Chapter 14: Demon’s Lair – 06
Under the guidance of Danken, I was led to the Adventurers’ Guild’s underground storage.
As we descended the stairs, a large room came into view, filled with stacks of wooden crates piled high like mountains.
When Danken moved a few of the crates aside, a small space surrounded by boxes was revealed. It appeared to be a makeshift room, furnished with a simple bed and a desk with a chair.
In that room stood a boy. He was a strikingly beautiful youth with short silver hair and an aristocratic face, likely from a well-to-do background. He appeared to be around fifteen years old, dressed in commoner’s attire, yet his demeanor unmistakably suggested noble lineage. Given the circumstances, it was clear he was a person of some significance.
“Ryuusha-sama, I apologize for the inconvenience. It seems I’ve finally found an adventurer I can rely on,” Danken said.
The boy nodded in acknowledgment.
“Are you the one who will take me to the Marquis?” he asked.
“Indeed. He is currently one of the most trusted men in the Adventurers’ Guild, so he will surely escort you to the Marquis without fail,” Danken assured him.
“That would be a great help… My name is Ryuusha,” the boy introduced himself, bowing gracefully. His movements were fluid, further emphasizing that he was no ordinary individual.
“I am Soushi. I have been tasked by the Guild Master to escort you to His Excellency the Marquis. It will be quite a challenging journey, but I will handle everything along the way,” I replied.
“I understand. I must reach the Marquis at all costs. I appreciate your assistance,” Ryuusha said, bowing once more.
Danken then turned to me. “So, Soushi, when shall we set out? It will take at least three days to reach the Marquis. We’ll need to prepare food as well, though there’s hardly anything to be found in this town.”
“I always keep supplies in my Item Box, so we can leave at any time. If you prefer to depart quickly, I’m ready to go now,” I responded.
“Is that so? Then it’s best we leave as soon as possible. What do you think, Ryuusha-sama?”
“Yes, I’m ready,” he confirmed.
“Then let’s set off immediately. Given the situation with the Earl today, it seems a conflict is imminent,” Danken stated.
With that, Danken retrieved a sturdy backpack from the shelves of the storage room, large enough to fit a person inside.
As I exited the guild, I slung the hefty backpack over my shoulders and walked toward the castle gate.
Inside the backpack was Ryuusha, curled up snugly. His slender frame made him feel as light as carrying a feather, so it posed no issue for me.
Now, regarding this task, as I mentioned earlier, it involved delivering Ryuusha to the Marquis in the south. The complication was that the boy was being hunted by the kingdom, and if discovered, both he and I would face dire consequences.
Moreover, the destination being the Marquis in the south added an air of danger. The Marquis had taken a stance against the current king’s policies, and rumors of an impending civil war between the royal family and the nobility were circulating.
Additionally, it seemed Ryuusha held a significant role in this upcoming conflict. Just hearing that made me feel I had a vague understanding of who he was, but it would be rather rude to pry further.
As for the reward, it was said to come from the Marquis himself, and depending on the outcome of the civil war, it could be substantial. However, I had serious doubts about whether it would be worth the risk. It was questionable whether a mere adventurer should even take on such a task. Of course, I had no obligation to accept it, but there were reasons compelling me to do so.
One reason was that if the Marquis succeeded in overthrowing the current regime, adventurers would be able to travel freely outside the country. For someone like me, who wished to visit Oz, this was a significant matter.
Another reason was my reluctance to leave the country as it was. The state of the capital made it clear that the nation was in dire straits, and if left unchecked, conflict with Oz would likely begin. The slave hunting of elves and beastmen would surely escalate as well. Ignoring such issues while attempting to escape the country felt deeply unsettling.
Well, to be honest, I also felt a strong sense of inevitability regarding my Bad Luck Skill, which made me think I had no choice in the matter…
Regardless, I had accepted the request and was now heading toward the castle gate.
By the way, while this was a rather dubious job, Danken had assured me, “This is an official request from the guild. If it’s deemed a crime, the blame will fall on me as the Guild Master. But before that, it won’t be classified as a crime. Similar situations have occurred in the past, and they were proven to be legitimate.”
The path to the castle gate was uneventful. It was merely an adventurer walking with a heavy load.
The real challenge lay in exiting the castle gate. Ryuusha was wanted, and there was always heightened vigilance regarding his escape from the Royal Capital. Not long ago, soldiers had been scouring the town for him, but it seemed they had temporarily ceased their search without any leads. However, checks at the castle gate remained strict.
“Hey, adventurer, what do you have in that bag?”
As I approached the gate, I was naturally stopped. Three gaunt soldiers approached me.
“Oh, hello. I have my weapons in here. I didn’t want to startle the citizens, so I packed them away,” I explained.
“Weapons? Do you really have something that big? Show us,” one of them demanded.
“Of course,” I replied.
I set down the backpack. As I opened the bag, I activated my Item Box within it and pulled out my mace to show the soldiers.
The moment they laid eyes on the unusual mace I wielded, their eyes widened in shock.
“What is this? You can swing something like that?” one soldier exclaimed.
“Yes, please step back,” I said.
As I swung the mace around, the soldiers looked as if they might faint from surprise. It was a weapon that even an A-Rank adventurer would struggle to wield. Anyone witnessing it would certainly react that way.
“Can I put it away now?” I asked.
“Y-yeah. I understand. It would be a nuisance to have something like that out in the open. Just put it away quickly,” one soldier stammered.
“My apologies,” I said, pretending to stow the mace back into the bag while actually placing it into my Item Box.
If they had noticed that the bag’s shape didn’t change despite me taking the mace in and out, I would have been in trouble. Thankfully, they were too distracted by the mace itself to catch on.
“We’re heading into the dungeon for an overnight stay, so this is it,” I said.
“Make sure to bring back some food. Though, I suppose the nobles will just eat it all anyway,” the soldier grumbled as he returned to his post. The security seemed strict at first glance, but it appeared the soldiers had little motivation. Danken had vouched for this, and without that, I doubt they would have allowed such a haphazard escape.
I readjusted the backpack and continued walking toward the castle gate.