Niels, Etho, and Amon's party 『Room No. 10』 were outside the walls of Rune.
"I'm glad we came back earlier than planned for this job."
"Thanks to the magic potion that Ryo made, it significantly reduced the time it took to recover magic."
"I hope this crepe fits Ryo-san's taste …"
Ryo provided the three of them with magical power potions he made by practicing alchemy as 『samples』, which made the request go a lot smoother than expected.
Feeling thankful, the three of them decided to visit Ryo at his house.
By the way, the crepe was from a new stall in the City of Rune, which they bought on the way.
"Oh, it's here. It's really close to the East gate."
Niels said that they arrived in front of the characteristic house that was excessively spacious and had three doors.
Ryo's new house.
The central door opened on both sides and was the front entrance.
The remaining two on the left and right were, so to speak, service doors.
"Okay, let's enter through the door on the right."
"Why bother avoid entering through the middle door …"
For some reason, Niels tried to enter through the side door instead of entering through the central entrance.
Etho lightly quipped.
"Isn't that the relationship between us and Ryo? It would be different if this was the first time, but how many times have we come here already?"
Then Niels opened the door on the right.
There was a fairly large table and a few chairs.
And on one chair was a spectacle that made them doubt their eyes … A beautiful woman was reading a book.
Platinum blonde hair shimmered in the light shining through the window, and the slight tilt in her neck created an atmosphere unlike any other in the world.
It was as if the surrounding air had changed just by her presence.
The woman, who could be said to be the goddess of beauty, glanced at the three of them.
The three people, who had been frozen until then, returned to their senses.
"I'm sorry!"
Niels shouted and closed the door.
No one spoke for about 20 seconds.
It was Niels who finally opened his mouth.
"Um … it looks like we came to the wrong house."
He was about to turn back and leave.
"No no, we're right. This is Ryo's house."
Etho grabbed Niels' shoulder and stopped him.
"There was a surprisingly beautiful woman."
To their surprise, Amon described the situation a lot more calmly than the other two.
"Th-that's right. That woman wasn't a hallucination, right?"
Niels was no longer confident that what he saw was true now that he had closed the door.
"Okay, once more. Stay calm."
Still, no one suggested entering through the central door.
Etho did not propose doing so again.
If you make a mistake, try again …
The three from Room 10 were such people.
"Excuse me."
Niels opened the door with such a polite tone, even more so than when he entered the Guildmaster's office.
But, Niels couldn't change his nature. He didn't knock.
When he opened the door, the same scene as before spread before their eyes.
This time, the beautiful woman sitting on a chair looked at the three of them from the beginning.
A voice was heard from the back before any of the four opened their mouths.
"Hmm, Sera. I'm sorry, but I can't get that alchemy compound to work no matter how many times I try. Show it to me again … Oh, hi Niels, Etho, Amon, it's been some time."
Ryo, the owner of the house, came out.
"This is Sera, a B-rank adventurer. Sera, these three are my roommates from the dormitory, E-rank … no, they're now the D-rank party 『Room No. 10』, Niels, Etho, and Amon."
"Nice to meet you, I'm Sera. I see. So you guys were Ryo's roommates."
Sera nodded once to Ryo's explanation.
"I-I'm Niels."
"Etho."
"Amon."
The three of them were too nervous and could only state their names.
Speaking of 『Sera』 in this City of Rune, she had become a legend more so than Abel or Phelps … everyone knew that she was B-rank, but she rarely came to the guild.
Sera suddenly looked at the clock on the wall.
"Oh, it's already this time. Ryo, I'm going back to the mansion. I'll come again. The three of you, see you again."
Sera said and went out dashingly.
In that instant, the three began to move as if their sleep paralysis had been lifted.
"R-Ryo, the person earlier was that 『Sera of the Wind』? Why was she here?"
"Speaking of Sera-san, she's the instructor of the Knights. Her aura is different …"
"It's really a surprise box whenever we're around Ryo-san."
Niels, Etho, and Amon had different expressions, but they all seemed to be uniformly surprised.
"Sera has taught me a lot. She helped with my alchemy a while ago too…"
As Ryo was replying, Niels and Etho were having a secret conversation.
"Sera, you hear. No -san …"
"When did they reach such a relationship …"
They were whispering but Ryo could hear it all. Of course, it was meant for him to listen.
"No, I do the same for Abel too …"
Ryo droop his head.
At that right time, Amon presented what they had bought for him.
"This is for Ryo-san. It's from a stall in the City of Rune."
"This is a crepe! Thank you. This is nostalgic~. I haven't had one since the City of Whitnash. At that time, it was a festival, so a well-built middle-aged man from another city was selling it."
Ryo took a bite.
An exquisite match of banana sandwiched between fresh cream. And a crepe dough that gently packaged them all.
It was perfect harmony.
"It's the same composition as the one at Whitnash … it's delicious."
Amon was delighted to see Ryo eating contently.
"It appears that the street stall opened in the City of Rune yesterday. When I bought it, a young woman made it."
Then Amon taught Ryo the detailed location of the stall.
Ryo firmly vowed to buy more tomorrow.
Heated negotiations were taking place in the guildmaster office of the Adventurer's Guild when Ryo and the others were filling themselves with crepes.
"It's definitely a wonderful magic stone. And these Wind magic stones are about the same size. How about one billion for both?"
"Gecko-dono, please don't joke around. Even if you search all over the Central Nations, a magic stone like this would not appear again in this century. Three billion for both. I would be troubled if I have to give in further."
"No, Master McGrath, that's not too much. Hmm, let me see. Two billion! I'm willing to pay two billion! Please consider our partnership."
"Gecko-dono … I offered this to you because you are a big merchant with a tight lip and can be trusted. The Lord also has expectations for this transaction. This is a transaction that can allow you to make a big impression on the Earl of Rune. That said, I will do my best. 2.8 billion immediate transaction. How about that?"
After that, the heated negotiations between guildmaster Hugh McGrath and merchant Gecko continued, and finally the two wind magic stones were sold for 2.6 billion Florin.
"Phew, I made a good deal."
"Thank you for purchasing this product."
"Well then, I will leave this city and return to the Duchy in five days, so please help with the arrangement for the escort."
"Okay. Five adventurers, right? Please come here again the day before you set off. I'll introduce you to them."
Hugh said, the two shook hands, and the merchant Gecko left.
Gecko was a purveyor to the Inbury Duchy.
The Inbury Duchy was a country adjacent to the Kingdom of Knightley, to the east.
It was a small country that officially became independent of its vassal state to the Handal Union, one of the three major powers, as a result of the 『Great War』 that occurred ten years ago.
Complete independence had long been a dream for the Inbury Duchy, and it had developed rapidly since the achievement of that independence by the 『Great War』.
That 『Great War』was a war between the great powers representing the Central Nations, the Kingdom of Knightley vs. the Handal Union, but Hugh McGrath and others made a name for themselves there.
Therefore, the name 『Hero McGrath』 was extremely popular in the Inbury Duchy, and even now, ten years after the war, he was still highly respected.
The face of Gecko, who was able to make a satisfactory deal with that Hero McGrath, was naturally smiling broadly.
(These wonderful magic stones would definitely satisfy the Duke. When I receive the request a year ago, I thought it would be difficult … but I didn't think that they would be in the hands of Master McGrath. In the first place, it is unbelievable that such exquisite magic stones would exist in pairs. It must be delivered safely to maintain the independence of our country.)
It was about 800 km in a straight line in the northeast direction from the City of Rune to the Capital of Aberdeen.
It was quite a distance.
Still, for Gecko, it was a road that he had traveled on many times.
His personal escort team was also full of reliable men he trained from an early age.
However, they were attacked before they reached the City of Rune and five of the twenty escorts would not be able to return.
15 escorts for 10 carriages would usually not be an issue, but this time, the goods he was carrying were critical.
He wanted to make sure.
That was why he offered to hire five adventurers.
"What? Abels or Phelps aren't around?"
"Yes. Crimson Sword is in Red Post to the east, and the White Brigade Phelps will be back in two weeks."
Hugh's question was answered by the receptionist Nina.
Hugh was thinking of quickly processing Gecko's escort request.
However, he received the answer that the two B-class parties that came to his mind first with 『good skill』 were unavailable …
"That's a pickle … Sera is, of course, out of the question …"
"Master, when it comes to escorting to the Inbury Duchy, it takes 20 days one way. Even if they come back immediately, it seems difficult for a normal party to leave the city for 40 days … …"
"Yeah, that's right … but the amount paid will be enough to make up for it this time. It's from the Duchy. So it's okay even if the guild has to make an advance payment to secure their accommodations."
Nina was surprised by the implied lavish rewards from Hugh's words.
To put it the other way around, she understood that it was an important request.
"How many C-class parties are likely to accept this request?"
"When it comes to just five people, there aren't any. 『Kreis-sama and friends』 are originally a six-person party, but four of them are now in Rune. There's also the four-person party 『Switchback』 …"
"Yeah, let's move pass Kreis. As for 『Switchback』, that's Ra and the others. Okay, let's go with 『Switchback』. But four people …"
"Yes … Ra respects Abel-san, so he has a four-person party like the Crimson Sword …"
Nina also answered with a light sigh.
"They don't have to imitate that aspect though … I'd like to place a strong solo adventurer for the remaining slot but we don't have solo adventurers in the first place … Sera? Mansion? Magic stone …"
Hugh pondered deeply into that well of thought and smiled as if he had found something good.
"There's a perfect solo adventurer."
The next day.
Ryo's mornings were early when living alone.
First, magic practice at dawn.
What he was working on right now was Breakdown Rush! … the initial stage.
An explanation for man's dream that Ryo arbitrarily named 『Breakdown Rush』 …
It seemed to be … 『A technique to shoot sonic blades with three clones and following up with an assault charge』.
However, Ryo was a Water-Attribute Magician.
First of all, he could not fire the Wind-Attribute 『Sonic Blade』. As such, that part was omitted.
Next is the 『three clones』, but it was unclear how it is possible to create clones. So that part was omitted too.
Then, what remained was … 『assault charge』.
An instantaneous charge used by the Akuma Leonor and Sera that looked like teleportation.
He wanted to achieve that with Water-Attribute magic.
He had been practicing while running since he was still in the guild's dormitory … but it was surprisingly difficult.
For that practice, the large courtyard in front of Ryo's house turns into a skating rink every morning.
It becomes a floor of ice with
Ryo would spout water jets and run on the ice … that was the idea.
Yes, idea …
"Ah, it hurts."
"Guu."
"Buhe."
"Ayayaya."
They were all Ryo's cries.
"Why is it so difficult … those Otherworld reincarnation stories can fly with just jets from the sole of their feet. Even games allow you to fly with just shoes that can fly in the sky!"
Because those were fiction.
Considering that he needed his entire body to move, and ultimately move instantaneously, it was necessary to eject water jets from the entire back of his body.
If he only shoots them from his legs or his back … the other parts of his body would be strained and it would be dangerous.
However, the difficult thing was 『which part of the back and how much propulsion should be allocated to it』.
What was the balance between the force that pushes the head and the force that pushes the back? And so on.
At present, he was still fumbling around for everything …
Ryo's current approach was to produce 1024 water jets across his posterior.
The power of all the water jets was unified.
Then, he would assign the number of spouts, for example, 300 on the back and 20 on the right shoulder.
Then, search for the optimum balance by moving the spout points little by little.
And so on.
However, it was quite difficult …
At present, Ryo could control 256 water jets perfectly and instantly.
When he doubles the number to 512, he could control it, but not instantly.
If it was doubled to 1024, He feels that they could be controlled, but it takes time to control them.
If it's just for a basic battle, as long as he could master the usage of 256 jets instantly, there would be no problem and he wouldn't need to fret.
But he just yearned for it.
That's what dreams were …
While doing such daily morning tasks, he heard the bell at 9 o'clock from the city.
"Oh, I have to get ready to go out."
In this way, little by little, Ryo was getting closer to his "Breakdown Rush" …
After leaving the house, buying and eating at a stall on the way as a substitute for breakfast, Ryo headed to the Adventurer's Guild for the first time in a while.
"On Earth, the crepe itself was originally a French galette, and it was already consumed by the common people during the time of the three musketeers during the reign of Louis XIII … this crepe is a dessert with banana and cream sandwiched. Considering that this type of crepe originated in Shibuya Takeshita street in the latter half of the 20th century … this seems to be the work of a reincarnated person."
Ryo walked whilst talking to himself, and by the time he arrived at the guild, he had completely finished the crepe.
"Hello, Nina-san."
"Ryo-san, it's been a long time. Master is waiting in his office. I will guide you."
Ryo barely appeared in the guild for five months after moving to his new home.
(It sure has been a long time … When I was in the dormitory, I met her every day at the cafeteria or somewhere else even without receiving requests.)
Ryo followed Nina with a bitter smile in his heart.
Nina knocked and opened the door.
"Oh, you're here, Ryo? Just take a sit there and wait. Sorry, Nina, please bring something to drink."
"Understood."
It was three minutes later that Hugh finished writing and sat down in front of Ryo.
"I asked you to come today because I have a request for you to accept. No, wait, please listen to the end for this."
Hugh stopped Ryo from cutting in and continued to explain.
"It's a merchant escort request, but one of the items that the merchant carries is Ryo and Abel's magic stones. And he bought two."
"I see …. Even from the amount of money that was transferred before, it was a good price, right?"
"This time it's pretty amazing. With these two, Ryo's pocket will roughly contain a ten-digit amount."
"Ten digits … over a billion …"
As expected, it was more than he had imagined.
"Yeah. That's the take-home after omitting all the guild fees and taxes. Well, the merchant I'm dealing with, the request is to escort him back to his country, but I've known him for a long time. He's a country-affiliated merchant, but he's a decent person, so it shouldn't be that difficult."
"Okay, so how long will it take? I'm guessing it will take a long time to travel to another country?"
"Yeah, kind of. The name of the merchant is Gecko-dono. The destination is the Capital Aberdeen of the Inbury Duchy. From the City of Rune, it's about 800 kilometers northeast. It's about 20 days one way by carriage. Basically Gecko has hired exclusive escorts so you will be working with them. There will be a total of five adventurers from us, Ryo and the four from 『Switchback』led by Ra."
"Oh, Ra-san …"
At Abel's Return Party, he was the Swordsman who was excessively thankful to Ryo for bringing his idolized Abel back and spoke to him the entire time.
Even after that, whenever they met in the guild or the cafeteria, he would talk a lot, so it could be said that Ryo was relatively familiar with him.
Ryo was relieved in that respect because he wasn't a complete stranger.
"The Switchback guys are established C-rank adventurers. Basically, there shouldn't be any problems if you do what Ra says. Ryo has only been hanging around in the kingdom, right? This time, although it's a friendly nation, it's a different country. Why don't you give it a try and consider it as a chance to expand your knowledge?"
Ryo had caged himself for a long time since he got a new house … apart from the Lord's house, the library, and Houshoku-Tei.
Sometimes it may be good to pick up a request and travel to another city.
"I understand. I will accept the request."
"Oh, okay. I'm glad. You will meet Gecko here at 10 am three days later. The departure will be the day after that."
-x-X-x-
Chapter 0100 Disturbances
-x-X-x-
Yesterday, the meeting with the merchant Gecko ended without a hitch.
The escort request to the Capital Aberdeen would start today.
Ryo arrived at the meeting place earlier than the meeting time. Being five minutes early was basic manners.
He wore his usual robe from the Dullahan, the sturdy and not-so-expensive clothes and boots that Abel bought, and Murasame and Michael's knife on his belt.
Also, he modified the bag he made when he traveled with Abel and hung it from his shoulder.
It contained homemade potions and non-bulky seasonings such as salt and pepper that he might use.
At the meeting place near the East gate, Gecko's ten wagons with covers and escorts seemed to be doing inspections before departure.
"Oh, good morning, Ryo-san."
"Good morning, Gecko-san. I'll be in your care from today."
Ryo bowed his head.
The merchant Gecko was an established merchant who represented a country.
To Ryo, he was similar to a person who sits in the chairman's seat of the head office who gives out instructions …
Such an established merchant was leading a caravan back and forth between countries.
He found it strange and when he asked Hugh yesterday, his reply was, "It's only specifically between Aberdeen and Rune. For Gecko, going back and forth is more of a hobby."
He seemed to be quite an eccentric large merchant.
However, Ryo was relieved because his personality was good.
"No no, I will be in your care. That Master McGrath said that I can place my full trust in your fighting power. I am grateful for that. First, let me introduce our escort captain. Max!"
When the merchant Gecko called, a spearman in his mid-thirties came, with the atmosphere of a strong veteran.
"Max, this is Ryo, an adventurer who will join the escort. As I mentioned yesterday, he's a D-rank adventurer, but has Master McGrath's endorsement."
"I'm Max, the captain of the escort. You may have heard that five of us were killed when we came. You guys are hired to reinforce us but … mainly you will be helping whenever a battle occurs or with night watch. Well, we'll be moving together for about 20 days, and many things can happen so I look forward to working with you."
Max shook hands with Ryo and went back to assist with preparations.
"Well, that's how it is. He's been coordinating our escort for the last five years. He's an excellent guy who can do most things without problems."
Gecko commented and praised Max.
Even Ryo was worried a little about what to do if the leader of the escort was very difficult to get along with, so he was relieved to see that he appeared to be a sensible person.
After that, Ryo talked with Gecko about the cargo, the towns they would pass by on the way, and the road.
By the way, when they talked about the cargo, there was no mention of 『magic stones』.
That might be natural for the sake of security.
Even though he was an adventurer recommended by the guildmaster, valuable information was safer if fewer people know it.
He wouldn't let him know if there was no need for it …
Ra and the others from 『Switchback』 also arrived, and the group left the City of Rune and departed for Capital Aberdeen in the Inbury Duchy.
Ryo was placed around the 5th and 6th carriages together with Ra and his party.
The road outside the East gate of Rune was the same road that stretched halfway to Kyradea.
It passes near his house, so for Ryo, it was a familiar road.
However, on that road, the convoy was passed by a swift horse.
"That was a swift horse from the Lord's mansion."
Ra commented after it passed them.
"I'm a little worried, but it doesn't concern us."
The one that lightly dismissed it was Sue, the Scout of 『Switchback』.
Twenty-four years old, with dark brown hair tied behind her and restless black eyes, she was a charming woman.
She mentioned her age specifically for Ryo.
"I'm the older sister."
Because she deliberately said that, it's possible that she liked to act as his older sister.
However, the swift horse that sped past … unfortunately, it did concern them.
Three hours after the swift horse passed them.
The convoy was taking a lunch break.
Unless they stayed in a town, their meals were basically preserved foods.
In the case of escort requests, the hiring side was supposed to prepare the meals, and this time too, dried meat was distributed by Gecko's subordinates.
While taking a break, a horse came running from the direction of Rune.
Ryo and his party could see that the guards who were on watch duty headed toward Gecko with the person riding the horse.
"That was … an adventurer from the City of Rune?"
"Eh?"
Ryo subconsciously reacted to Ra's mutter.
In front of the group, the adventurer took out a letter and handed it to Gecko.
Gecko read it and handed the letter to the escort captain Max before speaking to the adventurer.
"Tell Master McGrath that I have received the letter."
Upon hearing the answer, the adventurer rode a horse and ran back towards Rune.
After seeing him off, Gecko and Max came towards Ra and his party.
"Ra-san, do you recognize that person just now?"
Gecko asked Ra.
"Yes. It was Shusunaka, a D-rank adventurer in the City of Rune. What was that about?"
"Just as I thought. So this letter is certainly a letter from Master McGrath, is it?"
Gecko asked and Max passed the letter he had to Ra.
"The Rho Bridge on the East Highway collapsed? This …"
"It seemed to be the information that was carried by the swift horse that passed us by just after we left the City of Rune. We were planning to go through the Rho Bridge. Through the so-called Rune Eastern Highway, Rho Bridge, Slanzewi, Hullwill, and the border town Red Post. But if we can't pass the Rho Bridge … it will have to be Rune, Kyradea, Old Highway, Slanzewi, Hullwill, Red Post. To be honest, currently the Old Highway is less secure compared to the Eastern Highway. I would like everyone to be aware of this point."
"Understood."
Ryo nodded along with the people of 『Switchback』.
The convoy stayed overnight at Kyradea before finally entering the Old Highway.
The number of people passing through the Old Highway had decreased considerably since the Eastern Highway opened, which connected Rune, the largest frontier city in the south, and Slanzewi, the second-largest city in the eastern part of the kingdom directly via the Rho Bridge.
Still, it was once one of the central highways of eastern trade, so the width of the road was reasonable.
"It's about five days from Kyradea to Slanzewi, the second-largest city in the East. There will be no accommodation along the way."
Ra explained to Ryo walking next to him.
"When this road was busy, the villages along the way developed quite a bit and became post towns … but now it's just agricultural villages."
"The world is a tough place to live in, isn't it?"
Ryo shook his head to Ra's explanation and lamented the world's impermanence.
"That said, this caravan, Gecko and his subordinates alone account for 20 people, and the escort team and we number another 20, so there's a total of 40 people. In any case, we won't be able to stay in small inns."
Ra shrugged his shoulders a little.
Even from Ra's perspective, someone who had far more experience as an adventurer than Ryo, it seems that 40 members were a little too many for a caravan.
"Since we have many people and we are moving while showing that there are many escorts, bandits will probably not attack."
"Bandits!"
When Ra reassured Ryo, Ryo replied in a slightly louder voice.
However, it was not because of the fear of being attacked by bandits, but because to Ryo, it matched his imagination of a reincarnated world where 'Speaking of things that happen in another world, it is standard to be attacked by bandits and to turn the tables on them!'.
"No, as I said, that's why bandits won't attack. Well, don't let down your guard, though."
-x-X-x-
They left the City of Kyradea and didn't encounter any problems until the morning of the second day.
Ryo spoke to Ra when they entered lunch break.
"Since some time ago, about two people have been watching at a distance, as if they are surveying the state of this caravan."
"What!?"
Upon receiving Ryo's report, Ra took Ryo to the escort captain Max.
"Max-san, there are apparently about two people monitoring this caravan. Ryo told me."
"Maybe it's a bandit scout. Ryo, keep your eyes on me and tell me where they are."
"On a tree about 400 meters in front and on the ground at the same distance behind us. One person on each side."
Ryo, with his face facing Max, conveyed the information he had.
"400 meters … I'm surprised you can tell from such a distance."
"There is just the right spell in Water-Attribute Magic."
Max was surprised to find that the lookout was farther away than he had imagined.
In Ryo's case, if he used
However, active sonar could be noticed if the opponent was sensitive.
At the very least, the other person could tell that someone was searching.
In fact, when dragged into the 『Corridor』, the Akuma Leonor counterattacked from a distance he couldn't see when he first used Active Sonar.
That's the drawback.
However, like this time, Ryo's conveniently named
By the way, the words "presence" and "I sense a presence" existed in the world.
Of course, that was not scientifically defined on Earth in the 21st century.
However, few here would doubt its existence.
It may be the odor emitted by the object, the change in the airflow, or the change in the transmission of sound caused by the presence of the object … it could be explained as a phenomenon related to that but the components were too difficult to experiment with.
In any case, the person who senses the presence does not necessarily only sense through movement.
Ryo was sure that the sensation came from feeling the changes that arise because the 『object』 moved or exist there.
For example, let's say you stay completely still in water.
What if a stone was thrown into the flat water surface?
If you wait, the ripples created by the stone would reach you.
By capturing that, you can grasp the size of the thrown object, the distance and so on from the condition the wave collapsed.
While the thrown object remained unaware that its existence was captured.
And Ryo's
Ryo analyzed the water molecules floating in the air and the information that traveled through them.
Changes due to the occurrence of something that did not exist there, changes due to the appearance of those who were not there, or changes due to the movement of those who were there.
The escort captain Max decided to let the escort's scouts observe the opponent.
He told Ryo and Ra that and asked them to act as usual.
For the time being, the two played their part and returned to their friends for lunch.
"I'm glad it helped a little."
"Oh, it's amazing how Water-Attribute Magic can detect scouts from such a long distance away."
Ryo was relieved to contribute while Ra honestly praised Ryo's ability to detect.
"I've asked previously, but the Adventurer's Guild doesn't have any Water-Attribute Magician other than me, right?"
"Yeah …. Oh, by the way, there are. Water-Attribute Magicians are more in demand for jobs in the city than for dangerous jobs like adventurers, that's why they are needed for caravans like this. This caravan must have some people who can use Water-Attribute Magic, just not the escorts but the subordinates of Gecko. "
"I see! If there's one in a caravan, you won't have to stock up on water!"
"That's how it is."
When Ryo looked around, there were Gecko's subordinates who seemed to be using Water-Attribute Magic to replenish the water.
Of course, he had never spoken to them, but Ryo felt a one-sided sense of kinship just by watching that.
That evening, the caravan began preparing for camp.
In the center of the camp, dinner for 40 people was made together.
From Ryo's position, he could see something soup-based was being made in a cauldron.
"When it comes to escort requests, adventurers typically make do with dried meat and bread … but this caravan is different."
"As expected of a merchant who represents a country and its exclusive escorts. They are accustomed to traveling and also good at maintaining morale … Gecko probably understands the importance of food in a long journey."
Compared to his past requests … that said, Ryo had only experienced the escort requests to Whitnash … Ra pointed out that the leader of this caravan, Gecko, was excellent in many ways.
"Is it usually dried meat and bread?"
"Yes, dried meat and bread."
Ra nodded strongly to Ryo.
Then, Max, the captain of the escort, came over.
"Both of you. Regarding the daytime findings, our scouts confirmed that they were Bandit scouts. We believe they would attack sometime between tonight and tomorrow night, if they plan to do so."
"So they would sometimes attack during the day too?"
Ryo asked involuntarily.
He thought that attacking under the veil of the night would have a greater success rate.
"If the bandits think that they have more fighting power and that we will surrender without fighting if they show up, they may come out in the daytime. The scouts were probably tasked to ascertain that."
"I see..."
To win without fighting, that's the best.
"For now, keep in mind the possibility of a night attack. Also, I heard that Ryo's magic boasts strong defense, is that true?"
"That reminds me, Abel-san also said that if Ryo puts up an ice wall, he wouldn't be able to do anything."
Ra answered Max's question.
"An Ice wall! Ryo, if we face a night raid, could you please go to Gecko-san's location?"
"Gecko-san's location?"
"Yes. Gecko-san and his men are resting in tents gathered as closely as possible in the camp, to make it easier for the escorts to protect them in case of emergency. If possible, I would be grateful if you could protect the place they gather at by surrounding it with an Ice wall. What do you think?"
Gecko and his subordinates were the priority to be protected in this caravan.
Of course, the goods that were being carried were important, but the protection of human talents was the highest priority.
Human talent was a treasure.
It's the essential basis of businesses … originally.
"Of course that's okay. So, if we are attacked at night, I will go to Gecko-san and put up an Ice wall there to protect everyone."
"Thank you. Then we can fight without worrying."
Max smiled nicely.
"Also, the watch duty would be the same as yesterday."
After telling them that, Max, the captain of the escort, left the two.
Twenty people were divided into four groups of five people, each for two hours.
"Is Ryo in the first shift?"
"Yes. The first shift. Ra-san is the third?"
"Yes. From 2 o'clock to 4 o'clock … the time when they are most likely to attack."
Ra said with a bitter smile.
Men were gathering at the entrance of a cave, about four kilometers away from the Gecko's caravan camp.
The more than twenty men could not be said to look like bandits, but they didn't appear to hold respectable occupations either.
"20 escorts huh … It certainly is a pretty big group."
"That's why we can make a lot of money."
"The information I received said that there would be 15 people …"
"Is it within the margin of error?"
The man who managed the place, who had an overwhelming presence probably because his left eye was crushed, opened his mouth.
"Well. All the items we steal are ours. He's called Gecko, a resented merchant? A request to kill him … what a weird request."
"That said, everything was set up, the time, information on the number of wagons and such."
"Of course. Otherwise, why would I bother to come to this Old Highway?"
The man with a crushed left eye said and drank the alcohol in front of him.
"The night raid will be at three o'clock as usual. Get ready."
3 o'clock midnight.
About 20 shadows swayed at a short distance to the camp.
"OK, get them!"
A man with the crushed left eye gave his command.
All at once, bandits plunged into the camp.
The bandits invaded by cutting off or pushing down the camp enclosure that surrounded the camp.
But …
"Nobody is here!"
"But the fire is lit …"
"Hey, what is going on!?"
Arrows and magic flew from outside the camp as if to respond to the bandit voices.
"Shit, we were set up!"
"It's a trap!"
The screams of bandits spread throughout the camp.
The bandits were reduced by half by arrows and magic.
"Push in!"
The voice of Max, the captain of the escort, echoed and the caravan escorts and Ra and other adventurers shrank the siege at once from all directions toward the center of the camp and switched to close-quarters combat.
The fierce but almost one-sided battle ended in less than five minutes.
During that time, Ryo only had to enclose Gecko and his 20 subordinates in an Ice wall to ensure their safety, as he was told.
It was a secret that he smiled slightly as Gecko's subordinates who used Water Magic touched the ice wall with their hands or tapped it with their armor.
(Anyway, I'm glad I completed my mission without exposing them to any danger.)
Ryo thought to himself.
Apparently recently, in the City of Rune, Ryo felt that he was considered a 『battle maniac』 by the people around him.
The reason seemed to be that he fights with a smile in simulated battles …
He was also told by Sera, his sparring partner, with a smile that 'Ryo seems to enjoy fighting'.
Well, it was the same for Sera too …
By no means was Ryo the only battle maniac!
Ryo wanted to say that out loud … but he screamed it in his heart …
Moving back to current matters, because it was a one-sided battle, no one among the escorts and adventurers was killed or seriously injured.
In the final close-quarters combat, only two members suffered scratches.
On the other hand, on the bandit end, 18 out of 20 had already died.
The two who surrendered were not killed to dig out information.
"Normally, if you catch a bandit, you will kill them all on the spot."
The merchant Gecko explained to Ryo, who had lifted the ice wall after the battle was over.
"It would be a different story if there was a city nearby, but bandits don't attack near cities … usually it will be away from the city. In that case, it would be difficult and a huge risk to bring them to the city. Whereas if you release them, another caravan could be attacked … That's why it's an unwritten rule in the Central Nations to kill bandits on the spot."
While explaining, Gecko's complexion wasn't very good.
"I guess there are no criminal slaves or anything like that."
"Yes. Human slavery is completely banned in the Central Nations. Demi-human slavery is also banned outside the Empire. Killing is ethical, but economically wasteful. Well, that doesn't mean they should be turned into slaves …"
Economically wasteful … as expected of a merchant …
In fact, Ryo only knew for the first time that slaves were completely banned.
And that, in the Empire, there were Demi-human slaves …
That was the first time he heard about 『Demi-humans』 … What about elves and dwarves?
"In the Empire, anything apart from humans are Demi-humans. Elves and dwarves too …"
Gecko nodded with an indescribable expression on his face.
While Ryo was talking to Gecko, Max, the captain of the escort, brought in a subordinate.
"Gecko-san, we have secured the camp. There are no more bandits around us."
"Well, thank you for your hard work. So, did you get any information from the survivors?"
"About that … Gun, report it directly."
Max ordered the person who seemed to be a Scout that he had brought along behind him.
"Yes. The bandits are called 『East Wolf』 who are active near the Eastern Highway. I focused on 'asking' what were they doing at the Old Highway at this timing and it seemed that information came to the executives. That a 10 wagon caravan would pass through the Old Highway today. And that the Eastern Highway would be closed for a while."
Hearing that, Gecko was terribly surprised.
"Does that mean the Rho Bridge collapse was by sabotage?"
"Yes, there is a possibility."
Max affirmed Gecko's doubts.
"But Rho Bridge is a critical location. It must have been protected by a fairly large stationed army. It took more than five years just for the construction. If some people sneaked under the eyes of the stationed army and caused the collapse of the bridge. Then … it's a force with considerable power. Moreover, going by the flow, there is a possibility that we are the target …?"
Gecko seemed to be organizing the various information while vocalizing it.
"Unfortunately, the two East Wolf members we caught didn't know about who gave the information. But …"
"What's wrong, Gun?"
Gecko urges Gun who was reluctant to continue.
"The executives ordered them to kill Gecko-san …"
Those words surprised everyone but Gecko.
And, it seemed that Gecko was not particularly perturbed …
Gecko calmly put together his words.
"Okay. Thank you for your hard work. Max, Ryo-san, I have something to discuss. Also, Gun, please call Ra-san."
-x-X-x-
After Ra entered the tent, Gecko started talking.
"There are people pulling strings behind the scenes in this attack."
"So it means that they didn't chance upon and attacked a caravan that was passing by, but was aiming for us."
Max supplemented Gecko's explanation.
"That's right. Although it seems certain that they are aiming for my life, I'm not sure if that's all. Perhaps the requester had another aim. This time, we are transporting some valuable items …"
Gecko paused and sipped his tea.
"In other words, there may be attacks in the future, so be careful. It's okay, we may look like this but we are adventurers from the City of Rune. Ryo and we are used to putting our lives on the line."
Ra laughed as he said that.
"No … I was wondering if you would claim that this breaches the contract and would want to withdraw …"
Gecko laughed slightly and said ambiguously.
"No way, we won't do that. We took on the responsibility to escort you to the Capital Aberdeen and will see it to completion. Please leave it to us. Right, Ryo?"
"Yes, of course."
Ryo nodded in response.
He didn't like abandoning a request once received either.
"I see. Then, I look forward to working with you once again."
Gecko smiled happily and bowed his head.
"Even so, I wonder who are the ones trying to achieve their goals by destroying the Rho Bridge."
Ra muttered loudly.
The day after the attack, the caravan had breakfast as usual before setting off.
It had been the third day since they left the city of Kyradea.
"Is Rho Bridge that massive?"
After last night, Ra was surprised to hear that the people involved in the attack might have caused the collapse of Rho Bridge as well.
"Oh, it's huge. It's 40 meters wide and 1 kilometer long. The plan itself had been around for over 100 years, and it's been planned and abandoned, started and canceled, and so on. Finally, it was completed 15 years ago. Furthermore, it took more than five years from the start of construction to the completion."
"That sounds amazing … I want to see it once."
A bridge with a width of 40 meters was quite large.
Ryo was very disappointed to not be able to see it.
"In the report, they mentioned it 『collapsed』, but we don't know how much of it has become unusable. If you have the chance, why don't you take a trip? There should be towns on either end of the bridge so you can go sightseeing."
Ra replied and recommended sightseeing at Rho Bridge.
After lunch, when Ryo was relaxing, five of Gecko's subordinates came over.
If Ryo's memory was correct, all five were children who used Water-Attribute Magic.
"Um, Ryo-san, we apologize for disturbing your break …"
"Yes?"
"Please teach us about Water Magic."
The eldest young man bowed, and the remaining four bowed accordingly.
"Eh? Ah … huh?"
Ryo was surprised at the sudden development.
"Yesterday, we were saved by Ryo-san's magic. This trip is safe because Ryo-san is here, but I think we will have many more trips in the future. Until now, we were satisfied with just generating water, and in fact that is a great asset for a long-distance merchant, but I think it would be even better if we could protect ourselves."
"Yes, so … Ice Wall, you want to be able to use yesterday's Ice Wall?"
"Yes!"
All five of them replied at once.
The young man who initiated the talk was about 18 years old while the youngest was probably still a 10 years old boy…
"Hmm …"
He didn't mind teaching, but Ryo had no experience teaching magic to others.
Moreover, he did not have a firm grasp of how much magical power Ice Wall consumed …
While he was wondering what to do, Ryo's
He quickly stood up and said.
"It's an emergency. We'll come back to this later."
Then Ryo looked around and found Max.
"Max-san! Many monsters are coming from the East!"
When Ryo shouted, Max rushed to Ryo. Then, he asked loudly while running.
"What is the number, distance and time?"
"More than a hundred, 500 meters away, one minute later. I will surround the area with an Ice Wall. Everyone, stay within the carriage circle."
Unlike when they camped at night, the ten carriages were stationed in a circle because it was a lunch break.
"Everyone move within the carriage circle! Hurry!"
Gecko and his subordinates acted swiftly in response to Max's shout.
Everyone finished evacuating in less than 30 seconds.
"Ryo, you're good to go."
"
An Ice Wall was created around the outer perimeter of the carriages.
Almost as soon as it was completed, the front of the monster pack reached the camp.
Gakin Gakin Gakin Gakin Gakin ...
Monsters hit the Ice Wall and made considerable collision noises.
And it was continuous.
The monsters were mainly boa-type, but they consisted of quite a variety of types.
From east to west.
The monster that hit the Ice Wall got up and immediately started charging toward the west.
That situation continued for about five minutes, and finally the flock of monsters ended.
However, Ryo's
(Five people about 100 meters away … when did they appear?)
"Ryo?"
Max asked, finding it strange that Ryo still wouldn't dispel the Ice Wall after the horde of monsters passed by.
Ryo kept thinking as he motioned to pause with one hand.
(Distance 100 meters … it's about my limit? Well, let's try it.
Without missing, the limbs of the suspicious person closest to them were restrained with an ice whip.
However, at that instant, the biological reaction of the restrained individual was interrupted.
In other words, he was killed.
"What!?"
This was unexpected.
Killed the moment he was immobilized … that method of sacrificing a teammate without a second thought was unusual.
Moreover, that was not the end.
Goo
A strong flame rose from the area where the individual was restrained by the Ice bind.
"No way!?
Ryo extinguished the fire with heavy rain with
It seemed that the remaining four people attacked the Ice Coffin, but when they learned that no attack was effective, they withdrew to the east.
"Fu."
Ryo finally took a breather and noticed that everyone was looking at him.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Gecko-san, Max-san, Ra-san, I need to explain something …"
When Ryo said that, the three gathered and distanced away from the others.
"I can tell something happened …"
"I saw the fire blaze."
"Well, that's what Ryo does, don't worry."
Max, Gecko, and Ra each give their impressions.
"Yes. Actually, about five people were approaching under the cover of the attack of the monster."
"What!"
"I waited for a while but they remained lurking, so I tried to catch them with magic … but the remaining ones immediately killed the one I caught."
"Wha …"
Max was surprised at Ryo's explanation. That was happening behind the scenes …
"That the flame just before?"
Gecko asked a question.
"Not exactly. I think they were trying to incinerate the corpse. In other words, we're facing opponents who won't even leave traces."
"I see … they're thorough."
Gecko responded calmly, even though his life was being targeted.
He was completely prepared.
Was that the nerve of an old fox big merchant?
"I encased them in ice so that they wouldn't be burned. They tried to attack that too but found it impossible and left to the east."
"Really … it seems that we're targeted by troublesome people."
Gecko scratched his head with a bitter smile at Ryo's explanation.
There may be traps to kill the ones who come to verify the person in the
Ryo included that in his explanation, so Gun, Ryo, and Max came to check on the person in the
Sure enough, a trap was set up to burn all those who inadvertently entered, but it was lifted by Gun without any problems.
"This is … amazing."
Max muttered when he saw the corpse in the Ice Coffin.
"Then, I'll erase the coffin."
Ryo dispelled the Ice Coffin.
Max and Gun were responsible for inspecting the corpse while Ryo surveyed the surroundings.
(There must have been four people lurking besides this corpse … but there are almost no broken branches. Only a few blades of grass are bent. Are they quite accustomed to moving in the woods …? Or is it another reason …)
Of course, Ryo had no so-called ranger-like knowledge.
At best, there were only fragments of the knowledge lying around from the internet and conversations with middle and high school friends.
Ryo's ears caught the conversation between Max and Gun.
"It's useless, they're thorough in the sense that they don't carry any identifiers."
"The only identifiers are the daggers he's carrying … there's something but I can't tell due to the burn marks."
"At best, we can only tell that they're completely covered in black clothes?"
Ryo looked back and saw the body they were inspecting.
(Covered in black all over? I remember seeing that somewhere recently … Oh, Whitnash. The corpse on the ground when Niels and the others were fighting the Fire Magician at the sandpit. I heard from them later that the person was targeting the princess. That corpse and this corpse … look similar …? Well, all bad guys are dressed in black, so I can't tell.)
Ryo came to an awfully lazy conclusion with his own judgment and prejudice.
(Eh? But they still bothered to burn this corpse? If there aren't any identifiers, why go that far?)
"What's wrong Ryo?"
While examining the body seriously, Max called out to Ryo, who seemed to be thinking about something.
"No … I was wondering why they bothered to burn this corpse …"
"It's something they can't leave behind … the body!"
Then Max began to remove the clothes of the corpse.
"Captain, such a hobby …"
"Idiot! I think there is something special about the body. Gun give me a hand too."
Then they began to undress the corpse.
The skin and clothes were scorched and burned in some places.
However, they managed to find a tattoo right above the heart.
"What is this tattoo …?"
"A bird with two heads …"
"And a sword is piercing it …?"
Max, Gun, and Ryo saw it.
(Double-headed eagle emblem? Pierced with a sword? I've never heard of that … well, it's natural because I have no knowledge of this world of 『Phi』.)
The three looked at the tattoo for a while, but Max took out a knife and began to carve the chest.
"Wha, captain!"
Gun was surprised at the sudden action and raised his voice.
"It can't be helped. This is the only evidence. Gecko might know something."
While saying that, he scraped off the tattoo on the chest.
"Hmm, I've never seen such an emblem."
Gecko looked at the extracted tattoo but there was no such emblem in his knowledge.
"More importantly, I question … if a bird pierced with a sword is really an emblem. But it's definitely something important to them. I feel like this is an important piece of the puzzle to keep in mind. Max, you did it well. Ryo-san and Gun too."
Then Gecko gave each of them one large gold coin and went back to his tent with the stripped tattoo.
Ryo was worried about the tattoo, but he couldn't solve it so he stopped thinking about it and returned to Ra and his friends.
"Ryo, welcome back. It seems that we will leave soon."
"Okay. By the way, Ra-san, have you heard of this?"
Ryo briefly talked about what happened earlier.
"A double-headed eagle pierced with a sword? I wonder. I wonder if they have a pretty deep grudge against the double-headed eagle."
Ra replied with his head tilted.
"I see, there is a possibility."
While thinking about that, they heard a voice from the front.
"Set off."
In the woods about 5 kilometers away from the caravan.
There were five people in black costumes.
"Sorry, Natalia-sama"
A woman called Natalia, who received reports and apologies from the four who returned, shook her head a little.
"Ice Wall huh … You mentioned that it was ice that restrained Gae's limbs."
"Yes."
"There seems to be a troublesome Magician. This is a bit of a problem … and that's all for the report?"
That question cause a slight stir among the four who returned.
However, they couldn't refrain from answering.
"Actually … we failed to dispose of Gae's body."
"What!"
For the first time, her voice was mixed with displeasure. Hearing that, the four were frightened.
"I-I'm sorry …"
"Leave the apology for later, why did the disposal fail?"
The four replied with what had happened.
They tried to burn it but it suddenly rained and the fire was extinguished.
And in an instant, Gae's body was encased in ice, and the ice wasn't damaged by any attack.
Therefore, they withdrew.
"Ice again! This is quite troublesome …"
(I dropped the Rho Bridge and joined up but the other team made a blunder by failing to dispose of the body. Although there were adventurers, I thought that there were many ways to deal with an escort of about 20 people, but a troublesome Water-Attribute Magician was among the adventurers. I don't think I should stick my hand further into this. The headquarters ordered me to return to report the collapse of Rho Bridge. I thought I could assassinate Gecko along the way, but would I lose everything because I was too greedy?)
"We will return to the headquarters to report of the collapse of Rho Bridge. Contact the headquarters. In addition, tell them that the assassination of Gecko has not been started yet. They would assign the assassination to another team."
Natalia muttered to her subordinates.
"I thought Water-Attribute Magicians were useless but … I will have to change my perception."
-x-X-x-
Two days after the ambush from the monsters and five assailants.
The caravan proceeded on the old highway without incident and arrived at Slanzewi, the second-largest city in the East.
If Rho Bridge was fine, it would have taken two days from the City of Rune via the East Highway, but it took six days to detour around the old highway.
As it was the first big city they stopped by in a long time, they booked an inn where all the members could stay in.
It was also the regular inn for Gecko's caravan in Slanzewi called 『Red Jewel Inn』.
"It's been a long time since we stopped in an inn. Please take your time to rest. Oh, and feel free to eat what you like at the cafeteria on the first floor. My company will pay for the meals at this inn."
Hearing Gecko's words, Ryo and the members of 『Switchback』 involuntarily made a guts pose.
Basically, the trip was a non-stop journey to the Capital city of Aberdeen.
Of course, they would stay at an inn in the city, but they had no plans to trade or buy or sell in the city.
The highest priority was to deliver the items they already had to the Capital city as soon as possible.
Therefore, Gecko told them from the start that even if they stayed in a city, they would only stay for one night.
Most of the towns were new to Ryo, so he had a desire to go sightseeing, but he couldn't help it since it was a request.
He professionally segregated his work and leisure and decided to stop by when they returned from Aberdeen to the City of Rune.
However, there was also a C-rank Swordsman who couldn't do so.
Ra was dragged back after being found by Scout Sue when he was secretly trying to escape from the inn.
Where on earth was he going … Ryo had no way of knowing …
However, Ra will later be grateful that he was brought back at that time.
Suburbs of Slanzewi.
There was a group of about ten people in black.
"Shafi-sama, an urgent statement from the headquarters."
One of the men in black reverently presented a letter.
"What? At this timing?"
The man called Shafi frowned as he received and read the piece of urgent statement.
And he groaned a little.
"Seriously. The idiots at the headquarters. Fine. The third goal will be changed. It will be the assassination of the merchant Gecko who is staying at『Red Jewel Inn』. Regardless of the method. The prior third goal of the destruction of the aristocrat town will be designated as the fourth goal. The fourth goal is to be done by the unit that finishes their first to third goal early.
"Understood."
They had memorized the faces of all the pivotal humans of each country.
Gecko was the Inbury Duchy's sanctioned merchant and the closest civilian to the Duke of Inbury.
Therefore, they already remembered his face.
2:30 am. Wee hours when even plants and trees were asleep.
Ryo jumped up to a sudden roaring sound.
"Earthquake?"
However, he remembered that he had never encountered an earthquake since coming to 『Phi』.
For now, he changed from the inn's room clothes to his usual attire, slotted two knives on his belt, put on his robe, opened the window and looked out.
At the end of his line of sight, he saw a large burning building.
"Isn't that the Lord's mansion?"
There was an air of unrest.
Jumping out of the room, he ran up the stairs.
On the first floor, Gecko, his subordinates, Max and half of the escorts were staying.
When Ryo reached the upper floor, Max was out in the hallway giving instructions.
"Max-san!"
"Ryo. Please protect Gecko-san and his group."
Ryo's defense seemed to have gained Max's absolute trust.
Gecko and his men were gathered in the largest room at the back.
Considering that they had already changed their clothes, it could be said that they acted fairly quickly.
"Oh, Ryo-san. It sounds like something serious is happening outside."
"Yes. I saw the lord's building burning from the window."
"What …"
Gecko was surprised by Ryo's report.
In Gecko's room, safety was the highest priority, as it seemed that the shutters on the windows were closed and they had not seen the flames coming from the lord's building.
In any city, the lord's mansion was the most guarded building.
It was an unusual situation for the building to be on fire.
As they were talking, there was another roaring sound.
Moreover, it felt like it was bigger than the first one …
It was more like an explosion than a roaring sound.
"Pardon me."
Ryo opened the shutters on the back window a little and looked out.
"Gecko-san, the stone three-story building on the left of the lord's building when viewed from here …"
"I think that's probably the Knights' building or armory."
Gecko replied as he soothed his anxious-faced subordinates.
To know such details even for a city in another country, it could be said that information was the lifeblood of a merchant.
"Somehow … it's exploding rather than burning …"
(Michael (pseudonym) said that gunpowder wasn't common yet … but that seems like an explosion …)
"Is it something like the Fire-Attribute Magic
"No way …"
Ryo was surprised to hear the term similar to 『gunpowder』.
"The powder, made only in the eastern part of the Kingdom and stored in Slanzewi … Oops, that is confidential. I talked too much."
Then Gecko grinned.
It was impossible to decipher his intent, but it seemed certain that he spoke intending to let Ryo hear it.
"Although information is the lifeblood of a merchant, that's still …"
"Fufufu, a merchant is not much different from an intelligence officer. I am free to move around because the Kingdom and the Duchy are almost allies rather than just friends."
Ryo felt he had a little glimpse into the complexity of the job of being a 『merchant』.
"Gecko-san, the fire has spread near the inn. It will be troublesome if the inn catches on fire. Let's evacuate outside."
Max jumped in and made a suggestion.
For the time being, everyone prepared to evacuate with only what was important.
"Finish preparing in 40 seconds."
Gecko sent instructions to his subordinates.
As for him, he only picked up one shoulder bag and seemed to be ready.
It seemed that he gathered all his valuables in one bag.
(Prepared in 10 seconds … just like the leader of an anime somewhere …)
Ryo was honestly impressed.
"Ryo, I entrust Gecko's safety to you as a top priority."
Max approached Ryo and whispered.
"I know Gecko said that the safety of his subordinates is our top priority, but if something happens to Gecko, our country will not be able to persist. Please."
With that said, Max left the room to instruct the others.
(A 『merchant』 is a complicated job after all … traveling from country to country like an intelligence officer … and to top things off, the fate of the country rests on the shoulder of one merchant …)
Ryo also took his bag and went down to the hall near the entrance on the first floor.
"Gecko-san, I will surround everyone with an Ice Wall. The wall will move with us, so please move in this grouping as much as possible."
"Got it."
Gecko nodded on behalf of the party.
"
10-layer transparent ice walls covered all directions.
Ryo felt that most attacks would bounce off this 10-layer Ice Wall.
Of course, it won't be able to do anything against firepower like that of the Akuma Leonor … but that was an exception. After all, it deflected the attack of the Explosive Blaze Magician, who was said to be amazing!
Although it wasn't completely deflected!
The turmoil outside the inn was pretty terrible.
With such confusion, Ryo's
Therefore,
Prevention was better than a cure.
With Max at the forefront, the escort team led Gecko and group as they confirmed the safety of the surroundings.
There was a plaza in front of the inn, Red Jewel Inn, and not only the guests but also the people living around there evacuated to that spot.
When the Gecko and his group moved to the corner of that square and calmed down …
A throwing knife flew precisely toward Gecko's throat.
Kakin
Even after calming down, the Ice Wall was not lifted.
Deflected by the ice wall, the knife fell to the ground.
Ryo looked in the direction the knife came from.
Somebody was in the shadow of the street between the buildings. And … there were three people.
"
The distance was about 20 meters. In that case, his magic will surely reach them.
The previous time, when he tried to capture the assailant with
If they were the same opponent this time, they might attempt to do the same.
Thus he decided to encase them in an Ice Coffin from the beginning.
It was a crude judgment and action befitting Ryo.
At this point, Max and his three subordinates ran toward the shadow where the assailants were lurking.
"Wew."
They couldn't resist letting out a small cry of surprise.
Even after seeing it once, anyone would be surprised to find three ice-encased objects at a street corner.
Following Max and the others, Ryo came over to the street.
"Ryo …"
"Yes, I tried to catch them before they were burned."
Ryo nodded, saying so.
"But … what should we do? These three probably aren't the only assailants invading the city …"
"Yeah …. If they fail, another companion will come attacking again … we can't investigate them in such a place. If others can't break them too, why don't we leave them here? We can collect them after everything is over."
Max also seemed to have roughly the same idea.
"Their companions might come to retrieve them. If they do, we can capture them too."
There was quite a gap between their conversation and the smile on Ryo's face.
"The fourth goal of destroying the aristocrat town … Well, this much should be sufficient. Did we kill about half? Hmm? Hey, what happened to the third unit?"
When he realized that the gathered subordinates were missing three, Sharfi asked the captain of the first unit beside him.
"They have not joined up yet."
"Huh? What are they doing? It should be easy to assassinate a merchant …"
But after saying that, he noticed.
(It's weird that all three haven't returned. It's impossible that all three would be killed … was there a ridiculously strong guy among the escort? Ah shit. This is what happens when a new goal is slotted in right before the operation! The idiots at the headquarters …)
Sharfi cursed in his heart.
However, he regained his calm.
"We'll survey the area around Gecko for the time being."
"What is that …"
Three ice square pillars stood in one of the passages leading to the square where Gecko and his party were.
Inside the pillar were Sharfi's men.
(Is that humanly possible …? I heard that just as a Fire Magician can't burn an opponent internally, a Water Magician can't freeze an opponent either … Did they use a powerful artifact? The fact that there are people in it … the ice won't break easily. We can't leave them there either …)
Sharfi stared at a place slightly further away from his ice-encased subordinates.
He was observing the turmoil …
While Sharfi was scratching his head, a loud cheer was heard from the city gate.
"Is it the return of the vice captain?"
Muttering and laughing a little, Sharfi and the seven others left.
About 40 knights came to Gecko's party waiting in the square.
One of the knights spoke to the party.
"This is His Excellency Baldwin, Vice-Captain of the Knights of Slanzewi. I believe you are Gecko, a merchant of the Inbury Duchy. There was a report that you captured suspicious individuals. Hand them over immediately."
"Wha … don't …"
Gecko stretched a hand out to restrain Max from shouting and,
"So it has come to this."
Gecko muttered so softly that no one could hear it.
However, Ryo, who was next to him, could.
"Great work. I'm Gecko. We trapped them in that aisle, so let us show you. Max, Ryo, please follow me."
Then Gecko started walking toward the aisle.
(
Ryo placed an Ice Armor on Gecko to be safe.
It's not as defensive as an ice wall, but it could prevent a throwing knife.
"Here."
Then Gecko pointed to the three pillars of ice.
"What is this …"
Exclamations of surprise leaked from the knight and Vice-Captain Baldwin.
"One of my escorts captured them in ice coffins. Please take them away."
"O-okay. That's admirable. We will take note of your cooperation."
Vice-Captain Baldwin nodded generously.
"Then, are you sure you want to release the ice coffin?"
Ryo asked nobody in particular.
"Yes."
Baldwin nodded.
"
Ryo chanted an appropriate chant and erased the three ice coffins.
The three fell to the ground.
"Are they alive?"
"Yes. They are alive, so I think it's better to shackle them."
Ryo answered Baldwin's question properly and politely.
The three were shackled and placed on a convoy towed by the Knights.
"And when will Gecko leave the city?"
"I will leave tomorrow morning."
Gecko answered Baldwin's question clearly.
"I see. I'll take responsibility for the investigation of these three people, so be careful along the way."
"Thank you for your concern."
Gecko bowed deeply.
Then, the Knights left for the burnt-down Knights' building.
"Gecko-san, those guys …"
"Yes, nine out of ten, they're probably connected to those who caused this turmoil."
"Why then!"
Max was angry at Gecko's composure.
"Max, don't misunderstand the weight of things. Our top priority is the safety of the people in the company. Next is our business. Everything else falls after that. As long as Lord Baldwin has his eyes on us, he will be able to threaten my subordinates' safety if we do not step cautiously. Leaving aside the situation yesterday, with the condition of the lord's mansion, the Lord and the Knight Captain are probably not safe … Currently, the most powerful person in the city is Lord Baldwin. We must leave the city before we are physically harmed."
Then Gecko turned to Ryo and bowed.
"Ryo, I apologize for handing over the witnesses that you took the trouble to capture without permission. But this is for the safety of my subordinates. Please understand."
"Of course. Don't worry about me. I think it is wonderful to put the safety of the people in the company first and foremost."
Ryo agreed.
"Thank you."
Gecko smiled and bowed again.
-x-X-x-
Next morning.
After having an early breakfast at the『Red Jewel Inn』, which was untouched by the fire, Gecko and his group left the city of Slanzewi before the sun rose.
"Three days later, Hullwill; and three days after that, we'll arrive at the border town of Red Post."
"If all goes well, right?"
Ra said as he recalled the map in his head, and Ryo answered.
"Ryo, don't say such ominous things …"
Ra frowned and replied.
Last night, Ra was stopped by Sue from sneaking out of the inn, which allowed him to move with Gecko's group during the midnight turmoil so it didn't become an issue.
If he hadn't been caught by Sue at that time … there was no knowing what could have happened.
Therefore, the Swordsman Ra was grateful and gave the dessert fruit from his breakfast to Scout Sue … or that was the official record of 『Switchback』.
Actually, he gave it to Sue while crying tears of gratitude.
"The path from Slanzawi to the border town of Red Post is part of the East Highway. It's one of the most important highways in the Kingdom, so I don't think anything weird will happen … Yeah, I'm sure. It won't happen … It shouldn't happen … I hope it doesn't happen."
Ra's wishes became softer and softer towards the end.
The first day after leaving Slanzawi passed without incident.
And the morning of the second day.
Ryo suddenly sprung to action just as they were about to reach the planned location to take a lunch break.
"Ra-san, enemies are coming from the front. I will inform Max-san."
Then, without waiting for Ra's reaction, Ryo ran to the front of the wagon train.
The leading carriage had Gecko in the coachman's seat with a young Water-Attribute Magician subordinate, and Max and four others walking around the carriage as guards.
"Max-san, from the front, a group with the three people we caught in Slanzawi is coming."
"What!?"
"What do you mean, Ryo-san?"
Max was surprised while Gecko threw a question back at Ryo.
"When we released the three people, a transmitter … um, I secretly planted water that I could detect when approaching in their navels. Now it is reacting and the signal is coming from the front. The speed is quite slow … Yeah, it's about the same speed as this caravan."
"Gecko-san, they might be masquerading as a caravan or something like that. It's a common thief's trick."
"Yes, that's right. I see. Let's pretend to take a break on the riverbank there because it's easier to deal with them there than while we pass each other."
When Gecko said so, the caravan went down to the riverbank under Max's command.
Gecko's men and carriages gathered in the center, and the escorts sat quietly around, pretending to be resting.
"
Ryo sat around Gecko and his men and surrounded them with an ice wall first before anything happened.
By now, Gecko and his subordinates were accustomed to the experience of being surrounded by ice walls after so many times.
"Ten people are approaching, including the three."
Ryo whispered to Max, who was in command nearby.
"Roger that."
Max returned to where he would be at the forefront to give detailed instructions.
Twenty minutes after the Gecko's party descended to the riverbank, a group of ten people passed by.
There were four in the coachman's seats and four escorts.
(That means there are two people in the carriage …)
Ryo thought to himself as he tried to not lose sight of the ten people … but refrained from looking directly at them.
Just as they were about to pass by … the expression of the person sitting in the coachman's seat of the leading carriage showed how they felt about the target descending to the riverbank and getting the drop on them.
Of course, that was probably partly Ryo's imagination.
However, he certainly clicked his tongue.
And then,
"Oh well."
Ryo did hear those words.
At the same time as those words were spoken, the four coachmen threw something between themselves and Gecko's group by the river.
The thrown objects rolled on the ground and spewed out white smoke.
"Poison … can't be, they are there too. It's a smokescreen!"
After Ryo determined that, he activated his usual magic in such cases.
"
An instant downpour hit the area and then left immediately.
The rain washed the smoke floating in the air down to the ground and flowed away.
Attacks in the cover of smoke were instantly invalidated.
But by that time, the assailants had already jumped out of the carriage and were running towards the riverbank.
"Wha …. the smoke was extinguished in an instant."
The assailant leader, Sharfi, was surprised.
The smoke was a special item they made that creates a fairly thick smokescreen even outdoors, and was a kind of sure-fire attack method that they used frequently.
But it was invalidated by the sudden rain.
However, as long as they were running, they couldn't pull back.
Meanwhile, the battle had begun.
"Gecko is … over there!"
Sharfi looked around the crowd and saw Gecko's face almost instantly.
Then, he held the spear in his right hand up and threw it with all his might.
Kakin
However, the spear he threw bounced off by something invisible before reaching Gecko.
"Barrier? Damn it."
Then Sharfi ran towards Gecko.
Of course, no escort team would overlook that.
Swords were thrust at Sharfi from the side as he ran toward Gecko.
However, Sharfi did not stop running, and while dodging the swords, he slashed the outstretched arms.
In one corner of his field of vision, he could see his subordinates being knocked down one after another.
(What is the strength of this escort? It is completely different from the report!)
Gecko's caravan was attacked several times by other units before reaching the City of Rune.
As a result, five escorts were killed.
The report at that time did not indicate that they were as strong as this.
It was the elite escorts led by Max and the 『Switchback』 led by Ra who were defeating Sharfi's subordinates one after another.
Aside from Max, 『Switchback』 was from the City of Rune, so it was unavoidable that they weren't mentioned in the report.
Finally, Sharfi reached a distance of less than 20 meters from Gecko.
There, he pulled out a volleyball-sized bag that was hung on his waist with his right hand and pressed the ignition that he held in his left hand against the cord extending from the bag.
"Eat this!"
Then he threw the bag at Gecko.
Even if there was a
"This is specially made. You have to die. Don't hate me for this."
Sharfi abandoned running away, crossed his hands, took a position to protect his face from the explosion, and watched over the whereabouts of the 『Explosion bag』.
The 『Explosion bag』 did not stray from the target and drew a parabola toward Gecko … but before it hit the wall the spear struck, it was encased in ice and fell to the ground.
"...Ha?"
An exasperated sound leaked from Sharfi's mouth.
The fire on the attached fuse of the ice-encased 『Explosion bag』 was extinguished and it rolled to the ground.
"Ice …"
Sharfi kneeled and held his head.
However, he immediately raised his head and shouted loudly.
"Surrender! I surrender!"
Then, he threw the knife on his waist to the ground, threw away the ignition he had in his left hand, and raised both hands to show that he had no intention of resisting.
"What? Surrender?"
Scout Gun, who was approaching Sharfi from behind, asked.
"Yes, I surrender. I won't resist. If it saves my life, I'll also provide useful information for Gecko."
As expected, Gun couldn't decide what to do at that point.
By then, all assailants except Sharfi had died.
The attack failed and he begged for his life to cling to hope … it was not impossible.
"
Along with that voice, a clear ice wall was created around Sharfi.
"I'll create a wall for the time being, so even if he self-destructs, the damage will not reach us. Don't worry."
Of course, it was Ryo.
He announced to the people around him with a loud voice that could be heard by Sharfi.
"Haha …. Ice Magician, that's quite nasty."
"I don't want to be told that by an assassin."
Ryo returned the poisonous words to Sharfi.
Max and Ra gathered around them.
"Our bad, all your subordinates were already killed by the time you surrendered."
"Oh … they were useful, but it can't be helped. Thanks to their sacrifice, I was able to get closer to throw the 『Explosion bag』. Well, I couldn't even do any damage though."
When Ra told him ruthlessly, Sharfi shook his head and replied.
While they were talking, Ryo was looking at the ice-encased 『Explosion bag』 that was lying on the ground.
(This is … he called it an Explosion bag, so I guess it explodes … I extinguished the fire on the fuse-like thing that was attached to it but … there's no knowing what can happen so let's leave it as it is.)
With that in mind, he handed it to Ra while it was still frozen.
"Eh? Ryo?"
"It's encased in ice, so it's okay. It won't explode."
Ra was asking why Ryo was handing it to him while Ryo replied without answering the question at all.
They were not on the same wavelengths.
"Yup, it's okay. Believe me."
"But then, why are you stepping back, Ryo …"
Meanwhile, Max was glaring at Sharfi without saying anything.
After a while, Gecko came to them.
"Ah, thank you all for your hard work. Those who were injured are being treated now. Fortunately, nobody died or suffered serious injuries, and we can treat the rest with just potions alone."
Then Gecko saw Sharfi in the ice wall.
"So you are the leader of the assailants who surrendered?"
"Yeah, Sharfi."
Gecko looked down at Sharfi without changing his expression, and Sharfi, who was kneeling on the ground, replied by looking closely at Gecko's face.
"You came at us with the intent of dying, but you're surrendering in the end? I can't believe that."
Gecko questioned him indifferently with the same expression.
"Well … you can say that … But it's impossible to kill you no matter what? Moreover, all my subordinates were killed so after failing this attack, I have no future other than dying. I can accept dying for a mission, but I'd rather not die a dog's death."
"Hm..."
Gecko muttered just one word, as if he was thinking about something.
And one minute later.
"Well, that's fine. I can't trust you entirely, but I'll accept that explanation for the time being …"
Gecko paused once there and then continued.
"However, even if a bandit surrenders, he would be killed on the spot anyway?"
"I know, but I'm an assassin, not a bandit. I have the information you want. I'm ready to provide that information if you can help me."
"For example, what kind of information?"
"If you can help me, I will give it to you."
Gecko continued after tilting his head a little.
"But I won't be able to tell if the information you have would help me … Ryo-san, I can't trust this Sharfi-san after all, so please encase him in ice."
"Yes, I understand."
Ryo then started chanting.
"Heaven's consent, Earth's consent, Creator of all things that fills the heaven and the earth, Sparkling Queen of Ice, for the fool who goes against you …"
"Wa-wait, wait a minute!"
"Lay down your coffin, grant them permanent sleep …"
"I said wait! I'll tell you why we performed sabotage in Slanzewi!"
When Sharfi shouted, Gecko finally put out one hand in front of Ryo and stopped his chanting.
"Please speak within 30 seconds."
"Yes, okay. The destruction in Slanzawi was due to a request to make the eastern part of the Knightley Kingdom dysfunctional."
Everyone, including Ryo, gulped.
It was part of a larger sabotage than they had imagined.
"The simple answer scores you high points. Does that mean that you guys caused the collapse of the Rho Bridge and the purpose was to damage the eastern part of the kingdom?"
"Yes, but that's just the beginning, and it's really just the first of a few years of planned works. I wasn't informed of the bigger picture, so that's all I can say about the request."
Gecko, listening to Sharfi, sighed.
"Well, let Master McGrath know and sell a favor to him."
Gecko said in a whispering voice.
"So what else?"
"Wait a minute. Guarantee my life first. Then I can give you a lot of other information. Anyway, I have nothing but my life left."
"Fine. I guarantee your life with my name. Of course, if you do anything strange, that guarantee disappears in that instant. Understood?"
"Yes, thank you."
Sharfi was relieved and nodded to Gecko's words.
"This … is very hard to say, but I have one thing I wish to request."
Sharfi had trouble speaking as he diverted his gaze from Gecko.
"Hey, you're not in a position to negotiate!"
Max, who had been silent until then, screamed at Sharfi.
"No, I know! I know but … I have to stay alive for me to have any use to you, right? I will die at this rate."
"What!?"
Only Max spoke out, but it surprised everyone there.
"『Cult』 … we call the organization I belonged to that, but we're cursed so that we don't betray that 『Cult』. The curse would kill us if we betray the organization."
"So, if we want information, we have to break your curse."
"That's how it is."
Sharfi nodded to Max.
"Even if you say that, just saying it's a 『Curse』 isn't helpful. Explain in detail."
"I don't know how it activates either. I don't even know if it's a curse or magic. They said that the 『Cult』guys were involved in alchemy."
"Alchemy!?"
The word alchemy appeared in Sharfi's explanation, and Ryo unintentionally exclaimed softly.
Recently, alchemy had rapidly established itself as a hobby in Ryo!
It may be natural that he reacted that way to the word 『Alchemy』.
"We have a tattooed emblem on our chest. A stone spear emanates from that emblem, pierces the chest, or rather the heart, and we die. I've encountered the scene twice, so I don't think I'm wrong."
After Sharfi's explanation was over, no one spoke for a while.
It was Max who got the ball rolling.
"Either we erase the tattoo or peel off the whole skin?"
"Wa-wait! If you want to peel off my skin, get a high-ranking priest to treat me right away."
"Did you surrender for that?"
"Oh … I won't deny it."
A fairly high-ranking priest would be needed to heal a large amount of peeled skin and muscle tissue to allow them to function normally.
There might only be one or two people at that level in a big city or a national capital … ordinary people won't have the connections to ask for healing from them, and a considerable amount of donation would have to be given.
Even a low-ranked aristocrat would have difficulties requesting it.
"Of course, there won't be any such priest in Hullwill, and if it's the border town of Red Post …"
"Bishop Jariga of the Red Post has returned to the royal capital, so it's impossible."
Gecko replied to the words that leaked from Max's mouth.
"Seriously …"
Upon hearing that, Sharfi seemed depressed as expected.
Naturally. If he didn't remove it quickly, his life was at stake.
Even though he had no choice but to surrender, he would still end up dying from the tattoo all the same.
Gecko turned to Ryo, who had been thinking silently for the entire time, except for muttering 'Alchemy!?'
"Ryo-san, is there a Water Magic that is just right for this case?"
It seemed that he did not expect such a convenient answer.
"Sure, there's no magic that fits this situation … but there might be a way to do it. If there's no other option, I can give it a try …"
"There is!?"
The moment Ryo said that, the tone of Gecko's voice went up by one note.
That alone made it clear to Ryo that Gecko wanted to save the assassin's life, if possible.
He would try to use even a former assassin as a human resource … Ryo was impressed with the spirit of the merchant.
"Simply put, I can encase the heart itself with an ice film to prevent the spear from reaching it. The other method is to cover the tattoo itself with an ice film to prevent the spear from reaching the heart …"
"I see!"
Gecko accepted Ryo's explanation and then nodded while diving into deep thought.
"Eh … uh … what is an ice film … won't it be cold? Won't my heart stop?"
Only one person, the test subject Sharfi, could not understand.
No, maybe he just didn't want to understand.....