Truly Troublesome Matters
Translated by GXYRU
Edited by GXYRU
Truly troublesome things always seem to happen one after another, don’t they?
The next day, while I was once again delving into the dungeon, I received a message from Jessica.
“It seems that some members of Chris Blood’s party are at the Adventurer’s Guild, and they want to talk to you. Are they part of the Hero Party? What will you do? They don’t seem to be as confrontational as Chris. By the way, I forgot to ask before, but when Chris arrived, you seemed to be about to say something. You said, ‘So next time…’ What did you mean? I’m really looking forward to it!”
Chris being part of the Hero Party is information that I’ve already shared with Jessica and the others. It’s best they know, or else they might get dragged into unnecessary trouble.
But come on, this message is too long! There are two troublesome matters mentioned in there. I thought Jessica didn’t hear me back then. Well, for now, I need to deal with the Hero Party first.
From my experience, I know that putting off troublesome matters only leads to even more trouble. So, I think my judgment is right… probably.
※ ※ ※ ※
I sent a reply to Jessica’s message saying, “I’ll go there right now.” After that, I used teleportation magic to head straight to Kernel City.
When I arrived at the Adventurer’s Guild, Jessica and Marsha were waiting in front of the entrance.
“Arius, you’re quick. Those people seem a bit troublesome, but at least we can communicate with them,” Jessica said.
“I don’t like them. Especially that Grassrunner woman…” Marsha grumbled. Wait, did she say Grassrunner just now?
“Well, let’s hear what they have to say first. I’m sorry for causing you all trouble multiple times because of me,” I replied.
“What do you mean, trouble? If we can be of help to Arius, we’re happy to do it,” Jessica said.
“Jessica, hold back on the lovey-dovey stuff. You act like a complete klutz in front of Arius, don’t you?” Marsha chimed in.
“M-Marsha, what are you saying! I’m not acting lovey-dovey…” Jessica stammered.
“What? Now you’re denying it? Jessica is not just a klutz but also a coward,” Marsha teased.
“Hey, why are you two bantering like that? I’m going in on my own, okay?” I interrupted.
“Wait, Arius! Just a moment!” they both called out.
“Be prepared, Arius. These people are truly not to be underestimated,” Jessica warned.
“That’s right. Compared to them, Chris seems like a fool… well, Chris was a violent fool, but these people are bad in a different way,” Marsha added.
So, Jessica and Marsha are this cautious about them. Well, they are the Hero Party, after all. Whatever happens, I need to be able to handle it, so I entered the Adventurer’s Guild with the intention of delving into the dungeon.
However, the atmosphere inside the guild was different from what I expected.
There were plates of food and bottles of alcohol arranged on tables all around, and the adventurers were having a merry drinking session.
“Kusunoki-san, sorry for the intrusion! You’ve treated us again!” one of the adventurers said.
“Don’t worry about it; it’s just pocket change. Oh, by the way, feel free to call me Arisa, okay? I hate being so formal,” replied a woman with a fake Kansai accent. Is she trying to imitate the Kansai dialect? She’s sitting at the center of the table at the far end.
She looks to be in her mid-20s, with white hair and golden eyes, giving her a small, animal-like appearance.
She’s also petite, about 150 cm tall. Her outfit is flashy, with a bright red reptilian leather robe and a necklace adorned with large gemstones.
As soon as I entered the Adventurer’s Guild, I made eye contact with the woman with the fake Kansai accent. She laughed as if amused.
“So, you’re Arius, the youngest SSS-ranked adventurer. I recognized you right away. There’s just something different about SSS-ranked adventurers, huh?” she said.
As soon as the woman spoke, the four people sitting at the same table all turned their attention to me.
There’s a man with black hair and glasses, as well as an elf, a dwarf, and a Grassrunner. It’s not that unusual for me to see non-human races, given that I’ve been traveling through dungeons all over the world. But I have to say, they really look like members of an RPG party, except for the woman with the fake Kansai accent and the man with glasses.
“Oh, yeah. I’ve been told they want to talk to me,” I said.
The other adventurers around us were still going about their business, drinking and having fun.
Though some of the people were still cautious while drinking, they were Jessica’s companions and Gale’s group.
“Nice to meet ya, Arius. I’m Arisa Kusunoki, the vice-leader of the Hero Party… Well, actually, I’m the sub-leader. First of all, I apologize for the trouble caused by that idiot Chris. That violent fool is just beyond help. If you want, we can go to the prison and behead Chris ourselves to settle this. Will that work for you?” Arisa spoke on behalf of the group.
Since Arisa is speaking for them, it seems the Hero himself isn’t here. But she’s coming on strong and saying rather dangerous things.
Although Arisa speaks with a fake Kansai accent and her name sounds Japanese, it’s hard to tell if she’s a reincarnated person or not.
In this world, there’s a country that imitates Japan. If there’s a connection with that country, it’s not surprising to have someone who appears to be Japanese.
Since she’s speaking both in normal Japanese and English, it’s not strange to hear someone using a Kansai accent.
“No, you don’t have to kill anyone. If someone’s going to be killed, I’ll do it myself. Besides, it’s not Arisa-san’s responsibility just because Chris is a member of the Hero Party,” I replied.
“Oh, Arius, you’re so magnanimous. As expected of an SSS-ranked adventurer. Today, we’ll treat you as an apology. How about three cups of our finest drink, specially ordered for you?” Arisa offered, pouring pink sparkling wine into our glasses. It’s the most expensive drink in this Adventurer’s Guild.
“Well then, let’s toast to our first meeting, Arius,” Arisa said.
“Yeah, you’re right,” I said.
I have no reason to refuse, and even if they try to poison me, my status as Arius will protect me. I lightly clinked glasses and downed the drink in one gulp.
“Arius, you’re quite the drinker. I like strong men when it comes to drinking. Come on, another cup?” Arisa suggested.
I continued drinking at her insistence. Well, I guess I can go along with this for now.
“Hey, I’ve been calling you Arius since we first met, but maybe I should use your family name? Zil… Oops! It’s a taboo to call you by your family name, right? I tend to forget things easily these days. Forgive me!” Arisa said playfully.
She just sprang that on me out of nowhere. I’m hiding the fact that I’m the son of the Prime Minister of the Ronaudia Kingdom. Is she trying to use that against me?
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