With Golden Week just around the corner, the atmosphere in the company is starting to lift a bit.
To be more precise, I guess it’s us Dungeon Testers who are being lifted.
For the general public, it’s a long holiday.
As new employees have joined, those who’ve undergone harsh training are looking for a break, which means a substantial holiday.
If I lend an ear, I hear talk of wanting to travel, wanting to spend time relaxing, or even returning to their hometowns – the conversations are exactly what you’d expect to hear anywhere.
The average age is young.
It’s an age where people want to have fun.
Thanks to the training, they’ll probably have a decent amount of money.
It’s natural for talk of spending that money on something to come up.
“Speaking of which, Hanz.”
“Huh? What is it?”
“What are you guys doing for Golden Week?”
Hearing such pleasant chatter, it’s only natural that the Otherworlders would be curious about the humans’ plans.
And the opportunity arrives perfectly.
Hanz the Giant, after finishing the company’s inspection of the Ore Trees and returning them to us, barged into our Party Room, having somehow heard about it, demanding to see the evolved Ore Tree.
The room, designed for humans, was cramped for the Giant Hanz. Twisting his massive body to squeeze in, his eyes were bloodshot, and radiating an aura that suggested he might kill someone, he demanded to see it.
Well, he said he was asking, but it was more than half a threat.
To calm him down, we’ve come to his shop and workshop.
Fortunately, we have no Dungeon Raids scheduled today. I was planning to finish a report and, if I had time left, perhaps work on a Project Proposal for the Southern Clan, so it’s not a problem.
“Gol…den Week?”
“Your pronunciation on that could be a little more native.”
“Shut up. So? What about this Golden Week?”
However, even though we’re close friends, I can’t just hand over my precious partner without a second thought, so I came here. Unfortunately, I was warned not to touch anything in the workshop at the back of the store when I stepped inside. Also, Hanz, who demanded to see the Ore Tree, is currently busy inspecting my partner.
Watching his back while sitting in the prepared chair, I found myself with nothing to do. I decided to at least engage him in some small talk.
“In Japan, it’s a major holiday. We don’t really have anything specific planned, but other Testers are talking about various things they’ll do. I imagine this Shopping Street will be a bit quiet, right? I was curious about what you Otherworlders, like Hanz, plan to do.”
From the blade to the hilt and the core, he meticulously examined the Ore Tree with his enormous hands, moving them with a delicacy fitting his size, his gaze serious.
I hesitated to interrupt, but Hanz didn’t seem offended, nor did he look at me as he spoke.
“Well, nothing different from usual, really. I’ll forge iron, make swords, and sell them at the shop. If anything, it makes us wonder if you guys are allowed to rest that much.”
“We do get told the Japanese work too much, you know.”
“Is that so? I don’t know how much you Japanese people work. I don’t know how much you’re supposed to rest. Adventurers go on long expeditions and then rest for a proportionate amount of time when they return, but from what I hear from commoners, the only time they take long breaks is when they’re sick or during New Year’s.”
Hanz answered my question, questioning our customs, especially in a customer-facing business.
I nodded understandingly.
Indeed, for us Japanese people, holidays like this are a perfectly normal part of life.
Therefore, we rarely question why Golden Week exists.
Rather, the fact that it exists and makes us happy probably prevents us from having such doubts.
However, I can understand Hanz’s reasoning based on the knowledge and experience I’ve gained since joining this company.
First, the labor environments in Japan and their world are different. Japan uses a weekly day-off system, while the otherworld generally has no fixed holidays.
Second, there are cultural differences.
And third…
“So that’s how it is. I thought perhaps Giants couldn’t live without forging weapons or something like that.”
“You’re not entirely wrong. We Giants make our living by crafting weapons, armor, and agricultural tools year-round, but it’s not because we’re dexterous or anything.”
“You mean?”
“Forging weapons is my life’s purpose.”
That kind of obsession, unique to their species.
While obsessions vary from individual to individual, in the otherworld, there are characteristic and common obsessions within each species. For Giants, it’s crafting things like weapons.
“To put it bluntly, it’s like you’re doing your hobby every day?”
“You’re not wrong. There are times I think so myself.”
“To be honest?”
“There’s nothing more interesting than forging weapons!”
“Then it’s no good when you make those crazy weapons.”
“Shut up! That’s romance!”
“The price of your romance is too high!”
Many species belonging to the Demon Lord’s Army find their work to be their everyday life, their purpose, and enjoyable.
Therefore, there’s no particular need to rest, and this shop would probably be open even during Golden Week. Holidays like New Year’s are solely for wanting to enjoy special festivals.
It’s just that simple a difference.
The man in front of me, shouting about romance, is patiently answering my questions while thinking I’m stating the obvious.
“You’re always focused on weapons year-round. I’m curious about the romantic lives of you Giants, for the sake of your species’ continuation.”
Hearing that, a doubt arose – how can a species so devoted to their hobbies possibly prosper? Neglecting family for the sake of hobbies is a common story even among humans. So, I directly asked how Giants, who are so focused on that aspect, manage.
“Huh?”
“I’m asking what you Giants think about your families.”
“It’s normal, perfectly normal. We don’t have weird views on romance like Dark Elves, nor do we seek strong bloodlines like Oni.”
“I see, I see.”
As expected. Even with the craftsman-like nature of Giants, they must have their desires. They eat when hungry and sleep when tired.
“But, we do have a stubborn streak. When we propose, we punch each other full force.”
“Stubbornly physical? That’s terrifying, Giants.”
But of course, this is the otherworld. Romantic affairs aren’t straightforward. I knew Oni sought strong partners, but are Giants similar in that regard? Yet, Hanz said they don’t seek strength.
“Why do you punch each other when proposing? You could do it more peacefully.”
“Idiot, it’s the quickest way to show how much you love your partner.”
“Power equals strength of love? Are you stupid, or just an idiot?! Look up the word stubborn again!”
“What are you talking about? It means you can withstand how much the other person hits you. Why would I hit someone I like?”
“But, a fistfight…”
“This is standard practice among Giants: receive your partner’s full force, endure the power of their blows, and then gently strike back. It’s a gentleman’s code among Giants.”
“Even if I’m told they have no common sense, I can’t agree. Stubborn means literally stubborn? Endurance equals the size of your love!”
“Because of that, Giants are famous for being the most magnanimous species.”
“I’ll bet! If you do something like that physically, you can probably forgive most things.”
Giants are scary. Are Giants actually a masochistic group? Would they get hooked if I showed them a pro-wrestling style display of the beauty of receiving? While my thoughts drifted, I suddenly wondered again.
“I’ve never heard you mention it, but do you have a wife?”
“Of course, you idiot. I have three children, too.”
“Oh, really. But is that alright? Coming all the way to this otherworld, didn’t your wife stop you?”
Putting aside their proposal method, I understood that Giants, too, have families. As someone soon to become a father, it might be stretching the definition of business trip, but the information might be useful for a day that might come eventually, so I diligently engaged in information gathering.
“Huh? You seriously don’t realize it?”
“Don’t realize what?”
“The shop where you bought your armor, that’s my daughter’s shop.”
“What?”
“And my two sons work there as shop assistants, too.”
“What about your wife, by any chance?”
“She’s not here right now, but she usually forges weapons with me.”
“Your whole family is here?”
“Yeah. It’s fine to leave them in our homeland and come alone, but family is best when we’re together.”
As the information gathering progressed, I noticed Hanz’s mouth soften slightly. Despite his stern appearance, I could easily see how much he cherished his family. The way he looked at the Ore Tree also seemed softer than his earlier serious gaze.
“Alright, that’s about it. Sorry for making you show me your precious sword.”
“Don’t worry about it, I always appreciate your business.”
After finishing his inspection, Hanz carefully polished the Ore Tree and handed it back to me. Receiving it, I realized he had also done some maintenance. Though I’m used to it from my own regular upkeep, I still can’t match a professional’s skill. I put the now-gleaming Ore Tree back into its holder on my back and stood up from the chair, ready to proceed with my day’s schedule.
“Speaking of which, do you know Jiro?”
“You need a subject. I can’t possibly know what you’re talking about. What about him?”
“Well, I’ve only heard rumors, but lately, there’s a woman who’s been approaching various people.”
“A woman? You don’t mean like, she’s making the first move, do you?”
“It’s not that seductive of a story.”
While putting away maintenance tools, Hanz, perhaps out of boredom, offered some information that piqued my interest.
“I heard from a fellow shopkeeper, you see. Apparently, she’s asking for help. Since he’s a Dungeon Tester, he couldn’t easily refuse and listened to her. She said she’s trying to create some kind of mutual aid society? To efficiently clear Dungeons, and she’s asking people to join.”
Hearing Hanz’s story, my eyebrows twitched. A mutual aid society, and Hanz’s colleague means a weapons shop, or perhaps an armor shop. She’s trying to get their help. Her movements strangely overlap with the plans South is contemplating. Then, the face of the woman I’d turned away the other day flashed in my mind.
“Do you know her name, by any chance?”
“Huh? No, I don’t. I just heard it as a joke, like ‘there’s some strange person around.’ Evia-sama isn’t involved, and my acquaintance turned her down, saying they’d cooperate if given permission.”
It’s speculation, but there’s a strange certainty to it. It’s rare, but not unheard of, for people to come up with the same idea independently. However, the number of people capable of acting on such an idea is limited. Since becoming a Dungeon Tester after joining this company, there’s only one person I can think of who could do it. And the fact that they’re aware of its value gives me a slight, uneasy premonition.
“I see. If you want to hear more details, where could I go?”
“It’s the weapons shop three doors down. What’s wrong? Is there a problem?”
My uneasy premonition is proving to be quite accurate. Following my intuition, I changed today’s schedule. It’s time for information gathering. Hanz, noticing my change in demeanor, stopped his work and turned to face me, wondering if something was wrong.
“I’d like to think there won’t be a problem. For now.”
If it’s just my overthinking, that would be great. However, if the person I’m imagining is acting in the way I suspect, they are moving in a very gray area. To think that someone would be making these kinds of behind-the-scenes arrangements at a time like this, when the focus is on getting stronger. Hanz looked at me, dumbfounded by my words, and I managed a wry smile.
“It’s just that I hope it turns out to be my overthinking.”
“Is that so? Well, if you want to ask around here, just mention my name.”
“Why? You’re unusually accommodating today.”
“I can’t let my cash cow get away, can I?”
“You’re as honest as ever.”
“That’s us Giants.”
And so I left the familiar shop.
A word for today: If there’s something that concerns you, don’t postpone it. Investigate it on the spot if you can.
As always, thank you for your feedback and typo corrections. If you find this interesting, please leave your impressions, ratings, bookmarks, etc.
*The first volume of the novel is published by Hayakawa Bunko JA. It was released on October 18, 2018. The e-book version was released on October 31 of the same year. The second volume was released on December 19. The third volume was released on February 20, 2019. The content has been revised and expanded from the original contributions on Shosetsuka ni Naro, with the addition of unpublished interlude chapters. Please do check out the new releases!*
*A comic adaptation is currently being serialized in Kodansha’s “Young Magazine The Third.” We hope you enjoy that as well.*
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