Riot Grasper

Translated by mranon

2nd Volume, 8th Chapter 【Backs of the Two Conversers】 2nd Part

Doorey, who felt that his prank had crossed the limit, looked at the shattered cup with a faint smile. After offering an apology to the owner of the food stall, he handed over several copper coins.

「――O-oh well, it was just a joke. From what you said, Seiji-kun seems to be a nice boy. It's alright.」

「A-aah, right.」

As if trying to dispel the unrest, Arnold raised the cup, which had nothing but the handle left, to his mouth with a trembling hand.

Observing his state, Doorey's gaze rested on the other party's ear.

「――…Hey, that wound…」

「N? This? Aah… It's not a wound that I received during the invasion by demons. It's an event that happened after you left the village.」

「Ah~… Sorry for the joke just now… Are you okay?」

Doorey asked, while observing his friend's expression.

After learning of Millay's death, Doorey received quite a shock. However, his biggest concern was her family: Arnold and Lim.

That he reunited with his dear friend, there would surely be many inquiries of the past events during the conversation.

He wouldn't be able to bear the burden of making his friend, who had lost his wife, talk about the past anew. Therefore, those words made him worried.

「Don't worry… I'm alright now. I recalled those days when I talked to you, who was a close friend of Millay as well.」

「……」

「…」

「It's a little difficult… But I'm glad at the same time.」

「That again… Why?」

Doorey, who couldn't understand the meaning of those words right away, had a wondering look about his face.

「I knew her… knew Millay well… However, there may be something about her which I'm unaware of. By talking to you, I recall her. Maybe I will be able to discover a completely new aspect of her.」

「……ああ」

「… Aah…」

「I know I won't be able to meet her again――Still… I'm glad…」

Doorey put the raised cup on the table and uttered these words with a downcast face.

「Millay-san was truly lucky…」

He lost his parents early, but he didn't leave his village because of the lingering affection. The partner who he yearned for tied the knot with his friend. Albeit slight, it was a push on his back.

He spent more than ten years to succeed as a merchant. His feelings were stable because he wished for them to live happily from the bottom of his heart.

Still, upon learning of Millay's death, he couldn't keep the accumulation of 『If only she had married me and left the village…』 thoughts from leaking through his face.

However, such a thought flushed out of his heart.

With this, he was glad――――

‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐

「――As for this wound… It was when Lim was 7 years old. Millay was on bedrest due to an illness. It was 《Red Fever》.」

Red Fever was an endemic disease of unknown cause that tended to occur in the region where Arnold and his family used to live. Upon contracting the disease, one would suffer from high fever.

It was an incurable disease wherein fever would persist for 7 days and 7 nights. If one had weak resistance, they could even lose their life.

There were extremely few people amongst beastkin capable of using magic, and there was no one who could use healing magic.

Even if there were, they would have no chance of healing it via magic if they didn't know its cause.

However, there was a makeshift solution. If you boiled and drank the moss which grew on the shell of a tortoise esque monster 《Meditortoise》, that could be found in the village they used to live in, you could bring the temperature down.

「Indeed… Ordinary antipyretic herbs would be ineffective.」

「Aah, although Meditortoise isn't an aggressive monster, it attacks if approached. Moreover, it's quite strong.」

「I have seen it, too… Picking its moss is equivalent to putting your life on the line.」

Nevertheless, it could lower the temperature. When Arnold was about to venture into the depths of the forest, Millay stopped him.

'Don't try anything reckless,' she said because she knew he would keep at it even if there were no such moss.

Arnold was troubled for a moment but nodded to Millay's words in the next. He then devoted himself to nursing her.

――Three days passed. The one who couldn't bear to watch Millay suffering from fever was her daughter, Lim.

『Papa is a coward. I will save Mama.』

Leaving that note, she left for the forest in the night by herself.

Early in the morning, when Arnold read the note, he darted off to the forest.

When he found Lim, she was about to be crunched between the tough jaws of a Meditortoise.

Her small body was bruised all over. Her breathing was faint. She was shouting something while crying.

「And… What happened then?」

Upon Doorey pressing him to continue, Arnold smiled bitterly.

「Although it was really dangerous, both Lim and I are now safe. In the end, one of my ears was torn off… I received wounds at several places on my body, but I was able to save Lim. This wound is from that time.」

「Haa~ so rash… 7 years old? Oh god!」

「I somehow shook the Meditortoise off. When we returned to the village, I was smeared in blood while Lim was crying. When we stepped into the house, Millay was about to faint.」

Thinking back upon it, the beastkin touched his ear, which was partly missing, and laughed hazily.

「But that's what's amazing about Lim. She presented, what she was grasping tightly in her palms, to Millay… What do you think it was?」

「Don't tell me, Meditortoise moss……?」

「Haha! As you would expect of my daughter!」

According to Arnold, Millay had a strange expression which was a mix of anger and delight.

But what Lim received first was scolding for going to the forest by herself. After receiving a slap on her cheek, she started weeping once again.

Millay said, 『If you want to do something, the least required of you is your own strength. Do it only if you can do it.』

As to how Lim was able to bring the moss back, it was thanks to Arnold coming to her rescue. Had she been alone, she would have been in the Meditortoise's stomach instead.

At that time, Lim couldn't understand even half the meaning of those words and only sobbed, but now…

But now, Lim could only hold Millay's words close to her heart and say…

『――Thank you.』

When the figure that used to tenderly and lovingly caress her head laid the anger bare, it was an unbelievable sight.

「――Thereon, it took a turn for the worse. Millay collapsed as was due to fever. My wounds kept bleeding. Lim started crying once again. Although the situation was seen through with the help of other villagers, it caused quite a ruckus.」

「That… was quite serious. For Millay-san to say such words… She was a splendid mother. Back then, no one would be able to guess that, considering how reckless she was…」

In 'what?' manner, Arnold enquired the nostalgic Doorey.

「Ah. You may not know this, but when Millay-san was a kid――――」

「What… Such words――That fellow said such words…――」

――Arnold kept nodding as if savoring each and every single word of that reminiscence. It brought about tears in the corner of his eyes.

「――Sorry, this is about the only story I have.」

「It's fine. The conversation at the reunion with a long separated friend will surely be a cherished memory.」

As the two talked, time passed.

「Alright, it may be a little early, but shouldn't we move to a place where we can leisurely drink?」

「Your work… Will it be okay?」

「…Aah. If it's today, there will be no problem. Let's drink all the way.」

「…Umu. In that case, I know just the right place.」

The beastkin of large stature stood up, and the beastkin of droopy ears followed.

「So, is your business going well?」

「Appears to be so. I will know the details upon visiting the shop. The trade between Archipelago States and Lechelle Kingdom has been profitable. The trade with Archipelago States was steered by the introduction of a preferential policy. Banzai Albert-sama!」

Albert・Duo・Ballad――was the name of the lord who governed the peripheral areas of Merville.

Although he was a lord, he was current Lechelle King Hardin's younger brother. He could hold an equal exchange with the King; such was their relationship.

He didn't contest with Hardin, who excelled in governmental affairs, for the kingship and settled to the lordship of the commercial town Merville.

With his sound business acumen, he developed trade with foreign countries. He was famous amongst the merchants for playing the part in national power augmentation.

In tandem with Hardin, Albert put forth the policy of preferential trade with Archipelago States.

「Lechelle Kingdom will soon be through with Souven Empire. They force-sell sub-par farm produce and livestock using military might and dirty tactics. It cannot be called trade!」

「Now, now. Calm down.」

「…Aah. However, the situation will shortly change with this preferential policy. I'm furious because those Souven guys despise other races besides humans. In the first place, it was because of them that we were forced to live down south――…」

「Alright, alright. I understand, Doorey. I'll listen to all you have to say while drinking, so don't yell.」

「Nah, that's all for the rant. Next, I'll tell you about my very first business deal――…」

――Thus, the two walked to the Commercial District.