u201cNielsen akan merebut Kona ke pegangku kita!u201d
u201cKenapa kamu nyanyikan lagu penjajah?u201d
Niels tidak setuju dengan lirik yang dinyanyikan Ryo.
u201cNah, akhir-akhir ini aku merasa Niels semakin seperti Abel...u201d
u201cAbel tidaklah se‑setengah hati.u201d
Niels bereaksi mendengar nama u2018Abelu2019 yang terucap Ryo.
Sementara itu, mendengarkan obrolan seperti itu, Etho dan Amon mengikuti dengan tertawa.
Di jalan dari Kota Rune menuju desa Kona.
Mereka berangkat dari Kota Rune pada dawn dan akan tiba di Kona pada sore hari.
u201cSelain serangga yang tidak diketahui, aku lebih khawatir pada makhluk monster.u201d
Amon mengangkat pertanyaan ke arang‑angin.
u201cYakin. Mereka tidak menyebutkan nama monstrositas itu, tapi memanggilnya sebagai monster. Apa sih sebenarnya isinya?u201d
Etho menjawab sambil miringkan kepalanya.
u201cTetap punya, kupotong dua!u201d
Niels mengeluarkan logis kalimat saraf.
Dia adalah pemimpin party.
Ryo meyakini bahwa kemampuan yang dibutuhkan untuk seorang pemimpin party bukanlah kecerdasan, melainkan kemampuan untuk menjaga semanggotanya termotivasi. Sambil melirik ke Niels.
u201cRyo, kamu sedang memikirkan hal yang tidak pantas.u201d
u201cApa... apa maksudmu?u201d
Ryo menjawab dengan tidak jelas mendengar keterlompakan tajam Niels.
Namun, Niels tetap memandang Ryo dengan tatap mata tajam.
u201cAku hanya merasa bahwa Niels memiliki kualitas luar luar sebagai pemimpin party.u201d
Ryo berkata dengan bangga.
Dia tidak berbohong.
u201cO‑oh. Kalau begitu, ya...u201d
Niels itu sederhana.
Etho dan Amon menyaksikan adegan itu dengan ekspresi sedikit gelisah.
u201cRyo tadi...u201d
u201cDia sedang berpikir hal yang tidak pantas.u201d
Kedua orang itu bersendawa pelan.
Itulah sepertiga orang itu tiba di desa.
Sekitar pukul 2 siang.
Mereka berhasil tiba u231b u231b (Baca cerita lengkap) agak lebih awal dari rencana.
Desa itu... ya, sebuah desa, tapi tampak cukup ramai.
Rumah‑rumah yang berjejer menghadap jalan. Dan di belakangnya, terdapat perkebunan kopi yang luas.
u201cKudengar ini...u201d
Niels bergelor.
u201cPopulasinya di atas 5.000 orang, jadi hampir seperti kota.u201d
Etho bergelor.
u201cKenapa masih disebut desa sih?u201d
Amon bertanya dengan suara cukup keras.
u201cKarena desa ini di bawah kendali langsung keluarga kerajaan.u201d
Ketiganya terkejut dan membelokkan pandangan ke belakang.
Ryo tidak kaget, karena ia tahu ada seseorang yang mendekat, namun ia terkejut bahwa desa ini berada di bawah kendali langsung kerajaan.
(
u201eApakah Yang Mulia juga suka kopi?u201c)
Orang yang berbicara dari belakang adalah seorang pria di usia setengah bular.
Pria tinggi, berjalan anggun, kulit sawo matang, mata hitam mendalam, dan rambut coklat tua.
Ryo merasa bahwa ia tidak memiliki aroma seorang petani, mungkin terkait dengan pakaian yang ia kenakan.
Kemeja tipis namun sangat rapi, celana panjang sampai lutut, dan sandal di kakinya.
u201cWah, maafkan kelatian. Nama saya Goro Ganda, dikirim ke desa Kona ini sebagai magistrat lokal. Silakan panggil saya Goro.u201d
(Goro? Nama Jepang ya... tapi wajahnya kelihatan Latin? Dayah... sangat dalam)
u201cMaaf atas keterlambatan perkenalan. Kami dari party petualang u301cNomor Ruangan 10u301d dari Kota Rune. Aku Niels, ini Etho, Amon, dan Ryo. Kami menerima permintaan dari desa ini yang dikirim ke Kota Rune.u201d
Ketika Niels berkata begitu, Etho mengeluarkan formulir penerimaan permintaan dari bolsunya dan menyerahkannya kepada Goro.
Goro memverifikasinya.
u201cYa, benar. Pertama‑tama, mari kita ke gedung magistrat. Aku akan menjelaskan di sana. Akomodasi pun sudah disiapkan, jadi kalian akan menginap di sana.u201d
Lalu Goro memimpin dan mulai berjalan.
u201cSebagaimana yang kalian ketahui, permintaan ini juga dikirim ke Guild Petualang di Kyradea. Ada juga petualang yang datang dari sana, namun mereka akan tiba di sore hari. Jadi, mohon maaf, aku akan menjelaskan lebih lanjut setelah mereka tiba.u201d
u201cBaik, tolong jangan khawatir.u201d
Niels sopan menjawab permintaan Goro.
Dia bisa berinteraksi dengan klien dengan baik.
(Betapa baiknya, bahkan untuk seorang sarana otak tunggal)
Entah kenapa, Ryo mengangguk dengan sikap yang meremehkan.
Itu cukup kasar.
u201cIni adalah akomodasi tempat kalian akan menginap. Karena sifat desa ini, birokrat dan aristokrat sering datang dari Ibu Kota dan kota lain. Tempat ini digunakan untuk akomodasi dalam kasus seperti ini.u201d
u201cApakah kami boleh menginap di tempat yang begitu mewah?u201d
Niels menjawabnya dengan cepat.
u201cTentu saja. Karena aku memutuskan sebagai magistrat. Mengapa harus tidak memaksimalkan kapasitas yang ada?u201d
Goro menjelaskan dengan tawa ringan.
Ryo yang selama ini mengira bahwa magistrat itu sombong terhadap petualang dan rakyat jelata, menyukai Goro yang tidak memiliki sikap seperti itu.
Tentu saja, bayangan magistrat yang sombong itu juga merupakan imajinasi pribadi Ryo, dan ia belum pernah bertemu dengan seorang magistrat seperti itu.
Ruang rapat di gedung magistrat.
Ruangan itu berada di samping kantor Goro.
Di ruangan ini terdapat meja bulat yang cukup besar, tempat magistrat mengadakan rapat dan menerima laporan dari tiap departemen.
u201cSilakan duduk di sana.u201d
Goro berkata dan duduk di posisi tengah depan.
Keempat orang duduk di sisi kanannya.
Kelompok Kyradea yang akan datang nanti akan dudak di kursi kosong di sisi kiri.
Setelah keempat orang duduk, minuman pun segera disajikan.
Tentu saja, itu adalah u2018Kopi Konau201d.
u201cKarena kalian datang ke Kona, wajib minum Kopi Kona terlebih dahulu. Diskusi akan dimulai setelah itu.u201d
Goro menawarkan kopi dengan senyum cantik.
Ruangan terisi aroma kopi yang kuat.
Bukan hanya untuk keempat orang, tentu saja untuk Goro juga.
Ketika Goro mengangkatnya, ia mendekarkannya ke wajahnya dan mengambil aromanya.
Pada saat itu, masing‑masing dari keempat orang mengangkat secangkirnya, mengalirkan aromanya, lalu sedikit minum.
(Bukan 'Kopi Hawaii Kona' di bumi setelah semua… berbeda, tapi sangat enak. Fakta bahwa tidak ada bau aneh sama sekali adalah bukti bahwa biji tersebut sudah dipilih dengan cermat sebelum dimasak. Ada orang yang tulus terhadap kopi… dan cara ekstrasinya bukan melalui drip tapi melalui tekanan. Apakah ibunya pernah menyebutkan ‘French press’ ketika masih hidup…)
Ryo sambil menikmati kopi, terbayang kenangan nostalgia.
Goro memandangnya dengan tertarik.
Itu karena ia terlihat jauh lebih alami dibandingkan tiga orang lain yang sedang cemas.
Tentu saja, mata Goro tertarik kepadanya.
Namun, ia tidak bertanya di situ.
Goro tidak akan melakukan hal yang tidak elegan.
Goro mengetahui bahwa makanan, minuman, rasa, dan aroma bisa memicu kenangan masa lalu.
Kadang kadang ada kenangan yang seharusnya tidak dicempiur oleh orang lain.
Itulah sebabnya ia tidak bertanya hal yang kekanak‑kanak itu.
Pria bernama Goro Ganda adalah seorang pria yang sangat bakat.
Setelah berbincang selama sekitar satu jam, ia diberitahu bahwa petualang dari Kyradea telah tiba.
u201cMari kita pergi. Silakan tunggu di sini.u201d
Kemudian Goro meninggalkan ruangan.
Keempat orang yang tersisa berbincang pelan.
u201cMagistratnya adalah pria yang baik.u201d
u201cYa, dia benar‑benar baik.u201d
u201cSisa yang harus kita lihat adalah petualang dari Kyradea.u201d
Etho dan Amon memuji Goro, sementara Niels khawatir akan petualang Kyradea.
u201cDesa ini berada di bawah kendali langsung kerajaan. Nggak heran mereka bisa mengirim dua guild.u201d
u201cYaudah...u201d
Ketika Ryo menyampaikan pemikirannya, Niels tidak bisa berkata apa‑apa.
u201cNiels... apa kamu lupa memberi tahu Ryo?u201d
Etho menyindir dengan tersenyum manis.
u201cKamu yang buruk...u201d
Ryo tenggelam di meja bulat.
Di saat yang sama, Goro kembali dengan petualang dari Kyradea.
u201cIni adalah petualang dari Kyradea, u301cDragon Agitou301d, dan inilah petualang dari Rune, u301cNomor Ruangan 10u301d.u201d
u301cDragon Agitou301d terdiri dari tiga pria dan dua wanita, total lima orang.
u301cNomor Ruangan 10u301d terdiri dari empat pria.
Masing‑masing memperkenalkan diri dan dudak di meja bulat.
Tentu saja, kopi pun disajikan.
Keempat orang dari Nomor Ruangan 10 kembali menikmati kopi.
Ryo menikmati aroma dan merasanya lagi.
Tiga orang dari Nomor Ruangan 10 berusaha keras untuk tampil lebih nyaman.
Tapi… tidak satupun dari lima anggota u301cDragon Agitou301d dari Kyradea minum.
Tentu saja, Goro juga memperhatikan situasi ini.
u201cApakah kalian tidak suka Kopi Kona?u201d
Goro bertanya dengan netral, tidak menakut-nakutkan dan tidak buruk.
Petualang yang tampak sebagai pemimpin, seorang pendekar pedang, menjawab.
u201cBukan masalah kopi. Aku hanya tidak ingin minum atau makan di tempat yang sama dengan orang ini.u201d
Ryo hampir menelan kopinya.
Untungnya ia tidak memuntahkan kopi di mulutnya.
Sebaliknya, ia memandang ke samping, khawatir Niels akan meledak, namun Niels menahan diri.
Di hadapan klien, kemampuan untuk menekan emosi adalah hal krusial ketiga.
Faktanya, Abel telah mengajarkannya kepada Niels secara mendalam.
Ryo terkejut karena Niels tidak meledak, karena ia tidak tahu itu, namun Etho dan Amon memberikan senyum kecil.
Niels pasti sedang berkembang pesat.
Ketika pemimpin u301cDragon Agitou301d berkata begitu, hanya Etho yang memperhatikan Goro yang sedikit mengegelamkan matanya.
Dan ia menghela napas dalam.
(
u201cKenapa kamu membuat klien merasa tidak nyaman sejak awal? Ini bisa menjadi party yang sangat merepotkan.u201d)
u201cBaiklah, jadi mari kita mulai menjelaskan permintaan ini. Aku akan menerima pertanyaan di akhir.u201d
Lalu Goro mulai menjelaskan permintaan.
u201cSerangga yang tidak pernah kami lihat sebelumnya telah merusak pohon kopi. Saat ini, sekitar 5% dari total pohon telah terkena. Sulit untuk mengidentifikasi serangga ini… Sebelumnya, kami mengundang seorang ahli dari Ibu Kota untuk memeri
“We will obtain Kona in our grasps!”
“Why are you singing the song of invaders?”
Niels disagreed with the lyrics that Ryo sang.
“Recently, I feel like Niels has become more like Abel ...”
“Abel isn’t so half-hearted.”
Niels reacted to the name ‘Abel’ that Ryo said.
While listening to such conversations, Etho and Amon followed with laughter.
On the way from the City of Rune to the village of Kona.
They left the City of Rune at dawn and would arrive at Kona in the evening.
“Apart from the unknown insects, I’m worried about the monstrosity.”
Amon raised the question to nobody in particular.
“That’s right. They didn’t indicate the name of the monster but called it a monstrosity. What the hell is there?”
Etho answers while tilting his head.
“No matter what, I’ll slice it in half!”
Niels vomited a muscle-brain line.
He was the party leader.
Ryo was convinced that the ability required for a party leader was not intelligence, but the ability to keep members motivated. While glancing at Niels.
“Ryo, you’re thinking about something very rude right now.”
“Wha-what-are-you-talking-about.”
Ryo replied incoherently to Niels’ sharp catch.
Still, Niels looked at Ryo with a keen gaze.
“I just felt that Niels’ have amazing qualities as a party leader.”
Ryo said proudly.
He was not lying.
“O-oh. If that’s the case, well ...”
Niels was simple-minded.
Etho and Amon were watching the scene with slightly troubled faces.
“Ryo was ...”
“He was having rude thoughts.”
The two whispered softly.
That was how the four people arrived at the village.
It was about 2 pm.
They were able to arrive ⊛ ⊛ (Read the full story) a little earlier than planned.
It was a village ... it was a village but it looked quite populous.
Houses lined up facing the road. And in the back, there was a vast coffee plantation.
“I heard but this is ...”
Niels muttered.
“The population is over 5,000 ... so it’s almost a city.”
Etho muttered.
“Why is it still a village?”
Amon said in a normal loud voice.
“That’s because this is under the direct control of the royal family.”
The three were surprised and looked back.
Ryo wasn’t surprised because he knew someone was approaching, but he was surprised that the village was under the direct control of the royal family.
(Does His Majesty also like coffee?)
The person who spoke from behind was a man in his mid-40s.
A tall man with, a graceful way of walking, brown skin, black eyes, and chestnut-colored hair.
Ryo felt that he didn’t have the air of a farmer which may be related to the clothes he was wearing.
A thin but very well-tailored shirt, three-quarter length trousers, and sandals on his feet.
“Oops, excuse me. My name is Goro Ganda, dispatched to this village of Kona as a local magistrate. Please call me Goro.”
(Goro? It’s a Japanese name, but ... his face is Latin? His features are deep)
“Sorry for the late introductions. We’re from the adventurer party 『Room No. 10』 from the City of Rune. I’m Niels, and this is Etho, Amon, and Ryo. We accepted the request from this village sent to the City of Rune.”
When Niels said so, Etho took out the request acceptance form from his bag and handed it to Goro.
Goro verified it.
“Yes, it is accurate. First of all, let’s go to the magistrate building. I will explain there. Accommodation has also been readied so you will be staying there.”
Then Goro took the lead and started walking.
“As you know, this request was also made to the Adventurer’s Guild in Kyradea. There are also adventurers coming from there, but they will arrive by the evening. So I’m sorry but let me explain further once they arrive.”
“Okay, please don’t worry about it.”
Niels politely answered Goro’s request.
So he could properly converse with clients in such a manner.
(He’s doing good even for a muscle-brain)
For some reason, Ryo nodded with a condescending attitude.
It was pretty rude.
“This is the accommodation where you will be staying, and due to the nature of this village, bureaucrats and aristocrats often come from the Royal Capital and other cities. This is the place used for accommodation in such cases.”
“Is it okay for us to stay in such a place?”
Niels answered Goro’s explanation in a hurry.
“Of course, it’s possible because I decide as the magistrate. It’s a waste to not use it when we have it, right?”
Goro explained that with a chuckle.
Ryo, who had the image of magistrates being overbearing toward adventurers and commoners, liked Goro, who did not take such an attitude.
Of course, the image of an overbearing magistrate was also Ryo’s selfish imagination and he had never actually met such a magistrate.
The meeting room in the magistrate building. It was the room next to the magistrate’s office.
There was a fairly large round table in the room where the magistrate held meetings and received reports from each department.
“Please take a seat over there.”
Goro said and sat in the front seat in the center.
The four of them sat on his right-hand side.
The Kyradea group who will come later would sit in the vacant left-hand seats.
When the four sat down, drinks were brought in without delay.
Of course, it was ‘Kona coffee’.
“Because you came to Kona, you have to drink Kona coffee first. The talk will start after that.”
Goro recommended the coffee with a nice smile.
The room was instantly filled with the aroma of coffee.
Not only for four people but of course for Goro as well.
When Goro picked it up, he brought it in front of his face and inhaled the scent.
By that time, each of the four had picked up a cup, inhaled the scent, and drank a little.
(It’s different from ‘Hawaii Kona’ on Earth after all ... It’s different, but it’s very delicious. The fact that there is almost no miscellaneous taste is evidence that it was roasted after carefully removing the defective beans. There are people sincere toward coffee ... and the extraction was not by a drip type ... but a press type. Did she mention French press ... when mom was still alive ...)
Ryo was drinking coffee while soaking in nostalgic memories.
Goro looked at him with interest.
That was because he was a lot more natural compared to the other three drinking nervously.
It was normal that Goro’s eyes were attracted to him.
But he didn’t ask questions there. Goro wouldn’t do such inelegant acts.
Goro knew that foods, drinks, and their tastes and aromas can bring back memories of the past.
Sometimes there are memories that others shouldn’t step into.
That’s why he didn’t ask such a boorish question.
The man named Goro Ganda was a very talented man.
After talking for about an hour, he was informed that the adventurers from Kyradea had arrived.
“Then I will be picking them up, so please wait here.”
Then Goro left the room.
The remaining four talked in whispers.
“The magistrate is a decent person.”
“Yes, he’s really nice.”
“The rest that remains to be seen are the Kyradea adventurers.”
Etho and Amon praised Goro, while Niels worried about Kyradea’s adventurers.
“This village is under the direct control of the royal family. No wonder they can ask two adventurer guilds.”
“Yeah......”
When Ryo conveyed his thoughts, Niels couldn’t say anything.
“Niels ... Did you forget to tell Ryo?”
Etho pointed out the reason with a bitter smile.
“You’re terrible......”
Ryo sank to the round table.
While doing that, Goro came back with the Kyradea adventurers.
“These are the Kyradea’s adventurers, 『Dragon Agito』, and those are Rune’s adventurers, 『Room No. 10』.”
『Dragon Agito』 consisted of three men and two women, for a total of five members.
『Room No. 10』 consisted of four men.
Each introduced themselves and sat at the round table.
And, of course, coffee was brought in.
The four people from Room 10 enjoyed themselves again.
Ryo enjoyed its aroma and tasted it again.
The three people from Room 10 were desperately showing a feeling of being more accustomed to it than before.
But ... none of the five members of Kyradea’s 『Dragon Agito』 drank.
As expected, Goro also noticed the situation.
“Do you not like Kona coffee?”
Goro asked the five people serenely, neither intimidating nor bad.
The Swordsman who seemed to be the leader answered.
“No, it’s not an issue with the coffee. I just don’t want to drink or eat in the same place as these guys.”
When he heard that, Ryo almost spat out his coffee.
He had coffee in his mouth, so he was glad he didn’t spit it out.
Instead, he looked sideways worried that Niels would snap, but Niels was holding back.
In front of the client, it was third-class to be unable to suppress your emotions.
In fact, Abel had drilled that into Niels thoroughly.
Ryo was surprised that Niels didn’t explode because he didn’t know that, but Etho and Amon nodded a little.
Niels was definitely growing.
When the leader of Dragon Agito said that, only Etho noticed that Goro’s eyes narrowed slightly.
And he sighed in his heart.
(Why would you make the client feel unpleasant from the beginning? This may be a very troublesome party.)
“Okay, so let’s start explaining this request. I will accept questions at the end.”
Then Goro began to explain the request.
“Insects that we have never seen before have damaged the coffee trees. Currently, about 5% of the total tree has been affected. It is difficult to identify the insects ... Previously, we called an expert from the Royal Capital to take a look but they couldn’t identify their characteristics. Currently, we use the method of looking for each insect by sight and crushing them by hand. Please let us know if there is a better method. That is the first part. The other part is to solve the continued disappearance of people.”
Speaking until there, Goro spread a map of the village on the round table.
“This is a map of the village. We know that the last place we saw the disappeared people were near the entrance to the eastern forest. However, the eastern forest is very deep and has many monsters. No monsters have ever come near the village, so we don’t know if the reason for their disappearance is a monster or something else. If it was a monster, subjugate the monster. If it’s another reason, I’d like you to investigate the reason.”
After taking a breath, Goro continued.
“If you have any questions, please go ahead.”
When Goro asked, the leader Swordsman of 『Dragon Agito』 raised his hand and asked.
“I don’t feel like cooperating with these guys. It’s more efficient if we investigate the people’s disappearance and have them investigate the insects.”
(So there really are people who are hostile from the beginning. I want to know the intention of the Kyradea Adventurer’s Guild for sending such people.)
Ryo was thinking in his heart, being careful not to show his expression.
“It doesn’t matter how you proceed. However, please do not disturb the lives of the village and the villagers. This is under the direct control of the royal family. The villagers are the direct vassals of His Majesty the King. Please be aware.”
Goro said the last sentence very seriously and in a strict tone for the first time since they met.
As expected, the facial expressions of the members of Dragon Agito also stiffened.
“So, are the members from Room No. 10 agreeable to the work distribution?”
Goro returned to his original mild atmosphere and asked Niels.
Niels confirmed with Etho at a glance. He replied when he saw Etho nod slightly.
“Yes, we are okay with that arrangement.”
The members from Dragon Agito were surprised at that answer.
On the contrary, they thought they would flare-up.
Investigation of insects that was known to be impossible ... was not the job for D-rank adventurers.
However, as long as Room No. 10 accepted it, the division of tasks was decided.
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