kscans

Chapter 39 - Gratitude and a Festival

The battle with the Kraken was over.

Once we reached the beach, we took another look at the Kraken's sheer size.

It was as tall as a two- or three-story building, with tentacles thick enough to easily crush an adult elephant. I'd never seen anything so massive. Even on Earth, squids like this were rare, but one so huge and with such incredible abilities simply didn't exist there.

"I wonder what the Kraken was doing in this sea," Tina mused. "It's a monster that's supposed to live in the northern oceans. It's strange for it to be here just sinking ships."

She fell into thought for a moment.

I heard her and found it curious, but I didn't dwell on it. Animals typically stay within their native habitat—their territory. However, they might move due to changes in food supply or their environment.

That's exactly how it works with fish on Earth. They travel to different waters and then return to their original homes. It's common knowledge there.

In the brief silence, Bardos spoke up.

"I don't get all the complicated stuff. All I know is I'm starving. Let's hurry up and eat."

He said, rubbing his stomach.

We all thought, Yeah, he's right, and started to prepare. We built a bonfire larger than usual and lit it. The flames roared to life, generating more than enough heat to grill a giant squid. We sliced off a tentacle into palm-sized pieces, skewered them, and waited for them to cook. After a while, they were grilled to perfection.

We took them off the skewers, handed them out, and all took a bite at the same time.

The flavor was simple. The texture was rubbery, but not so tough that you couldn't bite through it. After a good deal of chewing, I swallowed. It wasn't inedible.

In fact, it was kind of addictive. Everyone else seemed to be eating with similar expressions. Just then, we heard the sound of galloping horses coming from the forest.

The sound grew closer, and it was more than one horse. Everyone else must have heard it too, because they all had their weapons in hand, ready for a fight. It could be bandits.

As I thought this, a group of armed people emerged from the forest, led by a dark-skinned woman in an amazon-like outfit and a cape.

We immediately stood up and readied our weapons, but the woman called out.

"Wait! We're from the guild in the port town. I'm the Guild Master. We need to speak with you about your successful subjugation of the Kraken."

With that, the Guild Master dismounted.

Her companions also dismounted, disarmed themselves, and showed that they meant no harm. We remained wary but lowered our weapons. I glanced at Tina. My eyes asked, Can I leave this to you? She nodded. In situations like this, the experienced Tina was our best bet.

Tina stepped forward.

"A pleasure to meet you, Guild Master-san. I am Tina, leader of Beautiful Sword. You mentioned the successful subjugation of the Kraken, but I don't believe there was any request for it at the guild."

Tina had glanced at the request board when we were at the guild earlier and knew there was nothing about a Kraken.

The Guild Master looked puzzled by her statement.

"? The Kraken subjugation is designated as a free subjugation. My guild doesn't have a poster for it, because no one would accept it even if we did. That's why posters have been issued to other guilds. Tina-san, you're registered in Alum, correct? Did you not check there?"

At her words, Tina replied, "? No, there was no such poster when we left the city. But that was six days ago."

The Guild Master pondered this.

"In that case, it must have been posted after you left. Still, to subjugate it without even knowing... The members of Beautiful Sword are truly just as the rumors say—models for all adventurers."

Having reached her conclusion, the Guild Master beamed. The people behind her looked impressed, their gazes filled with respect. We, on the other hand, felt a bit awkward. After all, we had no idea it was a free subjugation. As I was thinking this, the Guild Master turned to her people.

"You there! Report to the townspeople at once! Tell them that the members of Beautiful Sword have successfully defeated the Kraken, and that we will hold a victory celebration right here on this beach! Tell them to bring alcohol, of course. As for food, we have Kraken meat, so have them bring anything that would pair well with it."

At the Guild Master's command, one of the adventurers nodded and galloped off on his horse.

Tina, hearing this, interjected.

"Wait a moment. To hold a festival over a Kraken subjugation... isn't that a bit excessive?"

To her question, the Guild Master replied, "What are you saying?! The Kraken appeared eleven days ago! The people of the town were so deep in despair they had lost the will to live! Then, Beautiful Sword and two mysterious companions appeared!! After a desperate battle, you magnificently defeated it. There is no one who wouldn't rejoice at this!"

"And especially, one of the two mysterious companions fought the Kraken naked and sliced it in two with fire magic! The cheers were deafening! Speaking of which, that naked man is right there. Are you the one in the strange armor?"

She was pointing at me. My current attire was a set of Japanese-style armor.

In this world, it certainly was a strange sight.

"Well, yes, that's me. But I'd appreciate it if you'd stop calling me 'the naked man.' That was a swimsuit. In my homeland, it's what we wear to swim freely in the ocean without drowning. I've heard from Tina that you don't see them in this country, but I'd really rather you not keep calling me naked."

The Guild Master responded, "I see. So you're from another country. A pleasure to meet you. I am the Guild Master of the port town of Agur. By the way, I noticed you addressed the leader of Beautiful Sword by her first name. What is your relationship?"

I hesitated, unsure how to answer, but Tina stepped in.

"This man is, um, my... my lover."

She said, her face turning bright red. I felt my own cheeks warm up and scratched my nose.

Seeing our reactions, the Guild Master said, "I-Is that so? Tina-san's lover! My apologies, that was rude of me. If he is someone you acknowledge, he must be a formidable warrior. After all, he is the one who defeated the Kraken. On behalf of the town, thank you, truly."

The Guild Master bowed her head in gratitude. We gestured for her not to worry about it.

Then I spoke up.

"Guild Master. I have a favor to ask. Could you make it so that Beautiful Sword gets the credit for this Kraken subjugation?"

At my proposal, the Guild Master's face contorted in shock.

"Wh-Why would you say such a thing?! I cannot make a false report! I can't do that!!"

She said, her expression fierce.

She had a point. Making a false report meant lying to her superiors. If that came out, she wouldn't just lose her credibility; she'd lose her job. I understood that.

But still, I pressed on.

"I understand what you're saying. However, I'm a rookie who's only been an adventurer for about half a year. I came to this country two years ago and spent that time training to get stronger, but I have no intention of making a name for myself as an adventurer."

"My rank is B right now, but I don't want to stand out any more than I already have. More importantly, my main profession is being a hunter, so I don't want to take on more work as an adventurer. This Kraken subjugation was done as a hunter, not as an adventurer."

The Guild Master was not convinced.

"But a false report affects the credibility of not just me, but the entire guild. I can't say I don't understand your desire to avoid attention, but... at the very least, I will report the truth about you to my superiors. What happens after that is up to you."

The Guild Master said, her eyes serious. In other words, if I wanted to stay out of the limelight, I had to convince them myself. I looked to Tina.

Sensing my intent, she said, "It will be difficult. If this subjugation is a free one, we'll undoubtedly be summoned to the royal castle. Let's think about it together before then."

She placed a hand on my shoulder as she spoke. It was her way of telling me to prepare myself. Although she said we'd think about it together, her expression seemed to say, Give up. It felt like she was foreshadowing what was to come. At that moment, a lone horse and its rider—a soldier—emerged from the forest.

Everyone's gaze turned to the soldier as he approached.

"I am a Captain of the Kingdom's army. I have come to inquire about the details of the Kraken's subjugation."

The Captain dismounted as he spoke. I figured they must have been monitoring the Kraken. For a monster that had caused so much damage, it wasn't surprising they'd have it under surveillance.

Tina stepped forward.

"A pleasure to meet you, Captain. I am Tina, leader of Beautiful Sword. I will explain the situation."

Seeing Tina, the Captain responded, "Ah, the famous A-rank adventurer. It is an honor to meet you. You are as beautiful as the rumors say. Ahem, my apologies, let's get back on topic. To reiterate, I'm sorry to trouble you, but please, provide your explanation."

The Captain spoke to Tina with perfect etiquette. I observed their exchange from a distance. I was worried about the idea of leaving all future negotiations to Tina.

There would surely be times when Tina wasn't around, and I'd have to negotiate or explain things myself. To prepare for that, I had to watch and learn as much as I could from her. After a while, the Captain's gaze turned to me.

He walked over.

"A pleasure to meet you, Shinsuke-dono. On behalf of the soldiers of this country, I offer you our thanks for subjugating the Kraken. Thank you."

The Captain bowed his head. I gestured with my hand to say, Don't mention it. Still, for a Captain who was older than me, his manners were impeccable.

I had the impression from history classes that medieval soldiers were arrogant and overbearing, but the man before me was the model of politeness.

Faced with such a person, I replied, "Not at all. I'm a hunter before I'm an adventurer. It's my job to hunt monsters that harm people. I don't think I did anything so grand. So please, don't be so formal."

I spoke with a slight step back in my tone. It would be wrong of me to act arrogantly in front of such a polite person; I had no desire to do so. The Captain raised his head and looked at me.

"I see. You are truly worthy of the leader of Beautiful Sword's admiration. I am impressed. I have had my subordinates report on your deeds. Of course, I told them to omit the part about you fighting naked, but it will come out eventually."

"So, I have a proposal. Let's spread the word that your attire is a combat style for fighting at sea in your homeland. It's common knowledge that customs differ by country, or even by region. I will also do my part to help spread this heroic tale of yours."

The Captain saluted. I was all for spreading the correct story about my attire. It was just too embarrassing to be known as the guy who fought naked. While I didn't like the idea of becoming famous for a heroic tale, I had to choose the lesser of two evils.

I decided to accept his offer.

After a while, a large number of people emerged from the forest. Some were pulling carts. As soon as they saw the Kraken's carcass, they gasped in shock and then erupted in joyous cheers. Tables were set up all over the beach, and alcohol and food were placed upon them.

The people in charge of cooking began to prepare the Kraken meat, which was soon laid out for everyone. The beach turned into a lively scene, like a banquet, or rather, a festival.

Far from the beach, out in the open sea, a monster observed the shore, its upper body protruding from the water.

It was Daios the Sea General.

"I see. To defeat the Kraken, even with the help of his companions... quite interesting. I would like to meet him someday, if I have the chance."

With those words, he disappeared back into the sea.