Ch. 16 The Commission Fee
by AfuhfuihgsChapter 16 – The Commission Fee
When I had no choice but to camp in the forest, I thought to myself: If I ever make it back to the village, I’ll stay in bed for two days without moving. I had exhausted myself so much in just one day that I swore I wouldn’t go out until I had fully recovered.
“Coffee? Or juice?”
“Juice, please…”
“Okay~”
I’m sure I thought that. So why am I here?
I awkwardly smiled and answered Yuika’s question, and as soon as she disappeared from sight, I let out a deep sigh.
After returning to the village with Ulrika, who had come to guide me, I was now sitting in the reception room of the U.P. building. Of course, I wasn’t here because I needed help.
To be precise, I was dragged here. Maybe I shouldn’t have met Hosanna in the forest. As I sat there gloomily, lost in thought, the closed door suddenly swung open.
“Eek!”
“Why are you so jumpy? Someone might think you saw a ghost.”
As soon as the door opened, I straightened my slouched posture. Hosanna, who had entered, tilted his head in confusion. I shook my head vigorously to signal that it was nothing, and Hosanna plopped down in the seat across from me, crossing his legs.
The way he sat exuded a certain pressure, and I swallowed hard. Then, the door opened again. It was Yuika, who had taken my juice order. She walked in without batting an eye at Hosanna, placed a cup in front of me, and smiled.
I forced a smile in return, and Yuika left the room. With a soft thud, the reception room was once again occupied by just Hosanna and me.
As I sat stiffly, unable to hide my nervousness, Hosanna waved his hand dismissively.
“You can drink it. It’s probably apple juice. Very sweet.”
“Ah, okay…”
I cautiously picked up the cup. The apricot-colored liquid inside sloshed gently. I sniffed it subtly, but there wasn’t any noticeable scent. I glanced at Hosanna, who gestured for me to go ahead.
Reluctantly, I took a sip of the juice.
“Mmm…!”
Sweet! The liquid in the cup was, as Hosanna had said, incredibly sweet. I wasn’t sure if it tasted like apples, but the refreshing sweetness was perfectly balanced, making it incredibly satisfying.
Come to think of it, how long had it been since I last had something sweet? The last time was probably the cola I drank before being summoned here. After that, I had been too busy worrying about saving money for meals to even think about sweets.
Even after I had some breathing room, I had to save up to repair my core, so I hadn’t dared to dream of such luxuries. I couldn’t help but gulp down the juice, savoring the sweet taste I hadn’t experienced in so long.
“Haa…”
Was it because it had been so long since I had something sweet? It tasted even sweeter than I remembered. As I set down the empty cup and let out a satisfied sigh, Hosanna chuckled.
“Now you finally look your age.”
“Huh?”
“Never mind. Anyway, have you thought about my offer?”
“Ah, that… About you becoming my teacher…?”
“To be precise, only until you can properly handle your doll.”
At Hosanna’s clarification, I gave an awkward smile.
How did this offer even come about? To explain that, we need to rewind a bit.
–
It was when I had misunderstood Hosanna and offered all my possessions while prostrating myself. After Hosanna’s weak protests, I realized it was a misunderstanding and bowed repeatedly in apology.
“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…”
“No, you don’t need to apologize that much. Besides, only Ulrika saw it.”
‘He’d better keep his mouth shut.’ Though the subject was omitted, Ulrika mimed zipping his mouth shut at Hosanna’s words. Anyway, after clearing up the misunderstanding, I was picking up the items I had dropped.
“By the way, what’s this? It feels like there’s a bit of mana in it… Is it a magic stone? But it’s a bit small for a magic stone…”
“Ah, that’s…”
Hosanna picked up the cracked core with his fingers and examined it closely. My heart raced.
The core was already cracked, so its durability was clearly compromised. I was terrified that Hosanna, who had the strength to easily lift someone like me, might accidentally break it.
But if I said it was something precious to me, I had a feeling he might use it as leverage to demand something (though Hosanna didn’t seem like the type, you never know). All I could do was hover nervously nearby.
“…You know, you can just say what’s on your mind… Not that it’ll make a difference. Anyway, from your reaction, I can tell this is important to you.”
“Ugh…”
“Hey. Who’s trying to take it from you? I’m just looking, and I’ll give it back, okay?”
“Eek…”
Hosanna’s stern expression made me shiver. Seeing this, Ulrika couldn’t help but speak up.
“President, that’s exactly what a bully would say.”
“I know. It’s just a joke. And how can I resist when you’re like this?”
Hosanna, who had looked intimidating just moments ago, now grinned like a mischievous child. I stared blankly before pointing at him in realization.
“You… you were messing with me…! You tricked me!”
“Your reactions were just too fun. You reject kindness so firmly, but you react so perfectly to teasing. It’s infuriating.”
“Eek…”
Hosanna’s words hit the mark, leaving me speechless. As my bristled demeanor softened, Hosanna chuckled and handed the cracked core back to me.
“You’re a mage, right?”
“Huh? Ah, maybe…?”
I do handle mana, so I guess I’m a mage? I answered hesitantly, and Hosanna smirked.
“I thought you were some kind of thief since you were carrying a dagger, but if you’re a mage, that changes things. I happen to be one of the top mages here, you know.”
“I-I see…”
What does that have to do with me being a mage? Is he showing off? I quickly put the core back into my inventory and nodded. I didn’t know what he was getting at, but I figured it was best to agree for now.
Fortunately, my judgment was correct. Hosanna continued with a benevolent expression (like a saint in a church painting).
“It seems like you’re using a sword because you can’t use magic. And that’s probably related to that magic stone-like thing earlier. Right?”
“Well, yeah, I guess…?”
“Good, then let’s do this. I’ll help you solve that problem and teach you how to use magic. How about it? Sounds good, right?”
“…Huh? All of a sudden?”
I blinked in confusion at the sudden offer. Hosanna continued without missing a beat.
“Everything in life happens suddenly! We were suddenly summoned to this Floating Island, and we met suddenly too. So, this offer being sudden isn’t strange at all.”
“He just wants to train more mages to make clearing the floors easier.”
“Ah…”
At Ulrika’s added explanation, I finally nodded. Then, I bowed my head to Hosanna.
“I-I’m sorry. I do use mana, but I’m not really a mage…”
“…Huh? You use mana but you’re not a mage? What does that mean? You’re not saying you’re a sorcerer, are you?”
“Sorcerer…? I don’t know what that is, but my class is Doll Master…”
“Doll Master? Like those street performers with puppets?”
“W-Well, it’s a bit different…”
Showing it would be better than explaining. I was about to take out Doll 505 (5th generation) from my inventory but stopped abruptly.
Come to think of it, this was the first time I was showing my doll to someone. The thought made me incredibly embarrassed.
Doll 505 was my creation, but it was still lacking in many ways. I was worried the two would criticize it.
But I had already made the motion to take it out. If I tried to hide it now, it would only make things worse. I took a deep breath and, with trembling hands, brought out Doll 505 to show them.
“Th-this is the doll I handle. It’s called Doll 505… I named it…”
“505? Are there 505 of these?”
“N-No. The number 505 is just based on my birthday…”
My birthday was May 5th. Hence, Doll 505.
As I stammered my explanation, Hosanna, who had taken Doll 505, examined it closely before suddenly asking me,
“This thing works, right? I don’t feel any mana in it.”
“Ah, well, you can make it move by inserting a core and using the Mana Thread skill.”
“Really? So, the core is broken, and you need to repair it?”
“Yes…”
“How much do you need?”
“Huh? Right now, at least 10,000 gold…”
Before I could finish, a pouch filled with gold dropped onto the grass.
My eyes widened at the pouch, which was far larger than the 10,000 gold pouch I had. Hosanna spoke nonchalantly.
“That’s 50,000 gold. Should be enough, right?”
More than enough. I glanced around nervously and said,
“Y-You really don’t have to give me this… I can save up on my own…”
“I want to see your doll move, so just take it. Consider it a commission fee.”
A commission fee… I looked at Hosanna, then at Ulrika.
‘Please, stop this guy.’ That’s what my gaze meant, but Ulrika just smiled and gave me a thumbs-up.
That’s not what I meant…! As I sank into despair, Hosanna took a step closer and locked eyes with me.
“Eek…”
“Show me. How your doll moves.”
His deep gray eyes stared intently, and I broke out in a cold sweat, closing my eyes tightly.
“I-I’ll show you…!”
Just please, spare me.
Author Note
A/N (Author’s note):
PLUS… tired…
Challenge… please…
Thank you…
Translator Note
T/N (Translator’s note):
A tired challenger!
Oh and a threatened girl failure, I guess!
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