Lewd Talk and the Man Among Men
Just the other day, there was a burglary. Although it wasn't at the inn where I was staying.
In the quiet night of falling snow, a grain store's warehouse became the target—well, a rather typical crime.
However, whether it was because the perpetrator's hands were too numb from the cold or he was just inexperienced at thievery, he ended up making noise and the crime was discovered. Even though it was night, the bright snow made the silhouettes stand out, leaving clear footprints as he tried to escape.
In the end, the perpetrator couldn't elude capture till dawn and was caught at a dead end, becoming the talk of the guild members from the morning.
「Damn, and do you know his motive? They say it was because he spent too much at the red-light district. What an idiot, visiting such places without having money.」
Today, the tavern within the guild had a bit of a skewed party distribution. Members of the large parties 『Shield of the Earth』 and 『Artemis』 were almost completely absent, leaving nearly 15 members of 『Sword of the Harvest』 gathered there.
With such a large turnout, the central space of the tavern was naturally monopolized by them, and the focus of the idle chat naturally gravitated towards them.
Normally they're not tightly coordinated and don't usually behave collectively like a real party, but when they gather, it's quite a sight.
「By the way, Chuck, you and the captain also frequent those kinds of places, right?」
「Well, it's fine for me! Because I earn! I just can't understand guys who don't earn trying to go to such places!」
「Is that so? Certainly...」
「Once you're earning, you can choose to go to those cheap places or to the ones with pretty and expensive girls. I just can't fathom why someone without money would spend it all there.」
The center of the conversation was the young man with short red hair, Chuck, known for his light-hearted banter.
He embodies the rough-and-tumble type among guild members, always quick to sling verbal jabs and faster to pick a fight. If one were to average out the general public's image of a guild member, Chuck would fit that mold quite well. He's an exemplar guild member in that regard.
He's the type an introverted, black-haired, and black-clad protagonist would encounter in an adventurers' guild immediately. Yet, despite his brash language, he's strong with the sword, ranking at Silver 2, and if you listen closely, he does make some cogent points.
「Hey, you're getting pretty used to things by now. Next time, I'll show you a good place! It's got reasonable prices and quite a decent spot!」
「Haha...」
However, despite such seemingly beneficial gaps, he strangely wasn't popular. It's likely due to his constant flippancy.
「Those guys are talking about the red-light district again.」
「All men are like that, Raina.」
「What!?」
At my table, there were Raina and Ulrika. We weren't too far from them. He's such a penchant for starting vulgar discussions from this close, making things awkward—Chuck, man...
At the very least, if you're aiming to impress the guild's receptionist, the guild's tavern is not the place for those stories.
「Ah, Mongrel-san, that's a check. Or rather, checkmate, I win—hehe.」
「... Aren't you guys too good at board games?」
「No, I think Mongrel is just weak at it.」
The board game, moonboat, which developed independently in this world, had a board filled with dark and light game pieces that resembled backgammon from my previous life. Though, I don't know backgammon rules, so I've no clue if they're alike.
What I did know was I lost three times in a row to Ulrika, including just now.
While I could accept Raina being strong, it baffled me that Ulrika was as well. She just learned the rules with me a bit ago.
「Damn...curse you, Mongrel...」
Why the resentful look in my direction at this moment?
「What, Chuck? I'm losing badly over here.」
「What do you mean losing! Look over here, it's all men! What do you call that table? That's winning for sure!」
It's just that we had to huddle because you guys took the center spot...
I wanted to protest, but not just Chuck; several other men were giving me similarly resentful looks, so I stayed quiet.
I didn't entirely blame them.
Raina and Ulrika were here. They're pretty, after all.
But Raina is still a child from my perspective, and one of them is actually a guy... I understood better than to voice these thoughts. Male jealousy grows uglier the quicker it erupts...
「Damn... Mongrel has it good, huh? Since he's solo, he can easily join other parties when needed, easygoing... Over here, we've got zero women! And because our group is big, it's not easy to casually interact with others.」
「Um, Chuck. Our vice captain...」
「You don't call *that* a woman! Women are more refined, and moreover, they're devoted to men—more like, supposed to serve them!」
You turn women against you saying things like that, really!
「--No, that's not right... Chuck.」
At that moment, a deep, manly voice resonated, and a brief silence descended on the guild.
The voice belonged to a towering figure who'd remained silently like a rock until then... the legendary strongman, leader of 「Sword of the Harvest」, gold 2 ranked, Dickbald.
「--Women are never just beings of devotion or service—」
「Well, Captain, I can see your point...」
Standing over 2m 10cm tall, Dickbald's presence was such that his great scimitar appeared small.
And the overwhelming aura of strength emanating from him was enough to shrink the usually cocky Chuck.
「... Mongrel? Mongrel! Is that...?」
「Ah, that's the leader of the Sword of the Harvest, Dickbald... A ridiculously strong guy.」
「Wow... that's him...」
Dickbald was the leader who seldom showed up at the guild.
He frequently embarked on high-difficulty missions, taking along equally skilled members. Despite being relatively relaxed, 『Sword of the Harvest』 was quite an active group. It wasn't surprising Raina, a newcomer, hadn't crossed paths with him. It was a winter thing.
「He's rugged and seems super serious...」
「Well...it's...」
「Is he though?」
「Huh?」
Knowing the details, Ulrika and I hesitated to answer honestly.
He is serious but...
「--Sometimes, it's us men who should serve women... occasionally by kneeling, sometimes by squealing, sometimes by licking... or it's more like to say, we receive the honor of licking—」
「... What is he talking about?」
「Raina, it's okay. You don't need to worry about it now. You're a good kid.」
「I sorta get it though...」
「However—」
With a perfectly sober expression and crossed arms, Dickbald continued in a very strict tone.
「—Men's service and devotion require ventures to appropriate establishments... The fellow caught last night may have been an unfortunate devotee whose passion got misdirected.」
This big guy, Dickbald, talking seriously about lewd topics.
One reason Dickbald seldom showed at the guild was because he spent most of his time frequenting brothels.
He accepted long expeditions and missions, staying at waystations' brothels, continuously going from one to another. Even if he returned to the town, he spent most of his time at brothels—a genuinely over-the-top lust monster.
It implies he has tremendous earnings, but considering he spends it all in the red-light district is frankly mind-boggling.
Even in my previous life, I'd never encountered such a person. Someone so committed is commendable as a fellow man.
「Well... I kind of get that~...?」
「Or maybe not...?」
「Yeah, wow... as expected of Dickbald...」
Perhaps because they shared admiration, 『Sword of the Harvest』 did their best to save face.
He was respected, just that his mind veered towards lewd thoughts too often.
「He's kind of gross though...」
「Uh, Raina!」
Careful, Raina.
Even though Dickbald was reputed to be "creepy" by many women at the regor, it's still rude to badmouth someone within earshot.
「--Artemis's Raina... Was it? That comment of yours... isn't free.」
「Uh, sorry...」
「--Your insults aren't to be handed out for free—don't devalue such gratifying play by giving them away so cheaply.」
「... Mongrel, this guy really creeps me out! Goosebumps! Goosebumps all over!」
「There, there, are you scared, Raina? I get it; it's usual... But he's just a good guy with a bit of oddness. You'll get used to it gradually.」
「S-sorry, our leader got to you...」
Dickbald. He wasn't a bad man by any means.
He'd shielded allies during many battles against the Harvest Mantis, showing impeccable commitment to missions.
It's just that his lower body drives him too much, making his words blatantly off-putting yet cool.
「... Seriously, gross...」
Ulrika, you really shouldn't say things like that despite the expression on your face.
But Dickbald doesn't seem fazed by the abuse, so maybe it's fine? His mindset is beyond my understanding.
「—That's fine too...」
Seems it's alright. Good.
Winter is a time for spending with those different from us... you'll get used to it, Raina...
-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
Poor Raina, she got traumatized.
【(；☉_☉)】