Ch. 162: The Conversation with the Townsfolk
We have completed upgrading our equipment and our training. Now, all that’s left is to head to Ligaleo.
…….even so, it’s still important to take care of any loose ends in Flowtier.
If we go to Ligaleo, we will most likely not be able to return for a few years at a time. Unlike Ferris and I who have only lived in Flowtier for less than a year, the other 3 have many things to attend to. Saying farewell to their friends, sorting through all their belongings, storing them, or getting rid of it ーー all those things, they have to finish before we go.
Of course, we can’t just focus on leaving and let our skills get rusty, so we all head out on expeditions periodically.
At first, we started off in the mid-region of the Altohern Mountain just like before we left Flowtier, but….as we saw each other’s growth in skill, we began hunting Demonic Creatures in the upper region.
Now, we are taking down a few Giants in a single day. A little while back, we ran into a rare Dragon and defeated it.
…….for the Dragon, I had to be front and center for the fight, but with this Party, we can take on Upper-Tier creatures and be able to handle that fight pretty solidly.
Rad: “Man, isn’t that all going well for you guys.”
Gawain: “You guys already reached the Upper Region? Our group didn’t mean to dawdle, but your group went straight over our heads.”
I was discussing this and that about our recent expeditions, and Mr. Rad and Mr. Gawain spoke their thoughts.
…….in Flowtier, these two lead the only other Parties that explore the Altohern region.
When we first began exploring the Altohern Mountain, the information these two provided benefited our Party greatly.
Today, we met at a bar we visited together a while back.
Before I head to Ligaleo, I wanted to go around and meet with the people I’ve gotten to known.
Henry: “Well, as for the members of my Party…….it’s a little embarrassing to say, but they have so much potential.”
Rad: “Ha! There’s no doubt about it. That Jend and Cyril, huh. When they first became Adventurers, I should have invited them over to our Party.”
Gawain: “.......putting Jend aside, we couldn’t invite someone as young and cute as that girl, and not expect problems to erupt with just men around.”
Rad chuckled as he imagined the situation unraveling as Gawain described it and nodded in agreement.
These two lead Parties with 5 or 6 men in each group. …….though she may still look too young, Cyril is still considered beautiful, and yeah……undoubtedly, throw her in a Party with just men, and you can expect the teamwork to start breaking down.
Sometimes, things would be different if they began the Party together, but when men and women group together, you can’t avoid those kinds of conflicts.
Henry: “Well, since we’ve been racking in the money, this bottle is on me. Can we let it go with that?” Rad: “Fine. …..oh, Henry, your glass is empty.”
Mr. Rad picked up the bottle of whiskey which still had about half left and turned towards me.
I raised my glass as he trickled the liquid inside to fill it up.
Rad: “But if you think about it, you can retire comfortably just hunting in the Altohern Mountain. Besides, since you guys are the only Adventurers that can hunt in the Upper Region, you’ll practically be celebrities in Flowtier. You’re throwing all that away to go to Ligaleo? You guys are crazy.”
Henry: “Well, that is true.”
I nod indifferently to Mr. Rad’s rather accurate portrayal of our Party’s decision.
If Cyril wasn’t here, I would have done exactly as he said. But maybe not hunt in the Upper Region.
Gawain: “........well, I understand the feeling of wanting to test your strength.”
Rad: “Ohhh, then Gawain, you’ll be heading to Ligaleo sometime too?” Gawain: “Unfortunately, I’m the only one in the Party who wants to. I don’t mind hiring the occasional help for expeditions, but I don’t want to join or form a new Party. I’ll stick with the guys in my Party.”
I sensed a strong will and trust towards his Party members in those words.
Henry: “Well, Mr. Gawain, please have more.”
Gawain: “Oh, thank you, Mr. Henry.” I took a little more ice than usual from the ice pail and placing it inside Mr. Gawain’s cup, I poured a little less whiskey than usual.
……..well, it’s because although Mr. Gawain looks stoic and serious, he throws terrible drunken fits.
Gawain: “............”
Oh, there wasn’t enough whiskey to his liking, and he poured himself more.
I glanced briefly at Mr. Rad and made eye contact.
Rad: “Oh, the liquor is great, but I’m getting hungry. Can we order some food?” Henry: “Yes, of course.” If there’s enough food in your stomach, you won’t be able to drink as much.
Gawain: “........I’m good with just the liquor.” Rad: “Oh, c’mon. Don’t be like that. Excuse meーー”
And Mr. Rad’s voice rang out towards one of the waitresses.
Rad: “Let’s see…..can we get the plate of assorted cheeses, the vegetable sticks, a steak, salad, and oh! A mixed sandwich would be good.”
Gawain: “Hey, hey, Rad. That’s way too much.”
Rad: “I’m in the mood to try out different things today. C’mon, you can have some too. It’s too much food for Henry and I.”
Gawain: “Fine….” Mr. Gawain nods slightly.
They’ve known each other for a while so I sensed some practiced maneuvers from Mr. Rad.
Rad: “And well, it’s disappointing since we just got to know you, but here’s to Henry and his Party’s success in Ligaleo.” Gawain: “Cheers.” The two raised their glasses, and I followed suit.
Henry: “And best of luck to your Parties with the expeditions here.”
Rad: “Yes, cheers!”
And our glasses lightly clanged together.
Afterwards……
Gawain: “Let’s go where we can meet some girls!” Mr. Gawain announced very loudly and boldly in the middle of the street, and with Mr. Rad in one arm and me in the otherーー
He dragged us into a brothel andーー
ーーI’m not at fault here.
<<<<>>>>
The Thomas Magecraft Shop was one of the most notable stores in Flowtier with a wide range of quality wares.
I was speaking with the store’s owner, Mr. Thomas, about my night with Mr. Rad and Mr. Gawain.
……those two know Mr. Thomas and his store well and come by here quite often. As I complain about Mr. Gawain’s sudden rampage across town, Mr. Thomas chuckled as he heard the news.
Thomas: “Well, that must have been quite a night. Mr. Gawain knows of his own bad habits, so it’s unusually for him to get so carried away…….I’m sure he was extremely disappointed to see you leave.”
Henry: “...........I highly doubt he had anything like that on his mind…..”
And I let out a deep sigh.
Henry: “.....oh, let me cut the chatter and get to work. So where should I put this large Magecraft Artifact?”
Thomas: “Oh yes, that was will be at the front of the store. Will that be okay?” Henry: “Of course. You can leave it to me.”
I carried the large, bulky Artifact slowly and carefully towards the front of the store has he directed.
Today, I came here to Mr. Thomas’ store to help him rearrange his products as an official Quest.
A little while ago, I popped in to the Church and saw Mr. Thomas putting in a Quest……and hearing what he needed, I took on the Quest.
Thomas: “And I know it’s after the fact, but is this really okay? Compared to other Quests for Heroic Warriors, this Quest is quite cheap in comparison.”
Henry: “Well, you really can’t find high paying Quests like that in a town like this in the first place.”
Drops from slaying strong Demonic Creatures, gathering materials in extremely dangerous environments, defeating Highest-Tiers or the like………these Quests have the best rewards, but you would not see Quests like that in Flowtier.
Henry: “And showing the Church that you have good relations with the people of the city earns you points.”
Due to the nature of our job, there are many Adventurers who are focused on increasing their strength. So stores like this put out Quests rearranging rooms and cleaning storage sheds, but there are not many Adventurers trusted with that job without some concerns or worries.
It’s not unheard of for some guys to pocket a few valuables or accidentally break stuff being too careless.
When I accepted the Quest, having Mr. Thomas enthusiastically ask the Church for me to take the Quest boosted my reputation.
Thomas: ‘Haha, that is true. There’s no merchant that can survive our line of work if you can’t build trust.”
Mr. Thomas nodded in agreement at my words.
………and well, it’s not an epiphany about Adventurers that I can brag about. It’s a very plain, very normal fact of life. ………..and because Adventurers tend to come from rough backgrounds, so these kinds of points are easier to get.
Henry: “Well, anyways, that’s how it is. …….so, Mr. Quest-Giver, which one should I carry next?”
Thomas: “Yes, let’s take care of these first. I was planning on closing down for 1 week to rearrange the floor, but now, I can re-open in 2 or 3 days at this rate.”
Mr. Thomas guided me with each item as I continued to carry them one by one.
As I carried the larger items, Mr. Thomas began rearranging the smaller products and their layout.
We began from early in the morning, and we worked till it was a little late for lunch……and we were able to finish moving all of the major items.
Thomas: “Thank you for all the hard work, Mr. Henry. Here, I poured you some tea. Please have some.”
Henry: “Yes, thank you so much.” We were in the breakroom of the store.
Carrying products was nerve-wrecking and wore me out in a different way, and I sunk down in my seat when Mr. Thomas came back from the back of the store.
I dumped a lot of sugar in my tea as I mixed and sipped greedily.
………and I did feel bad for ruining the general flavor of the tea, but the sweet liquid gave my fatigued body new strength.
Thomas: “Now, we just need my vendors to clean up and put up a new shelf…….and yes, I should be able to reopen my store the day after tomorrow.”
Henry: “Oh, wouldn’t that be too tight of a schedule?”
Thomas: “The vendor is someone I know quite well. As long as it’s outside of the regular busy season, they’re quite flexible.”
And as businessmen, I guess it’s natural that they have a lot of connections and working relationships. ……and it goes back to the importance of building trust that was mentioned earlier.
Thomas: “But it’s hard to believe you’re already going back to Ligaleo. Haha, do you remember what you told me when you first arrived here?”
Henry: “....oh, well…yes.”
Why did a Heroic Warrior want to settle his base operations in a town like this? I remember Mr. Thomas asked me something like that.
Ummm…..I said…..
[I actually completed my goal on the frontlines, so I wanted to spend the rest of my days in a safe town fighting sub-par creatures occasionally, or go search for raw materials as if I was going on a picnic or hike.]
……….yup.
If I hadn’t picked up a new goal, that’s exactly how I would have spent my days in Flowtier.
Looking back…….it’s not something I should have boasted out loud! I was way too excited feeling like I was finally free.
Thomas: “And Miss Cyril was one of the first people you met here, and you ended up courting her and decided to go back to the frontlines. I can’t help but feel that it was more than a coincidence.”
Henry: “ThーThat’s true….”
And to put another twist, she was the former Princess to my bygone home and Kingdom. ….yeah, it’s a really strange coincidence indeed.
Thomas: “All I can do now is just root for your success…….please be careful when you do return to the frontlines.”
Henry: “Yes, thank you so much.”
I nod gently at Mr. Thomas’s words.
Thomas: “Now then…..since we have finished way ahead of schedule, just having tea won’t do. …….shall we head to Nord’s?” Mr. Thomas made a gesture of drinking out of a mug.
Henry: “Yes, let’s.” I immediately nod in agreement.
And walking side by side with Mr. Thomas, we head to the Bear’s Keg Inn and drank sitting across from one another.
It was something I’ve done countless times since coming to Flowtier. Now, I silently wondered how many more times I would be able to do so in the future.
<<<<>>>>
CREDITS
Semi-retired Adventurer Lives Leisurely
Written by Hisagushien
Translated by: ChonkyTranslator
Japanese Title:
セミリタイアした冒険者はのんびり暮らしたい
作者: 久櫛緑（ヒサグシエン）
http://kuontenrin.ehoh.net/
Original Source:
https://ncode.syosetu.com/n1161ft/162/
Book 11: Preparation for the Conquest