Book 1: Chapter 22
Book 1: Chapter 22
There were more adventurers in the guild than yesterday. However, they didn’t turn disgustful looks towards Raikira-san, and were absorbed in talking with fellow companions.
「–I saw it too.」
「–It was pretty early in the morning, right?」
「–I’d like to fly on that thing once.」
I headed to the counter and asked a female receptionist if it was okay to visit the training ground.
「You can, but no one is using it today.」
「Really?」
「Yes. The instructor, Joseph-san, contacted us from his home this morning, notifying us of his absence.」
…It makes sense now. He’s got a hangover.
「And the rest of the adventurers have been talking amongst themselves as you can see. Did you see the magic airship? It seems to have arrived just after sunrise. I was still sleeping at that time, so I missed it. It is apparently in the Duke’s castle right now.」
「An airship?!」
…There was such a thing in this world!? I had no idea. I have never seen it.
「That’s right. There seems to be as many as five in the Keith Grand Federation, but the one which landed in this city seems to be the one owned by His Majesty Geffert, “The Sky Princess Castle”.」
「Oh! Is the king on board?」
「No, not at all. It seems that the Adventurer’s Guild is also involved, so the Guild Master was summoned in the morning and–」
「You.」
The submaster appeared, with a sullen look.
「What are you doing chattering pointlessly?」
「Oh, s-sorry… Feel free to visit the training ground.」
「Thank you.」
I wanted to ask a little more, but the submaster was still staring intensely, so I decided to leave quietly. Right then, the submaster was called by another staff in the back, and he left. I wish he hadn’t come out at all.
「You sure talked quite a lot.」
「Ah, yes. I could have learned more had the submaster not come.」
「Oh, that racist bastard, huh?」
…Wow, just blunt.
「Hey, weren’t you going to the training ground?」
「It seems that no one is using it today…」
I am seriously disappointed. The opportunity to learn more skills slipped away… Well, it can’t be helped. Let’s practice the skills I have, instead. And master it!
「Then, let’s wait until Dante-ossan comes over.」
「Okay.」
「By the way, I also heard an interesting story.」
Raikira-san said, as we moved to a corner of the guild. He seems to have been listening in on conversations while waiting in an inconspicuous place.
「Is it about the magic airship?」
「Hmm? No, it’s not.」
…Oh, it’s something different.
「I heard that a merchant group was saved by a child when they were being attacked by monsters on the highway.」
「Saved? By a child?」
「That’s the thing. It’s apparently some kind of magic that nobody has seen before. You know the eight elemental magic?」
「The 8 types of magic that are classified as “Magic characteristic” skill orbs. Like Mimino-san’s flower magic.」
「Yeah. The two rare ones are 【Light Magic】 and 【Dark Magic】, right? Though, I’ve never seen either…」
Raikira-san talked in a good mood. Is the macho tsundere beastmen finally graduating from his tsundere phase?
「It looked very much like a dark magic skill, it seems. The monster which was attacking the merchant group seems to have been a Lizard Centaur, a monster whose upper half is a dragon, and lower half is a horse… but the hard scales of the dragon were destroyed with a single blow, I heard.」
「……Wait a minute.」
As I listened to the story, chills ran down my back.
「Was it a sword-like black slash… that slashed the monster?」
「Oh, that’s right. How’d you know? Did you hear the same story from the guild staff?」
「————」
I know that black slash.
Lark.
It’s Lark!
「Raikira-san! Whom did you hear it from?! Please tell me who it was!」
「Oi, what’s up with you all of a sudden?」
It happened when I was pressing Raikira-san for the answer.
「Adventurers, listen!」
The submaster suddenly appeared from the back.
His face was pale as a sheet, and his hand, which gripped a paper, wouldn’t stop trembling. The adventurers stopped talking due to that strange situation, and listened carefully to the submaster’s next words.
「There was an emergency communication from Six Mine! A “dragon” is flying towards the city! The guild has issued an emergency summon. All adventurers are requested to defend the city from the “dragon”!」
Inside the adventurer’s guild, there was a turmoil like a beehive; people sneaking out of the guild, people clamouring around the submaster and the other staff (trying to get more information), people speculating amongst themselves, and people who were calm and composed(those who donned shiny armors, the high ranking adventurers).
I lost my chance to ask Raikira-san about Lark…
「Hey, what’s all the noise?」
Dante-san walked into the guild. It seems that as soon as he received the departure permit he requested yesterday, he came to the guild.
「A “Dragon”?」Dante-san frowned when he heard the news.
「Yeah. What do you think, ossan?」
「I’ve heard about slaves rioting at Six Mine, but I haven’t heard anything about a dragon. But if it came from a magic communication, then it’s most probably true. We’re lacking too much information.」
Dante-san started to think, with his arms crossed, and when our gazes met, he awkwardly averted it.
「Dante-san, I…」
「Reiji, you don’t have to say it.」he immediately stopped me.
…Even when things are looking bad, these people are still so kind. Even Raikira-san could have asked me something when he heard the words “mine” and “dragon”. But he didn’t say anything. And Non-san gently hugged me from behind.
I was in the forest, not far from the mine. A slave tattoo on my hand.
It was clear that I had escaped from the mine.
「No, I’ll tell you. I saw what seemed to be a “dragon”.」
…Therefore, I can’t continue to keep silent when danger is approaching us.
The submaster said it was a “dragon.” But I felt it was more like a “huge bird”.
I was absorbed in talking about what seemed to be a “dragon” that appeared above the mine. At first, they had a look of concern, but when they found out my story wasn’t anything out of the question, they listened with a serious look.
「And I haven’t seen anything after that rain of light.」
Everyone was dead silent.
When I noticed, not only Dante-san and the others, but also the other adventurers were listening to my story.
The submaster was the first to respond.
「You, if that story is true, you are a slave who has fled the mine–」
「Oi, seems like everything has gone to shits while I was asleep.」
The person who came in, interrupting the submaster’s words,
「Joseph!」
It was the muscular, skinhead instructor. When he saw Dante-san, the corners of his mouth curled up, and he raised one hand. Dante-san also raised one hand and said, “I had a feast yesterday,” and Joseph-san replied, “Baka, it’s my treat, after all,” as they high-fived.