by Ryota Hori
The moment Saitou heard Shardina say that, a sharp glint filled his eyes. It seemed he realized what his mistress was thinking.
“I see. So that’s why you blockaded Adelpho’s checkpoint...”
“Yes... Though, given our limited manpower, we probably shouldn’t expect too much...”
“Can’t we mobilize the forces garrisoned in Adelpho?”
“Not possible.” Shardina shook her head. “Moving the garrison would create an opening in the border, and that would increase the chances of Xarooda attacking. We can’t ask the nobles for support, either.”
Their eastern neighbor, the kingdom of Xarooda, wasn’t a match for the empire in terms of national power. The western continent was divided into five regions, and among them, O’ltormea was a great power that controlled the central territory, and part of the south as well. By comparison, Xarooda only had a small territory, making up a third of the western tip of the eastern side of the continent.
To top it off, most of Xarooda’s territory was made up of mountain districts, and the terrain afforded limited space for farmland or to support its population. It was inferior to O’ltormea on all fronts— military strength, economy, and manpower.
As such, it was hard to believe Xarooda would send its soldiers across the border, and even if they did, O’ltormea would easily be able to respond to their invasion.
But that was only assuming O’ltormea would be able to exhibit one hundred percent of its power to push them back. It was originally a small country in the center of the continent, and, by taking advantage of the turbulent times, grew into a greater country by taking over its neighboring countries. But that came with a cost, as O’ltormea was currently in a state of open hostilities, or cold war at best, with all of its neighbors.
In addition, the nobles living in the territories near the empire’s borders were all survivors of defeated countries, and while they swore fealty to the empire on the surface, they only did so to retain their family’s name and honor. Shardina wasn’t foolish enough to presume their loyalty was genuine.
In other words, the empire of O’ltormea was caught between two foes. One was their external enemies, their neighbors who frowned upon their imperialistic conquest, and their interior enemies, the potentially treacherous nobles.
“Yes, true enough... Should the nobles hear of this, they could take advantage of things to start a rebellion.”
Hearing Saitou say this made Shardina smile bitterly, imagining what should happen if the nobles and their neighboring countries learned of this incident.
“We may have to announce it at some point, but now isn’t the time. So we have to be cautious with the means we pick for this... Even if they put us at a disadvantage.”
Saitou nodded silently at Shardina’s words.
When Ryoma reached Melpheren, it was blanketed by night. Having concluded his hunting in the forest, he’d finally reached his initial destination.
It was past seven in the evening. Usually, it would take roughly three hours to get from the capital to Melpheren by foot. It was some ten odd kilometers in distance from the capital, and even considering the fact that he had stopped to hunt, he still arrived rather late.
The city gate was rather large. It was already closed because of the late hour, but after paying a toll and presenting his guild identification, Ryoma was allowed to pass.
“Phew, I finally made it.”
Not having any acquaintances was tough, and Ryoma inadvertently started talking to himself. Though he had been here for just one day, being thrown into a world entirely detached from the one he grew up in was taking its toll, even on Ryoma.
Well, I shouldn’t rush. I’ll take any chance to take things easy.
Melpheren was roughly 100 kilometers away from the border; it would take some four hours to cover that distance on horseback. But going on foot at an average speed of 3-4 kilometers per hour, it would take three days of walking ten hours. However, Ryoma estimated, for several reasons, that it would take him more than a week.
For now, I should report to the guild.
Ryoma’s bag was digging into his side, stuffed full of all the materials he’d gathered from hunting. Withstanding his stomach’s grumbling, he shouldered the sack and made his way toward the guild.
“These, please.” Ryoma arrived in the delivery counter at the guild’s basement level, handing the letter to the clerk sitting there.
“Understood, please allow me to confirm everything is in order... Yes, it looks fine. The seal is intact.”
The clerk girl took the letter and Ryoma’s card, then after confirming the wax seal had not been broken, input the information into Ryoma’s card.
“Yes, everything seems to be in order. I will add to your points, then. What will you do about the hunting requests? Would you like me to calculate them now?”
“Yes, please do.” Ryoma nodded.
“Very well. So, that’s 54 wild dogs, 31 wild bees, and 59 wild rabbits... Good work. That’s quite the haul.”
“Yes. The weapons I bought just yesterday have been dulled from the blood, though... Really ought to get them sharpened.”
Hearing Ryoma’s grumbling as he took back his card made the clerk girl’s face fill with surprise.
Did he really kill this many with a sword? In a single day? I thought he was a thaumaturgist who used some large scale destruction spell... Is he really just a F rank adventurer...?
All of the reception dates for these missions were indeed described as yesterday.
“Is there a blacksmith who can handle sharpening weapons in town?” Ryoma continued, feeling her stare of surprise and awe on him.
“Erm... Leave the guild and take a left at the main street. It should be straight ahead.”
“All right, I’ll check it out later. By the way, are you done calculating?”
“Ah!” Ryoma’s probing spurred the girl to remember what she was doing. “My apologies. The grand total is four silvers and 23 coppers. You get one point per kill, so it sums up to 144 points. Congratulations, Mr. Mikoshiba. You’ve elevated yourself to Double F rank.”
He only registered yesterday, and he’s already moved up to the next rank...?
Ryoma honestly didn’t look all that happy. Though that was perhaps to be expected, since it didn’t seem like achieving this was too much trouble for him.
“You don’t look very pleased about your promotion.” The clerk girl put her thoughts into words.
“Well, I am, it’s just that it wasn’t much of an effort, to be honest...” Ryoma answered her directly.
“Really? Well, one of two things usually happens in this situation. If someone had some training before registering, they usually reach level E within a week or so.”
“Really?”
“Yes. On the other hand, complete amateurs can find that simply elevating themselves to Double F rank is a great endeavor.”
“Hmm. Is that so...”
Ryoma hadn’t yet figured it out, but what hindered beginners the most was working in a group. Monsters in the forest often operated in packs, which meant adventurers had to contend with several enemies at once while on the hunt.
But even weak monsters could pose a threat in large numbers. It was for this reason the guild recommended people join up and form parties, but naturally, not everyone was necessarily accepted. There were all sorts of reasons, such as the gap between individuals’ combat abilities being too wide, different ways of thinking, or conflicting interests. But whatever the case, few people took on requests alone.
That also meant that people who struggled to enter groups were beginners, especially those who hadn’t been trained in some way.
“We at the guild encourage veterans to join up with beginners and help them grow through real combat, but that can be difficult to arrange.”
Amateurs had a way of doing unpredictable things. Of course, being unpredictable didn’t necessarily mean they couldn’t produce favorable results, but in most cases the
se sorts of things tended to end tragically. That was why veterans tended to hesitate about helping to raise beginners.
Ergo, most beginners in the guild had to resort to completing missions by themselves until they became skilled enough, excepting those who were fortunate enough to team up with fellow novices.
But, once again, monsters operated in packs, and therein lay the issue. Even monsters a novice could dispatch one-on-one were a whole different story if encountered as a group in the unfamiliar environment of the forest. They would have to fight while being wary of every possible direction, and that was hard for the beginners. Going too hard could result in loss of life.
For this reason, most novices sought out strays - individual monsters who had become separated from their packs. Encountering them was extremely uncommon, though. One could spend the whole day in the forest and encounter only a scant few.
The result was the two cases the clerk had described. Those who lacked the skill and only fought one-on-one, scouring the forests for strays, and those like Ryoma who were capable of fighting many opponents at once, who ended up rapidly climbing the ranks.
It was also possible to raise one’s rank with only delivery requests, but it wasn’t recommended. If one were to up their rank without gaining experience through true combat, all that would await them would be a gruesome death later down the line.
“Incidentally, Mr. Mikoshiba, since you’ve hunted this many, I’d assume you have quite a few fangs and furs, correct?”
“Yeah. Picking them apart was a pain. I was going to take them to the curio store next.”
“Then maybe you would like to do some provision requests?”
“Provision requests...?” Ryoma tilted his head at the unfamiliar term.
“Yes. It would yield less money than selling them in stores, but they would help you elevate your rank faster, so it should pay off more in the long run.”
“Oh, really?” Ryoma said, seemingly interested.
He was the kind of person who was fundamentally attentive when it came to maximizing his gains.
“Yes. You’re aware you can only take requests that are the same rank as you or lower, yes?”
He recalled that being mentioned when registering with the guild.
“Yes, what about it?”
“Actually, when you submit a mission that’s a lower rank than yours, your point gain becomes zero, but your payment doubles. It only applies for hunting requests, though.”
That was rather alarming for Ryoma to hear. The booklet didn’t mention that.
“What?!”
“That way, when skilled adventurers take on hunting multiple requests of a lower rank, they earn much more.”
“I see!”
Ranking up is pretty nice, then. May as well take the chance and raise it.
In this situation, there was no such thing as having too much money, and even if he were financially stable for now, there was no telling when that could change. While he did want to avoid drawing attention to himself, there seemed to be quite a bit of value in increasing his rank, and he preferred to take the time to raise it now, when he had the leisure to do so.
“I understand. The reception counter is on the first floor, right?”
“Yes, just past the stairway.”
Bowing his head, Ryoma swiftly ascended up the stairs.
“Hello. You’re here for provision requests, correct?”
“Yes. I’d like to take all the requests for items obtainable from wild dogs, bees and rabbits.”
The boy sitting at the counter explained the details of each request one after another in an experienced fashion.
“With regards to each item, it will be two coppers per wild dog’s fang and five per fur, two coppers per wild bee stinger and five per wing, and one copper per wild rabbit’s ear and five coppers per fur. You will gain one point per item delivered. There’s no fixed date for completion of these requests. Handing them over at the delivery counter will complete the task.”
“I’ll take them, then.”
“Very well. Best of luck to you.”
After this fairly simple exchange, Ryoma headed back down to the delivery counter.
“Did you take the requests?” The same clerk girl greeted Ryoma with a smile.
“Yes, I accepted all of them.”
“Huh? All of them?” The clerk’s expression clouded over at his response.
“Huh? Should I not have done that?”
“Oh, no, nothing of the sort. But I did want to mention that if you deliver all the items you have, you’ll have more than enough points to go up to rank E.”
That made Ryoma understand what bothered her. If he were to rank up to E, his rank F requests would stop yielding him points. And if he gained no points out of it, there was little point in delivering them to the guild. Selling them in town would make more sense financially.
Well, whatever... I’m famished and it’s getting late... I still need to get my sword sharpened, grab something to eat and find an inn. It’ll be past ten o’clock after that... I’ll just think of this as a learning experience.
Consulting the clock on the guild’s wall, it was already past eight in the evening. Right around the ideal time to have dinner and find an inn to stay in.
“I can manage them for now. I’ll hand all of them over.”
He could have turned down the requests, but that would result in lost points, which would make the calculation that much more annoying. He probably could adjust how many he delivered in order not to waste any points or money gained, but he wasn’t up to the task on his empty stomach and fatigued mind.
“Understood. I’ll be taking the materials, then.”
Ryoma spread out the contents of his rucksack onto the counter.
“Are you shitting me?!” A shout echoed through the first floor’s reception counter.
Ryoma had just reported his provision requests and raised his rank to E. Going up to the first floor with the intent of leaving and looking for a place to eat, Ryoma happened on the sight of that man.
“I risked my damn life completing this request! And now you say you can’t pay me for it?!”
The large man’s hair was bundled up under his shoulders and he was clad in iron armor. This unfamiliar man was arguing with the clerk Ryoma had accepted the requests from earlier.
“I’ve already told you! You eliminated the wrong targets, so we can’t pay for your work. It’s well past the due date for this request as well, so please pay your penalty!”
This seemingly quiet, delicate young man was talking down the brute in front of him resolutely.
“Do I look like some kind of sucker to you?! I looked up and down to find them!”
“But didn’t I tell you, Mr. Golaes?! You have to make doubly sure you understand the details of the request!”
“The hell!” The middle aged man burst out. “Aren’t you the observer here?!”
“Mr. Golaes.” The young man shook his head. “You’ve gained quite the reputation as a mercenary, but your skill as an adventurer is lacking. The request you undertook involved subjugating the Crimson Moon Brigade. But your search found nothing while you were slacking off with your investigations, and you slew some random bandits you happened across.”
The younger man was staring the older one down.
“Just as the Guild advised you, your investigation should have been more thorough. It’s undeniable that the bandits you slew were the wrong ones. We’ve recently received a report that a nearby village was recently raided by the Crimson Moon Brigade and several young women were abducted.”
The young man’s sharp glare stabbed at Golaes.
“I won’t say the damages are entirely your fault, Mr. Golaes, but had you done your task properly, that could have been prevented!” He reasoned, his eyes unwavering. “With that in mind, do you still have any complaints regarding the Guild’s treatment here?”
The very image of a stabbing remark.
The young c
lerk’s sharp tone made the raging man gradually drop his shoulders. It seemed he wasn’t as dumb as he looked. If nothing else, he was smart enough to realize it was his fault.
“Ugh... I’m sorry... I understand. I’ll pay the penalty.”
“I’m sorry, Mr. Golaes.” The clerk’s expression softened. “I spoke harshly. Accept my apologies.”
He bowed his head at Golaes.
“Nah, it’s my bad. I’m sorry... I took that task because it was a low-rank one, but I guess you can’t send a merc to do an adventurer’s job... Go ahead and charge the penalty to my account.”
With those parting words, Golaes walked out of the guild, his shoulders drooping.
Man, I was naive...
Ryoma had only stumbled onto this scene by accident, but it had shocked him down to his core.
What was I thinking? That these requests aren’t real, like they’re just part of a game or something? I was considering dropping some of them back there, after all.
Requests weren’t something one could accept or decline easily. In this world, they were matters of life and death. Ryoma realized just how naive he had been.
“Is something wrong, Mr. Mikoshiba?” The young clerk noticed Ryoma staring at him and came closer.
“Ah, no. I’m done with my provision requests, so I thought I’d go back to the inn for today and come back tomorrow for more work.” Ryoma said, slightly overwhelmed by how gentle the young man’s tone was now, compared to how strict it had been moments earlier.
“I see. So that’s how you ran into that little scene. Did we startle you?”
“Yeah... That’s right.”
For a moment there, this boy’s delicate features somehow seemed more menacing than Golaes’s massive frame. The boy’s conviction and vigor probably made it seem that way.
“You’d be surprised how often we get people like that.” The clerk’s expression clouded over.
“The kind that don’t complete their requests?”
“Yes.” The boy answered Ryoma’s question with a nod and a frown. “Those who can’t distinguish their own characteristics and experience end up like Mr. Golaes. He’s a very skilled mercenary, so there are no complaints regarding his combat skills. In fact, he may have attacked the wrong bandits, but he did beat them one against ten. However, his awareness regarding matters like investigation and exploration are simply too lacking. And for this, he could have chosen to team up with other adventurers.”