Volume 8 - CH 9

I disembarked from the carriage with a touch of uneasy.

From now on, I'm about to play host to Frenian the Bard.

If it weren't for the Flame Sword involved, I wouldn't want to do this escort quest.

"Tread, take care of me today. I'm counting on you."

"Y, yes!"

I wanted to throw the whole escort thing to Tread's party, but there's no point in blasting them too hard if it makes them nervous.

"Let's just take it easy. I'll cover for you. There's plenty of room on the first layer."

"Yeah."

Fresnian said after hearing this exchange.

"Then, why don't we go to the third layer?"

"No, no, no, Frenian, I'm talking about the first layer only. If you go to the third layer with that equipment and level, you will surely die.

"You're joking again!"

"No, really, I'm not joking around."

"I'm not going to get into that hand, fufu."

This lack of a sense of danger is very irritating.

"Frenian!　Alec-san is telling you the truth."

The blond warrior (Bleach) said forcefully.

"Hey you!　Don't talk to me like that. I'm your employer, remember?　Alec is my friend and a hero, so it's fine, but for a mercenaryto call out this Frenian-sama is insolent!　Please don't get carried away."

Suddenly, Frenian changed his attitude and became pompous, but no, he was a commoner, wasn't he?　I don't know.

Aahh...Haa... sorry..."

"Hey, Frenian, forming a party is like becoming friends. If we start fighting in the dungeon, we'll be distracted and could get killed at any moment. Let's keep our heads up. You want to do this for real, not just formally."

"Oh, I see, I understand. Well, then, you can call me that only in the dungeon, you."

"Haa."

I think I can handle it, though, because he listens to me quite honestly.

As if to say don't worry about it, I patted the blond warrior on the shoulder and headed for the dungeon entrance.

"Hello, Alec. Hmm?　Who are those guys?"

The soldiers guarding the gate looked puzzled at the unusual group.

"I'm F-Re-N-i-A-N!　I'm the dashing rookie!"

Whoa. You've struck a pose. I feel like pretending to be someone else at times like this.

"Hey, look at that."

"What's that?"

"Did Alec hire a new slave?"

"I think he's a clown, haha."

Sure enough, the other adventurers around me took notice and laughed at me like I was a fool.

"Oh, I took on a quest of escorting with these guys, that's about it."

I put a lot of effort into the "escort quest" part and said it out loud.

"I see, ......, but nobles are prone to death, you know?"

The soldier whispers, and I reply in a whisper.

"I know. I'm just going to take a peek at the second layer and go home."

"Well then, Alec-san, let's get off quickly. Do you want me to lead the way?"

"You musn't, Frenian. A leader is supposed to be in the middle of the party, right"

"Oops, ......, that's what I was doing!　Okay, Tread-san, let's go inside."

"Yes, sir."

The warriors Tread and Breach lead the vanguard, while the priest Maribel and the magician Marlon deploy to the left and right.

In the middle, Frenian and I walked side by side.

Well, the entrance to the first layer is a much wider passage, so this is no problem.

"Oooh, it's so big. No, I've heard about it many times, but I never thought it would be this big!　Uhyaa!"

"Oi!"

He almost fell down the stairs, so I rushed to grab Frenian's arm.

"Yaa, Thank you"

Hugh ......, that was a close call.

If he'd fallen to his death here, he'd have died in the fastest time ever recorded. Give me a break.

"Frenian-san, please watch your step and walk carefully."

Tread also looks behind him with concern and cautions.

"Yeah, yeah, I know!"

He says so, but he's looking at the ceiling, and for God's sake, Frenian.

All of us, except Frenian, walk around with a tense air, carefully looking around.

"Hey, you there, you slow party!　I'm going pass you!"

A voice called out from behind us.

"We're overtaking another party. Everyone, move to the right and clear the way."

Tread doesn't give the order, so I do.

"Oh, yes."

"What was that?　Wasn't that Alec from Black Cat of the Wind just now?"

"Then I guess he's disciplining a new party of slaves."

"It's tough to have that many parties."

The party that glanced at us pulled out without incident. Well, as expected, there's no PK in such a conspicuous place.

"It's amazing, Alec-san, how famous you are."

The warrior Bleach looks at me with admiration.

"No, it's not that I'm standing out just because I'm active. I stand out for being bad."

It's still the same, isn't it?

"Again, you're being modest. Whoa, goblins, found it!"

"Murgh."

I'm a little surprised that Frenian was the first to spot the goblin.

Come to think of it, I've been leaving the searching for our party to Meena and Serina.

It's also dangerous, so I'm going to get the skill.

【Searching Range Increased　Lv５】New！

【Eyes in the Back　Lv５】New！

【Perception　Lv５】New！

【Sixth Sense　Lv５】New！

【Hell's Ear　Lv５】New！

Well, I guess that's about it. There's no need to stiffen up the search since Meena is the real deal.

"Okay, let's do this!　Bleach!"

"I'm on it!"

The two warriors, Tread and Bleach, plunged head first into the swarm of goblins.

"Marlon and Maribel will take their places as guards and cover!　Give priority to the archers in the rear guard."

The leader, Tread, wields his sword and gives the order.

"Okay, but, Tread, magic is slow on the uptake with chanting, so keep that in mind."

Marlon, the magician, says.

"Yeah, I know!"

Marlon used the fireball as instructed by the leader, and killed one of the enemy rearguards.

The thing is that it's not chantless, but the magic power is there for one hit.

"If you ever need to recover, just let me know."

Maribel was alert and on standby.

This party is still not very well coordinated, but it's a safe way to fight, just like the theory.

It's not bad.

meanwhile, Frenian has been playing his lute and singing in the middle of ...... since a while ago.

"Fight ♪ Fight ♪ Warriors, Ooohh♪ Ooohh♪ Janjajanjan! Janjajanjan! Don Don Don, Beben Ben Ben, Chichichi, Oh, I made a mistake, Chiiichichi, Bang!  Yay!"

I definitely don't want a bard in my party.