A voice called out, and Elena hurriedly pulled up her hood to hide her face.
Looking at us were a Cruz and a Dark Elf duo. They both looked to be about our age, but like us, their appearance might not match their actual age.
It’s especially difficult to judge the age of the long-lived Elven race by their appearance. The Dark Elf was giving us a sharp look, and when I hid Elena from their gaze as if to protect her, the Cruz boy noticed and lightly tapped the Dark Elf’s shoulder.
“Camille, don’t scare the girls.”
“…”
The Dark Elf, called Camille, turned on his heel without changing his expression. The Cruz boy who was left behind shrugged with a wry smile, pointed to the Guild’s business area with his fingertip while wearing a friendly smile, waved lightly at the end, and followed Camille out of the Hoglos Company building.
“…Aria.”
“It’s okay.”
They were a suspicious… or rather, mysterious pair. Both were still young, but I felt they were quite capable. They were also covering their bodies with cloaks, so I couldn’t get an accurate appraisal, but I guessed that was to hide their abilities.
But from their attitude, I didn’t think they were the type to spread rumors that we were Mersenians. Elena seemed to feel that too, as her wariness wasn’t directed at them.
Inside the Hoglos Company, the store selling goods and the Guild’s business area where adventurers gathered were adjacent. Even now, I felt a certain number of gazes from when we entered the building.
They were probably sizing us up. To them, we were also a suspicious pair.
I couldn’t predict what kind of response they would have, but that boy probably told us that there was a possibility of an attack.
We need to connect with one of the four powers, but we’re not considering joining forces with the two mafia groups. So, of the remaining Hoglos Company and Killri Company, which is the better option?
We needed to decide how to engage with the Hoglos Company based on how they treat newcomers.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes.”
I called out to Elena, and we went outside the building. At the same time, I sensed several people moving, and they caught up to us while we were still on the premises.
“Hey, wait up, ladies. Coming all this way and leaving without saying hello is pretty cold, isn’t it?”
The ones who called out were three men. Two Cruz and one canine beastman.
The men, wearing light insect-type armor with thin jackets over them to block the sun, were probably Rank 3. Their Overall Combat Strength exceeded 350, so they were above-average adventurers.
“What do you want?”
“Your voice is young… In this town, new people rarely come except for caravans, so we get a fair amount of information. You’re the women who caused a ruckus in the tavern, right? You seem to have some strength, but don’t get cocky, newcomers.”
The Cruz man in the middle with the spear put pressure on us.
The ones I killed in the tavern were thugs from other races and underlings of the Leesan Syndicate, who controlled the red-light district. So, these guys are also members of the Leesan Syndicate.
“I heard that strength is all that matters here, though?”
“Hah, that’s right. If you ask me, it’s the fault of those who get cocky without any real ability. That’s why the power of the organization here is–”
“State your business.”
When I interrupted the man, the canine beastman to my right bared his fangs in irritation.
“Hey, little girl, do you know what will happen if you talk like that?”
The canine beastman approached me, his hand on the twin swords at his waist, and breathed his beastly breath on me. Ignoring the beastman, I turned my gaze to the first Cruz man, and he grinned, showing his white teeth.
“Join the Leesan Syndicate, little girl. The adventurers in this town are controlled by the dwarves. Other races can’t survive as adventurers unless they join our ranks. And if you’re under us, there’s also work in the red-light district, you know?”
The men on either side of him laughed at his words.
“…I see.”
Adventurers in this town, other than dwarves, can’t reach the top. The Leesan Syndicate is gathering the other races and trying to break that down.
In a way, it’s a legitimate(……) proposal. If you’re under the Leesan Syndicate, you can live as an adventurer, and if you’re a “woman,” there are other paths available.
But our answer has been decided from the beginning.
“Rejected.”
Instant Body Enhancement. The Mana Control that has reached Level 5 purifies my Mana, and my strengthened palm strike hits the canine beastman’s jaw, knocking him up without a word, and I grab his head as it is and slam it into the rough stone floor.
A crushing sound like smashing a melon echoed, and the Cruz man on the left, who was stunned for a moment, drew his scimitar… but before the iron blade could be drawn from its sheath, I, with my Agility enhanced, shot an arrow from the crossbow I drew from Shadow Storage, piercing the man’s brain from his left eye.
“…What?”
In an instant, a Rank 3 powerhouse who was his comrade was killed, and the first man groaned.
“You, the Leesan Syndicate–“
“What are you doing!!”
At that moment, a gong-like voice echoed from behind the Cruz man who was about to ready his spear.
With a thud that seemed to crush the sandstone floor, a one-eyed dwarf with dark skin and a long white beard that reached his waist appeared from the Hoglos Company building.
The old dwarf, probably older than Galbas, wore a Demon Iron chainmail, carried a giant Magic Steel halberd on his shoulder, and strode forward as if to intimidate his surroundings.
“Jilgun…”
The Cruz man, noticing him, unconsciously took a step back and muttered.
Jilgun. That’s the name of this dwarf.
[Jilgun] [Race: Mountain Dwarf ♂] [Rank?]
[Mana Capacity: 220/220] [HP: 438/454]
[Overall Combat Strength: 1413 (Body Enhancement in progress: 1707)]
He’s strong… Probably in the upper ranks of Rank 4 or the lower ranks of Rank 5.
Jilgun stopped his eyes on the lying corpse and me, raised one eyebrow slightly, and glared at the Cruz man with his one eye.
“You’re a small fry from the Leesan Syndicate, aren’t you? Listen well, young man. As long as you’re an adventurer, it doesn’t matter which group you’re under. But…”
“W-Wait!”
The moment the man tried to back away further, the halberd, swung like a tree branch, dug into the man’s abdomen and blew only his upper body to the other side of the street.
“Do you think I’d overlook someone trying to snatch away an adventurer in front of my eyes? Hey, clean up the bodies!”
Jilgun, who said that in front of the collapsing lower body, slowly turned his gaze back to me amidst the young dwarves who came to clean up the bodies and the screams of the onlookers from the street.
“…”
I and Jilgun glared at each other in silence. The surrounding area fell silent in the tense atmosphere, and those who were cleaning up the bodies gasped in fear as Jilgun quietly let out a voice.
“What’s your name?”
“Aria.”
When I answered briefly, Jilgun, who raised the corner of his lips slightly, turned his back as if carrying the Magic Steel halberd on his shoulder.
“Strong ones are welcome. But don’t misjudge things, okay?”
Jilgun’s words were a warning. But I felt like I could see the Hoglos Company’s policy through his actions and words.
They won’t become allies, but they won’t actively oppose us if we don’t get in their way. It’s enough to know that for now.
After leaving the Hoglos Company, we toured the town, replenished our rather expensive food and equipment, returned to the inn, and the next morning, after confirming that Elena’s stamina had recovered to some extent, we left the town and headed towards the ruins.
“Elena… Are you okay?”
“Yes, thank you, Aria.”
Elena’s complexion isn’t just due to the desert climate or her physical condition, but also because she’s seen too many deaths since coming here.
This is that kind of town. Death is everywhere, and I don’t show mercy to enemies either. But around Elena, even if there was death, it was an event on the other side of a wall.
That’s why I brought her outside, but Elena quietly shook her head as she looked at me.
“I’m fine, Aria. Everything is what I(….) decided myself.”
“…I see.”
She’s pushing herself. But if that’s what she decided, I’ll respect it.
Elena isn’t just a doll to be protected. She’s a human being who stands on her own will.
We headed to the ruins for about half a day from early morning while it was still dark, not to defeat monsters. Of course, if there are monsters, we’ll defeat them and take their materials, but the main purpose is to obtain valuable materials in this region.
The Death Route flower, which is used in advanced recovery potions in this region, is a material that is sometimes found in graveyards in the desert. Therefore, it is a rare and valuable material, but my master said that it requires the dry climate and “Miasma” unique to the desert.
The source of Miasma is debated, but it is said to arise in places with negative emotions or the taint of death, and it is the source of power for Undead monsters and demons.
It is not clear why Death Route blooms in places with Miasma, but if I were to search for it in this area, I thought the Lace Veil Ruins, where many Undead monsters appear, would be a good choice.
Of course, there are dangers. Zombies and Skeletons that are vulnerable to physical attacks are not a problem, but incorporeal monsters like Wraiths are enemies that even ordinary Adventurers would find difficult to escape from.
But Elena and I are different. Demon Iron weapons, though not as good as Mithril, are effective against Wraiths. Attribute Magic is also effective, but more than that, Light Magic’s 【Purify (Clean)】 can erase the Miasma that is the source of Undead monsters’ existence.
“Aria, is this flower okay?”
“Yes. We only use the petals, so just cut off the flower.”
“Understood.”
Elena is picking Death Route flowers with a serious face. As I thought, if I used my eyes to find the pools of dark Mana Particles and searched in the shadows of the buildings, I could find them surprisingly easily.
This flower is also a difficult-to-handle poison, so I didn’t want her to touch it if possible, but Elena strongly wished to collect it herself.
We didn’t collect them at the same time. One of us always kept watch for the appearance of Wraiths.
Still, perhaps because the sun was still high, we hadn’t seen any Undead monsters, not even Skeletons, let alone Wraiths. Perhaps, including the fact that there is a lot of Miasma in the pools of dark Mana Particles, the opposing attribute, Light Mana, has something that suppresses Miasma.
More than being able to search with my eyes, or that no one else comes to search in such places, I stored the petals of the Death Route flowers, of which I was able to collect a considerable number, in 【Shadow Storage】.
“Elena?”
Elena, who had finished picking the Death Route flowers, looked at the other side of the wall with a puzzled expression.
“No, I thought so earlier too, but I feel something like a vibration from the other side of the wall…”
“Vibration?”
Elena looked unsure of herself, so I approached the wall and, after confirming that I didn’t feel anything with my Search Skill, gently touched the wall with my finger.
For several seconds… probably about thirty seconds, I did feel a slight vibration. Maybe Elena noticed it because she was near the ground picking flowers. I put my ear to the ground to confirm the vibration and realized it was the sound of battle.
“Something is fighting… What do we do?”
There might be dangerous Monsters. But someone might be getting attacked.
If it’s an Adventurer, it’s their own responsibility, and my job is to protect Elena. But if someone is really being attacked, and Elena would be bothered by abandoning them, we could at least check it out.
As I asked with my eyes, Elena weighed her own and my safety… and the weight of our mission, and looked back at me.
“Let’s just check it out. If we don’t know what it is, we won’t be able to deal with it next time we come.”
“Understood.”
We left the ruins and headed towards the road where the vibration was felt. There was an unnatural absence of Monster presence. I was careful not to get too far from Elena, and as we approached, I noticed figures being attacked by more than a dozen beetles and caterpillars on the road ahead.
Civilians or Adventurers? I enhanced my eyes with Body Enhancement to check, and the people I saw for a moment had familiar faces.
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s those two. The Cruz and the Dark Elf.”
When I went back and reported the situation to Elena, she made a subtle face.
They are probably Adventurers. They are surrounded by quite a few Monsters, but if they are Adventurers, they should be prepared, and if Adventurers are attacked within Claydale, we would help them, but we have no obligation to save them at the risk of endangering Elena.
As for Elena, although they were the two who told us about the danger, she probably doesn’t know how much she can trust the residents of that town.
Just as I was about to abandon them on my own because Elena couldn’t decide, I saw a cloud of dust approaching from the opposite side of the road.
“That is…”
“More Monsters?”
What came from the opposite side of the road were several giant beetles. But that’s not all. I could also see the figures of two Beastkin running in front of them. And I frowned slightly at the scent I faintly felt mixed in with the wind.
“It’s a bug-attracting scent.”
“…Eh?”
I had used it before to gather bugs in the Dungeon when I was trapping the Assassin Guild’s Northern Border Branch.
Did those Beastkin trap those two? If they and the boy are enemies, I have no reason to stop it. But if it’s just robbery or a crime of resentment, that’s different, but I didn’t have any material to judge that.
“Elena.”
There is no “law” in this land. Power is law, and the power of the organization determines the law.
That’s why we have to decide for ourselves what is right.
But it’s meaningless if we make separate decisions. Elena decides the course of action. I asked her for a decision as a Princess, and Elena, who had put together the situation, her emotions, and everything else in a short time, turned her eyes to the approaching beetles and Beastkin, and quietly spoke.
“Let’s wait.”
Elena said she would stand in the road and wait for the Beastkin’s reaction.
If they are decent people, they will dislike involving others and show some kind of reaction. Even a single shred of conscience would be enough. If they have that, we will remain uninvolved.
But–
“Aria!”
The Cat Beastkin, the moment he found us, threw the bag he was holding towards us without even warning us.
A scent bag! The Beastkin who threw the bug-attracting scent at us grinned and started climbing the ruins to the side.
I, having confirmed a clear act of hostility, threw the Blade Scythe Style Pendulum that hooked the scent bag flying through the air and threw it back at the Beastkin in a swirling motion.
“What!?”
“–【Phantom Pain】–“
The Beastkin, stiffened by the Phantom Pain, slipped from the ruins he was climbing, and the man, who probably prioritized eliminating the witnesses, sank into the swarm of beetles attracted to the bug-attracting scent bag that had fallen nearby, leaving behind a dying scream.
“Let’s help them, Aria.”
“Understood, Elena.”
Aria and Elena decide to help the boys. Are they friends or foes?
It’s difficult to judge good and evil.
I want to write about the academy too, but I can’t seem to reach a good stopping point.
Maybe I can write a little next time.
Next time, you might see a glimpse of the two’s true identities.