Chapter 66 (1/2)

Chapter 10. A Mouse’s Cry

Barkas, Dot, and Terry returned to the inn they had rented and immediately fell right on their beds.

To them, it was an act that could only be considered natural. They’d spent several days subjugating orcs and chasing down an Aurel Rabbit before picking a fight with a group of newbies and ultimately drinking themselves all throughout the night. Another factor that contributed to their lack of energy was the fact that they’d actually captured the Aurel Rabbit. The joy that resulted from their success had pumped them full of adrenaline and stopped them from feeling their exhaustion.

The rush that had kept them going petered out the moment they got back to the inn. The sudden crash rendered them unable to resist their drowsiness any longer, and thus, they ended up passing out almost right on the spot. All three adventurers had long hit their limits, and thus slept soundly until some time in the afternoon.

Brakas, who’d gotten up with his body once again pumped full of energy, immediately visited one of his favourite bars upon waking in order to repeat the cycle all over; he’d already thrown yet another toast to his party’s success. His group wasn’t the only one drinking either. The bar was already filled with customers despite the fact that the sun was still high in the sky.

「We sure have gotten ourselves caught up in some trouble, haven’t we Barkas-san?」

Dot spoke to Barkas as he raised a wooden mug and downed its cheap, beer-like contents.

「Huh? What’re you talking about?」

「You know, the thing that with that one kid. Isn’t our party already D ranked? Why should we be doing something as lame as going hunting goblins?」

Terry followed up Dot’s statement and provided a bit more info as he used the tips of his fingers to grab a beer-friendly snack composed of meat and low grade vegetables.

「Pffft. Ahahahahahahaaaaah!」

「Was what I said really that weird?」

「Dunno, was it?」

Both Dot and Terry responded to Barkas’ laugh and taunt by raising their eyebrows in confusion.

「Sorry, my bad. Couldn’t help myself. I didn’t realize I forgot to tell you guys, could’ve sworn I did. This little event of ours won’t be even the slightest bit lame. In fact, it’ll earn us a hell of a lot more than just some Aurel Rabbit. We’ll probably be able to get ourselves a few gold coins out of it, in fact. Man, it’s been a long time since we’ve gotten a chance to earn this much of a payout.」

It didn’t take much for Barkas to convince both Dot and Terry. The little bit that was said had caused their faces to emulate his and warp into a pair of grins.

「You serious? Man, that sounds great. Looks like I’ll be eating well for quite some time. The orcs and aurel rabbit we got should pay out pretty well too. I think we’ll still have about half the payout after paying off all our tabs.」

Dot spoke happily as he considered the group’s debts.

「Gold? That’s perfect. I just so happened to have my eye on a certain magic item.」

「God damn Terry. Why the hell are you so obsessed with magic items? How about getting yourself a woman for once, huh?」

Terry reacted to the grin that accompanied Barkas’ comment by shrugging his shoulders.

「I just can’t really bring myself to really get in the mood with any women in the trade. Come on, you guys know what I’m into, right?」

「Yeah, yeah. You only like it when the woman doesn’t. I really don’t get you. Don’t they resist? How exactly does that make it more enjoyable?」

Dot voiced his knowledge of Terry’s preference in a bit of a questioning tone.

「That’s the good part, you see. Wait. What the hell, Dot. You’re questioning my tastes? Aren’t you a pervert yourself? You basically don’t show interest in anything but the nape of a woman’s neck.」

「I’d say the both of you are fucked. All that matters is that the woman lets you do her, come on.」

「「You definitely have no right to say that when you can’t be satisfied till you totally break whoever it is you’re screwing.」」

Both Barkas’ companions responded to his slander in unison.

「Whoops. I must’ve let that one slip.」

The three men broke out into a series of vulgar laughs. However, none present judged them, for the only people that would bother visiting a bar and ordering cheap booze in the middle of the day were their kindred spirits.

Hence, their laughs merely ended up blending into the background, and their conversations drowned out by the noise around them. They were the only three to know what’d been said between them.

「So which brat are we going after? The stupid one that got himself involved with us, or the lanky one that calls himself a swordsman and has a slave?」

Dot asked Barkas about the two options as he contemplated them.

「The stupid one. Have you seen his staff? That thing’s got value. I mean, should be pretty obvious by now, but he’s definitely a noble of sorts. He’s definitely not his family’s first or second son either, seeing as how he hasn’t got an attendant or anything. It’s like he was given the staff to make up for that.」

Barkas’ conclusions were followed up by Terry.