Chapter 52: The Counterattack Begins
As the surrounding adventurers showered praise upon us, the presence of Neguro had vanished without a trace. The adventurer party that went to investigate reported, “We searched but couldn’t find him.” Of course, they weren’t suspecting him of being in cahoots with anyone. It was clear that a faint presence had approached, circumventing the main road, and it was evident that Neguro had been retrieved. He must have been observing from somewhere, and it seemed that the Hero was not someone they could easily dispose of.
“Should we skip the castle gate visit tomorrow?”
“No, we won’t.”
“But something just happened today…”
“I’ll be fine. In fact, remaining calm right after something like that might have a greater effect on our opponents.”
“That might be true, but…”
“Besides, I really am okay.”
Even as she spoke, Rio was heartily devouring her evening stew. After that incident, we had safely entered the town, and now we were dining in a restaurant with private rooms. She certainly didn’t look unwell, but considering the situation where she had nearly been killed…
“Alright then.”
But Rio’s resolve seemed firm. If I protect her with all my might, there shouldn’t be any problems… I hope. As long as we aren’t caught off guard or ambushed, the enemy’s strength hasn’t been that formidable so far… Though we have been caught off guard quite a bit. How should we remain vigilant…?
In practical terms, I had already cast a detoxification spell on the food before taking a bite. If only there were a spell to detect malice, but such a thing is unlikely. No, no, it’s too early to give up in situations like this. It might not be a waste to try. This world is filled with skills, after all. There might even be a skill to detect malice.
When I think about it, the Royal Capital is essentially the enemy’s stronghold. We came here for information gathering, but we hadn’t thought through our countermeasures thoroughly. We really need to work on our overly optimistic mindset. I can’t help but feel how peaceful Japan was…
“But let’s eat dinner and then rest right away.”
“Yeah.”
“Let’s make sure we’re well-prepared for tomorrow.”
The next morning, it was the day we would visit the castle. I wasn’t sure if Lily Arclight, Third Princess, had been informed, but I had declared our intention to go today. No matter what awaited us, I would scatter it all and return the brooch to the princess.
Of course, I would prepare meticulously to ensure that nothing like yesterday happened again. If Rio had been wearing proper armor, she wouldn’t have been stabbed in the first place. With the Dragon Robe made of Ancient Red Dragon scales that she possessed, even a sword with good sharpness wouldn’t be able to pierce through.
“Should we sort through the gear I got from my master?”
“Sounds good… There might be something better than what we usually wear.”
Since Rio had been the one to collect her master’s equipment, I took out my own armor and began putting it on. Naturally, I strapped on the shield made from Ancient Red Dragon scales. While I could use the shield, my main focus was on hand-to-hand combat.
“Oh… Hey, Shuu.”
“Hm?”
“Look, there’s something like gauntlets here.”
“You’re right.”
It was a type of gear that covered the back of the hand up to the elbow, including the fists. The overall gradient of green and blue was beautiful. It looked metallic, but it didn’t seem to be affected by the magnetic field. There was something that resembled a magic stone attached to the fist part, but I couldn’t tell what it was. I felt a slight magic power emanating from it…
When I tried to put it on my right arm, it seemed a bit too large.
“Whoa!”
In that instant, it fit perfectly to my arm. So this is what they mean by equipment that adjusts to size, a staple of otherworldly items…
“What is that…?”
“Ah, I wonder… It fit perfectly.”
When I tried to take it off, it returned to its original size. It was quite a curious sight.
“Is there only one of these?”
“Not sure. Let me look a bit more.”
As she said this, Rio opened her Dimensional Box and peered inside. The Dimensional Box consumes magic power when items are taken in and out, but the more you expand the entrance, the more magic power it consumes. It seemed like Rio wasn’t too concerned about that.
“Hmm, it doesn’t look like there’s another one like it.”
There was a pair of gauntlets in a red and yellow gradient, but the other gauntlet was made of smooth leather, indicating it was a different material altogether.
“Maybe it’s a set with the red one.”
When I equipped the red gauntlet on my left arm, it too was a bit large but fit perfectly. As I pounded my fists together, I felt a surge of magic power and a faint glow.
“That looks impressive.”
“Yeah… I wonder if there are more.”
These gauntlets seem to allow magic to flow through them easily. I think I’ll go with these. When I identified them, the green gauntlet was labeled “Radiant Dragon Gauntlet,” and the red one was “Crimson Dragon Gauntlet.” The names alone sounded impressive. When I infused them with magic power, they absorbed it remarkably well. From the feel of it, the right gauntlet had wind and water attributes, while the left had fire and earth attributes. This could prove to be quite useful.
Rio was donning a soft, white shirt and had equipped a chest plate over it. Yes, defense is incredibly important. I learned that lesson all too well yesterday.
I should consider equipping something to boost my defense as well. The white shirt Rio was wearing also felt slightly magical and seemed to have high defense. Just how many white shirts does she have… I was taken aback by the endless supply of white shirts being pulled from Rio’s Dimensional Box.
“Oh, this? My master said it was underwear. He told me to change as much as I wanted.”
When I identified it, it came up as “Metal Spider’s Shirt.” Why does she have so many of those, and why are they considered underwear?
“…Is that so?”
Thus, we properly equipped ourselves and set off toward the castle gate.