Chapter 96 – Before Leaving
As they walked into the street behind the Erz Adventurers Guild, they saw many houses lined up, serving as residences for merchants and apprentices. Among these, there was a two-story one with a small garden and plastered walls. The house was conveniently located near the common well, and the windows had large panes of glass. In addition to the fireplace and kitchen, it had a stone oven for baking cakes, and even a cellar.
The city, which suffered an epidemic and crop failure a few years ago, had increased the number of guards patrolling the streets as a measure to restore law and order, and crime was low compared to other cities in the Empire. Still, it was difficult to completely eliminate those with a penchant for reaching into other people’s pockets. From the outside, this house appeared to be the home of wealthy people, and unlike those of aristocrats and merchants, it had no guards, making it easy prey for thieves. In fact, on one occasion, when the house was newly built, a thief broke into it, but was easily caught. The couple living in this house were adventurers who had successfully completed many requests in large cities, including Simurgh, Clennad and Perle. Since that was known, no reckless thief had dared to venture into the interior of that residence.
“Hey! Louis! Eliza! Are you there?”
Oort knocked lightly on the door of the house, and slowly, after a few moments, he heard footsteps from inside the house and the door opened.
“It’s unusual for you to visit us at this hour, Oort.” Eliza, a woman who looked to be in her mid-twenties with her dark brown hair pulled back, grimaced. “…Huh? Why, are you customers?”
“That’s right, it’s about work.”
“If they want to talk business, why don’t they ask at the guild? They’ll have to go there to get the contract written anyway.” Putting her hands on her hips and looking up into Oort’s face, who was taller than she was, Eliza averted her gaze to Wynn and the others behind him. She glanced at each of them, and when she saw Wynn and Leticia, her eyes widened.
“Remember? I bet they bring back nostalgia for you. It’s Wynn and Letty… I mean Leticia-sama. That’s why I brought them to your house instead of the guild. I thought it would be better that way.”
“No way… Really? It’s been a long time!”
“Umm, it’s been a while, Eliza-san.”
Wynn stepped forward and greeted her, and Leticia gave a slight bow.
“Oort! I agree that you brought them here, but why didn’t you warn me beforehand? Wait a moment. I’ll prepare the tea now. Oort, can you keep them company while I clean up the mess inside?” After saying this, Eliza turned around and walked back into the house.
From behind the slightly open door, they could hear Eliza’s voice, which probably went to wake Louis. Then a door slammed.
“Oh, sorry… for keeping you waiting.” Oort gave an indescribable look and turned to Wynn and the others, who were standing behind him, and scratched his cheeks lightly.
“Oh, it’s been a while, hathn’t it? Wynn-kun, Leticia-sama.”
After a short wait, Louis came out and Wynn and the others were ushered into the house. The living room they were shown was still a mess, even though Louis and Eliza had hurried to clean it up. There were piles of books to be read on the desk by the window, and various cluttered knick-knacks on the shelves. There were several spears leaning against the wall, probably from Louis, who was good with these. There was a round table in the center of the room with four chairs.
“Hey, it’s crowded in here, shall we sit on the floor and talk?”
Louis moved the table to a corner of the room and Eliza brought in a mattress.
“Can I ask that the women sit in the chairs and the men sit on the floor?”
Leticia, Cornelia, Lino and Eliza, who had finished preparing the tea, sat in the chairs, and the men sat in a circle on the floor.
“Allow me to introduce myself again. My name is Oort. Pleased to meet you.”
Oort took the initiative to introduce himself, and Wynn and the others, in turn, introduced themselves and shook the proffered hands.
“I’m Eliza. Nice to meet you.”
“The name is Louis Yuim.”
“I’m sorry. According to our family tradition, I’m not allowed to touch people of the opposite sex.”
“Oh… is that true?”
After Eliza, Louis greeted Cornelia and held out his hand, but when his hand was gently rejected, it drifted away. Then he looked around, confused. As with Leticia, he could sense that Cornelia had a different atmosphere from the common people. As successful adventurers, Oort and his friends were friends of the nobility. They possessed the same aura as the nobles. It was also the aura that a lady of high rank would possess. It crossed Oort’s mind that Cornelia also came from such a family and was the type of person who despised commoners and refused to associate with them. However, when he saw Cornelia’s genuinely contrite expression, he remembered one of the traditions passed down in one of the most famous families in the empire.
“The tradition of not being able to touch the hands of the opposite sex… accompanied by a guard of knights and Leticia-sama. And her name is Cornelia, and her insignia is a bellflower…” Eliza murmured, then turned to look at Wynn. “Should I watch my speech from now on?”
“No, don’t bother. It’s okay if you talk like you always do.” Cornelia smiled at Eliza.
“So, in the end, Wynn has been knighted, has he?” When they finished introducing themselves to each other, Oort folded his arms and spoke.
Louis and Eliza also looked deeply moved.
“Yes, but I’m still a rookie.” Embarrassed, Wynn smiled shyly.
“Letty-chan… no, Leticia-sama. Rumors about you have reached our ears. Thanks to the amazing magic you showed us as a child, we had no doubt in the instant when we heard that you were indeed the Brave, and that this Brave was but a girl of about ten. I wonder if you remember us?”
“No, I’m sorry. Actually, I don’t remember much.” Leticia apologized, her expression showing chagrin.
“I thought so because of how Leticia-sama was at the time. It might be because she was still young, but she was more concerned about Wynn-kun than anything else. It’s like she didn’t care about anything else. Though that doesn’t seem to have changed even now.”
When Eliza said this, a slightly mischievous smile later appeared on her face, to which Leticia turned a little red and lowered her gaze. The chair Leticia was sitting in was situated next to Wynn, who was on the floor. It was as if it was natural for her to be there. The other members of the group were also acting as if it was natural for her to be next to him. As for Eliza, she was also interested in his relationship with Cornelia, who occasionally glanced at Wynn, but before she could spend any more of her time observing more closely, Oort gave a single throat clearing and got to the point.
“Let’s leave the catching up for later, along with the drinks and snacks, but let’s talk about work first.”
In the middle of the group sitting in a circle, they spread out the map they got from the Miners Guild and the map they got from the Adventurers Guild. The map of the abandoned mine road they got from the Adventurers Guild had red lines drawn along the road. This was the map that was used when they defeated the demons on the abandoned mine road.
“As you can see on this map, to take the abandoned mine road to Lyon, you have to go up the opposite side of Lake Mingal, where the fishing village is, and where the mining town is now. As I’m sure you’ve heard, miners don’t go near abandoned mines. So, it’s no wonder that wild beasts, demons and ghost beasts have taken up residence there.” Oort, who had been looking at the map, looked up and looked at Wynn and the others. “The most dangerous beasts living in the Majil Mountains are wolves and bears. There are also wild boars, giant deer and goats, but these will not attack you unless you get close to them or something happens to them. The problem, however, are the demons and ghost beasts. These are on a very different level from those you might encounter on the plains or in the forest.”
“For example, what kind of demons might we see?”
“I suppose the demons we would encounter most are those of the giant family.”
Wynn asked, and Louis answered.
“By giants, you mean… ogres?”
“Ogres are the most common, but sometimes we encounter giants that are even bigger. They’re even bigger than the trees that grow around them… oh, yes! To give a simple example, a big one could get as tall as a belltower.”
“So, like a belltower…” exclaimed Lino when she heard Louis’ description of the giants.
Louis said it in a light tone, but that they were so big meant they must have a lot of vitality and strength. Their power would also be tremendous. A giant as big as a belltower would be able to send a human flying if they hit them with their fists.
“But don’t worry. They’re so big that their heads stick out of the trees, so you can easily see where they are from a distance.” Eliza smiled at Lino, who had gone pale.
“They’re big enough to have good vision, but not such a good sense of smell. Even if they came close to you, you might not get their attention if you stay hidden. Besides, they’re found all over the mountains, so there are plenty of places to hide.”
“If it’s such a large creature… what will it eat?”
“When I saw one, it was eating a giant snake. Oh, and I’ve also seen them eat birds the size of this house, though also the other way around. To them, ogres are food too, aren’t they?”
Locke said his doubts, and Oort answered them by looking around the house. Hearing this, Wynn and the others couldn’t help but look through the glass windows toward the Majil Mountains, which loomed like a wall. In a nature that prides itself on its grandeur, do demons also engage in exciting activities?
“There are also some dragons. However, I’ve only seen them from afar.”
“Dragons… dragons.” Wynn muttered the words in a tone of admiration rather than awe.
Dragons were often used as a main topic in tales. The strongest living race on earth, the third strongest race refusing to associate with gods or demons. They were said to soar through the sky and exhaled a breath that burned even the immortal souls of the gods. Dragons were few in number and lived deep in the mountains, such as sacred mountains and high peaks, so they were rarely seen flying in the sky. If you were an aspiring adventurer, you would have the dream of seeing a dragon, even if it didn’t bring any money.
One of the rumors about dragons had to do with the ancient Kingdom of Thane, which was a small but powerful country, was able to produce world famous people. They studied abroad, with school fees donated by the royal family. The theory related that the “Sword Saint” of a past generation, that is, Melvick IV, may have been a “Dragon Slayer”.
Everything that was a dragon, from a single scale to the tip of its tail, could be used as a catalyst for powerful magic, medicine and magical tools. Mages, apothecaries and magical engineers drooled over them.
Legend also said that dragons kept treasures, including gold, in their nests. However, although it was said that if you managed to become a “Dragon Slayer” you would be remembered for a lifetime in the annals of history, it was difficult to do so. A dragon’s scales were so solid that they could repel even forged steel, and also let out incredibly high-pitched screams.
If Melvick IV had successfully become a “Dragon Slayer,” he would have acquired a great deal of gold and other resources. However, no historical record had been discovered to prove this. But there was no doubt that he succeeded in slaying a dragon, as many people who witnessed the event were present and attested to it. Though, the whereabouts of the dragon’s corpse was unknown. And, moreover, none of the witnesses were alive at this time. Probably, the treasure of the dragon’s corpse was hidden for fear that the great powers, blinded by their greed, would get at it. That is what they concluded.
In any case, dragons carried with them all sorts of rumors. It was natural that not only Wynn, a lover of tales of knights and heroes, but also Cornelia, Locke, Lino and Wedge, looked on with a mixture of longing and admiration.
“Well, don’t worry, you don’t always see those monsters. We’d see more like normal animals.”
From the fear of giants, to giant birds and demons they had never seen, and the hope that they might encounter a dragon. Eliza smiled at the youngsters, whose expressions changed from time to time. Eliza wanted to see those things too, so she gave up her noble status and became an adventurer. If you looked, you would see that Oort and Louis were smiling a little happily, just like Eliza. They also felt the same way she did. The thrill and excitement of seeing the unknown. They were so fascinated by it that they continued to work as adventurers, even though they had already earned enough money to live comfortably for the rest of their lives. They were even at an age where they were ready to retire.
“But, well, as far as demons can be found out there, it shouldn’t be a problem.” Oort said, looking at Leticia.
Giants that rivaled in height the belltowers Oort and his friends had seen, and dragons that you could make your mark in history with if you managed to kill just one of them. They weren’t there right now, but you could feel their strength just by listening to the stories. If people wanted to fight them, they would have to use a whole army. If Leticia’s power lived up to the rumors Oort and the others had heard, it shouldn’t be a problem. Leticia nodded as if it was nothing, just as Oort and the others had expected. Seeing this, Oort let out a slight smile of dismay.
I already thought so when I saw her magic back then, but she’s still a girl out of this world.
“The rest is money for travel arrangements. Food, water, fuel. We have to buy a good amount of clothes for the cold, rope, medicine, etc.”
“There won’t be a problem with that.” Wynn nodded.
Alfred had given them a large amount of money to use as travel expenses. In the worst case, if they passed through a large city, they could borrow money. Above all, this group included the imperial princess Cornelia, who could get money from the empire as a matter of course. Leticia, the daughter of a duke, who could get funds not only from her family, but also from temples and even from most countries if she asked. There was also Locke, the second son of a large trading company called Marine Trading Company, which had branches in many countries, and in fact there were many wealthy people who knew his background.
“All right, then, let’s quickly buy what we need and get going. We adventurers always have at least the bare minimum prepared so that we can leave at any time. You guys don’t have much time, do you?”
After Oort concluded, everyone got up and began to make their own preparations.
Chapter 96 – Before Leaving
As they walked into the street behind the Erz Adventurers Guild, they saw many houses lined up, serving as residences for merchants and apprentices. Among these, there was a two-story one with a small garden and plastered walls. The house was conveniently located near the common well, and the windows had large panes of glass. In addition to the fireplace and kitchen, it had a stone oven for baking cakes, and even a cellar.
The city, which suffered an epidemic and crop failure a few years ago, had increased the number of guards patrolling the streets as a measure to restore law and order, and crime was low compared to other cities in the Empire. Still, it was difficult to completely eliminate those with a penchant for reaching into other people’s pockets. From the outside, this house appeared to be the home of wealthy people, and unlike those of aristocrats and merchants, it had no guards, making it easy prey for thieves. In fact, on one occasion, when the house was newly built, a thief broke into it, but was easily caught. The couple living in this house were adventurers who had successfully completed many requests in large cities, including Simurgh, Clennad and Perle. Since that was known, no reckless thief had dared to venture into the interior of that residence.
“Hey! Louis! Eliza! Are you there?”
Oort knocked lightly on the door of the house, and slowly, after a few moments, he heard footsteps from inside the house and the door opened.
“It’s unusual for you to visit us at this hour, Oort.” Eliza, a woman who looked to be in her mid-twenties with her dark brown hair pulled back, grimaced. “…Huh? Why, are you customers?”
“That’s right, it’s about work.”
“If they want to talk business, why don’t they ask at the guild? They’ll have to go there to get the contract written anyway.” Putting her hands on her hips and looking up into Oort’s face, who was taller than she was, Eliza averted her gaze to Wynn and the others behind him. She glanced at each of them, and when she saw Wynn and Leticia, her eyes widened.
“Remember? I bet they bring back nostalgia for you. It’s Wynn and Letty… I mean Leticia-sama. That’s why I brought them to your house instead of the guild. I thought it would be better that way.”
“No way… Really? It’s been a long time!”
“Umm, it’s been a while, Eliza-san.”
Wynn stepped forward and greeted her, and Leticia gave a slight bow.
“Oort! I agree that you brought them here, but why didn’t you warn me beforehand? Wait a moment. I’ll prepare the tea now. Oort, can you keep them company while I clean up the mess inside?” After saying this, Eliza turned around and walked back into the house.
From behind the slightly open door, they could hear Eliza’s voice, which probably went to wake Louis. Then a door slammed.
“Oh, sorry… for keeping you waiting.” Oort gave an indescribable look and turned to Wynn and the others, who were standing behind him, and scratched his cheeks lightly.
“Oh, it’s been a while, hathn’t it? Wynn-kun, Leticia-sama.”
After a short wait, Louis came out and Wynn and the others were ushered into the house. The living room they were shown was still a mess, even though Louis and Eliza had hurried to clean it up. There were piles of books to be read on the desk by the window, and various cluttered knick-knacks on the shelves. There were several spears leaning against the wall, probably from Louis, who was good with these. There was a round table in the center of the room with four chairs.
“Hey, it’s crowded in here, shall we sit on the floor and talk?”
Louis moved the table to a corner of the room and Eliza brought in a mattress.
“Can I ask that the women sit in the chairs and the men sit on the floor?”
Leticia, Cornelia, Lino and Eliza, who had finished preparing the tea, sat in the chairs, and the men sat in a circle on the floor.
“Allow me to introduce myself again. My name is Oort. Pleased to meet you.”
Oort took the initiative to introduce himself, and Wynn and the others, in turn, introduced themselves and shook the proffered hands.
“I’m Eliza. Nice to meet you.”
“The name is Louis Yuim.”
“I’m sorry. According to our family tradition, I’m not allowed to touch people of the opposite sex.”
“Oh… is that true?”
After Eliza, Louis greeted Cornelia and held out his hand, but when his hand was gently rejected, it drifted away. Then he looked around, confused. As with Leticia, he could sense that Cornelia had a different atmosphere from the common people. As successful adventurers, Oort and his friends were friends of the nobility. They possessed the same aura as the nobles. It was also the aura that a lady of high rank would possess. It crossed Oort’s mind that Cornelia also came from such a family and was the type of person who despised commoners and refused to associate with them. However, when he saw Cornelia’s genuinely contrite expression, he remembered one of the traditions passed down in one of the most famous families in the empire.
“The tradition of not being able to touch the hands of the opposite sex… accompanied by a guard of knights and Leticia-sama. And her name is Cornelia, and her insignia is a bellflower…” Eliza murmured, then turned to look at Wynn. “Should I watch my speech from now on?”
“No, don’t bother. It’s okay if you talk like you always do.” Cornelia smiled at Eliza.
“So, in the end, Wynn has been knighted, has he?” When they finished introducing themselves to each other, Oort folded his arms and spoke.
Louis and Eliza also looked deeply moved.
“Yes, but I’m still a rookie.” Embarrassed, Wynn smiled shyly.
“Letty-chan… no, Leticia-sama. Rumors about you have reached our ears. Thanks to the amazing magic you showed us as a child, we had no doubt in the instant when we heard that you were indeed the Brave, and that this Brave was but a girl of about ten. I wonder if you remember us?”
“No, I’m sorry. Actually, I don’t remember much.” Leticia apologized, her expression showing chagrin.
“I thought so because of how Leticia-sama was at the time. It might be because she was still young, but she was more concerned about Wynn-kun than anything else. It’s like she didn’t care about anything else. Though that doesn’t seem to have changed even now.”
When Eliza said this, a slightly mischievous smile later appeared on her face, to which Leticia turned a little red and lowered her gaze. The chair Leticia was sitting in was situated next to Wynn, who was on the floor. It was as if it was natural for her to be there. The other members of the group were also acting as if it was natural for her to be next to him. As for Eliza, she was also interested in his relationship with Cornelia, who occasionally glanced at Wynn, but before she could spend any more of her time observing more closely, Oort gave a single throat clearing and got to the point.
“Let’s leave the catching up for later, along with the drinks and snacks, but let’s talk about work first.”
In the middle of the group sitting in a circle, they spread out the map they got from the Miners Guild and the map they got from the Adventurers Guild. The map of the abandoned mine road they got from the Adventurers Guild had red lines drawn along the road. This was the map that was used when they defeated the demons on the abandoned mine road.
“As you can see on this map, to take the abandoned mine road to Lyon, you have to go up the opposite side of Lake Mingal, where the fishing village is, and where the mining town is now. As I’m sure you’ve heard, miners don’t go near abandoned mines. So, it’s no wonder that wild beasts, demons and ghost beasts have taken up residence there.” Oort, who had been looking at the map, looked up and looked at Wynn and the others. “The most dangerous beasts living in the Majil Mountains are wolves and bears. There are also wild boars, giant deer and goats, but these will not attack you unless you get close to them or something happens to them. The problem, however, are the demons and ghost beasts. These are on a very different level from those you might encounter on the plains or in the forest.”
“For example, what kind of demons might we see?”
“I suppose the demons we would encounter most are those of the giant family.”
Wynn asked, and Louis answered.
“By giants, you mean… ogres?”
“Ogres are the most common, but sometimes we encounter giants that are even bigger. They’re even bigger than the trees that grow around them… oh, yes! To give a simple example, a big one could get as tall as a belltower.”
“So, like a belltower…” exclaimed Lino when she heard Louis’ description of the giants.
Louis said it in a light tone, but that they were so big meant they must have a lot of vitality and strength. Their power would also be tremendous. A giant as big as a belltower would be able to send a human flying if they hit them with their fists.
“But don’t worry. They’re so big that their heads stick out of the trees, so you can easily see where they are from a distance.” Eliza smiled at Lino, who had gone pale.
“They’re big enough to have good vision, but not such a good sense of smell. Even if they came close to you, you might not get their attention if you stay hidden. Besides, they’re found all over the mountains, so there are plenty of places to hide.”
“If it’s such a large creature… what will it eat?”
“When I saw one, it was eating a giant snake. Oh, and I’ve also seen them eat birds the size of this house, though also the other way around. To them, ogres are food too, aren’t they?”
Locke said his doubts, and Oort answered them by looking around the house. Hearing this, Wynn and the others couldn’t help but look through the glass windows toward the Majil Mountains, which loomed like a wall. In a nature that prides itself on its grandeur, do demons also engage in exciting activities?
“There are also some dragons. However, I’ve only seen them from afar.”
“Dragons… dragons.” Wynn muttered the words in a tone of admiration rather than awe.
Dragons were often used as a main topic in tales. The strongest living race on earth, the third strongest race refusing to associate with gods or demons. They were said to soar through the sky and exhaled a breath that burned even the immortal souls of the gods. Dragons were few in number and lived deep in the mountains, such as sacred mountains and high peaks, so they were rarely seen flying in the sky. If you were an aspiring adventurer, you would have the dream of seeing a dragon, even if it didn’t bring any money.
One of the rumors about dragons had to do with the ancient Kingdom of Thane, which was a small but powerful country, was able to produce world famous people. They studied abroad, with school fees donated by the royal family. The theory related that the “Sword Saint” of a past generation, that is, Melvick IV, may have been a “Dragon Slayer”.
Everything that was a dragon, from a single scale to the tip of its tail, could be used as a catalyst for powerful magic, medicine and magical tools. Mages, apothecaries and magical engineers drooled over them.
Legend also said that dragons kept treasures, including gold, in their nests. However, although it was said that if you managed to become a “Dragon Slayer” you would be remembered for a lifetime in the annals of history, it was difficult to do so. A dragon’s scales were so solid that they could repel even forged steel, and also let out incredibly high-pitched screams.
If Melvick IV had successfully become a “Dragon Slayer,” he would have acquired a great deal of gold and other resources. However, no historical record had been discovered to prove this. But there was no doubt that he succeeded in slaying a dragon, as many people who witnessed the event were present and attested to it. Though, the whereabouts of the dragon’s corpse was unknown. And, moreover, none of the witnesses were alive at this time. Probably, the treasure of the dragon’s corpse was hidden for fear that the great powers, blinded by their greed, would get at it. That is what they concluded.
In any case, dragons carried with them all sorts of rumors. It was natural that not only Wynn, a lover of tales of knights and heroes, but also Cornelia, Locke, Lino and Wedge, looked on with a mixture of longing and admiration.
“Well, don’t worry, you don’t always see those monsters. We’d see more like normal animals.”
From the fear of giants, to giant birds and demons they had never seen, and the hope that they might encounter a dragon. Eliza smiled at the youngsters, whose expressions changed from time to time. Eliza wanted to see those things too, so she gave up her noble status and became an adventurer. If you looked, you would see that Oort and Louis were smiling a little happily, just like Eliza. They also felt the same way she did. The thrill and excitement of seeing the unknown. They were so fascinated by it that they continued to work as adventurers, even though they had already earned enough money to live comfortably for the rest of their lives. They were even at an age where they were ready to retire.
“But, well, as far as demons can be found out there, it shouldn’t be a problem.” Oort said, looking at Leticia.
Giants that rivaled in height the belltowers Oort and his friends had seen, and dragons that you could make your mark in history with if you managed to kill just one of them. They weren’t there right now, but you could feel their strength just by listening to the stories. If people wanted to fight them, they would have to use a whole army. If Leticia’s power lived up to the rumors Oort and the others had heard, it shouldn’t be a problem. Leticia nodded as if it was nothing, just as Oort and the others had expected. Seeing this, Oort let out a slight smile of dismay.
I already thought so when I saw her magic back then, but she’s still a girl out of this world.
“The rest is money for travel arrangements. Food, water, fuel. We have to buy a good amount of clothes for the cold, rope, medicine, etc.”
“There won’t be a problem with that.” Wynn nodded.
Alfred had given them a large amount of money to use as travel expenses. In the worst case, if they passed through a large city, they could borrow money. Above all, this group included the imperial princess Cornelia, who could get money from the empire as a matter of course. Leticia, the daughter of a duke, who could get funds not only from her family, but also from temples and even from most countries if she asked. There was also Locke, the second son of a large trading company called Marine Trading Company, which had branches in many countries, and in fact there were many wealthy people who knew his background.
“All right, then, let’s quickly buy what we need and get going. We adventurers always have at least the bare minimum prepared so that we can leave at any time. You guys don’t have much time, do you?”
After Oort concluded, everyone got up and began to make their own preparations.
