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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Yuziro
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The Master Hammer-Smith, Kundt.
Wagner was known for skill, Guinness for her personality, and Wolf for his appearance.
The adventurers representing Tillasden had all become famous for their own reasons, but the reasons behind master hammer-smith Kundt’s fame were a little more special.
He had always been known for his skill, but he wasn’t as famous as he was now.
His rise to prominence began with the praise of Tillasden’s blacksmiths, who were amazed by how he maintained his equipment.
When Kundt had visited the smithy to borrow some tools, the blacksmiths were shocked by the master-level care he showed his own gear.
The rumors that began in the smithy gradually spread, and Kundt became known throughout Tillasden as the “Master Smith who wields a hammer.”
Master Hammer-Smith Kundt wasn’t known as the “Master Smith of hammers,” but the “Master Smith who uses a hammer.”
Some people today knew him as the former, but his fame stemmed from the latter.
He was especially fond of his weapons.
His house was said to be filled to the brim with equipment and tools for maintaining his gear.
His fondness was so profound that some wondered if he was actually a pervert who was aroused by his own weapons.
Even the blacksmiths, who hammered metal every day, were disgusted by him, so that should give you an idea.
However, regardless of his… proclivities, his skills were generally regarded to be quite impressive.
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A little time had passed, and Mr. Wolf and Guinness had returned.
They hadn’t exactly made up, but they seemed to have calmed down, so the party began to move forward again.
The mood was still a bit heavy, but hey, at least they calmed down, right?
As for what I was doing…
I was trying to smooth the atmosphere in my own way.
“So, ‘Wolf Who Chases the Wind’ isn’t a nickname or anything?”
“That’s right. It’s my full name.”
I had been walking a little ways apart from the other three when I began chatting with Mr. Wolf.
Talking can sometimes make you feel better, right?
I’d wanted to talk to him for a while, and so I asked him about my lingering questions.
“I thought it was just a nickname.”
“Most of us wolf beastmen have names like this. Unlike humans who have names even before they’re born, we don’t get one until we’ve grown a bit. Once we’ve proven ourselves, we get a name from the people around us.”
Oh, wow.
I had never heard of that tradition before.
It’s definitely unique.
Humans ponder what names they’ll give their child even in the womb, right?
This name for a boy, that name for a girl.
And when the child is born, they bless it with the name they’d chosen.
But names for wolf beastmen seemed to have a different meaning.
“So, what’s the meaning behind your name?”
“Usually, when giving names, they base it on one’s characteristics.”
“For example?”
“For example, the people who named me thought I was so fast that I could chase the wind itself, so they named me ‘Wolf Who Chases the Wind.’”
Mr. Wolf’s expression was a bit boastful as he said that.
“Not all wolf beastmen have wolf in their names. The fact that my name has ‘wolf’ in it means that when they looked at me, I seemed like a wolf, and so they named me that.”
Isn’t it obvious that you’d seem like a wolf since you look like a wolf…?
Should I take it to mean that he’s the epitome of what a wolf looks like?
Mr. Wolf looked and felt like a wolf no matter how I looked at him.
Perhaps there was a difference between wolf beastmen and human sensibilities.
“Actually, I have a harder time understanding human names. How do humans choose names?”
“Hmm. Usually, they’re named after great figures from the past, or after their ancestors. There are many cases of borrowing famous names.”
“Does your name have a meaning?”
“Meaning? Well…”
I didn’t think there was a profound meaning.
Even I didn’t know what my name meant.
“Human names are hard to pronounce. Hard to remember. It’s not like I’m just being spiteful when I don’t call you by your names.”
“Haha. I guess you could say that.”
Mr. Wolf shook his head and shrugged.
It seemed he was aware of the fact that he called people ‘hammer man,’ ‘lizard woman,’ and ‘chief human.’
Was this a difference in language culture?
Come to think of it, I was curious.
“If you were to name me in your style, what would it be?”
“Your name?”
“Yeah. You said people name you, right?”
“If I were to name you, I’d say ‘A Honed Blade in Shadow.’”
Wow, that was a long name.
And it sounded like a terrible match for me.
Not a single word seemed to match me.
Did I look like a sharp person?
If I were to name myself, it’d probably be something like “An Alchemist Adventurer in a Pocket.”
“And the lizard woman would be something like ‘A Frazzled Bobcat’s Fur’.”
“Hahahaha!”
I couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
Of course, I immediately covered my mouth and glanced at Guinness.
Thankfully, our conversation didn’t seem to reach her.
That was close.
I almost got punched.
“Don’t hate Guinness too much. I’m sure Mr. Wolf doesn’t genuinely hate her.”
“I think I genuinely do.”
“……Hmm.”
He’d said that, and I couldn’t refute him.
I could only scratch the back of my head, feeling awkward.
But surprisingly, Mr. Wolf seemed to understand.
“Have you heard of Dragoneut’s social interactions?”
“No.”
“Dragoneuts aren’t very inclined to bond with others, or receive bonds. Not even with other members of their own race.”
It was a desolate race.
Was the distrust of humans that I felt from Guinness a part of that characteristic?
…Probably not.
That was beyond just a racial trait.
On top of that trait, there must have been a past that shaped that personality.
Perhaps sensing my thoughts from the look on my face, Mr. Wolf added,
“But dragoneuts aren’t heartless. They might not bond or receive affection easily, but once they form a bond, they treasure that connection deeply.”
“That sounds kind of romantic.”
“It’s similar for wolves. Once we’ve bonded with a partner, we never betray them. That bond lasts even after death.”
Mr. Wolf was looking at Guinness.
So that was it.
I thought he was teasing her because of his bad personality, but perhaps he was simply acting friendly because of their similar traits.
I wished they would just get along normally.
Just watching the two of them go at it felt like it was shortening my lifespan.
When I said that, Mr. Wolf chuckled.
“Are you one to talk?”
“Why?”
Was this wolf seriously implying that I had a personality as bad as Guinness and him?
I really wished he wouldn’t.
There wasn’t anything harder than being told that by two people known for having bad personalities.
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Wolf Who Chases the Wind glanced at the man walking next to him.
With a face that still looked young and black cloth covering his eyes.
The man with the common black hair had his own uniqueness, but otherwise felt ordinary.
His speech and actions were the same, but Wolf Who Chases the Wind thought that among the people gathered, this man was the most different.
“Then please just get along. Who’s going to stop you two if you fight? It feels like my lifespan’s getting shorter.”
The man muttered, letting out a small complaint, and the wolf couldn’t help but chuckle.
Was he really one to talk?
“Are you one to talk?”
“Why?”
The man tilted his head as if he genuinely didn’t understand.
He was so composed.
The wolf thought that even if he were pretending, he was still exceptional.
You’re the one who makes me feel more terrified than anyone else here, and you say that?
He had felt it since they had first met.
This man was strong.
He didn’t know about the others’ strength, but he was certain of this man’s strength.
Which was why he couldn’t understand why he had quit his work subjugating monsters.
The goosebumps that prickled his skin were clearly from the excitement of facing a powerful figure.
He didn’t even need to see his skills.
This was a more instinctive reaction.
The instinct of a beast facing a predator, a being who reigned over him.
“…Could you repeat your name?”
“Iyerpol. It’s Iyerpol.”
Iyerpol.
Iyerpol…
It was a difficult name for the wolf beastman to pronounce.
But at the same time, it was a name worth the effort.
He thought that he should try to pronounce someone’s name for the first time in his life, and Wolf Who Chases the Wind etched that name into his mind.
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While the party members were walking, I snuck to the back and tapped the wall of the cave where no one could hear me.
“Are we almost there?”
So not yet.
Just how big was this cave?
I was feeling like we were heading toward the center of the cave.
It felt like the number of monsters were increasing, too.
We were running out of time to save Ronchevich and Pichoni.
If they had rationed their food and water well, they’d still be alive, but if they hadn’t…
“…Huh?”
My thoughts were interrupted by the cave shaking.
This was the first time it had spoken first.
What was the matter?
I wanted to know its intention, but I could only sense its emotion.
It did feel urgent.
“What’s wrong? Is there a problem?”
I couldn’t help but tilt my head at the urgent shaking of the cave.
What could be the matter that it was so distraught?
The answer came soon enough.
“…!”
“It’s an earthquake!”
The floor was shaking.
I could tell that it wasn’t just a simple tremor.
The shaking was so strong that my body was losing balance, so I put my hands on the wall.
I didn’t know who had shouted, but it was a tremor that felt like an earthquake.
Such strong tremors, without any warning?
Just as I was thinking that…
The floor in front of us collapsed.
No, it didn’t collapse.
Something huge was coming out of the ground.
“Oh my god, what’s that?!”
A huge shadow was gradually enveloping my body.
I tilted my head, following the form of that long being that was rising from the earth.
When ‘it’ had finally broken through the ground, I couldn’t help but gape at the unbelievable sight.
“Why is there a sandworm here…?”
A bug-type monster that I had never seen before was revealing itself before us.
The problem was that this bug was huge.
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