Ossan Saikyō Chapter 13 Part 10
The next morning, we cleared the E-Rank dungeon.
Everyone acquired a resistance skill, but I was a little intrigued when Shizuna obtained a new skill called【Heat Resistance】.
Apparently, this continent has four seasons as well, and it was currently spring. As someone accustomed to the convenience of air conditioning,【Heat Resistance】was definitely a skill I wanted to acquire before summer arrived.
Anyway, when we returned to the city and entered the Guild, there was a somewhat tense atmosphere in the lobby. There were about 50 adventurers there, and it seemed a little noisier than usual.
I happened to spot the beautiful tiger beastkin Karma and called out to her.
“Karma-san, things seem rather tense. Did something happen?”
“Ah, Soushi-san. Apparently, some strange monsters appeared near the border, so an emergency extermination request was issued just now. The reward isn't bad, but the monsters seem to be pretty high-ranked. Every party is trying to decide whether they should go.”
“What kind of monsters are they?”
“I hear they're flesh golems made of corpses pieced together. Apparently, something like them appeared during the war some time ago, and according to the reports from back then, they're at least B-Rank.”
“Wait, that means...”
After hearing Karma's explanation, Rani looked at me. Freynil and Sphenia did the same. Apparently, we were all thinking of the same thing.
The gigantic crocodile-shaped golem that had attacked the elves' village. If I remembered correctly, it was being controlled by a man called Mazero, the Corpse Weaver.
“Mariane, can we take that request?”
“Please wait.”
Mariane went to the counter and returned with the ledger.
“No one has accepted it yet. Five monsters have been confirmed, all of them large quadrupeds. Assuming they are all B-Rank, considering our strength, it would be better to have at least one more party with us.”
“Hmm...”
Honestly, I felt that the five crocodile-shaped golems would be no problem for us alone, but perhaps it would be better to follow Mariane's advice. There was no guarantee there wouldn't be some unexpected complication.
As I was thinking it over, Karma leaned in and peered into my face.
“If Soushi-san is going, we'll go too. Two B-Rank parties should be enough to handle them, right?”
“That would be a great help. Thank you.”
And so, we ended up taking on an unexpected event, but this time there was little choice. If those golems had appeared, then there was probably a good chance that the Kingdom of Mekalinan was behind it.
They were the ones who had tried to sacrifice innocent people in the incident at the elves' village, so if we had the power to crush them, I'd rather do it quickly. Since this was an emergency request, it should also earn us some points toward promotion.
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The border with the Kingdom of Mekalinan was east of Garouz. Apparently, it would take about 7 days to reach it on foot.
Since this was an emergency request issued by the country, we were provided with high-speed carriages, and〈Saul's Guidance〉and〈Drunken Tiger〉headed for the destination in two separate carriages.
Incidentally, the horses pulling the carriages were Spirit-possessed earth golems, which apparently could run all day without getting tired.
The road to the border was quite well maintained, and judging by our current speed, we were probably traveling at around 50 kilometers per hour. Honestly, in this world, a vehicle capable of moving at that speed should have been astonishing enough on its own.
The carriages even seemed to have some sort of leaf-spring suspension, while the wheels had a rubber-like material wrapped around their outer edges, making the ride more comfortable than I'd expected.
That said, if I let my guard down, I felt like I might bite my tongue.
“This carriage is amazing. With technology like this alone, wouldn't it be enough to make other countries target you?”
When I voiced my impression, Shizuna puffed out her chest and snorted proudly.
“Of course. This high-speed carriage is one of Orz's prides. Though we have no one to boast to, and even if we did, as you said, it would only bring us more trouble.”
“Is that also one of the reasons you don't have diplomatic relations with other countries?”
“Indeed. The techniques for handling Orz's Spirits are the foundation of our nation. I imagine there is concern about people capable of using Spirits leaving for other countries.”
“That's certainly a very useful technology. Perhaps Mekalinan is threatening the border because they want access to it.”
“That is actually another problem. There are users among both the soldiers and the farmers, but apparently they sometimes disappear as well.”
“The ones you said were being abducted before?”
When Rani asked, Shizuna nodded with a sigh.
“Indeed.”
After the conversation fell silent for a moment, Sphenia looked at me and spoke.
“By the way, Soushi-san, do you think there is something behind the appearance of these flesh golems?”
“There isn't enough information to say. We'll have to see the site for ourselves. But as you said, there probably is something behind it. If Mekarinan is behind this incident, simply releasing monsters of unknown origin wouldn't accomplish much.”
“That's true. If they intended to break through the fortress, they would send a much larger force. If there is another possibility, perhaps they intend to pin the blame on someone, like they did at the elves' village?”
“I wonder. I don't think they'd use the same trick again... Shizuna-dono, have you noticed anything?”
“Provocations along the border with Mekalinan are an everyday occurrence. They send undead against us, move their soldiers close to the border, and are constantly doing something or other.”
“So ultimately, they're trying to provoke Orz into starting a war?”
“According to the High Priests, yes. Mekalinan has suffered famines and other hardships time and again, and they have wanted Orz's land for a long time. However, the fortress on the border with Mekalinan is easy to defend and difficult to attack. So they are probably trying to somehow drag Orz out into the open.”
I see.
Mekalinan wants an excuse to invade Orz, but since Orz has no diplomatic relations with them in the first place, they don't even have a proper pretext to use.
So instead, they're provoking Orz and waiting for it to lose its temper. It sounded like the sort of childish quarrel kids might have, but I suppose exchanges like that could happen between countries too.
“So this is another part of those provocations. Even so, it seems a little too conspicuous.”
“Could it mean Mekalinan is getting serious?”
When Sphenia said that, Freynil looked at me worriedly.
“If they were serious, I don't think they'd use someone working in the shadows like Mazero, the Corpse User. They'd do it openly. If that's the case... the possibility that comes to mind is a diversion...?”
“A diversion? You mean drawing everyone's attention to the border while doing something somewhere else?”
“It's only a possibility. Anyway, I'm sure the Great Shrine Maiden and the others are keeping an eye on things too. Let's focus on exterminating the flesh golems.”
When I concluded that, Mariane nodded and spoke.
“For an adventurer, completing the request should come first. However, Soushi-san, if Mazero, the Corpse User is at the scene, I would like you to capture him on behalf of the Guild.”
“Why?”
“Mazero is an adventurer too. If he is involved in this incident, we need to check the records on his Adventurer Card and take appropriate action. Of course, if he attacks us and causes harm as a bandit, you may eliminate him if necessary.”
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E/N:
Mazero gonna die a horrible death soon 😂! Mariane is so ruthless, I love it!
Stay tuned!
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