kscans

Chapter 165 - Anxious Feelings.

After leaving the Guild, we went to our base.

We sorted through the luggage we'd brought, deciding what to take and what to leave behind. As for weapons, I decided to leave my long-range crossbow. My accuracy with it had improved, but I was by no means a master. For long-range, I had magic. I also left behind my books, since we didn't have a magician with us.

What I would take were field rations, canned food, and the translator.

There would be food at the base, but I had to be prepared for the possibility of being isolated or unable to return. Only then could I do my job and come home. It was completely different from my life as a salaryman on Earth. This was a world of life and death. There was no room for sentimentality.

"Is this everything we need to bring?" I asked.

"I think so," Tina replied. "And our weapons. Let's bring daggers and spares. Monsters will attack us on the road. It would be a disaster if our main weapons were to chip or break. We should use spares to handle them."

With that, she went to the storehouse and brought out some weapons I had made.

She returned with a sword, a spear, a dagger, and a hammer. All of them were prototypes I hadn't even tested. But I understood her point. No weapon lasts forever.

No matter how legendary the materials of my current weapons were, they could break from something trivial. It would be too late then. To reduce the strain on them, it was best to use weapons that were okay to break.

Still, even if they were just prototypes, I was resistant to the idea of treating things I'd made as disposable. I get attached to everything I create.

But to survive, I had to cast aside sentimentality. Hadn't I just thought that a moment ago?

"You're right," I said. "Anything else? Doesn't look like it. Alright, should we head to the tool shop? I want to restock, and there might be something new."

Tina nodded in agreement.

Our supply of potions was getting dangerously low. We gathered our things and went outside.

There were several tool shops along the main street, which was lined with all sorts of stores. We didn't have a favorite, so we entered one at random. Inside, they had potions, of course, as well as tents, mining equipment, and a tool that resembled a lighter.

I bought ten potions there. Nothing else seemed particularly valuable, and nothing caught my eye. I suppose in the past I might have bought something, but now my equipment was more or less complete. I wouldn't waste money. It was the natural decision.

"They had quite a good selection," Tina commented. "There were a few things similar to those in your country, Shinsuke. Do you think someone else has come here?"

"I don't know, but there aren't any other prominent figures around. Could it have been me?"

"No, that's not possible," Tina said flatly. "You have no reason to teach them anything."

Such a swift answer.

She knows me so well. A true partner, indeed.

As we walked a bit further, we saw a food shop with dried bonito flakes, kelp, and dumpling dough on display.

Ever since I had cooked for those children that day, I had taught various ways to make dashi stock and the different types there were. The other adults had started to imitate it. As a result, these ingredients had become necessities in the Empire.

"I wonder if this was really a good idea," I said, feeling gloomy. "I thought it would be fine since it's just food, but now I'm starting to feel a little anxious."

Until a year ago, strong flavors had been the mainstream, but now lighter tastes had also become widespread. Many were now pursuing even greater flavors by combining both, and the culinary world's ambition had risen dramatically.

However, what made me anxious was the feeling that tradition was being destroyed.

No one likes having their long-held customs broken.

At my company on Earth, I was once told to let a machine do the work I had been doing and to learn a new job. Even when I did as I was told, I was often confused because things were different from what I knew or had been changed.

And that was just in one organization. If an entire country were to change, there would surely be those who were dissatisfied. What if that led to unnecessary trouble? Just thinking about it was depressing.

Perhaps sensing my thoughts, Tina said, "I don't know what you're thinking, but why don't you try to have a little more faith? There are good people and bad people. Isn't that right?"

She gave me some sound advice.

She was right. I've always been prone to pessimism. I've rarely been optimistic. It seems what happened with my friend is still weighing on my mind. I can't be like this. With a battle ahead, I'll get myself killed if I'm in this mental state.

Self-loathing, be gone! Hah! It had been a while.

"You're right," I said. "No need to be so neurotic. Alright, our preparations are complete. Shall we get going?"

"Aren't you going to stop by the orphanage?" Tina asked.

"No, it's fine," I replied, a weary look on my face. "I don't have anything to talk about. I'd rather not go if I don't have a reason."

It's pointless to go when there's nothing to do. I don't like just showing up to say hello and then leaving.

"Well, if that's what you want, I won't force you," Tina said with a sigh.

I had a good idea of what she wanted to say, but I didn't press the issue. There was no reason to get into a debate about it.

We shouldered our packs and headed for the gate.

We arrived a short while later.

A soldier saw our luggage and said, "You're leaving, then. Understood. No need for a baggage check. But a word of advice. The border has become an unprecedented battlefield, unlike anything we've ever experienced. May you have good fortune in battle."

He gave us a salute.

We nodded deeply and stepped outside.

The soldier's words stuck with me.

"That's the first time anyone's said that to us. Is it really that dangerous? Does he mean the high-rank monsters he mentioned are that tough?"

As I speculated, Tina offered her own analysis.

"That's part of it, but there must be more. Monsters' basic behavior is to find prey and attack. Even if they ambush us, that's normal. Of course, adventurers and soldiers know that. For them to be struggling despite that must mean something impossible is happening."

True, they've been operating under assumptions everyone knows to be true. They should have countermeasures in place. I guess we won't know for sure until we get there.

"I suppose we'll just have to go with that in mind," I said. "The other problem is how to sneak that thing past them."

I gestured with my right hand toward the Goblin, who was watching us with a worried look.

I had to think about the future, but I also had to solve the problem right in front of me.

*

The scene changed to the Saint's Church.

Headquarters. Top floor.

A room where only the highest-ranking members were allowed to enter, furnished with a massive table.

There, Pope Altorine was sorting through a mountain of paperwork. A cardinal was at her side, assisting with the work. The piled documents included… local surveys… a progress report on Owari Village… and a petition from the Empire.

Of course, the knights checked the details, and Altorine just did a final check before signing if there were no issues.

"Phew," Altorine sighed. "Emperor Yorune's request. A request for supplies to the Church—the quantity is as usual, but he's asking for a temporary price reduction. Are they that short on funds? Or did they spend too much on weapons development? In any case, it's certain that things have become quite dangerous over there. Please pass this on to the merchants."

The cardinal took the signed document.

"Understood. And what shall we do? We haven't received a request for reinforcements, but shall we send a few adventurers?"

To this, Altorine replied, "Let's see. Please just put out a call for recruits. Their Guild should be doing the same. Inform them that we will provide financial support if they accept."

She gave the order.

The cardinal bowed and left the room.

Left alone, Altorine continued her work.

"A repeat of last year, but on a larger scale. The Emperor has to hold them off, or the damage will spread. And things are getting suspicious here, too."

She looked at a single report.

A survey of the surrounding area reported that not a single monster could be found.

Altorine, of course, as well as the knights and adventurers, were on high alert. It was impossible for there to be none. There should be some.

She had a very bad feeling.

She had decided to send adventurers, but only C-rank could go. Their own forces would be reduced, but the Empire was the priority.

If the source of all this was the monsters at the border, then solving that should solve everything.

"I hear those two have arrived on site as well," Altorine mused. "I really hope they can do something. I want to go myself, but this position gets in the way. I can't leave. It's frustrating."

She muttered in vexation.

It wasn't that she disliked her current position. She could protect many more people now. But she could no longer move about freely. Having reached the top of the chain of command, she couldn't just entrust matters to someone else and take action, as she had when she was a Knight Commander.

Altorine gazed up at the ceiling, praying for the success of the two adventurers.

*

At the border base.

We used a secret plan to make our way there.