Chapter 75
Luna erased her murderous expression and walked toward .
Blood was sared on her cheek.
It was the blood of ndel, whom she had just struck down.
Unaware that she was covered in blood, she hung her head shyly.
“You’ll be safe now.”
For a mont, fear flickered in my chest.
[Cool] cald it down imdiately.
After catching my breath, I stroked her head as a gesture of appreciation for her hard work.
Luna showed a happy smile.
“Well done.”
“Where are the others?”
“They should be at the front gate. Could you go and bring them here?”
“I’ll do that.”
Luna disappeared to the floor below.
I also went down one floor from the fourth.
It was to rummage through ndel’s corpse.
Let's see.
If they ca from Vilne, they should have a pass for the village.
“Yellow huh.”
The Adventurer's Guild varied the color of the pass according to the group's skill.
Yellow was the second from the bottom.
I tucked it into my chest and went back up to the fourth floor.
I intended to organize the mana stones before Leonard’s group arrived.
I took out the subspace backpack.
To move a large amount at once, it was impossible without a backpack imbued with magic.
I packed every single one without exception.
“What’s this room?”
Leo returned.
His whole body was covered in wounds.
He walked inside while pretending to be nonchalant and looked around.
“What happened to the Golem?”
I changed the subject before he could ask about the items that had been in the room.
Leo snorted without suspicion.
“Of course I struck it down. It was nothing.”
Look at him acting tough.
Leo’s legs were trembling.
Talleon and Gavinu also shook their heads as if they were fed up.
“That’s impressive. If I were to fight you again, it’d be hard to guarantee the outco.”
“D-Do you really think so?”
“Yes.”
Leo couldn't hide the joy on his face.
[Clever] chuckled.
Sotis I think about how nice it would be if the people in the ga were as simple as Leonard.
“The day I overtake you isn't far off.”
“Give it your best shot.”
He nodded satisfactorily and opened his mouth.
“Now we just have to rummage through this place and pick out the usable items, right?”
“That's right.”
“I’ll organize it quickly, so just wait a bit.”
“How about doing it after resting a little?”
“The girls are waiting outside. There’ll be trouble if we’re late.”
It wasn't a bad judgnt.
However, they weren't so weak that we needed to protect them.
By now, they would've cleared the paths I asked them to.
“Gavinu and Talleon, you two split the first and second floors. I’ll take the third.”
“Then I guess I should handle this place.”
“Was that an overstepping judgnt?”
“No.”
Leo smiled and pushed his subordinates' backs.
Luna watched his departing figure with a worried gaze.
“Leo looks like he’s struggling.”
“There’s no way that guy would say that he’s hurt in front of .”
“Should I go help?”
“Please do.”
Luna also went down to the third floor.
The item that absolutely had to be taken from here was the mana stone.
I didn't care if the rest was given as loot for the companions who worked hard.
I stepped outside first.
“He handled it cleanly.”
I saw the remains of the Golem Leo had struck down.
A trace of a sword thrust remained on the core attached to the chest.
Just a single strike.
Excellent.
As expected of a nad apprentice knight.
I felt him growing day by day.
“Were you already out?”
I turned toward the direction of the voice.
The knight unit ca down after finishing their search.
The bags they were carrying were bulging as if they were about to burst.
“Yeah, the fourth floor didn't have much.”
Leo shrugged his shoulders.
“It looks like you picked a dud, unfortunately.”
“Seems so.”
He wouldn't know.
That the jackpot known as the mana stones was already in my hands.
It was better for both of us to just let it pass like this.
“How about making this place our base? There weren't even any zombies inside.”
It was Gavinu who offered the opinion.
The boy looked at the dormitory with a gaze full of lingering regret.
“It would be safe. However, once food runs out, it’ll be difficult to find anything to eat in this vicinity.”
Dormitory 2 lacked advantages to be used as a base.
The nearby facilities had already been picked clean by the survivors who lived here.
It was dangerous for the search range to widen.
“And this place is too well known.”
I glanced toward the corner of the building.
The complexion of a hidden survivor turned pale in an instant.
They hadn't left even after watching the fight between the rcenaries and us.
They’re weak.
However, even weak humans had ways to survive.
Setting fires or luring people into traps.
I’d tasted frustration a few tis in those ways while playing the ga.
“The first rule of a base is not getting caught.”
Gavinu said nothing.
I knew that was the boy’s expression of agreent.
I walked down the hill path.
I heard sounds from behind.
The survivors, who’d been waiting for an opportunity, moved busily to obtain even the remaining scraps.
* * *
“Where do you plan to go from now on?”
Adela asked.
I didn't answer imdiately and sank into thought.
The place to be the next base was near Saint Stalia.
Rodwell was also heading that way.
But we wouldn't go to Stalia imdiately.
“Let’s go to Vilne.”
“Vilne? That’s a place I’ve never heard of.”
“It’s a village not far from here.”
“If it’s a village… is it a ruin?”
“No, people are living there.”
Everyone listening showed curiosity.
As the disaster occurred, most villages were abandoned and devastated.
Vilne was the sa.
The owners of Vilne now were the guild, not the villagers.
“Is that possible?”
“Another group remodeled the abandoned village to their liking.”
“Where on earth do you get that kind of information?”
“There were a few playthroughs where the tower collapsed, and it’s a place I found while searching with my life on the line.”
Adela tilted her head.
“What’s with that tone, as if this isn't the first ti the tower has collapsed.”
“Did it sound like that?”
“It did.”
“Don't worry about it.”
Joshua avoided the answer.
“How long do you plan to stay there?”
“I plan to stay for about a month.”
It took at least a month to walk to Saint Stalia.
We couldn't endure by camping until then.
All the students' stamina had dropped.
Adela and Serena had been trapped in the mine for over a week.
The knight unit and Tania had been living outdoors for fifteen days.
“What about the promise with Sir Rodwell?”
“You don't have to worry about him. He’s soone who’ll do fine on his own. We should worry about ourselves first.”
Adela turned her head and scanned the expressions of the people following.
They were a ssy sight.
Adela decided to follow the boy's plan.
For a long ti after that, no conversation was exchanged.
Not just , but the others as well.
Only the sound of footsteps was clearly heard in the silence.
“I see a fla over there?”
Leo, who was walking beside , spoke up.
In front of the village, they’d hung only the minimum number of torches to look out over the vicinity.
The inside was as quiet as a dead mouse.
A stillness that made it feel as if the guards at the gate were everything.
“Don't you sll sothing?”
Leo sniffed.
Since the night was deep, it was sothing invisible to the other companions' eyes.
To , who possessed [Nocturnal], it was clearly visible.
It was smoke.
They were erasing the scent of humans with smoke created by burning leaves.
“Don't tell , did soone among us fart?”
“……You seem to have good instincts, yet you have a screw loose sowhere.”
“W-What.”
“Concentrate, because this is a different sll.”
Vilne was a village inside a forest.
A forest was easy for setting traps.
And it was possible to camouflage using plants that grew in the forest.
It was the reason the guild established a branch here despite there being many ruined villages.
“Should I go first for now?”
“No need. We all go together.”
A man was standing near the light.
We headed slowly toward him.
The bulky man was wary of us, but his expression soon softened.
“Are you students? These are faces I haven't seen before.”
“Here is the pass.”
I showed the yellow pass I’d obtained by striking down the rcenary.
The man’s eyes widened.
“Where did you get that?”
“I obtained it after striking down a rcenary group called Black Chain.”
I heard the sounds of the companions around catching their breath in surprise.
They must have worried that the man would retaliate because I hard a comrade.
But this man didn't dwell on such facts.
It was because they belonged to different affiliations.
“Not bad.”
There was no disturbance in the man’s expression.
As a gatekeeper, he concentrated on examining the authenticity of the pass I handed over.
Vilne was a lawless zone.
It was a place where outsiders were welcod as long as they followed the village rules.
The rules stated there was no problem even if one snatched and used another person's pass.
“It’s indeed one issued by our village.”
“I can go in then, right?”
“If you answer my question.”
“Go ahead.”
“How did you know this piece of iron was a pass for Vilne?”
Indeed, it was a sharper question than I’d expected.
To a person who didn't know its value, the pass was no different from trash.
“The rcenaries spilled everything once I threatened them a bit.”
“They were loose-lipped bastards.”
Fortunately, he didn't find it suspicious.
“There should’ve been a bearded man nad ndel among the Black Chain punks. Who struck him down?”
“It was .”
“You?”
Curiosity filled the man’s pupils.
This gatekeeper was a clerk of the guild that ruled Vilne.
It was also his role to evaluate newly arrived survivors.
“He was an unreliable guy, but I didn't think he’d be the type to lose to a student.”
Black Chain was a group of Vetus (6) grade.
Ordinary academy students couldn't win against them.
The man was taking note of that point, but I had no intention of answering.
“I know ndel’s final destination was Dormitory 2. Are you guys coming from there as well?”
The inspection was getting long.
I’d gained qualification with the pass, but that alone didn't satisfy the man.
He was thinking carefully.
“Yes.”
I couldn't stay silent this ti.
I thought of the possibility of soone among the companions making a mistake.
I had to conclude the story from my side.
“What’s the situation there?”
“Every survivor who stayed at Dormitory 2 is dead.”
“That’s heartbreaking.”
No regret was felt in the man’s voice.
“I’d received information that a crowd of zombies appeared around there recently. Did you see those bastards?”
The companions raised their eyes.
Instead of the expression monster, he referred to them as zombies.
The na decided at the eting place had begun to be used by others as well.
“Ah, my mistake. Zombie is a word referring to the monsters. We started using it after the rchant guild bastards did.”
The word rchant guild brought a certain face to mind.
Martel.
If it was a big shot in the rchant world who was at the eting place, it had to be that man.
“Anyway, back to the point, did you see them?”
“They weren't there when I went to Dormitory 2.”
“I see. Then what did you find in Dormitory 2?”
Lies must be avoided.
Guild requests underwent verification through several stages.
There was no way they wouldn't know that relief supplies remained in Dormitory 2.
“I obtained food, water, and other items.”
“Is that all?”
“Yes.”
I hid the truth about the mana stones.
If caught, I wouldn't see anything good.
I’d spend my entire ti in the village sitting on pins and needles.
The man hesitated for a mont.
“The talk has grown long. You can go in now.”
“Thank you.”
As he snapped his fingers, the closed wooden door was thrown open.
I stepped inside slowly.
When I looked back, the companions let out sighs of relief.
“I thought for sure we were going to fight.”
“ too.”
Adela and Tania glared while furrowing their brows.
I shook my head.
Perhaps because they lacked [Steady Nerves], they got nervous easily over small things.
“If he’d intended to fight, Joshua would’ve told us to prepare.”
Leo replied while shrugging his shoulders.
Leo’s head spins faster when it cos to combat.
In a lawless zone, this kind of ability was particularly useful.
“Leo.”
“What?”
“You act separately from now on, taking Talleon and Gavinu with you.”
“What does that an?”
Including , there were a total of eight companions.
It was a noticeable number to travel together inside the village.
It was necessary for a few to separate and act independently.
“It ans you should prove yourself a bit more as the captain of the unit.”
Exultation appeared on Leo’s face.
“Are you serious?”
“Yes, but you must report to regularly. Especially when you go outside the village.”
“Outside the village?”
“If you go to the inn, there’ll be a bulletin board. There are request forms there.”
At the word request form, everyone in the knight unit was stirred up.
These punks are full of excitent.
They lose their minds if it’s even slightly related to the word adventure.
“I’m telling you in advance, it’ll be much different from what you thought.”
“I-I know.”
“And you must handle the necessary expenses while living in the village from your three pockets.”
Leo contemplated for a mont but soon nodded.
I’d taken asures in advance so there wouldn't be any complaints.
A significant amount of the relief supplies obtained from Dormitory 2 were in his backpack.
“Hide your swords when you walk around. A sharp eyed person might recognize them as masterwork swords and ambush you.”
“Right.”
“Don't cause a commotion either. Ignoring provocations is the basic rule even if you’re challenged.”
“Don't worry. I have discernnt too.”
“In your case, this is what I’m most worried about.”
Joshua let out a sigh.
“I think I’ve told you all the precautions by now.”
“Don't worry, we’ll do a good job!”
Is this how a mother bird feels when sending her chicks away from the nest?
I was worried, but he needed experience.
The power to grasp a situation and make decisions, not just swordsmanship and magic.
It was one of the conditions for surviving in .
“Any other questions?”
“None.”
“Then we’ll act separately from now on. I’ll even book separate accommodations.”
The knight unit grew distant from my sight.
I was worried, but…….
He’s the type who does what needs to be done, despite how he looks.
And he also struck down the Golem in Dormitory 2.
If his skill was enough to strike down a Golem, Leo didn't have many rivals in the village.
“Hmm~”
When I looked to the side, Adela was humming.
“Joshua, you're more sly than I thought.”
“What do you an?”
“You sent all the boys elsewhere, and you're left alone in a flower garden.”
Was that what the humming ant just now?
[Cool] showed a reaction as if it were pathetic.
They don't know well yet.
What it ans to remain by my side.
Once the rest is over, I’ll make them run for longer than the ti they rested.
When that ti cos, they won't be able to be as relaxed as they are now.
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