Kujonin Chapter 11

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Kujonin
Author: Hanakuroko
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Story 11

When I arrived home, Sera and Balzack were waiting with towels.
"I'm back-"
"Welcome back, Naoki-sama."
"What's up? Waiting with towels."
"Have you forgotten?"
Sera looked at me.
"Oh, that's right! We made plans to go to the bathhouse. Alright, let's go!"

I accompanied Sera and Balzack, going to a bathhouse nearby with a chimney with smoke coming out from it.
The history of bathhouses is old; it looks like about 2,000 years ago, another-worlder came and propagated them.
Was it a Roman?

Because it's a public bath, it's properly divided into a men's and women's bath.
Sera entered the women's bath.
Balzack and I took off our clothes in the changing area and entered the bath with a towel in one hand.
The bath was large, but there wasn't a separate place to wash up.
Instead there were a number of benches lined up, and slaves were was.h.i.+ng their masters' bodies.
For now, let's head to the benches and wash up.
Balzack refused to let me wash him, but I forced the matter by saying, "Once the clothes come off, it doesn't matter if you're a slave or a master."
I was looked at weirdly from all around us, but there were also those who talked to Balzack, saying, "You have a good master;" each person has his own way of thinking.
While submerging myself in the bathtub with Balzack, I told him what Irene and I had talked about at the cafe.
"Actually, it seems that the gravekeeper of the cemetery was not killed by Vespahornets."
"E, yes, I know. Because Sera was appraising it."
"And as for that, Town Hall is look for the successor, but it seems that they can't quite find anyone."
"That place is a little ways out of the city, after all. Furthermore, the situation of that mansion could be difficult."
"How about it? Do you want to try doing it, Balzack?"
"E? Me, is it?"
"That's right; I won't let you say it's impossible. As I said before, I want to quickly find you two jobs and release you from slavery. If it's grave-keeping, if it's there, the fact that you won't meet many people from town is good, you'll have a house, and Town Hall will properly hand out a salary."
"However, I am a dog beastman, you know?"
"Isn't that also fine? When the bereaved relatives come, you can tell immediately which grave it is by smell."
"However, Naoki-sama's a.s.sistance would"
"Truthfully it's easier for me to be alone. Although I don't know when that will happen."
"Is that so? What will you do about Sera?"
"There's that too, na…"
"I believe that Sera will not leave Naoki-sama, you know?"
With a big splash I washed my face.

"Yes. I don't have any intentions on leaving."
We are in my room at Elf's Pharmacy.
We parted from Balzack at the bathhouse.
We talked about Balzack thinking about being a grave-keeper, what about Sera? - is what I tried asking.
"However, at this rate you'll stay a slave forever."
"Yes, staying Naoki-sama's slave like this forever is good."
"No it ain't. For me, I don't know what's going to happen to me in the future."
"If that's the case, you should need an a.s.sistant even more so."
"I got it. Then I'll speak frankly to you, Sera. Actually, I'm thinking it's about time for me to leave this town."
"W-why is that?"
"I don't know pretty much anything about this world. But today I talked with Irene, and I wanted to try going to different towns and cities. Aside from just this country, I want to see the edges of the world. I can't have Sera follow me there. It's dangerous, after all."
"I am Naoki-sama's slave, you know! Following along behind is what a slave is. If I die it's fine to leave me there."
"I'm not going to cla.s.sify you like that. Sera wants me to use her like an object, right? There's the possibility that even if you get sick, you won't tell me. That's the kind of 'dangerous' I'm talking about."
"You're saying that I'll drag you down, right? So if I get strong enough to be able to protect Naoki-sama then it will be okay, right?"
"N? How did it become like that?"
"Understood! Then, it will be tomorrow, but Naoki-sama, please let me undergo training at the Guild!"
"For crying out loud, you're not listening to me at all, huh?"
"It can't be left like this! Naoki-sama, I'm sleeping! Because tomorrow will come faster that way!"
Sera turned off the lamp and dove into her covers.
I also got into bed, closed my eyes, and immediately fell asleep.
In the middle of the night I thought I could hear Sera's sniffles, but it was probably a dream.

The next morning, I went to the Guild with Sera.
As for Balzack, we met on the way and explained the situation.
It really is difficult not to have any communication tools.
I think there should be some magic circle that let you have a conversation with someone who's far away; I'll have to look into it later.
As the Guild receptionist, Irene made Sera an Adventurer's Card, and like that she took the beginner's course.
Even if she starts the beginner's course early it will take until at least noon, and like that she will receive training geared towards beginners; I guess she won't be returning home for the whole day.
Balzack and I leisurely ate breakfast.
"As for that grave-keeper matter, I will take it. This morning, the Guild's people also asked me of it."
"I see. That's good. Then I'm going to release your from slavery. Are there any procedures? Also, money, huh? Here, it's better to have some."
I handed over a wallet to Balzack.
"I would like to take a request with Naoki-sama in the end. Is this alright?"
"It's fine, but I'm only G Rank so we can't take any big requests."
"It's for the memory, so…"
"Is that so; I understand."
It's been a while since I've gone to the request board to look.
"How about something like this? A request to defeat 5 goblins." (Balzack)
"So we'll go outside the town?"
"Is that no good? If you hunt enough of them, you'll become F Rank."
To rise up to F Rank you need 10 goblin right ears.
It's just, up until now I haven't had much interest in Adventurer Ranks so there was a matter where Balzack and Sera were made out to be fools.
If I wasn't going to meet with direct harm, then even if I'm a fool, I'm fine with G Rank.
To commemorate Balzack being released from slavery, it might be fine to raise my rank.
However, I will never raise my rank to the upper ranks.
If you become a high rank, it becomes a situation of directly being given large requests without being able to refuse them.
The moment he heard that, "What do you mean it's way annoying?" is what he thought of it.
"Then, let's take this." (Naoki)
"Thank you very much."
"We're only going once we get our equipment together properly."
"I know."
I tore the written request off the board and took it to the receptionist.
Irene was also surprised that I was going to go outside of town and hunt goblins.

At the weaponshop I bought an iron sword and iron gauntlets as a present for Balzack.
"Um… is Naoki-sama not going to change his equipment?"
"Because I have the coverall. Wait a bit and I'll go back to my room to prepare."
So saying, I immediately returned to Elf's Pharmacy, and from my room I brought along a bag with the leftover magic stone powder.
Dissolving the magic stone powder in water, I drew a magic circle on the middle of Balzack's sword to make cutting easier.
I also drew a magic circle to increase defense on the gauntlets.
"With this, as long as rain doesn't wash it off, it should stay for 2 or 3 days."
"Um, what are you doing?"
"I'm just making your attack and defense go up by about 10 times. With this you should be able to hunt even goblins with ease."
"Naoki-sama! Please don't do careless things like this in the future!"
"Aa, it's because it's Balzack."
"I understand, but if you make artifact-grade items so easily, even I will be struggling with agitation."
"You're exaggerating."
While talking about things like that, we entered the forest.

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Just saying, you're not helping your case by being a 'willful' slave archetype, Sera.>