Episode 269
I later shared the contents of the mission.
After hearing everything, Lanfero was silent for a moment, while Ramon was surprisingly sensitive and tears welled up in his eyes.
"So this friend Mir doesn't know if her family is alive or dead?"
"For now, yes."
"Then we should hurry."
Lanfero suggested, "Why don't we do this? The mission is in the north, right? Our branch is also nearby. We should swing by the base first, finish the procedures, and recruit one or two more people before going to do the mission."
"Ah. That sounds good. We'll probably need the squad captain's permission, though."
"Who is the captain?"
"Feed Albero. Or was it Skystrider? In any case, that person."
"The Heavenly Wind Knight? That makes things complicated. He doesn't like us very much."
That was certainly the case. He didn't just dislike them, but saw Corrupted as a disgrace to Heroes. Still, I didn't tell them that.
Apart from that, Feed seemed to have a very high opinion of me. If I mediated well, he probably wouldn't make a big fuss.
Lanfero asked, "Hey, Ramon, who's lazing around the base right now?"
"They're all basically unemployed, so it must be all of them."
"I guess. Then who are the right people to take along?"
"Since it is the north, wouldn't it be better to go with Noren, Lukuluku, or Araxad?"
"What about Daedalus?"
"He's too big."
"Indeed."
Lanfero nodded. "Let's go there before deciding. Some of them might be doing other errands."
"Okay!" Ramon clenched his fists excitedly. He seemed motivated to be doing a proper mission.
Lanfero also had a look full of expectation on his face. It made me realize just how long they had been persecuted.
A question popped into my mind, so I asked it. "Speaking of that, how many members of Corrupted are there?"
"Let's see. One, two, three, four... There are eight of us right now. Once the two of you join, there will be ten." Lanfero counted on his fingers one by one, folding all ten of his fingers. For some reason, his movements looked insidious.
I said, "There will be one more person in addition to the two of us."
"Ah. Then there are eleven."
That was more than I'd thought. To be honest, I had expected there would only be four or five of them, including these two.
"Okay. Then I'll get permission from the squad captain first."
"Yes. Tomorrow, bring along the new kid who will join the clan."
"Doesn't she need to sign a contract?"
"We can handle that at the branch."
As an aside, Mir seemed to be in poor condition due to the news of her tribe. I figured it would be best to let her rest for now.
Lanfero looked at me and said, "We'll leave this city tomorrow. If you have something to buy, you should buy it in advance. The place we'll be headed to is on the outskirts of the empire. It's different from the big cities where there's plenty of food, entertainment, and necessities such as warm beds."
I was speechless.
"It would be best for you to buy some supplies yourself."
I just nodded silently when I heard this suggestion.
***
Before I went shopping, I went to Feed and asked about it. Could the other members of Corrupted, or in other words members of lesser races, join?
"Mm..." Feed looked very embarrassed as he checked documents in his office. Then he let out a soft sigh and said, "Well, I said that the most important thing right now is skill rather than track record. It can't be helped."
"Did you say that?"
Feed didn't respond to that and instead said something else. "I trust you. You are kind, strong and proud. Surprisingly, it is rare to find someone who has all three qualities even among heroes."
"I might be strong, but I'm not sure about kind and proud."
"You aren't good at accepting compliments." Feed chuckled before continuing. "We were the ones to persecute you, but you stopped the Iron-Blooded Lord to prevent further bloodshed and stood up for us."
"I got Crowtaker for it, so we're even."
"That is a contradiction. You couldn't have known you would receive Crowtaker back then."
I was speechless.
Feed laughed quietly before wiping the smile from his face. "But apart from my belief in you, I can't trust the rest of Corrupted. I don't have the intention or confidence to treat them like you do. If they were to join my squad, I would be suspicious of them, monitor them constantly, and perhaps even persecute them."
"Yes." I nodded at Feed's words.
It seemed that I finally understood the man in front of me. Our first meeting had been a disaster, but I came to the conclusion that he wasn't such a bad person. The occasional harshness he showed likely stemmed from how deeply he valued pride and honor above all else. He was truly a warrior.
"We will take that into account," I said.
The fact that he's made such a statement from the start said a lot. He wasn't the type to scheme from the shadows or do things behind someone's back.
I continued, "However, there will be no need for that. This mission will completely change the reputation of Corrupted."
"Is that so?" Feed nodded in reply. "So who will be on the team?"
"For now, it'll be me, Razbet and Mir. I'm not sure about the rest. The clan leader said he would decide after stopping by Corrupted's branch office. Ah, is there a limit to the number of people?"
"Not exactly, but if there are too many members of lesser races, it will make it harder to move. I think it would be best to have no more than five."
"Hmm, I understand."
That meant I had to plan for five people first. I thought it was unlikely for the team to include Ramon and Lanfero. There was a good chance I would be going with two other members. Simply put, Ramon didn't seem to have high combat power, while Lanfero was the clan leader.
Then Feed said something unexpected. "I would prefer it if Lanfero didn't come."
"Are the two of you not on good terms?"
"That is part of it, but... I don't have the confidence to handle him if there is an emergency."
"Handle him?" I asked with a puzzled expression. That was a word that contained many meanings.
Feed only stayed silent with an uncomfortable expression. It felt like I had touched on something sensitive.
I didn't press further and changed the subject. "In any case, we're planning to stop by the Corrupted branch office to gather more members. I also just joined, so there are some procedures left to do."
"I see. Then we will head to the Frostwolf Tribe's village first. Your clan has a girl from the same tribe, so you won't need any directions, right?"
"Yes. I'll see you then."
"Mm. I'll give you some documents for the mission. Read it when you have time." As Feed said that, he handed me a thick stack of papers. There were just too many.
I walked out of the office, trying to hide my trembling. Then Verita saw me and tilted her head, asking, "Brother, what are these documents?"
"They're materials related to the mission."
"I see. Can I sort them out?"
"Will you do that?" I asked as I handed the papers over to Verita.
I was sorry to leave all the troublesome chores to her, but she seemed to be better at this type of office work than I was.
Just in case, I added, "You don't have to go overboard like last time. Just give me a rough summary and tell me if you need anything."
"I understand."
"Okay. Then..."
The departure time was tomorrow, and it was still afternoon. There was time to prepare various things for a long trip before the sun went down. It was my first time going to the north, so I went to visit Mir, who was experienced.
"Um. If that's the case, you've come to the right place!"
Mir seemed to be the incarnation of positivity. She had apparently recovered and was back to her usual self. She looked a bit worn out, so she probably wasn't completely better, but even this was amazing.
"I know everything you'll need in the north. Just believe in me."
"So cool!"
"Ah. Wait." Mir tilted her head, looked at Verita standing next to me, and asked, "Who's the person next to you?"
"She's called Razbet. She's a nun of the Seventy-Two Churches."
"Ah, Sister. Hello." Mir bowed. She was much more polite than usual.
"Why are you so respectful to this girl from the beginning?" I asked.
"This girl?! You're being rude to a nun!"
"Huh?"
"I was taught that you should always be respectful to those of the church!"
"Aha."
Your father is a good educator... I was about to say that, but I abruptly closed my mouth. Talking about her family would probably be taboo for her right now.
In any case, I took the two of them and headed into Teper. Come to think of it, I had never explored this large and beautiful city in earnest. I had mostly only stayed at the Hero Society headquarters, run around for the tests, and wandered through the shabby back alleys to eat steak.
After seeing the downtown area for the first time, I found that Teper was definitely a big city. The members of the seven races came together to create an enormous crowd. All around me, there was the sound of bargaining, soliciting, arguments, and laughter.
I didn't like noise, but strangely enough, I liked the atmosphere of this city more than the capital I'd previously visited. I thought to myself that it was probably because Teper had a more vivid and vital energy.
Of course, there were disadvantages to such a city.
"50 silver."
"Gasp!" Mir was stunned as she pulled out her wallet with trembling hands. She checked inside the wallet and the shaking spread to her entire body as she murmured, "The prices are brutal."
"Well said."
The country girl who had come to the capital with beast teeth and claws now understood the power of money. That showed how Mir had grown.
Of course places where many people gathered generally had higher prices. It was inevitable.
I took out a gold coin, paid the bill, and received the change. The cost of living was high here, but it wasn't enough to put a dent in my pocket. Still, buying necessities for three people cost quite a lot of money. However, Verita had helped me yesterday and today, and it was obvious that Mir was completely broke.
I took advantage of this opportunity and stopped by a magic tools store. There, I bought clothes with built-in cold protection, a bag enchanted with space expansion magic, a compass that wouldn't break, a knife that wouldn't become dull, sturdy rope, a lamp that wouldn't go out, and potions for emergencies. These things were expensive, but they were definitely more reliable than ordinary tools.
"Ah! What about flint?" Mir asked.
I replied, "I'm a human flint."
I had to leave out anything unnecessary no matter what. There was a limit to how much I could put in a magic bag. With things like spare clothes, a tent, shoes, gloves, hats, scarves, socks, underwear, cloaks, and sleeping bags, my bag was filled to near-bursting even if I put in only what I really needed.
By the time the sun set, the rough preparations were finished. We grabbed a quick meal. Then I returned to my room, put my things away, and went straight to sleep.
The next day, I arrived at Teper's north gate before the scheduled time of 10:10 a.m.
I wondered, "Is it only you here, boss?"
"Yes." Lanfero nodded while standing in the shade. He still gave off a dark and gloomy impression. Even on a day when the sun was up, it felt like he carried darkness around him like fog.
Now I knew the reason why. It seemed to be a characteristic of the vampire race.
"What about Ramon?"
"He's going to stop by the merchant guild to get a carriage. He'll arrive soon, so let's wait."
"Yes."
However, thirty minutes passed. It was twenty minutes after the appointed time, and Ramon hadn't shown up.
"Um..." I began.
By now, Lanfero's gaze had become a bit serious. "Something must've happened. I'll go and check it out."
I refused, looking up at the sky as I spoke. "You should wait here. I'll go and come back soon."
Perhaps because it was an exceptionally sunny day, Lanfero didn't look very good. His face looked even paler today.
"Uh, um..." Lanfero hesitated for a moment before reluctantly nodding. "I'm sorry about this. Then I'll leave it to you. Do you know where the merchant guild is?"
"I think I saw it when passing by. Is it on a street west of the Hero Society headquarters?"
"That's right. It has an ugly sign with gold coins on it."
"Okay. I'll be back soon." I stopped Verita from following me. "I'll go by myself, so wait here."
"I understand."
I sensed that things would become troublesome, so I decided it would be better to go without Verita.
I quickly headed to the merchant guild. I didn't have time to waste and ran with quick steps. Thanks to that, I was able to arrive quickly at the building that had a rustic sign with a gold coin symbol. I opened the door and headed in.
"Why are you saying something different from yesterday?"
I heard a familiar voice. However, it was much rougher than usual. It was Ramon's voice, and he clearly sounded agitated.
I glanced inside the guild and realized that no one noticed I had entered. They were looking at Ramon, who was standing alone in front of the reception desk as if isolated.
"It might be because you're a goblin, but you don't know much about business," the man sitting at the reception desk said bluntly.
As a believer in physiognomy, I thought he looked like a total pain.
"The value of things changes from time to time. Compared to yesterday, the price of the carriage rental has risen today. Is it so hard for you to understand these simple words?"
Laughter erupted at those words, and Ramon's face turned bright red. Somehow, he seemed smaller and more pitiful than usual from behind.
Even in this situation, Ramon desperately protested. "I would accept it if the value had really changed. However, the person in front of me received the same price while I'm treated like this. It feels like nothing but malice. How can you be swayed by emotions while carrying out transactions? Is this really the merchant guild?"
"The market price changes every day, every hour, and sometimes every few minutes. Is this a concept that is difficult to understand?"
"That's nonsense!"
"I don't intend to keep arguing about this. If you don't have money, get out. Don't disturb me."
I frowned and was about to step forward.
Then Ramon, who had been trembling slightly, suddenly dropped to his knees and begged, "Please. It's urgent. A clan member's family is in danger, so we need to go and check it out as soon as possible. If it's money, I can give you twice as much. So please..."
Seeing this attitude, the man at the reception desk looked a bit surprised. He looked down at Ramon for a moment. Then he sighed and walked out from behind the reception desk.
Suddenly, he stomped on Ramon and spat, "I don't need money from you. I told you to get lost, goblin. Do you not even understand human language anymore?"
Ramon said nothing.
"If it's a member of your clan, is it also from a lesser race? Won't it help the empire if the number of lesser race members decreases?"
Ramon's shoulders trembled.
I slowly craned my neck. I still didn't know what was going on.
Still, I did know one thing: This bastard seemed to be lacking in good manners.
