Chapter 18: A Bountiful Harvest
"Cheers!" xN
In the Adventurer's Guild, smiles were on everyone's faces as they raised their mugs and celebrated loudly. The air was filled with a joyous atmosphere.
A bountiful harvest!
It was truly a bountiful harvest!
"Well, we won't have to worry about a lack of cabbage to eat for a while."
"I never thought someone could catch so many."
"But thanks to them, the price of cabbage has dropped."
The price of cabbage wasn't fixed at 10,000 Eris; it fluctuated depending on the size of the harvest. It's just that in previous years, the harvest had been roughly the same, so the price was basically stable.
But this year was different.
Someone had single-handedly harvested a massive amount of cabbage. A rough estimate suggested that their party's results accounted for about a third of the total harvest. Such a huge quantity would naturally drive the price of cabbage down.
And the main culprits...
"That's them, right? They've got some skills."
"Yeah, I hear it's a newly formed party."
"They're a formidable rival not to be underestimated."
Everyone's gaze turned to the six people in the corner of the guild. They whispered among themselves, surprised by the potential of this suddenly emerged powerhouse party and very optimistic about their future.
It seemed the party's debut event was quite a success.
"Wait, I have something to say!"
Megumin slammed the table and stood up, saying angrily, "Don't you think Kobayashi was too much? Just leaving a girl on the ground like that?! Isn't it a teammate's duty to protect a fragile mage?"
"Hey, hey, hey, while it was a bit much to leave you lying on the ground, didn't he compensate you for it?"
Satou Kazuma spoke up for Kobayashi. "If it weren't for Kobayashi-senpai, your harvest would have been next to nothing!"
After using the wreath, Megumin had passively captured all the cabbages within a 10-meter radius. Although there was quite a bit of lettuce mixed in, her earnings were still around 1,000,000 Eris.
She had never seen so much money in her life! If one could earn that much just by lying down, who wouldn't be willing to do it?
"Ngh... that's true."
Megumin couldn't really stay angry.
Aqua also said, "Everyone performed exceptionally well in this event! Especially Darkness! Your fearless figure as you charged to the front to block and delay the cabbage army... you're truly worthy of being the Crusader with the strongest defense."
"N-not at all, you praise me too much... My limbs are clumsy, I can only serve as a shield to protect others."
Darkness's cheeks were bright red, as if she were still savoring the feeling of being pummeled by cabbages.
Megumin then took the opportunity to praise Aqua. "Aqua's Nature's Beauty was also outstanding. Many adventurers were taken care of by you."
"Hehehe, I am an Archpriest, after all. Healing everyone is what I'm supposed to do."
Aqua stuck her little nose in the air.
Her harvest in this event was meager, not only because her methods were childish and naive, but also because she had wasted a lot of time using her magic to help keep the catch fresh with ice and tending to other tired adventurers. Like Darkness, she had also received a wave of high praise, and many adventurers now knew her name.
Darkness didn't leave out the chuunibyou loli either.
"Megumin's Explosion magic was also very strong. How amazing would it be to withstand it head-on just once!"
"Alright, let's try it sometime when we have the chance."
Megumin was also very curious to see if Darkness could withstand her magic. After all, it's very big, so she'd have to endure it.
(She's referring to her magic.)
"Don't you dare try it!" Satou Kazuma, who had been listening for a while, couldn't help but retort. "What's with this sudden mutual flattery session? Are you guys ever going to stop?"
"Ah, we forgot about Kazuma."
"That's right, Kazuma was amazing too! Seeing you catch so many cabbages, you really made us see you in a new light."
"Right, right, we hereby grant you the title of 'Cabbage Thief'."
The three of them showered Kazuma with praise.
Kazuma rubbed his nose with his index finger and said with some embarrassment, "It's not as exaggerated as you say. I just found the trick to it."
He didn't hate the mutual flattery; he hated being left out of it.
However, in front of Kobayashi and RyuZU, they were not in the same league. Kobayashi's harvest alone was more than all four of them combined, not to mention RyuZU, whose performance was so ridiculous she had nearly caught the entire cabbage army in one fell swoop.
"As expected, the MVP should go to RyuZU, right?"
"I agree."
"It's frustrating, but my magic has a different focus."
"She must have broken the record."
The four of them unanimously agreed that the best of the show was RyuZU and praised her highly.
Kobayashi also looked at her. "RyuZU, would you like to say something?"
"I do not believe I performed well. It is merely that everyone else performed so poorly that I was highlighted by comparison," RyuZU said with her sharp tongue and a touch of humblebrag, as someone who considered herself the weakest of the Y-series.
If that wasn't considered good, then there was no such thing as better.
But everyone was already used to her sharp tongue and didn't feel angry at being looked down upon.
"Ahahaha, that's a very humble thing to say."
A very scummy voice inserted itself into their conversation.
"Yo, I'm here, Kobayashi... hic."
The newcomer, reeking of alcohol, leaned on Kobayashi's back, raised his mug to RyuZU, and said with a chuckle, "Miss, that was truly a ridiculous green rain."
"You stink! Dust, drink less!"
Kobayashi shifted slightly to put some distance between them.
"...Who is he?"
Not just RyuZU, but the other members of the party were also puzzled, not knowing who this overly familiar, blonde man with a mole under his eye was.
Kobayashi introduced him to the group.
"This is Dust. He's a swordsman, and also the teacher who once trained me."
"Teacher?!"
"It was just a very short period of training. I'll tell you about it when I have time."
Although Kobayashi said it casually, many of them became intensely curious about the drunken blonde man before them.
Dust's eyes were hazy as he looked at the group gathered around Kobayashi. He smiled with a hint of gratification. "I never thought the lone wolf Kobayashi would one day team up with others, and so many at that. I'm really surprised."
"Don't talk about me like I'm some unsociable child."
Kobayashi retorted, annoyed, "I asked you and Chris to team up before, didn't I? Weren't you the one who said no?"
"Sorry, I could never abandon my companions."
Dust was a scumbag, but he was a scumbag with principles. He couldn't bring himself to abandon his teammates to join another party, so he had refused Kobayashi's invitation. In this regard, he was just like Satou Kazuma. No wonder the two of them could become such close cronies.
Suddenly, Dust leaned in with a sleazy grin.
"Hey, hey, hey, Kobayashi, you made a lot of money, right?"
"What are you getting at?"
"Buy me a drink! Since you earned so much, it wouldn't hurt to buy me a drink, right?"
"Sure."
"...Didn't you say you'd never buy me a drink again? Why the change of heart?"
Kobayashi's reply was so swift that Dust was a little surprised. Dust's favorite pastime was to swindle drinks from rookies who had just arrived in the beginner town under the guise of "educating" them. Kobayashi had been thoroughly scammed by him back then, which was when he had declared he would never buy him a drink again.
"I just feel like it. Are you drinking or not?"
"Of course I'm drinking if you're buying!"
If someone else is buying, only a fool wouldn't drink. Dust had come with the intention of getting a free meal in the first place. If he refused, wouldn't he have come for nothing?
"Alright."
Kobayashi stood up and raised his mug, shouting to the entire guild, "Everyone! Drinks are on me tonight! Drink as much as you want!"
"Oooohhhhhh!!!" xN
As soon as he said this, the entire hall erupted in cheers.
Kobayashi had the biggest harvest today, and he had also cleverly tricked many people. It wouldn't be right if he didn't treat everyone to smooth over their ruffled feathers.
"W-wait! You're treating everyone? Then there's no point in treating me, is there?"
Dust seemed very hung up on the matter of Kobayashi treating him, as if he wanted to be treated separately.
Kobayashi said nonchalantly, "Then I'll just treat you again. You can decide where you want to go."
"Hiss—, what's gotten into you? You're being so generous."
"Consider it my way of repaying you for saving my life."
During Kobayashi's first time hunting a Giant Toad, he had been underprepared and was carelessly swallowed whole. Just as he was about to kick the bucket, a passing Dust had saved him. That's what led to the subsequent training incident, and the scamming-for-money-and-drinks incident.
Hearing this, Dust's eyes glinted. He whispered to Kobayashi, "Well, in that case, I'll take you to a good place."
"A good place?"
"A very hidden place in Axel, but a good place that all men love."
For some reason, his expression seemed very debauched.
He's not going to take me there, is he?
(End of Chapter)