kscans

Chapter 27 - Recruitment and Progress

I didn't deposit all the money I earned from the black market auction on Earth into the bank.

That's because depositing such a large amount all at once would seem strange. So, out of the nine and a half million, I only put in three million. An amount like that wouldn't raise any suspicion.

If it did seem odd, I could just lie and say I won it at the horse races.

As for the rest, I used my skill to create an iron box. I packed the remaining money tightly inside, leaving no gaps, and then sealed the box with my skill.

I had read that to preserve money, you should keep it away from air and moisture, so I stored it in a sealed container.

This way, no one could open it, and since it was harder and heavier than normal metal, I didn't have to worry about it being broken or carried away. But just in case, I buried it in the ground. With my worries gone, I headed to the other world.

I arrived in the regional city of Alum.

My gear consisted of Japanese-style armor, a Japanese sword, a regular sword, and a Kodachi. I also had a crossbow and a bag on my back.

I headed to the guild, and Bardos was at the entrance.

I approached him.

"It's been a while, Bardos. What were you up to during the winter?"

To my words, Bardos replied,

"Yo, Shinsuke. I was just at home, drinking. I was so bored. I thought about coming over to your place, but the blizzard was too intense. I just couldn't muster the energy to go. What about you? What were you doing?"

At his question, I took out a sheathed Machete from the bag on my back.

"I was making a new weapon. I made a Machete for you and brought it. When we fought in that cave before, both our weapons were too big to fight properly. So I made a smaller weapon. Was that unnecessary?"

I was a little worried, but Bardos took the Machete in his right hand, gave it a few swings, and said,

"Nah, I wouldn't waste something you made for me. Besides, it feels good in my hand. The feeling is a perfect match. Thanks. This is good stuff."

He said this, sheathed the Machete, and attached it to his waist by passing his belt through the hole for the cord on the side of the scabbard, the part called the 'kurigata.'

After seeing that, Bardos and I entered the guild.

Inside the guild, a crowd had gathered around the party recruitment board.

I wondered if there was some amazing recruitment going on, so Bardos and I headed towards the board together. It turned out that 'Beautiful Sword' was recruiting for their party.

The recruitment notice read: 'Male or female, both are welcome. Years of experience and achievements are not required. Those already in a party are welcome to join with their entire party. However, acceptance will be determined by an interview.'

It was a very generous offer, I thought. Poaching was generally forbidden, but this way, you could join without causing trouble with your companions.

I wondered if they had found someone they really wanted to recruit. With that thought, Bardos and I headed to the request board.

Meanwhile, 'Beautiful Sword.'

As soon as they posted the recruitment notice, they took a seat at a table in the corner of the guild. Why had they posted this notice?

Let's go back in time to the One Month of Winter.

The morning after her dinner with Shinsuke, Tina returned home, and Leona greeted her.

"Welcome back, Tina. By the looks of it, you failed?"

To those words, Tina replied,

"Wh-what?! How do you know about that!?"

To her astonished words, Leona said,

"I can tell just by looking at your face. We've played and hunted together since we were children. So I can just tell. At least whether you succeeded or failed."

One might want to ask what kind of childhood they had, but there was no one here to ask.

Returning to the story, after hearing the details of the failure from Tina, Leona thought and said,

"I see. He has the spirit of a knight, even more so than I thought. But at this rate, there will never be any progress. In that case, how about we invite him to join our party?"

To that proposal, Tina replied,

"That's impossible. He's already paired up with Bardos. Poaching party members is strictly forbidden, and even for us A-rankers, it's not something we can do easily."

Tina gave a model answer with a serious face.

She's so precise when it comes to serious matters like this, so why does she get so flustered in front of her fated one? Leona thought as she said,

"Then let's have Bardos join too. That way, it's not poaching, but rather incorporating their entire party. Even with two new members, our party's movements won't be hindered; in fact, we might be able to cover a wider area. What do you think of this proposal?"

Leona asked Tina.

Tina thought for a moment. It was true that this wouldn't violate the rules, and both of them were B-rank in skill. No one would complain if they joined. And just thinking about being able to be with him all the time made her heart pound uncontrollably.

With that in mind, Tina said,

"I understand, Leona. I accept that proposal. Let's consult with Milfy and Rumily right away. They wouldn't want to be left out, after all."

Tina said with a beaming smile.

Leona was confident that those two would not refuse. Tina's happiness was the wish of all the members. And when they told the two about the proposal, they readily agreed.

And now, the present.

'Beautiful Sword' waited at the table for those two.

A crowd had gathered at the recruitment board. And while some people were looking their way, no one approached. They wanted to join, but they thought they weren't skilled enough. This was a relief for Tina.

After all, her real target was 'Intense Thought.'

After a while, the two they were waiting for entered.

Seeing them, Tina's face tensed for a moment, and Leona gently placed a hand on her shoulder to calm her. Then, seeing the two of them head for the recruitment board, she straightened her posture and waited.

However, the two of them went straight to the request board.

Tina was disappointed by this action.

But Leona said,

"Well, we can't expect things to go well from the first day. Don't be discouraged. Next time, let's subtly drop in conversation that we're inviting you."

Those words cheered Tina up.

And 'Intense Thought.'

They went to the request board and looked at the contents of the requests.

There were various requests, such as monster subjugation, area surveys, and merchant escorts. Among them, I chose something other than monster subjugation. Hunting monsters is a hunter's job. Bardos and I had decided to do adventuring work separately.

So, in the morning, monster hunting. In the afternoon, an area survey.

Bardos and I immediately set out.

Morning monster hunt. In the forest, we encountered the usual monsters: wolves, anacondas, and wild boars, as well as a group of goblins. The hunt was not difficult and was over in a flash. I thought the goblins would be troublesome, but they were too slow and it ended anticlimactically. We loaded the monsters onto a cart and returned to town.

By the way, the cart was made from stone using my skill. We handed over the monster carcasses to the guild, and among them, the wolves and wild boars were appraised by the guild and given a clean bill of health. I then requested that those two be made into pelts at a specialty furrier.

After that, we decided to have lunch at the guild. As Bardos and I were eating, 'Beautiful Sword' came over with their food trays.

"May we sit here?"

It was Leona who spoke.

When Tina looked at me, she had a determined look on her face. The other two had faces that suggested they were just going to be bystanders.

I looked at Bardos, and we gestured with our hands to say, 'go ahead.'

Now, there were six people sitting at this table. Two men and four women.

From an outsider's perspective, it would probably be an enviable scene. But for the people involved, Rumily and Milfy were eating in silence, Leona was eating while looking at us, and Tina hadn't touched her food and was glancing at me, who was sitting next to her.

Bardos, on the other hand, was itching to do something as he looked at the four of them. He probably wanted to fight, but he was restraining himself because he knew he would be immediately refused and because I was there. As for me, I was filled with the question, 'Why did these people come here?'

Leona, thinking the silence would continue, said,

"So, are you aware that we're recruiting?"

I nodded at her words.

Leona continued.

"If you know, then this will be quick. The reason we're recruiting is not because we're lacking in strength. It's because there was someone who caught our eye during the recent uproar. We thought it would be nice to be able to work with that person, but it seems they've already formed a party. In that case, we decided to recruit their entire party. Isn't that right, Tina?"

To those words, Tina replied,

"Y-yes, that's right. I'm also very interested in that person, and we've even had a meal together once. What do you think, Shinsuke-san?"

Hearing those words, I said,

"Is that so? To be so concerned about someone, they must be quite a character. In that case, I hope that person joins your party."

I said, ending the conversation.

So she's had a meal with that person too. I didn't know that.

To think she had invited someone other than me for a meal. Well, in my case, it was mainly a thank you, so it's probably different from being 'interested,' I thought.

Then, for some reason, the four of them looked incredibly disappointed. I wondered why, so I looked at Bardos, but he just gave me a 'who knows?' gesture.

Just as Tina's body was trembling and she was about to say something, the six of us sensed a presence approaching the table and tensed up. And what approached was a silver-haired man of about 170cm, wearing blue-black armor and carrying a greatsword that glowed with a blue light on his back.

The man said,

"You must be 'Beautiful Sword,' correct? A pleasure to meet you. My name is Ave. I just arrived in this town today, but I was an active adventurer in the next town over and earned the rank of C before coming here. I saw your recruitment board; it seems you're looking for people. It would be my pleasure to join the party of such beautiful women as yourselves."

Ave said in a condescending tone.

His words irritated me. We didn't seem that far apart in age, but for a C-rank to barely use honorifics with A-ranks, and on top of that, to say 'I'll do you the favor of joining?'—who did he think he was?

However, whether or not to let this guy in was their decision to make, not mine. With that in mind, I silently ate my meal.

Then, Tina said,

"Regarding your joining, you will not be accepted. Please leave."

Tina said, turning away.

At those words, Ave's whole body began to tremble.

"Wh-what did you say?! I'm known as a genius adventurer in my hometown! My job success rate is one hundred percent! No one has ever beaten me! How could you not accept me, a man who has been told he has a promising future!?"

Ave shouted loudly.

The people around us reacted to his loud voice and were looking at us. We had become a bit of a spectacle.

To his shouting, Tina replied,

"That's amazing. If you're so popular in your hometown, then instead of deliberately coming to this town, I recommend you spend the rest of your life as a genius adventurer in that town. Please leave."

Tina said, eating her meal without looking at Ave.

Enraged by her attitude, Ave turned to Tina and said,

"You... I was being polite because you're an A-rank with a beautiful face, and you're getting full of yourself!! You bitch!!"

Ave shouted as he swung his right fist.

Tina calmly prepared to deal with his action, but I caught Ave's fist with my left hand.

Surprised, Ave looked at me and said,

"What the hell are you doing?! Don't get in my way!!"

To the shouting Ave, I silently drove my right fist into his face.

My fist hit Ave, and he fell backward.

Seeing him, I said,

"Give it a rest. They refused your offer to join, didn't they? And yet you go on and on, boasting about yourself, and in the end, you resort to violence. You're pathetic."

At my words, the people around us chimed in.

"Yeah, that's right."

"Acting all high and mighty for a newcomer."

"Get the hell out of here."

A chorus of boos and insults erupted.

At the boos, Ave glared at me and then ran out of the guild.

After seeing him off, I returned to my seat and said,

"My apologies. That was your problem, but I went ahead and got involved."

I apologized to them.

He was a really annoying guy, and even if he had hit her, Tina-san could have handled it in any number of ways. But it's a fact that I couldn't stand it, and there was nothing I could do.

To my apology, Leona said,

"No, we're used to dealing with people who misunderstand things like that. And besides, we're very happy that you protected Tina. Right, Tina?"

At Leona's words, a blushing Tina said,

"Th-that's right. Thank you for protecting me. If I'm ever in trouble again in the future, will you help me?"

To Tina's slightly anxious words, I replied,

"If I can be of help, I'll assist you anytime. I'm sure we'll be relying on you if something happens to us, too. Right, Bardos?"

At those words, Bardos gave a thumbs-up.

Having received both of our agreements, Tina smiled like a flower in full bloom. I thought she was cute, but I've decided not to let myself be ruled by lust and do something I can't take back.

Begone, lust! Katsu!

And so, our meal ended, and we stood up from our seats.

As we were about to head to work, Bardos said,

"Sorry, Shinsuke, can you go on ahead to the gate? Something came up."

To Bardos's words, I gave a gesture of 'understood.'

Bardos then jogged off. I wondered what kind of business he had as I headed for the gate.

Meanwhile, in a back alley, 'Beautiful Sword' was gathered.

An unexpected intruder had appeared, but it was for the best. Because Shinsuke had protected Tina and they had made a promise to help each other if anything happened.

With that thought, Leona looked at Tina.

The person in question was blushing and seemed to have entered some kind of fantasy. I won't ask what it's about.

Nine times out of ten, it's about him.

Just then, Milfy said,

"By the way, that Ave person? He was insulting Tina-san, right? Did his skill not work on her?"

To that question, Leona replied,

"That's not it. That man used the word 'beautiful' in his insults. It's clear he was under its influence. He just got angry because his expectation that he wouldn't be refused was wrong. It's different from when Shinsuke shouted at Tina during the uproar. In fact, Tina only thinks about Shinsuke. Even now."

Leona said, turning her eyes to Tina.

From Tina's mouth, after saying, 'Shinsuke, me and...', she blushed and entered a fantasy.

The three of them were watching her with exasperation when they sensed a presence behind them. Tina also noticed the presence and tensed up.

And what emerged was Bardos.

"Yo. Sorry, but I overheard your conversation. It seems your leader is in love with Shinsuke."

At those words, they tensed up even more.

Leona addressed Bardos.

"How long have you known?"

To that question, Bardos replied,

"I found out after that pretty boy left. When Shinsuke and your leader were talking, she had a smile I'd never seen before, so I thought maybe... I came here alone to confirm."

Bardos said, gesturing to show that no one was behind him, and continued.

"If you like, I can help with that romance."

To Bardos's unexpected offer, Leona asked,

"Why? Why would you help? What are you thinking?"

To that question, Bardos replied,

"Well, there are two reasons. One is for Shinsuke's sake. That guy seemed to be interested in your leader. He said her armor and her physique suited it. I told him he might as well confess, but he replied, 'We're not in the same league.' So, I thought I'd help my partner's feelings come true."

At those words, Tina's face turned even redder.

She was surprised but happy that Shinsuke was interested in her. The content of his interest was purely about her armor, but she didn't seem to mind at all.

Amidst this, Leona said,

"I see. That's good to hear. And the second reason?"

At those words, Bardos smirked.

It was as if to say, 'Here's the real part.'

"The second reason is that if your love is fulfilled, Leona-san, I would like to challenge you to a fight."

To those words, Leona said,

"Are you so eager to fight that you would use your best friend?"

To Leona's exasperated voice, Bardos replied,

"If I didn't do this, you wouldn't fight me, right? I don't want to resort to these kinds of measures either, but I can't help but want to know with my own body just how strong you are. I'd like to fight your leader too, but she's too beautiful and it would be hard to fight her. But Leona-san, you're just right for me to learn that strength. So, how about it?"

Listening to his words, Leona said,

"Very well. To be honest, we can't just leave things as they are. It's good to have many collaborators, but too many is not good. In that case, it seems we can only rely on you, who are close to him. So, do you have a plan?"

To those words, Bardos replied,

"No. I'll leave the fine details to you. I'll just follow your instructions. That would be better, right?"

Leona's shoulders slumped at his reply.

Well, it was true that it was better for him to move according to their instructions rather than acting on his own.

In that case, Leona said,

"Then, you know that our notice is on the recruitment board, right? Please use that as a reason to somehow persuade him to join our party."

To that instruction, Bardos puffed out his chest and said, 'Leave it to me,' and then left the alley.

All that was left was to get him and Bardos to join the party, and then they would figure things out on their own, Leona thought. By the way, Tina was still red-faced and squirming.

'Let's go to work already,' Leona said, placing a hand on Tina's shoulder and dragging her away.

Milfy and Rumily walked together happily, watching the two of them.

And Shinsuke was waiting for Bardos in front of the gate. But his heart was not at ease. He felt someone's gaze on him.

He thought it was probably that guy and ignored the presence.