Oh, Iyer! Iyerpol! – Chapter 41

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Yuziro
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A fortnight had passed since Guinness’s full recovery and discharge from the physician’s care.

The excitement in Tillasden over our safe return had subsided, and life had returned to its normal rhythm.

We, too, returned to our usual routines.

Wagner had begun recruiting new party members, taking Ronchevich and Pichoni with him.

Kundt and Wolf Who Chases the Wind had resumed their solo endeavors.

Which meant I, too, was back to my leisurely life of accepting unpopular requests.

“Ah, peaceful days are the best…”

Wagner’s request and the Feiler family summons had pulled me away, but this life suited me best.

Completing relatively simple tasks, receiving the gratitude of the townsfolk, finishing early enough to nap in a meadow… this was the life.

Today, while strolling through Tillasden Forest, combining a request with a leisurely walk, I encountered a familiar face.

“Oh? Guinness?”

“……”

Emerging from behind a tree, Guinness waved.

I waved back, a little surprised.

I’d been running into her quite frequently in the forest lately.

Five times this week alone?

Considering I took a day off, that meant I’d seen her every single workday.

“Quite the coincidence, seeing you again today.”

Guinness, her expression unchanged, nodded.

She likely shared the sentiment.

A small basket hung from her arm, filled with foraged mushrooms, likely for a request.

Her gathering skills seemed a bit…rough, judging by the bruised specimens.

“Is that for a request? Need a hand?”

“……Sure.”

“I’ve nearly finished mine.”

Her tone was curt, her expression impassive, but I knew it wasn’t out of malice.

She was simply awkward with expressing emotions, aside from anger.

She’d often stumble over a thank you or fumble a simple greeting.

Her gruffness wasn’t intentional; she simply didn’t know how to be friendly.

I’d realized this over the past few days.

And with that realization…this intimidating woman had started to seem…endearing.

Like a child unsure of how to interact.

“What are you looking for?”

“A plant with blue leaves…and a four-pronged base.”

“Ah, I know a good spot for those.”

A medicinal herb used for treating wounds.

I received requests for it often.

I led Guinness through the forest, helping her gather the items for her request.

It had become a routine these past few days, a surprisingly enjoyable one.

Watching her clumsy attempts at harvesting, her haphazard searches for lost items…it was amusing.

I found myself feeling a strange sense of pride as I guided her, like a mentor instructing a novice.

As I watched her, now slightly more adept, carefully pluck a herb, a question arose.

“Guinness, why are you taking these gathering requests all of a sudden?”

It wasn’t my place to ask, but someone of her caliber could easily earn far more with escort missions or subjugation requests.

Why spend her time on these low-paying tasks? She hadn’t taken them before.

Guinness paused, her hand freezing mid-pluck.

“That’s…”

“That’s?”

She hesitated, seemingly struggling to answer.

After a long silence, she finally spoke.

“Just…for rehabilitation…”

“Ah, rehabilitation.”

“…Yes. I’m not fully recovered yet.”

That made sense.

She had been seriously injured during the cave search.

Even for a Dragonewt, recovery took time.

It was understandable that she was still in rehabilitation.

“…What about you?”

“Me?”

“There must be a reason you only take these easy requests.”

Ah, so she was curious about that.

“I enjoy this work. It’s quite rewarding, you know.”

Subjugation requests and high-paying clients were tempting, but they came with risks.

I preferred low-risk, low-reward.

A stable life with a modest income suited me better.

Did she know that after twenty years of this, I’d qualify for a pension?

Free money from the government.

“You’re quite kind, Guinness.”

“What?”

“If you need rehabilitation, you could just rest at home. It would be much more comfortable. But you’re taking these unpopular requests instead.”

Kind, or perhaps diligent.

Taking these unwanted jobs when she could be resting…that wasn’t something most people would do.

It was like volunteering on your day off.

If that wasn’t diligence, what was?

But instead of responding to my compliment, Guinness abruptly stood and turned away.

“Guinness?”

“…I’m going to get some water.”

With that curt reply, she strode towards the riverbank.

I watched her go, a little bewildered, and waved.

“Be careful.”

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“You’re quite kind, Guinness.”

What?

Her reflexive question made the young man smile.

“If you need rehabilitation, you could just rest at home. It would be much more comfortable. But you’re taking these unpopular requests instead.”

Guinness lowered her head.

He’s an idiot, she thought.

She had simply grabbed a handful of unpopular requests.

She’d never taken them before, and she wasn’t doing it out of any sense of altruism.

If anything, the altruistic one was Iyerpol.

He had been diligently clearing the backlog of unpopular requests for over a year, helping the townsfolk.

And she was being called kind for taking a few for a couple of days?

“I enjoy this work. It’s quite rewarding, you know.”

Her face flushed.

Unlike her, who had ulterior motives, he was genuinely driven by a desire to help.

The difference in their motivations made her cheeks burn.

She stood abruptly, afraid he would see her flushed face.

“Guinness?”

“…I’m going to get some water.”

She mumbled a quick reply and hurried away.

Damn it… Damn it…

She could feel the involuntary twitching of her facial muscles.

She covered her face with her hand, afraid someone would see.

She hadn’t come to the forest for any particular reason.

She had simply seen Iyerpol and been curious about what he was doing.

The requests were an afterthought.

Something to do because she was bored.

Just…just…

She desperately searched for an explanation, her pace quickening without her realizing.

She had been some distance away, but now she found herself at the riverbank.

She knelt by the water, hoping to cool her burning face.

Her reflection stared back.

Her facial muscles were contorted into a strange, unreadable expression.

Neither a smile nor a frown. Just…vacant.

Realizing that this was her current expression, Guinness slammed her fist into the water.

Splash! Splash!

“What the… What is this?!”

She furiously attacked the water, trying to erase the foolish expression reflected back at her.

But the water, undisturbed, continued to mirror her face.

“Damn it, damn it…!”

Cursing, Guinness plunged her face into the water, holding it there for almost thirty seconds, as if punishing herself.

She surfaced, gasping for air.

Surely, her expression would be different now.

She pushed back her wet hair and cautiously looked at her reflection.

…The same vacant expression stared back.

“Don’t you dare laugh at me!”

Guinness slammed her fist into the ground, grinding her teeth in frustration.

But the strange fluttering in her chest persisted.

She didn’t understand how to quell this unfamiliar feeling.

She was unskilled in the nuances of human connection.

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The sky blushed crimson as the sun began to set.

Wolf Who Chases the Wind emerged from the Adventurer’s Guild, stifling a yawn.

“Haa…”

Bored.

Less than a month had passed since the resolution of the mysterious disappearances, but he was already restless.

The living cave, the formidable foe, the camaraderie of skilled adventurers…it had been exhilarating.

Now, back to hunting mundane monsters…it was tedious.

He had even taken a long-distance subjugation request, hoping for some excitement.

As always, he craved a new challenge.

“I wish something interesting would happen…”

Something exciting, something thrilling…to alleviate his boredom.

As he pondered this, he spotted two familiar figures approaching the guild.

A young man with a black cloth covering his eyes, and a girl with horns and a tail.

Iyerpol and Guinness.

“Oh, hey… Hmm?”

He had been about to call out to them, suggest a meal, but he noticed something odd.

Guinness carried a basket overflowing with mushrooms and herbs.

Iyerpol’s bag was similarly laden.

“Well, I’ll deliver these items then.”

“…Mm.”

Iyerpol waved goodbye to Guinness and headed in the opposite direction.

Guinness remained rooted to the spot, watching him go.

Wolf Who Chases the Wind observed this, a slow smile spreading across his face.

“Come to think of it…the lizard girl…I heard she’s been sticking to Tillasden Forest lately…”

He had heard rumors at the guild.

Guinness, for some reason, had been taking unpopular requests.

Guinness taking unpopular requests.

Iyerpol, who always took unpopular requests.

Both returning from the same location, together.

Wolf Who Chases the Wind pieced it together, his smile widening.

“…Heh.”

Guinness was still staring in the direction Iyerpol had disappeared.

She probably hadn’t even realized how long she had been standing there.

Wolf Who Chases the Wind chuckled, watching her from afar.

His bored heart began to quicken.

“This…this could be interesting.”

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[Bro is clueless af]