Translator: pinky onee-sama Editor: anirhapsodist
What Defines a Rearguard
Shortly after we purchase our clothes, we proceeded towards town where the middle-ranked seekers in the Eighth-District gathered. The property rented-out to me was an accommodation that rests on a hill up against the slope.
Room 304, Nornil Heights, 8th district. This is my address. The large building comprises of eight rooms for the first two stories, but the third floor was a bit larger. There are no further issues, it seems. The adjacent room was unoccupied and it was not in a corner room facing south. 1 I no longer have any appointments, so it’s time to take a rest.
A fine old lady shows me around. She resides at the inn and attends to cleaning duties together with the rest of the staff. They say she is the manager of these facilities.
I requested her to wake me up at six-thirty in the morning so that we’ll be ready to arrive at the Mercenary guild at around eight o’ clock.
“There is only one key for the room so please be very mindful of it. Replacement requires you to pay a fine of 8 silver coins per lost key.”
“Thank you, I’ll be careful not to lose it.”
Eight silver coins are equivalent to eight-hundred copper coins. A valuable price to pay. It needs to be kept safe.
“Sorry, Igarashi-san, I don’t think we can have two keys.”
“Uhm, do we need to make a key for each of us when we live together?”
“W…Well, it’s for convenience. We might be coming back to the room at separate times.”
Never did I hand a spare key to anyone. I’m not talking from experience but it’s just for convenience’s sake to have two.
“U…Uhm, let me see… It won’t be a bother, right? There’s no need to argue when it’s impossible to do things separately.”
“That’s right.”
As if she would never argue about it. Honestly, I find it hard to believe the moment you opened your mouth.
“If you’d let me argue, are you up for it?”
“No, don’t be absurd. Let’s be friendly here.”
“W…Well, that should be possible when there are things to talk about. Atobe-kun is surprisingly easy to converse to. I just don’t know about being friendly though.”
(… Interaction… somehow has really been smooth. Maybe she’s gradually opening up because I told her my honest feelings back at the garments shop.)
Although the value of credibility is 10, it does not mean that Igarashi-san has become close all of a sudden. –It only increased by 10.
“We need to have a meal once we secure our luggage. The tavern is going to be up until late, so I assume that there would be more intoxicated high-level seekers and it’s going to be difficult if we get involved with them.”
“Karma increases, so we should avoid getting involved in any crimes. It’s better to be careful.”
“That ‘Karma’ is also convenient, right? Even if you don’t call the police, the guild garrison will be there involuntarily.”
Perhaps the license detects an increase in Karma. Maybe it holds a mechanism that allows it to be transmitted to the guild. Not all of the information seems to flow to the guild though, but it might just be an ostensible story. Eventually, I might be able to come to know more about this licensing.
When I opened the door to the room, I was surprised to find a living room. The room continues to a bedroom at the back, and it definitely has two beds.
“Wow, it’s bigger than the hotel we used to go to with my family. How did you raise your rank to be able to have this kind of accommodation, Atobe-kun? Was it because you defeated that red one?”
“Don’t hesitate now, you also fought so Igarashi-san also deserves the right to stay.”
“W… Well, if that’s what you say…”
Igarashi-san shy away while holding her luggage not knowing where to go.
I’m accustomed to these types of rooms. It’s just like being in an overnight official business trip. I thought she was going to fancy it more, but her reactions were unexpected.
“Igarashi-san?”
“Oh!?”
“S…Sorry. Well, there are two luggage compartments in here so you can use this here. We’ll decide on the beds later.”
“Yes, understood. Is it okay if I put this here…? Kyaaah…!”
Igarashi-san clumsily tripped and slipped from her place. This 25-year old, lady section chief wailed an awfully cute scream. It just shows she had no experience with men.
I can assert that much myself that I’m also a virgin. If a woman who is more nervous than myself can afford to somehow prepare herself, then I think it’s time to…
(…Is this perhaps the turning point of my reincarnated life!?)
“Why are you blushing!? Is there any problem?”
“No… Nothing… let’s just finish the luggage and go. Let’s go. B… Because you’re broke, you don’t even need to bring your wallet. It’s my treat.”
“Can I beat you up!? I’m not trying to be blunt but I’m definitely angry.”
“Please don’t beat me! I’m only human…”
I have to be careful how I treat her here, lest spring will be a distant visit. Yes, I am aware that such developments do not occur so suddenly. I’ll have to brace myself for whatever happens, should I fail to control myself.
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Although meals could be taken at the inn, they were expensive. So we opt to take dinner at the tavern located down the slope.
The day came to end and the tavern was gradually filled with the hustle and bustle of seekers who finished their daytime explorations.
“Aside from not knowing what this meat is, the taste is unappealing.”
“Igarashi-san, are you perhaps picky with food?”
“Not that much? This blue cheese is like dried horse-mackerel. It’s not that appetizing. Is this some type of fermented tofu or something?”
(Is she weak to those pungent things? Durian would probably be out of the question. I haven’t eaten that either.)
“I wonder if the seekers who come here share the same rank as Atobe-kun?”
“It seems so. Seekers in the higher-rankings of the eighth-district often change their living quarters too, you know?”
“Well, the Labyrinth country is divided into eight and they let seekers compete amongst themselves. I wonder how would the first district look like when compared to here?”
“Eventually, our rank will go up. If that happens, we might be able to move to another district.”
–And in order to do that, we must enlist party members, raise our levels and acquire good equipment.
“By the way, Atobe-kun, who was that person who looked like a lizard?”
“She’s Theresa, a lizardfolk. The receptionist was worried because my job was indecipherable to her, so she handed me a ticket. I used that to hire her. I’m planning to enlist her in our party permanently someday.”
“That’s right. She looks capable and it would be reassuring if she stays with us for a long time. I have to raise my level too. There’s no time to be fooling around.”
“I will help you tomorrow. When we head out, I’ll explain a method to defeat the red one. The information regarding the skills of the seeker will be our lifeline, so share to me that information regarding your skills too, I beg you.”
“A method to deal with…? I’m looking forward to it. When that red one came out, I thought that I wouldn’t be able to return to the labyrinth again.”
Anyone would be traumatized if the Redface will spawn and attack so suddenly.
“Budwick’s party was the target of the Redface when you happened to be there, right? Igarashi-san.”
“Well rather than being there, they approached me when they saw me beat a watadama by myself. They were offering me protection in exchange for money. I was about to turn them down but then, the red one came out.”
Selling services to a novice seeker. Just thinking about what Budwick does leaves me nothing but disappointment.
“Igarashi san, you were using a spear but the watadama’s movements were pretty fast. How were you able to defeat it by yourself?”
“It’s because I know how to wield a Naginata (Japanese halberd). I chose the closest type of weapon I could get used to, but the red one was so overwhelming and it broke my weapon. Now I have to get a replacement.”
“Tomorrow, shall we buy equipment at the stalls in front of the labyrinth? We need to purchase armor too, not just plain clothes.”
“Oh, you’re right. Protective gears. I spent too much money on clothes that I forgot about it. …My weapon is damaged, too.”
“Let’s work hard to stabilize our earnings, alright? We’ll be busy starting tomorrow, onwards.”
–And with that, the dinner-meeting was adjourned. It’s time to head back home and rest.
“Hey, have you heard? “Death Sword” came here at the eighth-district.” (Seeker A)
“S… she… the “White Night Brigade” but managed to escape that place? (Seeker B)
“I think she’s found a “rookie” and currently raising it to be usable.” (Seeker A)
At first, I thought that it was unrelated, but when I heard something regarding a ‘Rookie’. I was immediately reminded of the two girls I met earlier.
(If they were Elysha and Suzuna… then “Death Sword” is Elysha?)
“Don’t you think of it as a chance? Bringing a top seeker’s luggage… …to dispatch properly.” (Seeker B)
“Hey don’t talk so openly. We’ll talk about that later.” (Seeker C)
A man with a scar on his cheek, who was probably their party leader, told the other guys to change the subject.
“Atobe-kun, is there something wrong? You look troubled.”
“No, well, just a little. It looks like they were talking about a reincarnated child… It’s okay for now. Let’s talk about it tomorrow.”
“Uhm… Okay, if you say so.”
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Bath-houses in Nornil Heights are separated according to gender. The junior seekers probably use the communal baths in town, so it would be much more preferable to take a bath here in the lodgings.
I went to take a bath first but still ended up arriving earlier than Igarashi-san. I was lying down on my bed while thinking about the things I have heard back at the tavern, but my eyelids gradually became heavy.
(I feel so lethargic… I’m really very sleepy… I need to be awake, just for a little bit more…)
I close my eyes and doze off. As my consciousness fell, the door suddenly opened.
“Atobe-kun … the baths in this lodging are amazing! At first, I thought that it was because it’s a different world, but they have things like shampoo and rinse. I wanted to… Oh, my… were you sleeping? Sorry… I’ll keep it down…”
(Good for you… Igarashi-san).
Is what I should have said, but I was too sleepy to say it aloud. She was so overwhelmed with the presence of rinse and shampoo that she even wanted to share it, but I was already at my limit.
“See you tomorrow, Atobe-kun.”
Her gentle voice pushes me to back sleep. It’s been a long time since someone was in the same room where I slept.
–In this poorly-lit bedroom, I kept on sleeping.
My consciousness occasionally surfaced up a little, but I was able to fall asleep again.
“H… hey… Atobe-kun, hey!”
“Nnh? Ah, Igarashi-san, Good morning…” (Arihito)
There she stood in her sleepwear when I woke up from the moderate shaking. Its amazing that her beauty remains unchanged, even without her makeup on.
She looks at me while standing on the bedside that was lit by lamplight, taking her time to say something.
I already had trouble positioning my eyes when she was wearing a vertical sweater. However, this time in her sleepwear, my eyes locked on to her chest. Karma might go up, so I diverted my line of sight. – I still wanted to see it, but I just couldn’t.
“… Can’t sleep? It doesn’t feel like your usual pillow?”
“It’s not like that… I don’t really know… I hope you won’t feel dejected, but would you please turn the other way while you’re sleeping?”
“Turn the other way? Uhm, Did I keep on turning over while I was sleeping? I wasn’t facing anyone when I did?”
“I can’t help it. It’s not your fault Atobe-kun, but when you face me while sleeping, I feel somewhat uneasy. I can’t explain it…”
I don’t understand it, but if it makes her uneasy, should I grant her plea? What if I roll over again?
(…Wait, it makes her uneasy when I look at her from behind? Even though I’m sleeping on a separate bed? Is it the manner of positioning ‘Vanguards’ or ‘Rearguards’? ”)
Impossible, there’s no such thing. Well, I suppose that’s what she’s talking about, however, I also can’t explain why she’s feeling uneasy.
(Would “Aid Recovery 1” show its usual effect, even while she’s sleeping?)
An indication on the license that credibility increased crosses my mind. If I sleep at the back like this and “Aid Recovery 1” continues to be active every 30 seconds… then perhaps the next time she wakes up…?
“Okay, I understand. I absolutely will not turn over so please rest easy.”
“R… Really? Please forgive me for disturbing you like this.”
Igarashi-san bashfully apologized then returned to her bed. The moment she fell asleep, I move out of my bed.
(I will definitely turn over in bed once I return to sleep. Will the Rearguard’s skill effect fail to activate if I sleep on the sofa? I would like to consider that. No, there’s still no proof that it’s because I used ’ Aid Recovery 1 ’ earlier.)
Let’s move the bed to another room tomorrow after a good night’s rest.
Although I could sleep on the bed, I decided to lie on the sofa. However, I could not find myself to sleep immediately.
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–And then, morning arrived…
I wake up just before the landlady comes.
“Nnh…”
I was sleeping without anything on me because it was not that cold, but now, I have this blanket on.
(Who placed this? Is Igarashi-san up already?)
Would credibility increase just by being at the rear? What happens if it goes up too much? What is actually happening when we’re out of the labyrinth? There are no logs. I can’t verify that.
Let’s try to sleep again on the bed later. If Igarashi-san wakes me up in the middle of the night, that’s the time to move the bed to another room.
Ty for the chapter!
Thanks~