Epilogue
KYLAN, Darion, and Belinda had spent the last three months dragging me along on a tour of the Hundred in the western nations. The Hundred generally wasn’t amenable to conversation, so no matter where we traveled, it pretty much went the same as it had in Laslei. We would participate in a match, they’d get suspicious of us, we’d fight, and I would become number one.
The Adventurers’ Guild seemed to have gotten the misunderstanding that we were putting down the Hundred in each region, though, and they were extremely pleased. Because of that, my epithet, Breezy, became quite famous in the west. I had mixed feelings about the whole thing.
Yeah, we’re defeating all their first-place leaders, so from the outside it might look like we’re fighting against them. But all these guys who were once like, “We’re the best!” are being humbled by defeat and reflecting on their mistakes. It’s actually making them start to cooperate with the other Hundreds, so if anything the situation is actually getting worse. They keep shouting, “Coordinated western revolution!” and stuff like that.
It was around that time when I started hearing rumors about the Ronzan Empire beginning a southern invasion. And it seemed Farune, all the way in the east, was the target. I had been wondering whether it was time for me to go back home already, but no one had contacted me. I’d told Gamarath where I’d gone, and Frau should have known perfectly well where I was and what I was doing through the Contract Seal. In fact, she should have been able to come get me any time she wanted.
Could it be that I’m…not needed? I wondered. I didn’t think I’d ever recover if I’d gone back on my own only to hear something like, “Oh, you came back? You didn’t really have to.” So, I decided I would continue my journey as an adventurer until they came to ask me for help.
And besides, I still hadn’t achieved my original goal of having even one delicious meal.
But still, the Ronzan Empire, huh…
The empire had apparently invaded the south before I was born, and I had heard that back then, all the countries had united, Master Matou had taken action, and they had somehow managed to fend the attackers off. Could Farune defeat a foe like that without me? Personally, I wanted the people of my home country to struggle and realize anew how important I was to them.
Daybreak had finally arrived in Torino, a country that looked out onto the western ocean, with prosperous trade and a flourishing fishing industry. The port was bustling and full of people who were visiting by boat, even from countries on other continents. There were all sorts, with sizes ranging from small builds to large and muscular, and skin tones ranging from pale to golden to the darkest of browns.
In terms of cuisine, Torino was apparently famous for its fish, but as always, I was being monitored by the members of my party, which made it difficult to get hold of a meal.
We headed to the Adventurers’ Guild first.
“You’re Daybreak! So are you the famous Breezy?” the cute receptionist said when we entered. Then, even though none of us asked, she gave us some information about Torino’s Hundred. “The Hundred here is somewhat strange; they seem to be mainly composed of members of the Longshoremen’s Guild.”
Longshoremen handled cargo, loading and unloading it onto and off of ships. This sort of work also existed in markets deeper into the continent’s interior, but there were few there who made it their full-time job. This guild was probably something that could only exist in Torino, with its maritime trade.
“Why is a longshoremen’s guild part of the Hundred?” I said, asking the first question that popped into my mind.
“They’re the Longshoremen’s Guild now, but there used to be more than one of them,” she explained. “A lot of rough people go into that line of work, people who take pride in their strength, and they’re quick to get into fights. The guilds used to constantly get into disputes over their interests. It even got bad enough for us to receive requests asking to mediate their conflicts.”
It almost sounds like she’s talking about a crime syndicate, I thought. Certainly, the people at the port who had been unloading cargo from ships had been quite muscular. Even the average soldier or knight might not have been a match for them.
“That’s how it was for a long time, but at one point, a guild that was newly formed by some young people started rapidly gaining strength, and it crushed and absorbed the other guilds. So, that guild is now the largest one—the Longshoremen’s Guild. But, the people in the Guild, well…”
“They were eating monster meat?”
“It’s only a rumor, but I think they were, yes,” the receptionist said cautiously. “And lately, strong fishermen have even started to frequent the Guild’s building, so they’re gradually expanding their influence. They’re already so intimidating. Even the adventurers are too scared to go near the building. So, we’ve been waiting for you to arrive, Breezy!” The receptionist looked at me enthusiastically.
“But they aren’t causing any problems, right? If you know that they’re the Hundred, then shouldn’t you let the government take care of them?” I asked. We had been asked to secretly investigate the Hundred, but if they weren’t causing any issues, I didn’t see the need to bother.
“I’m scared of them!”
…So it’s just you?
“Those coarse, rude longshoremen are always swaggering around town, doing whatever they want,” the receptionist continued. “They’re always causing trouble, plus constantly hitting on me! If they don’t pay for their actions, they’ll never learn!”
I get the feeling that she’s got some personal grudges mixed in there too.
“Leave it to us. We’ll take care of them!” Kylan said casually, accepting the request before I could reply. He probably wanted to look cool in front of a cute girl. Still, he was the leader of Daybreak, so I did have to respect his decision.
Kylan, Darion, and Belinda seemed to think that whenever I became the First of a new region’s Hundred, I was guiding the members onto the correct path. In their eyes, this was “taking care of them.” Honestly, there were times when I struggled to understand whether my party was more on the side of the Adventurers’ Guild or the Hundred. Somehow, the two seemed to coexist within them.
Though I also got the feeling they were just hedging their bets with both sides.