouth.
“Mineha. Did your master say anything to you?”
“Not really. She just told me to work with you.”
“…I see. Mineha, I don’t have a relic.”
The sudden confession left me speechless. Mineha scoffed.
“Huh? What kind of joke is that?”
“It’s no joke. Neither do I.”
“Me neither.”
Rel and Hoss confessed as well. I chose to remain silent. Mineha was visibly shaken.
“What is this? How can you call yourselves explorers without relics!?”
“Ah, that’s going too far…”
Axe slammed his hand on the table.
“If you don’t like it, you don’t have to come along.”
“Exactly.”
“That’s right. This is how we’ve always done it.”
“W-what!? What’s with you all!? Acting so high and mighty without even having relics!”
“What did you just say?”
“Hey, that attitude—it’s just like my sixth sister.”
“That’s why I was against this from the start.”
And so, the argument devolved into a pointless shouting match.
This isn’t going to work.
If things are already like this when we’ve just met… exploring a dungeon together is out of the question.
“……”
As I thought about how to stop them, I took a sip of my lemon juice.
But wait—meeting like this, right from the start? Something’s off… Wait.
I felt a twinge of doubt.
And I realized there was only one person who might have the answer.
Sigh… Looks like I’ll have to go.
And so, to the witch’s house.
I’ve been coming here a lot lately, it seems.
“Well, well, look who it is. Wof-kun, isn’t it?”
“I’ve got some questions I need to ask.”
The witch gave a sly smile.