Ossan Saikyō Chapter 8 Part 17
After relaxing for about an hour, we headed to the village chief's mansion.
We were shown into the reception room and seated on the sofas of a reception set across from the village chief and his wife.
“Thank you for making the trip. We truly owe you a great debt. Had Soushi-dono's party not been here, the village would have suffered tremendous damage.”
“I'm simply glad we were able to help.”
As the village chief lowered his head, I did the same out of habit.
That was just an ingrained reflex from my days as a Japanese salaryman.
“First, regarding our expression of gratitude. I must apologize, but due to the reconstruction efforts, we are currently in need of funds.
…
Therefore, instead of a monetary reward, we were hoping to present you with adventurer accessories, one of this village's specialties. Would that be acceptable?”
“That would be... quite valuable, wouldn't it? Are you sure?”
“Of course. To be frank, the prices displayed in the shops are considerably inflated. In that sense, this arrangement is actually convenient for us as well.”
It was a surprisingly candid admission.
Perhaps it meant they trusted us that much.
Sphenia being part of the party probably played a role as well.
“In that case, please select one item each.”
At the chief's words, his wife placed a box onto the table.
When she opened the lid, it revealed accessories with special effects like the ones we had seen in the shop earlier.
Naturally, each came with a plate describing its effect.
“Then let's not be shy. Everyone, choose whatever you think you'll need most.”
At my words, the three girls carefully examined the contents before each selecting an item.
From those remaining, I chose a ring with “Agility +1”.
The recent incident had driven home how much I needed greater speed.
Freynil selected an accessory with “Magic Power +1”, Rani chose “Strength +1” and Sphenia picked one with “Concentration +1”.
“Then we gratefully accept these. Thank you very much.”
“I hope those accessories will aid you all in your future endeavors.”
The chief smiled warmly and nodded before straightening his posture once more.
“Now then, Soushi-dono. There is actually another request I would like to make of your party.”
“What kind of request?”
“It concerns the adventurer from Ozu who was detained yesterday. Her name is apparently Shizuna. I would like you to escort her to Viscount Barius of Euron.”
“Huh...?”
Wait a second.
Is that really the sort of thing a mere adventurer party should be handling?
True, someone had attempted to assassinate her.
However, that didn't automatically prove she was completely innocent.
At best, she was still an important witness.
Entrusting her transport to civilians seemed questionable.
Perhaps noticing my troubled expression, the village chief continued.
“Ordinarily, one of our official envoys would be responsible for such a task. However, in this case, I intend to have Lady Sphenia serve as our representative.”
“You mean Sphenia would officially act as an envoy of the elven village?”
“Yes. Lady Sphenia possesses the qualifications for such a role. Naturally, I understand that she is now a member of your party. Therefore, I wish to commission the task with that fact in mind.”
“I see... Sphenia, do you have any objections?”
“No, none at all. If Soushi-san permits it, I will gladly serve as the village's representative.”
It was a somewhat delicate matter, but it also demonstrated the degree of trust placed in Sphenia.
Viewed that way, having adventurers like us handle the escort was actually quite logical.
I looked at Freynil and Rani.
Both seemed content to leave the decision to me.
Turning back to the village chief, I answered.
“We are already under contract to escort Hofena-san back to Euron. If this can be handled simultaneously, then we'll accept.”
“Yes, I am aware of that arrangement. Combining the two tasks is perfectly acceptable. I humbly ask for your assistance.”
And so, we ended up taking on a rather weighty assignment.
Still, it would certainly improve our party's reputation and make promotion easier, so in that sense it was a welcome opportunity.
The problem was that, for someone burdened with the【Bad Luck】skill, there was always the possibility that accepting it would attract even more trouble.
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Over the next three days, we spent our time training, repeatedly clearing the village's D-Rank dungeon, improving our skill levels, and gaining experience.
One day, we also searched through the forest and discovered what appeared to be a **Summoning Monolith used to summon zombified animals.
The stone itself was only about the size of a sheet of A4 paper.
Its function had already ceased, so it probably hadn't been capable of producing large numbers of undead.
In any case, it was evidence, so it too would be delivered to Viscount Barius.
The reward for defeating the golems was substantial.
However, the method by which those enormous golems had appeared remained a mystery.
The obvious conclusion was that the people framing Shizuna had summoned them.
Whether they actually possessed the necessary skills and knowledge, however, was impossible to determine now.
Thinking in game terms, it felt as though some kind of special item had been used to summon them, but there was no evidence such a convenient item even existed.
As for the epidemic, Freynil's «Absolution» had helped considerably, and the patients recovered faster than expected.
Hofena still prepared a large stockpile of medicine just in case, but apparently even she finally took half a day off to rest.
Thus, about a week passed in the village.
Then, on the evening before our departure for Euron, we were summoned to the village chief's mansion once more.
This time, it was to meet Shizuna, the adventurer from Ozu whom we would be escorting.
As we waited in the reception room, the shrine maiden outfit-clad girl was brought in by guards.
Her arms were bound with rope.
Since she had not yet been formally declared innocent, perhaps it couldn't be helped, but the sight was still painful to look at.
“Thank you for waiting. This is Shizuna, the adventurer whom I am entrusting to your care.”
After being introduced by the chief, Shizuna looked at each of us in turn before lowering her head.
Seeing her up close again, she was clearly a girl in her late teens.
Her black eyes, half-hidden beneath neatly trimmed black hair, combined with her shrine maiden-like attire to give her an unmistakably Japanese atmosphere.
The mysterious aura she carried was probably due not only to the single horn protruding from her forehead, but also because we knew she came from the so-called Nation of Sorcery.
“I am Shizuna of Ozu. The village chief has informed me that thou didst save my life. Allow me to offer my gratitude.”
“My name is Soushi. I'm relieved that no harm came to you. We have been tasked with escorting you from this village to Euron. I look forward to working with you.”
“Hm. Thou seemest to be a veteran adventurer. I have also heard that thou didst defeat the golem. Art thou truly so skilled?”
“No, we're still only a D-Rank party. However, one of our members is C-Rank, so you can rest assured.”
“I myself am but E-Rank and ask for no luxuries. Provide me with food, and I swear I shall cause no trouble. I have no wish for unnecessary disgrace to befall Ozu.”
“I don't think you'll be inconvenienced during the journey. You can rest easy on that point as well.”
At least Shizuna seemed fully aware of her situation.
The village chief had likely explained everything carefully.
Still, her manner of speech did indeed feel like that of someone from the upper classes.
Thinking about it, even her bearing and movements seemed unusually refined.
“By the way, thou didst mention a party. Are the maidens gathered here thy fellow companions?”
“They are. Here are Fray, Rani, and Sphenia. All of them are highly capable, so there's no need for concern.”
“Hm... I sense a power akin to our own from the blonde maiden. Very well. Since I shall be under thy care starting tomorrow, I ask for thy favor.”
“Understood.”
That seemed to conclude the meeting.
Shizuna was escorted from the room by the guards.
She was an Awakened herself, so as long as she remained cooperative, the journey shouldn't present any problems.
The real concern was whether the people behind those assassins would truly give up on eliminating her.
That, after all, was precisely why we had been hired.
There was no choice but to stay vigilant.
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E/N:
Shizuna reminds me of "Thee-thou" princess Meetia in the Celivera arc of Death March.
Stay tuned!
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