Chapter 148 – The Halt of the March

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Translated by Sylph

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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At Plurier’s words, Kusara was the first to react.

“N-now then… I think it’d be better not to do that, you know? Whatever the truth is, those guys are furious and complaining, right? If Plurier goes, it’d just be pouring oil on the fire…”

“Hah?”

“Ah, sorry about that.”

At the glare in Plurier’s eyes, Kusara withdrew his opinion in an instant. Plurier wore a dissatisfied face even at the sight of him cowering like that. When Plurier is in a bad mood, she is the very embodiment of unreasonableness.

“Normally if a young woman talks to them, men calm down a little… but with Plurier it’d be the opposite.”

“Orto, did you say something?”

“Ah, no, I didn’t say anything.”

I was sure I had muttered that under my breath, but Plurier’s eyes flashed at once. Better not say anything extra anymore.

Thinking that, I cleared my throat and looked at the person directly involved in the fight with the knights.

“…So then, what was the story about how the base collapsed?”

When I asked again, the men answered while recalling it.

“If I remember right, it was something like, when about ten of them were resting inside the base, there was a loud noise and the walls came crashing down?”

“Yeah, yeah. And then they were saying they somehow managed to escape while holding up the walls. They were shouting that this base was defective.”

“The more I remember it, the madder I get.”

Listening to the men’s complaints, I tilted my head at what they were saying.

“Defective? Not that it was built badly?”

When I asked back, the men all blinked together. Plurier, who had also been listening, let out a shallow sigh and looked my way.

“We should definitely hear them out after all. If it’d be better that I not do the talking, Orto, can you go hear them out for me?”

“What do you want me to ask?”

When I checked, Plurier narrowed her eyes.

“Which knight order the complaining knights belong to, and who their commander is. It’s only a guess, but I think the same thing is going to happen again. And when it does, the same commander will be involved.”

There was a quiet anger in that line. Hearing Plurier’s prediction, I too felt like I had arrived at the same answer.

It’s nothing but a guess. Nothing but a guess, and yet I found myself becoming strongly irritated.

“…This is an ugly situation. Sorry, Kusara. Could you go ask in my place?”

When I tossed the job to him, Kusara gave a dry laugh and nodded.

“Sure. Well, everyone seems pretty heated, so I guess I’ll be the one easiest to send this time.”

“I’d appreciate it. Calmly now. Get the information out without making them angry.”

“Leave it to me.”

Laughing dryly, Kusara waved one hand and headed over toward the knights glaring this way.

Whether it is his original personality or not, Kusara can slip right into anyone’s good graces regardless of who they are. He’s perfect for this kind of mission.

Proof of that was the fact that once Kusara went over to the knights, he immediately raised one hand and started talking. It didn’t go so far as cheerful small talk, of course, but he was able to keep the conversation going without being rejected.

At that sight, Plurier shrugged.

“He’s really good at this sort of thing.”

“In a way, being an innkeeper might really be his calling.”

While exchanging words like that, the two of us watched Kusara’s back.

Then, all at once, Kusara stopped moving and looked up at the face of the knight nearest him. I thought he was standing there listening for a while, and then suddenly he slammed his fist into the knight’s face.

“Huh?”

“…! Kusara, you idiot!”

I couldn’t believe what I had just seen, and my reaction was slow. Leaving behind Plurier, who had frozen in stunned silence, I ran at full speed.

“Say that one more time, you third-rate knights! I’ll beat you to death!”

Kusara roared, utterly enraged. Hearing that deep, vicious tone from Kusara, a voice I’d never heard from him before, made me worry whether I’d be able to stop this.

“What is the meaning of this, you cur!? A mere adventurer laying hands on me…! Do you understand what will happen now!?”

With blood pouring from both nostrils, the middle-aged knight was glaring in rage. In response, Kusara grabbed the hilt of his sword.

“Don’t draw it, Kusara!”

I shouted at the top of my lungs so that it rang out around us and cut in between them.

Since I barged in so forcefully, the knights too fell speechless. I pulled Kusara, who still showed no sign of calming down, away from the knights, and tried as hard as I could to soothe him calmly.

“Calm down. They’re a knight order. There could be counts or even marquises above them. If it’s their commander, he could even be knight rank or above if things are bad enough. You may not be able to accept it, but at least in form, apologize.”

“Orto, my man. There’s no way I can agree to that. Even I have things I can forgive and things I can’t.”

“Please, Kusara. Hold it in. I get how you feel. I don’t know what they said, but later I’ll tell Lord Van and at least ask him to hear our side, so… hold it in, Kusara.”

I grabbed both of Kusara’s shoulders with both hands and desperately tried to persuade him. For a few seconds he stayed locked in place as if glaring right through me, but then Kusara took a deep breath and let the tension leave his shoulders.

“…Got it. Not like me to let my short temper show. I’ll apologize.”

“I see… thanks.”

I let out a relieved breath at Kusara finally lowering his spear. Then Plurier stuck her face in.

“It’s rare for Kusara to get emotional. What exactly did they say?”

When Plurier, already wearing an irritated expression, asked that, Kusara made his brows droop and opened his mouth.

“They started with insulting adventurers, but I don’t really care about that. Nobles and knights look down on adventurers anyway… but then those bastards started making fun of the way the base was built, calling it a child’s shallow idea and the like. I don’t know what he showed to curry favor, but using common sense, His Majesty would never adopt something like a child’s toy. And the reason he got thrown out of the marquis house was because he kept making pointless garbage like this, they said, going on and on… Well, for me, knowing what kind of person Lord Van is, I couldn’t stomach it… hey, boss?”

Kusara, who had been explaining it to Plurier, looked at me suspiciously. But that didn’t matter right now.

I turned toward the knights and shouted.

“You bastards, say that one more time…! Just who do you think you’re making a fool of!?”

“W-wait, wait!? Orto!? Plurier, stop him! Uwah! She’s chanting!?”

“I won’t forgive you until you get down on your knees and apologize!”

And so, halfway through the march, a spectacular clash broke out between a portion of the knights and one of the adventurer groups.

Let me say this clearly: I did nothing wrong.