Chapter 37: In Search of an Answer (2)
The moment he passed through the teleport gate, Artier could smell a fishy odor.
“What’s the name of this city?”
“Let’s see, it’s called Donko. It doesn’t seem to be a particularly special city.”
‘A city I don’t remember. That makes sense, I guess.’
The reason they came here in the first place was to take a boat to Gigas Hall.
“Let’s move to the docks. Where did the magician say to go?”
“It’s a viscounty called Tobes. He said we could reach Gigas Hall quickly by walking from there.”
“Alright. Let’s look for a boat to Tobes.”
The party moved to the docks.
The sight of an enormous number of ships docked at the massive pier was close to a spectacle.
“There are so many ships!”
“There really are a lot, huh? Port cities in the central part of the continent are different.”
Collie hopped around, constantly looking around, and even Jeina seemed a little surprised as she stared blankly at a huge ship.
Only Gerard was poring over a Grimoire, not even glancing at his surroundings.
“The central part of the continent is the hub of all trade. It’s natural for there to be many ships.”
“Still, with this many, it shouldn't be too hard to find a boat to Tobes.”
Artier first checked the regular ferry schedule.
A regular ferry that departed on a set route at set times would surely be available for a cheap price.
“Hmm, there are none.”
“There are so many ships, but only five regular ferries?”
Jeina went around to the back of the notice board and then shook her head.
It seemed those five ships were really all the regular ferries scheduled for today.
“During the off-season, even regular ferries run less frequently. It’s a shame, but we should try to commission a boat separately.”
Gerard closed his Grimoire and looked around.
[Gerard uses Tactical Command (Lv.1).]
“It would be better to find a decent passenger ship rather than a small fishing boat. Besides, since Tobes is also a port city, there should be other people heading there as well.”
Gerard, as if he had become a different person, suddenly started talking to the merchants walking around.
Most of them waved him away and passed by, but occasionally some would stop and talk with Gerard.
“The Leader is so strange……. isn’t he? He usually doesn’t seem very talkative, but at times like this, he’s like a completely different person.”
At Jeina's words, Collie and Artier nodded their heads simultaneously.
“The quality of the oil you have is quite good. Excuse me, but where are you headed?”
“To the south.”
“Seeing as you passed the regular ferry board, I assume you are heading elsewhere.”
“Hmm… you’re looking for companions, I see?”
Gerard, speaking with an uncharacteristically friendly attitude, quickly won over a merchant.
The merchant, who had been about to pass him with an indifferent expression, had now stopped the cart he was pulling so well and was listening to his story.
‘I should get him a negotiation skillbook soon.’
Artier looked at Gerard as if he were a precious gold nugget.
Approaching a stranger in a friendly manner was not a pleasant task for Artier. Even more so if he wasn't planning to recruit them as a comrade.
In that respect, Gerard's performance was truly a blessing from Artier's point of view.
“What did you just say?”
Then, Artier could see Gerard’s brow twitch.
“What, you didn’t know that either? You’re a rookie. Let’s just pretend this conversation never happened.”
The merchant clicked his tongue and left on his cart. It seemed Gerard's negotiation had failed.
“Artier, it seems we have a problem.”
However, instead of targeting another merchant, Gerard approached Artier with a serious expression.
“What’s wrong?”
“It seems the boat fare has risen considerably. To 1 gold coin per person.”
“What?”
“What did you say?!”
At Gerard’s words, everyone there froze solid.
“That’s absurd! The money we spent all week didn’t even exceed 1 gold coin.”
“Yes, at that price, it would be cheaper to just buy a carriage. But there's a reason. Those monsters have started appearing in the sea as well.”
Flinch.
At Gerard’s words, only Artier briefly held his breath.
‘They’ve appeared. The Ocean Hellmorphs.’
For reasons unknown, many Hellmorphs mimicked the forms of animals. All those classified as common monsters, not special types, were like that.
Naturally, there were also Hellmorphs that took the form of sea animals.
“I heard that if you run into them, even a large merchant ship takes no more than 15 minutes to sink. That’s why the number of boats has decreased.”
“Have they already come down this far?”
“Not quite… but they must be scared.”
The party fell into thought.
“Traveling by carriage won't work time-wise. We have no choice but to take a boat.”
“But how can we take a boat while paying that much money? We don’t even have that kind of money right now.”
“We’ll have to earn money through requests, but if we take too long, it’ll be a problem. Then there’d be no point in taking the boat.”
“……”
Artier glanced at his inventory.
[Funds: 2 Gold coins, 25 Silver coins, 44 Copper coins]
‘Not even close.’
Even if they became the heroes who saved Dorman, the amount of money received from requests doesn't change.
I was able to make 2 gold coins by painstakingly saving the money received as quest rewards and selling monster byproducts, but this was not enough to cover the boat fare.
“Gerard.”
“What is it?”
“How much is the fare for a dog, usually?”
“Master?”
“Usually, they charge about half the price of a person.”
Collie pouted and looked at Artier.
“That’s too much.”
“It can’t be helped. You can change back once we get to our room.”
Since the party was essentially broke, even if Artier spent all his money, there was still money that needed to be earned.
“Does this mean four people have to do two requests worth 15 silver coins each……”
Just as Artier was muttering so, it happened.
Flash!
[An event occurs.]
“Huh?”
As soon as a small information window appeared before his eyes, Artier felt the air around him suddenly grow hot.
“What is this?”
As Artier turned his head, white runes appeared around them.
Even without using detection magic, he could feel an intense flow of mana through his skin.
“A magic circle?”
“It was used from the outside. Be careful……!”
Collie raised his staff and Gerard opened his Grimoire.
And the moment Artier drew his sword, his vision changed.
Artier knew this feeling of being dizzyingly sucked in.
‘Was it a teleportation magic circle?’
He realized the nature of the magic, but he couldn't stop himself from being moved to another location.
***
Swoosh!
Before I could even grasp the situation, a chilling sound echoed by my ear.
My hand moved before my mind could think.
Boom!
What the sword shattered was a small shard of ice.
Artier quickly scanned his surroundings.
“What is this now.”
All around were mages, and from their staves, mana was raging.
Immediately after, ice shards exactly matching the one Artier had just struck rained down from all directions like a storm.
“Everyone, be careful. Jeina, block one side!”
“Got it!”
[Gerard uses Shield (Lv.3).]
Kagagagagak!
A gruesome sound began to echo from the protective barrier Gerard had cast on everyone.
At the same time, as Jeina lifted her axe, brandishing it, the magic flying from at least one side couldn't reach the party.
“What is happening all of a sudden?”
Collie asked, but the party had no way of knowing.
But thankfully, the enemies provided the answer themselves.
“Finally found you, you son of a bitch!”
“We’ll kill you in the name of the Magica Mercenary Corps’ honor!”
Magica Mercenary Corps.
It seemed the scoundrels who had driven fellow mercenaries into a corner and nearly destroyed a city had come seeking Artier, holding a grudge.
‘I was wondering when they’d show up.’
Artier sighed and loosened his wrists.
It wasn't unexpected.
He hadn't beheaded all of them, just revoked their mercenary licenses.
Since their equipment wasn't taken and their mana wasn't sealed, it was only natural that they would come for revenge.
“Attacking us as soon as we left Pons, were they tracking our location?”
“Ugh, this is annoying! What honor do they have to protect!”
“That’s right. Aren’t they just a group of murderers?”
[An Event Quest has been generated.]
The remnants of the Magica Mercenary Corps have ambushed you out of spite.
From the moment they initiated the attack, they have crossed a river of no return.
Kill them, or flee from them. The empire will unconditionally side with you.
If you annihilate the remnant forces, you can legitimately acquire their belongings, and the empire will not hold you responsible for the murders.
If you succeed in escaping and report to the Mercenary Guild, a warrant will be issued for them, and the Mercenary Guild will pay compensation for failing to take appropriate measures.
Option 1 Reward: Karma Points +5
Option 2 Reward: Karma Points +3, 70 Silver coins
Artier’s two eyes sharply scanned the surroundings.
There were about seven mages in sight. But since the opponents were mages, there could be more that Artier’s detection magic didn't catch.
But.
“Even considering those in hiding, it seems their numbers aren’t that large.”
The Magica Mercenary Corps was a large mercenary corps.
Excluding the members who died in the defense of Dorman, their numbers would easily exceed a hundred.
But only seven?
Moreover, all of them were mages.
To think they could kill Artier’s party, which included a warrior, with just this number.
“Gerard, please remove the Shield placed on me.”
With the protective barrier active, it's also difficult for Artier to attack.
Just as a sailboat cannot advance against a headwind, a protective barrier on the body receives air resistance, making movement difficult.
While it might be acceptable for a fleeting moment, a constantly active barrier was better off gone.
“Will you be alright? You are their target.”
“I’m fine.”
[Lv.8 Former Magica Mercenary Corps Member (Mage)]
Smirk.
Scanning their information, Artier smiled and twirled his sword once.
“Maybe getting on the boat will be easier than I thought.”
Gerard, who was about to dispel the magic, couldn't hide his momentary look of puzzlement.
Whoosh!
The mana barrier surrounding Artier disappeared.
Then, as if they had been waiting, all sorts of magic began to target Artier.
“If it weren’t for you, we!”
Boom!
But when the magic fell, Artier was no longer there.
“How?!”
“Don’t tell me there are only seven of you?”
“……!”
One of the mages, upon hearing Artier’s voice from behind him, froze like a block of ice.
“You didn’t think you’d win just because you had more numbers, did you?”
‘Still, I’m a Supreme-Grade Mercenary, this is a little damaging to my pride.’
[Flame Cleave activates.]
“Sh-Shield……. Keoheok!”
The mage put up a protective barrier, but the magic shattered to pieces as soon as it blocked the blazing flame.
Artier smiled brightly and readjusted his stance.
“Time to eat.”