Chapter 33

The next morning, after safely bringing the five people to Volzard, I sat down for breakfast with a firm resolve.

"Here you go, Kent, don't keep you waiting, eat up."

"Yes, um... Amanda, there's something I want to talk to you about later."

Yes, I intended to tell her everything I had been hiding, now that I had brought the five people here.

"Talk...? Oh, if it's about you being summoned from another world, I've already heard from Donovan."

"Huh...?"

Since I had essentially been deceiving Amanda and the others, I thought I might have to leave the boarding house, so I had steeled myself to bring up the topic. But when I was told they already knew, I let out a rather silly-sounding voice.

"Knew...? That...?"

"Your friends being captured by the Reisenburg gang and the skeleton you summoned protecting the town, I've heard it all."

"Um, I'm sorry for lying to you all this time."

"Fool... You don't need to apologize. Kent, you've done well on your own, and thank you for protecting the town."

"Yes... Yes..."

It's unfair, you know, if you say things like that, I can't help but cry.

"Fool... There's no need to cry... Here, let's eat."

"Can... Can I stay here?"

"Of course! What are you talking about? This is your home in Volzard."

"Thank you... Thank you..."

Ah... Don't cry so much, you're a boy, right? Come on, you're busy today, aren't you? You need to eat properly.

"Mom, I told you so, didn't I?"

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"I said Kent was definitely keeping something, didn't I?"

"Oh, that's right. But a skeleton that protects the town is welcome."

"Reinhardt, can you come out and say hello?"

"Of course."

Since they welcomed him, I decided to have Reinhardt come out from the shadows.

When Amanda and Mayu saw Reinhardt emerge from my shadow, they were surprised and their eyes widened.

"Let me introduce you, this is Reinhardt, who guards me. He used to be a captain of a knight squadron."

Reinhardt proudly saluted as a knight, and the two of them relaxed.

"Mom, our security is top-notch. No thief can get in."

"Exactly, this is the safest house in the farthest town of Volzard."

"Mayu, you don't need to worry about thieves or monsters, but you should worry about bedwetting."

"Kiii... I won't wet the bed anymore! Kent, you're mean, mean, meanaaaah!"

"Hahaha, Mayu, make sure you don't wet the bed anymore."

"Kiii... I won't, I won't! I won't wet the bed anymore!"

With the confession out of the way, I didn't lose my place to stay.

Thanks to that, I could go to pick up the five people with a clear conscience.

When I went to the guard post, the guard on duty saluted me.

"Good morning, please, everyone is waiting for you in the dining hall."

"Good morning... Thank you..."

Even inside the guard post, everyone I met saluted me.

Each time, I bowed my head, and I was laughed at, but was I being teased?

When I went to the dining hall, the five people were lounging at the same table, drinking tea.

Maybe it was a reaction to being freed from a tough situation, but even Kobayashi seemed quite relaxed.

And Yagi was so relaxed that he seemed to be heading straight for a NEET lifestyle.

"Good morning, everyone, did you sleep well?"

"Really well, I almost feel guilty..."

"Ah... Maybe Kobayashi is right. We slept well, but thinking about the people left behind..."

I see, they weren't just relaxed, but rather at a loss.

"Anyway, we're going to the guild to get identification cards. Your actions will determine the impression you make on Volzard. Try to make a good impression for the sake of the people left behind."

Hearing my words, everyone except one person tightened their expressions.

"I don't want to work..."

"Yagi... Ah, if we go to the guild, we might meet a cat-eared lady..."

"Alright, let's go! What's wrong, Kunitsubu, stop dilly-dallying!"

Honestly, he's so straightforward or simple-minded, but in a way, he's easy to handle.

The path to the guild from the guard post was the first road I walked in Volzard.

Everyone was looking curiously at the streets, the people passing by, and the shops preparing to open.

I must have looked the same way back then.

"Pretty... No, very clean, isn't it?"

"Right, the sewers seem to be well-maintained too."

"Wow, a beast-eared lady over there..."

"Her hair color is so vibrant..."

"Nice... I wonder if they sell hair dye..."

The guild was just starting to quiet down from the morning rush, and the bulletin board area was clearing up, but the counter was still busy.

Otto said he would take care of it, but it would be better to wait until it was less crowded.

Thinking that, I headed for the usual wall, where Manon was standing, looking fidgety.

She had a complex expression, as if she wanted to laugh and cry.

"Hey, Kunitsubu, do you know that person? Introduce us."

On my way to Manon, Kobayashi tapped my shoulder.

"Sure, but Manon is a girl."

"Ah... Wow, that's unfair in a way..."

"She's a girl, Kunitsubu, introduce us."

"Ah... Yagi, you're annoying..."

As we got closer, Manon nodded firmly, as if making a decision.

"Good morning, Manon."

"Sorry!"

"Huh? What do you mean...?"

"Last time... I was in a bad mood, right... Did you start to dislike me?"

Maybe it was because I stormed off when talking to Merine.

I wasn't bothered by that at all, and I should be the one apologizing for keeping secrets.

And her teary, upward glance was so powerful, I almost wanted to hug her, squeezing her tightly...

"About last time... I didn't really care, and I didn't dislike you."

"Really? That's good..."

Manon bounced a little... What is this super-cute creature? I want to monopolize her, even if it violates the monopoly law.

"What... Kunitsubu, you can't just leave me out..."

"No, Manon is... well..."

"Shinoda, Kunita, I think we need to interrogate him..."

"No objection!"

"Of course, no objection!"

"Wait, just a moment..."

Manon tilted her head, looking at the old and new duo and the fake glasses, as well as the grinning mismatched sisters.

"Kent, did the caravan people survive?"

"Um... Manon, I'm sorry! I'll explain everything later, but not now."

To prevent the situation from getting more complicated, I begged Manon to wait for the explanation.

"Kunitsubu... You seemed to have a good time while we were struggling..."

"No, that's not true... I had a tough time too... I think..."

"How far did you go?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Spill it, no right to remain silent."

"No, that's..."

While I was being interrogated by the old and new duo and the fake glasses, Manon was being approached by the mismatched sisters.

"Hi, I'm Tomoko, and this is..."

"Akemi, nice to meet you."

"Um, I'm Manon... Nice to meet you."

"Hey, Akemi, he's a boy, a boy."

"Light blue, silky hair... That's unfair..."

Ah... Manon is being targeted... Manon is going to be corrupted...

"Kent, are these the people you brought?"

"Yes, good morning."

Oh, the savior, Donovan, has arrived.

Heh heh, I introduced the five to Donovan, and with one glance, they all straightened up.

Yeah, yeah, your actions are correct, don't defy him.

"The appraisal and registration will be done in the conference room, bring them."

"Um, Donovan, can Manon come with us?"

"Hmm? Why?"

"Well... It would be reassuring to have someone around her age to help out..."

"Hmm... Alright, that's fine."

After thinking for a moment, Donovan agreed.

"Manon, I have a favor to ask, can you come with us?"

"Me? Yes... Sure."

When we went to the second-floor conference room, Otto had everything prepared.

"Good morning, Otto, thank you."

"Ah, good morning, Kent. By the way... Here, touch this."

Otto pointed to the hateful crystal of the evil eye.

I touched it as instructed, but there was no change at all...

"It doesn't light up..."

"Kent, can you really use magic?"

"Yes, I can use dark and light magic."

"Hmm... Being able to use two attributes is unusual... The lack of reaction is probably due to that."

Manon, who was listening next to me, opened her eyes wide in surprise.

I really need to explain and apologize properly.

"Otto, please register everyone. Manon, come here for a moment."

When I pulled Manon to the corner of the conference room, I was given a grinning look by the mismatched sisters.

"Sorry, Manon, I didn't mean to deceive you, but actually..."

I told Manon about being summoned and asked her to help the others get used to Volzard.

"Kobayashi... I mean, Tomoko and Akemi are girls, and I only have you as a close girl friend, so I think they'll be confused at first, but can you help them?"

"Yes, sure... I don't have many girl friends either, so it's fine, fine..."

Hmm, even though I asked her to do something troublesome, Manon seems to be in a good mood. Maybe she's happy to make new friends.

Maybe Manon was also a loner.

While talking to Manon, the registration was completed, and the five were happily looking at their guild cards.

Yeah, they all got F-rank cards, good, good...

"Kent, how will you cover the living expenses for these five?"

"Ah, yes, I'll use the money from selling the orc magic stones and the Gigawolf we defeated."

"What? Gigawolf!"

Otto, who hadn't heard about the Gigawolf, was so shocked he almost fell over.

Interrupting Otto's shocked words, Donovan asked.

"Kent, where is it?"

"Yes, it's in the shadow storage, I can bring it out anytime..."

"Of course, it's huge, right?"

"Yes, it's surprisingly big."

"Alright, bring it to the training ground in the back, I'll appraise it."

"Yes, thank you."

So, we all moved to the training ground behind the guild.

Today, the mage training session was also being held, but Muell wasn't there, having moved on to the next stage.

"Kent, bring it here."

"Understood, Reinhardt, please."

"Understood."

Opening the entrance to the shadow storage, Reinhardt began to carry out the Gigawolf.

The metallic skeleton carrying the Gigawolf's massive body one by one drew gasps from the onlookers.

Even the people in the mage training session gathered to watch.

Of course, I would be surprised too if a fluffy mountain suddenly appeared.

After the work was done, I had Reinhardt return to the shadows.

Donovan, who was examining the Gigawolf's wounds, asked suspiciously.

"Kent, how did you defeat these?"

"Yes, I used shadow movement to get under their heads and finished them off with a light magic attack."

"What! You defeated them?"

Donovan, who thought Reinhardt and the others had defeated them, was so shocked that everyone's attention was drawn to me.

"Um... Yes, that's right."

When I nodded, Donovan grabbed the back of my neck and dragged me to the target used in the mage training.

Is my neck so easy to grab?

"Show me..."

No... There's a huge audience gathered, is this okay?

I'm supposed to avoid standing out, right?

But with Donovan urging me to hurry, I couldn't refuse.

"Alright..."

Aiming at the straw dummy, I extended my right hand in a pistol shape and fired the attack magic.

The magic hit the target, and I lowered my hand when a hole appeared in the dummy's head.

Donovan stared at the straw dummy, but the audience, who were standing at a distance, couldn't see it well and started murmuring.

"What's going on, isn't he going to do it?"

"What, isn't he starting?"

After a short delay, smoke rose from the dummy's head, and it was soon engulfed in flames.

"Whoa, what's that, it's on fire."

"What did he do?"

Donovan, who had been frozen, turned his gaze back to me.

"You... No incantation?"

"Um... I've never used one."

"Come to think of it, you moved through the shadows without an incantation... Is this really light magic?"

"Um... I think so, I imagined it as light magic..."

"Hmm..."

Crossing his arms, Donovan glared at me, and the murmurs from the audience made me very uncomfortable.

After a while, Donovan looked at the Gigawolf and asked.

"You haven't extracted the magic stones, right?"

"Yes, I didn't have time to dismantle it."

"Understood, for that, I'll appraise it and pay you the amount minus the dismantling cost later. Is that okay?"

"Yes, that's fine... Ah, we need money for the five's living expenses, so can you cash out the orc magic stones?"

"Alright... Let's move to the counter inside. You, get back to the training session."

The mages returned to their training, and the adventurers who were practicing on their own gathered around the Gigawolf.

"Um... Donovan, is the Gigawolf rare?"

"Of course, they're much more troublesome than rock ogres."

"Have they attacked Volzard?"

"Rarely, and when they do, it's usually a stray, not a pack. They can easily jump over the walls and are fast, often escaping before they can be caught. They're terrible creatures."

Previously, a Gigawolf jumped over the walls of Volzard, entered the town, and carried off a person to the Demon Forest.

It even repeated the attack several times, killing over ten people before it was finally caught.

"If it comes again, please let me know. I'll chase it to the Demon Forest and finish it off."

"Hmm... Alright, I'll count on you."

"Yes, leave it to me."

The orc magic stones were bought for 12,000 helts each.

I will give each of the five 15,000 helts for their living expenses.

Now that the identification cards are done, we need to buy necessities for living.

"Manon, can you show us where to buy clothes and other things... Manon?"

"Huh...?"

Maybe she's overwhelmed by all the sudden events, Manon was staring at me blankly and not listening.

"Um... I want to buy clothes and other things for everyone, can you show us the stores?"

"Yes, sure, leave it to me! I'll show everyone, yes, yes."

"Thank you... Please help us."

"Leave it to me!"

Manon seems very enthusiastic, maybe she's happy to have new friends or to show her town.

The mismatched sisters are grinning, and the old and new duo and the fake glasses are giving me murderous looks, but why? I'm trying so hard.

Anyway, let's go shopping.