Kays Translations

Chapter 16

“Ahh, I feel so refreshed.”

After getting out of the bath, although there was no hair dryer, I used a fan-like tool to dry my hair, changed into a different outfit meant for relaxing, and headed to the lounge.

Yeah, the starting equipment is just a shirt and pants anyway, so it works well enough as casual wear.

Still, I should think about buying some new clothes soon.

“Melt… doesn’t seem to be done yet.”

Her hair is long, and she has a tail, so washing and drying probably takes time.

I sat down by the window to cool off my overheated body and looked out at the town bathed in morning light.

I could see traveling merchants and adventurers preparing their carriages for long journeys, people walking around—probably looking for breakfast—and a group that looked like adventurers with business in this part of town.

Watching the lively morning bustle made all the gloomy thoughts I had in the bath seem to dissipate.

“Whatever happens, happens.” 

That’s good enough for me.

“Um, is this seat taken?”

It was just then.

While I was lost in thought, someone spoke to me.

When I turned around, I saw a woman with a timid, hesitant demeanor.

Hmm? What could she want?

“What is it? I’m waiting for someone here, but if it’s the seat across from me, go ahead.”

It’s a booth-style seat, after all.

“Um, actually… I’d like to ask you something.”

“Ask me something…?”

“Yes. About what happened last night at the Adventurer’s Den…”

Ugh. No way… Is this woman from the police or something?

“That’s impressive, tracking me down so quickly.”

“Well, you stood out… Um, would you mind if I asked a few questions?”

“…Alright.”

Might as well face it. My appearance has probably been circulated already, and if I ran, I’d end up as a wanted man.

“There was a report last night that a group of three female adventurers were severely assaulted. Is that true?”

“It is. But… wasn’t there another report as well? You’ve already done some questioning, right?”

“Yes, that’s correct. I see… So it is true.”

“What kind of charges am I facing? I thought scuffles between adventurers were a common occurrence.”

“Ah, no—I’m not a guard or a patrol knight.”

“Huh? You’re not? Then I’m not obligated to talk to you, am I?”

What the… So why was she digging into me if she’s not part of the authorities?

“That’s right, you’re not obligated. I just… hoped to invite you to join our ‘clan’.”

“Clan? From the sound of it, it’s a gathering of adventurers or something like that?”

“Yes, exactly. The three adventurers who were assaulted last night… they were actually expelled from our clan in the past. We were planning to formally warn them soon.”

Hmm… This smells like trouble.

I haven’t even established a stable life yet, and I still have a lot to do.

I really don’t want to get involved in anything unnecessary right now.

“Sorry, I’ll have to decline.”

“Ah… I see. Maybe next time, then…”

“I don’t want to get involved. I’ll probably say the same thing no matter how many times you ask.”

“Even if you say that…”

She looked troubled, but still didn’t back down.

If this “clan” is some kind of organization with a specific agenda, then getting involved right now is absolutely not worth it.

And since she’s not law enforcement, there’s no reason I have to comply.

“Sorry, but my companion should be back soon, so let’s end the conversation here.”

“Are you sure…? Really?”

“Yes, I’d prefer not to be involved.”

Just as I firmly stated my stance—

Suddenly, from across the table, an overwhelming pressure—almost like killing intent—washed over me.

“If I wanted to, I could force you to come with me.”

Again? This is the second day in a row. Is it normal to try intimidating people the first time you meet them?

Fine. Then I won’t hold back either.

“Go ahead. Try it, lady. Show me how you’d drag me off by force. I’m unarmed. Go on, let’s see it.”

Time to prepare for battle. Think about how to take her down. Which skills to use, how to move. Plan the counterattack.

What should I do about the clan? Maybe frame someone as a scapegoat and collapse the entire group?

Would I need to kill them all? Would a half-measure just provoke retaliation?

But first, this woman. She’s the immediate threat. She showed hostility and tried to intimidate me. She’s the one I need to deal with now.

“Come outside. I don’t want to cause trouble for the bathhouse. Get up. This is your chance. Stand, woman.”

Intimidate her. Use all the pressure I can muster.

“Ugh! U-understoo—”

She stood up, seemingly compelled by my presence.

But then—

“That’s enough. Any further provocation would be dangerous. Stand down.”

“C-Captain Shuris…! Understood.”

Suddenly, a third voice cut in, and I could feel the tension drain from the woman.

The voice came from a strikingly beautiful woman with long, golden hair swaying behind her.

With dignified composure—just standing there, she commanded the room like a queen.

“Forgive us. I was curious to see what kind of person could so thoroughly crush those infamous three. It’s true we wanted you to come to our clan’s headquarters, but intimidation isn’t our way. I simply wanted to see how far she would go. I apologize for the discomfort we’ve caused—especially after such a refreshing early morning bath.”

“You’re quite reasonable. Yes, a morning bath really does put you in a good mood. Too bad about the timing. Also, I have my reasons for being overly sensitive to malice and intimidation.”

I didn’t expect an apology about the bath of all things.

She must like morning baths too—her hair’s still a little wet.

She must’ve come straight from one, this lady.

“I’m truly sorry. This isn’t a recruitment, but as an apology, just this once, if there’s anything we can do, we’ll cooperate. Well, it’s limited to adventuring matters though. If anything happens, there is a clan home called ‘Glory Knights’ on the street where the general guild is. Please inquire there—I’ll inform them in advance.”

“Basically, I don’t want to get involved, but I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Ah, please do. Lastly, my name is ‘Schris Veil.’ If you don’t mind, could you at least tell me your name? It would help to have it on record.”

“…I’m Same. I don’t have a family name.”

“Understood. Same-san, then. I truly apologize for this time. Now, even though it was under my orders, you should apologize too.”

At that, the woman sitting opposite, who had completely returned to her originally timid expression, bowed her head desperately.

“I’m sorry, Same-san. Oh, by the way, my name is ‘Alice.’ I apologize for the suddenness of all this.”

“Yes, then let’s both forget about what happened today. Alice-san, Schris-san.”

“I’m relieved you say that. Alice, let’s head back.”

“Yes!”

With those words, the two left the public bathhouse.

…For now, I guess I don’t have to worry about being followed… right?

“Oh man, oh man…”

“The Glory Knights have got their sights on him…”

“They’ve been sneaking glances at him for a while now— that’s Schuris, the captain, right?”

“From the ‘Thirteen Knights’!? It’s strange for the leader herself to come out here…”

“…Maybe the rumor about her liking baths was true after all.”

There they are—the usual trio of nosy bystanders. They’ve been following me all along…!

“Sorry for the wait! I’m late.”

“Me-Melt, welcome back. It’s okay, I was relaxing here.”

“Ah, nice breeze coming in. I’ll rest here a bit too.”

Melt, having finished bathing, came over with a slight flush on her skin.

Her hair and tail seem dry, but they shine more brightly than before.

Amazing—her beauty really stands out, even from a distance.

“Same, I want to find a place later where we can buy daily necessities, is that okay?”

“Hmm, yeah, I need some things too, so let’s do that. If we’re going to the Pigeon Trading Company anyway, it should be on a street with lots of shops.”

“Oh, right. I wonder if they sell stuff at the Pigeon Trading Company too.”

The trading company is probably more like a business headquarters. So I think the actual shopping is done somewhere else, but it might be worth asking.

At least today, we plan to sell this somewhat large sapphire rough stone there.

Ah, but it’s for auction, right? So the real profit will come later.

“Phew… Oh, by the way, I got one extra silver coin, but since I didn’t use it, I’ll give it back.”

“Hm? It’s fine, keep it. Just in case. Like… to buy a drink over there, for example.”

“Huh? Oh, you’re right. They’re selling something.”

It doesn’t look like your usual coffee milk kind of thing, but there’s a stall selling something in wooden cups.

I’m curious too; let’s go buy some.

“Oh, fruit juice, huh? Nice, then I’ll have green apple juice.”

“Oh, freshly squeezed fruit juice, right? Then I’ll have… wild grape juice!”

We ordered, received the drinks chilled with ice, and enjoyed them back at our seats.

“Hmm… this isn’t just freshly squeezed juice. The flavor’s been adjusted, and it’s well filtered.”

“Uh-huh… I see, it’s not just freshly squeezed. The bitterness is low… and there’s no rough sensation. This wild grape juice is delicious, but it usually has a bit of a peculiar taste, right? But this doesn’t.”

I figured they adjusted it with added water, sweetness, and even other fruit juices.

Maybe they even boiled it down to make a syrup.

“Ahh… delicious. Even the drinks are so carefully made? Yesterday’s alcohol went down smoothly, but it was a bit bitter, so I didn’t really like it… It’s nice that there are drinks like this too.”

“I see. Yeah, if it’s your first time, fruit wine might be better.”

“What’s that?”

“Well, it’s alcohol made by fermenting fruit or alcohol with a high proof where fruit is soaked in it.”

“Hmm… Ah! That must be it, right? ‘Adult syrup that kids aren’t allowed to drink’! I remember that—my grandma taught me about it long ago. So that was alcohol, huh.”

“I get it… then maybe if we go back to the village, they might have some.”

“Shall we go get some? Someday.”

“Ha ha, maybe someday we should.”

Sometimes Melt talks about her past memories like it’s nothing.

She probably isn’t bothered by it, but I can’t help but feel guilty on her behalf.

…She really must have lived all this time alone with her grandmother, still just a child.

Even though she’s learned so much from books, there are still lots of things she doesn’t know.

I feel like I definitely can’t just leave her be. This feeling isn’t just from me, Same—it’s my honest feeling as Shizuma.

“Ah, that was delicious. Okay, once we return the cups, shall we go to the trading company?”

“Isn’t it still a bit early for that? Let’s go eat breakfast first.”

“! Oh right! What should we have for breakfast?”

“You can decide. What do you want to eat?”

“Hmm… vegetables and fruit!”

“All right, good choice. Let’s go look for that.”

I don’t want any trouble right now.

At least until her life settles down.

What should I do from here on?

Just living without purpose won’t change anything, whether in this world or on Earth.

Then I guess I just have to enjoy what this world uniquely offers.

An unknown world. Unknown phenomena. Battles and dungeons. I want to enjoy all of that.

And also unknown foods, and drinks I can enjoy because of this body. I want to know more about those.

Even if I can gain knowledge, there are so many things I haven’t experienced yet.

“Same, over there! According to my deduction, vegetables and fruit must be popular with girls! There are a lot of women at that shop!”

“Oh, that’s a good deduction. Let’s check it out.”

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