Chapter 42 - Zeta’s Inner Child
After returning to Nirouette, I stored the camper van and headed on foot to the smelting plant specified by the dwarf at the mining site.
“Excuse me. I’m here to deliver the iron ore for the transport request. Where should I unload it?”
“Where’s the iron ore?”
“It’s in my Item Box.”
“Oh, an Item Box user! That’s rare!”
The worker, who had been skeptical at first, seemed convinced once I mentioned the Item Box.
“Then, please unload it here!”
“...I don’t think it’ll fit here.”
“Huh? How much iron ore are you carrying?”
“Five tons.”
“Whaaat?!”
“It’s true.”
“W-Wait, I’ll go check with the boss!”
When I told him the total amount with a straight face, the worker seemed to realize I wasn’t joking and hurried into the large building.
After waiting outside for a while, a figure who appeared to be the boss came out.
Another dwarf.
I couldn’t tell if he was related to the dwarf from the mining site or if they just looked similar because of their race. Haku, meanwhile, stared intently at the so-called boss and muttered something rude like, “Is this a doppelgänger?”
“So, you’re the crazy adventurer who brought five tons of iron ore?!”
“That’s me. Here’s the quest acceptance form and the documents from the dwarf at the mining site.”
I handed over the documents, and the boss snatched them up to examine them.
“...Looks like it’s true. I’ll take you to the larger warehouse.”
“Got it.”
Led by the boss, I was taken to a massive warehouse in the center of the smelting plant.
At the boss’s command, the workers cleared away any obstructive materials and tools.
Shouts echoed throughout the area, reminding me of construction sites from my previous world.
“Alright, dump it here!”
“Understood.”
With the boss and a crowd of workers watching, I opened my Item Box.
With a loud thud, the iron ore spilled out from the subspace.
“That’s all of it!”
After about five minutes of rumbling, all the iron ore I’d stored was unloaded.
The sight of the piled-up iron ore elicited gasps of amazement from the boss and the workers.
“Whoaaaa! The central warehouse is full of iron ore now!”
“Boss, this’ll solve our iron shortage!”
“Yeah, and we might even be able to move up the schedule. If things go well, we might not even need a large-scale transport this year. We could even get a long vacation!”
The workers, who had been despairing over the possibility of no breaks during the next season, erupted in cheers.
The workers, who had been drowning in despair, cheered with joy at the prospect of a long-awaited break.
Having been a company employee myself, I could completely understand their happiness.
“Thanks, adventurer guy!”
“No problem.”
As I smiled and watched the workers celebrate, the dwarf boss grinned and clapped me on the back.
...It’s not so bad to do work that helps people every now and then.
●
After visiting the remaining two smelting plants and delivering all the iron ore from my Item Box, I returned to the Adventurer Guild.
“Tohru-san, you’re back already? Did something go wrong?”
“No, I finished the iron ore transport request and came to collect the reward.”
“...Huh? Wait, it’s only been three hours since you accepted the quest, right?”
It usually takes about four hours by carriage to get from Nirouette to the mining site to the west. So, it was no wonder the lady receptionist was suspicious when I returned to the guild in just three hours.
“Here’s the proof of completion stamp and the signature for the payment adjustment.”
“Five tons of iron ore?! W-Wait a moment, please!”
When I handed over the documents proving the quest’s completion, the receptionist scrutinized them before rushing into the staff area.
“Five tons of iron ore delivered?! How did you manage that in such a short time?!”
Before long, Zeta, the guild master, emerged from the back.
Here we go again. Another guild master situation.
“I have a skill similar to an Item Box.”
“An Item Box? But even so, that’s way too much storage capacity. Normally, a few hundred kilograms is the limit.”
“Is that so?”
When I tilted my head in confusion, Zeta gave me a look as if I were clueless.
Item Boxes are rare to begin with, so it’s not like I’d know the average capacity.
“...The transport part is fine. The issue is the time it took for the round trip.”
It seemed the guild was more concerned about my incredible mobility.
It’s annoying to have people suspicious every time I complete a quest in record time.
Rather than hiding it and causing distrust, it’s better to just explain it simply.
“That’s thanks to my unique skill.”
“You didn’t ride on your familiar’s back or something, did you?”
“I’d never let him climb on my back for something as simple as a delivery.”
Haku himself shot down Zeta’s question.
Haku’s a bit of a diva, so even I, his master, can’t just casually touch him. He doesn’t get mad over a little contact, but he clearly dislikes being treated like a pet.
Unfortunately, since I can summon the camper van and move at high speeds on my own, I’ve never had the chance to ride on Haku’s back.
“So, it really is Tohru’s unique skill, huh...”
“That’s right.”
When I nodded, Zeta, who had been looking down at me, moved to the edge of the lobby and beckoned me over.
It was a surreal sight—a huge man waving his hand like that.
“By any chance, is your unique skill related to that self-propelled steel carriage that’s been appearing near Nirouette lately?”
“Ah, that’s exactly it!”
“So it was you, huh?”
“Has it been causing a stir?”
I’d been summoning it discreetly behind the inn in the town, but I’d been driving it openly outside.
I’d occasionally passed merchants and adventurers, so it wasn’t surprising that it had been spotted.
“Yeah, there’ve been a lot of sightings recently. We were thinking it might be a new type of monster and were about to investigate, but it turns out it’s your unique skill...”
“Sorry for the trouble.”
“It’s not good to pry too much into an adventurer’s unique skill, but as the guild master, it’s my duty to confirm. Mind showing me this steel carriage of yours?”
“Sure thing.”
I followed Zeta as he led me straight down a hallway and down some stairs.
There, I found a vast, sturdy floor. At the front was a reception counter, and beyond it were various weapons and armor propped up.
“This is the guild’s training ground. No one’s here at this time, and I’ve reserved it for us.”
The place was thoroughly cleared out, so there was no risk of my unique skill being exposed to anyone but Zeta.
“Got it. Here goes. [Vehicle Summoning].”
I stepped away from Zeta a bit and summoned the camper van.
“Whoa?! A summoning-type unique skill?!”
Zeta let out a surprised exclamation as the camper van suddenly appeared before him.
He took the documents out from his pocket and glanced at the camper van, comparing it with the details written on the papers.
“The features match the eyewitness reports almost exactly. No doubt about it.”
“Glad to hear it. Should I put it away now?”
“Wait!”
“Ah, yes? What is it?”
“Can I look at it a bit longer? I don’t know why, but seeing this carriage makes me feel strangely excited.”
I thought he was just probing for information about my unique skill, but Zeta’s eyes were sparkling. There was no guild master fulfilling his duties here—just a boy, a man-child, who had fallen in love with something cool.
With eyes like that, I couldn’t just put the camper van away.
“...Do you understand the appeal of this camper van, Zeta-san?”
“So this is called a camper van... I love its dynamic and weighty form.”
“Exactly! My camper van isn’t just about the interior—the exterior is carefully designed too! The Vmax design, in particular, uses more vibrant colors than the standard Bolero, and the way the light hits it changes the impression it gives!”
“I don’t know much about the standard Vmax or whatever, but I can tell you’ve put a lot of thought into the coloring and premium feel.”
“I’m impressed you can appreciate its qualities, Zeta-san!”
“Hahaha, thanks. Mind if I take a look inside the camper van too?”
“Of course!”
Overjoyed to have met someone in this world who could appreciate the camper van’s appeal, I eagerly began explaining the wonders of the Bolero.
Comments
Post a Comment