Reincarnated as the Mastermind of the Story Volume 2 Chapter 8

 Chapter 8: A request for a nomination received in winter

One morning, Ren made his way to the Adventurers’ Guild.

As soon as he arrived, the receptionist, who had become familiar with him, inquired,

“I take it you’ve read the letter?”

Ren nodded and replied, “I was surprised when the messenger arrived at the estate, but I read the letter immediately. It mentioned a designated request for me—what’s the job about?”

“I was informed by Sir Kai that it involves escorting a group of merchants.”

“Kai?”

“Oh? He’s someone you’ve spoken about multiple times. Do you not know him?”

Unfortunately, Ren had no recollection of the name.

In fact, he couldn’t recall anyone ever introducing themselves by name at the Adventurers’ Guild.

“That’d be me, Hero.”

A voice called out from behind him.

Ren turned around and found a young man standing there.

He immediately recognized him as the man who had first spoken to him when he visited the Adventurers’ Guild.

“So you’re Kai, then.”

“That’s right. Well, it’s no wonder you didn’t know. I never introduced myself.

Anyway, hey, lady! I’ll take it from here!”

The receptionist nodded, and Ren was led to a table in the guild’s dining area.

There, a werewolf—Kai’s companion—was already waiting.

“I heard the conversation. My apologies, Hero. I completely forgot to introduce myself.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

As Ren took a seat, Kai sat down across from him and promptly pulled out a map.

“The job I want you for, as you heard, is an escort mission. The client is a merchant company favored by some noble. Apparently, it was founded by one of those so-called purveyors to the nobility, and their representative was sent here to hire adventurers.”

“So we’re escorting this representative?”

“Exactly. And word is they have ties to noble supporters of the Hero.”

At that, Ren’s expression immediately twisted in dismay.

Kai, fully understanding why, grinned.

“I get that it’s complicated, but they really want your help. The whole trip will take about a month round-trip. What do you think?”

A month was quite a long time.

Ren frowned.

“...That’s a long time.”

Considering his current circumstances—being allowed to stay in the old Clausel estate and serving as its caretaker—being away for an entire month was too much.

The pay seemed decent, but that alone wasn’t enough to sway him.

However, Kai wasn’t ready to give up.

He hastily tried to negotiate.

“Th-Then just the way there is fine! You don’t have to do the round-trip—just coming along for the outbound journey would help a lot!”

Ren felt bad about rejecting someone who was this desperate.

It was also an honor to have his skills recognized.

Even so, he still shook his head.

Even if it was only one way, it would still take about two and a half weeks.

No matter how he looked at it, it wasn’t a job he could take on given his current responsibilities.

“You’re being too vague. Of course the Hero won’t agree without a proper explanation. You should give more details.”

This time, the werewolf spoke up, supporting Ren’s hesitation with a perfectly reasonable statement.

With a smirk that showed his sharp canines, the werewolf elbowed Kai in the ribs.

“I keep telling him—he always leaves out important details when explaining things.”

“H-Hey! You didn’t have to say that out loud!”

Kai scowled, resting his cheek on one hand atop the table.

Clicking his tongue in frustration, he let out a sigh.

“Meidas is right, I guess.”

Ren tilted his head at the unfamiliar name.

The werewolf chuckled.

“That’s my name. I never expected us to introduce ourselves to you in this roundabout way.”

With a wry smile, Meidas extended his hand for a handshake, which Ren returned.

Then, he nudged Kai again.

“This guy always explains things poorly—or barely at all. I keep warning him about it.”

“Tch, come on! No need to say it twice!”

Kai grumbled, his dissatisfaction evident.

Meidas let out a resigned laugh and turned back to Ren.

“Forget about his rambling. Let’s get back to the job. We’re planning to take this route.”

He slid his finger across the map they had prepared.

Ren recognized the route.

It was the exact same path he had recently traveled with Lishia, Weiss, and the knights as they visited various villages.

However, Meidas’ finger didn’t stop there—it continued northward, crossing through the Baldor Mountain Range.

Ren’s eyebrows twitched slightly.

“We don’t need much extra strength until we reach the Baldor Mountains. But once we’re in, the terrain gets rough, and the number of monsters increases. We want you as backup for when we get there.”

Ren immediately felt validated in his decision to not accept the job on the spot.

(Yeah, this is even more of a no-go…)

The idea of the treasure hidden in a secret part of the mountains was admittedly tempting.

And there was also the guaranteed encounter with a Steel-Eater Gargoyle, which piqued his interest.

But even that wasn’t enough to make him accept the job.

“By the way, I heard this year’s winter is supposed to be particularly harsh. Are you sure it’s safe? Why are you taking this route now, of all times?”

“I know, right? I think it’s nuts, too. But the merchants insisted.”

“They have to meet a strict deadline.

Apparently, they’ve acquired some monster materials that they want a renowned blacksmith to work on. Since they’ve already secured a slot in the blacksmith’s schedule, they need to deliver the materials on time.”

The monster materials hadn’t been procured in Clausel.

Rather, Clausel was merely a stop along the route.

“What happens if they miss the deadline?”

“Well, renowned blacksmiths often have their schedules booked years in advance. If they miss this chance, they might have to wait several more years for the next opportunity. The nobles won’t be happy about that, so if the merchant fails to deliver on time, his standing as a purveyor to the nobility could be in jeopardy.”

“Ah… Sounds like things are more urgent than I thought.”

“They’re even offering more than double the usual rate, so it’s not a bad deal. Plus, there’s a bonus for successfully completing the job.”

The merchant was clearly desperate to maintain his relationship with the nobility.

“Even so, I’m afraid I have to decline.”

Kai slumped his shoulders in resignation.

“…Yeah, figured as much.”

“It was worth a shot, though, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah. Meidas here also couldn’t join due to another job, so I really wanted to bring along someone I could trust. I’ll just have to ask around and find someone else.”

Apparently, it wasn’t uncommon for Kai and Meidas to take on separate requests.

“I’m really sorry, after you went out of your way to invite me.”

“Don’t worry about it! The job doesn’t start for another two weeks, so I’m sure I’ll find someone soon enough.”

“Oh? That’s quite a bit of free time.”

“Well, it depends on the merchants’ schedule.”

This year’s winter was expected to be particularly harsh, with snowstorms likely to rage.

The Baldor Mountains were expected to face one of the harshest winters in history.

But Kai was well aware of that.

Just this past summer, his partner Meidas had traveled between villages, delivering magic tools in preparation for winter.

He must have heard plenty of warnings about the severity of this year’s cold.

“Well, since you came all the way to the guild, let me treat you to a drink! How about some booze?”

“I’m still a kid, so I’ll take juice instead.”

Oh, right.

In Leomel, adulthood started at fourteen.

As he sipped the juice that had been brought to him, Ren murmured to himself.

“I’ve really grown up, haven’t I?”

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

Several days had passed since Ren turned down the request.

He had considered going hunting in the winter, but there wasn’t much opportunity to leave the mansion.

As the caretaker of the old estate, he was busy with various winter-related tasks.

There were days when he ventured into the forest outside town, but while he could check on the state of the monsters, he hadn’t actually done any hunting.

Then, one morning, Ren found himself dealing with an unexpected crisis.

The old mansion’s roof had collapsed under the weight of the snow.

“The heat from inside must have transferred to the roof after the boy moved in. The snow melted, refroze, and with the added weight of more snowfall, it must have given way,” Wiess commented, having rushed over upon hearing the commotion.

Looking up at the ceiling from the entrance hall, Ren could see a massive hole, large enough to glimpse the sky beyond.

“I made sure to clear the snow off regularly, but…”

“Hah! Last night was especially cold, so it can’t be helped! Still, that’s quite the hole! A magnificent one, even!”

“This isn’t a laughing matter.”

“Fair point. Regardless, we’ll have to get it repaired.”

“Are we calling a craftsman?”

“We are, but the carpenter responsible for our estate’s repairs doesn’t live in Clausel. We’ll need to send someone to a distant village to fetch them.”

The thought of leaving the hole exposed until then made Ren’s face twitch.

But Wiess had no intention of letting the mansion remain in that state.

“We’ll have to make temporary repairs ourselves.”

“Oh, right. That makes sense.”

And so, carpentry work began.

Wiess left Ren’s side, saying he would explain the situation to Lazard and retrieve the necessary materials from the warehouse.

In his place, Lishia appeared, exhaling white puffs of breath in the cold air as she spoke.

“You’re really going to fix the roof?”

“That’s right. Otherwise, the inside of the old mansion could end up covered in snow next.”

Lishia let out a quiet chuckle, the hem of her white coat swaying lightly as she moved.

The hair ornament she had worn every day since her summer birthday party also swayed gently, its presence undeniable against her gradually maturing hair.

“You’re going up on the roof, right?”

“Of course. I can’t fix it otherwise.”

“Then—”

“No.”

“—I haven’t even said anything yet.”

She didn’t have to.

It was obvious what Lishia was thinking the moment she showed interest.

“You’re not climbing up there. You can watch, but even then, you need permission from Lord Lazard or Lord Wiess. There’s a risk of snow or materials falling.”

“…You’re such a killjoy.”

A short while later, Wiess returned with Lazard in tow.

“Oh-ho.”

Lazard commented nonchalantly.

“Father, can I go up on the roof with Ren?”

“There’s no need to ask. The answer is no.”

“Ugh! Father, you’re just like Ren!”

“I wasn’t worried, but it seems Ren has made a perfectly reasonable decision.”

Lazard let out a chuckle, shaking his head in mild amusement.

By midday, the carpentry work was complete.

After washing off the sweat with a bath, Ren made his way to the main mansion’s dining hall.

Lazard had invited him to join him for lunch.

“Sorry to trouble you. That must have been quite a task.”

“Not at all. It’s part of my job, and Lord Wiess helped as well.”

Still, it had been a while since Ren had done that kind of work.

The last time had been just before Yelquq attacked the village.

And before that—he would have to go all the way back to when he was a child, working on carpentry projects with his father, Roy.

As Ren spoke about his village, Lazard and Lishia listened with great interest.

“…Do you want to go back to your village?”

Lishia blurted out the question before she could stop herself.

Ren had looked so happy reminiscing about his home.

“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t. But if I don’t grow stronger, I might just end up being a burden to them again.”

“But—”

“Besides, part of me believes this was for the best. I don’t know if ‘working away from home’ is the right way to put it, but by earning money here as an adventurer, I can buy magic tools for the village.”

If it helped the village prosper, then this path wasn’t wrong.

As the son of a knight set to inherit his father’s role, he was doing his part to support his home.

“I receive reports from your village regularly, you know.”

According to them, this winter wasn’t as harsh as usual, thanks to Ren.

Recently, most of the reward money he had earned from defeating the Steel-Eating Gargoyle had gone toward improving the village’s infrastructure.

The benefits of magic tools were significant, and the villagers expressed their gratitude to him time and again.

“The roads have been properly maintained, and the villagers’ houses have been transformed. They’ve even made progress on building the wall around the village.”

“Father! But Ren—!”

Lishia was about to protest, wanting Lazard to consider how Ren must feel about not being able to live in his village.

“Don’t worry about it. Everything was my decision, and I consulted Lord Lazard about it.”

So he had no regrets.

He didn’t believe he had made the wrong choice.

As long as his parents and the villagers were living happily, that was all that mattered.

“Lishia, you seem to be misunderstanding something. I didn’t bring up the village without reason.”

“What do you mean?”

“I agree that it’s time for Ren to visit home.”

His sudden statement took both Ren and Lishia by surprise.

“I understand Ren’s reasons for living away from the village, and I respect them. But remember the village wall I mentioned? One phase of its construction will take place in the spring. Manpower is short, so I plan to send knights to assist for about two weeks.”

His proposal was simple—Ren could accompany the knights in an official capacity.

“Even if it’s only symbolic, it might be good for him to go as a knight. If it’s for a short period, he won’t have to worry about the village’s concerns weighing on him.”

Finishing his meal, Lazard stood up and left with a final remark.

“Think it over.”

(If I visit home and then return to Clausel, that means I’ll be away from the old mansion for about a month. I’ll need to wrap up my tasks here before leaving.)

As Ren thought about his village, a small sense of realization struck him.

(…Return to Clausel, huh?)

Unknowingly, he smiled.

Seeing his expression, Lishia spoke up.

“You’re looking forward to going home, aren’t you?”

“That too. But there’s something else that’s interesting.”

“What is it?”

When she asked, Ren hesitated, then smiled wryly, brushing it off.

——.