CHAPTER 66: THE ATTIC

 

“Oh, by the way, you said you were working on subjugating an ogre, right?” (Nyango)

“Oh, it was a very clever fellow, and it took us a little while.” (Laius)

　Over a cup of Calfe, I asked Laius about the battle that I couldn’t ask him about last night, since there was one thing that bothered me before I did.

“When I came in while you were gone, there was a sign on the door saying that you were going to subjugate some orcs…” (Nyango)

“Ah, most subjugation requests are issued for orc subjugation.” (Laius)

“Oh, that sounds like a scam, doesn’t it?” (Nyango)

“It’s not a scam. They haven’t confirmed the monster’s appearance, but there are traces of livestock being eaten and killed… It’s not an uncommon sight and in such cases, a request for orc subjugation will be sent.” (Laius)

　If you can’t confirm your appearance, but there is definitely a monster, if you submit a request to subdue a goblin, an inexperienced adventurer will accept it, and you may get injured without being able to subdue it.

　If you send out a subjugation request for an orc, a certain amount of adventurers will come, so even if it’s a goblin, they can subdue them without any problems, and even if it’s an ogre, it’s still possible to subjugate them.

“But don’t orcs and ogres have different traits and material values?” (Nyango)

“That’s right. Ogres are not tasty. Orcs are much better at making money from their meat as a material.” (Laius)

“Then, does that mean it’s not worth the work?” (Nyango)

“No. In the case of the ogres, the success fee for defeating an ogre will cover the cost. Even if the request is for orcs, if the client confirms that the ogre has been killed, the client will pay a reasonable reward.” (Laius)

 

　It is a big loss for the client, but if they do not pay the completion fee, the guild will not accept any further requests.

　Since the completion fee differs greatly between orcs and ogres, it seems that the guild is taking measures such as splitting the payment of the reward from the client or deferring it.

“I see, but if you go to a place thinking it is an orc, but it turns out to be an ogre, wouldn’t there be cases where inexperienced adventurers can drive away the monsters but not subjugate them?” (Nyango)

“I guess so. Yes, there are certainly such cases. However, in such cases, the request can be canceled by informing the guild of the reason, and it will not be counted as a failed request.” (Laius)

“In other words, if you think it’s impossible, you can just dismiss the request…?” (Nyango)

“That’s right.” (Laius)

　Laius nodded with a satisfied expression.

　After drinking Calfe, his hangover seems to have lessened considerably.

“Yeah, after all, Nyango is skilled… For a normal adventurer, it’s hard to retreat.” (Shure)

　Shure timidly carried the slightly cooled Calfe to her mouth and muttered, but I honestly don’t understand.

“That’s a little learning curve efficiency when you’ve been through pain.” (Nyango)

“So is it about your left eye?” (Laius)

“About that…” (Nyango)

　I told Laius how I ended up losing my left eye when he asked me about it.

　If I hadn’t forced myself against the kobolds, I probably wouldn’t have lost my left eye, but I don’t know what happened to Miguel and the others.

  

　Maybe Mr. Zeol would have arrived in time and all three of them would have escaped unharmed, or maybe he wouldn’t have made it and they would have been eaten alive.

　At that time, I acted because I thought Mr. Zeol would not make it in time, and as a result, I lost my left eye, but the three of them survived and I don’t regret it.

“After all, Nyango is skilled… And my eyes are not wrong…” (Shure)

　I explained about the commotion of Miguel and the others, but Shure’s assessment did not change.

“Well, you were able to gauge the distance between you and the backup and make a last-minute decision, so that’s not being reckless.” (Laius)

“Is that right…” (Nyango)

“Of course, an adventurer survives and achieves… That is all. Nyango is capable of surviving and rescuing the three of them.” (Shure)

“Of course he is. I wouldn’t invite just any reckless brat to join Chariot.” (Laius)

　I felt seen by Shure and Laius, and it seemed my work had not been in vain.

　After finishing my Calfe, Serge, and Gad showed no sign of getting up, so we go ahead and start cleaning up the room.

　Up the stairs, there were two rooms on the second floor, one across the hallway from the other, and at the top of the narrow staircase at the back was the attic.

　At the front of the hallway, on the right is Laius and on the left is Gad; at the back, on the right, is an empty room, and on the left is Serge’s room.

“There are still a few of Kevin’s things left, but you can put them down the stairs if you want.” (Laius)

“Got it……” (Nyango)

　The name of the former owner of the empty room sounds familiar.

“Um, Mr. Kevin is…” (Nyango)

“Yeah, he was another member of the Chariot, but two years ago…” (Laius)

　Kevin was a snow leopardkin spearman about the same age as Laius, but he lost his life while on a subjugation mission with Chariot.

“He didn’t die of recklessness… Maybe, or perhaps as a result of it.” (Laius)

“Kevin, he was sick, right…?” (Nyango)

“Yeah, he didn’t have long to live anyway…” (Laius)

　From what I’ve heard, Kevin had cancer and was very thin at the time of his death.

　He was still insisting that he was fine, and in his final moments, he died from a stab against an Orc General.

 

　Perhaps the Kevin that Ms. Leila mentioned in her sleep was this Kevin.

“I don’t need to tell you now since Nyango also witnessed it during the defeat of Bronze Wolf, but if you are an adventurer, it is not unusual for you to lose your comrades.” (Laius)

“So we go through each day thinking that that day’s goodbye will be a permanent goodbye…” (Shure)

　Shure’s words sent a shiver down my spine.

　I myself died in my past life in a really trivial and sudden accidental death, but as I spend my days after being reincarnated, I tend to forget that death can come suddenly.

　I guess I need to be more prepared for it since I left Atsuka Village and living as an adventurer in Ibouro.

　Living each day to the fullest seems easy… But it is actually very difficult.

 

　I was to proceed with cleaning up the room, planning to go out to eat once Serge and Gad were up and able to move around properly.

　I thought the attic would be crammed with stuff, but it was just a few things near the stairs but the rest of the room was a mess.

　The Laius is all around 6 feet tall, and the attic ceiling is only 140 centimeters high at the highest point.

　It is good that they built the attic, but the ceiling is so low that it must be a hassle to get to the corners of the attic.

　However, for me, the ceiling height is not a problem, and more importantly, I can use the space of four rooms by myself, so I am not complaining but rather thankful.

　However, the floor is thick with dust because it has not been used for a long time.

　The attic had a small roof built at an angle to the roof and two 60-centimeter-square windows with double panes.

　When I opened the windows, it was raining outside, but fortunately not enough to blow in.

　I opened both windows fully and used void magic to create ducts to install wind magic circles.

　One side sucks in, the other side blows out, it’s a forced ventilation system.

　Of course, I myself am fully equipped with protective clothing and a helmet made with void magic, so I don’t have to worry about being covered in dust.

　I set the room itself to forced ventilation mode and also made a blower that I can hold by hand to expel the dust that has accumulated on the floor.

　What would have taken hours with a broom, dustpan, and dustpan could be done in about 20 minutes.

　Once the dust was settled, I hung up the dustpan and the cleaning was complete.

“I’ve finished cleaning, but… It’s quite drab.” (Nyango)

　The attic is empty except for a dozen or so crates that have been organized and stacked by the stairs.

　The attic is the size of four rooms, so even at a cursory glance, it is more than 40 tatami mats in size.

　I felt that it was extremely luxurious for me, a small catkin, to live alone in this huge space.

　At any rate, I ran around and danced using [Step] so as not to make a sound with my footsteps. …Yes, it is spacious.

　I hung the hammock, the only piece of furniture I brought from Atsuka village.

　At first, I hung it in the middle of the room, but it didn’t feel comfortable, so I hung it in the corner of the room.

　I hung it in the corner of the room, but it was too far from the stairs and I thought it would be better to hang it a little closer to the window…

　But it is going to be a cold season from now on, so I would like to have a futon as well.

 

　

　I also want to go shopping for clothes since I don’t have a lot on hand, and I need a small bag or something.

　I didn’t have much choice in Atsuka Village, but I’m sure I’ll be able to find a lot of things I want in the shopping streets and markets of Ibouro.

“Nyango! We’re going out for lunch!” (Laius)

“Yes, I’m coming down!” (Nyango)

　Laius called me from down the stairs, and he looked around the attic.

　There was no door in the attic, the room was completely exposed, and privacy was nonexistent.

　In Atsuka Village, I didn’t even have my own room, so I wouldn’t mind if I said I didn’t mind, but it might be inconvenient not to have a place to keep my valuables.

　I should consult with Laius and make a cupboard that has locks… No, rather, it might be targeted if it is locked.

　I don’t know if there are people who would steal from Chariot’s base, but I would like to have a place to store items that I don’t want to be taken out.

　I made a slide from the top of the attic stairs to the first floor and slid down it using void magic.