Ryuugoroshi no Sugosuhibi Chapter 7 part2

Here’s the rest of Chapter 7! Enjoy!

~Monk~

Chapter 7.2+ – Conversations and the First Request

「Want me to help you out with your first guild request?」(Borudosu)

「Hmm… No, it’s ok. I’ll just start with something simple to slowly get used to it.

Do you know about how much of a reward a beginner request gives?」(Kousuke)

「Let’s see… A group of four fledglings doing a subjugation request will make at least 1,600 Erte, so about four silver coins.

This is probably the limit. If going alone then it’ll probably be around half」(Borudosu)

「If that’s the case then I’ll aim for something a bit under that」(Kousuke)

「But if it’s you… Nevermind, it’s probably best this way so you can get used to it」(Borudosu)

With the strength of the fledgling in front of him, doing more difficult requests wouldn’t be impossible but Borudosu stopped himself from pushing Kousuke considering what the norm is.

Afterwards, Borudosu explained in detail the kinds of requests he underwent and how he went about completing them. He even helped unpack all the luggage. Things that could be left in the room were stored into the closet.

Eventually, night fell and the two went down to the dining area.

The inn provides three meals a day, if asked they would even provide packed meals (Bento). Bath time is apparently separated for male and female use. As the various facilities of the inn is being explained the two finished their meal.

「So do you have any plans afterwards? I plan on hitting the bars by the way」(Borudosu)

「I’m going to take a walk around the inn. Is there anywhere that I shouldn’t approach?」(Kousuke)

「If it’s around the inn it should be okay.  You should avoid the bar area the northern warehouse district though」(Borudosu)

「Got it. I’ll just be wandering around here then.」(Kousuke)

「It’ll be safer that way」(Borudosu)

Borudosu then immediately left the inn.

As Kousuke relaxed onto a couch in the inn’s hall, he blankly stared out the window nearby.

The sunset outside made the entire town look like it was being bathed in magic. The bright scene where the darkness is seemingly being pushed back is comparable to even the bustling streets of Japan.

Just as Horun explained, there aren’t just humans here. Races like Elves and even Dwarves are spotted here and there in the streets. There also seem to be a race that look like a monster from any angle walking around as if its normal. Time slowly went by as Kousuke continued to watch the street.

「Are you perhaps looking for someone?」(Unknown person)

「Huh?」(Kousuke)

Hearing that voice he quickly turned his head towards the source and saw a woman in plain work clothes standing near him.

「No, I was just observing the people walking around in the street. I’m not really looking for anyone specifically」(Kousuke)

「Is that so. But you seemed to have been staring out the window very seriously」(Unknown person)

「Ah… Well it’s the first time seeing other races besides humans」(Kousuke)

「Oh, that’s the case」(Unknown person)

「Um, is everything alright with work? 」(Kousuke)

【TL: Kou is basically asking nicely “Aren’t you supposed to be working?”】

「The task I was required to do are already complete so I’m currently on break. May I have the seat beside you?」(Unknown person)

「……. Go ahead」(Kousuke)

After introducing each other the two began to converse.

Finding out her real age Kousuke was surprised.

The woman is apparently the innkeeper’s only daughter, Shidi. Currently 23, she is apparently training to take over the inn in the future.

Since she had some free time, upon seeing the seemingly free Kousuke she called out to him to pass the time. It seems she’s quite used to conversing with customers.

Only having been to Ricardo and this town, she asked Kousuke about the kind of place his hometown was. A bit troubled at the question, Kousuke decided to say his hometown is a peaceful countryside.

However, Shidi asked for more details about Kousuke’s hometown. Changing some details to better match this world he answered her questions. Kousuke’s hometown wasn’t anything special, with the exception of a few local fruits that was considered its specialty. Despite this, Shidi seemed satisfied with the conversation.

As the conversation ended Kousuke left, deciding to take a bath as it was finally the men’s turn to use it.

After taking a bath, Kousuke immediately went to his room. Having nothing to do he contemplated if he should just go to sleep, but his gaze landed on his new sword.

「I guess I can practice my forms a bit before heading to bed」(Kousuke)

He began to slowly practice his forms with the sword sheathed to prevent damaging the room.

Recalling the movements of the Killing Dogs he began a shadowboxing-like practice. He decided against using the unfamiliar movements of the Lutz Monkey for practice since his encounter with it was too brief.

The initially quick practice slowly changed into a more and more serious one. Without realizing this he continued to practice.

He practiced for thirty minutes until his sword hit the wall which made him come back to his senses.

「Ah, it was supposed to a light practice…. Oh well. Good, there’s no real damage to the wall」(Kousuke)

After confirming the lack of damage on the wall he placed his sword back against the wall.

Having nothing to do now, Kousuke decided to sleep. Casting《Sleep》on himself he fell asleep quickly.

The following morning, he awoke just before six o’clock since he went to bed early. Casting《Language Interpretation》on himself he proceeded to get some water from the first floor to clean his face. On his way he caught sight of the already awake and sweeping Shidi.

「Good morning」(Kousuke)

「Mornin’. Seems you’re up early」(Shidi)

Since they broke the ice during yesterday’s conversation both of them spoke casually.

「I fell asleep around 10 so I ended up waking up early」(Kousuke)

「Do you always sleep around that time?」(Shidi)

「Usually no, I just had nothing to do so that’s why I fell asleep early」(Kousuke)

「I see. Breakfast isn’t ready yet. Why don’t you get dressed and rest in your room until then?」(Shidi)

「I’ll do that after I wash my face」(Kousuke)

Shidi resumed her cleaning as Kousuke washed his face besides her. The cold water woke him up completely and after greeting Shidi once more he returned to his room.

He fixed his hair, changed his outfit, fitted his sword onto his belt, and grabbed his now emptied bag.

Finished with his preparations, Kousuke headed out then locked his room. Sitting still in the room felt unproductive so despite breakfast not being ready he decided to head to the dining area to wait.

The dining room is quite large, seemingly capable of fitting around fifty people, but right now it was completely vacant. Besides the staff only two customers were seated. The two customers seem to be asleep, arms sprawled out on the table.

He took a seat at a random table and fell into a daze then suddenly the bell indicating that breakfast was ready rang. Upon hearing the bell, the two sleeping customers awoke and stretched to remove their grogginess. The two got up and headed to the counter to pick up some breakfast. Kousuke headed to the counter as well.

「Excuse me, may I also have a packed lunch readied?」(Kousuke)

「You bet. You mind if we pick out the contents? Well.. even if I say that it’s usually a sandwich with some fruits」(Counter lady)

「That's fine」(Kousuke)

「Come back after you finish breakfast, I’ll give it to you when you drop off the tray」(Counter lady)

「I understand」(Kousuke)

Grabbing some breakfast he returned back to his table. Today’s menu seems to be fish meunière, two pieces of bread, a hard-boiled egg, and a quarter of an apple. The butter and jam seems to be near the counter. He began to eat after spreading some marmalade on a piece of bread.

As Kousuke ate unhurriedly, the other two customers already finished and left the dining area. Little by little, more and more customers started to come to the dining area.

After he finished eating while observing this, he brought the tray back to the counter. Receiving the wicker basket, he soon left the dining area.

「It seems your preparations are done, does that mean you’re leaving now?」(Shidi)

Shidi spoke out from behind the reception counter.

「Yea. Today’s my first day at work.  Well, unless I find a good request I’ll probably just end up heading back here」(Kousuke)

「I see, I see. Work hard and good luck!」(Shidi)

「See you later」(Kousuke) 【TL: いってきます, Itekimasu – usually said when heading out and can be read as “See you later” “I’ll be heading out” “I’m going” but to match a more casual tone “See you later” was the best fit】

「Mhmm. Have a nice day」(Shidi)

Shidi, returning back to her professional self, bided Kousuke farewell.

With Shidi’s farewell, Kousuke left the inn.

He began slowly walking towards the guild. Similarly to yesterday, he began to observe the various passersby.  At a glance he saw various races in this seemingly wealthy and peaceful town. It seemed most of the people here aren’t from here, based on their outfits that looked more suited for travellers. 【TL: Yes the plural of “Passerby” is “Passersby” or “Passers-by”. Don’t ask me why, I have no idea】

Arriving at the guild, Kousuke headed towards the area to receive requests. It seemed Viare wasn’t here yet as he was unable to find her.

The requests that the guild usually handle and provide are separated into three parts. Firstly, clients that provide large scale requests are recorded in the binder. Secondly, requests that most adventurers do day-to-day are placed up on a notice board. The type of work and the rewards provided are neatly posted on each request on the notice board. Lastly, posted all over the walls, are odd jobs that anyone is allowed to complete, even if one is not an adventurer.

Right now, many of the adventurers are screening the request notice board. There are a few checking the binder, but they’re mostly just checking with absolutely no intention of accepting.

「Let’s see what kind of requests there are」(Kousuke)

Kousuke started to check the various requests on the notice board like the other adventurers. But a problem quickly arose.

「I can’t read a thing」(Kousuke)

He soon remembered he was supposed to come here together with Borudosu.

It slipped his mind that he was unable to read this world’s words. The small amount of the language he mastered yesterday are useless outside of coffee shops. On the other hand, he was able to understand what the rewards were. Unfortunately, it meant nothing if he can’t read the request details. There’s the disastrous possibility that if he randomly takes a request that it ends up requiring specialized knowledge he may not have.

While pondering if he should just ask for some assistance he spotted Viare who was just about to start her shift.

「Good morning, and I require some assistance」(Kousuke)

「A.. Already?」(Viare)

「I was looking for a suitable request, but I can’t read any of them」(Kousuke)

「Ah, so that’s the case. I understand. Please wait a moment, I need to inform the others I’m here first」(Viare)

「You’re a lifesaver」(Kousuke)

Viare, hearing that, headed to the staff room in an uplifted mood. Usually viewed as unreliable due to her clumsy nature, Viera was very happy because someone was actually relying on her for once.

Viare came back quickly and the two started to scan the notice board.

「What kind of request are you looking for?」(Viare)

「A request that can be done alone and is safe. Since it’s my first time taking a request, the easier the better」(Kousuke)

「….Even though you’re really strong」(Viare)

Viare stared a bit coldly at Kousuke at his remark.

「We explained to you yesterday about my situation. The amount of actual combat experience I had can be counted with one hand」(Kousuke)

「Just how did you become a Dra… no sorry, nevertheless you have that title」(Viare)

「… … Just now…」(Kousuke)

「That was a close call」(Viare) 【TL: Death flags all over the place 🙂】

The scene of her covering her mouth with both hands while giggling was a bit cute, but to Kousuke it deepened his impression of her as a clumsy individual more.

「To get used to this I would like you to introduce me some simpler requests」(Kousuke)

Viare started to search the request boards, closely examining the ones with cheaper rewards before plucking one off the board.

「How about this one? You just need to gather some herbs in the nearby forest」(Viare)

「Where exactly is the nearby forest?」(Kousuke)

「The forest is about thirty minutes away southeast of the town.  The request requires you to bring back at least ten of each herbs called Contsan, Habkro, and Totrine. The reward is 400 Erte」(Viare)【TL: Gah.. Weird names to translate】

「Looks good, but I have no idea what the herb Totrine looks like. Is it possible to see a sample of it?」(Kousuke)

He was already familiar with Contsan and Habkro from studying with Horun before. Those two herbs can be picked anywhere as long as the conditions are optimal. He wondered if the southeastern forest has such conditions.

「Yes. There’s a picture book explaining the various floras. Would you be taking this request?」(Viare)

「Yes please」(Kousuke)

「Then please, this way」(Viare)

Brought before the counter, the request was then processed as accepted.

「One moment, I’ll bring the picture book now」(Viare)

Viare, after confirming the location of the book from her co-worker, quickly came back to the counter with it.

「Let’s see.. Totrine.. ah here it is」(Viare)

His gaze focused on the pointed picture in the book.

Being unable to read the content, he proceeded to memorize the plant’s characteristics in the illustration instead. As a precaution he asked her to read the description of the plant. Afterwards, he also checked the entry for Contsan and Habkro as well.

「That should be all. I’ll be heading out now」(Kousuke)

「Yes, have a safe journey」(Viare)

Seen off by Viare, Kousuke left the guild and soon the town.

As told, he headed south east for thirty minutes. The trip was uneventful and he quickly arrived at the forest.

「I guess I should start looking」(Kousuke)

At the entrance of the forest he casted《Repel: Insects》on himself before entering.

Contsans dislike bright areas and grow in the trees' shaded areas, Habkros grow underneath fallen leaves, and Totrines grow inside streams.

He decided to gather Contsans first and started to search around the shaded areas around the trees. Usually there’s around three growing together so it was easily gathered. Brushing off the dirt on its roots, he proceeded to tie the gathered herbs together with some rope.

Unable to spot any brooks or stream, he decided to gather Habkros next. While kicking away dead leaves and dirt he spotted some herbs that looked like it was crawling. It seemed as though this herb would be more difficult to gather than Contsans. In the end though it was gathered without much effort.

Finally he just needs to gather some Totrines and started to search for a stream.

「I wonder if my hearing has improved as well.」(Kousuke)

Relaxing, he started to attempt to listen for the sound of a running stream.

The sounds of falling leaves, the faint sounds of nearby insects, the rustling of something like a beast could all be heard clearly. Suddenly, something closing in from behind was picked up.

Turning around and staring at the direction of the sound, 4 Lutz Monkeys appeared about 10 seconds later.

「Even monsters can appear here!?」(Kousuke)

Kousuke thought for a moment and realized there were monsters even in open plains. Monsters appearing in forests didn’t seem unnatural anymore.

His misconception of monster habitats most likely stemmed from his time when he camped outside with Horun in the previous forest.

Sensing Kousuke’s hesitation on whether to fight or not, the Lutz Monkeys abruptly charged towards him.

Despite the sudden attack and being outnumbered, since they’re even slower than Borudosu who cannot land an attack on Kousuke, he was able to evade the sudden attack.

「…… No choice now」(Kousuke)

Being attacked, Kousuke reaffirms his determination and draws his sword.

Seeing Kousuke’s challenge the Lutz Monkeys showed some hesitation, but they continued their attack.

He swung his sword towards the chest of the closest Lutz Monkey. His training with Borudosu came to fruition as the sword sliced the monster in half in one move. Blood sprayed out, with bits of it splashing onto Kousuke.

The remaining Lutz Monkeys froze in place upon seeing their brethren being cut down, showing fear of Kousuke’s overbearing strength.

Kousuke shook the sword a little causing the remaining Lutz Monkeys to rapidly retreat. Then the odd sensation that was spread around him started to fade. Kousuke, unused to this “Sixth sense like” sensation, could only slightly discern it.

But thanks to this one combat experience he was able to understand it more.

「If I appear very strong then I can prevent these attacks from happening?」(Kousuke)

“The Survival of the fittest”, all beasts and monsters follow this and are definitely more sensitive when it comes to sniffing out danger. They only attacked Kousuke because he hesitated and gave off a weak impression. By giving an impression of great strength or a very strong blood thirst, unwanted encounters can be prevented. These beasts and monsters, wanting to survive, would naturally avoid him if he’d have just done that.

Very ferocious monsters may react aggressively towards strong killing intent, but there shouldn’t be anything like that nearby human settlements. If there were, the humans would send in knights and soldiers to subdue or oust the monster.

After he shook off the blood on his sword and used a cloth to clean the remaining blood he proceeded to continue his search for a stream.

Thanks to that one fight, the monsters that understood Kousuke’s strength as well as beasts were nowhere to be seen. They seemingly went into hiding while holding their breaths, the original noisiness of the forest faded.

Whether it was because of the quieter atmosphere or because he began to move, Kousuke managed to catch the faint sound of running water.

Finding the stream he immediately went in, picking up the Totrines that were growing here and there until he finally finished gathering the requested amount.

「Well, I gathered them all.  It seems it’s around noon based off the sun’s position, guess I’ll eat lunch and rest a bit before heading back」(Kousuke)

He found a suitable rock to sit on and proceeded to take out his basket and water canteen.

He began to eat while listening to the sound of flowing water and falling leaves, it gave off a picnic-like atmosphere.

「Alright, let’s head back」(Kousuke)

Finished with the request, he headed out of the forest.

He arrived at the guild just before 1 o’clock.

「Is Viare in?」(Kousuke)

Since he was unable to locate her around the guild, he was then informed that she was on her lunch break.

「Excuse me. I accepted the herb gathering request and wish to hand it in」(Kousuke)

「Okay. Do you know the request number?」(Guild receptionist)

「Request number is 334」(Kousuke)

「Please wait one moment please」(Guild receptionist)

The receptionist opened the file and searched for the request information.

「The request was to gather Contsans, Habkros and Tortrines correct? Could you please take out the gathered materials」(Guild receptionist)

「Here they are」(Kousuke)

Kousuke proceeded to hand the guild receptionist three different bushels from his bag.

「Please wait a moment while I confirm the materials」(Guild receptionist)

The guild receptionist began to confirm the validity of the herbs by comparing it to the plant picture book.

「These are indeed the requested materials. Hmm, it seems you brought back more than the requested amount though. Did you perhaps gather the extras for yourself? I shall return the extras to you then」(Guild receptionist)

「No thank you, I just gathered extra since they just happened to grow near the tenth ones, I would rather let the client have the extras」(Kousuke)

Looking closely, it was just an extra Tortrine and three extra Contsans.

「Is that so. I understand. Then please accept the completion reward. One silver coin, equaling 400 Erte, please confirm」(Guild receptionist) 【TL: I can imagine Viare accidently giving a gold coin here】

He placed the given coin into a small wallet pouch.

「With this, the request has been completed. Thank you for your hard work」(Guild receptionist)

「Would it be alright if I may inquire about something?」(Kousuke)

Kousuke asked to the bowing receptionist.

「If it is within my capacity」(Guild receptionist)

「I’m interested in purchasing a book that teaches how to read and write, I was just wondering how much they would cost?」(Kousuke)

「A book, let’s see… for that specific book it’ll cost three silver coins」(Guild receptionist)

「So Expensive!?」(Kousuke)

Since it was possible to quickly produce books with magic, it seems handwritten literature like in his world’s past were less prevalent here. Due to that, the price of the books in this world is lower in comparison, but these literatures are still somewhat expensive because they are, after all, hand produced one at a time.

「Please keep in mind that there are production costs as well as the valuation involved for the information certain books contain. The pricing is actually lower because it’s just for the sake of learning how to read and write. Perhaps the price might be about 10 copper pieces more」(Guild receptionist) 【TL: This was actually awkward as hell to translate】

「Thank you very much. Would it be alright if you can point out the location of the bookstore as well?」(Kousuke)

「If I recall, it is located in the southern area of the shopping district」(Guild receptionist)

「Thank you very much」(Kousuke) 【TL: He gives out thanks like candy】

After giving his thanks he left the guild.

Reaching the area of his destination he proceeded to check the stores. On the third store he checked he managed to find it.

Upon asking the clerk what he wanted, two books were handed to Kousuke. With his purchase more than half his earnings vanished.

「Welcome back」(Shidi)

「I’m back」(Kousuke)

When he returned to the inn he was immediately greeted by Shidi stationed at the reception counter.

「So, how was it?」(Shidi)

「I went to gather some herbs outside the town. With my earnings from it I bought two book to learn how to read and write. I plan on studying them now」(Kousuke)

「You weren’t able to read and write?」(Shidi)

「Yup」(Kousuke)

「We have a few books here as well, how about taking a look at them once you get the hang of it?」(Shidi)

Of course, these books were not bought but something past customers simply forgot. In total, there are four books.

「Is that okay?」(Kousuke)

「Everyone else and I here have already read them so it’s not a big deal」(Shidi)

「I’ll take you up on that offer another time then」(Kousuke)

「Just say the word, I’ll grab them for you anytime」(Shidi)

After acknowledging her offer Kousuke went back to his room.

Sitting down on the bed, Kousuke immediately opens the book focused on nouns first. There are various letters written under the picture of an apple and horse. On each page there are three words written, the book has about a hundred pages. Letter by letter he began to memorize each of them. Just by concentrating, every single letter was easily memorized in around two hours. Though he could probably write a bit now, nevertheless he was perfectly capable of reading the letters fluently now.

「Phew… Guess I’ll take a break」(Kousuke)

Worn out from concentrating for two hours straight, Kousuke left his room and headed down to the first floor.

He returned the basket to the kitchen and asked for some juice then proceeded to sip on it comfortably.

After taking a twenty minute break Kousuke headed towards the laundry drying area. Upon reaching the place, he started to slowly recall the movements of the Lutz Monkeys and started to train. Since he didn’t have to worry about smashing a wall this time he trained with full swings.

After training for fifteen minutes Kousuke stopped and decided to head back to his room. On his way, he realized he was unpleasantly sweaty from doing the herb gathering request and wanted to take a bath first.

After finishing taking a bath he had dinner before heading back to his room to continue his studies. This time he started reading a different book, a picture book describing in detail the scenery and its inhabitants. There were various markings and words describing animals, movements and the name of the location throughout the pictures of the book. 【TL: This bit was a bit tough to translate】

As he continued to read the language showed grammar and style similar to English, but as of right now Kousuke has yet to fully grasp it. Leaving aside being able to write for now, he decided to focus on being able to read perfectly.

He continued to read past 11 o’clock.

Concluding his studies he prepared to go to sleep as he buried himself on the bed.

With this, the curtain has fallen on Kousuke’s second day in this town.

    

Chapter end