第１４０６堀：ある冒険者の感想 (Part1)
Chapter 1406: An Adventurer's Reflections
Side: Mauve
Lately, I’ve been busy.
And when I say busy, I mean it. First, there’s my position as an exclusive adventurer for Weed. Then, there’s maintaining order in Betan and the Beastman village. On top of that, I’m helping Curse over at Aurelia Port on the Zuraburu Continent.
I’m not so much an adventurer anymore; I’m in a position where I’m guiding everyone, almost like a nobleman.
"What has my life become?"
I muttered that to myself, and Raiya, sitting next to me, noticed and spoke up.
"What’s wrong, Mauve? Something you don’t understand?"
"Eh? Was there a problem? Ah, was it something Kate-san said earlier?"
Prompted by Raiya, Curse, who was also sitting at the table, looked at me with a worried expression.
"No, it’s not that."
"Then, is it about Wazfi and the others?"
"No, not that either."
It seems both of them assumed I was brooding over some recent trouble.
"It’s just... when you think about it, we’ve ended up in such strange places."
"“Ah.”"
That was enough for them to understand what I meant. They both nodded in agreement.
"I mean, I’m helping Curse with what’s essentially lord’s work, right?"
"Well, I’ve been patrolling Betan and the Beastman village for security, so that’s been the case for a while, hasn't it?"
"If we’re talking about the nature of the work, for me, it’s entirely the work of a lord. It’s certainly strange to be called an adventurer, just like you said, Mauve-san."
"Right?"
"Well, yeah. Still, the pay is good. It’s safe. And our own strength has been boosted significantly. I can’t complain about anything other than being busy."
"That’s true."
"Haha, I can’t complain either."
Back when we first crossed paths with Elju and her group, we were essentially dead men walking. I’m nothing but grateful that we were saved from that fate. I have no complaints. Even so, it’s just all so surreal.
"Well, this time it’s a proper adventurer’s job. I’m looking forward to it, but don’t let your guard down."
I gave them that warning, and they both nodded immediately...
"An investigation into a Great Stampede... it makes sense that we were chosen, but I’d rather not go."
"The rear support is perfect, but it certainly brings back memories of that time."
"Yeah."
We have a history of defending the town we once belonged to from a Great Stampede. Thankfully, that achievement earned us the lofty title of "Heroes of Defense."
But if you asked me if I wanted to go through that experience again? The answer is a hard no.
What spreads out before you is an overwhelming sea of monsters. If it were just Goblins, it would be a bit easier, but there are plenty of powerful monsters in the mix.
Against that, we had only a handful of adventurers, the town guards, and the non-combatant civilians. We couldn't run, so we had no choice but to fight.
It was pure despair.
With our current strength, I like to think we could handle that level of threat, but this time, there’s the shadow of a Dungeon Master or a Dark Guild lurking in the background. That part is what worries me.
Both of them know that, which is why they’re wearing such grim expressions.
"Oh, if it isn't Mauve-san and the others."
Hearing that voice, I looked up to see Lari and Ovik’s group.
"Oh. You guys came too."
"Yes. Are we a bit late?"
"No, no. We just got here early because of some summons-related work. Kuko and Sadia look well, too."
I greeted the other members of Ovik’s party.
Kuko is a mage similar to Lari, leaning more toward offense. And Sadia is a tank carrying a shield. They’ve built up a great synergy, delivering solid results, and have become exclusive to Weed as well.
Since we’re only "pseudo-exclusives," they’re the real deal.
"Yes. It’s been a while—well, not that long, really."
"True, we see each other often enough. But it’s rare to have the full party together like this. For both of us."
"Indeed. Ever since Ovik and the others started running their shop, I’ve mostly been paired up with Kuko."
"That’s right. I wanted to clear dungeons more than I wanted to run a shop."
Those two didn't open a shop like Ovik’s group; they’ve been living the life of a true adventurer.
That said, we’ve invested in Ovik’s shop, so we help out and eat there often.
"You two have been together for a long time, have you ever thought about marriage?"
"Who knows? I think Kuko is a great woman, but..."
"Yeah, Sadia is a great man, but I feel like I still want to keep adventuring."
"Ah, I see. Don’t end up like us."
We’re so focused on adventuring that we’ve stayed single all this time.
"Come to think of it, it is strange. I don’t recall either Sadia or Kuko ever getting into that kind of mood."
"True. But it’s not like we hate children, right? We play with our kids and Yuki-san’s children all the time."
"Marriage and liking children are two different things."
"Yeah, our bodies still move fine. And Comet-dono and the others seem to be thinking of something regarding rejuvenation, so I suppose we just want to stay free for a while longer?"
"““We get it, we get it.””"
We all nodded in agreement with Sadia’s sentiment.
Though, we’re all quite busy with various things right now.
Besides, we’re basically on the production side when it comes to the dungeons within Weed. If we were to challenge one, it would be a dungeon made by Yuki, but I’m not enough of a masochist to challenge a place with a 100% mortality rate. And as for other dungeons, knowing what’s behind the scenes makes us not want to challenge them either.
Ah, knowing too much is a nuisance.
As we were talking about such things, Milly walked into the conference room.
"It seems everyone has gathered. I’m going to start the briefing, so could you please turn your attention this way?"
At her words, we gathered our things and returned to our respective tables.
"Now, once again, thank you for responding to this summons. And this is Kate-dono, sent from headquarters to assist us with her knowledge of monsters for this investigation."
"Please, treat me well."
Kate bowed.
Though, she’s already an acquaintance to us and Ovik’s group. It was just a formal greeting, really.
"Now that the greetings are over, I will explain the reason for this summons. Well, I imagine you’ve already heard or guessed, but please listen. The reason for this summons is that a Great Stampede has occurred within the Suurus Kingdom. The scale is over 10,000—even larger than the Great Stampede in Gartz about ten years ago."
I’d already heard about that.
Directly from Yuki, actually.
Damn, the possibility of a Dungeon Master and a Dark Guild working together is incredibly dangerous.
However, that’s the behind-the-scenes reality. Ovik and his group might know, but I don’t know about Kate. The Grand Master of the Adventurer’s Guild headquarters probably realizes it, but I doubt they’d intervene so openly.
And so...