Visiting The Graves

“—We’re sorry to be telling you this after the fact, Father, Mother.”

The twins stood together before the gravestone, recounting everything that had happened leading up to the collapse of the Ubaz merchant company.

Tōru watched them while drinking tea with the cemetery caretaker.

“So, the people who murdered the twins’ parents have already been dealt with?”

“Yes, they were executed. Apparently, quite a few investors put bounties on their heads.”

The cemetery caretaker answered while rubbing his hunched back.

“They were such a kindhearted couple, always involved in charitable work and trying to help anyone within their reach.”

“No wonder their graves are so impressive.”

“Does it make you envious, Mr. Adventurer?”

“I’m not sure. I’ve hardly ever thought I was going to die, so the idea of having a grave of my own doesn’t really mean much to me.”

“Then you must be quite strong?”

“Not particularly.”

“—If you’re not strong, then there’s nobody strong in this entire world.”

Tōru turned toward the voice that had interrupted his conversation with the caretaker.

The Darandy branch manager was approaching, accompanied by a woman who appeared to be his wife.

Tōru shifted over to make room for the two of them to sit and spoke.

“Finished with the questioning and everything else?”

“Yeah. We’ve confiscated the Wood’s Metal they used as evidence, too. About seventy percent of the smuggled gold coins were still there. They’re arguing over what to do with the coins, but that’s not my problem anymore. The rest is up to the people handling the finances.”

Glad to have washed his hands of the matter, the branch manager folded his arms and leaned back proudly.

His wife quietly sat beside him, her eyes softening affectionately as she looked toward the twins in the cemetery.

“My, how they’ve grown.”

“They’re old enough to decide their own futures now. Though I never imagined this pretty boy would be the one to take them away.”

The branch manager fixed Tōru with a sharp, intimidating glare, but Tōru merely shrugged.

“I accepted because their proposal benefits both sides. If you’ve got complaints, try convincing them otherwise.”

“You think I can win an argument against those two!?”

“You’re a man, aren’t you? Let your back do the talking instead of your mouth. Go on, take off your shirt and show them what you’ve got. I’ll watch.”

“Like hell I will, you idiot! Girls their age would just think I’m disgusting.”

The branch manager turned away with a sulky expression, prompting his wife to laugh.

“He’s still traumatized from the time our daughter gave him such a disgusted look when he was relaxing shirtless after a bath.”

“Don’t tell him that!”

“Oh my, look how embarrassed you are. You should save that back of yours for my eyes alone.”

Not only was she completely unfazed by her husband’s interruption, but she also began enthusiastically thumping him on the back with considerable force.

The twins had described them as a couple who got along so well that they were always quarreling, but this hardly even qualified as an argument.

Apparently aware that he was no match for his wife, the branch manager changed the subject.

“So, where are you heading after leaving Darandy?”

“For now, I’m thinking of going to Flaretalia.”

“Flaretalia, huh? You’re after the dungeon, then?”

As expected of someone entrusted with running a guild branch, the branch manager immediately guessed Tōru’s objective, and Tōru nodded in confirmation.

Flaretalia was a famous dungeon city.

The city had developed around a dungeon that had remained unconquered for fifty years. Its unusual circumstances attracted large numbers of adventurers, and it prospered through businesses catering to those free-spending customers and profits from selling otherworldly objects obtained in the dungeon.

Tōru reached for one of the sweets served with the tea.

“The twins are completely broke, and I’m not exactly swimming in money myself. Figured I’d earn a little.”

“You’re short on money? You, a ranked adventurer?”

The branch manager looked suspicious, unable to understand why.

Hiring a Rank B adventurer directly required payment in gold coins.

Moreover, a ranked adventurer could defeat powerful monsters and Magical Beasts, making it easy to accumulate a considerable fortune even without accepting requests.

“I’ve been spending too much.”

“Well, I suppose that’s understandable at your age. But you’ve got Euphie and Mary to think about now, so—”

“Dear, don’t go sticking your nose into other people’s finances.”

His wife sharply reprimanded him, leaving the branch manager looking thoroughly displeased.

Tōru smiled wryly.

“I was collecting artifacts related to the Old Civilization and otherworldly objects. I won’t be spending money on that anymore.”

The reason Tōru didn’t have much money was that he had been gathering all kinds of clues and information in the hope of finding a way back to Earth.

However, after reaching his tenth year in this world, he had finally given up, so he probably wouldn’t be collecting anything else.

“—Your collection sounds absolutely fascinating, Tōru-san. Especially since we’ve already sold ours.”

“We’ve finished visiting the graves. Thank you for the flowers, Tōru-san.”

Euphie and Mary joined the conversation after finishing their visit.

“Euphie, my collection is back at my base, so I can’t show it to you right away. First, we’ll earn some money exploring the dungeon in Flaretalia. I also want to give you two some combat training. And Mary, bringing flowers was simply a matter of showing respect to your parents. Next time, all three of us can buy flowers to offer them ourselves.”

After answering each of them in turn, Tōru finished his tea and stood up.

“It’s a little earlier than planned, but shall we get going?”

“Yes, let’s. Thank you all for everything you’ve done for us.”

Euphie and Mary bowed politely to the branch manager and the others, then took their places on either side of Tōru and started walking.

The branch manager glared at Tōru’s retreating back with an unhappy expression.

“How the hell did he tell them apart just now?”

“Perhaps his instincts are sharper than ours. You used to have sharp instincts yourself back when you were an active adventurer, dear, but you’ve certainly mellowed with age.”

“That’s because a certain someone spent years wrapping me around her little finger.”

“Then I imagine Tōru-kun will have mellowed quite a bit the next time we see him, too. With both girls working on him, I’m sure he’ll end up as smooth and polished as a precious gem.”

The branch manager sighed as his wife laughed leisurely, clearly looking forward to seeing how things would turn out.