“It looks like he’s A-rank, all right.”
“Yeah, only a swordsman who’s been through his fair share of fights could make a merciless attack like that.”
“Gah, using force to make us submit…this staff-wielding warrior isn’t half bad.”
…Guys, I’m a wizard, okay?
Incredibly, the adventurers still hadn’t calmed down. They were surrounding me again and waiting for a chance to strike. Do I have to knock them all out after all?
I steeled my resolve and took a single step forward. The brick floor made an audible crack.
“Wh-What intensity! The floor just cracked!”
“So this is the aura of a rookie who made A-rank…”
The adventurers backed up.
Actually, that’s just because of the ten-times-gravity armlet. Whoops, normally I take it off when I go inside buildings, but I forgot to this time. Maybe the brick was already deteriorating. Are they gonna make me pay for it?
But then, someone spoke.
“How about it? Do you all see Marcus’s strength now?”
I didn’t know where he’d been until that moment, but the eyepatched examiner made an energetic reappearance.
“In times like this, it’s easier to show it with force than with words,” he said, winking at me.
Hey, hurry up and intervene! Whose fault do you think this is?
“He’s also received an epithet from the guildmaster: Breezy,” the examiner proudly announced. “Now, does anyone still have any complaints?”
Judging from how he spoke, it was clear that getting an epithet from the guildmaster was quite prestigious. But, someone quickly complained.
“But Breezy isn’t quite right, don’t you think?”
Everyone looked at me with sympathy.
Still, the fact that I had gotten an epithet from the guildmaster at all did seem to have an effect, and the adventurers didn’t protest my ranking any further. Regardless, being made A-rank out of nowhere felt so awkward I couldn’t stand it, so I decided to leave the Guild building right away. Kylan, Darion, and Belinda came with me. No other adventurers wanted a wizard in their party who had swung his staff around the Guild and injured several people.
“Hey, Marcus, are you really okay staying with us?” Kylan asked me apprehensively after we exited. He seemed to care about the disparity between A- and C-rank after all.
“Getting A-rank was basically a fluke. The guildmaster just liked my humble attitude, that’s all,” I replied. From my perspective, there was hardly any difference between the two ranks. I had only wanted the lower rank as camouflage, so as not to stand out too much.
“I knew it, our souls really are connected!” Kylan smiled happily.
Uh, I have no memory of our souls connecting.
“That’s Breezy for you,” Darion said, clapping me on the back.
…Would you mind not calling me by that cheesy nickname?
✦ ✦ ✦
🍖🍖🍖
“ACTUALLY, Marcus, while you were taking the examination, we accepted a request,” Kylan said apologetically.
It was nighttime, and we were staying in a room in one of the city’s inns. I didn’t have any issue with what Kylan was telling me; it was normal for adventurers to take on requests at the Adventurers’ Guild.
“Really, you did? What sort of request?” I asked.
“A bit of information gathering. We’re headed to Torino, right? It’s a simple mission, and we can just get all the information we need on the way there.”
“Information on what?”
“The Hundred,” Darion said, a somewhat nervous look on his face.
“The Hundred’s contamination has spread to the western nations too,” Belinda explained. “It sounds like they hid their existence until recently, but lately they’ve become more active. Though that part hasn’t been made public yet. Anyway, that’s why we’re going to gather information on them in various countries. With the situation the way it is, we won’t be the only ones doing this either.”
Contamination? Is the Hundred being treated like it’s some sort of illness? Maybe a mental illness…
More importantly, this was the first time I, the leader of the Hundred, was hearing anything about the group expanding into the west. Maybe this was like Vulcan, where a bunch of guys calling themselves Million had spread it on their own initiative.
“The Hundred isn’t only in Farune?” I asked, feigning ignorance.
“The Hundred can show up anywhere.” Darion slowly shook his head. “They’re like demons, always wandering around looking for their next soul to steal. They give monster meat to those in search of strength, and they force their own members to fight each other. Seriously, they’re crazy. Every single country is afraid that they might be the next place the Hundred starts an uprising, like in Farune.”
“The western nations banned eating monster meat as a measure against the Hundred,” Kylan added. “They don’t want to fight Farune directly, so this is their way of doing it more subtly. Monster meat itself isn’t actually off limits though. Even if someone finds out we’re eating it, as long as we aren’t in the Hundred, we’ll get off scot-free.”
To everyone in the western nations, I’d like to apologize for the mess I’ve caused.
And so, it was decided that Daybreak would gather information while en route to Torino on organizations suspected to be the Hundred.
I can’t believe I have to investigate my own organization.
✦ ✦ ✦
XX: Laslei
WE passed through Rayuth and entered the nation of Laslei. Rayuth bordered the eastern countries, so its culture had felt similar enough to Vulcan’s, but Laslei showed the unique face of the western nations. The people had dark hair and dark skin, and there was a faint sense of optimism in the air. The buildings weren’t as ornate as in the east. Instead, they were simple, straightforward, and painted in primary colors, which gave them a striking quality.
“Are we just passing through Laslei?” I asked Kylan as we walked through one of the country’s cities. One particular tasty-looking chicken dish was being sold everywhere we went, so if we were staying for a while, I wanted to try some.
Incidentally, I still hadn’t been able to eat anything besides monster jerky. My friends’ watchful eyes were unrelenting. Belinda was especially perceptive; she struck me as having been something of a glutton in the past, so she was always on edge, and absolutely refused to allow anyone to steal away and eat regular food. Personally, I thought they could have just stopped eating monster meat if they wanted to, but apparently, it was already starting to have real results. And, well, I knew firsthand what that was like.
“No,” Kylan whispered to me, keeping one eye on the people around us. “I’d like to try making contact with the Hundred here.”
“Why here?” I asked, lowering my voice to match his.
“Rumors say it’s relatively easier to join the Hundred here in Laslei. There’s apparently been a boom in new recruits lately. They say the Hundred’s members have nightly fights, and it’s free for anyone if they want to watch or participate.”
It somehow reminded me of the original Hundred when it was first starting out.
“Are we going to join?”
“It depends. Participants are required to eat monster meat, but we’ve already got that covered.” Kylan grinned. “That’s one reason we were able to take on this request.”
“I see. So do they meet in the forest at night?” I asked.
“Yeah, they do…how’d you know that, Marcus?”
“Everyone’s heard that the Hundred meet in the forest at night,” I said. I couldn’t tell him I knew because I’d done the same thing long ago.