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[NSFW] - Gritting Fangs (Pre-Mushoku Tensei SI)

Chapter 4: The D(erp) Crew
A month. That's how long it's been since Ghislaine joined the gang.
Now, many of you would ask: why the hell did you 'skip a whole month' in the narration of this epic tale? And the reason is... There isn't much to say about the month beyond a summary. And no, I'm not joking. One would think that the addition of someone as cool as Ghislaine would have just attracted more trouble more quickly, but instead it did the opposite for two details I would only learn about during this month:
1) Ghislaine had to start from Square One. She didn't do any mission after the first fluked one, and the only reason she managed to keep by the Inn for that long without a steady income was tied to the fact she had a bag filled with money from previous 'works'. It would seem like she had a couple of run-ins with bandits before she ended up joining the Guild. Still, starting from close to zero, the young Beast-Woman had to brave the troublesome and yet most boring tasks that the first rank offered to her. And that was tedious on itself;
2) I took this chance, with Zenith agreeing to this notion too, that we both should wait a while before going to Rank D. Up until this point things have been quite stable, but a quick look to how things had been tense during the first few E-Rank missions, I knew that the next level was going to be tougher than what we had now.
Hence why I decided it was time to train, and why I wanted Zenith to broaden her medical knowledge. Magic-wise, I could do little to help her, but she seemed to be fine in learning first aid intervention and what stuff could be done to help people in case she either didn't have the mana or her spell weren't enough to heal her patient. Likewise, I didn't slack off and managed to get some 'guidelines' to follow through Ghislaine. The woman might have been particularly thick-skulled when it comes to not being too blunt and now 'being part of the party', but she had a lot to say in terms of sword-play.
A second spar, which I had offered to test out how things would have fared if we were both in a good shape, resulted in her kicking my butt twice without getting close to being winded. So yes, I highly valued her advice in that regard. Still, Ghislaine had little preparation when it comes to Water God Style, but she had the right exercises for the basic physical training down for me to try. And it was... working.
After a month, I could tell my speed had increased, but, even more important, my reaction time and my perspective of rapid-moving objects/being had increased tremendously. I wouldn't consider myself the best, but I had made a level up. And it was a good level up. In return for that kind of help, I actually ended up turning into a teacher to Ghislaine. The woman, due to circumstances and the fact that beastmen were deemed worthy of racial segregation at best, was illiterate. She couldn't read or do basic math which, from her own experience, caused her no little trouble. Not enough for it to be worrying, but enough to paint a very grim vision of her future if she ended up signing the wrong contract with the worst people.
So, I returned the favor by teaching her reading and doing basic mathematics. And that's where one thought came to mind regarding that first bit: I just realized that this wasn't English. Now, now, I can get it: how come didn't you see when you first arrived? And the truth is I didn't. I genuinely saw things written in English, said in English- and yet those weren't. It became more apparent that something was up about it when I actually put effort into writing something feasible, noticing that my hand was just moving 'wrong' in creating the words and... yet that was English.
I was baffled by that revelation, but said nothing to anyone as I had to think what was up with this. Further research with books about the language I was speaking with proved that words 'intertwined' while I was reading those books. Magic, and it didn't seem like something that was draining on any mana. A curse? A blessing? Could this be proof that a deity was behind my arrival?
This world was filled with Gods, and each had the means to pull such a BS situation on me. But who could have been? And why? There were many questions about it, and no means to answer those. Yet. Nonetheless, Ghislaine was taught as steadily as possible. She was highly-receptive despite her lack of basis on the subjects, and I was almost suspicious that she lied to me about her being illiterate. After all, that was some quick learning from her. She wasn't exactly ready after a month, but given two or so more she would be a perfectly self-sufficient intelligent individual when it comes to papers to read and math to do.
The last but least meaningful thing that happened in terms of immediate 'improvements' was about our current income. It's been a little project that I kept quiet for sometime and away from the rest of the team since it was nothing certain but... this project was meant to solve the income situation with a stable source, thus leaving us less dependent on making money through quests. But first, I decided to bring this up with a merchant in town that had a shop that received a constant supply of customers. It was an old building, and we both agreed it would do better with some fixing here and there. Sadly, that wasn't something in the mind of the man as he had to take into account him having a small emergency fund born from the money coming straight from his own income. Just in case something happened to the shop itself and he had to get it rebuilt. A wild fire, some lousy customer- the excuses were endless, and so the chances of that happening were pretty high.
Hence the 'dirty' offer I gave him.
"What if I offer you three Silver Coins so that you can fix it?"
The question hit him with surprise, but then his face turned to a cautious expression. "And why would you do so?"
"Not kindness. Not with how the economy is nowadays... no, I was planning a simple deal," I explained with a small smile on my face. "If I invest in your shop to have it restored to a better state, I would ask in return 5% of your income on a monthly basis."
The old man spared me a look that represented the ignorance of feudalism before the birth of capitalism. Or a form of it. "5...%?"
I had a pencil and some paper on myself. What ensued was a quick explanation of what kind of math was behind this process and how it would be 'translated' for specific numbers that weren't exactly that easy to repay. The man nodded and nodded... understanding and catching on what I was offering to him.
"So, this contract... I suppose you understand that I have some grievances about it."
"I'm willing to add as clauses that you will be exonerated from this responsibility in case of issues tied to your health and the shop's integrity. That and the fact the contract would be voided in case you decided to retire."
It wasn't hard to convince him despite the few doubts he had and... I got ourselves a steady income. A rather modest one, but still something that could help us in case we needed to take a break from questing for a reason or another. Zenith was a bit miffed about it, or whatever could be used as a word when she suddenly pulled me by my arms and stared angrily at me for 'exchanging three Silver Coins for four Large Copper Coins'.
In a way, had this been the case, I would have requested immediate medical assistance for a grave mental problem. But the ensuing conversation/yelling at each other ended up with the blonde pouting through and through since she got herself worked up for 'nothing'. She was angry at me for a few weeks, unreasonably so, but I could tell it was more about getting her so worked up about it than the overall situation getting this mood to linger within her. Still, plans to repeat this and thus bolster the income even more were already set to unfold once I had enough money to sustain that kind of effort.
All in all, it was a bit of bickering that, truth be told, I appreciated. Why? I didn't want minions, I wanted allies. I didn't want puppets, I wanted people with thinking minds that added to the team in all their qualities rather than just a few I decided to pick them for. And while Zenith was a good healer, she was also a magic specialist, the one with the most knowledge about the cities around us and the one that acted as the ever-active heart of the group. I was interacting with everyone else, but to Zenith it came way more natural than for me. And Ghislaine was, despite her coolness, someone with no social skill when she ended up with a friendship or more tied to her. Her bluntness a bit to blame in that regard.
A long but overall uneventful month... and now the big question: what happens 'now'?
It all started when I decided that it was finally time to get to D-Rank. For me and Zenith. Ghislaine was half-way into E-Rank, but she could join us for the first D-Rank mission as this was a group effort. And... it was going to require extra manpower considering the circumstances. The mission itself just had me a bit upset since it had to do with the kind of monster I despised the most among the common beasts. Goblins.
A tribe had been spotted making a 'nest' in the forest close to a nearby town and they had kidnapped a few women. The reason why I hated Goblins was tied to Goblin Slayer, but not for the meme factor- No, what the series showed was that these little bastards were dangerous enough if they had a numerical advantage and fought in their own turfs. And the kind of monstrosity they were doing to women? I could tell I was going to watch out for Zenith after this quest was over. But first, I wanted Ghislaine to have a short sword.
"Why?" She asked me between rightful confusion and barely-hidden annoyance.
"Small halls, less chances to move- big swords would just be cumbersome to use. Trust me, it's for the best."
Irritated but still accepting of my current plan, trying out her newest sword to add to her collection as we met up with the group we were tagging along. Four city-guards, one of which was a healer. There was also a carriage meant to get the victims out once the nest was cleared out and... I hated what we found there.
Sure, these goblins weren't as vicious and clever as in Goblin Slayer, but the little bastards still relied on their same strategy to an extent. Their nest was deeply entrenched in a cave nearby, one that not many knew about, and it had some tight corridors that connected the entrance to the main room where the prisoners were being kept.
We found a few of the green-skinned dipshits passing by, patrolling the halls and trying to attack us as soon as we entered their reach. Much to my relief, they didn't form large groups for patrols, meaning that it was easy to kill them off with close to no issues. The claustrophobic feeling provided by the cave itself just made things slightly uneasy for all.
And, as we arrived at the goblin, we also noticed that they just didn't have hostages. They also had large piles of coins, jewels and... a few boxes filled with weapons of various kinds, some of which looked to have been magically-enchanted. That and... a large walled cage at the end of the room.
I didn't give it much attention. Not when the focus here was to deal with the goblins and then leave the city-guards to deal with the rest. That was well-beyond our mission-parameters. And should have remained as such. We were dealing with the remaining goblins, none of those having anything that could present a threat to us except the fact they tended to gang up on people.
Groups of four-five dipshits trying to overwhelm everyone, but only getting killed by the end of the day. 'Simple' but tiring. We were almost done with it, except a little surprise finally unwrapped itself from its box. The cage's frontal wall snapped as the entity inside it breached through it, roaring and rushing towards Zenith as she was the closest but also the more exposed. Walking on four, with a lion-like appearance but a scorpion-like tail, the Manticore within the
I jumped to push her away. The pace the beast was going and the relative proximity offered me no means to answer to it in time and without hurting Zen. Ghislaine noticed it too, but she couldn't move fast enough. Now, yes, I understand. If she is a Sword God Style pratictioner, that sounds like a stupid notion. But the thing is running on a straight line at maximum mobility, another is weaving and having to go at a lesser speed to not trip or miss a needed curve to get through obstacles along the way and reach the destination. So, I had to make it. And it was... unfun.
The result was a bit of pain before being swallowed by the bastard. The pain itself came from the fact that the monster was biting at my right arm, the armor holding just barely and yet failing to keep the sharp tip of its teeth from stabbing onto my limb. Nothing too deep, but I felt about three, if not four pairs of teeth suddenly biting at my arm and... well, that rekindled my adrenaline.
The Manticore tried to roar once more, but the sound was muffled as its throat was clogged by yours truly while I fought to not end in its belly, sword stabbing through the weaker flesh and cutting through its skin. It shook, it tried to force my hold over my weapon to break and for me to stop with my attempt.
Sadly, that only made me even more vicious as my other hand retrieved the knife I had kept holstered, soon shaking the beasts and forcing it to bleed more and faster. The struggle eased down, with the beast's will to survive faltering before the gravity of its wounds. Soon, the monster slouched and then fell down, its roar weakening, its strength too... and then I was free to carve myself out of that situation with a very upset look and an arm throbbing in pain.
Zenith rushed up to me, looking ready to tackle-hug, but stopping short to it when she spotted the bloodied limb I was holding onto. Her staff glowed, mana converted in healing spell as the wound was dealt with and... she resumed the hugging procedure. The momentum wasn't the same as she would have had in case she kept running for that tackle, but the intensity and worry, from what I got, were all there and all being put on me like a heavy weight. Ghislaine looked relieved and the rest of the goblins were dead. The women were freed, the treasure was retrieved and...
A Manticore. Why the hell was a Manticore in a cave like this one- how the hell did it even get there within such a big cage? I could see no other ways to get in the cave beyond the thin corridors. Magic? This didn't make much sense. Further examination, through Ghislaine's covered eye which she mentioned could perceive magic that she could decipher, confirmed that there was a hint of demonic mana within the weapons and the cage itself.
Demon, someone dangerous was wandering within the Asura Kingdom. That didn't bode well, and I got confirmation for it when we brought the news of what unfolded back to the guild. The receptionist looked surprised at the narration and then at the message written by the captain of the city-guards that corroborated our explanation. I didn't hear much of what unfolded as we were given the planned reward plus an extra amount of coins due to the unforeseen development but also the retrieval of the manticore as much of its body could be harvested for materials, yet I was aware that A-Rank adventurers were called to handle it. Whatever was going on, it was 'that' big and... I didn't care too much about it.
All in all, we had no reasons to involve ourselves into it, and no one in the party wanted to even know the situation. We were to keep away, and let the 'bigger guns' do all the talk. And as the day came to an end and I finished checking my armor before going to bed, well-aware that it was going to take a while to fix by the blacksmith, I ended up receiving a nightly visit.
Zenith, once more in her night-gown, but instead of being unable to sleep due to a traumatic experience, she was stubbornly trying to keep me company. At night. By the bed. She argued that she could take the chair, like I did with her, but I rebuked with a simple reason.
"It's sturdy, please don't do that."
"But I can't take the bed! I'm not the one with troubles to-"
"I'm fine, Zen," I interejected flatly. "Just because it was frightening back then, I'm relatively fine at the moment."
"...I'm staying. And I can tell that you're lying to me."
I scoffed. "I am not-"
"I didn't even bring it up and your arm is shaking."
My arm is not sha-
I stopped, my thoughts dying as I noticed that she wasn't wrong. My right arm was shaking, and I could feel a bit of pain about it. That felt... odd.
"Healing spells tend to help with most ailments, but there will always be a few hours of feeling a similar pain to the injury healed. It isn't a continuous feeling, but one that flares from time to time," Zenith explained with a serious look. "This is why I want to be there because I know you will have trouble sleeping."
"Well, I... I'm not letting you pick the chair."
She narrowed her eyes at me and smiled smugly. "Are you suggesting we share the bed?"
"I'm not suggesting that, but I can tell you want to... cuddle?"
Zen paused, a little blush appearing on her face.
"I-I would never offer you something like that. I'm genuinely worried. I mean it."
"So, you want to check on me while getting to cuddle with me, don't you?"
...
"Yes." The confession stole a brief smile out of me.
...
"Fine. But just cuddling, nothing else. Only because I need someone to keep a look at me while I'm sleeping."
"Only for that. Yes. Nothing else."
"You really need to work on that anxiety, Zen," I argued and she giggled nervously but eventually got in bed.
We were both decent, we were barely 'touching' as we were within arm's reach with each other and... the night went on smoothly and uneventfully. Even the morning proved to be quite tame despite a bit of awkwardness from Zenith at what had happened. No one knew what was up and we enjoyed the lack of rumors tied to that kind of 'scandalous behavior'.
If only people knew that someone quite scandalous was about to come to town very soon...
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AN
There are technically two possible scandalous people, so... have fun guessing!
Also, Zenith is using her anonymity to 'shield' herself from her own religion in quite the adorable scenarios. It was quite 'outrageous', but overall not something she would ever refuse with people close to her. Hugging, head-patting, cuddling- you name it. Hand-holding? Oh my, the international crisis!View This ThreadUnread Watched Threads
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