Chapter 258
Chapter 258
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 258
Chapter Title: Hatsan Goes to the Auction House #5
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"Put it over there."
"Right here?"
"Yeah."
I stacked up the lumber where the dwarf laborers pointed.
Sweat dripped down my forehead and back, leaving my body sticky and uncomfortable, but oddly enough, my mind felt lighter with every bit of help I provided.
"Anything else to move?"
"Nah, that's it for now. Still, for you to help out with all this construction work... Thanks to you, we might even wrap up before sunset today."
"Fuck, if it had just been the two of us moving all that, it would've been a nightmare. Lucky break. Galad's loaded but a total cheapskate when it comes to spending."
"He's got good ears, though, so keep it down. Guy signs our paychecks."
The laborers, taking a break in the shade after their rest period, broke into grins. They pulled rolled-up leaves from belts and leather pouches on their pants, stuck them in their mouths, and puffed out smoke.
"Whew, finally feels like I can breathe. Hey, barbarian sir, want a smoke?"
"No thanks, I don't smoke."
"Hah, that's rare. Most adventurers I've seen are chain-smokers. Strutting around with their chins up just 'cause they've sliced up a few monsters or people. Real eyesore."
"I see."
I thought about the relationship between adventurers and these ordinary laborers. Excluding fresh rookies, adventurers generally made good money. They handled the tough, dangerous jobs, so their pay matched the risk, and their spending habits scaled accordingly.
People in hazardous, violent lines of work often turned grumpy, and with the fat paychecks, they puffed up their jaws and shoulders like it was nothing.
That was why many plain folk living normal lives didn't think much of adventurers.
Even I had a strong impression of high-tier Silver adventurers and above strutting around like hotshots—and they really did act that way.
So when I first met Delphina and the Roses of White Silver, I'd been pretty guarded. Come to think of it, what were those guys and the elves up to?
Lost in thought, one of the laborers spoke up.
"Anyway, we appreciate the help. Sure, we get paid for this, but no one wants to rebuild a fire site in this blazing heat."
"Sorry about that."
I apologized reflexively to the grumbling dwarves. One raised his thick eyebrows.
"Sorry? What're you sorry for?"
"Well... If I'd stopped the fire before it started, or prevented it somehow..."
At my clumsy confession, the smoking laborers exchanged glances, then burst out laughing like they'd heard something ridiculous.
"What a thing to say. You're a funny one. How the hell were you supposed to stop it?"
"This is as good as stopped. No one's hurt except the clinic folks. Thanks to you, fuck, we got work. Nobles'll loosen their purses for slaves or whatever. Fires like this are annual anyway."
True to their rough lives in a rough world, they shrugged off something like arson.
"Anyway, made me laugh on a hot day like this. And the help. Rumors had you as this merciless hero who chews goblin livers raw, but you're surprisingly normal."
"I figured Samaritans were the type to kidnap women and kids."
Maybe my sincere words got through, because I could feel their fondness for me rising. Worth the sweat in this heat.
Plenty of others must've suffered from the fire too. They were probably out there right now, toiling under the sun.
I looked up at the sky, still blazing hot.
*
*
*
"Young man, put your back into it! A bit more—lower body, put your strength in your hips and legs! Legs, legs!"
"Ma'am, this thing's fucking heavy for real. Shouldn't an ox be pulling it?"
"That ox bolted when the fire spooked it. And I heard Samaritan warriors are strong as oxen and fast as horses? So hustle."
"Ugh— Urgh!!"
I squeezed every ounce of strength from my toes to my scalp, turning the mill's machinery.
Normally, an ox or horse wore the yoke to turn the waterwheel, but with the ox fled from the arson, they'd been stomping around in frustration.
Strength in the lower body.
Lower body.
It referred to everything from the soles of the feet to the hips and up to the waist. No need to explain how crucial the lower body was.
Most human muscle mass was in the lower half, making it key for fitness, training, or building strength.
Even Elf ascetic Kalidur had stressed training the lower body for footwork and qi circulation.
Footwork. This was footwork training.
Gritting my teeth and powering my lower body, I felt my whole musculature tense, wringing out raw power.
Thud.
Thud-thud.
The waterwheel, unmoving moments ago, began to turn bit by bit, finally grinding the grain.
Rumble, rumb-rumble.
"Oh my, it's moving! Keep going! It's moving! Wow, it's actually turning!"
Pufurin, the middle-aged woman running the east gate mill, watched the wheel spin and grinned in satisfaction.
"Wow! Grain's grinding for real! Is this human power or beast power? How can a person turn this?"
"Urgh—."
"We had a deadline for delivery today. This should cover it! The baron's picky as hell. Keep it up!"
My superhuman strength and stamina rivaled an ox or horse's horsepower.
It didn't stand out against rivals like Hippolyte, Antiope, Kalidur, or the skeleton knight, but among regular folk, it was apparently a spectacle.
Rumble, rum-rumble.
I kept at the waterwheel for a good while.
Starting it up felt like my head veins would burst, but once it spun, momentum or knack kicked in, and it turned smoother.
I turned the massive millstone for about an hour.
"Uwaaa—!"
"Loud voice too—nice. Hey, young man, how about a job at our mill?"
"Th-that's—."
"Kidding, of course. Whew, we're saved. Compensation'll come after the auction or whatever, but we needed to put out the immediate fire."
"More to grind?"
"Plenty. Gotta grind ahead till we buy a new ox with the payout. East gate rents are steep, expenses pile up. Sigh, what a mess."
"Sorry. I should've been more careful."
"Why apologize? Save it for that witch. Anyway, you took her down and helped out—thanks. Can't pay you, but I'll spread good word later."
"I'll grind the rest too."
Huff—.
Rumble, rum-rumble.
My legs' explosive spring power ground the grains. This job let me test the limits of my strength stat at 12. About horse or ox level.
Lately, no full sprints or heavy leg use, so it was a good time to reflect on my lower body.
"Wow, getting the hang of it—you're outdoing the ox! At this rate, half a day's work crushes a week's quota!"
And so, over half a day, I ground all the grain.
The mill lady, relieved, gave me a sack of the fresh flour I'd just made.
Laundry, mill.
Helping with labor using my strength at fire-damaged spots eased the guilt gnawing at my chest a bit.
Someone might call it mere self-consolation, but moving was surely better than sitting idle.
And I realized this city held far more people living varied lives beyond adventurers.
I'd seen it just as a launchpad for my new life. But getting tangled in these details made every passerby's face feel fresh.
"Whew, fuck."
After spinning the wheel so vigorously, planting my feet on solid ground felt weird.
Like skating then stepping on flat ground. Or removing sandbags strapped to my legs.
Either way, my body felt unusually light.
Could I use that footwork now?
With that thought, I kicked off the ground hard. I shot forward at what even I thought was impressive speed.
"Whoa—!"
"What the—!"
Residents dodged as I streaked past.
Slicing wind, weaving past obstacles and people, my legs carried me to the last stop I'd planned for today.
And the most important one.
"Ugh—."
Stopping, I caught my breath and frowned. Before me stretched white, broad sheets like blankets hung on poles—makeshift tents.
Just days ago, it'd been a comfy clinic.
Elfriede's rampage had wrecked it thoroughly. Even after days of rain, the acrid soot smell lingered.
Black ash on the ground brought back vivid memories of the chaos, tormenting my mind.
I should've come sooner.
Looking around awkwardly, someone spotted me and emerged from a tent.
"Ah—! Hatsan!"
Unfamiliar face. Short brown hair, young woman in the flowing white robes typical of healers. Who—? Then it clicked.
The healer woman pinned under that pillar, flailing.
"What brings you here? Checking on people?"
"Just passing by. How long till the clinic's rebuilt?"
"Yeah, a while. Dwarves hate building in summer heat. But work starts tomorrow."
"Really?"
I recalled the dwarves fixing fences at the laundry. Bearded, hairy faces drenched in sweat, cursing away.
Rock dwarves lived in caves or mines, weak to blazing sun, I'd heard.
Rumor had it they turned to stone in sunlight. Just a rumor, probably.
Why was I thinking about dwarves now?
I'd made it here as planned, but now my mind blanked—no ideas, no words. Standing there awkwardly, the healer spoke.
"And thanks for back then. I was too frantic to say it."
"Thanks?"
"You pulled me from under that pillar. Nearly got crushed in the flames. In that chaos, you dove back in for others too. Hope I didn't say anything rude."
She smiled sheepishly, truly embarrassed. Everyone was frantic then.
"How are the others? Heard there were lots of patients—."
"Those you saved first were the worst off—they're at another east gate clinic getting treated. The rest, Roses of White Silver rescued everyone."
"Roses of White Silver?"
"That all-women Kalkata adventurer party."
They'd saved people. Explained the elf pursuit reaching the Venus temple.
Elves and Roses facing off, then fire worsened—Roses shifted to rescues.
No major casualties, then.
Relief washed over me.
But patient suffering was ongoing.
Blazing heat, no proper roof, makeshift beds—nightmarish.
"Anything I can help with?"
"Oh, you'd help? We'd be imposing."
"You're swamped, right? Clinics always need strong men."
I'd done short stints helping healer Finri at Kalkata's outpost clinic.
This richer east gate one was roomier normally, but tents meant endless tasks.
"Mind if I lend a hand? My seniors got called to mansions—been solo and overwhelmed."
"Mansions? Isn't recovery busy here too?"
What was more urgent than rebuilding a burned clinic? Pulling healers to mansions? She glanced around, then whispered low.
"The count's daughter's illness worsened—big crisis. All healers and alchemists summoned there. Then the fire... city's going mad."
"Can you tell me more?"