CH 28

To The Next Town

I had become familiar with the lady at the receptionist desk during the winter. And she now looked at me coldly.

“You are running away?”

She asked.

“Yes. I don’t know why I should stay in such a dangerous town.”

“With that mentality, you won’t find your place at any guild.”

“Perhaps the guild should direct their effort and energy on people like him. Then things would be different.”

I pointed, but he was already gone.

She did not say any more, but processed the Adventurers plate and returned it to me.

I took the plate and was about to head out, but a brawny older man stood in my path.

“Hey, are you sure about that?”

Hmm. This time the pressure was different. Was he someone important?

“Whether the guild allows parasites in the establishment or not is the guild’s problem. It’s not an F-rank Adventurer’s place to decide what is right or wrong.”

I didn’t know who this was, but if he was going to try and reprimand someone, he should have done it to the person who was brazenly trying to recruit people at the guild.

Unless he thought it was my fault for getting involved.

It would make sense, I suppose, if the guild was silently aware or even supported it.

In any case, it was enough reason for me to leave.

But the old man would not budge… We were probably a similar age… I just slid past him and opened the door.

Now, I should go and see the schedule for the carriages.

*************************************************

“Are you fine with that, Guild Master?”

After Ajifu left, receptionist Chiri called Guild Master Dejiare by his position. It was proof that she was in a bad mood.

“He actively participated during the winter training, and trained longer than anyone. And while he’s a little on the old side, he brought back D-rank materials while out hunting solo.”

“Then!”

“And that is why. If you want to rise as an Adventurer, you have to be able to deal with petty troubles like this. If he’s going to run, then he was never all that to begin with.”

Judging by his training, he didn’t have the skills of an F-ranker. And so he had been watching Ajifu, thinking that he would stand up against the ridiculous demands of a D-rank mercenary.

“I expected a lot more from him. Now, you know who the F-rank Adventurers who fell victim to him are, yes? I think it’s time to deal with the parasites.”

Had Ajifu started a fight with the mercenary, the guild would have backed him. After all, these mercenaries were starting to become too bold. It would have been an opportunity to hit that nail with a hammer, in regards to the Mercenary Guild. And Ajifu would have become quite famous in the town.

The direwolf he had brought to the counter was riddled with wounds. It must have been a vicious battle. If you wanted to fight against D-rank monsters, you needed to be in a party. That was common knowledge for Adventurers.

If this was the Ajifu he had seen training in the winter, he would have realized his limits as a solo Adventurer while fighting the direwolf. If he wanted to find a party to join, then the guild would have to introduce one to him. It was their duty.

However, he was still an older F-rank Adventurer. And so joining a party as he was now could be difficult.

But it would not have been too difficult had he fought with the mercenary, proved his ability, and become well known.

“There are also many reports of goblin attacks, now that they are starting to emerge from their winter nests. And seeing as we just lost a promising fighter, please return soon.”

“Surely sending out a team from the D-rankers should be enough.”

Don’t give me that cold look.

Now, taking on the burden of trouble was like the ability of men and Adventurers. I will clean up this mess and get it over with.

Dejiare decided, and then he started to walk towards the Mercenary Guild, where hell was sure to be raised.

*************************************************

…I had left due to what I felt at the moment, but it was a big failure.

I didn’t care at all about the mercenary, but it was bad to have the Adventurers Guild take note of me. It would cause quite a stir should I return looking younger. I will not be able to return to this town for a long time.

Perhaps I could have…acted more like a small, boot-licking, sycophant so that I would leave less of an impression. I was sorry that I didn’t do that.

As for the schedule for the carriage, it would be three days and two nights to cross the border and reach the town of Suimel, towards Razsita. As the next carriage didn’t depart until three days later, I would prepare for my journey in the meantime, and reserve a seat on the day before.

As there had been a scene at the guild, I tried to spend most of my time in the inn and train with magic.

Three days later, I went to the carriage station with the rising sun, and handed in my ticket. Four Adventurers would be guarding the carriage. And they would all be riding horses.

Two spear wielders, one wielded a bow and sword, and there was one priestess. The priestess was a young woman who wore long robes and wielded a mace.

Adventurers who were women were not rare. Many of them specialized in healing and magic. Even if one acquired skills, you would run out of MP unless you fought monsters and raised your level, so many of them became Adventurers as part of their training.

I hoped that I would be able to see some light magic.

“Oh! Are you an Adventurer too? Can we count on you for support?”

One of the Adventurers asked. How about you just do your job?

I showed my bronze Adventurer plate.

“F-rank. While I will draw my sword if necessary, I would prefer it if you didn’t expect much from me.”

“Ah, that is too bad. We are the D-rank party, ‘Greenscale Sunset.’ Glad to have you with us.”

“I’m Ajifu. Thank you.”

But the road was peaceful, and even if we did see monsters, they never went out of their way to attack us. We passed through a village on the way. Apparently, we would be camping outdoors tonight. They seemed to have a set place to camp, as there was a clearing with a stove and a water source.

And here, there were also other carriages, likely from merchants.

“Wouldn’t it have been better to stay at a village inn?”

“If we stopped there, we’d have to camp outside tomorrow, as it takes time to cross the border. And if we camp outside after this point, we will have to deal with snakes and spiders at night. At least if it’s here, goblins and wolves are the worst we can expect.”

Indeed, shadow spiders and grass vipers were troublesome.

As for the passengers, some slept in the carriage or sat around the bonfire. I found it very informative to watch the D-rank Adventurers as they ensured our security and set up camp.

“Am I so unusual to you?”

Perhaps I had studied her for a little too long, as the priestess was now talking to me.

“Please pardon me. Are you a priestess?”

“I am only a lowly apprentice, so you don’t have to be formal with me. I am just following Greenscale Sunset for now. My name is Pittel, an E-ranker.”

“I’m pleased to meet you. I’m Ajifu, an F-ranker.”

We both bowed.

“I don’t sleep at night when I’m alone, so watching has been quite helpful for me.”

“You don’t sleep! How reckless.”

Perhaps he was bored, because the Adventurer next to me butted into the conversation.

“Back in the village, I did stay the night in the forest with a hunter, but that’s about it.”

“However, you should avoid such things when we reach Razsita.”

“I’ve heard rumors… Undead?”

“In the ancient battle ahead of Suimel, there are no slimes, even now. It’s not just skeletons, but even fresh zombies and ghouls will appear. And ghosts are especially troublesome.”

“What about the surrounding villages?”

“They are spread out quite a lot, so we can’t let our guard down.”

“Now that I think about it, there is something I want to ask you!”

“What’s this, all of a sudden?”

“What happens if you use healing magic on an undead?”

“Ah, it does work. However, you have to touch them directly for healing magic to be effective, and it also takes time. ‘Turn Undead’ is much more effective.”

So heal can’t be thrown.

Still, these undead really were troublesome.