Chapter 21 - Wind Blade and Some Trouble
Having parted ways with Aidan, we were heading toward the inn. The sun had already set. Lanterns were lit. The darkness felt deep, only illuminated by the dim light from house windows and the moon.
"From today onward, I'll be staying at the Asuka Inn as well."
"What? You want to come to my room? You're welcome, of course."
I grinned lecherously at Mizuki.
"Our rooms are separate, right? I just thought it would be more convenient since we're in the same party."
"Well, yeah, but… You haven't gotten mixed up in some kind of trouble, have you?"
I was bothered by what she had said when we parted ways with Aidan about quitting "Wind Blade." When the Asuka Inn came into view, I noticed a group in front of the inn. It was indeed "Wind Blade." There was Reed, the leader, the mage Cecily, and the priestess Aira, Maira's younger sister. There was also an unfamiliar warrior.
"What a coincidence. Is that warrior a new recruit?"
"This is Biars. It's Mizuki's first time meeting him, right?" Reed replied.
"Ah, yes…" Mizuki gave a short, awkward reply.
"Hmm? You had the same name before, didn't you?"
"Slave names are a hassle, so we've decided to call him Biars."
"What?"
I said it even though I didn't expect to get anything out of it. But I wanted to know if I was right. Reed exuded an underlying creepiness. I realized that he didn't treat slaves as people. Maybe my sense was off, and it was the norm in this world. Looking at Fam, she also had a tense look on her face. If so, my sense was probably normal. I looked at Biars. He had a strong build. He was the third Biars I'd met. I heard that a female warrior slave cost 100 gold coins. A male warrior would probably cost about the same. It wasn't an amount that even a B-rank adventurer could easily afford. Otherwise, the slave market would collapse.
"This isn't a coincidence. We were waiting for Mizuki."
Mizuki looked down. I thought she was someone who never got flustered, so I was a little surprised.
"Mizuki, you told us you were feeling unwell and wanted to rest. But in reality, you've been participating in Mash's party and dungeon crawling."
"Reed, I want to quit 'Wind Blade.'"
"Let's hear your reason?" Reed asked.
"It's fine to aim for the deepest part of the dungeon, but I don't like the way you always send warriors as sacrificial lambs to charge in and judge the situation. Four have already died."
So he was the fifth Biars. It made sense that they went through warriors so quickly due to their focus on exploration speed and using them as cannon fodder. For someone so handsome, his methods were pretty terrible. I looked at Cecily and Aira. They didn't seem to mind that style of exploration. I'd only been in this world for fifteen days. That was too fast of a pace. I doubted they could supply warrior slaves at that rate. They were probably stuck in their exploration. Just as I was thinking that, a drunk man who had been drinking in the inn's dining area came out and began surrounding us. He said things like, "A lovers' quarrel?" and watched us with interest. It was so annoying. I wanted to go back to my room and hold Fam again. But before I knew it, I was drinking at the inn's tavern with the drunk man, who was surrounding us and watching from a distance.
"I'm currently in Mash's party. So I won't be returning to 'Wind Blade.'"
"I see. But it would be difficult for us to let you leave so easily."
"Wait, how about you stop using warriors as decoys? If you do that, Mizuki will return."
I blurted out before I could stop myself.
"You're an F-rank adventurer, and you're telling us how to do things?" Reed scoffed.
"So what if I'm an F-rank? How about you all quit using slaves as sacrifices? That way, Mizuki will come back to you."
"Treat slaves like people, you say? That's never going to happen. Just listen to the little scamp and shut your beak, huh? They're doing alright with it. That was originally your idea too, yes?"
Cecily added with a sneer.
"Just saying my thoughts. It's a strategy we can't afford. Maybe they'll reconsider if you treat them as people."
Reed smirked. "Let's end this. Since we have witnesses here. Wind Blade against Mash, Mizuki, and that dog-eared kid. We'll decide Mizuki's membership. It won't be interesting unless there are stakes. The winner gets to keep the loser's party members as slaves. Now, ain't that exciting?"
The surrounding crowd cheered. The drunk man who had been drinking in the tavern also came out and watched from a distance.
"That's ridiculous! You're just thinking you're absolutely not going to lose, aren't you? You're gonna be humiliated!"
"How interesting. An F-rank adventurer thinks he can beat us? That's something to look forward to."
"Mizuki is an involved party, so it can't be helped. This has nothing to do with that dog-eared kid. Besides, you two would be troubled if we moved the story forward without your permission."
Reed glanced at Cecily and Aira. He knew they were just thinking about the pact.
"We don't mind. We're not going to lose."
Cecily replied. The crowd murmured. The new party member must know it already.
"Master, I'm fine as well. Master isn't going to lose."
The members of "Wind Blade" laughed when they heard that. It was only natural, as I was probably the weakest. Fam was the one who knew that best, and she was saying they would definitely win. Even I wanted to laugh.
"We heard you gave up on clearing the third floor of the dungeon today from the city guards."
The crowd laughed again at Cecily's words. Even the drunk man who had been drinking in the tavern joined in.
"Mmmf."
Fam looked angry and tried to retort, but I sent her a signal with my eyes to shut up. Fam probably realized it and stopped retorting.
"Then it's decided."
Reed was already grinning triumphantly and said. He patted me on the shoulder. Reed and his party were showered with cheers and applause as they left with the drunk man who had been drinking in the tavern.
*
We returned to the inn's dining area.
"Somehow, the conversation between Reed and Mizuki became a conversation between Reed and Master…"
"Sorry, Fam. I just can't stand looking at handsome guys."
"My apologies. This is my fault."
"That's right. I wanted to live in peace."
"Ugh… I'm sorry. If you're going to fight, I'll teach you their fighting style. If we're going to run, I'll follow you. I'll protect you."
Mizuki hung her head. Right, she was the one who brought this trouble upon us.
"Mizuki, were you being pressured by Reed? It's ridiculous that the loser becomes a slave. Is that the norm in this world?"
"Mmm… He's older, not a potential romantic interest, and not my type, so I kept rejecting him…"
He must want to get his hands on her all at once at this opportunity. I'm probably much older than Reed. I knew it, but I wasn't her romantic interest either. I was getting depressed on my own.
"I've never seen a duel before, so I don't know what normal conditions are."
"I see… Fam, just give them all my possessions. Can't you escape by yourself? Ask Aidan for help."
"No, I'm going to stay with Master."
I knew she would say that. In the worst-case scenario, I'll tie her up and throw her into Aidan's workshop garden.
"Does Reed have a special skill?"
"I haven't seen it. He might be hiding it."
"He's a speed freak. If he had one, he'd use it."
"That's true."
Even Mizuki agreed. At least there was no need to worry about him suddenly unleashing a skill like Aidan's "Siege." Only Mizuki could possibly defend against that.
"I can imagine their fighting style. They'll send Biars in to take the hit, and while we're busy with him, they'll bombard us with magic and skills. In the worst case, they'll take us all down along with Biars. They probably don't see anyone but Mizuki as a threat."
"Reed is level 49, Cecily is 27, and Aira is 28. We can beat them with our level."
"Do you know how old they are?"
"Reed is 28, Cecily is 25, and Aira is 26."
So Sister Maira is over 26.
"Do you know how long ago Reed became an adventurer?"
"He said he's the son of a noble from the western city, and he's exploring dungeons to gain experience, but he said he started exploring dungeons about five years ago."
That was the level benchmark, usually taking 12 years, or 6 years if you're talented. Magic users would take even longer. If he had changed careers to adventurer at the same time as starting dungeon exploration, he would be on the more talented side. But since he's a noble, he probably has a swordsman-type class. In that case, swordsman would be his second class, allowing him to fight stronger enemies with more experience points and level up faster. It was difficult to gauge his true strength based on his level. There was also the matter of him being able to afford slaves, and that was because he was a noble.
Fam was stronger than me, but she would have a hard time overcoming the level gap. Mizuki has a skill that dodges fatal hits and a skill that gives a certain probability of inflicting a fatal hit.
"Well, Mizuki and I should be able to handle it."
We returned to the room. Fam and I were alone. She didn't seem nervous at all. She really seemed to think I would win. She was looking at the naked picture of herself that she had taken with my phone before.
"So this is really me. It's strange."
In my previous world, she would have made a huge fuss and told me to "delete it!" but she didn't seem to fully grasp the reality of the situation.
"Aren't you embarrassed?"
"No, it feels…perverted, so it's very embarrassing."
She was also looking at the pictures from my previous world. Those were all landscapes.
"So this is the world Master was in. This picture with white cotton spread on the ground is interesting."
"Ah, that's a picture of me climbing a mountain called Mount Fuji. The white cotton-looking thing is clouds."
"Those are clouds in the sky?"
"Yes. The mountain is over 3,000 meters tall, and you can sometimes see clouds below you. It's called a sea of clouds."
"I want to go…"
"You might be able to see it in this world too, if you climb a high mountain. Even if it's not 3,000 meters high. Let's go someday."
"Yes."
Fam handed back my phone. Our hands touched as I took it. when I approached her face, Fam closed her eyes. I kissed Fam.
"After the duel, no matter what happens, we won't be able to stay in this city. It's earlier than planned, but let's head for Migul."
"Yes, I'll follow you."
Fam nodded. I was troubled with guilt.
"I dragged you into this. Aren't you afraid, Fam?"
"When you saved the village from the goblins, I wanted to save the village, but I didn't know how. But Master, even though you were against it, you created a situation where we could fight, and in the end, you saved the village."
"You and Aidan saved the village. I was so bored at the end that I was sleeping."
Fam laughed.
"That's right. I'm afraid this time too. But I believe Master will win. Is it because you want to help Mizuki and Biars?"
There were means to do it. But there was no guarantee I would win for sure. And for some reason, I'm misunderstood as a nice guy. In reality, I was just annoyed by handsome guys.
"So, am I also afraid."
I pulled Fam closer. I kissed her. I definitely didn't want to let go of this warmth.