IGTL Chapter 34

Chapter 34 – I Got Dragged by AAAA

“Th-This is…”

The instant Raynel drank the Elixir, a light flared where his left arm had been. The glow traced the shape of an arm, and a brand-new left arm formed.

“How is it, Mr. Raynel?”

Raynel moved it once, then his eyes went wide as tears spilled down his face.

“W-Wha!? Wh-What’s wrong, Mr. Raynel!?”

When I called out, Mr. Raynel kept crying as he flexed his left arm, then touched it with his right hand.

“I-I’m happy, I’m happy…! To think I’d be able to move my left arm again after all these years…! If this is the case, I won’t need any of that rehab nonsense. I can subjugate monsters right away. Quickly, quickly… I want my comrades to drink Elixir too…”

He looked stunned at having his left arm back, tears pooling in his eyes. And apparently, with an Elixir, he didn’t even need rehabilitation.

“…I see. Then please deliver Elixir to your comrades as well.”

“Y-You mean it!?”

“Yes. The contract’s already in effect. You can start guarding the inn from tomorrow onward. For today, use those Elixirs and rest.”

“Y-Yes! Thank you very much!”

Well… if you drank it and you healed, “resting” might be unnecessary, but still. I’d planned to stay at the Drowsing Inn today anyway, so I figured I’d let Mr. Raynel enjoy a brief day off.

“Thank you. I will repay this debt, no matter what…”

“Yeah. I’m counting on you.”

After that, Mr. Raynel stowed the Elixirs in Item Storage and sprinted out.

“…Was that truly alright?”

“Yeah. I mean… you don’t exactly get many chances to meet someone like Raynel Goodjob, right? So I figured it was better to get acquainted now.”

And while I was at it… I should thank the Adventurers’ Guild for introducing such a great hire.

“Alright. I’m heading to the Adventurers’ Guild.”

“Yes. Please take care.”

I stepped out of the Drowsing Inn and started toward the Adventurers’ Guild, when a man came running straight at me.

It was the battered-looking veteran player “AAAA.”

“P-Please help me, Kakeru-kun!”

“…No thanks?”

I smiled pleasantly as I dismissed AAAA, then kept walking toward the Adventurers’ Guild.

Seriously, one headache after another…

Best practice was to snap pointless flags in half before they stood up.

I didn’t have the spare time to get involved with a certified first-class flag architect like him.

“W-Wait for meee! I’m seriously in troubleee!”

While he whined, AAAA clung to my leg.

“No, I’m the one in trouble. Right now. Actively. Because you’re clinging to me. Let go, before you raise some weird flag.”

“Don’t say thattt! I’m a victim toooo!!”

“What are you even—”

Then I heard footsteps in the distance. When I looked over, I saw men dressed like soldiers of this country pointing at AAAA, who’d ducked behind my legs.

“There he is! Get him!”

The instant that shout rang out, AAAA froze stiff.

“H-Hiiieee! They found me!?”

“…Hey. AAAA-kun. What did you do, exactly? They’ve got a whole squad coming to arrest you.”

This wasn’t normal.

I grabbed AAAA, still latched onto my leg, and demanded an answer.

“I didn’t do anything! I just sold recovery potions!?”

“Recovery potions?”

What?

How did “only sold recovery potions” turn into “being chased by a small army”??

“…Are you sure that’s all? You didn’t pawn off defective goods or something?”

“How would I even sell defective goods!? What I sold were recovery potions I got before this world became reality! There’s no way they’d be defective!”

“…Fair point.”

Then why!?

I was even more confused now.

While we were going back and forth, the soldiers surrounded us in a tight circle.

“…AAAA-kun. Thanks to you, I got dragged into something ridiculous.”

Seriously…

Even in the real world and in DW, it felt like events were triggering every single day. What was this, was I cursed?

“You there, Mob-Fenrir guy. Hand that man over…”

One of the soldiers leveled his sword at me as he spoke.

“Sure, sure. If you want him, please take him.”

When I glanced down at AAAA, clinging to my leg, he wore a look like he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

Huh?

What was with that face??

I had nothing to do with this, okay?

I just got caught in the splash damage, okay?

If anything, I was basically a victim here, okay?

So handing over the root cause of the situation should’ve been totally fine, right??

Not that his expression mattered.

I ripped AAAA off my leg with all my strength.

“Kakeru! Don’t you have any blood or tears!?”

“What are you talking about? Of course I do. Blood and tears, at least. I’m human.”

“I’m not asking you to start talking like Aida Mitsuo!”

Then what was he trying to say? Did he seriously think I was some cold-blooded, heartless Mob-Fenrir guy?

If anything, I wanted to throw that line right back at him.

Dragging me into this mess, and you’re asking if I have blood or tears…?

“…Huh?”

Oh crap. I’d said that out loud.

But I wasn’t about to lie about how I felt. If I’d already said it, I might as well commit.

“Yeah, I’m saying it. Don’t you have any blood or tears? You dragged me into this. What’s with you people, seriously? Kyle and you, all of you… are you professional troublemakers? Anyway, go get arrested once, reset your life, and start over!”

“T-That’s cruel! Even my dad never yelled at me!”

He’d been a forty-year shut-in and his parents had never scolded him even once?

…Yeah, that tracked. No wonder he turned out like this.

Alright, enough clowning.

I grabbed AAAA by the scruff and looked at the soldiers.

“So, what did he actually do? He says he only sold recovery potions, but… is selling recovery potions illegal?”

The soldier’s face snapped into a furious glare.

“Of course it is! Only alchemists approved by the Adventurers’ Guild or the Merchant Guild are allowed to sell recovery potions! And yet this man attempted to sell them in bulk!”

“…I see. That’s completely reasonable.”

So this world had something like a pharmacist law. Great.

Which probably meant selling Elixirs was also a no-go…

Good thing I’d been trading out of sight.

“…Then it can’t be helped. Please, take this criminal away.”

The moment I said that, AAAA stared at me in shock.

“N-Nooooooo!”

I hoisted the oversized toddler up with one hand and carried him right up to the soldiers.

“Here you go. Aren’t you taking him?”

“Ah—y-yes, thank you! Alright! Suspect secured!”

As the soldier shouted, they moved to tie a rope around AAAA’s wrists.

“W-Wait!”

Right before they could, AAAA pulled ten recovery potions out of Item Storage and stuffed them into each soldier’s pocket, one after another.

That was… impressively smooth. Seriously, the guy was weirdly skilled.

“I yield, boss. Consider this a little something for the trouble. Could you please let it slide?”

“…Ahem. I see. Well, yes… it is your first offense, and I did think remorse would be sufficient. Alright. You lot, we’re leaving.”

And just like that, the soldiers stowed the recovery potions in Item Storage and marched back the way they came.

“…They’re rotten to the core…”

I couldn’t believe they’d just took a bribe and let a crime go.

Once the soldiers were gone, AAAA let out a long sigh.

“Phew… that was close. That was messed up, you know! Selling me out to the soldiers like that!”

“No, you—are you hearing yourself right now?”

I gave him the coldest stare I had, and AAAA popped to his feet.

“What was I supposed to do!? I didn’t know you weren’t allowed to sell recovery potions freely!”

“…Fair enough. There’s a point there. Not something you should say so proudly, though.”

Huh?

If that was the case… where did Kyle sell his recovery potions?

“…You tried to sell to the Adventurers’ Guild, but where did Kyle sell his? He had a ton of recovery potions too, right?”

“Oh, him? He had some hostess he was obsessed with sell them for him. For pocket change, too…”

“P-Pocket change?”

What a waste…

Well, people said love was blind. If he was happy with it, whatever.

“But was that really okay? You used ten recovery potions as a bribe. How many do you even have left?”

“Of course it’s not okay… All I’ve got left in Item Storage are ten Intermediate Recovery Potions and one Advanced Recovery Potion. Ugh… why does this always happen to me…”

As he said that, AAAA kept sneaking glances at me.

No. Stop. I wasn’t giving you money.

Still… leaving a fellow countryman to rot when he was down felt kinda cruel. Fine. I’d toss him a tiny lifeline.

Whether he grabbed my hand or not was up to him.

“Fine… Advanced Recovery Potion: 500,000 Col. Intermediate Recovery Potion: 50,000 Col each. I’ll buy the lot for 1,000,000 Col…”

When I said that, AAAA jerked his head up.

“R-Really!?”

“Yeah. When you’re in a bind, you help each other out, right? I’ll buy them.”

“Th-Thank you! If I’ve got 1,000,000 Col, I can hole up at an inn for a while! Seriously, thank you!”

“Yeah, yeah. Here, 1,000,000 Col.”

“Y-Yeah!”

I handed over 1,000,000 Col and took one Advanced Recovery Potion and ten Intermediate Recovery Potions in exchange.

“Alright, see you. And if you get more recovery potions, bring them to me.”

“Yeah! I will! I swear I’ll bring them!”

“Good. I’ll be waiting.”

After I sent AAAA off, I tucked the recovery potions into my Item Storage… and smiled.