Chapter 87 - The Castle in the Mountains and a Quest You Can't Refuse
Two days after the goblin attack, the caravan was making its way along a mountain path. The grasslands had given way to a series of steep mountains, and the road snaked along their ridges. The constant inclines and declines, coupled with the occasional rockslide blocking the path, slowed our progress to a crawl.
Morning training had resumed, and I was once again getting worked over by Avea. I still felt like she had it out for me. Fang had joined in as well, though he was still recovering from his exhaustion.
I was riding in one of the Mateo Trading Company's wagons. The company members were pressuring me to talk to Claire, and the tension was unbearable. I would have much rather been in the last wagon, dedicating all my focus to catching a glimpse of Mizuki's panties whenever she let her guard down.
I wanted to bring Fam along, but that would have weakened our rear defenses. If only it were just me and Claire, I thought, there are things we could talk about.
"We should be seeing the castle soon," Claire said, peering out from inside the wagon. I followed her gaze. We were surrounded by mountains, but the slope had become gentler, and we were now in a forest. It lacked the gloomy dimness of the sea of trees that encircled Richelle. Through the gaps between the cedar-like trees, I could see the white face of a mountain. We weren't at an altitude high enough for snow to remain from winter; it was the color of the rock itself. The sound of running water told me there was likely a river nearby.
"Are we stopping at the castle?"
"We're just passing by it. We probably won't be able to enter. The lord of the castle is of the royal family that rules this entire area, including the city of Flucht. It would be wonderful if we could become official purveyors to the royal court, but…"
"The royal family lives in a remote place like this?"
"Not permanently. They have several castles within their domain and travel between them. According to our information, they are currently in residence at the castle nearby."
As I continued talking with Claire, a spire, part of the fortress's corner, came into view. It was built from heavy, brown stone. Soon after, a massive structure appeared, encircled by a formidable wall. It was a fortress built into the steep mountainside, blending beautifully with the natural surroundings.
It was exactly what I imagined a medieval European castle would look like. Its blue roof, lit by the sun, shone brilliantly.
As we proceeded down the road, its form grew steadily larger.
Even though Claire knew of it from her reports, this was the first time she had seen it in person. She stared, breathless.
"Would you want to live in a place like that, Claire?"
"If I were to say 'yes,' it sounds like you would conquer that castle and claim it for me, Mash."
"…That's impossible. You're overestimating me."
Claire laughed. Maybe someday I could get her a love hotel modeled after a castle from my old world. I'd even furnish it with a rotating bed and a luxurious bath, and then I'd ravish her there.
As I was lost in my foolish fantasy, the wagon came to a halt.
It was Beers, coming from the lead wagon.
"The castle knights stopped us. Avea is calling for Mercedes."
He had been sitting next to Claire and stood up. Claire and I got out of the wagon as well and followed him.
At the head of the caravan, five knights were confronting Avea and the others.
"How may we be of service?" Mercedes asked, bowing respectfully.
"Our king requires skilled adventurers."
"As you can see, we are but a simple caravan."
"That includes the warrior, the priest, and the beastmen. Leave those capable of combat here."
"But that would leave us without our guards."
"Then we shall invite you all to our lord's castle. You may stay for a while. Consider it an honor."
The conversation between Mercedes and the knights continued. I stood next to Avea.
"This is looking like a real mess. Can't we just force our way through?" I whispered to Avea, knowing it was a reckless idea.
"We're about to enter their territory. We'd be hunted down relentlessly."
"What if we just take them down?" I asked, though I had no intention of doing so.
"There are two Paladins among them. At high levels, they can grant blessings of physical enhancement to nearby allies. If it comes to a fight, we'll take our share of damage," Avea replied. I took that to mean we wouldn't lose, but it wouldn't be clean.
It was complicated, but Paladin was both the title of the hero from a hundred years ago, Uta, and a job class. The one she was referring to now was the latter. Come to think of it, Hyakka and Chihiro were also Paladins. That effect would be a perfect match for the beastmen who served as their vanguard. I was glad we didn't have to fight them.
The negotiations between the knights and the trading company continued, thick with tension. But the company had no choice; they were being forced into a single decision. Under the glamorous pretense of an 'invitation,' we were about to be escorted to the castle.
We were invited to the castle, but we never had an audience with the king.
The area inside the castle walls was large enough to hold a small town, though there were no shops or residents. The grounds were paved with neat flagstones, and a massive building in the center caught the eye. The royal family was likely staying somewhere within it. Besides that main structure, there were several other buildings: a kitchen, barracks, stables, and something that looked like a church.
Our party, Levante, was assigned a room inside the central building. It was luxurious. The interior and furnishings were all exquisitely designed. Avea's party, Claire's group, and the rest of the caravan members were given similar accommodations.
Mizuki flopped down onto a large bed with a thud.
"It's so fluffy!"
She hugged a pillow, sinking her body contentedly into the mattress.
"Your panties are showing."
I quickly pulled out my phone and snapped a picture of her panties. If I was going to be stuck riding in the Mateo Trading Company's wagon after this, I'd use this photo to withstand Mercedes's pressure.
"Mmph!" She sat up and held down her skirt.
"You already have naked pictures and videos of me, isn't that enough?!"
"Nope, not nearly enough. I want more. I want to hold an exhibition someday."
Mizuki puffed out her cheeks.
Maira picked up a silver pitcher, examining the patterns carved into it with curiosity before pouring herself a glass of water. She took a sip.
"This doesn't taste good. Is it mixed with rainwater? The water Mash and Cecily make with magic is much tastier."
There was a river nearby, so I figured there must be a spring as well. They could just draw water from there, but I supposed that would be impossible, as it could be poisoned or used as an entry point for enemies in case of a battle.
From the room's window, a courtyard was visible. In its center were a pond, likely for water storage, and a well.
"Aren't those the medicinal herbs we gathered together, Master?"
Fam came to stand beside me, looking out at the courtyard. Our room was on the second floor, but the high ceiling of the first-floor hall meant we were effectively at the height of a third story. I couldn't tell what kind of plants were growing in the garden.
Cecily and Aira were plucking fruit from a bowl on the central table and eating it.
With nothing else to do, we were each relaxing in our own way when the door to the room opened.
"Eek, a pervert!" I shouted, just for the hell of it.
"…The Knight Captain has summoned us."
It was Avea. My joke earned me nothing but a cold stare. I wish she'd said something.
"Alright. Let's go."
I led my party members and followed after Avea.
Gathered in the first-floor hall were the members of Levante and Altair, along with Claire and Mercedes.
At the far end of the hall hung a banner embroidered with what was likely the royal family's crest.
Three knights stood before it. The one in the center was, surprisingly, a woman. She looked young, perhaps in her twenties, with long blonde hair and piercing eyes that gave her a gallant appearance. The chest of her surcoat was noticeably full. Not quite on Maira or Aira's level, but I'd say she was on par with Mizuki in the large-breasted department.
Flanking her were the Paladins who had blocked our path earlier.
"Thank you for coming. I am Zofia, Captain of the Royal Guard," she said, her voice clear and resonant.
"To get straight to the point, I would like to request that you destroy the crystal core of the dungeon that has appeared in the castle's basement."
"If I may be permitted a question, what do you mean by 'appeared'?" Mercedes asked.
"Several days ago, the crystal core in the castle's basement went berserk. This castle is a key defensive position against the north. We cannot leave it as it is."
"Surely you need not rely on ruffians such as ourselves. Would it not be better to use the strength of your own knightly order?"
A bitter smile touched Zofia's lips at his words.
"We sent six of our finest. They were unable to break through the tenth-floor Area Guardian."
"…Is that so?"
A troubled expression crossed Mercedes's face. The Area Guardian's room was a point of no return. Failure to break through meant they had been wiped out.
"The dungeon has only recently been generated. The tenth floor is likely the deepest part. You need not worry about food or fodder for your horses during your stay here. You will be handsomely rewarded. We want you to defeat the boss monster."
"…We understand the details of the request. May we have a moment to discuss it amongst ourselves?"
"I will be in my office. Let me know when you have decided. I will guide you to the dungeon entrance."
Zofia and the other knights left the hall.
Mercedes looked over at us and sighed.
"Negotiation is my duty, but I must apologize. We have no other choice."
He bowed his head deeply. I couldn't bring myself to blame him. That had been an order.
"But why would they bring unknown adventurers into the castle?" Maira asked.
"Because Avea is an A-rank adventurer," Mercedes said plainly. We all looked at her in surprise. That meant she was on the same level as Aidan. She must have shown them her status sheet when the caravan was stopped.
"I should have shown them my status sheet first. If they'd seen I was F-rank, they might have let us go…"
"What did you say?" Fang and Doris looked at me, shocked. I showed them the letter 'F' shining brilliantly on my status sheet.
"See? I'm an F-rank adventurer. You two should be more embarrassed for losing to my party!"
"…That rank has to be a lie. You can't accept any paying quests from the guild until you raise your class. How did you make a living?"
Fam and I exchanged glances.
"We gathered medicinal herbs. That was enough to get by. We were living a modest life until Cecily and Aira here picked a fight with us. Things sort of escalated from there."
"A guy over level 20 gathering herbs, huh…" Fang and Doris looked at each other.
"Enough foolish talk. Since it's come to this, our only option is to clear the dungeon. Let's decide on the party formation for the Area Guardian's room," Avea said.
"There's no need to form a new party. I'll go with Fam, Mizuki, Maira, Cecily, and Aira."
If we couldn't go back, we had to move forward. We had Goddess Summoning, too. I looked around at the members of Levante. Their expressions were stern, but they nodded in agreement.
"Wait. Mash, you'll team up with me. You can decide the rest of the members. If you can't do that, you're staying here."
Unacceptable. I wanted to fight with my six-person team. I shook my head at Avea's words.
Even thinking about it calmly, Avea was strong, but her position was on the front line. To swap her in, she'd have to replace either Fam or Mizuki. True, Avea's skills and level were higher than theirs. But in a one-shot boss battle, I couldn't imagine that the two of them, with their special skills, would be inferior to Avea.
Then again, Avea was an A-rank adventurer like Aidan. If she also had a special skill, that would change things, but even so, I preferred allies I had good coordination with.
"I'll be honest. The request I received from Mateo is to deliver you and Claire to Migul, no matter what. In Nielen, I didn't intervene with the Big Hopper because I knew you wouldn't lose, but I can't let you go into a death trap where even elite knights were wiped out."
"Avea, it has to be them," I answered.
"Is it some obsession with women? If you reconsider, I'll even let you sleep with me."
"What! Really? You should have said that sooner!"
The gazes from Fam and the others went from heated to the kind of cold stare one gives to a piece of trash.
"I-It was a joke! We're going as Levante!"
Avea clicked her tongue. Then she sighed as if giving up.
"Fine. For now, let's all explore the tenth floor together. We should be able to figure out the Area Guardian's identity based on the monsters that appear there."
Thank you for reading. To everyone who has liked, bookmarked, or rated this story, thank you very much. It encourages me. I'll do my best. Thank you for pointing out typos. It's a great help.