Kays Translations

Chapter 7: Torquetam ⑤

Bid looked utterly exhausted.

Liv guided them to the living room sofa.

We also moved to the living room with the tea set.

In the living room, there was a black long table and a white sofa.

“Hmm… it’s just some simple tea, but…”

Liv poured tea into a cup and placed it in front of Bid.

“Th-Thanks.”

Bid, looking completely dejected, reached for the cup but stopped, lowering their gaze. Hmm… the atmosphere was heavy.

“Bid, what do you mean by ‘disbanding’?”

Lupinus took a sip of tea before asking.

She was the type to cut straight to the heart of the matter without reading the mood.

“…After we returned, everyone was exhausted from everything that happened, so we decided to take a break from activities for a while. A break was definitely necessary. The leader, who was with Agaro-san, was worn out. Kurton and Romomo, who had been left behind and had to return to the surface on their own, were also exhausted. And so was I.”

We, too, had taken about six days off after returning.

That made sense.

“Hmm… that’s the same for everyone.”
“At first, it was supposed to be a four-day break. After that, we planned to take on a few requests.”
“That sounds tough.”
“…Hard work…”
“I think you could’ve taken a bit more rest.”
“Actually, our party, ‘Zan Brave,’ had only one noble supporting us financially. But for some reason, that noble’s house collapsed, and we suddenly became poor.”
“You all had applied for a base, right?”

That should have come with various benefits.

“We did, but most of the money went to payments.”
“Payments?”
“Yeah. We had been using the support funds for that. So, we covered our living expenses by taking on requests, and that worked out fine.”
“But when the sponsor was gone, you couldn’t keep up with those payments, so you ended up struggling financially.”
“Hmm… paying that much money… what kind of payments…?”

That was what concerned us.

Bid took a sip from their cup.

“This tastes good. It’s the kind I like.”
“Wof blended the tea.”
“Wof-kun did? It’s delicious. As for the payments—well, actually, ‘Zan Brave’ was a party that the leader inherited from their predecessor. Along with that, they inherited the party house, but it was in terrible condition and needed repairs. So, they went ahead with renovations, but the costs turned out to be astronomical.”
“So, those were the payments you mentioned.”
“Hmm, I see.”
“But originally, the predecessor was supposed to cover the repair costs. That’s why the leader agreed to a large-scale renovation. But before it was completed, the predecessor suddenly passed away, and the payment for the repairs was left unpaid.”
“Was there no contract in place?”
“That’s right. If that much money was involved, even if it was between acquaintances, there should have been a contract.”
“Hmm… even among friends… formality matters…”

Bid lowered their gaze and let out a deep sigh at our completely reasonable remarks.

“Yeah… normally, that’s what you’d do… you’d make a contract… right?”
“You didn’t?”
“That’s just careless.”
“…Liv has… nothing to say about that…”

It couldn’t be helped.

“Hmm. So, is that the reason for the disbandment?”
“No, that’s not it.”
“It’s not?”
“Not at all related.”

Then what was the whole conversation for?

It felt like we had just listened to another party leader’s blunder.

“Hmm… Bid, what’s the actual reason for disbanding?”
“Marriage.”
“Huh?”
“Kurton and Romomo are getting married for some reason.”
“Well, that’s a cause for celebration.”
“Oh my, how wonderful.”
“…Congratulations…”
“Yeah, normally, that would be the response.”
“But isn’t that an internal romance? Wasn’t dating within the party prohibited in ‘Zan Brave’?”

Lupinus asked.

Many parties banned internal relationships due to the problems they could cause.

In our case, since we were all women, that issue hadn’t come up—so far.

Bid let out a dry laugh.

“Haha… no, we didn’t prohibit it… we just assumed it wouldn’t happen… yeah… haha…”
“That’s something.”
“Nothing more to say about that.”
“Hmm… but why disband over it? They could keep going even after getting married.”

Liv had a point.

If they had children, it might be difficult, but as a newlywed couple, they could still continue.

“Well, you see… at first, we had a four-day break. Then, because of Kurton and Romomo, it got extended to six days. Then, when six days passed, it got pushed to eight days. And today, they suddenly announced they were getting married. And right after that, they said they’d quit being explorers. Apparently, Kurton is going to inherit his family’s farm, and Romomo will go with him.”
“So, it was today?”
“Then there’s nothing to do but wish them happiness.”
“Hmm.”
“But if that one guy comes back, ‘Zan Brave’ could still continue with three members.”

There was still a member who had returned home.

So, disbanding over losing two members seemed premature.

Bid finished their tea.

“Well, you see… the leader… was in love with Romomo.”
“…Oh dear.”

We had nothing to say to that.

Lupinus had a bitter look, and Liv simply raised her hands in surrender.

“And then, just like that, they were completely crushed and declared the party disbanded.”
“…Did you try to stop them, Bid?”
“Honestly, I had my doubts. But the leader left, saying they’d go inform the others. So, I went to hear the details from Kurton and Romomo. Turns out, they only started dating after we returned from the last expedition. And within eight days, they decided to get married. The main reason was that Kurton nearly died. They had never been in a situation that bad before, so it really made them realize how dangerous this job is. Romomo felt the same way.”
“So, facing death made them decide to quit.”
“Having things go too smoothly backfired on them.”
“…I kind of understand that…”
“Yeah. I mean, it’s cowardly, but I don’t blame them.”
“No one can.”
“Aegis is the real unfortunate one here.”
“Hmm.”
“So, I get why they disbanded, but now I feel lost. I suddenly don’t know what to do next. I felt like my path had disappeared, and I needed someone to talk to. So, I came to Torqueetam.”

It felt like they had lost their guiding light and were clinging to us for direction.

“Hmm. Then, Bid, why not join Torquetam?”
“Huh, me?”
“Hey! I was about to say that! That’s unfair!”
“Hmm… Liv was… thinking the same…”
“Fool. It doesn’t matter who says it. So, what do you say? I value your long-range combat skills, and I know your personality well. Plus, you get along with Liv. That black jacket—you got it from Liv, right?”

Bid’s jacket—some kind of “jumper”—was a gift from Liv.

During a previous joint mission with ‘Zan Brave,’ there was an incident where her clothes got torn. Liv had given her the jacket then.

“Hmm… the jumper is… a symbol of comradeship…”
“It’s a good jacket, and I treasure it… Hmm. I appreciate your offer, Pakira, but I think I’ll take a break from parties for now.”
“Hmm. I see.”

I thought there was a fifty-fifty chance of being rejected.

Considering they had just disbanded, I understood how they felt.

“I’ll be going solo for a while.”

“Alright. If you ever need help, you can always ask us.”

“Mm… Bid is a comrade…”

“We help each other out in times of need.”

“Everyone… thanks…”

Tears welled up slightly in Bid’s eyes.

“Fool. Don’t cry.”

“I’m not crying.”

Bid rubbed at their eyes vigorously. Good grief.

“Speaking of which, what about Aegis?”

“The leader said he was going to inform someone, so he probably went to report the disbandment to Micca, who’s back home. He won’t be back for a while. His hometown is far from here. Maybe he’s treating it as a kind of heartbreak trip.”

“What about the party house?”

“Who knows? The leader will figure something out. Since we disbanded, our base registration got revoked, so it’ll probably be put up for sale soon. Not that it concerns me anymore.”

Well, that’s true, but Bid seemed a little annoyed.

Just then, Lupinus looked deep in thought.

“…Bid. Is that party house comfortable?”

“Yeah, it’s nice. Not too big, not too small. Just the right size. When we renovated it, we added some legendary features.”

“What?”

“What kind of legendary features?”

“Uh, you just turn the faucet, and water comes out. The kitchen is the latest model from the royal capital. It’s got something called a system kitchen, so the stove turns on with just a switch. There’s also an oven, a washing machine, and something called a refrigerator. The bath is spacious, like a public bathhouse.”

“Mm… the height of luxury…”

“No wonder the costs were enormous.”

“…Will the renovation costs be covered by selling the house?”

“Yeah, that’s the only way. Whether it’s enough is another story, though.”

Lupinus was being strangely proactive.

I had a pretty good idea why.

“Pakira. Liv. What do you think? I believe we should buy it.”

“I knew you were going to say that.”

“Mm… I knew you would…”

“Huh? What?”

“Pakira. Liv. You’re okay with this, right?”

Lupinus asked again. Hmm. The only issue was…

“We won’t know until we see the price.”

“Mm… that’s the problem…”

“In that case, Bid, I’m going to write a letter now. You know where Micca’s hometown is, right?”

“Yeah, but… why?”

Bid tilted their head in confusion.

Lupinus proudly declared:

“If it’s alright, I propose we make that party house the new base for Torquetam.”

“Wha—! Are you serious?!”

“Of course. You two are on board, right?”

Liv and I exchanged glances, and I gave a small, wry smile.

“If we apply for base registration and receive the usual support, then yes.”

“…A minimum requirement…”

“Understood.”

“Oh, and one more thing.”

“What is it?”

“We need to inform our greatest sponsor.”

Lupinus made a sour face for just a moment, though she understood.

Well, there’s no helping it. Something this important has to be reported.

“…Sigh. Fine. I’ll write a letter to them too.”

That’s a leader’s duty, after all. Besides, it’s your family.

“…Hou-ren-sou… important.”

“Hou-ren-sou?”

“Mm… Report… Inform… Consult…”

“I see.”

“Hmm. I like that.”

A good saying, isn’t it, Lupinus?

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