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Chapter 68: Scars, part 2

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Translator: Denryuu; Editor: Ryunakama

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Just before my third assignment —

「Do your best, ‘kay? Whatever happens, stay calm, improvise, adapt and overcome. Got it?」

「…」

I nodded wordlessly, to which Aimée ruffled my hair. You’re not cute at all, she lamented when I brushed her hand away.

「You tend to panic when things don’t go exactly as planned. Remember — always expect the unexpected.」

Checking that I had my trusty knife with me, she offered the same advice as always. I had already tired of her constant reminders, despite it only being my third time on the job.

「Understood」, I replied in my high-pitched, pre-pubescent voice.

Business as always, I thought to myself. I knew exactly how long I needed to sneak in and how I would do it. The escape route was also at my fingertips.

There’s absolutely nothing to worry about.

Without another word, I left the house. I descended from the mountain, following the game trail by which it would take barely an hour to reach the city. I would make it back before dawn with plenty of time to spare.

Entering the royal capital, I dived into the moat, swimming through the aqueduct and emerging in the bowels of a mansion. From there, the only thing between me and my destination — a certain bedroom — was a straight path.

◆

「Everyone holds you in high regard, eh, employee Argan?」, commented Saoirse as she sat on the opposite side of the counter with her chin resting on her hands.

A few days had passed since the Gayté Hawk incident. This girl, who resided in this city, had come every morning, sitting where she sat now and asking for a quest.

「Good Lord, you really exude a different air with those glasses.」

「I’m afraid I don’t have a D-rank quest that pays well today. If you’re okay with an E-rank one, though, I can send you to gather Mini Fortunes, which are used to make various medicines. I find that the reward is well worth the trouble — what do you say?」

「Well, no matter who you ask, they all say that one can’t go wrong with your quests!」

「Is that so? I’m honoured.」

「Man, is anything ever not a formality for you?」, she chuckled. 「Oh yeah, so why are you lying? Those glasses you’re wearing… they don’t actually have a degree, do they?」

「Lying? Not at all. These glasses… are for fashion purposes.」

They’re part of my disguise, of course, but I can’t tell her that.

「Ahaha. Fashion, eh? Anyway, I don’t mind the Mini Fortune quest.」

「Very well.」

Formally assigning her the quest, I told her all the information I had received about the area, including the relevant monsters and how to deal with them.

「In the worst case scenario, please just run away.」

「I know, I know. Look at me — I’m a D-rank adventurer, okay? Are you a worrywart or what, employee Argan?」

「No, I simply offer more advice to the people who I think have a higher chance of failing.」

「Hey, that’s mean! You think I’m gonna fail?」

「I have to attend to others now. Take care of yourself out there.」

「Fine, I get it! I’m taking up space, so I’ll go now!」

Despite pouting angrily, Saoirse was all smiles by the time she reached the door.

「I’ll be back before you know it!」

Waving goodbye, she left.

As I cleared female adventurer after female adventurer, Milia spoke up from the adjacent counter.

「You seem to be on good terms with that Saoirse person. She’s only been coming here recently, hasn’t she?」

「Yeah. She seems rather attached to me for some reason.」

「A s-stalker, perhaps…? Listen, Roland-san, if she’s bothering you, just let us know!」

「Don’t worry, it’s not that bad.」

Is that so, wondered Milia, cocking her head to one side.

「I mean… if you’re in dire straits and Roland-san gallantly appears out of nowhere, you’d fall for him too, wouldn’t you?」

You’re thinking too much, I said, returning to my duties.

I hoped that Saoirse would quickly move on to another town. I had honestly thought she was dead, and a slave even if she wasn’t. If she comes everyday, I’ll have no choice but to be mindful of her.

It’s not like I even have a choice.

Milia had said that she would come over tonight to impart some of her culinary wisdom to Lyla. Keeping that in mind, I performed my usual duties as the day passed uneventfully.

「Seriously, nothing beats a ‘normal’ day. I was getting fed up with the frequent disruptions to our daily routine…」

Wise words, Milia. ‘Normal’ is best.

To my dismay, Saoirse was still nowhere to be seen as we approached closing hours.

「Saoirse-san said that she would be back quickly, didn’t she?」

「Mhm. I think she’s done with the quest, but only plans to report back here tomorrow. Nothing wrong with that, is there?」

Milia was right that many adventurers only report back the following day. For subjugation and foraging quests, however, most of them try their best to do so on the day itself. After all, the longer they delay it, the more opportunities arise for their precious goods to vanish. Most adventurers could only afford cheap lodging where theft was rampant. For this reason, guilds from larger cities keep their receptions open round the clock.

Since I started working here, my danger radar has been tuned towards others rather than myself. Thus, I treat adventurers who I deem to be ‘high-risk’ with more caution.

When it was time to close, I locked the door from the inside. Iris’s closing assembly marked the end of another day of work.

「Are you worried about Saoirse-san?」, asked Milia on the way home.

「The forest where Mini Fortunes grow isn’t that far away from here… I’ll go have a look.」

「Eh? Don’t you think she’s already back in town?」

「It’ll be a relief if she is.」

Some people, born with the wrong horoscope or otherwise, perpetually attract unexpected trouble. Saoirse happens to be one of those people.

I know this from prior experience.

「Ah, Roland-san!」

Milia called me as I broke into a sprint, but I ignored her. Rushing to the stable, I saddled the guild’s designated horse and rode out of town.

It’s an unremarkable forest, to be fair. It doesn’t even have a name. However, the moment I arrived, I detected a faint but unmistakable human presence.

「…」

Dismounting and taking the horse by the reins, I walked into the forest. Since it hadn’t snuffed out its own presence, I figured that whoever I had detected wasn’t too big of a threat. With deadened footsteps, I followed the trail deep into the jungle.

「What shall we do with this girl?」

「She’s a pretty one.」

I heard voices amidst the silence of the underbrush. The orange hue of a bonfire leaked through the gaps between the trees.

「A D-rank adventurer, huh… all it took was a good whack on the head from behind.」

「Basically a small fry. I guess we can sell her to a slave merchant after we’re done with her.」

Peering in the general direction, I saw an unconscious Saoirse lying in front of the bonfire accompanied by two men who looked like thieves.

「Eh, she’s an adventurer. She’s probably fucked many men in her life.」

「Yeah, what’s another two to her?」

With lecherous grins on their faces, the two men took off their clothes excitedly.

「Won’t she wake up?」

「Of course she’s gonna hate it, but who cares? It just adds to the fun!」

While they were both bent over, I took a piece of burning wood in each hand and shoved them up their bare posteriors.

Sizzle.

「Ugyaaaaaaaa –!?」, they yelped in unison.

「This girl here is under my supervision. It’ll cause a lot of trouble for me if I let you continue.」

「W-Who the hell are you –!?」

「Does it matter? Make yourselves scarce, vermin.」

Crouching down, I looked straight into their eyes.

「Your swords look nice and sharp. I wonder if I can cut those things of yours off to add to the fire?」

「…」

The two men flinched, shaking their heads profusely with tears in their eyes. Colour had drained from their faces. I figured that they were just petty criminals and killing them would do no good, so I branded them again, sending them away in their birthday suits.

They might get arrested by knights eventually, but that’s not of concern right now.

Slinging the still-unconscious Saoirse over my shoulder, I made my way out of the forest. She seemed unhurt aside from the large bruise on the back of her head. Securing her to my back with one hand, I mounted my horse and rode back into town.

「Huh… where am I? Wasn’t I in the forest…?」

「Hey, you’re finally awake. You hit your head and collapsed in the forest.」

「Employee… Argan…? How did you find me in the middle of my quest…?」

「Let’s just say I had a bad premonition.」

「So you helped me out again. That makes three times.」

「Nope, it’s only the second.」

After returning the horse, I accompanied her home. Her eyes expressed that she didn’t want to part with me just yet, but I pretended not to notice. As I shook my sleeve free from her grip, she appeared shocked.

I knew that if I got too close to her, she would undoubtedly continue residing in this town. She would come to the guild every morning and unknowingly remind me of the past.

That won’t do, I thought, taking a small bow as I disappeared into the night.

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