Chapter 211: Leader (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 211: Leader (4)
"Mister!" Erwen jumped out from the group of adventurers and hugged my arm. "What a relief! I was so worried!"
Huh, I didn't expect to see this kid here. That wasn't to say it was a bad thing, of course. I relaxed a bit and glanced around at my surroundings. Her sister, Daria, was also there.
They don't all seem like members of the same clan...
At first, I wondered if this was the clan that Erwen had joined as a mercenary, but that didn't seem to be the case, either. Most of them were wearing the mark of a clan, but not all of them did. Also, each clan mark was different. If that was the case, how on earth had this group been formed?
"Miss Erwen, who is that?" a human woman who looked to be in her mid-thirties asked and lowered her weapon.
Erwen finally released my arm and turned around. "Don't worry. I know this man! Oh, so does my sister! Right, sis?"
"...That's right. We know for sure who they are, so you won't have to worry that they're on Noark's side."
"That's the first bit of good news I've heard in a while." After hearing Daria out as well, the woman ordered the wary adventurers to lower their weapons. Hmm, was this woman the person in charge here? "Nice to meet you. I am Versyl Gowland, the vice captain of the Larer Clan."
"Bjorn, son of Yandel."
"Little Balkan...?" When I shrugged, the woman looked happy to see me. "Wow, we've come across someone very incredible." A flattering compliment naturally followed. An ordinary barbarian would get conceited here and act arrogant. Were these the conversation tactics of a real leader?
"You flatter me. Rather, I should be saying that to you," I answered, studying the woman. I wasn't saying this out of politeness, either—it was the truth. "The Larer Clan is a fairly large clan, to my understanding." It wasn't one of the top ten, but it was big enough for them to call themselves a large clan. And what made it unique was that 80 percent of the clan members were women. "The vice captain, huh?" I had run into a considerable big shot in an unexpected place, although I had no interest in small talk in a situation like this. "So, what are you all doing here?"
"Let me explain."
As soon as our introductions were over, Versyl gave me a quick rundown of what was going on. It sounded like we were all in the same boat. As soon as they entered the labyrinth, these guys quickly moved toward one of the second-floor portals.
"Then the incident happened."
In an attempt to assess what was going on, Versyl led her team back to the starting point. However, by then, that place had already become no different from a living hell. And so she began gathering a makeshift army.
"The people gathered here are all people we met in the area. Their identities have been confirmed, too."
"Confirmed?"
"I'm not acquainted with each one of them, but they're all people with mutual acquaintances. We unfortunately made a point of excluding those who weren't, so you can rest assured."
As they were unable to trust identification tags anymore, this was the method they had ended up using. Just like Erwen had vouched for me, the rest of the group had vouched for each other and established a minimal level of trust.
"Our goal is simple." After explaining the group's current state of affairs, Versyl presented the goal they were working toward. "Combine forces to protect ourselves. Penetrate the enemy, and ultimately reach the safe zone."
"By safe zone, do you mean the dark area in the central region?"
"Yes. Since you know about it already, this will be quick. Will you join us, Mr. Yandel?" Was it because she was the vice captain of a successful clan? The way she spoke, it definitely felt like she was used to managing people. She seemed like the cautious type too.
And a vice captain must be considerably skilled.
After briefly thinking it over, I accepted Versyl's recruitment offer. "Okay, I hope we work well together." In the middle of all this chaos where the future was uncertain, we established a temporary safe haven.
"There's no need for you to stand guard, so get some rest. We'll be leaving soon, so I'll let you know when."
I accepted Versyl's kindness with gratitude. We were desperate for a break, anyway. Between the fog obscuring our vision, having to battle people rather than monsters, and the havoc that made it difficult to predict even what the next step forward would bring, our physical fatigue was one thing but the mental stress we were under was also enormous.
"What are you doing? Let's rest."
I led my team members, who were acting awkward around the unfamiliar adventurers, to an empty spot. Then came rest.
"We got lucky. To find these people herrre... I guess there is always a light at the end of the tunnel."
The others finally seemed to relax a brief moment later. My teammates, who at first had been wary of their surroundings, enjoyed a short break with obvious relief.
Erwen had stuck by her sister's side while we were speaking, but sat down next to me afterward. "Mister, you made the right choice. That vice captain over there is really strong. So are the others. Anyway, I guess we really are fated to meet. I was just thinking that I missed you and then you actually showed up! Hahaha."
"Tsk." Ainar and Missha, who normally didn't see Erwen in a good light, frowned slightly but didn't start a fight or anything. They probably knew, too, how foolish it would be to cause trouble over personal grudges in a situation like this.
Raven, who had never met her, seemed curious and joined the conversation. "But how do you two know each other? I heard that elves and barbarians don't get along. Oh, I didn't introduce myself. I'm—"
"I know! I've heard a lot about you from Mister. He said a very talented wizard joined his team."
"...Did Mr. Yandel really say that?"
Well, not exactly like that, but...
Figuring this was Erwen's way of building a social life, I just watched quietly.
"I'm Erwen Fornacci di Tersia. You're Miss Arua Raven, right?"
"Just call me Raven."
"Then please call me Erwen too."
Finishing off their introductions in a friendly tone, Erwen proudly told her the story of our first meeting. He pretended not to, but Mr. Bear also listened closely, apparently curious about my relationship with the elf.
"Your first return drink was with a pretty elf... Yandel, I've been thinking this more and more, but you really have good luck with women."
What was this guy talking about?
"Mr. Urikfried? Hehe, thank you for the kind words!"
"...Call me Abman."
"Okay, Mr. Abman!" Erwen made friends with the group in an instant, with her youthful energy on full display. To be honest, I was quite impressed. "So, how do you use this crossbow? It doesn't seem like a normal person would be able to pull it because of the tension."
"Oh, this? It's nothing fancy. Do you want to try pulling it?"
"Can I? Ugh... wow! It's completely different from my bow."
"Haha, that's because it's made of Troll tendons."
Was Erwen always this friendly? It seemed almost like she was trying to please her mother-in-law.
And a vice captain must be considerably skilled.
After briefly thinking it over, I accepted Versyl's recruitment offer. "Okay, I hope we work well together." In the middle of all this chaos where the future was uncertain, we established a temporary safe haven.
"There's no need for you to stand guard, so get some rest. We'll be leaving soon, so I'll let you know when."
I accepted Versyl's kindness with gratitude. We were desperate for a break, anyway. Between the fog obscuring our vision, having to battle people rather than monsters, and the havoc that made it difficult to predict even what the next step forward would bring, our physical fatigue was one thing but the mental stress we were under was also enormous.
"What are you doing? Let's rest."
I led my team members, who were acting awkward around the unfamiliar adventurers, to an empty spot. Then came rest.
"We got lucky. To find these people herrre... I guess there is always a light at the end of the tunnel."
The others finally seemed to relax a brief moment later. My teammates, who at first had been wary of their surroundings, enjoyed a short break with obvious relief.
Erwen had stuck by her sister's side while we were speaking, but sat down next to me afterward. "Mister, you made the right choice. That vice captain over there is really strong. So are the others. Anyway, I guess we really are fated to meet. I was just thinking that I missed you and then you actually showed up! Hahaha."
"Tsk." Ainar and Missha, who normally didn't see Erwen in a good light, frowned slightly but didn't start a fight or anything. They probably knew, too, how foolish it would be to cause trouble over personal grudges in a situation like this.
Raven, who had never met her, seemed curious and joined the conversation. "But how do you two know each other? I heard that elves and barbarians don't get along. Oh, I didn't introduce myself. I'm—"
"I know! I've heard a lot about you from Mister. He said a very talented wizard joined his team."
"...Did Mr. Yandel really say that?"
Well, not exactly like that, but...
Figuring this was Erwen's way of building a social life, I just watched quietly.
"I'm Erwen Fornacci di Tersia. You're Miss Arua Raven, right?"
"Just call me Raven."
"Then please call me Erwen too."
Finishing off their introductions in a friendly tone, Erwen proudly told her the story of our first meeting. He pretended not to, but Mr. Bear also listened closely, apparently curious about my relationship with the elf.
"Your first return drink was with a pretty elf... Yandel, I've been thinking this more and more, but you really have good luck with women."
What was this guy talking about?
"Mr. Urikfried? Hehe, thank you for the kind words!"
"...Call me Abman."
"Okay, Mr. Abman!" Erwen made friends with the group in an instant, with her youthful energy on full display. To be honest, I was quite impressed. "So, how do you use this crossbow? It doesn't seem like a normal person would be able to pull it because of the tension."
"Oh, this? It's nothing fancy. Do you want to try pulling it?"
"Can I? Ugh... wow! It's completely different from my bow."
"Haha, that's because it's made of Troll tendons."
Was Erwen always this friendly? It seemed almost like she was trying to please her mother-in-law.
Ah, that's not a completely inaccurate comparison.
Come to think of it, I had told her I was going to form a clan. Raven and Mr. Bear were the number one contenders. Since they may all belong to the same clan one day, she must have thought it necessary to make a good first impression.
Well, she seemed to be earning the dislike of the two other members, though.
"Urakburak. Stop smiling. Is this the kind of situation to laugh about!?"
"...Huh?" Upon receiving an unprovoked blow from Ainar for the first time in his life, Mr. Bear froze, stunned. Then he belatedly put two and two together and blurted out an incomprehensible excuse. "A-Ah! I'm on the cat's side, of course."
"Right? I almost doubted you! So, come over here already and look at my greatsword. Talking about bows is no fun!"
"Oh... it's not?"
"Of course not!" Ainar yanked Mr. Bear over to her like she was kidnapping him.
It was right about when this ridiculous scene was unfolding that Daria, who had been carefully watching us from a distance, approached. "Erwen."
"Ah, sis."
"Sorry to interrupt, but I have something to say."
"Oh, to Mister?"
"Yeah." Since she had something to say to me, I was about to get up, but Daria stopped me. "You're resting, you don't have to do that."
"Yeah? If you say so. What did you want to tell me?"
At my question, Daria just stared at me awkwardly. For some reason, she seemed uncomfortable about approaching me. Said reason soon became clear. "You... I heard you're a rank-five adventurer now?"
As far as I knew, Daria had also been rank-five when we met, and that hadn't changed since then. But me, on the other hand... Back then, I had been a rank-nine rookie, but within a year I had grown into a rank-five adventurer in charge of my own team. It made sense that she'd be uncomfortable around me.
"And? Is that it?"
"...I have a suggestion."
"Say it."
"Why don't you travel with us for the time being?"
"Elaborate."
At my words, Daria continued in a strictly business-like tone. Apparently, there were a total of seven parties gathered here in pursuit of a common goal, but in the end, they were still strangers. In actuality, most of the parties were forming groups with other teams they were already acquainted.
"If you agree, our two teams will position ourselves close to each other as we move so that we can join forces right away if something happens." Wherever people gathered, factions were bound to arise. Daria was offering me an alliance.
"Not a bad suggestion." The offer itself was quite attractive, so long as one condition was met. "But do you have permission from your leader?" Daria was a member of the Blue Wall Clan's fourth team as a mercenary. Naturally, her team leader was one of the clan's executives. Had they finished discussing this already?
"That man... You don't have to worry about him. I can convince him. So, your answer?"
"All right."
"Okay, then I'll come back later. Erwen, come with me for now."
"Okay..."
Afterward, I watched Daria lead her sister back to where her team was. I felt a strange feeling wash over me. The first time we met, she treated me like a childish barbarian and a guy skulking around her sister. I never thought I'd receive an offer like this from her first.
After a few more minutes of rest, Versyl announced it was time to depart. "Everyone, finish up your preparations. We'll be leaving soon." She also relayed where in the formation our team would be positioned at this time, which was three spots from the front. Right behind us was Erwen's team.
This feels like we're being taken advantage of.
Our formation had each team following behind one another like a train. Of course, there were no complaints here. Due to the nature of the Crystal Cave, it made sense to move in a single file, and the team paving the way at the forefront was Versyl's team, which was the strongest.
"I heard from Daria and Erwen that they call you Little Balkan?" said Erwen's team leader, Big Jaw. "I hope we work well together. Yes, I'll leave the front to you."
Why were we ahead of Erwen's team? Was this really a coincidence?
Of course it's not.
Third from the front may have been similar to fourth, but it was an indisputable fact that being closer to the front was more dangerous. It was a minor thing, but it was also true that we were the ones who were in a worse position.
Raven seemed to think so, too. "Hey, this isn't sitting right with me."
"Hm? Which part?"
"The formation. You don't think this is permanent, do you? I think it would be better to alternate front and back."
Big Jaw laughed good-naturedly at Raven's objection. "Haha, we have a lot of long-rangers on our side, and you guys have close-rangers. It's just a logical setup."
"That's—"
Big Jaw cut Raven off, his voice firm. "Aren't you located in the center, which is the safest spot to be, in the first place? Who do you think that's thanks to?" Even the logical Raven couldn't say anything to that. If our position was thanks to him, she must have figured that it was fair for us to stand in front since we hadn't done anything. You could argue these guys had helped us out.
A mere team leader of a medium-sized clan influencing the vice captain of a large clan?
It sounded like bullshit to me. I needed to keep a close eye on him.
"Now, let's finish this conversation here and get moving. It seems the first group has already left."
Oh, don't rush us.
I left my doubts behind and moved forward.
Step, step.
And so our journey officially began. The journey itself was smooth in the beginning, to the point that I was starting to think it was divine intervention that we had encountered these people by coincidence, and Erwen happened to be there to vouch for me.
"Vice Captain! Dark wizards!"
"Stall for time. I will take care of this quickly."
The combat power of the team to which the vice captain belonged was truly amazing.
I've heard that their clan is mainly active on the seventh floor.
Having them pave the way made things very comfortable for us followers.
Is this what being carried feels like?
Aside from the few surprise attacks launched from some side roads, I could count the number of times I had to wield my mace on one hand.
About an hour into our journey, Versyl stopped and spoke to us. "I have good news and bad news. The good news is that we're almost there. We can reach the dark zone in twenty minutes if we run."
Yes, I knew that already. "What's the bad news?" one of the adventurers asked.
"Not everyone will reach it," Versyl said matter-of-factly.
A chilling silence filled the cave.
Ah, that's not a completely inaccurate comparison.
Come to think of it, I had told her I was going to form a clan. Raven and Mr. Bear were the number one contenders. Since they may all belong to the same clan one day, she must have thought it necessary to make a good first impression.
Well, she seemed to be earning the dislike of the two other members, though.
"Urakburak. Stop smiling. Is this the kind of situation to laugh about!?"
"...Huh?" Upon receiving an unprovoked blow from Ainar for the first time in his life, Mr. Bear froze, stunned. Then he belatedly put two and two together and blurted out an incomprehensible excuse. "A-Ah! I'm on the cat's side, of course."
"Right? I almost doubted you! So, come over here already and look at my greatsword. Talking about bows is no fun!"
"Oh... it's not?"
"Of course not!" Ainar yanked Mr. Bear over to her like she was kidnapping him.
It was right about when this ridiculous scene was unfolding that Daria, who had been carefully watching us from a distance, approached. "Erwen."
"Ah, sis."
"Sorry to interrupt, but I have something to say."
"Oh, to Mister?"
"Yeah." Since she had something to say to me, I was about to get up, but Daria stopped me. "You're resting, you don't have to do that."
"Yeah? If you say so. What did you want to tell me?"
At my question, Daria just stared at me awkwardly. For some reason, she seemed uncomfortable about approaching me. Said reason soon became clear. "You... I heard you're a rank-five adventurer now?"
As far as I knew, Daria had also been rank-five when we met, and that hadn't changed since then. But me, on the other hand... Back then, I had been a rank-nine rookie, but within a year I had grown into a rank-five adventurer in charge of my own team. It made sense that she'd be uncomfortable around me.
"And? Is that it?"
"...I have a suggestion."
"Say it."
"Why don't you travel with us for the time being?"
"Elaborate."
At my words, Daria continued in a strictly business-like tone. Apparently, there were a total of seven parties gathered here in pursuit of a common goal, but in the end, they were still strangers. In actuality, most of the parties were forming groups with other teams they were already acquainted.
"If you agree, our two teams will position ourselves close to each other as we move so that we can join forces right away if something happens." Wherever people gathered, factions were bound to arise. Daria was offering me an alliance.
"Not a bad suggestion." The offer itself was quite attractive, so long as one condition was met. "But do you have permission from your leader?" Daria was a member of the Blue Wall Clan's fourth team as a mercenary. Naturally, her team leader was one of the clan's executives. Had they finished discussing this already?
"That man... You don't have to worry about him. I can convince him. So, your answer?"
"All right."
"Okay, then I'll come back later. Erwen, come with me for now."
"Okay..."
Afterward, I watched Daria lead her sister back to where her team was. I felt a strange feeling wash over me. The first time we met, she treated me like a childish barbarian and a guy skulking around her sister. I never thought I'd receive an offer like this from her first.
After a few more minutes of rest, Versyl announced it was time to depart. "Everyone, finish up your preparations. We'll be leaving soon." She also relayed where in the formation our team would be positioned at this time, which was three spots from the front. Right behind us was Erwen's team.
This feels like we're being taken advantage of.
Our formation had each team following behind one another like a train. Of course, there were no complaints here. Due to the nature of the Crystal Cave, it made sense to move in a single file, and the team paving the way at the forefront was Versyl's team, which was the strongest.
"I heard from Daria and Erwen that they call you Little Balkan?" said Erwen's team leader, Big Jaw. "I hope we work well together. Yes, I'll leave the front to you."
Why were we ahead of Erwen's team? Was this really a coincidence?
Of course it's not.
Third from the front may have been similar to fourth, but it was an indisputable fact that being closer to the front was more dangerous. It was a minor thing, but it was also true that we were the ones who were in a worse position.
Raven seemed to think so, too. "Hey, this isn't sitting right with me."
"Hm? Which part?"
"The formation. You don't think this is permanent, do you? I think it would be better to alternate front and back."
Big Jaw laughed good-naturedly at Raven's objection. "Haha, we have a lot of long-rangers on our side, and you guys have close-rangers. It's just a logical setup."
"That's—"
Big Jaw cut Raven off, his voice firm. "Aren't you located in the center, which is the safest spot to be, in the first place? Who do you think that's thanks to?" Even the logical Raven couldn't say anything to that. If our position was thanks to him, she must have figured that it was fair for us to stand in front since we hadn't done anything. You could argue these guys had helped us out.
A mere team leader of a medium-sized clan influencing the vice captain of a large clan?
It sounded like bullshit to me. I needed to keep a close eye on him.
"Now, let's finish this conversation here and get moving. It seems the first group has already left."
Oh, don't rush us.
I left my doubts behind and moved forward.
Step, step.
And so our journey officially began. The journey itself was smooth in the beginning, to the point that I was starting to think it was divine intervention that we had encountered these people by coincidence, and Erwen happened to be there to vouch for me.
"Vice Captain! Dark wizards!"
"Stall for time. I will take care of this quickly."
The combat power of the team to which the vice captain belonged was truly amazing.
I've heard that their clan is mainly active on the seventh floor.
Having them pave the way made things very comfortable for us followers.
Is this what being carried feels like?
Aside from the few surprise attacks launched from some side roads, I could count the number of times I had to wield my mace on one hand.
About an hour into our journey, Versyl stopped and spoke to us. "I have good news and bad news. The good news is that we're almost there. We can reach the dark zone in twenty minutes if we run."
Yes, I knew that already. "What's the bad news?" one of the adventurers asked.
"Not everyone will reach it," Versyl said matter-of-factly.
A chilling silence filled the cave.