“So this is the town where your store is, Master.” [Ox]
After leaving the divine realm, I, Fei-san, and our newfound companion, Ox-san, returned to the town of Gimuru. With the help of dimension magic and our stamina that was greater than your average person’s, it only took us two days to go from Gaunago to Gimuru, but…
“Yes, but for some reason the atmosphere seems to be a bit different from normal. I don’t know if I should say it’s a bit rougher, but there seems to be more people out on the streets than usual.” [Ryouma]
“That’s not all, Boss. There’s also a hint of storminess in the air. It’s probably because of that thing outside.” [Fei]
Fei-san sent a fleeting glance past the gates, where progress of the new town’s construction could be seen steadily being made.
“It’s no wonder that there’s more people going in and out of the city, and that the public order is worse than before.” [Fei]
“So, it’s usually more quiet around here? It’s more nostalgic like this to me, though.” [Ox]
“I guess your town must have been really lively, huh, Ox-san?” [Ryouma]
After all, he was a former gladiator of a fighting arena.
It’s easy to imagine how lively the city he lived in was with all the money flowing around from the betting.
The new town being built is just like that, though. The government office built a new town to keep the public order in Gimuru from worsening, but there’s nothing they can do about the influx of laborers until the new town is completed. I see that the guards are patrolling more frequently too. No doubt they want to keep a tight watch on the streets.
“I should probably go talk to Carm-san.” [Ryouma]
“Sounds good.” [Fei]
We increased our pace a little and walked through a road we didn’t normally take.
After a while, we arrived at my store.
Customers were lined up outside, so I entered from the back door and looked for Carm-san.
When I found him, he was inside the break room, drinking tea while reading some doc.u.ments with a grim face.
He doesn’t look like he’s taking a break.
“Carm-san.” [Ryouma]
“!? Ahh, Boss. Welcome back. Fei-san too. Good job out there.” [Carm]
Looks like he was so focused in those doc.u.ments that he didn’t notice us. He looks really tired too.
“That person is?” [Carm]
“Oh, I forgot to introduce him. This here is Mr. Ox Lord. He is a former gladiator and a level 5 twin swords user. I purchased him as a slave.” [Ryouma]
“Sounds like a reliable man.” [Carm]
Carm-san said as he glanced at Ox-san’s missing hand for a moment.
“I might look like this now, but with the boss, I have essentially received a new hand. I’ll definitely be of use.” [Ox]
“It’s alright. I’ve confirmed his abilities myself. There’s no need to worry.” [Fei]
“I don’t really understand what you mean by ‘new arm’, but if Fei-san says it’s alright, then it probably is. Please excuse my manners. Let’s get along from now on.” [Carm]
…Everything is alright then. That’s good.
Now then, since introductions are over…
“Fei-san, thank you for escorting me. Please show Ox-san the dorms and explain to him how life here works. After that please take a rest.” [Ryouma]
“I understand.” [Fei]
“As for Ox-san’s room…” [Ryouma]
“There’s a room that’s ready already. The doors have names on them, so just refer to those.” [Carm]
“In that case, be sure to rest up too, Ox-san. We hurried all the way back here, after all.” [Ryouma]
“Understood.” [Ox]
“Alright, I’ll leave you two alone now.” [Ryouma]
Like that I took Carm-san and went to the office.
“What’s with the face? Did something happen while we were in Gaunago?” [Ryouma]
“Right… I think you’ve noticed already, but due to the influx of laborers, the public order in the city has worsened. Even the merchant guild has sent out a warning.
What’s worse is that according to an intel I purchased, some of the groups responsible for organizing the laborers are likely to be yakuza. It seems they’re intentionally trying to worsen the public order.” [Carm]
“Yakuza, huh…” [Ryouma]
“The new city being built will have an arena and is meant to become a tourist spot. It’s sure to bring a great deal of wealth. These people probably want to secure a foothold there now while it’s still under construction.
They’ve even managed to slip in among the ranks of the guards, but even while knowing this, these people are pros. On the surface they just look like an organizer for decent laborers and a liaison for such jobs, so it’s hard to get rid of them.” [Carm]
I see. It’s the so-called ‘front company’.
“Did we suffer any losses?” [Ryouma]
“Presently, we’ve only had problems from bad customers quarreling with regulars, but there are also people who appear to be seeing how they should deal with our store. It’s not just the yakuza. There are also people who don’t know how to keep their hands to themselves, so I was thinking of doubling down on the security. Mr. Lord looks strong, so I’m sure he’ll serve as a big deterrent. More security personnel would also be a huge help.” [Carm]
The face he’s making… Somehow it feels like it’s the kind of face I saw a lot of back in my previous life. The kind of face one makes after working seriously for so long and acc.u.mulating a lot of fatigue.