Chapter 50

The smoke exhaled from his mouth formed rings and floated up, being sucked into the ceiling, and Quins watched it intently.

He dropped the ash from the tobacco in the kiseru into a pot that seemed to be used as an ashtray, put the kiseru with the purple lipstick on the mouthpiece into a metal case, and simply exhaled.

After finishing the explanation, Quins seemed to be thinking as he puffed on the kiseru, but then, as if his thoughts had coalesced,

"The blessing of the goddess... I don’t think the lazy and rumored Trailor would change her job even if it’s the words of a wanderer."

Saying that, Quins looked at me and Har in turn.

I thought the goddess's blessing could cover everything, but when I thought about it, the three fools who were deceived by me, excluding Cail, were just that.

Anyone would find it strange if they thought about it normally.

Cail apparently returned to her room. The ten silver coins, 1,000 cents, she obtained in the deepest part of the labyrinth were given to Quins.

"Well, it seems that girl is no longer a seductress... I’m disappointed. She was my top earner."

"You don’t seem unhappy, though."

"If it looks that way, I still have a lot to learn."

Quins smiled slightly, fiddled with the metal box, and then gently let go.

"So, what are you going to do? Are you going to buy that girl?"

"That’s for her to decide."

"What about the money?"

"Up to 100,000 cents."

"…You shouldn’t show your hand so easily… I’m surprised you could become a gambler like that."

Quins said it as a warning.

Normally, if you tell a merchant how much money you have, especially an amount higher than the market price, you risk being taken advantage of, and I know that much.

"I’m not causing trouble in the gambling house. Didn’t you ask Golsa?"

"I don’t remember saying I knew Golsa... but yeah, he said you were the first to enjoy a match with someone."

Quins turned to Har,

"Are you Harwarter? It seems you can always get a job at the gambling house if your master dies."

"My master will never die before me. My life is my master’s shield."

"Ha ha ha, that’s good. I wonder how you managed to get a slave so devoted."

Quins laughed heartily, leaned in slightly, and asked me,

"For the sake of those who buy slaves from us and for future reference, can you teach me?"

"I haven’t done anything special."

That’s right, I haven’t done anything special. I just have Har’s loyalty, and I want to reciprocate that loyalty. It’s not special, it’s just natural.

Quins laughed even more happily.

"Not doing anything special, that’s the answer."

She extended her hand, which she had retracted, opened the metal box, and took out the kiseru.

She pinched some cut tobacco onto the tip of the kiseru and lit it. The smoke rose to the ceiling.

Quins inhaled deeply from the kiseru and blew the smoke toward the ceiling.

"10,000 cents is fine. I can’t see that much value in a common girl. If you think she’s worth 10,000 cents, buy her."

Quins gazed at the floating smoke, her face showing a mix of happiness and sadness.

"Quins, maybe you’re not suited to be a slave trader?"

"I know that even without you saying it."

She laughed mischievously and looked up at the ceiling again.

No, Quins was probably pretending to look at the ceiling, thinking about Cail, who was upstairs.

Thanks to my ability to detect presence, I knew her room was directly above this one.

"I’ve said it many times, but whether to buy her or not is Cail’s decision."

"Don’t worry, that girl has a good eye for men."

Quins looked at me confidently.

"After all, I raised her. How about we bet on it?"

"Quins, you don’t like gambling, do you?"

"I just don’t like losing."

I don’t like losing either, so I politely declined.

Not that I had any confidence in winning.

※※※

When we arrived at the Adventurer’s Guild, the sun was already low in the sky, and stars were shining in the eastern sky.

The smell of alcohol filled the guild.

I immediately understood that adventurers who had defeated the Woolworms were celebrating with their newfound wealth.

I don’t dislike the festive atmosphere, but I don’t like this smell. Har is sensitive to smells, so I want to finish our business quickly and leave.

Despite the guild’s noise, I found a receptionist who looked idle and greeted him.

He was the same man who helped us yesterday.

He smiled as soon as he saw me and said,

"Hey, Gyrade was making a fuss. It seems he did a great job."

"Gyrade?"

"The adventurer you caught yesterday. No additional crimes have been found, so as punishment, he was assigned to guard the town’s perimeter. That’s when the Woolworms came."

Ah, that’s why he was there.

"It wasn’t that great a job. By the way, do you know why the Woolworms came to the town?"

"No, not yet. But it’s rumored that it’s because it’s their breeding season."

Good, it seems Cail hasn’t been found out.

Relieved, I said,

"I want to collect the reward for me and Har. From the looks of it, the payment has already been made, right?"

"Yeah, on average 200 cents per person. Those who fought on the ground got a bit more, so 700 cents for the two of you. By the way, 100 cents are from Gyrade."

"From Gyrade?"

"As a thank you for saving his life."

"His life must be pretty cheap."

"Tell him that. He’s still a novice adventurer. For him, losing 100 cents is a significant blow. That’s how much he appreciates it."

The receptionist said,

"Anyway, because he earns so little, he tried to team up with others to steal from disassembled monsters, but he’s learned his lesson."

"That’s good to hear."

I received seven silver coins. I picked up some of the materials and magic stones dropped by the Minotaur, but left most of them behind.

I can sell them later.

Thinking about going shopping after leaving the guild, I turned to leave when—

Suddenly, Har hugged me from behind. Two soft mounds pressed against my back, making my spine stiffen.

"Ha, Har?"

"Master... even if you take Cail in, please don’t abandon me."

"I wouldn’t abandon you... "

"I’m worried. I think you’re getting stronger and might not need me anymore."

"I’ll always need you. This time, we succeeded in saving Cail because you were there—ah..."

When I turned around, Har’s eyes were rolling, and her face was bright red as she slept.

...She must have been affected by the alcohol smell in the guild.

She’s really weak against alcohol.

Looks like shopping is out of the question. The stores will probably be closing soon.

I’ll have to do it tomorrow.

"Ah well."

I carried Har on my back and walked toward the inn.

Of course, I won’t forget to change one of my jobs to a wanderer.