Chapter 241: Suddenly Getting Shouted At!

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We arrived at the town closest to us among the towns situated around the bay. It was bustling and showy.

Going by its image, I’d say it’s kind of like the merry country located at the biggest bay in the other world.

When we showed our cards to the official at the gate station, he checked them twice, before shouting at us, “Uwwwaaaaaaaaaa!”

All the other officials in the station immediately rushed out while Sword and I were dumbstruck. The newcomers looked back and forth between us and the official, asking, “What’s going on!? Is something the matter!?”

That’s what I’d like to know.

“Look!” The official shouted and arbitrarily passed our cards around.

“Uwwwaaaaaaaaaa!”

We were yelled at once more.

＊

“Hey, give ’em back,” demanded Sword while starting to appear somewhat ill humored.

“Yes! F-Forgive us! 【Thunderclap Whitefang…”

“We’re the S-Rank party 【Allrounders】!” Sword yelled at the man, not allowing him to even finish.

“Oh, you had such a name?”

“Aye. So don’t use that slightly weird nickname. We’re 【Allrounders】, and I’m Sword!”

Sword was desperate. And thinking that correcting the way people call him would work if it was all the way out here, he was trying to get people to remember us as 【Allrounders】.

“Man, we are so happy that you made the long trip to this place! It must have been a long journey from the capital, right? This place is flourishing in its own way…I think, but since our trade is limited to those living around the bay, we don’t know much about the latest news in the capital. But, since we’ve got plenty of things you can only find at a bay, we’d love to see you enjoying your stay here.”

Of course!

I think this is the perfect place for my classic guitar skills from the other world to shine. I’d love to perform in bars by all means. No, I’m going to create a bar myself! I’ll run another stall!

＊

…And just as I was getting all hyped about this…

“Oh, come to think of it, Lady Saint is currently staying in this town! Because of that, the town is bursting with people. Usually you wouldn’t find so many officials and guards at this gate station, but since the numbers have been bolstered in preparation for all eventualities and because we’re doing strict inspections of each visitor, the waiting time has become a bit long.”

The official explained apologetically.

No, that’s because you’ve passed around our adventurer cards so that everyone could look at it, right? I mean, I can clearly see from here how your friends are taking turns in holding the cards up against a crystalline magic stone, you know?

“…The saint?” Sword’s eyebrow twitched.

Hmm? Sword reacted to the saint, right?

“…Don’t tell me, is that woman as much of a continuous troublemaker as the brave?”

When I asked, Sword remained silent while the official waved his hand, “No, no, not at all! Lady Saint is a wonderful person who wanders the lands to perform purifications and heal incurable diseases. We’re very blessed that she was so kind to come all the way out here.”

I see.

But, seeing Sword’s reaction, that’s not all there is to it. I’ll ask him later.

＊

When we entered the town itself, we were greeted by a townscape just as I had expected it. Sword seemed to be impressed as well.

“Somehow it’s got an atmosphere unlike any other of the places we visited, right?”

“Yep! It resembles the town at the coast, but it’s a lot calmer! This place resembles the town where one of the music pieces I learned was created! Therefore I want to set up a stall at any cost! Also, it’s only good manners to play the songs, which I’ve been playing, at bars!”

“I’ll help you out with whatever you say,” Sword replied instantly.

＊

After we entered the guild, Sword said his standard line to the receptionist, “I’m Sword of the S-Rank party 【Allrounders】. Could you please let me meet with the guildmaster?”

Thereupon, the room suddenly turned deadly silent for some reason.

And then, everyone simultaneously cried out, “””””You gotta be kidding!?”””””

“That’s a rather novel type of reaction,” I muttered.

Sword shrugged his shoulders, “Well, it’s because I’ve never been here. But, you can’t kid ’round with the stuff written on the card.”

Once Sword passed his card to the receptionist, she received as if being bestowed the Holy Grail.

I folded my arms and praised her in admiration, “What a new way of receiving a card. I’ve never seen it done anywhere else.”

“…Yep, even I gotta agree with that notion.”

Sword admitted with a somewhat amazed look.

The receptionist held the card against the magic reading stone.

“It’s real!!”

She raised both arms and turned around as if to show it to everyone else.

“Of course,” I blurted out, while Sword commented, “Huh? Did you possibly doubt it?”

And then the receptionist vanished somewhere while keeping the card.

“Hey, give it back!”

Sword called out in a hurry, but she was already gone by then.

“That’s way too novel. For a receptionist to make off with a guild card…well, it’d be easy enough to catch up with her. What will you do?”

Sword scratched his head, and then carelessly answered, “She probably went to show it to the guildmaster. Oh well, whatever, we’ll just wait here.”

＊

Just as Sword had said, the guildmaster showed up together with the receptionist a little while later.

The guildmaster yelled, “I’ve heard 【Thunderclap Whitefang】 is visiting. That true!?”

“S-Rank party 【Allrounders】!!” Sword yelled back.

“Ooh, you had that sort of party name? You’re the real deal!?”

“You saw the card, didn’t you!? Or rather, gimme back my card already, will you!?”

The people around here are quite unwilling to give back your adventurer card once they got hold of it. I learned something new.

＊

After everyone finally calmed down, Sword and I went to check the requests in the guildmaster’s room. The requests themselves were nothing noteworthy, but there were many urgent ones, so we decided to work on those.

“Do you have so few adventurers around here?”

The guildmaster shook his head at Sword’s question, “The saint is visiting, so we’re now short on hands as our adventurers were recruited to guard her.”

Sword raised an eyebrow at the guildmaster’s words, “The church has its own paladin order, no?”

The guildmaster smiled bitterly.

“I hear the current saint is in the middle of her training period. Only two or three paladins are accompanying her.”

Surprise dyed Sword’s face.

“…Okay, I s’pose the church changed quite a bit too. The saint I met a good while ago couldn’t be seen at all because she was surrounded by a drove of paladins at all times, you know?”

Oh, so that’s why he looked so displeased when hearing about the saint? I mean, Sword is a magnet for bad luck after all.

The guildmaster lowered his voice, “It’s just rumors, but I heard the previous saint hated you dearly? I don’t know what kind of problem you had, but the previous saint never came all the way out here.”

Hmm. What a commonplace story then.

It sounds like it’d be fun if I could get involved in this, but let’s not do it since it’d be mean on Sword.

Sword frowned after hearing the guildmaster’s remark.

“Then I just gotta make sure to steer clear from her, I guess.”

See, I called it.

“Since it’d be pitiful if you got dragged into it, I’ll desist from actively going there to start something, too.”

Sword looked startled for a moment, but then patted me.

“You’ve become much kinder, haven’t you? Normally you’d have gone there to deliberately get involved, right?”

“Yep. Otherwise, trouble will just keep avoiding me. It seems like it could be fun, but let’s first clean up the requests and enjoy our time in the town. I want to get my hands on some meat too, so let’s get the requests sorted quickly since some of them are subjugations.”

Due to that, Sword recalled the matter with the stall and started to negotiate with the guildmaster.

＊

We decided that starting with this time, we wouldn’t stay in any inns, but instead park Char in an open lot and lodge there. Sword had apparently learned his lesson and chose staying in Char over caring about his public appearance.

As official reason, he told the guildmaster, “The brave’s targetin’ us, so in worst case, there could be some collateral damage if we rent a place and stay there, so we’ll use our own camp golem.”

The guildmaster agreed to that with a serious look.

“I don’t think he’ll visit this place, but I’d like him to stay away, if possible at all. The reports about the damage caused by him are terrifying, you know? Luckily no one died from his tomfoolery, but sooner or later, it’ll happen, I’m sure. The worst story about him so far is about him looting the best and prized sword of a weapon store, testing it out on the spot, injuring the shopkeeper so seriously that he nearly died, and only saving the man’s life by using a special-grade healing potion.”

“”……””

Sword and I were stunned.

Exchanging a look with Sword, he said, “Wouldn’t it be actually better if I killed him when we meet?”

“Sword, it’d be too benevolent to kill such a guy instantly. Instead, I think it’d be much more helpful to let the folks, who suffered because of him, chop him up in small pieces for the sake of letting them vent their anger, you know?”

“…Since I don’t know how much they resent him, I can’t say much ’bout this. But, how ’bout you let ’em do it, if they can come to terms with their own conscience ’bout choppin’ him in small pieces?”

The guildmaster smiled bitterly.