The Tyrant Empress is Obsessed with Me

Chapter 15

15 – The Land of the Natives

Aascal lay back in his armchair, stroking Per. The horse’s thickening mane and flesh felt good under his fingers.

‘Soon, this fellow’s size will become a problem; I should build a stable for him.’

Usually, they’d pay to keep it in a shared stable, but it would be troublesome if someone found out this creature was a Pegasus.

Of course, building a private stable would cost a significant amount of money, but Ascal had gathered quite a sum.

“It’s ticklish, you little guy.”

It’s still a long time before he needs to find a mother.

While playing around and pushing away the Fer that was burrowing into his arms, a sound came from the magic-operated receiver.

＜Today, we have a story from ‘RetirementHopeful’.＞

RetirementHopeful.

That’s his nickname. Ascal listened carefully.

＜Hello, I am a worker at a bad workplace. I want to be fired from my job, but even if I try to make mistakes, things strangely work themselves out, and I end up succeeding. How can I avoid becoming buried in this place?＞

They say that the king’s ears are donkey’s ears, so he just needs some relief from his suffocation.

In that sense, the Imperial Magic Transmitter – which can send stories anonymously – was an ideal medium for relieving stress.

The broadcaster read Ascal’s story indifferently, and then slowly spoke.

＜That’s a unique story. Normally, you can just quit, can’t you? If that’s not an option for you, well… Maybe if you try to succeed from the beginning, you might fail.＞

It felt like a lightbulb had turned on in his head.

Until now, he had always strived to fail, but the situation always turned to the opposite. So, if he decided to try to succeed from the beginning, wouldn’t he fail?

Ascal stood up and decided to test this ‘hypothesis’.

＜Today’s lucky constellation is Leo, and the lucky direction is west! I hope everyone has a good day!＞

Having turned off the transmitter, Ascal prepared to leave.

Maybe today would be the day he would finally break free from this spiral of unwanted success.

A guild.

Even in the capital city of the Barba Empire, guilds exist.

When you think of a guild, the image of a beautiful receptionist and various requests from F-rank to A-rank comes to mind.

Ascal’s idea of a guild wasn’t much different.

However.

The moment he stepped foot into the guild, Ascal’s image of it shattered into pieces.

“People say that the port union pays handsomely nowadays.”

“But you can’t leave for a month once you go there, right? I heard that quite a few people have died on the ships.”

“There’s no such thing as a safe job that pays well. You have to take everything into account…”

It was unusual.

Men who appeared to have worked in manual labor for more than ten years were taking deep drags from their pipes.

If one had to make a comparison, this place was like an employment agency where veterans had gathered.

Ascal turned to leave the guild.

“Oh, I haven’t seen your face before. Are you a newcomer?”

“A newcomer?”

But it was already too late.

Their eyes met.

The tall man who came to Ascal’s table leaned his muscular arm, full of scars, against the table. The scars seemed to represent his life’s story in a nutshell.

“Your face doesn’t seem like one to work in a place like this. Did you come here to earn some quick cash for a girlfriend’s present?”

“I recommend starting with cleaning services if you’re a beginner. The pay is a bit low, but it’s perfect for sharpening your skills.”

“No, you should start big with fishing boats. A real man needs to start big to succeed.”

Their differing philosophies clashed sharply.

In no time, the guild had turned into a marketplace.

Ascal took advantage of the chaos to sneak away from his seat. He had come to the guild on a day off to work, but it seemed that accomplishing his goal wouldn’t be easy.

“Are you looking for work?”

The person who spoke was a girl who seemed to be in her mid-to-late teens. In contrast to her young-looking face, she wore a dirt-stained work outfit, which gave her an air of experience.

“Yes, I am. It’s my first time at a guild, so I’m not sure what kind of job to start with.”

The girl approached and suddenly grabbed Ascal’s arm.

“…?”

“You seem to have quite impressive arm muscles despite your appearance. You’d probably be able to do farm work or mine work. Would you like to take a look at the request forms?”

“Alright.”

The girl’s name was Jenny, and she was the guildmaster’s daughter.

It was a common prejudice that middle-aged men who had experience and money would often roam around without a care, and Jenny’s father was a perfect example of it.

‘A girl boss, huh.’

Jenny went to a corner of the guild, took a few wrinkled request forms, and showed them to Ascal. They were requests that seemed to be on the verge of rotting because no one had taken them, and it seemed like she was trying to trick Ascal, who didn’t know anything.

After all, newcomers were the most delicious prey for such schemes.

‘I actually like it this way.’

Ascal decided to play along knowingly. After all, he had come here today to ‘succeed’ in doing something difficult.

“Here the first one is mine work and the second one is farm work… You should be able to handle them pretty well. Your muscles were no joke, you know?”

It was a flattering gesture that could be seen right through.

“Which work is harder and more rewarding?”

“Well, farm work. The land is barren, so crops don’t grow well. On top of that, there’s a shortage of labor, so we’re always struggling… But, isn’t gaining experience the important thing?”

Aascal accepted the farm work.

He was determined to succeed in growing crops on the barren land.

“I can’t believe someone took that quest.”

“He seemed like a smart friend, but, tsk. Is he only well on the outside?”

“He’ll suffer but won’t even earn a penny.”

Aascal decided to ignore the interference of his peers.

Fortunately, he didn’t have to walk all the way to the farm. The guild prepared a carriage for him, as no one had taken the quest for a long time.

“It will take about 5 hours to get there. When you arrive, show them this request, and they’ll understand.”

As soon as Aascal got on the carriage, it started off at a rapid pace. Aascal could feel their urgency, perhaps worrying that the fool might realize the truth and run away.

“When the carriage drives through the darkness and crosses the hill – we will arrive at the Eriendale village to the west – the cursed land where not a single crop grows – the livestock are dying, emaciated – the villagers are clinging to a fragile hope -“

The coachman hummed.

‘Is this a song or a curse?’

Some time had passed since the carriage left. Aascal was filling himself with the preserved food and water he brought when the carriage stopped at a village.

– Eriendale Village

The sign looked so old that it seemed as though it would quickly be blown away if the wind blew.

“I don’t see any people.”

“Hmm. It’s because it’s nighttime. Since you’ve arrived, I’ll leave now.”

The coachman left Aascal at the entrance of the village, then disappeared beyond the horizon, driving the horse.

It’s night.

Unlike his previous life, night was a time to be very careful in this era. You could not see an inch ahead without light, and if you were to run into wild animals, you’d be perfect prey.

Aascal held a fairly expensive flint torch he purchased and went looking for people.

As they went deeper into the village, there was a place with a lit fire. A bonfire was billowing smoke into the air.

Not sure if it was dangerous, Aascal cautiously approached the bonfire, hiding his presence.

From No ble mt L dot c om

He heard people talking.

“We’re completely out of food today.”

“All the chickens, pigs, and cows have died of hunger.”

“What should we do about the young children?”

“Head of the village, we need to make a decision.”

The elders had their faces painted like Indians.

The elder called the village chief suddenly stood up and spoke.

“I will sacrifice myself. Eat me. I’ll last a few days.”