The Loser’s Howl
When the footage ended, Ijok was left speechless—but once he looked at Joan, he shouted,
“Se—see!? I told ya! It wasn’t this brat who took it down—it was that mutt and the squirrel! Lied to my face and even had the guts to mouth off at me!”
“Um, I did say earlier that we ‘all worked together as a team,’ didn’t I? I never said I beat it all by myself, though?”
“Ha! Always with the smart mouth, huh? Bet ya weren’t raised right. I’d love to see what kinda parents you’ve got!”
Isn’t this what they call a loser’s howl?
You can’t see my parents’ faces, but my grandmother’s face is right there next to you.
Also, Gellucci—you’re looking down, but that’s totally you trying to stifle laughter. I can see you shaking like a phone on vibrate.
“Ijok? Don’t you think what you’re saying sounds like an excuse too? This young lady never claimed to have defeated it alone. And tell me—did you come to the Guild just to pick fights with adventurers who’ve completed a commission you posted?”
“N–no, ma’am, I just... I wanted to see the adventurer who defeated that Karkinos, but when I saw these kids, I couldn’t believe it... I just assumed they were lying and kinda... lost my temper.”
“Then you have something you should say to them first, don’t you?”
“... I’m sorry. And... uh... thank you, for taking it down.”
“I forgive you. I’m sorry, too—for letting my temper get the better of me after you provoked me.”
“Nah, it’s fine. Didn’t think I’d get mouthed off by a kid like you, though! Gwahahaha!”
Joan and Ijok shook hands and made up. Watching that, both Belle and Alyssa looked visibly relieved.
“Well, looks like that’s finally settled.”
“Gellucci, you’re a real piece of work. If you were nearby, you could’ve stepped in sooner.”
“Ha! I haven’t seen anyone in ages stand up to your loud mouth without flinching! Had to see how it played out. Ahahaha!”
Yeah, honestly, I kinda agree with Ijok on this one. If Gellucci had stepped in earlier, none of that would’ve happened—Grandmother wouldn’t even have needed to show up!
Apparently Belle and Alyssa were thinking the same thing, because the three of us stared daggers at Gellucci while he kept laughing like nothing was wrong.
“By the way, miss—don’t you still owe Ijok a proper introduction?”
He said it with that smirk that clearly meant he was dying to reveal who my grandmother was.
“Ah, right.”
I glanced toward Grandmother—she nodded silently, meaning it was fine to introduce myself.
“Ijok, allow me to formally introduce myself. I’m Joan Lampail, eldest daughter of the Lampail family.”
“Eh!? Wha—Whaaaat!? You’re—wait—you’re Lady Lindsay’s granddaughter!?”
“Why? Is there a problem with that?”
“N–no, no, no, no, no... I–I’m terribly sorry!!!”
Ijok immediately jumped off the sofa and bowed to the floor.
“Ijok, please, lift your head. We already made peace, didn’t we? Besides, I don’t use my family name when I’m adventuring, so you don’t have to worry about it.”
“W–well, still...”
“Come on, it’s fine. Sit down.”
“R–right... but still, Missy, you’re a sly one. If you’d told me from the start—”
“Yeah, except you didn’t listen when people talked, remember? Anyway, enough of that. I’ve actually got something I want to ask you.”
“Something you wanna ask... huh? What is it?”
“Heh, you don’t need to force yourself to speak politely with me. What I wanna ask is—you’re a blacksmith, right? That request you posted, was it to get materials?”
“Yeah, sorry, I’m not great with polite speech... and yeah, I tried to get the materials myself but failed, so I put up the commission.”
“Which part did you need?”
“Huh? Well, mostly the pincers. Those are the toughest part.”
“So you just need the shell, then?”
“Yeah, the rest’s junk—I’d toss it anyway.”
“So you don’t need the meat? You’re just throwing it out?”
“Y–yeah, I’ll just thro—”
“Give it to me!”
“Huh? What’re you gonna do with it?”
“Eat it!”
“You can cook that monster crab?”
“Of course I can. Wait—don’t tell me, you’ve eaten it before?”
“I have. Back before I settled here, I used to travel around.”
As I listened, I realized he was talking about something familiar—he’d once eaten Karkinos somewhere, and couldn’t forget how it tasted. When he tried to cook it himself later, he ended up sick.
“Ah, yeah, if it’s raw, you gotta eat it fresh or it’ll mess up your stomach.”
“Nah, I cooked it. I think it was the grass I used instead of vegetables that did me in.”
““““What!?””””
“Why would you use grass instead of vegetables!?”
“Well, the one I had before was crab-and-vegetable soup, so I thought I’d make it similar.”
“That’s insane...” Grandmother muttered in exasperation.
“Missy, let me try your Karkinos cooking too!”
“Sure, but only if you promise me something in return.”
“Huh? What is it?”
“I want you to make us a sword.”
“But I don’t have the right materials...”
“I’ve still got plenty of Karkinos shell left. A whole one, actually.”
“A whole one!? Why!?”
“To eat.”
“Ah... I see... all right! Got it. I’ll take some time, but I’ll make it. In exchange, you’ll feed me!”
“Deal!! It’s a promise! Gellucci, Alyssa, and Grandmother are all witnesses!”
“Ha! I’m a man of my word—never go back on a promise!”
With that promise made, Grandmother and I returned home.
Since Gellucci and Alyssa, who were still reeling from what they’d just heard, were invited too, tonight’s dinner was going to be a big gathering.
Apparently, while I was lost in thought planning what to cook, I’d been grinning to myself—and Grandmother and Belle had exchanged amused looks before laughing quietly together.
What do you think about this chapter?
