Chapter 30
We put the bandits' heads into my Item Box and returned to the city of Dalia.
The beastman Nyakero climbed onto the truck and held up a head as he loudly proclaimed our victory.
Well, proclaiming victory alone wasn't going to finish things.
We had to go into the Adventurers' Guild and report that we'd successfully completed the subjugation.
But for some reason, the spectators were buzzing. Apparently, they couldn't take their eyes off the beautiful women accompanying us, all wearing obviously high-quality white blouses.
They had been held captive by the bandits, but because the villains' favorites had been left behind, they were quite a collection of beauties.
After washing themselves with soap and tying back their hair, they were lined up looking neat and presentable, which inevitably drew the attention of the onlookers.
Even Alissa, with her exceptionally large body, seemed to be attracting curious looks.
Ignoring the gathering residents, all fifteen adventurers entered the guild.
Nyakero slammed the severed head he was still holding onto the counter.
"Eeeeeek!"
The receptionist leaped up at the sight of the blood-dripping head staring blankly up at her. Of course she did. Didn't Nyakero have even a little tact?
"Here you go—the bandit leader, Shaga's head. Inspect it to your heart's content!"
"P-Please don't leave it here!"
"With a haul this big, you lot should work through the night too! Hahaha!"
Was Nyakero holding some kind of grudge against the guild?
A male staff member came out in place of the fleeing girls.
"Um, how many heads are there?"
"Let's see... ten... no, wait—Boss! How many was it again?"
"Fifty-two, including Shaga's head."
"Right! That's it!"
Beastfolk were utterly hopeless with numbers above ten, which they could count on their fingers. Apparently, beastfolk who could calculate did exist, but they were extremely rare.
The knight stepped forward in front of the staff member.
"I am Sir Northpole. I wish to speak with the guildmaster."
"Sir Knight, please wait here for a moment."
Sir Northpole was presumably going to report the noble's involvement in this matter to the guildmaster.
"Kenichi-dono. Tomorrow, I will go and meet Count Asclepius, who governs this area."
"You'll be reporting that a noble is involved?"
"Yes."
"I'll leave that to you, Sir Knight. If the other party is a noble, there's nothing commoners like us can do."
"Leave it to me."
Nyakero had said they should work through the night, but apparently they really were going to begin the examination right away.
The staff hurried around, gathering lamps and other guild equipment.
But they obviously couldn't line up severed heads inside the guild building, so they chose the processing facility normally used for butchering monsters and animals.
Fifty-two heads were taken out of my Item Box and lined up inside the building, where the smell of blood and entrails had soaked into the walls.
"Um... the heads are still warm..."
The female staff members were visibly reluctant to take on this unfamiliar task.
"We put them into Boss's Item Box immediately after cutting them off and brought them here. They're fresh as can be!"
"We don't need them that fresh!"
"What are you talking about? It's much better than heads that have rotted into mush or shriveled up from being salted, isn't it?"
"Heh heh, seeing all these villains' heads lined up like this is quite a sight. So this is that bastard Shaga. He certainly looks like a bad one."
The mustached, scar-covered employee who had butchered the monsters I'd brought in before seemed completely accustomed to this sort of work and didn't bat an eye.
All the staff members began comparing the heads with the wanted posters. Of course, there were no photographs in this world, so they examined each one by matching it against sketches and the distinguishing features of the criminals.
Having Sir Northpole in our party made our claim far more credible, though.
Things really did go more smoothly when someone of high rank was present. Otherwise, they could nitpick that this or that was wrong and reduce the payment.
That was probably why Nyakero had such negative feelings toward the guild.
Because they were low-ranking and not particularly intelligent, they were apparently often taken advantage of. It was a horrible way to treat them.
While the heads were being examined, I had nothing to do, so I decided to store the truck parked in the street in my Item Box.
The residents who had gathered cried out in surprise when the iron monster suddenly vanished before their eyes.
For the record, I claimed it hadn't vanished because I put it in my Item Box, but because I had ended the summoning of my summoned beast.
Whether they believed me or not, I decided to stick with that story.
After Primula-san and Marlow-san bowed repeatedly to everyone, they went home in a carriage. After everything they'd been through, they probably wanted to spend some quiet time together, just the two of them, at home.
When I returned to the place where the heads had been lined up, a tall, thin man had joined them and was directing the proceedings. He wore what looked like green clerical robes, had slightly long dark-brown hair, and a light beard on his chin—a handsome man.
Apparently, this sharp-eyed man was the guildmaster.
"Master, when I heard what happened, I thought it couldn't be true, but don't push yourself too hard at your age."
"What are you saying? I can still do plenty! You changed your opinion of me after this subjugation, didn't you? Besides, we made all sorts of discoveries."
"What discoveries?"
"That's a secret. Just because you're my disciple doesn't mean I have to tell you everything, you know?"
Huh? The guildmaster's master...?
"Old man, you're quite an impressive person after all."
"Ho ho ho. Have you changed your opinion of me?"
"Yeah, I guess."
"And I have a favor to ask you later."
"You've helped me out, so if it's something I can do, sure."
Not only had we had a knight with us, but the guildmaster's master had accompanied us too. No one could doubt the truth of our subjugation anymore.
All the heads were examined and confirmed beyond doubt to belong to Shaga's gang.
But they weren't going to pay us on the spot. It was a huge sum, and the guild's safe probably didn't contain enough money.
The breakdown was as follows:
Shaga's head: 100 gold coins (20 million yen)
The lieutenants' heads: 50 gold coins (10 million yen) × 10 people, for a total of 500 gold coins (100 million yen)
The underlings' heads: 25 gold coins (5 million yen) to 10 gold coins (2 million yen) × 41 people, for a total of 825 gold coins (165 million yen)
Guild bounty: 100 gold coins (20 million yen)
Marlow Trading Company's bounty: 100 gold coins (20 million yen)
Government reward: 100 gold coins (20 million yen)
――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――
Total: 1,725 gold coins (345 million yen)
Per person: 115 gold coins (23 million yen)
――That was what we'd earned.
In addition, there were all sorts of supplies we'd taken from the enemy hideout. The proceeds from selling those would also be divided equally.
But—
"I'll give you my share. In exchange, give me one more of those metal plates. It's more valuable than gold and can't be bought with money."
"If that's what you want, old man, then fine by me."
If a special metal could be used as a catalyst in place of a magical booster, then it really was an item money couldn't buy.
After all, the only aluminum in this world was what I'd ordered from Shangri-La.
This world had no aluminum. There might be alumina, the raw material for aluminum, but refining it required enormous amounts of electricity.
Perhaps it could be substituted with lightning magic or something similar, but it probably wouldn't be that simple.
My share plus the old man's came to 46 million yen. We'd fought for our lives, so I deserved at least that much, right?
By the time the examination was finished, it was already completely dark—the ordinary residents would normally have had a drink and gone to bed by then.
But because something so major had happened, a crowd of onlookers still surrounded the front of the guild.
They must have been starved for entertainment, since they latched onto things like this immediately.
In the darkened hall in front of the guild counter, we held a meeting and calculated the money.
The beastfolk couldn't count or calculate, so they were flustered, but I told them not to worry because the old man and Sir Northpole were there.
The women we'd brought back from the enemy hideout sat along the wall, together with Amana, who was holding the sleeping Anemone.
Then one woman strode into the hall.
She wore a navy skirt and a plain white blouse—the standard clothing in this world—with a small apron over it.
She was somewhat plump, but she looked as though she would be beautiful if she lost weight.
The woman went straight to the muscleman and suddenly punched him in the cheek.
"Okatora! You just got married, and now you're planning to make me a widow already?!"
"Ow! Celuria, could you go easy on me with everyone watching?"
Apparently, the muscleman's name was Okatora. She seemed to be his wife.
"You didn't even discuss it with me!"
"If I'd asked you, you would've opposed it no matter what, wouldn't you?"
"Of course I would! You idiot!"
"What? You joined without telling your wife? Of course she's angry."
"Ha-ha, my bad."
Okatora became as meek as a cat in an unfamiliar house in front of his wife, who raised her hand again. Despite having 'tora,' or tiger, in his name, he really was a cat.
But the woman hugged Okatora and began to cry.
"What good is money if you're dead?!"
"I'm sorry..."
"You do feel bad about it, don't you?"
"Of course I do."
"Then hand over all the money you get!"
The woman raised her head and glared at Okatora.
"Come on, Celuria..."
"Shut up! If I let you keep the money, you'll spend it all in no time and end up penniless. Then you'll go looking for another dangerous job, won't you?!"
"That's right! Exactly. You'd better let your wife hold the money. Men never use money for anything good."
Amana, who had been listening to them, chimed in.
"Give me a break..."
The muscleman made himself as small as possible and began to whine, but since he was clearly henpecked, there was probably no helping him.
As a result of our discussion, everyone decided to give me a share because I'd provided them with various tools and fed them delicious meals.
They were a remarkably honorable bunch. I had no reason to refuse, so I gratefully accepted it.
There was no harm in having money, after all. If I kept it in my Item Box, it wouldn't be heavy, and it would be safe.
The shares were between 5 gold coins (1 million yen) and 10 gold coins (2 million yen), totaling about 80 gold coins (16 million yen) for the fourteen people.
That brought my total earnings to 62 million yen.
I also asked everyone to keep quiet about the items I'd provided.
But after we'd made such a spectacular scene, it probably wouldn't be possible to prevent rumors from spreading...
"Amana, you didn't take part in the subjugation, but would five gold coins be enough?"
"Huh? I don't need anything like that. I didn't do any work at all, and I wasn't even in danger."
"But you helped us with all sorts of things. In that case, would you accept one gold coin (200,000 yen)?"
"Well... I did help prepare the meals, and I want to take care of this child, so I suppose I'll accept that much."
I gave Amana a gold coin. Anemone would apparently be staying at Amana's home for the time being.
I gave each of the women who had been with us one gold coin as well.
"Are you sure? You're giving us gold coins...?"
"You need money to look for both work and a place to sleep. Just take it."
"We are completely penniless, after all. We'll gratefully accept it."
The women accepted the money and went off to look for an inn.
"If you run into trouble, rely on Amana or the old man over there. They both have plenty of connections in this city."
"Leave it to me."
I was a newcomer who had only just arrived in this city—or rather, this world.
Well, the gates had already closed. I needed to find somewhere to stay too, but the inn where I'd stayed the first time would do.
There were still plenty of people out in the street. I left through the guild's back entrance and walked down the street toward the inn.
The night sky was already thick with stars, as though someone had spilled granulated sugar across it.
After walking for about ten minutes, I arrived at the inn where Azalea was.
"Good evening. I'd like to stay here. Do you have any rooms available?"
"Kenichi! I heard that someone who looked like Kenichi went off to subjugate the bandits riding an iron monster?!"
Everyone drinking in the inn's dining hall turned to look at me at once.
"Oh, no, no. You have the wrong person."
"Oh, I see. That makes sense."
Of course, that was a huge lie. If people found out I'd come into a large sum of money, everyone would swarm me for a handout.
The customers who had overheard us went back to drinking, but Azalea suddenly threw her arms around me and looked up at me.
"Hey, do you remember promising to make me your mistress?"
"No, I don't remember that at all."
"How cruel! So I was just a plaything to you!"
She was obviously faking her tears.
"Well, at least you made some pocket money. Isn't that good enough?"
"...I thought you were more of a soft touch, Kenichi."
With her keen nose, she must have sniffed out the fact that I had money. Maybe she even knew I was the one who had successfully completed the subjugation.
"Hahaha, sorry. I'm a bad old man, you see. Here, you can keep the change as pocket money."
I felt bad refusing Azalea, who had helped me in various ways since I'd arrived in the city, so I gave her one small square silver coin (5,000 yen) and went upstairs.
I'd given her various items too, so that should have repaid what I owed her.
The room I always used was vacant, so I decided to stay there. No breakfast included.
I was exhausted, so I collapsed straight onto the bed.
But when you're completely worn out, it can be surprisingly difficult to sleep soundly. As I drifted in and out, the door opened.
Azalea stood in the orange candlelight, holding a candlestick.
"Hey, Azalea. I'm tired."
She must have heard me, but Azalea took off her clothes and slipped under the blanket with me.
"Business has been slow this month. Just the tip will do..."
"What are you talking about? You're going to charge me for just the tip?"
"Then shall I put it all the way in?"
There was no point arguing, so I ended up doing it.
But perhaps because I felt refreshed after it was over, I slept soundly.
However, was this really okay?
This didn't feel like a slow life at all.
------◇◇◇------
――The next day.
Azalea was still sleeping in the bed, but I left her there and headed for the guild.
When I arrived at the Adventurers' Guild, everyone was already gathered. For some reason, the women were there too, along with Amana and Anemone.
As promised, Sir Northpole had apparently gone to meet the count who governed this region.
We were going to sell the things we'd collected from the bandits' hideout.
Everyone had eaten at their inns or homes, so I took bread from my Item Box and gnawed on it as I followed along.
We walked down the street, chatting noisily together.
Once they had money, everyone talked about the things they wanted to try.
"If you spend it on luxuries and wasteful things, it'll be gone in no time."
"That's true. Things rarely work out that easily."
"When you have money, suspicious people come crawling out of the woodwork to get at it."
"Money really is nothing but trouble."
Amana said she'd seen plenty of people make a little money and then ruin themselves.
It seemed that part was the same in every world.
There was no such thing as an easy fortune. If something really was a good deal, nobody would tell anyone about it—just like my Shangri-La.
After discussing it, we decided to sell the weapons and armor at the weapons shop where we'd equipped ourselves before setting out.
The bandits had robbed many traveling merchants and caravans, so a lot of the goods were quite valuable.
If the equipment stripped from each bandit was worth 150,000 yen, then 150,000 × 52 came to 7.8 million yen.
That was a considerable sum. I'd heard that many merchants had made their fortunes by stripping the dead.
When we arrived at the shop, a clerk led us around back, where I took the weapons and armor for all fifty-two men out of my Item Box.
"S-So much...?"
The clerk's eyes widened at the mountain of weapons and armor.
"This is a large shop, so you can handle this much, right? It'll keep you from running short on inventory for a while."
"B-But..."
"Buy them."
The owner had come out from the back.
He was a heavyset man wearing a navy-blue shirt and trousers, with narrow eyes and a shaved head. If I had to compare him to anything, he looked like a Buddhist statue.
"These are the weapons and armor of the bandits who made a fortune raiding all over this area. There's a lot of good stuff here. It's a bargain, right?"
The shop owner seemed to be examining everything, but even at a glance there were many high-quality items.
A lot of them had seen heavy use and soaked up plenty of human blood, but that didn't reduce their value.
If anything, it proved they hadn't broken even after being used in actual combat.
Apparently, some professionals even preferred this kind of equipment.
It was like a car that had finished its break-in period and had become nicely run-in.
After we finished selling the weapons, we headed to the next shop.
The expensive items Shaga had collected—carpets, ceramics, jewel-encrusted swords, and so on—would be purchased by the Marlow Trading Company.
The buyers of such things were nobles and wealthy people, so the clientele was completely different.
We could have the old man's tool shop buy the furniture and other items.
The villains' hideout had also contained about a hundred gold coins. Those would be divided among everyone too.
Once everything had been sold, the total came to 178 gold coins (35.6 million yen).
We divided it among fifteen people, giving each person 11 gold coins (2.2 million yen). We decided to give the remainder to the women. That would avoid any hard feelings later.
Apparently, it would take the guild a little while to pay out its share.
After dividing the money, we agreed to meet again on the day we collected the guild's payment.
When I parted ways with everyone, I finally headed toward my home in the forest—but...
For some reason, the women followed after me.
Anemone was with them too.
"Hey, hey, why are you following me?"
"Um, we thought you were the only one we could ask, Boss... We discussed it among ourselves..."
They explained that they wanted to save money while looking for somewhere to live and work, so they wanted to stay at my house.
"Everyone agreed that you seem to be the only one who owns a house, Boss..."
"What? My house is small, you know. Can it really sleep eleven people? Are you sure that's all right?"
"Yes. As long as it keeps the rain and wind off us, that's good enough."
"Wouldn't Anemone be better off staying with Amana?"
"...Kenichi's food was tastier."
Oh no. I'd gone and gotten her hooked on my cooking.
"Boss! If you've got fields, I can work them for you. Leave it to me!"
Alissa said that while swaying her ponytail, but—
Are you serious?