Worthless Skill Escape (WN)

Enjoy~

TL: ALT

Chapter 69 – Seiji Tozaki

I was afraid that the high human named Clovis would take aggressive measures,

“It’s okay. I have my own means of self-defense… and I’ll consult with the head priest and priestess of this shrine.”

Tengumine Shrine was originally a temple and shrine dedicated to Shugendo, a syncretism of Shinto and Buddhist practices, and both the priest and the Shinto priest were also explorers.

They also organized the Yamabushi and formed a guild of explorers.

The Explorers’ Guild, called “Yakukogaku,” is so powerful that it has received A-rank certification from the Association.

It seems that Honoka’s Yamabushi training is being conducted by its members.

They were just away from the shrine yesterday, but if they come back, it means they can do enough to drive that High Human-sama back.

I’m not sure how that guy got Haruka-san’s scent, though.

After that, I took the bus and then the train back home.

It takes a long time to go back and forth to the Tengumine Shrine Dungeon, doesn’t it?

Now that I’ve summoned the Phantom Beast, I won’t have a chance to go there.

I would like to show my face to Honoka-chan when she completes her training, but I am not sure if I should worry too much about her while my relationship with Serika is still in the halfway stage.

Honoka-chan is in training as well.

I should not worry too much about her and just continue to explore the dungeon on my own.

The next morning, I woke up early and found myself sitting at the breakfast table with my father.

It was a rare sight.

My father commutes from our house in the suburbs to the city center early in the morning.

I, on the other hand, am a freelance explorer, and my morning hours are free.

Naturally, the early risers at my parents’ house tend to be my mother > my father > (an insurmountable barrier) > me.

Of course, I woke up early in the morning when I thought Honoka-chan was in the mountains doing rigorous training before dawn.

As a result, I had to have an uncomfortable breakfast with my father.

The TV in the living room was playing a news program.

The VCR showed a very thin-looking man in his forties with a congressman’s badge on the pinhole of his suit.

His hair is slicked back, his eyebrows are long and clear, his eyes hide an unusual strength, and his lips are thin and drawn…

He is a handsome man, but his face sends shivers down my spine.

A female interviewer from a TV station held a microphone up to him.

“Councilman Tozaki! Could you tell us about the problem of a series of whistleblower cases in the Rakan Guild of Explorers, of which your daughter was a representative?”

For a moment, the man raised his eyebrows uncomfortably, but then he immediately gave a smile that seemed to be made up.

His eyes did not smile at all.

Yes.

That is Seiji Tozaki.

He is the adoptive father of Junko Tozaki, the Guild Master of Rakan.

“My daughter is a victim. She loved her guildmates more than anyone else. She thought of them as her own family. The explorer who betrayed her and killed her should be brought to justice.”

Without raising an eyebrow, Tozaki says.

“I don’t like that man’s face.”

My father mumbles.

My parents know that I was bullied in high school by Junko Tozaki, whose surname was different then.

The man who adopted her was Seiji Tozaki, a member of the House of Councillors, but I’m sure he didn’t even know that.

“What were the voters thinking when they voted for this man?”

“He’s a member of the House of Councillors, so he was elected on a proportional district basis, wasn’t he?”

“A proportional district based on the organizational votes of the Rakan Human Resources, huh? I’ve heard nothing but bad rumors about him going around driving companies crazy here and there. It’s like a bad joke that this guy… is a candidate for the next Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare.”

“What, there is no way a black company owner is going to be the Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare?”

“This time, Rakan… of the Explorers’ Guild, I heard that they don’t know what will happen to that story either.”

I guess that means that what I did was important, huh?

No, it’s almost like I was just watching.

“I want to know the truth about my daughter’s death.”

Seiji Tozaki repeated in a theatrical tone.

“He seems to be in a corner.”

My father said.

“What do you mean?”

“I think he is under pressure from ‘above’.”

“That explains a lot.”

“People who are backed into a corner in the race to the top usually have that look on their face.”

“Really?”

My father, who had worked in the company for a long time, seemed to understand.

“No matter how this man tries to explain it, it’s true that the ruling party has come under increased scrutiny. So he’s trying to divert attention away from the ruling party, I suppose.”

“Ah, so he’s emphasizing his position as the victim’s father because he doesn’t have a good position on the black issue of Rakan.”

On the TV screen, the interviewer approaches Tozaki.

“What is the truth? What about the explorers of Rakan who already told us what’s going on inside?”

“First of all, I would like to say that the Rakan Explorers Guild has nothing to do with Rakan Human Resource, of which I am the chairman.”

“There you go.”

My father frowns in disgust.

“Isn’t it sophistry to say that a company run by a family member, which also carries the same Rakan sign, has nothing to do with it?”

“It’s up to you how you feel, but in fact, there is no capital relationship. We have no business relationship with them.”

“There is also a story that workers who were hired by Rakan Human Resources went to the Rakan Explorers Guild…”

“I have no control over where those who leave the company go to work afterward. Besides, it is not uncommon for the unemployed to become explorers.”

The second half is true. The first half is a lie, of course.

“The issue of the Rakan Explorers Guild is probably something that should await a judicial decision. As an expert on labor issues, I am also interested in this question.”

An expert on labor issues, huh?

How could you say such a thing so brazenly?

“As I said, I want to know the truth about my daughter’s death. Whistleblowing on working conditions is a legal matter, but as her father, I want to know what really happened in the dungeon that day.”

“Are you saying that the witness is giving false testimony?”

“I would not say that. However, she may be a person of interest. I can’t say that their testimony is objective.”

“But you don’t have any other witnesses, do you?”

“No, there is one man who should know what happened. ――He is an unidentified explorer known as the Kurotengu.”

“Buhh…!”

I almost spit out my coffee.

“What’s wrong with you? That’s dirty.”

“It’s nothing.”

“I’m looking for Kurotengu. I’m trying to find out the truth about my daughter’s death. If the explorer known as the Kurotengu can understand the heart of a parent who has lost a daughter, please come forward voluntarily. This is a murder case.”

“Isn’t it difficult to prove anything in the dungeon?”

“That’s right. In a dungeon, everything is a black box. The rule of law does not apply. I am bitterly disappointed in this situation.”

“So you don’t expect the Explorers Association to clean up their act?”

“Even important witnesses like the Kurotengu don’t come forward. They go into hiding. They can do whatever they want, can’t they?”

Come to think of it, the Rakan Explorers’ Guild was planning to take over the Explorers’ Association.

Was it not Junko Tozaki who was pulling the strings, but his adoptive father, Seiji Tozaki?

“…No, I am asking about the abusive management that was rampant in the Explorers’ Guild that the Councilman’s daughter represented…”

“――The death of my daughter was a shock. I don’t want such a tragedy of pure love to happen again. That is why regulations for explorers are necessary. I am willing to risk my political life to push for stricter laws and regulations for explorers.”

After finishing his speech, Seiji got into a black car and drove away from the interviewer.