今日は記念すべき日だ.
　俺が工事に参加した王都を巡る長大な『水路』が無事完成し、その記念の式典が行われるのだ.

　魔導皇国の侵攻から半年.
　まずは魔竜に崩された建物の瓦礫撤去から始まり、その後の地ならし、水路を通すための掘削工事と、俺もその作業のほとんどに関わってきただけに、完成となると感慨もひとしおだ.
　ここまで本当に長かった.

　とはいえ工期は予定よりも大幅に短縮され、水道の開通も早まった. 最早俺の相棒とも言える『黒い剣』が、今回の工事でとんでもない活躍をしてくれたのだ.

　俺がミスラの旅から帰ってきて、水路を敷く為の溝を作る工事で『黒い剣』を使って穴を掘っていたところ、ふと親方が、剣が地中に埋まった邪魔な岩ごと削り取っているのに気づき、ちょっとした騒ぎになった.
　そうしてその後、色々と話し合った結果、俺の持つ黒い剣の頑丈さを穴掘りにでなく、水路の『部品』を作る方に使ったらどうか、ということになった.
　そういうわけで、俺は水路の部品を作る『石材加工ギルド』の工房の応援に行くことになったのだが.

　あまり手先が器用でない俺は最初、石の部品を壊しまくり顰蹙(ひんしゅく)を買った. だが、その後も諦めずに石の加工を続けていると、だんだんそれらしい形のモノが出来るようになっていった.

　最初は苦労したが、一旦慣れ始めると材料の石材は『黒い剣』で面白いように削れ、ほかの職人は目を丸くした.
　今まで三人の職人が三日がかりで削り上げていた石の部材(パーツ)が、黒い剣を使った加工によって、俺一人で一日に二十も三十も生産できるようになったのだ.
　途中、水路の部品が十分すぎるほど溜まった為、今度は工事現場の穴掘りにも戻ったりして、俺は工事現場と工房を何度も往復した. それが水路の復旧工事を大幅に早めることにも繋がったらしい.

　他にも、俺にとって大きな発見があった.
　てっきり、ガタガタでどこも斬れないと思っていた『黒い剣』だが、よく見ると一部分だけ真っ直ぐな部分がある.

　そこもかなり傷ついているので、他の部分とだいたい同じだろうと思っていたのだが……うまく使えば、小さな木材ぐらいなら綺麗にすっぱり切断できることがわかった.

　あの剣は魔物を斬ることには全く向かないが、なるほど、こういう使い方もあるのかと思った.
　新たな使い道を見出された『黒い剣』の威力はすさまじく、おかげで石材加工の職人達に気に入られ、一緒に工房で働かないかとまで言ってもらえるようになった.

　そういうわけで、完成したこの水路にはかなりの数、俺が加工した石材の部品が使われている.

　今回の『竣工式』はある意味、俺も当事者(主役)のひとりとも言えるのだ.

「────作業員代表、ノール」

　突然、自分の名前を呼ばれた.
　見回すと、大勢集まった人の中で派手な格好をした小太りの人物が辺りを見回している.

「おい、ノール. 呼ばれてるぞ？」

　俺の隣に立っている同僚にも肩をつつかれた.

　そういえば、たしか、今日は俺の名前が呼ばれるとは聞いていたが……これ、どうすればいいのだろう.

「……呼ばれたが、どうすればいいんだ？」
「おいおい、朝の親方の話を聞いてなかったのかよ……？　とにかく前に行け. あそこに立ってる偉い感じの人の前だ」
「わかった」

　えらい感じの人物……と思って見回すとすぐに、小太りの中年の脇に、身なりのいい若者が目に入った.
　俺がそのまま彼に近づくと、しっかりと目が合った.
　するとその若者は驚いた表情を見せた.

「────な……？」

　その顔にはよく見覚えがあった.
　というか、リーンのお兄さんだった.

...... I didn't think it was possible, but Lord Noor, ......?
It's been a while. What are you doing here?
...... This canal project is a national undertaking. My father was supposed to be here, but he's not. In the meantime, I'm supposed to be there in his place.

　I was impressed by the fact that they were also busy doing work that I didn't know about, when Lean's brother looked at me.

The other day, my father and I were at a party.　...... I heard that my father and sister invited you to a ceremony in Mithra the other day. I thought you were going with them today.
Yeah, they did invite me. ...... I turned them down.
...... Turned you down?
I had this completion ceremony today. Is that a bad idea?
...... No. If that's what my father wants, I don't have to tell him.

　He now looked at the 'black sword' on my shoulder.

...... What is that sword?　...... Why are you still carrying it on your shoulder at a time like this?
"This?　It was very useful for the construction. I thought I'd bring it along anyway.
The Black Sword is on ────?

　For a while, Lean's brother stared at the black sword on my shoulder with a mysterious expression, but when the area began to buzz, he suddenly came to his senses and handed me a wooden box containing some small coins.
　It was a shiny golden coin with the words "Commemorative Completion" written on it in small letters.

'Just a souvenir. Please take it.
"Oh, thank you. ...... So, are we done?　Can I go back?
...... Oh, yeah. Thanks a lot.

　We exchanged a few words and parted, and the memorial ceremony went on.

　I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not, but I think it's a good idea.

　　　　　I arrived at the Adventurer's Guild.

　When I arrived at the adventurer's guild, I handed the request completion form to the guild master, who stamped the form as usual and placed the leather bag containing my living expenses on the counter.

──── Noor. I'm really sorry for your troubles. I heard you did a great job this time. Here, this is your reward for what you asked for. Take it.

　But there's something wrong with you. He's congratulating me with his mouth, but for some reason he's got a heavy atmosphere behind him.



"...... What's up ......?　Is there something wrong with ......?

　I'm sure you've heard of it, but I'm not sure if you have.

"...... Hey, Noor. You know what?　Today, my guild received a tremendous amount of money. It's from both the Building Guild and the Royal Stone Workers Guild. I'm sure you know that. ...... That's all for your work.

"...... Really? Is it a lot?

　I'm not sure what the breakdown is since I leave the money to my uncle in the guild, but I sure feel like I worked a lot. I have a feeling that I earned a lot of money.

I'm not sure how much I've earned. ......?　I've already got enough money to buy ten or twenty inns and bathhouses in the capital. I'm not sure what to do.　You can't believe ...... that even if you hunt ten big ones, you can still get change. It's incredible. I'm not sure what to make of this.

　I'm sure you'll be happy to know that we're not losing any money.

If you're in the black, good for you.

"No, no, no. ...... Well, it's certainly good. But it's not good. If you're talking about running a guild, I'm really helping you out, okay?　The problem is you.
"Me?

　The uncle saw my reaction and scratched his head, shaking his head quietly.

I think I've told you this before, ....... I'm sure you've heard of it.　A percentage of your commission, you know. In other words, you're losing money. No matter how hard you work, the Adventurer's Guild (us) gets a lot of money for almost nothing.

No, I think they're doing their job.

...... Well, it's just a stamp on a piece of paper. I'm not really sure what else to do.
　I'm not sure if it's a good idea, but it's a good idea. The Adventurer's Guild (us) doesn't look for work and doesn't mediate, we just give you requests that are addressed to you and give them to you again.
　It's crazy, you know. I know I've been pestering you, but it's definitely better to work directly with the requester on these things.

　I'm sure I've heard that before.

...... That's not all. In the event that you have any questions concerning where and how to use the internet, you can call us at the web site.


　It's not every day that these elitist bastards admit a newcomer to King's Landing.　In addition to that, they even said, "We definitely want that guy in our house. You'll be able to get a lot more than just a pair of shoes. It's a bidding war for the best deal.
　In the event that you're in the market for a brand-new pair of shoes or boots, then you're in the right place.

"Oh, really? That's great.

It's not an amount that can be passed off lightly like that. ......?　You can say that because you haven't seen the numbers.
　In the event that you have any questions concerning where and how to use the internet, you can call us at our own web site.　There is no guarantee that I am not cheating behind the scenes. I'm sure you've had enough of your sycophancy,......, but why don't you learn to be a little more suspicious of others?

But then again, we haven't had any problems with that. ......?
It's too late for that, I'm telling you. It's too late.

　The uncle scratched his head, turned straight to me, and said with a more serious expression than ever.

"You know, Noor......, today, today, I've got to tell you something. I'm not sure what to say.　I'm sure you're not the only one.
　You've already earned enough money. You've already earned enough money, and you're in great demand. Don't you want to get a normal job?　You'd definitely be better off there.

　It's hard to answer when asked again.
　I'm not sure why.

　──── Why do I have to be an adventurer?

　My main goal is to have adventures, of course.
　I don't want to make money by doing construction.

　But why do I want to be an adventurer? ...... I want to see places I haven't seen yet, and I want to know things I don't know.
　Of course, this is not the only reason, and there is also a simple longing from childhood.

"Because I want to enjoy traveling to a place I don't know ......?

　The uncle twisted his head in response to my serious, thoughtful answer.

"No. ......?　I want to have fun traveling. I've been an adventurer myself, so I'm not going to deny your dream. ......?　I'm sure you'll be able to find something that works for you.
　In the event that you're looking for the best way to go about it, you can hire an escort to take you on a trip, or you can use the money you earn to purchase merchandise and become a traveling merchant ────.

　The guild uncle said that much, looked at me closely, and stopped talking.

No, ......... I don't think that's a good idea. Forget it. You definitely don't want to do that.


"Why?
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. You are fatally unsuited for business in any case, and ...... I don't think you should be allowed to do that. I can only see a future where I get cheated by bad guys and lose all my money.
I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that.　If you lose it, you can just save it up again.
"......, why are you so optimistic (positive) only in that part ......?

　The uncle scratched his head as if he was troubled.

It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for. Normally, a failure in business will not cost you your life. But not the people of Salenza. Our common sense doesn't apply to them.

"Salenza?　...... south of the kingdom of Crais?

　I vaguely remember that there is a merchant country to the south, separated by a vast desert.
　As I recall, it's called the "Commercial Autonomous Region of Salenza.
　Occasionally, you can see merchants from there in the capital.

"Oh. They charge a good price for 'humans' too. They also buy and sell slaves in the market. If you get involved with them, you'll end up in debt you don't even know you're in, and they'll sell you for a good price.
　I'm not going to say anything bad, so don't do it, okay?　It's a good idea to take a look at the web site and see if you can find anything you like.

...... Well, maybe so.

　I'm still not convinced, but the guild uncle does have a point.
　I can read and write, but I'm not good with numbers, and I'm not sure I'm cut out to be a merchant.

　However, Sarenza is a land facing a vast "sea". I'd like to visit there at least once, as it is said to be a place where various kinds of trade goods gather from distant lands and various races interact.
　I've been to the Magical Empire in the east and Mithra in the west, though only briefly.
　I've been to the Magical Empire in the east and Mithra in the west.

　...... Sea, huh.

I'm sure you'll be able to find something that works for you.　I'm not sure if I'd be able to do that if I were you.
　In the event that you're not sure what you're looking for, you'll be able to find a lot more information on the web.

I'm not overconfident in myself." "Oh, I know. ...... I'm not overconfident in myself. I'm not overconfident about myself, but the skeleton was barely able to survive with the help of the people around me.

I don't know if you're lucky or unlucky, ....... I've heard that you get into trouble at every place you go, so be really careful, okay?　You only have one life.

I guess so. Well, I'll take this. Thanks again.


"Oh, hey, ......?

　I dismissed his lengthy conversation at a reasonable point, picked up the leather bag of money on the counter, and quickly walked out of the guild.

But the point is, if you're not ...... alone, it's okay, right?

　The uncle wanted to stop him, but I myself felt that being a "traveling merchant" was not a bad idea.

　Traveling is always dangerous, but I heard that he had a lot of money thanks to his hard work in construction for a while, and it might not be so bad if he hired someone he could rely on to help him on his journey.

　However, I'm concerned that it's a bit far from my ideal (dream) of going on adventures in various lands on my own.

　──── Whether to take the ideal (dream) or the reality.

　It's a difficult question.
　However, there is no doubt that I still have a lot of work to do.

　With this in mind, I headed to my usual training spot.