12. No risk.
* * *
After hearing the story of the head of headquarters, Psyche immediately stood up. He moved as if there was no reason to delay even one second longer.
As her leader moved, the members of the Valkyrie who were seated around her also stood up and escaped outside of her.
Evan, who was idly rummaging through her documents, left the guild with them belatedly.
“Wait a minute!”
At Evan’s call, Anella turned her head and looked at him as if asking what was going on.
“I…… Can we go together?”
“What? Why do we—”
“Take me, Anella.”
“Psyke. I’m serious?”
Fortunately, the leader of the Valkyries. Psyche was tolerant of Evan. It was because he thought he was more like a guild guard than a simple adventurer.
Unaware of that fact, Evan understood that she was just a person with a heart as wide as her heart, and got on the carriage she was riding.
Psyke carefully opened her mouth as she watched Evan get on her carriage.
“—Did you say Evan?”
“Oh, yes. This is Evan.”
“Do you have any intention of giving up and going back? Even if we go there, we can’t protect it.”
“Yes? Ah- it’s okay. Not at all.”
After hearing that he couldn’t protect him, Evan scratched his cheek shyly and opened his mouth.
“Because I am stronger than Psyche.”
“…… Okay.”
A pure, pure word. There was a high possibility that this kind of kid, especially a low-ranking adventurer, was bluffing or joking.
So Psyche didn’t take Evan’s words seriously and moved on. Of course, just because she passed lightly didn’t mean the other members did the same.
“Stronger than Psyche, Psyche is the strongest among us?”
“Is that so? When I see it, it seems to be there…… I do not know. Ahahahaha.”
“It is also an important ability to know how good the opponent is. Little boy It is very common for people to misunderstand the strength of their opponents and die in actual combat.”
Anella, who regarded Evan as something of a little brother, gave him her advice from the heart of her heart. Adventurers are dangerous. If you want to do it anyway, hone your skills. Advice that becomes flesh and blood.
You might consider the advice as mere nagging, but Evan didn’t. She sensed the sincerity of Anella’s words.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Yes, yes. Well- if you’re really scared when you meet a monster, you can call me by my name. This sister will run to you anytime and save you.”
“Sister Anella, please call me by name when you are in danger. I’ll save you right away.”
“What? hahahahaha! Okay! Don’t call me!”
Amidst the noisy conversation between the two, the carriage arrived at its destination. To the town next to the royal road, the Earl of Bland.
As the wagons bearing the guild’s crest approached the gate, the soldiers passed them right through without any special checks.
Soon afterwards, seeing the carriage skipping over the Count’s territory and heading for the quarry, Psyche could see how urgent the Count was regarding this matter.
‘It’s because I don’t have time to drink tea and chat.’
As the name suggests, rock predators feed on rocks and minerals. In particular, rare minerals cannot be used.
Now that a rare mineral that costs more than gold has been discovered in the county, the count must feel his life shortened every time he sees a rock predator in action.
─It has arrived.
Listening to the coachman’s words, the members of Valkyrie who got off the wagon were able to face the Count waiting for them in the mine.
As soon as the Count saw Valkyrie’s face, he smiled brightly.
“You really, really did a great job!”
“Nothing. Are there mines that have rock predators?”
“That’s right. Please, take care of it as soon as possible.”
The Valkyrie members who arrived in front of the mine almost as if they were being kicked out packed their weapons and equipment and finished preparing to enter the mine.
Evan sneaked in between them and prepared to enter the mine. And Anella, who saw that, asked what she was doing, tilting her head.
“What is it, kid? You shouldn’t come here.”
“Yes?”
“It’s a game. Match. It’s a bet on who will catch it first, so what are you going to do with us?”
“Uh…… Then why not?”
“It’s natural that it doesn’t work. Now, it’s dangerous, so wait at the entrance.”
Swipe-As if being friendly in the carriage was a lie, Anella coldly shook off her Evan and immediately led the way into the mine.
The leader, Psyche, also glanced at Evan and entered the mine without a word.
Evan, who was left alone and watched the scene, sighed heavily and touched the hilt of his sword.
“…… Then it is.”
What is a sweet adventure with pretty sisters? Damn guildmaster. It’s a scam, it’s a scam When I go back, I’ll squeeze that breast. Shall we just bury the whole mine here?
“Huh? Aren’t you going in?”
“Go in.”
“Then hurry up and catch me.”
Evan, who glared once at the urging count, entered the mine alone. As soon as she entered the mine, several forks came out of her, forcing him to make a choice.
After checking the footprints, Evan headed to the place where the Valkyrie party didn’t go.
‘Come out with anything.’
He promised to slice anyone the moment he met them.
* * *
From noble mtl dot com
Without light, you can’t even see an inch in the mine. The Valkyrie wizard, who was maintaining the light source, asked cautiously towards his leader.
“By the way, the leader. Is he really okay?”
“What do you mean?”
“You seem like a kid who doesn’t know anything. Even if you don’t kick me out so coldly…….”
“There’s no way a kid who doesn’t know anything could come to a place like this. That guy is probably the guild’s warden. They are still following us.”
“What!? Is it really?”
Anella, who heard Psyche’s words, uttered a voice of amazement as she was startled and said, “How could that be?” Evan was an employee of the guild? She didn’t notice at all.
But Psyche snorted as if he hadn’t noticed such an obvious fact.
“There’s no way a low-class adventurer would come to such a dangerous place alone. Is not it?”
“Yes…… It’s creepy.”
“The guild wants to see not only the ability to perform missions, but also insight like this.”
It was a completely wrong guess, but it was the most plausible guess on the surface. Common sense made it impossible for a low-level adventurer to come alone without a party to catch a rock predator.
Since plausible lies were originally the most entrenched corporation, Valkyrie’s members soon came to fully believe that Evan was an employee of the guild.
The fact that Psyche had never missed a single one of these deductions also played a part.
“—And the sky seems to be on our side.”
“Prepare for battle!”
Anella, hearing Psyche’s words, reflexively shouted. Far away, from inside the mine, a huge death worm crawled with a terrifying vibration.
A monster called the Rock Eater. A monster that tramples everything with just its size.
Anella immediately raised her shield and stood in front of it to block the stone predator’s charge. Whoop-! A loud roar and shock made the mine tremble.
“Ha ha ha! Welcome you monster!”
Blocking the charge of her stone predator with one of her shields, Anella raised her hammer, which was still in her right hand.
And then I took it down.
─Kieee-!
Hearing the monster’s screams, Anella licked a few drops of blood from her face.
“Can I do it?”
So Valkyrie went on a hunt for a rock predator.
***
Inside the empty mine.
As I trudge along without strength, I suddenly think of why I am doing this.
‘I shouldn’t have come…… Ah, the silver-haired older sister looked nice. I’ll take some with me.’
Miscellaneous thoughts begin to fill my head. Negative thoughts keep coming back to you. Like a balloon drowned in water, the more you press it, the stronger it bounces.
I can’t stop it. I feel like I want to bite my tongue and commit suicide right now. The reason I didn’t do that is because I know that this feeling is temporary and will disappear if I go outside and get some fresh air…….
“Evil-!”
As I was walking without thinking, I bumped into a wall and kicked the wall with my foot in a rage. Just when I was about to go back after venting my anger for a while, the wall moved.
[─Who wakes me up.]
“Huh?”
A sudden voice. I raised my head and looked in front of me. A dragon big enough to fill the mine was staring at me with both eyes wide open.
And the moment you see the dragon, a tingling sense of crisis instantly pushes away negative thoughts and boils all over your body.
[Human, what does that mean?]
After hearing the dragon’s words, I finally realized that I was holding the hilt of the sword. The sense of crisis brought not only excitement, but also a sense of triumph.
As I gazed at the dragon while gently adjusting the hilt of my sword, I was convinced.
‘It can be cut.’
And the next moment, he drew his sword and swung it.
* * *
Coooooung…… !
After a long hunt, the party Valkyrie was able to hunt the rock predator. In the process, some party members were injured, but not enough to die.
“—That’s it.”
After collecting the core of the Rock Eater, Psyche realized that with this, they could become a top-notch adventurer and a top-notch adventurer party.
The thrill you feel when you achieve success. Her dopamine shower, which felt better than doing her drugs, washed over her.
“Let’s go. Anella, take the kids.”
“Ahhh…… Did I break my arm too?”
“Take care with your unbroken arm.”
Anella, with one of her arms broken, picked up the fainting sorceress and kicked her while she murmured. Fortunately, the remaining two did not faint, nor were they injured beyond walking.
Psyche, who came out of the mine triumphantly with the five of them, handed over the report that his mission had been completed to the Count, who was waiting outside the mine.
“It is over. Count.”
“Oh! That is now…… !”
“Yes, there is no danger in the mines—.”
[Kwaaang-!]
The garden above the mine exploded and the dragon spat out its head.
After seeing the dragon, Psyche paused before reporting.
The count also stared blankly at the dragon.
“…… Didn’t I say there’s no danger?”
“… ….”
Psyche had nothing to say even if she had a hundred mouths.
At the same time, the dragon raised its head and roared wildly.
[Kwaaang-!]
It sounded like a scream in pain.