chapter 18
18 – 1. Footsteps of the mule (complete)
18.
After that day, little by little everything went back to normal.
Those adventurers who tried the dungeon but failed and were eaten by the Mimic, who almost forgot their existence by the power of the artifact, were fortunately ejected right after the dungeon collapsed and were able to get out safely. Me and Gerald’s party, of course. A wet liquid equivalent to a mimic’s saliva——a look covered in high-viscosity groundwater. It’s an experience you don’t want to go through again.
Among the survivors, there were some who were seriously injured, but somehow everyone was still holding their breath, and they were able to save their lives in due time by the potion prepared in advance and the priests who were dispatched after being contacted belatedly. As a result, no one died, which can only be described as lucky. If the Mimic’s purpose had been a little less ambitious, everyone would have died in that cave. How ironic.
Artifacts were handed over to the guild as originally planned. Before returning to the city, Gerald urged me to take a look at the famous artifact in person, and when I sneakily showed it, I was able to have a good look at the guy’s expression.
“I was thinking of swinging it a bit before it gets taken away by the aristocrat, sir!”
I told you. There is no guarantee that an artifact is a weapon. It was the worst ending for him who was expecting the legendary sword. I killed the Mimic, showed everyone the earring I had obtained, and gave a brief explanation of what I thought the Artifact had rolled into the Mimic and what had happened. Of course, since we don’t know the true story, most of it is just speculation…… Surprisingly, everyone was convinced.
“An artifact that creates, a fictional dimension. With that power, it might be possible.”
In particular, it was thanks to Zenith, who is the most knowledgeable in magic among us, who agreed with my argument. Or maybe it was simply because he was exhausted after a bout with a serpent. In fact, Hilda slumped in the carriage while listening to the story all the way, putting on a dumbfounded look. Anyway…… As originally planned, everyone is fortunate to be alive.
After that, for a while, we were busily called here and there. In any case, it was a major incident in which several adventurers belonging to the guild went missing and returned safely. Considering the average lifespan of an adventurer, the fact that no one died became a hot topic. It was even featured prominently in the newspaper.
Why the missing people’s memories didn’t come back, or what happened there wasn’t that important. People’s concern was who attacked the dungeon where monsters of that size were lurking. And, what kind of treasure did you get your hands on?
The artifact itself was already promised rewards and gold coins at the guild level, so I readily handed it over, but the fact that I had cleared the dungeon itself did not disappear. There were no eyewitnesses to the battle with the giant serpent, but the testimony of seeing a large snake at the entrance of the cave was obtained from many missing people, and the achievement was recognized. In the end, taking into account the high level of attention and the merits of this work, Gerald’s party, excluding me, was promoted to a higher level as adventurers.
Gerald says that this speed is a new record in the outskirts. For me, who vividly remembers the guy who was beaten up by the goblins and left alone, I still couldn’t quite realize that he had become the leader of the leading adventurer’s party in the guild. So, what has changed for me? …… Well, nothing happened.
“My God, Jin, where did you go without saying a word?”
After finishing all the work and returning to the inn, she had a touching reunion with Angela, who said she was worried and hugged me, and Cooper, who thought she was dead somewhere. When I reached Celine, I was quite sweaty because I didn’t want to see eye contact for three days…… It’s a past story now.
In the first place, my purpose was not to clear dungeons or artifacts, but to bring back the guests who had been taken away by the high-end inn, ‘The Siren’s Song’. After the news spread that the dungeon had been raided and the artifact had already been passed over, poor adventurers who could not afford the city’s prices returned one or two as ‘golden mules’, and our inn regained its former appearance. I, too, have achieved my goal.
Okay, now everything is back to normal. My daily life went back to normal. But… ….
“Jin, can you go get me a new beer?”
“Yes.”
I sighed as I answered Mr. Angela. Good to see business going well again…… Even if it’s good, it’s too good. After tasting the waters of the city once, I realized the value for money of our inn. In the first place, ‘The Siren’s Song’ was not a place where adventurers who lived day by day could endure for a long time. I don’t know if I have that much skill.
I wanted customers to come back just enough to live on, but on the contrary, I’m busier than before. I rolled a keg of beer and put it on the faucet, then leaned back and glanced towards the lively hall. Soon, my eyes met Gerald, who was sitting at the most crowded table. The one who smiles. I’m suddenly spoiled
Yes. Unlike me, who was not an adventurer in the first place and didn’t really want fame, Gerald, who had been famous to some extent before, became a celebrity thanks to this dungeon raid. Everyone in the party went up one level and became the leading adventurers in the periphery, and in addition to the gold coins each received, they also obtained the most expensive magic item in the guild as a reward at the guild level. That’s the.
“Whoops, look at this splendid figure!”
Gerald drew his sword from the spot and raised it toward the ceiling. The sword that emits the brilliant sunlight is the reward for the artifact, the ‘Sun Blade [Sun Sword]’.
On the outside, it doesn’t look much different from the bastard sword you’ve been using for a long time, but according to the person himself, it’s as easy to handle as a short sword because it’s equipped with various auxiliary magics, and it can emit sunlight once a day, so it’s very effective against the undead. .
From the point of view of me, who has lived in another world, it’s just a solar panel that works well, but a knife like that costs about twenty gold coins. Anyway, it’s a story that is far from reality.
“Ohh…… Me too!”
“I will touch it too!”
“Hang in line, line up, fools! Kyahahahaha!”
The sunlight is shining! As the room brightened and then faded, the adventurers surrounding Gerald reacted violently and rushed at him. The reason why there were so many guests at the inn was also because there were more adventurers than expected who flocked to see that fool.
Celine, who was serving, saw Gerald showing off his sword, which had become a daily event, and shook her head. After all, she’s a troublesome girl. It seems to last quite a while this time, but I’ll have to think about how to relieve my anger sooner or later. When all the food I had prepared was gone, I left the kitchen and sat down at a nearby table. Then the other party members moved away from Gerald’s table and took their seats in front of me.
“Hee hee. You look busy, Jin?”
“Yes, thanks.”
When I answered with a sigh, Hilda smiled and put her beer glass in both her hands and set it down on her table. I accepted her favor and swallowed her beer in one gulp, suddenly feeling the eyes of others looking at me.
“…… Why?”
“Hee hee, no. Promise, can’t you forget it?”
“Promise? Ah.”
I didn’t think much of it when I remembered what she said about her promise. It was actually me who cleared the dungeon, and the other four, including Gerald, fought the Giant Serpent, so the rewards from the guild should go to all five of them, but since that didn’t work out, their argument was that they had to reward them separately.
At first, they wanted to take my share of the gold coins they received, so I refused, but then they handed out a blank check saying they would do the favor for free. The promise is to think about it. Of course, if you officially commissioned something from those who became the leading adventurers in the East Side, it would probably cost a lot of money, so it was a profitable deal…… Do you know what I’m asking for? Hilda smiled with gratitude, and Mr. Sukhbat——the name was too long, so I decided to call her that——as expected, she only smiled softly. Janice has been giving me strange looks since that day, but I don’t know what it means. She’s a wizard, so she’ll have to be careful not to reveal anything about the contents of the bag.
At that moment, her jingle and the bell on the swing door rang and a mysterious woman wearing a luxurious dress appeared. Her hair was wavy and bewitching red, and heavy makeup was put on around her eyes. Her mind was distracted by her sword, and the other adventurers who were fooling around stopped what they were doing and her eyes were taken away by her beauty. I think I saw it somewhere? When I tilted her head with a puzzled face, she immediately drew the inn’s attention and then gradually came closer with the sound of her shoes clicking. Why are you getting closer? Soon she was talking to me with her eye smile.
“Long time no see?”
Who are you? I genuinely made that face. Hilda, who was sitting across from us, was stunned and looked at us alternately, while Zenith and Mr. Sukhbat did not change their expressions, but they could see their bewilderment. Other adventurers saw the horse and immediately changed and booed. No, no one else knows, but Gerald, you shouldn’t do that to me.
“Jin, who is this woman?”
At that time, Celine, who was serving, came up to me holding her tray and asked me. She had been ignoring it until now, and I tried to shrug her shoulders, saying I didn’t know what the wind was all of a sudden, but she did what she said and somehow got used to it. I can’t easily forget such a beauty in the first place. Ah!
“Perhaps, at an inn…… ?”
“Right.”
I remembered. The maid I tricked by pretending to be an aristocrat. She was showing her breasts even then, but she is a woman who knows how to use her own strengths. Unlike when she was working in ‘Song of the Siren’, her makeup was heavy and she was careful with her clothes, so her beauty was shining even more, but she was sure of herself.
“Inn…… ?”
Meanwhile, Celine looked at me asking for an explanation, perhaps feeling a strange sticky feeling from the word. I don’t know. I just messed around with it a bit. By the way, do you usually come all the way here for just that? As I blindly admired her beauty, she spoke to me with her lips quivering slightly.
“At that time, I was fooled, what was it? As a result, sales dropped considerably. After the dungeon was cleared, the number of customers dropped to less than half. I’ve heard many stories from the guild, but that adventurer…… Are you acquainted with me?”
“No, that’s it.”
“Jin, what are you talking about?”
“Come to think of it, I haven’t even officially introduced myself yet. Nice to see you. This is Calia, who runs In Middletown on the East Side.”
You weren’t an employee, were you the boss? He didn’t lose his smile even after being teased by Gerald, so I thought he had a strong work spirit. When I reluctantly held her hand, which she readily held out, I felt her touch harder than I thought compared to her pretty face. And just like that, he grabs my hand as if hunting. Wait.
“You are very resourceful. I heard from Mr. Frederick that you are a commoner. To think that such a brilliant person was working at an old inn like this. In my mind, I want to take her with us.”
“Yes, what.”
“Not only did he attract an adventurer with the To raid the dungeon, but he also used his reputation as an excuse to attract customers. Business seems to be doing better than before, but what about in the future?”
Okay. How do I know. I didn’t know it would turn out this well either. I tugged at her wrist, but her grip wouldn’t budge. How strong is this woman?
“Hey!”
At that time, Celine, who was disapprovingly looking at the war between the two of us, blocked her way. She also pulled out her hand. I believed you!
“What are you doing? The extraneous man’s hand is stupid.”
“Oh, I was just trying to make friends. I don’t think it’s a rude place for a third party to intervene. Employee lady.”
“What, what?”
“I think you can just get in between those adventurers and have a drink…… We are talking about something important for business right now.”
Calia smiled condescendingly as she looked Celine up and down her. No, but she’s this woman. No matter how pretty she is, young, and has a luxurious inn, do you still ignore our Celine? If it’s beauty, this one doesn’t bow down either.
And you seem to be mistaken, but strictly speaking, it is Celine, her only daughter, who has a greater stake in this inn. I’m just a military family living close by. Of course, these words were only in my head. I’m afraid to say something in that gap.
However, before I could say anything, Celine must have calculated something on her own. She supported her voluptuous breasts with her arms, crossed her arms, and moved her up and down from corner to corner. He glanced at it and then spat it out bluntly.
“What are you talking about, this lady? She doesn’t flirt with Jin and stay calm, right?”
“Ah, lady!?”
Calia cried out in embarrassment. Well, I wouldn’t have imagined that you would come dressed so beautifully and hear such a sound. In fact, the other adventurers who heard it only accepted it as a fight of love. Until she said her next thing.
“I’m not a lady!? I’m still twenty-seven…… !”
“What is it, you are ten years older than me. Please pay for the age.”
Celine is a little talkative today. Handy adventurers. Calia, who suddenly revealed her age, clenched her fists in shame.
No, I don’t know if it’s the world I lived in. Apart from how young you look at 27 in this world, it’s not strange to have one or two kids. Soon after, Celine disappears into her kitchen with an expression of excitement as if she thinks she has won. Callia boldly shouted at me with tears like chicken droppings.
“…… Let’s see, today I’ll pay you back threefold for this insult!”
Hey, I think you need to wipe your tears first. The eye makeup is all smudged. Before I could grasp anything, she pushed her swing door with her smashing force and left her inn. How come she always bumps into someone who says that.
“Jin, you have suffered a lot.”
“Sure.”
Hilda smiled awkwardly out of consideration for me, and I sighed and got up quietly.
“Where are you going?”
“Let’s get some fresh air.”
Getting out of the commotion, I slipped out through the back door into the backyard. And I thought while looking at the blue autumn sky.
Yes. Decided.
No matter what happens in the future, I won’t be the first to step forward.
Adventure doesn’t suit me. In the end, the dungeon had nothing to do with the witch, and the customers were too busy, making them even busier than before.
I’d rather be an unemployed person who doesn’t work like I’ve always done before, rather than having troublesome things happen like now even if I work hard…….
Jin! Where did he run away again!? I don’t want to come quickly and wash the dishes——!
…… I want to live as a white man
Really.
Mule’s footsteps────complete.