Chapter 18 I'Ve Got The Job As The Guardian Of The Four Great Families Of The Seals
The day after fighting Calum and the others at the guild's underground training ground.
I was drinking at a nearby tavern, not far from the guild, when the person I was waiting for finally showed up.
"Yo, you've been waiting?"
"Yeah, I've been waiting for a while."
The one-eyed man with an eye patch over his left eye, who approached the table where I was sitting, was Lion ―― the leader of the Adventurer Party "Sword of Glory" that I used to belong to.
After retiring from being an explorer last year, he's now working as a guild staff member.
It seems that his experience as an Expert Explorer has something to do with it, but despite being a new staff member, he's already a candidate for a high-ranking position. I heard he's doing pretty well for himself.
"Ah, sorry about that. Work's been keeping me busy."
Lion sat down at the same table, ordered an ale and some snacks from the waitress, and turned to face me.
Yesterday, when I met up with Lion after hearing Fiona's message, it was just an invitation to drink. But yesterday ended up being a whole party with all the clan members, so I couldn't make it. That's why our meeting got pushed to today.
"Did something happen?"
"Nothing much, just dealing with stupid complaints and negotiating with the commercial guild."
"I see. Same old, same old."
We chatted idly for a while.
"...So, what's the real reason you called me out today?"
The waitress brought our orders, and finally, we got to the main topic.
It wasn't just an invitation to drink. We've known each other for a long time. I can tell just by looking at his face.
"......Well, what is it?"
As expected, my prediction was correct.
Lion proved it by taking a heavy, silent pause before hesitantly speaking up.
"Aaron, do you...not have anyone good around you?"
"――What? What are you saying, Lion?"
I thought it was going to be some kind of trouble, but it was completely different.
What's with good people, anyway? I mean, it's not like I'm not dating anyone, right? It's a pain to even think about it.
But why do I have to hear this from you? Are you my mom or dad or something?
Lion started talking with a serious face, ignoring my annoyed gaze.
"No, I'm just worried about your future. You're still single, right? What are you planning to do? If you don't get married and have kids soon, you'll have a tough time. Raising kids costs money, and it'll be even harder if you have them later in life."
I glared at Lion with a disgusted face.
But Lion didn't stop talking.
"Do you plan on staying single your whole life? Don't you want someone to take care of you when you're old? Living alone in old age is lonely, don't you think?"
"――AAAAAHHHH!! Shut up!! What's with this sudden lecture?! Did you call me out just to say this?!"
I'm seriously annoyed that my friend is worrying about me like this!!
Stop it, stop it, stop it!!
I don't want to hear it!!
"Hey, listen seriously. I'm having a serious talk here."
"Are you my dad?! Are you kidding me?! You're my friend, not my parent!!"
"Well, even if I'm joking, I'm still your friend... So, what's going on with you and Missy Fiona, huh?"
Is this guy still going to keep going on about this?!
What's wrong with him?!
"What's with that? You're not going to marry someone who's just going to 'keep you in check' or 'get rid of you,' are you? Are you out of your mind?"
"I think it's a good idea, though. Missy Fiona is exactly your type, right? You like girls with nice butts, and she has a great one."
"Th-that's... ugh..."
Lion's words made me groan.
It's true, I've always thought Fiona's butt is amazing. As an explorer and a swordsman, she has a well-trained, great body.
Damn, I've been cornered...!!
"Of course, Missy Fiona's butt is amazing..."
"Right?"
"No, wait Her personality is a problem, though!"
"No way, wait! You're a masochist, and your personality matches hers perfectly, don't you think?"
"Huh!? ...You're stupid...I've been completely shot down...?"
What am I supposed to do...?
――I mean, am I stupid or what?! I don't get it!
I take a deep breath and ask Lion seriously.
"Lion, what do you plan to do with this conversation? Are you going to tell me to marry Fiona or something?"
"Yeah."
"Yeah, no way...I'm sure she'll refuse anyway..."
"Is that so? I think if you're serious, she might agree..."
"No way, your eyes are knotholes..."
"I don't want to be told that by someone who's not even married..."
Does he think he's some kind of married guy with a lot of experience? I'll punch him...
By the way, Lion has a wife and 2 kids.
"A guy who proposed with a dogeza and tears has no right to say anything..."
"Don't be ridiculous, Aaron. Don't you know that a man's worth is decided by the number of dogezas he does?"
Is that even a thing?
"So, what's the real deal? Did you call me here just to have this conversation?"
"No, today's goal was 90% about this conversation...but if you don't want to talk about it, we can talk about something else..."
90%, huh?
What does he gain from making me get married to her?
"So, how's the clan doing? I'm sure yesterday, you got into a fight with that young, annoying explorer and beat him up..."
"That's completely different, you idiot. I'm not some kind of villain. ...I'm a 'Beginner Swordman', and I went solo to the 41st floor, which no one believed. I had to prove it by having a mock battle..."
"Hmm, and did you get them to believe you?"
"No, no one believed me. Ah, no, they did believe that I went to the 41st floor, but they thought I was lying about being a 'Beginner Swordman'. They even thought the 'Limit Mark' was just a tattoo..."
It's honestly a bit sad that no one believes me even when I'm telling the truth.
"Well, I guess that's to be expected. It's not like anyone can recreate a forgotten skill on their own. I wouldn't have believed it either if I didn't know you from before..."
That's the problem, after all.
It seems like people who see me from afar think I'm using Advanced Jobs or Unique Jobs skills, so logically, it's likely that 'Beginner Swordman' is a lie.
"Huh? So, Missy Fiona believes you're a 'Beginner Swordman', right? Why?"
"Ah, that's――"
I replied to Lion's question.
Actually, Fiona didn't believe I was a 'Beginner Swordman' at first either. But, because I insisted I was a 'Beginner Swordman', one day she took me to the church.
At the church, in addition to receiving Jobs in the Church, Jobs can also be changed. And, although it's rare, people can also have their Job appraised.
In other words, by having my Job appraised right in front of her, I was able to prove to the priest that I was indeed a 'Beginner Swordman'.
――I explained this to Lion.
"Ah, well, I guess that's convincing... I mean, you had to go that far to prove it, haha."
"I'm not laughing. Thanks to that, I've become strangely distant from my clan members."
"What's wrong? Did you get too drunk at yesterday's party or something?"
"No... it's just that there were a few fans of mine among the clan members, I guess. It didn't turn out that way, though."
"――Fans, you say!?"
As soon as I said that, Lion burst out laughing, holding his belly.
"Hey, hey, what's with the fans? Are you getting too full of yourself?"
"No way! They're a fan of the Wood Sword Meister!"
It took me that long to explain, and Lion finally managed to suppress his laughter with a pained expression.
"...Ah, I see, the wood sword... I mean, there are wood sword enthusiasts among explorers too, right?"
"You're looking down on wood swords? There are currently 8,000 wood sword maniacs in Necronia, you know."
By the way, according to the monthly Wood Sword Newsletter.
"Heh, wood sword maniacs..."
"......"
Lion was on the verge of bursting out laughing again, his face twitching.
I want to punch that smug face of his.
I, fed up, was going to pull out the ultimate weapon to erase that smug face of his.
"My customers include nobles from other countries. Like Lorenz, the Margrave, for instance."
"Yeah, yeah, nobles from other countries, huh? Lorenz, the border lord, is... wait, what? Are you serious? He is a big shot, isn't he?"
To be honest, I'm dead serious.
The Black Radiance series, carved from the core of the Elder Treant tree, not only has high practical value but is also highly regarded as a work of art.
Among my customers, the Wood Sword Meister, are several nobles from other countries. In Necronia, I've even sold to the current head of the Gridavor family, one of the [Four Great Families of the Seals].
――I explained it all in detail.
"Well, are you serious...?! I thought you'd finally lost your mind when you started making wooden swords... so, they're selling that well?"
"You finally get it. I've got the money and connections, you know. I'm a big deal."
"......Hey, master. My 2 daughters (5 and 3 years old) are saying they want your wooden swords..."
"You're lying through your teeth."
I've met his daughters several times, but they've never said anything like that.
Anyway, let's get back to the story.
"Well, so I've got some acquaintances who are pretty close. The leader of the party I was fighting with, Calum, was a wood sword maniac, it seems. He got jealous when he found out I had a Black Radiance and started a fight. When he found out I was the creator of the Black Radiance, he came crawling back..."
"Are you serious? That guy's so cute. Wait, wasn't he a spearman?"
"He originally wanted to be a Swordsman, but he couldn't choose his job."
"Hmm... so, did you show any actual results?"
"Yeah, at least I managed to get the job of guarding one of the [Four Great Families of the Seals]. No one openly opposed me."
"That's to be expected. ...Then, who is suspicious in Clan members?"
"That's unbelievable. We just met up yesterday, and you're already saying that? I mean, I'm not going to figure it out that quickly, am I?"
"Yeah, if you're going to move, it's gotta be inside the labyrinth..."
Anyway, everything is going according to plan.
Lion and I continued to chat idly, but I still didn't understand why he had called me out, and before I knew it, it was time to leave the store.
When we stepped out of the store, the cool night air caressed my skin, and the night breeze felt great on my flushed face.
"Well, see you later, Lion."
"Yeah."
I parted ways with Lion in front of the store and turned to head home, but Lion called out to me.
"Aaron!"
"Huh?"
I turned around to see Lion looking at me with an unusually serious face.
"What's up?"
"You're not going to die, okay?"
"......"
"That's what I'm all thinking, so don't even think about it."
"...Yeah, I get it."
I nodded, and finally, it clicked into place.
The reason Lion had invited me out for a drink today was because he was worried about me. And the reason he had suddenly suggested getting married was also because of that.
He must have thought that if I got married, I wouldn't do anything reckless.
It seemed like he had seen right through me.
"Thanks, I'm good. I won't do anything reckless, don't worry."
I wonder if I had been taking things too seriously.
I touched my face, feeling a bit relieved.
My tense facial muscles seemed to relax a bit.
Lion let out a sigh of relief, looking a bit more at ease.
"Well, if you start thinking about something stupid, I'll knock some sense into you. So, come back alive, Aaron."
With that, he turned his back to me and walked away, waving his hand.
I watched him go, feeling a weight lift off my shoulders.
"...I guess revenge isn't an option anymore."
But I had decided to do what I had to do.
I wasn't going to get caught up in my emotions anymore, but I would at least make sure to take care of my few friends' backs――.
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