episode_0011

Bolton’s choice of a spear wasn’t solely because the mace was too brutal.

With little confidence in physical combat, if a small and agile monster were to dig in close, he wouldn’t be able to strike with the mace in time, right?

So, after much deliberation, he settled on the spear.

He reasoned that with a long-range weapon like a spear, he could thrust at enemies before they got too close.

It sounded like a plausible story.

Among the strong, there wasn’t a significant difference in the superiority of weapons, but among shoddy ones like iron clubs, it was nearly impossible for a sword wielder to defeat a spear wielder.

◆◆

Unlike Bolton, who only had priest robes, Kikel was fully armed like a frontline warrior.

He carried a short bow suitable for shooting and a round shield reinforced with metal around the edges.

And that wasn’t all. He also had a hatchet and a dagger hanging from his waist.

With this, his equipment was top-notch, even among A-grade adventurers.

Me? Of course, I’m S-grade.

I only had a single longsword as a weapon, more like a tool than a weapon, and a rare level of armor, even among Eastern Shield mercenaries.

Anyway, as the receptionist lady guaranteed, at least our outward appearances were acceptable.

One was a zealot, and the other was a lizard, just minor issues.

◆◆

Engaging in various small talk while waiting, suddenly thirty minutes had swiftly passed.

“The client is running a bit late. I wonder what’s going on?”

I glanced briefly towards the entrance of the guild, tilting my head.

Considering the schedule, it seemed like it was about time to depart, yet our client hadn’t shown the slightest sign of appearing.

“The client, um… Amy, was it? Well, if we wait a little longer, she should be arriving soon. After all, she’s a mage, isn’t she? She probably had quite a few things to prepare.”

Bolton’s response was remarkably laid-back.

It seemed that stealing from a priest’s purse would be a sin requiring absolution, but surprisingly, stealing a priest’s time was apparently innocent.

Well, there’s a wider class gap between a penniless pickpocket boy and an apprentice mage under the Ma Tower than the Nile River.

There must be some flexibility in the “Principles of the Guild.” If there wasn’t, he would have been in trouble in countless places long ago.

“Kakak! Women are always late! That’s just how it is! They don’t know the value of time!”

Kikel Grek laughed loudly and recounted the stories he had experienced.

The heartbreaking tale of a female lizardman who ardently pursued him, yet despite making plans to meet, left him waiting all day. And the painful story of having to hunt alone until the end of the hunt because the female who was supposed to be his hunting partner didn’t show up at the hunting ground.

“Ah… you’ve really suffered a lot.”

It was a cruel story that was hard to hold back tears from.

Poor guy, he must have been unpopular in his hometown…

I don’t really understand the lizardman’s aesthetic standards, but it seems Kikel Grek was considered a subpar male by lizardman standards.

To the point where his appeal as a male was non-existent.

◆◆

It was about five minutes after that when the apprentice mage Amy arrived at the request office for the Dungeon Delving request she had taken on.

“Are you guys the adventurers recommended by the guild?”

Amy, with shoulder-length red hair and faint freckles on her face, was quite impressive as she spat out informal language without even apologizing for being late.

Truly the epitome of a Ma Tower-affiliated mage’s personality, wouldn’t you say?

She appeared to be around 160 cm tall, looked to be in her early twenties, and wore a fur cloak over the robe that proved her affiliation with the Ma Tower.

“Oh, you must be Mage Amy. Nice to meet you. I’m Bolton, a faithful servant of the goddess Elianel.”

Bolton welcomed the client with a beaming smile. His manner was full of courtesy, befitting a priest.

“I’m Hilde.”

I introduced myself briefly. It wasn’t about mixing arrogance and speech; it was a lesson learned through experience.

With this type, engaging in lengthy conversations would only end up with each party desperately searching for the other’s parents in the end.

“I’m Kikel Grek, the warrior of the swamp! Late, quick steps! The night is cold!”

Kikel urged to depart quickly in his introduction, using the Lizardman’s peculiar, brief and eerie manner of speaking.

Come to think of it, this lizard had been using informal speech from the start. Since it seemed incapable of using formal language, I just let it slide.

“Um… right. We can discuss the details on the way.”

Surprisingly, Amy didn’t show any particular aversion to Kikel’s attitude. No, she not only didn’t show aversion, but readily agreed with a nod.

I thought she’d say something as an insolent magician, but why?

“Clack! Clack! Good response! Let’s go!”

“Ugh….”

Seeing Kikel fluster every time he spoke, I roughly knew the reason.

Yeah, the Lizardman did look somewhat intimidating.

The distinct reptilian face, pointed and somewhat sinister. If it were the size of a palm-sized pet lizard, it might have been cute, but with that face perched atop a huge, muscular frame covered in scales…

To be frank, it looked several times more ominous than a monster’s face.

I, too, if I hadn’t known about this race and encountered it in the wild, would probably have mistaken it for a hostile creature and attacked without hesitation.

And even if I accidentally killed it, the jury would unanimously declare me innocent. They’d say having such a visage is more threatening than being an armed villain.

That was the kind of face the Lizardman had.

◆◆

And so, we left the city and headed towards our destination.

A small ruin about a 4-hour carriage ride away. The lower-level dungeon lurking beneath it was the objective of this request.

It would have taken quite a while on foot, but the client had arranged a carriage in advance, making the journey a bit easier.

With that distance, just arriving at the destination was an accomplishment in itself.

“We detected abnormal magical energy levels at the dungeon entrance. It’s likely that spellbooks are being kept there. Even if it’s not spellbooks, there’s likely something related to magic.”

Amy elaborated on the details of the request.

“While I’m finding that, your job is to protect me.”

To the extent of exploring a dungeon with an abnormally high magical energy level and returning with the suspected item causing it.

It was said to be a test assignment given by the Tower of Magic to Amy. If she brings back proper results, she can proudly remove her trainee badge and call herself a bona fide magician.

“As per the contract, I’ll take all the magical scrolls or magical items. You guys can divide the rest of the loot amongst yourselves. That should be fine, right?”

If these words were muttered in an ordinary four-person party, there would likely have been a high chance of the so-called magician or whatever ending up with a knife in their back and buried somewhere.

Since she’d be taking care of anything profitable, the rest was just a matter of roughly grabbing some odds and ends.

However, we weren’t a group of four adventurers; it was more like the client hiring three adventurers as escorts.

“Yes, those were the conditions from the beginning.”

“It’s fine.”

No one expressed any dissatisfaction with the person who paid for everything taking the profitable stuff.

“Wait! I have a demand!”

…By ‘person,’ I mean.

A party member who wasn’t human boldly raised their hand and voiced an objection.

“A demand…? Seriously, are you thinking of bringing up something else now? We’ve already left the city, so do you think it’s okay to break the contract? If that’s the case, then you’re greatly mistaken….”

Amy shot back, furrowing her brow.

She questioned whether he intended to reveal his true colors and try to threaten her as soon as they left the city, despite the fact that those were the terms they agreed upon from the start.

Her attitude seemed to forget even the fear directed at the lizard-like face.

“Wrong! We’ll uphold our end of the contract!”

Kikel denied firmly, with his tail held high.

“My demand is simple! Sell warm things! I’ll buy them all!”

“What do you mean, warm things…? Oh, are you talking about items like the Cloak of Warmth or heating stones?”

“That’s right! Those things, I’ll buy them all!”

As if that was the correct answer, Kikel puffed up his chest, nodding vigorously.

The Cloak of Warmth, heating stones—both were essential items that emitted their own heat, necessary for maintaining body temperature in places like snowy plains.

As sought-after magical items, they were also items monopolized by the Tower, sold at outrageously high prices.

At that price, it was said to sell like hotcakes in winter.

While the warm south might not understand, the kingdom of Herbor is exceptionally cold, especially in the northern regions.

My body was resilient to the cold of Brenhilde, so I didn’t pay much attention, but just by looking at Kikel and Amy’s attire, one could guess the importance of insulation items.

Although the real winter had yet to begin, both of them were already dressed in fur-lined cloaks.

“Why are you fine, Bolton?”

“I don’t know either. Maybe it’s perseverance as befitting a priest?”

“If it’s something like that, you can buy it at Matop… Oh, right. It might be a bit expensive for a steel spade. Got it. If insulation items come out, I’ll pass them on at cost.”

“Really! Thank you! I’ll work hard!”

Amy’s mercy, giving up a huge margin and passing on only the cost, prompted Kikel to express his gratitude with widened yellow eyes and a hushed tone.

Even I was surprised by such generosity, so how must Kikel have felt as the recipient?

It seems that despite her initial impression of being somewhat rude, Amy was a remarkable person among the mages.

Well, when you think about it, speaking informally isn’t anything unusual. After all, she was clearly in the position of an employer, not just another steel spade adventurer. It’s customary not to use honorifics with subcontractors.

◆◆

Afterward, the atmosphere inside the carriage became even more cheerful.

Bolton nodded repeatedly, pleased with himself, saying that mercy is indeed a splendid virtue, while Amy, seemingly satisfied with the praise, blushed slightly, freckles showing.

Kikel’s gaze toward Amy was now almost like a lizard watching honey drip.

Is that what they call a honey-dripping gaze?

Even with an inscrutable lizard-like expression, somehow this time, those emotions seemed to be conveyed vividly.

Is it really that great?

Well, I guess lizards, being cold-blooded, are naturally weak to the cold…

If he’s so obsessed with gathering insulation items, wouldn’t it have been better to just stay in the south?

“By the way, Kikel, why did you happen to come to the north?”

I asked for the reason.

“Haha! Curious? It’s nothing special.”

It was a personal question, and I hadn’t expected an answer… There didn’t seem to be any reason not to respond. Kikel raised the corner of his mouth, revealing a fierce determination as he answered surprisingly candidly, “I am Kikel Grek, a warrior! That’s the reason!”

…No, that doesn’t explain it.

I couldn’t help but ask for a more specific example, “So… is it because there are many aggressive warriors in the north, and you wanted to test your skills against them or something like that?”

“Similar! Swamp warriors like strong enemies! I came to fight the strongest enemy!”

Kikel nodded his head.

The strongest enemy. Was he targeting monsters in the mid or deep dungeons?

Let’s see, what kind of elite mobs are there in the north…

“That’s quite interesting. It may not be my place to say, but what exactly do you want to fight?” Amy, who had been quietly listening, seemed intrigued and asked about the identity of the opponent Kikel wanted to face in the north.

“Cold!”

Kikel replied with a smile.

“Excuse me…?”

“What?”

“Cold is the enemy. It makes us weak! So I came to kill the cold, to find the coldest place!”

Surprisingly, the ‘enemy’ Kikel was trying to defeat wasn’t a tangible being. It was a formless concept named ‘cold.’

“I will kill the cold! When the cold dies, a warm world will come. Kikel Grek will become a hero of the swamp! Kakakakak!”

However, it seemed that Kikel believed he could fight and win against this entity called ‘cold.’ If he could just stab and kill something named ‘cold,’ a warm and pleasant world would come.

“…”

His grand ambition made me feel like I was about to lose my mind.

I see. The thing inside his head isn’t a brain, but udon noodles.

I felt like I might finally understand why Kikel had been shunned by his female peers.