Travis moved his tall body in a cramped manner as he slipped through the gap in the chair where his fellow adventurers were sitting.

'I heard that, Luke!　I heard you went from being an adventurer to a weapons dealer!　You don't even consult with me, that's watery!

　He holds me by the shoulders with his thick arms and shakes me as hard as he can.

　If it were only a large and strong adventurer, it would be the same as King Alfred, but His Majesty is more like a lion, and this guy is more like a big dog.

　It's also the type of guy who can beg anyone to play with him indiscriminately.

''Boss. Who is that person?
A friend of mine started out as an adventurer around the same time I did. I hear he's running an arms store in this town now.
'Ah!　I've heard of it!　You're the guy who even sells mithril swords!

　Travis's friends start rumbling about.

　One of them brings out an empty chair and Travis tries to seat me in it.

　Apparently, he wants me to have dinner with him and them.
　It's a very Travis-like welcome, but I'm sorry, but I have a prior commitment today, so I decline.

　I pull my head away from his muscular arms and take a few steps back, roughly fixing my messy hair.

'Sorry, I'm here with the rest of the guys today,'
Why don't you invite them over?
'Uh ...... no ......'

　Sylvia came over just in time to call me.

'Mr. Luke. Everyone is already seated. They're both making a lot of noise about wanting to eat meat quickly, so please come quickly.

　The next moment, Travis jumped backwards as if he had been blown backwards.

　Ah, I knew this guy hasn't changed at all from the old days.
　I was unconsciously taken aback by the same excessive reaction as before.

''Don't worry about it. This guy isn't good with women.''
"Ni ni ni ni ni ...... not my favorite thing!　I just don't know how to handle it!　What if you break it by touching it poorly!
That's called being bad at it. The party members still seem to be all men, and now you have no intention of getting over it, do you?

　This man was like this when I first met him fifteen years ago.
　The same subtle excuse of "if you touch her poorly" is still the same as before.

　It's obvious that he's not very good at carrying an old woman in trouble on his back, and it's obvious that he's not very good with young women only.

I'll be right there, just order what you like first. You can order meat or whatever you want.
'Really?　I understand.

　I let Sylvia go back to the table first, and then Travis fumbled back to his place.

'Huh ...... Luke, what the hell are you doing with that girl ......?'
She's the daughter of Wakabatei. She helped me with my work, so I thought I'd have dinner with her to show my appreciation.
'That's how you approached me: ...... You've always had a tremendous amount of nerve: ......
'Don't say that in a misleading way.

　There's a strange mixture of respect in the looks you're getting from your party members.

　I swear, it's a look that's been interpreted as a mixture of being the owner of a technique for talking to girls or something like that.

Well, I'm going to get going. I'm opening a place on the outskirts of town called the White Wolf Store, if you're free.
'Oops, yes!　I almost forgot the most important thing.

　Travis taps his palm with his fist.

'Put a mithril coating on my gauntlet. My request to you as a weapons dealer, of course.
...... just the surface?
'Yeah. I'm just trying to make it easier to put the magic in.
'I'm out of mithril right now. I'll get it on the next regular day off and then we can move on to work on it, okay?
Of course I'll be fine. I look forward to working with you.

　The party members oohed and aahed with excitement.

　Even for high-ranking adventurers, mithril is a precious commodity.
　It is natural that they would be excited and want to make a lot of noise when their boss has a weapon that uses mithril.

　It's a good idea to have a good time with them.

　It's not just a matter of time before you'll be able to get your hands on a new one.

"--Dustin.
'I've read the letter. Sometimes even the dullest of connections can be useful.

　Dustin, the two spear user.
　Like Travis from Black Sword Mountain, he was one of the high-ranking adventurers I had approached.

　Dustin paid no further attention to me and was about to walk away, passing by.

　However, Travis stood in front of him.

''That's a greeting in pretty good taste, Dustin.
I'm sorry ......, but could you please step back there. I don't have time to talk to people who look like they're made of muscle to the brain's core.

　Travis calmly controlled his companions as they tried to stand up in anger.

　Dustin's words were filled with swearing, but his attitude itself did not convey any malice.

　Rather, it's so lethargic that it feels like he's seeing a ghost.

　There is no hegemony in his voice or behavior, and it seems as if he will even evaporate and disappear if you take your eyes off him.

　Travis seems to sense this too, and seems to be responding calmly without taking the swearing as it is.

'Me and Luke haven't changed from the past, but you've changed. You're like a different person.
Things change. That's not how I die at the moment.

　Then Dustin pushed Travis away and turned to leave, stopping abruptly to look back at me.

'I'm glad to hear it, Luke. I hear you're finally taking my advice. You should quit being an adventurer, and if you don't, you'll surely die one day - I told you that before, didn't I?
...... I forgot all about it. Now I remember.

　I sarcastically replied, but Dustin's response was still thin on the ground.

　Neither I nor Travis thought to stop Dustin as he walked away this time.

'Hey, Luke. Seeing a guy who's had a few parties, even if it's just by accident, change like that is not ...... a good feeling.
Agreed. But that's our problem. We don't want the other guys to be bothered.
It's easy for you to say the hard things.
I don't take it easy.

　Once again, I say goodbye to Travis and breathe firmly before heading to the table where Sylvia and the others are waiting.

　The past is the past, the present is the present.
　We can't afford to give everyone unnecessary worries--