Dual Cultivation

TL Note: For those of you who don’t know, you can follow me @NeoTranslations on twitter or visit the non-mobile version of this site to see the chat, and check if the chapter’s going to be late.

Also, chapters get released once a week. Usually Sunday for this one. With that in mind, I’m not late at all, am I? (The goblins were technically late though) Haha. Anyways, here’s your chapter guys, enjoy!

Author’s Note: This time, I'm writing from the perspective of the protagonist's employee.

Volume 3 Chapter 13

Waking up on her assigned bed…

“Fina, wake up!” [Jeanne]

“Mn… Jeanne…?” [Fina]

“Good grief! Even though you’re fine normally, why are you so bad at waking up?” [Jeanne]

… Ah… no good, I want to sleep again. Normally, it’s no good to go back to sleep, but it’s our off today, so…

“Have you already forgotten that everyone’s going out to town today?” [Jeanne]

“Oh right!” [Fina]

From this month onwards, everyone will get a day off together once a week. So we decided to go out to town to play!

“I’ll get dressed immediately, wait for me!” [Fina]

I hurriedly dressed myself, and went towards the employee’s dorm lobby. There, Maria and Jeanne, two girls who left the same village I did for money, and our dormmate, Li Ling-san, were waiting.

“I’m ready! Sorry, I’m late.” [Fina]

“Morning~” [Maria]

“Don’t mind it.” [Li Ling]

“It’s the same as always anyway.” [Jeanne]

I wanted to say something back, but it’s true, so I can’t deny it. Sigh… why am I so bad at waking up?

“Then, let’s go!” [Jeanne]

As Jeanne said that, she took the lead, and we went out to town. Li Ling-san and Maria comforted me as we followed.

I started feeling better when we got out, and the four of us enjoyed ourselves in town.

For breakfast we bought food from the stall selling to the bachelor laborers. That store’s main customers were manual laborers, so the serving was a little more than a meal for both me and Maria.

After eating, we went shopping for our daily necessities until noon, at which we looked around for clothes.

Who would’ve thought that we’d be able to live like this after leaving our homes? We’re truly fortunate. Everyone who left said so, so I thought we’d end up working from morning until late in the evening every day and still end up without enough money.

Jeanne and Maria’s probably thought of the same thing. But what actually happened is completely different. We were given individual rooms, Celma-san makes us delicious food, and our salary’s high. Even after doubling the money I send back home, and despite eating out once a week and shopping, I still have enough left over to save.

From time to time, Maria has a tendency to be distracted, and once upon a time, she fell over and got hurt. But she was healed with healing magic. And according to Li Ling-san, even Fei-san’s broken leg was healed. But what’s more is that in both of these cases, they were healed free of charge.

Healing magic’s normally not something used that freely. But in our store, we can receive that free of charge anytime. Ever since trouble’s been around the store, the boss left the heal slime there permanently to help us.

In the past, the boss himself was the one managing. But when Robelia-san and the others were around, they were the ones managing. And after Robelia-san’s group left to manage the new branch store, Maria’s been left in charge of the heal slimes. Robelia-san said that it’s an important slime, so I wonder if it was really ok to hand it over that easily. Still… it’s certainly assuring to know that healing magic can be used anytime.

The place I work at is really good. When my parents sent me a letter asking and worrying about my workplace and my boss, I wrote them back not to worry.

“Fina, what are you dazing off for? Are you sleeping again?” [Jeanne]

“Sheesh, I’m plenty awake. How long are you going to keep pestering me about that?” [Fina]

“For the meantime, let’s go to ‘that’ store.” [Jeanne]

By ‘that store’ we mean the coffee shop that’s recently been popular here in Gimuru. Their confections are relatively cheap, but more than anything, they’re delicious. Maria and Jeanne wanted to go as soon as they heard the rumors, but we decided to go after shopping instead.

We took the seats by the window. And a female employee came to get our orders. During that time, Jeanne asked me,

“So… What were you thinking about a while ago?” [Jeanne]

“Nothing in particular, just how lucky we are is all.” [Fina]

“Oh, so it’s that. But yeah… a normally definitely wouldn’t let us live this luxuriously.” [Jeanne]

“We get to send lots of cash back home~, we get to rest~, what a great place to work at~” [Maria]

“Come to think of it, you three came from the same village, huh?” [Li Ling]

“That’s right~” [Maria]

“But with no strong magical beasts, no special products, and a land that’s not particularly healthy… it’s just a poor village.” [Fina]

“Since you’re working away for your families, are you guys planning to leave this work eventually?” [Li Ling]

It’s true that there’re those who work away from home and eventually come back, but we have no plans of doing so.

“As long as the boss’s fine with it, then we’ll work forever~” [Maria]

“This job allows us to send more money than anything else, and more than anything, we don’t know if we’ll be hired again after retiring once.” [Fina]

“After all, if the boss opens up recruitment, then form the looks of things there’ll be a flood of applicants. Speaking of which, how about you and Fei-san? I heard you were peddlers in the past, but…” [Jeanne]

“Our country’s very dangerous. Me and my dad, we don’t plan on going back.” [Li Ling]

What kind of country’s Gilmar anyway? It’s big but really far, so its name’s about all I know about it. While living in the village, I thought it’d be a good idea to familiarize myself with the name of this country and the surrounding towns, so unfortunately, I couldn’t get time to gather more information regarding the farther countries.

And from the looks of things, just like me, Maria and Jeanne also couldn’t understand. I mean, I get that it’s dangerous, but exactly how is it dangerous? Realizing that, Li Ling-san explained.

“For a long long time now, Gilman’s been at war. Not with other countries, but inside. The different nobles inside have been warring on endlessly. Apparently, it’s a scramble for the founder king’s equipment. When the king died, the nobles immediately fought each other in hopes to gain it.” [Li Ling]

“A war to steal a weapon?” [Jeanne]

“Not just a weapon, but also an armor and a helmet. Apparently, the all of the king’s equipment have an amazing power concealed within it. And once one gathers all of those, then that person will receive power and become the strongest, gaining the right to rule the country… or so the story goes. But that story should be fake.” [Li Ling]

“Even until now?” [Jeanne]

“Right now they’re fighting for vengeance. After one succeeds, the other will start fighting for vengeance. Like this the cycle just repeats itself. And it’s because of this that the country’s a mess, and there’re plenty of bandits. I don’t have any relatives left in Gilmar, so Iplan to live in this peaceful country.” [Li Ling]

“Then, let’s do our best from now on together ~” [Maria]

“I look forward to working with you as well.” [Fina]

As I was saying that, the tea and sweets came.

“Sorry for making you wait, here’re your black tea and seasonal fruits pie.” [Waitress]

Jeanne’s and Maria’s eyes sparkled when they saw the pie the waitress brought with her.

“It’s here! It’s here! I’ve wanted to eat this!” [Jeanne]

“Itadakima~su.” [Maria]

Following after the two, I and Li Ling-san eat as well. And as soon as that pie entered my mouth, the indescribable sweetness and freshness of various fruits mixing spread inside my mouth. Delicious!

“Yep, just as rumored, this is good.” [Jeanne]

“I’m in bliss~” [Maria]

Jeanne and Maria praised the food, and Li Ling-san agreed with them. After that, we continued to talk over tea and pie. And after finishing the conversation on clothes, Jeanne suddenly cut in.

“By the way, what do you guys think of our boss?” [Jeanne]

“What’s this all of the sudden~?” [Maria]

“A letter came from the village, right?” [Jeanne]

True, a letter did come. A letter from our worrying parents arrived just a few days ago.

“In my letter, various things like, “Are your senior employees and boss treating you badly? Are they harassing you?” You know, various things pressing for my relationships in work.” [Jeanne]

Well those kind of bosses do exist, so I guess it’s only normal for even Jeanne’s parents to be worried. My letter’s also nonchalantly asking about those things.

“Of course, I wrote back that it’s a good store, and that there’re no men trying to use their position to woo me. But as for the boss, I don’t really know much~” [Maria]

“Really?” [Jeanne]

“Well yeah, after all, I barely anything about him aside from being a good kid. All I know is that he has a lot of slimes, and that he lives in the mine inside a house he built.” [Maria]

Now that she mentions it, that’s certainly the case. Whenever we talk to the boss, it’s mostly about the store’s equipment, the customers’ reception, and the salary of the employees. We barely talk of anything outside that.

And so, we all started to think for a bit after that. But in the end, we could only come up with, “He’s a good kid.” And we ended the conversation there. I should get to know the boss better, little by little. Li Ling-san and I don’t plan on encroaching too much, but Jeanne and Maria look way too eager about this. I should probably take care not to be a bother.

As I was thinking that, we finished the tea and the sweets. Without noticing it, we’ve overstayed at the store, so we left. After that, we walked around the town for a bit, then we went back to the dorm.

My wallet got a bit lighter today, but something like this’s no problem. Once I save up a bit, I’ll go with the others to that store again.