Oh, Iyer! Iyerpol! – Chapter 45

—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Yuziro
—————————————————————–

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

Mr. Wolf called for me again late in the evening.

The location was my usual pub.

As it was dinner time, the tables were packed, and the place buzzed with the chatter of patrons.

The madam placed steaming steaks in front of Mr. Wolf and me, who were seated at the counter.

“Here you go. Two grilled steaks and two beers.”

“Thanks, Madam.”

Mmm… just the sight of it made my mouth water.

The large chunks of meat sizzled, having just come off the grill.

The outsides were a perfectly cooked, appetizing brown.

I pierced a piece with my fork and sliced it with my knife, revealing the tender pink interior.

I couldn’t resist.

I quickly popped a piece into my mouth before it could cool, savoring the flavor.

The hot meat, coated in the chef’s special sauce, rolled around in my mouth, a delightful assault on my taste buds.

It was so good, I wondered why a chef of this caliber was working in a local pub instead of a noble’s kitchen… Oh, right.

She owned the place.

Anyway.

I savored the meat, then washed it down with a large gulp of beer…

“Ahhhhh…”

I could die happy now…!

I shivered in the blissful harmony of meat and beer, and Mr. Wolf, seated next to me, chuckled.

“That good, huh?”

“It’s amazing.”

“It should be. It’s expensive meat.”

The meat before us wasn’t the pub’s usual fare.

It was a premium cut, procured by Mr. Wolf himself, a rare part of an animal that yielded very little meat.

It was so expensive that the price of the dish felt like more than just the cost of the ingredients.

Mr. Wolf had somehow managed to get his hands on it.

Not only that, but he had also arranged with the chef beforehand to prepare this specific cut.

The highly skilled chef, adept at various cooking methods for different cuts of meat, had readily agreed…

And thus, this magnificent dish was born.

“This is… I don’t even envy the nobles’ dinner tonight.”

“Heh heh. Even those high and mighty folks don’t eat meat like this every day.”

“But are you sure it’s okay? Being treated like this…”

Honestly, it felt a bit overwhelming.

I would have gladly accepted a simple dinner, but such an elaborate meal?

There was no such thing as a free lunch.

Mr. Wolf’s lavish treatment meant he wanted something from me.

Mr. Wolf, who had picked up a piece of meat with his claws and taken a large bite, let out a satisfied groan.

“Think of it as a thank you.”

“A thank you?”

“Yeah. Thanks to you, there were no casualties during the cave search. A perfectly executed mission is always cause for celebration.”

Ah, he was talking about Guinness.

Indeed, there was a big difference between having casualties and not.

A successful outcome for such a dangerous mission was definitely something to celebrate.

Mr. Wolf swallowed the meat and looked at me with a warm smile.

“Risking your life for someone is always a noble act. You jumped into that collapsing earth to save the lizard girl, and you succeeded.”

“It’s a bit embarrassing.”

“It would be stranger if you weren’t embarrassed. Be proud of yourself.”

That was true, but… being praised like this made me feel a little guilty.

I had jumped because I thought I could land safely if I climbed down the wall.

I had expected to be able to dig my way out with Cave’s help.

And I knew I could survive for a week without food or water.

I had taken precautions, so it wasn’t exactly a life-or-death situation.

That’s why I felt embarrassed, Mr. Wolf.

Mr. Wolf, seemingly oblivious to my thoughts, took a large gulp of beer.

He slammed his mug down on the counter, wiped his mouth, and let out a satisfied sigh.

“And if I’m going to ask a favor, I need to offer a bribe, right?”

“Ah, the thing you mentioned earlier?”

Mr. Wolf had mentioned having a favor to ask when we met earlier that afternoon.

Was this about that?

“I have a bit of a predicament. I somehow ended up double-booked on two requests.”

“Double-booked?”

“Yeah.”

Mr. Wolf scratched his chin with a sharp claw, looking troubled.

Adventurers received requests through the guild, so double-booking was impossible unless the guild made a mistake.

Especially for a prominent adventurer like Mr. Wolf.

“I promised a merchant I’d helped before that I’d escort him to his city. Since it was a return favor, it wasn’t through the guild… so it’s not an official request.”

“I see.”

“But I had a pre-existing request. I booked it a month ago, so I completely forgot about it.”

I understood.

So it wasn’t exactly double-booking, but rather a conflict between an official request and an informal one.

I sometimes experienced similar situations.

Although, in my case, the conflicts were usually between requests like picking berries and running errands…

I nodded in understanding, and Mr. Wolf sighed deeply.

He rested his chin on the counter, sighing repeatedly, looking genuinely worried.

“As a professional, prioritizing the officially processed request is a given.”

“Of course.”

“But turning my back on a debt of gratitude would violate my proud wolf code… and if I told him I couldn’t do it after all, how could I face him again?”

“So you want me to escort the merchant in your place?”

“Exactly.”

Well, I couldn’t just eat this expensive meal and listen to his story without offering something in return.

I decided to hear him out.

Fortunately, the destination wasn’t too far.

About three days by carriage?

A round trip would take a week at most.

That wouldn’t be a problem.

“By the way, I hear the route is quite scenic. It follows a large lake, and the weather should be nice this time of year, so it’s a feast for the eyes… Ah, sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

Mr. Wolf nodded gratefully.

A scenic lakeside route… it did sound appealing.

If Mr. Wolf was right, the weather would be pleasant, the sky clear, and the breeze gentle.

Moreover, the route was known to be safe and well-maintained, posing little risk in terms of security.

This was practically a paid vacation disguised as an escort mission.

“Of course, I wouldn’t ask you to do this for free. I’ll prepare a suitable reward.”

“…”

“So, what do you say? It doesn’t sound too bad, does it?”

Beautiful scenery.

A safe journey.

A reasonable distance.

And Mr. Wolf was offering a reward on top of it all…

I might as well treat it as a leisurely trip.

“You’re right. It doesn’t sound bad at all. I’ll do it.”

Mr. Wolf grinned at my reply.

He extended his beer mug towards me.

“I knew I could count on you, Iyerpol.”

“It’s nothing.”

Honestly, this was a pretty good offer, and I was grateful.

I preferred easy, boring, peaceful, and low-paying requests.

I raised my mug and clinked it against Mr. Wolf’s.

We toasted and took large gulps of beer.

Then, with satisfied expressions, we returned to our steaks.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

So soon after the cave search, I had another long-distance request… or rather, a favor to fulfill.

I started packing.

Dried rations, medicine, arrows, and so on.

I didn’t need to prepare much besides the essentials.

The route was supposedly safe, with no reports of monster activity.

Plus, the merchant would cover all travel and accommodation expenses…

This was practically a vacation.

“Ah, I should bring this too.”

Rope and tools for straw crafting.

I imagined myself sitting comfortably in the carriage, enjoying the warm breeze while braiding straw.

The thought made me feel giddy.

I hummed a cheerful tune.

I was to meet Mr. Wolf again in two days.

I’d finish my preparations before then.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

On the day of our meeting, I arrived at the fountain in the square as agreed, only to tilt my head in confusion.

Mr. Wolf wasn’t alone.

“Oh? Mr. Wolf?”

“Oh, Iyerpol, you’re here.”

Mr. Wolf, leaning against the fountain, waved a welcoming hand.

There were two others with him.

A short, elderly man, presumably the merchant Mr. Wolf had mentioned, bowed slightly to me.

And the other person… I hadn’t expected this.

“Guinness?”

“…Hello.”

Guinness, without meeting my eyes, offered a curt greeting with an impassive expression.

Judging by the bag at her feet… was she going somewhere too?

As if sensing my question, Mr. Wolf spoke.

“I didn’t just ask you for this favor. I asked the lizard girl as well.”

“Oh, so there are two of us going?”

“That’s how it turned out.”

I thought this journey was supposed to be easy.

Two escorts, myself and Guinness, seemed excessive.

Me alone would have been sufficient, let alone Guinness.

It was like bringing an axe to kill a bug, just in case a wild boar showed up.

I voiced my thoughts, and Mr. Wolf replied…

“Well, the lizard girl needs to start taking subjugation requests again. She needs to warm up, right?”

“Ah.”

“And two escorts are safer, aren’t they?”

He had a point.

I nodded involuntarily.

But if Guinness was going, I wasn’t really needed, was I?

However, my doubts were swept away by the atmosphere of imminent departure.

I climbed into the carriage’s cargo bed and started receiving luggage from below.

Guinness stepped up, placing one foot on the edge.

“Here, take my hand, Guinness.”

“…”

Guinness stared at my outstretched hand.

She extended her own and took mine.

Her hand felt surprisingly small in mine.

I pulled her up, and she climbed into the cargo bed with a light, agile movement.

As I looked down at Guinness standing right in front of me, a question popped into my head.

“You seem surprisingly close to Mr. Wolf, Guinness.”

“…What?”

“You came all this way for his favor.”

I thought Guinness disliked Mr. Wolf, even if I didn’t know him well.

But seeing her go out of her way for him suggested otherwise.

Then… Guinness’s face suddenly flushed crimson.

“…Ugh.”

“Guinness?”

Why was she avoiding my gaze?

“What’s wrong, Guinness?”

“…Shut up. Don’t ask.”

She turned abruptly and walked towards the luggage.

Her ears were bright red.

“…Is being close to Mr. Wolf that embarrassing?”

Had I touched a nerve?

I scratched my head, puzzled.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

[Goin to shaboing in the carriage…. sounds like a good time!]