Probing

Several days passed.

I'd been on alert expecting a letter bird to come to the sisters, but it seems the letter arrived through the guild like normal mail.

And the letter said this:

"Please show this letter to the Village Chief."

… So they don't intend to hide it.

And so, Nayuta was now bringing the letter to me. I had Niku stay by my side as I met with her in the parlor with a table between us. Setsuna wasn't here since she was on shift.

"Village Chief-san, a letter has arrived for you from my client."

"Hm? Nayuta's client… who is that? Not Rokuko, I take it."

"That's right, this is from my long-term client. A daimyo of Wakoku… Ah, a daimyo is like a lord in the empire."

Wakoku. So Wakoku is coming up now, huh.

"Are you two from Wakoku?"

"Me? No, our names are certainly Wakoku-style, but we're from somewhere else. We're just hired hands."

"Hm… So, what does this daimyo of Wakoku want with me?"

"Probably scouting. I did report that you were strong, after all."

Oh, so she's not hiding that either. Is she surprisingly open? Maybe she'd tell me things if I just ask directly.

"… Oh, right right. Before that, could you take a look at this for a moment? I picked it up in this dungeon, but I don't know what it is."

With a click, Nayuta suddenly pointed a "gun" at me. A revolver-type pistol.

With the muzzle pointed at me, she said she didn't know what it was, yet her finger was on the trigger. My body stiffened with a start.

… Niku reacted to my subtle reaction and stepped in front of me like a shield. God, this girl is so cool…

"Oh, you reacted? As I thought—"

"Of course I'd react when someone casually points killing intent at me. And you clearly know how to use that thing, don't you? You seemed quite accustomed to it."

"Mu, now that you mention it…"

Nayuta took her finger off the trigger and pointed the gun downward.

… By the way, I have no memory of putting a gun into the dungeon's treasures. It's not even in the DP Catalog, and I haven't made one either. This is definitely something Nayuta brought in.

Looking at this pistol closely, something seems off. It's a revolver, but there's no hammer. And the revolver's cylinder is made of copper… wait, there aren't any holes for loading bullets? Is it capped off?

Since I've never seen a real gun in person and I'm not a gun enthusiast, I couldn't tell if someone told me this was just that type of gun.

"So, would you explain what you meant by pointing killing intent at your employer?"

"… Worry about the small stuff and you'll go bald. I'm sorry Kuroinu-senpai please don't press the knife against my neck I'm sorry Village Chief-san I'm sorry for being cheeky!"

Yep, Niku closed the distance in an instant and pressed a knife against her throat. Having her standing on the table is a bit improper, but let's overlook it. Nayuta was in a hold-up position with both hands raised. She'd even dropped the pistol to the floor.

"Ah, yeah. I'm not going bald. I'm still young. Well, whatever… Kuro, let her go. For now, let me read this letter from this daimyo person."

I opened the letter.

… Part of it is strange, but I can read it normally. Wait, isn't this written in Japanese? When I read this world's writing, it at least registers as Japanese in my head, but this looks like nothing but Japanese. If I had to point something out, the handwriting is rather skilled, with "shi" looking like "J" and hiragana being oddly prominent.

Is this deliberately done to test my reaction, or is it natural? … I can't tell.

By the way, the letter's contents read: "Dear Village Chief of Goleenu Village, how are you faring in this vividly green season? If you would like, won't you come to Wakoku? I believe Nayuta must have been rude to you, but it was under my instructions, so I apologize. If you are Japanese, I would very much like to speak with you. Should you visit, all transportation and lodging costs will be covered by us. We have sashimi, soy sauce, and miso soup."

But really, talking about Japanese people and all… what is this.

This is definitely a troublesome one. Super troublesome.

Alright, I've decided. I'll pretend I didn't see it!

First, I'll pretend I can't read it.

I held the letter open, turned it sideways, flipped it upside down, squinted at it, held it up to the light, then handed it to Niku.

"Hmm, Kuro. Can you read this?"

"Oh? Village Chief-san, you can't read the characters?"

"… I'm not good at reading and writing. So, how about it, Kuro?"

"Um, Goshujin-sama. This appears to be written in characters I cannot read."

Thanks to her education, Niku can read the letters commonly used in this world. In other words, this is probably written in Japanese after all. Wakoku is full of mysteries.

Come to think of it, did Wataru end up going to Wakoku? Let me ask him about it next time.

"I see. If these aren't letters from around here, then it's only natural I couldn't read them either."

I made a point that I couldn't read it not because I'm stupid… Was that a bit too forced, though?

"So, what does it say? You can read it, right Nayuta?"

"Yes… Hmm, it is about scouting after all. It lists employment conditions. Apparently an annual salary of a thousand gold coins? That's like an A-Rank adventurer's income."

There's nothing about a thousand gold coins annual salary written anywhere though? Did they arrange that beforehand? Oops, I didn't notice. I didn't see anything. I couldn't read it.

"Unfortunately, I'm this village's Village Chief, so I have responsibilities. I'll have to decline… I'm not hurting for money either, and more than anything, it's suspicious."

"Oh, that's too bad. I thought it'd be fun if you became a coworker. Oh, and there's an invitation for Kuroinu-senpai too."

"If Goshujin-sama declines, then I will decline as well."

"Right. I figured. Well then, I'll send a reply saying you refused."

Nayuta answered lightly while waving her hand.

Looks like pretending I didn't see it was the right answer. Nice.

"That aside, could you let me take a closer look at that item? You said it came from this dungeon, but it's the first I've seen of it. I'd like to check it as Village Chief, and if possible, buy it."

I probed regarding the gun.

At the word "buy," Nayuta's tail twitched.

"Ahh, sorry. Actually, this is something I made myself. So the part about it coming from the dungeon was a lie."

"Heh, handmade? I thought it was a weapon, but could it be a magic tool?"

"… As you've guessed, it's a magic tool weapon. I'm trying to reproduce a weapon from the Hero's world. Its power, at the moment… well, it's basically a toy."

Saying that, she fired the gun at the wall. There was a feeble "pfft" sound, followed by a "clink" like a lightly tossed stone hitting the wall.

… When I went to look, there was a cone-shaped bullet rolling around, like a blowdart. Bullets aren't shaped like this, right? They should be more streamlined. And judging by the feel, the material is iron. Not lead, huh.

"The real thing supposedly works on the principle of using an explosion to propel the bullet, but when I try to reproduce it with magic tools, it won't fly where I aim and can't even embed into a wooden wall. It would be dangerous if it hit you in the eye, I suppose… Honestly, just throwing the bullet by hand would be more powerful. Haah… Maybe I should rethink my approach."

It seems this is entirely a product of Nayuta's trial and error.

She probably wasn't given much knowledge about guns and gunpowder. The appearance surprised me though.

"… Reproducing magic tools from the Hero's world, huh. If the original has enough power to be a weapon, the Hero's world must have quite advanced magic."

"Hm? It's the opposite. That world apparently has no magic at all."

"Really? Then how are they making it explode?"

"I don't have reference materials for that part. I only have the appearance… Hmm, I'd like to talk to a Hero about it. Village Chief-san, do you happen to know any Heroes?"

"Ah, I do."

When I said that, Nayuta leaned forward onto the table with a clatter.

"… Um, would you introduce me? I'll pay an introduction fee!"

"I'll introduce you next time he comes."

It's about time for Hero Wataru to come make a payment on his debt.

Apparently Haku-san forced some outrageous job on him to coincide with the Dungeon Battle, so the last time he visited was before the Dungeon Battle. He'd paid his missed installments in advance, though.

She'd end up meeting him anyway while working reception or waiting tables, so I don't really need an introduction fee.