Chapter 109: In Search Of Comrades III (1/2)
While walking through the city, Yukikaze and I took stock of the situation.
『The current participants of the fight against the dragon are team member Souya, Rana-sama, Ea-sama, Lys-sama, Medimu-sama, Frey-sama, Lazarissa-sama, Lutz-sama, and Gunmerry. We have eight people and one entity』
「Oh, isn't there one more?」
I was talking about Gashuraku-san, a goblin who was in Frey's party for a time.
He's a goblin among goblins, the chief of goblins, a vassal of the Demon King of the Forbidden Area, and someone who possesses the skills to easily win against the average adventurer.
「Contact Makina. Tell her to go see Demon King-sama and ask for Gashuraku-san's help」
『Understood, indeed』
Since I had teamed up with Frey, there should be no problem getting Gashuraku-san to join us.
『Mya, mya, mya』
Yukikaze was meowing like a cat.
「What's this?」
『The message to be conveyed was embedded within the audio data emitted just now. Sending transmissions without saying anything is boring, and the sound of compressed audio is unpleasant to humans, so Yukikaze tried to come up with something creative』
This must be one of the modifications she did to herself. What a weird modification though.
「And what did Makina say?」
『It seems that she will go right now』
「Got it」
I took a stroll around the city.
Getting lost would be troublesome, so I curbed my curiosity and didn't walk into places I wasn't familiar with.
The back alleys of Lemuria are a little bit like a dungeon. One time, I got lost for half a day and Maria had to come pick me up. That said, it wasn’t like I had so much time to kill that I would go to a bar or something to do so.
Once Makina had contacted Gashuraku-san and gotten his consent, I'll need to tell all the participants to gather at the Adventurers' Guild tomorrow to do the registration.
If he refuses, I'll have to look for another participant.
However, I'm out of leads. The militant group that I had the closest ties with is Gladvain-sama's people. It's such a blow that they aren't allowed to participate.
I realized once again that I have too few connections with my peers in the adventuring business. It's ten this time around, but there's a possibility that more will be needed in future. If that happens, I'm finished.
The words of the Guild President and Evetta-san are really haunting me.
As I wandered around trying to figure out what to do, I found myself at the familiar store run by Tyutyu.
Rather than a store, it was more like an open space with a shack and some tables and chairs that were damaged from being exposed to the elements.
「Oh, it’s you, Souya. What's up-nya?」
A blonde cat beastkin spotted me and wrapped her arms around mine. She was dressed in the lingerie-like clothes that beastkin women favored with an apron over them.
「Don't stick so close. Can I have some weak alcohol and some snacks to go with it?」
「Alright-nya♪」
I greeted her, placed an order, and sat down at a table.
Tyutyu went into the shack at the back and soon came back with a bottle of alcohol and some snacks.
「I don't see you here often, Souya-nya」
「Now that you mention it………」
When was the last time I was here? The wedding? I've been too busy to drop by, I suppose.
「But it's better to be a busy adventurer than an idle one-nya. An adventurer who doesn't work is no better than a bum-nya」
Tyutyu also sat down at the same table.
The alcohol she had brought me was diluted fruit wine, and the snacks were pickled nuts. This wasn't a fancy restaurant, so I ate them with my hands. Because I was hungry, they tasted good, regardless of their original flavor.
I munched on the nuts and washed them down with the wine. And that was it for lunch.
「How's it going these days? Earnings-wise」
「My store is still the same as always-nya」
Certainly, the store looks as empty as ever.
I’ve never seen any customers here other than me and one other person.
「But that's okay-nya. I'm only keeping this store open because it's what my mother left me-nya. With what I earn from Master's bar and Otou-san's store, I have no trouble getting by-nya」
「Has this store always been like this?」
It's a bit of a rude question though.
「It used to be popular-nya. But my mother wasn't really interested in making money, and all she cared about was filling the customers' bellies-nya. In fact, she even had to borrow a little money to keep the store afloat-nya」
「I see. A store like that sounds nice」
Oddly enough, that way of thinking is very similar to someone else's.
I don't know who that is, but something in me feels good about it.
「That's a weird thing to say-nya. I wish she had at least left her recipes behind though-nya」
「Did she have any specialties on the menu?」
「She did-nya. It was a white soup with lots of ingredients in it. I've heard that the king once came here in secret to eat it-nya. But I don't know what any of the ingredients are, so I can't replicate it-nya. It's not a dish that uses expensive ingredients though. Not by any means-nya」
………………A white soup. Hmmm.
If the availability of food in Lemuria hasn’t changed much over the years, then it just might be………but I don't have the time for this right now. It wouldn't be a bad idea to lend Tyutyu a hand when I have a bit more time on my hands though.
And then,
I received a message from Makina. I had it displayed on the LCD of my glasses.
『So sorry☆ It seems that Gashuraku-san is busy preparing for the goblins' festival to celebrate the coming of the winter, so he won't be back above-ground for quite some time~. ☆（ゝω・）v』
I felt my face scrunch up from how irritating the message was.
「Is something the matter-nya?」
「Yeah, kind of. I wasn't able to get the help of someone I was counting on」
I had caused Tyutyu to worry for me.
Thinking that there was nothing to lose, I tried asking her, but……
「Tyutyu, do you know any strong, trustworthy adventurers with time on their hands………………Oh」
「I do-nya」
There’s one.
One such person.
I had forgotten about him.
Because I have not seen him working as an adventurer all that much.
「Where is he right now?」
「I think he's probably floating in the river over there again today-nya」
「I'll go look for him」
Leaving the money on the table, I got up from my seat.
Near Tyutyu's store, there was a waterway. I hurried over there and found the middle-aged ladies washing clothes in its cold water.
「Excuse me, where is that person?」
「Oh, he was floating over there just now. He was in the way, so we sent him drifting in that direction」
「Is that so?」
I followed the flow of water down the waterway. In an area with more houses, I found a hairy drowned body that had gotten snagged on a wooden piling.
A group of children had gathered and were poking him with sticks.
「Barfuru-sama. Hey~」
I also poked him with my sheathed katana.
There was no reaction.
「Do any of you have a rock or something?」
「Yeah, here you go」
One of the children nearby handed me a shattered brick. It was the size of my fist and quite heavy.
「Heave-ho」
I threw it.
The brick shattered into even smaller pieces when it hit the back of his head. It was quite a sturdy head.
「Hn………………Hnnn」
The beast-headed man rose up out of the water suddenly.
Kyaa~, went the children as they scattered and ran away.
「That was a good nap. Is it morning already?」
「It's already the afternoon」
Barfuru-sama is a massive beastkin.
In general, the men and women who are referred to as ”beastkin” look like humans with animal parts attached, but this person is different. He looks like a human who had been transformed into a wolf. If you ask me, this person is what I would call a true beastkin.
According to him, he came to look like this because of a curse.
Putting aside whether that's true or not……
「Barfuru-sama, I have a favor to ask of you」
He climbed out of the river and shook off the water like a dog.
Quite a lot of it got onto me.
「Mmm. First, a drink」
「Yeah yeah」
We went back to Tyutyu's store together.
「Tyutyu, a wake-up drink for me」
「Alright-nya」
In the meantime, we settled down at a table.
Tyutyu came back with a few bottles of alcohol, but she didn't seem to have any intention of giving them to Barfuru-sama.
「Barfuru-sama, pay up first-nya」
「Souya」
「Yeah yeah」
I handed Tyutyu about 20 copper coins. For now, I should let him enjoy his drink first.