Due to their subjugation of the Lord, Wild Tempest became even more famous. The reward they obtained was enormous, and they became well-known as a major clan in both name and substance.
When a clan became famous, its members would also become popular. The clan master, Noel, and all of the members became the idols of the people living in the Empire.
Kouga was especially popular. As a Bladesman from an island country in the Far East, he had a mysterious background, exotic and handsome features, and more than anything else, his role as an attacker was an easy-to-understand position. It would be weird if he wasn’t popular.
Previously, Alma, who also had the same role of attacker, was the one who was more popular. Her alluring and bewitching appearance that was all curves despite her short height, her position as the sole girl in the clan, and the gap effect from the strength she showed despite all that were the reasons for her popularity.
However, when the fact that Kouga was the one who dealt the finishing blow to the Lord was revealed and spread through newspaper interviews, his fans started to increase explosively regardless of gender. The other members were tremendously popular, but Kouga had overwhelmingly more fans than they did. It was to such an extent that he was now third in the『Men you’d like to hook up with in the imperial capital』rankings.
Of course, Noel, the clan master, was also very popular. Noel's appeal lay in the gap effect from his feminine appearance, clever verbal skills and his position as the youngest clan master.
However, Noel was a rearguard. On top of that, he was a Buffer. He inevitably lacked brilliance when compared to those with vanguard Jobs who fought bravely on the frontlines. He was highly rated by his peers, who understood his value, but his fans, who were normal people, were fewer compared to the other members. In the end, people liked strength that was easy to understand.
Thus, Kouga became the most popular Seeker in the clan. When he walked through the imperial capital, high-pitched cheers would come flying and he would be mobbed by fans asking for his autograph. The number of times that he was approached by beautiful women who wanted to have relations with him was more than a few. He was in a position that was enviable to any man.
However, Kouga didn’t become full of himself just because of that. He was a soft-hearted person, so he didn’t skimp on providing fan service, but he politely refused all of the women who wanted to have relations with him. Also, even though he had obtained a huge reward, he didn’t spend it wastefully like Alma did, and he always kept in mind simplicity and frugality.
Kouga understood. That it was all thanks to Noel that he was who he was now. That didn’t mean that he was belittling himself. He didn’t think that he was inferior when compared to Alma, Leon or Hugo, and if anything, he held the belief that he ought to be stronger than anyone else.
However, before being a Seeker, Kouga was a sword. And the one who wielded that sword was the master that Kouga had chosen, Noel.
「Noel, I want to be watching beside you when you make your dreams come true. If it's a ferocious wolf you want, then that's the path I need to go down. So, please. Let me be your ally」
He would never forget the words he said that day. Kouga had become stronger——had decided that he must be strong because of Noel. It was because Noel was there. For that reason, he believed that the fame he had now wasn’t his, but was all Noel’s.
Loyalty——or maybe friendship. Noel was an inhuman and terrifying man who was merciless even to his allies, but Kouga had no doubts about walking together with him. Noel was worth it.
However, just because he admired Noel, it didn’t mean that he lived his life according to Noel’s every wish. Kouga had his own life. Noel didn’t think highly of the fact that he was working part-time at his lodgings. He had hinted to Kouga that he should quit at once. The reason why Kouga didn’t quit but continued his side-job, was because it was what Kouga himself wanted.
「Huh? You want the young lady to work at my place!?」
Kouga was so surprised that he dropped the bread that he was holding. When he was eating the staff meal during the break time of the Silver Oven, which was both his lodgings and where he worked part-time, Ursula, the owner of the store, said something completely unexpected.
「Kouga, you mentioned previously that you guys don’t have a clerk, right? That’s why I was wondering if you could hire Nina as your clerk. What do you think?」
「Even if you ask me that……」
Kouga looked at Nina, who was sitting next to Ursula. The two of them were mother and daughter.
Ursula was a portly middle-aged woman. She was a typical downtown proprietress who always spoke loudly and laughed heartily. She was a strong-minded and reliable person.
However, her daughter Nina was a very beautiful girl with a delicate air. She was petite and her white hair that stretched to her waist was tied with a ribbon. Looking closely, it was possible to see that parts of her face were similar to Ursula’s, but at first glance, no one would think that they were related.
They differed not just in appearance, but also in personality. In contrast to Ursula, who was jovial and rough, Nina rarely showed her feelings. She was very taciturn. Even now, irregardless of the fact that she had become the subject of the conversation, she was continuing to eat without expression.
「……It's quite an abrupt topic. In the first place, why don't you want her to work here?」
「I mean, this girl can't inherit the store. Kouga knows it too, right? That this girl is incredibly bad at cooking」
「That's certainly one thing I can't deny」
While he did feel bad for her, Kouga smiled wryly.
Ursula's Job was Cook, and she could use Skills to improve her cooking skills as well as enhance the quality of the finished product. And her daughter Nina was also a Cook. But to put it clearly, the food she made was unpalatable. It looked appetizing enough and she had also used her Skill, but its taste was fatally bad. Just once, Kouga had been served food that she had cooked, but he remembered spitting it out the instant it had touched his tongue
Jobs were people’s hidden potential——in other words, their talent, but it was up to each person to master it. If there were those who didn’t like fighting even though they had combat type Jobs, then there would also be those who were indifferent to flavors despite being a Cook. Unfortunately, that was what Nina was.
「So that’s why you want to let her work a different job……」
Rather than the lodging side of the business, the restaurant was the main focus of the Silver Oven. The food sold well because it was cheap, fast, had big portions and was delicious. If Nina, who was bad at cooking, inherited the store, it would probably close down right away after losing all their customers.
「What are you going to do about the operation of this store?」
It was a store with many customers. If Nina were to leave the store, Ursula would quickly be unable to cope with the workload. Kouga too couldn’t show up at the store when he had Seeker work.
「I intend on shortening the business hours. If Nina were to work elsewhere, we’ll also have financial leeway. It’ll work out if the two of you help out occasionally」
「I see」
「This girl is good at math, so I think that she’s cut out to be a clerk, but as you can see, she lacks sociability, doesn’t she? She’ll likely never make it through job interviews」
Ursula let out a troubled laugh and stroked Nina’s head with her big hand. Due to the large difference in their physiques, every time Ursula moved her hand, Nina's head got tilted in every direction.
「Mom, my head is going to fall off」
「Oh, sorry」
At Nina’s sullen voice, Ursula took her hand away.
「You're really delicate, aren’t you? That’s why I told you to drink milk every day」
「I hate milk」
「You’ve always had a lot of likes and dislikes, or perhaps I should say that you're very picky about food……」
Ursula sighed deeply, and then returned her gaze to Kouga.
「I’m sorry, she's a girl like that, but could you put in a good word for her with your clan master? Apart from her personality, she’s a girl who does her work perfectly, so I think that it won’t hurt for you guys to hire her」
「I want very much to help, but it doesn’t seem like Noe……our boss intends on hiring a clerk for now」
At the moment, Noel's policy was that he didn’t want to let outsiders know about their internal affairs. He would probably hire a clerk eventually, but even when it came time to do that, Noel would likely hire someone that he could trust. Perhaps it was due to the money troubles he had with his previous allies, but it appeared that he had become very careful about money. Kouga knew that Nina had a serious attitude towards work, but he didn’t think that Noel would permit it even if Kouga put in a good word for her.
「For that reason, I can’t be of help」
「Can you please do something about that!? Please help us, Kouga!」
「No, I don’t have the discretion to……」
「Kouga is the only one among my acquaintances who is working in a decent place. My husband is long dead, and the male customers who come here are all good for nothing drunks. I don’t have anyone other than Kouga who I can count on」
「If it's a decent place you want, I think you had better give up on our place」
「Huh? Why?」
「Oh. ……Pl, please forget what I just said! W, we’re decent, really!」
Kouga hurriedly corrected the words that he had inadvertently blurted out.
Ever since the prison bombing incident, Wild Tempest had been celebrated as heroes. Despite having a pretty bad reputation previously, like it had all been a lie, only good things could be heard about them now. In order to make that happen, Noel had bribed the various newspaper companies. For that reason, if Kouga said something inappropriate and ended up tarnishing the clan’s image, Noel would undoubtedly fly into a rage. When Kouga pictured a furious Noel in his head, he got so scared that he almost wet his pants.
「In the first place, what does the young lady think? Do you want to work at our place?」
When Kouga turned the conversation to Nina, she put the bread that she was eating down on her plate.
「As long as I can work, I don’t mind where」
「Isn’t there anything you want to do with your life?」
「Not particularly, no」
「I, I see……」
When she answered matter-of-factly, Kouga was at a loss. Nina was smart and capable. However, due to this personality, she missed out on various things. Like this, it would also be difficult for Kouga to put in a good word for her.
「This stupid girl!」
Angry with Nina's attitude, Ursula smacked her on the head.
「……Mom, that hurts」
「I’m hitting you, so it's supposed to hurt! Even though Kouga is willing to give us a hand, why are you always like this!?」
「……Aren’t you simply forcing it on him, Mom?」
「What did you say!?」
「It, it’s nothing……」
It appeared that even Nina was weak against an angry Ursula. She had tucked her head in and was protecting it with both hands. Watching such an exchange between mother and daughter, a stifled laugh escaped Kouga.
Kouga liked this mother and daughter. To Kouga, who had been abandoned by his parents, the sight of these two people living while supporting each other was dazzling. And it was heart-warming.
Recently, prices had risen due to the matter of the Variant, which had adversely affected the store. The number of customers hadn’t decreased, and the prices on the menu had also been increased, but even so, the ill effects on the overall economy were big and profits were lower than usual.
That was why Ursula was worried about her daughter. She was pushy, but it was all for Nina’s sake. He could clearly tell how much she valued her daughter.
「……Okay, I understand. I’ll try talking to the boss about the matter of hiring her as a clerk」
「Ehh! Really!?」
When Kouga nodded with a smile, Ursula’s face lit up.
「Kouga, I’m indebted to you!」
「But it’ll depend on what my boss——OwwWWww!?」
Kouga screamed in pain before he could finish his sentence. That was because Ursula, who was overcome with emotion, had hugged Kouga with all her might.
「Proprietress, I’ll break, I’ll break!」
「Oh, I’m sorry! I'm so happy that I couldn’t help it. Come on, Nina, you thank him too」
Ursula stepped away from Kouga, and urged Nina on.
「......Thank you very much, Kouga」
As usual, her voice was monotonous and deadpan, but Nina had a slight blush on her cheeks. Nina had human emotions after all. But an obvious thing like that made Kouga feel just a little happy.
However, at the same time, he felt extremely uneasy. Needless to say, it was about Noel. Noel already didn’t think highly of his side job, so if Kouga told him that he would like for his acquaintance to be hired, would he really be able to get Noel to permit it?
「......Well, it’ll probably work out somehow」
Kouga decided to think about it optimistically, but his voice was trembling.
Hopefully, he would be able to at least avoid being castrated……
Catching up with Kouga this time. So, is Nina going to become the clan’s clerk? Can Kouga convince Noel? As usual, Kouga is a chicken outside of battles, what a waste of his MC looks lol. He's even third now, behind Sieg and Johann......
And worry not, after Leon and Kouga, next chapter isn’t going to be Alma or Hugo POV lol. Author isn’t that obvious. It is, though, from the POV of two different characters, one we know and one we don’t! Dum dum! What’s the brand new character going to be like? Stay tuned!
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