After Runnam and Hamill met their unfortunate end due to a bandit raid, Ben, left all alone, transformed into a timid creature, like a castrated rooster.
He kept glancing nervously at us, putting extra effort into each word as if fearing it might hurt our feelings.
He had become so excessively polite that I was starting to suspect that instilling etiquette in adventurers might be less about consideration and more about instilling fear.
Days passed like this.
We endured attacks from the bandits and wild animals on the way, dodging encounters with lost monsters.
It was a tiring journey.
“…About this cart, aren’t we going to end up crashing it at this rate?”
“Well… let’s just hope that doesn’t happen.”
The cargo cart, which had been fine when we started, now looked like a wreck picked up from a junkyard.
Perhaps due to the huge drop in our numbers since the start of the journey.
It wasn’t particularly hard to deal with the attackers, but protecting the cart at the same time turned out to be much trickier than I expected.
It wasn’t a lack of strength, but a lack of personnel to cover the cart, or something like that.
While Kikel, Ben, and Amy did their best to protect us, blocking arrows or thrown spears aimed at the cart was challenging with just the three of them.
But if I sent Bardu to the rear to guard the cart, then the few enemies that Friede and I missed would swarm right to the cart and run amok.
They were hacking at the side of the cart with axes instead of arrows, and given that situation, getting hit by a few arrows or spears seemed much preferable.
So, as we endured attack after attack aimed at the cart, our cart became shabby like a beggar’s sock in just a few days.
From a distance, it was hard to tell whether it was a wooden cart or a sponge cart.
The wheels had been hastily patched after breaking once, rattling fiercely every time they rolled, and the waterproof tarp that had covered the top was now in such shambles it couldn’t even be used as a rag.
As a result, we kept riding the cart for comfort but had to get down and walk again, just like we did at the beginning.
“Why is there never a comfortable way to travel….”
“Caw-caw! That’s just how life is!”
Kikel, heated up by Amy’s magic and firestone, burst into laughter, patting my shoulder like life was just supposed to be like that.
◆◆
A few days later.
As we finally returned to Vespians, we headed straight to the Request Office to report on the details of our mission.
“They were a decoy request…? The Rivilla Merchant Guild?”
“Yep. It was unbelievable.”
Bardu, who took charge, shook his head in an exaggerated manner, letting out a deep sigh.
“Isn’t confirming the client’s identity a basic duty of the guild? It’s the very foundation. Isn’t it? Tell me, am I wrong?”
“Uh… I’m sorry. The situation was what it was.”
“Even if things are chaotic lately, that’s no excuse. If you’re going to neglect such basics, what’s the point of having a guild?”
The staff at the reception couldn’t muster a proper counter-argument and simply hung their head.
If a petty adventurer had complained in such a way, they wouldn’t have cared less, but with a reputable mid-tier adventurer voicing their grievances, the guild couldn’t afford to ignore it.
Given that the number of mid-tier adventurers had already decreased significantly due to the last incident, if the remaining ones turned their backs, it wouldn’t end well.
In the worst-case scenario, it wouldn’t be surprising if they had to close the guild due to a lack of personnel.
Thus, the guild needed to treat the remaining mid-tier adventurers with utmost sincerity to prevent further defections.
To be fair, it was blatantly clear that this incident was the guild’s fault.
“Do you even know who we met because of that decoy request? It was Belita Ladros! ‘The Head-Pulling’ Belita!”
“Wait, Belita? That wanted criminal?”
“Yeah! A serious criminal who’s killed several knights! We almost ended up dead because of it! All thanks to you not properly verifying the request!”
With the reception staff backing down, Bardu ramped up the pressure, clearly frustrated.
It was a reasonable attitude.
As the old saying goes, when you steal, target the house that’s on fire, and in these chaotic times, it was practically a gold mine for individual adventurers.
Now was the time when the value of mid-tier adventurers was higher than ever, making it essential to grab every bit of profit available.
◆◆
Bardu’s complaints brought us the best results.
Not only was our promised reward paid out immediately, but the guild promised to formally protest to the Rivilla Merchant Guild and secure an apology and appropriate compensation.
It felt as though he was proving that his experience wasn’t for naught by skillfully negotiating while making sure to grab everything he could.
“Well, I think we should be on our way now. If you ever find yourself short-handed, just reach out anytime. I’ll gladly assist if I’m free.”
“Thanks for saving us. Let’s have a drink together sometime. We’ll make it through.”
After wrapping everything up, Bardu and Jane thanked us and bid their farewells with a handshake.
If ever there’s a need for extra mid-tier assistance, they’d be sure to help us out.
“Yeah, sounds good. See you next time.”
After they exchanged friendly smiles and turned away, we too headed toward our inn with the cart.
Oh, and what about Ben?
That guy bowed his head in thanks and quickly turned away to go far away.
He’s apparently decided to quit being an adventurer and return home to help his younger brother. He mentioned that his niece was just born a while ago, so he figured he’d be busy with the warmth of family.
I’m not sure how smoothly that’ll go… but as long as he doesn’t die, he should manage on his own without my concern.
After walking for about thirty minutes.
“Caw-caw! I’m off too! Remember, you can’t choose your work!”
Kikel, who was staying at a different inn, called out his farewell and turned down a side road.
As he had mentioned before, he advised that I should let the other party members choose our quests instead of me picking them directly.
With the way my choices have been going, I was sure whatever I picked had a 100% chance of going horribly wrong.
Well… considering how things played out, I couldn’t argue with that.
I just awkwardly smiled and nodded.
“By the way, Amy, shouldn’t you be going back to the Magic Tower?”
Unlike Kikel, who head back to his inn, Amy didn’t return to the tower but followed me and Friede to our lodging.
Was she suggesting another gathering? I wasn’t in the mood for that.
After more than half a month of marching, battling, and camping, I was honestly still feeling dirty and worn out.
Forget about drinking; I just wanted to soak in a bathtub, scrub myself clean, and crash into bed.
“I’m tired. I’ll rest here tonight and head back tomorrow.”
Fortunately, Amy wasn’t particularly looking forward to a drinking party either.
She simply wanted to stay at the inn for a good rest instead of heading back to the Tower.
“Oh, really? Well, I wonder if there’ll be a vacant room…?”
“If there’s no empty room, I can crash in Hilde’s room. That’s fine, isn’t it?”
It sounded just like a college friend wanting to use someone else’s room for free.
Well, I had no reason to refuse. I had just shared a space with them last night, after all.
For adventurers who often camp, sleeping with party members was a common occurrence.
“If you want to, go ahead.”
So, I nodded without hesitation.
In the past, I would’ve refused to sleep close if my face was a problem, but… Amy and Friede were exceptions.
It seemed they had no idea about Brunhilde, as despite seeing my bare face, they had not detected my identity.
“Oh no!”
Surprisingly, it was Friede who voiced opposition.
“Friede? Why suddenly?”
“Well, um, you know, Hilde is tall, right? The bed is too small and it’ll be uncomfortable!”
“Is that so…?”
True enough, the room itself was a single, so it would be a bit cramped for two adults to sleep together.
If we cuddled up, it wouldn’t be a problem, but if we both lay down, one of our arms would definitely hang off the bed.
Getting a comfortable sleep might be a challenge.
“If there’s no room, I’ll lend you mine! That’ll work, right?”
Although her words were right, it could lead to us arguing all night…?
You two don’t really get along that well. Sure, you work together well in battle, but during casual conversations, you nitpick at each other endlessly.
“Hmm… well, I guess we have no choice but to do it that way.”
As I hesitated to response, wondering if leaving the two together was alright, Amy nodded eagerly in agreement with Friede’s suggestion.
It was quite unexpected. I had assumed she would refuse.
“…Huh?”
Even Friede seemed surprised that Amy agreed, inhaling sharply and looking stunned at Amy.
“Why are you so surprised? As you said, we need proper rest when we can, right?”
Amy smiled with a look of “isn’t that obvious?” It seemed she too was thoroughly tired from the camping.
As long as she could sleep more comfortably, she was willing to accept sharing a bed with the awkward company without hesitation.
◆◆
“You’re back earlier than expected? Did everything go well?”
Upon opening the inn door and stepping inside, the innkeeper, who was wiping a drinking glass, glanced at me and greeted me with concern.
“More like the opposite. Everything got really messy and we had to return halfway.”
“Oh dear. Was it you all along?”
With my sighing response, the innkeeper chuckled.
I requested him to store away the two carts I had brought back, then asked if there were any vacant rooms left.
“Are you asking if there are any vacant rooms? I wish I could say no, but we have plenty.”
Contrary to our prior discussions, the innkeeper burst out: there were actually totally abundant empty rooms.
While his laughter didn’t match his expression, it still wasn’t anything to laugh about from his standpoint.
If an inn has an overabundance of empty rooms, it basically means it’s halfway going under.
Well, it’s probably to be expected.
The only advantages of this inn were that there weren’t any low-life thieves, it was safe, and it was easy to bathe. However, the prices for lodging and food were absolutely ridiculous.
Most adventurers would prefer to stick with inns that offered cheap rates for lodging and drinks, rather than pay extra to stay here.
Even so, that little benefit was somewhat appealing for female adventurers, so the place wasn’t entirely devoid of guests.
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