Kujonin Chapter 25

Kujonin
Author: Hanakuroko
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"Is that alright? Handing over that much money."
Teyl asked as we returned to the Guild.
"It will be fine. She doesn't seem like a bad person."
"So that's Naoki-sama's type."
Teyl looks up at the sky as if in frustration.
Teyl was sold for 20 gold coins, so she probably doesn't like that I just handed over 50 gold coins to Velsa today.
"For me, I won't hand over money to anyone that isn't worth it, you know? Currently, I wouldn't regret handing over 100 gold coins for Teyl."
When I said so, Teyl looked away.
When I had thought that her mood had worsened, her footsteps have gotten light so it might be that she unexpectedly was happy about it.

At the Guild I look over the requests on the board.
I had handed Velsa all the money I had, so I'll have to earn today's room and board.
The requests for F Rank adventurers don't reward very well, so Teyl had said, "Please hurry and raise your rank."
There just so happened to be work for cleaning the shipyard and exterminating masmascarl (rat monsters), so it was decided.

When I went to the shipyard, I can hear the pleasant sounds hammers.
The shipyard is an enormous, warehouse-like brick building, located in a spot facing the sea.
The door was left open just a little bit, and workers in the middle of their break were outside smoking cigarettes and shooting the breeze.
"I'm from the Adventurers Guild, and I've come for the cleaning and extermination."
"Oo, go in. Oi! An adventurer came!! Someone call the Head over!"
One of the workers called into the shipyard.
The workers clad in brown work clothes saw me in my coveralls and admired it with, "Those are nice clothes."

A large sailboat was being made within the shipyard.
A wooden scaffolding was a.s.sembled around the sailboat, and a crane was hung from the ceiling.
On the wall are windows near the ceiling, and sunlight streamed into the entire shipyard.
When Teyl and I waited at the entrance, a sunburnt, bearded, middle-aged man came over.
"I'm the Head, b.o.l.l.o.c.k."
"Adventurer Naoki. This here is my a.s.sistant Teyl."
I grasped and shook b.o.l.l.o.c.k's outstretched hand and introduced Teyl.
b.o.l.l.o.c.k stared at Teyl in amazement for a bit.
"Is there something?"
When Teyl asked b.o.l.l.o.c.k that, "No, it's nothing," and he shook his head, then guided us to the office.
The office is at the end of the shipyard, and the shelves and tables are cluttered with tools, design drawings, and the like.
"Anyway, we're asking for the cleaning of the shipyard and extermination of the masmascarl."
So saying, he showed me the shipyard's blueprint.
"There's also need for extermination in a separate building, so could you start with that first?"
"Roger."
"Do you have any questions?"
"Where are meals held?"
Teyl asked.
"We pretty much go to the town's restaurants. For the record, the separate building also has a kitchen, but no one uses it now."
"What is the separate building used for?"
I inquired of b.o.l.l.o.c.k.
"Dorms for the younger workers, but when the masmascarl came there were guys who got sick, so we called you guys."
"I see. Then we should get to work immediately."
"If you need anything, call one of the workers."
"Ok."
b.o.l.l.o.c.k went out into the shipyard, and I made arrangements with Teyl.
For now, I will clean and exterminate the other building, and Teyl would put the shipyard in order.
We hadn't eaten lunch so I thought we'd eat first, but it turned into doing so after tidying the other building's cafeteria and kitchen.
After about 1 hour I will go to meet up with Teyl; I headed to the other building.
The other building was about the same size as the shipyard, and looks to be made to be a 3-story apartment building.
With the Search Skill I understood that there was a sizeable amount of masmascarl.
The cafeteria and kitchen really appeared to be unused; dust had settled.
The dust was cleansed in an instant with Cleanup, and I installed traps in the rooms' corners.
The kitchen was also cluttered with dirtied pots and pans, and the tableware was pretty much insufficient. I washed a large bucket, and in the tableware and pots went.
Within the bucket I drew a magic circle, and hot water rained in, becoming an automatic dishwasher.
With this, even the filth that Cleanup couldn't take care of would be cleaned.
So that masmascarl and bagroaches won't enter the kitchen, I scattered a scent that monsters dislike.
After using Cleanup on the lobby and stairs and installing traps, 1 hour already pa.s.sed, and I went to meet up with Teyl.

Teyl had pretty much already put the shipyard in order, and was sweeping within with a broom.
I used Cleanup on the shipyard, and the two of us took a late lunch.
In the other building's kitchen, Teyl made a soup with the leftover vegetables from the Item Bag and grilled the Field Boar meat that Ayl had hunted during our journey.
The scent lured in b.o.l.l.o.c.k who came over and was surprised at the cafeteria and kitchen that had become clean.
He was staring longingly at the food Teyl made, so,
"Want to eat?" when I asked,
"Is that ok!? Hang on, I'll buy some bread, so"
and off he went.
When Teyl had dished up the food on the insufficient tableware, b.o.l.l.o.c.k had returned after buying 3 large, hard breads.

"Delicious! I haven't had such delicious food before!"
b.o.l.l.o.c.k highly praised Teyl's cooking.
Was she embarra.s.sed? Teyl ate silently.

The meal over, I left cleaning up the tableware to Teyl and went to the other building's upper floors to clean and install traps.
I entered the room with the workers who were sick with a knock and, after using Cleanup, I sprinkled the workers lying on the bed with a little Recovery Medicine.
When I had just finished the 3rd floor's rooms by myself, Teyl came over to help.
Since there wasn't anyone on the 2nd floor, I opened all of the rooms' doors and used Cleanup for it all.
There are rooms on both sides of the corridor, so I and Teyl are each responsible for installing traps on one side.
On the 1st floor, aside from the cafeteria and kitchen, is also a bath; that also seems to be unused, so I subsequently cleaned it.
When I used the Search Skill, the masmascarl nest is below the bath so I carefully cleaned, stuffed a nozzle in the crack in the wall and sprayed rodent-icide (poison rat dumplings dissolved in water).
When I went into the cafeteria, there were already a number of them in the traps, so while they were still alive I cut off their tails and stuffed them in a bag.
Come to think of it, Velsa might be able to use masmascarl and the like for research; as I thought that, I used Cleanup on the bag.

"Today, I'll be returning having done this much. Tomorrow I'll retrieve the traps that were installed, and exterminate the ones still alive, so…"
When I went to the shipyard's office and told that to b.o.l.l.o.c.k, b.o.l.l.o.c.k made a sad face.
"I see… but, tommorrow you'll come! Right? Then it's fine!"
Was he unable to forget Teyl's cooking? He keeps glancing over at Teyl.
Teyl is Teyl, so her face turned red.
No way, middle-aged love?
"If it's alright with you, how about having Teyl make dinner? If the sick workers get up, it would be better to have something for them to eat."
"However Naoki-sama's dinner …"
"Oo-! That would be great!!"
b.o.l.l.o.c.k said so with a face full of smiles.
"I ate before. And I'm going to drop by Velsa's house for a bit."
"I… is that so."
Just in case, I handed Teyl the cane I made for self-defense during my trip.
If you put a little magic into the cane it will give off an electric shock, so I guess it's a replacement for a stungun.
I don't think b.o.l.l.o.c.k would a.s.sault her, but it's better to be safe than not.
"Once you're done, head back to the inn first."
I can't put monsters(live) in the Item Bag, so I slung the bag with the masmascarls in them on my shoulder.
"Understood."
With Teyl seeing me off, I left the shipyard.
The sky was dyed red.

"Hm? What's up? Did you leave something?"
When I went to Velsa's house, the owner came out sleepily.
"My bad, may bad, you were sleeping, huh? Na, well, I thought you could use masmascarl to research, so I brought them."
So saying, I showed her the bag with about 10 masmascarl in it.
"Oo-! This will help!"
"For now, they've been cleaned of filth with Cleanup, so how about it?"
"You can do anything, Naoki. Over here; I have small cages."
Velsa invited me in, and we went through the room that was raising flora.
In a corner of the room was a small pen; so that's where they're going to go in.
"Their tails are cut off for the proof of subjugation."
I said as I released the masmascarl within.
"Aa, no problem. But you did well to catch this many masmascarl alive."
"It's my job, you know?"
"You said it was extermination, so I thought you'd kill them."
"Most of the die, though; here."
I showed Velsa a sticky board.
"What is this~!!"
Velsa touched the sticky board and was surprised.
"If it's a small monster, this can catch them. If you set them in the corners of rooms, the next will have at least 3 stuck to them."
"This is great!"
"If you need others for research then tell me. I'll only get them as they come, though."
"… Wait, wait! Even if you say you'll get them, you already gave me money; helping anymore than this would be bad!"
Velsa waved both hands in agitation.
"Nono, it's fine. It's a plus for me too if I get to know about monsters' ecology."
"Is … is that how it is? You won't ask for the favor back later?"
Velsa asked with tears in her eyes.
"I won't, I won't. It really is just simple curiosity, and, since it's useful, prior investment for when I exterminate all sorts of monsters."
"Is Naoki a messenger from heaven? Or a demon's friend?"
"No, well, I'm just an adventurer."
Velsa folded her arms and thought.
"Then, using these masmascarl I want to investigate the effects of magic stones. It's fine if the magic stones are in tiny fragments, so can you make the preparations?"
"Magic stone powder. I do certainly have that."
So saying I rummaged through the Item Bag, and placed a number of bottles of magic stone powder and those dissolved in water on the table.
"Hang on! What is in that bag?"
Velsa said as she peeked in at the contents of the Item Bag.
Ayl and I made the Item Bag, so Velsa shouldn't be able to see it as anything but an empty bag with a magic circle drawn on it.
"Aa, this is a bit of a special bag. It's my secret tool."
"You can put things in, no matter how much?"
The round-eyed Velsa asked as she looked at the Item Bag as if she was looking at gemstones.
"Maa, well, yeah. If too many people know about it it'll become a problem, so keep it a secret. By the way, I and only one other person can use it."
"Is… is that so?"
Disappointed, Velsa's shoulders drooped.
"What's wrong?"
"No, if I had that bag, I thought, couldn't I join an exploration party and get on a ship…"
"Aa, there's that sort of need too."
"You can!?"
"No, monsters are impossible for the Item Bag. But, I see. If you do that, then it would be fine even if the ship is small. If I look at it that way…"
I think about remodeling a small boat.
"Ship?"
Velsa asked me, who was looking off into the distance, thinking.
"Un, maa, only if I can. Anyway, this is magic stone powder and the powder dissolved in water."
"Aa, if this research goes well, I might be able to make artificial magic stones."
"That's amazing. I'm looking forward to it."
So saying, I left the room.
"Sorry for waking you. Then, see you."
"Aa, see you tomorrow."
Leaving the house of Velsa, waving her hand, behind, I headed to the inn.

When I dropped in to the Guild to exchange (the tails) for money and returned to the inn, the lodging was already paid for.
When I went to the room, Ayl was sleeping in the shape"大".
"Welcome back. It seems she was the champion."
Seems like Teyl has also come back already.
"Were you doing work?" (Teyl)
I took off my coverall and asked Teyl in my T-shirt and shorts.
"Un. How was it at the shipyard?"
"Head-san was praising it loudly, so the workers gathered in the cafeteria and Head-san sent them to buy things. Here is what remains."
Teyl pulled out a pasta-like dish with seafood in it.
"How is Velsa-san?"
"Un, maa, I think she was happy. And about a ship, it's fine if it's small, but I want one. Tomorrow let's try asking b.o.l.l.o.c.k about how much the price would be."
"Understood."
I'm thinking that if I make a sub-s.p.a.ce on a ship, then even if it's small a ship could make a voyage.
I can also probably produce speed using a magic circle.
It would probably be fine for the room's size to be for several people.
Ayl was the champion so she'll board a different ship, so this will be necessary.
"I see, so I will also split with Ayl."
"What's wrong?"
Teyl asked as she peered in the face of I, who muttered to myself.
"No, well Ayl won so she'll be getting on a ship and traveling somewhere else, I thought."
"Are you lonely?"
"I wonder. She's not actually gone yet so I can't really tell the feeling. Maa, a journey is for ichio-ichie."1
"'Ichio-ichie'?"
"Treasure every encounter, basically."
Teyl nodded as she cleaned up the tableware from after I finished eating.
As for me, I began reading 'Lisa's Monster Notebook'.
Along with Ayl's sleep-breathing, the night grew long.

I don't remember if I translated it as 'Recovery Potion' or 'Restoration Potion anymore…>