第３５７堀：冒険者と傭兵団 (Part1)
### Chapter 357: Adventurers and Mercenary Corps
**Side: Mauve**
As we approached the royal capital of the Ex Kingdom, the crowd began to thicken. There were merchants pulling long lines of wagons, travelers, and all sorts of other people.
"There’s more foot traffic than I expected."
"Well, it is the royal capital, after all."
"Isn't the low number of monsters one of the reasons for that?"
"Yeah. If we're talking about threats, it’s basically just bandits now."
In that sense, traveling from town to town must be quite easy. Yuki had mentioned that the route we took was chosen specifically because it had relatively low foot traffic.
"Hey, sirs! How about one of these? I’ll give you a good price."
A man around our age, who appeared to be a merchant with two or three wagons in tow, held out some dried meat toward us. His attire was better than those around him, so he was likely a merchant of some standing. If that was the case, building a connection wouldn't be a loss.
"Give me three."
"Much obliged!"
He sold them at a price that was neither particularly cheap nor expensive, which suggested he was a decent merchant. Usually, on a road like this, prices are inflated since there are no shops, but since he didn't do that, he seemed trustworthy. Well, that alone wasn't enough to fully trust him, but it was a start.
I split the three pieces of dried meat between Raiya and Curse, and we each ate one. I bit into it and chewed.
...It was average.
Well, compared to the food in Weed, it lacked spices and was a bit inferior, but I knew the distribution level of this area. Since I’d been an adventurer whose life was based on travel, I was used to this kind of bland dried meat. If anything, being able to eat dried meat at all was a blessing. When I was a fledgling, I used to eat grass.
"So, you guys look like mercenaries. What brings you to the royal capital?"
While I was thinking about that, he struck up a conversation.
"Hm? Oh, just sightseeing. And we're looking to see if there’s any good equipment around."
"I see. That makes sense. If you're looking for work, the only stable jobs in the capital for mercenaries are guard duties that require connections."
The excuse we’d prepared seemed to be working just fine. Since the opportunity was there, I decided to ask him a few questions.
"Well, that’s about the size of it. What about you? Is this business? Have you been to the royal capital many times?"
"Yeah, I have. Though, that’s not quite right—I was actually born in the capital."
"Oh, so you're a rich kid? You talk to mercenaries like us pretty casually for someone like that."
"Well, I won't deny being a 'rich kid,' and there are plenty of people who look down on mercenaries like you. But having these kinds of connections is never a loss. Sometimes, information is better sourced from mercenaries than anyone else."
"Heh. You seem to have a broad perspective."
"Broad, huh... I’m an outcast merchant in the capital. That’s why I go out of my way to buy and stock goods from the outside."
"Hm? Isn't going outside to buy goods normal?"
"You really are an outsider, aren't you? Coming from that road, you must have realized there were no populated areas for a long way, right?"
"Ah, yeah. So what about it?"
...In reality, we had just emerged from a dungeon at a random spot, so I was completely clueless about the local geography. I’d have to be more careful about saying where we came from in the future.
"There’s nothing worth noting in that direction... well, you wouldn't know, would you? There are no good trading partners for a merchant there. If you want to trade, you go toward Zilba, or the August region, or the small states that are practically under the Ex Kingdom's umbrella. The road you and I walked is just the boonies."
"So... you're being frozen out?"
"That’s the size of it. The idiots around here don't like me making a quick buck off the lower classes. If I stock the same goods, they can't inflate their prices anymore."
"I see."
"It’s my own fault for miscalculating the adjustments, though. Well, I’m just doing my best every day to keep from falling into the red."
I didn't know much about the merchant business, but I understood what it meant to be frozen out. That happens in every line of work. Even among adventurers. In Weed, there were many child adventurers, and since dungeon-delving was the main focus, nobody really cared, but back home, adventurers who didn't go outside and only took town jobs were called "In-workers" and looked down upon. The idea was that if you were an adventurer who was supposed to earn your keep outside, you should just get a different job if you were only going to scrape by on pocket change. Personally, I thought what he was doing was interesting, but it clearly didn't sit well with the other merchants.
Well, that was fine. We had our own schedule to keep.
"Anyway, let's put that heavy talk aside. It's our first time in the capital. Do you know any places we should see, good weapon shops, or places that serve decent food?"
"Yeah, I know plenty. But there’s a lot to choose from. Why don't you find an inn first?"
"Right. Do you know any good ones?"
"If you have the money, there are plenty of good inns."
"You know that goes without saying, right?"
"I know, I know. You want something reasonably priced with good food, right? In that case..."
Just as the man began to speak, a scream erupted from further down the road.
"Gyaaaaa...!!"
"Noooooo...!!"
It wasn't a sound of surprise. It was a strained, gut-wrenching sound, like someone who had suffered a grave injury.
"W-what is that!?"
The merchant talking to us seemed just as confused as to what was happening.
"Were we found out?"
"No, that's unlikely."
"Agreed. Even if they were going to attack us, they wouldn't need to do it here. Let's see how it plays out."
We exchanged those words and drew our weapons, taking a defensive stance.
"Hey, you. Get behind us. I’m in this line of work because I’m confident in my physical strength. At the very least, I can buy you some time."
"A-ah, right."
The merchant followed my instructions obediently and moved behind us. Since our destination was the royal capital, we couldn't turn back, and many others around us had stopped in their tracks, staring down the road.
"Hey, could it be bandits?"
"No, that's impossible. As you can see, it's all grassland. You could hide, but you couldn't set up a hideout nearby. I’ve traveled this road many times, and I’ve never seen anything like this."
Whatever the case, something abnormal was happening. As we watched the road carefully, a group came running toward us.
"Looks like horses and people... wait, what is that!?"
The merchant seemed to see it too. Behind the group of people running toward us, a horde of monsters was chasing them—or rather, slaughtering the people who were trying to flee.
"Waaaaah!? M-monsters!!"
"Kyaaaaaa!!"
The people around us saw the monsters approaching and began to scramble away in a panic. However...
"Why is there an undead horde in a place like this?"
"Who knows."
"Regardless, let's intercept them. It looks like we're the only ones here capable of putting up a decent fight."
"True. Alright, you—we're going to charge in and buy some time, so find a way to escape. If we both survive, tell me about that good inn."
"What!? Y-you guys are going in there!?"
The middle-aged merchant’s eyes went wide with shock at our words.
"Well, this is our business, after all."
I said that, shifted my sword onto my shoulder, and...
"Let's go!!"
"Yeah!!"
"Understood!!"
The three of us charged toward the horde of monsters.
"Someone, help me!!"
"Mommyyyy!!"
"Honeyyyy!!"
"Higi!?"
The screams grew louder as we closed the distance.
"Tch, they're undead versions of goblins and orcs."