Atelier Tanaka

Conflict 1

The next day, I received a letter.

A lot of tiring things happened yesterday, so I was really hoping I could spend all day today just resting.

“…I’ve been called up?”

The sender was the Adventurer’s Guild.

After I broke the seal on the envelope, the contents that I read stated that I was being summoned as a private soldier. If I looked through the rest of the contents, there were other letters that stated the rules of the Adventurer’s Guild.

It seems that members of any guild are eligible to be called up when their respective kingdom is in an emergency.

“This seriously means me too?”

It seems that the war Ester-chan was talking about yesterday has also become my problem.

Rather, considering my position, I’ll be more likely to be fighting on the frontlines.

It seems that if I refuse this summons, I’ll be permanently expelled from the Guild. In addition, it seems there are other punishments I’ll receive for refusing.

I didn’t know about this rule. The guy working the front desk was a macho guy and there’s no welfare system in this country. It seems that joining the Adventurer’s Guild is only for those that are in dire situations.

I can’t really ignore it. The only way I have of making any money is through the Guild. It wouldn’t be good for me to get kicked out.

I have recovery magic given to me by a God. With this magic, I should be able to survive on one or two battlefields. I doubt anything as powerful as Christina will be there. And, as far as I know, the noble mage is one of the strongest people on this planet.

“…I guess it can’t be helped.”

I don’t want to go but I have to go.

Let’s pray that I’m assigned somewhere safe near the rear of the army.

“Anyway, I guess I should head to the Guild.”

I wrote a note to Sophia-chan, as she was out doing the laundry, and got ready to leave.

I put my wallet in my pants pocket and left my dorm room behind.

◇◆◇

After walking through the picturesque streets of the capital city, I arrived at the Adventurer’s Guild.

I could see the macho ossan that I had met previously here standing down at the end of the counter.

I didn’t see anyone else to talk to, and I didn’t feel like waiting, so I made my way down to him. It seems like I wasn’t the only one that received that letter. The Guild is currently packed with other adventurers. I really can’t stand it.

The people that would usually be loud and boisterous are all now talking seriously amongst one another. I occasionally would catch a few words of the conversations being had around me and none of them were hopeful. It really made me feel how real this war was.

“Excuse me, I was summoned here….”

“Ah, you’re that guy from the other day.”

It’s not surprising to see that he’d recognize this soy sauce face.

I’m sure if I were to be a fugitive anyone that’s met me would be able to draw up a wanted poster in no time.

I’ll continue living lawfully knowing how easy it would be to identify me.

“Yep. I just wanted to ask if there was anything I needed to know about this summons.”

“…even you were called up?”

“What’s the matter?”

“A carriage headed to Tricklis should be arriving soon.”

He casually pointed his thumb in the direction of the entrance to the Guild.

I guess I should’ve expected to have to leave the capital.

So why didn’t I bring my bag or even a change of underwear?

“Are we departing right away? I didn’t really bring anything….”

“Everything will be taken care of for you. They’ll distribute everything you need once you arrive.”

“I-I see….”

That’s actually quite nice of the Empire.

I would definitely abuse that power if a Japanese company I worked for said they’d cover all of my expenses.

“This will be the first time in fifteen years that we’ve had to gather the adventurers of the Guild to fight for the Empire. Recently, the skirmishes between the two countries has grown.”

“The two countries have fought before?”

“Well, this country has a parliament while the Republic of Pussy has an absolute monarchy. Despite the differences in our governments, the Republic of Pussy and the Penny Empire have always had rather close relations.”

“I see.”

Now I understand why they felt the need to draft members of the Guild.

“But you really do seem quite calm. Are you experienced with fighting in larger battles?”

“No, this would be my first time….”

“Have you not come to realize how serious the situation is yet? Well, once you get over there I’m sure you will.”

“Really?”

This is starting to develop like a war movie.

“Now that I think about it, you can use recovery magic, right?”

“Yes.”

“If you don’t want to die, it would be smart of you to use that to your advantage. You could be assigned to the auxiliary units and be safe from any real battle. On the contrary, if you were to be assigned to support the frontlines, depending on how competent the commander is, there’d be a twenty to thirty percent chance of you dying.”

“…I see.”

“When you look at my eyes, what do you see?”

I looked at the ossan pointing to one of his eyes.

Is he trying to point out one of his good features? Give me a break already.

“Your eyes? I don’t think anything of them in particular….”

I’m a little envious of his deep blue eyes.

“When I was recruited fifteen years ago, I was hit by the enemies flash magic and I lost one of my eyes.”

“…i-is that so?”

Suddenly, the conversation became so serious.

“To be able to survive that war and only lose one eye is a small loss compared to others. All of the other members of my party didn’t even make it out alive. Your party is rank B, right? The rest of the men in the party were killed while the women were all raped then murdered.”

“….”

The atmosphere in the guild has become even more strained.

I wouldn’t be surprised if a few people here tried to run away.

If I didn’t have recovery magic, I’d consider it myself.

Is Ester-chan really going to be stationed in a castle?

I wouldn’t mind seeing that tsundere girl gangbanged and covered in semen. I-It’s not like she can ever be my woman!

Well, we have actually become friendly with each other now, so maybe I do want her to remain safe.

“That’s all I have to tell you. Stay safe.”

“…thanks for your advice.”

Maybe I’ll be able to take advantage of the commotion caused by the battle and have my way with one of the female soldiers.

I started having some indecent thoughts there for a moment.

Hearing erotic stories like this is my favourite thing. I love just thinking about the ahegao on all of their faces.

“Ah, the carriage should be arriving soon.”

Someone’s voice rang out from the entrance of the Guild.

It seems I’ll be leaving soon.

In response to his words, many people stood up from their seats and even some staff members came out from behind the counter. Some stood up so forcefully that they sent their chairs flying back and crashing to the ground. Everyone seems to be really agitated. I’m sure many of them joined the Guild for money just like me.

Unsurprisingly, this world is cruel to the poor.

“Well, see you.”

“Ah, right.”

After being sent off by my father, Macho, I left to join the frontlines.

I got onto the carriage full of unknown adventurers.

We were headed straight to Ester-chan’s territory.

◇◆◇

[Sophia-chan’s point of view]

This is bad. Tanaka-san has been drafted.

“W-What should I do….”

As might be expected, I don’t know what to do. I went to Ester-sama’s room to speak with Rebecca-san about everything that’s happening. She was busy tidying up the room but told me the basics of what’s happening.

What should I do?

What should I do?

What should I do?

No, I can’t act like this.

“…it won’t do any good for me to start panicking.”

I should eat lunch so I can calm down.

Tanaka-san was able to defeat a dragon so I’m sure he’ll be fine. He’ll be right back in no time. Until then, I should really just enjoy this freedom I have.

I should be happy to have all this time to myself now. I’ll be able to live everyday doing the minimum amount of work required of me as a maid. Tanaka-san doesn’t clean up after himself at all, so it will definitely be easier being on my own.

“Anyway, I should go see what they’re serving in the kitchen.”

What could today’s meal be?

Yesterday, they served a delicious steak.

I got ready to leave Tanaka-san’s room with the service cart and had turned my attention to the kitchen and the meal that awaited me there.

And then I heard something.

“Excuse me! Tanaka-san! Tanaka-san!”

A voice could be heard from the entrance of the room. I could hear this voice calling out my Master’s name as well as pounding on the door. Depending on who’s on the other side of the door, I may have felt the need to call the guards. I was rather suspicious of who this person could be.

However, I know that voice.

“A-Allen-sama!?”

There’s no mistake. That voice belongs to Allen-sama.

I shouldn’t be thinking about eating right now.

“Wait a minute, I’ll be right there!”

I rushed to open the entry door.

On the way there, I made sure to fix my hair with a comb. I also made sure to tidy my clothes by fixing any wrinkles I saw and straightened my collar. Recently, I’ve really only been around Tanaka-san so I’ve started caring less about my appearance.

“Tanaka-san! Excuse me, it’s Saito!”

By the way, ever since yesterday, Allen-sama has insisted on being called ‘Saito’. Is this the result of some kind of punishment game? It doesn’t even sound like a person’s name. It actually sort of resembles Tanaka-san’s name.

“I’ll open the door right away!”

I grabbed the key and opened the door.

On the other side of the door I could see…ah, Allen-sama~

Allen-sama looked really cool in his armour.

I could feel my heart beating faster. This is an entirely different thrill then putting my blood in Tanaka-san’s meals. I’m sure this is love. I could feel my armpits start to sweat just from being this close to him. If I were to ask myself which feeling I prefer, I’m not sure I could answer.

“Oh? Y-You’re here….”

“I-I’m very sorry, Allen-sama. Due to Fahren-sama’s influence, I became a maid in this school to take care of Tanaka-san.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes.”

I can’t let him misunderstand this situation. I need to clear it up before anything else. I can’t have him thinking that I’m involved with Tanaka-san in that way. Especially now that Allen-sama has separated from Ester-sama. I’m sure I have a chance now.

Tanaka-san isn’t here right now.

I’m sure he’ll leave right away once he knows that.

I’d like this to last a little longer though.

Allen-sama, looks serious.

“I’m sorry Sophia-san but there’s something I need to ask.”

“What is it?”

“Where is Tanaka-san?”

“Tanaka-san has already left to the frontlines.”

“…i-is that so? Tanaka-san has already left.”

Allen-sama said this quietly to himself then looked down solemnly at his feet.

He’s so cool.

I can’t stand it.

I might start drooling soon.

“Then, Ester must have left already too….”

“I only heard this from Rebecca-san, but Ester-sama seems to have left the capital yesterday. Rebecca-san, said she was in a hurry so I’m sure she’s already long gone.”

“Kuu…I…I…I just wanted to see her before she left!”

I’m sure he knows more about what’s going on in the war than most. I’m not surprised to see him so worried about Ester-sama. He must have ran the entire way here in his armour. There’s sweat pouring down his face and neck. It actually smells amazing. Is this the smell of a man?

“…Allen-sama.”

Allen-sama really is a good man.

He seems like he might weep at any moment. He’s gritting his beautiful pure-white teeth. I’m sure he must be thinking about Ester-sama right now. I want him to show that same face when thinking about me.

“Thank you for telling me this.”

“N-No, it’s no problem!”

He’s trying his hardest.

“Umm, w-would you like a cup of tea?”

“I’m sorry but no. I need to leave to Tricklis right away.”

“I-Is that so….”

I was defeated so quickly.

There’s nothing else I can do to keep him here.

Ester-sama, is a tough opponent.

As you’d expect.

Even though she’s younger than me, she’s better than me in every way.

“Thank you. Someday, I’ll be sure to thank you properly.”

“N-No, your thanks is enough.”

“Well then, if you’ll excuse me.”

“Ah, yes….”

Allen-sama gave a knightly bow and ran down the corridor.

The sound of his heavy boots echoing down the corridor slowly faded.

“….”

I closed the front door once I could no longer see him.

I felt a little lonely.

“…should I go get something to eat?”

Somehow, it seems that everyone but me is busy.