An ordinary profession creates the world's strongest

"……secret."

“!…Ah, I suppose so. No adventurer would easily reveal the secret of their ultimate move…”

Garitima sighed deeply and gave up questioning. Precisely because he was an adventurer, he seemed sensitive to unspoken rules. He shrugged and began to help his deviant companion recover. If this continued, a new religion called the "Moon Cult" might emerge, so Garitima must do his best—Hajime thought, as if it were none of his business.

Being stared at with awe by the caravan members, the group set off again.

Since the day when Yue shocked the entire caravan and adventurers, nothing special has happened. The group finally arrived at the [neutral commercial city of Fren].

There were six check-in counters at the east gate of Furen, where their belongings seemed to be checked. Shi and the others were also lined up in one of the rows, and it would take some time before their turn came.

On the carriage's roof, Hajime rested his head on Yue's thigh, with Shiya at his side. Modo came over, seemingly wanting to say something. He stared at Hajime above him, dumbfounded. Hajime nodded to Modo and jumped down from the carriage's roof.

"You're so brave! Don't you care about what others think?"

The looks Modo was referring to were the envy and jealousy he'd grown accustomed to, the admiring and lewd glances he'd showered upon Yue and Shia. And now, there were also those who were assessing Shia's worth. As expected of the gateway to a metropolis, a place where all sorts of people gathered, the attention Yue and Shia received wasn't just lustful, but also those with vested interests at stake.

"Well, it's annoying, but there's nothing I can do about it. There's no point wasting my energy worrying about it."

Shi finished speaking and shrugged. Seeing this, Modo smiled bitterly and said:

"Once we enter Furen, there might be more problems. Are you still not planning on selling her?"

Modo nonchalantly proposed a sale, but Hajime silently asked, "Hasn't this been discussed before?" Modo raised his hands in surrender.

"You're not here to talk about that, are you? What's going on?"

"No, it's more like that. I'm here to discuss business. Can't you sell me your artifact? Just come to our Chamber of Commerce once, and under the witness of a notary, I'll pay you enough to enjoy it for a lifetime. Your artifact, especially the 'Treasure House', is a merchant's dream."

Despite claiming it was a "dream come true," Modo's expression lacked a smile, suggesting a willingness to kill to obtain it. For merchants, the most pressing issue was how to safely and reliably transport large quantities of goods at low prices. With the "Treasure Vault," this problem was solved in one fell swoop, so it was no wonder he reacted this way.

While camping outdoors, Hajime always pulled out a lot of items from his "treasure vault." Modo's expression upon seeing that scene was like that of a shipwrecked man who, after wandering the desert for dozens of days, discovers an oasis on the brink of death. In response to his incessant negotiations, Hajime's slight threat finally set off Modo's merchant instincts, realizing he was a formidable foe, and he retreated dejectedly.

However, Modo still couldn't give up completely. He came to negotiate again, trying to acquire Donal & Hulak together.

"Even if you talk your mouth off, I'm not going to sell any of them. Just give up on that idea."

"But, it's a waste of talent to have such a divine weapon in the hands of only one person. Those who know the value of the divine weapon might not be able to control themselves rationally, right? Then things would become quite troublesome... For example, they might end up...!?"

Modo's eyes flashed with a hint of madness, and he glanced threateningly at Yue and Xia on the roof. At that moment, something cold and hard, carrying a strong murderous aura, pressed against his forehead.

No one around noticed. This was certainly due to the carriage's obstruction, but it was also because Hajime had concentrated his murderous intent on one point.

"Can I take that as a declaration of war?"

His calm, yet icy tone froze Modo's body. Hajime's single eye stared into Modo's, like a deep darkness. Cold sweat streamed down Modo's body, and he desperately squeezed out a voice:

"No, no, please... I, uh... I just wanted to say... since you didn't hide anything... that's why something like that might happen... well."

As Modo had said, Hajime wasn't seriously trying to hide his artifact or strength. If a little consideration could avoid trouble, like asking Yue to sing, he'd do it. On the other hand, if it was more than a "little" consideration, he wouldn't bother hiding it. Hajime had already decided to "not care about this world," determined to defeat all enemies and move forward.

"Is that so? Let's just take it as it is."

As soon as he finished speaking, Hajime put away Donard and released his murderous aura. Modo collapsed to the ground, sweat pouring out, his shoulders heaving up and down, and he gasped for breath.

"You're free to do whatever you want. I don't care who you talk to or what they might do. But if you stand before me with hostility... don't think you'll return alive, okay? Whether it's a country or the world, I'll drown them in a sea of ​​blood."

“…Huh, huh… I see. This is a bad deal…”

Though still pale, Modo answered resolutely, a true merchant. And judging by his interactions with the caravan members, he seemed quite popular. Modo might not have been the type to resort to such forceful measures, but this must have been a sign that Hajime's divine relic possessed a fascination that drove him mad.

"I'll let you go this time, and I hope there won't be a next time."

"...I completely agree. It seems I've become senile and lost myself in lust, actually letting myself be blinded by desire and kicking a dragon in the buttocks..."

"Kick a dragon in the buttocks" is a proverb in this world, and the dragon refers to the dragon people.

Their bodies are said to be covered in scales, offering them an ironclad defense. Besides their eyes and mouths, their only weak spot is a spot near their anus, where the scales are not covering their mouths. Because of their exceptional defenses, they sleep deeply, remaining awake only for the most urgent needs. However, if their weak spot, the buttocks, is provoked, they awaken and erupt in a rage.

It's said that a fool once, for some unknown reason, actually acted on it and ended up being beaten to a pulp. Because of that incident, the phrase "kick the dragon's buttocks" has evolved to mean someone who deliberately attacks someone when they know they could be safe by simply not touching them, only to be retaliated against.

Furthermore, it's widely believed that the Dragonoids died out five hundred years ago, though the reason remains unclear. One theory is that they used a unique magic called "Dragonization," blurring the line between monsters and humans, leading to discrimination and exclusion. Another theory is that they were a work-in-progress, thus being eliminated by the gods. The theories vary widely.

"So, Miss Yue's magic was also modeled after a dragon. I wouldn't call it an apology, but I suggest you keep it a secret. The Church isn't very friendly towards dragonkind, but it's more like a snake than a dragon, so it should be fine."

Modo finally recovered enough to stand up, straightened his messy clothes, and gave Shi some advice. Modo was truly courageous. Just now, he could have been killed if he hadn't made a mistake, yet he was still able to have a normal conversation with the other party. His courage was truly extraordinary.

"Is that so?"

"Yes, the Dragon People are half-breeds, capable of becoming both human and demon, yet incredibly powerful. They are even unbelievers who don't believe in any god. With so many reasons, it's easy to understand how much the authoritarians in the church loathe them."

"I see. Your words are quite ruthless. Be careful I might be considered an unbeliever, ok?"

"I believe in God, not in 'people' who rely on power, because people are 'customers'."

"...I feel like I'm getting to know you. You're a businessman at heart. No wonder you lost control when you saw that."

Hajime finished, stroking the ring on his finger. Modo's expression was a complex mix of guilt and pride, and the madness from earlier was no longer visible on his face. Perhaps it was Hajime's murderous intent that made him feel like a bucket of cold water was poured on him.

"Although I made such a blunder, please be sure to visit our guild if you need anything. You are different from ordinary adventurers. We want to maintain relationships with special people, so we will give you some preferential treatment."

"...You really are full of business acumen."

Hajime looked at him as if he was defeated by him, while Modo said "Excuse me" and turned back to the front of the team.

The gazes focused on Yue and Shia remained the same—no, more intense. Following Modo's back, a man dressed as a businessman pointed at Yue and the others and approached Modo for a conversation. Hajime and his group had originally come to Furen with the intention of enjoying the scenery, but it seemed a storm beyond Hajime's imagination awaited them.

[Neutral commercial city of Fren].

Surrounded by a twenty-meter-high, two-hundred-kilometer-long outer wall, it was the continent's largest commercial city. Within this city, individuals from all walks of life competed daily. Some achieved their dreams and achieved success, while others were left penniless and dejected. The sheer volume of tourists and traders who flocked to the city was unparalleled on the continent.

The huge Fren is divided into four areas——

The central area is home to various facilities related to the city's procedures, the tourist area is home to entertainment facilities, there is a craft area that produces and sells weapons and armor, as well as furniture, and a commercial area with shops of various industries.

There are main streets leading to the central district from each direction. It seems common sense here that the closer to the city center, the more reputable shops there are. Areas further from both the main streets and the central district tend to be home to greedy, unscrupulous businesses—more accurately, the black market. Conversely, rare items can sometimes be found there, having been stolen from nowhere. Therefore, adventurers, mercenaries, and other adventurous individuals often frequent these areas.

Hajime and the others were enjoying snacks in a café at the Fren branch of the Adventurer's Guild, nestled in a corner of the central district, while listening to this information. The explanation was provided by a woman known as an "introducer." Due to the vastness of this city, the demand for such a profession was high, and the profession seemed to hold a certain social status. Many introducers worked tirelessly to improve their service quality to attract customers, making them highly trustworthy.

After bidding farewell to the caravan led by Modo, they arrived at the Adventurer's Guild, carrying a sealed letter of commission. Since they needed a place to stay but didn't know where to find one, they tried to pick up a guidebook at the Guild. Then, someone informed them of the existence of a guide.

Now, they paid a female introducer named Lixi to enjoy tea and snacks while listening to basic matters of the city.

"That's why, if you want to stay, I suggest you go to the tourist area. While there are hotels in the central area, they tend to be places for people working there to rest, and the service can't compare to the tourist areas."

"I see. Then let's follow your advice and head to the tourist area. Any hotel recommendations?"

"It depends on what you want, because there are all kinds of hotels."

"That's true. Let me think about it. As long as the food is delicious and there's a bathhouse, I'd be fine. Location is irrelevant, and preferably somewhere with clear responsibilities."

Lizzie listened to Hajime's request with a smile. The first two items were probably common. She nodded in response, and seemed to immediately make a list of recommended hotels in her mind. However, when she heard Hajime's next condition, she tilted her head and asked in confusion:

"Excuse me~ Whose responsibility are you talking about?"

"Ah, so, for example, let's say we're caught in a dispute and completely on the receiving end, who's responsible for the damage to the hotel? We'd rather stay in a good hotel, but that would make the facilities very expensive, and if the compensation is inflated later, that would be very troublesome."

"Uh~ the possibility of getting dragged into trouble isn't that high..."

Hajime gave a wry smile to the confused Lizzy and said:

"That's generally true, but my companion is quite conspicuous. Tourist areas seem to have a lot of unruly people, and even businesses that cost lives are being run, so there's no guarantee that some merchants won't resort to harsh measures. However, this is purely a 'if possible' offer. If it's truly difficult, it's fine to disregard this condition."

Hearing Hajime's words, Lizzie turned her gaze to Yue and Shia, who sat beside him, devouring their snacks with relish, and nodded in agreement. Indeed, these two beautiful girls were quite eye-catching, and in fact, they were drawing quite a bit of attention. Shia, in particular, was a rare bunnyman. While attacking someone else's slave was a crime, there was always the possibility of a merchant's persistent persuasion, or a reckless individual getting out of control.

"In that case, we can just stay at a well-guarded inn, right? Many people are concerned about this, so I can recommend a good inn..."

"Okay, that's fine, but greed-driven people can sometimes do unpredictable things. Since security isn't infallible, it's best to consider using concrete actions to convince them from the outset."

"Convince with concrete actions?... I see. That's why you're asking about responsibility."

Lizzie completely understood Hajime's intentions. The simple phrase "if it's possible" seemed to pierce the matchmaker's true nature, and she flashed a determined expression, saying, "Leave it to me," and readily agreed. She then turned her gaze to Yue and Shia, asking if they had any other requests. Judging by her willingness to satisfy her clients, Lizzie and her agency were destined for success.

"...Any bathhouse would be fine, but it has to be mixed bathing and private."

"Hmm~ I hope to have a spacious bed."

Yue and Shia thought for a moment before each making their own demands. While those demands were insignificant, when Yue's additional conditions were combined with Shia's, a certain intention was evident.

Lizzie seemed to have noticed this, and calmly said, "Understood. Leave it to me," agreeing without hesitation, though her cheeks flushed slightly. After straying at Hajime, Shia, and Yue, her blush deepened.

Incidentally, the men gathered at the nearby tables glared at Hajime with murderous eyes, but Hajime was already used to those looks and ignored them as if nothing had happened.

Later, as they listened to the explanation of other regions, Hajime suddenly felt a strong gaze. For Shia and Yue, it was the most rude and persistent gaze they had ever encountered. Although Yue and Shia no longer cared about what others thought, the gaze was so disgusting that they frowned slightly.

Hajime glanced in the direction of that gaze, and saw... a pig.

He was definitely over a hundred kilograms, with a face covered in fat, a piggy nose, and blond hair clinging tightly to his head. Only his clothing looked classy, ​​exquisite even from a distance. The chubby man stared at Yue and Shia with lustful, cloudy eyes.

Just as Hajime was thinking, "What a nuisance!", the fat man swayed his heavy body and walked straight towards Hajime and the others. It seemed that it was too late to escape, although there was no need for Hajime to escape.

Perhaps Lizzie also sensed that the atmosphere was not right, or perhaps it was because the fat man was too eye-catching. Seeing him approaching with an arrogant attitude, she even forgot her business smile and uttered an indecent "Ew!"

The fat man came over to Hajime's table, grinning wickedly as he stared at Yue and Shia. Seeing Shia's collar, he narrowed his eyes in displeasure. Then, facing Hajime, who had never glanced at him before, he acted as if he had just seen him and, with a very arrogant attitude, made a unilateral request:

"Hey, hey, kid, I'll give you one million rupees. Hand over this rabbit and that golden hair over there. I want to take you as my concubine. Come with me."

The fat man finished his words in a high-pitched voice, as if choking, and reached out to touch Yue. In his mind, he seemed to have already decided that Yue was his. At that moment, a fierce murderous aura suddenly enveloped the entire room. Even the people at the surrounding tables paled and fell from their chairs, retreating back and trying desperately to keep their distance from Hajime.

So what about the fat pig man who directly bears the murderous aura?

"Ah~!?" He screamed in shame and fell to the ground. He couldn't even move back and wet his pants on the spot.

If Hajime unleashed his full killing intent, he would probably lose consciousness in an instant. However, there was no point in doing so, so Hajime had already shown mercy.

"Yue, Shia, let's go and talk somewhere else."

As the foul liquid leaked out, Hajime, Yue, and Shia stood up and left. Hajime really wanted to shoot him right then and there, but if he killed him with just a few words, Hajime would become the perpetrator. The city's security wasn't so lax that they would let a murderer go unpunished. Basically, unless he could use self-defense as an excuse, the best he could do in the city was beat him half to death—that was Hajime's thinking.

Seeing Hajime and the others rise, Lizzie blinked in confusion, bewildered. The reason Lizzie remained unscathed despite being within Hajime's murderous aura was simply because Hajime had excluded Lizzie from the "pressure." This was the opposite of focusing "pressure" on Modo, and it was also due to training.

From Lizzy's perspective, as soon as he saw the fat man acting unreasonably, he immediately sat down on the ground and wet his pants, so it was normal for her to be confused.

Incidentally, Hajime intentionally let the effect of "pressure" spread to the surroundings because the gazes of those people were also annoying, and Hajime also wanted to let them understand that he wanted to say "Please don't attack me, okay?"

Judging from the pale faces of the men around him, they completely understood what Hajime meant.

However, just as Hajime released the "pressure" and was about to leave the guild, a burly man suddenly stood in front of them, as if to block them. Unlike the fat man, his massive frame, while still weighing a hundred kilograms, was all muscle, and with a long sword hanging from his waist, he looked like a battle-hardened warrior.

Perhaps he saw the giant, the fat pig man roared again:

"Right, right, Leganido! Kill that brat! He, he just tried to kill me! Kill him!"

"Master, killing someone will be very troublesome. Just beat him half to death."

"Do it! Stop talking nonsense and do it! Don't hurt the women, they are mine!"

"I understand. The reward won't be small."

"I'll give you as much as you want, just kill him!"

The giant, named Reganido, appeared to be the Piggy Man's hired bodyguard. He remained fixed on the Piggy Man while they spoke, and once their payment was agreed upon, he smiled happily. Unusually, he seemed completely uninterested in Yue and Shia, not even glancing at them, as if gloating over the reward he'd received.

"Hey, kid, excuse me, you're going to let me beat you half to death just for my money. Don't worry, I won't kill you. As for those girls...just give up."

After saying this, Reganido clenched his fists and took a stance. Apparently due to the sensitive nature of the location, he didn't intend to use his longsword. When the people around heard Reganido's name, there was a sudden uproar—

"Hey, hey, is Leganido the 'black' Leganido?"

"[Storm] Leganido!? Why would he be the bodyguard of a guy like that..."

"Is it money? He's the 'gold-hungry' Leganido, you know?"

From the whispers around him, he began to understand the man's background. He didn't know if he had a vocation, but since his adventurer rank was Black, it meant he was third from the top, and possessed considerable strength.

Fighting spirit erupted from Reganido, and Hajime thought that this should allow him to use self-defense as an excuse, even if he beat the other party half to death. Just as Hajime was about to throw a punch, an unexpected voice called out to him:

“…Hashi, wait a moment.”

"? What's wrong? Yue."

Yue, holding Shia beside him, stood between Hajime and Reganido before answering Hajime's question. Yue ignored the surprised Hajime and Reganido and answered directly:

"...We will be his opponents."

"Eh? Miss Yue, do I want one too?"

Yue simply ignored Shia's question. Before Hajime could answer Yue, Reganido couldn't help but laugh:

"Hahaha, you little girls want to be my rivals? You're such a jokester, huh? Are you trying to be my rival in bed and beg me to let you go—"

"...Shut up, you piece of trash."

Just as Leganido was about to utter a lewd remark, a swift wind blade, accompanied by a pungent remark, struck him, slicing the flesh on his cheek. A tiny "puff" sound was heard, and Leganido's blood continued to drip. The wound seemed to be quite deep.

Reganido kept his mouth shut, as Yue had said. Yue's magic was so fast, he couldn't react at all. He wondered, "When did she chant? Where is the magic circle?" Even as a cold sweat streamed down his face, he frantically analyzed the situation.

Yue acted as if nothing had happened and continued to speak to Hajime and Shia, who still didn't understand his intentions.