Chapter 164 – Glasses boy jests with old lady Adyll, but…
“I don’t get how it turned into such a big event, but I’d like to talk about the knife.” I replied to old man Tatsunami.
It was around noon right now.
The long, long, desire-filled discussion had just ended, so old man Tatsunami asked me if I was gonna do it.
Honestly, I was quite worried about this, but I ended up giving in to my desire to obtain a knife made of the fang of the Obsidian Wolf, so I formally accepted his offer.
Though really… Competition ideas, how many Demon Beasts should be hunted, what types of events should be paired with it, how many events were they going to hold… They discussed a lot of things.
They didn’t quite reach a conclusion just yet though.
And as Beckenberg was the one who will host the event, it seems like he’s the one in charge of making the final decisions.
Well, I guess it’s fine if he does whatever is convenient for him.
Though of course, he’ll have to make choices that are also convenient for his collaborators.
It seems like they’ll make several more meetings in the future to work out all the details, but this seems to be the end of it for today.
After all, they can’t spend all their time discussing this event. They all have their own jobs and are busy handling the things in their districts.
“Do you have the materials with you right now? I’ll make the completion of your knife the highest priority, and I’ll definitely finish it before the spear of that damned boy.
“It will still take a while though.” Old man Tatsunami told me.
I see… “Then, please take good care of it.” I handed the Obsidian Wolf’s fang to Katsumi, who had gotten up and moved closer to me.
Since I was planning on talking about this with old man Tatsunami, I brought the fang with me to this meeting.
“Miss, my father has gotten quite fond of you.” Katsumi told me.
“I’m not that happy about it…” I muttered in response.
I would rather keep our relationship as a strictly professional one, after all.
In any case, Katsumi handed the fang to old man Tatsunami.
“Alright. I’ll be sure to make this into the best knife possible.” Old man Tatsunami told me.
I’m certainly hoping for that.
“I can finish it in about a week, but the hunting competition is also going to happen about a week from today, so I don’t think I’ll be able to make it in time even if I start now.” Old man Tatsunami said.
So it’ll happen in a week… Both the completion of my knife and the competition.
… And I might not have any weapon for it at all.
Also, borrowing a bow is not an option.
I don’t know why Sorichika put the condition that stopped me from using my bow and arrows, but there must be a reason behind it.
I trust her, so I want to accomplish the tasks that she asked me to.
Well, for as long as they’re within the limits of my capabilities, of course.
But a weapon… I definitely need a weapon.
And well, it’s not like I would be comfortable with hunting Demon Beasts using just a knife… I might be able to hunt some animals, but Demon Beasts? At most I’d hunt the very small ones.
It would be impossible for someone at my skill level to attack medium-sized or larger Demon Beasts with just a knife.
And well, judging by what they were talking about in their discussion, this competition will most likely involve medium-sized or larger Demon Beasts.
So I really need to figure out what to do about a weapon.
… But the only weapons I know how to use at an acceptable level are the bow and the knife… And I’m not even confident at hitting enemies with a throwing knife after a certain range.
… Should I just give up and lose quickly?
It’s not like I need to beat Chace to get my knife done, and I would rather not stand out too much by getting good results in a big event.
“A knife? Hey, maid, you can use my knife.” Beckenberg suddenly told me.
“Huh? Is this a dirty joke?” Old lady Adyll replied while giving him a disgusted glare.
“I prefer mature women, in fact.
“I’m talking about an actual knife. The blade is made of magic steel and the handle is made of ivory taken from a One-Eyed Elephant.
“This was once the heirloom of a noble or something, for the record.” Beckenberg explained.
Oh? That does sound like quite the amazing knife. It might even be as good as something made with the Obsidian Wolf’s fang.
But it’s also quite expensive, isn’t it?
“If you become my bodyguard, I’ll give it to you as payment.
“What do you think? Would you like to work for me?
“I’ll buy your services because beating Zett has proven your prowess. I’ll even forget about you throwing salt in my eyes.” As Beckenberg said that, I could see that he activated his Agitator gift.
“Unfortunately, I am not capable enough to work effectively under multiple employers at the same time, so I’ll have to refuse.” I instantly replied.
Old lady Adyll smiled triumphantly as she heard that, “She doesn’t like fat guys who openly show their greed.”
… It’s not like she is any less greedy than he though.
“So, just keep on sucking your fat fingers and watch my maid win.” Old lady Adyll said next.
Mmmm… I’m not sure if I like hearing her say that I am ‘her’ maid.
Still, I guess that’s part of what you need to get used to when dealing with powerful people.
… Or is this just something that the rulers of Krozheit do?
I don’t really have much experience with powerful people, so it’s hard to be sure.
******
With the first part of the event planning done, the rulers ate lunch where they were, then dispersed.
Of course, I didn’t eat, as I’m old lady Adyll’s bodyguard.
… It seemed to be incredibly tasty though. That sauteed deer meet made me quite jealous of them… I’m gonna eat some meat today once we return to the brothel district.
“Elle.” Old lady Adyll said.
We had just entered the carriage that was going to take us back to the brothel district.
“If you win this competition, I’ll give you a bonus. You have to win this thing.” She told me next.
Eh…?
“Did you suddenly get excited about it? I was actually quite laid back about this whole thing, and I don’t think it would be a problem if I lost.” I replied.
After all, old man Tatsunami will make the knife for me regardless.
I don’t have any weapon that I can use, after all. Losing just makes more sense here.
“If you win, I can tell you about the Tower of Bryne.” Old lady Adyll told me.
Ah, is that so?
“I already know its general location, so don’t worry about it.” I replied.
“I figured as much.” She said.
Oh?
“And I’m fairly sure you’re leaving once this competition ends.” She continued.
… Yeah, I was certainly planning on doing that.
“I think it’s about time.” I commented.
Chace already found the Tower of Bryne; Cherry, Lisse and Florentine will probably reach him too after a week passes.
I don’t know what Lisse is doing right now though… Has she joined up with Cherry and Florentine?
I haven’t met with Lisse since that night in the restaurant, and I only met up with Cherry and Florentine on the day before yesterday, after all.
Still, I’m not too worried about Lisse.
She being tricked by Beckenberg was a very anomalous event… Lisse is not only strong, but she is also smart.
If left alone, she’ll surely find the Tower of Bryne in no time. She may have already found it, in fact.
Well, I’m a bit worried about her being too serious and inflexible though.
I mean, that’s why Beckenberg was able to fool her.
… It’s definitely not my fault for letting people steal my glasses when I entered the city, is it?
“You won’t listen to me even if I try to stop you, will you?
“That’s why I wanted to see your true strength at least once. I wanted to see you go all out.” Old lady Adyll told me.
My true strength, is it…?
I feel like I have already shown it to her though?
I mean… It’s the thing I’m wearing on my face right now, after all.
“If you can tell me about your Gift, I might actually give this my all.” I replied.
The power that saw through my Gift as soon as we met… I’ve made quite a few assumptions about what her Gift might be since then, but I just wasn’t able to reach a conclusion that I could be confident in.
I thought that I would never be able to figure it out unless I put glasses on old lady Adyll’s face while she slept, so as to use Forced Information Disclosure on her.
But… That was just a thought. I didn’t actually plan on doing that.
I do want to know more about it, but I’m kinda reluctant on the idea of forcing myself on someone else like that.
Even if it’s just information, this kind of power is still plain theft.
I don’t mind it if it’s a Gift that I learn about from naturally looking at someone, but I can’t view things the same way when I have to force the information out of a person.
“… Alright.” Old lady Adyll nodded.
… I thought the discussion had already ended.
I mean, my suggestion was mostly a joke, but old lady Adyll was actually agreeing to it.
“If you win, I’ll tell you.
“I haven’t revealed my Gift to anybody yet… But I’ll tell you. I’ll tell you the Gift that has kept me alive throughout all these years.” Old lady Adyll told me.
… Oh dear… What do I do now?
Things suddenly took quite the serious turn… I’m starting to not want to know anything about her Gift.
Chapter 164 – Glasses boy jests with old lady Adyll, but…
“I don’t get how it turned into such a big event, but I’d like to talk about the knife.” I replied to old man Tatsunami.
It was around noon right now.
The long, long, desire-filled discussion had just ended, so old man Tatsunami asked me if I was gonna do it.
Honestly, I was quite worried about this, but I ended up giving in to my desire to obtain a knife made of the fang of the Obsidian Wolf, so I formally accepted his offer.
Though really… Competition ideas, how many Demon Beasts should be hunted, what types of events should be paired with it, how many events were they going to hold… They discussed a lot of things.
They didn’t quite reach a conclusion just yet though.
And as Beckenberg was the one who will host the event, it seems like he’s the one in charge of making the final decisions.
Well, I guess it’s fine if he does whatever is convenient for him.
Though of course, he’ll have to make choices that are also convenient for his collaborators.
It seems like they’ll make several more meetings in the future to work out all the details, but this seems to be the end of it for today.
After all, they can’t spend all their time discussing this event. They all have their own jobs and are busy handling the things in their districts.
“Do you have the materials with you right now? I’ll make the completion of your knife the highest priority, and I’ll definitely finish it before the spear of that damned boy.
“It will still take a while though.” Old man Tatsunami told me.
I see… “Then, please take good care of it.” I handed the Obsidian Wolf’s fang to Katsumi, who had gotten up and moved closer to me.
Since I was planning on talking about this with old man Tatsunami, I brought the fang with me to this meeting.
“Miss, my father has gotten quite fond of you.” Katsumi told me.
“I’m not that happy about it…” I muttered in response.
I would rather keep our relationship as a strictly professional one, after all.
In any case, Katsumi handed the fang to old man Tatsunami.
“Alright. I’ll be sure to make this into the best knife possible.” Old man Tatsunami told me.
I’m certainly hoping for that.
“I can finish it in about a week, but the hunting competition is also going to happen about a week from today, so I don’t think I’ll be able to make it in time even if I start now.” Old man Tatsunami said.
So it’ll happen in a week… Both the completion of my knife and the competition.
… And I might not have any weapon for it at all.
Also, borrowing a bow is not an option.
I don’t know why Sorichika put the condition that stopped me from using my bow and arrows, but there must be a reason behind it.
I trust her, so I want to accomplish the tasks that she asked me to.
Well, for as long as they’re within the limits of my capabilities, of course.
But a weapon… I definitely need a weapon.
And well, it’s not like I would be comfortable with hunting Demon Beasts using just a knife… I might be able to hunt some animals, but Demon Beasts? At most I’d hunt the very small ones.
It would be impossible for someone at my skill level to attack medium-sized or larger Demon Beasts with just a knife.
And well, judging by what they were talking about in their discussion, this competition will most likely involve medium-sized or larger Demon Beasts.
So I really need to figure out what to do about a weapon.
… But the only weapons I know how to use at an acceptable level are the bow and the knife… And I’m not even confident at hitting enemies with a throwing knife after a certain range.
… Should I just give up and lose quickly?
It’s not like I need to beat Chace to get my knife done, and I would rather not stand out too much by getting good results in a big event.
“A knife? Hey, maid, you can use my knife.” Beckenberg suddenly told me.
“Huh? Is this a dirty joke?” Old lady Adyll replied while giving him a disgusted glare.
“I prefer mature women, in fact.
“I’m talking about an actual knife. The blade is made of magic steel and the handle is made of ivory taken from a One-Eyed Elephant.
“This was once the heirloom of a noble or something, for the record.” Beckenberg explained.
Oh? That does sound like quite the amazing knife. It might even be as good as something made with the Obsidian Wolf’s fang.
But it’s also quite expensive, isn’t it?
“If you become my bodyguard, I’ll give it to you as payment.
“What do you think? Would you like to work for me?
“I’ll buy your services because beating Zett has proven your prowess. I’ll even forget about you throwing salt in my eyes.” As Beckenberg said that, I could see that he activated his Agitator gift.
“Unfortunately, I am not capable enough to work effectively under multiple employers at the same time, so I’ll have to refuse.” I instantly replied.
Old lady Adyll smiled triumphantly as she heard that, “She doesn’t like fat guys who openly show their greed.”
… It’s not like she is any less greedy than he though.
“So, just keep on sucking your fat fingers and watch my maid win.” Old lady Adyll said next.
Mmmm… I’m not sure if I like hearing her say that I am ‘her’ maid.
Still, I guess that’s part of what you need to get used to when dealing with powerful people.
… Or is this just something that the rulers of Krozheit do?
I don’t really have much experience with powerful people, so it’s hard to be sure.
******
With the first part of the event planning done, the rulers ate lunch where they were, then dispersed.
Of course, I didn’t eat, as I’m old lady Adyll’s bodyguard.
… It seemed to be incredibly tasty though. That sauteed deer meet made me quite jealous of them… I’m gonna eat some meat today once we return to the brothel district.
“Elle.” Old lady Adyll said.
We had just entered the carriage that was going to take us back to the brothel district.
“If you win this competition, I’ll give you a bonus. You have to win this thing.” She told me next.
Eh…?
“Did you suddenly get excited about it? I was actually quite laid back about this whole thing, and I don’t think it would be a problem if I lost.” I replied.
After all, old man Tatsunami will make the knife for me regardless.
I don’t have any weapon that I can use, after all. Losing just makes more sense here.
“If you win, I can tell you about the Tower of Bryne.” Old lady Adyll told me.
Ah, is that so?
“I already know its general location, so don’t worry about it.” I replied.
“I figured as much.” She said.
Oh?
“And I’m fairly sure you’re leaving once this competition ends.” She continued.
… Yeah, I was certainly planning on doing that.
“I think it’s about time.” I commented.
Chace already found the Tower of Bryne; Cherry, Lisse and Florentine will probably reach him too after a week passes.
I don’t know what Lisse is doing right now though… Has she joined up with Cherry and Florentine?
I haven’t met with Lisse since that night in the restaurant, and I only met up with Cherry and Florentine on the day before yesterday, after all.
Still, I’m not too worried about Lisse.
She being tricked by Beckenberg was a very anomalous event… Lisse is not only strong, but she is also smart.
If left alone, she’ll surely find the Tower of Bryne in no time. She may have already found it, in fact.
Well, I’m a bit worried about her being too serious and inflexible though.
I mean, that’s why Beckenberg was able to fool her.
… It’s definitely not my fault for letting people steal my glasses when I entered the city, is it?
“You won’t listen to me even if I try to stop you, will you?
“That’s why I wanted to see your true strength at least once. I wanted to see you go all out.” Old lady Adyll told me.
My true strength, is it…?
I feel like I have already shown it to her though?
I mean… It’s the thing I’m wearing on my face right now, after all.
“If you can tell me about your Gift, I might actually give this my all.” I replied.
The power that saw through my Gift as soon as we met… I’ve made quite a few assumptions about what her Gift might be since then, but I just wasn’t able to reach a conclusion that I could be confident in.
I thought that I would never be able to figure it out unless I put glasses on old lady Adyll’s face while she slept, so as to use Forced Information Disclosure on her.
But… That was just a thought. I didn’t actually plan on doing that.
I do want to know more about it, but I’m kinda reluctant on the idea of forcing myself on someone else like that.
Even if it’s just information, this kind of power is still plain theft.
I don’t mind it if it’s a Gift that I learn about from naturally looking at someone, but I can’t view things the same way when I have to force the information out of a person.
“… Alright.” Old lady Adyll nodded.
… I thought the discussion had already ended.
I mean, my suggestion was mostly a joke, but old lady Adyll was actually agreeing to it.
“If you win, I’ll tell you.
“I haven’t revealed my Gift to anybody yet… But I’ll tell you. I’ll tell you the Gift that has kept me alive throughout all these years.” Old lady Adyll told me.
… Oh dear… What do I do now?
Things suddenly took quite the serious turn… I’m starting to not want to know anything about her Gift.
