While I was exterminating goblins around Lasagna Village until Dyne-san finished his preparations, Mishinie appeared.
「You’ve got a face that says ‘Ah, I forgot’.」
Ah, yes. I completely and utterly forgot……
「……I’m very sorry……」
I offer my sincerest apologies.
「Well, it’s fine. I’ve been busy with various things myself. Thanks to that, I couldn’t go goblin hunting either.」
「Silver seal adventurers sure have it rough. Do you usually work alone?」
I don’t see anyone who looks like a companion. It feels like she came by herself.
「For big jobs, I team up sometimes, but mostly I work alone. I’m not very good at cooperation.」
Well, with Mishinie’s ability, ordinary people wouldn’t be able to keep up. A team needs balance. If someone too exceptional joins, it tends to throw things off.
「If you’ve got that much skill, working alone is easier anyway.」
If you have the strength, there’s no need to force yourself into a team. You can just do things freely.
「That’s true, but every now and then, you start missing people. Being alone gets lonely.」
Yeah, being alone is tough. If I hadn’t met Ladarion, my heart probably would have broken by now.
「If you get lonely, you can always come drink with us. Drinking buddies are more fun when there are more of them.」
I do have drinks with Kainzel-san from time to time, but drinking with just guys is boring. If a beauty like Mishinie were there, it would liven things up. Ah, I’m not thinking anything improper, okay. I really just mean drinking together.
「Honestly, Takato, you haven’t changed at all.」
Huh? What do you mean? I mean, we only spent a day or two together a few months ago. How can you say I haven’t changed? It’s not like we were that close.
「So, did you stop by while you were working?」
It’s not like she came just because she was bored.
「No, it’s more like a greeting. You’re heading to the Count Rydand’s domain, right?」
「Huh? Ah, yeah. That’s right, but how do you know, Mishinie?」
Dyne-san’s base is in the town of Misrim, while Mishinie is based in the town of Korel. Do rumors really travel that far?
「I’m also going to the Count Rydand’s domain as an escort for the Luraize Company.」
Huh? What does that mean? I don’t get it.
「The Luraize Company decided to go to the Count Rydand’s domain together with the peddler Dyne.」
I stopped the goblin extermination and headed to see Kainzel-san.
「No, I haven’t heard anything about that.」
That was Kainzel-san’s response when I told him.
「They probably tagged along. The Luraize Company is a major player even in Margrave Koraus Territory. If a company like that asks, Dyne wouldn’t have a way to refuse. He was probably pressured gently.」
You could say it can’t be helped, but they’re being awfully presumptuous. Are they just ignoring our opinion?
「Don’t get so irritated. The way the Luraize Company handled this isn’t praiseworthy, but it’s not a loss for us either. They have a branch in the Count Rydand’s domain as well. After pulling something like this, they’ll probably act as our backing.」
「That’s what the head of the Luraize Company said too.」
Haaah. It feels like the outer defenses have already been filled in. If that’s the case, pushing back is pointless. Then we might as well make full use of that backing.
「Kainzel-san, could you go talk to Dyne-san and hear his side? I’ll go see the guild master.」
We need to coordinate early, and if the Luraize Company is joining, our preparations will change too. Honestly, things never go according to plan.
「Sorry, Mishinie. I’m heading to town now, so I’ll see you later.」
Ladarion and the others are also exterminating goblins, but they’re acting individually and I’ve left things to their own judgment. Once it hits five o’clock, they’ll wrap up on their own and head back.
「I’ll come too.」
With that, Mishinie followed along.
「Are you bored?」
「We finally meet again after so long, and you’re so cold～」
「We’re not lovers. There’s no being warm or cold here.」
Why is she saying things like she’s my girlfriend? We can just meet when our schedules line up.
It wasn’t far enough to use the Pioneer, and changing equipment would have been a hassle, so I headed to town still in my extermination gear.
「I heard about it. Sounds like you took down another Goblin King.」
「The one who defeated it was the guild master, not me. And wait, that story’s already spread?」
「There’s no way it wouldn’t. It was a Goblin King. The survival of the town was at stake. Of course, people would gather information.」
「……Don’t tell me, word about me has spread too?」
「How many people do you think were involved? What happened at the castle, the fight with the Goblin King. There are as many mouths as there are people.」
So it’s true. You really can’t stop rumors.
「Even in the Second City Wall District?」
「Especially in the Second City Wall District. There’s no way to hide what happened at the castle there. It’d be harder to find someone who doesn’t know.」
So that’s why. That’s why that shop owner welcomed me and tried to test me.
「The Luraize Company. They deal in cloth, right?」
「Yeah. They pretty much control that market in Margrave Koraus Territory. For the record, they’re also executives in the Merchants’ Guild.」
That’s scary. Merchants are scary. Did they really think this through and put it all together in just a few days? They’re way too capable.
「How many escorts are they bringing?」
Being scared won’t help. I need to understand the situation and move so we don’t end up at a disadvantage.
「Me, plus eight Iron seal adventurers. All of them have escort experience.」
「Is that a lot? Or not enough?」
「There are eight or nine wagons, so it’s a bit on the low side.」
「So you’re filling that gap, Mishinie.」
A Silver seal adventurer who can slaughter nearly a hundred goblins in a short time. Enough to not just fill the gap, but pile it high.
「You’re probably being counted too, Takato. Goblin killer.」
This is how they make you take on more than you can handle, and you end up dead in less than five years. Haaah.
I really need to come up with some kind of countermeasure.
Leave a Reply