Chapter 30: Heizen, the Trade City ⑧ – Hoss and Ruma ①

The trade city of Heizen.
Berk Dining Hall.

The sign now read “Closed for Preparation.”

I sat alone at one of the empty tables, staring into the glass of liquor before me.
I wasn’t in the mood for ale. Suddenly a silhouette fell across the glass, and I looked up.

“Long time no see.”

Flowing black hair reached down to her waist, and from her head curled white sheep horns.
Her skin was tan, her outfit light, and a blue apron was tied around her waist. A short sheep’s tail tipped in white swayed behind her.

A sheep-type beastkin.

She was tall, with the same striking physique she’d always had—clearly still training.
The small mole below the right side of her lips, giving her a subtle allure, hadn’t changed either.

“Been a while, Ruma.”
“Mm.”

Luma looked at me with slightly moist, pale green eyes.

“You been doing alright?”
“Somehow. Mind if I sit next to you?”
“Ah—yeah.”

She sat across from me.

“Actually, I already knew a bit. The boy who helps out at my place—his older brother works as an explorer with you.”

“Yeah, we formed a party.”

Looks like she hasn’t heard about Tasan.
Ruma let out a small sigh of relief.

“…Good. After you lost your relic and left Heizen back then, I worried about what happened to you…”

Ruma closed her eyes lightly.
I answered.

“I’m scraping by as an explorer. That’s all I’ve got.”
“Hoss… are you still planning on joining the Forest Wave…?”
“Not sure. This time I’m just here as an escort and cook.”
“You’re not with Lightning Fangs anymore?”
“I’m solo now.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yeah. You still working as a Slayer?”
“As always. Sometimes taking jobs, sometimes helping other parties. Otherwise, I’m running the dining hall.”

“What about this year’s Forest Wave?”

Ruma twirled a strand of her hair around her finger.

“I’m undecided. I didn’t enter last year either.”
“Oh, really.”
“Mm. Hey… if you’re still cooking, I want to have it again. Your food.”

She said it suddenly, like trying to cover something up.

“Sure, but what do you want?”
“Your hometown dish. You know, the potato soup.”
“That plain thing?”

Just potatoes, salt, and pepper.

“I like it.”

Ruma smiled softly.

I scratched my head. I’d always been bad with her.
Honestly, she’s the reason I started having trouble dealing with women at all.

“I’ll borrow your kitchen.”
“Okay. I’ll show you.”

It had been ages since I’d stepped into the kitchen of Berk Dining Hall.

I filled a pot with water, tossed in a mountain of peeled potatoes and whole leeks, and let it simmer.

Ruma sliced cucumbers, and cut black-and-white bread beans in half, pairing white with white and black with black.
Then she opened jars of tuna and mustard.

Thick mustard on the bread bean halves, tuna and cucumbers sandwiched in between.
Then she cut them again—this time into triangles.

“Tuna-cucumber sandwiches…”

Her specialty.

“Hoss. You liked these, right?”
“I didn’t like them. They were cheap.”
“Ahaha, we were so broke back then.”
“…But it was fun.”

We were young, throwing ourselves into the work of a slayer.

“Yeah… Hey, Hoss, are you seeing anyone now?”

She suddenly dropped the question, and I nearly jumped.
I even dropped the ladle I was stirring with.

Startled, I looked at Ruma—her cheeks faintly flushed.

“W-what are you saying? Of course I’m not.”
“I see.”
“S-so, what about you? You must have a boyfriend, right?”
“Uh… actually—I’m getting married.”

“Wha—oh. O-oh, that’s… good. Congratulations.”

Makes sense.
It’s been a long time.

“My partner is… Barrow. Barrow Jinryu.”
“Jinryu…? That’s a big name.”

Honestly, it was strange she’d been single this long.
Given her age, marriage was almost overdue.

“Mm. We’ll marry after the Forest Wave ends.”
“Ah, so that’s why you’re avoiding participating.”
“Yeah… something like that.”
“Then it can’t be helped.”
“By the way, I’ll be his ninth wife.”
“Eh—oh, so…”
“It’s basically like being a concubine.”

“…Still, if you like him—”

“I don’t like him.”

“…Huh?”

Her voice stabbed out flatly.
Then she caught herself and hurried to cover it up.

“S-sorry. Really, sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. I don’t want to trouble you, I just—since it’s been so long—so, um, forget it! Please!”

“…Why marry if you don’t even—”

“Aahahaha—haha—hahaha!”

She laughed desperately, obviously trying to dodge the question.
And she kept insisting it was nothing.

Then she said the soup was fine, she had something to do, and with that flimsy excuse—

I got kicked out of Berk Dining Hall.

“…Why would you marry someone you don’t even…”

I could only mutter helplessly.

Zensera Family Main Estate – 4th Floor – The Lord’s Office

“…—Witch. It’s convenient you’re here. I have a request, or rather, something I want your help with.”
“Oh? A request, huh.”
“It’s about Barrow, the next head of the Jinryu family.”
“My, my, that’s odd. Isn’t the successor supposed to be the eldest son, Jingi? What happened to that Red Dragon?”
“He died last month.”
“Oh? Oh. So he did? First I’ve heard. Interesting… Barrow, hmm. If I recall correctly, he was the third son. And the second son, Garad—the brave one—what about him?”
“He’s been missing since last month.”
“Hmm. That’s… suspicious.”

The witch sounded bored.
Seiran felt the same.

“It’s not a fun topic. Barrow already has eight wives.”
“Well, that’s not unheard of.”
“But all eight were recently replaced.”
“…And why is that? Mind explaining?”

“Barrow was never in the spotlight—mostly because of Jingi. No one cared what he did. But suddenly he appeared in public. In a very unnatural way. So I investigated.

“What I found is only suspicion, but… he may be connected to the kidnappings and disappearances that happen every year.

“And he had eight wives—but none of them ever appeared publicly. Digging deeper, I found that over the last few years, he arranged multiple marriage proposals. All of them involved awful conditions: assault, threats, murder, robbery. Most commonly—debt.”

“Hm hm. You called it ‘replacement,’ so what happened to the previous eight?”
“We don’t know. But strangely, one of our spies infiltrating the Jinryu family was among the new eight wives…”

“Well well, that’s quite bizarre. And how does this all tie into your request to me?”

“I want your help eliminating Barrow. He must not become the next clan head.”

“I see, I see. From what I’ve heard, that seems right. But one thing bothers me. Did Jingi—the Red Dragon—really die? Was a body found?”

“No. But he entered the depths of the Great Heizen Forest. And never came back. You understand what that means.”

“Hmmm. Also, Barrow seems to have started moving suddenly.”

“That’s what Pon found suspicious too.”

“In that case, I want you to check one thing. Whether Barrow came into possession of a strange sword.”

“A strange sword… You mean the daughter of the Sword Goddess?”

Seiran said it casually.

The witch’s lips curled faintly.

Seiran rang a small bell.
A butler entered—the same who brought tea earlier.

“You called, Lady Seiran?”

“I’ll introduce you. A daughter of the Sword Goddess. Gieza.”

The butler—Gieza—bowed deeply.

“Pleased to meet you. I am Gieza, fragment of the Goddess’s Sword—‘Loyalty.’”

Even the witch was taken aback.

Seiran sipped her tea.

“If you already know, this makes things easier. Witch, I need your help destroying the three abominations hiding here in Heizen—and the other daughters of the Sword Goddess.”

“Well well… one thing after another, isn’t it.”

The witch smiled faintly, amused rather than troubled.