Chapter 291: From An Emergency To A Commission (2)

Proofreader:Xemul

As an adventurer, the idea of being forced to go somewhere simply didnt sit right with Loren. However, there was something more important they needed to settle first.

Can we make it to a country at the northern end of the continent in time?

Even if they went on fast horses, it would take them at least more than ten days to arrive if they went around the demon territory in the center of the continent. The fast horse carrying the news had reached Kapha in the shortest possible time without encountering any trouble, but it still seemed like it was already too late.

But Ivy offered an explanation for this.

Several of the Adventurers Guilds branches are equipped with magical tools for relaying information. If this network is used together with fast horses, information can be spread within a few days.

The Adventurers Guild really is impressive, huh.

But if we use a horse-drawn wagon to get there from here, it will still take more than 10 days, wont it? Since we humans cant be sent like information, we wont be able to get there in time, will we?

Ivy responded calmly to Gulas new question.

There will be a special transport from Kapha to the location. It is a special thing that also accommodates overnight stays inside, and can carry a dozen people at a time. The cost will be covered by funds from non-partic.i.p.ating adventurers. We expect to be there within ten days.

I still cant help but feel its too late though.

It should have been at least ten days since the incidents first happened. Even if he did not know the circ.u.mstances of the war between the empire and the kingdom, Loren thought it would not be surprising if it was settled in a few days.

But Ivy negated this.

The empire and the kingdom have been fighting skirmishes and major wars for a long time. It will not be settled so easily.

Loren, are you not familiar with the area?

Lapis tried to fish for some information from Loren, and Loren considered her question for a while.

He remembered fighting on battlefields in the north several times, but when it came to which country he was affiliated with and which country he fought against, he couldnt remember. For a member of a mercenary company like Loren, the only important thing was how to defeat the enemy in front of him; it was the job of the executives and above to think about which countries to affiliate with and which countries to fight against.

Sorry, I dont think Im going to be able to help.

You are a true mercenary in many ways, Loren.

There was no exasperation or mockery in Lapis words. The only thing her tone of voice carried was a hint of admiration for Lorens life, which had seemed to be just one continuous battle.

As Loren was thinking that he had had no choice but live that life, Ivy turned to him with serious eyes.

What Im about to tell you is something that really doesnt need to be told.

After this preface, what Ivy said was a bit of a surprise to Loren and his friends.

It seemed that almost no adventurers below silver rank who belong to the Adventurers Guild in Kapha would partic.i.p.ate in this retaliation commission. They would have to pay gold coins as an alternative measure, but this would be paid in the form of a loan from the Kapha city branch.

The reason for this was the same as Lorens concern: the city of Kapha was too far away to partic.i.p.ate in this commission. Forcing adventurers to partic.i.p.ate would not do any good to the Adventurers Guild branch in Kapha, so they thought it would be better for both the adventurers and the Guild if adventurers chose not to partic.i.p.ate in the commission, even if they had to lend money.

With that fact in consideration, Ivy informed Lorens party that she wanted them to partic.i.p.ate in this commission.

Im sorry, but this is important to the reputation of the branch.

There was a large difference in abilities even among adventurers below the silver rank. Some could be expected to do well in this commission, while some were certain to die if they partic.i.p.ated. If adventurers from the second group were sent to partic.i.p.ate without distinction, the reputation of the Adventurers Guild branch in Kapha might be damaged. Thus, the branch had narrowed down the list of adventurers they wanted to partic.i.p.ate, and Lorens party was apparently among them.

Lapis seemed dissatisfied with the Guilds approach, but Loren had no particular qualms about it and urged Ivy to continue on. Being sent into unwanted battles for the convenience of their superiors was nothing unusual for a mercenary, and even if he was now a bit removed from it, it had been a daily occurrence for Loren until just recently, so if he thought of it as a mercenary, he was not as frustrated as Lapis was.

Its just a hunch, but I have a bad feeling about the kingdoms violent actions this time.

And you want to thrust us head-on into that bad feeling?

Loren grimaced in true annoyance, but Ivy, who had started the conversation, was staring at him with a very serious expression.

This is not something unrelated to you, Loren.

Thats another nasty thing to say to me.

Loren said with a wry smile, but Ivy continued with no regards for it.

For one thing, this is connected to Evil G.o.ds.

Her words caused a slight tension amongst the group. Gula, in particular, was staring at Ivys face as if wondering what in the world she was saying, but Ivy continued to talk without paying her any heed, looking only at Loren.

Its not just one. Perhaps two are involved.

How could you possibly know that?

The smile on Lorens face disappeared, and he asked with a face as serious as Ivys. But it was not Ivy, but Gula who answered.

Its not anything like a connection between Evil G.o.ds, you know. The Evil G.o.d of Envy is always looking for something to be jealous of, and she has a nose for the location of superior beings.

I dont know which Evil G.o.d they are, but the remaining two would be the most likely candidates.

Wrath and Pride huh The most troublesome are the ones left, arent they?

Ivy seemed to agree with Gulas grumble, and a somber mood began to mingle in the serious expression on her face.

Gula and Ivy apparently knew the two Evil G.o.ds, but this information was unknown to Loren and Lapis, who asked Ivy to explain.

I just have an example, so I dont know if that is still true today.

Ivy was an Evil G.o.d who did not want to continue to be an Evil G.o.d; she had used herself as material to rebuild her body and weaken her power. A device installed in a certain ruin made this possible, and Ivy believed that it would not be surprising if there was another ruin with a similar function somewhere else on the continent. That was why she was not sure if the information about Evil G.o.ds before they were sealed and fell asleep a long time ago was still valid now.

With this preamble, Ivy told Loren about the Evil G.o.ds of Wrath and Pride.

That is why I am not sure if the information about the time before Ivy and the other evil G.o.ds entered the sealed sleep a long time ago is still valid today.

After saying this, Ivy tells Loren the information about the evil G.o.ds of wrath and arrogance.

The name of the Evil G.o.d of Wrath was Rage Saturnia. She was a young girl with blonde hair and fierce looks. According to Ivy, she normally was not so bad, but once she got angry, she became out of control.

If we simply compare the attack power, she is the strongest among the Evil G.o.ds.

Ivy then tried to describe the Evil G.o.d of Pride, but she looked thoughtful for a moment and then looked at Gula instead of Loren for some reason.

What kind of Evil G.o.d was Pride?

Huh? Ah Right, we dont know what Pride looks like.

When Loren asked her what she meant by this, she explained that the Evil G.o.d of Pride did not like to meet other Evil G.o.ds, and that they preferred not to reveal their true faces to those they considered lower in rank than themselves. They wrapped their faces and bodies in cloths so that they could not be recognized.

Im sure hes a man.

His name is probably Superbia Hipride?

This is getting troublesome.

On the one hand, there was the presumptive child Evil G.o.d who, once she got angry, got out of hand.

On the other hand was a presumably male Evil G.o.d who looked down on even other Evil G.o.ds, who were supposed to be his comrades, and never revealed his appearance.

Loren did not want to come anywhere near them at all.

I think that when it comes to things involving Evil G.o.ds, even if you ask a silver rank adventurer to help you, you wont know if they will be able to return safely. In that respect, you and your team have already encountered five Evil G.o.ds including myself, and have returned alive.

Even though this was a recognition of his achievements, it was not something Loren felt happy about at all, but he could not deny that Ivy was correct. Although it was not clear at this point how or from where the intervention of the Evil G.o.ds that Ivy somehow sensed was coming, Loren thought that with the demon Lapis and the Evil G.o.d Gula by his side, it was unlikely that they would not be able to do something about it somehow.

Cant we just talk to the gold ranks and ask them to temporarily act as the silver ranks?

It was Lapis who proposed such a way out.

The agreement that the Adventurers Guild had with each country on the continent was that adventurers of the gold rank and above were not to partic.i.p.ate in wars. But what Lapis proposed was temporarily demoting the gold rank adventurers and having them partic.i.p.ate as silver rank.

Its impossible. The number of adventurers in the gold rank is much smaller. Most of their faces are known, so it would be easy to find out what our intentions are in demoting them.

Loren thought this was a good example of how having your face well-known could limit your actions. It was not a laughing matter, however, since his party were the ones who were currently being put in a disadvantageous position by this situation.

To sum it up, the commission this time is to use the Adventurers Guilds pocket to do the job of mercenaries.

This was something that they would not have known if they had not been told. Loren thought that it must have been Ivys sincerity that made her go to the trouble of disclosing it to Loren and the others.

It sounds like a ha.s.sle, but its an offer I cant refuse. I dont think Ill mind, do you?

When Loren looked at Lapis and Gula for their opinions, Lapis gently quietly lowered her eyes and showed no particular reaction, while Gula shrugged and shook her head as if she had no choice.

Having made sure that neither of them raised any objections, Loren turned back to Ivy.

We can accept it, but I have a condition.

What is it? Im willing to take anything this time, even if its something unreasonable.

Ivy braced herself, but Loren waved his hand in front of his face in a lighthearted manner.

Im not asking you to do anything unreasonable. There is a silver rank adventurer named Ritz, right? Please make sure his party doesnt partic.i.p.ate.

Ivys eyes widened a little when she heard the unexpected request, and she stared at Loren as if she was trying to figure out what he was up to.

Chuck and Nim from that party just got married, didnt they? When such people go to war, they often mysteriously dont come back. Its going to be a mess and we cant afford to help them, and if they die, I wont be able to sleep well.

It was a kind of jinx that was circulated among mercenaries, but Loren thought that it was not to be underestimated because, strangely enough, the probability of such a situation was really high. Perhaps being married distracted them, but if one were to draw a simple connection, it was true that the probability of death was high for newlyweds who went to the battlefield.

If those guys are willing to partic.i.p.ate and complain about not being selected, I need you to get hold of them and make them give up. Will you do it?

Understood. We will not request their partic.i.p.ation, and if they do apply, we promise to give them a variety of reasons why we wont accept their application.

May I ask one thing of you, too?

As Loren finished his request and Ivy agreed to it, Lapis suddenly raised her hand.

Ivy was relieved that Lorens request was relatively simple, but when Lapis added her request to the mix, Ivys expression stifferend again, and she braced herself.

You dont have to be so cautious And my request is also something very sweet.

Ivy, who was not letting her guard down, thought this was impossible. Lapis, perhaps thinking this would rea.s.sure her, smiled and winked at her, but this just ended up making her even more wary.