The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick up Trash - Volume 2 - Chapter 110

Chapter 110:

This Again?!

THE DAY FLEW BY WHILE I was fishing around in the dump.

“See you tomorrow, Ciel.” I left my friend in the woods and trudged back to town. I wished we could go together, but it sounded like it was impossible, so I had to give up on that idea. It was really too bad.

As I said hello to the gatekeeper and went through the town gate, a man approached. 

What does he want? 

He bowed deeply. “Excuse me,” he said, “my name is Alivus, and I assist the vice-captain. That oaf…excuse me, the vice-captain says he wishes to see you. He is fine with any time tomorrow onward. Does that suit your schedule?”

I felt some kind of darkness emanating from Alivus. And he did call the vice-captain an oaf…

“Any time is fine, but…” I didn’t have a lot to do, so I was free whenever. “Isn’t the vice-captain busy?”

“Hah! I’m sure he’s fine. You can trust me on that.”

What does that mean? It sounds like he’s trying really hard to imply something. And he looks like he’s about to keel over.

“Are you okay, sir? You seem tired.”

He sighed. “Are you sure you want to hear it?”

“Huh?! Umm…hear what?”

“The captain, the vice-captain…” Alivus began to expound at length. His complaints turned into reproach. He went on about the unfairness of it all, then he started whining… He had a lot to get through.

Alivus carried on until a passing guard frantically stopped him. I didn’t think I’d end up listening for almost thirty minutes…

“Sorry! I’m really very sorry,” he apologized profusely. “I guess all that was really just building up…truly sorry.” When Alivus was in his right mind, he was really humble. Was that why he’d stored up so many complaints?

“It’s okay. I know you’re all working hard on the investigation. Tomorrow, I’ll come to the station myself. When would be a good time?”

“Are you certain? He’ll probably be free at lunch. You’re absolutely sure, though?”

“That’s fine. Would you tell the vice-captain that I’ll stop by around lunch, please?”

“Understood. That’s a big help. Thank you very much.” Alivus bowed over and over apologetically.

I can see why he gets so stressed, he’s way too considerate. 

After leaving Alivus, I thought about what to make for dinner as I walked back to the plaza. For reasons I didn’t understand, we always had plenty of meat. Gnouga kept replenishing it despite all his complaints about how busy he was. There were lots of people in the group who liked it, so maybe I’d stew a nice cut of meat? I could season it with herbs—medicinal plants—and use a sweet-and-slightly-sour vegetable called toma. It was usually eaten raw, but it was good cooked, too.

As I added the meat and toma to the pot, a delicious smell wafted out. Every so often, nearby adventurers would look over with interest, but they gave up when they saw the tent. Bolorda’s tent was apparently special-ordered, so it was easy to see whose it was at a glance. When the other adventurers saw I was cooking for Bolorda and his friends, they waved and kept their distance. Nobody complained, so I could relax and focus on cooking.

I looked toward the plaza entrance, but nobody seemed to be returning yet.

“Maybe I shouldn’t wait up for them. They sure are busy.”

It looked like I’d be eating dinner alone for the first time in a while. I checked on the pot and dished out a single serving for myself. The meat had simmered a long time, so it was falling-apart tender. The flavor of the potatoes that had cooked with it complemented the meat well. The potatoes weren’t very sweet, so it was a good pairing. I especially liked how soft and flaky they were.

“That smells mighty good,” someone said. I turned.

“Huh? Vice-Captain…?”

That’s strange. I was supposed to meet him tomorrow, but here he is now. Next to him were Sifar, Gnouga, and a very tired-looking Marcreek.

“Thank you for all your hard work today. Shall we eat together? Um, Bolorda and the others bought the ingredients, but…”

“May I join you if I brought something to contribute? Here you go.” He handed me a hot loaf of bread.

Hm? That doesn’t make much sense. He can eat if he gives me something? When did that become a rule? He can eat as much as he wants even if he doesn’t give me anything. Er, though the ingredients do belong to the adventurers…

“Smells good. See, Marcreek? Aren’t you glad you decided to come?”

“Decided to? You forced me…ah, who cares? It does smell wonderful. And even you tagged along, Vice-Captain, so it’s fine. Alivus seemed pretty cranky, though…”

Alivus? As I dished the stew onto four new plates, my ears perked up at the familiar name.

“Don’t worry. He knows how to keep it together while he’s working.”

Is Alivus gonna be okay…?

“Please don’t push him too much!” I warned the vice-captain as I set a plate in front of him at the table.

“Huh? Do you know Alivus, Ivy?”

“Yes. You asked him to deliver a message to me today, right?”

“Oh! Yeah, I did. Thanks for getting back to me, by the way.” I looked at the vice-captain with clear exasperation. He chuckled back. “Sorry. I’ll be careful.”

Marcreek made a curious face next to him. He looked…flummoxed? Flabbergasted? It was hard to explain.

“What’s the matter, Mr. Marcreek?”

“Huh? I mean, the vice-captain, of all people…he just apologized to you!”

You can say “of all people,” but I’ve barely spoken to him. I don’t really know what he’s like usually, so that doesn’t mean much…

“Ummm…I don’t understand,” I replied.

“Ivy, have you never talked with the vice-captain?”

“No. We only said hello, I think.”

“Huh. Well, the vice-captain is famous for never apologizing,” Marcreek said.

That didn’t sound like a very nice thing to say about him.

“How rude!” the vice-captain protested. “I always apologize if I think I’m in the wrong.”

The vice-captain and Marcreek started squabbling. To me, it seemed like these two were actually good friends. Unconcerned, Sifar watched me as I finished preparing the salad. I sprinkled shredded cheese atop the big plate of raw vegetables, though I wasn’t sure what instinct led me to do it. All that was left was to eat it—with everyone’s choice of dressing, of course. I set the platter in the center of the table, prepared enough clean plates for everyone, and sat. The bread vice-captain brought got its own plate.

“Thank you for waiting,” I called out. “Time to eat!”

“Thanks for cooking.” Gnouga wasted no time chowing down on the meat. He looked kind of creepy, smiling while eating in silence. Gnouga was a little weird…okay, scary when he got like this.

Marcreek heaved a big sigh and tucked in. He was a little pale, as if his argument with the vice-captain had worn him out. Was he okay? The vice-captain seemed to be in a good mood, though. I served myself some salad and was about to take a bite when…

“That’s an interesting dish you’ve made there,” Sifar said, amused, as he examined his salad. 

Huh? Did I do it again?

“Is it?”

Which part is unusual? He’s eating salad, so…the salad? But we eat vegetables raw in this world, so that can’t be it. I’ve had braised meat and vegetables at food stalls before, too. I looked at all the food I’d made, but I couldn’t figure it out. Which one?!

“It’s my first time seeing toma cooked in stew, too.”

The vice-captain took an experimental bite of the toma, which was tender from being simmered in the broth. That’s it? Huh? I remember eating this somewhere… Maybe Past Me’s memories are mixed in there? That’s it! I don’t remember eating toma like this as I am now. Or making it, either!

“I had it once in the past,” I said sheepishly. I’m not lying. The past is the past, though it might’ve been reeeaallly far in the past.

“And how about the cheese?” Sifar added. “I’ve never seen someone shred it and put it on raw vegetables.”

That, too?! I stopped myself from screaming.

“I tried that one time. It turned out good, so I kept it in mind.”

“I’m a fan! It’s tasty,” the vice-captain said. Marcreek and Gnouga nodded their agreement. It seemed they liked the flavor, at least. Sifar even asked for seconds.

I needed to organize my memories soon. Maybe I’d start tomorrow—I wanted to keep any future mistakes from happening. Y’know…it’s my first time making this, but it does taste good.