Absolutely Do Not Touch Eldmia Egga – Chapter 35

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Yuziro
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After meeting the personnel manager and being assigned a wagon, we were told that we had almost an hour until departure.

“It doesn’t seem like an issue that will be resolved today or tomorrow.”

Normally, when an elimination request arose in a nearby area, they would depart at dawn and begin work after arriving in the morning.

It was because there were those who could not simply overlook the unstable public order, as it was near the capital of the country.

The fact that we were departing almost at 11 o’clock was an extremely rare occurrence.

“I sense something fishy here. Once we arrive, let me do the talking, and you just stick with me no matter what.”

“Do the talking?”

“I’ll take the lead in official conversations and make it sound convincing. The quest form was a bit vague in its wording, there were also some unfamiliar faces at the guild. And look here, almost half of the adventurers present have a different vibe going on. I just can’t shake the feeling that we’ve missed something.”

“Hmm. Did I think too simplistically?”

This clever girl doesn’t show any signs of making a wrong judgment out of frustration.

Without me even explaining specifically why I had suspicions, she had already put her usual thought process on hold and started considering various angles, trying to find something she might have overlooked at the moment I raised my doubts.

Is this what happens when a genius receives special education?

“Still, it’s better to make mistakes when moving as a group like this. We’ll only know for sure once we get there, so just keep that in mind.”

Cheryl silently nodded in agreement.

Despite being an adventurer longer than me, she didn’t raise any objections.

Of course, she still couldn’t fully understand the power struggles and unfair negotiations among the lower classes.

And it’s not that she needed to, really.

Perhaps she might never understand it during her lifetime, and it wouldn’t be a problem.

Anyway, because of that, I usually stepped forward when there were issues that needed to be resolved verbally.

In the end, over 80 percent of those lurking in the lower classes only submitted and cooperated with each other with the intention of exploiting others.

I scanned over the contract again to ensure that there were no mistakes, but there was no mention of a specific chain of command for carrying out the thief elimination quest.

In such cases, as long as we don’t run away, we can proceed as we see fit, so Cheryl and I sticking together shouldn’t be an issue.

After all, the reward is a base pay plus an additional bonus for each enemy killed, so our fellow adventurers wouldn’t care even if we act a bit passively to assess the situation.

“No need to get too anxious, but it won’t hurt to be cautious.”

“I agree.”

After a final check of our equipment and purchasing some basic emergency supplies, the wagon with our assembled party finally started moving.

Although the wind was chilly, it wasn’t a boring journey, as we were able to enjoy the passing scenery during this long-distance trip.

Ah, this brings back nightmares of my military service, traveling on those freight carriages.

They were unpleasant memories of suffering due to a single disciplinary officer.

Suddenly feeling uneasy, I scanned the other adventurers riding in our wagon, but there didn’t seem to be anyone whose presence might cause trouble.

Of course, those types always appear harmless at first, only to stab you in the back later, so I couldn’t let my guard down.

“Hey, you’re Eldmia Egga, right?”

“Hm?”

While Cheryl and I were both dozing off from having nothing to do, the man sitting across from us scrutinized me with his rugged face and eventually spoke up.

Thinking he might be trying to pick a fight, I was about to turn towards him when he suddenly flashed a friendly smile and offered a handshake.

“I saw you at the guild earlier. I’m Garun, from the capital actually.”

“I’m from Ogwen, but I’ve been in the capital for a little over a year.”

He was a true civilized man who knew how to greet people with a smile.

I had thought he was frowning, but that was just his face.

“Anyway, I thought I should let you know about those Dantel bastards from earlier.”

“Those vile sex offenders?”

“Heheh. Yeah, those assholes. I used to see their ugly side pretty often since we operated out of the same Mandeli Harbor.”

“So they’re repeat offenders, judging by how brazen they act?”

“Sharp guy, aren’t you?”

It felt a bit odd being called “guy” by someone around my mental age, but I suppose it’s understandable given my youthful appearance that could pass for being in my 20s.

Coming from a harbor background, he might have aged prematurely from the hard labor.

Anyway, according to friendly Garun’s explanation, they were really vile fellows.

They were so infamous around Mandeli Harbor that they were even blacklisted in some cities for harassing any woman they saw, clearly leaving no room for rehabilitation.

However, from the way he talked, it seemed like quite a few people had come up to the capital from that area, which piqued my curiosity enough that I eventually had to ask Garun about it after his gossip session ended.

“But was there some kind of incident in that area? From what I’m hearing, it sounds like a lot of people from there came up here, which is rather unusual, isn’t it?”

“Hm? You’re surprisingly in the dark about outside information, guy. The Demon Lord’s forces, that’s what happenee. Those bastards completely ravaged the harbor.”

Unlike Garun’s nonchalant response, I froze with my eyes wide open.

“Well, being an adventurer, you must have expected it to some extent… The frontlines that had held for the past 7 years finally cracked. From what I heard, it seems like some elite units managed to break through the frontlines, and made their way in… By the time I last saw it, the place could no longer be called a harbor.”

I had thought they were somehow managing to hold on, but it appears the threat from the Demon Lord’s forces was gradually becoming more serious.

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Along the way, under the pretext of having nothing else to do, Garun was quite diligent in answering my questions.

Most of his stories consisted of rather grim and tragic accounts.

He said that aside from the occasional victory reports heard in the cities near the frontlines, the only news that ever reached them were stories of the stagnant frontlines or defeats.

The few victories were so exceptionally great that they could barely managed to maintain their ground, but if you simply eavesdropped at the taverns, you wouldn’t understand how the kingdom was even holding on.

“So I guess that’s why all sorts of bizarre characters have started appearing lately. Like that swordsman who single-handedly annihilated an entire demon battalion – an unbelievable tale. Or that funny story about the area-wide magic used to kill a demon, which also swept away any demon forces lying in ambush. At least it keeps things from getting too boring, I suppose.”

“Everything else in those stories just sounds like downsides.”

“Just being alive could be considered an upside, no? That’s why an ordinary guy like me came to the capital, hoping to live a bit longer. But the vibe here is definitely different. Heheh, and looking at this elimination quest, it doesn’t seem so straightforward either.”

As a veteran adventurer used to taking odd jobs, he had clearly sensed that this quest deviated from the norm.

Garun shared a lot of other information through our conversation, and as soon as we reached our destination he exited the wagon, and casually bid me farewell after a light parting remark.

“See you later, after we’ve killed them all.”

He was just so damn cool that his rugged face seemed handsome.

We had chatted enough that he could have suggested we teamed up, so the fact that he acted this way implies he’s quite confident in his own abilities.

“Quite a lively character, despite his looks.”

“Wah, you startled me!”

Cheryl, who had been resting her head on my shoulder without moving an inch – which led me to assume she was sound asleep – suddenly sat upright and stretched as soon as Garun left.

“If you were awake, you could’ve moved earlier. My shoulder went numb from not being able to move.”

“Thanks for that, I slept well.”

Not the response I wanted at all, but I knew it would be pointless to say more, so I just stretched and hopped off the wagon as well

“This quest is definitely a bit strange.”

“Yeah, they’re just dropping us off right in the village.”

I had expected us to disembark somewhere inconspicuous near the forest and approach while surrounding it, but the wagon stopped at a vineyard.

Unless the “ruins in the forest” mentioned was someplace underground, our arrival would be easily noticed.

Checking if there was anything else out of the ordinary, something rather unpleasant caught the corner of my eye.

“Damn it.”

“What?”

“Look over there. Is that a camp?”

Cheryl’s expression tensed slightly as she turned her gaze towards where I was pointing.

“Are they intending to use adventurers as cannon fodder?”

Cheryl asked, but it was a situation where I couldn’t be certain either.

“We can’t know for sure right now.”

Since this vineyard was located near the capital, I had assumed the owner would be at least of noble status.

For an elimination quest spanning two orders, it was expected that individual guards wouldn’t suffice to handle it.

However, I hadn’t anticipated them setting up a camp as if preparing for outright war like this.

Were the targets truly just thieves?

“Looking at the camp’s layout… It seems arranged to monitor the forest.”

Cheryl’s eyes narrowed with doubt as she analyzed the situation befitting the daughter of a knight commander.

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