Chapter 30: Long-Distance Quest
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 30: Long-Distance Quest
Two days after the welcoming party for the Young Lady, we visited the Adventurer Guild. The receptionist, who seemed to have been waiting for us, recommended a quest.
“It’s a long-distance quest!”
A long-distance quest, no less.
While it was a step below a dungeon quest, it was far more like ‘real’ adventurer work compared to the odd jobs we had been doing until now.
“Finally!”
The Young Lady cheered, striking a magnificent pose with her arms crossed.
“I can finally do some proper adventurer work. We’re moving up from being mere errand runners, Alto!”
Hmm, I heard the reason the Young Lady was doing adventurer work was to inspect the lives of the common people.
Was she actually just sincerely enjoying being an adventurer?
Well, that wasn’t a bad thing. This kind of excitement was a luxury one could only taste before taking on dungeon quests.
That said, it had been nearly two weeks since we arrived in Dakuren, and the fact that we couldn’t enter a dungeon was starting to sting. Between the incident the other day and the recent lack of action, I was severely deprived of the scent of blood.
Since I’d spent nearly a month recuperating in Lukart, I really needed a recharge.
“We’ll take it right now!”
“If you head from Honeru City toward the coast, there is a fishing village called Massa.”
Oh, have monsters appeared on the coast?
That should provide a decent scent of blood. It might smell a bit fishy, though.
The Young Lady’s eyes and mine both gleamed with anticipation.
“Massa Village is famous for its mackerel, but they are short-handed this year, and the fishing boats haven’t been able to set sail. Rene’s party, please reach Massa Village as soon as possible and assist with the fishing!”
And with that, we froze mid-anticipation.
Fishing…?
“What kind of quest is that?!”
The Young Lady protested, slamming her hands on the desk.
“I’d rather you give us another tiger or bear to hunt like last time!”
“Ah, thanks to that, the traffic through the Lesonya Field has recovered. I’m truly grateful, Lady Rene.”
“Well… I only did what an adventurer ought to do… Wait, that’s not the point!”
The Young Lady had a weakness for praise and atmosphere.
I knew this well, as I’d used it several times to escape crises or awkward situations. She maintained a significant wall toward other men or strangers, but she was surprisingly lenient with those close to her.
“Fishing! You could just send Bronze-rank adventurers for that.”
“I can’t do that because it’s a long-distance quest.”
“Why not!”
The receptionist looked at me helplessly. She was clearly asking me to back her up.
The reason long-distance quests weren’t given to Bronze-ranks was clear, so I decided to explain it to the Young Lady.
“A long-distance quest means going to areas where you can’t receive the protection or supervision of the Adventurer Guild, Young Lady.”
The base reward was usually higher because they were less popular than dungeon quests.
“There’s a risk that an adventurer might cause trouble in those regions, or conversely, be harmed themselves. That’s why long-distance quests are only available from Silver-rank upward—to those who are seriously pursuing the path of an adventurer and have the skills to protect themselves.”
To be precise, it was a category for adventurers Silver-rank and above who couldn’t yet take on dungeon quests.
Naturally, long-distance quests were unpopular. For a woman traveling alone or a small party of only women, there was a risk of being targeted by men who ruled over small, remote villages and being forced to become their ‘woman.’
If the receptionist had offered this quest to the Young Lady alone, I would have refused. However, since I was accompanying her as a guardian and a black-clad maid would be following along, we could easily handle such pathetic threats.
If push came to shove, I’d just kill them all.
The successor to the Lord of Hus was what mattered; why would some punks with dark intentions in a backwater village be more important? They weren’t even in the same league.
Besides, there was no way the Old Geezer hadn’t set up countermeasures. He was a sly old fox. If it were him, he’d probably have bribed the monsters in the sea with money.
“Hmm… Alto, what do you think?”
“Do you need my opinion?”
“You’re an experienced Hero-rank, after all.”
“Ah, I’m Gold-rank. Since I’m a supporter and I left my party, they dropped me down a rank.”
“What?”
As the Young Lady’s expression turned fierce, the receptionist looked at me with a wronged face.
Haha, actually, if rumors spread that an unprecedented Hero-rank was in Hus, Lukart would immediately identify me. So, I had planned this with Branch Manager Karen on purpose.
Still, giving us a fishing quest as our first long-distance job was a bit much.
“Mackerel is delicious. It’s great as sashimi right off the boat, and it’s wonderful grilled and served with fluffy rice. Even salted mackerel brought back to Dakuren to eat through the winter is savory and delicious.”
“Do you like mackerel, Alto?”
“Yes.”
Though it smelled when grilled, grilled mackerel wasn’t bad for filling a space where I was all alone. It was also good for serving if someone suddenly visited.
Though, the only visitor I ever had was the Old Man.
“Fine, then I’ll accept the quest.”
“Yes! Rene’s party has officially been commissioned to assist with fishing in Massa Village, Honeru City!”
Thud!
The official seal of the Adventurer Guild was stamped onto the quest request form. Because the receptionist shouted so cheerfully and loudly, the Young Lady and I both lowered our heads to avoid the stares of the people around us.
Was she getting back at me for the comment about the rank earlier?
* * *
Arasen was sitting in a corner of the carriage station again today.
[Hus Region Grade 1 Carriage, Latest Upgrades Complete, Will Go Anywhere.]
Clutching her sign so it was clearly visible, she was buried in a station bench in a practiced posture when a woman approached and tapped her.
“Are you going to Sornja Village?”
“…Not going.”
“What? You said you’d go anywhere.”
Is she an idiot? I’ll go anywhere if it pays.
Sornja Village was a half-day trip, which wasn’t bad, but the return was the problem. If she took someone who wasn’t a merchant or an adventurer, there was a high chance she’d have to return with an empty carriage.
Although traffic was increasing since the tiger blocking the path had been dealt with a few days ago, that also meant many carriages could get stuck in Sornja Village, forced to take passengers back at prices that wouldn’t even cover horse feed.
“Should I report you to the station manager?”
“Ugh, go somewhere else. There are plenty of carriages that’ll go to Sornja.”
“Shit, this is the fourth one!”
“Then go find a fifth!”
Working the rough job of a carriage driver had made Arasen’s personality increasingly aggressive. Just as her lover, Fran, had become increasingly arrogant and looked down on others.
Yesterday and the day before had been the same.
‘That bastard…! Insulting me in front of people?!’
Crash!
For two days, Fran had come to Arasen’s house and smashed everything in sight.
‘Why are you doing this! Why did you suddenly come here and act like this!’
Arasen, who had been happy at Fran’s rare visit, could only wail at the horrific scene that followed, unable to stop him.
When he, who had a weak constitution, occasionally coughed violently, she would hurriedly pour water and offer him a cup, but Fran would take a sip and then hurl the cup, shattering it.
‘It’s your fault! If only you’d left me enough money before you went to Lukart! Nothing’s gone right since then!’
He brought up the story again about how he’d been humiliated because he didn’t have the money to treat his friends.
Fran didn’t tell Arasen that he’d been dumped by a woman because of his pride. He wanted to appear as a strong man, at least to Arasen.
Conversely, Arasen had given all the commission money she’d received for bringing Alto to Fran. She was in a position where she couldn’t even pay her loan interest, so she spent every day holed up at the carriage station hoping for a big score, unaware of what had happened at the central fountain.
“That damn money…”
She had one wagon she’d received after being discharged from the war. She had planned to live a life of farming with Fran using it.
But then…
‘Arasen, meet Meryl. My third lover.’
‘What…?’
Because he received subsidies just for being a man, and women seeking that money flattered him, Fran fell into the delusion that he was someone great. He lived with four other women besides Arasen.
If he had even a bit of sense, he would have realized his lovers were incompetent and lacked any means of supporting themselves. But Fran, whose desire for masculinity had grown during his time in a sickbed, couldn’t see it.
He was completely captivated by the flattery of women who treated him like a ‘man’ and panted over him, telling him how amazing he was.
Sickly, weak, short, and while he had a decent face, he was only average among handsome men. Fran was a man who possessed the lowest-tier conditions among the men of Hus.
So, while other men filled their harems with women who would sacrifice everything for them, Fran created a deformed structure where he acted tough in front of women and friends, and Arasen worked to cover all the costs.
“I don’t know if I’m earning money to spend it, or earning money to hand it over… Shit, I just don’t know…”
The hearty laughter she’d shared in front of Alto was nowhere to be found; only hollow eyes, exhausted by life, remained.
She wondered if that immigrant would show up again.
Being a carriage driver wasn’t an easy job. There were highwaymen, and sometimes you’d meet a real piece of work and end up fighting in the middle of the road, not knowing what might happen. There were also threats from wild animals and monsters.
But with that immigrant, Alto, Arasen felt like only good things would happen. In fact, he’d bought her food, they’d camped together, and they’d had fun chatting about this and that.
Recalling that enjoyment, Arasen sat up with a start.
Did I just feel that spending time with a man other than Fran was fun? Even though he’s uglier than Fran?
Still… his body and voice were completely masculine, yet he was kind. He respected her. He treated her like a person.
“…What am I thinking.”
It made it sound as if she wasn’t treated like a person by Fran.
With a self-deprecating sigh, Arasen adjusted her sign and slumped back into her seat.
“Oh, found her!”
“Huh?”
“It’s been a while, Arasen!”
What is this timing?
“You really will go anywhere! Are you going to Massa Village in Honeru City? I heard it’s quite far, but looking at the price list, it’s roughly 500,000 Dalk per person for a one-way trip. How about 2 million Dalk for a round trip?”
Alto.
He had appeared. And with a massive job, to boot.
“If it’s just to Honeru City, 500,000 Dalk is correct! But Massa Village is further in. It’s 1 million Dalk one-way. Per person!”
She conscientiously quoted only 200,000 Dalk more than the standard price. It would go toward camping expenses and food anyway. Adding this much of a premium was fine.
Excited, Arasen quickly lowered her sign and held out her hand to Alto.
“Payment upfront!”
“I thought it was usually half upfront and half later… but since it’s you, Arasen, I’ll trust you and pay it all upfront.”
“Thank you!”
And then, 4 million Dalk was placed in Arasen’s hand.
“Customer, if it’s a round trip, shouldn’t it be 2 million Dalk?”
“Yes, but it’s per person, right? There are two of us. So, 4 million Dalk.”
Only then did the silver-haired beauty standing behind Alto—a woman of a completely different class than herself—enter Arasen’s sight.
“Eh?”
Arasen, who had believed it would be a journey for just the two of them, felt a strange sense of disappointment for some reason. Immediately, she met a gaze that was looking at her with displeasure.
“I’m Rene, a Silver-rank adventurer. Nice to meet you, Arasen.”
“Yes… Yes! This is a Hus Grade 1 Carriage. From Dakuren to Honeru Massa! From Honeru Massa back to Dakuren! I will escort you comfortably and quickly!”
After shouting her cheerful promotional lines, Arasen went to the carriage station staff and placed an order to send 3.5 million Dalk to Fran.
When she opened the carriage door, the two of them stepped inside. Unlike before, she was the only one sitting on the driver’s seat.
“…We’re heading out!”
She felt somewhat lonely, as if something had been taken from her.