Volume 1 Chapter 3 Request For Investigation
When Naresh, Al, and one of his bodyguards returned to the carriage, the fight with the first group of bandits and the guards was already over. Most of the bandits were lying on the ground or had surrendered, and about 5 of the merchant guards were heading towards Naresh to assist him.
"Sir Naresh, are you okay?"
A man in his thirties, holding a sword, noticed the injured Naresh and rushed over. He was over 2 meters tall (≈ 6.6 feet) and had a strong build. He wore metal-reinforced leather armor, and his short brown hair peeked out from under his metal helmet. Hearing him call Naresh "Sir Naresh," Al felt a bit regretful for mistakenly calling him just Naresh, like back in school.
"Mr. Desmond, ah, I got a bit careless. Sorry, but when a healer is free, could you send them my way? With Alfred's help, we've already taken care of things over there."
Naresh replied while gripping the guard's shoulder for support.
"I'm sorry for not being strong enough. Please return to the carriage for now..." "Hey, tell Barbara to bring a skilled healer right away."
The man called Desmond instructed his subordinate and guided Naresh towards the carriage. Al was left behind. Desmond stared at Al, who was now alone.
"Um, did you say Sir Alfred? You're a friend of Sir Naresh, right?"
Desmond asked, looking confused. It seemed he didn't know Al's status and was unsure how to address him.
"My name is Alfred. My father is a knight, and I was able to attend middle school, but since I'm the third son, I'm not the heir. Right now, I'm just an adventurer. My friends in the adventurer group simply call me Al. I would appreciate it if you could talk to me normally."
Desmond softened his expression a bit upon hearing this.
"Ah, I understand. Then, I'll gratefully talk to you normally. I'm Desmond, an adventurer hired by the Levy merchant guild. Let's keep it casual between us."
Al smiled brightly and nodded.
"On my way to the border city of Lester, I happened to notice some bandits attacking a carriage and jumped in to help. I didn't know Sir Naresh was there until just before."
"Well, with that outfit, you seem to have some experience as an adventurer, but you don't look like a warrior. More like a scout, perhaps?"
"That's right. In the capital, I worked as a scout for the adventurer guild. Also, I'm training to use magic."
Hearing Al's answer, Desmond lightly nodded. He probably thought that Al helped with that magic.
"I see. What was it like over there?"
When Desmond asked, Al explained that while he was holding the bandits back with magic, Naresh and the others took down the leader. When Desmond heard the name Blood-Soaked Bandits, he was greatly surprised. He knew that this bandit group was hard to track down, and the guard squad was having a tough time with them.
"Nice job, you really did well. I think the boss had a bounty on this. I'll need to talk to Sir Naresh and his guards later, but you should get a share too. But wow, being able to use more than just Magic Missile at your age is impressive."
Desmond nodded, looking impressed. Just then, several men and women approached.
"Alfred, thank you! I heard from Sir Naresh. He said you did an amazing job!"
A lively young woman in a light purple dress with long chestnut hair down to her waist spoke to Al. Her name was Ruella. She was a classmate of Naresh in middle school. She was the eldest daughter of the famous trading merchant guild, the Levy Merchant Guild, from the border city of Lester. Next to her was a young man named Kane, who was also a classmate. He was short, wore glasses, and had slightly wavy red hair, giving him a rather quiet appearance. If he remembers correctly, his father was an administrator in Lester. So, the 3 classmates from Lester were all in the same carriage.
"Alfred, it's only been a month since we graduated, but you look completely different!"
Kane lightly brushed his wavy red hair back and nodded several times. He seemed quite excited, as if he wasn't used to this kind of situation.
"Well, maybe it's because I've been registered at the Adventurer's Guild in the capital and working since school. I've dealt with bandits and goblins too..."
Al shyly fiddled with his hair tied back behind him.
"It seems you did great. I heard a bit from Sir Naresh. Even the knight guarding him was amazed at how you used that magic."
A well-dressed older man standing next to them spoke up. Al had never seen this man before, but he noticed some similarities in hair color with Ruela. Al politely bowed to him. The older man nodded lightly, as if he was used to it.
"Ah, I'm Levy. I'm Ruela's father and the leader of this merchant group."
Since he was Ruela's father, that meant Levy was the head of the Levy merchant guild. He was a famous figure who had built a great fortune in the border city of Lester, known even among adventurers.
"Nice to meet you. My name is Alfred. Is Sir Naresh's injury okay now?"
Levy nodded at Al's question.
"Yes, I checked the injury and used healing magic, so he's fine. He lost some blood, so he's currently taking medicine and resting. The healer was surprised he could move with such a wound. From what the guards said, the band of bandits was quite large, so they must have been very alert."
"I see. The leader of the bandits suddenly attacked with magic. It was hard for anyone to defend against that..."
Levy seemed a bit impressed by Al's words and narrowed his eyes slightly.
"I've heard the same. The Viscount is not someone who worries easily, and Sir Naresh has reassured us many times, so there's no need to worry. Of course, you are safe, and neither we nor the knight guarding you will be blamed."
Naresh is the second son of the Viscount family. If he were to get seriously injured, it was possible that his father, the Viscount, would hold the guards and the head of the caravan, Levy, responsible. However, Levy clearly denied that possibility. This likely meant that he was close to Naresh and his father.
"I heard the situation from the knight in charge of the guards. According to him, after informing everyone about the Blood-Soaked Bandits, you defeated the leader of the Blood-Soaked Bandits, who almost killed Sir Naresh, using magic, and created an illusion that made them flee. Is that correct?"
Al thought for a moment. He felt that if it was Sir Naresh, he could have handled it himself, and saying he was almost killed seemed exaggerated. But aside from that, he answered that it was mostly true. Desmond, next to him, tilted his head a bit, thinking it was different from what he had heard earlier, but Levy lightly gestured for him to be quiet.
"I see. Since you were here, that means you were heading to Lester. Do you have a place to stay yet?"
Since it was Al's first time going to the border city of Lester, he hadn't decided on a place to stay. When he answered that, Levy nodded.
"I'm really happy to see you today. If you're going to stay in the border city of Lester for a while, please get to know Sir Naresh and also Ruela. I'd like to ask you to join us on the caravan later, but the carriage got damaged in an attack. It seems it will take a bit of time to leave. I want to show my gratitude properly, but given the situation, let's just do this for now. Please take this and come see me again in Lester. I'll talk to the shop staff about it. Of course, I'll make sure to report your achievements to the guard team as well."
He said this and took a small leather pouch from a man who seemed to be a servant standing behind him, then handed it to Al. There was a jingling sound, so it was probably filled with coins.
"Thank you very much."
The pouch felt a bit heavy. It was a reward, but for him, being remembered by such a big merchant was also quite significant, considering he was just the third son of a poor lord from a rural village. Al couldn't help but smile. He bowed deeply again. Seeing this, the merchant guild master Levy seemed to think of something, raised his face slightly, and looked around.
"Alfred. I have a small request for you as an adventurer, if that's okay."
Al nodded, of course.
"I'd like to investigate the bandits a bit, if possible. I might be overthinking it, but I'm a cautious person. However, I don't have enough hands to carry out the investigation. From what I've heard, you seem to be quite skilled. Would you cooperate with me?"
"I think there are quite a few bandits who escaped this time. I don't believe I can be much help."
Al answered firmly, and Levy gave a light smile before nodding.
"You still seem unsure about fighting. And it looks like you don't have much experience as an adventurer yet. But, please have more confidence. Also, what I'm asking for is just help with the investigation, so you don't need to defeat everything. You can make decisions on-site based on the situation and only do what is safe. I want to make it clear that I won't force you. How does that sound?"
"I understand. Then I will accept."
"Thank you. I will make arrangements right away, so in the meantime, it would be good for you to talk with Ruela and Kane."
The merchant guild master of the meeting said this and quickly left the place.
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