Monster Company Tycoon Chapter 53

Chapter 53

 

Gale was quite an incredible person. He’d managed to make even Ragner, of all people, look momentarily flustered.

“Wow… Mr. Ragner, you’re an amazing person, aren’t you? You’re none other than the ‘Hero of Lightning,’ and I didn’t even recognize you. I’m terribly sorry.”

Finding his reaction amusing, I decided to tease him a little. He shook his head as though he was at a loss.

“I’m not that impressive.”

“Are you telling me you really failed to recognize someone this extraordinary? If I were to tell you about Lord Ragner’s achievements…!”

“The person in question finds it uncomfortable to hear, so I’d appreciate it if you stopped.”

Unlike the way he treated me, Ragner was quite firm and indifferent toward Gale.

“Could you please give me your autograph? I want to treasure it as a family heirloom!”

My eyes sparkled with excitement. Wow, even an autograph? Shouldn’t I get one, too?

“I don’t do things like that.”

“Lord Ragner is the person I admire most after my father. I want to become an outstanding hero just like you! Actually, I even modeled the ornament on this sword sheath after yours…”

“Yes. Then work hard at your training.”

“Gasp, I just received advice directly from Lord Ragner…!”

Ragner was impressive for continuing to ignore him so consistently, but Gale was just as impressive for refusing to give up and continuing to press him.

Who knew there was another person as frivolous as Sabira?

If Sabira had been here, it would’ve been quite a sight.

After watching that little spectacle for a while, I quietly moved over beside Ruadis.

“That’s amazing. I knew Mr. Ragner was an adventurer who’d earned the title of hero in the past, but the villagers treat him so casually that I had no idea he was that famous.”

“That young man is rather loud, but it’s true that Ragner made quite a name for himself among adventurers.”

“Lady Ruadis, you were an adventurer, too. I’m sure you must have been quite impressive. Did you perhaps have a nickname, too? Something like Hero of Lightning…”

At that moment, Gale interrupted us in an even louder voice.

“She was the Silver…!”

“That’s enough. I’m tired, so I think I’ll head inside now.”

Ruadis hurriedly raised a hand to stop Gale and began to get up.

Then I remembered something and stopped her.

“Oh, I almost forgot. I actually came here to check the schedule.”

Since I couldn’t casually bring up dungeon-related matters in front of an outsider, I subtly gave Gale a look.

However, he completely failed to catch my intention and simply stared at me blankly.

In the end, Ragner took Gale away and gave us some privacy.

“If it’s about the schedule, is it regarding the dungeon?”

“Yes. You said there were ten prospective graduates, right? Could you tell me when the graduation exams are likely to take place? I’d like to adjust the operating schedule and staff assignments in advance to accommodate the number of examinees.”

Injured monsters needed time to recover. We also had to rotate employees so that injuries and fatigue wouldn’t accumulate. It took time to restore activated traps to their original state and maintain the Combat Rooms after battles, too.

If Ruadis intended to have all ten graduation exams take place on the same day, we’d need to adjust the intervals between examinees according to the time required for maintenance.

“I was planning to send the first prospective graduate in the near future. I’m thinking of scheduling it for about four days from now.”

“That’s sooner than I expected. In that case, I’d like to limit the exams to three people a day, taking the dungeon’s condition into account. Would that be all right?”

If our dungeon were a popular, thriving establishment, we wouldn’t have to worry about things like this. We’d have had sufficient backup staff and facilities.

“I doubt any of the students will pass on their first attempt. Assuming they’ll keep coming back for repeated attempts… I think three people a day should be manageable.”

“I’ll do my best to make it possible to accommodate more examinees…”

The limit of three people per day had also been decided with the possibility of outsiders challenging the dungeon in mind.

There hadn’t been any challengers other than Gale in the past month, but who knew when another adventurer might suddenly show up without warning?

“Oh, come to think of it, you haven’t visited our dungeon since we established the Facilities Team, have you? We’re gradually getting the traps in place now, too. Just as you advised, we’re designing them to recreate as much as possible of the cruel and merciless environment of the Demon Realm.”

At my words, Ruadis smiled with satisfaction.

“Seeing that young man return so dejected made me realize it all over again. Thank you for creating such a good testing ground.”

“Ah…”

“It’s going to be much more helpful to beginner adventurers than you originally imagined.”

I awkwardly scratched the back of my neck.

“At first, I started this not out of some grand sense of mission, but because I thought it would benefit both sides. You’re the one who guided things in such a positive direction, Lady Ruadis.”

“Even so, you’re the one who ultimately made it happen. I look forward to your continued support for our youngsters.”

“Yes, I’ll make sure to keep looking after them!”

It felt wonderful to have someone recognize my efforts.

After finishing our conversation, Ruadis and I stood up together.

It was time for me to return to the dungeon, so I left the Training Center. Just then, Gale, who was standing near the entrance, spotted me and his face brightened.

Had he been waiting for me this whole time?

But where had Ragner gone?

“Your name was Choi, right? Are you heading home now?”

“Ah, yes. I’ve finished everything I needed to do in the village.”

“Then would you mind talking with me a little longer?”

Oh, right…! Come to think of it, this man had been pretty persistent even when I was working at the restaurant, asking what time my shift ended!

He’d even raised a death flag by saying he had something to tell me once he’d finished conquering the dungeon!

“I’m a little busy.”

“Hmm? Didn’t you just say you’d finished everything you needed to do?”

“I have things to take care of outside the village, too.”

“Then allow me to see you off. How about we walk together and chat along the way?”

“Well…”

I felt uncomfortable and wanted to avoid being alone with him. I was wondering how I could turn him down when…

“Woof! Woof!”

I spotted a dog resembling a brown poodle running toward us, barking furiously.

It was Chacha, Ragner and Theon’s pet dog.

Chacha barked fiercely, instantly breaking the awkward atmosphere that had been hanging between us.

“Oh! It’s Chacha Big Sis!”

Theon greeted me happily and came running over.

“My name isn’t Chacha.”

“Then you’re a Big Sis who looks like Chacha.”

“I said no.”

After finishing that pointless argument, Theon scampered off toward a friend who was waiting for him at the Training Center.

“Are you still here?”

Ragner approached while holding Chacha’s leash and asked.

“Ah, I was just about to head back.”

“Then let’s go together. I’ll walk you back while taking Chacha for a walk.”

“Oh, shall we?”

What a relief. I’d much rather walk with Ragner than be alone with Gale.

Just as Ragner was naturally about to leave with me, Gale hurriedly stepped in front of us.

“Ah! But that person just made an appointment with me…!”

“Did you have an appointment?”

“No! I didn’t!”

Gale had suggested it, but I hadn’t agreed. It couldn’t exactly be considered a mutually agreed-upon appointment. When I firmly denied it, Gale couldn’t insist any further.

Thanks to Ragner appearing at just the right moment, I managed to avoid an uncomfortable situation.

Interestingly, as soon as we got farther away from the Training Center, Chacha stopped barking as though nothing had happened.

As I walked alongside Ragner toward the dungeon, I realized something.

‘Ah, right. He wasn’t exactly the easiest person to walk with, either.’

He was relatively better than the talkative Gale, but no matter what topic I brought up, Ragner only gave me indifferent replies. It felt like my energy was being drained away. He rarely initiated conversations himself, either.

On top of that, I’d already used up the few conversation topics I had during our walk to the Training Center, and now my supply was completely exhausted.

All that continued along our way home were the alternating sounds of our footsteps, mismatched because of our different strides, and Chacha’s breathing. Our journey was incredibly quiet.

‘Anything… I have to say something…’

After racking my brain, I finally came up with a topic.

“By any chance, is there a way to get equipment cheaply in the village? Things like weapons or armor.”

“Is this equipment for your monsters?”

“Yes, that’s right. Even if getting weapons is difficult for now, I’d at least like to get them some armor. Since the employees go into battle without any proper protective gear, they get injured far too easily.”

“So now you’re asking me how to strengthen your monsters’ combat capabilities, too.”

“Ugh, have I crossed the line after all?”

It seemed I’d gotten too close to him and brought up a rather sensitive subject.

“Not at all. You can consider it a small act of revenge for what happened just now.”

“Revenge?”

What did he have to take revenge on me for? Had I done something wrong?

Then I suddenly remembered how I’d teased him by pretending not to recognize the famous ‘Hero of Lightning’ when I was responding to Gale.

“You’re surprisingly… the type to hold a grudge.”

“Even so, I’m careful about choosing what I hold onto.”

‘Ah, that type was exhausting.’

The kind of person who held on to old things from the distant past, brooding over them for ages.

Ragner had a rather unexpected side to him, too.

“As for armor… The apprentice craftsmen at the workshops have practice pieces they’ve made to improve their skills. Their quality is inferior to items made by certified master craftsmen, but they’re not so poor that they can’t be used in actual combat.”

“Ohh…”

“Such items should be relatively inexpensive. The workshops usually dismantle apprentices’ practice pieces to recover the materials or simply dispose of them. It would be a good opportunity for them to clear out their inventory and earn at least a little money, so I doubt they’d refuse a deal.”

It was such a good suggestion that I found myself nodding immediately.

Another business connection I needed to establish.