episode_0108

“Oh. I was there first.”

As I was waiting at the designated location, I heard a familiar voice.

When I turned my gaze there, what I saw was Max, a man with orange hair carrying a large backpack on his back.

He glanced at me and asked:

“Have you taken everything you need?”

“Yes.”

In fact, there was nothing else to take care of.

I already had my luggage packed by Max, and all I had to do was bring it.

“Hmm. Still, just in case, let’s check one last time.”

My luggage was packed by Max, and Anton even took special care to check it before I left. In Max’s case, he would have done this countless times, so the probability of there being a problem is low, but Max did it one last time just in case. I checked my luggage.

Should I say this is the aspect of a skilled mercenary?

Perhaps it is because of this that he has been able to continue his mercenary life without any major troubles.

Max and I finished checking our luggage, thinking that perhaps we had learned this from Anton.

After that, we didn’t leave right away, but just stood there and talked about miscellaneous things.

Even though we were about to embark on a dangerous journey into the forest, especially deep inside, where we would face life-threatening situations, there was no sign of tension on our faces.

Is it simply because Max is one of the most skilled mercenaries in Darville? No, that wasn’t the reason.

There was another reason.

“Then let’s go!”

“Do not fall!”

It was because of the overflow of people that went beyond our surroundings and filled the western entrance to Darbil.

The area around the western entrance was noisy, reminiscent of a market place.

Although this place was originally a crowded place, the current scene made it feel quieter than usual.

“… This is my first time seeing a scene like this while working as a mercenary.”

Even Max looked at the scene with a strange expression on his face.

There is no need to explain, these were all people heading to the warrior’s tomb.

There was a set time for the Hero’s Tomb to be opened, and as we tried to leave at that time, there was a crowd of people like this.

“If this is the case, even the grave won’t be quiet?”

At those words, I nodded silently.

The destination of all those seen around us is the same: the Hero’s Tomb.

Therefore, there was a high probability that a significant number of people would be seen not only at the entrance, but also on the way to the tomb.

“It will decrease a little.”

“I guess so.”

However, since the route and speed chosen would be different depending on the leader and the party, the number would be reduced further than the current number.

“It will be a slightly different journey this time.”

Max muttered with a subtle expression.

“Well, there are some good points.”

As he added, there are clear advantages to having a large number of people.

The biggest advantage is that monster attacks will decrease.

It is true that forest monsters are hostile to humans, but they still have enough intelligence to judge the situation.

If this number of humans were gathered around at once, most of the monsters would run away rather than attack them the moment they smelled them.

And even when unusual phenomena unique to the forest occur, you will be able to receive help from those around you.

Also, you will experience significantly less fatigue.

Considering Max’s skills and mine, we won’t be in danger, but that doesn’t mean we can completely relax in the forest.

Because in the forest you never know when or what will happen.

And just maintaining that state of tension causes fatigue.

However, if this condition was maintained, fatigue would definitely be reduced compared to a typical journey.

However, despite knowing this, Max’s expression was not very bright.

“Look at those guys. One request, I was told to eat it raw, very.”

He clicked his tongue as he looked at the mercenaries around him.

Eat it raw.

It was certainly not a mistake to say that with this number of people, there was a high probability of reaching the tomb without much risk.

Max didn’t seem to like that.

“I’m sorry. It’s because of me.”

I immediately apologized to Max.

If it weren’t for me, he too would have received a request and made a fortune like those mercenaries.

“En? Why are you apologizing?”

But Max looked puzzled.

“You didn’t ask me to accompany you in the first place, but I came forward at the request of my teacher.”

Max shook his head firmly.

“And even if that wasn’t the case, I had no intention of accepting the request this time. If you receive a request, you will earn money, but then you will not be able to act freely. Personally, I also really wanted to go into the Tomb of the Hero. So there is no need to apologize.”

“… Yes.”

Actually, considering my skills, there would be no danger even if I went into the forest alone, but crossing the forest and going to the grave is a different story.

Considering the nature of the forest, it is easy to get lost in it unless you are a skilled mercenary or adventurer.

Well, if you have this many people, you might be able to solve that problem by following behind them, but there are moral issues with that, and it’s not a clean method in many ways.

So, personally, going with Max was the easiest and surest path for me.

If you’re with him, you won’t have to wander through the forest, and even if various problems or troubles arise, you’ll be able to solve them without difficulty.

Even though it was not my intention to accompany Max like this, there is no doubt that it was beneficial to me.

… Well, from Max’s perspective, who doesn’t know my skills, it would be like taking on a burden.

Although I felt sorry for that, I decided not to apologize any further.

I just decided to remember that I owed him a debt.

Anyway, I was chatting with Max about various things and just looking at the crowd.

“Huh? Isn’t it Max?”

Someone recognized Max and approached him.

“What, it’s Hector.”

Max also immediately recognized his face.

And I recognized him too.

To be exact, its name.

Hector is a veteran mercenary who is quite famous in Darville.

Max and Hector soon began to talk to each other in a friendly way, perhaps because they were close friends.

“Hmm? But what about your group? Two people including you?”

Meanwhile, Hector asked Max with a puzzled look.

At this, Max quietly shook his head.

“Is that possible?”

Even Max, a highly skilled veteran, has his limits.

The forest is not a gentle place where you can feel at ease simply because your skills are outstanding.

Above all, if there are only two people in the group, the condition of the group is bound to worsen.

Exactly, because of vigilance.

No matter the situation, vigilance is absolutely necessary in the forest, and it is difficult for two people to perform that role.

It may not be too much for a few days, but as time goes by, fatigue will rapidly accumulate.

Moreover, if that one person is me, who appears to be nothing more than a burden, there is no way Max can sleep in peace.

There was no way Max didn’t know that, so he saved a separate group in advance.

“It was here.”

They say that even tigers will come if you tell them what to do.

At that moment, there was someone coming towards us.

When I turned my gaze in that direction, what I saw was a tall woman with impressive, short-cut gray hair.

“Johanna?”

Hector seemed to immediately recognize her and widened his eyes.

In fact, if you are a mercenary in Darbil… No, there was no way anyone who had lived in Darbil for a while would not recognize the woman.

There is probably only one mercenary with that appearance here in Darbil.

Johanna Peirin.

She was one of the most famous mercenaries here in Darbil.

The fact that she had excellent skills, the fact that she had been working in this field for a long time despite being a woman, and the fact that she was simply beautiful made her reputation one of the few among the mercenaries here.

“What, Hector?”

Johanna also seemed to recognize Hector and tilted her head.

“Did you also take Hector?”

“No. I just met this guy by chance.”

“Oh, really?”

To be honest, Johanna, who nodded while saying that, seemed like a person who didn’t really care either way.

“… I guess the person in the group was Johanna.”

Hector lowered his head as if he finally understood.

Then, he turned his gaze to me.

“This will be the most luxurious experience for a beginner.”

“… Haha.”

I just laughed it off without saying anything, but deep down I agreed with what he said.

Max and Johanna are, so to speak, special mercenaries who have to be paid a considerable amount of money when officially hired.

However, including two of those people in a group at the same time was something that I would never have dreamed of.

It is truly a luxury that only a proper noble can enjoy.

“Are you the one who decided to accompany me this time?”

At that time, Johanna spoke to me.

“Yes.”

“Hmm… … .”

After hearing my answer, Johanna began to look at me intently.

What was in those eyes was a slight curiosity.

Some time passes in that state.

“Yes. Please take care of me.”

He greeted me warmly.

“Thank you very much.”

I also greeted her face to face.

“Well, my curiosity has been answered, so I’ll be leaving.”

Soon after, Hector left.

“Now that we are all gathered, let’s go.”

We finally left Darbil.