BXBX NOVEL Chapter 604: Deadly Gaze
Eguchi Ren: Thank you everyone for your patience. Apologies for making you all worry. I had been a little emotional lately but everyone’s kind words really saved me.
Thank you.
I’m still busy but would like to gradually go back to the regular updates. For now, the updates will be once every two weeks, but I hope to return to a weekly update by November. I really appreciate everyone’s continuous support
Gumihou: I hope everything is okay with Eguchi-san even now. Did some general editing to make the text flow more smoothly.
A group of what looked like little old men had gathered just behind to main building to stare at our group.
First, let’s try ignoring them.
They are probably some of Bruno-san’s hired hands. Since you’re here to work. Please do your work properly.
As expected, even after staring at us for a long while, they refused to leave. I did my best to not look at them, but their eyes were kind of painful as they stared at the beer that Grandpa Gon and I were enjoying. Well, Grandpa Gon was making a huge fuss about how great this ‘cold beer’ was, so I can’t really blame them.
They showed no sign of leaving even though we ignored them.
Haahhh… are they on their lunch break or something?
Well, to be honest, considering the speed and quality of their work, I guess it would be alright to treat them once.
“So, uh, do you guys want to give this a try…” I began, but before I could finish speaking, I found myself surrounded by excited little men. “Ahah, um, here. Help yourself from this bucket…”
I had already asked Grandpa Gon to cool down a few bottles of beer on the side. All of which were quickly snatched up by the unexpected visitors.
“Kaahh–! Delish!!”
“Is this cold ale? This is amazing!”
“Ousa! Never had anything like it before. To think that just chilling it would make it so shockingly good!”
“I can feel the fatigue melting off my body,”
“Supervisor~ this is very delicious~”
“Let’s drink our ale chilled next time, Supervisor!”
As you may have guessed, Bruno-san was also included in this group of ‘little old men’. It took them no time at all to decimate the entire bucket of beer, before turning hopeful eyes at me.
What could I do but provide them with a second bucket of beer?
I even went above and beyond by providing them with a whole plate of cubed ‘Simple Bacon-Style Pork Belly’ to enjoy. However, that was where I drew the line.
No more handouts.
At least, not the smoked ones.
Instead, I brought out my barbecue stove and a large tub of meat and told them to grill their own food.
“Uwoohhh—!!”
“Mukouda-san, you’re the best!”
“Supervisor, I will follow you forever!”
“Oi, I got the fire started, hand over the meat now!”
“W-wait, are you just going to slap the meat on the grill like that?” someone shrieked, voicing my scandalised thoughts.
“Eh, sure. It’s good meat, I’m sure it would taste excellent regardless.”
“Here, use this,” I said, handing Bruno-san a jar of herb salt. It was just one of my more common herb salt, but it should be better than nothing.
[1] “Ou~!! Thanks!!”
[1] “Supervisor, this fragrance, the quality of the grain…”
[1] “Woah, excellent indeed! Mukouda-san is very generous!”
[1] Why are they acting like this… oh, right. I had forgotten. Salt is actually quite expensive in this world.
“Meh, rather than salt, I would rather…”
“Oi! Stop that!” Bruno-san smacked the speaker in the back of the head. Then, he turned to me and said, “Sorry about that, you’ve been too generous to us already.”
“Haha, that’s fine… still, is it alright for you to, uh, take a break like this?”
“Eh, we’re ahead of schedule as it is. Speaking of which, could we have more beer?”
“… …”
I ended up helping the Dwarves grill meat at the barbecue.
[2]
That’s not to say that the Dwarves were not good at cooking. In fact, from the way they sprinkled the herb salt to the way they controlled the fire, it was easy to tell that this group of people were used to camping and barbecuing.
“Hey! Check out these tongs! What kind of material is it made of? It’s so much easier to flip the meat with these.”
“What about those things? Check out the design on this grill, see the holes here? This makes it easier for the fire to draw air in and keep burning without going out even though the area is enclosed.”
“Not a bit of magic is required to maintain the fire, just some good charcoal or wood. What an excellent bit of engineering.”
“Look, look, the bottom part can be taken out like a drawer. See, the ashes fall in here and-”
“Umu, the joints are done pretty well too, shall we make one for ourselves?”
“Ou! Let’s!”
[2]
[3]
“Oi, why are they eating our food?” Fer growled.
“What are you talking about? They are grilling their own food.”
““Grrr, we caught those Dungeon Pigs and Cows!””
“They are just ordinary Dungeon Pork and Beef…”
“How dare they eat without us!!”
I sighed, “Haven’t you had enough?”
“NO!”
There was no choice. In the end, I commandeered one end of the grill and started barbecuing meat for my Gluttonnous Quartet. The group of little men were not the least bit miffed. The ones most interested in cooking were standing by the grill with me, but as for the rest?
“Oh my~ the alcohol is delish and the meat is tasty. This is the best!” Bruno-san said as he smacked my back.
“Ow ow!”
“Sorry, sorry,” said Bruno-san with a wide grin.
“Ou! Don’t hit our supplier too hard, Bruno!”
“Yeah, save that strength for the hammer tomorrow!”
[4] “Gahahaha! They are right, I really shouldn’t have done that!” Bruno-san laughed as he slung his tough arm around my shoulder.
[4] I had to bend down a couple of feet to accommodate his height. “Haha…”
[4] “Speaking of which…”
[4] “Eh, eh? Bruno-san, y-you’re too close…”
[4] “I heard that you have access to, ahem, more interesting and much stronger spirits?”
“Eh, um, I guess?” I said, feeling more than a little threatened. I run through the list of alcohol I have brought to this world and immediate, the voices of two certain gods howled in my head. “Are you talking about… whisky?”
“Oho, is that what it’s called?” Bruno-san beamed. “Well, I don’t mind giving this whisky thing a try.”
“Ahah, I see…” [5] I was confused. Didn’t I pay him and his alcoholic pals in whisky back when he first renovated my bathroom?
“Say,” said Bruno-san as he sidled closer, “I heard that whisky comes in different flavours…”
So, that’s what he’s really aiming?
Well, I don’t really mind giving him and his posse of Dwarves more whisky, after all, they were very swift and efficient with their jobs. It doesn’t hurt to establish a good relationship with the local contractors.
So, please stop looking at me with those dewy eyes. Your height may be considered cute by some standards, but that’s about it. There was nothing cute about being stared at like this by a bearded middle-aged short man.
I forced a smile and said, “Yes, I understand. Please wait a moment while I fetch it for you.”
There was no way I was going to expose my [Net Super] to you guys, which is why I’ll pretend to ‘fetch’ the whisky from the main house.
On the way, I contemplated what to buy. Considering their ability to drink, it was probably better to just buy a supermarket-ready brand rather than consult Tanaka’s Liquor Shop. Even so, there were more choices than one would expect. In the end, I chose three common whiskies that could be found even at convenience stores.
I had them before and to be honest, I like these cheap whiskies when mixed as Highball.
The first option is the [6] familiar square bottle that I had given to Bruno and his pals before.
The second option was a whiskey with a picture of a funny-looking old man in the front and finally, a whisky bottle that had the image of a fine gentleman with a rather distinctive beard.
Since all three are good when served as Highballs, should I buy some tonic water too?
Right, let’s get a crate.
After securing the whisky and a crate of expensive tonic water in glass bottles, I headed back to the little clearing where the Dwarves were waiting for me. One or two Dwarves were still cooking and serving meals to the Gluttonous Four.
That made me feel a little better about saying, “Well, I prepared three kinds for you.”
“OOOHHH!!!”
The whiskies were immediately snatched out of my hands and the next thing I knew the top was popped open and the Dwarves proceeded to chug the amber liquid straight from the bottle.
“… …” so much for the crate of tonic water.
They were gulping down the whiskies as though they were gulping down juice.
“Master, may I have some as well?”
“Yes, yes you may. However, please drink in moderation,” I said as I prepared a bowl and poured a bottle of whisky in.
“Oho, looks like I underestimated your guts,” Fer sneered from the side.
“Kuuhh– that happened because it was my first time drinking such strong spirits. It won’t happen again.”
Fortunately, before they could get into a full-blown quarrel. I shoved the bowl of whisky to Grandpa Gon, “Here you go. Drink up, don’t quarrel.”
Meanwhile, a few of the Dwarves ran off.
“Eh? What’s happening?” I asked, since it was weird to see Dwarves leaving a place where alcohol is available.
“Ou, I sent them to fetch the sausages we made the other day,” Bruno-san grinned. “After all, we must have good food alongside the excellent drink, eh?”
“Ah, good idea,” I said. I looked at the barbecue area and found that a lot of the meat had been cooked up, so I brought out another box of meat. I was wondering whether I should bring out some of my own sausages when–
“Geh! What are you doing here?!”
“Can’t I?” shrieked a female voice. “I refuse to be left out!”
I turned around and, “Woah, it’s Anika-san!”
“Oh my~ thank you for your business. These sausages turned out quite excellent, do try some,” said Anika-san cheerfully.
“Oh, thank you…”
“Oi! Grill those now!”
“”Yeah! Yeah! Sausages!!””
“”Sui wants some…””
I glared at the three of them, then at Grandpa Gon.
“I would appreciate some as well, Master.”
“Hey, you guys have been eating almost non-stop since this morning. Are you sure you want more?”
“MORE!!”
“Don’t worry, Mukouda-san,” said one of the Dwarf workers.
“We’ll take care of the cooking,” said another.
“Do you have any more of this whisky-”
SLAP!
“Ouch!”
“Eh?” I turned around to find Bruno-san on the floor. He had a wounded look on his face as he stared pitifully at Anika-san.
“How dare you try and leave me out of this drinking party? Humph, do you think I won’t find out?”
A quick glance showed that most of the glass bottles were empty. Scratch that, all of the glass bottles were empty. Well, I had expected this already.
Sticking my hand into my [Item box], I withdrew a half-dozen pack of whisky and set it on a makeshift table.
“Who wants more whisky?” I cried.
Well, that diffused the tension quickly. I seized one of the bottles and handed it to Anika-san. “Please try some as well,” I said.
“Oh my, how kind of you. Well, don’t mind if I do~”
Then, she popped open the cap and… drank it straight out of the bottle.
“… …” [7]
[Gumihou: Added a bit more dialogue and action to make the text more dynamic. Summarized the ending because it gets really repetitive]
[1] I think Eguchi-san forgot his original ‘salt is expensive’ premise. Thus, added it to the scene
[2] Add details to the dwarf cooking scene. Pique their interest in the ‘new’ cookware
[3] A more logical segue for Fer & Co demanding food.
[4] A neater segue to whisky
[5] Since Gumi can’t remember, Mukouda can’t be 100% sure either.
[6] Guessing whiskies
– ‘familiar square bottle’ – maybe Suntory Toki
/p/36362/suntory-toki
– ‘funny looking old man’ – unclear, can’t find it (maybe ‘Old Grandad’?)
/whiskies/old-grand-dad/old-grand-dad-whiskey/
– ‘a distinctive looking gentleman with an impressive beard’
Unclear what this one is…
[7] Deleted the following:
– description of their sausages in comparison to his own sausage
– Mukouda’s other employees joining the party (all they did was add to the confusion)
– ‘yummy’ remarks and descriptions from at least 6 individuals (the employees barely even add to the ‘yums’. No Lotte)
– alcohol + grilled meat = yum