Adults
We slipped back through the forest without Mary and the others noticing us, returned to town, and made our way to the guild.
“Angela, I’m just reporting in now, so head back first.”
“Yeah. Got it.”
Angela seemed to be in an especially good mood, and went home smiling.
At this rate, she’d probably bake cookies today.
She’s gonna get fat if this keeps up. Yeah, I really ought to exercise too, I thought as I entered the guild.
Just like before, the rowdy brats inside quieted down.
Normally that would’ve been the end of it, but one man stood up while glaring at me.
He was one size, no, two sizes, bigger than the other kids around him.
It was Jake, the old neighborhood boss.
He hadn’t been there this morning, but apparently he was off today too.
“Hey, you. What the hell are you?”
Jake, who used to be smaller than me, glared down at me now.
“I am Fullface Maskman.”
“You screwing with me? This ain’t the kind of town where some shady bastard like you gets to hang around.”
Little Jakey, who used to wet the bed and get laughed at, sure grew up nicely...
“Just a traveler. My apologies for the outfit. My face is covered in scars, and I’ve got burns too. Showing that would be more suspicious, so I dress like this.”
“Sounds fake as hell. You’re some criminal from the royal capital who drifted in here, aren’t you?”
Mmm... honestly, I’d think so too.
“Now, now, calm down. I don’t plan on staying long.”
I said that and put a hand on Jake’s shoulder.
“Don’t touch… gh!”
Jake angrily tried to shove me, but lost the contest and got pushed back into his chair.
“Fighting is bad.”
“You little…! Ngh!”
Jake tried to stand, but I held his head down with one finger, and he couldn’t get up.
“More importantly, I was attacked by a bear in the forest. Bears rarely attack people. Someone got attacked, ran away, and failed to report it.”
“What?!”
Jake glared around the room, and Toby, the clothier’s son, quietly looked away.
“Toby!”
Jake shot him another glare.
“No, that’s not it! I was just about to report it!”
“You idiot...”
“That’s bad, man. Arvin’s gonna lose it on you.”
The other brats listened to Toby’s excuse and looked exasperated.
“Toby! Move!”
Jake lost interest in me, so I headed over to Viola at the reception desk.
“Mr. Fullface, please don’t start fights.”
Viola sounded exasperated.
“There was no fight. More importantly, like I said, there was a bear.”
“Yes, I heard. Toby will be receiving guidance from the Guildmaster later. What happened to the bear?”
“I killed it.”
“I see... so you’re strong, Mr. Fullface.”
From the way she said that, she’d definitely already decided I was Eric.
“I’m a traveling adventurer. Something like that is nothing.”
“Uh-huh, sure. And how did the job go?”
“This.”
I placed the magic stones, proof of subjugation, and a bundled stack of herbs on the counter.
“The herbs are from Angela, huh...”
How do you know that?
“No, they’re mine.”
“That knotting style is Angela’s... well, whatever. Let’s see... the total comes to 7,500 Mild. What would you like to do with the magic stones? You could keep them and use them yourselves.”
Magic stones were useful for making magic tools too.
“No, sell them. I’ve got no use for carrying magic stones around.”
I could always just buy some wholesale.
“I see. Then your total is 7,500 Mild.”
Viola placed 7,500 Mild on the counter.
“Much appreciated. Then I’ll be going.”
“Thank you for your hard work. And thank you for reporting the bear.”
Viola thanked me, so I raised a hand and left the guild.
Then I slipped into a back alley, used teleportation, and jumped straight into the living room of my house.
“Whew...”
I pressed the switch on my bracelet and returned to my normal appearance, then headed into the shop.
Angela, who had gotten back before me, was checking the ledgers.
“I’m back.”
“Welcome back. How’d it go?”
“Made 7,500 Mild. Here, bonus.”
I handed Angela today’s earnings.
“Thanks. With this, maybe we should buy some good meat and celebrate Mary becoming an adventurer.”
Come to think of it, we hadn’t done anything like that yet.
And they’d even given us wine.
“Do that. Jake gave me trouble at the guild.”
“That idiot... no, actually, both of you are about equally bad.”
Sorry for being a suspicious weirdo in weird clothes.
“It wasn’t anything serious. Also, the bear incident was Toby.”
“So, a lecture then.”
“Seems that way. Still... everyone’s gotten big.”
That little punk Jake, and Viola too, —they’d become adults.
And I’m turning thirty myself. Figures.
“Well, obviously. It’s been ten years since you came to this town, Eric. Just like Mary grew up, kids become adults too.”
“They still feel like children to me.”
“Don’t go sounding like some old man.”
Don’t say “some old man” and write it as Arvin.
“It’s probably just that time passes fast.”
“Isn’t that how it is? My parents used to say the same thing. But dreamy little girls grow into super gorgeous women too.”
Don’t say “super gorgeous woman” and write it as yourself.
“Yeah... but still, Jake getting taller than me pisses me off.”
Damn you, little Jakey.
“So that’s your real issue...”
There is no other issue.
After that, I got back to work too, and the two of us handled the shop together.
And that day as well, while dealing with customers, we kept making magic tools.
What do you think about this chapter?
