Chapter 89 – The Gatekeeper of a Recently Bustling Town
“Welcome to Yoshanka. This is a town where ‘the wind is cold, but people’s hearts are warm’. Please take your time and enjoy your stay. Welcome to Yoshanka. This is a town where ‘the wind is cold, but people’s hearts are warm.’ Please take your time and enjoy your stay. Welcome to Yoshanka. This is a town where ‘the wind is cold, but people’s hearts are warm.’ Please take your time and enjoy your stay…”
Siderock, the guard of Yoshanka, continued to hastily recite the town’s catchphrase while directing the incoming merchants and adventurers into the town.
“Those who have identification, please proceed to this line! Those without, please go over there!… What?! You lost your adventurer’s permit?! I don’t care about it! No, you can’t enter without proper identification! Please line up first, line up!”
Yoza, Siderock’s junior (a young guard who had dragged Emmy out of the town when she was sleeping in the park), was also busy dealing with the influx of travelers.
The sudden arrival of the mysterious Yoshanka boom.
While it was a joyous movement for the entire town, for the guards who had been continuously reduced in numbers due to the declining population, it was an unexpected and urgent situation.
They were desperately trying to manage with their limited personnel and respond to the situation.
There was no time to even pick their noses.
It was the first time Siderock had ever worked so busily.
“Senpai! It’s about time you let me take over the catchphrase duty! I want a break too!!”
“Welcome to Yoshanka. This is a town where ‘the wind is cold, but people’s hearts are warm.’ Please take your time and enjoy your stay. Welcome to Yoshanka. This is a town where ‘the wind is cold, but people’s hearts are warm.’ Please take your time and enjoy your stay. Welcome to Yoshanka. This is a town where ‘the wind is cold, but people’s hearts are warm.’ Please take your time and enjoy your stay…”
Yoza was complaining about something, but Siderock ignored him.
He continued to recite the catchphrase to the visitors who came to the town.
This was part of the PR activities aimed at revitalizing the town and had been established by an ordinance several years ago.
This catchphrase was like a sacred scripture to the guards.
They couldn’t afford to underestimate it.
(Yoza… you still lack the experience to fulfill this important role…!)
“Senpai! Senpai!… Ahh, don’t ignore me like that~! Oh, yes, I’m sorry, I apologize! Those with identification, please come this way, this way!… Hey, you there! No cutting in line!!”
(This is a trial, Yoza! Overcome this trial and show me, show me the figure of a guard who has grown…!)
Or something like that, Siderock thought to himself, making excuses in his mind, and had no intention of giving up the catchphrase duty.
Honestly, he was already getting on in years.
He couldn’t move as lightly as Yoza anymore.
His back hurt.
There was no helping it.
Yoza, do your best.
◇ ◇ ◇
“Ahh~~… I’m tired~~…”
As noon approached, the traffic in and out of the town calmed down for a while.
Siderock and Yoza took a break in the guard post.
Yoza slumped lazily on the desk, assuming a position for a nap.
On the other hand, Siderock, while picking his nose, went through the report.
He quickly checked if there were any dangerous individuals among the people who entered the town and if there were any individuals who needed to be marked.
KNOCK, KNOCK!
A strong knock echoed through the room.
The residents of Yoshanka, who were accustomed to the strong sea breeze, knocked on the door as if to strike it, not yielding to the sound.
This was called the “Yoshanka Knock” and was said to be a cultural difference with other towns and villages that the young people who left the town first encountered.
Putting that aside…
“…Come in.”
A visitor had arrived.
Although Siderock was weary and feeling annoyed, he suppressed those emotions and put on an expressionless face.
Harinna, the well-built proprietress of the “Sea Breeze Inn,” entered the room as the door creaked.
“I will interrupt you, Sacchan.”
“If you’re going to do that, I wish you hadn’t come, Hacchan.”
Siderock and Harinna greeted each other casually.
The two of them were childhood friends.
“What’s up? Did you bring me a treat? Did you make some Togoed egg sandwiches and bring them?”
“Sorry, I didn’t bring anything today. I apologize for being thoughtless.”
“Then, what brings you here?”
“I have a request from the Chamber of Commerce.”
Harinna’s “Sea Breeze Inn” was a member of the Yoshanka Chamber of Commerce.
She sat down on a chair in the guard post, and without waiting for permission, she started making tea for herself.
“There have been complaints, or rather, requests from the Chamber of Commerce.”
“Huh? Complaint?”
Hearing the unexpected words, Siderock furrowed his brow.
Harinna also showed an unpleasant face.
“Lately, a cursed child with dark hair and black eyes has come to this town. You know about it, right?”
“…Well, yeah, of course.”
(After all, I’m the one who let it into the town.)
Siderock sighed, sensing that he would be asked to deal with something troublesome.
He had to be careful not to say anything unnecessary.
“That child has been wandering around the town occasionally, and it’s a nuisance! Just seeing it makes people uncomfortable, and when it approaches them, customers run away! Can’t you do something to drive it out of this town?”
Here it comes, a troublesome matter.
Siderock put his hand to his forehead.
The cursed child was ominous.
They didn’t want it to stay in the town.
However, just because it was a cursed child, the guards couldn’t drive it out of the town.
After all, there was no such law.
Whenever there was something troublesome, the people of the town, including Harinna, would throw it all at the guards.
But the guards had their own rules.
Please spare me.
“Eh? That doesn’t seem right, Auntie. The cursed child is still in the town? That shouldn’t be possible.”
At this point, Yoza, who had been lying on the desk all this time, suddenly sat up and joined the conversation.
He was not napping but hears the conversation instead.
“I found it sleeping in the park and kicked it out of the town. I did.”
“What?! You…!”
What are you doing, based on what?
What is a law-abiding guard doing?
….. Siderock almost blurted out his thoughts but realized that it was Yoza who had committed the lawless act.
So, if anyone was to blame, it was Yoza.
It had nothing to do with him.
So, it was fine, Siderock thought.
“Well, it’s still wandering around the town! Maybe you haven’t noticed because you’ve been stationed at the gate recently, but…”
“Huh? That’s strange…”
Ignoring the argument between Harinna and Yoza, Siderock flipped through the logbook of incoming visitors.
According to these records, the cursed child hadn’t entered the town after Yoza had driven it out.
There was only one gate for entering and exiting the town.
If it wasn’t recorded here, then the child shouldn’t be in the town.
It shouldn’t be here, right?
… What on earth is going on?
“For now, let’s investigate.”
With that said, Siderock sent Harinna away.
The tea and sweets had decreased significantly.
◇ ◇ ◇
Translator note:
If you find any mistakes, feel free to point it out. I will fix it~
Chapter 89 – The Gatekeeper of a Recently Bustling Town
“Welcome to Yoshanka. This is a town where ‘the wind is cold, but people’s hearts are warm’. Please take your time and enjoy your stay. Welcome to Yoshanka. This is a town where ‘the wind is cold, but people’s hearts are warm.’ Please take your time and enjoy your stay. Welcome to Yoshanka. This is a town where ‘the wind is cold, but people’s hearts are warm.’ Please take your time and enjoy your stay…”
Siderock, the guard of Yoshanka, continued to hastily recite the town’s catchphrase while directing the incoming merchants and adventurers into the town.
“Those who have identification, please proceed to this line! Those without, please go over there!… What?! You lost your adventurer’s permit?! I don’t care about it! No, you can’t enter without proper identification! Please line up first, line up!”
Yoza, Siderock’s junior (a young guard who had dragged Emmy out of the town when she was sleeping in the park), was also busy dealing with the influx of travelers.
The sudden arrival of the mysterious Yoshanka boom.
While it was a joyous movement for the entire town, for the guards who had been continuously reduced in numbers due to the declining population, it was an unexpected and urgent situation.
They were desperately trying to manage with their limited personnel and respond to the situation.
There was no time to even pick their noses.
It was the first time Siderock had ever worked so busily.
“Senpai! It’s about time you let me take over the catchphrase duty! I want a break too!!”
“Welcome to Yoshanka. This is a town where ‘the wind is cold, but people’s hearts are warm.’ Please take your time and enjoy your stay. Welcome to Yoshanka. This is a town where ‘the wind is cold, but people’s hearts are warm.’ Please take your time and enjoy your stay. Welcome to Yoshanka. This is a town where ‘the wind is cold, but people’s hearts are warm.’ Please take your time and enjoy your stay…”
Yoza was complaining about something, but Siderock ignored him.
He continued to recite the catchphrase to the visitors who came to the town.
This was part of the PR activities aimed at revitalizing the town and had been established by an ordinance several years ago.
This catchphrase was like a sacred scripture to the guards.
They couldn’t afford to underestimate it.
(Yoza… you still lack the experience to fulfill this important role…!)
“Senpai! Senpai!… Ahh, don’t ignore me like that~! Oh, yes, I’m sorry, I apologize! Those with identification, please come this way, this way!… Hey, you there! No cutting in line!!”
(This is a trial, Yoza! Overcome this trial and show me, show me the figure of a guard who has grown…!)
Or something like that, Siderock thought to himself, making excuses in his mind, and had no intention of giving up the catchphrase duty.
Honestly, he was already getting on in years.
He couldn’t move as lightly as Yoza anymore.
His back hurt.
There was no helping it.
Yoza, do your best.
◇ ◇ ◇
“Ahh~~… I’m tired~~…”
As noon approached, the traffic in and out of the town calmed down for a while.
Siderock and Yoza took a break in the guard post.
Yoza slumped lazily on the desk, assuming a position for a nap.
On the other hand, Siderock, while picking his nose, went through the report.
He quickly checked if there were any dangerous individuals among the people who entered the town and if there were any individuals who needed to be marked.
KNOCK, KNOCK!
A strong knock echoed through the room.
The residents of Yoshanka, who were accustomed to the strong sea breeze, knocked on the door as if to strike it, not yielding to the sound.
This was called the “Yoshanka Knock” and was said to be a cultural difference with other towns and villages that the young people who left the town first encountered.
Putting that aside…
“…Come in.”
A visitor had arrived.
Although Siderock was weary and feeling annoyed, he suppressed those emotions and put on an expressionless face.
Harinna, the well-built proprietress of the “Sea Breeze Inn,” entered the room as the door creaked.
“I will interrupt you, Sacchan.”
“If you’re going to do that, I wish you hadn’t come, Hacchan.”
Siderock and Harinna greeted each other casually.
The two of them were childhood friends.
“What’s up? Did you bring me a treat? Did you make some Togoed egg sandwiches and bring them?”
“Sorry, I didn’t bring anything today. I apologize for being thoughtless.”
“Then, what brings you here?”
“I have a request from the Chamber of Commerce.”
Harinna’s “Sea Breeze Inn” was a member of the Yoshanka Chamber of Commerce.
She sat down on a chair in the guard post, and without waiting for permission, she started making tea for herself.
“There have been complaints, or rather, requests from the Chamber of Commerce.”
“Huh? Complaint?”
Hearing the unexpected words, Siderock furrowed his brow.
Harinna also showed an unpleasant face.
“Lately, a cursed child with dark hair and black eyes has come to this town. You know about it, right?”
“…Well, yeah, of course.”
(After all, I’m the one who let it into the town.)
Siderock sighed, sensing that he would be asked to deal with something troublesome.
He had to be careful not to say anything unnecessary.
“That child has been wandering around the town occasionally, and it’s a nuisance! Just seeing it makes people uncomfortable, and when it approaches them, customers run away! Can’t you do something to drive it out of this town?”
Here it comes, a troublesome matter.
Siderock put his hand to his forehead.
The cursed child was ominous.
They didn’t want it to stay in the town.
However, just because it was a cursed child, the guards couldn’t drive it out of the town.
After all, there was no such law.
Whenever there was something troublesome, the people of the town, including Harinna, would throw it all at the guards.
But the guards had their own rules.
Please spare me.
“Eh? That doesn’t seem right, Auntie. The cursed child is still in the town? That shouldn’t be possible.”
At this point, Yoza, who had been lying on the desk all this time, suddenly sat up and joined the conversation.
He was not napping but hears the conversation instead.
“I found it sleeping in the park and kicked it out of the town. I did.”
“What?! You…!”
What are you doing, based on what?
What is a law-abiding guard doing?
….. Siderock almost blurted out his thoughts but realized that it was Yoza who had committed the lawless act.
So, if anyone was to blame, it was Yoza.
It had nothing to do with him.
So, it was fine, Siderock thought.
“Well, it’s still wandering around the town! Maybe you haven’t noticed because you’ve been stationed at the gate recently, but…”
“Huh? That’s strange…”
Ignoring the argument between Harinna and Yoza, Siderock flipped through the logbook of incoming visitors.
According to these records, the cursed child hadn’t entered the town after Yoza had driven it out.
There was only one gate for entering and exiting the town.
If it wasn’t recorded here, then the child shouldn’t be in the town.
It shouldn’t be here, right?
… What on earth is going on?
“For now, let’s investigate.”
With that said, Siderock sent Harinna away.
The tea and sweets had decreased significantly.
◇ ◇ ◇
Translator note:
If you find any mistakes, feel free to point it out. I will fix it~
