The Heavy Smoker and the Reaper of the Wheat Field (13)

It was early in the morning, just after sunrise. We headed to Mutarat’s Children Inn to say goodbye to Ms. Bayna and retrieve Frang’s luggage we had left there.

“Oh, Frang, you’re here?”

When we arrived at the inn, Ms. Bayna was washing and hanging out the inn’s bed sheets. I had thought this would be the innkeeper’s quietest time, but she had been working since morning.

“Yes. Hello, Ms. Bayna.”

Frang swallowed nervously. On the way there, I had offered to speak for her, but she refused, saying this was something she had to do herself.

After taking a breath and calming herself, Frang spoke with clear diction.

“Ms. Bayna. I came because there’s something I wanted to tell you today.”

With those words, Frang began to tell her story.

She said that she was thinking of changing inns so she could stay with me, and thanked Ms. Bayna for all the help she had received, whether she realized it or not, until now.

“──So. From now on, I don’t think I’ll be able to stay at your inn. I’m really sorry.”

Whoosh─.

Frang bowed deeply in apology.

Strictly speaking, Ms. Bayna had never done anything especially significant to help Frang. She had mediated between Frang and me, but apart from that, she had simply provided services in exchange for the money she received.

But it was also true that Ms. Bayna had cared for Frang like a daughter in ways both obvious and subtle. That was why Frang had come to say goodbye like this.

“Hehe. Is that so? It’s a shame, but it can’t be helped.”

After hearing her out, Ms. Bayna gave a small laugh.

“We don’t have storage rooms or double rooms here. We’re an inn for people who work alone. So I always thought that someday you’d leave too, Frang.”

“Ms. Bayna….”

There was a hint of moisture in Frang’s voice. Seeing that, Ms. Bayna gently stroked Frang’s head.

“Frang, you have nothing to feel guilty about. Working at an inn also means parting with people. If you let every little thing get to you, both you and I will only grow tired.”

“Y-yes….”

“Oh dear. What are you going to do, crying like that? Frang, do you know how awkward it is when you part like this and then happen to run into each other on the road?”

“I’m sorry….”

Tear ducts were one part of the human body that was difficult to control. Frang sniffled as she wiped away the tears streaming down her cheeks.

“I-I’ll come visit you and your husband from time to time.”

“No, don’t. When parting, it’s better to say goodbye cleanly, leaving only the hope that you’ll meet again.”

Ms. Bayna said this firmly.

“If you kept coming by like that and then one day suddenly stopped showing your face without a word, how would I feel?”

“Ah…….”

“No one knows what the future holds. So let’s leave ourselves, from the start, with only the thought that ‘they must be doing well somewhere.’ Life is too long to go on worrying about people you’ve parted from.”

“……Yes. I’ll remember that.”

While stroking Frang’s sniffling head as if combing her hair, Ms. Bayna spoke to me.

“I won’t belabor the point with you. Do you remember what I said last time?”

“Yes.”

“Good. That’s enough. Even a child who seems destined to remain one forever eventually leaves for another family. Like our sons and daughters.”

Ms. Bayna grinned and gently pushed Frang’s back.

“Go on, Frang. I’m satisfied if you’ve found somewhere to stay. But you may come visit when something truly worth boasting about happens, all right?”

─Sniff.

Frang wiped her nose, composed her expression, and nodded. Her face was a little disheveled, but she wore a relieved smile.

“──Take care, Ms. Bayna!”

“Yes. You two take care.”

And so we left Mutarat’s Children behind. As we returned to Sam’s Rest, I looked back one more time.

This was the inn where Frang and I had our first experience together. I probably wouldn’t ever be able to forget this place.

Anyway, I was glad this place would remain a good memory for Frang.

Ms. Bayna had said that, but we should still make sure to visit her from time to time.

***

Over the next three days or so, I completed my paper.

It would have been finished sooner if I had focused solely on making it from the beginning, but it took a little longer because I accepted quests and worked every day.

The quests I took weren’t Bronze promotion quests but Iron-class quests. They were simply jobs I chose to make a living, such as gathering medicinal herbs and clearing trash from the roads.

The reason I had accepted Iron-class quests without taking the promotion exam was that Frang, who knew my circumstances, waited for me.

“I’ll wait until Nord finishes his paper.”

Saying that, Frang bought snacks or tea every night and looked after me while I worked. She was a little like a mother peeling fruit for her son while he studied through the night.

“Hic.”

Thanks to my girlfriend’s thoughtful care, I completed the paper while sleeping only four hours a day. It would have been foolish to meet the promotion requirements and then keep taking nothing but low-level quests.

Actually, in between all that, I had planned to visit a temple with Frang to ask about an incident that had occurred during sex.

─I-I can go by myself!

But unusually, Frang stubbornly insisted that she would go alone and refused to let me accompany her.

I could guess why she was embarrassed, so I didn’t force the issue. Going with me for an examination would have been practically the same as saying, I had sex with this person.

In the end, Frang went to the temple alone.

“What did they say at the temple?”

“Uh, yeah. They heard me out, but said there wasn’t anything wrong.”

Embarrassed, Frang recited the results of her examination.

“The healers are divided, but they said it isn’t impossible for the… womb to shift. Still, it could lead to illness, so they told me to receive healing magic or be careful.”

Frang fidgeted as she spoke, looking strangely sexy and stirring Juziconda. Even so, I exercised my patience and endured it.

‘I’ll finish the paper first.’

The urgent matters were out of the way, so it was time to devote myself to my main work.

For reference, I wrote the paper downstairs so I wouldn’t disturb Frang’s sleep. Inns in this otherworld generally left their tables set up even after business hours ended.

“Hey, you. I don’t know what you’re working so hard on, but why don’t you come over and join us?”

Since I was working with only a single candle lit, the traveling merchants who stayed up playing card games called out to me.

“Hehe. I’ll join you after I finish my work in a few days.”

“Heh. By then, we’ll be busy too and won’t be able to play like this.”

“What a shame. I’m sure our paths will cross again.”

Anyway, I kept refusing the devil’s invitation─and it was easy to refuse since games in this otherworld weren’t much fun─and wrote for several days.

“Done!”

It was a paper completed over a full twelve days, starting from the day I discovered the ruins.

Even setting aside my self-praise, the finished paper was fairly decent. It wasn’t as good as the masterpiece I had written before, but it was more than sufficient as a regular report.

Its main subjects were Beast Regression and an examination of the relationship between Erin, Ulster, and Britannia. It was a shame I couldn’t attach supporting evidence, but it was decent considering how hastily I had put it together.

‘Fuck. It’s embarrassing thinking Dana might read it.’

Since it was my first fieldwork paper, I had grown more attached to it than I realized. After carefully packaging the finished paper, I completed the quest I had accepted for that day and went to the transport guild.

To conceal my identity, I naturally went out wearing Arthur Wayne’s costume.

“Please send this document to the Department of Archaeology at Carmine University in Einhir.”

When I asked the caravan agent in a Vectorman-serious tone, he swallowed nervously before answering.

“Ah, sending it as far as Einhir will cost quite a bit….”

“That’s fine. Please do.”

Although I paid a fairly high amount, I didn’t care. If I could pay a little money now and receive two silver every month, anyone who didn’t do it would be an idiot.

“Understood. There happens to be a transport wagon leaving this evening. Shall I send it with that wagon?”

“Excellent. The sooner it goes, the better. Please send it with that one.”

“Yes. Your request has been accepted.”

Rattle─.

I confirmed that the sturdy, well-packaged paper had been properly loaded onto the transport wagon before leaving the transport guild.

“Ssssss… Haaaaah….”

Having finished the work that had piled up, I let out a deep sigh, finally feeling free.

‘Fuck, it’s finally over. That was fucking long.’

Had it already been about two weeks since I came to Sargadis?

Many things had happened, but I finally felt as though I had taken the first step toward my goal.

‘I’m close to Bronze promotion, too. And I don’t have to worry about the paper for a while.’

Once I passed this exam and earned Bronze rank, I would increase my mana pool and focus mainly on subjugation quests.

As last time, I changed out of my costume in a secluded spot and returned to the inn after making sure everything was in order.

“Frang. I’m back.”

“Ah, good work.”

Frang, who had been tending to the gathering tools, started to get up when she saw me, so I raised a hand to stop her.

“Just sit down. It’s tiring to stand up every time I come back from going out.”

“I don’t mind. I do it because I want to. Unless you dislike it, Nord, I’ll do it every time.”

Saying that, Frang rubbed her cheek against my chest. She really did seem like a puppy sometimes. Except for the braless breasts brushing against Juziconda.

“Pheeeew….”

When I lay down on the bed, Frang climbed on top of me. Lying on my chest, she rested her ear against me as if she wanted to hear my heartbeat. The softness of her thigh brushing against my stiffly erect Juziconda was blissful.

─Stroke, stroke.

I stroked Frang’s head. Touching her breasts was off-limits, since it would switch Frang on. Her hair, too, was satisfying to stroke. It felt like touching a skein of silk, calming me down.

“Frang. When the research funding comes out at the end of the year, I’m thinking of buying equipment first. Is there anything you need?”

I asked while burying my head in the pillow.

At the end of each year, personal research funds were provided. Unlike my monthly salary of two silver, it was a large sum of money, and fieldworkers could allocate it to personal equipment under the pretext of ‘ruins exploration expenses.’

“How much do you get?”

“I won’t know until I receive it, but… about 10 silver?”

“That’s a huge amount. Do they really hand out that much money to everyone doing fieldwork as a scholar?”

Frang asked with a dazed expression. Perhaps it felt unreal, or perhaps she was simply absentminded from being held in my arms.

Anyway, it was roughly ten million won, so being surprised was perfectly normal. It wasn’t a huge amount when considering how much the archaeological field earned every year, though.

“Hehe. The archaeological field has plenty of money. Why? Frang, do you want to become a scholar too?”

“Couldn’t you make me a scholar’s wife instead?”

“That’s only natural, like winter being cold and summer being hot.”

“Really? Thank you, Nord. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

─Kiss.

Frang kissed my nape and lay down beside me. I turned onto my side as well and gave Frang my arm as a pillow. Now that my mana had awakened, the weight of Frang’s head was nothing even if she rested it there all day.

Frang looked into my eyes and asked,

“What kind of equipment? Weapons?”

“Anything, really. We could replace the lantern, or buy good cold-weather gear since it’s winter.”

“How about we decide after looking at the promotion exam quests?”

“The research funding comes at year’s end, so we’d have to put the promotion off for quite a while, though?”

“Then let’s buy whatever Nord wants. Once we go to the guild tomorrow and look at the quests, you’ll think of something we need… Ngh.”

My hand happened to touch Frang’s breast. Frang studied my expression, then smiled and pulled her top up over her breasts.

─Jiggle.

Her pale, ample breasts were revealed beneath the lantern light. As always, her pink areolae were utterly free of pigmentation.

“Our Nord really does love breasts.”

Frang smiled, pulled me into her arms, and buried me in her breasts. I offered no resistance as I buried my face in her generous chest and caught my breath.

***

After a good night’s sleep, we went to the guild.

“We’d like to take the Bronze-class promotion exam.”

When we said that at the reception desk, the receptionist pulled out a file and spread several sheets of paper across the counter.

“Ms. Aetrinen, Mr. Nord. The promotion-exam quests you can choose from right now are as follows.”

There were exactly three quests. They had selected quests of appropriate difficulty from among the Bronze-class requests.

1. Exterminate goblins in Aralbuin Village.

2. Escort a carriage bound for Haisvent.

3. Exterminate and gather Todustools.

Looking over the quest forms, I inwardly sighed at how low the rewards were. Every one of them paid at least 20 coppers.

That was because none of these quests could be completed in a day or two. The quest to travel to a rural village, find, and exterminate goblins paid a whopping 50 coppers, but I understood it was a three-day walk from here.

‘Just as Professor Brammaton’s book said.’

The professor’s book only began covering substantial material with quests above Bronze rank. The knowledge I already possessed was probably at least as good as that of most Bronze-class adventurers.

According to the book, unlike the Iron-class rookies whose quests were generally day trips, Bronze-class and higher quests often involved traveling long distances there and back.

People who weren’t desperate used Iron-class adventurers, but for serious quests or important matters, it was better to hire adventurers of at least Bronze rank.

That seemed to be the basic common sense of people in this otherworld.

─Glance.

I looked at Frang and silently asked for her opinion. Fluent in Britannian, Frang read through the quest forms before asking,

“This ‘Escort a carriage bound for Haisvent’ says the departure date is tomorrow. Can we accept it?”

“Yes. It hasn’t closed because there have been no applicants.”

“Hmm. It doesn’t look bad, so why…?”

Frang wondered as she read the quest form. I was curious too, so I moved behind Frang.

“Let me see.”

“Here.”

Frang showed me the quest form over her shoulder.

The quest reward was… 20 coppers? The destination was a two-day round trip away, and the job required escorting the return trip after spending a day in the city.

The daily pay was about six coppers. As Frang had said, it was a fairly reasonable reward for a Bronze quest.

The risk was low too. You rarely encountered monsters in the fields. At worst, there might be kobolds, and kobolds were merely advanced rat bastards that didn’t spread disease.

But a quest posted three days ago was still here today? Was this traveling merchant some notorious bastard with a terrible reputation?

Then the receptionist, who had been quiet until then, tactfully explained.

“Lately, a bandit gang attacking traveling merchants has been running rampant, so escort quests are frequently being declined.”

“A bandit group…?”

Frang frowned at the receptionist’s words.

In the adventurer guild’s classification, Frang fell under the thief category, but the nuances of thief and bandit were very different.

The ‘thief’ class Frang belonged to was like a fantasy-game class, treating its members as dexterous people skilled in various fields. A ‘bandit,’ on the other hand, was treated as a humanoid monster. That was how people in this otherworld viewed bandits.

If you dug into history, you could find all sorts of reasons, but it was a long and boring story, so I simply accepted it as one aspect of otherworldly culture and moved on.

‘Still, I didn’t expect them to tell us the reason.’

Wouldn’t the guild want people to accept the quest? Why would they bother helping suckers avoid getting hooked? At my questioning look, the receptionist spoke as though she were used to it.

“It’s the guildmaster’s order. We were told to properly inform adventurers about this situation, so I’m passing it along.”

Ah. So they were just doing as ordered from above.

As I took that in, the receptionist continued speaking impassively.

“The bandits operating around Haisvent are believed to have drifted as far as Sargadis. A traveling merchant on the first day, adventurers on the second, and a transport wagon yesterday. There have been many casualties.”

“If that includes unreported incidents, there must be even more.”

The receptionist nodded without changing her expression at my words. It wasn’t that she felt nothing. She simply refused to show personal emotion toward the deaths written on the quest form.

That might be the secret to a receptionist’s longevity. Frang probably would have suffered terribly if she had become a receptionist. I sighed and set down the quest form.

“So adventurers are avoiding this quest because of the bandits. If we encounter them in the fields, we’d be badly outnumbered, so it’s quite dangerous… huh……?”

As I spoke, I shuddered at the chill rising from my lower back.

Wait. Fuck, what did she just say?

Not what I said. What that receptionist said. Wasn’t there something, something I absolutely couldn’t just let pass without comment?

“……Just a moment. Could you repeat the list of victims you mentioned earlier?”

“Huh? Ah, of course.”

The receptionist pushed up her glasses and read from the paper.

“A traveling merchant on the first day, adventurers on the second, and a transport wagon yesterday. Excluding unreported incidents and victims of attacks in Haisvent, they seem to attack a passerby once a day.”

A transport wagon.

=The transport guild.

Yesterday, under the identity of Arthur Wayne, I had entrusted a paper bound for Carmine University to the transport guild. Hadn’t the caravan agent said that there was a wagon leaving that night?

There were quite a few traveling merchants who left at night and reached their destination in the morning, especially when the distance was short. The merchant must have been headed to Haisvent, a day away, and intended to hand the goods over to the next carrier.

That was why I had asked him to send it that way.

My paper had left for Haisvent yesterday.

More precisely──it was ‘scheduled to go.’

“…Huh?”

I realized it with a perfectly clear head, not a single question remaining.

Those bandit bastards had stolen the wagon carrying my paper.