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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Simzy
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The acrid and lukewarm air of Redwood was delivered through my mask to my lungs.
Was this really his hometown?
The orc taxi driver, Tom, couldn’t hide his excited demeanor with his plain way of speaking.
“At least the good thing is that there are no elves among you customers. To be honest, the orcs here know how scary elves are, so they don’t really touch elf tourists when they come. But you know, sometimes there are brothers who have taken too many mental care drugs.”
“Hey, gramps. You were still alive. You doin’ okay? You mean these friends? Can’t you tell by lookin’, they’re tourists. I gotta do a lucrative side job like this to feed the kids in the neighborhood another meal, right?”
“Now, now, customers. If you’ll all just stop for a moment. That’s right. First, follow my lead and stand in a line against the wall, yes, that’s right. If you don’t make eye contact and look away, you’ll be fine.”
Bang, bang bang!
“It’s a gang turf war. If you keep your head down, it’ll be over soon. Huh? Did you just say, why don’t we just get rid of them? Haha, you can’t be a mercenary. Your wife sure knows how to joke.”
While listening to Tom’s explanation, I left a short comment.
“This is a real shitshow.”
“That’s right.”
Tom agreed with my words.
“Ah, if you’ll just lower your head a little more. You might get into a fight if the gangs catch you wearing a mask. Good, just like that.”
Tom grinned, baring his tusks.
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…Hmm.
After walking this far.
I started to get a feel for how this neighborhood worked.
First of all, even if it was their first time meeting. As long as they were the same ‘orc,’ they could continue a friendly conversation with the title of brother (Bro).
Seeing this, I thought that the ‘brothers’ Smith had mentioned might not have actually meant his ‘real brothers.’
Just by walking down the street, the hostile gazes of the surrounding orcs were focused on us.
There were some orcs who approached us with hostile feelings, but thankfully, because we had Tom, who was also an ‘orc,’ the situation did not escalate seriously.
If Tom hadn’t been there…. Like a Pokémon encounter, wouldn’t the orc trainers who made eye contact have challenged us to a battle?
In any case, hiring Tom was, in name and in reality, a good choice.
And also. The number of cars on the road was much smaller than I thought. So the wide roads were also being used like sidewalks.
Of course, that didn’t mean there were no cars at all. Occasionally, trucks with firearms (and orcs holding them) in the cargo bed sped down the road with a cloud of dust.
It showed an old landscape as if it had escaped the flow of time, and occasionally, the traces of cyberpunk were deeply visible in various places.
It was just an unpredictable neighborhood.
“Here, have some of this.”
Tom, who had received a protein bar of unknown identity, a major snack in cyberpunk, as a gift from a kind-hearted old lady (orc), passed it on to us as is.
I put the protein bar I received in my pocket, leaving the excuse that I was full.
This was because there was a more than 90% chance that the ingredients of this protein bar were ‘edible insects.’
In fact, edible insects were one of the most common food ingredients in the cyberpunk world.
But if the identity of that edible insect was a cockroach over 30cm, then I would definitely decline.
“This is a delicacy too, if you get used to it.”
Tom said, swallowing the protein bar.
“By the way, are there any other characteristics of that orc named Smith you mentioned earlier?”
“Ah.”
I stopped in the middle of talking, right.
Where did I get to earlier?
His name is Smith.
He’s 2m tall.
An orc with a bald head, a skinhead.
Employed at a brokerage called No Answer.
I must have explained up to this point.
What else was there?
The sunglasses weren’t… that big of a characteristic.
I continued to think for a short while.
Ah, right.
“Come to think of it, he was an orc with no tusks. This should be a definite characteristic, right?”
Now, bring Smith before me.
But, Tom’s reaction was different from my expectation.
“Are you sure he didn’t have them?”
“?”
What kind of answer is this?
Tom, who saw my puzzled expression, changed his attitude as if I might not know and continued his explanation.
“The orcs who live outside, probably, most of them would have had detachable tusk surgery.”
“……Pardon?”
What kind of implant surgery is that?
I felt like I had heard a shocking truth, like a person I knew’s hair was actually a wig, or their teeth were actually dentures.
Tom brought a finger to his mouth.
“Mine are too.”
With a pop, a large tusk came to rest on Tom’s palm.
“It’s very rare for them to remove or file down their tusks completely. Usually, only the orc brothers who are thinking of leaving this neighborhood for good would do that.”
Then he reattached the tusk to his mouth.
“Most of the orc Smiths I know in the city are like that. Of course, he might have really had his tusks removed or filed down. Can you be sure?”
I let out a short groan.
“Hmm.”
It was true.
I had known that he had filed them down, but it could have been detachable.
A situation where he would have taken off his tusks for work.
And put them back on when he returned to his hometown, Redwood.
It was difficult to say it was a definite ‘characteristic’ of Smith.
Tom, seeing my expression, nodded his head.
“But it’s okay.”
Tom thumped his chest with his fist.
“The lucky thing for you customers is that I’m the one guiding you through this neighborhood.”
Tom laughed with an affable smile.
We followed Tom’s guidance and followed behind him. Then, a certain building came into view.
It didn’t look particularly different from the other buildings around it.
It was built with old bricks. There were also spots here and there that were stained red.
There wasn’t even a sign. If you had passed by, you might have mistaken it for an ordinary house.
“You can go up this way.”
Tom pushed a folding steel door to the side.
Inside, just like the other buildings.
Two orcs who were acting as bouncers were squatting and chatting.
“Huh? Who’s here?”
“…Wow, she’s drop-dead gorgeous.”
Their gazes turned to Catherine and Eve.
Even if the race was different, the sense of beauty was not so different. As this was a cyberpunk world, a balanced appearance had become the standard of beauty.
It was the same when we got here. It would have been strange for there to be no reaction at all after seeing the two of them.
It’s just that I was so used to their looks that I didn’t feel it much.
To be honest, just by walking on the street, it was clearly felt that people’s gazes were gathering.
It seemed the two orcs thought the same. They approached us with a swaggering gait.
“What brings you here, tourism?”
“We can show you a proper good time.”
With a silly laugh, they continued to speak, ignoring Tom and me who were standing in front.
“…Hey, brothers. These are customers here. What’s with you guys.”
Tom stepped up and spoke, trying to mediate the serious atmosphere.
But even so, the two orcs did not stop hitting on Catherine and Eve.
Hmm. I’ve been patient enough.
I lightly raised my mana. I controlled the wind to make the two orcs take a step back.
“Huh?”
The knees of the orcs who felt something was off were forcibly brought to the ground at the same time.
“Ugh, wait. I’m dizz—.”
The sound of retching followed next.
“Bleeeargh….”
This was a very peaceful response.
I didn’t mind the chatter from behind, but the chatter in front of me while ignoring me was a different matter.
It was a habit I had developed after working as a mercenary for a long time.
Because once you’re ignored, there’s no end to it.
Just like that, I flicked my index finger once more. I manifested an image and concentrated my mana.
It wasn’t a method I could use anytime. It was only possible if the distance was very close, and if there was no cyberware implant that could counter my magic.
In a word, it was perfect for use on an orc.
Because all I had to do was touch their semicircular canals.
Tom, who had noticed that I had done it, looked at me with trembling eyes.
“…What kind of cyberware is this, is it hacking?”
“It’s not life-threatening, so don’t worry too much.”
I pointed to the top of the stairs.
“You said we have to go up, so let’s go up.”
“…Right.”
Tom answered in a small voice.
Although I had explained that I wasn’t here for tourism, actually seeing with his own eyes that I wasn’t an ordinary person, it seemed he was a little shaken.
Sigh, this doesn’t suit my personality.
But if I had just left those orcs as they were, it was a situation where the orcs could have been beaten to a pulp by Catherine.
What a hassle this is, just to find Smith.
I turned my head to check Catherine and Eve’s reactions.
…….
I thought they would be in a bad mood because of the orcs. But contrary to my expectation, Catherine and Eve looked slightly pleased.
What.
The two of them whispered to each other.
“…Being the protected one might not be so bad after all.”
“……I partially agree.”
I couldn’t hear well what they were talking about. I scratched my head and thought.
…Well, it should be fine.
Tom, who had read the mood, gave an awkward laugh. He cautiously opened his mouth and spoke.
“Still, it’s a relief that you, customer, are strong enough to protect your wives. I can worry a little less.”
“……”
They’re stronger than me.
In my feeling of injustice, I was about to reveal that truth right away, but for some reason, a shiver went down my spine, so I was barely able to stop myself.
Sometimes, being quiet could be the right answer.
We followed Tom and went up the stairs.
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At the end of the stairs, in a certain office, the orc who was sitting at an office desk opened his eyes wide when he saw us.
“Damn it, it’s Shooting Star!!”
Crash!
Without any hesitation, he broke the window and jumped out of the building.
“……”
What is this situation now?
For now, I used magic again.
I helped the orc who had jumped out the window to be able to float and come back into the room.
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