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

 

 

Chapter 178

(Thank you for reading at bayabuscotranslation.com)

“Hello, Kouta-kun. I am sorry for taking your time. Are you enjoying the party?” (Fisher)

Ambassador Fisher, Intelligence Officer Luca, and I had moved from the party hall to a separate room for our discussion. We had just taken our seats when he said that.

“Yes, thank you very much for inviting me. I also had some business with Intelligence Officer Luca, so I am grateful that you arranged this opportunity.” (Kouta)

“Oh, that is enviable indeed. If I had invited you alone, I would surely have been turned down.” (Ambassador Fisher)

That is quite a troublesome remark to respond to. Ambassador Fisher is a man of high standing, so perhaps this is a form of testing or probing. Since he likely wishes for me to deny it, I shall affirm instead.

“That is true. Facing Ambassador Fisher directly would make me nervous, so I would have to decline.” (Kouta)

“That is rather severe. I have made efforts to avoid making young people nervous, but it seems difficult.” (Fisher)

“Yes, children tend to be cautious, so please forgive me for that.” (Kouta)

We both smiled politely while exchanging such defensive remarks.

 I wish he would spare me from this. I am not a diplomat. Besides, no one is happy about being tested. Perhaps I should simply ignore it, speak with Intelligence Officer Luca, and then leave.

“Hahaha. You are no longer a child, are you? You speak thoughtfully and responsibly. You are already a fine adult, and an independent one at that.” (Fisher)

“Even if I am financially independent, I have no legal rights. I do not even have the right to vote.” (Kouta)

I wonder what he hopes to achieve by flattering me. Perhaps I should intimidate him with my Evil Eye. Though not as powerful as my elder sister’s, the visual impact alone might be stronger. I shall gaze at him with my crimson eyes.

“…Ah, my apologies.” (Fisher)

“No, I understand. It is part of your work.” (Kouta)

Strange. I do not think my gaze had enough power to make someone sweat like that.

“By the way, thank you for the Crystal Blade. Thanks to it, our party’s strength has increased, and we can safely advance to the next floor.” (Kouta)

This was something I truly felt grateful for, so I expressed my thanks sincerely.

“Ah, I see. It was indeed wise to take Mira’s advice. I am glad you are pleased. But you mean to say you are progressing further? Even now, you are on the fifth and sixth floors, are you not? You will soon reach the deepest level of exploration.” (Fisher)

“I have no particular interest in that. We simply proceed at our own pace.” (Kouta)

Ambassador Fisher was sweating even more than before.

Is he all right? If it were me, I would already need to replenish water and salt by now or I would collapse.

“Perhaps you should drink some water.” (Kouta)

“Ah, yes, indeed.” (Fisher)

Is he really all right? Though a straw is provided, he drinks directly from the cup, gulping heavily.

“Ha… ha… ha… Our, no…” (Fisher)

“Mira has become stronger as well. Her equipment may be somewhat lacking, but she is the strongest attacker in our party. No matter what happens, we will protect her with all our strength.” (Kouta)

His expression is complex. Even so, I like this version of Ambassador Fisher more. He feels more human and approachable.

“I have Muze as well, so I can understand, at least to some extent.” (Kouta)

He wore an expression caught between his position as an ambassador and his feelings as a father.

“Please protect that child.” (Fisher)

For him to bow his head to me is a remarkable act. Ah, Mira is truly loved. Deeply and wholeheartedly loved. That alone makes me fond of this ambassador. There is no malice in his fatherly heart. It is something enviable.

So different from my own mother. No, I should not think about that now. I must be nervous, my thoughts are scattered.

“We will support each other and manage well.” (Kouta)

Have we both calmed down now? Intelligence Officer Luca keeps glancing about nervously. Perhaps it is time to move on.

“Shall we proceed to the main topic?” (Kouta)

“Yes. Which side shall begin?” (Fisher)

“Since you invited me, let us begin with your matter.” (Kouta)

Ambassador Fisher cleared his throat, adjusted his posture, and began to speak.

“About the poncho you were concerned about. There are records showing that Germany purchased it from Mexico, which had obtained it as a drop item from the so-called Wormhole, for research purposes.” (Fisher)

That is strange. I recall discussing the poncho only with Suzuki-san, the receptionist. Why, then, does Ambassador Fisher know about it?

“At first, the poncho had a performance level of one or two, but as it circulated between research teams in Japan and the Netherlands, it was used in various experiments and its performance improved.” (Fisher)

So, there is technology capable of improving equipment performance. That is incredible.

“However, as I mentioned earlier, because it was transferred between multiple research teams, it is unclear what experiments were conducted where or what caused its performance to rise.” (Fisher)

Can such disorganization be acceptable in research?

“Well, at that time, both drop items and treasure chest items were difficult to obtain. They probably had no choice but to share them in this way. The knowledge they gained was later applied to items such as Kogimaru. However, it was also discovered that reproducing your poncho is nearly impossible.” (Fisher)

So, this item truly has quite a history.

“I see. There is no reproducibility. Still, with such performance, it could have fetched a much higher price, especially since it was a research product.” (Kouta)

“Yes, about that. As I said, items produced through such unrepeatable processes cannot be sold on the market, so they were supposed to be stored in a vault.” (Fisher)

Oh, this is starting to sound suspicious.

“However, someone embezzled those stored items and sold them. The culprit was Hajime Endou. You might know him better as Director Hage.” (Fisher)

Ah, the bald director whom Konno-san and the others kept calling “Hage”. So, he was involved in this too. No wonder he was arrested. I thought his sentence was unusually heavy, but now it makes sense. He had been doing things that could not be made public.

“He had debts from frequenting the entertainment district, which were mysteriously cleared. We believe he sold the embezzled items through the guild to pay them off. Tracing the items’ paths, we discovered something astonishing.” (Fisher)

So, I was just a random customer who happened to buy the poncho he had sold illegally.

“Do you understand now? The Self-Defense Force was very cooperative in this matter, which was a great help.” (Fisher)

“Yes.” (Kouta)

I nodded obediently.

“This is somewhat apart from the main issue, but it might be related later, so please listen. Have you heard about the large-scale auction to be held in Italy?” (Fisher)

“Yes, I heard from Mira recently.” (Kouta)

“I see. Dungeon-derived items from around the world are being gathered for it.” (Fisher)

Ambassador Fisher showed me his tablet. On the screen were photographs of items with descriptions of their performance. The first was a sword. I instinctively swiped sideways, admiring the displayed items.

Though they did not match my Kusanagi Sword, some were on par with Haruka’s Crystal Blade or Emilia’s Lizardman Spear. Just looking at them made me excited.

“Will there not be an attack?” (Kouta)

“One can never be completely certain, but it is unlikely. Since the list of auction items has already been made public, the site will be under the strictest possible security.” (Fisher)

In manga or movies, this would definitely be the scene of an attack. But since global auctions are held daily, perhaps the organizers have strong security experience. Moreover, any incident would damage their credibility.

“That is amazing.” (Kouta)

Satisfied, I returned the tablet to Ambassador Fisher.

“Was there anything that caught your attention?” (Fisher)

“Yes, the Bracelet of Isis and the Silver Chain seem wonderful.” (Kouta)

I answered honestly. There seemed no need for pretense here.

“If you wish to sell anything, I can handle it for you. This auction is so large that private participation will be difficult.” (Fisher)

After thinking for a moment, I shook my head.

“Nothing in particular.” (Kouta)

Ambassador Fisher gave me a searching look.

“Mira told me you recently obtained an Appraisal Item. That could easily become the centerpiece of this auction. Nations would compete fiercely to obtain it.” (Fisher)

I see.

“The global supply has not caught up yet. It would indeed fetch a high price.” (Kouta)

“So, you do not intend to sell it?” (Ambassador Fisher)

“If I happen to find a second one, please buy it from me then. I will sell it to you for less than it would bring at auction.” (Kouta)

“In that case, I would gladly buy it. I promise to pay more than the Japanese guild would.” (Fisher)

As expected, he is skillful in conversation. My head may start to ache soon, so I hope he will go easy on me.

“In that case, would you prefer equipment rather than cash?” (Fisher)

“Yes, please.” (Kouta)

I answered immediately and perhaps too eagerly, but that could not be helped.

High-grade equipment rarely appears at guilds, and unlike online auctions, formal ones like this are far removed from ordinary people. Expensive items require the help of specialists.

“Changing the subject, it has been officially decided to call any monster significantly stronger than the average floor level a Boss. You already knew this, correct?” (Fisher)

I nodded for him to continue. Honestly, I wanted to ask why this was only now official. Perhaps there were political reasons, but such things should be settled quickly.

“Thus, the monsters that have caused great losses to nations are now formally defined as Bosses.” (Fisher)

That makes sense. After all, no one could call such beings mere small fry after so many lives and so much money were spent to defeat them.

“However, there are people who can defeat such Bosses with only a few members.” (Fisher)

Amazing. There are truly remarkable people in this world.

“Therefore, there is talk of requesting such high-level explorers to defeat Bosses, reducing national casualties. For now, this applies only within the EU region.” (Fisher)

“That is an excellent idea. Reducing losses and advancing safely through the dungeon is both efficient and rational. I agree with it. However, does this mean ordinary explorers can no longer challenge Bosses?” (Kouta)

“No, it applies only to dungeons where progress has stagnated, such as in Norway. Every nation wishes to minimize unnecessary expenses.” (Fisher)

I still could not quite follow. There was no longer any sense of being tested, yet I struggled to understand.

As I hesitated, he explained further.

“Therefore, your party may soon receive such requests.” (Fisher)

What? Ah, so that was the point. Does this relate to the Goblin King? That subjugation connects to this. Why am I hearing this while Mira is not here?

“If possible, we would like to investigate and confirm the contract terms beforehand before forwarding such requests to you.” (Fisher)

“I would appreciate that.” (Kouta)

“Japan’s…” (Fisher)

Because I spoke too quickly, I accidentally interrupted him.

My apologies, I did not mean to. He was probably about to mention Japan’s policy, but I could not care less. Our safety and our compensation come first. Ambassador Fisher can be trusted. His beloved daughter is part of our party, and if any error occurred in the investigation or contract, she would be at risk as well.

“That was an immediate answer. Impressive.” (Fisher)

“No, not at all.” (Kouta)

I no longer understood what he found impressive.

Both he and Mira seem to have a rather high opinion of me, and that pressure is heavy. Is this deliberate? Are they working together as father and daughter?

“I would like to establish at least a simple outline, if that is all right.” (Fisher)

“Yes, please.” (Kouta)

And so began what he called a simple outline, a discussion that went on endlessly.

 

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(Thank you for reading at bayabuscotranslation.com)