159-Episode 159: A Nostalgic Journey

There was a rumbling sound, and several carriages advanced.

"Ah, my ass hurts, if only I could fly I could get to town in a flash.

What can I do? It's a request for a safeguard.

Mina is chiding Jairo-kun, who blurts out that his buttocks are sore from the vibration of the carriage.

That's right, this time we were working as merchant escorts.

It's a good thing that you're not the only one who can do that.

"Seriously?　Huh!

Jairo-kun's butt stopped hurting and he was instantly in a good mood.

'No, you should have done this in the first place. You should have told me earlier, brother!

Pfft.

Everyone around you begins to let out a small laugh as Jairo is in a good mood.

'What the hell?　What are you smiling about?

Yeah, because your ass is glowing down there.

Huh?

When Mina pointed out to him, Jairo-kun looked at his own buttocks, and there it was, shimmering like a firefly.

''What the hell is this?

''The technique of casting body strengthening magic in parts is a good efficient use of magic power, but depending on the part, it looks a bit like this, depending on the part.

I mean, if you knew that, you should have told me right away!

'Sorry, sorry, I didn't mean to be a jerk,'

The masters around me were so good at handling magic that even if they used partial body-enhancement magic, they didn't let others perceive it.

That's why I'd accidentally forgotten about that.

''Kukkaku, but your butt doesn't hurt anymore, so you have Lex to thank for that, Gyro.

Maybe it's too funny, Mina's voice is rising... or maybe it's not hiding it at all.

''If you weaken your body-enhancing magic even more and dilute the concentration of your magic, it will be less noticeable.

"Oh, oh ... ouch!　A little harder... oh shit, it glowed!

Jairo-kun adjusts the magic power of his body-enhancing magic so that his buttocks don't glow, but it doesn't work very well and it repeatedly glows and doesn't glow.

''I see, so it's another way to practice magic.

And Norbu-san, who was looking at the scene, also made her buttocks glow faintly and activated her body strengthening magic.

The light from Norbu-san's buttocks is weaker than the light from Jairo-kun's buttocks, so if it's midday, it won't be too noticeable.

''This is quite difficult to do.''

'Yeah, my butt shines like a gyro if I'm not careful.

'Don't make it sound like my ass is always glowing!

Jairo-kun was indignant at the words of Liliella and the others who started using body-enhancing magic on his buttocks as well.

Everyone else's buttocks were sore too, weren't they?

''You guys, don't do anything stupid and keep a proper watch on the perimeter.

As expected, the wizard Mina's ass was hardly glowing.

If it was at that level, it would hardly be noticed even at night.

But still, I'm glad everyone is back to normal.

After Megri-san was freed from her role as Aydra-sama's shadow warrior, everyone was a bit awkward, but after accepting this request for protection and fighting the attacking demons, we gradually got back to normal.

By fighting together, the friction between us dissolved. It's a wonderful thing.

I guess that's just because we've been friends for so long.

What's going on, Mr. Lex?

I was lost in emotion when Liliella calls out to me.

'No, I just thought it would be nice to have a best friend.

Realizing the meaning of my words, Liliera-san turned her gaze to Jairo-kun and the others and nodded.

''Yeah, I guess something like that isn't so bad.

Liliella never fixed on one party because of her family and hometown issues.

So I guess that's why she has a lot of feelings for the friends she'll be with forever, like Jairo and the others.

''I hope we too can one day become best friends beyond the framework of a party.

'Well... what?　Your best friend?

Yes, my best friend.

Liliera-san heard my words back, so I reiterate them clearly too.

''Yes, well my best friend, my best friend... haha, I guess it's possible to say that.

Yes, it's nice to have a group of people to call your best friends!

...I don't know what it is, but it's so frustrating, somehow...Ugh, I'm kind of bothered.

And that's when it happened.

'They're here!'

When Mina called out, everyone's air instantly changed.

And after a bit, they spotted a group of deformed figures standing in front of them, blocking the path.

'Nah, it's the orcs again!

Jairo-kun was right, it was a group of orcs that were blocking the street.

''Indeed, the escort this time around has a lot of orc attacks.

'Not just the front!　They're coming in from the left and the back!

Mina, who was using exploration magic, warns everyone and then turns her gaze to me.

Since I also use exploration magic, I nodded back that the result of the exploration is the same.

Actually, when I received this request, Mina-san told me to leave the exploration magic to myself.

You can't rely on me too much, since I'm training in magic and most importantly, she asked me to watch over you.

I'm sure you'll be able to find out what's going on in the world.

I'm sure you'll be able to find out if there are any demons that Mina couldn't detect, and also to warn you when a dangerous opponent comes near.

"Me and Meghri will beat the enemy in front of us!　Miss Liliella's sister has the enemy beside her, and Mina has the situation and takes cover!　My brother and Norbu are the carriage's defense!

I'll take care of it.

Okay.

Yes, sir.

All right.

Yes!

Following Jairo-kun's instructions, we headed to intercept the demons.

At the same time, the adventurers who were escorting the other carriages were also starting to attack the orc herd.

By the way, the reason why Gyro-kun didn't instruct them to intercept the rear was because our carriage was leading the way.

''There's a bit too many of them, but we don't have any of the top species, so we should be fine.

Once I confirm that there are no higher-ranking species among the orcs that attacked me, I focus on defense and recovery.

I'm an S-ranked adventurer, so if I actively participate in the request, the rewards paid by the merchants will be too large.

That's why I made it a special condition that I only participate in basic defense and recovery to lower the reward.

Why did I go through all that trouble to get the request?

It's because we received a request from the head of the adventurers' guild in the capital.

In other words, this request is a dummy request for us to go and accept the request.

That's how we came to the request from Mina.

I was worried that the merchants and other guard adventurers would complain that I, as an S-ranked adventurer, was not actively participating in the request, but they were more than happy to oblige.

''If you have an S-ranked adventurer, you'll feel safer in times of need.

"This way, we won't have anyone stealing our work and we can count on you to be there when the time comes. You can rest assured that we'll get the job done.

This is how they generally liked me for not actively joining the attack.

'Ssshhh!　We won, oraah!

And without taking much time, Gyro-kun and the others completed fighting off the orcs.

''No, it's an easy win!

After kicking out the orcs, Jairo-kun came back with a bunch of orc defeat proof parts in his hands.

''If we defeat this many of them, our promotion to B-rank will be soon, won't it?

You're getting carried away. You shouldn't get too comfortable with yourself, you'll get hurt.

Hmm, the gyros are a little calming.

''Yes. If you keep up a steady stream of requests, you'll get promoted in time.

d*mn it, I know that.

Jairo-kun sulked as everyone chided him.

''Well, well, even so, you can still win out against a bunch of orcs with a C-rank, so that's a big deal. When I was C-ranked, I had a much harder time with my friends.

As expected, Liliella turned to follow up with Jairo.

She seems to have completely mastered the role of everyone's big sister, doesn't she?

'Right! That's why she's called Miss Liliera.

No, she said, "Don't do it, Miss Rielly!

While saying such things, the cleanup of the battle is finished and preparations for resuming the move are finished.

''Even so, there's a lot of orcs this time. Has some pack lost its territory to some other demon?''

'If that's the case, you might want to report it to the Adventurer's Guild.

Just like Jairo-kun and the others felt earlier, the other adventurers' parties seem to be concerned about the number of orcs in their parties as well.

But the idea of reporting to the guild makes me feel like an experienced adventurer.

They don't just defeat the monsters, but also think about the cause of the problem and report it to their superiors, just in case it happens again.

I must become an adventurer who can think ahead like that!　

All right, we're getting to town, so let's hold on, people.

""Oh, the ministry!"

When the leader of the merchant corps raised his voice, the Gentlemen also raised their voices and the carriage began to advance.

And after a while, the town came into view across the street that the leader had mentioned.

''Oh!　That's so neat!

Gyro-kun speaks up at the sight of the town.

'Well, it's not even that long ago, but I kind of miss it.

Yes, the town you see over there is the town of Togai, where we used to be based.

Urs, the guild leader of the royal city.

"Guild Master, an envoy from the Marquis Citren and Count Melmark has requested a meeting. They wish to discuss the S-ranked adventurers involved in the solution to the Corrosive Land.

The deputy guild leader laid out the letters on my desk.

I wish they'd get tired of it.

I'd had enough of these aristocrats coming in day after day, and I was tired of them.

You can't blame them. You can't blame them for this," he said, refusing to be interviewed by the royal family in the name of protecting the rights of adventurers. I'm sure you'll find a lot of people who are interested in this type of adventuring.

I can't believe how motivated they are to do things like this when all they can do is look out for other people's interests.

That's what pests are for.

Ha, the vermin are going to complain if we're treated like they are!

I knew it was a good idea to let the little bastards escape under the guise of a nomination request.

Those troublesome people didn't think that an S-ranked adventurer would be on a cheap escort job.

The fact that this country's S-ranked adventurers are based in the capital is well known to everyone who knows it.

It's a waste of time, but until things cool down, I guess I'll have to move to another town.

Well, it's just a matter of patience until another disturbance occurs that will attract the attention of the nobility.

It's just a matter of time before you find yourself in a situation like this.

After checking the contents of the letters brought by the deputy guild leader, I took out dozens of letters from my desk drawer and laid them out on my desk.

I'm sure you'll be able to find a lot more than a few of them.

'About thirty letters?'

So, this is your 45th letter.

I'm sick and tired of those numbers.

"My God, there's a whole country full of aristocrats working on this.

''It must be working. I'm told that every faction has mobilized all of them, even the lowly nobles, to demand that the Adventurer's Guild disclose the information.

What do you think will happen if I take it?

Thank goodness the nobles will be meddling in the affairs of the guild of adventurers from now on," he said. Moreover, the adventurers will be inundated with complaints that the guild in King's Landing has sold their freedom and pride to the nobles. In the worst case scenario, the adventurers' guilds in King's Landing are likely to be pressured by other cities and countries to dismantle their guilds if they lose their pride in adventuring.

What do you think would happen if that happened?

I ask the deputy guild leader who told me matter-of-factly what will happen after that.

''With the disappearance of the King's Capital Adventurer's Guild, the defense of the area around the King's Capital will be covered by the Knight's Guild alone. It would be very difficult to defeat the monsters that the adventurers had defeated so far, and they would be attacked by them in order from distant villages. If this happens, the tax revenue will fall and the lords of each region will raise the tax rate and the people will suffer from heavy taxation, it is only a matter of time.

In that case, what would the rest of the Adventurer's Guild do?

''I'm sure the other branches will start fighting each other for leadership. If it's done poorly, there's a good chance that other countries will take advantage of the power desires of their respective town's guild leaders and pull the strings behind the scenes.

That's what it's all about, isn't it?

The Adventurer's Guild is a large organization that spans many countries.

It is also an organization with a nasty power that can defeat dangerous demons that cannot be touched by an army.

But it is also an organization that would be a great handful if we could have it in our own hands.

It's not an adventurer's job to come to that point anymore.

Is this another of the evils of the Adventurer's Guild becoming too big?

Can't we get by with a guild?

''It won't be. If the damage of low grade demons is not a job for the knights to get out of, and they need to be prepared for dangerous demons, their heavy backside will be even heavier than it already is. What's more, they don't want to risk their lives for a job that's more than their paycheck as long as they're being paid. Unless it's a young knight with heroic aspirations, though. ........only adventurers. Fools who risk their lives to challenge dangerous demons with a small group of people.

But without those idiots, this country, or even this world, wouldn't be able to run.

There are many more idiots than the ones who don't understand that, so it's unbearable.

That's why we have to protect the rights of these beloved idiots. That's why we have to protect the rights of these beloved idiots, so they can do their job.

Yes, adventurers need to be free.

Because of this freedom, they will go anywhere in the world, risking their lives.

And I don't care if they are S-ranked or F-ranked.

The Adventurers' Guild is an organization dedicated to defending the rights of the adventurers. Assistant Guild President!　Threaten them that if they rattle on any more, we won't accept any request from their territory!

''I've already said that. If you continue to violate the rights of adventurers, you will withdraw the Adventurers' Guild from your territory and the Adventurers' Guild will no longer accept any requests from you. And I also told them that the guild would send you a letter saying that it was because of the insolence of the messengers you sent.

The deputy head of the guild grins and smiles with a black smile as he says that.

Apparently, this guy couldn't help but get angry at their attitude too.

Well, except for the servants of high ranking nobles, the followers of nobles are mostly commoners.

You can't help but be pissed off when such people give orders from above, acting as if they speak for the nobility.

It's not just a matter of time before you get to the top.

That's enough of a threat for the little guy.

The image of them trying their best to persuade their bosses makes me squirm a little.

The only thing left to do is to take care of the master, but as far as I'm concerned, it's just a matter of time before this is over.

Then we saw dozens of letters on the desk.

The Royal Family has already withdrawn from this matter. I'm not sure what the royal family will think when they find out that the vassals are persistently working on it despite the fact that it's already out of the picture.

And then, of course, they'll punish the vassals for their poor behavior, and they'll rein in the nobles, giving the royal family more leverage.

Do you think the king would have read that far and drawn it off?

It's very likely. As a matter of fact, the Prime Minister and his faction close to the royal family are not working on this matter. Well, it seems that a lowly aristocrat from the Prime Minister's faction is acting on his own, but it seems that this aristocrat is a spy who is connected to another faction. I'm sure the Prime Minister will be happy to take advantage of this as well.

How do you know all this information?

As I muttered in disgust, the deputy guild leader gave a small smile.

''Yes, yes, I ain't going to get any further into that matter.

''So, if you wait a little longer on this matter, things will quiet down soon.

Well, I guess we'll just have to stick with it.

Oh dear, I guess the big-eating monk doesn't know that the royal capital is in an uproar behind the scenes.

"You'll never rise to the top.

'But there are some things you can protect because of your position. Isn't that right?

Wrong.

We grinned at each other.

That's what we say, lads.

We'll take care of the grown-up stuff, and you're free to go about your business.

Be free to go at your leisure, like an adventurer.

Oh, no, not at all.

I'm afraid I won't be able to keep up with the noise you're making.