episode_0050

Leon pulled his robe down deeply as the surrounding eyes turned to him.

I wasn’t worried about my identity being revealed, but I was uncomfortable with the unnecessary attention being drawn to me because of the tape.

Kito, who was still lying on top of the head, tossed and turned as if he was uncomfortable.

“Nice to meet you.”

As Leon greeted them in a low voice, Deif and Karin took a step closer to Leon.

“Are you sure it’s Theo? How long has it been since you’ve been here!”

“When did you come back?”

The two looked at Leon and smiled brightly, unable to hide their joy as if they were meeting an old friend.

“I’m back after finishing my work. I’m going to go on another mission.”

“Mission?”

Dave looked straight at Maxius, as if curious about the mission Leon was about to undertake.

“I see you want to become a silver adventurer, so I guess you want to take on a high-ranking mission.”

Deif licked his lips in regret at Maxius’ words.

He was soon to become a silver adventurer, but for now he was a bronze adventurer.

Leon turned his gaze back to Maxius.

“They say the way for a wizard to become a silver adventurer is ambiguous… … .”

“Ah, wizards can easily become silver adventurers if they have proven their magical powers to some extent.”

“How can we verify its power?”

Maximus said with a bitter smile.

“I see you have something urgent to do this time too.”

Leon understood why Maxius said that.

Both when entering the Forest of Demons and when crossing over to the Empire, the situation was urgent.

“Follow me.”

Maxius took Leon to the backyard.

This was where Leon tested his skills when he first received the Adventurer’s Badge.

As he stood in front of a large wall and raised his magical power without hesitation, a blue light swirled around Leon.

“Soft.”

Along with Leon’s soft voice, blue light began to gather and form a shape.

In an instant, the blue dragon rose up around him and moved as if wrapping itself around Leon.

Maximus’s eyes widened.

“This is… … .”

He was speechless as he looked at the unfamiliar looking blue dragon with a surprised expression.

Leon gave a clear command to the Azure Dragon.

“Spit it out.”

As the blue dragon opened its mouth wide, a powerful stream of water poured out.

The water cannon flew towards a blank wall and crashed into it at incredible speed.

bang-

The wall shattered with a loud noise, and water seeped in violently through the debris.

The splashed water scattered in all directions, and the entire wall was instantly soaked in water.

“Freeze.”

As soon as Leon finished speaking, all the water streams shot by the Azure Dragon froze.

The water flowing down the wall turned into pieces of ice, and the entire wall shone like crystal.

Maximus’ expression was a mixture of surprise and admiration.

“… As expected, you were hiding your skills. There’s no way your magical skills could change this much in just one year.”

“Sorry for hiding it. There was a reason for it.”

Maximus nodded as if he understood.

“I understand. The power is… enough.”

When Leon re-entered the building, it was Dave who greeted him.

“Did you pass?”

“Yes.”

“I thought so. Are you trying to receive some kind of mission… … ..”

Leon silently headed to the mission board, looked over it briefly, and chose the Dercantia Upper Escort mission.

Dave’s eyes grew wide.

“Are you going to the Empire?”

Leon looked puzzled by Dave’s overreaction and asked back.

“Is it really that surprising to go to the Empire?”

“Ah… That’s not it. We were also thinking of going over to the Empire soon.”

“I see.”

As Leon answered calmly, Deif added in a regretful voice.

“We haven’t yet achieved the Silver Adventurer requirement, so we can’t go together.”

“… … That’s how it turned out.”

But that wasn’t something Leon could wait for.

Maxius handed over the silver adventurer’s badge and took the mission from Leon.

“Would you like to accept this mission?”

As Leon nodded, Maxius began to explain the mission in detail.

“The departure date is a week later. It will take time to recruit quite a few escorts, and adventurers do not particularly like expedition missions… … .”

“That means it could be long.”

“Yes… .”

Maximus asked hesitantly.

“Are you planning on going to the Empire and coming back?”

As Leon shook his head, regret crossed Maxius’s expression.

“I see. Then you will have to register again at another adventurer’s guild in the empire.”

“There’s nothing I can do.”

In fact, it wasn’t certain whether I would continue my adventures after going to the empire.

While Leon was writing down his mission, Dave approached him quietly and waited.

As Leon put down his pen, Deif gestured to his party members waiting behind him.

“If you have time… Let’s have a meal together… .”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Deif’s face brightened at Leon’s willing acceptance.

As I joined the party, a new face caught my eye.

She was a woman with sky blue hair, a color reminiscent of a clear summer sky.

Her softly curved eyes, sharp nose, and cool corners of her mouth made her face stand out even more.

‘Dave, this guy… only lets girls into his parties?’

I couldn’t help but think that way because all three party members were so beautiful.

Even Leon, who is indifferent to such things, felt that way.

‘Is this the kind of person who would be the main character in a normal fantasy novel?’

The blue-haired woman nodded at Leon.

“It is an honor to meet you, wizard. My name is Erica, the adventurer of the same color.”

Her politeness was not much different from that of Deif or Maxius, but there was an air of elegance that could not be hidden.

‘nobility…?’

A question crossed Leon’s mind.

Dave seemed to notice the subtle changes in his expression and smiled awkwardly.

“Haha, let’s go to the fairy restaurant first.”

Dave quickly changed the subject.

It was as if Leon was changing the subject without giving her a chance to ask further questions.

Leon decided not to ask any further questions, so he simply agreed and followed Dave.

The restaurant was where Leon first ate with the Dave group.

It seemed as if Dave had guided me here on purpose.

The dish occupying the exact center of the table was a roast pork.

Leon and Erica were the only ones putting dishes into the stew.

“Since you entered the forest… I have received so much help with the artifacts you gave me.”

Dave carefully lifted the green flute hanging from his neck.

“Green Golem is easy to deal with in Zone 2 monsters. It was really useful when I was in danger or needed help.”

Then, when he tried to untie the rope, Leon stopped him.

“You don’t need to give it again.”

“… … I didn’t mean to be polite. Haha.”

“I’m glad you found it useful. I was worried that I left alone to join the same party.”

“No. At that time… we couldn’t protect you properly and there were many shortcomings.”

Dave spoke vaguely, as if recalling his past awkwardness.

A year passed by in the blink of an eye for Leon, but for Dave, every day was a fierce battle.

As the conversation continued in a friendly atmosphere, Leon asked.

“May I ask why you want to move to the Empire?”

“Oh, you mean us? That’s actually… .”

Dave glanced at Erica.

“The new member of our party has a reason to return to the Empire.”

“Go back… … .”

When Leon muttered as if he was interested, Dave smiled awkwardly.

“Haha, yes. Erica is a noble from Derkantia.”

At those words, Erica’s body trembled slightly.

Dave opened his mouth as if to comfort her.

“I think the wizard already knows. And since he is our great benefactor, there is no need to hide it.”

“… I see.”

There seemed to be some kind of story behind Erica’s background, but Leon wasn’t really that curious.

The mere fact that they were going to the same destination piqued his curiosity.

“Can we ask you something too?”

“Why am I going to the Empire?”

“Yes. And I was wondering if you would continue your adventure activities.”

Leon smiled slightly and shook his head.

“I don’t plan on continuing as an adventurer unless something special comes up.”

“I guess so. Haha.”

“The reason I go to the Empire is because of something related to magic.”

Dave answered calmly, as if he thought it was obvious.

“I heard there are many great wizards in the Empire.”

“Do you know anything?”

Leon asked curiously when he heard the truth that even he didn’t know through Deif’s mouth.

“Oh, I also heard a little bit about it from Erica.”

When she heard that, Erica’s shoulders flinched again.

Leon was curious about the reaction, so he used a quick search spell.

Dave, Karin, and Rinne. None of them were affected by the searching magic.

It meant there was no mana.

But Erica’s condition was a little different.

It was a strange state where the realm was unclear, but it wasn’t like there was no mana at all.

A tiny crack that Leon can notice because he is sensitive to magic.

‘It’s not like they’re higher than me.’

If that were the case, I wouldn’t have even felt this subtle feeling.

Leon already knew a similar feeling.

Bima’s bracelet.

This is what it feels like when you wear an artifact that hides magical power.

Even if Leon was very sensitive to magic, the fact that he could sense it to this extent meant that the artifact Erica was wearing was of a lower grade than Bima’s bracelet.

Leon observed Erica’s behavior.

He was dressed in leather armor and had a longsword on his waist.

‘Are you hiding the fact that you’re a wizard from Dave too?’

Erica also felt something and looked straight at Leon.

‘Did you notice the search magic?’

Leon realized that Erica was a sorceress, and Erica also noticed that Leon realized it.

But Leon turned his gaze back to Dave without saying anything.

“If you don’t have anything else planned for the week, would you like to come and see the city with us?”

At that moment, Karin asked brightly.

She still had her bright and positive personality.

Leon accepted Karin’s offer, which he had always refused.

Leon spent a week exploring the city, and with Dave’s help, he prepared everything he needed for the long trip.

And finally, the day came when the adventurers who had been assigned the escort mission gathered together.

Since there are 100 silver adventurers gathered together, it seems natural that they need to elect a leader to lead them.

Leon, who was in a corner with no interest, ran into Dave there.

Dave scratched his head awkwardly.

“We also went together because the number of people was not full. ”

“I see.”

This mission involved escorting a carriage for a month and a half.

Leon felt less uncomfortable in an unfamiliar situation when he saw a familiar face among the bustling adventurers.

“Should I… say hello?”

Dave suddenly looked up at Leon and asked cautiously.

“Ah.”

Kito was lying comfortably on top of Leon’s head.

She spoke in a dull voice, her chin resting on her hand.

“It’s okay. Do your job.”

“Ugh.”

As Kito spoke listlessly, Dave flinched in surprise.

Adventurers who approach the Western Forest of Demons might know about the polymorphed demons.

The moment Leon opened his mouth to ask, someone shouted loudly.

“I’d like to take charge. Is that okay?”

The person who spoke was a middle-aged adventurer who immediately seemed to have the makings of an experienced man.