Chapter 94 - Chapter 93: Kaerya's Party
After Mika cleared the curse in the underground tomb Catacombs located within the large mansion, he came to the Adventurer's Guild to report.
He reported that the curse was likely gone, that the entrance to the underground tomb Catacombs had been easily blocked with a wall of earth, and so on.
He also warned them to be careful, as while he had defeated the "Wraiths" and "Skeletons" they encountered, he couldn't say there were no misses.
He also reported on the strange particles of light, though since Mika himself didn't understand them well, the only advice he could give was something like, "I saw this too."
"Haa~... It's so persistent. Geez..."
Mika turned back to the reception room he had just left, sighed, and muttered involuntarily.
At first, he was reporting normally at the counter, but he was called to the reception room used for scolding him along the way.
Waiting there was that neurotic-looking man who had scolded him so pointedly before.
He was persistently asked why the curse was cleared and how he had cleared it, but Mika naturally played dumb.
It seemed the neurotic-looking man didn't like Mika's attitude, and without even trying to hide his irritation, he applied pressure.
"With such an unreliable report, I cannot recognize the request as completed."
"Is there something shameful you must hide?"
He kept saying things like that endlessly.
With such an attitude, threatening that he might revoke Mika's adventurer registration was completely proof that he was looking down on Mika.
Just as Mika was ignoring him, muttering things like "I'm hungry" and "I wish this would end soon," rescue appeared.
Yunressa arrived in the reception room.
"I decided to investigate the completion of the request based on Mika-kun's report. You can go home for today."
It seems Yunressa had talked to Chirensta for him.
"You! Don't do whatever you want! I won't accept such an unreliable report!"
"If it is resolved in the end, the Vice Branch Manager has judged that there is no problem."
"That's why! Why did you take it to the Vice Branch Manager in the first place! I am just fulfilling my duties!"
"Please discuss that with the Vice Branch Manager. ...Come on, Mika-kun."
Yunressa countered with a firm attitude, not losing to the neurotic-looking man's fierce glare.
Yunressa urged Mika to leave the reception room.
The neurotic-looking man's face turned bright red, and he trembled.
(Scary....)
Kuwabara kuwabara.
Living humans are much scarier than "Wraiths" or "Skeletons."
"Thanks, Yunressa-san."
As he left the reception room, he quietly thanked Yunressa.
Yunressa smiled gently and replied, "Be careful on your way home."
Walking towards the guild entrance, he wondered what to eat.
"Oh? You are... Mika-kun, right?"
When Mika passed a man, he was called out to.
Turning around, there was a slender guy in his mid-twenties wearing a robe.
"Oh... Kaerya's...?"
Mika remembered the person who had helped lower him when he was first hanging.
He didn't listen to a word he said though!
"I am Salomrassa, the leader of Kaerya's party. I caused you trouble back then. I'm sorry."
Saying that, Salomrassa gave a bitter smile.
So he is the leader of Kaerya's party.
That must be quite a struggle.
"No, I was surprised at first. But I understood he had no ill intent. Besides, he seems like a pretty good person."
He even went out early in the morning to accompany Mika's request out of concern for him.
He seems a bit blunt and has a reckless side, but he's not a bad person.
"I'm glad you say that. Kaerya is like that, so there's quite a bit of misunderstanding... but no, there isn't... Well, well, he's always like that. There are troubles all the time."
Saying that, Salomrassa's face looked somewhat tired.
Mika could only let out a dry laugh, "Ahahaha..."
"By the way, I heard you treated Kaerya? You must have been surprised by the cost. I'm sorry, I'll pay you back."
"No, it's fine. I was a bit surprised, but that was a thank-you to Kaerya. Please don't worry about it."
When Mika declined the offer, Salomrassa thought, "Hmm..."
And then,
"Mika-kun, do you have time after this?"
He said something like that.
"Come on, eat up. This is a cheap and delicious shop where our party often goes. Don't be shy."
Salomrassa piled skewered meat and other things onto Mika's plate.
When Mika refused to pay him back, he was forcibly taken here to treat him instead.
A tavern slightly away from the guild, off the main street.
It seems to be a somewhat desolate shop that mainly serves meals even during the day.
"Um, I still can't accept a treat..."
"Well, well, we're not strangers."
...What kind of relationship is that?
While Mika hesitated, Salomrassa asked.
"You go to the Magic Academy, don't you?"
Did Kaerya talk?
He promised not to tell anyone about that day, but well, this much should be fine.
"Don't worry, Kaerya hasn't told anything. Kaerya doesn't break promises. ...Though, I'll honestly say, 'I'm not telling because I promised.' It's obvious there are things I can't talk about."
I see.
But then, where did he hear about Mika?
The academy isn't a secret, but it's not very pleasant to have things flowing around without my knowledge.
As Mika showed a slight distrust, Salomrassa smiled.
"You're quite famous within the guild. It's common for children to register as adventurers, but examples of rank-ups are rare, right? There was quite a commotion about Kaerya, and people asked, 'Who is that kid?'"
Now that he mentioned it, thanks to Rosalinde loudly exposing the rank-up, there was quite a commotion.
The scolding he received in the reception room last time was also due to that.
"So, the news that you are an academy student also came from somewhere."
Salomrassa took a bite of the skewered meat.
"So, treating a junior is nothing special, right?"
Hearing Salomrassa's words, Mika was stunned.
"I'm also from the academy. Well, I attended the academy over ten years ago."
"Eh!?"
No way, a senior!?
Mika was surprised, his eyes wide as he looked at Salomrassa.
(Well, there are plenty of seniors, but finishing the academy and becoming an adventurer is the ideal route, isn't it?)
This was exactly the ideal image Mika had envisioned.
Realizing his ideal was standing right before him, Mika felt his chest grow hot.
"Then, are you a former soldier, Salomrassa-san?"
"Yes. I served in the Kingdom Army for ten years, and when my obligation was fulfilled, I quit."
Mika decided to hear a slightly more detailed story from Salomrassa.
It seems Salomrassa didn't take the route of "finish academy, immediately become adventurer" that Mika was thinking of, but served his military duty properly.
It seems that once one becomes a formal mage after graduating from the academy, a ten-year military obligation is imposed.
Isn't the responsibility imposed on those with magic power too heavy for this country?
"It's not impossible to retire immediately after the academy, as you said, Mika-kun..."
Saying that, Salomrassa finished his ale.
It seems eating skewered meat made him want to drink ale.
Mika also ate his fill of skewered meat, sausages, and smoked meat as recommended by Salomrassa while listening to the detailed story.
Or rather, adventurers really only eat meat.
"Have you learned that nobles must graduate from the Magic Academy or the Knight Academy to inherit the family headship?"
Mika nodded.
"Due to circumstances, there are cases where a noble's heir inherits the family headship immediately after graduating from the academy. For that reason, there is a small loophole regarding the military obligation."
Salomrassa ordered another round of ale from a passing waiter.
"If you stack six gold coins, you can be exempted from military service. I think this was possible even for non-nobles."
"Six gold coins..."
Six million Rats.
It is a large sum of money, but Mika could plan to pay it now.
It's not needed immediately, but only in six years, so he should be able to prepare by then.
After all, nearly half of that amount is already in the card.
He can't guarantee he can keep earning at this pace, but if he clears this amount as soon as possible, he can focus on his activities as an adventurer without worry.
Mika had been thinking about avoiding the military route after graduating from the academy, but he hadn't talked to anyone or asked about it.
He might be able to get the answer quickly from the academy teachers, but he wanted to avoid being thought, "Does this guy intend to go to the army after graduation?"
This country is not so kind to those with magic power.
There is no need to tell our thoughts beforehand.
However, isn't six gold coins a bit too much?
Mika and the other academy students are quasi-military personnel, military personnel, and reservists, so they should be receiving a monthly salary.
After deducting dorm fees and tuition, the remaining amount for the elementary and junior departments of the quasi-military is five silver coins per month.
I don't know how much is deducted, but a considerable amount should have been accumulated over the eight years from the elementary department to the senior department.
Plus, to be asked to pay "six gold coins," isn't that a bit too greedy?
"Well, since you're only in the first year of the elementary department, there's no need to decide now. Also, top students have the option of the Court Magic Institute."
"The Court Magic Institute?"
Now that he mentioned it, one of the candidates who told Mika and Rimliche to learn Explosive Flame was the Court Magic Institute.
I don't know clearly where the order came from, but Cleiria said something like that.
"It seems the main purpose is the research of God's Miracle, but it's undeniable that the Court Magic Institute that place is a group of considerable elites. Most of all, for a mediocre mage like me, I don't even understand what they do."
Salomrassa took a sip of the ale that arrived and put smoked meat in his mouth.
(Research of God's Miracle, huh....)
It's true that he is somewhat interested.
But Mika doesn't think he is suited for a research position.
In extreme terms, if someone solves the things Mika is interested in, that's fine.
"Think about this, what do you think is happening? You don't know, right? It's mysterious, right? So, figure it out."
If that's all it takes, that's best.
He doesn't want to think about difficult things if possible.
It's best if he can just get the results.
While biting into a sausage, Mika was troubled by the new information brought by Salomrassa.
And so, the conversation turned to the topic of Kaerya's party.
"Are you also in the Bounty Hunter Guild, Salomrassa-san?"
"Yes. I'm quite busy with two pairs of boots, as you can see."
Does "two pairs of boots" mean two pairs of straw sandals?
It seems Salomrassa mainly engages in activities as an adventurer, but if requested, he also acts as a bounty hunter.
Bounty Hunter Guild.
An organization separated from the Adventurer's Guild; originally, there was no distinction between adventurers and bounty hunters.
Requests are posted to the guild, and rewards and bounties are earned.
It seems both were treated as similar things.
However, bounties mainly refer to humans like criminals.
Dealing with humans is quite different from dealing with monsters and beasts.
Therefore, it seems they were roughly divided into adventurers dealing with monsters and beasts, and bounty hunters dealing with humans.
For big-shot bounties, an Adventurer's Guild request, or rather a wanted poster in this case, is posted.
However, if they are not that big of a shot, it seems they are usually handled only by the Bounty Hunter Guild.
"Well, making a living solely as a bounty hunter is quite difficult. Most bounty hunters work part-time as adventurers."
It seems it is quite difficult to make a living solely as a bounty hunter.
"Even if you know where they are in which town, finding their actual hiding place is difficult, right? Five to six large silver coins is not worth it at all."
Saying that, Salomrassa gave a bitter smile.
"One of the other members of my party is in the Information Broker Guild. He picks up information, or is approached by bounty hunter friends, and I join the big capture operation."
Big shots usually have subordinates and followers.
Small fry among them also have bounties placed on them, and bounty hunters cooperate in groups of several or more than ten to capture a gang.
"For the past year or so, the bounty hunter side has been a bonus time. It was quite busy."
Biting into skewered meat, Salomrassa stuffed a large piece of meat into his cheeks.
"Phew... finally... gulp... things have calmed down."
"Is that so?"
Bonus time?
Did something happen?
Mika put smoked meat in his mouth.
"About a year ago, we did a sweep operation on Barrack Town and the slums in Sarbengeal. Quite a lot flowed in from there."
"Gulp!?"
Mika involuntarily choked and hurriedly covered his mouth with his hand.
"Cough cough! Cough... You said 'flowed in'?"
Mika somehow regained his composure and urged Salomrassa to continue the story.
"The bounties who were hiding in the slums of Sarbengeal fled in a panic. That's why a lot of big shots whose tracks were completely unknown until now came out."
I never thought the influence of that kidnapping incident would reach this far.
Mika wiped the sweat on his forehead.
"...Is Kaerya also doing bounty hunting?"
"No, only I am doing bounty hunting. To do bounty hunting, you need a certain level of judgment. Cooperation and coordination with partners you meet for the first time are also necessary. I hate to say it, but Kaerya might not be able to handle it."
Kaerya is indeed a type that charges headlong.
He's definitely not the type you want in a chaotic battle where enemies and allies are mixed.
He'd probably just say, "Just knock down everyone in front of me, right?"
"By the way, when I went out to eat with Mika-kun, Kaerya carried Trys back, right? My servant was surprised."
"My...?"
Salomrassa's house?
"Our party's base. We hire servants for management. The servant was surprised because Kaerya carried Trys who was drunk and collapsed."
Salomrassa drank the ale.
"Hearing that story, I was surprised too. That Kaerya? That Trys? What happened!?"
Those two seemed to be on bad terms.
But he said he'd leave Trys to him, and he brought her to the base.
I don't know what kind of person the servant is, but it must be more reassuring than what Kaerya sees.
(...Besides, she wasn't drunk and collapsed. Well, maybe it's better to keep quiet about this. Even to Trys herself.)
Due to Mika's request for rescue, Kaerya threw that punch.
One might say Mika shares some responsibility.
...No, probably not.
The meal with Salomrassa was very meaningful.
He was able to hear valuable information about what happens after graduating from the academy, which was previously unclear.
"Thank you very much. I'm sorry, I got treated."
"It's fine, it's fine. I had fun too. Let's eat together again next time."
"Yes."
As Mika was about to head to the dormitory after parting with Salomrassa, Salomrassa called out to him.
"Oh, by the way, I have something I want to ask Mika-kun."
"Yes? What is it?"
"Mika-kun... can you come immediately if I call?"
"Yes?"
Mika made a suspicious face.
"If Kaerya and Trys start fighting, can I call you? I can't stop them myself."
"I can't stop them either, that kind of thing!"
What is this guy saying?
But Salomrassa shook his head.
"I heard you tried to stop them once at the guild, right? And you three went out to eat together, didn't you? I can't possibly do such a thing. Moreover, you came back alive from such a hell."
Salomrassa clung to Mika with a pathetic look on his face.
"You're the only one, you know~."
Please, spare me.
Mika was being asked to do the impossible by Chirensta, and now by Salomrassa as well.