episode_0078

Should I head to Felmia like this?

Or should I return to Vespian as suggested by the party.

“Alright, alright. Yeah, let’s go back to Vespian.”

After a brief hesitation, I eventually nodded in agreement with the party’s suggestion, even though I let out a long sigh.

I couldn’t insist on doing something that all the other party members opposed.

Returning to Vespian would likely lead to encountering Heid… well, there’s nothing to be done about it now.

As soon as we return, we’ll either receive another request and be thrown into a dungeon, or we’ll be holed up in our lodging like shut-ins, waiting for Heid to return.

“Uh… Miss Hilde. Um, I mean… are you feeling… upset…?”

Perhaps because of my sigh, Freida, who was lying on her thigh, glanced at me discreetly.

Her cautious gaze, as if worried about touching my pride, looking up at me with anxious eyes after the incident, was quite amusing, like a puppy.

“Huh? No, not at all…?”

…Honestly, it was quite cute.

“Feeling upset. How could I? Freida, you just spoke the truth.”

I chuckled and patted Freida’s head, reassuring her that there was nothing to feel uncomfortable about.

Wasn’t exceptional looks a cheat code that made life easy in itself?

It certainly seemed so.

Even though I was considered an adult by any world’s standards at twenty, I found myself being lenient as if dealing with children, without realizing it, probably due to my youthful appearance.

◆◆

Did I mention earlier?

The reward for this request is so pitifully low that it’s beyond words.

Once Rug, the client, revealed that the request itself was a sham and skipped town, the only compensation available was the deposit he had left with the guild.

Additional rewards based on the number of bandit subjugations became null and void, and Bellita, who we had hoped would bring a bounty, disappeared without a trace.

Considering the nearly ten-day deadline and the number of bandits we dealt with during that time, it was almost like we had volunteered our services.

…At least, that’s what I thought.

“Still, something is better than nothing.”

After taking sufficient rest and rising again, Amy pointed to the two abandoned carriages that Rug had left behind.

“Can we take those? They just left them behind.”

“…You think so?”

I nodded with a face of realization. It hadn’t occurred to me, but since Reville Sandan, the owner of those carriages, had abandoned them, they were as good as a dropped purse on the ground.

The one who picks it up becomes the owner.

From everyday necessities disguised as ordinary cargo to extravagant goods, weapons and armor left by defeated bandits, even the carriages themselves.

It might be a bit of a hassle to dispose of them, but just selling all of that would more than compensate for this loss.

No, if sold at their proper value, I might make several times the expected reward.

“…How much do you think we’d get for all of that?”

“Well… If we sell everything, it should fetch a little over a gold coin.”

Each person could get up to thirty silver. That was a considerable profit.

Were those people from Reville Sandan not swindlers, but rather like Santas who got the seasons mixed up? Such a thought crossed my mind like a passing joke.

No, considering how they tricked us, they might be closer to treasure goblins than Santas?

At any rate, it worked out well. With that money, this commission wouldn’t be a loss but a huge success.

The only thing bothering me was whether other parties would object if our party monopolized the contents of the carriages…

“The carriages? If you want them, take them.”

“Really…? Is that okay?”

Surprisingly, Bardu readily yielded ownership of the carriages.

“Haha. If Bellita couldn’t stop it, then it’s not just wealth left behind. It’s something to be grateful for just having saved your life. It’s not right to claim a share shamelessly.”

He burst into laughter, seemingly modest about never intending to claim ownership in the first place.

“Uh… th-thank you.”

I expressed my gratitude, stumbling slightly in my speech, feeling a bit awkward.

I misjudged him.

He had a good personality, but I thought he couldn’t go beyond the limits of an adventurer. But as it turned out, Bard was truly a saint in himself.

If he had chosen to be a priest instead of a warrior, he might have radiated an aura.

“If I may say one thing, you should be somewhat cautious when disposing of that. It could be misunderstood as stolen goods, and they might even accuse you of theft in reverse, claiming that the Reville top has been robbed of their cargo.”

Moreover, he not only readily gave up ownership of the loot but also advised to be careful during disposal, as problems could arise.

“That’ll be fine. I’m affiliated with Matap, after all. I may be at the bottom, but still.”

We did worry a bit because Amy was in our party.

Threatening to treat the loot as stolen goods, selling it for a pittance, or threatening to report it is something that can be done against ordinary adventurers without any repercussions.

Trying such tricks against Matap-affiliated wizards would only result in their own losses.

Didn’t I tell you before? Matap people are nothing short of magical mafia who spare no means to pursue the interests of their members.

To those who are not affiliated with the organization’s wizards, there is no one like this bastard, but once they join, the organization becomes a solid support like a city wall.

Picking a fight with Matap members was no different from picking a fight with the entire Matap.

It’s suicidal behavior.

The reason Amy wants to stay affiliated with Matap, even paying expensive dues regularly, is probably because of that.

If the upper echelon of Reville, in other words, Rug’s boss, were to accuse Amy of robbery, it wouldn’t be long before an unidentified body was added to the city’s gutters.

…Maybe not just one.

◆◆

What we obtained was not just that.

They say tigers leave behind their skins when they die, and people leave behind their names.

Bellita didn’t die and escaped without leaving behind her skin or name, but she did leave something behind, perhaps her final conscience, before leaving.

“Kak! I found it! A flaming explosion-imbued iron lance! That woman’s lost item!”

A black iron lance infused with flame explosion magic.

Her beloved weapon, which Velita had failed to retrieve, was stuck in a corner of the thicket.

“Oh, this was left behind. I thought it was destroyed in the explosion.”

I received the lance from Kikel and swung it several times.

Even though it was the first time wielding a lance since possessing it, the movement of my arms and legs was incredibly smooth, as if wearing a perfectly fitting garment.

Come to think of it, Brunhilde’s swordsmanship was a modification of her family’s lance technique into swordsmanship, right?

So, it’s no wonder that she would be remarkably familiar with wielding a lance. In order to transform lance techniques into sword techniques, one must first master the original lance techniques.

Although in the story, she stubbornly insisted on using only a longsword to conceal the fact that she was a descendant of the Einstein family, in reality, lance techniques were her fundamental martial arts.

Well, to be precise, should it be called spear techniques instead of lance techniques?

My memory is a bit fuzzy… but I distinctly remember reading that the Einstein lance technique was not about wielding a lance but rather about shooting projectiles like bullets.

It was briefly mentioned in the story, so the truth of this setting is uncertain.

…Well, whether it’s lance techniques or spear techniques, what does it matter?

While the Einstein lance technique focused on projectile throwing, it was still one of the higher-tier skill attributes, even if it was not solely about throwing a lance.

Unless all members of the family were completely obsessed with being marksmen, it wouldn’t make sense for there to be only one technique for throwing a lance.

It may not match up to the specialized close combat lance techniques of other families, but the Einstein lance technique also had several techniques and stances designed for close combat.

I probably won’t have a chance to use them.

Why? Isn’t that an obvious story?

If someone specializes in just lance techniques, they might not know, but for a knight like Brunhilde who has embodied swordsmanship as well, wielding a sword in close combat is just as important as wielding a lance.

The swordsmanship established by Brunhilde… in other words, the Eizenwaldt swordsmanship, was a martial art originally designed for close combat.

Therefore, when it comes to close combat alone, the swordsmanship of the Imjenvalt is not only more powerful but also more sophisticated than the close spear techniques that come as an extra with spear techniques.

There’s no reason to carry a spear when you can just draw your sword and swing it.

So for me, the most efficient way to use this spear was not to carry and swing it, but to utilize the power of throwing spears, striking like a finishing move in the first blow or at a decisive moment.

In fact, it might have been best not to use it in the first place.

Just look at Brunhilde from the original work. She didn’t fight tooth and nail with just a sword because her family couldn’t be revealed.

In other words, if I go around carrying and throwing the spear, it means that she—I, as a member of the Einstein family—will be known.

I don’t really know what the problem is, since the author has gone off the deep end, but it should be clear that it’s not a serious issue for now.

Considering how extreme it was for Brunhilde to use the spear in the story, wouldn’t her safety be threatened as soon as it became widely known, or something like that?

She might have known what kind of crisis would come and prepared for it, but as someone who doesn’t know about it, it’s an impossible story for me.

In short, it meant that, as far as I’m concerned, it’s best not to use spear techniques at all.

Unless it’s a situation where I can kill a witness, I can’t even guess what kind of snowball effect it might cause if it’s not that kind of situation.

…Well, still, getting hold of Belita’s spear itself was an extremely joyful event.

Honestly, for an adventurer, this spear was worth several times more than a carriage.