Chapter 54

Today is a day of rest, so I had planned to take it easy all day, but I decided to change my plans and get moving.

Since there are things I can do, I shouldn't have the luxury of resting, right?

The first place I headed to was Marcel's shop, which was burned down in yesterday's commotion.

It's early in the morning on a day of rest, so there are no onlookers, but Marcel is standing there with a lost expression.

To be honest, it takes courage to approach him, but if I hesitate, nothing will change.

I gather my courage and speak up.

"Good morning, Marcel."

"Huh? You're that monk from yesterday. What are you doing here?"

"Yes, I thought I might be able to help with the cleanup or anything else."

"Ha, I don't even know where to start, so there's nothing you can do. Besides, what about the guy who set the place on fire?"

"Yes, the troublemakers are all in the guard's cells."

"I see... So, why are you apologizing?"

"Well..."

I hesitated for a moment, but I need to save the rest of my classmates and get them accepted into the town, so I told Marcel about being summoned and how my classmates were deceived and restrained as slaves.

"Idiot! Why didn't you tell me such an important thing!"

"I'm sorry..."

"Ah, forget it..."

Marcel scratched his head and then bowed to me.

"I'm sorry. Even though I didn't know, I went too far yesterday. Please forgive me."

"Please, don't bow, Marcel."

"Kent, I can't forgive what your friends did, but I don't blame you."

"But, it was the people I brought to Volzard who caused this."

Marcel looked at me intently and then changed the subject.

"Kent, are you already working and looking for jobs at the guild?"

"Yes, I've been doing various jobs."

"Hmm, what kind of jobs have you done?"

"Well, harvesting at the Reible farm, moving potatoes at the warehouse, working as a gardener's apprentice, and I even helped with the wall construction once."

"Wow, you've done quite a variety of jobs."

"Yes, thanks to that, I've learned a lot."

"Kent, by finding your own work, completing it, and earning money, you're considered a full-fledged adult in Volzard. When you registered at the guild and got your card, it was like declaring that you'll work and live as an adult. Why do you feel responsible for what your friends did, even if you brought them here? They should take responsibility for their own actions."

I agree with Marcel, but I can't just say "yes" when I see the burned-down shop.

"But... the shop is in such a state..."

"Yeah... I said I'd make the troublemakers take responsibility, but honestly, I don't know what to do..."

Marcel crossed his arms and looked up at the burned shop, his expression darkening.

While standing next to Marcel, looking up at the shop, Reinhardt made a suggestion.

"Mr. Kent, what about a loan?"

"A loan? You mean lend money?"

"Yes, lend Marcel the money needed for reconstruction and immediate expenses interest-free. Marcel can repay you when the compensation from your classmates is paid."

"I see... But what if those idiots default?"

"Well, you could keep it a secret that you lent the money."

"I see..."

Without reconstruction funds, Marcel won't be able to live, but it will take too long for the male classmates to repay. However, if I secretly front the money, Marcel won't have financial difficulties.

"Marcel, I have a proposal..."

"A proposal? Kent, I won't accept if you're offering to pay."

"Yes, I thought you might say that..."

When I suggested keeping the loan a secret from the classmates, Marcel thought about it with a serious expression.

"To be honest, I'd be grateful if you could lend me the money, but do you even have that much?"

"Yes, my familiars are quite powerful, so they've been defeating various monsters and selling magic stones and materials. I was planning to use the money for the classmates' living expenses, so it's fine to use it."

"I see... Then I'll accept, but I want the guild to mediate."

"The guild?"

"Yes, the guild can also provide loans, but to prevent personal loan disputes, they can act as a witness."

"I understand. Then... oh, the guild is closed today, so I'll come back tomorrow. Can you come with me?"

"Kent, I'll ask you, but I appreciate it. Thanks."

"Yes, thank you."

Shaking hands with Marcel, I felt like we had managed to mend our relationship.

"By the way, Marcel, about this shop, it needs to be completely demolished and rebuilt, right?"

"Yeah... It's too burned to repair."

Marcel's two-story shop is in a state where the front is burned down, and only the back half is still standing.

"Demolishing it will also cost money, right?"

"Yeah, it will. The labor for demolition and the disposal of the materials will be expensive."

"Can't I do it?"

"Huh? Do it? How?"

"Well, using my familiars, like this..."

"Hahaha, if you can do it, go ahead."

"Then, can I move the usable items first? I'll help."

"Yeah, we need to move them anyway, so a little help would be good."

After that, Marcel and I moved the usable items, and the neighbors also helped, so we finished by noon.

"Marcel, are there any more items to move?"

"Yeah, this is the last. Thanks a lot. You're right; just standing around won't get anything done. We need to start with what we can do."

"Then, can I clear the site?"

"Hahaha, go ahead. If you can do it, it would be a big help."

Yeah, Marcel doesn't seem to take it seriously, but I'll clear it all at once.

"Then, Reinhardt, I'll use the Dark Shield to destroy and move it to the Shadow World."

"Understood. Let's do it quickly with all the familiars."

"Okay, thanks."

"Then, Marcel, can you step back a bit?"

"What are you going to do?"

"Yes, just... everyone, let's start."

As I signaled, I enveloped Marcel's shop with the Dark Shield. This way, debris won't fly and damage neighboring buildings.

"Whoa? What's happening, Kent?"

"Yes, I'm using dark magic to prevent any inconvenience to the neighbors."

It seems the work has started, and the sound of destruction is deafening.

"Wow, that's a loud noise, Kent. Are your familiars doing this?"

"Yes, my familiars are working together, so it shouldn't take long."

"Ha? You weren't joking?"

"Uh, was it wrong to demolish it?"

"No, that's fine, but familiars..."

"Yes, I can control defeated monsters using necromancy."

"Kent, we're done. The waste will be moved to a corner of the training ground overnight."

"Understood, thanks, everyone."

When I dismissed the Dark Shield, the site where Marcel's shop stood was completely cleared.

"Wha... What...?"

"Hey, Marcel, what happened?"

"Wait, the shop is gone!"

Not only Marcel, the neighbors who helped move the items were also wide-eyed.

"Uh... Was it wrong...?"

"No... It's not wrong, but..."

Marcel and the neighbors looked at each other, unsure of how to react.

"Then, how about we all have lunch together? I'll treat you."

"Hey, don't be ridiculous. After all this help, I can't let you pay for lunch. I'll pay. Come on, everyone, it's a celebration of my new start!"

As Marcel raised his spirits, the neighbors' frozen expressions thawed.

"Yeah, that's good. I couldn't stand seeing Marcel so down."

"Right, right. Now that it's cleared, building it again won't be a problem."

"The building can be built in two weeks. In the meantime, we can rent a place and prepare the merchandise."

During lunch with the neighbors, I was naturally bombarded with questions. I decided it was too much trouble to hide things, so I told them everything, including being summoned.

"Kent, you're practically fighting Reisenburg alone."

"No, no, I'm not alone. I have strong familiars."

"Familiars... I heard that the skeletons you control repelled the rock ogres. Is that true?"

"Yes, they helped with the demolition just now."

"By the way, weren't you the one who kissed Beatrice in the middle of the road?"

"Uh... That's... Well..."

I decided to tell everything, but that topic...

"Hmm, Kent, you're not done yet..."

"No, no, Marcel, this monk was with Beatrice and another girl with short blue hair."

"Huh? Kent, what's that about?"

"Uh... Well, you see..."

The alarm bells rang, interrupting the conversation.

Clang, Clang, Clang...

The same sound as when the rock ogres approached, signaling the approach of a monster horde.

"Kent, it's a monster horde. We need to evacuate."

"Ah, it's fine. My familiars will take care of it."

"Ha? What if you can't handle it? We need to evacuate."

"No, my familiars won't be delayed by mere orcs. I'll go to watch, so please evacuate, Marcel."

"Watch? Are you going to the front lines?"

"Yes, I'm strong, even if I don't look it."

"Idiot, only C-rank and above are called to action."

"Yes, I'm B-rank."

While arguing with Marcel, Malt appeared from the shadows.

"Master, if you don't hurry, it'll be over."

"Got it, I'm coming."

"Whoa, Kent, what's that... It's talking..."

"Yes, it's my familiar, so it's fine. I'll be going now."

"O-oh... Uh..."

Since there wasn't much time, I moved through the shadows in front of Marcel and headed to the wall. When I arrived, it looked like a one-sided slaughter. Alth and the others were surrounding the orc horde, driving them towards the center, where Zae and the others were cutting off the orcs' heads with kukri knives. The number of orcs quickly decreased, and as the circle of the surrounding familiars shrank, Reinhardt gave the order, and Alth and the others also started swinging their swords.

"Ah... Orcs are no match at all."

"Hahaha, who is responsible for this level of reinforcement?"