Shirou in Another World.

Volume 3: Orth Holy Grail War CH3

Two months since Shirou's arrival in Orth.

Little had happened since then. Arno sold off their maps, giving Shirou his share of the profit through a bag of silver coins. One of the two adventurer parties apparently returned word that Arno and his maps were reliable from the sample they bought. This caused a rush of teams on the surface to purchase the copies Arno had been making. The map information had been relevant for about a month until it was replaced by newer ones.

Scouting the Abyss was dangerous but it made money. So, for the time being, they were set on funds.

Except, something happened.

Shirou was shopping for ingredients with Ye, who had been slowly teaching him how to read and speak Xian. Small progress had been made, enough that Shirou was now able to identify ingredients and short greetings.

While picking out vegetables, Shirou spotted Arno with a troubled expression followed by Jing. Once they saw him, the pair headed straight for him.

"Shirou, there's a problem." Arno's words registered on his mind, courtesy of Jing's translation spell.

Ye, who had been looking through the fruits, glanced at the exchange. She sent Shirou a questioning look.

"M-Ma'am Ye, this is my friend, Arno. He helped me find a place to stay in the city." He explained. His words were automatically translated, and Ye understood them.

"Oh? Hired a translator too."

"I'm an Abyss scout, we make maps for adventurers." Arno greeted with a bow to show his respect to the aged smith.

"That's a dangerous profession to be in, young man."

"I did it out of desperation."

Arno had less than two years of experience in scouting the Abyss. He'd prefer to work in Orth, but when the situation was dire, he'd pick up his tools and dive back into the Abyss.

"Shirou, remember those maps we made?" Arno turned to him.

"Yes, why?"

"All scouts and mappers who sold information about the sixth layer are being called. Not just us, but anyone who has been to the sixth layer in the past three months."

Ye frowned. "Shirou was a scout?" She wasn't familiar with his past. It was all new information to her.

"Not really." Shirou scratched his head awkwardly. "I was an assistant for Arno."

Arno narrowed his eyes in response, but let the little lie slip.

"Parties are disappearing in the sixth layer at a rapid pace. The first one lost was clocked around one month ago. Ever since then, the number has gone up. They want all scouts to combine information and determine where the accidents are occurring."

"You need my help for this? I'm not exactly knowledgeable in the Abyss like you."

"No, but the adventurers who ascended with us told the guild about you."

It was hard to forget someone who helped save your life.

"What are they saying?"

"Nobody recognizes you. The leading rumor is that you're a solo freelancer who's been sneaking underground for black market jobs."

"Shirou? How many times have you gone down?" Ye frowned.

"It was his first time down there with me last time."

"Nobody was hiring me...Arno offered me a job even when I didn't understand Xian."

"Oh, you poor boy..."