Ossan Saikyō Chapter 8 Part 06
After camping at the foot of the mountain, the next day was spent crossing the pass.
We climbed the slope through the forest at the mountain's base. There was a proper trail of sorts, and as someone who had enjoyed hiking in my previous life, it presented no difficulty whatsoever.
The one having a harder time was Freynil.
Her stamina wasn't the issue, but her small stature meant some of the larger steps were difficult for her to manage.
There was only so much that could be done about differences in arm and leg length. Whenever necessary, Rani and I gave her a hand.
The one truly struggling, however, was the indoors-oriented Miss Hofena.
In the end, she became the passenger on the carrying frame once again.
“I'm sorry, Soushi-san. I feel like I've done nothing but trouble you...”
“Please don't worry about it. You're the client. Think of this as only natural.”
That was how I reassured her, though carrying the client on my back definitely wasn't part of a normal escort mission.
I supposed I could consider it special service for a valued customer.
A monster appeared once during the climb, but Miss Sphenia and Rani dealt with it by themselves.
What bothered me was the monster's identity.
It was one of the zombie dogs we had encountered during the large-scale extermination mission.
Combined with the outbreak in the elven village, the whole situation felt suspiciously connected.
Carrying an uneasy feeling, we continued climbing for another four hours before finally reaching the mountain pass.
Spread out below us was a settlement surrounded by mountains.
Calling it a village almost felt inaccurate due to its size.
A forest-filled basin had been cleared and developed, with orderly rows of wooden two- and three-story buildings stretching across the landscape.
There had to be around three hundred houses.
A large plaza occupied the center, and there stood a particularly grand mansion.
Presumably it belonged to the village chief... or perhaps the local lord.
Judging from its appearance, it likely doubled as a meeting hall as well.
The settlement was surrounded by walls constructed from wood and stone, and a road extended from what appeared to be the main gate, following the valley below.
That was probably the official route used to access the village.
In any case, it looked nothing like the secluded forest settlements I'd imagined.
If anything, it resembled an ordinary human town.
“It's much bigger than I expected. It looks about three times the size of the village I grew up in.”
When Rani voiced her impression, Miss Sphenia nodded.
“Marlo Village is somewhat larger than the average Elven settlement. They maintain trade and contact with the outside world, so they have prospered economically.”
“And that's exactly why outbreaks become more common.”
Miss Hofena's comment was probably true.
Everything had its advantages and disadvantages.
“I feel like there are fewer people moving about than usual. The epidemic may have spread farther than expected. Let's eat quickly and head down immediately.”
Prompted by Miss Sphenia, we hastily finished eating our travel rations and descended from the pass toward the village.
◇◆◇
When we arrived at the main gate, several armed young elves who appeared to be guards approached us.
At first they looked suspicious, but the moment they saw Miss Sphenia, they immediately straightened to attention and began treating us with utmost courtesy as they escorted us into the village.
Perhaps Miss Sphenia was a fairly famous figure among elves.
The Elven Village, Marlo, was exactly as it had appeared from above.
Aside from the neatly arranged wooden buildings, it looked like an ordinary town without any particularly distinctive features.
However, even the central streets were sparsely populated, giving the entire settlement an unnaturally quiet atmosphere.
If the village truly was implementing measures against an epidemic as Miss Sphenia had suggested, then the situation was likely far from good.
In any case, under her guidance, we headed first to the village chief's residence in the center of town.
The man who greeted us there was an elf dressed in robes noticeably finer than those worn by the other villagers.
Judging by his appearance, he was probably the village chief, though he looked no older than a young man in his mid-20s.
That was likely an elven trait.
“Lady Sphenia, we've been awaiting your return. And that is... Ah, Hofena. You've come. This means our village may yet be saved.”
The relief that appeared on his face seemed genuine.
Things must have become fairly serious.
Afterward, he turned toward us and asked Sphenia,
“And these people are?”
“They are skilled adventurers who escorted Hofena and me here. Without their help, we might never have reached this place.”
“I see... Did something happen along the way?”
“We encountered slave hunters. Most likely agents from Mekalinan. Several former adventurers were among them.”
“What!? At a time like this, another problem...”
“There's no need to worry. Together with these adventurers, we eliminated them all. Not a single one escaped, so they should remain quiet for a while.”
“That is excellent news. In that case, I owe them my gratitude as well.”
“Please do.”
Prompted by Miss Sphenia, the village chief turned toward us and bowed.
“My name is Ghoslit, and I serve as chief of Marlo Village. Thank you for your assistance.”
“My name is Soushi, an adventurer. These are Fray and Rani. We merely carried out the duties requested by Hofena-sama, so there's no need for special thanks.”
We exchanged the bare minimum of social courtesies.
At the end of the day, we were outsiders.
Once the introductions were finished, Miss Hofena began glancing around restlessly.
“I'd like to examine the patients and begin preparing medicine as soon as possible. Where should I go?”
“That would be a great help. We've established an isolation ward and gathered the patients there. I'll explain the situation on the way. As for you, Soushi-dono, what are your plans from here?”
“We intend to spend our time clearing the nearby dungeons while waiting for Hofena-sama to finish her work.”
Originally, our contract had only covered escorting her to the village.
However, after the slave hunter incident, and perhaps because she had found traveling on the carrying frame surprisingly comfortable, she had extended the agreement.
I'd assumed dealing with an epidemic would take quite some time, but according to Hofena,
“As long as the severely ill patients recover, all I need to do afterward is prepare and leave behind medicine.”
She estimated the entire job would be finished within about a week.
“I see. In that case, allow me to introduce you to a good inn near the guild. I'll have my wife guide you there, so please wait a moment.”
We accepted the village chief's kindness.
For now, this was where we parted ways with Miss Hofena and Miss Sphenia.
——————
E/N:
I see, it's something like Dejima Island, this Marlo village… What kind of pandemic is this though?
Stay tuned!
——————
——————————
Check out my other translations -
——————————
Comments