The Paramere Search Operation (4)
The Paramere Search Operation (4)
"...What?"
In the frozen atmosphere, I realized my inner thoughts had slipped out. Ah, shit!
It was exactly the scene I'd expected, so I'd made a mistake without even realizing it!
"Ahaha. The shop's a mess, I said. My, my. Don't they clean on time?"
"......"
Was it too late to play it off?
Rosemary let out a sigh. She stepped out in front of me and bowed politely.
"Young rookies often let their honesty get ahead of them. Please be understanding."
"...And who might you be?"
"I am Rosemary. I come from the Church of Ra."
The shop stirred.
"Rosemary? I think I've heard that name before?"
"Isn't she that woman who's pretty capable even among the priests?"
"The Church of Ra's made up its mind. Sending one of their few precious talents into the Paramer operation with their shoestring budget..."
"Isn't that a bad omen?"
Not a single proper compliment?
Anyway, as expected of Rosemary. Her name carried serious weight, enough that even ordinary people knew of her.
Thanks to her, everyone's attention shifted off me. Nice! I hurriedly bowed my head to put an end to the matter.
"I apologize."
"Ahem."
"Ahem."
There was a reason they let it slide as if they had no choice. Inside, I was an adult worn down by storms, but outwardly, I was a young boy no matter how you looked at it.
Age really is a weapon. I slipped back into my seat. The mercenary and knight who'd been growling and squaring off returned to their seats in the now-awkward atmosphere.
I still need to keep my head down for now. I don't know about later, but for the moment I should stay humble. The hotheaded ones will definitely fight, so let them all fight it out, then I'll assess the situation and skim off the benefits.
"...Twenty-three. Everyone's gathered."
The lightly armored imperial knight stood up. A scar across his face made a striking impression.
"All members of the Paramer search party. Attention. I am Ian Pamel, in command of the 10th Search Battalion."
Somewhat overbearing. There was no separate greeting or request for cooperation.
He simply continued speaking as if it were only natural.
"Command authority rests solely with the imperial knights, and I expect everyone to sign the documents we will now distribute."
A female knight stood up. She moved around the tables, handing out the documents.
Backlash erupted immediately.
"In wartime, you must absolutely follow the commanding officer's orders? Otherwise you'll be punished for treason?"
"What kind of bullshit is this? And on top of that, keep in mind that ownership of all treasure obtained inside Paramer belongs to the Empire?"
"Am I seeing things...? Did I read that right?"
"What the hell is this... how many... how many unfavorable clauses are there?"
"Ah. Shit. This kind of crap wasn't in the contract we first received!"
"These are documents from the Empire!"
"Shut up and sign!"
Mercenaries confronting the barking knights. Elves watching as if it were someone else's business, and a wizard trying to mediate.
What a mess.
This time I didn't say it out loud. Whew. I read down through the document.
Empire. Empire. Empire.
The same word caught my eye over and over. It all meant one thing.
That only terms favorable to the Empire were written in it.
"What will you do?"
I added an honorific for Rosemary. It was an official setting, so that was only natural. Rosemary read the document and ripped it to shreds.
"With clauses like these, there's no reason to go."
Firm. Very firm.
Of course, the ripping was happening elsewhere too.
"You thieving bastards!"
"We volunteered for this with our lives on the line, and this is what we get?!"
"No compensation at all, and you're just going to hog everything yourselves!"
The mercenaries' backlash was the loudest, and the wizards who'd been trying to mediate were quietly siding with that opinion as well.
"No matter how I think about it, this is a bit..."
"Sir knights. Are these one-sided clauses really from the Empire?"
"To sign these clauses, we'd have to formally commission the Magic Tower..."
Had he thought the wizards would take his side? Ian Pamel's face hardened.
He quickly changed his tune.
"Of course, you don't have to sign. But if you don't sign, I'd advise you not to expect the imperial knights to watch your backs."
Just as I thought.
It was a scheme to hog all the credit for himself.
A chaotic start. I quietly passed my document to Rosemary.
"Would you rip mine up instead? I think I've already been marked."
"......"
Rosemary ripped my document apart with a snap.
Ahh.
This job's going to be rough too. But what can I do? I've got to do what I've got to do.
. . .
"The city we will be entering is Paramer."
The wizards' briefing began. A man who looked about my height. Small, but seemingly much older, with deep wrinkles etched into his face.
The imperial knights weren't with the group. As if they'd had no intention of getting friendly from the start, they'd left the shop entirely. Maybe they'd gone to sleep early since it was late.
Well, they're noisy types anyway, so it's better without them.
"I am Hudson Babel, from the Blue Magic Tower. I serve as the search party's deputy commander, and before we enter the city, I'll give a brief briefing."
His glance around carried the wisdom of age.
"Would that be all right?"
"We'd be grateful if you explained."
"We were actually frustrated from the lack of information."
"Thank you, Wizard."
Even the mercenaries who'd been hostile to the knights acted like tame puppies in front of the wizard. Perhaps pleased with the response, Hudson smiled slightly.
"Paramer is a region that was covered in black fog ten years ago. It has been confirmed that you can enter from outside, but once inside, you cannot leave."
Black fog was drawn over a roughly sketched castle diagram.
"It is difficult to make out the interior with the naked eye. Inhaling the black fog easily causes mental instability, headaches, diarrhea, and other physical abnormalities."
"...So you're saying we're guaranteed to die if we go in?"
"That is not the case. Fortunately, the black fog's permeability is not very high, so simply placing cloth over the nose and mouth can prevent inhalation."
The wizard Hudson held up a handkerchief.
"A handkerchief of this size is sufficient for prevention. If you happen to see a comrade or a survivor trapped inside the city inhaling the black smoke, cover their mouth and nose first. Fortunately, the madness disappears shortly after breathing returns to normal, so there's no need to worry about that part."
"That's information we'd have been screwed without."
"Is there anything else?"
"Is there really no way to get out from the inside?"
Hudson answered the pouring questions one by one, slowly.
"No living creature has yet been observed coming out from inside Paramer to the outside. As for anything else... the black smoke covers even the sky, so the interior is expected to be very dark. I recommend bringing something that can provide light."
Hudson pinned a complex blueprint to the board, apparently drawn in advance.
"As you know, Paramer was one of the great cities representing the north before its fall. The complex buildings are packed close together, so it was often called a maze. I've brought several copies of Paramer's map, and I'll distribute them to everyone. One per group should be sufficient."
"As expected of the Magic Tower."
"Wizards really are competent."
"That's more praise than I deserve. But more than that..."
Hudson took off his hat. He smiled so broadly the wrinkles disappeared.
"Before entering Paramer, shouldn't we know who's gathered from where? Inside there, we'll help each other, not become enemies. I think we should at least have simple introductions. How about the leaders of each group roughly explain what kind of group they are?"
"...Well, it's not a bad idea."
"We can't know where those elves rolled in from or what they were doing, right?"
"Hey there, pretty. Want to play with me before we go in?"
"Shut your trap. Human."
"Whoa. Feisty."
"Knock it off. You brats."
With a quick "Hup," one mercenary stood and bowed courteously beside Hudson.
"I'm Daniel Rodvich, captain of the Blue Punk Mercenary Company."
"Beach! Beach!"
"Don't call me that. You'll die."
Daniel grinned good-naturedly.
"Blue Punk, well, we're just mercenaries. Hired by someone high up. We came purely for the money. Three vanguard, two rearguard. We've done most everything, and that loudest guy over there named Dillon is good at disarming traps and such. He's got sharp night vision too."
"Oh my, my. Aren't you hyping me up too much, Captain?"
"You can ignore most of what he says. We've got no intention of being hostile as long as it's not the imperial knights, so don't worry. Especially those ranger ladies over there—they're more than welcome."
The elves shuddered. They quietly took a step back.
As if filling the gap after Daniel, Hudson naturally continued the introductions.
"As I said earlier, I come from the Blue Magic Tower. We joined the search party for magical research. The Paramer incident is unusual and has spawned many magical theories. There are four of us from the Blue Magic Tower, and all of us can handle high-level magic. We can deal with everything from trivial matters to complex ones, so if you discover anything strange, please tell us first."
When the Blue Magic Tower's introduction ended, attention turned to the elves. The elf who'd been sitting in silence scowled sharply.
"What."
"....."
"What."
"....."
"Haah."
The elf stood up. At her long legs and figure with all the right curves, the mercenaries cheered.
"You're seriously something else!"
"Shut your mouths. Humans."
The elf swept a hand over her face. Her self-introduction was brief.
"We're from the Fairy Forest. Four rangers. Weapons are knives and crossbows. Since arrows are limited, I'd appreciate help with retrieval."
"Miss! Step on me!"
"......"
"Eyes that look at me like I'm trash... thrilling..."
There's not a single normal person in Blue Punk.
The elf returned to her seat with a sigh. It was the churches' turn to step up, but others began standing one by one.
The muttered monologues were loud enough to hear clearly.
"The churches, well, they'll just be slightly helpful for healing and recovery."
"Can't we just use them as potion substitutes so the wizards don't have to work hard?"
"There's a point of mutual understanding there."
"That's the spirit, lady!"
Wow.
They really do treat the churches differently. It's completely different from how they treat the wizards.
Daniel raised his hand.
"Wizard. Do you have anything else to say?"
"I was planning to give another brief briefing in front of Paramer before entering... but the churches' introductions still..."
"Then let's introduce the priests at that time. It's too late now, so I think it'd be better to go to sleep."
When Daniel stood, the elves stood up along with him. In an instant, the place emptied, leaving only priests and wizards.
Hudson sweated profusely, looking uncomfortable.
"...I apologize. It seems I'm somewhat lacking in charisma..."
"Hey, it's fine. People looking down on religious folk isn't anything new."
I suppose inside and outside the church really are different. Hadn't Priest Mierkant said it over and over? That priests are a setting sun now.
I stretched out fully. I glanced back. Let's see.
Most of the religious people participating in the Paramer Search Operation are greenhorns. They're bound to throw away disposable cards. No group throws its key forces into a mission that's basically telling you to go die.
Still, a simple self-introduction should be fine, right?
"Rosemary."
"What?"
"Let's introduce ourselves while it's just us. It's only right for the most capable person, Rosemary, to go first, isn't it?"
"...What?"
I smiled brightly.
"Right, Rosemary? You're the senior here, aren't you?"
"...You sly snake."
Rosemary stood up. She looked down at the people and briefly introduced herself.
"I'm Rosemary of the Church of Ra. The weapon I mainly use is..."
She hesitated. She let out a sigh.
"An axe. I'd like you to note that I'm vanguard, not rearguard, and a paladin, not a priest."
"An axe?"
The two muscular bald men who'd been quiet the whole time shot to their feet.
"Isn't that a man's weapon!"
"Oh! I'd misunderstood Rosemary the inquisitor!"
"The axe is the very symbol of a warrior!"
"Pleased to meet you! I'm Lucas!"
"I'm Marcus!"
"We're paladins of the Church of Iskandar!"
...?
Why are the Lucas and Marcus brothers here?
Even if they're not main NPC level, they're among the major NPCs. These two proudly handle part of Iskandar's forces.
And they're using them as disposable cards in the Paramer Search Operation?
Why?
"Why are you two here?"
"A little brother, is it."
"He's fairly well-trained."
"Do you know how to swing an axe?"
"How many logs can you split in a day?"
"Oh, I couldn't even count."
"Hahahaha!"
"A little brother after my own heart!"
The paladins from the Church of Iskandar flexed their muscles.
"We volunteered directly!"
"Purifying evil is the very duty of a paladin!"
...Just like these eccentrics. Well, sure. There were a few times they participated in the Paramer Search Operation.
But even so, to jump straight into a place where you'll die.
Just like justice-obsessed fools.
A man who'd been gauging the mood quietly stood up. In a small voice, he mumbled and grumbled.
"We're going in to die, so why even bother with self-introductions in the first place..."
Hudson forced a smile.
"Still, wouldn't it be better for those of us remaining to exchange names?"
"I'm Pablo. I'm from the Church of Lu... and I don't really have anything else to say. That's it."
The Church of Lu. The most famous church in the south. It stood in opposition to the Church of Ra.
But... just looking at him, he's got no manners.
I turned my head. There was one church left that hadn't introduced themselves. A boy in white robes. A man who looked around my age.
He came trotting over. Smiling brightly, he bowed his head.
"Hello! I'm Noah, from the Church of Isis!"
...Noah?
Noah?
Why is the apostle of the Goddess of Life Isis here?
My head was spinning. But come to think of it, the headache suddenly vanished.
No, wait.
An apostle of Isis, plus the Lucas and Marcus brothers... two ace inquisitors of the Sun Church...
Even excluding that Pablo or whatever-his-name loser...
With this lineup, haven't we basically gathered the strongest members of the entire search party in one place?