Akatsuki Translations

Satellite City of Aruto, Adventurer’s Guild.

In the Satellite City of Aruto, an Adventurer’s Guild existed (rather, there is almost no city or country in this world that doesn’t have one). However, when they visited here for the first time, it was only for a fleeting moment as there was no time to settle down properly.

After resolving the issue with the bandits, it was finally time to show their faces again.

『Ho-oh, so there are crazy folks like you here, huh? 』-Locke

“That’s right, Locke-sama.” -Shizuku

“Shizuku is one thing, but don’t include me.” -Ur

With a clattering sound, a familiar voice could be heard from Shizuku’s direction. A small, somewhat deformed skeleton was perched on her shoulder. What looked like a magician’s familiar was actually the Skeleton Knight, Locke.

“…You’ve become pretty adorable, Locke.” -Shizuku

『Will I become popular with the girls? 』-Locke

“Your second life seems fun, huh?” -Ur

The bony body of the Skeleton Knight, created by the necromancer, was engraved with a spell that was far beyond the capabilities of Ur and the others to interfere with, making it impossible to destroy or recreate. However, it seemed that they could interfere with its shape.

Walking through the city with the Skeleton Knight would make them stand out too much, and considering that, this current form was chosen. At best, it could be seen as a somewhat distasteful doll. At least until they came here, although it did attract some attention, it did not cause a commotion.

“Don’t talk too much. It’s not a big city. The citizens are not accustomed to magicians. Undead soldiers that are imbued with human souls are not well-received by the public.”

『What, I know. I won’t cause trouble for the master. 』-Locke

“Thank you, Locke-sama.” -Shizuku

The master-servant relationship seemed to be progressing smoothly.

To be honest, it was not without risk to utilize an entity that had been a familiar of an evil necromancer. However, his combat power, which was extremely useful, was thoroughly realized in the previous battle. Moreover, since he’s in the familiar category, he doesn’t need a share of the rewards (although he did request an allowance).

Ignoring the risks, he is an excellent asset as a collaborator. A bit of risk is nothing new. There was no choice but to take it.

Therefore, it was necessary to get the Adventurer’s Guild to recognize Locke’s existence and register him as a familiar. Ur decided to quickly get this done and was about to enter the Adventurer’s Guild when…

“Ah, y-yes, it is! Shizuku-san! Ur-san!” -Laura

A voice called out from behind, another familiar one.

“Nina-san, Laura-san.” -Ur

It was the two who had cooperated and fought with them in the battle against the necromancer.

The two, now in decent – albeit far from splendid, with shabby armor and robes – appearances, not the battered looks from when they first met, waved happily at Ur and the others.

“It’s good that you’re both safe.” -Ur

“Are your injuries not bothering you?” -Shizuku

Although they must have been struck by considerable hardship, their expressions were surprisingly firm, more than expected.

“We-we’re okay!!” -Laura

“We’re tough, so we’re fine.” -Nina

Ur was impressed. They were tough. One thing he learned at Glen’s training facility was that toughness is important as an adventurer’s quality. In that respect, they seemed to be excellent.

“I’m glad to hear that.” -Shizuku

“However, it was painful that a set of our equipment was stolen by the bandits.” -Nina

“M-my magic tomes are also, al-already, u-under a pile of rubble.” -Laura

The reason for wearing quite old equipment seemed to be that. Adventurers without rings were scraping by to begin with, and losing all equipment is quite painful. Their anguish was understandable. Just having a ring, honestly, there was not much difference between their situation and Ur’s. And then…

“Well, you’re here at just the right time.” -Ur

“Yes, it is.” -Shizuku

Huh? The two who looked up did not seem to understand.

But that would be natural. “That matter” was decided after the pair had already been captured.

“We came to collect a bounty. From the Adventurer’s Guild.” -Ur

The amount set just before heading to the subjugation was 20 gold coins.

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“Um, um, 2-20 gold coins, right! Here they are!!” -Receptionist

The receptionist, who seemed quite inexperienced, thrust forward a clumsy heap. It was the bounty from the raid on Island-Eating Turtle – 20 gold coins.

20 coins – a significant sum. It was a greater amount than what they had received for the crystal golem, and it was right in front of them. Then,

“Ah, also, here is the money for the magic stones you collected!!” -Receptionist

About 20 more silver coins were thrown in, adding to the mountain of gold and silver.

“Now, furthermore, this time, since the appearance of a third-class【Baby Dragon】 has been confirmed, we will gift an additional 20 gold coins as a reward from the guild!! Sorry that it’s not more!” -Receptionist

More gold coins were piled on top, making an almost oppressive heap. Ur was dizzy.

“…Well,” -Ur

Ur turned to Nina and Laura, who were lined up beside him. They were covering their faces against the mountain of shimmering gold and silver coins before them, probably to prevent their eyes from popping out of their heads. Ur understood well because he felt the same way.

“Are you two okay?” -Ur

“Y-yeeeeeeah…” -Nina

“Let’s distribute it then.” -Ur

“H-huh? HUH!?” -Laura

Ignoring the two confused people, Ur first drew the silver coins closer and divided them into two.

“First, since we performed the regular monster subjugations by ourselves, half – 10 silver coins go there.” -Ur

“Eh, eh, um, that much is,” -Laura

“Then, for the gold coins, we requested the guild to evaluate based on everyone’s contributions.” -Ur

Saying this, Ur subtly winked at the female receptionist of the Adventurer’s Guild. She nodded and stood in front of the piled-up gold coins.

“N-now, I have heard the details about the bandit subjugation from each of you earlier! I will divide it based on that information!” -Receptionist

Saying this, she smoothly scooped and then divided half of the currently present 40 large gold coins with both hands.

“First, 20 gold coins, half the amount, will be the share for Diz-sama, who contributed the most to this case… uh, ordinarily, her share would be a bit more, but basically, the maximum distribution is half, so here.” -Receptionist

If Diz objected to that distribution, the gold coins would move to her, and she had the right to do so, but fortunately, with a single word, “leave it to you,” Diz smoothly transitioned into a deep sleep mode.

Thus, as a representative, Ur agreed to the guild’s distribution and nodded. Then, the woman from the guild smiled sweetly, grabbing a handful of gold coins and tightly packing them into a bag. Continuing, she said,

“Out of the remaining 20 coins, the contribution ratio is approximately 2:1, so 13 coins will go to Ur-sama and his party, and 7 coins to Nina-sama and her party. This distribution is based on the contribution determined by the Adventurer’s Guild!” -Receptionist

“…So, here, 7 gold coins, 10 silver coins.” -Ur

Laura, abruptly being presented with the gold and silver coins, clearly had her eyes spinning. Nina, on the other hand, was visibly trembling in fear at the suddenly thrust upon fortune. If one has proper sensibility (regardless of whether adventurers are sensible), being abruptly presented with a large sum of money would naturally put one on guard, so her reaction was appropriate.

“Now, let me confirm, is there any dissatisfaction or inconvenience with this way of splitting?” -Ur

Asked this, the momentarily stunned Laura, perhaps regaining her senses at the voice, shook her head and exclaimed,

“Rather than dissatisfied… um, we can’t accept this much!!” -Laura

“Why?” -Ur

“Because, we didn’t help that much…” -Laura

“I think you worked more than enough. That’s why the guild decided on this distribution.” -Ur

They were captured by bandits and subjected to violence, yet they still fought desperately. Without their help, something would have fallen apart somewhere. The battle was that close.

However, she seemed unconvinced.

“We’re not ring bearers like Ur-san… We’re still beginners.” -Laura

“We’ve only been adventurers for a month, you know?” -Ur

“Eh!? …But, especially in that case, you all are too amazing, and we would just be in the way.”  -Laura

At the word “amazing,” Ur felt a prickling irritation and pursed his lips.

From an outside perspective, they appeared “amazing,” it seemed. But the reality was that they were desperately crawling on the ground, grappling with luck in the face of one pressing situation after another.

To begin with, if Diz hadn’t been there, they would have been helpless; that was a fact.

“B-by the way, splitting such a huge amount of money, isn’t it unpleasant for you and your team too, Ur-san?” -Laura

“What are you talking about, of course, it’s unpleasant.” -Ur

Ur spoke honestly.

It was unpleasant. It was a perfect opportunity to go after the bounty without worrying about consuming items since everything was entrusted to Diz. Dividing that money was undesirable. It was certain that more and more, vastly more money would have to be wasted in the future.

He truly despised it. However,

“Money is of great importance, isn’t it?” -Shizuku

“Right. And because it is important, it shouldn’t be mishandled. It should be distributed fairly.” -Ur

Ur hasn’t forgotten about the time with the crystal golem, where quite aggressive means were used to collect money, and as a result, even more money was needed to avoid causing chaos. It was still fortunate that they managed with the money they had at that time. If things had gone wrong, they would not only have been in financial trouble but also would have dragged into much larger problems.

“Money is important. I think you shouldn’t say you don’t need it so casually.” -Ur

While modesty and lack of greed are virtues, anything in excess will never lead to good.

As Laura fell silent, Nina, who had been quiet until now, spoke instead.

“Well then, uh, we’ll take it.” -Nina

“Nina?” -Laura

Laura, with a surprised look on her face, is met by Nina, who gazes at her with a somewhat resolute expression.

“Why not? Sure, we couldn’t fight like the two of you or like the ‘Hero,’ but we did our best. The guild acknowledged that. This is our rightful reward.” -Nina

“But…” -Laura

“Besides, we have no money. We lost weapons and armor, and moreover, we failed the mission to escort the Island-Eating turtle. If things continue like this, we’ll be unemployed. We need money.” -Nina

Firmly assessing their current situation, Nina’s words led Laura to abruptly close her mouth, which was halfway through forming a rebuttal. After a moment, she nodded slightly.

“I have a dream. Someday, I want to obtain city citizenship and join the knight order of 【Proudia】.” -Nina

“I, I also want to work in the 【Spiral Library】 managed by the Wise Heavenly King.” -Laura

The two confirm each other’s dreams, nodding in mutual understanding, and then return their gaze to Ur and the others.

“Ur-san, there’s no problem with this distribution. Thank you. We will accept it.” -Laura

“Oh, it’s truly a pity that you won’t relinquish it.” -Ur

Ur says this lightly and hands over the bag of gold coins distributed by the guild. The distribution is complete. The two who received the bag check the contents and then celebrate together.

“Giving it one’s all towards a dream is truly wonderful, isn’t it?” -Shizuku

“…We, aren’t exactly wholesome, are we?” -Ur

The goal of reaching the gold rank in the shortest distance was, regrettably, not quite respectable. It was a goal unrelated to the modest, gradual efforts. Even while engaging in a profession where life was constantly on the line, the girls who worked hard towards their dreams shone brightly.

“Well, there’s no point in making comparisons… So,” -Ur

Ur turned around. As expected, most of the adventurers who had been drinking at the tavern were staring intently at them. Unlike the City of Sin, Greed, it was rare to see such amounts of money moving around. It would be strange not to attract attention.

And their gazes were not necessarily friendly. A multitude of eyes were focused on Ur and his team, and Nina and her team, filled with jealousy, curiosity, and various other emotions due to their substantial monetary gain.

Of course, it was probably widely understood that it was Ur and his team who had defeated the attacker of the Island-Eating Turtle and prevented a tragedy in this city, so mistakes were unlikely to occur.

However, recalling Glen’s words, Ur sighed.

“…Ahem.” -Ur

Ur stood up from his seat and raised his hand. Naturally, all eyes in the place focused on him. He cleared his throat.

“We offer our condolences to the Satellite City of Aruto, which suffered damage due to the incident surrounding the Island-Eating Turtle. Thanks to everyone’s thoughts and the prompt cooperation of the knights, we were able to successfully annihilate the malicious bandits!” -Ur

He did his utmost not to bite his tongue due to nervous haste. He was truly not good at this.

“Therefore, in memorial to the deceased and as a token of our gratitude to the city of Aruto, I’d like to buy a round of drinks for everyone here!! Please accept it!!” -Ur

Ur said in a slightly hurried but loud voice. Then, the adventurers, who had been silent for a moment to digest Ur’s words, let out a collective roar in the next instant.

“Ur! Ur!!”

“The Golem Slayer, Ur!!”

“The Gashadokuro Destroyer, Ur!!!”

Ur honestly found the Adventurer’s enthusiasm to be quite off-putting at heart, but he was truly thankful that they went along with it like this. He sighed in relief, a cold sweat on his back.

And so, Ur’s adventure in the Satellite City of Aruto, continuing from the Island-Eating Turtle, came to an end.

From the very outset of the journey, one might say that they had smacked into a most unthinkable trouble. However, considering the purpose of their travel – the defeat of a bounty head and earning contribution points – it could also be said that it was a smooth start.

“But next time, I’d like to do a subjugation that’s slighty more reasonable.” -Ur

“What sort of bounty head is reasonable?” -Shizuku

“A bounty head that doesn’t attack us, is tranquil, and just naps all the time.” -Ur

“So, livestock then?” -Shizuku

“…At the very least, I’d prefer something actually living.” -Ur

“We’ve had the golem and then the undead soldiers in a row, haven’t we?” -Shizuku

His wish would be partially granted in the next city.

However, regretfully, and naturally, the wish for something “reasonable” did not come true.

【Gashadokuro Subjugation Battle: Result】

Bounty For Defeating the Gashadokuro: 20 gold coins

Magic Stones Obtained after Defeating the Gashadokuro: Equivalent to 1 silver coin (since most of the magic power was consumed)

Magic Fragment of the Gashadokuro: Absorbed

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Author’s Note:

Arc 2 has concluded.

I’m relieved that I could finally reveal the identity of an important character.

I’ve reached this point thanks to all of you who have been reading!

I will continue to do my best to ensure you enjoy it in the future!