Published at 20th of November 2020 10:34:26 PM
Chapter 57
ranslator: SFBaka
Editor: Thor’s Stone
We’re taking a break from monster hunting today, so I’m taking it easy this morning . Since Karinsan will be coming over to fetch us at ten, we can’t wander around outside the inn at this time . It looks like everyone’s going to get some sword practice out in the yard after we had our breakfast .
Since I had something to check with Iris, I ended up holed up inside my room .
(Iris, can you pinpoint the current position of Cleria’s royal guards?)
『I currently cannot . But I can anticipate the roads they may take along the way . Do you want to send out some drones, captain?』
(How long will it take to find them?)
『We should be able to find their location in about thirty minutes or so . 』
(Great . Send them out then . )
『We found them . 』
Well, that was fast . It’s only been ten minutes or so since we started the search .
Then I watched the live footage taken by the drone through a virtual window and zoomed in on a single man riding on horseback . It really was Captain Dalshim .
When I panned out the image, I discovered a group consisting of about twenty horses pulling carriages traveling speedily on the road . Since the carriages didn’t have roofs, I was able to confirm the number of people as well .
And there was another similar-looking group traveling two hundred meters behind the first one . They may have made some distance from each other, but they were traveling in the same direction . They probably did so to avoid suspicions since a group of more than fifty people traveling together may seem quite strange in other’s eyes .
Hm? That’s strange? Aren’t their numbers a bit too much? If only 58 people were coming, then dividing into three groups should be enough . But why are there actually more than three groups following after each other?
(Can you check exactly how many people are there?)
The live feed sent back by the drone moved closer to the highway . Whoah, isn’t it flying too low? Even if it’s concealing itself through stealth mode, the engine sounds can’t be masked, and it looks like it spooked the people since they were scanning the sky warily as if looking for the source of the noise .
『Numbers confirmed . There are one hundred people in total . 』
(Are you sure they are all from the same group? Maybe they’ve mixed with unrelated people while traveling . )
『That is probably unlikely . I have spotted the royal members we met in Gotania traveling together with all of the different groups . 』
Iris then displayed the faces of the royal guards we met in Gotania on half of the screen . Hm . Yep, they’re all there alright . It looks like there’s no mistake .
But what’s going on? Did they take an escort request or something?
(Can you spot people not wearing armor?)
『There are none . 』
All one hundred people were displayed on the virtual HUD . Oh! There are some women with them as well . Are they all Elna’s colleagues?
If there were some people not wearing armor and weapons mixed in, then we could surmise that they’ve undertaken an escort request, but since there were none, I suppose they all really were part of the same group .
Their number being exactly one hundred people seemed deliberate, and all of them had the air of experienced soldiers .
Well, this sure was a surprise .
When I mentioned wanting to procure a base, I was only expecting the 58 royal guard members, but I didn’t think their number would actually exceed that .
They probably thought 58 won’t cut it and looked for more members to join up .
They were probably from the army of the late margrave that was mentioned by Roberto back then .
It would be great if the potential base we will be checking out later could actually house all one hundred people, but if not… But we can’t do anything about it since they’re already coming . There’s no helping it anymore .
(How much time before they arrive here on Gantz?)
『Approximately twenty-three days, captain . 』
That’s faster than I expected . Well, it’s Captain Dalshim after all . He might be urging them to pick up the pace .
(Check the position of the group once every day for me . Inform me if they run into any trouble . )
『Understood . 』
(And I’m sure you’ve heard as well Iris, but we’ve taken up a request to produce a liquor with high alcohol content . )
Iris used Selena to check out the state of our group from time to time with her permission via linking with her and utilizing her as a sort of biological terminal .
『…Yes, I’m aware . 』
(Can you design an alcohol distiller that can be manufactured by this planet’s blacksmiths using local techniques and materials . )
『Like this? But as I have not yet had the opportunity to check out the tools that the local blacksmiths use, I cannot guarantee whether or not they can make this . 』
The image of the distiller’s blueprint was displayed on the virtual HUD . Hou, so ancient distillers looked like this huh . It had the appearance of a slightly distorted copper kettle .
If you heat wine and other alcoholic beverages, the alcohol evaporates first . Purified alcohol can be obtained by inducing the evaporated gas into another container, cooling it, and returning it into a liquid form . And the equipment which can facilitate such a process is a distiller like this .
(Come to think of it, that’s right, isn’t it? I’ll go visit a local blacksmith’s workshop once I get a chance . Let’s settle on this design for the time being . Make it a bit smaller… No, a bit bigger than that… There we go . If you print out an instruction manual regarding the assembly of a distiller this size, how many pages would it be?)
『It would be 153 pages . Additional user instructions will take up another 57 pages by the way . 』
Man, that’s a lot . So it’ll be 200 pages huh . No, I bet it’ll get longer if the knowledge regarding alcohol production was included as well .
Oh, man . 1,500,000 Guineas might have been a bit too cheap .
(Fine . Get the data regarding the liquor I drank yesterday from Nanom . )
『Data obtained . 』
(What’s its exact alcohol content?)
『About 21% . 』
(Okay then . The one we will produce needs a bit more . Let’s see . Make it about 25% . I bet they’ll find the liquor more delicious with that . I surmised the basic process of making the liquor yesterday was adding distilled alcohol with this world’s regular wine, but I’d like you to research the details more if you could . )
『Excuse me, captain . I do not have the faculty to judge whether or not an alcoholic drink tastes ‘good’ . I certainly have data regarding the brewing equipment and manufacturing processes that you humans use, but I do not have the know-how to brew a drink that the people of this planet would find ‘good’ by using locally secured ingredients, and this distiller we’ve designed . 』
(I know . I’m planning on sampling all kinds of different local liquors these coming days . I want you to base the research on the data we’ll obtain from sampling those . You surely have some data for the beverages that are rated highly back at the empire, right? Just try to reproduce a drink based on one of those . )
『Even if we do have some data on hand, an appropriate evaluation program is lacking, so I don’t believe it will go as smoothly as you hope, captain . 』
(There’s still some system resources that are not in use, right? Build a simulation module with those and use it for the research project . )
A simulation module is a system that can create a stand-alone virtual world that completely simulates the same conditions as the real world in cyberspace, so one can perform various experiments and verification processes in that environment . Since it’s completely virtual, you can freely adjust the time dilation to suit your needs . It does, however, use up a ton of processing power, so it isn’t normally utilized unless it’s for a grand undertaking of some sort .
『Are we really going to build a simulation module for something like this?』
(Don’t say it like that, Iris . This matter is vital for securing funds for our future activities . Also, although it would only cause small ripples at best, it will lead to an improvement of this planet’s science and technology, and that’s also one of the main goals of our long-term operations . )
『…Understood . I will do it then . 』
I somehow managed to convince Iris . I then proceeded to recommend some of my personal favorite liquors to Iris . Before long, the time set by Karinsan for today’s appointment arrived .
When Karinsan came to the inn, she also brought a guy who looked very much like a craftsman with her .
“Alan, this is the craftsman we told you about yesterday . His name is Turk-san . ”
“It’s nice to meet you, sir . My name is Alan . ”
“The name’s Turk . Nice to meet you too, lad . ”
Let’s hand over the hairdryers first before anything else .
“Karinsan . Here are the magic tools you ordered yesterday . These magic tools are called hairdryers . ”
I took up one box and opened it to show them the contents . I also gave them a demo . Of course, both units were working perfectly . The magic stone batteries are included for free as an extra service .
“Yes, thank you . Here’s the payment . ”
She gave me a small leather pouch . There were four gold coins inside .
“Yes, certainly . ”
After that, we headed out for the base . The carriage we took was pretty big, so it had no problems housing all of us . After about five minutes on the streets, the carriage finally stopped in front of a large four-story brick building .
There’s a big, wide-open square in front of the building, and there was a facility resembling a stable on the side of the said square, and it looked like it could house quite a few horses . There were already more than ten craftsmen standing around the building and discussing with one another . They were probably the other craftsmen commissioned to renovate this place . Silas-san sure works fast .
“This is the property we talked about yesterday evening,” Karinsan pointed out .
“It’s bigger than I expected . ”
“Yes, it’s quite big indeed . A facility this huge is actually quite rare even in Gantz . Well then, let’s have a look inside . ”
The seven of us then entered the building . Karinsan was in the lead and entered a room near the main entrance .
“This is what a standard room looks like in this building . ”
The room measured four meters on each side, had two double bunk beds installed opposite each other, and a table and four chairs placed at the center . Hou, so there was already furniture available even though they looked used . I thought the rooms would actually be empty .
Turk-san checked the current state of the beds, tables, and chairs .
“If all the furniture here is like these ones, then it would be enough to just fix them up a bit and repaint them, I think . We’ll have to replace the beddings though . ”
“I see . Okay . Let’s use whatever we can still use . ”
We then proceeded to check out the other rooms . Each room was roughly similar to the one we first saw . Turk-san seemed to be jotting down some notes on a memo of sorts . Maybe he’s taking count .
“This is the room used as the dining area . ”
The room was relatively large and housed four long tables . Each table could probably seat around thirty people .
“We can also still use the tables and chairs here,” Turk-san declared .
Well, since they were still in use until two months ago, there should be nothing that was already broken down .
We also checked out the kitchen and storage room . It looks like there’s no problem .
“This is the bathroom . ”
Oh! I nearly forgot the most important thing! Baths are extremely important y’know .
The large bath seemed like it could accommodate more than ten people, so it looks like there’s no problem here either .
“Is this a bath that can be heated up via magic stones?” I asked . This is also an important point .
“Let’s see . The guild will shoulder renovating the bath area for you . ”
Oh, okay . No problem then . We have quite a substantial supply of magic stones anyway .
“Is there a bath area exclusive for women?” Sharon asked .
“Right now, there’s none . If it’s necessary, then shall I have the guild prepare one as well?”
Everyone turned their gaze toward me . Man . That sure is some pressure .
“Yeah, please . By all means . ”
“Understood . Let’s turn one of the vacant rooms into one then . ”
“Thank you very much . ”
We went up to the 2nd and 3rd floors, but they looked mostly the same as the first . Lastly, we went to the 4th floor .
“This floor was used by the executives of the Clan . ”
The size of the rooms was the same as the other floors, but only one double bunk bed was inside . So even executive-use rooms had double bunks?
“This is the exclusive room of the Clan leader . ”
The rooms were twice the size of the others and had a desk, chairs, a long couch, and a large table . This was probably also used for meetings by the Clan executives .
“Now we’ve finished checking all of the rooms . The guild will check all of the furnishings inside the rooms and refurbish them . ”
That’s great . By the way, there were twenty-eight rooms that could house four people each . In other words, the rooms will be able to accommodate a total of 112 people .
“So how many of them should we work on?” Turk-san asked to confirm .
“Please work on all of the rooms . ”
“Alan, isn’t that too much? It’s only going to be 63 people, so we won’t even be able to fill up half the rooms,” Elna pointed out .
It looks like Elna was keeping count as well .
“Who knows . Maybe the number of members will increase in the future . Anyway, it’s better to have some leeway here . ”
After hearing my reason, it looks like the rest were somehow convinced . But in truth, I already know that we’ll be filling up about 70 to 80% of the rooms . Oh well .
“Um, Karinsan, can I ask you a general question? For example, if this place ends up housing about 100 or so adventurers, how many staff would be needed to take care of things like cooking, cleaning, laundry, and taking care of horses?”
“You’ll need at least ten people . If you want, the Commerce Guild can introduce some competent staff to you . ”
“Yeah, that’ll help a lot . Well then, please introduce thirteen people for now . ”
Karinsan displayed a doubtful expression when she heard the number I proposed .
“Understood . I will have the guild look for suitable people and bring them here . When shall they begin their employment?” Karinsan asked .
“When will the renovation be completed?”
“I can’t say for sure yet, but it’s tentatively scheduled for twenty days or so,” Karinsan answered .
“Okay . Let’s have them start after twenty days then . ”
“Understood . By the way, the average daily wage should be about 100 Guineas per person . ”
“Got it . We’ll be counting on you then . ”
Next is the furniture .
“This is a rough estimate, but repairing all the furniture in each room will cost about 70,000 to 80,000 Guineas . Anyway, it shouldn’t exceed a hundred thousand,” Turk-san informed .
“Understood . Please take care of it then . If possible, have the repairs finished after twenty days as well . ”
“Alright . It probably won’t take that long anyway . We’ll start work by tomorrow . ”
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Turk-san then told me the location of his workshop in case there was something I needed to discuss with him later on .
With this, our inspection was over . The ladies told me they wanted to look around the place some more, and Karinsan and Turk-san left together .
“This is amazing, Alan! So this will serve as our base from now on!” Cleria gushed in excitement .
“I didn’t think it would be this large . Risama, if I remember correctly, members call a Clan base as ‘Home’ . ”
“I see . So this is our ‘Home’…”
“Oh, so they call it Home huh . So that’ll make it Shining Star’s Home then . Hm? What about the Clan name though? Do we have to think up something new for it?”
“No, Clans normally use the name of the leading party as their name as well . That’s why Shining Star’s Home should be appropriate . ”
“I see… But doesn’t that mean we’ll have to introduce ourselves as Shining Star Clan’s Shining Star party? Isn’t that redundant?”
“But that’s just how it is . It’s a longstanding custom . It can’t be helped . ”
“I see . Alright . If everyone else is doing it, then I guess there’s no problem . ”
We ended up going over the first up to the fourth floor again by ourselves .
“By the way, are we now considered the Clan’s executives?” Sharon asked .
“But of course,” Elna asserted .
“Okay then . That means we’ll be living in the rooms here on the fourth floor . ”
“Since there are a lot of vacant rooms, do you want to have a room to yourselves?”
“We don’t mind sharing a room like before,” Sharon said . Selena nodded in agreement .
“That’s right . We don’t mind sharing a room like always as well,” Cleria followed up .
“So I’ll be the only one who has a room to myself huh . ”
“You’re the leader Alan, so having a room for yourself is okay,” Elna quipped .
Everyone then went ahead and chose their rooms .
“If you have a particular piece of furniture or other things in mind, go ahead and tell me, okay . I’ll try to get them for you . ”
“I want something to store clothes in,” Sharon answered .
“”Me too!””
“Yeah, alright . Okay, Sharon . Write down all the things you girls want on a piece of paper and hand it to me . I’ll consult with Turk-san about them tomorrow . ”
“Understood . ”
I also have some stuff I want to be made for the kitchen . Since we’ll be living with a hundred people, there’s a need for several stove magic tools for cooking meals
We’ll also need a large refrigerating magic tool to store ingredients in . It would be nice if it had a freezer included as well . Actually, can I make them myself? Oh, and we’ll need mixers too .
Right, we also need quite a few light magic tools for illumination inside the building . I guess I’ll have to make them myself .
After checking everything out again, everyone seemed to be satisfied .
I was planning on registering with the Commerce Guild and thought to go there by myself, but the others offered to accompany me . We decided to have some lunch along the way .
We went out of the base, uh, Home, and found an eatery just outside, so we decided to dine there .
“Welcome! Table for five?”
There weren’t any other diners inside the eatery . We nodded and took our seats . The eatery had no menu and there was only a sign which said that a meal costs ten Guineas per serving .
After a short while, our meals were served . The meal was stir-fried Big Boar meat and veggies . There was some soup and a big slice of bread as sides . I also ordered wine for myself .
“This is delicious!” Sharon exclaimed .
“Yep, it’s good . ”
The flavoring was simple and consisted of garlic, salt, and pepper . The stir-fried veggies were exquisite and kept their crispness fairly well . The Big Boar meat was also cooked expertly .
The middle-aged proprietor seems to have heard us and went out of the kitchen .
“So what do you think of our specialty?” he asked in good spirits .
Man . It’s not like you didn’t hear our praise earlier . Fine, I’ll humor you . His smile was a bit annoying though .
“It’s delicious . ”
“Isn’t it? It’s definitely not bad . But there are still no customers coming . ”
“Why though?”
“Because my best ones have all gone their separate ways, y’see . You heard about Great Storm disbanding, right? We basically went down with them . Most of our regulars were Great Storm members after all . ”
Maybe this guy was just naturally gossipy . But we’re still having a meal here, so I wish he’d get a clue .
“Oh, so that Clan was…”
“Yeah . What do you think, sir? Should I already close up shop?”
You can do whatever you please, man . Tsk . Can’t be helped . I’ll give him a bit of a tip .
“Actually, there’s going to be a new Clan renting out that building . ”
“Eh!? Are you serious!? Do you know which Clan it is?”
“Yep . It’s a Clan named Shining Star . ”
“Shining Star? …Can’t say I’ve heard of em . Are you familiar with them, sir?” the proprietor asked .
“…Yeah . We’re actually part of it . ”
“Oh! So that’s it! It’s reliable info then! When are they moving? How many people would there be?”
“The rest should be arriving after about twenty days . As for how many… There should be at least more than sixty people . ”
“Sixty people! That’s quite a lot! I see I see, so that many huh . Oh, right . You guys are members, correct? Can you introduce me to the Clan leader once they arrive? I want to talk with him at least once . It won’t be for free of course . That’s right! I’ll make this meal free of charge . How about that?”
Well, I guess a free meal is always a good thing .
“Sure . By the way, I’m the Clan leader . ”
“Eh!? You? Err, hello there, sir . ”
“Yeah . I’m Alan, by the way . We’ll be in your care . ”
With this, we got ourselves a free meal .
“But we’re planning on shouldering the three meals of the Clan members ourselves so there might not be that much of an increase in your customers . ”
“Eh!? Now that’s just cruel, sir!”
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“Are you really going to provide all three daily meals for the entire Clan?” Elna asked .
“Yeah . Why?”
“That’s curious . This is only the norm in cities, but most establishments usually provide only two meals per day . That will be breakfast and dinner . ”
“That’s right!” the proprietor exclaimed .
“Really? Oh right, that’s also the case at the inn huh?”
“Yes, yes!”
“Wouldn’t two meals a day be fine then? It would be fun to have at least one of our meals in a different place after all . ”
“You tell ’em, missy!”
“It would be hard on the cooks if they had to provide all three meals huh…”
“Yeah, exactly!”
“Okay . Let’s make it two meals then . ”
“Thank you very much, sir!”
Of course, since he offered to let us dine for free, I made sure he made good on his word .
We passed by the Adventurer’s Guild on our way to the Commerce Guild, so we stopped by as well . Perhaps Silas-san has already posted the designated quest for us .
We passed by several reception desks and went over to the counter where they posted designated quests to confirm .
“We were set for a designated quest and we want to confirm if it’s already been processed . ”
“Please tell me your party name . ”
“It’s a Shining Star . ”
“…Yes, a request from the Commerce Guild just came in . These are the particulars . ”
I was handed the request slip .
“Is it alright for us to take out a copy?”
“Of course . Once you decide to accept the quest, please fill out that slip and return it to me . ”
We moved to a spot where we wouldn’t get in the way of other people inside the guild and looked over the contents of the request slip .
The request consisted of the capture or subjugation of bandits . The reward for the capture or killing a bandit was a thousand Guineas each . The price was the same whether you capture or kill them . There wasn’t any set deadline . Come to think of it, I didn’t manage to discuss the reward with Silas-san yesterday huh .
A thousand Guineas huh . It’s a bit of a weird price . It can be said that the Commerce Guild would benefit just the same whether the bandits are captured or killed, so I can get them setting a standard price, but I still feel it’s on the low side .
“Don’t you feel it’s a bit low?”
“Right . I was expecting it to be larger than this as well,” Elna seconded .
“With this reward amount, if say, we captured ten bandits, we’ll get 5,000 Guineas per head as the standard reward from the local administration for a total of 50,000 Guineas . If we add the reward from the Commerce Guild, it’ll be 60,000 Guineas all in all . That’s a reasonable amount if we manage to catch them at a fast pace . But if we need to spend days just to gather such a number, hunting monsters is still way more profitable…”
“But in the case of bandits, we can expect to gain more benefits apart from the bounties placed on them, right?” Sharon pointed out .
“Oh, you’re right . There’s also the loot hoarded by the bandits . I see . So they set such a reward amount in anticipation of that huh . The guild chief sure is sharp . ”
“Since they’ve already placed a request, shouldn’t we accept?” Cleria said .
“Yeah . Right now, what’s more important is raising our adventurer ranks instead of making money . How about it guys?”
Everyone nodded in assent, so we went back to the counter to accept the request .
“We’ve decided to accept this designated quest . ”
The staff wrote the request slip serial number on a ledger and handed the slip back to us again .
“Alright then . Once you’ve completed the request, please have the requester sign here and submit it back to this counter again . ”
“Got it . ”
I received back the request slip and led the others toward the exit, but before we could step out of the guild building, we heard someone call out to us from behind .
“Hey, are you guys Shining Star?”
When I turned around, I saw an adventurer uncle I wasn’t familiar with . He had the bearings of a seasoned veteran and looked quite skilled .
“Yeah, that’s right . Do you have business with us?”
“Sorry to bother you, but can we talk? There’s a nice tavern nearby . Can you accompany me there for a bit?”
“…Uh, what do you want to talk about in the first place? Can you tell us first?”
“It’s about the party called Green Wind . ”
Green Wind? I seem to have heard of that from somewhere . Oh, right! They were one of the parties hired by Aristsan as their escort . So this guy was related to them?
“Just me?”
“No, if it’s possible, can the rest of the party members join us too?”
I exchanged gazes with everyone, and it looks like they had no problems with it .
“Okay . ”
We followed after the man and entered the tavern nearest to the Adventurer’s Guild . We then sat at the table located furthest back . A waitress went over to take our orders and the man requested ale for all of us . It looks like he means to treat us .
Apart from me, the girls were displaying awkward smiles . They were probably thinking it would have been better if it wasn’t ale .
Sorry for taking your time like this . The name’s Karl . I’m actually the leader of a Clan named Gale . ”
Since he honestly introduced himself, it would be impolite if we didn’t do so as well .
“I’m Shining Star’s leader, Alan . These are my party members; Ria, Elna, Sharon, and Selena . ”
I introduced myself and each of the girls . It looks like the girls were a bit wary of the rugged-looking guy .
“I see . Okay, Alan . I just want to make sure . It’s true that you properly buried and mourned for the members of Green Wind, right?”
“Yeah, that’s right . We did make them a proper grave . ”
“I see . …Actually, Green Wind was part of my Clan . First, let me offer my gratitude . Thank you for giving them a proper burial . ”
“No, don’t mention it . We just did what we felt was right . But how did you manage to find out?”
“Oh, that’s because in cases like this, the Clan leader has a right to know the particulars of what happened to a party under his or her wing . We can inquire about the necessary info from the guild, and if we get permission, we can also ask for details about their last employer . ”
“I see . So that’s the case . ”
“You guys rescued Green Wind’s employers from the hands of bandits in their place, recovered their guild identifications and personal effects, and gave them a proper burial . That’s what happened, right?”
“Yeah, that’s right . ”
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“It’s not something just any party would normally do . Actually, I haven’t heard of any other party willing to go that far . I’ve already taken a look at the recovered belongings, but you guys didn’t even touch the money . I wouldn’t have believed it if I didn’t check it myself . ”
“We thought they must have families and loved ones they left behind, so it would be better to hand those things over to them . ”
“Yeah, I know . Those guys were all from these parts . Some of them were married, and all of them had families depending on them . I already delivered their belongings to their families and loved ones personally . Everyone was very grateful . ”
“I see . I’m glad to hear that . It was worth all the effort then . ”
“Actually, I knew the guys from Green Wind ever since we were just brats . When we came of age and made a name for ourselves, they went and nominated me as the Clan leader . They then raised their ranks little by little until they made it to C rank . They even promised to go even further still, but…”
“…I see . That’s… truly unfortunate . My condolences . ”
“Yeah . They were out of luck . Really… Dammit…! …Uh, sorry about that . …So, uh, I asked the employers about the details of their death, but I couldn’t get much out of them . ”
“I see . So you want to ask the details from us . Is that it?”
“Yeah . I especially want to hear how those damned bandits died . I only heard from the employers that the bandits were all dead .
You guys look like decent folk, so you might have ended them quickly, but I honestly can’t help thinking I wanted to murder them myself .
I just keep thinking about how I would have wanted to kill them since I heard about what happened and it’s not letting me get a wink of sleep . ”
“I see . Well, Karl . You’re under the wrong impression . The end of those bandits was far worse than what you’re thinking of . I’d even go so far as to say it was the most pathetic death I’ve ever witnessed in my entire life . ”
“What!? Really!? Please, Alan! Can you tell me the details?”
I ended up relating the entirety of what happened to the guy .
I first told him that when we got to the site of the ambush, all the members of Green Wind have already died . But they still took down three bandits with them .
I then told him how we captured the five bandits who remained on site .
We then got to know they actually captured three women and took them to their hideout .
We had the captured bandits lead us to their hideout to mount a rescue .
We then managed to rescue the three women and captured an additional seven bandits in the hideout .
“And when we were discussing what to do with the bandits, one of the ladies proposed to buy them off of us for the market price . ”
“Oh, now I get it! So that’s what happened!”
Karl started getting excited in anticipation of hearing just how the bandits were killed .
“Yeah, that’s right . I entered the cave with the women and prepared some rope . I then said to them: ‘Hey, you lot! Bind your own feet with that rope . I’ll take it that the ones who bind their feet the tightest are the ones who are truly about their actions, and maybe, just maybe, plead with the ladies on your behalf . ’ Well, something like that . ”
“You’re unexpectedly one cruel fella, aren’t you, Alan!? So what happened after that?”
“The bandits obediently tied themselves up of course . They looked pretty desperate too . They even raised their feet toward me so they could show me just how tight they bound themselves . Frankly, I couldn’t have done a better job if I tied them up myself . ”
“Hahaa! I see! And then?”
“After that, the ladies told me to exit the cave ahead of them . Apparently, they wouldn’t be able to focus if I was with them .
But even if their legs were bound, this was still twelve bandits we’re talking about . I hesitated to comply with their request because of that, but unexpectedly, the ladies were proficient in wielding swords . They had really sharp-looking swords with them .
That’s why I decided to obey their words in the end .
When I was about to exit the hideout, the bandits shouted something like ‘No way!? Boss! What about pleading for us!?’ in a panic .
And then… the moment I stepped out of the cave that served as their hideout, I heard the agonized wails of the bandits . ”
“Ah…”
“And in the following hour or so, the wails of those bandits continued non-stop . That gave me goosebumps, I tell you . ”
“An hour huh…”
Honestly, it was more like twenty minutes or so, but if a white lie like this can make Karl feel better, then why not?
“When the ladies came out of the cave, they had really satisfied smiles on their faces . The victims were very satisfied with what transpired . I don’t even need to elaborate just what happened, eh… I honestly got scared to even check out the cave again . That’s why I can’t exactly say I managed to witness the end of those bandits, but I think you get the point . ”
“Yeah, I do… Man, even I would hesitate to enter after all of that . But that sure was amazing . It’s a thousand times better than the ways I thought up each night . ”
“Yeah… No worse way to go out than that . And so, we went back to the highway, recovered the dead adventurer’s belongings, and gave them a burial just like you heard from the guild . Oh, and we threw the three bandit corpses your comrades took down on the side of the road . Well, that’s about it . ”
“But you sure say it like it was easy digging a grave for ten men . I’m sure it must have taken quite the effort… Alan, Ria, Elna, Selena, Sharon… Let me give my deepest thanks once more . Thank you for all you’ve done . ”
Uh, I used Earth magic so it was actually quite easy, but I guess I’ll just leave that out .
“Well, just like I said, we only did what we thought was right . ……Oh yeah, Karl . I’m sure you already know, but don’t go around spreading this info, okay . ”
“Yeah, you don’t have to remind me . It’s to preserve the honor of those ladies, right? No problem . They managed to avenge those guys from Green Wind after all . And what a satisfying act of revenge it was . They are also my benefactors . I’m never gonna let anything slip . I swear . ”
“I see . Sorry about this, Karl . ”
Thankfully, the tavern had next to no patrons present, so no one had the opportunity to eavesdrop on our conversation . That was a blunder . If the story got out, Aristsan and the others would probably be the subject of nasty rumors .
“But you guys sure are impressive . After all, you managed to subdue all the bandits without taking any injuries even if they outnumbered you . ”
“Well, yeah, I guess . Keep this between us too, but we’re actually all able to use magic . That’s why we didn’t find it particularly difficult to subdue them . ”
“What!? All of you!? …Um, by the way, what rank are you guys now?”
“We’re all B ranked . ”
“Oi, oi! That’s amazing! You all look so young too . I see . It certainly would be a piece of cake for B rankers . ”
“How about you Karl? What’s your rank now?”
“I’m currently A rank . Well, a Clan leader should be at least this capable, right?”
“Haah… So it really is like that . ”
“Hm? What’s up?”
“No, well, we were actually planning on setting up a Clan too, but I guess a B ranker being the leader is a bit of a stretch huh . ”
“What!? You’re going to set up a Clan at your age!? Now that’s impressive! Man, that sure is something, alright . Oh, and about a Clan leader’s rank, it’s normal for small Clans to have B rankers as their leaders . Only large-scale Clans have A rankers as leaders exclusively . ”
“Is that so… Wait, so that means your Clan is also a large-scale one?”
“Oi, oi . Don’t tell me you haven’t even heard of Gale? …Wait, you guys are newcomers here huh . I guess that makes sense . The only ones who don’t know of Gale in Gantz are the newcomers . Not to brag, but we’re one of the largest here . Well, if you have something you’re having trouble with regarding running a Clan, I can give you some advice . You can pay me a visit whenever . ”
“Oh! That sounds great . I’ll be counting on you then . Um, but where do you exactly stay at, Karl?”
“I’m staying at an inn called Sunbeam . Give me a holler if anything’s up . ”
“We’re staying at the Spring Breeze . Feel free to pay us a visit as well . ”
“The Spring Breeze? Man, that means you guys are actually loaded . ”
“Well, yeah, I guess . We really wanted somewhere with a bath, y’see . We’re actually planning to move out soon, but we’ll either send word once we do or leave a message for you at the inn . ”
“Yeah, understood . Sorry for taking up your time again . I’m glad I was able to talk to you though . It looks like I’m finally gonna be able to sleep tonight . ”
“Glad to hear that . Oh, and thanks for treating us to ale . I’ll treat you next time too . ”
We all exited the tavern, and Karl parted ways from us soon after . We then continued heading for the Commerce Guild .