Jill and Shuri’s hometown… The geographical information around this Barony was publicly available at the Guild.
Detailed geography would be military information, but there’s no problem with geographical information just to get there, and as a Rank 3, I can access even more detailed information.
“Are you going to that town?”
“…Are you going to stop me?”
The receptionist noticed me looking at the map and called out to me. I was going anyway, even if she tried to stop me, but when I asked her back, she shook her head slightly.
“I would like to stop you considering your age, but in terms of ability, your survival rate alone is higher than other Adventurers. However, don’t be reckless. Our Guild expects Rank 3 scouts to bring back information from the field.”
“…Will you buy the information?”
“Of course.”
She and I smiled slightly, and after receiving the latest information about Orcs from her, I spent the entire next day gathering information, and departed from this town the following day.
I didn’t meet that Adventurer who had bothered me. I wasn’t planning on doing anything even if I did meet him, but if he bothered me outside the town, I wouldn’t have to wait for him to draw his Blade this time.
Since I was going to a dangerous area, naturally there were no shared carriages. It seemed that merchants weren’t running carriages either, so I bought extra salt just in case.
Well, I wasn’t going to use a carriage anyway.
Jill and Shuri’s hometown is a day’s journey by carriage, or two and a half days on foot, from the town where the Baron lives.
I left through the north gate, walked for a bit, then gradually increased my speed, running through the highway at about 60% of my maximum speed.
When the surrounding area became more forested, I used Stealth to match the color of my Mana Particles to the surroundings, and while being wary of my surroundings with Night Vision, I suppressed the sound with the muscular strength of my legs enhanced by Body Enhancement.
Monsters frequently appear near the border because it is close to a Monster Habitat. Even so, I don’t think they appear much on the highway near the town, but according to what I found at the Guild, Demon Wolves and Horned Rabbits occasionally appear on the highway around here.
“Ah,”
Suddenly, a Hobgoblin appeared in front of me from the forest on the side.
At that moment, I applied full Body Enhancement while still in Stealth, kicked the Hobgoblin’s temple with my heel as if leaping over it using footwork with special steps, stabbed the Black Dagger into its brain from the back of its neck using that momentum, and using its head as a stepping stone, I ran past it before the Hobgoblin fell.
…A little surprised.
The fact that there was a Hobgoblin here, which shouldn’t be in this area, has two meanings.
First, the Orc settlement exists without problems, and the Monsters that were originally around it are starting to flow into other areas.
And the fact that Monsters are appearing even on this highway means that there are no soldiers patrolling. Or they are holed up somewhere.
The Baron’s side is quite confused…
With the troops they have on hand, they don’t know if they can drive out the Orcs. So, they have probably asked Count Taurus, their patron, for reinforcements, and are suppressing the loss of troops until then.
But that’s not the right answer.
Even if Count Taurus responds to the request for reinforcements, it will take at least two months for them to gather troops, collect provisions in this winter season, and dispatch them, and it may even be spring before they are dispatched.
The Adventurer’s Guild is probably the same.
For the Guild, Adventurers are “assets.” In the current situation where there are only Rank 3s at best, they can’t carelessly issue requests from the Guild, and if there are Rank 4 parties in the Dandole or Taurus County Guilds, they can only request them to be sent.
The situation will change in a few months. But the small towns won’t last until then.
I took naps along the way and ran through the night, arriving at the town I had confirmed at the Guild the next morning.
The population is about two thousand. More than half of the residents make a living from agriculture, giving the impression of a large village rather than a small town.
Fields spread out outside the town, but they don’t seem to be maintained. The town visible far beyond is covered with stone walls about the height of a person, but I don’t think that would withstand Orc attacks many times, even if it could prevent attacks from beasts and Goblins.
That’s why I think they are reinforcing it with logs and wooden stakes around it, but even so, it was only a little better than doing nothing.
“Hey, you there, what business do you have in this town?”
When I approached the town, a man who seemed to be a soldier called out from the top of the turret inside the closed gate.
“I’m an Adventurer. I was asked by a former resident to check on the state of the town.”
“An Adventurer? A girl like you?”
“Aren’t you going to let me in?”
“Ah, ah, sorry. I’ll open the gate, so please come in quickly.”
The soldier hurriedly descended from the turret, and the heavy gate creaked open slightly.
“Sorry, but I’m closing it right away, so please enter from there!”
“Okay.”
As soon as I entered the town through the gap in the gate, which was opened about 50 centimeters, two soldiers immediately closed the gate and put a thick bolt on it.
“Phew… An Adventurer? You know the situation in this town, right? Honestly, it would be helpful if you could be a fighting force…”
“I know.”
When I handed over the luggage I was carrying on my back as it was, the first soldier who checked the contents shined his eyes.
“This is good. It’s helpful even in small quantities because merchants aren’t coming.”
It would be nice if I could be a fighting force, but since they are holed up now, they probably don’t want to spare food for travelers who don’t fight.
What I brought was 3kg of salt. If they don’t get enough salt, their bodies will crave salt and their sense of taste will change. It’s not enough for the residents, but I thought it wouldn’t be enough for the soldiers and the people who are reinforcing the walls, since they would be sweating and the amount distributed from the town would not be enough since merchants stopped coming.
“So, what’s the situation?”
When I called out to the soldiers who were happy that they could eat a decent meal, their faces suddenly darkened, and the two soldiers began to speak alternately.
“…You’ve heard about the Orcs, right? A group of Orcs came a few weeks ago, and the farmers who were working outside the walls were sacrificed.”
“An Adventurer who was asked by the Lord came. When they investigated, they said there were a huge number of Orcs…”
“Probably, the Orcs are in the place that became an Abandoned Village 10 years ago. Those omnivores took the crops outside the walls. But when that’s gone, they’ll attack us. If the Lord’s army doesn’t come by then… Hey, what’s happening with the Adventurer’s Guild? Is anyone coming here…?”
At that time, I noticed four men in armor who seemed to be Adventurers rushing towards us from the direction of the town’s settlement, and our conversation stopped.
“Hey, what happened!?”
“Ah, it’s you!”
They were the man who had bothered me at the Adventurer’s Guild, and his companions.
As expected, the Thief who had disguised himself as a scout didn’t seem to be there, but the man who had bothered me stared at me and approached me.
“What did you come here for!”
“Wait, wait! I don’t know what happened, but stop it, Kevin!”
Come to think of it, this man—Kevin—said he was from this town. Perhaps it was the effect of giving him the salt, a soldier who seemed to know him stopped Kevin, who was snapping at me.
Seeing that, Kevin’s companions also joined in to stop him.
“Yeah, yeah, stop it. This girl is pretty strong, right?”
“That’s right. By the way, were you able to become Rank 3?”
“Yeah.”
While being wary just in case, I opened the stand-up collar of my dress and took out the tag, and seeing that, not only they but also the soldiers gasped in surprise.
“…Tch.”
Seeing the Rank 3 tag, Kevin clicked his tongue and took a step back.
“So, what did you come here for?”
“I was just asked by an acquaintance to check on the situation here. It seems they have family and friends here. More than that, aren’t the residents evacuating?”
Kevin’s eyes widened at that one question I asked lightly.
“What do you know! The people here have lived here since they were born, they don’t know how to live anywhere else, and some of them will die with their fields!”
“Kevin!”
“Stop it already.”
Kevin’s companions grabbed him to stop him from snapping at me again.
Thinking that this wouldn’t get us anywhere, the first soldier sighed and told me anyway.
“About 20% of those who have relatives in other towns have already left the town. The others are also gradually fleeing as much as they can. But, as that idiot says, about 30% of the residents, such as the elderly who can’t live outside, and families with sick people, can’t escape… Hey, isn’t the Adventurer’s Guild doing anything?”
“Impossible. The Guild won’t move in the current situation where there are no Rank 4 parties.”
“I see…”
“…If you’re really Rank 3, do something about it.”
Kevin, who was being held down by his companions, spat out those words as he looked at me.
I see…
“Let that person go. I’ll play with you a little.”
“Wait a minute, he’s just upset.”
At my words, one of Kevin’s companions, worried about who I was more worried about, came to stop me.
“You want to know, right? What ‘Rank 3’ is.”
“You bastard!”
Kevin, enraged by my provocation, drew his sword.
Just as the soldiers were about to intervene, not wanting to overlook a fight involving blades, I unleashed Level 3 [Intimidation] along with my “Killing Intent.”
“…!?”
“…U, uaaaaah!”
Everyone present froze, paralyzed by my Killing Intent. Among them, only Kevin, his face contorted, swung his sword at me.
Evading the sword, my palm struck Kevin’s face squarely. As his head snapped back, I struck the joint of his arm, causing him to drop his sword. Then, using both hands, I relentlessly pounded his defenseless chest and abdomen with punches.
I won’t use a dagger. You’ve swung that sword for more than ten times as long as I have. But your sword lacks “威” (dignity/power).
Even while pointing a sword at me, you don’t have the “resolve” to kill me.
I mercilessly struck his arm, abdomen, chest, shoulder, and the location of his internal organs, which he couldn’t even track with his eyes, unilaterally beating Kevin into the ground.
“…”
“…U…ah…”
Kevin lay sprawled on his back, battered and broken, while fearful gazes were directed at me, who had accomplished this in a mere ten seconds.
“Who is your ‘enemy’? What is your ‘reason’ for wielding a sword?”
I won’t deny you. If you direct your sword at me for “your own” reasons, then I will kill you as one human being to another.
“…Guh.”
Battered as he was, Kevin gripped his sword with eyes full of anger, rising to his feet as if enduring the pain.
“I… I will save… the people of this town.”
“Then do so.”
I moved away from him and turned to face the surrounding people.
“Adventurers, evacuate the townspeople while being wary of Orcs. You soldiers over there, how long will it take to complete the evacuation of the residents who can escape?”
“A, ah, five weeks… no, give us four weeks! The soldiers of this town will manage somehow!”
“I’ll leave it to you then.”
“…What are you going to do?”
To Kevin’s companions, who were looking at me with anxious eyes, I glanced at Kevin.
“Didn’t he say it? ‘Let Rank 3 handle it.'”
With their current expressions, they should be fine.
With this, they will somehow manage the evacuation of the residents without me doing anything. Now I can do my “job.” Therefore—
I drew my Black Dagger and turned my face towards the Abandoned Village where the Orc settlement was said to be.
“One month. I will buy that time.”
Because that is the “promise” I made.
Aria deliberately chose not to kill.
Aria decides to buy one month’s time alone for the sake of her promise with Jill and the others.
Next time, to the Orcs’ stronghold. A sneak mission.
The battle of a single girl begins.