NOVEL NEXT Chapter 83 - Chapter 83: Guild
Chapter 83: Guild
The next morning, while having breakfast with Menas and the others, we discuss our schedule for the day. Since we had some drinks last night, we ended up camping out. Perhaps thanks to everyone snuggling up with Elizabeth, I surprisingly slept well.
“So, let’s prepare and head to Savoia tomorrow.”
“Got it. Will there be stalls set up?”
“Yeah, that’s the plan.”
“Then, I’ll go to the market around noon tomorrow.”
“Thank you.”
Edda, with a warm smile, peeks at Elizabeth nursing Kohaku while nibbling on her breakfast.
“Ah~ So cute!”
“By the way, do you know what this sparkling tail means?”
“…What’s that? It’s beautiful.”
“Well, I have no idea…”
“Sacred beast…”
“Hmm?”
Menas murmurs an unfamiliar word. She seems to have been observing Kohaku and Elizabeth while brushing her hair behind Edda.
“What does that mean?”
“Oh, it’s a legendary creature from the famous myths of the Tamir Empire…”
Apparently, the “sacred beast” refers to a mythical creature mentioned in the myths of the Tamir Empire. It was a large animal with horns that carried a hero who saved a small country in a crisis long before the Tamir Empire was established.
“Elizabeth…”
“Gyaau, gyagyau~”
“Meh~ Meh?”
Everyone who heard the story looks at Elizabeth. As Kohaku finishes nursing and Kuro takes her away, Elizabeth stretches her body and stands up.
“Since the fur of that animal was said to be red, it’s unlikely related to Elizabeth.”
“I see.”
“The beast, after saving the hero and the country, gradually grew angry at the country’s attempts to exploit it, and eventually went berserk and destroyed it.”
“Oh… That’s quite a bleak story.”
“It’s a popular story in the Tamir Empire.”
“Elizabeth, do you know about this?”
“Meh~”
“…Seems like she doesn’t care.”
I have a feeling that the sacred beast might have been a kidanakemo too. Menas might not say it directly, but she seems to think so too. Perhaps, getting too far away from the cauldron of hell, or perhaps growing too big, might have been the real reason it went berserk. Well, we may never know for sure, but let’s take it as a lesson for the future.
“Bonus-san, this might be an overboard suggestion, but… It might be better to call ourselves a store or a guild.”
“Huh? A guild… I see. That might be a good idea.”
Indeed, as it is now, it’s not clear what to call ourselves. We’ve been vaguely referring to ourselves as companions or family, but it might be convenient to have a proper name soon. Besides, with three conspicuous oni among us, it’s become apparent even to me, who lacks common sense, that this stands out considerably. Even if we leave aside the matter of the Black Wolf, it wouldn’t be good if we were expected to be a force to be reckoned with in the future. In that sense, calling ourselves a guild might be a good idea… Menas probably proposed it out of concern for various risks.
“How about calling ourselves the Annihilation Squad?”
“Zamza… I was starting to think better of you lately…”
“I thought it sounded cool…”
“Cool? …Well, aside from that, let’s avoid names that sell violence.”
“How about something cute? Like Pink Guild?”
“Shiro… That sounds kind of… off.”
Pink is wriggling vigorously in my pocket.
Ah… I’ll have to make it up to her later…
“Is Bonus Guild okay then? It’s common to name it after the representative. We also officially operate as the Menas Guild, to some extent.”
“Oh~ I see. Then, let’s go with that!”
“As usual, Bonus, you’re so simple…”
“It’s easy to understand, isn’t it?”
While Mil says something rude, I think it’s easy to understand in various ways, just as Gisella says. Probably, as long as I’m the face of the guild, they’ll understand various things. At least, I don’t think I have a face that would make them want to ask for violent deeds.
“Menas, as always, your advice is spot-on. Thank you!”
“Not at all. I look forward to the future of the Bonus Guild.”
The conversation earlier wasn’t about the sacred beast, but she must have been worried about relying on Elizabeth as a force. Well, anyway, with Elizabeth’s size, she wouldn’t be able to get out of the cauldron of hell…
“Well then, it’s time for us to depart.”
“Yeah, thanks! It was fun eating together after a long time!”
“Mil! Don’t forget to bring what you promised to Savoia!”
“Yeah yeah, I got it, old man. If you get too excited again, you’ll hurt your back like yesterday, you know?”
Yesterday, Jeda apparently hurt his back from dancing too much. Foolishly, he tried to compete with Kuro. By the way, I also have muscle pain.
“Well then, let’s meet again in Savoia.”
“Yeah, see you tomorrow!”
“Bonus, I think I’ll stay at the hideout with Elizabeth and Kohaku.”
“Huh? Zamza, aren’t you coming with me?”
On our way back to the hideout, while being swayed by Elizabeth’s back, Zamza brought up such a thing. He’s been sticking with me all this time, but I wonder what’s up.
“Perhaps it’d be easier for Bonus to move around if someone stayed behind at the hideout.”
“Indeed… For a while longer, it might be better for Elizabeth and Kohaku to be together, so having someone stay at the hideout would be helpful…”
“And I want to continue working on the map of the hideout that Bonus started.”
“Eh. Well, I haven’t made much progress other than drawing the shape of the lake…”
“I seem to like that kind of work. It was the same when I made a map with Bonus in Vaintz Village before. Somehow, doing that kind of work… makes me excited.”
While earlier he made a foolish suggestion, Zamza surprisingly has strong intellectual curiosity and desires. Maybe he’s suited to be a researcher.
“Then, shall I ask someone to stay behind…? And if that’s the case, if we set a schedule, we might be able to commute from the hideout to Savoia.”
“Yeah, it’s a bit sad to part ways with you guys, but please do.”
“What if Kidanakemo comes?”
“Can you cook properly?”
Shiro and Gisella worry like parents. Well, considering Kohaku’s situation.
“I’ll basically be with Kohaku all the time, so if we’re just running away, we should be fine. Mil has prepared a large amount of preserved food for us. It’ll be fine.”
“Meh~ Meh~ Meh~”
“Elizabeth will help too, right?”
“…Then it should be okay.”
“Well, even at the hideout, we have plenty of things to escape with and plenty to eat…”
Zamza explains his thoughts with a slightly sulky expression. Certainly, if we use the terrain of the hideout well and focus on escaping, with Zamza’s legs, it should be entirely possible. Well, if someone like Kohaku’s mother comes, there’s nothing we can do even if we’re there.
“Bonus. When I arrive in Savoia, I’m thinking of acting with the folks from Vaintz Village for a while.”
“Indeed… That might be better for Mil.”
Although the standard of living might drop a bit, there’s no helping it. Considering Mil and the villagers’ feelings, it’s clearly better.
“Hey, Bonus. I’m thinking of staying at my Savoia home for a few days… I want to do some smithing.”
“Oh, right, that’s true… Sorry, Gisella. It’s hard to do smithing at the hideout…”
“Umm. Even if you set up a workshop at the hideout, it’s difficult to get various materials… The life at the hideout is still very enjoyable, and I’m really happy to be with everyone. If I can forge iron occasionally in Savoia, that’s enough for me.”
“Well, if you commute, we’ll still have time together.”
“Yeah.”
But then, it seems like we’ll be moving around with Kuro and Shiro a lot in Savoia for a while. With them around, it’s reassuring enough. However, as it’s been lively lately, I feel a bit lonely. I want to eat meals together as much as possible. Sensing the same, Gisella suggests what I was thinking.
“Mil-chan. Let’s eat lunch together at least.”
“That’s a good idea. We also want to share information, so that’s good.”
“Hey… by the way… why has Bonus been getting slapped by Pink since earlier?”
Yeah, ever since we parted with Menas and rode with Elizabeth, Pink has been slapping my face.
“I’m sorry~ Pink~. Please cheer up~ When we get back, I’ll put you in the kiln, okay~?”
“It’s no good, Bonus. Lately, Pink has been sneaking into the kiln and nibbling on things inside.”
“Oh… Mil said the kiln is off-limits…”
For a moment, the slapping stops, but this time Pink bites and pulls on my earlobe.
It doesn’t hurt, but it’s ticklish, so I want it to stop. Perhaps Pink didn’t like my subtle reaction to the company name after all. Shiro is poking at Pink, who is hanging there amusingly.
“It’s like an earring, cute, right?”
“Oh, yeah! Let’s make Pink the logo of the Bonus Company!”
“A logo?”
“It’s like a symbolized picture that instantly identifies the Bonus Company, you know?”
“Meh meh~!”
“That’s nice. I think it’s cute.”
Finally, Pink releases my ear. It seems that everyone, including Pink, liked this proposal.
“I’ll do my best to draw the picture. Gisella, can you make a branding iron?”
“As long as it’s not too intricate, it should be fine.”
“Thank you!”
For now, Pink seems satisfied and is now begging Kuro for chocolate. What a quick change of focus…