Translator: pinky onee-sama Editor: anirhapsodist
Note: Walcyrge is the early Old English name for Valkyrie
Wælcyrġe
Louisa escorted me towards the entrance of the guild. She was in high spirits from start until the very end. Ever since becoming a guild officer, I was the first to have given her a surprising result and she feels happy about that.
(What will I do about her last proposal? Tensions, it surely is rising. )
For now, it’s no use to care that much about what the section chief will do after her discharge. It may already be enough for her to accept the reality that she’ll be sleeping in a stable given her rank. Let’s leave it at that for now.
I headed to the infirmary, which was a short walk from the guild, then asked reception for the section chief’s ward. Her physical condition seemed to have improved so she was moved out from her emergency bed.
A lady nurse who came from the emergency room took my license to confirm my identity. I told her that she was my acquaintance which allowed me a visit.
“She’s asleep but she’ll be awake soon enough. Take note that she might have suffered some trauma from the battle. So please take it easy on her.”
“I understand. Will it be okay to enter the room?”
“Yes, it will be okay. If anything happens, please don’t hesitate to call us, the healers.”
She’s not just a nurse but also a healer, huh? I am curious to see how they perform their skills. All that I know is that I can get healed once I receive damage.
I knocked before I enter her room but there was no response. I opened the door and found a well-lit room where a thin hanging curtain was drawn. There, I found the figure of a section-chief, sleeping over a sheet of unbleached bedding.
“…Pardon the intrusion.”
I sat on the wooden chair at the bedside. Her face seemed to be a little paler than her overall complexion, nonetheless, she was sleeping peacefully.
What should I talk about when she wakes up? It’s not to hurt her pride but should I reprimand her about what could have happened if she failed to join my party at that time?
“…Nnn…”
Before even settling for a topic to discuss, the section-chief slightly opened her eyes, then checks herself.
“Thank goodness, you seem to be alright now section-chief.”
“………”
I was worried about her state of consciousness, but she turns her eyes towards me and gave a weak smile.
“To think you’d see the way I look when I wake up… Life in this world is giving me something to worry about.“
“I apologize. But, I’m glad that you’re safe. What will happen for the meantime is that…”
“I thought I was dead but I wasn’t. “Thunderbolt” might have impaired my movement that’s why I received a bit of the attack. However, that hurt so much that I thought that my arm was broken.”
I doubted for a moment whether the healer had actually cured her. Considering that I used “Aid Recovery”, Kyouka might inquire about the procedures that I did that time when she was recovering.
–However, before I could piece up a story…
“… At that time… was it true that Atobe nursed me?” The section chief looks down as if trying to contemplate.
“Oh… Well, uhm… what you’re trying to say is…?”
“During that time, was the red demon defeated? Did it escape? If that unpredictable demon ran away, then it might hurt other people, or it may be Atobe and his companion…”
The usual section chief wouldn’t believe that we defeated the Redface, and much more, she would just laugh it off but something seems off this time.
At first, I thought it was the usual her – the one with a prickly attitude. But now, she was initiating a decent dialogue with me and she seems to care at her choice of words.
“You’re free to laugh at me if my assumption is wrong. But if it wasn’t for you, I may have ended up dead. That much is true.”
“W… Well, I think so…? But I only got lucky. My luck won’t always be like that in every encounter of a formidable enemy.”
“Be a little more confident in yourself and embrace them when you succeed, this is the reason why you never get promoted!”
“…it may be so.”
I think she reverted back to the usual section-chief. –Will it be a burden for me if I enlist her to my party?
But I see expressions from her that I’ve never seen before. The usual section-chief was usually in a foul mood. –Now she looks downcast as if she lost all momentum.
“I’m sorry. One thing I failed to do is get that suitable job and I did not find any of our colleagues. I thought I was capable of doing everything on my own but I was wrong.”
“Well… I do not understand what the other seekers appear to perceive. I think that a seekers strength manifests as their levels get higher regardless of their jobs. I think that I could organize a stronger party, even if I have to party with any job available.”
A bit more of this consoling to the disheartened section-chief and I’ll be able to dispel her melancholy from her previous life. I wonder what the heck I’m doing now, but in a way, this might prove to be an effective idea.
I spoke passionately, even though I was really embarrassed, and I haven’t done anything like this in front of the section chief when I worked for the company. Passionate employees are often hard to handle akin to organizational culture.
“W..Well what’s wrong? I think a Valkyrie is fine. You’re going to be strong in the long-run and the equipment looks cool, isn’t it?”
“Hey, what’s with being good-natured? It’s not like you forgot what I’ve said to you and what I’ve done when we met after we reincarnated, isn’t it? You can look down at me, laugh at me, and make fun of me. You have all the right, don’t you?”
“No, I won’t do those things. The section chief did not even try to run away, am I right? I shot the sling, then you cast your magic when the Redface targeted us.”
After saying those words, the section chief began to fluster and faced the opposite direction.
“T… That was because it was so annoying. I didn’t have the patience being harassed by that rodent. I didn’t help you because it was dangerous. I attacked because there was no other choice.”
“Yes, you were reckless back there, but that lit the fire in me. I was lucky to defeat it, and I had this boost of confidence, telling me that I could defeat that monster even if I encounter it many times over.”
“Do you mean that job that you have chosen is strong?”
“If the conditions are met, then it is possible to demonstrate its capabilities. For that reason, I would like to have at least a party member if possible.”
“If it’s that strong, wouldn’t it be better to recruit capable members?”
“It would be… but I think it’s best if member levels are close to each other. I would be grateful if you could take my abilities into consideration.”
“Are you telling me you’ll be the leader? Are you gathering people?”
“Oh well, the section chief thinks that I don’t possess such characteristics. In this world, I also desire to accomplish goals. And in order to do that, it would be in best interest to assume as the leader.”
(This feels like a meeting with the team leader during a presentation of policies. How will she accept this proposal?)
“Section chief, if you think that I’m incompetent and unreliable, you can turn down and reject my offer but, will you join my party?”
Her expression remained unchanged as she faced the other side of the bed. Is it so hard for this person to swallow her pride for being under a former subordinate?
―My pessimistic outlook was instantly betrayed.
The section chief returns to her profile view and takes a good look at me. I was accustomed to her glares, but this time it was different.
“…Support me then, share me that confidence. I’ll do as what you say, but I’m not that helpless of a person.”
“Well… uhm, does that mean you are willing to accept?”
“Can’t you put a finger on what I am saying? Do you want us to sign a contract?”
“N… No. That’s not the case.”
“You’re now the leader of the section chief. You can stop calling me that.”
“Well then, Igarashi-san, I’d like you to show me some promise for being in my party.
“Ha ha, you don’t have to worry about it. Having me would be productive. There’s nothing else that you could have asked for.”
To be laughing like this – feeling refreshed. I’ve never made this person happy up to this extent.
Well, I don’t intend to be a subordinate forever. While respecting the independent way of selecting skills, I want to be sure that you only take those that I ask for, because if we have the necessary skills, the party will become stronger.
Section chief ― Igarashi~san raised her body and sits on top of the bed. It seems that she has finally recovered.
“First of all, I need to do something about my clothes. I’ll definitely stand out.”
“Ha ha ha. That’s true. Shall we go to the Arms Dealer later?”
A sweater, pencil skirt, and boots. No wonder this Valkyrie wielding a spear appeared to be that unbalanced.
“Oh, by the way, you lost rank because you fell in battle.”
Igarashi~san confirms it from her license. Her hand trembles, – Maybe it’s a zero contribution, so that’s a pretty low rank. Well, there should a deduction from the total contribution so it might not be the lowest rank after all.
“2987 out of 3039 people? Then I’ll have to sleep in a stable…”
“Seems like it… but, Igarashi~san, I have but one suggestion. Will you please listen to me without getting agitated?”
“Y…Yes. What the heck? What’s with that serious look on your face?”
I ended up thinking of what to say, so I ended up saying it with as little number of words possible.
“W…Well you could stay at my sleeping quarters and get temporary accommodation. I promise I won’t do anything strange. It’s only until you have obtained a higher rank.”
Igarashi~san listened intently, and moments after that, she answered…
“If it’s a stable, I won’t be able to recover. If your accommodations are better than that, then I guess I’ll have to impose on you.”
“I… I understand. Shall we go then?”
“W…Where are we going?”
“To my room. It’s a suite located at the inn and I think it would be spacious enough.”
“S…Suite? Your rank is that high, Atobe-kun?” Her way of addressing me changed all of a sudden. She’s somewhat gotten softer – and it felt like it had this soothing effect.
The directions to the inn were displayed via the map on the license. Shall we settle there first and have some dinner?
Thanks~