“So… what exactly is going on?”
As I asked while putting back on the cloak I had shed, the robed girl who had been staring at me, her face flushing slightly, hurriedly opened her mouth.
“S-Something’s wrong with our town!”
“…I heard that much.”
She seemed considerably flustered, as I couldn’t get any new information from her. Reluctantly, I turned my gaze to the other girl in leather armor, but she seemed too preoccupied with other things to respond.
“H-Hey, is this thing really okay?”
The girl in leather armor asked, frightened by the giant beast—Nero—who was watching us with emotionless eyes.
“Don’t worry. Nero isn’t interested in humans.”
Judging that I wouldn’t get anything from her immediately either, I started prying a Magic Stone from the Orc Zombie’s corpse. My words, however, prompted a shriek-like cry from the girl in leather armor.
“B-But, he’s looking at us!”
It’s true that Nero has no interest in humans. He basically couldn’t care less about them.
He seemed to have gotten somewhat used to Master Serejyura, but after escorting her to her hermitage in the forest, he immediately returned to my side to report that there were no issues.
The reason Nero stays in the forest around the academy, hunting Monsters that approach, isn’t to protect humans. It’s simply because I, his partner, am protecting Elena.
The reason he’s staring at us intently now is probably because he intends to kill them instantly if they try anything foolish. Still, I have no intention of rebuking Nero, nor is there any need to say that and needlessly frighten them.
Besides, if it came to that, I myself intend to do so(・・・・) without hesitation.
“…I’ll listen while we walk. Guide me to the town.”
Perhaps sensing the dangerous atmosphere, I made the suggestion upon seeing the girl in leather armor grow restless.
“Nero.”
He understood. Nero, who comprehended just from me calling his name, vanished into the forest, his massive form not even rustling a leaf. I had originally planned for him to investigate the surroundings when we neared the village I was scheduled to survey, so this just moved things up a bit.
Whether they knew Nero was a Phantasmal Beast or not, the sheer Intimidation of such a giant carnivore must have affected them. The girl in leather armor let out an obvious sigh of relief, while the robed girl bowed her head uneasily.
“Thank you again! I’m Collette, a Magician and an adventurer from the Town of Rude!”
“Likewise, Caroline… Cara is fine.”
So, the one in robes with bluish-black hair is Collette, and the one in leather armor with brown hair is Cara.
A Magician and a light warrior. Both have a combat power of around 120. Both look to be about my age, but unlike me, I sensed their actual ages weren’t too different from their appearances.
If one’s magic power is high from a young age, their body also grows rapidly, but it seems that once the body is somewhat developed, their appearance hardly changes. Collette is a Magician, but she looked younger than me.
The Town of Rude… That’s the town where the mansion of Baron Ost Hofui, whom I plan to investigate, is located.
It was originally a town managed by a royal attendant holding the rank of baronet, but as he couldn’t manage it while working in the Royal Capital, it was transferred to the Baron Ost Hofui family along with a new mansion.
The Town of Rude is several days from the Royal Capital by carriage, but under the Ost family’s management, a chapel was built adjacent to the mansion, and many people from the surrounding villages visit it.
“I’m Aria, an adventurer from the Royal Capital. So, what’s going on?”
“Y-Yes.”
Collette began to explain as we walked.
Though not as large as the chapel where that Assassin Guild was, a large cemetery had been established in the Town of Rude, extending towards the forest.
In this world, to prevent the occurrence of undead and the like, bodies are cremated and a priest performs [Cleanse]. After that, burials differ by region, family, or individual, depending on the amount of donation. However, recently, Miasma had reportedly begun to be felt emanating from graves that should have been cleansed.
“So, we, the ‘Golden Arrow,’ accepted a request… and investigated the surrounding situation, but…”
Their party, ‘Golden Arrow,’ is a Rank 2 party consisting of two warriors, one scout hunter, and one Magician.
They seem well-balanced and capable of handling most requests. If they were entrusted with an investigation concerning the town’s safety, they must be quite trusted by the Adventurers Guild.
However, on that request, they encountered an unexpected enemy.
“We knew… we couldn’t win, so we split into two groups…”
“Hey, Collette’s at her limit!”
Perhaps because they had started moving without a proper rest after fleeing the Orc Zombie, Collette was so out of breath she could barely speak, and Cara, who had snapped at her, also had legs that were trembling slightly.
“Cara, I’m… fine. We need to get to the Guild… quickly.”
“Collette, you’re weak, so don’t push yourself!”
“B-But…”
“That was our〝promise,〟right? Hey, you, I want to let Collette rest, alright?”
“Understood.”
Collette seemed to want to return to the Guild quickly, but Cara stopped her. Cara’s way of speaking was a bit grating, but I had no intention of meddling in another party’s internal affairs.
Besides, seeing Collette’s焦り (anxiety) about her comrades’ safety, it was my oversight not to notice how tired they were. I, too, had forgotten that ordinary(・・) adventurers can’t keep running for half a day.
However, there was a reason I thought that way. Collette seemed concerned about 〝something〟 while she was talking. If she couldn’t talk about it here, I felt it would be better to return to town quickly.
When we took a break, they sat down on nearby rocks and began drinking water from their leather bags.
As I took out a cup from my Shadow Storage and poured water into it using Utility Magic to drink, Cara frowned upon seeing it.
“Didn’t anyone teach you not to waste magic power? It’s common sense to refrain from using Utility Magic in a place where enemies might be present.”
“Cara! Don’t be rude! Aria-san is a strong adventurer!”
I don’t know whose version of common sense that is, but certainly, for someone like her with only about 50 magic power, it would be wise to refrain. However, Cara, chided by Collette for her remark, looked away from her sullenly.
“I could beat an Orc too if my rank was a little higher.”
Indeed, if she reached Rank 3, she would be on par with an Orc in terms of rank.
It seemed Cara was being strangely confrontational because I, who appeared to be around their age, seemed to have Collette’s trust, and she found that displeasing.
After several more breaks, we somehow managed to arrive at the Town of Rude by evening.
It was a small town with fewer than a thousand people; there were surely larger villages than this. The reason it was called a town was likely simply because a baronial family managed it, meaning it was well-equipped with the necessary facilities for a town.
There was no change in the town’s appearance from the outside, and the soldiers guarding the gate let us pass after simply showing our adventurer Identification Tags. However, when I showed my Rank 5 Magic Iron Identification Tag, the soldier became slightly agitated.
There was nothing particularly unusual about the town’s interior either. …At least, on the surface.
Collette and Cara apparently intended to report directly to the Adventurers Guild instead of the gate soldiers. As we headed there, two men inside rushed over with joyful expressions.
“Cara, Collette!”
“Jean, Slay! I’m so glad you’re both safe!”
The four of them confirmed each other’s safety and rejoiced. However, if they had returned earlier, they should have been wary of Orc Zombies, yet there was no such tension within the Adventurers Guild. Some of the adventurers inside even cast cold glances at them.
“I heard Orc Zombies appeared?”
“…Ah, you mean their story?”
When I spoke to the receptionist, the young woman who had been doing paperwork sighed with a frown.
“There was a report of Miasma being discovered, so we had them investigate. But we received word from the Ost family that the Miasma has already been cleansed. And yet, Orc Zombies in a place like this? We haven’t seen an Orc in this town for ten years.”
“I see…”
It seemed Monsters exceeding Rank 3 rarely appeared in this area. Looking around, I couldn’t see any adventurers of Rank 3 or higher. Adventurers who reached Rank 3 would likely go to the Royal Capital or the large-scale Dungeon south of the Royal Capital.
More than that, I felt that ‘Golden Arrow’ wasn’t very trusted. The people in this guild are those languishing at Rank 2, and they probably think Collette and her party, having reached that level at such a young age, will leave town in a few years.
And, as I sensed from watching Cara, they might be making unconsciously arrogant remarks, and such an attitude could be alienating those around them.
In the first place, they wouldn’t normally assign investigation work to young Rank 2 adventurers like them. Usually, they’d entrust such reports to adventurers experienced enough to be trusted.
That was what felt off, but seeing this Adventurers Guild, I understood. Strong Monsters don’t appear around here. But there are also weak yet troublesome enemies like evil spirits. That’s why I felt they were treated like ‘canaries in a coal mine,’ as disposable scouts until a real investigation could be conducted.
“I saw it too. This is a Magic Stone.”
“A Magic Stone, you say? Even if you say you saw it, a report from such a young adventurer…”
“Even with this?”
When I showed the Magic Iron Identification Tag from my chest, the receptionist froze, and a few seconds later, her eyes widened in shock.
“Th-that’s…”
“I’m Aria of the Rainbow Sword. I’m here on a request from the country to investigate the case of the missing villagers, and on my way, I encountered them being chased by Orc zombies. I plan to investigate this matter as well.”
“I-I understand. I will report this to the Osthor family, so could you please secure lodging where we can contact you?”
For now, I’ve laid the “bait.” If a spy from the Shadow Unit has gone missing, there’s a chance I’d be attacked even without revealing my name, but I decided it would be faster to lure them out.
A rational criminal (・・・) would, if someone came to investigate, choose to lay low and let them leave, rather than try to eliminate them.
Eliminating a spy would trigger a full-scale investigation. Do they not understand that, or are they not afraid of it (・・・・・・)?
“Wait!”
As I left the Adventurers Guild and was about to head towards the cemetery, a man’s voice stopped me.
“Aria-san!”
I heard Collette’s voice and sensed the presence of four people, including Cara, so it was probably the four members of the ‘Golden Arrow’ who had followed me. I saw Collette and Cara, and Collette’s expression made me suddenly remember.
Come to think of it, she did look like she wanted to say something…
“…What is it?”
“What do you mean, ‘what is it,’ you—”
Cara snapped at my blunt reply, but the warrior-like man stopped her.
“Stop it, Cara! We came to thank her. I’m Jean, and this hunter here is Slay. Thank you for saving Collette and Cara.”
“It just happened that way.”
“Even so, we’re grateful.”
Jean is probably their leader. I could sense the pride of someone who has led Rank 2 members in their late teens from his words and actions.
“Also, we heard from the Guild that you’ve taken over our investigation. If that’s the case, let us do it too. If we prepare properly, we won’t lose to Orcs.”
“…………”
I see, he seems quite confident. He thinks it’s only natural for them to do this investigation and for me to accept their cooperation.
But—
CLANG!!
“…What do you think you’re doing?”
Jean suddenly drew a dagger with a naturalness as if he were about to offer a handshake, and I parried it with my knife.
Collette, Cara, and Slay were all stunned by Jean’s sudden action, and amidst their confusion, Jean, who had attacked, shouted.
“Chigau (It’s not me)! It’s not me (・・・・・)!”
Jean’s actions, the meaning of his words, and the mystery of this town?
I haven’t decided how many people will die yet.
Next time, Part 3