“Gahahaha! You guys really got roughed up! Were the bandits really that strong?!”
A middle-aged, large man laughs heartily.
This man is Randolph, the chief supervisor of the Strider Guild in Midford.
He oversees not only Midford but also the branches in the neighboring villages, making him a relatively important figure.
The Striders’ position is lower than that of the townspeople, so they can’t form a guild like the Emerald Covenant, but in terms of actual power, they possess strength equivalent to a guild.
Since the members consist of demi-humans, tribesmen, or even Mazoku, they can’t hold positions that would allow them to appear in public, but the number of personnel they lead is among the highest in the city.
In the first place, Striders are drifters. The nobles and the townspeople’s guilds don’t want them to have power.
Those who can run away and live in another city in case of emergency have different ideas and positions from those who are born and die in this city.
To impose equal laws on all citizens, the entire country must be unified, creating a framework and sense of belonging called “country.” And that’s a story for hundreds of years from now.
…Anyway.
This Randolph. He himself rose from the ranks of the Striders, hence his unrefined attitude.
I think that’s one of the reasons why the Striders’ dignity is lowered and they aren’t recognized as a guild… but well, it doesn’t matter.
“Yeah, they were strong, these ‘bandits’ were.”
I place the red mask in front of Randolph, who is laughing.
Then…
“…This is Imperial armor. I see.”
He narrows his eyes, and his laughter stops abruptly.
He strokes his beard and falls silent for a moment…
“…Imperial soldiers were hiding around here? If I remember correctly, you guys were on patrol around the Biozia Road to the south, right?”
He asks with a serious look, as if interrogating me.
“Yeah. We left from the south gate and walked along the Biozia Road from morning until a little after noon.”
“The Biozia Road is the main artery connecting the Royal Capital and this city. Considering the way that country operates, it’s not strange that Imperial soldiers are lurking in that area.”
“Yeah, probably. And it was on a side road off the highway… near the abandoned village of Steria. There were a lot of footprints there, and when we went to investigate, there were about thirty Imperial soldiers in total. And two members of the Hound Brigade.”
“The Hound Brigade?! …You survived that? They shouldn’t be opponents you can defeat with your acrobatics.”
“Kaede cooperated and we managed somehow. She’s stronger than a mediocre Knight, and I have a few tricks up my sleeve too. I’ll report that part directly to Count Missgancia.”
“Yeah, do that. I’ve already sent a messenger. You should be summoned to the castle later. …So? The soldiers were dealt with by The Fang of the Wolf Gang’?”
“That’s right, they took care of it. …Although they could only kill half of them, and the rest escaped.”
“That can’t be helped. Rather, you should be praised just for surviving against thirty people.”
“That’s all I have to report. It was clearly beyond the scope of the patrol mission, so I expect a generous reward.”
“Of course, I’ll give you 300,000 Lido per person. And I’ll raise your evaluation significantly.”
“I just want the money. I don’t want to go any higher up.”
“Haa… I see. Then, I’ll do that.”
Count Missgancia’s messenger is said to be Gaspard, the old Mage who is Count Missgancia’s advisor at the Noble Citadel.
Old man Gaspard is one of the people who knows that I’m a Magician. I can report everything without hiding anything.
But it should take a while for him to arrive.
In the meantime, I think I’ll treat Kaede to a meal and praise her for her hard work.
No, seriously, if Kaede hadn’t held her ground there, I might have had to use magic in public.
It was really, really kind of her to let me complete a sub-quest like “hide that you’re a Magician” in a life-or-death battle. I appreciate it.
So, I want to thank Kaede a lot in return, and that’s the Strider way.
Striders who fight for their lives can’t be stingy. There’s still chivalry and eccentricity on the battlefields of this world… that’s why those who can’t adhere to that format are treated as beasts rather than proud warriors.
Human rights are not guaranteed by the state or others, but must be continuously demonstrated through one’s own actions.
In other words, if you don’t maintain good relationships with your neighbors and proactively show courage at work, you won’t be helped in times of need.
And this time.
Kaede, who risked her life to go along with my foolish playing of “I want to hide that I’m a Magician!”
I can’t repay this favor with a half-hearted return.
“Thanks, Kaede! You saved me.”
“A, Ie! Duru-san’s, tame desu kara…!”
Yes, this is my house.
I’m wiping the blood off Kaede while casting a healing spell on her.
Naked? Striders don’t really get overly embarrassed, even girls.
In a world of life and death, it’s common to wet yourself while fighting, have shit leaking from your guts, or throw up… that’s just normal.
They wouldn’t make a fuss about being naked, I guess.
Well, it’s probably also because we’ve slept together once.
“Are you okay? I’ve healed the wounds for now.”
“Hai…, un, hai! Daijoubu desu!”
Kaede rotates her arms and shoulders to check her condition.
If she says she’s okay, then there’s probably no problem. It’s a questionable judgment as a doctor, but more than that, she’s a professional warrior. Only Kaede herself knows her physical condition.
“If you’d like, please have a meal with me. I want to apologize in various ways…”
“O-wabi nante! Watashi ga yaritakute yatta koto desu yo? Daijoubu nan desu!”
I appreciate her saying that…
“Then, at least let me compensate you for the broken sword. …You can’t get Azuma Country swords around here, right?”
“Sore wa…, sou, desu kedo.”
“I actually have a hobby of making Demon Swords. I have a few, so please take one.”
“Eh! Ma, Demon Sword?! Demon Sword tte iu no wa…, tashika, ‘Youtou’ no koto desu yo ne?! …Yo, Youtou?! Youtou tte, moraeru mono nan desu ka?!!!”
Hmm…?
…Apparently, in Azuma Country, Demon Swords are super high-end items and become family heirlooms for samurai families.
Then, I have to give her one even more!
Contributing to my favorite girl… is fun!