Chapter 17: More Residents

“Man, that was a close call, Sylha!”

Lillria and I had been taken to the guard post—a place that functioned like a police station.

I suppose that halfway through, I got so eager to grill the meat that I ended up cranking the fire up too high.

While I was silently reproaching myself, Sylha—who happened to be out shopping—accidentally noticed us.

It seems that the renown of being the Ninth-ranked member of the Adventurer’s Association reverberated even among the guards, and when they found out we were acquaintances of the Ninth, they let us go without a hitch.

Incredible! With the might of being Ninth, you could throw a campfire in the middle of town and still get away with it!

Still, we nearly ended up back in a jail cell. Does this world not even have a court system?

“It’s not that I care about that, but what did you two get yourselves into?”

“We were just having a barbecue, and the fire got out of hand—it ended up looking like a campfire.”

“If you turn a barbecue fire into a campfire-level blaze, doesn’t that mean it’s basically a fire?”

You could say that. We were so famished that our minds weren’t functioning properly. All we could think upon seeing that massive fire was, “Wow, this is going to make the meat taste even better!”

“Still, you two bought a house, huh? Congrats!”

“Thanks, Sylha. But you know, even though we bought it, the microwave and the bath were already broken.”

“Ah, that sort of thing happens when you just buy a place. ——… That’s it!”

Sylha clapped his hands with a パン sound, and then looked at our faces.

“So, can I live in your house too? I’ll pay for it!”

~~~~~~

“— Here’s the toilet, and over there is the bath. Also, on the second floor there are still five vacant rooms, so feel free to use whichever one you like.”

We came back to our house with Sylha in tow. From today on, Sylha is also a resident here.

I had taken the spacious first-floor room as the master’s quarters, and Lillria had already secured the room just upstairs.

Man, Sylha, that is one brilliant idea. Who knew you’d solve my dilemma of how to earn passive income so effortlessly? Not for nothing that you’re Ninth!

By letting someone live in these empty rooms, we can cover our living expenses with their rent. We can even pay Lillria’s salary from that. Renting out rooms—it’s the perfect gig for a NEET!

“But why did you decide to move in here, Sylha? Weren’t you originally working in another country?”

From what I heard while riding in a shared carriage, Sylha had been spending his time in Lazul—a country located to the west of Roosi. So why is he staying in Roosi, renting a room and all?

“For some reason, being Ninth makes me kind of jumpy, and the inn staff end up giving me annoyingly over-the-top service. I told them I was fine with something normal, but they went ahead and put me in a suite without asking—and they even assigned an adorable young boy as my personal attendant. It’s just too much!”

I guess being a single‐digit number makes you a superstar in this world.
It’s only natural to be treated that way.
But I can kind of understand why Sylha finds it annoying.

“Plus, there’s someone in this country with whom I have a bit of a grudge. Don’t worry—I won’t cause any trouble for you two.”

Sylha had an unusually stern expression.
It seems there’s simply no room for anyone else to get involved.

“Alright, Sylha! We’ll help you out! After all, those living under the same roof have to cooperate, right?”

And then Lillria jumped right in.

No way, this person?! How can someone who gives off such an “I don’t want anyone meddling in my business” vibe be so shameless as to offer help?!

“You’re a princess, after all, aren’t you? At least try to understand how people feel—and read the room!”

“Hahaha. It’s fine. I’ll just take your sentiment. I won’t be satisfied until I… kill that guy with my own hands.”

That’s a pretty dangerous thing to say.
I wonder what on earth happened with that person in the past.
Even after earning the honor of being Ninth among countless adventurers, he still clings to his grudge.
It seems that Sylha’s grudge runs deeper than the マラリア海溝.

“S-so, could you at least tell me what happened between you two?”

Noticing the grim, almost menacing look on Sylha’s face, Lillria must have sensed this was no ordinary matter.
Though a bit frightened, she gathered her courage and inquired about the grudge.

“Well, if it’s just a story, I guess I can tell you. It all started… when I was just five years old.”

Then Sylha began to recount the tale.

“When I was little, I couldn’t sleep at night unless I hugged my favorite stuffed rabbit. So, of course, that night I went to sleep hugging my stuffed rabbit.”

…How on earth is this going to tie into the grudge?
She hadn’t even gotten past talking about her stuffed rabbit—am I about to hear a sudden tale of an entire family massacre or something?

“But then! When I woke up the next morning, my stuffed rabbit had vanished without a trace!”

At Sylha’s sudden loud outburst, the skittish Lillria flinched.
Yelling suddenly in the middle of an otherwise normal tale to startle someone is an essential skill when telling ghost stories.

Surely, Sylha is well-practiced in telling this tale, isn’t he?
The way he paces the story and modulates his voice isn’t something that could be improvised on the fly.
He must be performing this as his signature act at the tavern or somewhere.

“S-so, why had your stuffed rabbit vanished?”

Noticing our reactions and that Sylha wasn’t resuming his tale, Lillria—unable to hold back any longer—prodded him to continue.
Hearing that, Sylha slowly nodded.

“In the spot where my stuffed rabbit had been, I found a single sheet of paper.”
“A letter, you say?!”

Lillria was already beginning to get spooked at the mere mention of the word “letter.”
It was totally the vibe of listening to a ghost story.
(Well, in this case, it’s really Sylha’s fault for telling it like that.)

“It read: 『I have taken your stuffed rabbit. by Phantom Thief Rabbit』…”

Somehow, the story took an anticlimactic, almost whimsical turn.

“So, does that mean your grudge is against the Phantom Thief Rabbit—the one who stole your stuffed rabbit?”
“That’s right!”

Not just a simple “that’s right”—you said you wouldn’t be satisfied until you killed him! I was expecting something dark, like avenging your parents or something along those lines, but all it comes down to is that your stuffed rabbit got stolen?

“I have to kill the bastard who stole my little bunny!”
“Isn’t that a bit too much?!”

Sure, stealing someone’s things is bad, but it hardly justifies killing someone.
“It’s not overdoing it at all! I got this strong just for that!”

You rose to Ninth rank just to kill a phantom thief?!
That’s some serious obsession…

“What a horrifying tale…?! Honestly, there are some truly awful people who’d steal someone’s beloved stuffed animal. That clearly calls for the death penalty!”
Is Lillria on that side too?!

“To the one who stole my first best friend, my little bunny—I will bring down the hammer of justice!”
“The hammer of justice!!”

The sight of the two of them raising their fists high was almost like a religious ritual.
It would have fit well with phrases like 『All Hail Britannia』 or 『Sieg Zeon』.

This is strange—does stealing a stuffed animal really deserve the death penalty in this other world?
Or am I the one who’s out of line for thinking it’s over the top?

Watching them, I started to get confused.
I guess this other world really is a bit mad.

“I’ve secretly gotten word that the Phantom Thief Rabbit is in Roosi. So until that’s settled, I’ll be sticking around.”

Should a world superstar—a single-digit number—be so fixated on something so trivial?
Even though I think that, if he’s covering the rent, I can’t complain.

And so, Sylha ended up settling into our house.