It has been almost two months since Elena-san and I came to the desert town of Cutlass.
We have reached an ambiguous state of “non-interference as much as possible” with the Munza Society, a group of beastmen. The reason it’s “as much as possible” is because hot-blooded lower-ranking members get involved. If something happens, the Munza Society will dispose of the bodies(・・) for free(・・).
As per our agreement with the Munza Society, the Superior Potions we make will be directly delivered to Hoglos Company. This has given us a prospect of gathering money, but we have lost our connection to cross over to the Calfaan Empire on their trade caravans, as we are now in opposition to Killri Company.
I was currently walking alone on the main street of Cutlass.
Under the scorching sun, dark-skinned Cruz people, sunburnt dwarves, and beastmen were working busily.
Being lively and just being busy are different. In this desert town, food is expensive, and the only way to get it cheaply is to join an organization. But joining an organization requires paying protection money, which ultimately makes the food expensive. People have to struggle desperately to obtain it.
Despite being a slum-like town, the poor and street urchins don’t commit pickpocketing or theft. They know that if they’re caught in this town, they’ll be killed without question.
Living in this town requires “power.” With power, there’s no need to steal; you can take everything from the weak.
However… the faint sense of tension I feel in this otherwise ordinary town is not my imagination.
Zari… The soles of my leather boots made a sound against the stone floor and sand as I arrived at my destination.
Removing the hood of my cloak and deliberately exposing my face, the murmur of the adventurers in the Adventurer’s Guild of Hoglos Company momentarily grew louder, then faded away like a receding wave.
In the tense silence, the beastmen, who probably knew about the agreement with the Munza Society, showed a slight hostility and—even more—a fearful presence, averting their eyes from me.
The Cruz adventurers, who were not well-informed about the situation, sensed the strange atmosphere while being suspicious of the beastmen and me, and fell silent.
And the dwarves, who boast the largest force in this land’s Adventurer’s Guild—
“What business do you have? Mersenian woman.”
A young dwarf, about my height but probably three times my weight, stood in front of me, blocking my path as I tried to proceed further.
“The potion matter has been discussed. Confirm it.”
“I don’t know anything about that. Don’t think a pale-skinned human woman can get her way here!”
A fist encased in a gauntlet made from beetle shells suddenly roared out.
Combat power of about 500… Top of Rank 3, I suppose.
Whether it’s a test of strength or simply disliking me, judging from the fist swung with genuine force, he can probably gauge his opponent’s strength to some extent.
Just looking at that thick arm, his muscle strength should be superior to mine, even with Body Enhancement. He has the ability. He also has the mindset not to underestimate his opponent, even if she’s a woman. But that’s all(・・・・).
“Gah!?”
Dodging the approaching fist, the palm strike I landed in a counterattack hit the short-cropped black-bearded chin, causing the man to stagger back.
Even with gloves fitted with Demon Iron plates, I couldn’t shatter the sturdy dwarf’s chin. The man grinned while spitting out blood. The man raises his fist again. But I have no intention of waiting for the attack of a dwarf with low agility.
While still entangling my arms around the man’s arm, I pulled back, stretching out the man’s arm, and slammed my knee into his elbow joint with all my might.
Gugyun!
“Guaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!?”
The man, his arm bent backward, clutched his arm in agony and rolled around.
Seeing that, the dwarves who had been watching stood up as if they were enraged. But at that moment, a heavy voice that seemed to shake them echoed through the guild.
“What is all this commotion?”
Jilgun. A Rank 4 dwarf heavy warrior. Also a leading figure in Hoglos Company. As he appeared with footsteps that made the ground rumble, not only the dwarves but all the adventurers turned pale.
As Jilgun approached and looked at me, then down at the man whose arm had been broken, the young dwarf began to sweat profusely, whether from pain or fear.
“W-wait, Jilgun-san! This woman—”
“I said, if a pink-haired human woman comes, come and call me.”
“N-no, that’s not it! I—”
“Even among our own, we have no need for fools.”
Gukin! Jilgun placed his foot on the fallen man’s head and snapped his neck.
In the guild, which had fallen silent once more, Jilgun glanced at the man he had just killed without a word, then turned to me and pointed his chin towards the back.
“I’ve heard the story. ‘Rose’. Follow me.”
“Understood.”
Someone dying is not an unusual sight in this town. Still, Jilgun’s act of killing even his own comrades for disobeying orders was bizarre. While the dwarves, looking pale, were clearing away the body, I followed Jilgun into the depths of the guild.
Walking silently behind the man, I climbed the stone stairs and proceeded down a dimly lit corridor, arriving at a wooden door, a rare sight in this town.
“Guild Master, the guest you mentioned.”
“—Enter.”
At the voice from beyond the door, Jilgun opened the door and entered, followed by me. There, a figure was waiting.
Jilgun stood behind that figure with his arms crossed, while a female dwarf sat on a leather reception sofa, smiling only with her mouth.
“So you’re ‘Rose’. Well, take a seat.”
“…………”
The Munza Society’s elder, Kushum-san, knew that I was “Ash-covered.”
However, I had become known as the “Desert Rose” instead of the “Ash-Covered Princess,” probably because of what the surviving beastmen below him had reported.
I guessed that the prestige of “Ash-covered” itself was troublesome. I didn’t think it would be taken too seriously since it was a story from another country, but a high-ranking assassin(・・・) who antagonized someone you wouldn’t normally mess with and still survived was a nuisance in itself.
For now, the disadvantages of opposing me are greater, so the Munza Society and Hoglos Company are in a state of non-interference, but either could turn hostile at any moment.
The female dwarf exuded an aura of intimidation as if she was trying to assess me.
Ignoring it, I sat directly in front of her and met her gaze. The female dwarf exhaled as if laughing.
“I’m Jesha. Jesha Hogroth. I heard about you from old man Kushum(・・・・・).”
“I’m Aria. I heard we could negotiate.”
“Ah, that’s right. But can you really deliver Superior Potions?”
“No problem.”
I pretended to take something out of my bag and placed the Superior Potion I took out from 【Shadow Storage】 on the table. Jesha stared at it as if leaning forward.
Jesha Hogroth… A relative of the Hoglos Company’s chairman, or perhaps his daughter.
A female dwarf with a mane-like bright red hair and a large build.
Normal dwarf women are petite, with appearances like sturdy human girls even as adults. It is said that dwarf men grow beards all over their faces to hide their youthful features, so it must be a racial trait.
But Jesha, unlike the average woman who is about 150 centimeters tall, was about the same height as me, who is in my early 160s, but had about twice my width, exuding the atmosphere of a veteran warrior clad in an armor of muscles.
“Old man. Try it.”
“As you wish.”
At Jesha’s words, Jilgun responded. He took out a short sword and stabbed the back of his hand. He picked up the potion on the table and poured it on the wound without suspecting it might be poisoned.
“…How is it?”
“Good quality. Unlike the Killri’s time-worn, deteriorated products. No, the original quality itself is superior.”
Jilgun wiped away the blood with a cloth and showed the wound, which was not only closing but almost completely gone. Jesha nodded in satisfaction.
“Good. With this, we’ve crushed one of Killri Company’s strengths. Hey, Aria. How many do you have now? How many can you deliver per month?”
Perhaps she was in a good mood, as Jesha suddenly called me by my first name so casually. Without changing my expression, I placed the Superior Potions I took out on the table.
“I have fifteen now. Fifty per month is possible.”
“That’s not enough… but if it’s just for our own use and not for sale, it should be fine. That’s fine. Hey, old man. Pay her with interest.”
“As you wish.”
Jilgun took out a leather bag from his pocket, put some gold coins in it, and threw it to me.
Inside were Calfaan Empire coins, about 20% more than what Killri Company would pay.
The Adventurer’s Guild wants to secure Superior Potions not only for the conflict with other organizations. Deep within the ancient ruins of Lace Veil are high-ranking Monsters. Considering that one of them… a Rank 6 Lesser Earth Dragon, might emerge from the depths, they’d want to secure at least a hundred potions.
“Confirmed.”
As I tried to stand up, Jesha casually called out to me.
“Hey, hey, are you leaving already? We finally have two beauties gathered here. It wouldn’t hurt to have some girl talk over firewater, would it?”
“That’s a funny joke.”
Jesha, looking exasperated at my deadpan reply, turned to Jilgun behind her, who was meditating with his eyes closed. She put a hand to her face and looked up to the heavens.
Firewater is a strong distilled liquor made by dwarves. I don’t want to drink something that would literally burn if you lit it, but seeing me settle back onto the sofa, Jesha lowered her voice slightly.
“…Aria. You know about that matter, right?”
“Yes.”
I nodded curtly at her words.
“Kushum is dead. The Leesan Syndicate is responsible.”
Kushum, the elder of the Munza Society who brokered the deal between the Munza Society, Hoglos Company, and me, died in an attack by the Leesan Syndicate. The agreement itself is between organizations, so it won’t be nullified now, but Jilgun, who knew Kushum, frowned unpleasantly.
That’s why the town’s atmosphere is strange. A conflict could break out anytime, anywhere.
Why did the Leesan Syndicate, a group that handles various races and controls the brothels, pick a fight with the armed Munza Society? The reason is unclear even with the information Ron and I gathered. The Leesan Syndicate has already captured and publicly executed about ten people as the culprits, but no one takes that at face value.
“Scapegoats are useless. What are they thinking… did you notice?”
“What about the Guild’s Dark Elves?”
Jesha narrowed her eyes slightly at my words. The Guild, which is mainly dwarves but should have all races, was missing only Dark Elves.
“The Guild’s Dark Elves have disappeared a few days since Kushum was killed. Some remain, but only the young ones born in this town.”
“…”
Where did the Dark Elves with a certain level of power… those not from this town, go, and what does that mean…?
Jesha started drinking firewater by herself as if the conversation was over. Seeing Jilgun nod, I stood up to leave, and as I was about to exit the room, Jesha’s voice reached my back.
—”Be careful of the Evil Race.”
Evil Race. It was like a derogatory term for Dark Elves, a word not used in this town where there are also ordinary Dark Elves.
What does Jesha mean by daring to say that? I can guess. But since Jesha was vague, that guess isn’t certain.
Back on the street, I hid my figure again with my cloak and bought what I needed.
Cloth, food, and alchemical materials that are hard to gather around here, but I don’t buy cheap wheat mixed with sand like the residents of this town do.
The target is the small caravans that come to this town. We can’t travel together with them because they are wary and we are inexperienced, but we can sometimes get decent food and materials.
I bought a small amount of wheat and salt without sand, and large bags of sorghum grains, which were expensive, and stored them in 【Shadow Storage】 under my cloak before leaving the town.
There were several presences following me. Killri Company or Hoglos Company…? With this clumsy tail, it’s just some thugs aiming for money.
Those who know my power wouldn’t use Rank 3 or lower to follow me. In the first place, I can notice Rank 4 or lower scouts now, so there’s no point in tailing me.
Still, just in case, I ran across the desert, made a wide detour for about half an hour, approached the town again, erased my presence, and headed to the dilapidated watchtower on the outskirts of town.
No one approaches the crumbling stone tower that has been there since the town was built. Still, I know this tower won’t collapse yet.
“Welcome back, Aria.”
As I slipped through the tattered cloth that served as a door and entered the tower, the dog-beastman toddler who noticed my voice wagged his tail and clung to my leg, and Elena, who was playing with the dwarf toddler, smiled softly at me.
“I’m home, “Rena”.”
This place… is currently one of our hopes for escaping this town.
Is there a connection between the movements of the Dark Elves and the Leesan Syndicate?
Next time: The Road to Escape.
Jesha Hogroth. 
(17 years and 245 months old), height 163cm, weight 130kg, only her face is beautiful.
Supplementary: Dragons in this world
Low-intelligence lower dragons (wingless Earth Dragons and Sea Dragons) are Rank 6.
Elemental Dragons with some intelligence and wings are Rank 7.
Ancient Dragons with intelligence and able to use Dragon Magic are equivalent to Rank 8.
By the way, Wyverns, wingless dragons without forelegs, are Rank 5 to Rank 6.
The dragons on this continent are only Rank 7 Elemental Dragons, but their combat power is around 6000 to 10000.