Kujonin Chapter 16

Kujonin
Author: Hanakuroko
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Once again we're proceeding down the road.
When the two of us walked side-by-side, the merchants riding wagons going in the opposite direction called out, "Kaa-! Ain't it good to be young?"
"Looks like it would be better to walk a little farther apart, huh?"
Ayl began to walk a little ways behind me.
I, who was walking in front, was in charge of the midday break and the like.
It was decided that, whenever monsters come out, whoever spots them goes on ahead.
Basically, because I have the Search skill, I find them first.
However, as a defensive measure against monsters, I had prepared a confusion bell, so even if we encountered them, they pretty much all destroyed themselves.
This confusion bell is just a normal bell with a magic circle drawn on it so that monsters that hear the sound won't come out.
It's something that I made with a magic stone from that time when we exterminated goblins.
The confusion was applied by me, so the experience came to me.
I have found another way to gain experience even without combat.

In the case that several monsters show up, they attack each other so the weak monsters' levels rise.
In that case, their experience increases so that Ayl, who defeats them, level rises; the person herself is delighted.
Until we reached the next town, all the encounters with monsters, rare as they might be, ended in that fas.h.i.+on.

Written on a board, the name of the town next to Kubenia is called Oslo.
Thanks to the skill, it seems I'm able to read the words.
We showed our cards to the guard and entered in.
"That Sword Demon Ayl-san!? It's an honor!"
The guard that met Ayl seemed to be overcome with emotion and shouted.
Ayl embarra.s.sedly scratched her head.
Since there isn't any particular reason for me to wait for her, I began to search for an inn for the night.
"O,oi, Naoki, wait for me."
In a panic, Ayl half-ran to my side.
"Is that fine? He's your fan."
"Aa, forget that, don't leave me behind."
"It's fine. I have the Search skill, so I can at least determine what's a good place."
"Not that, I won't be able to tell where Naoki is."
"What, so that's it. If Ayl also takes the Search skill, it would be convenient."
"Don't say it like it's that easy. Unlike you, I'm at level 28, you know!"
It seems that Ayl has taken Sword Arts, Unarmed Combat, Dismantling, and Light Magic.
I was just thinking that we should tell each other to be on the safe side, since we're traveling companions, when she told me first.
She didn't tell me the skill levels.
It's a pain, so all I told her was "All sorts."
Although, I did tell her that I didn't have Unarmed Combat.
My level went up so I might need some kind of combat skill, but before that I want resistance skills.
There isn't much information on resistances; it seems that if I don't ask a high-leveled adventurer, I won't figure it out.
"So, about today's inn, this town should also have a Guild, right?"
"There is. There's also an inn established with it, so it would be fine there for today, right?"
"That's true. A, I didn't tell you, but I didn't get paid my reward from the Guild, so I don't have much on hand."
"I see. I have quite a bit, so should I lend it to you?"
"No, once we get an inn, I want to immediately take a request, though."
"Got it. And there I can see how you work."
"Who knows. It depends on the request."
"A, here it is."

Ayl knows where the Guild is located, so she lead me there.
Ayl seems to be an adventurer centralized on the eastern side of the Alisfay Kingdom, so she's familiar with the towns around here.
It looks like this town's style and scale isn't too different from Kubenia.
However it feels like there are more beastmen and slaves than in Kubenia.
"The reason there are a lot of slaves is because a slave trader is established in this town. Kubenia's slave trader went out of business. The daughter there got sick, see."
Ayl said, looking off into the distance.
The place the vespahornets were might have been the Kubenia-n slave trader's place.
I remember there were herbs to prevent sickness planted there.
The daughter might have had a sickness like leukemia.

The inn in the Guild is 20 Notts a night, that's 2 silver coins.
Ayl and I each rented our own rooms.
By the way, it seems that staying in the large common room is 5 Notts.
Previously I had given all the money I had to the two former slaves, set out on the journey penniless, and just now sold the field boar to the inn's eatery for 50 Notts, 5 silver coins.
We split that between two people, so what I have left right now is 5 Notts, 5 copper coins.
If I don't do anything, I'll be staying in the common room tomorrow night.
"If you really run out of money, I'll lend you some, though?" (Ayl)
"No, it's fine. It's just me doing what I want, so don't worry about it."
We went to the Guild and looked at the F Rank requests available on the board.
"E Ranks also have escort work, so wouldn't it be better to raise your rank?"
So said the B Rank Ayl.

"Oi, isn't that the Sword Demon Ayl?"
"For real?"
"With that bikini armor, it definitely is. Although I heard that she became the instructor at Kubenia."
"But who's that guy wearing the weird clothes next to her?"
"Isn't it Ayl's man?"
"That guy? He looks weak, though."
"That guy is looking at F Rank requests."
"For Ayl to be supporting an F Rank adventurer is…"
You can hear adventurers' voices from the eating area.

"See? Naoki, if you don't raise your rank you'll get made fun of."
Ayl elbowed me and said in a small voice.
"It's fine. Don't mind it. It happens all the time."
"Is it okay for a man to be made fun of?"
"It probably doesn't matter whether you're a man or a woman. Besides, those guys have low levels. Being concerned about it is just a waste of time. If there was a high level adventurer, I'd like to ask him about resistance skills, though."
"Resistance skill, huh? Would there really be someone who has that?"
"Have you never seen one?"
"Never."
The existence of resistance skills has suddenly become dangerous.
I had thought that since there are useful skills like Magic Circles, it must exist.
In fact, my coverall has Magic Resistance, Slash Resistance, Poison Resistance, Paralysis Resistance, and Sleep Resistance sewn into it.
As long as I'm not hit on the parts showing skin, I should be fine.
"I'll give up on resistance skills for now. In the meantime, let's do this request."
I pulled off a request from the board.
"Is that fine? This place is the slave trader's shop."
The request I had taken was extermination of the bagroaches, a bug-type monster.
"It's fine, right? Is there some kind of problem with it?"
"No, it's fine. You're a man after all. But bagroaches are generally monsters that don't have a lot of experience in them."
"It's not like I'm particularly going for the experience, my goal is the money, so it's fine."
"I see. Is it okay if I take a request for myself? It feels like the bagroach subjugation won't be anything worth watching."
"Yeah, do as you like."
At long last, it looks like Ayl's reason for following me is gone.
"I'll do this."
Ayl took a B Rank request for subjugating finek monsters.
Fineks are large snake monsters, and seem to be quite strong. Not that I'd know.
I presented the written request and my Adventurer Card to the receptionist and parted from Ayl in front of the Guild.

I asked a person heading into town where the slave trader's place is, and despite making a disgusted face, I reached the residence in that area of the town.
I was asked what my business was as a guest by the doorguards at the door, and when I showed them the written request and explained I was from the Adventurer Guild, they showed me to the rear entrance.
When I had entered the rear entrance, an elderly woman wearing exactly what you could call maid clothes looked me up and down with a lingering gaze.
"Hm hm hm. You're wearing clothes that look like they could be for laboring. Very well. Do you have any interest in freeing slaves?"
"No, not particularly."
"Is that so. These slaves are our goods, so please do not needlessly touch or talk to them."
"Understood. The scope of the extermination, is it this entire mansion?"
"That's right."
"I see. I think it will take some time to completely exterminate all of them, but is that alright?"
"All of them?"
"Yes."
"Is that even possible?"
"Yeah. I think it will take 2, 3 days. If everyone in the building were to leave, it would be done much faster, but it seems it would disturb business, and no matter what it would take some time."
"I understand. Go ahead, rather than 3 days, you're welcome to take 1 week or even 2 weeks."
"About the reward."
"Yes, it's as written in the request. 1 bagroach is 2 Notts."
A masmascarl is 5 Notts, so that's how it is.
"Then I will begin working. I think it will smell up a little, but it won't have any effect on the human body. If it bothers you, please feel free to open the window."
I cover my mouth with a towel with magic circles drawn on it.
First is the kitchen, so I installed sticky boards in the cracks and corners, cautioned the cooks not to step on them, and examined the shelves.
Since there are droppings particular to the bagroach there, I left some insecticide dumplings.
Next I went around the rooms on the first floor, spraying insect repellant in the corners.
Here is where the nozzle and pump I made previously came in handy.
When the contents in the tank ran out, I borrowed the backyard and made more repellant.
Around when I finished with the 1st floor, the residence's cooks called me to come over.
When I went into the kitchen to look, the bagroaches were stuck in large quant.i.ties on the sticky boards.
Without panicking, I wrapped up those sticky boards in towels and once again placed new sticky boards.
Looks like there are quite a number of bagroaches in this residence.
Using the Search skill, I discovered that there were nests in the bas.e.m.e.nt.
"Would it be alright if I see the bas.e.m.e.nt?"
I asked the maid woman I had met at the beginning.
"I don't mind, but there are slaves there so be careful. There is the possibility of them trying to seduce you, and also the possibility of them attacking you. I thought you should know before you go."
"Thank you very much."
"It's this way."
The maid led me to the bas.e.m.e.nt.
By the way, I also sprayed repellant at the stairs that led to the bas.e.m.e.nt.
I can tell with the Search skill that the bagroaches are running to the walls.
The bas.e.m.e.nt is practically a prison; the corridor continues in a u shape.
"Since it seems that they also appear in the cells, can you remove the slaves for a bit?"
"That is impossible."
"Is that so. I won't be able to go easy on them, but is that okay? I can hand over Recovery potions after."
I'm in front of the cell of a beastman slave with a wolf's face, that looks like it has the most battle prowess.
"Yes. If we're talking about these slaves, then it won't matter how many times you hurt them. That is, if you can do so."
The maid half-smirked, and the wolf beastman glared at me as if he would bite me through the iron bars.
When I hit the nose that was sticking outside of the bars, he hit the opposite wall and fainted.
Taking custody of the key from the dumbfounded maid, I opened the iron bar door and used the Life Magic, Cleanup.
When it became clean, I sprayed insect repellant and put insecticide dumplings in the cracks of the stone walls.
I sprinkled a little Recovery Potion on the wolf beastman and he woke up.
I calmed the beastman who shook when he saw me and locked the iron-barred door.
All of the slaves saw this, so the rest of it went easily.
"If you behave, I won't hit you."
When I said this, all of them obediently listened to what I said.
When I had finished with all of the slaves' rooms, I reported that I wanted to go further down to the bas.e.m.e.nt's 2nd floor.
At first the maid said there wasn't a room like that, but when I said I couldn't exterminate all the bagroaches if I didn't go to all the rooms, she reluctantly opened the room in the back.
I thought the 2nd floor would be a torture room, but it was a warehouse.
There are a lot of strange things, maybe illegal goods.
It's the slave merchant's hobby, I guess.
I placed sticky boards in the room's 4 corners and spread out insecticide dumplings.
The bagroaches' nest is in this room's walls.
I thrust the nozzle into a crack in the room's stone walls and sprayed.
Instantly, the escaping bagroaches scattered in all directions.
The female maid saw that and swooned.
I told her that, now that I've attacked the nest, they might pop up in other places, and then we returned.

Checking the kitchen, I retrieved the sticky boards with bagroaches stuck to them, and placed sticky boards again.
Waking the female maid, I showed her the sticky boards with bagroaches and let her know I had subjugated 24 of them.
Receiving 48 Notts, I told her I'd be back again tomorrow.
I borrowed a corner of the back yard and burned the retrieved sticky boards, turning them to charcoal.
I told the female maid, who saw me to the gate, that tomorrow there was probably going to be a large amount of dead bagroaches, and so she should prepare a bag; then I returned to the inn.