Part 1
Sylvie returned to the Adventurer’s Guild.
She said that since she abandoned her morning work, she would be very busy in the afternoon.
I also have to investigate the three we captured──is what she said as she left.
Diablo visited the capable engraver that he was told about. It seems that they were a Dwarf called Ronbel.
──Another Dwarf huh.
It couldn’t be helped.
In jobs where dexterity was required, Dwarves would generally be employed in them. There were cases where Humans would occasionally also be doing them though.
《Ronbel Engraving Shop》──
A metal door that had a detailed design applied to it was attached to a brick-made building. He pulled it open.
「Welcoーme.」
What he heard was a woman’s voice.
She was an older woman that wore glasses. She had huge breasts.
Being the traits of Dwarven women, she had a short height with big breasts, and had dog-like ears and tail.
She had chestnut-colored hair, and small, triangular Shiba inu ears.
Diablo asked a question.
「Where is Ronbel?」
「Ah, that’s me. What business might you have?」
「Oya oya, a male customer, how rare.」
The one who said that was a man at the counter. He was a Human. There weren’t that many of them in Faltra City’s South District.
Was he a so-called regular customer?
He ignored him.
Diablo took the 《Eternal Mythril》 out from his pouch, and put it on the counter in front of the shopkeeper.
「I want to request this of you.」
Ronbel adjusted her glasses.
「Waa, amazing! This is the real thing, isn’t it!?」
「If you can’t even tell that, I will request it at another place.」
「No, no, it’s fine. For a man to bring this here......Is it for 《Marriage Rings》!?」
He winced on the inside.
However, Diablo maintained his expressionlessness.
Demon Kings don’t get bashful!
「Umu.」
「Ara ara, congratulationsー.」
The Human that seemed to be a regular customer stared not at the 《Eternal Mythril》 but at Diablo.
「Nn? Hey, you......Could you be......」
「Mu?」
「Aren’t you the hero Diablo!?」
「Ugh......」
「There’s no mistaking it! A Demon with horns, there aren’t that many of them!」
「So, what of it?」
Hiding his embarrassment, Diablo answered sounding displeased.
However, maybe because this Human was abnormally thick headed, or maybe shameless, he showed no sign of noticing the coercion.
Tearing down appearances, he got close.
「Thanks to you, we weren’t killed by the Demonic Beings! Everyone in the town is grateful to you.」
「U, mu......」
Even Ronbel the engraver showed deep emotion.
「Waa! For the hero to come with a request! I need to boast about this to everyone in my hometown!」
──Oi, my personal information! Where’s the compliance!?
It seemed that that sort of professional ethics didn’t exist in the privately-run stores of this other world.
Being a hero really isn’t a good thing is it──is what he thought.
He breathed a sigh.
「Let us talk about my request. What is the day of delivery and cost for the engraving?」
Ronbel answered with a smile.
「I wouldn’t take money from the hero that saved this townー. Since I’ll neglect my other jobs and get started right away, I’ll get it done perfectly by tomorrow morning!」
「Umu.」
──Being a hero isn’t that bad.
The Human man took a medal out from underneath his jacket.
「Ehehe......This place, it’s a store managed by a friend of mine. If you have the chance, go visit it. As long as you have this medal, it’ll be for free, ‘kay?」
「Mu?」
Maybe because being in poverty was deeply ingrained in him, hearing that it would be for free, he unconsciously accepted it.
It looked like the medal itself only had a worth of a copper coin.
There was the picture of a mermaid at the center of it, and although there were letters written on the outer circumference of it, Diablo couldn’t read it.
「What kind of store?」
The man that was flippantly laughing spoke as if he were telling a secret.
「It’s a MonMusu Soap.」
「............What......did you say?」
Diablo unblinkingly looked at the man’s face. He was flippantly laughing, but there was no sign that he was telling a joke.
「Well, the place is in the royal capital though.」
「The royal capital.」
「You do this and that with monster girls.」
The man pliantly moved his hips.
Ronbel pouted her lips.
「How indecent!」
「What the heck. I brought you a request from that store, didn’t I?」
「There’s no way a man that came with a request for 《Marriage Rings》 would go to that kind of store!」
「Ronbel, you really don’t get just how men are!」
「Moreover, he’s a hero!」
「Heroes are lustful.」
Leaving behind the two that were quarreling, Diablo left the engraver store.
In his hand, was the medal.
──A Monster Girl Soapland!? That has an incredibly indecent ring to it!
He was engulfed in exhilaration and nervousness just like how he would be in front of a dungeon he had never been to before.
Part 2
In the middle of the New Year’s holiday, five days later──
*Gara gara* The carriage was being driven.
Next to Diablo and holding the reins, Sylvie was there.
「Ronbel-san was an artisan with great skill, right?」
「How she is so chatty bothers me though.」
「As long as she doesn’t have any alcohol, she is a pretty tight lipped personー.」
──So she’s loose if she has alcohol.
「Well, I have no problems with the job she did.」
The set of beautiful 《Marriage Rings》 were properly made.
Sylvie nodded.
「Diablo-san, I was surprised when you said that you wanted to go to the royal capital the moment the rings were completed♪」
「Hmph......It isn’t because the rings were made. Besides, it was unexpected for me──For the Guildmaster to accompany me together with fodder.」
When he had the carriage that they had entrusted to the carriage shop be prepared for use, Sylvie was also waiting for him with it on the appointed day.
「I said that I’d go together with you, didn’t I?」
「Is it alright for you to be away from the Guild?」
「Nnー......Well, it’s because I was thinking that it was about time for the new guys to get used to it. It’s just right to have things done by my substitute for a while.」
「Substitute huh.」
「Yup, by Emil-san.」
「......Are things going to be alright? That guy’s an idiot.」
Sylvie made a wry smile.
「No, no, even though he’s like that, he’s on the pretty smart, you know?」
「In that case, the Adventurer’s Guild has too hard of a time finding capable people.」
「Hahaha......It’s because what is important above all else, is popularity.」
Diablo shrugged his shoulders.
If it was about popularity, there was nothing he could say.
Emil was often together with his party members. He might be proficient in communications skills that can bring people together.
Sylvie gazed at the scenery and spoke.
「I am the type that gives instructions about this and that from the back......I guess Emil-san is the type to take the initiative to fight against hardship. So that his companions would keep up with him.」
「......」
「He’s similar to you, Diablo-san.」
「Hmph......I don’t remember leading companions.」
「Really?」
「When fighting, I alone am enough.」
When fighting against the Great Demon King Modinalaam, he felt at ease with Sasala and Rose serving as the vanguard.
That was the truth, but now they weren’t here.
In the end, that was nothing more than being due to the situation──is what Diablo thought.
It was the same as the weather and the terrain.
If the vanguard was there, he would fight in a way that would work with them. If it wasn’t there, he would fight in away that would work without them.
Things like “since there isn’t a Healer, I won’t challenge the boss today” or ”since I’m exploring a dungeon, I want a Seeker”.
To rely on someone else even though it was for himself, he was unable to understand that.
「Even if this world was made so that one had to cooperate with others......I am alone.」
「Right now, I am here, aren’t I?」
「I can’t trust you.」
「So mean!?」
Sylvie made a face that looked like she was going to cry.
How contrived.
──It’s because of that part of her.
With the meaning of stopping the conversation, Diablo scratched his ear hole with his finger.
「Hmph......」
「Diablo-san, you can’t do that!」
「What?」
「It’s because ears are delicate.」
*Hyoko hyoko* Sylvie moved her rabbit ears.
Grasswalkers were the race with the greatest hearing ability. It was said that their ancestors lived in grass-covered plains, and in order to escape from wild animals that were stronger than themselves, their sensing ability and agility was high.
They were surely zealous in the caring for their ears.
More importantly, to be scolded like this, this might be the first time since he came to this other world.
There were many that were hostile against him. There were also times where he made people seriously mad. And he didn’t have an intent to kill pointed at him just one or two times.
However, he had no memory of being scolded.
「Diablo-san, let’s have lunch♪」
「Lunch? It’s still early though......」
「There’s a river over there, and since it’s such fine weather, it makes you want to eat some delicious food, doesn’t it.」
「Fumu.」
It’s not like he intended on having an audience with the king.
Although he was interested in that certain store, it wasn’t like it was set that he would be going to it. He merely just ended up going to the royal capital for some reason.
Since there was no particular task that he needed to rush, they parked the carriage just like she said to.
Sylvie got down taking some cooking utensils from the luggage tray.
「I’m going to make a hearth, so Diablo-san, you go and draw some water in the pot!」
──So I have to help out too?
When he was together with Rem and Shera, they would generally munch on jerky, or munch on fruits.
There were also times where they made soup, but even Rem could use Chemical Elemental Magic where she could start a fire. In the end, he would just watch and do nothing.
Him having anything to do with cooking, the last time was they were capturing his own made dungeon.
Washing the long used iron pot with river water, he returned with drawn water.
A simple hearth where bricks were piled up was already made.
Sylvie showed a smile.
「Thank you, Diablo-san! Next, go wash the plates.」
「......Umu.」
When he returned, the pot was already placed over the fire, and she was cutting vegetables. Without using a chopping board, she skillfully cut the vegetables that she held with her hand, and dropped them into the pot just like that.
So this was a skilled Adventurer.
From underneath her clothes, she pulled out a yellow powder.
「Nfufu♪」
A faint sweet smell.
「Is that, curry!?」
「Oh, you’re well informed, as expected of you, Diablo-san. It seems to be cuisine from southern countries.」
After putting the powder in and cooking it for a while, the soup curry was completed.
Sylvie put some onto the plate and presented it to him.
「It’s hot, so be careful.」
「Umu.」
Breaking off some of the hard-baked bread, he soaked it in and brought it to his mouth.
He was satisfied with the curry’s flavor.
Similarly, Sylvie’s ears were trembling.
「Nn～, this spiciness is so good～!!」
「Umu......」
The taste was a bit thin, but the spices were properly doing their work. His tongue was tingling.
Even though they hadn’t been cooking for tens of minutes, the carrots and the potatoes were soft enough that they could be eaten easily.
Looking closely, they weren’t just simply cut into bite sized pieces, they had notches in them so they would be easy to eat. Was that the thing called scoring?
To think that there would be this much of a difference in taste in outdoors cooking with just cooking ability......
「Hawaa, it’s been a long timeー. When I eat this, it feels like I’ve gone on an adventure.」
「Do you always make this?」
「At times where there’s a surplus of time and foodー.」
「This time, it can’t really be called an adventure though.」
「That isn’t the case, you know. Even just going to the royal capital, there’s no telling what will happen, right?」
「......A danger greater than the Great Demon King?」
「There might be.」
Being told that with an unexpectedly serious tone, Diablo shrugged his shoulders.
「Isn’t that cowardice?」
「That’s right. And that’s why I’ve been able to live a long life. My gallant companions, they’ve all died.」
When Diablo was summoned to this other world, he already had this strength. He wasn’t feeble to the point where he would die from just a little of this or that.
There were times where he was driven to the wall by formidable enemies, but he had never been cowardly to the point where he would be vigilant towards everything.
Even in this other world, just like how he was in the game, he put emphasis on efficiency. Even if he received damage or consumed MP, he thought while prioritizing the outcome.
However, if he were to die, he wouldn’t be able to do a redo.
It was different from the game.
Diablo chewed on the soup curry’s softly boiled carrot, and swallowed it.
「......So there are places that I should take lessons in, huh.」
「Nn? What?」
*Niko* Sylvie smiled.
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