Volume 4 Chapter 3 Underground Equipment Guild And The Join Front
"W-well, Sir Knight Commander..."
I was greeted by someone of much higher status than I expected.
In particular, I've heard that the Emdo Earl's Knights are the best in the country. The leader of such a knightly order must be a powerful and influential figure.
"Ah, I'm Noroa. I'm an adventurer."
'And I'm Juju!'
"Eh? It talks, that thing..."
"Yes. It talks a lot, this one."
'Hey! Calling me 'that thing' or 'this one' is unacceptable! It's rude to a lady!'
"Oh, it's talking again..."
'Ugh! This woman, I'll turn her into rust with my Juju punch!'
"Stop it."
I restrained Juju for now.
By the way, I have no idea how a Juju punch would turn into rust.
"But I see... so your name is Noroa-dono. You can command dragons, and that incredible attack you just unleashed... you're like a hero from mythology. You must be a renowned adventurer."
"Well, I guess I'm an S-rank."
"S-rank...! I see, no wonder you're so strong."
Sera-san seemed to understand, but she still had a look of disbelief on her face.
"But... I've never heard of an S-rank adventurer who can obliterate an entire area... You are human, aren't you? Your parents aren't weapons of mass destruction, are they?"
"Yes. I'm human, no doubt about it."
'No, that's not true!'
"Yeah. No need to make things more complicated than they need to be."
Still, I never thought I'd be suspected of not being human. From my perspective, even a powerful adventurer like Sera-san is almost inhuman.
"But to command such a large dragon... I've heard that it's impossible even with A-rank taming equipment. Even the Royal Capital's Dragon Knight Squad can only handle small wyverns..."
Sera-san turned her face towards Cirrul with curiosity.
Cirrul trembled all over. It's acting like a scared cat, but there's a reason for that.
We agreed that it won't speak human language in front of people when it's in its dragon form.
As we know from what happened at Sunpool, many monster (mamono) that can speak human language are man-eaters. They have a negative image and stand out too much no matter what.
In the first place, it's as meaningless as a dragon talking or a doll talking.
So Cirrul remained silent.
"Hmm... this dragon is quiet."
"I've been training her well."
"Wow, that's impressive."
'...My heart is pounding... Noroa-sama, training... what is this?'
"Did you just talk?"
'Eh, no... I didn't... I didn't talk at all!'
Cirrul went crazy.
"No, you definitely talked just now, right?"
"Is that so? I didn't hear anything?"
'Yes, it is! Dragons don't talk!'
"Oh, I guess I misheard... wait, what...? "
I decided to change the subject before I spilled the beans.
"Rather, what are the Emdo Earl's knights doing here?"
True, this is near the capital, but there must be a good reason for the knights to go out of their way. From what I've seen, it doesn't seem like they're here to defeat Turtle Leon.
"Well, you see... apparently there's a hideout of an illegal equipment guild around here."
"An illegal equipment guild?"
'I've never heard of it either.'
"It's a criminal organization that specializes in illegal equipment transactions. They mainly buy and sell stolen or regulated equipment. Sometimes, they even deal in cursed equipment."
"I see... that's interesting."
Equipment that's not officially available. I'm already getting excited.
Even slightly bad-looking equipment has its own appeal.
Wait, did you say they also deal in cursed equipment...?
"By the way, do you know where the hideout of that illegal equipment guild is?"
"Huh? Oh, it's over there."
Sera-san tells me without hesitation, as if it's not a military secret.
The direction Sera-san is pointing to is a forest off the main road.
"...I knew it."
I had a hunch, but the Compass Eye needle was pointing in the same direction.
This means that the cursed equipment I was chasing is now at the hideout of the Underground Equipment Guild. The carriage I was chasing was probably also theirs.
Oh no... This situation has become more troublesome than I expected.
"However, I know where the hideout is..."
Sera-san lets out a bitter voice.
"Is it too difficult to attack now?"
"...Yes. Honestly, I didn't expect to encounter an A-rank monster on the way. We've suffered more damage than expected."
"Indeed, there shouldn't be any A-rank monsters around here, right?"
"Yes, that's how it should be... I was just unlucky."
Really unlucky. The Evil Bear near the Town of Mahariji was also unexpected. There's no way an A-rank monster could live this close to human habitation. The land where people live is too thin with magic essence, the source of magic for A-rank monsters. So, you can only find them in places like dungeons. They sometimes wander into human settlements by mistake, but that's very rare.
I haven't even prepared for an A-rank monster.
"Still, we had a lot of potions prepared. But potions can't heal broken bones or missing parts. Our fighting power will be reduced..."
There are definitely some seriously injured knights around the wagon. Their HP seems to have been restored with potions, but they can't cure status effects like broken bones or missing parts. They won't be able to fight right away unless someone has A-rank recovery equipment.
"Honestly, I'm at a loss. We need to crush the Underground Equipment Guild soon... It's all my fault... Even as we speak, there are victims like the young lady..."
Sera-san's tense expression cracked for just a moment. In that moment, I felt like I could see the scared face of a young girl behind the mask of a 'serious and reliable leader'.
"No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have complained like that..."
"Sera-san..."
"Ah, Noroa! You have earwax! Wow, it's huge! That's hilarious!"
"..."
"..."
Juju's comment created an awkward atmosphere.
...What am I going to do about this awkwardness?
Anyway, I can't bear to see Sera-san like this.
"Um, may I come with you?"
I decided to make a bold suggestion.
"Eh, Noroa-dono...?"
"Yes"
"I'm coming too!"
"Oh, I don't mind this doll"
"It's not okay!"
"But... hehe..."
"Did you just laugh now!? This dragon definitely laughed!"
"For now, here's my adventurer card"
I showed Sera-san my adventurer card.
"As you can see, my background is clean. It's true that I'm an S-rank."
"No, I'm not doubting Noroa-dono. If you meant us harm, you would have done it by now. I would be grateful if Noroa-dono would join us... but"
Sera-san hesitated for a moment.
"But, is it okay? It's very dangerous."
"It's fine. I'm used to rough situations."
"Is that so... I don't know how to thank you"
Sera-san lowered her head and took my hand. Her hand was trembling slightly, and I could feel the anxiety and fear that weighed heavily on her shoulders.
"...Thank you"
"N-no, you don't have to thank me"
"No way. If I hadn't met you, I don't know how many subordinates I would have lost. And the Dark Equipment Guild, I would have had to postpone crushing them..."
"Noroa~, I got the earwax out, want to see it? It's amazing, look!"
"..."
"..."
"Hey, aren't you going to look? Are you the type who doesn't look at earwax?"
"..."
"...Ahem. Anyway, thank you for your cooperation"
"Oh, yes"
I feel a bit guilty for being thanked so much by someone of higher status.
"There are also benefits for us to cooperate with Sera-san. I am still weak in terms of durability, so it is too risky for me to attack the underground equipment guild's base alone. If I am attacked by surprise, it could be fatal.
So, it's reassuring to have a companion.
But it's also true that I want to help Sera-san."
"Let's work hard together."
"Yes. We will definitely destroy the underground equipment guild."
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