Volume 17 Chapter 10 Banquet
"Oh, the magician has arrived!"
"Thank you very much!"
"Thank you very much!"
As Al approached, the villagers in the square quickly noticed him and began to cheer. Amid the shower of "thank you" messages, Al shyly made his way to where Guildmaster Levy and the others were.
"I'm back. I left the two with the healer. They seem to be okay."
Hearing Al's report, Guildmaster Levy smiled with a hint of relief. The people nearby also looked happy and began to share the news. Cheers erupted in various places.
"That's great. It was worth sending you. My worries were probably overblown. I heard a bit from the villagers, but I still don't quite understand what happened. Can you tell me the details?"
"Of course."
Al started to explain to Guildmaster Levy about how he and Michael found the traces. He described how they tracked the traces and realized that it would be difficult to help the two if they reported back.
"So, you decided to go help them directly. But orcs are tough enemies, and there are many goblins. Did you really think you could defeat them?"
Guildmaster Levy looked intently into Al's eyes as he asked. Feeling a bit nervous under that gaze, Al clenched his fist and slowly nodded.
"I did ask Mr. Michael for help, but I wasn't just going along with it. I calmly judged that we could definitely defeat them."
In response to Al's answer, Guildmaster Levy looked at Orson and Leda. Orson had a wry smile but reluctantly nodded in agreement.
Leda shook her head, gesturing that she didn't understand.
After observing the two, Guildmaster Levy thought for a moment and then slowly nodded.
"I'm not an expert, so I can't say much. However, at least based on the results, it seems your judgment was correct. According to Leda, it's difficult to defeat orcs with a regular 'Magic Missile' spell, but I've heard about another spell from Sir Naresh. Is that part of your reasoning?"
I see, Guildmaster Levy had heard about the 'Piercing Spear' spell from Naresh.
"Yes. I thought that using several spells would make it possible to defeat the orcs. My biggest concern was whether Mr. Michael would have the courage to fight, but the results were more than enough. Thanks to that, we were able to rescue the two safely."
In response to Al's answer, Guildmaster Levy nodded with satisfaction.
"Just as expected from Al. By the way, that Michael and the self-defense captain came to you before you returned, and they kept apologizing for asking you to rescue them, almost forcing you to do it. They emphasized that it was thanks to you that the two who were kidnapped were saved."
Al scratched his head. So that's what they were saying.
"Maybe Al was worried about the delay, but once Reginald was begged by those two kids, it was almost decided that we would stay in this village for a night. There's nothing to worry about."
He continued, "Al gave the best result he could, and it looks like the Levy merchant guild will gain a new business partner. On the contrary, we should think about adding some rewards for this escort job. Probably including the orc hunting reward from the guard team."
Yes! No penalties. Orson had a wry smile, but he didn't say anything. Al did a fist pump in his heart.
If they add those rewards, maybe he could cover some of the costs for the magic spellbook, Magic Shockwave, that he bought just before the trip.
However, Leda was staring at Al with a slightly dissatisfied look. She seemed to want to ask something but couldn't.
"By the way, didn't you find anything in the barbarians' village?"
Al shook his head at Guildmaster Levy's question.
"Just some belongings that seemed to belong to the victims. I handed those over to the self-defense captain. I couldn't find any clues about why the orcs came all the way here."
"If I had to say," he continued, "there were ten barrels of grain that seemed to be made by humans. Of course, they might have been plundered from somewhere. But the amount was quite large. so it's a bit concerning."
"I see... For now, I hope this solves the problem of the barbarians appearing in town."
Guildmaster Levy replied, looking a bit unsatisfied. While Al and the others were deep in conversation, a young man, likely a member of the self-defense team, brought over a tray with meat and soup. It smelled good.
"This is the meal for the magician. Thank you! Can I shake your hand?"
"Wow, thank you. Of course."
Al sat right next to Guildmaster Levy and shook hands with the young man. Guildmaster Levy, looking like he wanted to wrap up the conversation, handed Al a cup and poured him some wine.
"Let's celebrate that we defeated the orcs safely."
"Yes!"
As they toasted with Guildmaster Levy and Orson, other members of the self-defense team gathered around, wanting to talk to Al while holding their drinks.
Michael was among them, but he seemed to have already drunk quite a bit and was cheerfully raising his voice. He thanked Al multiple times, but his words were completely slurred.
After the party settled down a bit, Leda came over to Al. With a serious expression, she leaned in close to his ear, not giving him a chance to respond. Al, quite drunk, couldn't resist at all.
"What spell did you use?"
She asked in a small voice. To those around them, it might have looked like she suddenly hugged him. Al was surprised, wondering what was going on, but it seemed she just wanted to talk about the spell.
Her face was also red, so she seemed quite drunk. Normally, she would never talk like this. Al let out a small sigh and pulled Leda away from him.
The 'Piercing Spear' spell was a secret in the Tempest Kingdom, but was it okay to talk about it?
No, it had been mentioned at Lara's place too, and as long as he kept it quiet, it should be fine.
On the other hand, he wanted to ask if the 'Magic Sparks' spell was generally known. Al moved his fingers in a twisting motion to activate the 'Telepathy' spell.
Leda quickly accepted it.
'Please keep it a secret from anyone except Mr. Eric. It's about the "Piercing Spear" spell and the "Magic Sparks" spell. Have you heard of them?'
Leda tilted her head. From her gesture, it was clear she was quite drunk. For now, it seemed she didn't know either spell.
She understood the 'Piercing Spear' spell, but if she didn't know about the 'Magic Sparks' spell either, it might be another special spell kept secret somewhere.
'"The Piercing Spear" spell is said to be magic that the magicians of the Tempest Kingdom have forbidden from leaking outside, but it seems to be circulating through underground channels. It can take down an orc in one hit.'
He continued, 'The "Magic Sparks" spell can attack a group. Its damage is less than the "Magic Missile" spell, but it allows you to choose targets to exclude.'
'Such a spell exists? You were able to defeat many goblins and an orc even with hostages. No way, you're too strange...'
Leda shook her head in disbelief at Al's explanation and then looked up at the sky. She then wobbled back in the direction where her cart was parked. Her cart had its lights on.
Al felt a bit worried that she might have drunk too much, but there should be an apprentice named Mina with her, so she would probably be fine.
* * *
The next day, the caravan set off a little earlier. Al asked Leda if she was okay after yesterday, but she just blushed a little and bluntly replied that she was fine.
After that, thanks to the destruction of the orc village, they encountered far fewer barbarians, and Al and the others were able to reach the capital safely.
Also, this time, Michael was going to accompany them as a mercenary apprentice.
He hoped to eventually take over his father's position and become the captain of self-defense. He persuaded his father to let him work as an apprentice in the Levy merchant guild's mercenary group for a year to gain experience.
The Levy merchant guild was also short on people, and after hearing Al's story, the guildmaster judged that Michael had potential and gladly accepted his request.
When they arrived in the capital, Guildmaster Levy handed Al a small leather pouch.
"Al, I'm glad you came along. For now, this is a reward for your protection. It contains 30 gold coins. I've added some extra for the orc hunt and other things."
Guarding and orcs, the market for goblin mages and goblin hunting, and the rewards from the business benefits make 30 gold coins seem quite a lot.
Noticing Al's puzzled expression, Guildmaster Levy smiled.
"I estimated the reward for defeating the barbarians at 10 gold coins. Considering the bounty from the guard team, I think it's a fair amount. We gained a new client, which adds another 10 gold coins, plus the 10 gold coins for the guarding fee, making a total of 30 gold coins."
"10 gold coins for the guarding fee... really?"
It's a week-long journey for guarding. Of course, Al is happy to receive more, but it does seem excessive. He asked back with a confused look, and Guildmaster Levy smiled again.
"If you hire a proper magician for guarding, the going rate is about 10 gold coins for a week. I believe you have enough skill for that. If it were Lord Eric, he would have to pay even more. If anyone asks, you can say that the Levy merchant guild offered this much."
He continued, "This guarding job isn't through the Adventurers Guild, but I'll make sure the information gets around."
Guildmaster Levy thinks so highly of him. Al felt pleased.
"Now, do you have any acquaintances in the capital? If you'd like, you can stay at my place. I'm planning to do the same for Mr. Orson."
There are about 2 weeks left until Orson's treatment. Al had attended the middle school here until last year and worked as an adventurer while living in the student dormitory.
He doesn't have completely no connections; his oldest brother, Gustave, works in the Margrave Rain's knight order, so he should be in the capital.
However, it's already evening, and it would be late to visit anyone without prior notice. This offer is a relief.
"Thank you. For now, I'll take you up on that for one night."
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