Chapter 32: First time request |
This was just as the Adventurer's Guild had vouched for Elren Deicard's letter and cause of death.
"So, what do you two want to do?" (Leela)
"What do you mean?" (Tatsuro)
Tatsuro asked the question which he didn't quite understand on their behalf.
"There was no incident this time, and since it was in the middle of a request from the guild, you may leave the delivery of the belongings and letters to us. After that, what would you like to do?" (Leela)
"Well…… right?" (Tatsuro)
When Tatsuro looked at Ai there to confirm, Ai nodded, as if she felt the same way.
"We are going to fulfill Elren-san's wish as our responsibility until the end." (Tatsuro)
"Indeed, we've already received the money." (Ai)
"I have accepted this as an official request from Elren Deicard. This is the request form. Please accept it." (Leela)
"Yes."
"Yes."
When Tatsuro received it, the request was displayed in front of him.
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Client: Elren Deicard
Request: To deliver Elren Deicard's letter and his memento knife to the bereaved family.
Reward: 119,324 Shis.
Accept / Reject
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The two of them pressed the Accept button at the same time. The board then turned into particles and was sucked into Tatsuro and Ai.
"You can view your requests and accomplishments in the Adventurer's Guild system, so please use it when you receive requests in the future." (Leela)
"I understand." (Tatsuro)
"Okay!" (Ai)
"Also, here is the map from here to Deicard's house. Please take it." (Leela)
Leela handed Tatsuro an A4-sized paper folded in half. Tatsuro opened it and used the [Map function] to identify the location, then handed it to Ai.
"I wish you all the best for your first request." (Leela)
After receiving goodbye from Leela, who bowed respectfully, they left the adventurer's guild.
They then followed the map and found the house they were looking for without much trouble.
"Is that it?" (Ai)
"Yeah, it's the first, second, and third house from the left on this street. Yes, no doubt. That's the house." (Tatsuro)
They walked toward the house on the other side of the street and stood in front of a one-story house.
"…… Well, let's go." (Tatsuro)
"Yeah." (Ai)
There was no intercom, but a door knocker was provided, so Tatsuro used it to knock.
After four metallic clangs, a woman in her early thirties opened the door.
"Who is this?"
"Is this the home of Elren Deicard?" (Tatsuro)
"Yes, …… that's right. And who are you?"
With some caution, she asked the strange kid in the unfamiliar outfit. The two of them said their names, and then they got down to business.
"We're here at the request of Elren Deicard." (Tatsuro)
"My husband? What kind of request is that?"
"I think it's best if you read this letter first." (Tatsuro)
"Haa……?"
Her husband sent a request to have a letter delivered to his house. If she only heard that story, she would not understand the situation. But when her husband's name was mentioned, the woman received the letter from Tatsuro, tilting her head.
As she read the letter, her expression became grim and her face became increasingly bloodless. She leaned against the door with trembling legs, and when she managed to finish reading the letter, her face had gone from pale to earthy.
"T-This is, indeed, my husband's handwriting, …… but is it true?"
"Yes." (Tatsuro)
"I-It's not a bad joke, is it ……?"
"Yes." (Tatsuro)
"My husband said he was in a shallow part of the forest. I've never heard of anyone being attacked by Togul in such a place!"
"According to the Adventurer's Guild, the recent earthquake may have caused monsters to appear in places they shouldn't have." (Tatsuro)
"──── No….way"
With Ai looking on behind him, Tatsuro answered the woman's question nonchalantly, unsure of what emotion he should be feeling. The woman then sat down on the ground, scraping the door with her back, as if she had reached her limit there. However, he could not say, "Are you okay?" Instead, he just waited for her mind to calm down, even if only temporarily.
After a while, the woman stood up by herself and looked at Tatsuro and Ai.
"This letter is addressed to me, and I hope you don't mind if I take it ……"
"Of course. …Ai." (Tatsuro)
When Tatsuro spoke to Ai, who was waiting behind him, she nodded once, then stepped forward and handed the knife she was holding to the woman.
The woman stared at it prosperously and then muttered a few words.
"Good-natured, aren't you?"
"What do you mean?" (Tatsuro)
"This knife is worth at least a million if sold and you'd be a fool to deliver it to me for only 120,000 Shis. By accepting the request, you're adventurers, right? If you keep doing that, you'll die early like someone else."
Although she said this in a mocking and abusive tone, the two of them were not annoyed at all.
Her words were filled with so much sadness that they were worried.
As Tatsuro was wondering what he should say, Ai opened her mouth first.
"We weighed Elren's feelings against the money, and it leaned towards Elren's side. That's all. So even if that knife was 100 million or 1 billion, I think we would have come to deliver it to you." (Ai)
"……………………"
The woman fell silent at Ai's words. At the sight of her, Ai said she had said what she wanted to say and stepped back.
"I'm sorry, but we'll leave you here. The body of the deceased is kept at the adventurer's guild, so please go pick it up when you've settled down." (Tatsuro)
"Well, goodbye. Elren-san's wife." (Ai)
As they bowed and were about to leave, they turned around to leave.
"Thank you very much"
With a single tear streaming down her face, the woman bowed her head once in thanks and walked into the house without looking back.
"Tatsuro. She said thank you" (Ai)
"Yeah, I heard that too." (Tatsuro)
They left the house without looking back.
Marion, Elren's wife, sat down in her chair, clutching the letter and the knife. Her son came from the back and asked.
"Mom, are you okay? Are you in pain? Or did the man who just came in do something to you?"
"No, he was a strange boy, but he was a good man."
"Then why is mother crying?"
"That's because ────"
Elwin, Elren's son, learns that his father died here.
He also inherited the knife and later became a renowned knife-wielding adventurer.
Along the way, Tatsuro recalled Ai's words from earlier.
Certainly, the scales tipped in favor of Elren's thoughts this time. However, if the opposite side was not money but Ai, he would have sold the knife without hesitation. But so far, so good.
Was this a heavy sum of money to be acquired with a gloomy feeling?
Or maybe they get a little money that they can spend comfortably.
That was the only choice he had to make.
But if he had to kill someone in this world to save Ai, what would he do? What would he do if such a situation arose?
The first person he spoke to in this world was Zendo and he was a very nice person. He's much more good-natured than himself.
But not everyone in this world is like that.
Besides, their abilities are probably abnormal even for the people of this world. There are probably more than a few people in this world who dislike such things.
That's why they should be prepared to kill to protect themselves, even though nothing has happened yet.
With this thought in his mind, Tatsuro headed for the adventurer's guild.
