Volu 1, Chapter 11: A Strange and Uninteresting Request
「I lost a great deal because of this kiddo. 」
I heard the upset voice of old man Richard. After the deals were finished between the custors at the tavern, everything went back to normality. So of them left the tavern, while others remained on their seats.
I remained in the tavern.
「That’s not fair. I couldn’t win in the end. 」
The duel made us so scratches. Since my knife was rusty and old, so of its cracks pierced Caria Burdnick’s face. Therefore, she was removing pieces from her face one by one as she complained continually. It seed like she was making a big effort to endure the pain. However, no matter who it was, if a duel is about fighting with blades, then it’s obvious there’ll be so wounds on the opponents. It was natural. While I grabbed my remaining knife, it just broke off.
「A draw is acceptable. Although she is an apprentice, that young Lady is a very proud knight. We know that her family na Burdnick has so negative backstory, but her skills are outstanding. Not bad indeed. 」
The duel resulted in a draw. It all happened because I held my knife on Caria Burdnick’s throat, while she held her sword pointed to my shoulder. We were going to strike each other at the sa ti before the old man declared that the duel was finished. I really don’t know how that happened in the end.
I had a chance of ripping her skin, while she had a chance of piercing my shoulder. There would be a lot of consequences to both us if that outco had really happened. Even so, it appeared that Caria Burdnick was convinced of the settlent. She had this strange smile on her face as she went outside of the tavern. She said “Let’s leave it like this”, with a dignified expression. It looked like she accepted our draw. If that’s really what she ant, then it was perfect for .
However, I could feel within my heart a strange feeling between eccentricity and excitent.
「Well, it was superb nonetheless. Even though this child doesn’t have parents, he is growing up exceptionally. I didn’t know that my apprentice growing into an adult would be so comndable. 」
Old man Richard was strangely praising .
It was hard to believe that this vicious old man will praise people without any ulterior motives. In other words, there is sothing behind his odd behavior. There’s no doubt. I had a feeling that I should avoid him at all cost. Because this vicious old man was good at deceiving in the past. His cunning stratagems made “step into pitfalls” without noticing.
「…Master, you really are vigorous. But don’t use for your weird purposes anymore. 」
I was washing my face on the tavern’s tub as I spoke with him. I clearly noticed that the old man grew old. His bread and hair beca white. He won’t be able to endure the hardships of a real battle anymore. However, he still looked robust and full of vigor despite his old age. His eyes were impeccable as always as he kept looking at like an eagle. His whole appearance still gave everyone an impression of strength. Although I never knew the details, people said that he was a very famous adventurer when he was on his pri days. Many whispered that he was even involved in the national affairs. Well, true or not, I don’t know much since I’ve only heard his stories from people in the taverns.
As the old man heard my worrying words, he deliberately touched my back while smiling through his teeth.
「Lugis, you’ve grown suspicious of , huh…But don’t worry, it’s not a weird job. I believe that you’ll be suitable to accomplish it without any concerns. 」
I raised my eyebrows when I heard the old man’s words.
「To put it simply, what you want is to get the job done regardless of what happens. 」
「Indeed, your insight is getting better at judging others. However, this ti is different from the tasks you perford on monsters before. 」
He looked closely at , as he kept laughing creepily. This man was a true devil. He never was a good person in the first place. How can I trust a man like him?
Yet, despite his cunning ways towards , he always pushed to my limits. To learn how to survive. To learn how to aim higher. To learn the harsh ways of the world. On that matter, I believe that old man Richard was the best tutor.
「Okay, tell what you want. I’m determined to make a living as an adventurer. I’ll do anything to accomplish my goal even if I have to “cross dangerous bridges”. 」
Old man Richard distorted his eyes for a mont as he kept stroking lightly his beard. It seed like he was hesitant at first. This was making nervous. Afterwards, he spoke with his usual fearless voice that never disappeared even after he grew old.
「It’s an easy job. If you succeed, I will recomnd you to the Adventurer’s Guild chief. Let’s start with the outline… 」
—
We left the tavern and he pointed on the direction of one of the Kingdom’s borders. He waived and went away. I was starting to wonder if I could really trust the old man.
「Hey, it’s still long ways to go. I’m bored now. Hey you, tell an interesting story. 」
「Why is this woman going with in the first place? 」
How can this old man leave with her as if he did nothing at all? I was almost losing my mind here. It seed like I could not change my past and future path with this woman right next to . How could I remain calm on this absurd situation?
Never mind. The content of the task itself seed certainly easy. I just needed to deliver the wax sealed letter and a few supplies to Fort Colliden on the western frontline. I was told not to look at the contents. They should not be open nor seen. I just had to deliver it.
Indeed, this task seed like a good job to achieve so recognition. Honestly, of all the items, I didn’t touch the wax sealed letter but I felt a strange exaltation when I saw them from afar. So far, process was going smooth. The horse carriage looked like the ones from the Guild. It’s extraordinary how everything seed to go so well. I have to confess that I’m feeling so anxiety, because I don’t rember having to complete a task this easy before.
There was only one dissatisfying point about all of this. Why is this woman, Caria Burdnick, accompanying ? This woman belongs to the Knight class. How she beca involved in the Adventurer’s Guild work like this?
「I have my reasons. But I’m not obliged to specify everything to you. To put it simply, the Knights have the right to intervene in the Guild’s work, so you have no right to complain. Think of as a mber of your party and nothing else. We’re just here to complete this work, ‘kay? If I find any dishonorable behavior coming from you, I’ll report you to the Guild. 」
Caria Burdnick was despicable as always. On that mont, she lowered her eyes at the wax sealed letter and she looked thoughtful.
Aristocrats or equivalent branches can only execute wax sealing in this Kingdom. In other words, this letter was written by the soone from the upper class. They must want to convey so important ssage or instructions to Fort Colliden. Certainly, it’s not strange to have one or two people to do such job, since they’ll need to avoid unnecessary attention. It’s hard to choose the right person to deliver crucial ssages.
However, fast horses are used originally to deliver official ssages. There must be a good reason why we must go in a horse carriage. It’s only my speculation, but it may be related to this woman’s presence.
While I thought curiously at it, I grabbed a fruit from the cargo. It was a good red fruit. Once you bite, the red juice will spread on your mouth. They sotis sell this type of fruit on the markets for a decent price.
Although I thought there was sothing going on with this task, maybe there was not a very big reason behind all of this. I received this task as an adventurer and the apprentice Knight just tagged along to make sure the journey was smooth.
Maybe, I overthought too much. I don’t think there is anything important going on after all. At best, it would be just a regular notice.
As I ate the red fruit, I grabbed the letter and I was trying to guess the true aning of this request. I kept staring at the seal without getting bored.
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