Volume 1 Chapter 16 Sharlin
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”Wait? 200,000 pon? I thought it would be around a 100,000…”
This afternoon, Puruun went to meet with Mr. Agohige about traveling to the royal capital, and her big eyes got even bigger as she jumped up.
”No way. That’s just too much. The Village Head probably said something weird. Seriously, how long ago did he even go to the royal capital? Plus, we haven’t sent anyone from the village to the military in the last ten years, so he probably doesn’t know the current prices.”
Mr. Agohige crossed his arms and explained firmly,
’Ms. Puruun, the usual cost from this village to the royal capital is 200,000 pon per person. They’re not trying to take advantage of you. It has been set the price lower than the government’s limit. If you don’t believe it, you can check at the government office when we get to the royal capital.’
He then softened his tone slightly, offering reassurance.
’I’ll even write a note saying I’ll refund you if I charged more than the usual price.’
With that, Puruun couldn’t argue back. She said she would talk to her family again and went home.
”Wow. So the whole calculation was wrong.”
”Yeah. I kept recalculating, but no matter how I cut it, we’re still short by 200,000 pon for one person! What should we do… Delay the trip for a year and save up? But even in a year, 200,000 pon is…”
”Right. Let’s think of other options. We could borrow money, or maybe we could work along the way and get a little discount.”
”That’s true. Just calculating here won’t make us any money or lower our costs. We still have ten days until the caravan leaves this village. Let’s try a bit harder. I’ll go see Mr. Agohige again tomorrow. I’ll also ask about borrowing money and working.”
”That sounds good. Mr. Goetec also said it’s best to talk to the merchant about money. I’ll go with you tomorrow.”
Ms. Akari, who had been listening to our conversation, spoke up.
”Um, about tomorrow’s meeting with the merchant… Can I come along too?”
”Sure, that’s fine, but Ms. Akari, do you have any ideas?”
”Well, I’m a housewife too, and when it comes to haggling, I get really into it… Don’t worry! I’ll channel my inner Osaka auntie.”
”Osaka auntie? What’s that? But it’s great that Mama Akari will come with us.”
”Haha, then let’s all 3 of us go for the haggling!”
I’m not sure if we’ll succeed in haggling, but it won’t hurt to try our best.
Later, I thought about telling Puruun about my dream of going back to our original world, but I decided to only share it with Ms. Akari.
”Hmm. That’s a nice dream. I want to make it come true. It means we can go back to our world. But those panties, they’re the 3 for a thousand yen ones from Himamura. If EllEll sees my special panties, she might faint!”
I wonder what Ms. Akari’s special panties are like.
The next day, the 3 of us went to the caravan and waited for Mr. Agohige, who was busy, to have some free time to talk about our funds.
”Hmm. I understand how you feel, but the travel costs are usually paid in advance.”
Mr. Agohige said, his tone firm but not unkind.
”If you want to borrow money, I’d prefer if you could get it from someone else in the village. The rules used to be a bit looser, but now there have been issues with people running away or dying on the way to the royal capital.”
He sighed, glancing away thoughtfully.
”Because of that, the government made it a rule to pay in advance. The only exception is if you can guarantee payment when you arrive.”
”I see. So, if we go to the royal capital and a year later, the other 2 arrive, we just need to have 200,000 pon ready by then, right?”
Puruun asked.
”That’s right. But that’s going to be tough. Even if you get into the military, I’ve heard the starting salary is about 20 thousand a month. Even when you get a regular position, it’s around 50 thousand. You two will need to save every penny and maybe even find side jobs to make it work.”
Thinking about living expenses, it seems impossible. So, I asked Mr. Agohige.
”For example, can we work as helpers for the caravan on the way to the royal capital and get paid for that?”
”I see. That’s not out of the question. What can you do? What are your skills?”
”Uh, I can do housework and physical labor. I can also handle a sword a bit…”
”Hmm. We’re good on that front. We’ve already got people coming from the royal capital for that. Unless someone drops out along the way, it’s a different story… But I understand how you feel… Well, there are some places on the way back to the royal capital that worry me, so I might hire some skilled people.”
”Alright then!”
”Wait, wait. Don’t rush. You need to be skilled, so can you let me test your abilities first?”
”Yes! Please let us try!”
So, we moved to the square, and Mr. Agohige called over a tough-looking dark elf named Ms. Sharlin.
”Let me introduce you. This is Ms. Sharlin, the head of our caravan’s Defense Force. But you won’t win against her, so don’t do anything reckless to avoid getting hurt. Just show us what you can do.”
As Mr. Agohige said this, she handed wooden practice swords to me and Puruun.
”If you can land even one hit on me, you win. Don’t hold back, come at me with everything you’ve got. You can team up if you want.”
Ms. Sharlin said confidently.
”Uh, but Ms. Sharlin, you should also get ready with a sword.”
”Don’t worry about that. It’s more dangerous if my sword accidentally hits you. Even if you land a hit with the wooden sword, it won’t be a big deal, so don’t hold back.”
”Okay, then! Let’s do this!”
Damn, she’s underestimating us. No matter how skilled she is, she thinks she can take on me and Puruun with just her bare hands?
I exchanged glances with Puruun, and just as we were about to jump in, I felt the air around us get heavier. What’s going on?
For a moment, I thought it was magic or something… but no! It’s Ms. Sharlin’s presence that’s overwhelming me. Puruun felt the same way, and we both froze.
”What’s wrong? Are you scared? Going to the royal capital is your dream, right? Get your act together and come at me!”
”Damn it,” I thought, and with Ms. Sharlin’s shout, I steeled myself and charged in, but the result was a total loss for us.
Every move I made was read perfectly, and she dodged with just a few millimeters of space. Is a professional mercenary really this amazing?
”What do you think, Ms. Sharlin?”
After thinking for a bit, Ms. Sharlin answered Mr. Agohige.
”I think with more training, they could be somewhat useful, but right now, they’re not reliable at all. In a fight, they might even hold us back.”
”I see… Mr. Yuuta. Unfortunately, it seems difficult to hire you temporarily for the caravan.”
There’s nothing I can say after seeing such a big gap in our skills.
But now I’m stuck. I guess I’ll have to think of something else. Just then, Ms. Akari, who had been quiet and watching everything, spoke up to Mr. Agohige
”Um, about what we were talking about earlier… if we go to the royal capital and when it’s time to pay, what happens if we don’t have any money?”
”Ah, usually, we check to see if you have some money first before making that deal, so that shouldn’t happen… Oh? Are you thinking something? No, no, I won’t say anything bad. If that happens, you’ll end up as a sl*ve or in prison.”
”Hey, Mama Akari. What are you thinking? You’re not suggesting we just prepare some money temporarily, are you?”
Puruun said, looking worried.
”Hey, come on, no one will agree to that, and it’ll just cause trouble… Oh, so there are things like sl*very, huh? But, well, even if it’s not exactly sl*very, I was thinking maybe if the two of us found a job in the royal capital and got paid in advance, that wouldn’t be so bad.”
”No way! That could lead to becoming a s*x sl*ve! Are you saying that the aunties from Osaka sell themselves into sl*very? Don’t joke around!”
”Oh, Puruun, you know the term ‘s*x sl*ve’? But that’s totally wrong! Don’t make enemies of the aunties from Osaka… But yeah, asking a complete stranger for an advance payment isn’t exactly a normal job.”
”Um, everyone, …”
Mr. Agohige interrupted our conversation, looking a bit sorry.
”Are you… Mr. Yuuta’s partner? You seem pretty determined, but that plan probably won’t work out.”
”It’s okay! Even if I end up as a s*x sl*ve, Yuuta will buy me back later!”
”That’s not the point… No one in the royal capital will pay you money!”
”What? Am I really that unattractive?”
”Ugh, you’re such a handful. It’s not about you personally; it’s just that human females are not in demand.”
To calm down, we followed Mr. Agohige back to the carriage where we first met.
”The Kingdom Charter does say that discrimination based on race is strictly forbidden, but there’s still a lot of prejudice against humans. In places like this village, it’s not so bad, but in the royal capital, many people still see humans as useless.”
He frowned, his voice tinged with concern.
”So if a human tries to find a job in the royal capital without connections, it’s really hard. There’s even a strong belief that beastfolk are better than humans for hiring.”
”Wow, so me and Ms. Akari are trying to go to a place like that…”
”Well, the military and government offices treat humans according to the law, but the private sector is a different story. However, something just came to mind from what we talked about… but I’ll keep it to myself in front of the ladies.”
”Come on, don’t keep us in suspense, Mr. Agohige. Just give us any idea you have!”
”Okay, Mr. Yuuta. Just think of this as another urban legend. While human females are not in demand, there are cases where human males can be quite valuable. There’s a rumor that human males have much larger private parts than beastfolk or elves, and sometimes, there are elf nobles who want a human male as a pet.”
”W-What?! That sounds like a s*x sl*ve to me!”
Puruun’s face turned bright red.
”That’s right. Well, elves live much longer than us, and their views on reproduction and romance are beyond our understanding, but sometimes there are carnivorous nobles who really love that kind of thing. But, Mr. Yuuta, don’t get the wrong idea. I’m not suggesting you do that!”
”Haha, I get it, Mr. Agohige. I have no intention of doing that. But it might be good to remember that as an option if things get really desperate.”
”Come on, Yuuta! I know I shouldn’t say this, but you need to take better care of yourself. By the way, it seems like there are some elf women who are really into it too.”
”Well, it’s not just elf ‘women’ who are into that kind of thing…”
”Wow…”
The 3 of us were totally shocked by that.
* * *
Later that night, even though we hadn’t figured out the money situation yet, I was packing up just in case when it seemed like we had a visitor, and Melon went to check it out.
”Yuuta, you have a visitor…”
Melon sounded a bit scared. When I went to the door, there stood Ms. Sharlin, the dark elf I had sparred with earlier.
”Sorry for coming so late. I can’t move freely until my mission rotation is clear, so please bear with me. I have something to talk about, is that okay?
”Sure, no problem. It’s a bit cramped, but come on in.”
Puruun and Ms. Akari were surprised by the sudden visitor. Melon was scared and clung to Ms. Akari’s back, hiding behind her.
”I’ll get straight to the point since I’m not good with greetings or small talk. Yuuta, would you be interested in working for me as an assistant on the way to the royal capital for 4 months? I’m also working for Sir Jin, so I can’t pay too much, but how about 100,000 a month?”
”Wow, that sounds amazing, but why are you offering this to me after I got beaten up earlier?”
”I fell for you at first sight──just kidding. Come on, that’s a joke!”
Haha, Ms. Sharlin’s presence is so strong that everything sounds like a joke.
”Actually, when we fought earlier, I felt something was off. I wanted to check it out. You’re not really good with a sword, are you? Unlike that lady’s straightforward strikes, your swordplay felt weird.”
”Oh, you noticed that? Actually, I’ve been training with a weapon called a katana, which is like a long, thin, single-edged knife. I guess I still have some habits from that.”
”I see. Can you show me that weapon? If possible, I’d like to spar with it.”
”Unfortunately, I don’t have a real katana here. But I can spar with a wooden sword I made for practice.”
”That works for me.”
So, I went outside with Ms. Sharlin.
Since Ms. Sharlin is into martial arts because of her job, I figured she wanted to learn about the distance and techniques of kendo, not just about winning or losing. So, I kept that in mind while we sparred for a few minutes.
”Haha, this is interesting. Even though they’re both blades, the way you move with a sword is totally different. Yuuta, you should really be my assistant. And for the 4 months until we reach the royal capital, teach me this sword technique. I’ll pay you the amount I mentioned earlier!”
”Yes, Yuuta! We’re getting 400,000!”
Puruun jumped on me excitedly.
”But wow, Yuuta, you can earn that much just by doing kendo!”
When Ms. Akari said that, Ms. Sharlin replied.
”No, no, that’s not quite right, miss. The sword training is just part of the assistant’s job. Basically, he’ll also help me with daily tasks, cover for me at night, and write the work diary. I’m not good at laundry or diary writing.”
”Oh, thank goodness. I was worried you’d ask me to sleep next to you at night.”
With my joking words, Ms. Sharlin turned bright red and said,
”I don’t think that will happen… but sometimes I do get a bit frustrated, so maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to have my assistant help me out then…”
”Huh?”
Puruun and Ms. Akari froze for a moment.
”Hahaha, I’m just kidding! This is the part where you laugh!”
Ms. Sharlin might be more playful than she looks. And she left with a smile, no longer giving off that intimidating vibe from when we first met.
The next day.
Puruun talked to the Village Head and managed to get some support money from the village. It’s tight, but with Ms. Sharlin’s pay, we figured out a way to get by.
”Hmm. If we can get another 600,000, we might be able to save up in the royal capital if we work hard. Let’s do our best, Yuuta!”
”Yeah, let’s give it our all!”
Puruun and I exchanged smiles, feeling excited.
* * *
We headed to the caravan to report to Mr. Agohige about the travel expenses.
The trading business was in the second half, shifting from delivering orders to taking new orders for next year. As we walked by, watching the villagers writing their orders in the square, Sodon called out to me.
”Oh, Yuuta! Just the person I wanted to see. Here’s your order. Great, I saved you the trouble of delivering it!”
”Hey! Since you’re getting paid, you should carry this home for me! It’s super heavy!”
Puruun snapped at Sodon.
”Ha ha, sorry Sodon. We’re just going to stop by Mr. Agohige’ place for a bit, so can you take the stuff ahead? Melon’s at home.”
”Geez.”
Sodon said, reluctantly picking up the heavy load.
”But, what is this? It was really heavy…”
Puruun had no idea, but it must be something Barua ordered last year.
I told Mr. Agohige that we figured out the funding, but he seemed surprised that Ms. Sharlin offered to help.
”I always thought she didn’t care about others at all, but I guess that’s not true. Being a dark elf, she probably faces a lot of unfair bias and discrimination, so maybe she feels some sympathy for you since you’ve been through similar stuff.”
Is that so? If that’s the case, I realized I also judged her by her looks at first and thought she seemed really scary, so I felt a bit guilty about my own bias.
When I got home and opened the package, I found clothes and hunting gear, along with a brand new sword. I thought the clothes were for Barua, Puruun, and Melon, but it looked like some were for me and Ms. Akari too.
The women’s clothes, while not as nice as the dress from Ellulu, were way more stylish and modern compared to the usual village outfits. Even Barua, who usually saves money, probably wanted his growing daughters to look good. Puruun and Melon were both teary-eyed, snuggling the clothes like they were treasures.
”By the way, this sword is really impressive. Did Barua get a new one?”
”Well, Imenji usually uses a greatsword, right? Maybe it’s for Yuuta?”
”No way, it’s probably for Puruun.”
”But this is way too heavy for me. Anyway, since we’re heading to the royal capital, Yuuta, you should take it. Think of it as a farewell gift from Imenji.”
”…Okay, then I’ll take it.”
There’s no way Barua could have predicted this a year ago, but since I need to return the borrowed sword to Okia, I’m really grateful for this.
(Barua. I swear on this sword, I will protect this family no matter what!)
I made that promise strongly in my heart and started packing for the journey again.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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