Chapter 9
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: The Cause of the Slothful Party (2)
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The next day, in the morning.
Kalt rose early, finished his training, got Nadia's permission, and began swinging his sword in the inn's backyard.
In the backyard of Nadia and Lunia's inn, the whoosh! whoosh! of his sword slicing through the air rang out.
"Wow..."
Lunia stared blankly at the sight.
She had seen adventurers and Hero parties plenty of times in the village.
Some rose early to maintain their weapons, while others borrowed the backyard to train their bodies.
Lunia had witnessed such scenes occasionally.
Each time, she had simply thought, They're working hard~, and moved on.
But she couldn't tear her eyes away from Kalt's training.
The handsome Kalt wielding his sword looked like a work of art.
It was as if a statue had come to life and begun to move.
This impression came not just from Kalt's refined appearance, but from the clean, efficient movements honed through countless experiences—phenomena sparking in Lunia's mind.
Kalt had already noticed Lunia gazing at him in a daze.
He didn't find her stare a hindrance to his training.
In fact, he rather liked it.
How could he dislike a gaze that admired him so rapturously?
However, there was one person who looked at Kalt's efforts with utter boredom.
'Those bitches are just...'
It was the Mabel Party.
-Kalt, swinging that sword again from the morning? Hurry up and make breakfast instead.
-Sigh, that sweat smell from the morning... Can't you do it at another time?
-Kalt, what's that? Perfume? Do you really need to buy perfume just to cover up the sweat?
Memories of the Mabel Party's constant complaints and nitpicking—even when he tried to solve their issues—flashed through Kalt's mind.
Without letting his irritation show on his face, he stopped training and approached Lunia.
"Good morning, Lunia. Nice weather we're having."
"G-good morning, Kalt! I-I mean... Y-you're so diligent!"
Lunia forced an awkward smile to hide her entranced staring.
"Training is essential. It's a must if you want to get stronger day by day."
"I-I think that mindset is really cool. Oh, and you can drop the formal speech with me."
"Sure thing, Lunia."
Kalt didn't insist on formal speech.
He used it out of courtesy with strangers, but with friends or those who didn't deserve it, he spoke casually.
"...!"
Hearing the handsome man call her name so familiarly sent a shiver down Lunia's spine.
"Lunia, where are you~?"
Nadia's voice called out for Lunia, who hadn't come because she was lost in watching Kalt.
Hearing her mother, Lunia snapped back to reality and hurried into the inn.
"C-coming, Mom!"
Kalt watched Lunia's retreating figure with a lick of his lips in his mind.
'Nadia's great, but... Lunia's pretty delicious-looking too.'
After his first experience in this world, his overt increase in lust made women's charms stand out even more to Kalt.
That said, his heightened lust didn't completely control him.
Kalt washed up and headed into the inn for breakfast.
"Good morning, Kalt."
"...Hello."
"Good morning, Kalt."
As he entered, the Nellis Party was already on the first floor for breakfast, just like him.
Kalt greeted them with a gentle smile.
"Good morning, everyone. Nice weather today."
"Oh? Kalt, your hair's still wet."
"I trained and showered."
"Training from the morning?"
"Yes."
"You're such a hard worker, Kalt! I want to wake up early and do it too, but I'm always so sleepy. Hehe."
Nellis scratched her cheek sheepishly.
Kalt liked how straightforward Nellis was.
'Mabel would just whine about why bother so early in the morning.'
"If you keep at it steadily, you'll manage it too, Nellis. And if you want, I can help you out."
"Really?"
Nellis's eyes sparkled at Kalt's offer, showing no sign of displeasure—quite the opposite, like she'd struck gold.
"Nellis, we're not even officially a party yet. Don't make promises like that."
"Scarlet, come on. You can't push people away like that."
"We're trying it out today anyway before deciding. You shouldn't make promises you can't keep yet."
Scarlet scolded Nellis.
Aria spoke to Kalt as if defending Scarlet.
"Sorry about that, Kalt. Scarlet doesn't mean it badly."
"I know. Scarlet's just being cautious, right?"
Compared to the fake attitudes in the Mabel Party, Scarlet's straightforward caution felt refreshing.
"...Hmph."
"Everyone~ Breakfast is served!"
Lunia brought food to the tables where the Nellis Party and Kalt were sitting.
After everyone finished eating, Kalt pulled his chair over to the Nellis Party's table.
"So, what request are you taking today?"
The Nellis Party had already decided on today's request while sharing a room last night.
"Kobold extermination. It's the most common request in the village, and we're used to it."
"Got it. Shall we head to the Guild and handle the procedures?"
To take a request, they had to go through the Guild first.
Before Heroes awakened, it was possible to hunt monsters ahead and register later.
But now, with the nation warning against falsifying Hero party records, Hero parties had to go through Guild procedures for requests unless in special circumstances.
Leaving the inn, Kalt walked to the village Guild with the Nellis Party.
"..."
On the way, Nellis's mouth itched to speak.
'Should I ask? Or not? Yeah, better to just ask once.'
As Scarlet had said yesterday, Kalt had split from his previous party to join a new one.
So why had he left his old party?
Nellis was dying to know.
He seemed nice, handsome, could cook, and apparently even did mental counseling—though she wasn't sure about that.
Why would someone like Kalt leave his previous party?
The more her curiosity grew, the more her mouth tingled.
'Yeah! If we're going to be a party, we shouldn't hide stuff like this! To join, better to reveal it upfront, right?'
"Um, Kalt!"
"Yes, Nellis?"
"Why did you leave your previous party...?"
Before Nellis could finish, Scarlet elbowed her side.
"Eek!"
Scarlet immediately tugged her ear and scolded her in a low voice.
"Idiot! Even if you have to ask, read the situation first."
"When's a better time than...?"
"After we take the request and leave the village! We're literally heading to accept one—asking outright like this?"
"Sorry, Kalt. Nellis didn't mean any harm."
Aria bowed her head.
"It's fine. You're all wondering why I left my old party, right? I was planning to explain on the way to the request anyway. So please, lift your head."
"S-see? He was going to tell us."
"You, be quiet."
Entering the sparsely populated Guild, the Nellis Party went straight to the receptionist.
"We'll take the Kobold extermination request."
"Yes, understood. But Nellis? How about trying something other than Kobolds once in a while? You all could handle tougher requests."
The receptionist suggested higher-difficulty requests out of protocol but didn't expect agreement from the Nellis Party.
She knew they were the infamous Slothful Party, sticking to certain low-level monsters for ages.
But today was different.
"Um... We'll think about it after this request. Oh, and we're adding one more member."
"Pardon?"
She hadn't expected them to even consider it.
And adding someone?
The receptionist glanced at Kalt behind the Nellis Party.
A handsome face she'd never seen in the village.
Standing behind, she assumed he was next in line.
Who'd guess he was with them?
"I see. And your name?"
Since it was a new receptionist, Kalt responded politely.
"Kalt."
"Yes, Kalt. Kalt... Kalt?"
As she filled out the request form, the receptionist repeated the name, tilting her head.
It sounded familiar.
She racked her brain desperately.
Then she pulled the memory: where she'd heard 'Kalt' before.
'Kalt from the Fastest Hero Mabel Party?'
All active Hero party members were listed and sent to Guilds, so she'd seen the name often.
It could just be a coincidence.
But recently, she'd heard Mabel Party had kicked out one member and was recruiting.
Still, Kalt from the Fastest Hero Party with the Slothful Nellis Party?
Suspicious, but she asked carefully.
"Um... are you by any chance Kalt from the Fastest Hero Mabel Party?"
"Yes, that's me."
""...!?!""
Not just the receptionist— the entire Nellis Party gasped in shock, staring at Kalt.