175. Shouldn’t we seek rendezvous in the Empire?
Finding the guild we aimed for wasn’t too difficult. Due to the nature of Mürchen, where the characteristics of a military city stand out, accommodations for outsiders to stay were decided.
Above all because of its monstrous name and symbol. No matter how much the slave traders use cute names on purpose to alleviate the heinous atmosphere, I don’t think this is too much.
“Welcome to the Strawberry Top. What is your business?”
A muscular slave with a cute strawberry brand on his forehead greeted us with a frown. It was rather something close to grotesque beyond gag.
It is a pitiful situation for us to lend a hand to a place like this. The urge to just throw it all over suddenly surged, but like a disciplined adult, I decided to persevere just one more time.
[Call your master!]
“I haven’t heard that there will be guests today… Did you make an appointment?”
[What is the promise of such a small corner store!]
I uttered abusive words without hesitation. Taking care of your stomach should be about the same as the empire, should our hero pay attention to trivial things like this?
Besides, the opponent is not a freeman, but a slave. A tool used by the person who becomes its owner. No one cares about the feelings of an answering machine when talking.
“If there is no scheduled appointment…”
[You’d better think properly and spit it out. If your master later finds out that we went back because of you, you won’t be safe either.]
“Could I possibly know your name?”
[I don’t have a name to tell you.]
A slave guarding a small guild cannot be on the same level as a gatekeeper. Unable to overcome my pressure, the slave’s eyes swayed wildly like a lost ferry. Yes, it will be a lot of trouble.
The clothes are ordinary, but the elegance covered with cream is not ordinary. Besides, judging by the tone of his speech, he is a high-ranking person that he would not dare to approach. I would like to bring it in.
However, if it is judged that it is not a big deal after being sent in, it will be the slave himself who has not fulfilled the role of the gatekeeper who plays the sutra. Seeing the expression on his face that clearly showed conflict, I decided to relieve him of his responsibilities.
[Anyway, we go in. Effort.]
“No!”
Cream recklessly pushed the slave and entered the inn. In the first place, even if the body was strong, there was no way that a slave who was just an ordinary person could stop the warrior’s steps.
The slave who bumped into the slender girl’s shoulders rolled over in a ridiculous motion as if he had been hit by some kind of dump truck. Appalling power. At least, it was because Cream controlled it, but even if she was not a human that she attacked with all her might, even if she were a monster, she would not have been spared the burden of an exploding tomato.
Cream’s torso headbutt didn’t take his opponent’s life, but it was enough to knock him out. Leaving behind the slave who couldn’t get up because his legs were broken, we entered the base.
[The inside is cleaner than I thought.]
There is almost no smell of copper that is unique to slave traders. It’s probably a long-term lease of an existing place rather than a building owned by the guild.
Of course we didn’t know anything about the structure of this building, but there were no problems. Because there was a person next to us who had a sense so sensitive that even an animal would cry.
[Go, Choco!]
“Don’t give orders!”
While grumbling, Choco began to sniff her surroundings. Just as he guided us from the gates of the empire to the base of the upper ranks, he will find his target here too. The owner of the top of Strawberry Strawberry.
Fortunately, judging by the brightening of the guy’s expression, luckily, it seems that the upper section is now inside. If he had been wandering around somewhere else, I would have taken up a lot of time chasing after him.
Well, anyway, the rubbish ends here. Following Choco’s guidance, we walked with familiar steps as if the place we had seen for the first time in our lives was her own home. After climbing the stairs and passing the extravagant and vulgar decorations, we arrived quickly.
I felt someone’s presence over the visit. Cream opened the door without hesitation.
[Stay still! It’s the police!]
“Who, who are you!”
Someone sitting in the middle of the office, luxurious but more vulgar than dignified, heard my shout and raised his head agitatedly. His plump face was full of embarrassment.
Usually, if you’re fat, you look good, but this guy’s flesh actually gave him a stern look. Hey, this is another image of a typical evil merchant.
Because he was even a slave trader, his prejudice was not wrong at all. At least, if you were to choose someone who didn’t fit the cute name of Strawberry and Strawberry Top, his appearance was enough to fit into that candidate group.
[I have come to condemn you for making fun of and selling people of the kingdom and the empire!]
“What, what! Are you the inspector of the kingdom! Or not······.”
[The same slave trader?]
At my confident answer, Sang Sangju put on a dumbfounded expression for a moment. Soon, his reddened cheeks trembled and he lost his temper.
“Hmph, kid. I don’t know whose errand it is, but if you don’t want to go up to the merchandise tomorrow, you better watch your mouth!”
Cream covered her face with her hood to avoid attracting attention, so all her slave dealer could see was her short frame. It is unclear whether she is even a man or a woman.
From that point of view, it’s not unreasonable to look down on Cream. However, the moment Cream took out a tile from his chest, his attitude changed in an instant.
“Wait a minute, that’s…”
[Me, true. I’m going to brag about the topic of sucking blood from another guild, and then look at it.]
“Are you the herald of the Ice Merchant? However, no matter how much it is, trespassing into my residence without prior notice is…”
What Cream took out was not her gold-faced plaque, but a plaque engraved with a snowflake pattern, an object that could borrow the authority of the ice firm that she possessed.
Of course, the Ice Company is not a noble or anything, but a name that can have a greater influence on a slave trader than a fairly large noble. The attitude of the upper class quickly became polite.
But, hmm. Also, I’m a bit sad about this. It’s a little distasteful that such a piglet is maintaining the same eye level as me. Received my will, Cream lightly drew the Holy Sword.
“Heo Eok······. Omg?!”
Two breaths filled with surprise resounded in succession. The first was the fear he felt when he saw the knife, and the second was the surprise he felt upon realizing the knife’s true identity.
A brilliant and blessed radiance recognizable to anyone who grew up listening to the story of the hero. The face of the old top lord was dyed with a pale light.
“No, why did the hero kill the slave trader…?”
[Kneel.]
“Yes.”
*
Such stories often appear in novels. The top that I came across by chance while on the road. The main character with excellent skills naturally joins the upper ranks as a group… Blah blah.
It was a romance of my own, but it was something I had never put into practice when I was an adventurer. The other world is infested with all sorts of threats, and most of the ascendants are already accompanied by armed forces to repel them.
If you don’t have the proper force, you’re just going after it. Accepting a stranger with a knife into your party is never a good choice. The sword can repulse enemies, but it can also be aimed at allies.
[Finally, your romance comes true.]
So I don’t know if I’m joining after receiving a formal request, but becoming a colleague through coincidence and fate has been left only a dream until now. Yes, so far.
“hehehe. How is it that the seat is a bit peaceful?”
[Well, that’s not bad.]
But now the wish is fulfilled. Of course, it’s a pity that my colleague is not a pretty girl, but a pig-like old man, but with Cream, I’m not at all sorry.
[So why don’t you put that down?]
“········.”
Perhaps my persuasion worked, Cream quietly put down the steel box he was holding. More than that, that’s not even our thing. Behind her, I heard the upper class sigh of relief.
From noble mtl dot com
“Anything that makes you uncomfortable…?”
[You.]
“Yes?”
[Keep your mouth shut because you’re annoying.]
Despite the terrifying verbal remarks, Strawberry Strawberry Sangsanju only smiled, but she couldn’t respond properly. If we had only been members of the Ice Firm, even if we were the lord of the Ice Firm, such rudeness would not have been tolerated.
We are warriors. Super-legal authority and uncontrollable power. Thanks to that, we have been able to run amok wherever we go without paying attention like crazy people. Yes, within the kingdom.
And now, the slave trader’s wagon we rode in was running through the empire.
“Right. I have a question.”
[What?]
“Be careful what you do after entering the empire. Why is that?”
Choco’s question was, at first glance, reasonable. In fact, isn’t strength the same everywhere? If Cream could rampage in the kingdom, he should have done so in the empire as well.
That’s the problem. That the empire is a human country.
[Public person······. No, imagine ten ordinary soldiers attacking you. What do you think?]
“Uh… Lucky?”
This is a statement worthy of a guy who regards all beings as prey, regardless of monsters and intelligent beings. But what I’m going to tell you now is a little different story.
[Then how many hundred people?]
“Didn’t I say all of them were small fish? It just wastes time and seems annoying.”
[How about a thousand people? If ten thousand people?]
It wasn’t until then that Choco seemed to understand the meaning of what I was trying to say.
People in another world are basically superior in basic abilities compared to people on Earth. And this applies not only to simple physical abilities, but also to other parts.
Babies in another world do not differ much from humans on Earth in terms of gestation period and growth period, but the infant mortality rate and disability incidence rate are absurdly low. More than modern medical technology, all children born are guaranteed healthy growth until they reach adulthood.
Even so, the reason why the number of humans doesn’t feel so high is because there was a great population suppressor called monsters. Then, in the deep mountain hinterland or in an empire where monsters can be found?
[Don’t be surprised. There are 20,000 knights in the empire.]
“What? Nonsense!”
Based on armed standards, your strength is enough to deal with medium-level monsters alone. Of course, being the underdog by the standards of cream or chocolate is still the same, but that outrageous number will feel like pressure to him as well.
[That’s what I’m saying to be careful in the Empire. Of course, there are demigods and dangerous guys like that, but to be honest, how wide is the territory of the empire, how can I run into those guys?]
And if Cream had the power of the ‘God’s Protection’, he would neither win nor lose against any opponent. The real problem is on the other side.
Absolute cause and effect that cannot be twisted even by Deus ex machina.
[If they are branded for their achievements in the empire, mercenaries will flock like bees before knights, even for rewards.]
Unlike the kingdom area where adventurers dominate, most mercenaries took on the role of adventurers in the empire. A group similar to the Adventurers, but much more organized and enlisted.
Unlike the adventurous party, which cannot exceed 100 people, no matter how large the party is, the empire’s large mercenary corps, including their seeds and auxiliary personnel, are so numerous that they exceed 1,000 people. Yes, that was the reason why I was wary of the Empire—more precisely, it bothered me.
In the empire, there are, really, f*cking, a lot of people.
[So behave well when you go to the empire.]
“Chi. I only listen to my master.”
The guy grumbled and turned away. Still, seeing that the momentum has calmed down compared to a while ago, Choco must have understood roughly this level of warning.
I hope so. I don’t have much trust when I think of the history of destroying the most valuable items on the road even before going to the empire.