Ossan Saikyō Chapter 11 Part 04
After renting rooms at the inn Garen of〈Dawn's Thunder〉had recommended, we sat in the dining hall waiting for dinner to be served.
“Sphenia, you shouldn't say things like that. When a man is spoken to that way, he can't back down.”
“My apologies. But I simply couldn't tolerate seeing Soushi-san looked down upon...”
To be honest, I felt Sphenia's initial response to Nielsen had been a mistake.
I had intended to caution her about it, but once she answered like that, it became difficult to find the right words.
“I'm happy that you'd stand up for me, but you shouldn't deliberately create trouble. Fray, Rani, you two shouldn't encourage people like that either.”
“My apologies, Soushi-sama.”
“Oka~y, sorry~.”
The two of them at least looked remorseful after I admonished them.
Well...
Freynil genuinely seemed depressed about it.
Rani, on the other hand, was a bit more suspicious.
Truthfully, I suspected the outcome would have been the same no matter how Sphenia had responded.
Still, as both the oldest member and the party leader, I felt it was my responsibility to say something.
“Mariane, didn't today's incident cause any problems with the Guild?”
“No. We'd already confirmed beforehand that his party had been difficult for the Guild to deal with. If anything, they thanked us.”
“They'd looked into them that thoroughly, huh...”
If that was the case, I could understand why Mariane had handled things the way she had.
Though...
It would've been nice if she'd told me beforehand.
Then again, there probably hadn't been an opportunity.
In the end, because Nielsen had officially only been knocked unconscious during a training match, the Guild couldn't strip him of his rank.
Instead, the members of his party offered me a personal apology.
In other words...
Money.
Apparently they were leaving Balbadoza the very next day.
Considering the entire party had been acting arrogantly for quite some time, I supposed they had no choice.
Whether they'd learn from the experience or simply come to resent me...
Only time would tell.
“Still, despite everything, he really did seem worthy of B-Rank. He moved fast, and his attacks looked pretty powerful.”
“Indeed. Soushi-sama's movements were also very fast... It was amazing.”
As our food arrived, Rani and Freynil commented on the fight.
Sphenia and Mariane nodded in agreement.
Was I really that fast?
I almost said it aloud before remembering how incredibly quick Nielsen's barrage of attacks had actually been.
Maybe my own sense of speed had become distorted.
Perhaps I'd acquired some skill that made time itself seem slower.
“Even so, the fact that you knocked him unconscious with what was little more than a glancing blow shows that your strength knows no bounds, Soushi-san.
…
Had his reaction been even slightly slower, the outcome could have been far worse.”
Sphenia said that with a gentle smile.
Rani looked at me with a mischievous grin.
“Exactly. And then, after knocking him out, you went and said, ‘Is that all?’ I'd say you were the one provoking people.”
“No, that's not what I meant...”
“You should've seen the faces of all the adventurers watching. They were terrified. On the bright side, I doubt anyone in this town will be picking fights with us now.”
“As expected of Soushi-sama. So that was your intention all along.”
“No, like I told you...”
Freynil's eyes sparkled with admiration.
At this rate, though...
People were going to start thinking of me as some ridiculously overbearing middle-aged adventurer.
The existence of a【Cringe Memory】skill was starting to seem more and more plausible.
Considering what had happened with Zaikal the other day as well, I'd better keep a lower profile for a while.
Otherwise, once my rank increased, this sort of thing would only get worse.
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The following morning, we headed to the Guild first thing to receive the Count's request.
At the counter, Mariane formally handed us the quest:
『Investigate the Mass Appearance of Undead Monsters.』
That was all well and good...
But somehow, the way the other adventurers looked at me had changed.
Even though I wasn't doing anything, people seemed to instinctively step aside to make room for me.
Others kept their distance entirely.
“Hey, Soushi. That the direct request everyone's talking about?”
The only person whose attitude hadn't changed at all was Garen.
Oddly enough, seeing him approach made me feel relieved.
Maybe deep down, I was still just a timid middle-aged office worker.
“Yes. It looks like we'll be leaving town for a while. We only got here yesterday, too.”
“Haha! Trusted adventurers always end up with more work. Once you're B-Rank or above and your name starts getting around, nobles start trying to recruit you. Plenty of adventurers go that route. High-ranking freelancers never run out of jobs.”
“Recruitment, huh... I suppose that is an option. Even so, I'm still only C-Rank despite being a bit stronger than average. I'd rather keep taking things at my own pace and focus on dungeons.”
“You ought to get some experience fighting monsters above ground too. At the end of the day, what people really expect adventurers to do is deal with monsters outside dungeons. The Twilight Kin are the perfect example.”
“Now that you mention it...”
Once again, I was reminded how valuable advice from experienced adventurers could be.
He was right.
〈Saul's Guidance〉didn't actually have that much experience dealing with monsters in the field.
Then again...
We'd certainly dealt with an awful lot of irregular situations.
“Well then, looks like your paperwork's finished. Take care out there.”
“You do the same.”
Either way, this investigation was bound to be a valuable experience.
With undead as our opponents, Freynil would make sure we didn't fall behind.
The only remaining question was...
How enthusiastically Mr.【Bad Luck】would decide to do his job.
◇◆◇
The location where the undead had been appearing was an abandoned village roughly 2 hours west of Balbadoza.
There wasn't even a proper road leading there anymore.
The land that had once been farmland was now dotted with sparse trees, with no trace of cultivation remaining.
Abandoning reclaimed farmland seemed almost unimaginable in this world.
Something serious must have happened to cause the village to fall into ruin.
“Soushi-sama, there are an incredible number of undead inside those ruins. Just as the report said.”
We stopped once we were close enough to see the abandoned village.
Freynil quietly reported what she sensed.
“I see. Still, it's strange that the vast majority never leave the village... Anyway, let's eliminate the ones we can first.”
Naturally, we'd been briefed before accepting the request.
According to the report, although countless undead inhabited the abandoned village, they almost never left.
Only the occasional stray wandered as far as Balbadoza.
An E-Rank party tasked with eliminating those wandering undead had happened to discover the village itself, which was how the request had eventually reached us.
As we drew nearer, we found the village to be fairly small.
Only 6 abandoned houses stood within a wooden fence.
The enclosure also seemed to have once contained an orchard, making the fenced area roughly twice the size of a soccer field.
The real problem was the skeletons and zombies shambling inside.
At a glance, there had to be around 300 of them.
The fact that people seriously expected a single adventurer party to deal with that many really demonstrated just how absurd high-ranking adventurers were.
“Fray, use «Ascension» from【True Holy Magic】together with【Amplify】. Cover the entire village... Hmm, maybe that's asking too much?”
“No. If I combine it with【Remote Cast】and center the spell near the middle of the village, I believe it will reach everything.”
“You can do that? That's incredible. Then go ahead.”
Even after approaching to within 50 meters of the fence, none of the undead showed any sign of noticing us.
Freynil spent about 20 seconds concentrating.
Then she quietly announced,
“Here I go.”
A sphere of light appeared about 5 meters above the ground near the center of the abandoned village.
Its brilliant yet gentle radiance spread across the entire settlement.
One after another, the skeletons and zombies collapsed as though all strength had suddenly left them.
Within mere seconds, every undead creature in the village had been sent on to the afterlife.
Only silence...
And the lingering stench of decaying zombies remained.
“That really is incredible, Fray. Ordinary adventurers could never accomplish something like this.”
“Thank you very much. It's all thanks to you, Soushi-sama.”
Freynil smiled brightly.
If she'd had a tail like Rani's...
I had the feeling it'd be wagging furiously right now.
...Though perhaps that was a bit rude to imagine.
“I doubt there are many adventurers capable of eradicating so many undead at once. This alone makes〈Saul's Guidance〉an extraordinarily valuable party.”
As Mariane said that, Rani let out an impressed,
“Whoaa... That's amazing.”
“Alright. Let's stay alert while we investigate the source of the undead. The most likely possibility is another one of those Summoning Monoliths. Fray, do you sense anything?”
“No... At the moment, I don't sense anything.”
“Perhaps we're still too far away. Let's head into the village first.”
After having Freynil cast «Absolution» over the entire village to dispel the lingering stench of rotting zombies, I took the lead and entered through a gap in the wooden fence.
“Hm...?”
The moment I stepped inside...
The atmosphere changed ever so slightly.
The sensation was remarkably similar to entering one of the barriers Freynil created.
It felt as though the outside world had suddenly been shut away.
“That felt strange just now.”
Rani's ears twitched.
Apparently I wasn't the only one who'd noticed.
Freynil nodded as well.
“I feel as though some kind of power envelops this village. However... it doesn't feel evil. Somehow... it feels closer to what I sense inside a dungeon.”
“A dungeon... Now that you mention it, I suppose it does.”
I'd never really paid attention before.
But if I thought about it...
The sensation really was similar to entering a dungeon.
Interesting.
From Freynil's perspective, dungeons themselves didn't feel inherently evil.
That was worth remembering.
We explored the village for a while, collecting the scattered mana stones.
No undead burst from the ground.
Nor did Freynil detect the presence of any Summoning Monoliths.
Just as I was thinking we should check inside one of the abandoned houses-
【Presence Detection】reacted.
“Over there.”
Sphenia pointed toward one of the better-preserved buildings.
3 skeletons were just emerging through its front doorway.
We smashed the skeletons apart and entered the house.
The moment we stepped inside...
We all stopped.
A large hole had been opened in the floor just beyond the entrance.
Stone steps had even been built along its edge, leading downward into the darkness below.
“This is...”
Mariane spoke quietly.
“...the entrance to a dungeon.”
Just as she said...
It was unmistakably the familiar entrance to a dungeon.
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E/N:
The dungeon spilled and covered the entire village… Anything Evil would have let those undead loose but it makes sense that a dungeon would contain the monsters, given we've yet to hear about any dungeon stampedes.
Stay tuned!
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