Chapter 10: Almeria
Today was the day we would leave Ilgusia for Almeria.
Over the past month, I had been working alongside the town's carpenters, making bricks.
Having reached Earth Magic Level 3, I used 《Stone Bullet》 to create stones, crushed them into fine pieces, then mixed them thoroughly with earth and water created by 《Earth Bullet》 before handing the mixture to the carpenters. The reason for using magically created stone and earth was to ensure there were no unwanted weeds or insects mixed in.
The carpenters would add more clay, mix everything together, and let it dry.
After drying for two days, the mixture was packed into wooden molds and dried further. During this stage, if I had spare MP, I would use 《Wind》 to dry them as quickly as possible. Naturally, I had to weaken the spell's power, but controlling the intensity was difficult. I struggled to lower the output, and there were times I accidentally blew the wooden molds away entirely. But after repeated failures, I finally learned to produce a gentle breeze. It really is wonderful when hard work pays off.
The bricks removed from the molds were then fired, but the kiln used for this process was something outrageous.
"How about that?! This is a Mithril Silver kiln I commissioned from the artisans in Almeria a while back! A Mithril Silver kiln won't degrade and is highly heat-resistant! Even if the bricks burn to ash, the Mithril Silver kiln won't budge an inch!"
Zeke boasted, rubbing under his nose with his index finger. The item the adults had brought was indeed a kiln made of Mithril Silver.
I had never tried other kilns, but with this one, I felt reassured that everything would be fine.
In fact, when we placed the bricks inside the Mithril Silver kiln, fired them as instructed, and let them cool, we ended up with solid, fired bricks.
Well, firing them required a knack for slowly raising the heat, and since I initially struggled to control my Fire Magic, several of the first batches cracked or lacked strength and had to be discarded.
Once the bricks were made, the rest was up to the carpenters. It would be scary if I, with zero architectural knowledge, built something and it collapsed later.
However, whenever I had time, I closely observed the carpenters' work. There might come a time when I need to build a house on my own.
Thinking that I had done well this past month, I used Appraisal on myself.
【Name】 Mars Bryant
【Title】 Wind King / Goblin Slayer
【Status】 Human, Second Son of Viscount Bryant
【Condition】 Good
【Age】 8
【Level】 21
【HP】 130/130
【MP】 7996/7996
【Strength】 84
【Agility】 90
【Magic】 132 (+7)
【Dexterity】 115 (+2)
【Constitution】 81
【Luck】 30
【Unique Abilities】
Heavenly Gift (Lv MAX)
Heavenly Eye (Lv 8)
Lightning Magic S (Lv 0/20)
【Special Abilities】
Swordsmanship B (Lv 7/17)
Fire Magic F (Lv 6/8) (5 → 6)
Water Magic G (Lv 3/5)
Earth Magic G (Lv 4/5) (2 → 4)
Wind Magic A (Lv 14/19) (13 → 14)
Holy Magic C (Lv 6/15)
【Equipment】
Mithril Silver Sword
Wind Short Sword (Sylph Dagger)
Bracelet of Disguise
Wind Magic, Fire Magic, Earth Magic, and my Dexterity stat. With nearly 8,000 MP, depleting it three times a day meant using about 24,000 MP daily, and over 700,000 in a month. It was only natural that my levels would rise.
When Clarice wasn't diving into the dungeon, she helped with the carpentry work, willingly taking on tasks that got her hands dirty. There was no way the carpenters wouldn't accept someone like her. She also participated in Maria's community gatherings and had become fast friends with girls her age.
Also, lately, I felt like there was a significant increase in young adventurers. When they weren't diving into the dungeon, they actively helped with the carpentry work too. This might have been a quest issued by Zeke or someone similar.
The residents also took the initiative to cooperate whenever they had free time.
For the past month, Ike had been diligently studying whenever he wasn't diving into the dungeon, and Lina stuck to Clarice like glue. If Clarice helped with carpentry, Lina helped too. If she stood in the kitchen with Maria, Lina would help with serving or whatever she could do. They bathed together and slept together. The only time Clarice was released from Lina was when she dove into the dungeon.
"If anything happens, come back and report immediately."
"Mars! Take care of Clarice, okay? Ike, take care of them both too!"
"Onii-chan! Onee-chan! Be careful!"
Seen off by Zeke, Maria, Lina, and the adventurers and residents, we left Ilgusia. After being shaken in a carriage for several hours, we arrived in Almeria.
"Has the atmosphere changed a bit? How should I put it... I can't quite find the words."
Upon arrival, Ike muttered as he looked over the city.
It was certainly less lively than when we lived here. But it wasn't like there were no people; there was still plenty of traffic. Feeling slightly uneasy about the city's atmosphere, we first looked for an inn to stay in.
Ilgusia and Almeria were very close. Plus, monsters rarely appeared on the road between them. We could have returned to Ilgusia every day, but since that would lower the efficiency of our dungeon attacks, we decided to get lodging.
We rented two rooms for three months, deciding to return to Ilgusia once a week (though the concept of a "week" doesn't exactly exist in this world).
As for how the two rooms were divided: Clarice had one room to herself, and Ike and I shared the other. Unlike the Kingdom of Zarcam, public safety here was good, and Clarice's emotional wounds had fully healed. It felt a little regrettable, but it couldn't be helped.
After unloading our luggage, the three of us went out shopping to prepare for diving into the dungeon tomorrow.
"Hmm. Even for a dungeon city, there isn't anything good..."
Next to me, Clarice muttered in a small voice while tucking her hair behind her ear as she looked down at a showcase.
"Yeah. I guess finding treasure chests ourselves is the way to go..."
Lifting my gaze from the showcase, past Clarice, and toward a pile of goods stacked haphazardly like junk, I spotted something unexpected.
"Clarice! Look at this!"
My voice volume rose involuntarily.
"Eh?! Is this...?!"
Looking at what I picked up, Clarice was also surprised.
"What's wrong? If it's something necessary, I'll buy it."
Ike, who had been randomly browsing swords and spears, called out to us, but this kind of item was something I wanted to buy and gift to Clarice myself.
"Thank you. But please let me buy this."
I handed one silver coin to the shopkeeper and slipped the item onto Clarice's fine, blemish-free white arm. The silver bracelet adjusted perfectly to fit her wrist size.
"Thank you. I'll treasure this too!"
Satisfied seeing the beautiful girl rejoicing over the silver bracelet on her left wrist—a Bracelet of Disguise—I stepped out of the shop to hide my likely flushed face.
"Mars, tell me. What effect do those matching bracelets you two are wearing have?"
Ike, who had left the shop with Clarice, asked while looking at our bracelets.
"This is called a Bracelet of Disguise. It allows you to falsify or hide the status and special abilities displayed by Appraisal. Equipping this reduces the risk of being exposed as a Holy Mage, so I really wanted one, but to think they were sold as junk..."
"Does it let you make yourself look stronger?"
"No, you can only disguise your stats to be lower than they actually are. Do you want one too, Ike-nii?"
"No, in that case, I'll pass. Stats are proof of one's own hard work, after all. Unless there's a reason to hide them like with Mars or Clarice, I'm fine as I am."
Ike's way of thinking certainly had a point. Hiding stats could likely lead to troubles of its own.
Having finished shopping, we headed straight for the Adventurer's Guild.
The reason for going to the Adventurer's Guild was to ensure we could enter the dungeon smoothly. Just like at the Ilgusia Dungeon, guild staff and adventurers stood in front of the dungeon to monitor and prevent children or "Papers" from entering.
That was why Zeke had written a letter and instructed us to get permission from the Guild Master, Ralph. I thought showing our adventurer cards would be enough, but Zeke insisting on us greeting him might mean he had some plan in mind.
Pushing open the door, the sight of people lining up to report quest completions and those submitting magic stones jumped out at us. Along with that, the sharp smell of sweat stung our noses. I almost wanted to leave the door open.
The three of us joined the end of the line like everyone else.
"Are you guys Papers?"
The man lined up in front of us turned around and spoke.
"No, the three of us are E-Rank adventurers."
When Ike showed his copper adventurer card, the man reacted.
"Wh-Eleven years old and an E-Rank adventurer?! That's astounding. First time I've heard of that."
The man introduced himself as Wakol and showed us his own copper adventurer card, same as ours.
"Sigh. But it's really troubling, you know. With adventurers decreasing like this."
Wakol sighed while scratching his thinning hair.
"Adventurers decreasing? I don't think that's the case?"
Ike answered while looking around the guild, causing Wakol to scratch his hair even more. Hey, hey, if you scratch that much, it'll all fall out, you know? In fact, several strands of life had already been lost and were falling onto the floor.
"Well, it's gradual, so it's no wonder you haven't noticed, but Zeke-san and Maria-san moved to Ilgusia, right? Those who looked up to them migrated too. In a way, those two were the face of Almeria."
Indeed, when we set up our residence in Ilgusia, they mentioned that more people migrated than expected.
"And then there's this recent business. Look around. Inside this guild. Teenage adventurers have decreased drastically. Without young blood, the place loses its vitality, and with fewer people doing fetch quests, more people end up in trouble."
At these words, Ike clapped his hands together.
"I felt something was slightly off since entering this city, and that's it! Indeed, there are very few teenage adventurers!"
"Right? When adventurers leave, the women leave too. Since the destination is Ilgusia, it's a distance even Papers still living with their parents can manage, so they're flowing out steadily... The city has lost its liveliness somewhat. I wish Zeke-san would come back here."
"Excuse me. My name is Mars. May I ask a question? Why are teenage adventurers flowing to Ilgusia?"
When I asked out of curiosity, an unexpected answer came back.
"Apparently, there's a rumor that a terribly beautiful girl moved there. A young guy went to see her face once, came back, packed his bags immediately, and left for Ilgusia. Since then, young people starting to get interested in Ilgusia have been migrating one after another. Well, I know the beautiful girl is just a trigger. E-Rank adventurers can earn more in Ilgusia than in this city, and the jobs available for Papers have better conditions. Plus, there's talk that they'll provide housing cheaply instead of living in inns. And occasionally, Zeke-san and Maria-san treat adventurers to meals, which is huge."
Ah... Clarice. Clarice is the catalyst causing young adventurers to flow to Ilgusia. The person in question didn't seem to realize it was about her, but it was true that young adventurers had increased.
While talking with the grim-faced Wakol, someone suddenly grabbed my shoulder from behind. A menacing voice echoed in my ear.
"You guys said you were E-Rank adventurers, right? What's with that sword? That's not a weapon an E-Rank adventurer should have, is it? Did you steal it or... well, whatever. Hand it over. We'll return it to the owner later."
What is this all of a sudden? Reflexively using Appraisal, the guy with his hand on my shoulder had the ability of a D-Class adventurer. His eyes were locked on my Mithril Silver Sword. It seemed guys likely from the same party were also eyeing Ike's and Clarice's equipment.
"Hey! You guys! Stop it..."
Wakol immediately tried to intervene, but the guy with his hand on my shoulder shoved him away. The surrounding adventurers also seemed to think it was strange that our equipment was so obviously luxurious, so they sided with the guy who shoved Wakol. Few were willing to defend us like Wakol did.
"This equipment is something we obtained ourselves from treasure chests in the dungeon. Please stop making false accusations!"
Ike brushed away the hand still on my shoulder and retorted in a strong tone.
"Hah?! Like hell that's true?! I thought I'd let you off easy, and you go and trample on someone's kindness!"
A shrill voice echoed through the guild.
"What are you doing!"
Hearing the commotion, the Guild Master of this city, Ralph, hurriedly came down the stairs. The man then used a coaxing voice, unbelievable for someone who had been pressing us so aggressively just moments ago, to fawn over Ralph.
"Ralph-san! Listen to this. These guys..."
What is this sudden transformation? It's honestly disgusting. Ike also sighed in amazement at the change and spoke to Ralph, cutting through the man's wheedling tone.
"Long time no see. I am Ike Bryant, whom you registered as an adventurer previously. I have come at the request of my father, Zeke, to cull monsters in this dungeon. This is a letter from my father."
"Oh. Long time no see. You've become much tougher than before. I can't call him 'Zeke' without honorifics anymore. Is Viscount Bryant doing well?"
Ralph, receiving the letter from Ike, intentionally called him Viscount Bryant to clearly prove our status to everyone, causing a stir in the guild, starting with Wakol.
"Yes. Thanks to you, both Father and Mother are doing well."
"Hmm. I heard that the Carmel Margrave spoke to Viscount Bryant. I didn't expect you guys to come, but I'm counting on you this time too. And? What did you say you were?"
Even knowing Ike was Zeke's son, the adventurer who had raised his fist couldn't lower it. Even when Ralph addressed him, he kept glaring at Ike and muttering complaints.
"It seems he's not convinced. We intend to dive into the Almeria Dungeon starting tomorrow. It would be unbearable if something like this happened again inside the dungeon, so how about we have a match with no hard feelings? If we lose, we will hand over Mars's sword. Is that acceptable?"
Ike, who must have sensed the opponent's strength when he brushed away the hand on my shoulder, proposed a match to the adventurer.
"Oh, you're on! Don't forget what you just said?! I'm a D-Rank adventurer, you know?! Ralph-san, you heard what this guy just said properly, right?!"
Ralph looked at Ike with a slightly troubled expression, but Ike just nodded.
"...Understood. Then let's do it outside. However, we will designate the weapon. Agreed?"
Both parties nodded, and led by Ralph, we all went outside, leaving only minimal guild staff behind.
"Hey, is Ike-san going to be okay?"
"Yeah. If it's Ike-nii, there's no problem. If he gets serious, he could probably fight the whole party and win."
Clarice, who had been looking anxious the whole time, sighed in relief.
"You're unlucky too. Having your sword bet without permission, and losing it a few minutes later."
Arriving at a place like a training ground behind the guild, the adventurer provoked me with a smirk.
"No, my brother won't lose."
"Brother? You're this guy's younger brother? Are you an E-Rank too?"
Right, he still doesn't know about me. I hesitated whether to name myself, but he was technically my senior.
"Yes. I am Mars, Mars Bryant. Eight years old."
"Hah?! Eight years old?! Ralph-san! Even if he's Zeke-sama's child, E-Rank at eight years old is going too far. Zeke-sama is also at fault here. Letting a child hold such a sword. But the older brother brought up the sword. Don't resent me, okay?"
I got angry at him mocking not just me but Zeke as well. Perhaps sensing my feelings, Ike gave me a chance.
"Mars. If you want to do it, I'll let you."
"Yes! I'll do it! Please let me do it!"
When I answered immediately, the adventurer, thinking he was being mocked, flew into a rage.
"Don't screw with me! I'll say it again, I'm a D-Rank adventurer!"
Ralph looked at me worriedly too, but I looked straight at him and nodded. He let out a big breath and raised his voice as if cutting off his hesitation.
"Alright! The opponent is Mars! The weapon will be that training sword! The edge is dulled so it won't cut, but you'll get seriously hurt if hit in a bad spot! Begin!"
With the signal, the adventurer stuck out his tongue to provoke me and swung the dulled sword down while laughing.
Against that half-hearted strike, I deployed 《Sylphid》 and swung my own dulled sword upward in an uppercut motion to meet it. The image was a sword of strength—Cyrus's sword!
With both Strength and Agility nearly double his, I brushed his attack aside using 《Sylphid》, sending the adventurer's sword flying high into the sky.
"Next time, I'll go for real. Please show me the power of a D-Rank adventurer too."
The sin of mocking Zeke wouldn't be absolved by just this. I could probably punish him for Lese Majesty, but that wouldn't clear my mood.
"Kuh?! Getting cocky just because I went easy on you a little!"
Despite saying that, it seemed the adventurer's hand had gone numb from that single blow, as he fumbled to pick up the fallen sword several times.
Still, managing to grip the sword, he slashed at me while roaring like a beast. I had been waiting for that attack, which anyone could see was serious.
Dropping the training sword I was holding, I activated Vision. Dodging the sword swinging down with room to spare, I reached out my hand just close enough not to touch the flat of the blade and chanted the spell.
(《Wind Cutter》!)
The 《Wind Cutter》 sliced the sword cleanly in two.
"———Wh-What... happened?"
Most people here probably didn't even realize I had used magic. Unfathomable strength. I had waited for his full-power attack to show him this and make him recognize the overwhelming difference in power.
"Do you want to continue?"
With his sword cut, the adventurer, completely broken in spirit, sat down weakly on the spot and shook his head.
"If there is anyone else who is still not convinced, how about taking this opportunity? Naturally, I ask that we keep it to a level where we don't hurt each other."
I didn't think anyone would raise their hand at my words, but a hand went up from an unexpected place.
"Mars-kun... no, Mars-sama. Could you spar with me once? I don't expect to win, of course, but as an adventurer, I'm interested."
The one who spoke politely was Wakol, whom we were talking to earlier.
"Yes, let's do it. And please call me Mars."
With Wakol raising his hand as a trigger, other adventurers also wanted to spar, and hands went up one after another.
Among them were wielders of unconventional sword styles, which served as good stimulation for me.
Ike and Clarice also participated, and we crossed swords with the adventurers of Almeria until sundown. Afterward, we went to a tavern and were able to close the distance further at a social gathering.
—The next day.
"Alright, starting today, it's dungeon attacking!"
Eating breakfast in the inn's dining hall, Ike raised his voice to pump himself up.
"Ike-nii? Can I ask a question? I felt like you were promoting Ilgusia excessively during the social gathering yesterday. Was that an instruction from Father?"
At yesterday's gathering, phrases like "This weapon came from the Ilgusia Dungeon" or "The large-scale housing in Ilgusia is made of brick that only nobles in Almeria could live in" kept coming up. Ilgusia was mentioned every other sentence. Zeke's instruction to hand the letter to Ralph might have been intended to make Ike solicit people, even if things hadn't developed like yesterday.
And sure enough, Ike nodded with a wry smile at my question.
Those who listened intently to Ike's stories yesterday would probably leave for Ilgusia this morning. This would reduce the number of adventurers in Almeria again, but it couldn't be helped.
Well, they should return here once they get stronger, so if Almeria can weather the current situation, it shouldn't be such a bad story for them... provided they actually return.
"But the stories we heard at yesterday's gathering were useful too, right? It would have been dangerous not knowing that traps have increased on the first floor. And that monsters from the second floor are appearing on the first..."
As Clarice said, we gained information at the gathering that traps had increased and strong monsters were roaming the first floor. The strong monsters were often near the room leading down to the second floor, and it had become an unspoken rule that adventurers wouldn't approach that room. Apparently, recently... no, for several years, no one had dived to the second floor.
Also, being told that it was okay to use Fire Magic inside the dungeon was huge.
It probably depended on the scale of the magic, but at least it seemed Ike's Fire Magic wouldn't be restricted.
Since we were diving in the Ilgusia Dungeon, I had wondered if using Fire Magic in a dungeon was allowed, so this made me happy. Well, in the beginning, we used to burn the defeated monsters to extract magic stones anyway.
I'm thinking of trying out 《Firestorm》 next time.
We were also told about the situation in the Kingdom of Barcus, but that wasn't necessary right now.
Well, perhaps the best thing about the social gathering was learning that we didn't have to worry too much about being stabbed in the back in the dungeon. Apparently, trouble between adventurers inside the dungeon was common.
Based on yesterday's talk, we just decided on our roles in the dungeon.
I'm the scout. I'll proceed while finding dungeon traps with my Heavenly Eye, but the question remains: can the Heavenly Eye see through traps? I can see traps on treasure chests, so I think it's possible, but I'm a little anxious.
After finishing our meal and getting ready, we headed to the Almeria Dungeon.
In front of the dungeon, we saw guild staff and adventurers we befriended at yesterday's gathering.
Exchanging a few words, we dove into the dungeon without presenting our adventurer cards.
The Almeria Dungeon had wide passages and rooms. Arriving at the first room, an adventurer party was fighting.
We watched the adventurer party's battle from the room's entrance.
The party composed of six people was fighting three bird-type monsters called Silver Bats. Their Threat Level was D.
They seemed to have defeated some already, as several Silver Bat corpses were lying around, but the six of them had also sustained considerable injuries, with some members barely able to stand.
"Tch, retreating at the first room again today, huh... Three left! Let's do this!"
The man who seemed to be the leader shouted to inspire the party.
Taking about ten minutes to defeat the Silver Bats, they staggeringly extracted magic stones from them.
After collecting the magic stones and lending shoulders to each other, they headed toward us where the exit was, noticing us and speaking up.
"By any chance, are you the kids who beat the Almeria adventurers yesterday?"
"Everyone just let us have the glory, that's all."
"Well, you're just as rumored. Good luck. As you can see, monsters have increased, and we can barely reach the depths of the first floor. Monsters from the second floor are appearing too, so be careful. We leave the rest to you."
The party tried to stagger past us toward the exit, but Clarice, unable to watch, handed them Potions. They bowed their heads repeatedly in thanks.
From Clarice's perspective, she probably wanted to cast 《Heal》 and cure them immediately, but if it was exposed that she could use Holy Magic, we might not be able to stay in Almeria. So, Potions were the best she could do.
"Mars, how strong were those monsters just now?"
"Threat Level D. Goblin General class, but their stats are lower than a Goblin General. However, since they fly, they are troublesome monsters. But with Clarice's Magic Arrow, I think there will be no problem."
Ike nodded in satisfaction at my answer and issued a warning.
"In Ilgusia terms, this strength might be third-floor level. It might be an easy win for Mars, but don't let your guard down."
Leaving the room and walking down a large passage, we encountered three Silver Bats.
Clarice shot them down with Magic Arrow. They were troublesome because they flew, but with their wings torn off, they were just noisy dogs. Once they fell, even a child could defeat them.
The adventurers earlier struggled because their only way of dealing damage was to intercept them when they attacked. Not having a mage or archer in the party must be quite tough. You might think, then just recruit one, but those who can use magic are limited, and arrows are more expensive than one might expect and not easily obtained.
Having wiped out the Silver Bats without danger, I realized something. What should we do about collecting magic stones...? We plan to defeat monsters one after another. We don't have time to collect magic stones.
For today, we decided to collect magic stones as we went, and when we couldn't carry any more, we'd leave them in a suitable room and pick them up all at once on our way back.
As the next room came into view, my Heavenly Eye reflected traps. Seeing the numerous cleverly hidden dangerous traps, I could glean the high difficulty of this Almeria Dungeon.
The trap was Poison Mist. Ideally, I wanted to confirm if the trap disappeared after being triggered once, what the effective range was, and if we could escape by running immediately after stepping on it, but that was too scary. I told the two of them, and we proceeded while avoiding the traps.
We encountered adventurers wherever we went, but they were often sitting and resting in the passages with several other parties. Simply taking a break or waiting for wounds to heal.
Passages had fewer monster spawns than rooms. That was why they rested in the passages.
I thought, If they rest together in passages and defeat the occasional monster together, why not enter the rooms and fight together too? But apparently, since adventurers often fought over treasure chests when they popped in rooms, it had become established etiquette not to do so.
Well, certainly, people would fight if that happened. Even within a party, fights could break out.
Whenever we saw seriously injured people, Clarice handed them Potions.
Although Clarice handed Potions to the first party we met on her own judgment, Ike, who saw that, instructed Clarice to give them to injured adventurers.
Well, she is the poster girl. Adventurers would probably feel better receiving them from a beautiful girl. If we mention that Clarice usually lives in Ilgusia, those interested might come to Ilgusia, or there's a possibility they might come a few years later.
Continuing our exploration smoothly while doing such things, as we advanced, adventurers became scarce. It seemed that diving deep while resting after every battle took time and was quite grueling.
While understanding the greatness of Holy Magic, I absolutely wouldn't accept the thoughts of scoundrels who tried to kidnap Holy Mages by force, but I could understand their reasoning.
"Hey... did you guys seriously come this far unscathed?"
The ones speaking with disbelief were the adventurers who entangled with us yesterday. They were more heavily wounded than any adventurers we had seen so far, and some had single-digit HP and would die if not treated immediately.
"Are you okay?!"
When Ike rushed over without answering the adventurer's question, the adventurer looked bitter and tried to say something, but before that, Clarice distributed Potions to them.
"Please use these quickly!"
The adventurers were taken aback by Clarice's action.
"Hurry! Please save your precious companions! Hurry!"
At Clarice's shout, the adventurer came to his senses.
"Sorry... sorry."
Apologizing repeatedly, he accepted the Potion from Clarice.
"Mars, shall we head back soon too? How about it? Shall we return together?"
"I-Is that okay?"
"Yes, you already apologized for yesterday's matter."
When Ike carried the most seriously injured person, the adventurer raised a voice of surprise again.
"H-Hey... blood... you'll get blood on you?"
"Isn't that obvious? He's injured. More importantly, if you have the strength to talk, please lend a shoulder to someone else. Mars, Clarice, can I leave the monsters to you?"
""Yes!""
With Clarice and me in the lead, we returned the way we came.
"Don't tell me you intend to charge into rooms where monsters roam like this? Sorry, but we can't be of any help yet. In a few hours, we'll be able to move a little, so until then..."
He spoke with a humble attitude, but Ike answered the adventurer's question as if it were obvious.
"Yes. We're charging in as is. Regarding combat, leave it to Mars and Clarice, and we'll be fine."
At Ike's absolute confidence, the adventurer said nothing more. While lending shoulders to the injured members, they entered the room where monsters lay in wait with us.
Clarice shot down the flying enemies, and I defeated the other monsters. If the adventurers weren't with us, I would have recovered any damage taken with 《Heal》, but I was hesitant to use 《Heal》 in front of them. So, as I defeated enemies with 《Wind Cutter》 before they could get close, the adventurers stopped and blinked their eyes in disbelief.
"W-What is this?! Am I having a bad dream?!"
"See? I told you, right? Let's leave the monsters to Mars and Clarice and hurry."
By the time we went outside and finished carrying the injured to their inn, the sun had set.
"Really, sorry for everything. I'm Davis, leader of 【Yellow Blade】. This isn't much, but a token of my thanks. Once again, I apologize for the disrespect yesterday."
Bowing his head, Davis pressed gold coins into Ike's hand and went inside the inn.
"Now, what to do about the magic stones?"
Eating dinner in the inn's dining hall, Ike consulted us. In the end, we returned leaving the magic stones behind today. Well, given the 【Yellow Blade】 incident, it couldn't be helped.
"Shall I carry them while Ike-san and Mars fight?"
After a short pause, Clarice answered.
"No good. If Clarice is carrying them, I'd rather carry them myself. I can defeat monsters with 《Wind Cutter》 even while carrying things."
"True. And losing support from Clarice's Magic Arrow would be a huge tactical minus. Also, Clarice, you can call me Ike or Brother soon, you know?"
Even here, the strategy to fill in the outer moats of the Bryant family was being executed.
"———Eh?! Ah... yes... then, Brother-in-law..."
Clarice's expression flushed at the surprise attack, and tears welled up slightly in her eyes from embarrassment.
In the end, we couldn't reach a conclusion discussing it amongst ourselves, so we decided to return to Ilgusia the next day and consult Zeke.
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