Ch.420Late-Arriving NPCs. (7)

The moment we showed him the Behemoth’s core, his reaction wasn’t one of surprise or doubt.

Instead, he moved with the coldest and quickest demeanor we’d seen from him yet, gathering his equipment from the train compartment and beginning a thorough examination of the core with a seriousness that made his previous cheerful chatter seem like an act.

And the result came back in the best possible form we could have hoped for.

“With this, I can perfectly restore the golem you knew…! No!! I can create an even more magnificent golem!!”

“R-really?!”

“Indeed. So, may I take charge of this?”

“Ah! Of course!! I promise to make this the masterpiece of my lifetime!!!”

We’d only known him for two days. While I couldn’t completely trust him, it had been enough time to recall his actions in the game and to see how genuinely passionate he was about golems in reality. We decided it would be better to entrust the core to him, a golem craftsman, rather than carrying it around aimlessly ourselves.

Well, if he tries to steal it or lie to us, things would get really unpleasant for him. Having his hands smashed with a hammer would be the least of his worries.

“Hohohoho! If I were to misappropriate this for other purposes, I’d give you both my wrists. Thirty-six years in golem crafting. These wrists are more precious than my life!”

“Haha. I believe you. Then, we’re counting on you for Gor’s restoration.”

“Please, I truly ask for your trust!”

Though I spoke indirectly, he understood my concerns perfectly. Chairman Bigman, who swore not jokingly but sincerely to give his absolute best performance in golem crafting—even staking his own wrists on it—carefully began placing Gor’s fragments and core into a case that looked incredibly sturdy.

“I’ll begin the crafting after returning to Aiti, but with materials this complete, it should be finished within two months at the latest.”

“I see. But why the sudden formality?”

“Hohohoho!! I thought I wouldn’t live long enough to see the pinnacle of golem crafting. But now I’ve met a benefactor with the finest materials and brilliant ideas about golems! I must show proper respect!”

Even in the game, his exact goals were never clearly stated. He only mentioned wanting to protect the city and see the end of the unexplored dungeon in the town center. Who knew he’d be this passionate about golems? This world is truly just similar to the game, not identical in any way.

In the end, he continued addressing us formally as he saw us off, and we could finally feel a small sense of relief knowing that preparations for creating Gor’s body were complete.

[Though it’s uncertain if I’ll be able to control it immediately like before, I hope it will be a much stronger body than my previous one.]

“That’s for sure.”

“Hm? What did Gor say?”

After returning from the train and entering the Neiti gate, I quietly responded to Gor’s comment, but Rey overheard and asked curiously. I explained it to her exactly as it was.

“I really hope it works out well.”

[…I don’t recall being particularly nice to Rey, so her concern makes me a bit embarrassed.]

I gave Gor’s status window a silent side-eye, meaning “be nicer to her from now on.” Rey tilted her head, puzzled by my gaze, but I said nothing and just patted her head before moving on. It’s about time to meet friends and head home, and once there, I should prepare dinner.

And thinking that far, I suddenly realized that according to our schedule, we have less than two weeks left in Neiti. I should invite my sister’s friends over for dinner in the next few days and explain things to them. Ira seems to have made many friends at the academy, and as her brother, I should at least show this much consideration. After all, Neiti will likely be where we’ll live once everything is resolved, so I should fulfill my responsibility as a guardian in managing my sister’s social connections.

As I was envisioning this constructive future and our house came into view…

“…It feels like monsters have appeared in the village.”

“Those are actually gate-crossing monsters, if you ask me.”

[With the Spirit King’s barrier broken, monsters could technically invade Neiti. Though I question whether that barrier would have stopped these ones anyway.]

It’s quite ironic that all three of us had similar impressions about the beings in front of our house. After all, they technically belong to the human race. Of course, considering how many of them we’ve hunted down, disarmed, or destroyed their weapons in the past few days, I’m not sure how different they are from monsters.

As Rey and I approached the house, making no effort to hide our displeasure, these monster-like individuals—Aiti’s guards—noticed our approach and all turned to face us. There were six of them. Don’t tell me we have to clear them all out again? Mr. Owell is in big trouble; he’s about to lose half his guards.

“What do you want?”

As I cracked my knuckles, not hiding the genuine irritation in my voice, a man with navy blue hair at the front flinched slightly but stepped forward to face me. What’s this? Is he planning to use sword techniques? I’ll just break his sword if he draws it.

“I’m here on Secretary Carrier Owell’s orders to deliver a contract. The six of us here are humans with clean identities, completely unrelated to ‘that side.'”

“Huh?”

Though his voice trembled slightly with anxiety, his movements were decisive as he reached into the bag at his waist, pulled out a paper, and directed it toward me, his gaze urging me to take and read it quickly.

Given his cryptic words, Mr. Owell’s orders, and the fact that he was offering paper rather than drawing a sword, I relaxed my fist and accepted the document. Reading it, I found it was a contract to employ me, Rey, and Ira as adventurer escorts.

Wait a minute. Rey might be, but Ira and I aren’t adventurers.

“What? Not adventurers?”

“Yes. Currently, my job title would be bodyguard to the Acting Dean. And Ira is an academy student.”

“That’s a student?”

“Damn, is one Neiti student that powerful?”

“…If war breaks out with Neiti, Aiti will truly be devastated.”

Are they planning to go to war with Neiti? I could hear them muttering, seemingly assuming Ira’s magical power was average for Neiti students. The guards behind were speaking quietly, thinking I couldn’t hear them, but with my current level and stats, I could hear better than elves or beastkin if I wanted to. In other words, all their chatter without using magic was perfectly audible to me. Anyway.

“So you heard from the Secretary that we agreed to take on escort duties?”

“Yes. I’m Brans Wigel, captain of the Chairman’s guard team. The names of the others are…”

“Ah, you don’t need to introduce the rest. You brought them so I’d remember their faces and know they’re not related to ‘that side,’ right? I’ve remembered them.”

I hadn’t actually memorized them, but Gor had memorized everyone’s specs and faces for me, so I wouldn’t accidentally attack the wrong person. Hearing my response, he murmured “I see,” cleared his throat, and then seemed to hesitate, as if there was something else he wanted to say. Ah, it might be cute if our female members or my little sister did that, but seeing a middle-aged man do it is rather unpleasant. Unable to hide my irritation, I asked what he wanted, and he slowly began to speak.

“Well. I hope you won’t misunderstand what I’m about to say. As I mentioned, I’m the captain of the guard team. I understand that the swordswoman beside you and your sister are strong. Moreover, I acknowledge that you’re stronger than some of those guys we brought from that side. However…”

Ah. Just because they’re from Aiti doesn’t mean they don’t use magic at all. He must have heard about how I knocked down those guards I confronted, but the real question is whether my skills are better than all of theirs combined. It’s certainly a reasonable concern for someone in a position of responsibility, not immediately trusting someone without adventurer registration. Acknowledging this, I nodded, and as he was about to continue, I spoke first.

“All of you, come at me at once. I’ll disarm you without even knocking you unconscious.”

“Uh, what?”

“””……”””

I thought this would be sufficient to address his concerns about my abilities, but it seems some of those behind him took it as an insult, with a few even cursing and spitting on the ground. I might have been too direct, but how else would they properly believe in my skills?

Eventually, as I provoked them again by saying I didn’t have time, Captain Wigel and all five guards drew their weapons.

“Jack, should I join in?”

“No. Your strength is honestly visible, so it only makes sense if I do this alone.”

“Okay.”

Rey only asked if she should demonstrate too, but some of them started muttering that I was just showing off in front of a woman. I asked to end this quickly, and three of them, seemingly very angry, charged at me with killing intent.

Despite their anger, they showed a clean, coordinated attack with considerable speed, but…

-Tap tap tap. Clang clang clang~!

“””?!!”””

“There, three down. The rest of you, come quickly.”

No matter how fast and clean their coordination was, there’s a difference between three snails running at full speed and a mountain predator charging at full force. I disarmed the attacking men with my bare hands, throwing their swords behind me, and then gestured for Captain Wigel and the remaining two to come at me.

“…Um, I think I’ll pass.”

“If, if the captain is okay with it, me too?”

“Uh, um. Y-yes. I, I can see there’s n-no problem here.”

Convinced they would meet the same fate, they resheathed their weapons, and after confirming my abilities, they left with expressions that gave me great satisfaction.