Volume 20 - CH 3

In order to eradicate the dangerous drug "Madamada" from the Gilan Empire, our clan "Black Cat of the Wind" is heading north in three carriages with a party of elite.

There were a total of sixteen members of the clan with us.

The first of them, of course, is me. The leader of the party and the clan, Alec I is the harem king of the Vernia Kingdom. Although I'm not wearing my crown, I'm sure I look like a regal adventurer in my Dark and Scale armor.

The second is Meena, my faithful dog-eared girl who is also my one-armed companion.

She's a speedy vanguard with short-cut white hair and kind eyes. She also has a keen sense of smell and can spot enemies.

The third is Serina, a hero woman with a vicious skill that will kill you with a single blow if it hits you, using Starlight Attack.

She has bright crimson hair and eyes, and her breasts are in the bell-shaped.

The fourth is Lily, a cheeky loli Thief. She has pink bob cut hair and a petite body. Her role is to hold lights, pick up magic stones and drop items, cheer and play.

The fifth is Ione the Swordswoman, the wielder of the Waterfowl Sword. She is a glamorous woman with fluffy blonde hair and has a mysterious smile on her face.

The sixth is Nene, who can read other people's minds with her "Empathy*" skill. She's a loli magician who always seems to be in a hurry to say "Hawawa". She has brown hair, wears a grass-colored pointy hat, and a grass-colored robe.

The seventh person, a hot-blooded fighter man named Jouga. He uses two-handed swords to boldly slash with. He has light brown hair.

The eighth, Fianna, a pure cleric. A pious girl with clear, sky-blue eyes and a heart of compassion, she is of course my woman.

The ninth, Letty, the genius mage of destruction. Sometimes I want to call her a natural disaster. She's dressed in a navy blue pointy hat, robe, and leotard. She is also equipped with a jeweled rod.

The tenth is Luka, a brown Amazoness in black bikini armor. She's a bit of a maverick and doesn't seem to have much of a manly streak, but I've been teaching her a lot in bed, so she's been getting better at everything lately.

The eleventh is Saki, a thief with a Kansai dialect. She uses two swords, a mithril sword and a flame sword. Short cut, black hair, and she has black eyes. She has good business acumen.

The twelfth is Elisa, a temple knight of the Holy Kingdom who wears white armor. She has beautiful blond hair and sky-blue eyes, and is a serious woman even in bed.

The thirteenth is Hannah, a short cut with light blonde hair and a two-fisted rapier wielder. She was the former party leader of the Silver Scorpions, and is a calm person.

The fourteenth is Kaede, with straight black hair and dark eyes. She's a reincarnated hero from another world, and her previous life was Japanese, but she has an older brother in this world. She looks cool, but she's a carnivorous woman who loves women.

The fifteenth is Marilyn, a short red-haired energetic girl with a penchant for eating. She is supposed to be a magician, but her fighting style is that of a martial artist, often punching and biting.

The sixteenth, Yulia, a black-haired swordswoman with a Japanese impression. Her petite forehead is cute, but she seems to think I'm a rival swordsman and pokes at me a lot. I'm not sure if it's because her face isn't that great, or if it's because she's not under the influence of my [Charm☆], but it looks like it's time for me to crunch her up and lay her out deliciously.

「Your Majesty, it's almost time we arrived at the border with the Gilan Empire.」

Nick, a familiar face, tells me. The other carriages are manned by party members in shifts, but only a professional can lead the way.

「Don't call me that, Nick. I'm not the king here, I'm just a free adventurer.」

「That's right. Well then, Alec-san, don't forget to pack your adventurer's card and your luggage because there will be strict checkpoints here.」

「Yeah, I know.」

I've heard beforehand that the Gilan Empire is a dangerous country with few freedoms.

It's a country that I wouldn't want to enter if I didn't have something to do, but if I want to destroy an organization that's been distributing dangerous drugs, I need to get into enemy territory.

I used 【Peeping Level 5】 to peek at the end of the road, but there was a fortress-like checkpoint piled up with black stone blocks in a big valley waiting for us.

「Wow, what's that? They didn't have anything like that before. ......」

Lily looked surprised as she poked her head out of the carriage, but come to think of it, this area used to be the Kingdom of Valencia, Lily's hometown.

「Lily, you should wear a robe, just in case.」

「O-Okay」.

「Here it is.」

Saki took out a robe from her luggage and put it on Lily.

「All right, troops, I'm going to check the wagons, everybody out!」

A soldier from the Gilan Empire shouted in a high-handed manner. As I've heard, this is a country that seems to be difficult for ordinary citizens to live in.

We didn't want to cause any trouble here, so we did as we were told and got off the wagon.

「Hmm? What are you guys? A theater troupe?」

Maybe it's because there are so many beautiful women here. A soldier looked at us and made a suspicious voice. However, I couldn't see their expressions because they were wearing full-face armor. There shouldn't be so many strong monsters around here, but do they really need such a huge armament?　

「No, we're not. We're just adventurers.」

Saki explained with a smile.

「Adventurers? Raise your hand, party leader. That's you, huh. Give us your party name and your name.」

「I'm Irvine, the White Cat of the Backstreets.」

I'd like to proudly call myself Alec of the Black Cat of the Wind, but as you can see, as an S-rank adventurer and king, my name is probably well known in this country. I'll use an alias.

「Oh? The White Cat of the Backstreets? That's a strange name. You have no sense of taste」

Shut up. I didn't come up with the name, and I don't think you did either.

「What about the other leaders?」

Another soldier asked, but he thought there were several parties joining up. There's too many of us.

「We're a clan. We're all in this party.」

Saki explained the situation.

「What? You're a clan? Let me see your card.」

I hand him a fake card. Saki asked the adventurer's guild for help and had a special card made, so there's no need to worry about being discovered. On the contrary, adventurers with the breath of the royal families of other countries can also change their identities in this way. ...... Well, I guess we don't need to worry about that right now.

「Hmm, ......B rank? That's fine. You can go through.」

「Thank youu. In that case, can I have that package back? It's just a change of clothes, and you know there's nothing suspicious in it.」

「No. We'll confiscate it because it's worth money.」

「Huh?」

「Wait, what authority do you have to do that?」

「Stop it, Serina.」

I had to stop her from getting her sense of justice upset. I don't think this is the kind of country where you can say something like that and get away with it. I can tell by the attitude of the soldiers.

「It's a good thing that the leader saved your life, woman. If you disobey a soldier here for even a moment, you'll end up in jail or beheaded on the spot. Remember that.」

「...... What is this country? What the hell?」

Serina was miffed, but she kept her cool and shut up and got into the carriage.

「It's disgusting. My father always told the soldiers to be gentle with the people.」

Lily brought up the subject of King Valentia, who is now dead and gone.　

Justice is meaningless if it is not accompanied by strength.

With a sinking feeling, we hurried onward in silence, swaying in the carriage.