CH 111

[Errand Quest]

Although one thing after another have happened, now is the middle of May.

Game-wise, the tutorial month of April and the character introduction event— the academy festival that was held at the beginning of May were now over, and it was time for the game to finally start for real.

At this time, the player should have unlocked various activities such as diving into the academy dungeon while taking classes at the academy, completing the requests received in the Adventurers Guild, and getting to know the characters and deepening exchanges with them.

It would be up to the player how to train the protagonist and his comrades for the battle from here onwards.

And, of course, storyline-wise, it was the early stage of the game. The requests that could be received in the Adventurers Guild were all fairly low in difficulty.

Among them, the most common among them was the so-called ‘errand’ request, which content was commonly ‘to collect the required number of materials or items’.

And nearly half of the contents of this bundle of documents placed in front of me with a thud are those ‘errand’ requests.

While some of them are asking to go collecting materials and items, which I have seen many times in the game, the others, such as asking to buy groceries or to bring them someone to be the model for painting, are so absurd to the point it made me wonder if they mistook the job of the knights.

Among the requests I’ve skimmed briefly, there was even one that said, “I can’t help wanting the underwear of the person I’m interested in,” which warrant an arrest, so I called Zione-san without hesitation, and the person in charge of receiving the requests was accused of dereliction of duty.

From how Zione-san was evasive about it, “Ah… yeah,” I couldn’t help but feel the hardships he faces on a daily basis, but that is of none of my concern, so I won’t pry into it.

Anyway, Zione-san also said that if I can complete all the requests, I will be released from the community service even before the one-month period is up.

In that case, I’ll first quickly finish up all the ‘errand’ requests that only require me to collect what needs to be collected and give them to the client without thinking about things deeply.

What, I’m a genuine speedrunner who remembers all the quests in the original game, including the way to solve them. Things like errand quests are just pieces of cake to me!

“That’s why, Amanai, I’ll let you take the rewards, so do all these requests for me.” (Sakurai)

“Really, you…” (Amanai)

I say with a smile while placing a bunch of requests I’ve picked out in front Amanai inside the classroom in the academy.

However, hearing that, Amanai lets out an exasperated sigh for some reason, and then he picks up a document while resting his cheek on his hand.

“This is your punishment, no? They won’t allow me to help you.” (Amanai)

“Some of the requests require you to go to dungeons outside the academy, so they said that I can rely on others to handle them.” (Sakurai)

Furthermore, since these requests are treated as having received from the Adventurers Guild, while I have to complete them as a punishment, it seems to those who helps out, it will simply be recorded as their accomplishments.

In other words, if he can prove that he can complete these jobs properly, even though they are just small jobs, Amanai will be able to acquire the weapon called ‘reliability’ faster than anyone else in regards to adventurer activities in the future. It will surely be a great benefit to Amanai and his party.

Moreover, youuu. Didn’t you say that you raid Last Boss-san’s house with Uncle at Julia’s request while I was secluding myself alone in the dungeon?

Without telling me who did various things for you at the academy festival, you went and dealt with (acquired) the last boss (experience points)~, I should have the right to say a complain or two, don’t you think?

This is really the case of repaying good with evil, ain’t it? Don’t you feel guilty or something?

Ahhh, I wanted to knowww! I wanted to know much experience points the last boss gaaave! It must be lots, ain’t it~! It’s the last boss after alllll!

Hey, answer me, Protagonist-samaaa! Protagonist-sama who understands humanity, unlike meee!

Before answering whether you’ll help me or not, tell me how much experience points the last boss gave!

“I got it, I got it! I’ll help you out, so stop poking me! You’re so annoying!” (Amanai)

“Last-Boss‘s-experience-points!” (Sakurai)

“It’s 2000, 2000! Satisfied!?” (Amanai)

He should have his experience points boosted due to boss correction setting, how could the last boss have inferior experience compared to 4 Minotaurs combined in the Netherworld despite that?

Well, considering that Black Sword’s plan hadn’t yet complete and he hadn’t been strengthened, he was just an old-man who have lived long, so perhaps it’s reasonable to think he wasn’t a big deal, I guess?

Anyway, even though it took some time, I succeeded in imposing the requests with junk rewards to our Amanai-kun, so let’s make our escape before he complains.

“Hang on a minute, Sakurai.” (Amanai)

“Un?” (Sakurai)

Amanai, who has called me to stop, throws me a small sphere-shaped object with a flick.

It’s heading to my face and I reflexively catch it while turning around in respond to his voice.

When I open my hands and see what it is, I find the item that I never stop looking for on a daily basis.

“Isn’t this a ‘Star Seed’?” (Sakurai)

“It’s the one hidden in my— the protagonist’s house. I was planning on using it someday, but I’ll give it to you.” (Amanai)

“Well, I appreciate it, but why?” (Sakurai)

“That’s, err, umm… it’s no use to me, so I figured I should just give it to you.” (Amanai)

While what eventually came out of his mouth was rather curt, I can’t help but feel like he was trying to say something different at first given his stuttering, but I don’t know what they were.

But if it’s hard for him to say it out loud, it’ll be troublesome to try getting him to spit it out, and I’m not interested in what he wanted to say, so I’ll just thank him for giving me the ‘Star Seed’.

“I don’t really understand, but I’ll accept it with gratitude. And I’ll overlook the fact that you hunt the last boss without me!” (Sakurai)

“If only you didn’t say the latter part.” (Amanai)

“My level upper limit has finally reached 100, hyahoooi!” (Sakurai)

While taking joy in from the fact that my level upper limit has opened up to 100 after swallowing the ‘Star Seed’, I leave the classroom with a joyful voice.

In the corner of my head, I thought, “Shouldn’t I just abandon everything and escape to some dungeon?”, but after thinking about how it would bring negative effect upon my future in case I pick that option despite Julia having assisted me, I decide to honestly work hard in completing the requests.

Some of the requests need me to go to dungeons outside the academy anyway.

I need to occasionally go to dungeons other than the one in the academy for a change of mood, too, and I can raise my level there as well.

I just have to think completing the requests as something I do on the side.

For now, why don’t I try challenging the ‘Matière Forest Cave’?

“I keep growing non-stop, the June me is different from the April me! Fuhahaha!!” (Sakurai)

Together with feeling my growth for being able to make such a human compromise and the opening of my level upper limit, I jump out of the academy window in a good mood.

At my landing spot, there is coincidentally a bunch of delinquents surrounding a timid-looking male student seemingly to extort money from him, so I decide to use one of them as a cushion to reduce the impact of my fall.

“Geho!?”

“Saburo!? You bastard!”

“I’m the embodiment of community service spirit, though?” (Sakurai)

“The fuck are you saying! Apologize!”

“What’s wrong with drop kicking a guy who is extorting money at your landing spot…?”

When I ask the most legitimate question, the delinquents get pissed and come to attack me for some reason.

Since I have no other choice, I throw a social justice punch and a self-defense kick, catch the person trying to escape with a social service arm and silence him with a racial equality head butt.

Tsk, these guys sure are experience points trashes. What a waste of time.

“U-umm, th-thank you.”

“Firework, fire~! ‘Aight, the guys from the Disciplinary Committee are coming, so I’ll leave the rest to you.” (Sakurai)

“What do you…? Eh. Hey!?”

I use the small firework I took out from my chest pocket to call the guys from the Disciplinary Committee, push the remains of the firework together with the clean up to Timid-kun who had been extorted, and leave.

At that time, my thought has already shifted to the dungeons outside the academy, so I’m unaware that the series of events has been seen by Amanai from the classroom and that he lets out a deep sigh after.

“……Haaah. I sure have owed a favor to someone who’s so hard to honestly give thanks to.” (Amanai)