The Outcome of the Contest with Kamasse

Yoshanka always has cloudy skies.

That's something I was told when I was chatting with Sara-chan...... with the previous Sara-chan.

Apparently, it's a pretty famous fact.

And sure enough, it was cloudy today too.

When I look out toward the sea, the clouds are tinged red, and dazzling light is leaking through the gaps.

The sunset.

Right now, I'm at the main gate of Yoshanka.

I'd safely gathered the herbs I came for and gotten back to town right on schedule, and now I was...... for some reason, getting a lecture? from Kamasse.

“You're late!!”

The moment he spotted me jogging back from the forest (though since it's the 【Grasshopper】 running style, I'm going at a decent clip), those were the first words out of Kamasse's mouth.

“Listen up. Most requests given to adventurers have a set deadline! A good adventurer finishes a request with time to spare! That's what's best for the client, too! In other words, you, coming back right at the last minute like this, have lousy time management, so I win!”

......Yeah, I totally get what he's trying to say in the first half.

Be on time, meet your deadlines...... those are important things.

But that last sentence ruins everything, Kamasse.

Actually, until Kamasse started pestering me just now, I'd completely forgotten that he'd even challenged me to a contest.

“Kamasse, did you get the herbs?”

I'm tired of listening to any more lecturing, or rather, one-upping, so I change the subject.

“Oh? Who the hell do you think I am! To the great Kamasse-sama, gathering herbs is a piece of cake! Look at this!!”

As he said it, his tone was forceful, but his hands were delicate and careful as Kamasse took one herb after another out of the backpack he'd been carrying and began lining them up on the ground.

“Listen up. This little grass on the far right, this is Uru grass! It's an herb you can use to get rid of worms; you can find it anywhere and it sells cheap, but it's not an herb a rookie like you should take lightly! Those who laugh at Uru grass will cry over Uru grass! Remember that! Next, this long, thin grass with spots......”

Kamasse's herb commentary began.

For all his rough talk, his explanation is really thorough, and since it comes from an adventurer's point of view, it's genuinely useful.

“......And so, you get it now, right? I have mastered a wide range of knowledge, the herb knowledge needed to work as an adventurer, no, not just that, all the way to knowledge of every kind of monster material! Therefore, it is a self-evident truth that I am superior to the likes of you, and once again, I win this contest!!”

<......If only he'd stopped before that last sentence, it would be fine.>

Omake-sama sighed inside my head.

“Anyway, what about you? What the hell did you gather? Since a cursed child like you probably doesn't have any knowledge of medicinal herbs, I bet you just wandered around the forest and didn't get a single thing!”

Hm? Did Kamasse not hear that the receptionist gave me the ‘task’ of bringing back Cysh grass?

<This boy was stuck to the floor, writhing, at the time, after all. He probably doesn't remember the fine details.>

While I chat with Omake-sama, I take off my backpack and pull out the Cysh grass.

This time, I brought back 3 slightly small clumps.

There were loads of better clumps, but this time I put packing them in my backpack and getting them back undamaged first, so I picked these.

After all, my goal isn't to make money with Cysh grass, but to clear the ‘task’ and get my adventurer card.

“Wha!? Th, this is Cysh grass!?”

Seeing what I took out of my backpack, Kamasse's eyes go wide and he starts trembling.

With all that knowledge, it looks like Kamasse naturally knows about Cysh grass too.

“Impossible! Impossible, impossible, impossible! I've heard the places Cysh grass grows in Kaise Forest are danger zones that overlap with Lovely Bunny territory! You, are you hurt!? Are you okay!? What happened to the Lovely Bunnies!?”

“Beat them.”

“B-beat them!? Those are monsters you need a party of properly equipped adventurers, rank 4 or above, to subjugate!? ......No, your combat power is high, sure. Subjugation is possible, maybe, but...... then you, what'd you do with the heads!?”

“Heads?”

“The proof of subjugation! Collect the heads and take them to the guild, and for Lovely Bunnies, you get a bounty! Damn, you don't even know that!”

“Ate them.”

“Why the hell would you eat the heads!?”

“Was hungry.”

“Eat something other than the heads!”

“Ate everything else too?”

“You ate the whole thing!? You ate those huge monsters whole!? Just how big is your appetite!?”

“Ate all 5 of them.”

“Seriously, just how big is your appetite!!”

Guuu......

“You're still not full!? You're still gonna eat!? Wait...... hmph! You're laying it on way too thick, cursed child!”

At this point, Kamasse noticed something and made a mocking expression.

“Not lying.”

“Your clothes are too clean! There isn't a single bloodstain! In those clothes, you subjugated Lovely Bunnies? Ha! You can't fool my eyes!”

“Washed them.”

“Like bloodstains come out with just a wash, you dumbass!”

They do, actually.

If I soak them in a stream and use 【Peel】, they get clean quite easily.

And if I use 【Desiccation】, wet clothes dry instantly.

......Actually.

I glance at the sea where the sun is setting.

The sun seems to have sunk lower than before, and much less of its light is spilling through the clouds now.

Night will be here soon.

“Kamasse, quick, Adventurers' Guild, I want to go.”

I say, putting the Cysh grass back in my backpack.

“Contest? Who won?”

“Ugh.”

Kamasse is at a loss for words.

This contest, whoever's herbs were worth more won, was it?

“My, herbs, come in all kinds, can meet all kinds of, demand! There's quantity too! I have, of every herb, deep expertise, and abundant knowledge!”

Kamasse mumbles and struggles, staring at his herbs lined up on the ground.

“Then, Kamasse wins. Kamasse's knowledge, really amazing. Kamasse is, an excellent adventurer.”

“O, of course it is! But, but......!”

The attitude toward adventuring that shows through in every little thing he says, his deep knowledge, things like that are really worth respecting, I think.

That's why I praise him honestly.

Though I do have my doubts about that personality of his, always wanting to one-up people.

To be honest, I don't care about any contest, so I'd rather call it Kamasse's win and wrap this up fast.

But it seems it doesn't work that way for Kamasse.

“Value! If we're talking about price!!”

Trembling.

“Cysh grass! If something like that, 3 whole clumps of it, gets, gathered!!”

He forces the words out.

“You!! Win!! CURSED CHIIIIIIILD!!!”

With that much said, Kamasse's eyes rolled back and he fainted.

Still standing ramrod straight, he topples over backward and lies there twitching.

<Fainting because he hates admitting defeat, he's a sore loser to the bone, isn't he!?>

And yet here's Kamasse, still judging the contest itself fair and square.

Really, he's annoying, but I can't hate him.

Ah, the old guy at the gate has dragged Kamasse in and tossed him into town, and now he's closing the gate.

Wait, wait! I'm coming in too!

Hurrying into town, I left Kamasse behind and dashed toward the Adventurers' Guild branch office.

The old guy at the gate is watching him, so he'll be fine.

◇ ◇ ◇

“Can you prove that you were the one who gathered this Cysh grass?”

Huh?

“You probably stole it from some other adventurer party's haul, didn't you? Cursed children really do have sticky fingers.”

Huh?

“Please leave. I will hold on to this Cysh grass so it can be returned to whoever actually gathered it.”

Huh?

“Since this is your first offense, I'll let it go without calling the guards. Now, please hurry up and leave.”

Huh?

And so, that was the exchange when I marched triumphantly into the guild and handed the Cysh grass to the receptionist woman who'd given me the ‘task’.

Brushed off smooth as anything and bumped right out of the reception line, I just stood there, completely stunned.

........................

Huh?