Kays Translations

Chapter 16 “It Just Happened!"

Rattle, rattle, rattle...

"Hmm...? Have we arrived────?"

Klaus's consciousness awakened to the voices in the crowd.

Cracking his neck, Klaus descended from the carriage, only to find that there was no one else inside.

"You were sleeping pretty soundly, An-chan(*buddy). Be careful, you know? Riding with low-level adventurers like us, there's a risk of theft."

"Oh, yeah."

The usual old coachman was up to his usual meddling.

Certainly, in a shared carriage carrying a random assortment of people, it wouldn't be surprising if some miscreant attempted theft. However, that was easier said than done.

If someone were to try thieving, the information would be shared among adventurers almost instantly. 

Even if they got away with it once, who would want to team up with such a person the next time?

Rumors can be frightening, you know. 

Imagine someone saying, "That guy stole from his own companions!" You definitely wouldn't want to team up with someone like that, right?

Well, that's how it goes.

And that's one of the reasons why Klaus goes solo.

Of course, Klaus didn't engage in theft. It goes without saying that the reason he goes solo is because he's a veteran low-ranked adventurer with a unique set of skills. (He's what you might call a senpai.)

Well, if the item is valuable enough to consider quitting being an adventurer, there's still a possibility of it getting stolen.

...So…

"Oh no!!" 

Klaus exclaimed, hurriedly checking his belongings.

(Oh no, I had quite valuable stuff with me!!)

Items obtained at the risk of his life.

Materials and equipment from a Skeleton General—

And a large piece of spirit light stone—!

All of them should be worth a fortune, equivalent to a stack of gold coins.

"Phew... Ah, there it is."

That was close. I really need to be careful; I did have something valuable with me...

"Ah...buddy... I won't say bad things, but maybe you should consider finding a different line of work?"

"Huh?"

"...I mean, it's just a thought, but maybe being an adventurer isn't really your thing?"

"What's gotten into you all of a sudden?"

He felt the old man's gaze on him for a moment.

"Just a measly 'Twilight Mine'... Everytime you delve into a low-level dungeon, you end up getting battered and bruised. I know perfectly well it's not your calling, you know?"

Oh, come on...

It's just that when low-level adventurers take on high-level monsters, this is what happens.

"You're being meddlesome."

With those words, Klaus turned away and briskly descended from the carriage, slipping through the doors of the guild in front of him.

"Oh?"

"What's the matter? Did you forget something?"

"Old man, did you take any adventurers to the 'Twilight Mine' before me? A girl, a Dark Elf, maybe."

"A girl?... No, I don't think so. I definitely wouldn't forget something as unusual as having a Dark Elf girl on board."

Of course, you're right.

"Oh, I see. Never mind. Forget about it."

Yeah, you're probably right. There's no way some mid-level adventurer would secretly follow me. 

If the old man from the guild doesn't know about it, they're likely just a passing adventurer.

"Yeah. Well, make sure to think carefully about changing your profession────── Oh, and..."

The old man seemed like he was about to say something, but Klaus was fed up with the nagging. He waved his hand dismissively and quickly entered the guild.

However, it appeared that he never heard the one thing the old man had said:

"...Oh, right... Come to think of it, even if I don't know about the girl, I do know about... an adult Dark Elf. I wonder if he found out."

Dark Elves.

A long-lived species, their outward appearance never truly matches their age...

　※ ※

And then, at the guild's counter.

"...Wha-wha-"

Terrine trembled visibly.

Huh...?

"What in the world is this? ──────!!"

The guild resonated with a loud, electrifying voice.

"Eh?! D-Did I do something?!"

"Did you do something?──No way!! You're way too inexperienced to say something like that!"

Whoa, Terrine, your character did a complete 180, didn't it??

"Wh-Wh-Where did you get this!!──This?!"

This?

This means...

"This?"

A large spirit light stone.

"P-Please don't handle it so casually!"

Panicked, Terrine fumbled around, trying to grab the spirit light stone.

"It's a spirit light stone! A spirit light stone!! And, and it's this huge! Where in the world──Ah,"

"Wait, Terrine! Your voice! Your voice, aah."

Ah...

Silence fell.

Rustle.

A stir spread quickly throughout the guild.

Idle adventurers gathered, exchanging hushed whispers.

"Spirit light stone?"

"The spirit light stone, you mean?"

"No way, it's huge!! Isn't that the magical light stone?!"

Rustle!

Rustle!

Oh no, this is bad! 

The rumors are going to spread!

"Awaawa... T-Terrine, your v-voice! Your voice is too loud!"

"Oh dear... hehe."

Hehe. No, not cute at all!! Think about your age.──"You're wrong, dammit!"

...See, I'm becoming incredibly suspicious here!

With this development, that person is definitely going to show up!!

*Clang.*

There it is!!!

"Terrine... and Klaus-san. Come on, come on, come on!"

*Gesturing with her thumb.*

The door at the back swung open, revealing Guild Master Ms.Salazar. 

With a quick gesture, she motioned for them to come inside.

"Exactly."

"Yeah..."

This is bad. The excuse of it being just a "coincidence" won't work much longer...

"Sigh..."

"Yes. Right this way, please~"

Terrine firmly grasped Klaus's arm, leading him inside with a dejected expression.

He slumped... 

*Clang,* followed by a thud.

"Sit down, please."

"Oh, um, okay."

Klaus was seated rather forcefully, the chair making a thud as he settled into it.

(...What is this?)

Pushed onto the sofa as if in an interrogation room, Klaus found himself confined.

In front of him was Ms.Salazar, and behind her, Terrine stood tall, adopting a fierce posture.

"S-So... where did you get it?"

"It was a coincidence." 

Klaus answered promptly.

"No. I'm asking for the location."

"It just happened to be at the Twilight Mine..."

It really was just a coincidence...

"Oh, really... finding a spirit light stone just by chance at the Twilight Mine~? Is that what you're saying?"

"Well, you see..."

It truly was a coincidence.

I never imagined there would be one there.

"Sigh... You see, Klaus-san, do you know the value of a spirit light stone of this size?"

"Um... It's the one magic users use for staves, right? I think it's worth about one gold coin..."

Smirk.

(What? Why is she smiling??)

Ms.Salazar smiled sweetly, but a dark shadow seemed to linger behind her smile.

"...I see. If it's a spirit light stone used in the magic staves by low-level mages, it might be worth

about that much... It's not that rare since you can even find them in minor graveyards."

...Right?

"...If it's the size of a pinky finger, that is."

"Huh?"

The spirit light stone shining on the table was the size of a fist.

"Do you understand?"

Knock, knock, knock...

"It's... really big."

"That's right. It's huge... meaning,"

Lady Salazar, tapping the table with her finger, let out a slight sigh, as if teaching a poorly performing student.

"Klaus... haven't you seen it before? A tale of a lone sorcerer accompanying heroes battling dragons..."

Why bring this up all of a sudden?

"Huh? Well... maybe when I was a kid?"

I think it's some kind of fairy tale.

In the story, an evil dragon appeared in a certain country, and the country's best warrior became the 'hero,' leading a group to defeat the dragon.

I remember pestering my mom about it every night before bedtime when she was healthy, and my dad was still around.

"─And you know, the stone attached to the sorcerer's staff is a spirit light stone. A special one, huge... it amplifies the immense magical power of that powerful sorcerer and greatly enhances the power of their magic spells. It has an incredibly high magical conductivity, an exquisite stone coveted by all sorcerers."

Oh, I see.

"Wow..."

"Wow── isn't quite the reaction! This one here is about as big as that stone I just described."

"...Huh?"

"So, wow. It's not just 'wow.'"

Well, it's still a "wow" from me, you know?

Apparently, a legendary-class spirit light stone was found in the Twilight Mine.

Wait, what?

What is this person talking about?

"...So, um, basically... it's like saying I brought back something equivalent to the material used for legendary staffs that appear in fairy tales?"

"No. Not 'something equivalent to...' but rather... not quite legendary, but fairly... close to that level... a gigantic spirit light stone... you brought back something of that class."

Oh... I see....

──Huh?

"...Huh?!"

S-So, that means...

……

...

What?

"......................................Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeh!!!???)

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