New chapter of Ordinary Person is out! (3/3 chapters)

 

 

Chapter 121

(Thank you for reading at bayabuscotranslation.com)

I had made my way to the third floor. In order to earn at least a modest livelihood, I was cutting down goblins one after another. Since I was alone today, I absolutely could not afford to allow them to call for reinforcements.

I cut down the monsters with care yet with swiftness. This was, without a doubt, the finest performance I was capable of at present. And yet… my luck with drops was utterly nonexistent. Even on the day of the terror incident, my luck with drops had been dreadful.

Today, it was appallingly worse. All I had obtained was a single pelt… that crude scrap the goblins used to cover their loins. Three hundred yen. That would suffice for a fried horse mackerel and a single two-liter bottle of water for Muze. Even Muze, unusually for her, seemed to be lacking concentration today. Rather than squealing during battle as she normally did, there were times she would gaze absentmindedly elsewhere. Well, to be fair, even if she had been focused, the results would not have been much different.

We still had frozen food left, are we not?

The emergency supply of cup noodles had also remained nearly untouched. For the time being, we would simply have to subsist on those. The scarcity of drops was so severe that I leaned my back against a tree and exhaled a long sigh.

Is this what they call the “desire sensor”?

“…Muze, perhaps we should return for today.” (Kouta)

“Myuu~. Master, is it that you are in want of money?” (Muze)

That is true, but… how should I put it?

“…Indeed.” (Kouta)

“Rather than monster drops, would the treasure chest that has been lying right there all along not suffice?” (Muze)

When I lifted my gaze upward, I saw Muze’s tiny hand pointing directly to the side. I turned fearfully, and there it sat in solemn grandeur, an iron treasure chest.

Why… why had I not noticed it?

I had indeed been aware that something was there. Yet, owing to preconception, I had simply assumed it to be a rock or something of that nature. Apparently, Muze had been attentive to it all along.

“If Master absolutely insists upon earning money through drops, then Muze shall support that resolve as well! However, if it is merely that we must earn, then it is the treasure chest we must open! There should be no hesitation! Muze shall ever remain at your side!!” (Muze)

Yes, Muze was quite literally clinging to me. If she had noticed earlier, I truly wished she had told me so at once.

“Incidentally, there is another one just over there!” (Muze)

What sort of fool was I, continuing to fight while ignoring two treasure chests in the vicinity…?

I cut a nearby branch, stripped it, and shaped it into a long staff. With it, I intended to maintain distance and ensure safety.

“Myu? Should Muze open it?” (Muze)

“No, it is dangerous. Muze, please step back.” (Kouta)

Obediently, Muze drew her head in.

Well, since she was perched upon my head, it only meant she had shifted a little lower. It was merely the difference between resting atop my crown or the back of my head. From a diagonal angle before the iron chest, I thrust the long staff with enough force to blow the lid open. This was a new method of opening chests while avoiding danger.

Lately, it had become a trend in livestreams, popularly known as “My Safety!” It was said to have an eighty percent success rate, a revolutionary method of opening treasure. However, it did demand considerable strength, strength to cut down the branch, to wield the heavy staff, and finally to blow the lid off. Of course, one could simply lift it, but still.

It appeared there had been no trap. What emerged from within was…

“…A ring, it seems.” (Kouta)

“We did it! Today Muze has worked enough for two bottles of water!!” (Muze)

Muze shamelessly demanded compensation. Yet she was correct. If I failed to give her two bottles for this, I would indeed be unworthy as her master. I did not know what kind of ring it was, but if it increased defense, I wished very much to give it to Emilia. Therefore, selling it was not an option.

“Muze, if possible–…” (Kouta)

“I understand already! Emilia will surely be delighted, I am certain of it!” (Muze)

“Muze… thank you.” (Kouta)

“Have you forgotten, Master? There is still one more treasure chest!” (Muze)

Ah, that is right! I had let it slip from my mind. If that one yields something good… or rather, at this point anything at all would suffice! I could sell its contents and let Muze drink her fill of water.

This one is a wooden chest! So what? Such trivialities matters not! Become Muze’s treat!

*Boom!!*

A blast mine trap…

It triggered upon the opening of the chest, blowing away everything within a radius of one meter, one of the most fiendish of all traps. It was feared precisely because it had one of the highest fatality rates among known traps. And, the reason it was considered the worst of the worst was that one could see exactly what had been blown to pieces.

Scattered shards of glass, a vivid red liquid like food coloring… potions. Each bottle worth more than ten million yen, a strategic resource of Japan. That miraculous liquid, potion. And now, before my very eyes, it had been utterly shattered…

““Aaaaahhhhhhhhhh!!?”” (Kouta/Muze)

“My potion!!” (Kouta)

“My water!!” (Muze)

Together we clutched our heads in despair.

 

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