Chapter: 8
Sally, the receptionist at the Adventurer’s Guild, pulled out an old document.
A hundred years ago, there was an S-class adventurer, the sword mage Ai. Although the branch he mainly used is in a different place, if you’re S-class, records about you exist everywhere.
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The main achievements continued seamlessly into the back.
Each one was filled with feats that could be considered unrivaled even among S-class adventurers.
‘That rookie adventurer wrote it without thinking, then had that “oops” look on his face.’
– “Oh, I’m sorry. I wrote it wrong. Could you please give me a new one?”
Recalling the reason that led her to look this up, Sally continued to browse through the document.
Then she reached the last paragraph.
This isn’t during a request either. From the start, isn’t it the case that a Demon King Army officer is supposed to face threats alone?
More importantly, he was part of the miraculous generation, a miracle that allowed him to come back to life with only a slight penalty, even after dying. Even in all that, he had never shown even a single death.
And then, he completely vanished after heading toward Shijakumauru.
‘Even though all of the miraculous generation went missing…’
Typically, when the empire announces a new policy, it’s common for them to disappear in unison as if they had made a promise to each other.
Or perhaps if they had equipment break, got scammed heavily, etc. Considering disappearance as an extreme choice would seem reasonable under some signs.
‘Shijakumauru… that’s where Maria recently went.’
A person with that name, whose actions and circumstances surrounding his disappearance were far from ordinary, had appeared.
– “Register this guy as an adventurer.”
Joining the girl who had followed his last steps.
‘Is this really just a coincidence?’
Sally prided herself on having excellent intuition. Dig a little deeper, and something would surely turn up.
Let’s visit Shijakumauru. Determined, Sally rose from her seat.
“Please process the request.”
Since she had to serve the customers.
“Yes, please wait a moment.”
It seemed it would take a fair amount of time to dig into this.
It was unlikely she could take vacation until next week at the earliest. Today, she mentally chewed over the reality of working overtime at a company notorious for overworking its employees.
*
To survive in a lowly state of existence like a scarecrow, you need something special to outpace others.
The daring to tread paths no one else chooses. The insight to pick out only the best things.
In that sense, this request appeared plain, just like any other request.
The fact that it demandingly requires expensive personnel at least of A-class level, even though it’s not a top-tier job, alongside the rigid timeline with no other business in between, suggests that this was commissioned by a noble.
This was likely the on-site experience of a noble girl who admires adventurers.
“Let’s do this.”
“Yeah. Maria will like anything.”
With no second thoughts, she accepted. This was a splendid opportunity to form connections with nobility.
Just the association with the nobles was beneficial enough, and with a bit of luck, it could open doors to contact with the imperial family or their knightly orders.
When leveling up a main character, this level of networking had only opened up after becoming among the top-ranked.
‘If it’s the imperial family, maybe I can find information about the Bingyi.’
A gathering place for all powers and all knowledge.
Clenching her gloves, she recalled the grand silhouette of the palace she had frequently visited in the not-so-distant past.
*
The morning dawned on the first step that would lead me to the imperial palace.
As expected, at the meeting point, an opulent carriage awaited the adventurers. It was also a rental carriage infamous for its high prices.
“Alright, everyone. I’ll check if everyone is here.”
With the declaration of the personnel check, I looked around at the crowd.
First, at the center, was the man named Alexander. Rank A. A typical warrior type. Due to his rank and experience, he naturally took the lead role.
“Mr. Lucius.”
“Yes.”
“Mr. Kenny.”
“Yes.”
“Mr. Tomoe.”
“Yay~”
Next in order were a C-class military priest, a D-class thief boy, and a C-class magician girl.
I felt a bit bad for them, but honestly, they didn’t catch my eye that much.
After all, even in games, if you meet someone ranked C or lower on a quest, they often end up getting killed, so one doesn’t instinctually feel attached to them.
“Oh my.”
“Yes.”
“Maria.”
“I’m here.”
“Looks like everyone’s here. Then let’s head out!”
Just like that, the six escorts climbed aboard the carriage that would guide them to their destination.
The guild had already assigned Alexander to handle the request early on, and since we joined late, there were a whopping two A-class members for a common escort request.
Clearly an overpowered setup, but the client gladly accepted. Sure, since we’re at it, it’s better to have many adventurers on board. After all, they had plenty of money to spare, and added safety was also on the table.
“Are we finally going? We’re going on an adventure?!”
As I approached the carriage, a blonde girl greeted me noisily. She seemed to be the client for this mission.
Her behavior screamed, ‘I’m all over the place!’ with her bright interests and lively curiosity in every direction.
She was the complete opposite of her peer Maria.
The butler accompanying her must surely have had a hard time. He looked like he was on the brink of retirement.
‘With that much wealth and blonde hair, she could either be the daughter of the Count of Hundred or the Peacock Princess. Can’t be sure though based on 100-year-old data…’
“Let’s hurry up! I couldn’t even sleep properly because I’m so excited!”
Since the social rules about dealing with noble families were comfortably ingrained in my mind, all I needed was an opportunity to get closer.
“Maria, you know…”
“Yeah.”
I whispered the plan meant to kick things off in Maria’s ear.
“Got it. Just leave it to Maria.”
As if she had already planned this all along, Maria nodded casually. It was reassuring.
*
Clang-clang—
It’s something that we often overlook, but when it springs to mind, we can’t help but wonder.
These guys can wield magic. So why is it that their only mode of transport is a carriage?
“Hey, is it always this peaceful? Aren’t there monsters suddenly popping up or something…?”
In response, Superego Online suggested several plausible reasons. Mostly centered around the existence of monsters.
These critters pop up everywhere – land, sea, air – they’re through the roof, and they practically glow with mana. Even a lowly sparrow finds itself munching on some wheat. That tells you all you need to know!
“Oh, if it’s monsters, there’s plenty coming out over there, little lady.”
Would you really expect people here to use oil or electricity? To them, oil is for frying, and electricity is merely a method of attack.
So, it’s only logical that the main energy source is mana, which is more abundant than water. Even if you tried to build a car, it’d just wind up being a massive “Look at me!” aggro magnet.
Even as we cruised leisurely in our carriage, we seemed to get attacked whenever it suited them. Just imagine their fury if we started flooring it while blasting mana and engine noise!
Plus, once you reach a level where such matters don’t concern you, wouldn’t you just prefer to get around with your own two legs? Riding in a carriage would only box you in and feel suffocating!
“I get that…!!”
The client girl’s frustrated shout echoed around, coinciding perfectly with the reason that made me ponder transportation, fueling the empathy within me.
“Every time a monster appears, some goofball shows up and wipes them out in one hit! It’s so boring!”
As mentioned, monsters were certainly in abundance. Maria was sweeping the floor with them right from her seat.
They likely set this event up out of admiration for adventurers, but I can totally understand how disappointing it must be if high-ranked adventurers just sit there idly clicking away.
Of course, that was purely their situation. I, however, was absolutely ecstatic.
The best party auto-hunting. I had always been on the giving end of this, but getting it felt surprisingly delightful!
“…Um, hey.”
“Me?”
Ding-ding.
‘It’s begun.’
The client girl, unable to hold back any longer, spoke to Maria. This was definitely a sign of the impending relationship progression event typically following escort requests.
Normally, the direction of the dialogue would be purely random, but in a world where adventurers avoided interactions out of sheer annoyance, standing out was no easy task. I hadn’t really left out any type of NPC before.
“Couldn’t you make the fighting a little more exciting? I asked for this request just to see that…!!”
If those two could continue chatting and organically develop a friendship, it’d be a success!
Maria’s friend is my friend, and my friend is Maria’s friend. Simple as that.
“That wasn’t included in the request. Maria checked.”
“I’m the one who put in the request, you know!”
“Now you’re just talking nonsense. You’re being childish.”
…Was it too forced to befriend them, or was it resulting in conflict? But still, can’t we just chill out a bit?
“You too are just a kid! How old are you?!”
“Maria’s 9 years old.”
“Ugh…!”
‘Oh boy.’
What was I saying—at least that was fine! It wasn’t like we were actually fighting; it was just a year’s difference.
Moreover, there would surely be opportunities waiting ahead that would develop their relationship even further. They just needed to handle it smoothly.
‘What kind of event is going to pop up…’
I opened my senses, anticipating that something was bound to happen soon.
The three common scenarios usually included:
A wrong turn, losing family heirlooms, or being ambushed by a band of thieves.
“Thieves!!”
And the answer was, indeed, thieves. It was the easiest of the three.
Typically, the ones lurking around here were just loafers waiting for someone to walk by.
The real threats hang out in the trade routes, looking for big catches.
‘Still, this could give me a chance to show off to my little client.’
With a light heart, I stood up. Why on earth did they target a carriage carrying two A-class adventurers?!
It was customary for thieves encountered during missions to claim their rewards from the pockets of those they’d caught. Everyone was scrambling to bag something before Maria swept through again.
Crack—
“…Huh?”
The ceiling of the carriage was blown off. The doors and walls were torn apart.
Maria urgently laid the girl and me down on the floor. Then, a solid thud echoed as something fell right in front of us.
It was the head of the wizard, who had just been alive and chatting cheerfully with the thief boy. His expression hadn’t changed one bit since he was alive.
Something was not just wrong; something was terribly off.
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