Chapter 8

"Well, that brings up one problem."

Goushi muttered, organizing his thoughts.

If he were to respond to Mizuri's proposal to establish a distribution guild in the capital, he would still be a farmer in Mosrif.

He felt reluctant to leave his crops unattended.

"If only someone could take over for me... Hmm?"

As Goushi was deep in thought, a person approached, running.

"Hey, Goushi."

It was Roy, Goushi's friend and fellow farmer.

"Phew. Sorry, but can I take shelter from the rain here? A warm cup of tea would be even better."

"Roy. That's convenient. I have something to talk to you about too."

"Talk? And why are you outside? Do you have a thing for getting drenched in the rain?"

"No, it's just that..."

Roy looked at his hesitant friend with a puzzled expression.

"Never mind. Let me in quickly."

"Wait a moment."

Stopping Roy from entering, Goushi knocked on the door. Of course, this was out of consideration for Mizuri, who was changing inside.

On the other hand, Roy, who was unaware of the situation, wondered, "Why knock on your own door?"

"Goushi, is it okay to come in now?"

"Ah, yes, Goushi-san. Sorry to keep you waiting. I've finished changing, so it's fine."

"......Huh?"

Roy froze, taken aback by the exchange.

When Goushi opened the door, a beautiful blonde girl appeared from inside, and Roy's face was one of shock.

"W-What...?"

Incidentally, Roy was about the same age as Goushi and still single.

To Roy, Goushi was not only a fellow farmer but also a fellow bachelor. Finding a beautiful blonde girl at his friend's house was a surprising situation, and it was no wonder he froze.

"Thank you, Goushi-san. I feel much better now."

"Y-You feel better...?"

"Hey? Goushi-san, who is this person?"

"That's my friend, Roy."

"I see. Nice to meet you, Roy-san."

While Mizuri bowed politely, Roy, standing next to Goushi, whispered in his ear.

"Hey, Goushi. When did you get such a beautiful young girlfriend...!"

"She's not my girlfriend..."

"No, no, that girl is wearing your clothes, isn't she! That's what they call a 'boyfriend shirt' these days, right?"

"What are you talking about?"

Since Roy seemed to be running wild with his imagination, Goushi decided to let it go.

"Sorry, Mizuri. He's not a bad guy, but he's a bit odd."

"N-No, no..."

Confused, Mizuri waved her hands, while Roy was moved, thinking, "Finally, spring has come for this guy too."

Goushi sighed deeply.

"Hmm? By the way, Goushi, you said you had something to talk to me about. What was it?"

"Ah, about that..."

Goushi glanced at Roy and turned to face Mizuri, thinking it was only right to speak to her first.

"Mizuri, about what we discussed earlier."

"Y-Yes."

Mizuri waited for Goushi's words with a tense expression, while Roy listened intently, asking, "What, what?"

"I want to join you in that venture."

"Really!?"

"Yes. Let's work hard together from now on."

"Yes! ...I'm so happy. Thank you for accepting my feelings, Goushi-san. I'm not much, but please take care of me from now on!"

Mizuri's face lit up with a smile upon hearing the answer to her proposal to start the distribution guild together. Goushi nodded at Mizuri and then turned to Roy.

"Roy, for that reason, I plan to go to the capital with her. I want you to take over my fields. Can you do that?"

"Sure, that's fine... but..."

"Recently, monsters have become more active, so I'm sorry, but... I'll try to visit as often as I can."

"That's okay. Thanks to the martial arts you taught us, the villagers have become much stronger recently. Well, not as strong as you, but that's beside the point."

Roy put his hand on his chin, thinking, and then seemed to reach a conclusion, clapping his hands.

"Goushi, just as a friend, I'll say this. Congratulations on your marriage."

"Huh...?"

"Take good care of this young lady. He's a great guy."

"Huh...?"

Roy, who didn't know the situation, said something out of place, but it was understandable.

Mizuri blushed, and Goushi began to explain the situation from the beginning to clear up the misunderstanding.

Before they knew it, the sky had cleared, and the pleasant sunlight was shining into the room where Goushi and the others were.

***

Meanwhile, in a cave on the outskirts of the capital Graham—

"Hey, isn't that a Flame Dragon! Why is such a new species of monster here!?"

The guild leader of the "Great Serpent of the Flame Sky," who had expelled Goushi six months ago, was shouting in panic.