LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 78: (2)
「Well, whatever. Anyway, I’m standing at the top of society…」
「No, that hierarchy is meaningless anyway…」
Tanaka was about to let out his retort, but seemingly sensing the glare from the tavern old man, he decided to hold his tongue.
「I’m standing at the top of society, but to be frank, such a thing is nothing more than a decoration. Beyond such human limits, it can be said that the one standing at the top of all living beings–. No, the top of all beings is me, The Tavern Old Man. No matter what kind of powerful monster it is, I can take care of it with one punch.」
The tavern old man thrust out his fist as he said this. His arm, forged from carrying barrels of sake, was thick and imposing. As expected, even Tanaka-san couldn’t help but gulp at the impact of this fist.
「Even the other day, when I received love tackle from the puppy that Choco-chan, who lives in the neighborhood, raised, I couldn’t help but kissing the ground, you know.」
「You’re crazy weak then! Also, don’t say kiss or something. That word is a privilege reserved only for handsome men!」
「You fool! Pero-chan is attached to me! As if I can lay a hand on her just like that! This gentlemanly behavior is exactly the prime proof of a handsome man, right?!」
Had there ever been a discussion of such a profound problem that required such sophisticated knowledge? No, there had.
「Anyway! Here is the advice from such a supreme being, me. For now, keep that power hidden and continue to hone it. Until the time comes.」
「What the heck is that? I don’t get it at all, though.」
「It’s fine, just keep this secret between you and me. If you divulge this secret…. You will receive punishment—curse from the world for real.」
The tavern old man was back to his serious self, unlike his air until just a moment ago. Tanaka must also have realized that he had been burdened with a troublesome problem. As he sensed pressure from this seriousness to the point of having a heartburn.
He might be prone to misunderstand, but Tanaka-san also had a certain sense of responsibility. Sometimes, Tanaka-san could get serious, too. It was by no means that he was holding in his nausea from the ‘this secret between you and me’ line.
「D, don’t scare me like that. I understand, alright? I won’t tell anyone what you told me today.」
「That’s good. If the secret were to be leaked…, bear in mind that you would be cursed with the curse of missing your footing while stepping on the stairs in your dreams and waking up with a startle. Moreover, it happens every day. Just so you know, the world is much crueler than you ever thought.」
「That’s plain harassment, oi! Don’t tell me, the world is actually kind to me? Just now, I was on the verge of being corrupted. But you better don’t underestimate me. That startling feeling. I don’t hate it, you know?」
「S, seriously?」
At this point, the tavern old man finally realized. That Tanaka possessed potentials that exceeded what he had expected.
「You sure never cease to scare me. Human beings are like that, that’s why I can’t afford to look down on you…. Well fine, at any rate, just now was ultimately what if scenario. There’s nothing better than not to receive punishment, right? So be sure to keep the secrets to yourself.」
「Got it, alright…. Well, I owe you a lot, after all, ol’ man. I’ll do as you say.」
「That’s good. And while you’re at it…, just go home already! I can’t finish my work otherwise!」
Tanaka was thrown out of the tavern without question. For a while, Tanaka-san stood petrified along with the aftertaste of the milk, but then he began to trudge away.
「But still, what a shock…. To think that the tavern old man, who I thought was of the sensible faction of this world, would offer jokes…. Just what in the world am I supposed to do from now on? Do I have no choice but to live as the straight man…?」
There was no more safe spot for Tanaka to live, where he could offer jokes with peace of mind. It was far too cruel of a reality for Tanaka, who believed the urban legend of being the joker was more popular. If there was one saving grace, it was that there was still another man in this world who continued to play the straight man. That was right, the existence of the guy who sponged away Tanaka’s sword. However, it was unknown where he was at the moment. For a while, harsh days would surely continue upon Tanaka.
With heavy feet, he headed for the inn while racking his brain. Tanaka was pondering about the occurrence at the tavern just now.
「—heck, now that I think calmly about it, ol’ man didn’t answer my question at all, did he?! What the heck?! I was just casually asking why I always meet the same old man at every tavern in every town! I don’t need to hear such a pointlessly gibberish setting! Just say that it’s the same mechanism that’s commonly used in anime where the same character appears in every town, or something…. If he had told me at least that much, I could have related to it! Just why… Why did this happen?!」
For some reason, Tanaka gave off a vibe and line like that of a tragic hero. However, no matter how you looked at it, the way it couldn’t depict a tragedy was surely what made Tanaka Tanaka. Even the sounds of the night bird singing out of nowhere sounded like a line that was making fun of Tanaka. We had no choice but to acknowledge it, what a terrifying talent it was.
Anyway, Tanaka-san had ended up coming into contact with this seemingly trivial secret of the world. What in the world would happen to him from now on? Of course, nothing would happen.
Overnight, Tanaka felt refreshed upon forgetting about all his troubles, be it the usual ones or the trivial ones, and resumed his guild work. It could be said to be an unusually smooth start for Tanaka-san, even though he was starting over with almost nothing.
However, that was only until he received an invitation for a talk from Echigoya, whom he met at the guild.
The flow of time, which had been stagnant for a while, finally began to move again. It was the harbinger of a violent change of the era. Tanaka’s new adventure was about to begin.