TL: Cannongerbil

Editing: Deus Ex Machina, Ulti

My name is Dust.

I’m the one in charge of this town where beginners gather… or something like that.

It might seem like I’m lazing around town like usual, but I’m actually patrolling to maintain the public order of this town.

“Hey there, how are you doing?”

it’s important to casually make conversation with the residents like this.

I start up conversations with them In order to build up a sense of familiarity with the residents. You could say it’s part of my duties as a representative of this town.

“Tsk, It’s Dust. Where’s the salt for spreading? Bring the salt! I have no leftovers today! In the first place, you still haven’t cleared your tab.”

The owner of the general shop started grumbling with an irate look.

“Hey, I just took those defective goods off your hands. I’m the one who should be demanding a refund for receiving broken goods. Speaking of which, I cut myself on those fragments, so I should demand medical bills too. And I suffered psychological damage as well, so you should cover those fees- Hey, don’t scatter the salt at me!”

The store owner mercilessly scattered the salt he retrieved towards me.

Don’t waste food, you b.a.s.t.a.r.d!

“Sniff, c.r.a.p, the salt got into my nose!”

“You penniless b.a.s.t.a.r.d. You probably haven’t eaten a proper meal yet, right? Isn’t it great to receive your daily allotment of salt so easily? What psychological damage? Who’s the one who forcibly took them even after I explicitly pointed out that they are broken?”

“Ah, I don’t remember that. Do you have proof that you said such a thing, eh? I’ll apologize right away if you have proof! But otherwise I have absolutely no intention of apologizing!”

The old man backed away in response to my threats.

Heh, you are ten years too early to challenge the amazing adventurer, Dust-sama.

“Now, come on, if you want me to apologize, bring me the proof! Otherwise you can wipe out my tab! I’m fine with things either way! Fuhahaha!”

My eyes started sparkling the moment I was a.s.sured of my victory.

I felt a sharp pain on my head, and hastily turned around to see a frowning Lynn staring at me.

“What are you doing!? It hurts, you know!?”

“What am I doing? What are you doing!? Can you not live without causing problems for others? Will you die without saying such boorish lines? Is causing problems for others your hobby?”

“I’m merely correcting someone who has strayed from the path of righteousness.”

“Huh? You have long since strayed from the path of righteousness, and you dare to say that? An Axis Cultist saying that one shouldn’t cause trouble for others would be more convincing than you. Fooling around with the other adventurers is one thing, but stop causing trouble for the citizens. Ah, you stink of alcohol. You’ve been drinking in the day again, haven’t you?”

“Tsk, how could I not drink? It should’ve been a three. They must have pulled some kind of trick there.”

Just thinking about it makes me angry. Today, I was supposed to win big at the gambling den with the skills I practiced, so I brought my entire fortune over.

After getting angry, I shoved them and ended up being banned from the premises. And now here I am.

“Did you bathe properly? You’re covered in dandruff. Don’t come too close to me.”

“This is salt! Salt!”

“What kind of idiot would sprinkle salt on his own head?”

I glared at the store owner, but he pretended not to notice.

…You have some guts, old man.

“Lynn, you are a real help. It’d be better still if you would bring him out on an adventure and turn him into a snack for some monsters. He’s nicely seasoned with salt right now, so I’m sure the monsters will be happy to have him too.”

“Sorry, I really want to go on an adventure, but the guild warned us that a Demon King"s General has moved into an abandoned castle nearby, so we can’t go out right now.”

“So that’s why I’ve been seeing more and more adventurers in the town as of late. It really is troublesome news.”

“As if a Demon King"s General would come to this town of newbies. Try using your brain a little. I told you that Demon King"s Generals and the like work in dismal and gloomy places. Well, if a General comes to this town, I’ll handle it somehow. Just leave it to Dust-sama!”

I pointed both thumbs at myself and smiled.

I’m fairly confident in being near the top amongst the adventurers in this town.

“Huh? How are you going to handle it? You are only good at blackmail and extortion and nothing else. Go off and get minced by some monsters before coming back.”

This b.a.s.t.a.r.d is mocking me. This old man really doesn’t know what I’m capable of.

“Right, then, why don’t I use that body of yours to demonstrate what I’m capable of? Savour the taste of my salt seasoned fist.”

As I menacingly slammed my fist into my hand and approached the old man, I felt another sharp pain on my head.

“Stop hitting me on the head whenever you feel like it! What are you going to do if I turn into a r.e.t.a.r.d?”

“There’s no way you can get any dumber. Seriously, give it a rest already. You’ll get arrested and dragged into the cells again. I’m not going to be your guarantor anymore. Thanks to you, all I have to do is show my face these days and they’ll bring me right to the detention cells.”

“Hey, that facility has taken really good care of me. Please handle it next time too… The police, huh. Well, I spent all the rent money I had. They provide meals too, so maybe I’ll pay them a visit soon.”

The cell is dreary, but it provides shelter from the wind and rain and three square meals a day.

I’ll just go to a store somewhere and eat something without paying, then after squabbling with the store owner as usual, I’ll get a place to sleep in.

“I won’t lend you any more money. If Dust does anything strange, just call the police. They are used to him, so you don’t even need to tell them anything; they’ll just arrest him.”

“The police are used to him? You…”

The store owner’s gaze leveled up from a gaze of scorn to a gaze of pity. Or, wait, is that a level down?

The cells of the police station is like my holiday home. These guys should experience it at least once. It might be surprisingly to their liking.

“Stop doing stupid things and find a proper job. Even if you can’t go adventuring, there are still some odd jobs available. You’re pretty strong, aren’t you?”

“I don’t feel like being a porter or doing other such odd jobs. Well, if there’s a pretty girl in a suggestive outfit cheering me on while I work, I might consider it.”

I became an adventurer to do what I want, so why would I resort to doing something so bothersome?

I’ll live freely and do what I want. Yeah, that’s what I decided.

“Sigh… I really wish you’d learn something from Mitsurugi-san.”

“Mitsurugi? Who’s that?”

My body reacted after hearing Lynn say a guy’s name.

She even sounds like she quite respects him.

“He’s one of the hero candidates who became famous recently. He’s a handsome swordsman with a really powerful magic sword. He’s courteous and strong, and there are a lot of people who look up to him… Don’t you remember him? You got beaten up by him back when you got drunk and tried to cop a feel. You know, that guy with the ‘Sword Master’ advanced cla.s.s.”

“That man is not only courteous, but also an important customer who occasionally visits my shop… Unlike a certain someone I know.”

Ah, that guy with that harem of two pretty girls. That guy with the ridiculous strength. I remember him, but I’m the type of person who pushes unpleasant things out of my mind.

“Tsk, I don’t remember him at all. Those kind of saintly people are always hiding some dark things from everyone. No one could possibly be that just. And if he’s handsome too, then he’s definitely up to no good.”

“You sound as if you’ve met him before, but you’re just bad mouthing him because you yourself aren’t popular. Pathetic.”

“Who the h.e.l.l isn’t popular? The ladies at the bar I frequent fawn all over me whenever I have money, you know!?”

“Don’t you feel empty after saying that?”

“Of course not! I’m not that mentally fragile. In the end, the most trustworthy people are men like me whose inner self and outer self are in sync. What you see is what you get.”

“That doesn’t mean much when both your inner and outer self are trash.”

“It doesn’t matter when both sides are pitch black.”

Dammit, they are both completely in sync with their comeback.

I want to retort, but it doesn’t seem like the wind is blowing in my favour. I guess I’ll quietly back down for today.

“Bah, say whatever you want. Unlike the two of you, I have stuff to do.”

Leaving those parting words, I beat a swift retreat.

“Tsk, that sobered me all the way up. Things just never go well whenever I’m up against Lynn.”

Against anyone else, I could be more forceful in my words, but when I see that face…

“Ahh, let’s just stop thinking about such stuff. Now then, are there any pretty ladies around? It’d be great if they are overwhelmingly wealthy, starved for male contact, and willing to pamper me endlessly. That’d be the best.”

As I swaggered down the main street, I noticed two pretty ladies in my path. One of them had a spear in her hands and was dressed like a warrior, while the other had a dagger on her waist and appeared to be a thief. Both of them were very beautiful.

Are those women by themselves? Then it’d be rude if I didn’t hit on them.

“It’s my turn to sit beside him today.”

“That’s not up to you to decide.”

I thought they were friends, but it doesn’t seem like they are getting along too well.

Well, I don’t really care about that. Still, they have pretty good a.s.ses. If you wear such revealing clothes and shake your a.s.s in front of me… My hand will slip.

“Aaah! What are you doing!?”

“This guy just touched my b.u.t.t!”

Looking at their faces as they hurriedly turned around… Yeah, they’re pretty good looking alright…Hmm, I think I’ve seen them somewhere before… Bah, I can’t remember, so nevermind.

“I’m not taking a piece of your flesh or anything, so just leave it be.”

“You sc.u.m! The only one who is allowed to touch my b.u.t.t is Kyouya!”

“Yeah, yeah! My b.u.t.t isn’t meant for an unscrupulous drunkard! … Eh, wait, this is the same drunkard who tried to hit on us back in the guild and got trashed by Kyouya!”

Ah, they are Mitsurugi’s group. Then, Mitsurugi himself must be nearby… No, it doesn’t seem like it. In that case, I should give them a little payback for what happened back then.

“Come now, you don’t need to put on airs. I don’t really remember what happened when I got drunk, and here you are speaking about me touching you in the past… You’re trying to signal to me that you want to be groped, not just touched, aren’t you? Very well, if you’re willing to go that far, it’s only proper for a man like me to respond in kind. I’ll grope them until they can’t return to their original shape anymore! Now, come, show me your a.s.s!”

“Stay back, you thug!”

I made grabbing motions with my hands as I approached the two, and the two of them fearfully backed away. Seeing women that I dislike react this way makes me a little excited. I feel like I understand the thought patterns of villains a little better now.

“Hey, that’s Dust. The thuggish adventurer.”

“Oh, those poor things. Getting hit on by that thug…”

Shut up, outsiders. A small crowd has started to gather thanks to these girls" screams.

I didn’t originally intend to go this far, but I can’t possibly back down now. Let’s play with them a little more.

“Stay back, you pervert! Kyouya! Kyouya!”

“Kyouya, save me!”

“Mwahaha. You can shout all you want, no one will be coming to save you! Do try and let me hear some good screams! Mwahaha!”

Oh my, this is getting really fun.

The two girls have fallen upon their a.s.ses and were looking at me with tear-stained faces. Just when I’m one step away from them,

“Halt! What are you doing to my companions?”

“Kyouya!”

The person who interrupted with perfect timing is an infuriatingly handsome young man. He had brown hair, was clad in an extremely expensive looking shining blue armour, and had a sword hanging in a black sheath on his waist.

He’s dressed extremely fancily, as usual. The armour is pretty fine as it is, but that sword in particular seems to be extremely high quality. I recall Lynn saying something or other about that sword, but I can’t be a.r.s.ed to recall all the little details.

“Who are you?”

“Huh? Did a prince descend upon us? It’s common sense to name yourself before asking for someone else’s name. Oh, and in Axel, it’s proper to offer some money to the person you are asking the name of. Don’t you know that?”

“Offer money? Is it something like the tipping system that they use in other countries… It’s another world, after all, so some differing customs are only to be expected.”

Oh, he’s seriously considering what I just pulled out of my a.s.s. Is he a d.a.m.ned straight laced naive fool?

“Kyouya, don’t be fooled! There’s no such custom! There’s no need to seriously consider the words of this thug in the first place.”

“Yeah, I suppose. I have no name to give to such a thug… Well, that’s what I wanted to say, but very well. My name is Mitsurugi Kyouya. What’s yours?”

This guy honestly gave me his name. Is he just well mannered or a simple fool?

No, it’s not that he’s letting his guard down, it’s more like he’s confident in his own skills. I can see that look in his eyes.

“Listen up and listen well. My name is Dust. I’m a fairly famous adventurer in this town.”

“That isn’t wrong, but it’s really more infamous.”

“Seriously, is that thug Dust causing trouble again? Somebody go call the cops or his guardian Lynn!”

The onlookers are annoying. Whenever I make a fuss, the local residents are quick to gather.

“Oh, I feel like I’ve seen you somewhere before.”

“It’s that thuggish drunkard who tried to hit on us in the guild, remember!? I can’t forget that arrogant face, and with that lewd gaze, it’s definitely him! I remember it because it’s a face that’s unpopular with the ladies.”

“That face is definitely the result of a mind stuffed full of perverted thoughts! That’s the eyes of a criminal! He’s definitely a peeping tom or a molester! And he stinks too!”

“What does my face has to do with anything? And what stench? This isn’t a stench, it’s the scent of flowers! Even I will start crying if you girls keep saying that kind of stuff!”

Shooting their mouths off like that, these d.a.m.n b.i.t.c.hes.

“Oh, I remember you now. Do you want me to give you another beating?”

Saying that with such a casual smile, he really is infuriating.

d.a.m.nit, having this guy appear really complicates matters. He’s pretty skilled; I learnt that from trading blows with him. Not only is he pretty high leveled, but he has some abnormally high physical stats too.

He’d be a bit of a challenge to take on while I’m drunk. I should make a tactical retreat before the situation escalates. It’s definitely not because I can’t beat him!

“Tsk, my stomach just started hurting, so I’ll let you go for today. I’m not running away! You best remember that!”

I said such decisive words and quickly left the scene.

I’m not running away. It’s just that it’d be problematic if Lynn learns about this and stops lending me money!

It’s been a few days since then, but that incident still weighs on me.

Recently, I feel like the other adventurers and my companions have been looking down on me. Is it time to show them my true abilities? It’s all over for an adventurer the moment they are looked down upon.

And there’s also that time when I got beaten to a pulp. I guess I should start with doing something to that pretty boy.

I’m doing this to reveal my true capabilities to the world, not because of any personal dislike of that pretty boy. It’s most definitely not because I’m jealous of him for having two beautiful women by his side.

At most, it’s just me as a senior adventurer educating my juniors, that’s all.

“Still, what exactly should I do?”

I can’t think of any way to make that pretty boy submit to me. It’d be great if something were to happen that will allow me to demonstrate my greatness and end with him tearfully begging me.

“Hey.”

“As I am now, it’d be pretty difficult to get him to submit to me.”

“Hey.”

“Yeah, I’ll have to use my head. Intelligent men are said to be charming, after all.”

“Hey! Don’t sit on the chair I have for sale! Don’t just start reading the books I’m selling either!”

“Shut up. Why don’t you go bring out some tea? I’m a customer, you know? If you don’t have tea, some wine would be great too.”

Loudly breaking my train of thought even though I’m obviously thinking about important matters in front of your shop. This is the worst att.i.tude you can present to your customers. You don’t understand what the service industry is all about.

“Seems like there’s a need for me to personally teach you how to treat your customers. First, bring out some wine and snacks and your petty cash.”

“Customers are people who pay up. You’re just in the way. Trash. Dust.”

“Hey, don’t think that you can say whatever you want just because I’m a gentle person! I’ll spread bad rumours about your shop! Even though the shop owner here accrued a huge amounts of debts by gambling, all he does is drink the day away and chase skirts!”

“That’s how you live your life! And if you are gentle, then I must be some kind of saint!”

“Tsk! You have the guts to say that? Bah, I don’t have time to play around with an old man with too much time on his hands. I need to find a way to prove my superiority over that Kyouya pretty boy.”

“Kyouya? Oh, you’re referring to Mitsurugi-san. You and him aren’t even comparable. It’d be like comparing a dullahan with zombies, or the Axis Cult with the Eris Church.”

Every single one of you is singing praises about that pretty boy. What matters is the inside. The inside.

“Oh, yeah, speaking of Mitsurugi-san… A newbie adventurer came to sell a sword that he couldn’t use the other day, and that sword looked just like the one Mitsurugi-san had. It was really heavy and had a dull blade, but I bought it since I thought it could be useful as an ornament or interior decoration…”

“A sword that can’t cut anything can only be used as an ornament.”

“Hmm, where did I leave it… Ah, there it is, this is the one I’m talking about.”

The storekeeper is probably pretty free. He might have complained a whole bunch, but he ended up striking up a conversation with me anyway.

The sword that he brought out the back looks to be pretty heavy. It made a sc.r.a.ping sound against the ground as the owner dragged it out towards me.

It definitely looks like the sword that Mitsurugi had, down to the smallest detail … Actually, isn’t this the exact sword that he had?

Whether it’s the form or the pressure I’m feeling from the blade, it definitely doesn’t seem like it’s been made to be used as a decoration. If the blade is dull, it’s probably the work of some kind of magical seal or condition.

… Hmm? Come to think of it, Lynn said that Mitsurugi had a magic sword or something, right? I think I heard that there are certain types of magic swords that can only be used by a chosen few…

If it’s a sword that can only be used by Mitsurugi, that means that it’d be worthless to anyone else. Yes, anyone except Mitsurugi himself. In other words… I’ve thought of a pretty great idea.

“Hey, old man, I’ll buy that sword.”

“Huh? I’ll be grateful if you would take this useless sword off my hands, but you don’t have the money, do you? If you have that kind of money, then pay off your tab first.”

“Wait, I have a helmet I used to treasure. I don’t use it anymore, so I’ll sell it to you. It’s worth quite a sum, you know?”

“Worth quite a sum, you say? Didn’t you use that line to try and fool me into buying a bunch of trash you picked up from the garbage dump before?”

“It really is worth quite a sum this time. Give me a minute, I’ll go fetch it.”

There’s no need to hide my face behind a helmet in this town, so there’ll be no problems even if I sell it.

That helmet has poor ventilation so it gets really hot in there. It’s not like I’ve used it recently anyway.

“This helmet, it looks simple at first glance, but you can clearly see the craftsmanship that went into this… It’s a pretty good item. Selling this would be enough to cover your tab and the cost of the sword but… You didn’t steal this, did you?”

After carefully examining the helmet I bought, it seems like he finally came to a conclusion.

It seems to be worth a fair amount. With this, things will be able to proceed like I planned.

“I don’t steal stuff! Anyway, that concludes our deal. I’ll be taking this sword now.”

“A-Ah, sure. Thanks for your patronage.”

Great, I’ve successfully bought this sword. As long as I have this, things will get interesting.

“Hey, hold up-!”

Who’s the one who shouted at me with a stupidly loud voice?

When I turned around, my eyes fell upon a girl with one hand on her chest and the other outstretched. She’s wearing a nun’s habit, so she looks to be a priestess. Even though she looks fairly beautiful, for some reason, she doesn’t seem to catch my interest.

Her gaze is giving me a bad feeling. Those clothes… Is she an Axis Cultist?

According to rumours, the Axis Cult is an organization that even the Demon Army gives a wide berth to. While I doubt that that’s actually the case, it just means that they are that famous for being a troublesome group.

What business does she have with me? I don’t really want to get too involved with her.

“What do you want, Nee-chan? If you’re hitting on me, leave it to later. Though if you’re treating me to a meal, I’ll happily come along.”

“Why would an esteemed priestess of the Axis Cult like me ever hit on a man who reeks of poverty like you? You should be the one who should be treating me. I could gently whisper the scriptures of the Axis Cult into your ear if you do.”

“I don’t need that. My ears will rot.”

“To be unable to understand the splendour of the Axis Cult teachings, you must truly be a miserable person.”

Come to think of it, I’ve never properly heard the scriptures of the Axis Cult before, but it’s probably nothing good. Humouring her would just be a waste of time.

“Dust is enough trouble as it is, and now a troublesome nun of the Axis Cult is here too. Maybe I should just close up shop for today…”

The old man let out a huge sigh.

Leaving me aside, if he is that wary of her, that means that this woman is bad news.

“We somehow ended up off topic, but what I want to talk about is that sword. That’s the sword I’ve been keeping my eye on for quite some time! That’s the magic sword that really capable and handsome swordsman has, right? After confirming that it is in this shop, I’ve been keeping watch over it day and night in the hopes that he might come here to buy it!”

“You’re scary…”

What is this priestess saying all of a sudden?

She was pointing at Mitsurugi’s sword that I just bought. From the way she’s speaking, it seems like she’s acquainted with him, but…

“Are you referring to Mitsurugi? What are you planning to do?”

“Give it to me, free of charge of course. That’s something that should be in the hands of the Axis Cult. Once I have the magic sword in my hands, I’ll be able to threate…persuade him to support me, then I’ll be able to live a lazy blissful life of eating and sleeping all day. I won’t let this chance get away!”

She might be pa.s.sionately saying that, but her eyes are clouded with desire… Ah, this is the kind of person I never want to be.

“It seems like you have some kind of plan, but demanding that I give you something I bought for free? How shameless are you?”

“As if you are in a position to say that”

The storekeeper seems to be grumbling about something, but I can’t hear him.

“I did say for free, but of course I’ll offer you something in return. Because it’s an expensive item, could you sign here on this receipt?”

“Oh, if it’s worth a lot of money, I can consider it.”

If it’s more valuable than the cost I paid for the magic sword, I wouldn’t mind giving it to her.

The piece of paper she handed over along with a pen is- an Axis Cult recruitment form.

“Stop fooling around! I can’t even wipe my a.s.s with this.”

“How rude! The recruitment letter is made out of non toxic materials.”

“That’s not the point…”

The storekeeper commented with a tired expression.

Did he just age a couple of decades?

“In any case, I’m not handing over this sword. If you really want it, bring me some money. Show me some gold.”

“Tsk, money is the one thing I’m not good with, and you only want that?! What a greedy man. I should pray to Aqua-sama to make your breath inexplicably stink tomorrow morning.”

That’s a really plain yet petty curse! But is she really a priestess? I’ve heard the rumours, but even so, this is way too much.

“Wait for a while. I’ll head to the Eris Church right now and scam some money off them!”

“I’ll wait for you, so hurry up and bring me some cash.”

After hearing that, the Axis priestess hurriedly left.

The troublesome woman has gone off somewhere, so let me confirm what I bought.

I tried to lift the sword up, but… It’s heavy. Seems like I won’t be able to swing this around like a weapon.

This really is a magic sword, alright. That means that Mitsurugi will do anything to get it back in his hands.

In. That. Case.

Even if I ask for a ridiculous price for it, he’ll still happily pay up, right?

“Hehehe. This is pretty good. I’ll be able to rip him off and earn a lot of money this way. Right, seeya, old man. I don’t have any reason to remain here.”

“Don’t laugh so evilly. Hey, hold on, weren’t you going to wait for her to come back with money?”

“Of course I won’t. That’s just to chase her away.”

“You really are…”

I think I could hear the storekeeper make an exasperated noise behind me, but I ignored it.

I’ll go hide it somewhere just in case, then once all the preparations are done, I’ll make contact with Mitsurugi.

Just how much can I make him cough up? Now’s the time to put my skills to use.

After hiding the magic sword in a warehouse I secretly borrowed, I wandered around the town in search of him and ran into Lynn.

“Hmm, Dust? Did you find a job?”

“I haven’t found one, but I’m expecting a large amount of money soon.”

“You didn’t do anything strange, did you? I don’t want to have to fetch you from the police station again. I’m well-known enough that even the fresh policeman saluted me and thanked me for my hard work. It’s so embarra.s.sing!”

“Well, you did work hard. Don’t worry, I didn’t do anything criminal. If anything, it’s a charitable deed.”

As I proudly stated such, Lynn glared at me with a scornful gaze.

It doesn’t seem like she believes me at all.

“I’m serious. I’m helping someone find something he’s looking for. He’ll be happy, and I’ll be rewarded. We both scratch each other’s backs and gain something out of it. It’s a wonderful partnership.”

“This smells fishy. This smells really fishy. It’s definitely nothing good… I got it, I’ll accompany you. You won’t mind, right? After all, you are doing nothing wrong, right?”

Tsk, she just suggested something troublesome.

I really want to shake her off somehow, but for some reason my lies never work on Lynn. If I just make something up on the spot, she probably won’t believe it.

“Oh, sure, I don’t mind. I’m not doing anything unspeakable, after all.”

Thinking about it calmly, I’m not doing anything illegal. It’s a simple trade, so it’s fine to let her tag along. There’s nothing Lynn can reproach me for.

Just as I was about to head out with Lynn, I saw a guy frantically running around the place… That’s Mitsurugi.

“Mitsurugi-san? You look really frantic. Did something happen?”

Perfect timing. He looks really busy, but I should call out to him.

“Hey, what’s gotten you into such a panic?”

“Pant… You’re, from back then… Pant… What do you want? I’m in a bit of a hurry!”

Covered in sweat after running around. Mitsurugi seems to be in a bad mood.

If he’s this panicked… did I hit the jackpot?

“Why are so worked up in the middle of the town? Did you see a beautiful girl? Oh, my, what happened to that magic sword you used to have? Are you searching for your sword right now, I wonder?”

“H-How did you know?”

Bingo. This guy’s heart is written right on his sleeve. You’re going to reveal all of your weak points to the bad guys if you are this transparent.

“Who knows? Anyway, have you found your sword yet?”

“I have not! You already know that, that’s why you called out to me, right?”

“Well, yeah. Anyway, say, if I had your magic sword, what would you do?

“Eh?”

“W-Wha! Why is it with-?”

Lynn covered her mouth in surprise, and Mitsurugi looked like his jaw was about to drop.

Mitsurugi"s eyes bulged and grabbed his head upon hearing that. Seems like it’s pretty important to him.

He seems to the be the type that can’t tell a lie. I’m surprised that he managed to survive in this world for so long with such a personality.

Is it because the girls that usually hang around him are capable? Or maybe he’s just that strong.

“Mitsurugi-san, hang on a moment. I have something to discuss with him. Dust, come here! Hurry up!”

“Hey, I was just about to discuss some very important matters. What are you doing now?”

Turning her back on Mitsurugi and motioning to me, she wrapped an arm around my neck and whispered,

“What’s going on? Explain.”

“I found the magic sword on sale in a general shop, so, being the kind hearted soul that I am, I bought it before anyone else could. Aren’t I charitable?”

“If that’s all you did, then, yeah, it’s nothing bad, but… I’m sure that’s not all you did… Dust, I’ll accompany you, so let"s go back to the general store. There’s still a chance that you might be forgiven.”

“I didn’t steal it! I properly bought it. With money. Why does everyone keep a.s.suming that I’m a thief?”

“That’s obviously because of the way you behave every day.”

Lynn said that while glaring at me, but I’ll let it pa.s.s for now. I have very important matters to discuss, after all.

“Oh, sorry for making you wait. I came across the sword in a general store, and I bought it because I liked the look of it, but… it seems like I wasted my money. It’s too heavy and gets in the way, so I was thinking of having someone melt it down and reforge it into a new sword.”

“W-Wait, please! If you want money, I’ll pay for it!”

Yes, he took the bait. Looks like I’ll be able to wring quite a large sum from him. Now, then, how much should I ask for? I exchanged it for my helmet, but if I recall, the price tag was about 100,000 eris, was it?

In this kind of negotiations, it’s natural to first quote an exorbitant price, then slowly lower it to determine what his limit is. In that case, I should open with…

“Hmm, well, I did pay a lot of money for it. At the very least, I want at least this much to part with it.”

I raised up five fingers, signalling that I wanted five million eris.

“Five million!?”

“Wha-isn’t that way too high?”

It’s an exorbitant price indeed for a magic sword that easily fell into my hands. Now, I’ll slowly lower it, and probably end up selling it for around a million eris…

“Very well, I’ll pay that price.”

“Still, I’m not a heartle… Whaaat!? Eh? You’ll pay that price?”

“Wait! You shouldn’t believe his words that easily! He’s a man who spouts nothing but lies and deceit. Hold on, I’ll wring the truth out of him right now.”

“Whose side are you on!?”

I shouted at Lynn as she raised her staff and prepared to cast magic.

Don’t get in the way of your friend’s business. If I get my hands on this fortune, I’ll be able to return the money I owed you too.

“It’s fine. It’s not like it’s out of my reach.”

“See, he’s saying that he’s fine with it, so put down your staff! Stop chanting your magic!”

“Even though it’d be great for the world if I properly roasted him…”

This girl will really start flinging magic at me. She mercilessly started flinging magic around whenever we got into a fight in the past.

“That’s a deal, then. Ah, I can accept a little discount, you know? If you want, I can throw in the wallet I always carried around with me. It’s empty, though.”

“N-no, it’s fine. It’s a magic sword I received from that person, after all. It’s rude to put a price on it, but if it’s just that much, it’s more than… No, in fact it’s a steal.”

I never expected that negotiations would go off this smoothly.

“Well, that’s fine… Ah, sorry, I didn’t expect you to pay up so quickly, so I hid it in a warehouse outside of town. Here’s the key to it and the location is written here.”

I brought out the key and the map to where it’s hidden, and Mitsurugi quickly s.n.a.t.c.hed it out of my hands.

“H-Hey! What about my money!?”

“My apologies. Umm, would this be enough?”

He reached into his bag and brought out a pouch filled with money. Has he been walking around with this much money on hand?

Checking the contents of that pouch, it seems like there’s more than 5 million eris in it.

“Wow! To fork out such a large sum of money easily, just how rich are you? Wealthy and handsome… The world really is unfair.”

Comparing Mitsurugi to myself, I earnestly lamented.

“I might be saying something unnecessary, but are you sure you don’t want to confirm the location of the sword before you hand over the money?”

“Are you worried for me? There’s no need to. Even if it’s a lie, I’ll definitely get the sword back. The Magic Sword Gram is a very, very, important bond I have with the G.o.ddess.”

G.o.ddess? It must be a gift from someone that important. He did fork out five million eris for it without a second thought, after all.

I can’t believe it was that easy for me to get my hands on a fortune. It must be karma for all the good things I did.

“Well, then, I must hurry.”

He ran away at full speed without waiting for my reply.

He has some ridiculous stamina. I was right not to pick a fight with him.

“So, what do you think? I peacefully made some money, didn’t I?”

I boasted to Lynn, who gave me a cold gaze in return.

“Hey, shouldn’t you be happy that a friend just earned a small fortune? I’ll return the money I owe you.”

“I don’t need it. I don’t want to be a.s.sociated with a crime. You definitely aren’t up to anything good.”

“Don’t knock my business sense. Are you really sure? I was planning to return the money I owe you along with interest.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll consider it if you still aren’t arrested after a couple of days.”

Lynn said as she walked away with a wave.

She didn’t believe me at all, did she. Seriously, what kind of person are you if you don’t even trust your companions? Don’t come crying to me if you regret it.

Now then, it’s nice that such a fortune fell into my lap, but what should I do with it?

Double it through gambling? I’m still barred from that place, so that’s a no go. That means I need to invest it in something.

“There you are! I finally found you! Didn’t you say you’ll wait for me? What happened to the magic sword?”

So she found me, huh? The priestess from the Axis Cult breathlessly ran over to me.

I wanted to never see her again if I could, but I guess it’s impossible in a small town like Axel.

“I sold it to Mitsurugi.”

“You sold it!?”

You’re overreacting too much. It was Mitsurugi’s sword in the first place, so this is just natural.

“You wanted to return it to him too, right? Then what’s the big deal?”

“I won’t get any grat.i.tude if I’m don’t return it to him personally. And I here I thought I’d be able to eat something more filling than Tokoroten slime after all this time.”

Even if you are poor, you should still eat something better.

Why are you eating Tokoroten slime of all things?

“Well, it’s a little late, but did you raise enough money to buy the sword?”

“Eh? No, of course not.”

… If you don’t have the money, than what did you come seeking me for?

I get a little irritated after seeing her shrug her shoulders and give me an ‘are you an idiot?’ look.

“I don’t have money, but I thought that I can get it in exchange for allowing you to go on a date with me.”

“I don’t want it!”

“The beautiful priestess of the Axis Cult will-”

“Yeah, I heard that already.”

Interacting with her is just a waste of time. Is there a way to shake her somehow?

Hmm, if she’s so obsessed with that guy, maybe I can get her to leave by making up something or the other about him.

“Oh, yeah, I think he said something about searching for a priestess after getting his magic sword back. He said something about wanting to meet with a beautiful priestess of the Axis Cult before.”

“Why didn’t you say that earlier!? I don’t have time to play around with such a greedy and perverted looking man! And I need to hurry up and visit the marriage registry!”

I gave her a gentle wave as she took off at blinding speeds.

Fortunately, she’s so easily fooled. Even if the lie is exposed, the only one troubled will be her, so there’s no problem… Mitsurugi’s girls said something similar. Do I really look that perverted?

“Bah, there’s no need to care about what those girls say. Anyway, that’s all settled now. I’ve got the money in hand… let’s leave the money making to later. First things first, I need to get a drink.”

There should be a store that sells great booze near the gates.

Because the town of Axel is surrounded by huge walls, plenty of customer oriented shops are gathered near the gates.

I don’t really frequent that place, but I’ve heard that, apart from eateries, there are also a lot of other stores cl.u.s.tered around there too.

“Freshly caught cabbages going for cheap! Lettuce are pretty cheap right now too!”

Are they selling vegetables? These cabbages are the ones caught in that large scale harvest recently, right?

Oh yeah, I’ve heard that there’s some fool who mistook lettuces for cabbages and caught a whole bunch of them, that’s why lettuces are so cheap right now.

“Hmm, can you make money with this?”

If I could buy these cabbages while they are cheap and sell them at a higher price later… No, they won’t keep.

Plus there was a large harvest, after all, so everyone knows the market price. It’d be different if there’s a less abundant and more expensive vegetable. As I was thinking that, the price tag of a red vegetable jumping around in the cage caught my eye.

“Hey, storekeep, why is the price of that so unreasonably high?”

“Welcome. You’re referring to the tomatoes? Tomatoes had a bad harvest this year. Only the farmers that were directly contracted with us were fortunate enough to avoid that fate. That really was a stroke of luck. Tomatoes are a popular item, you know? I only have a small portion of them on display.”

“That means you have more?”

“Yeah, I have them stored in that warehouse over there.”

Tomatoes are frequently used in restaurants, aren’t they? I thought I’ve been seeing fewer of them in the salads recently. So this is why.

If there was a bad harvest, that means that there’d be a shortage everywhere. That means that I’ll be able to make big money by selling them at the capital. The cost of goods there is higher than in Axel. Can I make big bucks by just selling a cart of them there?

I know a person who can teleport to the capital, so if I get them to help me transport them to the capital, I’ll be able to save on transport costs.

“Storekeep, can I buy all the tomatoes you have, including the ones in your storehouse?”

“The cost of preserving them is pretty high, so I’d be thankful if you would buy them, but… all of them would cost quite a sum you know? Even at the lowest estimate, it’d cost about 5 million eris. You can’t pay that, can you?”

Seems like he’s pegged me for a pauper.

Five million huh… I can pay for it. It’ll use up all of my money, but I’ll be able to make it back manyfold. Indeed, heaven must be watching over me. It must be karma for my daily good deeds.

“Oh, will this be enough?”

I pulled out the bag containing 5 million eris that I just received.

After the surprised storekeeper confirmed the contents of the bag, he gave me a wide smile and started rubbing his hands together… Well, I don’t dislike such a straightforward personality.

“Thank you for your patronage. As long as you have the money, I won’t care where it came from. You don’t need to say anything. Money is money, after all. I’ll lend you the cart as a service, so return it to me later, okay?”

The storekeeper seemed to have misunderstood something, but happily gave me the tomatoes. I loaded them onto the cart and pulled it off. Now, all I need to do is speak with the guy who knows teleport- ah, what about Lynn? If she knows teleport, then I’ll be able to cut down on costs even more.

“Emergency! Emergency! All adventurers, please arm yourself and gather at the front gates immediately!”

An emergency announcement echoed through the town. It’s noisy.

This is the voice of Luna who works at the adventurer’s guild. She sounds pretty panicky, did something happen? If we are to arm ourselves, does it mean it’s related to monsters?

“Emergency! Emergency! All adventurers, please arm yourself and gather at the front gates immediately! … Especially adventurer Satou Kazuma and his party, please report there at once!”

“Satou Kazuma? Who’s that? It doesn’t ring any sort of bell.”

It’ll be troublesome if I don’t respond to an emergency summon. Still, what should I do about these tomatoes?

I don’t have time to bring it back to the warehouse, so should I leave it by the gates? No, wait, leaving something worth 5 million eris alone is too risky. It’d be too easy for it to be stolen. Just what should I do.

I couldn’t think of a good plan, so I had no choice but to drag my cart along with me, pushing my way past the crowd of people trying to escape as I headed to the gate.

Because it’s an emergency, all the citizens are fleeing away from the gate and heading deeper into the town, so the streets cleared up quickly.

Alongside the walls, the adventurers who were pushing against the flow towards the gates looked at me with a questioning gaze.

“What are you doing? Didn’t you hear the emergency announcement? … Hey, why are you dragging around a cart of tomatoes? What kind of scheme are you up to now?”

I encountered Lynn just as I neared the gates.

Taylor and Keith were there too, but they simply gave me a nod of acknowledgement before running ahead.

“I’m not scheming anything. I was just in the middle of buying something. Just what was that broadcast about?”

“I don’t know the details, but Luna sound really panicked. You should stop doing stupid stuff and hurry up. Oh, and if you have that many tomatoes, give me some later. You know I like vegetables, right?”

Saying that, Lynn disappeared beyond the other side of the gate.

The safety of the town and five million eris… I don’t even need to think which one is more important… But it’s five million. There are people who’ve dealt with the General before present here, so it’s fine even if I don’t show up, right?

“Still, I can’t just abandon Lynn and the others. Maybe I should just bring the cart all the way out there.”

It doesn’t seem like such a bad idea. I’d feel more secure if I had it with me than worrying about it getting stolen if I left it here. Right, then, let’s keep moving on.

As I pulled the cart past the gate, the backs of the adventurers gathered before me came into sight.

Some of them gave me a questioning look. Can they really afford to look away from the battle?

I couldn’t see what’s going on because of the people blocking my view. Why are the mages all using the Create Water beginner spell?

Is that Keith standing a short distance away from the mages?

“Hey, Keith, what’s going on?”

“So you finally appeared, Dust… Why are you dragging a cart along? You can’t fight like this, can you?”

“It doesn’t matter if I can or can’t fight, I will fight.”

“Even if you say something cool, you’ll just sound like a fool if you look like that. Anyway, now’s not the time to talk about that. Several of the adventurers got taken down. It’s good that we figured out water is his weakness, but if we can’t land a decisive blow, then things will just get worse.”

Someone got taken down?!

That won’t do. I can’t let there be more casualties. Time to get serious.

“Move! Dust-sama will turn them into mincemeat!”

“Hey, idiot! At least leave your cart behind!”

As I charged forwards, the other adventurers turned around and fled behind me with frantic expressions. I could almost fall in love with myself when I’m being relied upon like this.

“You guys, fall back. Leave this to me!”

“You idiot! Hurry up and run! The tsunami is heading this way!”

“Brace yourselves! The water is about to swallow us!”

Huh? We are nowhere close to the ocean, so why would there be a tsunami? Are you guys alright…

“Hmm? What’s with this rumbling sound?… It sounds like it’s coming closer…”

I looked away from the adventurers who were running away while saying inexplicable things, and turned my gaze forward– Only to find a giant wall of water in front of me.

It’s a giant blue wall that fills my entire field of vision.

It’s an actual Tsunami!? Even though there’s no ocean!?

“d.a.m.nit, Woaaaah!”

I turned the cart around and ran back towards the town while dragging it behind me, but the rumbling grew steadily closer.

Seriously, what the h.e.l.l is going on!? I don’t get it at all!

“Serious-Aaaaaaargh!”

At the same time a shockwave hit my back, my vision turned blue and I was washed away, tumbling all over the place until I couldn’t tell my left from my right.

“Blub blub blub!”

I won’t let go! I definitely will not let go of this cage!

“Cough. Cough. Haaaaa. A-Am I still alive?”

I managed to avoid dying from an inexplicable tsunami appearing in the middle of the streets. I’m soaking wet, but I’m still alive. As long as I’m alive, I suppose I can’t complain too much.

“Still, why did a tsunami appear here? I almost drowned there. I’m going to need to find the guy who did this and charge him for medical expenses. No, wait, now’s not the time for that. The tomatoes. What happened to the tomatoes?”

Looking around, all I saw were pieces of the cart and cage scattered all around me, and the contents of the cage are…nowhere to be found.

Are the red fragments and juices stuck to my clothes and the remnants of the cage… are they… the tomatoes?

“Hey, you’re kidding me. This is a joke, right… Come on, my five million! My five million eris! Five Miiillliioon!”

“Hey, stop making a fuss in the middle of town. c.r.a.p, it’s Dust.”

The person who called out to me as I was on the verge of despair is the owner of the general store.

At times like this, it should be a beautiful girl who comes to comfort me! Why does it have to be this old man?

“Sigh.”

“Wow, that’s a really big sigh. The walls are broken and the town is dripping with water. Just what happened?”

“A tsunami happened. A tsunami. It washed away all of my wealth…Ah, my tomatoes! Tomatoes!”

“Don’t cling on to me! Don’t scream inexplicable things while crying on me, and stop wiping your face on my clothes! If it’s tomatoes you want, there’s a few of them stuck in the gaps of those wooden boards.”

I turned my eyes towards where the old man was pointing, and saw a single undamaged tomato trapped in the gap formed by several wooden debris.

“Oooh! Tomato!”

I quickly shot forward and grabbed it, gentling holding it with both hands and raising it to the heavens.

“There’s no need to cry like that. Come to think of it, Tomatoes had a bad harvest this year. Even the only store that seemed to sell tomatoes was sold out. There might only be one, but it might be worth quite a fair bit. What about it, want to sell it to me?”

Yeah, in the worst case scenario, this might be the only tomato left in this town.

In that case, I might be able to recoup some of my funds.

I just have to place my hopes in this one tomato.

“Why does Dust look like he died?”

I heard one of my companions" voices as I was having a meal at our usual spot. Was that Taylor just now?

I couldn’t see my companions because I was laying flat on the table.

“Who knows. He’s been like this for awhile.”

“It’s probably because you didn’t receive any rewards for taking down the General due to arriving late to the battle, right?”

I couldn’t care less about that. I searched around for some time afterwards, but the only tomato I found was that single one. It’s currently in a bag hanging on my waist.

If what the storekeep said was true, then this tomato might have some value as a rare item. I should find somewhere to sell it as such. Who knows, if things turn out well, it might even lead into my next money making scheme.

“Ah, there’s no tomatoes in the salad again. I think it’s almost two weeks since I last tasted a tomato. Aaah, I want to eat tomatoes.”

Lynn doesn’t know about the huge loss I suffered with the tomatoes. That’s probably why she’s trying to signal to me to give her one.

This tomato is an important piece to recoup even a little bit of my funds. It’s not something I can just freely give away.

But seeing Lynn looking at me… I let out a huge sigh.

“… Lynn, here’s a tomato.”

“Eh, really? Thank you. So you do have a good side after all.”

After wiping the tomato with a handkerchief, Lynn happily bit into it.

I dumbly gazed upon her smiling face.

A five million eris smile, huh. Well, I guess this isn’t too bad.