Ossan Saikyō Chapter 13 Part 04
The day after next, we set out for Bartlan as planned. It was a 4-day journey on foot, but by mixing in some light running as part of our training, we managed to arrive in three days.
Shizuna was surprised as well, but when we told her it was training, she followed along without complaint.
For convenience, she was still being treated as a guest of the Royal Family, but since she apparently wanted to become stronger before reaching Orz, she might actually have welcomed it.
After arriving in Bartlan, we reported our arrival to Lord Rodnik, the appointed administrator, and told him that we would be staying for two nights.
Naturally, one of those days would be spent conquering the dungeon.
Bartran had D-Rank and C-Rank Dungeons, and this time we would be entering the D-Rank one. Just as in Balbadoza, there was no way we could take Shizuna into a C-Rank Dungeon.
Rani wanted to go, but Mariane had rebuked saying, “No matter what the reason, we cannot permit an E-Rank adventurer to enter a C-Rank Dungeon or higher”.
In any case, once we had delivered Miss Shizuna, we would be returning to the Royal Capital again, so we would conquer it then.
Bartlan's D-Rank Dungeon had 10 floors, and we managed to conquer it in a single day without any particular problems while allowing Shizuna to gain experience.
The 5th floor had a normal Boss, and the treasure chest contained a Grade 3 Potion. The sharp drop in rarity was probably because this was a Boss we had already defeated once.
However, a rare weapon had appeared in the D-Rank Dungeon in Balbadoza under the same conditions.
That meant that even a previously defeated Boss might retain the same rarity as its first appearance if it was a rare Boss. If that was true, it was quite welcome news.
The 10th floor also had a normal Boss, and Shizuna acquired the【Wind Magic】skill.
We spent the day after conquering the dungeon resting and buying food supplies.
That was all well and good, but as I walked through town, people kept calling out “Hero!” to me from all directions, making me more uncomfortable than I could say.
Shopkeepers even gave me extras when I bought things, but since I wasn't accustomed to being treated that way, I felt more apologetic than pleased.
“Soushi-dono is quite popular in this town, isn't he?”
As the six of us walked down the street, Shizuna found the situation rather strange. Freynil, however, answered her happily.
“Soushi-sama defeated a Twilight Kin here in this town. That's why he's treated as the town's『Hero』.”
“A Twilight Kin? Those creatures that even the Spirits fear? Come to think of it, Princess Margalotte said something like that. I never imagined that Soushi-dono was the one who defeated them.”
“It was a truly magnificent battle. Many of the people in this town witnessed it.”
“I see. In that case, I can understand why you're treated this way. It hasn't been all that long since we parted, but〈Saul's Guidance〉has certainly accomplished a great deal.”
Shizuna was certainly right about that. Keeping up with how drastically our situation had changed was quite exhausting.
I could only hope that I wouldn't end up in an even more troublesome position, but I really had no idea what the【Bad Luck】skill was expecting from an old man like me.
The next day, we left Bartlan and once again headed for Euron while running a marathon along the way. Shizuna's stamina had been improving rapidly lately, so we covered the 4-day journey on foot in just 2 days.
The fact that, unusually, nothing happened along the way was a major factor as well, but that only made me nervous that something would happen all at once later.
Now then, it had been quite some time since I'd last been to Euron. We arrived at sunset, so we first found an inn and spent the night there, then went to report to Viscount Varius the following morning.
We had arrived without an appointment, but the six of us were immediately shown into the reception room. There, we met the Viscount, his steward Mr. Rodan, and〈Crimson〉Anatolia.
“It seems you and rest of〈Saul's Guidance〉have been quite active, Soushi-dono.”
Once everyone had taken their seats, Viscount Varius said that with a smile at the corner of his mouth. As always, he had more of the air of a warrior than a nobleman.
“Yes. We've had quite a few strange twists of fate along the way.”
“You couldn't have defeated the Twilight Kin with that alone. How far have your ranks advanced?”
“I am B-Rank, while the others are C-Rank, though they should be advancing soon.”
“That is good to hear. Those with strength must have positions and titles befitting them, after all. But have you gotten younger since I last saw you, Soushi-dono?”
“Yes. Apparently, only my appearance has changed. Perhaps it's an Adventurer's trait.”
There was actually a mirror at the inn in the Royal Capital, where I had checked myself, and sure enough, my face seemed to have grown about 10 years younger.
I suppose it was something to be happy about, but honestly, the fact that I had become increasingly inhuman as an adventurer was so much more shocking that I didn't feel all that moved by it.
“I see. Perhaps such things can happen. In any case, it is good to see that you are in good health as well, Lady Shizuna. I am pleased that the doubts surrounding you have been cleared.”
“You were of great help to me as well, Lord Viscount. The〈Fortuner〉, who escorted me to the Royal Capital, was also a splendid party.”
“Thank you. They are adventurers whom I trust as well.”
As I listened, it was nice to hear someone I knew being praised. Zeal and the others really were excellent both as people and as adventurers.
“By the way, Soushi-dono, you intend to cross the southern border and enter Orz after this, correct?”
“Yes. We plan to go through Tolson.”
“I see. Actually, undead have been increasing around this area again recently. We deal with them whenever they appear, but it seems some group or another has started moving again.”
“I see... Understood. We'll be careful as well.”
The “some group or another” the Viscount referred to was, of course, the Mekalinan Kingdom.
Undead incidents had been occurring repeatedly in Viscount Varius' territory for some time, and apparently they were the work of spies from the Mekalinan Kingdom.
Their objective was to create undead incidents and thereby worsen Vermilion's people's impression of Orz. After all, Orz was known as the “Nation of Sorcery” and was believed to employ undead.
Naturally, that was simply a misunderstanding of the Spirits that Shizuna herself also commanded.
“Of course, you should have no trouble with monsters. Still, we are taking care to prevent the people's feelings from being directed toward any particular country, so I would appreciate it if you could bear that in mind as well.”
“Understood. Has there been no response from the Orz side?”
I wondered if I had overstepped by asking, but the Viscount answered without showing any particular reaction.
“Orz rarely makes public statements concerning foreign affairs. If possible, it would be helpful if the High Priestess of Orz could formally state that Orz has nothing to do with the undead.”
The Viscount glanced at Shizuna. However, she merely shook her head quietly.
“I am sorry, but both the High Priestess and the High Priests are extremely wary of contact with outsiders, so I believe that would be difficult.”
“I see... Understood. I am merely a Viscount, after all, and I am not in a position to speak directly to another country. Besides, the party we should actually be complaining to is someone else entirely.”
The Viscount nodded as he said this.
As far as the undead were concerned, the Mekalinan Kingdom was clearly the one at fault for meddling. Ideally, they should expose the culprits and condemn the Mekalinan Kingdom.
But when it came to relations between nations, things weren't that simple. In particular, Vermilion was under the silent pressure of the Northern Empire. They couldn't afford to casually provoke another country in the south.
It was a troublesome situation, but we would have to keep in mind that we were heading to Orz amid such delicate relations.
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E/N:
I'm sick of this Undead BS! Ossan, blow them apart!
Stay tuned!
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