LEVEL 2:Â Everything is Precious, Nothing is Replaceable
Chapter 2: Inept Executive
ââŚAnd thatâs kinda how it happened!â
Haruhiro still couldnât get over what had transpired even when he related the story to his companions later. Ranto, Mogzo, Shihoru, and Mary were all sitting at a corner at the back of Sherryâs Tavern, but it wasnât just them. People drinking nearby were listening too. The attention made Haruhiro a little embarrassed.
He cleared his throat and went on. âAnyways, Team Renjiâs amazing. And Renji the person is beyond amazing. That orc Ishh Dogrann seemed really strong too, and halfway through the fight, I thought Renji was done for. But he wasnât. Not for real, anyway. It was like he was faking it, kinda like tricking the orc. Even I was completely sure that he couldnât use his left armâso was Ishh Dogrann.â
âWhoa!â Ranta mussed and pulled at his already messy hair. âSo youâre saying that his disadvantage was really his trump card? And he kept it up his sleeve until he was at a bigger disadvantage?! Screw that! Goddamn showoff! Fuck him! I can do that too! I can do that one hundred percent!â
Yume glared coldly at him. âSo youâre okay with dyinâ if you mess up?â
âI wonât mess up! Thereâs no way I could mess up! Itâs a known fact!â
Shihoru, who ended up having to get a new hat, also looked disdainful. âWhat makes you so sure?â
âWhat? Um⌠BecauseâŚâ Ranta fell silent in thought. In the end though, it didnât seem like he could come up with anything. Instead he said, âStupid! I donât need any shitty reason! I just know it! SELF-CONFIDENCE! Itâs all about self-confidence!â
Mary sighed softly as she brought her ceramic mug to her lips. âI think thatâs true.â
âSee?! Mary agrees with me! You guys are all amateurs and sheâs the veteran so sheâs right and youâre wrong! Amateurs!â
âBut overconfidence may also become oneâs undoing,â she added quietly, gazing meaningfully at Ranta.
âErââ Ranta seemed to be at a loss for another comeback.
Mary had spoken the truth. She knew better than any other. Three of her original party had died this way. Because things went so well for them at first, they ended up overestimating their own ability, falling into disaster.
âB-but still,â uttered Mogzo. As usual, his prized helm lay on the table next to him. âTeam Renjiâs really something. We all arrived here at the same time, but theyâre miles above usâŚâ
Once Haruhiro had finished âThe Legend of Renjiâ, the other clients who surrounded their table to listen in laughed good-naturedly and slapped Haruhiro on the shoulder.
âWork hard and catch up, Goblin Slayers!â they told him, and went about their own business once more.
Ranta stuck his tongue out at them and hissed, âPiss off. Donât take us for losers!â
âDonât get so worked up,â Yume said, resting her chin in both hands. âYume thinks weâre fine goinâ at our paces.â
âYou mean our own pace, Yume,â Haruhiro corrected mildly, nodding in agreement. âAnd I agree. I mean, now that Iâve seen Renji in action first-hand, itâs like heâs cut from a different cloth. We couldnât imitate him even if we tried, and to be honest, I donât even think weâll get anything out of paying attention to himâŚâ
âTo force ourselvesâŚâ Shihoru started, but quickly fell silent.
Her gaze dropped to the floor, as if she was trying very hard to keep herself from saying whatever it was she wanted to say. Perhaps she was recalling their own precious, lost friend.
âAnd if we end up in a situation where weâve got no way out, we might lose everything,â Haruhiro pointed out.
âYou guys have no ambition!â Ranta pointed from Yume to Haruhiro to Shihoru. âDo you know how pathetic you guys sound?! No pain, no gain! No guts, no glory! No risk, no return! If you want a high return, then you gotta man up and risk it all!â
Haruhiro felt his temper rising. âI think itâs better to minimize risks and maximize returns as best we can. In fact, thatâs what weâve been doing all along.â
âAll along, huh.â Ranta scoffed disdainfully. âIâll say it right here and now: Thatâs why weâre rock bottom! Donât you get it? Guys, look around you!â
âWhatâs there to see?â Haruhiro said skeptically, but looked around the tavern nonetheless.
When he did, he realized Rantaâs point. Out of all the other Crimson Moon members gathered at Sherryâs, their appearance was the shabbiest of all. But Haruhiro felt they couldnât do anything about how they looked. Most of their armor and weapons were used, and because they were still living in the shared lodge with no locks, they carried all of their valuables with them.
It didnât matter whether they were in Damroww or at Sherryâs Tavern; they wore the same clothing no matter where they went. To be sure, it did make their appearance look grungy and dirty.
âDid you guys even think about it before?â Ranta said impatiently, tapping the tabletop with his finger. âSo what if Renjiâs on a completely different level? He started out when we did! Donât keep saying shit like âthereâs nothing we can do about who-what-whereâ. Weâre in a different position now!â
Mogzo dipped his head, and he looked up at Ranta. âWhat do you mean by that?â
Ranta continued. âFrom what I hear, a new batch has arrived. Weâre not the newest arrivals anymore. Before our group, there was a batch of three. Actually, they havenât even bought their Crimson Moon contracts yet, but theyâre considered something of a deviant case anyway. Now, our group was twelve, but this next groupâs even bigger. Theyâre all still training with their guilds now, but thatâs gonna be over soon. Theyâll form parties and maybe even start working in Damroww.â
âSo what?â Yume replied, pouting. âIf they come, let âem come. If weâre greedy and wanna keep the area all to ourselves what are we gonna do if we get into trouble? And Yume reckons with more parties around, we can all team up and take out bigger gobbie groups.â
Haruhiro acknowledged Yumeâs opinion, but Haruhiro found that he couldnât welcome the newcomers as wholeheartedly as she did. Not counting Mary, Haruhiroâs party was the least experienced of all Crimson Moon members. They couldnât help it if they were the weakest and most ineffectual.
But it was just as Ranta said. Haruhiro realized they were rock bottom now, and when they were the newest of rookies, maybe there hadnât been anything they could do about it. But their situation was about to change very soon. They would no longer be the newcomers.
If they took it too easy, they would be surpassed by the new batch. Wasnât that just⌠beyond pathetic?
âI donât think itâs a good idea to be too impatient,â Mary said, as if she had read Haruhiroâs mind.
Maybe sheâs right. Even if they wanted to rush to advance, they were only capable of doing so much. Maybe some people could skip stairsteps or leap up entire flights, but not Haruhiro. Running risks would be fine if failure meant they could get back up and dust themselves off, but failure could very well mean death. Better to advance step-by-step, slowly and cautiously.
ButâŚÂ A small voice inside Haruhiro whispered. Are you sure youâre advancing at all? Are you sure youâre still moving upwards? Or are you just running circles around the same place?
âWhat if,â Haruhiro ventured, purposely keeping his gaze down at the table rather than meet anyoneâs eyes, âand this is a very hypothetical âifâ⌠but what if we tried somewhere other than Damroww? We canât keep hunting goblins forever, right? I donât think it would be a bad idea to go somewhere else, maybe. Of course we donât have to move, but it seems like weâll get stuck in a rut if weâre in Damroww all the time. And if it starts to get monotonous, we might get careless or something like that. I think maybe weâd need something fresh and exciting. But I mean, itâs just an ideaâŚâ
âHaruhiroooo,â said Ranta, grinning from ear to ear, âyou come up with some pretty good ideas once in a while. Only just once in a while! And of course Iâm completely for it!â
âIn that case,â Yume replied without skipping a beat, âYume ainât.â
âThen me neither,â Shihoru said.
Clearly Yume and Shihoruâs rebuff was based on their overriding dislike of Ranta. Mogzo didnât reply right away, but his expression was that of someone deep in thought. What about Mary? What did she think? Haruhiro could glean nothing from either her expression or body language.
âIâm not really proposing anything,â Haruhiro said, rubbing the back of his head. âItâs just hypothetical. Something to think about, maybe. But weâve explored Damrowwâs Old Town from end to end, and I think maybe itâs a good idea to think about what weâre going to do next.â
âDo next?â Yume fiddled with her twin-braids, pulling them right then left. âIf things were nice today, ainât that good enough? Whatâs wrong with doinâ the same thing every day? We havenât gotten ourselves into any really dangerous fights lately, and weâve been savinâ up our money, too. Yumeâs alright with the way it is.â
âThatâs âcause youâve got no desire to move up in life!â Ranta stuck his tongue out at her. âMaybe youâre not even human, âcause if you were, youâd aim to grow. Youâre like a pig in its stall!â
âBaby piggies are just darlinâ!â Yume shot back. âBut once baby piggies become big olâ pigs, theyâre not as cute, so Yume reckons itâs better for them piggies not to grow!â
âWhat?â Ranta said. âWhy are we talking about piglets all of a sudden? What do piglets have anything to do with anything?! I have no idea what youâre talking about!â
âThatâs âcause Rantaâs stupid. Not Yumeâs fault,â Yume replied curtly.
âQuit blaming other people all the time! And Iâm not stupid, youâre stupid!â
âIdiot! Retard! Jerk!â
âFuck off!â
âCould both of you please stop?â Mogzo said, but too gently for his words to have any effect.
Haruhiro took a sip of lemonade from his wooden mug. Was he in too much of a hurry to advance? He couldnât completely deny feeling the need to pick up the pace, but he wasnât really considering catching up to Team Renji either. They were on a completely different level, after all. Even so, was it okay for them to just remain the way they were?
He could understand where Yume was coming from, but what if they really were surpassed by the next batch? Haruhiro was definitely not okay with that. Maybe he would be kind of upset if that happened. Perhaps even⌠quite upset.
What was their main goal? For all practical purposes, it was and had always been survival, at least for the time being. To live from day to day and to maintain at least a minimal standard of living.
They had their Crimson Moon contracts now, so they got to stay at their current lodge for free. It was shabby, but it served to keep the wind and rain out. And since housing was no more than a place to sleep, the money they saved by not finding housing elsewhere was well worth it. Cheap food was available if they were careful in picking the right places, so minimal food expenditures were entirely possible.
But staying in shabby lodgings and scrimping on food made for a hard life. It would be nice if they could rent a room equipped with a lockable door for a month, or even at least a week or so. There were more personal possessions all around lately, so they were carrying a good amount of stuff with them everywhere they went.
If they continued working in Damroww, they would definitely be able to afford better housing⌠one day. They wouldnât have to take any risks, and they wouldnât have to push themselves too hard. What if they decided to take on a new challenge and ended up meeting disaster?
Maybe theyâd die. Not maybe. Meeting disaster meant theyâd definitely die, and nothing less. Like Manato. Haruhiro didnât want anyone else to die. He didnât want to make that mistake again, so the current matter needed to be given the utmost gravity.
Which raised the questionâif life was at stake, then what was wrong with just doing what theyâve been doing? However, when Haruhiro thought about it, he realized that after they had bought their Crimson Moon contracts, they werenât returning to Damroww day after day for money to learn new skills with, or spells, or to buy weapons and armor. Not anymore. They were doing it without any real purpose.
Everyoneâs enthusiasm had been much higher when they were striving to accomplish a real objective. There was a sense of urgencyâa need to constantly push themselves to be better. Everyone knew that without becoming stronger, they would never be able to succeed in their desire to avenge Manato.
But those days were over. It was a job well done, a mission completed.
Or so it felt to Haruhiro. Was he able to say that somewhere between then and now, everyone hadnât become lax? That everyonehadnât become comfortable and complacent?
That wasnât to say that carrying on as they were now was bad. It meant simplicity and an easy life. But Haruhiro couldnât help but think that eventually, it would really come back to bite them in the ass.
When no one offered any further opinions, the discussion ended without reaching any real conclusion.
Shihoru timidly suggested, âUm, should we call it a night?â
Haruhiro and the others got up, said their goodnights to Mary at the exit, and started on their way back to the lodge. Halfway there, Haruhiro stopped.
âYou guys go ahead,â he told the others. âIâm going to, uhâŚâ
âYouâre goinâ?â Yume blinked. âGoinâ to what? Something wrong?â
âErr⌠restroom! Yeah, the restroom! I donât think I can hold it all the way back, soâŚâ
Ranta snorted lightly. âJust go behind a bush or something. Thereâs plenty of them around here. Weâll wait for you.â
Why is it, Haruhiro thought with annoyance, that only when I need him to the least, Ranta thinks to be courteous? He probably wasnât doing it on purpose, but it irritated Haruhiro to no end.
âNo way Iâm going to pee in public,â Haruhiro replied. âIâll find a shop or something and use their bathroom.â
âSure, Mr. High-Class-Act,â Ranta scoffed. âWhatever.â
Haruhiro allowed the irksome Ranta return ahead of him with his non-irksome companions, while he doubled back to Sherryâs. He did have a feeling that he had seen Mary reentering the tavern after theyâd left earlier and a quick look around upon entering confirmed it.
Mary was sitting alone at the far end of the bar. He approached her now and indicated the seat next to her. âMary. Can I sit?â
Mary seemed a little surprised, but nodded. âSure. Didnât you all leave?â
âI thought the same for you,â Haruhiro replied with a slight smile as he settled into the chair next to her. âYouâre actually drinking? Something alcoholic?â
As if a little embarrassed, Mary dropped her gaze and pulled the ceramic mug closer to herself. âI was in the mood for one last cup of mead.â
âIs mead that honey liquor? Then I think Iâll have one too.â
The whole reason Haruhiro returned was to talk to Mary about a certain subject, yet he found it hard to start. Though it had been quite a difficult subject to broach with everyone else present, for different reasons it was quite a difficult subject with everyone gone, too.
The serving girl returned with the mead. It wasnât honey colored, but reddish. Other ingredients must have been added to it. Haruhiro took a drink and discovered it to be sweet with a hint of sour.
âItâs flavored with a bit of raspberry syrup,â Mary informed him.
âAh, I see. I thought it tasted a bit fruity. Itâs good.â
âIs something the matter?â
âErrâŚâ
Pathetic, Haruhiro scolded himself. His inability to start the conversation was pathetic. I suck. I completely suck.
âMary, youâve been in lots of parties, right? I just wanted to askâŚâ
Haruhiro thought he might have seen a change in Maryâs expression, and knew right away that he had blundered. Mary was a committed team member now, but that did not mean she had left her past behind, nor that she had returned to the cheery self she used to be. It was understandable not to want reminders of those events past, and Haruhiro regretted it.
But Mary gave him a tiny shake of her head and said, âItâs alright. Donât worry about it.â
âReally? I donât want to make you uncomfortable becauseâwell, I donât want to, uh, yâknowâI mean, Iâm the one who brought the whole thing upââ Haruhiro was blabbering nervously.
âWhat did you want to ask me?â
Maybe he was just reading too much into it, but Maryâs expression seemed to harden. Stopping now, however, would make it worse.
âI was just wondering,â Haruhiro said carefully, âwhat you think about our party. How well we do. Wait, actually, not âweâ. Just me.â
âHow well you do in what, Haru?â
âErr⌠Itâs kinda strange for me to talk about myself this way, but Iâm, you know, sorta kinda the leader?â
âSort of, kind of? Youâre not the leader?â
âUm, maybe? Iâm acting like it and doing leader-like things, butâŚâ
Mary closed her eyes, thought about it for a moment, and then said, âFrom my experience, leaders can be divided into two general types.â
âTypes?â
âThe Dictator and the Executive. I just made these names up, so donât take them too seriously.â
Haruhiro nodded. âThe Dictator is like someone strong, right? Someone that leads by dragging people along by force? Or something like that?â
âPrecisely. Most of them possess very fierce, uncompromising personalities, and they have the ability to force loyalty from others. The others in the party operate according to their will, and their will aloneâand if they fail to obey, then they are either punished or thrown out of the party. Members who canât be completely happy with that personâs leadership donât last.â
Renjiâs that type of leader, Haruhiro realized. No one would dare disobey him.
âAnd the Executive is the opposite?â Haruhiro asked. âMore diplomatic?â
âThatâs right. Theyâre charismatic and eloquent; very good at taking the opinions of others into account. They donât have to be especially strong or skilled at combat, and in fact they can be pretty useless at fighting altogether. At first glance, it seems strange that that type of person can lead, but itâs them who can settle disputes and bring everyone together as a team.â
âRight. The Dictator and the Executive. Got it. And⌠which one am I?â
He was definitely not the Dictator type; that much he knew beyond a doubt. So that left Executive? But he wasnât really personable, and neither was he particularly articulate. He didnât consider himself to be charismatic, and even if he did possess a certain amount of willpower, it wasnât really enough to inspire loyalty.
But even though Haruhiro knew that he was lacking in many areas, if there was a type he aspired to become, it was the Executive.
Which type had Manato been? No matter how he thought about it, Manato was definitely the strongest fighter in their party. However, he didnât drag anyone else along. Everyone just naturally obeyed and followed him.
âIs there something like a type thatâs between Dictator and Executive?â Haruhiro asked.
âOf course,â Mary replied. âI was overgeneralizing just now. Thereâs no clear line separating the two. Thereâs the archetypal Dictator, but there are also leaders who possess a mix of Dictator and Executive traits. Sometimes, it depends on the situation too.â
âIn order words, everyone is different. And you can be anywhere on the continuum.â
âYes. Sorry, I know my answer is not really helpful,â Mary added.
âNo, itâs helpful,â Haruhiro reassured her. âIf I had to pick one, Iâd say Iâm the Executive type, I think. Right?â
âI think so, yes.â
âHmm,â Haruhiro shifted his gaze up towards the ceiling. âI think that as an Executive, maybe I need to be more assertive. And say things like, âI want to do this, I want to do that, itâs better if we do,â or something. Within the team, isnât the only person who really speaks his mind Ranta of all people? The rest of us, myself includedâwe just kind of passively go with the flow.â
âYou feel a little lost?â
âWell, itâs not that I feel not lostââ Haruhiro cut himself off. âAh, you see? I just keep going back and forth.â
The corners of Maryâs mouth seemed to quiver ever so slightly. Suddenly, Haruhiro was reminded once more of how beautiful Mary was. And it was just the two of them, all by themselves⌠No, if he thought about stuff like that now, heâd confuse himself and things would get awkward.
Was it really okay for him to be here now? He couldnât really help but think that, despite how it looked, Mary wasnât comfortable with him here.
ââŚDo you feel like youâre unwelcome?â Mary inquired.
âUh, I said that?â
âI thought you said something like that. Perhaps itâs just me,â Mary said.
Haruhiro forced himself to smile. Careless. He was thinking aloud and Mary almost heard it. I need to get a better grip on myself, he thought. I canât keep messing up like this. He was the partyâs leader so he had to live up to the role.
But it wasnât like he was the leader because he wanted to be. He was the leader because he had no choice.
âAbout the conversation earlierâŚâ Mary began.
Haruhiro realized it then. Mary was definitely being considerate of him. He was making her concerned for his sake.
âR-right,â Haruhiro forced his expression to become blank again. âEarlier? What do you mean?â
âAbout working somewhere other than Damroww.â
âOh. Yume and Shihoru were against it because Ranta was for it, so the discussion stopped there. Stupid Ranta.â
âIf youâre not suggesting it out of impatience, then I think itâs an option worth considering,â Mary said.
In truth though, Haruhiro admitted maybe a part of him was in a bit of a hurry to advance. He wanted to be honest with Mary, but he also didnât want to look lame, especially to her. But maybe it was already too late for that.
âI see. But if we were to go to someplace different, then where?â
It was almost as if she had the answer prepared.
âThe Siren Mines,â Mary said simply, without hesitation. Her expression was completely blank.
âBut thatâs whereâŚâ Haruhiro began. But he fell silent. Wasnât the Siren Mines where Maryâs previous teammates had died? There she had fought Deathpatch and his kobold minions and lost three companions. He recalled Michiki the Warrior, Ogg the Thief, and Mutsumi the Mage.
What had become of them? Retrieving their bodies should have been impossible. And because their bodies hadnât been burned, they would have fallen under the Curse of the Deathless King. Wasnât it better to avoid such a place? Or perhaps it really was the logical next place to go? Haruhiro had no idea where to even start in considering the issue.
He ended up asking Mary various questions regarding kobolds before calling it a night and heading out.
I really⌠suck at these things, Haruhiro thought to himself.
At any rate, it wasnât a decision that had to be made right away, so he decided to give it more serious thought after his head had cooled down a bit. That was the plan, but that wasnât how it would turn out.
It was back to Damrowwâs Old Town the following day.