Chapter 34: The Daily Life of a Ten Year Old - Sword of the Deep Silence
Early in the morning, I left the mansion before my family and servants were awake.
I told the gatekeeper that I wanted to take care of my armor, but he was concerned that I was fully equipped and even carrying a backpack.
But it has been over a year since I started imitating an adventurer. He thought I needed to get into something because I was about to leave. The gatekeeper thought nothing more of it and sent us on our way.
The hunter, Gordo, was quite an accomplished hunter.
He's seriously wounded in a forest, and the enemy is unknown. The adventuring party has also disappeared. Perhaps everyone overestimates Gordo, and the adventurers' disappearance may have been a coincidence. But if not, there was no doubt that something was lurking in the forest.
I don't have much time. I leave in a week.
I wonder if adventurers and knights can handle this kind of thing.
Even if they could, how much damage could they do?
If I did not find out, I would not be able to set out on my journey with peace of mind.
The main gate was packed with people.
Most were adventurers and merchants, with security guards keeping a close eye on them as they checked their identities and luggage. Although the baggage checks were not as strict, it still took a long time for merchants and others.
A long line of people formed, and street vendors opened their stores early in the morning to take advantage of the long lines.
I stopped in front of one of them and looked at the line from the corner of my eye.
I couldn't find anything that looked like it. Even the "Appraisals" were all off. It may not necessarily be that they are leaving today, or if I'm out of luck. They may have already left.
If the latter is the case, we will surely lose them if we don't pursue them now.
Should I wait and see, or should I go after them?
While I struggle to make a good decision, I felt a strange presence.
Rare.
It was a feeling similar to that of Ose and Nerio. No, is it more than that?
The presence was coming from the back of town toward the gate.
I observed it while pretending to be rummaging through the merchandise.
They were still in town – which was unusual.
Walking at the head of the group of five was a halfling.
They were fewer in number than the elves and dwarves, as they rarely came out of the west. He was probably the only one, not only in Reedwald and in the nearby towns.
I was surprised at him, but the group members were also unique in many ways.
The leader of the group was no doubt Pidosios, a halfling.
Not only did he have a pompous attitude, but his abilities were simply outstanding. As a scout, he was even better than Ose. In addition, he has mastered "Denatured Magic" and "No-attribute" magic and is good at giving up. If it is a simple magic skill, this is also more than Danil. His disadvantage is that his direct combat ability is low, but even with his weaknesses. He is still an excellent adventurer.
Walking alongside Pidosios is Salma, a Toar woman.
The Toar are characterized by their dark skin and live in the wilderness and desert region known as Korsnet, which lies to the south of the Korgess Union to the east. I've seen the merchant a few times, but this is the first time I've seen the adventurer.
She is a light warrior, her weapon is a curved sword, and she wears leather armor only around her chest and waist. Her defense is kept to a minimum. She seems to prioritize evasion and mobility.
She also wears a thick winter coat, which she holds in place with several belts, perhaps because she does not want it to impede her movement. Tha accentuates her style and attracts the attention of men who pass by. It would be even more difficult in the summer.
The last man in line, protecting his companions, is Dailas, a beastman.
I have never seen a beastman before. He is taller than a human and has a thick build. Despite this, he was a scout. He had a compound bow slung over his shoulder, and his armor and skills were more rear-guard. He has a broad smallsword strapped to the back of his waist, but he seems unlikely to use it, as he has "One-handed Sword 1" in one hand and "Archery 5"
The rests are Imperial man and woman.
The other three are so distinctive that they were overshadowed. But they are still specialized adventurers. Efurd, a light warrior, and shield is a holder of "Shield 6", although his abilities are average. His skills are on par with Roland's.
The other is Milana, a scout. She is highly dexterous and skilled at traps and lock-picking. In dungeon and urban exploration, she would be as effective as the leader, Pidosios the halfling, with his pompous attitude, is moving away with a different kind of companion.
Some of them gather ears and eyes, while others are not so competent.
It should also be noted that the "Sword of the Deep Silence" has a major characteristic. They have a distorted formation of three scouts and two light warriors. They are designed to carry out requests without fighting with an emphasis on mobility and search capabilities. Or, it was a formation for surprise or raid.
If they were to fight, "Battle Axe of Destruction" would win. But it would not be a battle. Even if
Ose could discover them, their mobility as a party would be too different. To avoid being defeated individually, "Battle Axe of Destruction" would have no choice but to give up the chase. They are capable enough to go through such recklessness and have reached the C rank. No wonder the guild leader Herrit gave his approval as a suitable candidate for the job.
The "Sword of the Deep Silence" lined up in a row.
It would be better not to line up right behind them.
Pidosios doesn't mind the stares because we are in town, but if I get too close, I could draw their attention for some trivial reason. It is not a good idea if they notice me here.
With that in mind, I waited a while before getting in line, but suddenly I was the center of attention around me.
A ten-year-old child dressed as an adventurer, and all alone, was about to step outside. It was natural to be concerned. Fortunately, adventurers know me and are self-responsible residents, so they don't try to get involved, but merchants are not so simple. Some have purely good intentions, while others are trying to figure out who I am and see if they can use me for their business. The merchant in front of me was inspecting Eras Rhino's leather armor and Rhino sword, looking for an opportunity to talk to me. I'm doing my best to emit an aura of "Don't talk to me." so it's all under control, but I guess it's only a matter of time.
That is not good. My objective was to identify the invisible monster lurking in the forest. I want to do it without the "Sword of the Deep Silence" noticing. There is no way they would allow a child to follow them, especially if they know my identity. If I am not careful, there is a possibility that the search will be interrupted. Six days until departure. There is no time to waste.
Pidosios, perhaps sensing a change in the atmosphere, looks around with a gesture.
Should I leave the line until they leave town?
As I was about to make my move, one of the gatekeepers came straight at me.The initial posting of this chapter occurred via N0v3l.B11n.
It seems that Pidosios was not the only one who sensed the change.
That's tricky. If I mention my identity, I wonder how the merchants who are looking at me will react.
"You, hey..."
After saying that much, the gatekeeper drank his words.
It seems he has realized who I am. I've seen this face a few times.
Pidosios turns around at that moment.
Fortunately, they can't see me yet because I'm in the crowd.
"Show me to the stuffing station."
"Uh–oh, yes, sir. Yes, sir."
We head for the packing house, hiding from a group of adventurers passing by.
A moment later, just as the wall breaks slightly, I feel a sharp gaze on me.
Did they see me? I think I can handle this level of scrutiny.
As I slipped into the stuffy room, the gatekeeper let me through to a room.
"I apologize for the place is like this. I will bring you something to drink in a moment."
"I won't stay long. No need. I'm sorry for interrupting your work."
"No, sir, not at all, sir."
The gatekeeper waved his hand grandly.
Then he slightly lowered his voice.
"So, how can I help you at the gate?"
"I will be outside the gate in a few moments. At that time, I would appreciate it if you would give me priority to let me through."
"Yes, sir."
The gatekeeper was relieved, as he had expected the soldier to point out his disrespect and inadequate security.
The one they defeated was a zebra-patterned lizard named Orslizard.
Efurt drew its attention, Pidosios and Mirana distracted it, and just after Dailas' bow shot through one of its eyes, Salma took its head off.
"Why, Piddo! You're too good for it!"
Salma's voice reached me.
I guess she's got a warning that her voice was too loud, but then she still complained while holding it down. It seems they are struggling over what to do with the Orslizard. The body alone is three meters long, and it's big enough to swallow Pidosios or me in one gulp. Although the patterns on it are flashy, it is a perfect material for leather armor in terms of both quality and quantity. The Orslizrad has a skill that kills ice magicians, called "Freezing Resistance 6," so if you can expect even a little of that effect, the price will be high for those ice magicians.
In the end, Pidosios has pushed aside, and he dismantled the orslizard, securing the skins and the meat for dinner. I wonder if they could share some of the meat with me. It's hard to live on dried meat for two days in a row.
Salma suddenly hugged Pidosios.
She is the type of person who expresses a lot of emotions. Pidosios pulled it away from her in exasperation, while the rest of the group laughed at her while looking at her with a look of dismay on their faces.
It seemed to be a friendly party, but one thing was clear. Pidosios is a small guy. I had no idea he was going to pull it off. I've been nearly killed by Valerie many times, and I've never resisted her.
What a happy way to die. Let the worm man eat you alive once. And take my place.
With this one incident, my pursuit continued.
The chase, which would have been a simple one, was surprisingly enjoyable thanks to the unique personalities of the group.
Above all, the chase against the three scouts was an experience unlike any other. I had learned my skills from Nerio, and sometimes from Ose. It was the culmination of all that, and I felt like I was taking a little test.
And even more so, to see their techniques. What did Pidosios find in the traces and how did he judge them? I would observe where they stopped, mull over, speculate on it, and look for answers.
Even if we don't find anything, the fact that we didn't make sense. I wished I had gone to the institute a little further.
The search and pursuit continued, and when the sun was just past its zenith, the "Sword of the Deep Silence" reached a point where the traces were widely scattered.
Pidosios looked around the whole area and suddenly bent down.
Then he plucked up a piece of snow and threw it down.
"So this is the site."
The light warrior duo of Salma and Efurd backed away from the scene so as not to disturb the trail.
The three scouts then put their faces close to the snow surface and searched for clues.
After a while, they all gather at their original locations. They found nothing.
"I'm sure this is where the hunter encountered the invisible monster. It's probably due to the blood spilled, the monsters are ravaging the place. Let's hear what you guys think. We can keep going, or we can go back and follow the other trail."
They had found traces of what appeared to be a missing adventurer. It was hard for me to judge, but
Pidosios seemed to think the probability was high.
After some discussion, the "Sword of the Deep Silence" chose to move on.
I am not certain why, but I suspect they decided that they could get no more clues. The missing adventurer was attacked earlier than Gordo and was dead. The devastation of the traces must be incomparable to me. Even if a body had remained, after being devoured by monsters and animals, there was no way to tell which wounds were the monsters they were looking for, and the same was true of the footprints.
I agreed with their decision and was relieved.
The tracks of the adventuring party were far behind. Even though I was careful, my footprints had not been completely covered. Pidosios would soon discover the trackers' presence. I have decided that if that happens, I will proudly identify myself and join the search, but there is nothing I can do to prevent that from happening.
The "Sword of the Deep Silence" begins to make its way through the snowy forest again.
From here on, it is a groping search. While assessing the traces of something that can be found from time to time, "Sword of the Deep Silence" is walking cautiously. It is much slower than before. Perhaps it has been just a move so far, and this is where the real work begins.
However, even from the side, it is a tricky request. We have only a little information in advance, and there are countless types of monsters. It would be impossible to find out who they are. To be frank, I don't want to do it. The head of the Herrit branch said he "accepted" the request, but I am sure he "approached" them. As one's fame and power grow, so do one's troubles. Adventurers are not so easy to deal with.
They avoid and sometimes repel the occasional monster that appears.
None of the monsters have abilities that satisfy them, and several hours pass in the search.
Even though the evening is still far away, the sun sets earlier than in the meadows because of the tall trees. When it gets dark, it becomes more difficult to identify the traces. They should have finished their search by now.
We should look for a place to roost, too.
As I look up at the trees, a small warning from Pidosios reaches my ears.
I hide behind a tree and look around.
Is that – is that a monster?
Further ahead of the "Sword of the Deep Silence", a small creature sitting on the snow with three fingers.
It sat like a cat, but it looked much like a white weasel.
They were called Hunter Fitch's and sold for a high price because of their beautiful fur.
Sure enough, they bite.
Even if it is not as high as the C-rank success fee, it should still be worth the change after paying the necessary expenses.
Not to raise any alarm, "Sword of the Deep Silence" unfolded quietly.
Hunter Fitch just turned its red eyes with a scowl on its face.
Although he is one size larger and taller overall, his nature is not much different from that of an animal weasel. By nature, it was a very cautious monster and rarely appeared before an armed human. This far back, it might not be accustomed to seeing humans.
As the "Sword of the Deep Silence" encircled the place from a distance. I looked around to see what was going on.
I tilted my head.
I thought it was a bit too much for them to be cautious when they encircled it.
As I looked around to see what they do, I noticed that only Dailas had not moved from his original position.
In his backhand was a compound bow.
I see, that with a bow and arrow, the damage to the fur would be minimal. The others are trying to get its attention, and the archer is trying to finish him off.
Dailas took out his bow and gently placed the arrow.
It was at that moment.
A strong chill.
He instinctively ducked down.
"What?"
I looked up in surprise to see a cloud of smoke rising from the snow.
A few seconds later, Dailas exclaimed.
"What? What happened?"
The snow plume clears.
There was Dailas with his arms slouched down.
A compound bow, severed in two, lies at his feet, and fresh blood spurts from his arms, staining the snowy ground.
Behind Dailas, Hunter Fitch slowly turns around.
"Fool, don't jump out!"
Faster than Pidosios' warning, Efurd, a light warrior, rushes out to fulfill his role and backs Dailas up.
And then the white shadow scrapes away, and blood spurts from Efrt's side.
My eyes widen.
Do they understand what is happening now?
The white weasel sits up a little.
Pidosios was just standing frozen in front of it.
