-Pero’s POV-
We are in a city in the north of the kingdom of Logas. The city is called Snowb. It is the second largest city in Logas Kingdom. At this time of year, it is very cold in the north, and something called snow falls. As someone who doesn’t know anything about snow, I was really looking forward to this request.
“Wow! So amazing! It’s pure white!”
I cheered at the entrance to the city.
In a city that is not inferior to the Royal Capital, fluffy, cold, white things are piled up, creating a fantastic white world. It was the very picture I wanted to paint.
“Pero-sama, it’s too cold here, let’s warm up somewhere.”
“Sleepy……”
Freya-san, who is riding a black unicorn, suggested. Similarly, Liz-san, who is riding a horse in the same way, had a calm expression on her face and told me with her eyes that I should do so.
“Alright, let’s have a meal at a restaurant somewhere. We should be able to warm up then.”
We decided to take a walk around the city to get some food. On my father’s advice, I’m wearing a thick coat, but it’s too hot for me as I have my own fur. On the other hand, Freya-san and Liz-san looked cold even though they were wearing coats. I wonder if the attribute I have got something to do with it.
When we found a good store, we decided to leave the unicorn in a nearby stable before entering.
“Haah-, it’s warm here. It’s not as fluffy as Pero-sama, but it’s a very cozy room temperature.”
“It makes me more sleepy.…”
We took off our coats and sat down on an empty table. The interior is large enough to seat 30 people, and the main attraction is the large brick fireplace. The blazing flames warmed the room and many guests were smiling as they enjoyed the food.
After observing the surroundings, I found out that the recommendation here seems to be meat dishes. When I opened the menu, the words, “lamb steak”, caught my eye.
“I’m going to have lamb steak. What about you two?”
“I’d like to have the same thing as Pero-sama. I’ll also have some alcohol to warm my body.”
“Salmon TKG Set Meal and Hot Milk.”
“Uh-, they don’t have a set meal. Then for Liz-san, let’s order you a stew.”
I quickly ordered from the waiter. After about ten minutes, the food was brought to the table.
“Lamb meat is so tender. I’ve never eaten it before.”
“Snowb’s mutton is famous in the Royal Capital. This liquor is also commonly drunk in this region.”
The bottle of liquor that Freya-san was drinking had the words “Dwarf Killer” written on it. As the name suggests, the alcohol seems to be strong, and the smell of alcohol lingers around the table, making me feel like I’m getting drunk. We have work to do now so I’m worried that Freya-san would get drunk.
“Alcohol reeks. I should have followed Oniisan.”
“I also like to be alone with Pero-sama. Muu~, Tanaka-dono is mean.”
“Uh-, come on Liz-san, Freya-san too. Please cheer up. I think Father had some idea so he got us together.”
I casually followed up. Well, I think I know what Father really meant. I think he was worried about Freya-san, who tends to get out of control when she’s with me. That must be why he made Liz-san go with me as a support role. It’s also reassuring to be able to contact Father through her.
“So, after this, we are going to meet the client, right? What kind of person is he by the way?”
“Well, I think he is called Kanegi-san of Snowb Company. He seems to be very rich.”
When I said that, Liz, who was eating the stew, reacted with a jerk.
“Let’s assassinate him. I’m sure we’ll get some valuable things.”
“Don’t grin and say that! We’re just here to work you know!?”
I retract my previous statement.
Father wanted me to be their watchman. Liz-san is even willing to kill the client instead of supporting him. My stomach hurts from anxiety……
“But I wonder what Tanaka-dono is asking me to do by giving me something like this.”
Freya-san unties the strings tied on a certain thing wrapped in cloth. What came out was a splendid spear with a blue jewel in it.
“It’s the spear of the Water God. You still can’t touch it huh.”
“Yes. I can’t hold it unless it’s wrapped in cloth like this. Sigh. I’m glad I received a great treasure, but if I can’t handle it, the treasure would be in vain.”
“But Freya-san is going to evolve soon. Father said so.”
“If it is as Tanaka-dono predicted, it will indeed happen. However, I still don’t think I will be recognized by the Jewel because of that. Besides, I, a former knight, to be on a par with the Beast King…. that’s impossible if you think about it normally.”
She seems humble, but I don’t think she should be. Freya-san is so skilled in using spear that she could already be dubbed as master of the spear. I think she is as talented as the Beast King of the Naji Kingdom. Even Father must have given it to her thinking that it was the right weapon for her.
“It’s still going to happen. I’m sure Freya-san will still get stronger.”
“Pero-sama……”
Freya-san face lit up, perhaps because she’s delighted. Then it turned into a face full of determination.
“In order to become a fine servant knight, I will definitely show you how to use this! I will not embarrass you my Lord!”
“Eh? W-what? Servant knight? My Lord?”
“I, Sacred Beast Moe Servant Knight Freya Label, will master the great treasure!”
“Uh-…. Okay, okay, don’t talk anymore!”
Customers inside the store gave me cold stares. I feel so embarrassed. I almost want to disappear.
“Sacred Beast Moe”
“Stop it! Don’t add more you know!”
Liz grinned as she sipped the hot milk.
Sigh. I want to finish work early and go home…….
◇◇◇
We had come to the entrance of Snowb’s Chamber of Commerce. I was overwhelmed by the stone buildings that can be mistaken for castles. Next to the Chamber of Commerce building is a wooden warehouse, where carts loaded with black stone were brought in one after another.
“What are those black stones?”
“That should be coal. Snowb’s main industry is coal mining and iron ore you see. About sixty percent of the coal and iron in the kingdom is mined in this city.”
“Then if the mine here closes, the kingdom will be devastated for sure.”
“That’s right. As expected of Pero-sama.”
After we walked inside the chamber of commerce, we talked to the receptionist. Then we are immediately ushered into the back of the building and instructed to wait in a room that looks like a waiting room.
A few minutes later, a man entered the room.
“Are you guys the adventurers who accepted the nomination request? You look unreliable though. I thought I had asked the guild to assign it properly.”
The man who sat heavily in his chair with a thud said so as soon as he saw us. His head is thin and bald, and he has a little mustache under his nose. A thick double chin and a sagging belly. His form is round and cute, but the eyes are squinted and looked sharp. He should be the client, Kanegi-san.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Pero from Homeless party. Though we are still young, I think we have the ability to fulfill Kanegi-san’s request.”
“Hmmm, whether I’m satisfied or not will be determined by the result. But I’ll get to the point—w-wait a minute…. Did you just say Homeless?”
“Yes. That’s what I said.”
“Now that I look at you closely…… are you the rumored Sacred Beast?”
Kanegi-san looked at me seriously and then began to get flustered. He noticed it late huh. Normally, people react as soon as they see my face. Or maybe that’s because of my fur color. They may have thought that I was covered in snow. But in this region, everywhere you look is completely white. That maybe why he just noticed it now.
He took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
“My apologies. I didn’t expect the Sacred Beast to come you see. Well, I’ve always heard rumors about Homeless party. Some of them are close friends with the Royal families of various kingdoms. It’s a world that I can’t even imagine as an upstart. Uhahaha.”
“No, no. Everything was done by Father. I didn’t do much.”
“What are you talking about? It’s because of your help that they became so famous. Without the sacred beast, Homeless is just an adventurer party you know! Oops-, please excuse me. It seems like I just got carried away.”
I admire his social skills. As expected of a person who has amassed such fortune. He uses different attitudes while observing the opponent. In particular, the way he humbles himself from his previous arrogant attitude makes me feel comfortable. In a sense, I think he is the complete opposite of Father.
“Irene! Serve tea and sweets for the guests!”
Kanegi-san called out loudly, and a woman dressed as a maid brought tea and sweets into the room on a trolley. Seeing this, Liz stands up vigorously.
“Oneechan?”
“…… Liz?”
Oneechan? Could she be Liz-san’s sister?
Freya-san and I couldn’t figure out the situation so we tilted our necks in confusion. The woman called Irene had long blue hair and a beautiful appearance that appeared to be Liz-san’s adult version. Liz-san ran up to Irene-san and spoke further.
“W-why are you here?”
“For work. I have to earn money to live you see.”
“I make sure to send money to the house. Wasn’t that enough?”
“That’s enough to support a family of four.”
“Then why……?”
Irene shakes her head.
“While Liz, the third daughter of the family is doing her best, it’s quite embarrassing for me, the eldest daughter, to be spoiled at home you see.”
“No. I was sick and cause trouble to the family. It is fine with me to feed you guys!”
“……So that’s what you were concerned about huh. The downfall of the Schmidt family was not due to the cost of Liz’s treatment you know. It was because Father used it for art without telling the family. So don’t worry about home anymore and live your life.”
Liz-san’s eyes widened. Irene-san continues,
“Liz, you spend more than half of your life just staying inside the mansion so you should be free. Leave the family to me and the second sister.”
“But a dingy pig could do this and that thing… My sister could be in danger…”
“Kanegi-san looks like that but he’s a very kind person. He also promised to support the Schmidt family.”
Kanegi-san couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable because he could hear their entire conversation. As he wipes his forehead with a handkerchief, he clears his throat several times, tacitly asking them to finish their conversation quickly. Noticing this, Irene-san put the tea and sweets on the table and left the room quickly.
“Ahem. Well, I didn’t know that Irene’s sister was among you. Hahaha”
“If you make my Oneechan cry, you will be assassinated.”
“Liz-san please be quiet.”
While soothing the murderous Liz-san, I asked Kanegi-san for an explanation of his request. We’re here for work after all. We didn’t come to see Irene-san.
“Then let me once again explain the request. What I want to ask you to do is to kill a troll.”
“Please tell me more about it.”
“Actually, there have been reports of frequent sightings for six months now, but at that time, I left it alone as it did not cause any harm. But recently, it started attacking people. And now, whenever someone passes by that road, they are always attacked.”
“Do you really have to use that road?”
“Yes. It’s the only way to the iron mine that I own, and because of that, the workers can’t get into the mountain and the work is suspended. If this continues, we, the people of Snowb, will ebb away.”
It seems that the request was a bigger responsibility than I expected. That’s why it has high reward huh.
“I understand. We’ll make sure to get rid of the troll.”
“O-oo-ooh! I know you would say that! As expected of Sacred Beast-sama! Thank you very much!”
He holds my right hand with both hands and thanks me greatly. Then Freya-san, who had been silent until now, exclaimed.
“Don’t touch Pero-sama’s fluff casually!”
Eeeh!? D-did Freya-san just said that!?
Kanegi-san, who retracted his hand, murmured in a small voice, “P-pardon me……”.
I had mixed feelings as I kept my right hand stretched out.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
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