165: They say dangerous places have dangerous men.

"This makes the third ruin we've found."

We were walking through a dead city-state, empty and silent.

Including the first ruin we discovered, we'd now confirmed three city-states had fallen.

Camille and Jitarou returned from scouting the area.

"The timing of the collapse... it's getting more recent."

"The first town probably fell about three months ago. This one, maybe two months back?"

Even Jitarou, usually so bright, had a shadow in his voice. Yeah, you could see why. Every place we came to looked like this.

Kyle stared at a human skeleton, then snapped his focus back with a grin.

"Our final destination is the Mizoho Shrine Nation. Keep moving—don’t slack off!"

"“““Yeah!!”””"

We didn’t stop walking.

Luckily, there was at least a trail between the city-states—nothing fancy, just a beast path—but it was something. Thanks to that, our pace from the first city-state was decent. It wasn’t a straight shot, no, we had to wind around mountains and valleys, so we were slower than a direct route, but still better than missing the town entirely.

Thanks to Jitarou, we didn’t lose our way on the tricky beast path, and soon the next city-state came into view.

◆

“Something’s off.”

“Not a single monster…?”

Camille narrowed her eyes, scanning the city walls carefully.

“So people must still be here!”

I spoke up, excitement in my voice, but Camille shook her head.

“Probably not. Can’t tell for sure from here… but I don’t feel any sign of a large population at all.”

“Huh.”

Yeah, even from far away, the walls looked wrecked.

“Wait—look at that!”

“Smoke.”

Jitarou and Camille pointed at the same spot at once.

Using the far-seeing magic, a thin thread of white smoke rose toward the blue sky—wavering, uncertain.

It hadn’t been there a moment ago. Someone was definitely using fire.

“Alright, Raidock—send someone ahead to check the situation—”

“Don’t!”

My words were cut short by Maina. Ignoring our shock, she pleaded with a face twisted in anguish.

“Someone… might be under attack by a monster. We have to help… we have to.”

Her eyes were dead serious. Maybe she was remembering the time she’d run from a hydra.

“But…”

Raidock hesitated, but Kyle made up his mind.

“No… Maina’s right. If anyone’s still alive, we can hear what happened. We can’t just wait and assume they’re safe. Raidock-san.”

Raidock’s brow knits tight, then snaps into a hard line.

“Got it. Me and Camille go first! The rest stay tight around Kyle and Maina, keep a little distance, and follow up!”

“““Got it!!”””

Decision made. Action’s instant. No hesitation. We fall into step.

Raidock darts forward like a bolt of blue lightning. Camille matches him, a shadow flitting at his heels.

We stay close, keeping Kyle and Maina in sight, circling them as we follow.

I expected a few monsters wandering around. Not a single goblin. Not even one.

Only rubble blocking our way. We reach the source of the white smoke in no time.

Exactly as expected. It’s a campfire.

Next to it, a man is roasting meat.

The guy was staring wide-eyed, frozen in place as we tore past him.

Raidock at the front slammed to a halt, scanning the area.

"Hey, you! You okay!?!"

"A-ah, yeah."

We caught up quickly, scanning our surroundings too, but there was no other presence besides the man.

He looked about our age—a young guy in fancy, lightweight gear. Wore a glove on his left hand like a noble, though I couldn’t tell if he had a crest or not.

And he was hot.

The young, handsome guy opened his mouth in shock.

"Wait... you're not Mizoho’s warriors... are you?"

"Warriors?"

"Never heard of it? The soldiers of the Mizoho Shrine Nation."

Relieved he was speaking our language, the guy’s tone loosened up.

The way he shrugged his shoulders—looked so damn natural it pissed me off!

Raidock shot me a look and waved me over.

Always the one to hand everything off to me in moments like this!

I stepped forward in front of the guy, even though I wanted the party leader to do the talking.

"We're envoys from the Kingdom of Maugaria, headed for the Mizoho Shrine Nation. I'm Craft Woken. The… negotiator, I guess."

I couldn’t just shove Kyle out front from the start. In the end, I’m the one who ends up handling this kind of thing.

"Ah, well. I'm Lucas Lindblum. Adventurer for the Empire. Anyway—"

"What?"

"Come on. Why not let me chat with those lovely ladies over there?!"

"...Huh?"

"No way! Don’t you think it’s fate—finding such a fine bunch of beauties in a place like this? You there, miss! What’s your name, please?"

Lucas knelt on one knee—right in front of Marilyn.

His gaze was nailed to the twin mounds, heavy with fruit.

What a dangerous man this is! I get it, I really do!

"...Craft-san?"

A cold stare shot from Eva.

Wait a second!? The one I’m glaring at isn’t me, right!?

"Aaah, Lucas-san. Can’t you stop fooling around?"

"Didn’t mean to fool around."

"Still, I’m sorry!"

And so, we met the adventurer Lucas.

No way. This guy’s a total disaster.

◆

After that, we listened to Lucas’s story.

Everyone had already introduced themselves. The look on Kyle’s face when he found out he was the lord? Priceless. Serves him right.

Now we’re sitting at the table we set up, watching Lucas wolf down his meal.

"Man, this food’s delicious! Ryuuko-san! Make me soup every morning, okay?"

"It's a privilege reserved only for my master, so I must decline. Without my master's command—"

After a polite bow, she turned her gaze to me.

"Master...? Isn't she Kyle's maid?!"

"Ah. Ryuuko's mine. She's an excellent maid who handles everything on her own, so I brought her along this time."

"Damn it! What kind of sins did you have to pile up to get your hands on a maid this beautiful?!"

Does it even bother you that Ryuuko's eyes are cat-like, slit pupils? Nah, probably not. Yeah.

"Ugh, don't go off track already! So, to sum it up, Lucas was a freelance adventurer, a ranger, who came over from the Empire, barely made it to this cluster of small nations, only to find every city he stayed in wiped out by stampedes. That about right?"

Weirdly, the route we took, the cities we passed through—Lucas had already been there ahead of us.

The paths between towns weren’t overgrown with weeds. Maybe just barely escaped survivors had trampled them down hard.

"Right, right. Came here with a fresh start, ready to raise a flag and make a new life after leaving the Empire. Only to get attacked by hordes of monsters at every stop! Me? So unlucky! Marilyn-chan! Come comfort me in your arms!"

"Sorry, not happening."

"Ah, you’re a brat—adorable brat!"

Should’ve cracked that skull open right there.

"So, this country? It got wiped out about a week ago. I escaped, but some reason I came back here... that’s the gist."

"Hey! Just about to take a breather when you lot come barreling in with that sandstorm, so I panicked."

"Still, glad you’re alive."

Apparently hid in the nearby woods till the monsters cleared out. Got serious ranger skills, that one.

"So? What’s next?"

I prompt for more, but Lucas just looks blank.

"So? That’s it. Yeah. After this, I’m headed to the Mizoho Shrine Nation—"

"No, not that. Why’d you come back to a dead country?"

"Ah... well... you see..."

He flashes a bright smile, scratching his head.

"Come on, I’ve been running nonstop, right? Time to get some coin. Literally."

"Trying to steal from a burning house?"

"Haha! Don’t say it like that!"

You’re not praising me, are you!

Seemed like a sharp one, that guy.

A real charmer—rare for this story.