The well-Balanced Yamamoto-san Gets Caught up in a Death Game

Chapter 36

“Guildmaster! I’ve caught one of those rare material poaching bastards!”

“I’ve been caught~”

“What’s all this commotion about…?”

Apparently, the Guildmaster’s room was behind the backroom, and I was forcibly escorted there.

Well, I wasn’t resisting.

It seems that, for reasons I don’t quite understand, I’m suspected of some serious offense (?).

But let me say one thing.

“I’m not a bastard.”

“Denying that first shows you’re quite a brazen culprit…”

Sitting at an expensive-looking desk in front of me is a goateed gentleman with goat horns near his temples and a somewhat sleepy face.

How strange. He doesn’t seem to exude any sort of charisma, but is this person really the Guildmaster?

Ah, but my intuition is telling me he’s not someone to be underestimated.

He’s like one of those narrow-eyed characters you see in manga, I guess?

“Ah, let’s start with introductions. I’m Joachim, the Guildmaster of this guild. Nice to meet you.”

“I’m Yamamoto. Nice to meet you too.”

While I was introducing myself, Joachim-san continued processing documents on his desk, only directing his gaze at me for a moment when he heard my name.

After a brief silence, he glanced at the receptionist who had brought me here.

“Katze-kun. How long have you been with us?”

“Eh? About a month, I think…”

“If I recall correctly, you were originally a B-rank adventurer but retired due to a leg injury.”

“I did injure my leg, but I haven’t fallen so low as to let a criminal escape right in front of me… sir.”

“And then? You were picked up by the Adventurers’ Guild, became a receptionist, but caused endless trouble and were fired…”

“Well, they just wouldn’t listen to what I… I mean, they wouldn’t listen to me, ohohoho…”

Right, Katze-san, was it?

This person seems to be putting on quite an act.

I can see glimpses of their true nature!

“Sigh. Even so, considering your accomplishments at the Adventurers’ Guild, they couldn’t coldly fire you, so their Guildmaster asked if we could possibly hire you…”

“Yes.”

“Are you perhaps trying to get fired?”

“What? No way!”

Uh, Katze-san? Your current behavior seems completely out of control, don’t you think…?

But she seems to be taking this very seriously.

She points her finger at me accusingly.

“Didn’t you hear about it before? There’s a group of troublesome adventurers who overharvest rare materials without even completing requests! This person must be one of them!”

“That’s troublesome, but I clearly said it’s not punishable by the rules, right? If they say they needed to gather materials for reasons other than guild requests, there’s no problem, is there?”

“But because of them, those who take on proper requests are having trouble! The guild needs to do something about it!”

“Dealing with that is an adventurer’s job. There are plenty of ways to handle it. If they can’t cope, it just means those adventurers are incompetent. Besides, you’re now a Commerce Guild staff member. Do you understand what that means?”

“Are you saying the guild won’t cooperate!?”

“Your bad habit of nitpicking words and misunderstanding conversations is showing again. Well, I guess that’s why you’re easily deceived and get into so much trouble…”

After saying that, Joachim-san turns his gaze to me.

Huh? Did I do something?

“And you’re no better. When you get caught up in this kind of mess at the guild, you should quickly show your guild card. This situation could have been resolved smoothly if you had. But well—”

Joachim-san finally stops writing on the documents and straightens his posture.

“It’s true that I wanted to see your face once. In that sense, this was efficient. Welcome to Forzine. You’re Yamamoto, Milène’s prized pupil, right? You’ve become quite the talk of the town for rising to C-rank in just a month and a half.”

“Is that so?”

“This spacey person is Milène’s prized pupil!?”

Am I spacey?

My sister often tells me I zone out, but…

Well, I don’t want to be suspected of anything strange, so I take out my guild card and show it. The silver sparkle is still so cool.

“No way…”

“Katze-kun, apologize.”

“Eh?”

“If you make a mistake and can’t even apologize, we’ll have to reconsider your position here.”

“But, this guy was asking for C-rank materials for [Compounding], [Alchemy], and even [Blacksmithing]…”

“Listen. There have been a few young people who’ve recently become C-rank. Some by improving [Alchemy], others by advancing [Compounding]. But they wouldn’t be called Milène’s prized pupil for just that, would they? Yamamoto-kun here is self-sufficient. [Alchemy], [Compounding], and [Blacksmithing], all at C-rank by himself. In the executive committee’s magical communications, his name comes up as a promising young talent. Milène even says he might reach the [Demon Weapon Creation] skill, said to be the pinnacle of production classes. That’s how much his future is anticipated. So, if you make a bad impression on someone like that, you might as well consider your future in this industry over. Better apologize now, don’t you think?”

Um, there are quite a few things I’d like to comment on…

First, who exactly is Milène?

In my mind, she’s just a capable but heavy-drinking person, but is she actually someone amazing?

And about [Demon Weapon Creation] being treated like some legendary skill—

I definitely can’t casually say “Oh, I have [Demon Weapon Creation],” right? The atmosphere suggests I shouldn’t mention it. I guess I need to keep it secret?

And finally, Katze-san, who started a deep bow midway through the conversation.

This person seems to jump to conclusions easily and doesn’t think much, but maybe she’s not a bad person. Well, she might not be very bright though.

“Hey. I’m not important enough to make you bow in public. Could you please raise your head?”

“I’m terribly sorry for my behavior!”

“No, it’s really awkward, so please raise your head…”

“I’m truly, truly sorry!”

This is so uncomfortable…

“Well, as I said earlier, could you tell me about the locations of materials? We’ll call it even then.”

“Really!? I’ll tell you! I’ll tell you everything! I’ll explain in utmost detail! So, Guildmaster! I’d like to take half a day off now to explain the locations and types of materials to this person in detail. Is that okay?”

“No, that’s not okay…”

I thought as much.

Abandoning your receptionist duties and suddenly asking for time off—there’s no way that would normally be allowed.

The working world isn’t that lenient!

Katze-san’s face looks like it’s the end of the world, but that’s normal, you know? You can’t expect everything you say to be accepted, right?

“You’re working at the request of one of our guild members, so log it as guild work, not private time. Oh, and make sure to submit a business trip report later about where you went, okay?”

“Yes! Thank you very much!”

The Commerce Guild turned out to be a much more employee-friendly organization than I thought!?

■□■

And so, I went out into town with Katze-san.

We’re drinking tropical juices at a chic open-air café with an ocean view… is this really okay?

“I used to gather a lot of materials during my adventurer days, so I know quite a bit about their types and locations!”

Katze-san’s long cat tail sways happily through the gap in her chair as she says this.

Katze-san is apparently a type of monster, with two cute cat ears standing upright on her head.

Her eyes under her distinctive red hair are somewhat cat-like, giving an impression of a strong-willed woman.

Well, judging from her true nature earlier, I think she has quite a go-getter personality… As expected of a cat, she’s good at putting on a façade.

“Is something wrong?”

“No, I was just wondering if we really needed to come to a place like this for your explanation.”

“The Guildmaster said to submit a business trip report later, so the money spent on this briefing should be covered as expenses! That’s why I chose a place with a nice atmosphere that’s usually a bit too expensive for me to visit!”

Oh no.

That’s going to get you hanged upside down by Joachim-san later…

“Well, for now, let’s enjoy the scenery while we wait for our desserts to arrive.”

“Yeah, I guess that’s fine?”

After all, it’s not me who’ll get scolded later, but Katze-san.

As I lazily gaze at the sea, something catches my eye, so I ask Katze-san about it.

“Um. You see that eroded wall that looks like a bridge over there? There’s something on top of it, right? What is that?”

“That’s the arena.”

“Eh!?”

An arena, like where registered gladiators fight to the death? That’s pretty intense.

“Um, is this town known for gladiatorial matches in the arena?”

“No, it’s not used regularly. It’s only used during festivals.”

“Festivals?”

“It’s for the grand martial arts festival between humans and monsters held once every few years.”

A festival means it’s a celebratory event, right? Between humans and monsters…?

“Um? Are monsters and humans not enemies here?”

“Currently, we’re under a ceasefire agreement and have friendly relations.”

“Ah, I see.”

I totally thought it was like a normal game where they were fiercely opposed to each other!

That question seemed unexpected, and Katze-san smiles awkwardly.

Ugh, sorry for not gathering information about the world situation~.

“Apparently, a few hundred years ago, there was quite a bit of fighting between humans and monsters. If one side attacked, the other would retaliate, and so on.”

Well, if it became like that, it would turn into a complete slaughter between players. I’m glad it’s not that kind of world.

“But it was a few decades ago, I think? When the Demon Lord changed, there was more focus on domestic affairs… The warlike monsters complain that it’s weak-willed, but life has definitely become more prosperous. Even Forzine has become able to trade with human countries.”

Really? I thought this town had a port at the edge of the coast, but they’re actually trading with human countries?

Maybe we can even visit human countries from here?

“But when there’s interaction between countries, you need to show national prestige… You know, the defining characteristic of us monsters is strength, right?”

“Eh? Ah, yeah, maybe…?”

No, I think there are various traits like cuteness, beauty, coolness, or even eeriness…

But apparently, monsters are known for their strength.

At least, that’s how it’s decided in Katze-san’s mind.

“To demonstrate that national prestige, we hold a grand martial arts festival in Forzine every few years, including humans. That’s when that arena is used.”

“I see.”

“But it hasn’t been held recently…”

“Is that so? Why?”

“I don’t know the details, but rumor has it that the monster pair that won last time might not be able to participate for some reason, or that the human side is preparing powerful adventurers so they want to avoid any accidents… Something like that, I think?”

Hmm. I guess they’re being cautious about holding it because national prestige is at stake?

From a merchant’s perspective, it seems like it would be more profitable to hold it regularly though.

“Ah, but we were supposed to be talking about materials!”

And with that, our idle chat comes to an end.

We exchange information about various materials while savoring the parfaits that have been brought to us.