The Gathering Place
We arrived at the designated meeting spot and waited for ten minutes. The adventurers hired for this request all showed up five minutes before the appointed time. Being around Bronze rank meant they were strict about punctuality to avoid any deductions to their evaluations.
“Mebin Uzrit. I’m a fire mage.”
The last to arrive, a male mage, introduced himself while shielding his eyes from the sunlight with one hand. I took the lead in responding.
“I’m Norde. A warrior who can use a bit of magic.”
“I’m Francesca Aitrynen, a half-dwarf rogue. My weapons are throwing knives.”
“You can call me Sios. As you can see, I’m a warrior. Unlike that friend over there, I can’t use magic.”
That was the end of the introductions. It felt extremely dry, but we had exchanged the necessary information. Our positions in battle were also silently decided. Franc and the male mage would attack from the rear, while I and the bald uncle would fight on the front line.
“You mentioned you can use magic. What kind, exactly?”
The mage named Mebin asked me. It wasn’t out of some competitive spirit; he simply wanted to know his party members’ capabilities.
“Burning Hand and Freezing Hand.”
I omitted the rest. Runes were nothing more than scribbles in actual combat, and Beast Regression was just physical enhancement.
“Those are basic spells. Can I assume they won’t be of much direct help in battle?”
“Hmm. They’re somewhat useful. Would you like to see for yourself?”
I chanted the spell and activated Burning Hand.
The flames roared violently across my palm like a blazing torch after I combined the spell with Beast Regression on just my hand. It looked insanely hot. Even without Beast Regression, I wasn’t confident I could touch it without foaming at the mouth.
Mebin’s eyes widened.
“T-that’s spell formula fusion. Ahem. I was surprised. Are you truly not a mage?”
“It’s just heating or cooling my palms, so calling me a mage feels a bit…”
“If you’re interested, you should consider joining the Mage Guild. The registration and annual fees should be manageable for someone at Bronze class.”
Like hell. The fees were in silver coins. They charged that much and still expected you to find a master and work like a servant to learn magic. If you got a bad mentor, you’d end up suffering like Tirsi. I’d have to visit because of the rune magic, but I had no plans for now.
“Is everyone gathered?”
Someone spoke to us while we were still introducing ourselves. It was a familiar face—the one-armed merchant.
“Thank you for accepting today’s request from our transport guild. I am Robert, the client.”
The one-armed young man greeted the four adventurers who had assembled at the meeting point. The guild master’s son had come in person. I had warned him it was dangerous, yet here he was, showing utmost sincerity.
“As you already know, during this journey your job is to protect us from any dangers that may arise during transport. Especially the safety of myself and my companions, just as much as the cargo.”
When Robert stroked the heads of the children who had come with him, the warrior adventurer Sios raised his hand.
“Is it safe to assume that protecting the group takes priority over the cargo?”
“Yes. I ask that you treat them with the same level of importance as myself, the client.”
“Understood. Though with that person over there, I’m not sure how much help we’ll actually be.”
The warrior pointed at a man standing near the carriage. An adventurer with slicked-back hair carrying a greatsword stood with his arms crossed, radiating an intimidating aura. Fuck, he looks ridiculously serious. His whole body seemed to scream that if you messed with him, you’d die. Even if that guy danced naked in the slums doing the popping, no one would dare pick a fight. He was probably the Silver-class warrior mentioned in the request.
“Please don’t say that. I hired you all because I believe the journey will only be safe with your help. I want to send these children home unharmed.”
Robert answered with a practiced smile. For some reason, however, there were only two children by Robert’s side. From what I remembered, there should have been one more girl.
Did something happen?
I wanted to ask about it, but I couldn’t find the right words to start. The adventurer Norde, who wasn’t Arthur Wayne, wasn’t supposed to know that three children had been kidnapped.
“The schedule will proceed as planned. We depart now, take one break at lunch, and disband upon arrival in the evening.”
It was the standard schedule for a carriage escort request. The time adventurers spent on such jobs, including rest days after arriving in the city, usually came to two or three days round trip. Since the daily wage for a Bronze-class adventurer averaged ten coppers, this request would pay twenty to twenty-five coppers. Offering thirty coppers this time was probably out of consideration to get the children home as quickly as possible.
“It seems there are no more questions. Shall we depart?”
We nodded at Robert’s question.
─Clatter!
The transport carriage rolled through the city gates and onto the road toward Heisvent.
Even while traveling, there was no casual conversation among the four of us. Whether it was because we were professionals who stayed silent while working, or simply because the atmosphere was awkward, I didn’t know. Either way, it was a good situation for me.
─Scratch, scratch.
─Whirr.
I secretly carved the Kenaz rune on my forehead and covered it with my bangs. My senses sharpened, and I could hear the conversation happening inside the carriage. Since there was a separate old coachman, Robert and the children were riding in the cargo compartment.
─When we get home, does that mean we won’t see you anymore, mister?
─I can visit sometimes. If your parents allow it, I’ll stop by Wina’s house whenever I come to Heisvent.
─Really? You promise?
─Alright. I promise.
─Will we be able to meet Myra too?
─Of course. If you come to Sargadis, visit the Transport Guild. By the time you’ve grown up, Samuel, Myra will be a proper guild member.
─Yes! I’ll definitely come back! I’ll come say hello to you too, mister!
─Hahaha. By then, I might even have a child of my own?
I couldn’t remember each of their names, but from the conversation, it didn’t sound like anything had happened to the third child.
A proper guild member, huh.
This was just my personal guess, but maybe that girl had been an orphan. There didn’t seem to be any other reason for a young child not to return to her original home. Perhaps she had no home to return to, so she chose to stay by Robert’s side and become a merchant.
Since it didn’t seem like anything serious had happened, I dispelled the rune.
─Whirr.
When I cut off the magic, my senses returned to normal. Still, rune magic didn’t seem half bad when it came to using a single spell for multiple purposes. Maybe I should catch some goblins who know shamanism one of these days and beat them up.
But does mana succession happen even if I catch a rune mage who isn’t a goblin or half-human?
If it did, that would be a problem in itself. It would mean killing people to steal their mana, which would basically make me a human sacrifice heretic shaman. Even I would think, If an adventurer appeared who killed rune mages to steal their mana, that guy would be a total bastard.
Thank god no one else can see it.
I wished there was some trash rune mage like Tabula who wasn’t worth keeping alive. If I beat up someone like that, I’d know for sure.
“Choo choo! (Food!)”
The journey remained peaceful. Birds flying around in autumn pecked at bugs and grains, and a cool breeze blew on us as we walked. The carriage matched our pace, making it feel like we were out for a leisurely stroll. Maybe because it was a time of abundant food, not a single kobold pup was visible in the grasslands. Or perhaps the ones that had passed through earlier had been abused by previous adventurer escorts and died.
“This is nice and comfortable.”
Just as Sios muttered contentedly, we arrived in Heisvent without a single battle.
─Buzz, buzz.
The sun was almost setting, so the area in front of the gate was packed with people. We ended up waiting dozens of minutes just outside the gate.
“Next!! Show your identification and state your purpose for visiting!!”
At first I thought the line was long because there were so many people, but that wasn’t it. The identity inspection process was far stricter than in Sargadis, which was why the line wasn’t shrinking.
“Something must have happened.”
Franc, who had finished her escort duties and come to my side, whispered softly. I agreed. Such thorough inspections meant there had been specific orders.
“It’s because of the kidnapping incidents.”
It was then. The Silver-class greatsword warrior, who had remained silent throughout the journey, spoke while looking straight ahead.
“Over the past ten days, six children have been kidnapped in Heisvent alone. One of them was found as a corpse.”
What the greatsword warrior said so calmly sent a chill down my spine. Even though I already knew the details, seeing the actual efforts to prevent it right in front of me made it feel all too real.
“Is it the work of a bandit group?”
“The cause is unknown. Of the five still missing, not a single one has been found.”
“I see.”
Two of those kids are standing right next to you, though.
I joked to myself, but the unpleasant feeling still lingered.
Whoooosh─.
Perhaps because of the dark shadows cast by the setting sun, the gates of Heisvent felt somehow sinister. Was it just my imagination that this unfamiliar city looked like the maw of some other creature?
“Next!! The carriage over there, come this way!!”
After waiting nearly an hour, we finally stood before the guards. The guard, whose strict face showed clear signs of fatigue, spoke in a cold tone while tapping a wooden tablet with his pen.
“The representative will state the purpose of your visit, the number of people, and your identities.”
“This is a carriage from the Transport Guild. We have four Bronze-class adventurers, one Silver-class, myself, our guild’s coachman, and two children.”
“Children?”
Robert answered calmly to the guard who narrowed his eyes slightly.
“Yes. They are Wina Enberg and Ricardo Diltan, citizens of Heisvent.”
“……Very well. Everyone show your identification. Citizen certificates preferred if possible.”
Those of us holding adventurer plates had no choice but to open our bags. Sios and I presented our long-term stay permits, and the others each carried some form of identification. The problem was the children. They were old enough to have been issued identification, but having been kidnapped, they had nothing to prove their identities.
“I will sign as their representative. Will you let us through?”
At Robert’s words, the guards frowned and conferred. After mumbling among themselves, they looked at the anxious children watching them and let out a sigh as if they couldn’t help it.
“Huu…… Sign here. And once inside the city, I recommend you visit the guard station with some means to prove the children’s identities.”
“Thank you.”
Thanks to the guards’ consideration, the trouble was somehow resolved. They probably thought it was unlikely such young children would be involved in a kidnapping crime.
─Step, step.
The first thing that caught my eye upon entering the city was the colosseum standing in the center. I knew that the colosseum in Britannia had been copied from Romania like their bathhouses, but this was my first time seeing one in person. It was smaller than I expected, but tall enough to be visible from anywhere in the city. Not that I’d ever be fighting as a gladiator there.
“Adventurers, you may disband now.”
Robert, who had stopped the carriage inside the city, spoke. Mebin let out a small chuckle at his words.
“If you need to hire people for the return trip as well, please let us know. This is the first time I’ve had such an easy escort job.”
“Hahaha. Ah, lately it seems I’ve only been losing money. Anyway, thank you for your hard work. Farewell.”
Robert scratched his head with a laugh, climbed back onto the carriage, and left. Those of us left behind looked at each other.
“Ahem. Everyone worked hard. Anyone want to grab a drink?”
Sios said that, but what kind of bond did we have when we hadn’t even fought together? Who would go drinking with people they’d just met? Faced with awkward smiles and silence, the bald warrior looked embarrassed.
“Doesn’t look like it.”
“Seems that way. Let’s have that drink if we meet again later.”
Mebin left after reciting what sounded like the number one most meaningless thing you could say to a high school classmate. Since mage guild members could stay for free at guilds in any city, he was probably heading to the guild.
“Hmm. I should find lodging too. See you around.”
Sios also left after an awkward goodbye. Franc and I chuckled and started walking.
“Shall we drop our luggage at the inn and take a shower first? The job was easy, but we still worked up a sweat.”
“The bathhouse probably isn’t open yet. In Heisvent, they only open the bathhouses after eight in the evening.”
“Damn.”
There were cities that did this to save on maintenance costs, but for a place that built and operated such a large colosseum, cutting back on citizen welfare like bathhouses really showed what kind of city Heisvent was.