Chapter 35

Disappointment and regret increased ←

...Why did it come to this...

“No wayyyyy! I’m moving in here tooooooo!”

“Don’t say such nonsense, and get ready to leave quickly!”

The woman standing beside the young man, who was shouting loudly, slapped him on the head. Rather, she punched him. Even though she punched him without holding back, the young man continued to shout. Next to him, the woman who had punched him was holding her arm, looking pained. It was no wonder.

After all, she had punched a wolf beastman. Beastmen, in general, have more robust bodies than humans. Among them, carnivorous beasts like wolves, lions, and tigers have particularly developed muscles, and unless hit in a vital spot, they hardly feel pain.

High-level beastmen, specialized in defense, can even deflect arrows with their bare bodies. To be precise, they use their muscles to block or deflect, but when people hear this, they usually react with, “Huh? Are you joking?” Unfortunately, it’s the truth.

So, when the woman punched the wolf beastman, it was only natural that her fist would hurt. Moreover, she was a half-elf, known for being petite. Half-elves are dexterous and agile, and even as adults, they are about the size of human children. Therefore, it was only natural that she, being of such a small stature, would not be strong enough to punch a wolf beastman without hurting herself. ...But, it was her personality to still punch and point out the absurdity, so there was nothing to be done.

“...Sorry, Alshette.”

“Yeah, Mr. Al. I just came to report that we’re doing well, after a long time of not showing my face...”

Alshette, the woman, stroked her aching fist and muttered with a distant look in her eyes. Tiphana, who was next to her, checked to make sure there were no injuries on her hand and cooled it with a damp handkerchief to ease the pain. Alshette’s hand, being small as a half-elf, was swollen and red, which looked very painful.

“...Um, I brought some bento...”

Yuri suddenly appeared at that moment. The young man, who had been shouting, stopped moving abruptly. His gaze was fixed on the basket in Yuri’s hand. Beastmen have better senses than humans, and being a wolf beastman, his sense of smell was particularly acute. That’s why he stopped moving.

“Bento?! Yuri, is there meat inside?!”

“Ah, yes. There’s also the teriyaki meat that Mr. Barloi said was delicious yesterday. In addition, there are sandwiches and cookies for dessert...”

“Meat! Meat!”

“Hey! You noisy muscle-brain wolf!”

Alshette interjected, shouting at the wolf beastman Barloi, who was shouting with a bright face. However, this time, she didn’t punch him with her bare hands. She immediately took out her favorite hammer from her magic pouch, which was attached to her waist, and hit Barloi with it. The hammer was small, suited to her half-elf stature, but it was coated with metal, and it made a good sound when it hit.

However...

“Al, it hurts.”

“Noisy! It’s because you’re being an idiot that I have to keep pointing it out!”

“But Yuri made the meat from last night! Meat! Meat!”

“Shut up, muscle-brain wolf!”

Alshette’s attack was delivered again. Barloi, who received it on his head, muttered that it hurt, but he didn’t seem to be damaged at all. Yuri looked at him with a “wow” face, but the others acted as if it was a regular occurrence and ignored it. ...However, the apprentices were stunned. Only those of a certain age and the instructors remained calm.

This noisy duo, Barloi and Alshette, had belonged to the Crimson Lynx until a few years ago. Barloi was a martial artist, and Alshette was an item specialist. They had trained together and steadily raised their guild rank with their party members. They had come to the capital Dralheim, where they hadn’t been in a long time, to greet their former mentors at their clan.

They stayed overnight, but that’s when the problem occurred. It was the situation that Barloi was shouting about at the beginning.

In short, the muscle-brain wolf had been tamed by Yuri.

If they were staying overnight, it was natural to have dinner at the hideout. Even if a few more people joined, the apprentices, including Yuri, who were in charge of cooking, wouldn’t be troubled. They were used to it to the point where it wasn’t a problem. If they were notified in advance, they could prepare meals for the number of people. So, they provided a regular meal for the Crimson Lynx, and the wolf was immediately tamed.

Of course, Alshette was also delighted with the delicious food. Such meals hadn’t been available when they were there, and there wasn’t even a cook. She was smiling, thinking how fortunate the current members were. As an adult, she was content with just enjoying the delicious meal.

However, Barloi was different. He was a disappointing and regrettable muscle-brain wolf. But, it’s important to note that, in general, wolf beastmen are thoughtful. They have the qualities of a leader, are intelligent, and are physically strong. ...However, Barloi was one of those rare wolf beastmen whose brain was entirely muscle, a very disappointing and regrettable man.

That’s why he was thrown into the Crimson Lynx without any questions. It was judged that if his basics weren’t forcibly drilled into him, he would challenge a strong enemy in the dungeon and die within three days. It wasn’t a wrong judgment. Thanks to his friends, Barloi learned the basics, graduated, and is now living as a proper adventurer.

“I also miscalculated... I knew this idiot was an idiot... But I didn’t expect him to be tamed so easily...!”

“Alshette isn’t to blame. Barloi is just as foolish as always.”

“...Tiphana, you’re still the same, looking so kind but being scary when you’re angry...?”

“It’s my nature.”

“Alright.”

Alshette and Tiphana could talk on equal terms partly because they were close in age. Also, when Alshette and the others were there, Tiphana was not an instructor but was training to become one. Therefore, a sense of camaraderie had developed between them.

“Well, I can understand how Barloi feels, I guess.”

“Kure, you too...”

“No, no, think about it, Alshette. Barloi only ate a little, right? But we eat Yuri’s cooking every day, every day!”

“...O-oh.”

Kure, who usually acted carefree, said this with a serious face, so Alshette fell silent. Tiphana and Al, who knew what was coming, subtly averted their eyes. As instructors, it was, in a sense, someone else’s business, so they just pretended not to hear.

“Once we leave this place, we won’t be able to eat that again, right? Well, we might be able to if we visit, but we won’t be eating delicious meals every day, every day!”

“No, no, no, calm down, Kure. We’re aiming to be treasure hunters, right? We’ll be traveling far!”

“Yuri makes bento that lasts for days!”

“Are you tamed too?!”

Alshette slapped Kure’s head with an open palm. She didn’t use her weapon out of kindness. If she did that to a human like Kure, he would be seriously injured. Injuries can be healed with recovery potions, but only those with alchemy skills can make them. Especially, pharmacists are good at it. Recovery potions are not cheap.

“It’s not just that, Alshette! Yuri is also really good at sewing, cleaning, and laundry!”

“Huh?”

“She dries the futons while we’re out, fixes torn clothes, and even helps with cleaning when we’re busy!”

“That kid isn’t your mother, you know!”

“‘Mom’ is fine!!”

“Don’t echo, idiotooooo!”

Alshette slapped Kure and Rerei’s heads. Being smaller than them, she had to jump to do so. Half-elves are small but agile, and they can make up for the height difference with a jump. However, it’s not something she should use to point out absurdities.

Alshette, holding her head, noticed that Al, who usually would be the first to point out the absurdity, said nothing. When she glanced at Al, he was waving his hand, indicating that it was too much trouble.

As for Yuri, who was called ‘mom’ and ‘mother’...

“I’m a guy, so I don’t think I can be a mom.”

He made a very off-the-mark comment. He was essentially acting like a mother, but he didn’t really care. He was just doing the housework he liked, so it didn’t matter to him if he was treated like everyone’s mom. It was just a hobby for him.

“Yuri, that’s not what I meant.”

“Is it not? Ah, Alshette, here’s the leftover bento. There are five party members, right?”

“Yeah, five, but... Did you make it for all of them?”

“Yes.”

Alshette took the bento basket from the smiling Yuri, looking puzzled. Of course, Yuri’s answer was very matter-of-fact. While carefully putting them away in her magic pouch, Alshette sighed.

“Maybe they’re like this because you take such good care of them?”

“Eh? But I’m just doing what I want to do.”

“...Well, if you’re okay with it, that’s fine...”

Sighing, Alshette turned around. There, Barloi was shouting that he wanted to live there, and Al was pointing out the absurdity, taking over the role of pointing out the absurdity for her.

“I’m making this my base!”

“We don’t have the capacity to take in graduates! Get out!”

“Please, Dad!”

“Who’s your dad, you idiot!”

Barloi, who had stepped on a major landmine with the single Al, was sent flying by a critical hit from Al’s fist, which he should have been able to block. No one except Yuri and the apprentices was surprised, as it was a regular occurrence.

To explain, Al had used his [Magic Eye] to identify Barloi’s vital spot and delivered a critical hit. No matter how strong one is, there are always weak points, and [Magic Eye] can easily identify them. In the end, appraisal skills are like cheats.

In the end, Barloi kept insisting and being stubborn until the party members came and took him away. A bow to the muscle-brain wolf’s companions.

Everyone is being tamed smoothly.

But those who are reluctant to leave will surely be chased away by Al’s critical hit.

Grow up properly and become full-fledged treasure hunters, you guys! ←

Looking forward to your comments and feedback.