Chapter 34: I’m a Driver, but Now I’m a Fisherman
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 34: I’m a Driver, but Now I’m a Fisherman
“It’s a man! A man has come!”
“Lordy, would you look at that? A man’s actually here!”
After staying a night in Honeru City and traveling for over half a day by carriage, we finally arrived at Massa Village.
Perhaps because it was a fishing village, my appearance as a man caused quite a stir.
“He’s a city boy, but he’s got a build as good as the chief’s grandson.”
“Looks even better than Luke, don’t he?”
“Aye, but Luke’s got the better face by a long shot.”
“Right you are. He’s the only son for three generations; our Luke’s a real looker~.”
It seemed the hot topic was how I was uglier than the village chief’s grandson.
“But those lasses are sure easy on the eyes~.”
“My, that pale one looks like royalty. How’d she end up doin’ adventurer work?”
Naturally, the praise shifted toward the Young Lady and Arasen.
Arasen gave an awkward smile, but the Young Lady looked displeased.
It was understandable. Amidst the crowd of middle-aged and elderly women, I could feel the envious glares of the younger village women.
“If a man was gonna come, they should’ve sent a handsome one.”
“Well, he looks like a hard worker, at least.”
Ah, so it was because of me?
I guess they didn’t like my face.
“Move aside! You say the adventurers are here?”
Pushing through the women, a balding old man and a guy who looked younger than me appeared.
The younger man was surrounded by several simple but pretty-looking girls.
He was definitely more handsome than me.
Then again, being uglier than me wasn’t exactly a high bar to clear.
“Well, I’ll be! It really is a man! Luke, ain’t this the first time you’ve seen another man besides us?”
“Grandpa, don’t act like that in front of city folk, or they’ll look down on us.”
“Oh, hush. What a thing to say to the folks who came to help.”
Despite his words, the boy called Luke couldn’t take his eyes off us.
Specifically, off the Young Lady.
“Luke, welcome the guests. Now that we’ve got another man, this catch is bound to be a big one. Make sure they’ve got everything they need and treat ‘em well.”
“You do it, Grandpa.”
“You little brat! This is part of a chief’s duties! Think of it as your successor training and just do it! I’ve got things to check on in the storehouse.”
With that, the chief approached us and grabbed my hand.
“I’m mighty grateful you came all the way to this backwater. I’m Listera, the village chief. Normally, I’d be the one to host you, but since me and my grandson are the only men left in this village, I’ve got too much work on my plate. My grandson will take good care of you, so eat your fill and rest up before you head out to sea~.”
He was polite—much better than the men in the city.
However, the chief soon led the older women away to work, leaving only our party and the younger villagers behind.
“…”
And Luke’s gaze was still fixed on the Young Lady.
This was getting a bit unpleasant.
Actually, it was very unpleasant.
Step.
Luke swallowed hard, then took a bold step forward.
I watched closely to see what he was up to, and when he stopped right in front of the Young Lady, he blurted out:
“So, uh… you seein’ anyone?”
Excuse me?
The atmosphere turned icy in an instant.
Arasen’s eyes went wide as she looked back and forth between the Young Lady and Luke, while the Young Lady herself looked frigid.
“I’m askin’ ya~. You got a sweetheart?”
“Ha!”
The Young Lady let out a scoff and made a gesture as if she were about to raise her fist.
“You little brat, who do you think you’re talking down to?”
“I’m askin’ as a man to a woman, ain’t I?”
“If you keep this up, we’re leaving. You want your fish caught or not?”
At that, the village women started nagging Luke.
“Luke, you’ve already got all the village girls to yourself. You tryin’ to move in on a city girl too?”
“Are we not enough for you?”
“Forget that! We finally got a man to help, and if you chase him off, today’s catch is as good as gone! You gonna pull the nets yourself?!”
“Quiet, you hags! Just this mornin’ you were all beggin’ for a hug and a squeeze, and now a city man shows up and you’re already havin’ a change of heart?”
“That ain’t it.”
Wow, a direct answer.
It was reassuring, yet somehow sad.
Even Luke seemed taken aback by the women’s blunt response.
“Still, it ain’t right to act like that in front of guests, is it?”
He’s actually a decent kid.
Unlike in Lukart or Dakuren, the women here have a voice. I actually like this place better.
“He gets all huffy, then starts worryin’ what people think. What good is a man with such a small heart?”
“Oh, for heaven’s sake!”
But because they were all shouting at each other, there was no sign of our quest actually progressing.
“Enough, enough!”
Finally, unable to take it anymore, the Young Lady clapped her hands to get their attention.
“I guess you don’t know how things work. When a man and a woman are in the same party as adventurers, it means they’re… involved.”
Wait, what?!
Arasen’s eyes grew even wider. I thought they might actually pop out.
Of course, I wasn’t much better.
At the Young Lady’s declaration, Luke looked heartbroken.
“Is he your husband, then?”
“A-Ah, no… Gah!”
I instinctively started to deny it, but something slammed into my ribs.
Looking down, I saw the Young Lady’s elbow buried deep into my side without a shred of mercy.
I hurriedly looked up, only to see her glaring at me with terrifying eyes.
“He ain’t your husband?”
Luke’s face brightened again as he asked.
In an instant, curious gazes pierced us from all directions.
Arasen, please stop looking at us like that. You know the truth, so why are you acting like this?
“W-We haven’t… had the ceremony yet.”
“Oh my, oh my! It’s official then! It’s official!”
“They say city men are all stingy, but lordy~ his voice is like honey!”
“Well, he must have a heart of gold to be travelin’ with such a pretty lass, don’t he~?”
I had said it expecting another blow from the Young Lady, but there was no reaction.
Worried that something even worse had happened, I looked to my side. The Young Lady was standing there with her head bowed, silent.
“Young Lady?”
“Huh? Oh! Ah, it’s… it’s a bit hot, isn’t it?”
When she finally looked up while fanning herself, her face was completely beet red.
Oh boy. Did I make things awkward by saying something unnecessary?
Still, I figured it was the only way to keep that Luke kid from pestering her.
“Sir Alto, I suspected as much, but to think it was true…”
Arasen, please don’t get swept up in the mood here.
And why do you look so bitter?
“Move it, move it! I told you to treat the guests, Luke! What do you think you’re doin’!”
Finally, someone appeared who could resolve the situation.
A sturdy-looking old woman with a barrel-like build appeared from the side and shouted at Luke.
“Captain, you’re here?”
Judging by Luke’s reaction, this old woman was the captain of the ship we’d be using.
Her face was deeply wrinkled, but she had a formidable presence, and the women following her looked toughened by the sun.
“Thank you for coming. I’m Maya, the owner of the boat you’ll be fishin’ on.”
“Don’t mention it. We’re just here for the quest.”
“Even for a quest, folks hardly ever accept it ‘cause it’s so much work. We’re grateful enough just havin’ adventurers here, but havin’ a man along makes us feel real secure.”
Surprisingly, the old woman spoke in almost perfect standard language to us.
It was a bit awkward at first, but as she spoke with the Young Lady, her speech refined itself at an incredible speed.
She could have passed for a city dweller.
“The reward depends on the catch, but basically, for three days and two nights, it’s one million Dalk per person, plus a share of the fish.”
“It’ll be hard for us to carry the fish back. How should we handle that?”
“You can sell ‘em to the wholesalers with us, or if you’ve got the means, you can take ‘em to the city and sell ‘em there. You’ll make more in the city if you can handle the transport. You could easily make three to five million Dalk that way.”
So we’d make at least four million Dalk.
Subtracting the carriage fare, that’s a profit of two million Dalk.
But that was only if we could actually get the fish to the city.
I could see why people didn’t take this quest often. The pay was low compared to the labor.
We only took it because it was our first long-distance quest and the Young Lady wanted to inspect the people’s lives as the successor to the lordship, but I didn’t feel much like doing it again.
“Understood. I’ll see what I can do about getting them to the city.”
With that, the Young Lady gestured toward something.
Immediately, I noticed that the black-uniformed maid who had been clinging to the bottom of the carriage had vanished.
Impressive. She’d been stuck under there for four whole days.
At the same time, it was interesting to know that the Young Lady was aware of the black maid’s presence.
“Alright, Captain. I’ll take it from here. Let’s get some food in ‘em. Hey!”
Luke, seizing his chance, cut in and shouted with a wave of his hand.
A line of women then entered, carrying large dining tables.
Wait, right here in the yard?
In the middle of the village?
Furthermore, the tables were laden with white rice and an array of side dishes.
How many dishes were there? I lost count after ten.
“It’s a bit meager since we haven’t gone fishin’ yet, but eat up! We’re headin’ out tomorrow mornin’!”
They even rolled out mats for us, so all of us, including Arasen, sat down at the tables.
Arasen looked at the feast with a bright smile and spoke to me.
“See? This is a true Hus meal! Hus, the land of flavor and greenery!”
“Aye, that’s right! Hey! Bring out the rice wine!”
The food was, of course, delicious.
The flavors were eye-opening, and when they brought out the milky-white liquor, it went down smooth as silk.
The Young Lady didn’t hold back either, focusing intently on her meal, and I found myself smiling, buoyed by the warm hospitality.
Just then, Luke came over and nudged my side.
“Man, I’m jealous, Big Bro. How’d you land such a pretty wife?”
I hadn’t realized it back in Dakuren, but now that we were in the countryside, I was starting to like Hus more and more.
At least, until the early hours of the next morning.
“Uuuugh.”
My head hurt.
As I clutched my forehead against the throbbing headache, the door suddenly burst open.
“What are you all doin’! We gotta get movin’! You think you just came here to eat?!”
That voice… the Captain?
“Up, up! We gotta get a full load to make any money!”
Before I could even open my sleepy eyes, the Young Lady and I were practically kidnapped, dragged along, and tossed onto the boat.
“Alto… I’m sleepy…”
“Ugh… I forgot boats leave at dawn…”
“I feel like I’m gonna die…”
And then, another voice that shouldn’t have been on the boat reached my ears.
Startled, the Young Lady and I both snapped our eyes open and looked at the person between us.
“Arasen…?”
“Arasen, why are you here?!”
“Eh?”
Arasen finally opened her eyes and looked around.
“Whoa! Wait! Wait a minute!”
“Alright! We’re settin’ sail! Let’s get a full haul!”
“Wait a minute—!!!!!”
Ignoring Arasen’s scream, the boat glided away from the shore with the steady hum of a motor.
Wow, even a rural place like this has a magitech motor. Maybe Hus is more advanced than metropolitan areas like Lukart.
“I’m just the driver—!!!!!”
