EP5. Adventure City (4)
Sean and Levy left the inn this morning.
It’s the fourth day since I came to Laes, and today is the day to subdue monsters.
Sean asked Levi next to him.
“What was the name of the monster you caught today?”
Gania explained it to me the other day, but I forgot it because I was having too much fun at dinner.
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But even Levy had no clue. What was more exciting was none other than Levy himself. So Levy just laughed awkwardly and said.
“Eh, ehehehe. I don’t know either?”
“······You can ask later.”
The two arrived at the association just like that.
Unlike last time, there were many people in the association today. Looking at the crowded association, Levy muttered blankly.
“Wow… They all look like adventurers here…”
“There are probably mercenaries in the mix.”
I heard that most of the adventurers and mercenaries in Laes participate in this hunt. Conversely, the Silent Wolf decided to take a break and do maintenance because of Orki Magna’s solo battle.
That was actually quite surprising.
The level of monsters to be hunted this time is almost the same as that of Orki Magna. In other words, wouldn’t it mean that the Silent Wolf Mercenary Corps can be seen as similar to the level of the rest of the adventurers and mercenaries in Laes except for him?
Of course, it is true that they caught it more easily thanks to Levy and himself in the process, but even if they did not participate, they had enough skills to succeed in the subjugation.
Anyway, I know that you have to come to the association, but what should I do after that…?
Sean and Levy decided to go to the receptionist they saw last time. While hurting people, I finally made it to the reception desk, where the receptionist I had seen before was standing there.
The guide seemed to recognize the two and greeted them.
“Oh, are you here? Nice to meet you.”
“Yes… But what should we do? It’s the first time…”
“There won’t be much to do here. It’s not that we all start here together, we gather at the camp near the monsters to be subdued.”
Are we supposed to gather at the camp? Shawn looked around and asked the guide.
“Then why are there so many people here?”
“Gathering colleagues to work together. Usually when subjugating monsters, it is much more efficient to form a party and help each other fight than to fight alone.”
Patira, Sean looked at Levy. Wouldn’t it be enough just to have Levi? Whether he really needed to be with a stranger he didn’t know, Sean pondered for a moment.
At that time, the guide said.
“You will have an adventurer designated by us. You are not officially adventurers yet, so you are not allowed to participate in hunting.”
“Ah… Then I can’t help it.”
If you don’t organize a party, you say you can’t participate. Shawn understood the situation. Since we can’t be completely trusted, wouldn’t it be like putting it in as a monitoring tool?
The receptionist added with a smile.
“And, you guys don’t even know where the subjugation operation camp is. The adventurer will guide you.”
“Yes. Yes. Thank you.”
At that time, Levi asked the guide what he was curious about.
“What kind of adventurer will you be with us?”
“You are such a nice person. Ah! It’s just over there!”
At those words, Sean and Levy followed the guide’s gaze and turned around. There was a small, petite woman struggling to get out of a crowd of people.
She looked about the same height as Levy, and the way her hair was braided in two braids gave off the impression of a pure girl.
Certainly, as the guide said, he seems to be a good person. It was because her face itself was like a cute girl who could not be hated but had a crush on her.
However, she didn’t seem to be a good adventurer. It’s okay to judge her just by looking at her outward appearance, but it’s because she looked so fragile.
Shaun asked the receptionist softly so the girl couldn’t hear.
“Is he the only one coming to our party?”
“Yes. He is the most trusted person in the association.”
As if she was relieved by that, she barely managed to get through to the reception desk, looked at the receptionist and us standing, and said.
“… By any chance…?”
“Yes. These are them.”
At that, she greeted me with a bright smile.
“Hello! My name is Cania! She has heard a lot!”
“Oh, yes. Hello.”
“Hello. Mr. Kania.”
After exchanging her slightly awkward greeting with her, Shawn thought.
Cania? Where do you think she heard it? The name seemed familiar for some reason, and Sean wondered where he had heard it.
“… By any chance? Mr. Gania’s…?”
“Ah! I guess my brother told you? Yes, I am Gania’s older sister!”
Sister…? She looks like her little sister no matter how you look at it. Shawn took another look at her, her Kania, her appearance.
Hmm, it looks like a resemblance… However, looking around, I couldn’t find a clear resemblance other than the red hair color.
Still, strangely, overall, it seemed like they resembled sisters. Of course, although she was like her brother.
Kania said without hiding the excited bird.
“I heard a lot of real stories! I hear you played a crucial role in catching Orki Magna!”
“Ah, hahahaha. It’s not even a decisive role…”
“How humble are you, rumors have already spread around the city that the boy stabbed the monster’s heart?”
My God, the boy who stabbed the monster’s heart. It was such an embarrassing rumor. It’s not wrong, but in the first place, he only accepted and ate the situation created by Levy.
And Kania continued to look at Levi next to her and said.
“And, and…! You’re a wizard! Really?”
“Uh, yes? Which one?”
“Did you really make winter by freezing the surroundings and making thunderbolts strike from the sky?”
Levy was taken aback by Kania’s aggressive question. Make winter, strike a thunderbolt? Isn’t that too exaggerated?
Levy slightly resented the silent wolf mercenaries who must have spread rumors for a while.
“Not that much. Just····.”
“Still, it’s true that you defeated the monsters using magic!”
“······Yes. Well, that’s true, but…”
“Awesome!”
Kania pressed her face towards the two and spoke with great excitement.
“This is amazing! To think such a cool adventurer would come to Laes! Maybe I’ve been waiting for a cool adventurer like you all my life!”
Sean was perplexed, but questioned in his words.
“Ha ha ha. Thank you. But there must have been many adventurers in Laes. Why are you saying that?”
What is Laes’ nickname? Isn’t this the city of adventure? But to hear that a great adventurer is coming to Laes. This must be the home of adventurers.
At that, Kania said with a slightly subdued attitude.
“Ah… I can see what you’re thinking. However·····.”
Kania took one look around her and she whispered softly to Shawn.
“There is no such thing as a cool adventurer in this city.”
“Yes?”
At Sean’s question, Kania tried to continue her story, but looked around her. There were too many people here.
Besides, anyway, this is where adventurers go. It was inappropriate to say here.
Kania said to the boy and girl.
“Would you like to go to lunch? Subjugation will start after lunch.”
“Now?”
“We talk about the rest while eating. How is it?”
Sean looked at Levy. Seeing that Levy nodded her head, Sean agreed too.
“Yes. Great.”
Kania greeted the guide with a smile. Shawn and Levy also said hello.
“Yes. Everyone. Have a good trip.”
So the three left the association to have lunch.
***
The three arrived at the restaurant. It was the first restaurant Sean and Levy had ever been to.
When I went inside, I couldn’t see other people because each seat was partitioned.
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Wow, there are places like this in the city. The three of us sat down and ordered our meals.
Sean asked about the story.
“So, what were you trying to say?”
Kania nodded her head and said.
“There is no such thing as a cool adventurer in this city.”
“Yes. I mean, why? This is an adventure city.”
Sean now focused on the conversation while eating dry food.
“All the adventurers here are drunk on money and fame. It is safe to say that there are no adventurers who defeat evil monsters and save people, like in fairy tales.”
“·······.”
“It wasn’t always like that. Obviously, there were some cool adventurers like that in the beginning.”
“・・・・Are you saying you don’t have it now?”
At those words, Kania said with a slightly sad smile.
“Monsters and adventurers are increasing in Raes, and naturally there were people who came here because of the smell of money. They are merchants.”
Cania explained why this city had become so desolate.
“Merchant literally saw everything as money. Even hunting monsters was only seen as a way to make money.”
That made Sean wonder. Because it didn’t sound like a bad thing. It was natural for people to pursue money. Especially the merchants will be even more so.
“Is that bad?”
“That in itself is not a bad thing. But the problem started when the monsters in Raes started to decrease.”
Is the decrease in monsters bad? It was a contradiction. In Sean’s opinion, monsters are absolutely evil. And while merchants may be evil, they are more often good.
Kania told me about this city in her words.
“Merchants came to Laes, made a lot of money and had a considerable influence on the power of the city.”
Sean and Levy quietly focused on Kania’s words.
“By the way, the number of monsters appearing in the city has decreased recently. Merchants who thought that monsters would disappear soon did one thing.”
The merchants did the work. What the hell is it?
“They worked hand in hand with the association, and they chose who they wanted to hunt monsters with. And most of them were adventurers belonging to the association.”
“·····Well, what is the problem? Adventurers catch monsters…”
“Of course it is. But the mercenaries were the problem.”
A mercenary, a new entity that had not appeared in her story until now. And Sean naturally thought of the silent wolf they had met for the first time.
“Originally, adventurers and mercenaries were balanced in this city. The scale was similar and the amount of work was similar.”
“······.”
“But because of the merchants, only adventurers were in charge of the job, so one by one the mercenaries either left the city or changed their jobs to adventurers.”
“Aren’t adventurers and mercenaries doing the same thing? Then it doesn’t matter if you change jobs.”
She herself understood it. In fact, listening to Kren, Dios, Hector, or Gania didn’t seem to make a big difference between being a mercenary or an adventurer.
But at Sean’s question, Kania shook her head.
“There is a fundamental difference between the two. Adventurers belong to the association, but mercenaries do not.”
Kania took a moment to catch her breath before she spoke of the secrets of this city,
“Merchants, by joining hands with the association, want to rule this city for themselves.”
“But, the city has its own owner, right?”
“So, we are trying to reduce the number of mercenaries, which are armed groups, as much as possible. Adventurers belong to the association, so they become their own strength.”
Sean thought it couldn’t be, but he asked if the answer he had barely understood was correct.
“Are you saying there will be a rebellion in the city now?”
At those words, Kania said.
“I think there is not much left.”