"Don't hug me!!" (Reina)
The guild master was on his knees on the floor and had his arms around her waist, and Reina desperately tried to shake him off but she just couldn't get away. Hitting him over the head with a staff wouldn't do either.
"That! That! ...Ah, that's it!" (Reina)
Reina grinned as if she had come up with a great idea.
"I'm just an ordinary member and have no decision-making power. The leader is that guy over there, Mavis!" (Reina)
"……eh?" (Guild master + Mavis)
Reina shouted, and the Guild Master and Mavis joined in unison. Then the guild master's pleading eyes were directed at Mavis.
"Re, re, re, Reina, that can't be..." (Mavis)
Mavis's eyes were wide open in shock, as if to say, "You sold me out." Then the Guild Master leaped at Mavis. As expected, unlike Reina's staff, Mavis could not use her sword.
"Damn, don't come~~!!" (Mavis)
"...I-I apologize for the inconvenience...." (Guild master)
"That was really rude, wasn't that? Hugging a woman in public... No, that doesn’t mean you can hug you unless you’re in public…" (Pauline)
Perhaps because it would be offensive for the person being hugged to say something, Pauline tried to reply, but...it didn't make much difference.
Still, that's better than Reina and Mavis, who seemed pretty angry. Leaving aside Reina, what was unusual was that even the gentle Mavis seemed quite angry. Mavis was a single noblewoman, so if this had happened in front of her family, the guild master would have been killed on the spot by her enraged father and brothers—Such an act against a noblewoman was an act of outrage of its own. Of course, that didn't mean it's okay if the other person was a commoner and not an aristocrat...
And if the other party was an employee of the commercial guild, it would become an internal issue for the guild as power harassment or sexual harassment, but Crimson Vow was a hunter party, and a "customer" and business partner who had delivered directly to the commercial guild without going through the hunter's guild. Pauline carefully criticized that area.
"I-I am sorryy~!" (Guild master)
"Well then, let's have some sincerity... No, that's not it! I didn't come here to make a deal today, so there's no need to try and gain the upper hand!" (Pauline)
Hearing Pauline's words, the merchants present were divided into two groups: those who were puzzled and those who were impressed.
However, the guild master's disgraceful behavior was the result of him trying desperately for the sake of the merchants of the city, and for the sake of the commercial guild and themselves. So no one laughed at that. On the contrary, the guild master who had young girls the same age as his children bowed to them for the benefit of everyone gained a lot of respect and trust from everyone. However, the guild master himself regretted that he should have called them to his room rather than exposing his disgrace in front of everyone.
Apparently, the reason the guild master didn't invite Crimson Vow to his room but instead came himself was part of a plan. If he were in his own room, he would have to persuade them on his own, but here, the other staff members and merchants present would be on his side. That's what he was thinking. Well, that was not a wrong way of thinking, but it had nothing to do with whether or not young hunters who aspired to rise to the top was willing to give up their dreams and throw away their future for the sake of profit-driven requests from an organization they didn't belong to, or unrelated merchants who clung to them for money-making reasons.
Afterwards, not only was the guild master clinging to Crimson Vow, but also the staff and merchants, but of course, that wasn't enough to sway him. It would be a different story if a child's life was at stake, but this time, the only thing at stake was the merchants' greed for money.
Only Pauline, who was no longer just the daughter of a merchant but a full-fledged merchant, was able to understand the feelings of the merchants—But of course, for Pauline it was out of the question to them to suffer disadvantage in order to enable others to make profits, so she gave it no thought whatsoever... So, Crimson Vow brushed them off and left the commercial guild behind.
Afterwards, they said goodbye to the familiar restaurants, grocery stores, blacksmiths, and other establishments, and then said their last farewells....
"Well then, let's take a detour to the fishing village and buy lots of seafood before heading to the royal capital. This isn't a trip we're in any hurry to take, so we'll take my time and take on interesting requests along the way..." (Mile)
"Yeaaah!" (Other 3)
Reina and the other two responded enthusiastically to Mile's words, but it didn't seem like they'd get such an interesting request on the way from the countryside to the royal capital. However, no matter how low the probability, it was up to each individual to hope.
"Whaaaaaaat?!" (Villagers)
The people of the fishing village warmly welcomed Crimson Vow back after a long time, but when they heard that they were moving to the royal capital, they were all heartbroken. Since ancient times, there had been occasional hunters who loved seafood and frequently visited fishing villages. Then they sometimes disappeared somewhere afterwards—Of course, this includes people who didn't just leave, but simply could never come back. So the villagers were used to saying goodbye to hunters. They'd been living here for decades now...
However, this was not the case with Crimson Vow. Four girls who appeared to be from the countryside, with slightly odd pronunciation and speech patterns, had brought them a bountiful catch and the honor of raising a triumphant flag, proof that they had struck back at the hated sea serpent. If only they were here, that glorious day of invading the open sea would come again—The villagers who thought the same way, especially the elderly, were very disappointed.
However, that all came back to life when Mile sneaked away from Reina and the other two and told them that she would be coming back by herself again sometime, and that she was planning to prepare a steel hull so that in the future it would be able to function even without her—but that the villagers would be responsible for equipping the ship, including the mast and rigging it with canvas—and that they should keep all of this a secret from the other members of AKAKICHIKAI. ...No, things started to get more exciting than they had from the beginning.
That was not surprising. Although they hoped, they didn't know whether Crimson Vow would lend their strength again. Now, it was almost guaranteed that there would be a next time. Reina and the other two looked puzzled at the villagers who had suddenly become energetic.
"…So, we're heading to the royal capital, and we want to buy as much seafood as I can. We buy fish, shellfish, seaweed, sea cucumbers, octopus, squid, you name it!" (Mile)
"Eh……" (Vilagers)
The villagers' eyes widened in shock, but everyone knew about the ridiculous capacity of Mile's storage magic, and those four old men probably guessed that the food would stay fresh inside. They would never say that out loud, though... That's why…….
"What we have now is not nearly enough. We will go out fishing with all our might from now on, and gather as much as we can at dusk and tomorrow morning. I will have the women and children gather shellfish and seaweed. ...So, you can stay the night! Of course, there will be a farewell party tonight!"
"Ha, haa..." (All CV)
That can't be helped. Even though it was a fishing village, there was no way they could have kept so much seafood on hand at all times, especially since they didn't have the technology to preserve raw food. If they were ordering a large amount, they should have placed the order several days in advance.
"...Ah, please don't give me the fish we caught last time, but a different kind, or something smaller, so that it won't overlap with the one we caught last time." (Mile)
"…………" (Villagers)
Although the four old fishermen had likely guessed what was going on, what Mile had just said was not good. That meant that Mile had not yet sold the majority of their share, keeping it in storage magic—and that the fish were hardly damaged at all. Now, Mile had made that statement in front of the entire village.
(This is bad!) (Other 3)
Reina and the other two panicked for a moment, but...
"Well then, everyone, let's get ready!"
"Yeaaahh!!" (Villagers)
(…………Huh?) (Other 3)
The villagers' attitudes didn't change at all. It's no wonder. When they saw the massive amount of fish and the sea serpent that were taken out, all the villagers knew that Mile's storage was out of the ordinary. Even if a few extras are added, it didn't make much difference. It was the same as when you hear that a person you thought was a millionaire with assets of 50 billion yen actually has a net worth of 60 billion yen, and you can't think of anything to say other than, "Oh, I see." It's within the margin of error. It's a category that goes beyond common sense, and so there's no upper limit. It's the same as an S-rank Hunter. There's no concept of "higher than that."
Besides, the people in the fishing village knew about the taboos of hunters, so there was no way any villager would betray their benefactor. Especially when you know that if you reveal their secret, they'll never come here again—Yes, there was no problem. Nothing...
Author's Note
The sample of the "Roukin" Blu-ray box has arrived! (^^)/
Comes with special features such as an original novel, original soundtrack CD, audio commentary, and uncredited opening and ending themes.
Now on sale! Thank you for your support! (^^)/
And now, an announcement!
When the anime was being broadcast, the Blu-ray discs for "Didn't I Say to Make my Abilities Average in the Next Life?" were only sold individually, but now they're being released as a Blu-ray box set!!
Thank you.... (T_T)
...
Please enjoy the sister works "Roukin" and "Noukin", the "Small-breasted Girls Who Look 12-13 Years Old Trilogy" Blu-ray Disc Boxes as well!! (^^)/