Chapter 85

I started OFUSE.

https://ofuse.me/rukea

While I was at it, I also started a blog. I plan to write about things I like.

https://rukeanote.hatenablog.com/

It's the season when the high waves in the Labyrinth calm down. Neither the Kelpies nor the Lagoon Wolves appear anymore, so business is down. I'm Herman. The Labyrinth has calmed down, and we can't raid anymore. Still, I've been organizing raids once a week to scatter money, even though I'm a miser. The results are starting to show, even if only a little.

...It's still mostly taverns, but the level of the snacks has improved. They're still not great, but the food vendors are using more ingredients because the adventurers are doing well. I really liked something like an oak meat and tomato arrabbiata. I didn't have much of an image of arrabbiata without seafood from my previous life, but this was delicious. The red meat of the oak soaked in the fragrant and spicy spices of the Yugalhi seed oil was really good. It was so good that I wanted to say it was a display of culinary talent. They seemed to be using properly ground spices. The adventurers' drinks were flowing. ...I don't drink, though. I made a vow. But I understand why the drinks were flowing; it was that good.

The raids have become quite large. In the end, about 500 people came each time. I was giving out five silver coins to each of them. ...The finances were slightly in the red. I wanted to scatter more, but Herman the miser only gave out five. It's a little, but it's fine. Some people came every time. Luka, Giulio, and Mauro also participated. ...You guys should be on the organizing side, right? Make sure to take notes.

...Giulio says he can't because he's a shield user? Don't underestimate the Iron Welcome faction. There's a shield called a Blade Shield, which has a sword tip attached to the front. That's within the range of a shield user's talent. There are also shields that can slash and stab. ...In exchange for losing the ability to plant the shield in the ground and hold the line, they can switch to an offensive stance. When I told Giulio about this, he immediately made one. He thanked me, saying he could cut down enemies easily. He's the hope of the shield users. I hope he does well. ...I'm from the Dawn faction, though.

The Dawn faction should focus on urban development. ...There's not much I can do, though. I can only contribute by working at the magistrate's office. ...I can't run a store. More importantly, I need to find a wife. In this world, if a human doesn't get married by 20, they're considered a late bloomer. I've just turned 17 with the New Year's Festival. I'm starting to get a bit anxious. If someone asks what kind of wife I want, I can only say I don't know. My previous self was married. ...I was henpecked, apparently. They say to avoid such a wife. But I don't know what kind of wife would henpeck me. Anyway, I think someone with at least one star in culinary talent would be good. ...I should avoid spendthrifts. I don't want someone who relies on my income. I want someone who can help with the store.

So, I'm looking at the husband recruitment board at the magistrate's office. It seems like a lot of people are exaggerating. Some say they're the most beautiful woman in the world, others say they have a great figure. They're definitely exaggerating. We should avoid the obvious red flags. Red is a no-go. Red at this time of year often indicates personality issues. Blue is also best avoided. Exaggerators often use blue. Ordinary colors and yellow provide too little information. Some only write their job or age. The name and where to meet are always written, but couldn't they write a bit more? It's hard to choose. Maybe it's better to wait.

But, won't good people be less likely to come if I write and wait? I feel like the ones who come will be after money or status. Alchemist? Knight? That's straight red. I can only see a future where people in a hurry come one after another. I think it's better to choose myself. The target is ordinary colors. Yellow and above indicate a successful career. Someone who can help with the store is unlikely. If they want to continue their current job, then maybe ordinary colors. Hmm, this is almost like a lottery. Only the name, workplace, and meeting place are written. Let's try one. ...I'll go with this one.

"Excuse me, is it okay if I take this?"

"Yes, of course. If it doesn't work out or you can't meet, please bring it back."

"Understood."

So, I chose this one. Her name is Cindy, she works in the Free Market, and we can meet there. She's a vegetable seller. That's all it says. ...I'll have to look for her in the Free Market. Well, let's go and see.

So, I came to the Free Market. Where is Cindy? Since she's a vegetable seller, I'll ask around the food section.

"Excuse me, do you know where the vegetable seller Cindy is?"

"Cindy? I don't know. If she's a vegetable seller, maybe a bit further that way?"

"Thank you. I'll go and check."

The vegetables are over there. I wonder if she's here today?

"Excuse me, do you know where the vegetable seller Cindy is?"

"Cindy? That's her. Cindy, you have a customer."

"Me? ...Oh, from the magistrate's office. How old are you?"

"16."

"Ah, you're younger. I prefer older. See you."

"Ah, yes."

Cindy, the vegetable seller, was a no-go. If she prefers older, she should have written that. And her age too. This is really like a lottery. It's difficult. First, I need to find someone who will even consider dating. I wish they would write more information. Maybe they should create a template. ...But that's difficult. People want different things. For me, someone with culinary talent would be good. It would be easy to create a template for that, but too many items would be confusing. It would also be hard to write. Especially for talents, if someone has ten, do they have to write all of them? Well, I'll try to meet others.

So, a few days have passed. I'm about to give up. There are too many rejections for things not written. For example, age and age preference led to four rejections. My slightly worn clothes led to eight rejections for looking poor. Two rejections for being too tall, four for being too short, and three for no reason at all. Nine times I couldn't even meet. Out of 30 attempts, this is the result. The worn clothes are intentional to avoid gold diggers. Height is something I can't change. I'm above average, but do they want me to be taller? Age is also something I can't change, and I'm about to give up. ...But the house isn't finished yet, and it's mid-November. It's almost December. Maybe I should build the store first once the house is done. I'll keep trying until the house is finished.

Anyway, I'm just going through them one by one. It's more about numbers than content now. Next, I'll try this one. I haven't taken this one yet. It's Jean, who works in the Free Market. She seems to be a blacksmith apprentice. Let's go and see.

"Pass. You don't seem to have money."

"Ah, yes."

She's a money worshipper. Well, I'll pass too. Let's try the next one. I'm used to it now. At first, it hurt, but now I don't care. Back at the magistrate's office, let's try this one. It's Joanna. She seems to work at a clothing shop on South Street, East 3rd Avenue. It's just a workshop, not a store. She's a clothing apprentice. I wonder what she's like.

"Pass. Your clothes aren't good enough."

"Okay."

I'm wearing slightly old clothes to avoid looking rich. Maybe she thought my clothes were bad as a clothing apprentice? It seems like she was just using money as a reason. Let's try the next one. ...Maybe I'll try yellow too. I'll go with this one. It's Ilda, who works at the Magic Guild. Let's go and see.

"Where do you live?"

"I'm staying at an inn now."

"Are you an adventurer? Then pass. I don't like adventurers."

"Yes."

I didn't understand, but I felt it was better not to tell the truth, so I passed. I want to meet someone I can talk to. Do others meet the same people multiple times? It's depressing. Maybe the townspeople are stronger than I thought. ...Mentally. After that, it was just a pile of stones. Some I couldn't even meet. Finding a marriage partner is difficult.

Whether you found it interesting or not, I'd appreciate your feedback. If you could include an evaluation, that would be great. If you could point out things in your review, I think I could reflect them in my writing, even as a layman reader.

...Probably.