I made a gift with a large individual who was interested in Rose.
He told me to return ahead of time and lead her out in a natural way. What was I doing here, becoming a cupid in a place like this? Speaking of which, where was this place? I was so desperate to survive that I had forgotten.
When I returned to the room, Rose was reading a book.
“Ah, where have you been? I was worried.”
“Sorry, I have something I’d like to ask you. Where am I right now? On the map?”
I handed him what I had. I had left the one with the overall map behind. He looked at it and tilted his head.
“We need something bigger. Look here, we live here.”
Rose then showed me an old map. The place she pointed to was… south. And it was far south of Shindo. Damn, that witch. She drove us away. Well, I guess it’s a kindness that she didn’t kill us? No, she’s probably just playing around; she doesn’t seem to be on anyone’s side.
“Is that so? Oh, by the way, the guy from yesterday said he wanted to meet you.”
“Huh? Oh, I can’t help it. Even though I told him no.”
Even as she said that, she seemed strangely happy. When I took Rose outside, a feast had already begun in the plaza. One of the people who had brought food over quickly handed him a plate.
“Bad luck, carry this for me; they said they caught something big today.”
“O-oh. Then Alice Hiroaki, you go back to the kitchen and carry water.”
I did as I was told and carried water with the bottles. It would be fine to give the present later. The upper echelon were in high spirits, having started drinking early. It’s a good life to be able to eat without doing anything just because you’re big. On the other hand, the ones who were ordered to prepare food earlier than planned were in a panic. It seems there was no time to think about whether they were outsiders or not, and orders were flying left and right.
Just then, the sound of shattering plates was heard from the plaza. I saw fragments and food scattered on the floor. And the small youth who had been carrying them was desperately bowing his head. Oh well, it’s already happened; I’d better clean it up quickly and carry the next one.
I quickly prepared plates and started slicing the roasted meat. I seasoned it with salt and herbs and arranged it. I’ve gotten quite good at this, haven’t I? As I was congratulating myself, I suddenly noticed that the atmosphere around me had changed. Everyone was looking outside and whispering to each other.
It seems the previous incident had displeased the boss. He stood up and looked down at the youth who had made a mistake. As expected, his figure was like a mountain, fitting for the strongest.
“Hey! What do you think you’re doing with the prey I caught?!”
His voice echoed throughout the cave. The other large individuals around him also stopped and observed the situation.
“I-I’m sorry… I tripped.”
“Are you, a weakling who can’t even kill a single ant, going to make excuses to me?!”
“That’s not it, that’s not it.”
Rose quickly intervened.
“I am terribly sorry. I will clean this up immediately and bring you a new one. Please, go ahead.”
She poured him a drink as if to appease him. At the same time, she instructed her companions to clean it up. As expected, she must be a senior among her peers. The boss sat down with a displeased expression.
“That’s right. You, you said just now that you weren’t a weakling, didn’t you? Then, prove your strength.”
He called out to the youth who was trying to slink away. He looked like he wanted to say he didn’t mean it that way, but he couldn’t refuse and answered, “Yes.”
“Rose, you are the senior; deal with him. The winner will receive a reward. Don’t worry, the loser will receive proper training.”
He said this with a grin. The people around them clapped their hands in excitement. I suspect the boss doesn’t like Rose. And the training is probably just violence. The shrunk-back youth, however, grabbed Rose as he was told.
He quickly brushed away the hand and moved behind him, then got on his back. He then restrained him so he couldn’t move. As expected, he was strong even though he was slender. His experience was different. Seeing this, the boss became even more displeased.
“Is that so? Then teach him how to fight.”
Then, young guys who were waiting next to him came out one after another. They were hot-blooded underlings but were more than a head larger than the youth.
“Heh heh heh, be prepared. I’ll beat some sense into your weak spirit.”
Four arms swung down towards the trembling youth.
