Chapter 132 - Chapter 131: Kistil's Price
The Sun of the First Week of the Month of Fire.
It was not yet noon.
Mika stepped out from the entrance of the Adventurer's Guild and stretched his body widely.
"Hnn, nnnnnnnnnnnn..."
He inhaled deeply, then exhaled with a "hooo..."
About two weeks had passed since Mika received the epithet "Dispeller."
As Chirensta had said, during the first week, requests for curse removal poured in.
It seemed many clients accepted that the Guild had recognized Mika's power to remove curses because he held an epithet.
Twenty commissioned requests came in from all over the Kingdom within just one week.
However, he could not accept requests from too far away.
It would be possible if he flew there, but he did not want his ability to fly to be known yet.
So, he decided to allow a certain level of selection.
First, the requests Mika would prioritize accepting were limited to within the Royal Capital.
However, he allowed one exception to this rule.
"Stored at the Guild?"
Chirensta made a stunned face at Mika's proposal.
"Yes. Regarding curses residing in objects such as rings or figurines, if you collect them here at the Second Branch [here] and store them, I can accept requests even from outside the Royal Capital."
If it does not require the trouble of going to remove the curse one by one, he does not mind accepting requests from whoever the client is.
If they gather them in one place, he can remove them all at once in a single day.
Depending on how they gather, he could make a day filled with puzzles once a month.
Also, if they gather too much, he could come to collect them frequently himself.
If he puts them in a Magic Bag, the risk of theft would be low.
In that case, he could remove them at the dormitory after school like before, and return the removed items to the Guild to be given back to the clients.
"There is also that method, right?" Mika explained with a smile.
However, Chirensta's face twisted at Mika's proposal.
"...You want us to entrust cursed objects to the Guild?"
"I am not forcing you. Just avoid curses that are too severe or objects that are dangerous just by being left alone. It is fine if the Guild judges that they can be temporarily entrusted. Achieving as many commissioned requests as possible is good for the Guild, and above all, we can earn fees."
"Fees...?"
"If you explain to distant clients, 'Normally, we cannot accept this request, but if you do this, we can accept it. There will be a storage fee,' perhaps some people will ask even if it is slightly more expensive?"
"I-I see..."
Chirensta wiped the sweat from his forehead.
Right now, in Chirensta's head, he must be desperately calculating how much profit can be secured from the risks of curses, the risk of losing entrusted items, transportation costs, labor costs, and so on.
Since Mika made the proposal himself, he deliberately omitted explaining the portion "Mika would bear."
He wanted the Guild to collect cursed objects. At Mika's request.
Normally, it would not be strange for Mika to pay a fee for such a case.
But he would not foolishly bring it up himself.
Mika simply smiled brightly and waited for Chirensta's decision.
And so, about three cursed objects were delivered this week from relatively nearby towns.
Chirensta immediately went to speak with the Branch Manager, and the new service began.
It seemed Chirensta's high evaluation at the headquarters also had an influence.
The Branch Manager could not offer much opinion and had no choice but to accept.
"Three hundred and twenty thousand Rats for just about two hours. Is the world going crazy, or am I?"
After the removal of the three cursed objects ended, he muttered to himself.
Since Mika obtained his epithet, this was the fourth commissioned request he completed.
Last week, he normally handled one curse removal, and today, three cursed object removals.
The total reward was four million two hundred thousand Rats.
He was seriously wondering if it was really okay to be this easy.
By showing the basic policy that "I will only accept requests within the Royal Capital," a byproduct, or rather, a secondary effect was born.
Until now, commissioned requests were mostly the minimum of one million Rats, but now requests with I-Ro attached appeared.
Requests came in saying, "It is not that far from the Royal Capital, so I will add a little to the reward, please do it."
Of the three cursed objects removed today, two were requests with an additional one hundred thousand Rats each.
Among them, I am genuinely worried that I might get stabbed out of jealousy because I am making money too recklessly...
The removal of the cursed objects ended much faster than expected, and Mika found himself with too much time.
He had put his heart into finishing the removal of three cursed objects today, taking the whole day, but he felt a sense of anticlimax.
"What should I do...? Should I go visit Yaroibarov-san's place?"
It has been a while since he was treated to a feast for the epithet celebration, but is the timing bad...?
"Will it be busy at lunchtime? Well, I'll just peek in for a bit, and if it looks busy, I'll go again in the afternoon."
He heard that Yaroibarov's inn is not that busy during lunchtime.
The reason is that the guests staying there are all adventurers.
During the day, it is even possible that all guests have gone out.
However, since today is the Sun, some adventurers might be taking a day off.
He will take a quick peek, and if it looks busy, he will shift the time.
Mika started running towards Yaroibarov's inn.
Arriving at the inn, he peeked inside, but there were not that many guests in the dining hall.
Only five people were seated in two groups.
He peered into the kitchen from the entrance of the dining hall, and it did not seem that busy.
Though it did not seem like they were bored either.
Is Kistil on break? Yaroibarov-san is stirring the pot.
If Yaroibarov is in the kitchen, it would be bad to disturb him.
Just as Mika was about to withdraw and come back later, Yaroibarov spotted him with sharp eyes.
"Oh, you brat. You came at a good time. Wait a moment."
He was called out like that.
Mika tilted his head and decided to wait quietly as instructed.
Yaroibarov quickly finished cooking, told the child in the kitchen, "I'll leave the rest to you," and came over here.
Then, he went to the counter in the lobby with a serious-looking Yaroibarov.
"Brat, haven't you heard anything from Kistil?"
Yaroibarov started like that.
"Asked what? What happened to Kistil-san?"
"She quit."
"Huh?"
Quit?
"...What do you mean?"
"I asked if you hadn't heard, didn't I? It seems you haven't heard either, brat."
Why?
She worked so hard.
"This morning, she came much earlier than usual. She said, 'I'm quitting.' I tried to persuade her, but she just kept saying 'I'm quitting' and 'I'm sorry.' She wouldn't tell me the reason."
"You just let her go like that!?"
"She disappeared while I blinked. Since Kistil is gone, there is the problem of how to handle the replacement. There is a lot to do in the morning, and I can't just focus on Kistil, I'm sorry to say."
"That is true..."
No matter how considerate Yaroibarov is, there is a limit.
He cannot abandon the others just for Kistil.
Yaroibarov and Kistil are, after all, employer and employee.
He would lend a hand however much if help was requested, but if that hand was brushed off, there was nothing he could do.
"So, brat."
Yaroibarov looked at Mika with a serious face.
"You know Kistil's house, right?"
"Yes."
He had gone there many times to use [Heal] on Kistil's mother.
"Consider this a request from me to the 'Dispeller'."
Saying that, Yaroibarov's face changed from that of the innkeeper to that of an A-rank adventurer.
"Be of help to Kistil [that guy]. There must be some circumstances. But probably, I cannot step in. She won't let me step in."
Saying that, his eyes became slightly sad.
"But, you should be able to go, brat. You can enter the deepest part of Kistil."
When Yaroibarov declared strongly, Mika's body shivered.
Should I step in?
Such a doubt arose.
If you call it being intimidated, that is so.
But...
"The reward is whatever price you say---."
Thud!
Mika punched the waist of Yaroibarov in front of him.
"Ouch, that hurts."
"I'm going to get angry, you know?"
Mika looked up at Yaroibarov and glared at him.
"I don't need a reward for helping a friend. It's obviously free [Loh]."
When Mika said that, Yaroibarov grinned.
"I thought you'd say that."
"Of course."
When Mika spoke as if angry, Yaroibarov patted his head vigorously.
"If you need hands, tell me. If you need my name, you can use it. If you can do something, please do something about it."
"Why go to such lengths?"
Though he shouldn't say this, Yaroibarov would not have said these lines if it were just employer and employee.
Thinking that, he asked, and...
"I also grew up in a terrible environment when I was a kid. There were only things I couldn't do on my own, so I lived thinking, 'I want to become strong,' and 'I'm done with being arbitrarily taken away by someone else's convenience.'"
Yaroibarov's expression darkened.
This was the first time he had seen Yaroibarov like this.
He always seemed full of confidence, genuinely believing there was nothing he could not do.
He had such an impression, but it seems Yaroibarov also has a painful past.
"So, do you take in orphans?"
"Well, that is part of it."
Yaroibarov smiled sadly.
"But the main reason is that the running costs are cheap!"
"...You've ruined everything, this guy."
Mika gave a bitter smile.
It was probably to hide his embarrassment, but he wished he had given a different reason.
"I'm counting on you. It might be late already, but please do what you can."
"Understood."
Mika nodded firmly and ran out of Yaroibarov's inn.
Mika crossed the Southeast Main Street and headed for the South City Gate.
He knew the route passing through District 4.
...Should I take a shortcut?
Usually, he avoided the road passing through the pleasure district in District 4.
It was fine up to the pleasure district, but to get through to the South Main Street, he would have to pass through the brothel district beyond the pleasure district.
He had been avoiding passing through there for some reason.
I want to get to Kistil's house as soon as possible.
Thinking that, Mika turned onto the road entering the pleasure district.
Men drinking alcohol during the day as usual, their faces flushed red.
Women dressed in somewhat indecent attire, enticing such men, lined up at the side of the road.
Mika ran through the street lined with taverns and inns.
And then, he reached the entrance of the brothel district where he had turned back last time.
Mika felt somewhat awkward, lowered his gaze slightly, and ran without looking left or right as much as possible.
Some of the brothels lined up on both sides had lobbies visible from the outside, and he tried not to look at the women visible from there.
Even if he tried to avoid them, those women appeared in his field of vision, and some were almost naked, so he felt it would be rude to stare.
For a while, he just ran looking only forward, and finally, he could see the edge of the brothel district.
Mika let out a sigh of relief.
If I get through here, the South Main Street should be right there. Then to the South City Gate---!?
Mika suddenly stopped as if he had tripped.
Because he felt there was a familiar figure at the edge of his field of vision, which he tried not to look at.
Thinking it was impossible, he turned around forcefully.
There, a man and a woman who had entered the brothel street from a narrow alley.
One was a middle-aged man.
A messy head, wearing tattered clothes, a suspicious-looking man.
And the other one was...
"Kistil!?"
Mika involuntarily shouted.
Because there was a person who was the least suitable for such a place, and the last person he wanted to see.
Hearing Mika's voice, Kistil turned around with a surprised face.
"Mika-kun..."
Kistil seemed about to shout loudly at first, but then awkwardly lowered her head.
"Why..."
The words "Why are you in a place like this?" did not come out of her mouth.
It was such a shock.
His head felt like it was going crazy from the confusion.
"No good. You can't stay in a place like this. Let's go home."
Saying that, Mika ran towards Kistil and tried to take her hand.
The middle-aged man blocked him.
"What is this kid? Is he an acquaintance of Kistil's?"
At the man's familiar attitude, Mika's blood rushed to his head in an instant.
"Don't you call Kistil-san so familiarly, you scum...!"
"Aaah!?"
Mika glared at the man and took Kistil's hand.
"Kid! Get lost!"
Mika grabbed the man's hand that tried to grab his shoulder, twisted it, and at the same time quickly moved to the side, kicked his knee from behind to break his stance, and restrained him.
"It hurts! W-what are you doing, you kid!"
"No! Mika-kun!"
Kistil clung to Mika's arm and tried to shield the man.
"Why...?"
Why was she shielding such a guy?
Kistil made a face as if she was enduring pain.
"...He is... my father..."
"Huh?"
This guy?
Kistil's father?
Mika blinked his eyes.
Um...
Did I make a huge mistake?
Hehe.
When Mika let go of his hand, Kistil's father stood up while rubbing his arm and slapped Mika.
But he dodged it lightly.
...I understand the feeling of wanting to retaliate, but I don't want to get hit either.
The father glared at Mika, clicked his tongue, and roughly grabbed Kistil's arm.
"Let's go!"
Pulling the confused Kistil, the father headed deeper into the brothel street.
"W-wait, wait!"
Mika also grabbed Kistil's arm to stop her.
"Do you know where this is? This is not a place for a father and daughter to come together!?"
"Shut up! I've been telling you since before! This kid!"
The father tried to grab Mika's arm, so he instinctively stepped back.
"What are you thinking! What are you doing!?"
"Cut it out! I'll kill you!?"
The father flew into a rage and swung a punch at Mika.
Mika quickly dodged it and stood to shield Kistil.
"Please, calm down. Nothing can be done in a place like this, let's move to another place---"
"I told you to get lost! What I do with my kid is my business, isn't it!?"
"...Huh?"
Mika involuntarily turned around and looked at Kistil.
Kistil had the face she had shown before, trying to hold back tears.
No, looking closely, Kistil's eyes were swollen.
Her eyes were also slightly red.
Maybe she had been crying just a moment ago.
"...What is going on?"
Mika asked, but Kistil lowered her head and fell silent.
"There is a brothel [shop] that says they will buy Kistil [that one] for a high price! They say someone will buy her for over three million Rats! Isn't she a filial daughter, huh?"
The father laughed as if proud that his daughter had fetched a high price.
Kistil tightly closed her eyes and heard her father's words.
"...Selling his daughter?"
"Yes, that's right. If you understand, kid, go away. The appointment time is coming soon."
Thump!
Hearing his father's words, his heart jumped.
Thump-thump-thump...!
The blood pushed out from his heart increased in momentum as if it would burst all the blood vessels in his body.
He felt himself overflowing with dark emotions.
Mika looked at Kistil's father with eyes filled with hatred.
This hatred was surely not for the man standing in front of him.
Wody Noisheim.
The man who sold Mika's father, Amalia, and Loretta.
The anger and hatred that had welled up in Mika when he heard Wody's story in the past were replaced by hatred for the man in front of him.
Dark emotions swirled in his chest.
It was to the point where if he did not spit it out, Mika himself would go crazy.
Zash...
As Mika took one step towards the father, Kistil grabbed Mika's arm.
And she shook her head weakly.
"...Thank you, Mika-kun. But it's okay now."
She muttered as if giving up.
And a single tear flowed from those eyes.
Seeing Kistil's tear of resignation, the anger and hatred in Mika rapidly deflated.
His back teeth ground together.
"...Four... million..."
The father grimaced at Mika's mutter.
"Huh!?"
Mika glared sharply at the father.
"Four million Rats. I'm saying I'll buy her."
"Haaaa!? Don't joke!?"
"Mika, kun...?"
The father looked suspicious at Mika's words, and Kistil was confused.
"How could a kid like you have that kind of money!? Stop talking nonsense!"
While looking at the father with a cold eye, Mika took out the largest tag bag from the Magic Bag.
From that bag, he took out a smaller bag.
Mika took four large gold coins in his hand and showed them.
"Four large gold coins. Four million Rats. Do you have any complaints with this?"
"Don't joke! How could a kid like you have large gold coins!?"
The father spat saliva and shouted loudly.
Mika sighed and put the large gold coins back in the bag.
Then, this time he took out a heavy, large bag.
"Do you know how serious the crime of counterfeiting currency is? Well, never mind. Then it is forty gold coins. You won't have any complaints with this, right."
Exactly fifty gold coins were put in the bag containing the gold coins.
Mika quickly took out ten coins and threw the rest, along with the bag, to the father.
The father hurriedly caught the bag and widened his eyes.
Then, he started counting the gold coins enthusiastically on the roadside.
"Seriously... haha... there are really forty gold coins. Hahaha, hahahaha..."
His face was filled with ugliness and joy.
Mika took Kistil's hand and ran as is.
"A, Mika-kun!?"
Pulling the confused Kistil's hand, Mika entered a narrow alley.