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The Familiar Satellite Town of Pond – Part 02

The satellite town of Pond, conveniently situated just half a day’s carriage journey from the capital, held a population of six thousand, considerably smaller than the capital but still considered a medium-sized town.

“I kinda missed this place.”

Hikaru felt a strange sense of nostalgia upon returning to Pond, the place where he embarked on his journey as an adventurer and learned about this world.

To investigate Ballast Trading, Hikaru made his way to the Adventurers Guild, a bustling hub despite Pond being a satellite town. The guild teemed with adventurers—experienced middle-aged individuals with muddy boots, rowdy folks drinking wildly, and hopeful beginners believing they could become heroes sung about by bards.

Although the guild had seen a temporary lull during the kingdom’s change in leadership, the flow of adventurers had returned, possibly due to the turmoil caused by the Accursed Toxin.

“Hey, what do you say we grab some food after work? You know how much I raked in on this job, right?”

“If we’re going by pay, I earned more. So how about accepting my invite today?”

“Get your ugly mugs out of here. You’re bothering her. I should be the one taking her out.”

“Who do you think you are?!”

“Huh? You wanna go?”

As usual, a crowd had gathered at the counter, trying to woo the receptionist.

If you guys are free, grab a commission or something, Hikaru thought. I almost forgot. It was like this the first time I got here. Do they ever learn? Don’t they have anything better to do? It was in this Adventurers Guild where Hikaru learned how to survive and make a living in this world.

The receptionists remained the same. Gloria, outwardly gentle but with an enigmatic mind—likely filled with nothing good, Hikaru suspected—was the most soothing presence in the eyes of the adventurers. Her long purple hair was neatly gathered on both sides. When she sighed softly with a hand on her cheek, adventurers mellowed, while crossing her arms shifted their focus to her ample chest, prompting enthusiastic reactions. Adventurers were remarkably simple-minded.

Aurora, the mysterious beauty, handled her work efficiently. Her fans were unusually devoted solely to her, comprising a higher age demographic.

Freya, the unyielding receptionist with whom Hikaru had the most contact, dismissed the adventurers’ advances with evasive remarks.

Nothing’s changed. It would be odd if things changed here, I guess.

Hikaru had left Pond prior to the unrest caused by the Accursed Toxin. The last time he was here was when Gerhardt sent a large elemental magic stone he obtained in Southleaf Island to the Pond Adventurers Guild, likely arranged by Jillarte, one of the few aware that Silver Face was Hikaru. The sender was Gerhardt, the Leader of the Confederacy of Einbiest, which surprised Freya.

Eager to perform the spell for crossing worlds using the stone, Hikaru had quickly departed from Pond without offering a detailed explanation to Freya.

She’s probably gonna ask me questions, but if I go to Gloria or Aurora, she’ll get mad for sure.

Smiling awkwardly, Hikaru proceeded inside with his Stealth.

“I found this really nice place the other day…”

“You’re single, right, Freya? Can I take you out to dinner? Just one time please!”

“I climbed to Rank D the other day.”

Déjà vu.

Hikaru slipped past the adventurers all the way to the front and disabled his Stealth.

“Excuse me. I would like a bit of information.”

“Huh?”

“Where did this kid come from?!”

Freya’s jaw dropped. “Hikaru?!” she exclaimed after a moment of silence.

---

“Please wait right there. My shift is almost over. You better wait, or I’ll get mad and never forgive you.”

Her intensity shocked not only Hikaru, but the other adventurers as well.

Hikaru and Freya later met up at an open-air café they had visited before.

“Hikaru! Apologies for the wait!”

Freya arrived, donned in a surprisingly casual attire of a warm cardigan and long skirt. It dawned on Hikaru that it was already the height of autumn.

“No need to apologize. You didn’t have to run.”

“Gloria caught me on my way out. It was dicey, so I ran.”

Hikaru puzzled over why being caught by a fellow receptionist was considered dicey, but considering Gloria’s devious nature, he could definitely see it.

Despite the mid-afternoon bustle, they managed to secure a corner table. Hikaru ordered coffee, and Freya opted for reishi tea.

“You had that before, right?”

“I did. I started liking it after having it with you.”

“Feel like indulging in something sweet today?”

“Uh…” Freya inexplicably froze. “I-I’m not really feeling it today.”

“Really? I was thinking of treating you.”

“Mmm! You’re so mean.”

“Wh-What?”

“It’s already deep into autumn.”

Averting her gaze from Hikaru, Freya gazed at the street pensively.

Ah, I get it.

The notion of the autumn appetite crossed Hikaru’s mind, and everything clicked. Like on Earth, autumn here was the season of harvest and hearty eating.

“I was in the capital for a while.” To avoid mentioning Freya’s weight, Hikaru quickly changed the topic.

Freya, concerned about Hikaru’s well-being, listened attentively to the story he came up with on the spot.

He told her that at the height of the Accursed Toxin chaos in the city, he helped Paula with her healing sessions.

“Th-That’s wonderful!”

Surprisingly, the tale deeply moved Freya. Her eyes welled up mid-conversation, and by the end, she was wiping her eyes with a handkerchief.

“D-Doing what you can to help even one person,” she said shakily. “You’re the model adventurer! You should give a lecture at the guild.”

Absolutely not, and it wasn’t just one person, despite her assumption. What would happen if she found out the real story?

Hikaru had not only saved the kingdom but also Quinbrand’s imperial capital.

Spilling the beans will only attract trouble anyway, so mum’s the word.

Hikaru deemed powerful figures in this world like Luvain and Kagurai to be trouble. He hoped they’d follow Queen Kujastria’s lead, who just wanted to work on her research.

“So, what brings you to Pond?” Freya asked.

“As I mentioned at the counter, I needed information. Do you happen to recognize the name Ballast Trading?”

Freya’s expression noticeably shifted. Resting her elbows on the table, she leaned forward and lowered her voice.

“Where did you hear that name?”

“I’m guessing there’s something about them.”

“Not much in Pond… Right, you were in the capital,” she murmured. “Please keep the following confidential. If you need more information, then visit the guild. You should talk to the guildmaster.”

Unken had already returned to Pond, it seemed.

“Okay,” Hikaru said. “So, then…”

“First, let’s have some tea.” Freya, settling back into her casual tone, took a sip of the tea that had just been brought. “I’ll share some general knowledge. I take it this is tied to some commission?”

“…It is.”

It was not a guild commission, but Hikaru decided to go along with it for now.

“Even though we’re from the same organization, I can’t inquire about commissions from the capital’s guild. Unless of course, you’re willing to share the details with me.”

“Sorry, but I can’t.”

“That’s understandable. You’re unlike the others. Most adventurers spill everything to receptionists like me.”

Typical adventurers had a low level of information security.

“Ballast Trading is a company that has been based in Pond for a long time. They’re involved in construction, civil engineering, and even adventurer brokerage.”

“Adventurer brokerage?”

“They take on tasks like killing monsters, then contract adventurers at higher prices than the guild. The benefit is that they can work with non-adventurers. The Adventurers Guild only gives work to adventurers, after all.”

“I see…”

“Even though the Adventurers Guild operates with relatively loose rules, some people still get discharged. Ballast Trading hires such people.”

This is getting complicated, Hikaru thought.

The thugs who barged into Isaac’s home were definitely not the adventurer type, but Freya’s tone said she saw the company in a good light.

“Is that the extent of their business? What about currency exchange or lending?”

“They did start a lending business. After the previous head retired.”

“Previous head?”

“He’s lived in Pond since forever and is loved by the people. His successor is Edward, the younger of his two sons. Edward stopped following the ways of his father.”

It immediately clicked. Compared to the outstanding former head, the successor was a dimwit. Or perhaps the former head struggled to be a good father.

“Let me guess,” Freya said. “You met Samal, Edward’s brother, in the capital. You then received some kind of commission and came to Pond. Well?!”

“Not even close.”

“Huh?” Freya gave Hikaru a bitter look.

She was wrong. What was he supposed to say? Besides, he had only learned about the brothers just now.

“In that case, a commission from the previous head?” Freya mumbled. “No, I highly doubt it.”

Hikaru found amusement in her making wrong guesses, so he decided to just watch her for a while.