“I believe I told you to leave the house, didn’t I? Um, what was your name again? Wil… Wil something, right?” (Wilhelm’s Father)
“Oh, come on. You should at least remember your eldest son’s name. Don’t make me smash all those expensive vases in the house.” (Wilhelm)
“Haa… Unfortunately, I still remember. It was Wilhelm.” (Wilhelm’s Father)
This is my parents’ house.
As soon as my father saw my face, his temples started twitching. He looked like a demon. It was clear he was on the verge of exploding with anger.
As soon as my father saw my face, his temple started twitching. He looks like a demon. It’s clear he’s on the verge of exploding with anger.
But still, I wanted to talk to my father. I had to. That’s why I swallowed my pride and came back home. I absolutely needed to ask him for money.
“Father, I have a request. Please hear me out.” (Wilhelm)
My father let out a deep, heavy sigh.
It was a heavy, burdened sigh. It felt like the air had been trapped in his lungs for years.
“Wilhelm, let me make it clear first. Your so-called paradise of a room is locked with three different keys, sealed with powerful magic, and heavily guarded by soldiers. You won’t enter so easily, no matter how you try to use your incomprehensible magic or swordsmanship.” (Wilhelm’s Father)
He looked at me with disdain and not a shred of love. Instead, it was a face reveling in the joy of cornering someone he disliked.
“Do you really have to go that far?” (Wilhelm)
“Obviously. To ensure the growth of my beloved child, a father would shed tears of blood if necessary, even if it means being hated by his child.” (Wilhelm’s Father)
“For someone talking about shedding tears of blood, you seem quite cheerful.” (Wilhelm)
“I was just thinking about how much I’m looking forward to your return.” (Wilhelm’s Father)
“You’re thinking that huh?.” (Wilhelm)
“This is your father’s version of love.” (Wilhelm’s Father)
A blatant lie.
“Well, that’s fine. I’ll reclaim my paradise eventually. But more importantly, Father, I have something very important to discuss.” (Wilhelm)
“Oh, really. Have you decided to get a job? Congratulations! Shall I buy some sea bream (some tasty fish) and send it to the [Grand Bahamut] for you?” (Wilhelm’s Father)
“No, I need money!” (Wilhelm)
“Don’t mess with me!” (Wilhelm’s Father)
He threw a powerful straight punch. I easily dodged it.
“Hey, stop it! It’s not wise for a father to hit his beloved child!” (Wilhelm)
“I can’t help but want to do it. Deep down, I don’t want to do this. My hand hurts more than you getting hit, and what’s more, my heart hurts from doing this.” (Wilhelm’s Father)
“Stop lying. It’s me who’s hurt by this. I’m the one with a heart pain.” (Wilhelm)
“That’s absolutely not true. Anyways, let’s continue!” (Wilhelm’s Father)
“Stay away! And wipe that smile off your face!” (Wilhelm)
My father shook his arms, cracked his neck, and skipped closer to me.
This guy is hopeless. I need to get what I came for and leave quickly before things get more troublesome.
“Hehehe. This is going to be a great stress relief. Now, my dear foolish son, if you truly love your father, offer your left cheek. I’ll gently hit you while shedding tears of love.” (Wilhelm’s Father)
“There is no love in hitting someone!” (Wilhelm)
“You’re a hundred years too early to lecture me about love. Come on…!” (Wilhelm’s Father)
“Father, [Grand Bahamut] is lacking money.” (Wilhelm)
“I’m well aware.” (Wilhelm’s Father)
“Then give me the money!” (Wilhelm)
“It’s your job to figure that out. Ha—!” (Wilhelm’s Father)
Whoa, he’s much faster than before.
Like a professional fighter, he closed the distance in an instant and threw a straight punch. My father is much stronger than I thought. I can’t let my guard down.
“W-We don’t even have enough for living expenses.” (Wilhelm)
“If it’s you, you can earn enough for your daily meals in no time. What did you go to school for? Come here—!” (Wilhelm’s Father)
Whoa! Now he’s kicking. Damn it! He grazed my cheek. If he landed a direct hit, it would be much worse than just pain.
My father doesn’t have a single ounce of love. He’s happy to pound down the filth that’s been clinging to the Wondersky family for so long. But this really makes you wonder who’s the filth here.
“Why are you dodging?” (Wilhelm’s Father)
“Because you’re trying to hit me!” (Wilhelm)
“If I don’t hit you, it’ll be boring for me.” (Wilhelm’s Father)
“If you hit me, will you give me money?” (Wilhelm)
“I won’t.” (Wilhelm)
Well then, I’ll continue dodging. Despite having loads of money, he’s so stingy.
“Father, can I at least have some bread (pan)?” (Wilhelm)
“Huh, a punch (panchi)? You want one?” (Wilhelm’s Father)
“No, bread. The kind you eat.” (Wilhelm)
“Oh, bread. That’s boring.” (Wilhelm’s Father)
“Aside from me, Anya is going through her growth phase. She barely ate a leaf for lunch. Aren’t you worried?” (Wilhelm)
“Of course, I’m worried, but I don’t intend to spoil Anastasia any further. I already sent off the esteemed eldest son of the Wondersky family. Is there any further assistance needed? Now, grit your teeth.” (Wilhelm’s Father)
“I refuse!” (Wilhelm)
Hmph, we both turned away from each other.
I don’t want to see his face for a while. I’m getting out of this house.
Ugh, how petty can parents be?
Haa… I thought that things would work out somehow. I closed the door behind me and left my father’s room. He shouted at me not to come back, but I ignored him.
“Master Wil.” (Richard)
Richard Sebastian, the butler, was there.
It seemed that he had been waiting for me to come out, standing tall and dignified as always.
He looked sharp and handsome as usual today too.
“I’m sorry. It’s embarrassing to show such a petty quarrel between parent and child.”
“Oh no, not at all. It was just a disagreement between loving family members. I believe it’s important to speak up during such occasions.” (Richard)
He approached me.
I couldn’t help but be on guard after being attacked by this so-called loving family member earlier.
I tensed up… But nothing alarming happened. Richard simply placed something in my pocket.
“What’s this?” (Wilhelm)
“It’s a souvenir. Please enjoy something delicious with the guild’s young lady.” (Richard)
I could tell by the touch. It’s money. And a significant amount of it, too.
Since my father didn’t give me any money, Richard, as a butler, couldn’t openly hand it to me. So, he discreetly slipped it into my pocket.
I was moved. Isn’t this what real love is actually about?
Richard has been looking out for me since childhood. He’s like another father to me. No, perhaps Richard is the real father figure here. Let’s demote the other one to a fake father. Yeah, that sounds right.
“I’m truly grateful.” (Wilhelm)
I took Richard’s hand and squeezed it tightly.
I don’t know if my feelings will be conveyed with just this, but with nothing else to offer, this is all I can do.
“Even though it’s the spring season, the nights are still chilly. Please take care not to catch a cold and stay healthy.” (Richard)
With a hearty laugh, Richard left.
I expressed my gratitude to Richard’s retreating figure once more before leaving the house.
The money Richard gave me was enough to cover living expenses for more than two weeks for two people and a pet. I’ll gratefully use it for our living expenses. I truly appreciated Richard’s gesture. With this, we have a bit of breathing room so we can forget about the leaves for a while.
I arrived at the shopping district from home.
There was a curious bustle, and it seemed that preparations for a festival were slowly starting. Everyone seemed to be happily setting up flags and chatting about how it was already time for the festival again.
“…I see. The Spring Festival is coming up soon.” (Wilhelm)
It’s a festival of flowers and fruits, held every year with the cooperation of the entire city. I used to love this festival when I was a kid.
By the way, I stayed indoors last year, so I didn’t participate.
I wonder if I’ll skip it again this year.
I probably won’t even have the money to enjoy the festival.
===
Until nighttime, I worked hard on quests to earn money.
By the way, there weren’t many quests available at the [Grand Bahamut], so I ended up taking quests from the [Cosmic Falcon], which offers many high-quality quests.
The commission fees were painful but unavoidable.
It was also frustrating that there weren’t any quests available that could earn me a big profit like defeating a Kraken.
I completed numerous quests, each earning between 2000 to 7000 gold.
I tried to concentrate on quests in the same area to tackle them all at once. However, I only managed to complete about ten quests. In the end, I could only earn 45,000 gold.
I’m a pitiful man. Even though I worked so hard, this is all I could earn.
But I didn’t show any gloomy expression. After putting on a smile, I returned to the [Grand Bahamut].
I reported my earnings to Anya, who was in the kitchen and handed over all the money.
“This is the money I earned from working, although it’s not much. Please use it for the guild. And this money here is from my family. Please use it for living expenses.” (Wilhelm)
“This is a lot… As expected of Wil-sama. Thank you very much. Also, Sofia-san gave me some bread. So, dinner tonight will be a bit luxurious.” (Anya)
“I’m looking forward to it.” (Wilhelm)
After all, I hadn’t eaten anything decent since just a leaf for lunch.
Unless I eat delicious homemade food from Anya, my hunger won’t be satisfied.
Please wait a moment. Anya brought dinner to the table much faster than usual.
“W-What… is this?” (Wilhelm)
It was a surprisingly unexpected dinner.
“It’s a slightly luxurious dinner.” (Anya)
There was bread and a single piece of dried fish on a white plate.
“N-No, this is definitely not luxurious at all. If anything, it’s rather plain.” (Wilhelm)
“Sodane.” (Mew-chan)
Mew-chan agreed as well. Yeah, it’s plain, isn’t it?
“But we don’t have any savings, and if we don’t save, we won’t be able to make ends meet…” (Anya)
“Nonono, you need to eat delicious food to feel motivated to work.” (Wilhelm)
“For a NEET like you to talk about work mew. Show some willingness to work before you speak mew.” (Mew-chan)
“Shut up for a moment. And, I actually worked hard today.” (Wilhelm)
“Oh, is that so, Mew.” (Mew-chan)
You can’t work on an empty stomach.
I persuaded Anya to make dinner properly.
We went out and searched for any shops still open and managed to get some leftover fish and vegetables.
With these, we should be able to have a decent meal.
On the way home, Anya noticed that the city was starting to prepare for the Spring Festival. She looked up at the flags with vacant eyes.
“The Spring Festival is coming soon, isn’t it?” (Anya)
“Yeah. It would be nice if we had some money saved up by then.” (Wilhelm)
That’s something that requires a lot of good quests. Hopefully, I’ll come across some good quests and make some money.
I’m not sure how many quests the major guild replenishes in a day, but I’m planning to wake up early tomorrow and search for good quests. Good quests are likely to be taken by other guild members if I go later in the day.
Anya walks solemnly while looking in the distance.
“[Grand Bahamut] always serves fruit cake at the festival. It was my mother’s specialty. It’s been a tradition for a long time. The guild member who used to make it is no longer with us…” (Anya)
“I see… I would’ve liked to try it too.” (Wilhelm)
“I’m sorry. Maybe next year…” (Anya)
I don’t want to see her make such a sad face.
I want to do something for her. I want her to somehow manage to make fruit cake this year too.
But there’s not enough time until the festival. It’s only two weeks away. Right now, it doesn’t even seem like we’ll have the resources to set up a stall at the festival.
===
Just after I finished eating, a visitor came to the guild.
I was excited, thinking it might be someone with a request, but it turned out to be Clara, the guild master of [Cosmic Falcon].
Today, she had a big pink ribbon on her head. Her clothes were pink, and even her shoes were pink. Was today Pink Day or something?
The pink was a bit overwhelming, and I felt a little dizzy.
On the other hand, Anya seemed happy to see Clara. If she had a tail, she’d probably be wagging it happily.
Clara seemed a bit exasperated as she tried to maintain some distance from Anya, but Anya kept getting close, so she wasn’t having much luck.
“Anastasia, could you step back for a moment? I didn’t come here to socialize. I heard that you were all hungry, so I baked some pies at home. Feel free to enjoy them.” (Clara)
“Wow, thank you!” (Anya)
Clara placed a large basket she was carrying onto the guild counter.
When she removed the covering cloth, the quality of the pies was so good that they seemed like they could be sold in a shop.
These would definitely supplement our meals for today and tomorrow. I’m truly grateful.
“And there’s one thing I wanted to tell you desu wa.” (Clara)
“You need something? Sure, Clara-chan go ahead and say whatever you want. No need to hold back in our friendship.” (Anya)
“We’re rivals and not friends, remember? Anyways, I have a little quiz for you desu wa. Can you solve it?” (Clara)
“A quiz?” (Anya)
“Yes, here’s the quiz. Spring is in full swing now, but what is the specialty of spring?” (Clara)
“Hmm, cherry blossoms?” (Clara)
Indeed, cherry blossoms are a spring specialty.
Cherry blossoms brought all the way from a distant eastern country as a symbol of friendship, are planted in the city.
In spring, these cherry blossoms bloom beautifully, creating a beautiful landscape. It’s a flower scenery that everyone in the city looks forward to every year.
“Bzzzt (wrong answer) desu wa.” (Clara)
Clara looked at me. So, she wants me to answer too?
“Then, strawberries.” (Wilhelm)
I want to eat them.
“Bzzzt desu wa.” (Clara)
Once again, I turned my gaze to Anya.
“Is it the entrance ceremony?” (Anya)
“I want to eat yellowtail.” (Wilhelm)
It should be in season right now.
“Sodane. And I want to eat bamboo shoots mew.” (Mew-chan)
“Bamboo shoots, huh? Isn’t it a bit off-season? You have to harvest them at the beginning of spring, or they’ll grow too big and become tough.” (Wilhelm)
“Bzzzt desu wa, all of the answers are wrong.” (Clara)
All of them are wrong, huh?
So, what’s the answer? Expectations rise. Both Anya and I, along with Mew-chan, looked at Clara with hopeful eyes.
Clara proudly puffed her chest.
“It seems like no one can answer. Truly fitting for a small guild desu wa. The answer to the quiz is the Spring Festival. When you think of spring, it’s always about the Spring Festival.” (Clara)
Oh, I see. The Spring Festival, huh? The answer is somehow disappointing.
Anya, Mew-chan, and I all sent disappointed looks to Clara.
“Clara-chan, isn’t that a bit too obvious for a quiz? The answer is kind of lame, isn’t it?” (Anya)
“Ugh… I should’ve made it more challenging if that’s the case.” (Clara)
As she said this, Clara seemed a bit embarrassed for disappointing everyone.
“…So, may I ask, what are [Grand Bahamut]’s plans during this year’s festival?” (Clara)
“Well, it seems we won’t be able to have a stall this year…” (Anya)
“Oh my, that’s very unfortunate, isn’t it? Oh-ho-ho-ho!” (Clara)
She seems extremely pleased. Perhaps it’s the satisfaction of winning against a rival.
“Well, I have a suggestion for you. If you’re interested, I could cover the cost of the stall for the festival. Of course, there’s no need for repayment. It’s simply an act of goodwill desu wa.” (Clara)
“Rejected.” (Wilhelm)
I swiftly responded on behalf of everyone.
“Sodane” (Mew-chan)
Mew-chan agreed. Anya probably feels the same way.
“Ara, why is that? I believe it’s a good offer.” (Clara)
“[Grand Bahamut] and [Cosmic Falcon] may be different in scale, but we’re rivals. Creating debts over something like this might eventually lead to a day when [Cosmic Falcon] isn’t good for business. I also want to prioritize the pride of being rivals.” (Anya)
“Tch” (Clara)
She clicked her tongue.
Despite her appearance as a young lady, she lacks refinement.
“Also, if we want to we’ll just earn the money for the stall ourselves.” (Wilhelm)
“Well, that’s certainly true. Thanks to you blitzing through our guild’s quests at an unbelievable speed, our guild is thriving more than ever.” (Clara)
Grr… The more prosperous [Cosmic Falcon] becomes, the fewer requests are coming to [Grand Bahamut]. But it can’t be helped for now. Money is needed for survival.
“Is that all you wanted?” (Wilhelm)
“No, there’s one more thing.” (Clara)
“Is it an invitation to tour the festival with Anya?” (Wilhelm)
Anya’s eyes sparkled when she heard this, but Clara’s gaze seemed displeased.
“Hmph. Who would do such a thing? We’re rivals.” (Clara)
“But do you have any other friends to tour with?” (Wilhelm)
“Ugh… Well, yes, I do. I have a hundred friends, you know. When I’m feeling generous, I might even let Anastasia make it into the top hundred desu wa.” (Clara)
“Eh, you have other friends?” (Anya)
Anya delivered a perfectly timed blow, hitting Clara right in the heart. It seems to have dealt significant damage.
“W-Well, yes, I do have other friends…” (Clara)
“What kind of people are they? Do I know them too?” (Anya)
“Enough of that desu wa. Let’s move on to the next matter. Now, here’s a quiz for you.” (Clara)
Another quiz?
“When we talk about spring specialties, we think of the Spring Festival, but what’s the iconic item of the Spring Festival? Yes, Anastasia, please answer.” (Clara)
“Well, of course, it’s the fruitcake that [Grand Bahamut] sells, right?” (Anya)
“While that is delicious, bzzzt desu wa! The correct answer is the Guild Competition desu wa.” (Clara)
Ah, right, that exists.
It’s a heated competition that always draws a large crowd due to its popularity.
“The Guild Competition. It’s a splendid battle that’s the highlight of the festival. There’s even prize money from the country. The eligibility criteria are simple: Only young women affiliated with a guild are allowed to participate. Although there are no specific rules, the unspoken rule is that they have to be younger than 24 years old.” (Clara)
So that means Anya, Clara, and even Sofia, are eligible.
“I intend to showcase the greatness of [Cosmic Falcon] during the Guild Competition to everyone in the city.” (Clara)
“Clara-chan, you know that this year Sophia-san will win, right?” (Anya)
“No, this year you should participate, Anastasia. I will also join. Let’s settle our long-standing feud there.” (Clara)
“But there’s no feud between us?” (Anya)
“T-he-re is de-su-wa. Read the room and just accept it. If Anastasia loses, [Grand Bahamut] will come under the umbrella of [Cosmic Falcon].” (Clara)
“Ehhh?!” (Anya)
“It’s a promise. So even if you run away and don’t participate on the day of the event, Anastasia, it will still count as your loss.” (Clara)
Clara hurried towards the exit before Anya could argue back, seemingly intent on making a quick getaway.
She glanced back once, then lifted the hem of her skirt.
“Well then, goodbye (gokigenyou).” (Clara)
She elegantly left the guild.
It’s rare to see someone make such a grand exit, even among nobles. She’s just a commoner trying to act like a noble.
“Hmm… Well, if I win, maybe I’ll ask Clara to tell me the names of her hundred friends.” (Anya)
Let’s not do that. With that kind of personality, she probably doesn’t have any friends at all.
TL Notes:
Thanks for reading!
I’m back from all my school stuff, and what a chapter to come back to.
Putting aside MC’s father who clearly doesn’t care about [Grand Bahamut], I’m guessing this is where the Anya training arc begins. If they win they could totally ask Clara to pay off their debts.
I’m not sure if MC was joking when he said Clara is a commoner trying to act like a noble, but she probably is a noble.
Also, asking Clara to name a hundred friends as the prize is brutal lol.
Footnote:
- None