MTLNOVEL Volume 1 Chapter 77 - She's a girl I often see... ★
Yoshino-san apparently uses a sword that costs over a hundred million yen. While that’s to be expected of an A-rank adventurer, it still seems like overkill from a cost-effectiveness standpoint.
“How can you be comfortable using a sword that costs over a hundred million yen? What if it breaks?”
“My life is worth more than a hundred million. That’s why everyone buys high-quality healing potions.”
I see. But I can’t afford a sword that costs that much unless it’s a magical sword that emits flames or something.
“Is Rin-san the same?”
“Yeah, she’s pretty much the same. We’re from the same school of training, childhood friends, actually.”
So that means Satsuki-san knows her too.
“High-ranking adventurers are stronger than I thought.”
I had expected them to be a bit weaker.
“You sure like to look down on people, don’t you? Why are you so arrogant?”
“I have absolute confidence in my swordsmanship. But that’s all I have to be proud of. I’m just a 26-year-old man who got fired.”
I did go to college, but it wasn’t a top-tier institution, and I have no certifications. I thought I wasn’t at the bottom, but I wasn’t middle-class either.
“So you’re taking the high ground because of that? …Sorry.”
She apologized to me.
“Kaede-chan told me the same thing, maybe I should try to be more humble.”
“You’re definitely a lost cause. You’re spoiled rotten by Kaede, aren’t you?”
Now that she mentions it, she’s incredibly kind to me. Ever since we started living together, she’s taken care of everything.
“Maybe my past issues are affecting me… this is bad.”
Even if I work hard and become a high-ranking adventurer, I might still get called arrogant.
“You okay?”
Yoshino-san looks at me with concern.
“Alright, Yoshino-san, let’s move on! I’ll do my best!”
“Is that your attempt at being humble? Well, whatever.”
I’ve decided to live humbly and refrain from arrogance.
Afterward, we continued to defeat skeletons without any complaints. By the end of the day, we had collected 30 skeleton swords. We decided to call it a day and headed back to the gate, where we saw Rin-san waiting among a crowd of adventurers.
“Rin, who are those kids?”
Yoshino-san asks as we approach Rin-san.
“I sent them home already. They said ‘Thank you.'”
“I see. We’re in the same guild, so we’ll see each other again. Oh, Okita-kun, thank you for today. I’ll contact you again.”
Yoshino-san, who was talking to Rin-san, turns to me.
“No, thank you. You helped me realize something important.”
“Stop that, it’s really counterproductive.”
Does it sound sarcastic?
“Really? This is complicated.”
“Just be normal.”
“I’ll consult with Kaede-chan. Anyway, I’m going home. Good work today.”
“Good work.”
“Good work.”
I pass through the gate, watched by Yoshino-san and Rin-san, and return to the guild.
“How was it?”
Rin asks as Okita-kun passes through the gate.
“Hmm, he’s skilled. His Swordsmanship Level is 6.”
“6!? What!?”
Rin is shocked, but that’s understandable. No one has heard of a Level 6.
“I had the same reaction. He looks down on people, but he has the skills to back it up.”
“He did seem really confident when I approached him. And I’m only B-rank.”
“He probably doesn’t know about you. He kept calling you ‘Rin-san.’ He probably doesn’t even know your last name.”
That’s probably true. If Okita-kun knew about Rin, he would have asked her about her skills.
“Hmm, well, he’s a late rookie. Probably wasn’t interested in this industry.”
“He knew about me right from the start.”
“Of course.”
Rin stares intently at my chest.
“I’ve been stared at a lot today.”
“If you keep hanging out with Okita-kun, you will be. So, did you recruit him?”
Rin gets to the point.
“I tried, but it’s unclear. He put it on hold.”
“On hold? What a luxury. Any reason?”
“Don’t know. He said he likes being alone, but he was quite talkative.”
He talked a lot, even while fighting skeletons. A normal newbie would focus on the fight.
“Hmm, any connection with the witch?”
“That’s also unclear, but I got one clue.”
“What?”
“He apparently borrowed money from Kaede to buy a 10-kilo Item Bag.”
“Is Okita-kun okay? And Kaede?”
Rin seems dumbfounded.
“But you know, Okita-kun defeated more than 20 skeletons and stored over 20 skeleton swords in his Item Bag. That bag has to be over 10 kilos.”
Even if one sword weighs one kilo, that’s 20 kilos. Definitely not a 10-kilo bag.
“Did Kaede provide it?”
“Don’t know. But at the very least, Okita-kun and Kaede have a connection with the Golden Witch.”
“Should we report to the Chief?”
“Not yet. I don’t want to act carelessly and provoke them. If the witch is involved, we should move cautiously.”
“Got it. Let’s watch for now.”
First, we need to make contact with Elenora Ocean and gain Okita-kun’s trust… Also, let’s have him serve as a bridge to Satsuki-san.
I wonder if Satsuki-san will forgive me…