Chapter 269: 255

Mornings are depressing for me.

I always awaken from a dream that I can never remember.

I had something in my hands. I was connected with someone. But now there is nothing.

I woke up with such illusions.

「It's the worst」

To top it off, I woke up on the floor today.

I was lucky the room wasn't that cold, but if it were my usual lodgings, I would have fallen ill.

「Ari, hey」

「Mmm」

The dreaming knight turned in her sleep, giving me a brief glimpse of her nude body.

She's a capable woman, but she's really not a morning person.

「Oh well」

I picked up the shirt that had seen better days and slipped it on. Then I went into the adjoining bathroom and washed my face.

White hair and golden eyes. A white horn. An expression twisted by irony.

No matter how many times I looked at it, no matter which way I looked at it, it looks like a stranger's face.

I've asked myself tens of thousands of times. I've listened to thousands upon thousands of rumors. I've passed by untold numbers of people.

No one has the answer.

But maybe it's better this way.

Arianne is right, I must not have led a decent life in the past.

Would it not be better to use the little time I have left to repay her for all she has done for me? In its own way, that seems very human to me. Rather than searching for a past that may or may not exist―――――no, there's something that I fear.

What if, on the one-in-a-billion chance, by some prank of the gods, my past is something that'll cause trouble for her?

『The world is always full of irony』

I have no idea where I picked that up, but it's a saying that has stuck with me. One that's impaled deep in my chest.

And such thoughts………………don't matter when one's stomach is empty.

「I’m starving」

Quite unusually, I'm feeling hungry in the morning. I blame the delicious food I had for dinner.

I wonder if there’s any breakfast for us.

When I exited the room to discuss the matter in person……

「Hmm?」

「Oh?」

I ran into someone I didn't know.

It was a fishman wearing a pair of sunglasses.

That's a race of people that's rarely seen.

「You………」

「Oh, good morning」

「Ooh, good morning」

We exchanged some words of greeting.

I heard small footsteps approaching.

「Good morning, Geto-san」

「Ooh, good morning」

As I suspected, it was Shigure. They were carrying a box of something.

「Freeloader! Carry this!」

「Yeah, yeah」

I was made to carry the box. It was packed full of groceries. It was the size of something one could hold in one hand, but it was pretty weighty. It must have been heavy for a child.

「Geto-san, what've you got for me today?」

「I’ve caught some of the river fish I told you about before. When it's this cold, they put on a lot of fat, so they're really delicious」

「Wow, yay!」

The fishman showed Shigure his fish basket. With a smile on their face, Shigure peered at the fish inside.

「Yup, they look to be in excellent condition! There's forty of them, plus there's the amount left over from the previous time, so it comes out to two gold coins, right?」

「Yeah」

Shigure pulled the gold coins out of their purse. I ended up catching a glimpse of its contents. There was way more money in it than a child should be carrying around.

「So, Shigure, what's for breakfast today?」

The fishman was asking for breakfast.

「I've made some udon and a bunch of other things. Go ahead and enjoy it upstairs. Oh, and I'm sorry, Geto-san, but do let this freeloader have breakfast with you. If he causes any trouble, you can kick him out though」

「Alright」

Shigure took the box of food back from me and disappeared into the depths of the basement.

I wonder where they’re going.

「Hey, Freeloader, let's go. I'm hungry」

「Oh, okay」

I followed the fishman up the stairs.

Looking out of a window, I saw that it was still dark outside. It appeared that I had woken up earlier than I had thought.

We arrived at the kitchen. The fishman put the fish basket down in a corner and sat down at a table.

「Come on, get cooking. Don't make a fishman touch fire」

「Eeehh」

For some reason, I ended up preparing breakfast.

On the table was a salad of winter mist grass and some tamagoyaki(Japanese rolled fried eggs). On the lit stove was a steaming pot of soup as well as a pot of boiled water next to it. On the kitchen counter were a number of side dishes, and I spotted some udon noodles in one of the bowls.

After washing my one hand with cold water, I threw the noodles into the pot.

I had no idea how long the noodles needed to cook for, but when it felt right, I drained the noodles in a colander and soaked them in some stored cold water. I scooped what seemed like the broth for udon into bowls and dropped the drained noodles into them.

There was some thick bacon that had cooled down a little, so I put some on top.

To complete the dish, I sprinkled some chopped leeks and pepper on top.

I set the bowls of udon noodles on the table.

「I don't want the bacon. I’ve always preferred my udon simple」

「Oh, okay」

The fishman stabbed his piece of bacon with a fork and dropped it into my bowl.

Two pieces is a bit too luxurious. Or rather, I feel like it's maybe a little bit unwelcome.

「Well then, let me have a taste」

After slurping up the noodles noisily, his eyes shot wide open behind his sunglasses………or at least I had the feeling that they did.

「Shigure has improved again. The soup's flavor has become even deeper」

「Eh? This is made by that child? Not their mother?」

「That's right. Tyutyu has been bedridden a lot lately. Shigure has been running the store all alone. It's impossible for a single beastkin girl to run a store while also raising a child without pushing herself too hard, don't you think?」

「………………」

That touches me deeply in some way I can't put my finger on. No, I’m just a guy who spends all day drinking in a bar. What could I possibly have to say about this?

「It's getting cold. Eat your udon」

「Oh, yeah」

Eating noodle dishes with one hand is difficult, but it doesn't diminish the taste.

The noodles are chewy, and the seafood broth with a soy sauce base is simple but flavorful. However, the two pieces of bacon are superfluous. The juices and saltiness had seeped into and ruined the delicate broth.

I reached for the salad to rid my mouth of the oiliness and cleanse my palate.

The vegetables have a crisp texture despite the mayonnaise dressing. On this side, mustard greens are called winter mist grass.

Hmm? On this side? ………What?

The tamagoyaki has cheese inside. It's delicious.

The fishman downed his broth then rose from his seat. And then, he boiled himself another serving of udon.

You can work a fire just fine, isn't it?

「Hey, you. What kind of relationship do you have with that mother and child?」

It's quite unusual to have a relationship with a fishman.

Due to my line of work, I'm curious.

「I'm friends with the father of that family. It's because of that relationship that I'm doing business with them now」

「The father?」

「He's a good-for-nothing」

He’s being rather blunt.

「I know what he wanted to do. I also understand why he had to do it. But you know, what meaning is there if doing it only makes his woman and child cry?」

「Agreed」

「………………」

What?

I'm sensing a very piercing gaze of sorts.

「I heard Shigure call you a freeloader, but are you going to be staying in this store for some time?」

「I’ll be in their care for at least a little while longer」

Arianne looks a lot better than I had expected. She should make a full recovery in about two to three days. After that, I'll go back to my old life. I don't want to get involved with these people any more than I already have.

「In that case, be nice to Shigure」

「Why that child specifically?」

The gold coins he had received earlier were set on the table.

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「Is this a good enough reason for you?」

「It's a good enough reward」

That amount is exorbitant for babysitting. I don't think Shigure is the kind of person who needs a babysitter, but I need money to repay the kindness shown to me.

But when I reached for them, the gold coins were retracted.

「You'll be paid based on how well you do」

Aren't you a level-headed one……

「Hmm?」

A sound caught my attention and I sensed presences.

The fishman seemed to have sensed them too. The door of the store was opened a little roughly.

The store looks like it’s still getting ready, so it’s unlikely for them to be customers. If they were suppliers, they would have used the back door.

As I was about to step out to deal with them……

「Ash, is Arianne in there?」

It’s a man I know a little.

He’s an elderly beastkin with a large build, scars on his face, and the type well-suited for violent work. In fact, he’s a professional at it. He has a sword on his belt and had politely left his three men outside the store.

「What do you want with her?」

「The proprietress has something to discuss with her about "yesterday's customer" and wants her to show her face at the brothel right now」

This is the worst.

We've been found out, haven't we?

「Ari is out at the moment」

「Don't give me that bullshit. Someone saw both of you go into this store」

The beastkin took a step forward, and……

……the fishman rose from his seat and stepped in front of me.

「Are you thinking of acting violently in this store?」

「………………No, not at all」

Huh, I've never seen this man look so frightened before. Is this fishman strong?

「Get out of here」

「Fishman-danna[1], I'm not on some kid's errand either. I can't go back empty-handed」

「I see. Then I guess you won’t be needing that hand」

There was an uneasy feeling in the air.

My intuition tells me that it's a sign that the whole store is about to get wrecked.

「Alright, how about we meet in the middle and I show my face instead?」

『………………』

Both of them fell silent.

「Tch, it can't be helped. I'll have to settle for you. You'd better resolve yourself then」

「Yeah, yeah」

What's the point of threatening me? What does a man who is no one have to lose?

「Hey, Ash or whatever your name is」

「What?」

When I was about to leave with the man, the fishman stopped me.

「Come back as soon as you can. Shigure will be lonely」

「Got it」

I have no idea what he means by that, but alright.

「You've done something outrageous, haven’t you?」

Those were the very first words out of the proprietress's mouth.

The proprietress of the brothel seemed to be of a certain age, but her beauty hadn't faded one bit. Underneath her dress was a mature and voluptuous body. She was lounging on a couch, but I had the feeling that she lacked her usual composure.

「What outrageous things are you talking about?」

At any rate, I tried playing dumb.

「There's a difference between playing dumb and playing a fool, Ash」

A ring was placed on an opulent table.

「My men found this in the knight order's garrison」

「You made that up」

It's Arianne's ring.

It's a one-of-a-kind memento of her grandmother. She's not so foolish as to leave such a thing at the scene of the crime. These guys must have gone through her room at the inn to get it.

「Well, you might be right. But "what does it matter?"」

If the proprietress takes the ring to Elysium's magistrates and reports this to them, Arianne and I will become wanted men. Tyutyu and Shigure, who sheltered her, would also be arrested on unjustified charges.

It's as simple as that.

To be suspected by one of the forces without another force backing you in this city right now means death. And the biggest problem is that we're guilty of the crime.

「So I guess it's pointless to argue about whether or not we did it, huh?」

「That's right. I know you're not stupid. That's why we're having this discussion」

「Discussion?」

It's hilarious that you call it a discussion when the other party is someone you're blackmailing.

「This morning, the bunch from the Beastkin Forest, ahh, 【Beastkin Alliance】, I think they called themselves. They announced publicly that they were responsible for the attack on the garrison. Saying, "There's no need for the dying blood of Elysium in the next generation"」

「………Huh?」

「They stole all the credit」

That complicates things. To take credit for something they didn't do, I wonder what those beastkin are thinking.

「So………………what is it that you want to discuss with me?」

I have a bad feeling.

「We've uncovered their hideout. Go there and talk to them」

「Talk, you say? Hey, come on」

There's no way that'll work.

There's definitely going to be violence. I'll be found floating in the river tomorrow morning.

「I'm not asking you to go and die or anything」

That's what it sounds like to me though.

「"Wyclis the Sunset(仄日)", one of the Ringusunova, wishes to lend you their strength.” You simply have to tell them that. You’re to get in with them and inform me of their plans」

「By Ringusunova, you mean that thing with the advanced adventurers?」

It’s a group of six advanced adventurers, and in its heyday, it was second in power only to King Lemuria. Rumor has it that it had fallen into decline and is now a shadow of its former self.

「That's right. Wyclis Lievia Eldalia Roomen. That's my name」

「Huh?」

You must be kidding.

「I'm "Wyclis the Sunset", a member of Ringusunova. That said, that's just a name and title I inherited from a dying man」

「That's a mighty big secret, but……」

I didn't say that I would do it.

「Trust is important in everything. Especially before an important negotiation」

I can't think of this as a sign of trust.

Even if this secret is exposed, she probably has a way out of it. I'm likely nothing more than a disposable pawn to her.

「So your position is in jeopardy and you want me to go find you a winning horse to bet on?」

「No, that's not it. I'm "looking for someone I can partner with before my position is in jeopardy"」

That's very wily. She wouldn’t have survived till now otherwise, I suppose.

「What if I refuse?」

「I'll just send Arianne instead. When the other party are famished beasts, a woman should have an easier time negotiating, don't you think?」

「………………It’s as you say」

This is starting to become troublesome.

「What if I fail?」

「Well, I'll introduce Arianne to a good man to console her. A man who is better than a good-for-nothing abandoned dog like you」

「Well……」

That sounds like an appealing proposition. Making that joke and laughing won't get us anywhere though.

Think.

Use your dumb brain. Is there any way to overcome this situation……………… Shit, I can't come up with anything. Someone please lend me some wisdom.

Wait, I don't even have anyone to ask.

I guess I didn't have a choice from the start.

「………………I’ll do it」

「That so? That bunch are using the now-vacant Gladvain's dormitory as their base of operations. I'm expecting only good news from you」

Having expectations of a man who is no one, how ironic.

[1] Danna(旦那) has many meanings, such as husband, master, patron, boss, sir, and so on. But it’s usually used when addressing a male person who has more power/authority than the speaker. In this case, it’s sorta something like “boss”, or “bossman”, I suppose.

By the way, I’m using “a man who is no one” to differentiate between the Japanese(誰でもない男, daredemonai otoko) and English(ノーバディ, noobadi) versions, but it’s fine to take it as “a nobody” as well. But well, that phasing is reminiscent of something else, isn’t it?

Geto-san remembers who Souya is, doesn’t he? His barbs are way too pointed for it to be anything else. And the way he said it…Souya is Shigure’s father, isn’t it? So isn’t it sweet that he’s trying to make Ash spend time with Shigure? By the way, the way Japanese is, it actually isn’t clear whether he’s saying “his woman and child” or “his women and children” and could mean either or a mix and match of singular and plural.

Wait, what happened to Gladvain-sama and her kin?! Why is the dormitory vacant?! Stay tuned!

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