Encounter
Encounter
The food that came out while we shared our amusement over giving the Raviel guild master the big middle finger was simple.
Unlike me and Asilie who had flown in since dawn, the four of them really had pushed themselves staying up all night, so their appetites simply weren't in that kind of state. Even though the meal continued with an attitude closer to professional obligation—forcing fuel into their bodies for stamina's sake—they could laugh thanks to the series of events that had come before.
"Can't say I'd be able to replicate it, but it was a damn good experience. Just like Asilie said, the attitude was thug-like, picking a fight with a merchant, but the logic held up. There are always going to be people who'll only listen to you if you talk to them that way."
"Best thing is not running into people like that in the first place, though."
Rellie and Yekaterina properly understood why I'd acted that way in that situation and nodded. Watching these positive reactions, while Asilie, still embarrassed, jabbed me in the side, Gaendal downed soup to soothe his empty stomach and spoke up with a deliberately serious attitude.
"Anyway, what do you make of the guild master? Do you think he... is connected to why you attacked the mercenary band?"
As expected of a veteran adventurer, I had to say his instincts were sharp. Clearly aware that my boldly talking about treason earlier had been purely due to the circumstances, he made an effort to choose his words carefully.
I'd already been thinking about this part, so I could answer immediately with a shake of my head.
"I'm skeptical. More than that, I think someone among Raviel's officials may have wanted to enjoy benefits without obligations."
Tracking down unregistered slash-and-burn settlements to levy taxes was work, but from the city's perspective, villages voluntarily seeking recognition and offering to pay taxes were work too.
Ultimately, this was near the capital, and most taxes belonged to the crown. No matter how diligently the city supported villages, helped with construction, and aided settlement, in reality, they barely recovered the principal. Hell, if it came in the form of wartime support, they might not even recover the principal.
It wasn't that the city got no crumbs at all, but my assessment was that it amounted to little more than grunt work close to high risk, low return.
"Maybe someone took bribes in exchange for processing the work quickly beforehand. If left alone, it could become evidence of corruption, so the possibility seems higher that they had the bright idea of just erasing it all by selling specific locations and intel to people connected to the slave traders. Can't say what the truth is, of course."
"But finding people like that couldn't have been easy..."
"I can only explain that as the capital nobles having their own connections. If they'd really set their minds to it, it wouldn't have been that hard."
In the first place, from Count Bosha's standpoint, there would've been absolutely no downside to getting the cities around the capital in his pocket, so he'd definitely have made a few overtures. The city lord might not have been involved, but one or two high-ranking officials could've had their ears perking up at the count's proposals.
When I got that far, Yekaterina asked, sounding surprised.
"I'd wondered about you not showing your face at the guild for about a week—seems you were tangled up in something pretty big?"
"Uh... well, you could say that. More importantly, was there some other matter? Your tone suggests you were looking for me?"
There was a somewhat awkward timing issue with casually recounting the beam-smiling, dumbfounded, going-in-circles adventures of Eldmia in the Empire, so I deflected, and Rellie answered, easily shifting the topic.
"We worked together pretty well during that abandoned dungeon incident last time, right? It went so well, but just doing one job and parting ways felt disappointing, so the talk came up about maybe all getting together and forming a party."
"Oh..."
"We had absolutely no way of knowing where Ega was staying, so we couldn't come find you, which is why just us ended up moving first like this. Originally, we were going to suggest taking this request together too."
So that kind of talk had been progressing while I was in the Empire. I'd have to say it was no exaggeration to call this the Hope Arc of party formation, the way we'd clicked so well.
Asilie, who knew absolutely nothing about any of that series of events, tilted her head and asked.
"Abandoned dungeon?"
"Ah... there was a request I handled before helping with Levi's situation. I formed a party with these folks then, and the work got wrapped up incredibly smoothly."
"Aha."
Just from me calling Ragnis 'Levi,' Asilie caught on to what I was saying and what I wasn't, and with a short murmur, asked no further. The way she naturally shut her mouth to avoid any potential slip of the tongue—her years of experience really showed.
But that peace, which had seemed like it would continue, got shattered by an unexpected show of concern.
"Come to think of it, are you alright physically? Things like concussions can cause problems later on. You were caught up in a pretty damn big explosion, so you've gotta stay cautious."
With a single remark from Gin, spoken with the perfectly ordinary intention of worrying about my well-being, I started to break out in a cold sweat.
"......Explosion?"
"Ah, Asilie hasn't heard the story yet, I see. This friend showed truly heroic conduct back then."
"Ha, hahaha. Gin, really. What did I even do..."
I tried to cut off the conversation by signaling him however I could, but only the others, who were saying nothing, caught on to my reaction. The one person I most needed to notice, Gin, didn't notice a thing.
"That mage bastard opened a gate, and this guy, without a moment's hesitation, followed right in, and then suddenly came flying back out with a tremendous explosion, didn't he? It was such a massive blast that that big body got hurled out like a shot and bounced on the ground maybe three times before stopping."
"Haha! Aw, Gin, really! You exaggerate so much!"
"...Fufu. Eldi, really. As if dwarves would ever exaggerate. There were circumstances, so this is a part of the story I'm hearing for the first time too. So, what exactly happened?"
Ah, no. Asilie's going to collapse again...!
"Of course! To call it exaggeration is nonsense. From what I heard later, he discovered something like a magic bomb being made beyond the gate and detonated it right then and there, which is why he got caught in the aftermath. Things nearly got dangerous in all sorts of ways, but he pulled off something truly huge!"
Gin, laughing heartily and winking at me confidently, seemed to be saying, 'I've got tact too, you know. This was a classified request, so just glossing over the details should be fine, right?'
I really wanted to cry.
"S-so, Sis? You clearly said you'd made up your mind to respect my opin—"
Asilie answered by slamming my back with all her strength instead.
◈
In the end, I didn't suffer the calamity of Asilie repeatedly smacking me on the back until the simple meal was over, but I could tell from her eyes that this was purely because she was mindful of the others. In her heart, she probably kept hitting me until my back was bruised, didn't she?
And I too had to hold my tongue about the Magic Sight I'd obtained then, with eyes on me as well, and put off the explanation for later. I should've talked about it concretely the moment I got back, but I'd been out of my mind busy lately and kept putting it off, leading to this mess.
Heh heh, I can't exactly say 'I see lines' either, for real. At least to Asilie, I'd have to properly explain later.
Only after receiving Gin's awkward gaze, him having understood the situation belatedly, and swearing I'd properly explain later was I able to soothe Asilie.
"Hrm, hrm. I'm sorry about that. Seems I was thinking too much like a dwarf."
Well, of course dwarves, even if a blood relative had staked their life and achieved a great deed, wouldn't say they'd done something reckless and deliver a smash—they'd give a standing ovation and throw a festival. It was a difference in perspective I could fully understand, so I smiled and answered.
"No. This is my fault for being too busy lately and not saying anything beforehand."
"A-anyway! What happened over the past week and more? Seems you've been pretty damn busy?"
Bringing up a topic to clear the awkward mood was good, but it just had to be the exact subject I was trying to avoid, so I really didn't know where to put myself. Every time people being considerate brought something up and I got put in a tight spot, didn't that mean there was a serious problem with my trail...?
"I ended up helping an acquaintance with something, and there was business that required riding a gate and going far away. It was less being busy and more just having briefly left the capital, really."
After finishing my answer, with my brain spinning at full speed to come up with an excuse for the first time in ages and taking care not to trip over my own tongue, Yekaterina actively joined the conversation this time.
"End result is we've gotten to see each other again like this, so it doesn't matter anyway. So, what Rellie was talking about earlier is still ongoing, you know? What do you think, Eldmia?"
"You mean forming a party? Unfortunately, I'll be leaving the capital soon, so it'll be difficult."
"Leaving?"
"Yes. The things I need will be ready soon. I'm heading to the front lines."
No one asked which front. They all just slowly turned their gazes toward Asilie, eyes wide with shock.
It was an understandable reaction. In front of someone who'd just smacked my back for doing something dangerous, was it okay to say I'm going to join the war against the Demonfolk? And naturally, because Asilie showed no reaction at all, the group began sharing expressions of deep confusion.
"There's something I need to settle personally."
"...The revenge you mentioned on the way here, to the refugees?"
"Yes."
I answered with a grin, but the expressions of those facing me were far from good.
Geez, anyone watching would think I was heading off to die.