398 - Big Mama and the Soup Gang 3
TL/Editor: raei
Status: 5/Week Mon-fri
Illustrations: Posted in discord.
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Marianne's inn was renowned for its cheap, generous portions without compromising on food quality. Even outside al tis, it was packed with adventurers filling their hungry bellies after grueling hunts.
When you consider that well-off adventurers tend to splurge on food and drink at fancy inns like 'Lucky Scoundrel' while cozying up to pretty girls, it's obvious what kind of people frequented Marianne's place.
People who rejoiced at earning a few silver coins after risking their lives. People living hand-to-mouth, destined for a miserable, impoverished old age or a wretched death once their strength gave out. That's why they considered Marianne, who gave an extra scoop of at for a few coppers, like family.
The sa went for Johanna, who grumbled about overbaked bread even as she handed it out. Sharing misshapen loaves in back alleys that she claid were too ugly to sell to the temple. But when this happened repeatedly for years, even the dimst fool would figure it out.
A baker in the bakers' guild supplying bread to the temple wouldn't make the exact sa mistake every ti she baked for ten years straight.
"Don't know if we'll be able to find them..."
"Why, you chickening out?"
"Fuck you, I know we're probably gonna die either way. But if I'm gonna die, I wanna find them first..."
"At least the mana stones are good. If we can make it out alive, it'll be worth so serious coin."
"Shit, you really think we can survive this?"
"We knew what we were getting into. Why get greedy now?"
"We can't make it out on our own, but if we gather enough mana stones and ask another adventurer..."
"Right, if we find the ladies we can ask a senior adventurer for help."
"If they're from the kingdom, they must've eaten at the ladies' restaurant at least once."
Whenever I thought about this world, there was an analogy I always ca back to. A dark fantasy world where thieves got their wrists cut off and fraudsters had their tongues ripped out.
I guess in a world without the concept of human rights, even the Goddess of Life said it was fine as long as you didn't murder for trivial reasons.
In a place with no notion of human rights, these two won had been carrying out acts bordering on welfare through small acts of sharing for decades.
It wasn't like they could've run restaurants while wandering from city to city in modern society. They'd been at it since before I entered the adventurer city, so at least 12 years. Considering this mishmash fantasy world of dieval and modern elents, they could've been living like this for up to 40 years.
The fruits of their labor were right before our eyes.
"I wonder if this food will be enough. We'll have to keep going back and forth to the safe zone on the 53rd floor, right?"
"With mana stones this good, we could buy plenty of food if we sell them."
Of course, not all hundred-or-so people were unified by a sense of loyalty and determination to save the two won at the cost of their own lives.
The arrogant thoughts of the weak thinking they had a chance with these numbers, the desire to save face while earning mana stones before bailing, the urgency to do sothing since everyone else was moving. Because of this, fragnts of all sorts of emotions could be sensed in people's eyes.
If we hadn't been lucky enough to save them this ti, they probably would've scattered even if they'd won the battle. Co to think of it, "ragtag bunch" might be a more fitting description for these people than for the goblins.
"Brothers, why did you co all the way here?"
Did even Han Se-ah, blinded by capitalism, feel burdened by confiscating all the mana stones from these uncles who risked their lives to repay kindness while writhing in pain? While distributing and checking the mana stones, Grace paused from helping treat the wounded to ask the priests.
Among the hundred-odd people, there were exactly nine priests. That is, 2★ 'Doctrine Spreader' Luis and eight priests who followed him. With only priests and no nuns, all looking about the sa age, they were probably acquaintances.
Young priests rallying around a 2★ priest. As cute and delicate as they looked, they must've been around puberty. I was curious why they entered the tower with those uncles.
"We had to co. Without us, even with the hero's help, about twenty people would have died."
"Couldn't you stop them?"
"That Paul over there nearly starved to death after injuring his leg in the tower and failing to find work. They say that's when Johanna gave him bread in the back alley when he collapsed."
Luis smiled gently at Irene, who muttered sadly. Co to think of it, this priest might've been more mature than that low-level rabble.
While I was thinking this, Luis's murmurs continued to flow into Irene's ears.
People abandoned by family who beca adventurers to survive but lacked talent and starved, people who fell ill while gathering herbs and hunting horned rabbits and had to beg for food, people who left the temple's orphanage but were still too poor and relied on inns...
"If it weren't for the bread Johanna shared, we would've starved to death before the temple could take us in."
"It's the sa with Marianne. Even though the temple looks after orphans, they can't help everyone."
And the priests including Luis.
It was obvious, but the temple wasn't a miracle rich house with an endless supply of gold coins, nor was it an organization that accumulated wealth by selling the Goddess's na. So Luis's words must have weighed heavily on Irene, who cared for children in the orphanage.
I could see concern and anguish settling into her usually gentle expression.
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Raei Translations
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"Thank you, Roland."
"You're not thinking of going back?"
"We still have enough food. We know it's reckless, but we're not suicidal. We'll scout the safe zones near the gate first, then make the most of the safe zone on the 53rd floor while only exploring the entrance of the 54th floor."
Irene asked several tis in roundabout ways if they had any thoughts of turning back, but was t with gentle refusals. The worried, anxious expression on Irene's face contrasted starkly with Luis's warm, gentle smile - you'd think Irene was the one in mortal danger.
As Luis and the other priests moved around with gentle smiles, the group of mid-to-low rank adventurers following them also brightened up.
They were nearly wiped out by the goblin infantry, but that unfavorable sign was only visible to high-ranking adventurers who could read the battlefield. In reality, not a single person died and everyone survived. They were probably thinking, 'If there were just a few less of them, we could handle goblins.'
"No, how the fuck am I supposed to help? I'm pissed off and uneasy too, so anyone who keeps harping on about this better be ready to get cut. Hey, what was it earlier, the Fabius family? Why didn't you say anything when that old man was talking, but now you're like this?"
-lol they ignored the mustached old man but ca running when the pretty boy showed up
-fuck lol are you treating the knights and the food-giving moms the sa?
-No overreacting pls. If you're so butthurt, why don't you break through to the 50th floor and protect the ladies yourselves instead of backseat gaming?
-Co on, no matter how much you spam the chat, you can't magically find the ladies sowhere in the plains
-Is it cuz this is a VR ga that these idiots are getting so into it like middle-aged won overidentifying with drama characters
Irene seed to be holding back her words out of respect for those who took up arms directly, while feeling sorrow for the lives that would be lost in vain. anwhile, Han Se-ah was busy dealing with viewers as usual.
Two upstanding citizens who perford selfless acts of kindness, and over a hundred people gathered willing to lay down their lives for them. This was enough to move anyone, East or West, so viewers were engrossed in Irene and Luis's story as if watching an imrsive drama.
"Talk so sense, what's with all this collection talk? How can we realistically find NPCs when we haven't even encountered an ogre yet?"
But it seed they were a bit overly excited. I guessed Han Se-ah got a bit too into it as well. She seed more irritated than usual at viewers who were urging action, probably because she was full of desire to help like the viewers but had no way to do so.
So I showed the maximum goodwill I could.
"Priest Luis, please take this."
"This... for ?"
As he finished talking with Irene and made the sign of the cross, I went over and held out my adventurer's badge.
Realistically, a party of just five - no, eight including the three temporary companions - couldn't possibly check an entire landmass larger than a city. So the only thing I, or rather our party, could do was lend our na.
Just like how Marx Fabius showed his family crest to the tower's adventurers on behalf of his knights, promising generous rewards to those who help the order.
"If you et other adventurers, show them this badge and request help in the na of the holy sword and hero. You can ask for food, or describe the ladies and ask for help rescuing them."
"Ah... thank you."
Luis seed to think faster than , considering how even adventurers two or three tis his age implicitly accepted him as the leader. Even with the hero's authority, you couldn't forcibly conscript adventurers with just a badge.
Realistically, my badge was more likely to end up discarded on the plains next to a cold corpse.
Still, I hoped this priest Luis would manage to rescue the two ladies safely. After all, I too once solved my als at Marianne's inn as a novice.
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