Jashin Average Side Story 03

After reporting the success of the job we took and getting our reward, my friends and I stood around a table in the Guilds longue having a friendly talk.

The job we took was the subjugation of a pack of forest wolves…

For us it’s a fine challenge. Forest wolves are monsters who create packs inside the forest but, because recently their numbers have increased so much that they’re attacking traveling merchants, the feudal lord put up a bounty for them. One by one they aren’t anything to speak about, but since they’re always moving in packs surrounding their foes, they’re messy opponents. Usually with the limited vision inside the forest we have to be careful not to be surrounded, but yesterday since they were close to the entrance to the forest we could easily hunt them. Somehow I get the feeling they were afraid of something, I wonder what the hell happened.

[Today went easier than expected, huh.]

[Those bloody wolves were for some reason close to the forest entrance, and didn’t have any kind of leadership to speak of.]

My friends seemed to be of a similar opinion to me. Let’s join their discussion.

[It didn’t feel like they were searching for prey, more like, didn’t it seem like they were scared of something?]

My friends nod.

[Yeah, I got that feeling too. Could it be, that a strong monster has taken residence within the forest or something?]

[Dunno. It’s just, in that case I can understand it.]

When monsters move, it’s usually either because they grow too numerous that they can’t feed, or because a stronger monster has moved in. This time with the sudden movement, and what’s more they act like they’re afraid, the chances of the latter are high.

[No way, it can’t be that something like a dragon has taken residence in the forest.]

[Haha, no way in hell.]

Even veteran adventurers who’ve been at it for ages haven’t seen one. Supposedly there are a bunch deep in the demon area though.

[Anyway, if we get any jobs to enter the forest we better be careful, huh.]

[Right, guarding your life is the most important, after all.]

If you die, that’s the end.

For an adventurer, social standing and skills aren’t necessary, but in exchange we risk our lives, there are a lot of kids who admire heroes and do stupid reckless stuff, ending up dying. Us men of experience must teach these kids about the truth of things so they don’t go off recklessly and die, yet they just keep coming. That’s right, just like that… Oy!

[I’ll be transcribing what’s written on the car──────]

[Oi, oi, this little girl wants to become an adventurer? It’s the end of the bloody world.]

When I looked, a young girl in a black robe that covered her entirely was doing the adventurer registration at the reception desk. But, even if she’s hidden in that robe, that’s she’s a newbie and from how thin she is, that’s she’s a girl is obvious at first glance. This girl, even though she’s just a runt she’s going to become an adventurer without even forming a party? That’s suicidal. At this rate, after two to three days, the best she can hope for is to enter a goblins nest as a fucktoy. I stood up and cut in on their conversation from the flank.

[Oi, oi, Gartz. You’re seriously picking a fight with another newbie?]

[Doing this everyyy singleee time. You sure don’t get bored, huh.]

I can’t help that my friends are astounded, but someones gotta give these suicidal kids a rude awakening. What I, part of the lowest among the low do is for her sake as well. The girl seemed scared of us because she kept her face hidden without saying a word. When I look at her like this, she’s really tiny huh.

[Oi, how about saying something. Don’t just stand wordlessly there forever with your face hidden.]

Saying that, I pulled away her hood with my hands, exposing her face.

──────!?

The moment I saw her face, I froze.

When I saw her eyes, I thought I was about to die.

Even the demon race doesn’t have such harsh, dark, stagnant eyes like this.

The next moment, I got a tingling sensation in my arm, and in the girls hand appeared a black, sinister tantou.

Shit, shit, shit, SHIT! She’s gonna murder me!

[HII-!?]
I unintentionally let out a pitiful sound, falling backwards on my ass.

By the time I looked up again, the existence in front of me was no longer a human girl. A sludge like appendage-like something was rushing out of the monsters body.

I retreated backwards, trying to get as far away from that as possible.

[＄％、＆＄＆％’＃!]

When I did that, from behind I heard an ominous shout.

When I turned my head, behind me stood similar monster also stretching their tentacles in my direction.

[!? UOOOOAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH—–!!!]

[＠＃、＊？＃＄＆＄＆％！]

I hit that monster with all my might but it didn’t seem to work.

On the contrary, unawares I had become surrounded by the monsters and they were attacking me.

Somehow I managed to shake them off and escape outside, but outside was overflowing with similar monsters.
[What the hell has happened to this town!?]

I don’t know who I said that to, but after spitting that out I ran with all my might away from this monster infested town.

◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

When I came to, I was lying on the ground.

I hit my hand against my head that was throbbing in pain and straightened myself to take a look at my surroundings. It seems like this is the plain outside Riemer. It might be close to the town, but it’s not like there aren’t any monster here at all. If I sleep here, then I’ll be lucky if I’m not eaten.

It’s not like I can stay here, so I began walking back to town. I’ve got this feeling that I’m forgetting something outrageous, but I can’t seem to recall it.

When I was about to enter the town, I got into an argument with the garrison about forcefully knocking them down and escaping from the city, various people came forward and accused me of things I had no recollection of and right after that it turned ugly.

What in the nine heeeells did I do!?

──────────────────

Author note : Gartz is in the wrong but he’s actually a nice guy.