NOVEL NEXT Chapter 12
Chapter 12: The Samurai Becomes an Adventurer
──────Who is this woman?
「…………………」
「A, ano……?」
「Cross, what’s wrong? Are you mesmerized by Diana’s beauty?」
No, it’s not that. Am I the only one feeling this odd?
I stared at Diana, who was at the reception.
It wasn’t until I approached the counter that I noticed Diana had large animal-like ears on her head. At first, I thought they might be hair ornaments, but those ears twitched slightly, and they clearly weren’t fake.
Aside from the ears, she looks like an ordinary human… Could this woman be the same as the giant, a monster?
I subtly placed my hand on the hilt of my sword and looked around silently, but Franz and the others seem completely unfazed. Diana glanced at me with a puzzled expression on her face.
Having come to this foreign land, I was mentally prepared to accept some differences in customs and traditions. However, who could have anticipated seeing humans with ears sprouting from their heads? This isn’t something that can be easily dismissed as a cultural difference.
────…No, is my resolve not enough?
Since I’ve come to this land where monsters and demons run rampant, perhaps the norms of my homeland no longer apply. From their perspective, I must seem foreign as well. Just as there’s a saying, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do,” if this is the norm here, then I must learn to accept it for what it is.
…From here on, I must think of this foreign country as a mysterious land beyond human comprehension.
「…No, nothing. Could you register me as an adventurer?」
Although I was intensely curious about what Diana’s hidden ordinary ears looked like beneath her hair, I managed to keep my composure and converse with her.
「H, hai. I understand. Please fill out the necessary sections on this form. You can leave any sections you can’t fill out blank. Also, there will be a registration fee of five silver coins.」
「Ah, he cannot read or write, could you write on his behalf?」
「I see. Understood.」
Thanks to Franz’s intervention, Diana retracted the paper and brush she was about to hand over. Kurosu produced the registration fee from an unidentified leather pouch and handed it over. I already knew the denomination of the silver coins from my time at the examination counter, so there was no issue.
「First, please provide your name.」
「Kurosu Mototsuna. My surname is Kurosu; my given name is Mototsuna.」
According to Franz and the others, in this country, surnames are granted only to those of limited social standing. Their custom is to place the given name first and surname last. While altering the traditional samurai practice of name introductions doesn’t interest me much, it’s good to know such information exists.
「The name is Motuti…? Hmm? Motitika…san? I apologize. Would ‘Motuutika Cross’ be correct?」
「No, that’s wrong. Her name is Mototekka Cross. Please register her as that ──」
「No, just Cross. Simply registering as ‘Cross’ is fine.」
It seems my name ‘Mototsuna’ is difficult to pronounce, much like when I first met Franz and the others.
「Cross-sama. Then, next…your age?」
「I believe I will be twenty-seven this year.」
「Wow… You’re unexpectedly old.」
「I thought you were around my age!」
From the side commentary, it’s true Kurosu often gets mistaken for being young, having inherited much of his mother’s features. There have been foolish opponents who underestimated his capabilities, only to be struck down and learn the dangers of judging others by appearance.
「Place of origin?」
「The country of Nihon.」
Diana tilted her head slightly at the unfamiliar name of the country but continued writing without asking further.
「Your race is human, correct?」
「…What do you mean by ‘race’?」
「「「「Eh?」」」」
At Kurosu’s question, not only Diana, but Franz and the others looked equally astonished. From their reaction, ‘race’ must be common knowledge in this world. However, asking ‘Are you human?’ doesn’t make much sense to me.
「Cross, so… Could it be that in Nihon, there are only humans?」
「Only humans? What do you mean?」
「Hey, Cross. Do you think I’m human?」
「…Now that you mention it… Of course.」
Barth’s unexpected query left Kurosu slightly baffled, but his response was straightforward. However, Barth’s next words were even more surprising.
「Ah, I see… Cross, I am not human. I am of the forge-folk race. Also, Mauri is a traveler-dwarf, and Diana is a canine-animal person. Each of them belongs to a different race than the human kind.」
「…Forgive me, but I have no idea what you’re talking about. You all look like humans to me. What’s different?」
「We forge-folk are generally shorter than humans and possess greater strength. Additionally, our lifespan is slightly longer, about one hundred fifty years. I’m still a young one, barely in my forties.」
「Forty…?」
Kurosu perceived Barth as an elderly man who has clearly lived beyond the normal lifespan of humans. During their journey to the city, he was amazed that Barth could keep up with their pace without complaint, attributing it to his stamina as an adventurer.
However, Barth explained that forge-folk always appear this way even in their youth. As evidence ──
「Look there, that forge-folk drinking in the tavern. He hasn’t even reached twenty yet.」
Pointing at the drinking man, Kurosu saw another elder-looking man who looked almost identical to Barth. The only difference was his brown, unbraided beard.
「Ah… Now I think I get it. Cross, how old do you think I look?」
「Around ten or so… Isn’t that right?」
「There you go again!! I thought you were treating me like a kid. You’re still twenty-seven, right? I’m thirty-five! I’m older than you!」
─────This is even more shocking than Barth’s revelation.
While Kurosu does not believe they’re lying, the fact that someone who looks like a small child can be older than him is difficult to accept. Ignoring Kurosu’s shock, everyone except Mauri bursts into laughter.
「Pu…Calm down, Mauri. Hmm… Cross, perhaps this warrants an explanation… Ha ha!」
「Tch! The traveler-dwarves have lifespans similar to forge-folk, but their appearance is the opposite. We quickly age after passing a hundred, but until then, our appearances remain youthful.」
Though this seems quite enviable… Could it be that Franz and Pamela, despite their seemingly young appearances, are actually elderly?
With these thoughts in mind, Kurosu suddenly turned to them.
「Hmm… I think I understand what you’re wondering about. Franz and I are the same as Cross, belonging to the human race. Our appearances match our actual ages. By the way, I’m twenty-two years old.」
「And I am eighteen!」
Good. Kurosu had braced himself to hear something absurd like “I’m actually a hundred” or “I’m only three years old!” but it seems they’re regular humans.
「And… This is it.」
Mauri took off his footwear, revealing his feet. His soles and ankles were covered in curly hair of the same color as his hair.
「I always wear boots out of fear of injury, but those who don’t want to make noise sometimes walk barefoot. Traveler-dwarves are known for being nimble and fast compared to humans.」
After Mauri’s explanation, Kurosu turned his gaze back to Diana.
「Ah, I guess it’s my turn to explain too… Yes, I am of the canine-animal people, a race known as ‘dog-kin.’ We have enhanced senses, especially smell, and superior physical abilities. Those with animal traits on our bodies are collectively known as beast-folk. There are various types, like wolves, cats, and lions.」
…Indeed, this foreign country is full of wonders.
According to their tales, there are many other races in this world as well. Some live significantly longer than forge-folk or traveler-dwarves, and they advised not to judge people based on appearances in this land.
As someone who studies military tactics, the lesson that one shouldn’t judge a book by its cover seemed basic, but it is not so easy to say “I understand that” when the truth feels like such a burden. Before Kurosu could fully digest everything he had been told, Diana seemed to have completed the registration process.
「Here is Cross’s adventurer’s license. This can also serve as an ID, but please be cautious—reissuing it upon loss will cost five silver coins.」
At least this solves the identity-document problem.
Though somewhat fatigued mentally, Kurosu accepted the adventurer’s license from Diana and noticed something. The license she handed over was a small stone plate with detailed characters carved into it. Kurosu realized that he had something similar.
「I picked this up in a village in the forest. Is this also an adventurer’s license?」
Kurosu showed the necklace he had taken from someone.
「Did this… Cross, what kind of village was it?」
「It was a small settlement not far from where I met all of you. Short individuals lived there… But they attacked me, and I had no choice but to exterminate them.」
…Clumsy. This act occurred before he realized he was in a foreign country. It might be considered a crime here.
「Were they green-skinned creatures with long ears?」
「Yes. I thought they were bandits since I found human heads in their village…」
「They’re goblins, a type of monster. To think there was a settlement of them nearby… How many were there?」
…So they were monsters as well?
Kurosu is now thoroughly confused about differentiating between monsters and non-monsters. Giants are obviously monsters because of their distinct form, but goblins had a humanoid shape, though bizarre. If properly dressed, they could pass for people with a build similar to Mauri. Diana with her ears actually looks far more alien to him.
If we call goblins monsters, what differentiates other races from them? Is it rationality? Intelligence? Or perhaps the presence of “magic stones” from giant hearts?
Kurosu has never participated in human dissections, but he’s never heard of humans containing gems in their abdomens. If they’re hostile, whether human or monster, he would cut them down, but the line appears far more ambiguous than he imagined.
「There were about thirty short ones and one tall one.」
「A tall one? Was there a goblin leader?…Diana-sama…」
「…Yes, I’ve confirmed it. These belong to the F-Rank Party “Sword of Fullmoon.” I had been wondering where they had gone. Thank you, Cross-sama. The Guild will deliver these items as heirlooms to their relatives.」
Regardless, it’s good to know their identities now. Perhaps this will bring them some peace.
(Ending note: This has been omitted as it references a click-based system not relevant to the story content.)