Paradigm Parasite - Chapter 172: "Encounter"

How do the inhabitants of this torcruzalb earn their money?

First, mercenaries, who make up the largest majority.

This is almost the same role as that of adventurers in the human lands.

In exchange for money, they act as bodyguards, monster hunters, bouncers and, in interesting places, shop keepers and babysitters.

The difference is that, unlike adventurers, they are not ranked and have to make their way up the ladder based on name recognition alone.

In short, those who do a job well are asked to do it again and have less chance of losing their job, while those who fail are told they are not wanted and are left out of the workforce.

Guilds…… over here, it is said that on a piece of paper on the wall of a building called the agent’s office, it is written: ‘What mercenaries need is trust and a good track record’.

The next most common are merchants.

They buy and sell arms, household goods and slaves, and also run restaurants and a wide range of other businesses.

Those who make a living from crime are excluded. It’s not a profession.

Finally, civil servants.

This is a profession where the absolute number is small and the ratio is high, and these are the ones who work in state-run institutions with state employers.

As a recently created profession, it is still not well known, but it offers a stable salary, regular holidays and bonuses twice a year.

Well, it’s still in the name.

There is no longer any doubt about it, as the new king seems to have set up the system in this area.

…couldn’t you have done something about that naming?

This is like saying there are reincarnated people.

No, on the contrary, is that the purpose?

I know what they look like because I remember them, but… it’s not unnatural for them to be here.

I wonder how the other reincarnations lived.

I think it’s hard to live with the language barrier…

…Is it none of my business?

The Tiger Beastmen treated me to dinner and drinks at a bar afterwards, and we parted after some casual conversation, and now I’m strolling aimlessly towards the inn.

I have a rough idea of the price of accommodation, and I calculated the amount of money I have on hand and …… it will last for a while.

However, I don’t have that much money on me.

It’s not good if I don’t earn money somewhere or ask kind people to give it to me.

I enter a reasonably priced inn, pay the money and enter the room.

It’s a simple room with only a bed and a small table, but I don’t mind because I’m just going to lie down anyway.

I lay back on the bed and look at the ceiling as I think.

The tournament starts in four days’ time with the preliminary rounds, followed by the main competition in six days’ time.

I’m planning to watch the games, so I’ll be here for at least six days.

During that time, I intend to look around here, but four days is a bit long.

Two days would be enough to see most of the sights.

Now, let’s get some new things we’ve learned about the country and its surroundings.

First of all, there is Torqrıçarb, the big city of this country and of the beastmen.

And to the north of it, there seems to be an ocean.

In the vicinity, there seems to be a beastman country that makes its living from fishing.

Basically, these small beastmen countries seem to be clustered around each other, and the representatives of the cities each claim to be kings.

Next, to the west, there is a series of sparse small mountains, and beyond them, the same hilly area as in the south.

There, nomadic herdsmen live on the move, using domesticated monster in large numbers, and the meat they buy from them is said to be of good quality and very tasty.

Finally, to the east, here too, a huge canyon runs past a sparse series of mountains.

The canyon seems to be so deep that you can’t see the bottom of it, and no further information about this canyon was available from the memories I pulled out.

Personally, I’m curious about the canyon to the east.

I don’t know what to do.

It seems that Savage’s legs can easily make the round trip, but if it’s too far away, it’s not sure if he can make it in time for the qualifying round.

The same goes for the others, so it would be difficult to go and have a quick look at them in the spare time.

…I should just be honest and spend four days.

When I asked how Savage was doing, he said he was hiding a little ways away, attacking and eating monsters as he saw fit.

Just in case, I nailed him not to be found by the beastmen.

That’s good enough for now.

Looking out of the window, the sun has already set and it is completely night.

…I guess we’ll continue tomorrow.

I closed my eyes in silence.

Next day.

I was strolling around town.

To be honest, entertainment is not that developed in this country, and when it comes to playing, you can only buy women in brothels or gamble in gambling halls.

That said, the gambling halls and arenas seem to provide enough venting, so it can be said that they fulfil their role as entertainment.

I’m not interested in either, so I’m not going to go there.

Then the places to see in this country are very limited.

I tried to look around the stalls and shops, but the weapons and armour were all too delicate and not worth buying.

Apparently, since beastmen are mainly force-oriented fighters, they tend to emphasise sturdiness rather than sharpness in their weapons.

Swords with blades so thick they are almost blunt, shields with spikes, and long weapons are mostly hammers and other blunt weapons.

…This area shows the characteristics of each country.

In Urs Laguna, the appearance of the weapon, such as the decoration, as well as the sharpness of the weapon, is also of high importance.

On the other hand, here, there were rows of rugged weapons with no consideration given to their appearance.

The high physical capacity of the beastmen seems to put a considerable burden on their weapons, and many of them consider their weapons to be expendable.

This is a way of thinking that is typical of beastmen, who have claws and fangs when push comes to shove.

On the other hand, their diet is quite substantial.

Starting with soft bread, meat, vegetables and various other ingredients, there is a wide variety of dishes, and the seasoning is more Japanese than strong …….

The proximity to the sea and the relative abundance of salt and other seasonings seem to have contributed to this.

It is really a blessed land.

There is probably no other place where the word ‘fertile’ fits so well.

But what is it… something is bothering me.

Before entering the town, I had a strange feeling about the landscape I saw from a bird’s eye view.

“Ah, hello!”

As I was walking along thinking, I was suddenly approached by a voice.

When I turned around to see what it was, my vision was blocked by something.

…hmm?

I stepped back a little and realised what it was.

It was a bear. And it’s not mixed up.

And it’s big. It’s at least four metres tall, no matter how you look at it.

It was wearing clothes that I wanted to say, “How did you find something that fits its size?”, and on its back was a huge rucksack.

He looks like a traveller.

“What can I do for you?”

“Um… I think you’re human, aren’t you?”

… human language?

What came out of the bear’s mouth was human language.

“Do you understand what I’m saying?”

From the sound of her voice, she’s a woman… or is it a female?

The bear says in a troubled tone.

I switch languages, tilting my head.

“Oh, I understand. Is that okay?”

The bear shows a blatantly relieved attitude when I say so.

“Oh, thank God… you know. I have a favour to ask you. I’ve just arrived here, actually. I was having trouble understanding the language.”

You don’t understand the language?

That’s strange. This bear, isn’t she from around here?

“I understand what’s going on, but what exactly do you want from me?”

“Well, I can’t get into the inn or the restaurant because of the language. …… I’d like you to translate for me if you can.”

Don’t crowd me. Close, close. Get away from me.

I push back softly and keep my distance.

Interpreter. It’s a hassle, to be honest.

I’m not even comfortable working with this bear -.

“I would thank you! How about this?”

What she took out of her pocket was a bundle of blackboards.

I was surprised to see it.

Hey, hey. How much does this fellow have?

I told her to put it away for now and think about it.

The amount of money the bear offered was quite a lot.

If I have this much, at least I won’t have to worry about money during my stay in this area.

…As long as I can’t move for four days anyway, I might as well accept it.

“Okay. I’ll accept the job of interpreter. But I’ll only be here until the end of the King’s Choice tournament, is that okay with you?”

The bear nods a lot.

It seems to be OK to say yes.

“Okay. Take care of me for a while. I’m Roe. And you are?”

“My name is Azusa Yonomori.”

……… What?

The moment I heard it, I went a little rigid.

I remember the sound of the name too well…

“Oh, you think it’s a strange name! Even this is a rather normal name back home!”

“Yes, it is. I don’t know… what is it? It’s a name you don’t hear.”

Yikes.

At that point, every question was answered.

You don’t know the language? If you’ve only been here a few days, there’s no way you can understand it.

This bear, a reincarnated one?

You’re everywhere, damn it.

No, as long as the other side doesn’t notice me, I’ll just sit back and let it pass me by.

“Er, what? Yonomori-san? Is that right? Where to first?”

After staring at me, Yonomori puts her hand on her cheek and pretends to think, “Hmm”.

“Yes, that’s right. Then, I think we should first get a place to stay. After that, we’ll find a place to eat.”

“Okay. I know where it is. I’ll show you.”

I decided to go to the inn alongside Yonomori.

This woman called Yonomori talks a lot.

The place has changed and it’s a bar attached to the inn.

I honestly didn’t want to hear what this bear had to say, but after hearing what it had to say, I decided that this would be a bad idea if I didn’t listen, so I silently urged her on.

“…You mean you have a companion?”

“Yes. ‘Yes, that’s right. She’s a troublesome girl who disappears as soon as I let her out of my sight. ……”

Apparently, she and her companion had originally come this way, and a few days ago they had come here through the forest, but they were having trouble understanding the language.

The only thing that makes this fellow suspicious is that she makes my wariness skyrocket.

…She came through the forest?

And she has a companion?

I’m sure she’s a reincarnated person too.

They show up everywhere I go. It’s depressing.

If they were unaffiliated, there would be no problem, but if they were ‘apostles’, it would be very bad if my true identity was revealed.

That’s because they’re tied to Darzain or Gnosis.

It’s also annoying if they start annoying us again.

The story of the night forest continues, but there is a lot to plunge into.

…If you don’t know the language, where did you get that money?

Did you get it from a kind person like me?

“How did you get that money?”

“The girl I’m with sold off all the precious metals she had and came here with the money before I knew it.”

…and she came into town with the money that she and her friend had procured, and she found me when she was stuck in town.

She saw my ears and decided I was a normal person, so she gave me a chance.

“…and the companion disappeared as soon as you arrived in town?”

“Yes.”

“Does she understand you?”

When asked this, Yonomori scratches her cheeks as if troubled.

“It’s hard to explain, but it’s like she can somehow understand what people are thinking.”

…and you communicated with them?

What’s that?

Can your companion be a literal mind reader?

“Well, is your companion of the same species?”

“No. They’re human, just like you.”

Yes?

What came back was an unexpected answer.