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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Yuziro
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At Iyer’s words, Wagner couldn’t help but smile wryly once more.
It was both right and wrong.
Wagner had assembled this party because Iyer was there.
Conversely, even if Wagner had been available, if Iyer hadn’t been, he wouldn’t have even considered forming this party in the first place.
A large part of Iyer’s role when he was in Wagner’s party was detailed coordination at the forefront.
Internal factors… that is, overall command of the party, belonged to Wagner, but Iyer was in charge of external factors.
The route they should take, the number of monsters swarming, the direction the monsters were headed – all of these things were coordinated by Iyer.
That was precisely why Wagner considered Iyer the best scout in Kalak.
He judged that even if internal unity wasn’t perfect, as long as the external factors could be coordinated by Iyer, the party could function smoothly.
‘The only thing left is to manage Guinness and Wolf a little more…’
If only he could control those two, the party would become much more stable.
For now, he had no choice but to rely on Iyer.
While Wagner was thinking these thoughts, Iyer, who had been humming a tune while sharpening his arrowheads, stood up.
“I’m going to get some water.”
“Alright. Be careful.”
Wagner watched Iyer’s back for a long time as he walked towards the water’s edge with a leather water skin.
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Walking towards the gurgling sound of flowing water, he came across a small river.
The water was clear and transparent enough to see through.
As he fumbled with the lid of the leather water skin in his hand, he felt a sharp gaze directed at him from somewhere.
“Guinness? You were here.”
“…”
Sitting on a rock near the river and looking at him was Guinness.
He had been wondering where she had disappeared to, but it seemed she had also come to fetch water.
However, despite his greeting, Guinness simply glanced at him with an indifferent look and turned her gaze away without a word.
This person was truly cold.
A fiery person, yet chillingly cold.
He slowly observed Guinness.
She looked like a girl of similar age to him, or perhaps even younger.
With hair that reached her shoulders, she had a slender but agile build.
If it weren’t for the distinct Dragonewt features, one might mistake her for a slender adventurer in her late teens.
Two unusual horns protruded from her head, and a scale-covered tail extended from her lower body.
Her eyes resembled those of a human, but the pupils were vertically slit like a reptile’s, giving her an otherworldly appearance, unlike an ordinary human.
Overall, she had features that could be considered beautiful.
The problem was that her first impression was much more that of a thug than a beauty, so that aspect was overshadowed.
Thinking about her that way made him feel a little regretful.
If only her personality were a little more amiable, she might have been popular with the opposite sex.
As he was thinking these regretful thoughts, Guinness, who had been looking at the river, looked back at him.
“What are you staring at?”
“I’m sorry, but I can’t stare, Guinness.”
“Then turn your head.”
Yes, as you command.
As the fierce young lady ordered, he turned his head back towards the river and filled his water skin.
As he watched the leather water skin slowly inflate, a sudden question came to mind, and he spoke to Guinness.
“By the way, Guinness, why are you in Tillasden? Isn’t the place where Dragonewts live much further away from Kalak?”
“…”
“I was just curious. You don’t have to answer.”
The indifferent Guinness seemed unwilling to answer.
There must have been a reason for why she lived among humans, away from her own kind.
At least Tillasden had a considerable number of beastmen, so she could blend in without any problems.
…Come to think of it, it seemed more like Guinness herself was the problem, rather than her being an Ain race.
After observing Guinness for the past few days, he felt… that her violent personality wasn’t without reason.
Misanthropy.
She fundamentally didn’t trust people.
He wasn’t talking about trust as an adventurer.
He was talking about a more fundamental view of humanity.
Even when someone spoke to her, she didn’t take it to heart, instead, she deflected it.
As if she had a protective barrier around her.
It was the same with Wagner, who had brought her here.
She seemed to owe Wagner a debt from the past, but that didn’t mean she trusted him as a person.
She didn’t allow anyone into her domain.
That was the Guinness he had observed.
“I’m from a small village far from Tillasden.”
He started the conversation as he dipped the water skin into the river.
Guinness was incredibly cold towards him, cold enough to be a blizzard on a snowy mountain… but after realizing she might be a misanthrope, he felt a strange desire to become closer to her.
If that was the case, it might be better for him to approach her first.
“I grew up in the village without my biological parents, but due to certain circumstances, I had to leave.”
“…”
“I left the village at a young age, so I had no money, and I tried to make a living somehow. But it was difficult.”
Ah, those days of his youth.
Using his experience helping out at the restaurant, he tried working at restaurants, cleaning, and even farm work.
He tried everything he could at a young age.
But the world was too harsh for a teenage boy back then.
“I eventually realized I needed to earn a lot of money. At the same time, there was a job that suited my strengths.”
“…Is that being an adventurer?”
“That’s right. That’s how I started working as an adventurer.”
Guinness answered.
She was glancing at him.
Oh?
Was she becoming a little interested?
If so, this was a good sign.
Guinness was showing interest in someone.
Feeling a little excited, he quickly asked Guinness,
“Why did you start working as an adventurer, Guinness?”
“None of your business.”
“…Oh, okay.”
Guinness, who had crushed his slightly presumptuous heart,
He quickly retreated and turned his attention back to the water skin.
But he still wanted to get closer to Guinness.
At least he knew she wasn’t pushing people away without reason.
Feeling Guinness’s gaze on his back, he finished filling the water skin.
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Time passed quickly.
Since the victims kept appearing, they couldn’t just leave the cave alone, and to rescue the missing Pichoni and Ronchevich, they had to enter within the golden time.
Fortunately, some level of teamwork had formed within those few short days.
Wagner and Mr. Kundt had become proficient at coordinating with each other, and Mr. Wolf and Guinness weren’t causing too many problems.
Perhaps those two also realized they needed to exercise some restraint as time drew near.
Well, that didn’t mean they stopped fighting altogether.
They still fought almost every day, but the intensity had lessened.
Even that small improvement was a relief to him.
Today was the day they were supposed to meet at the guild.
Wagner had said he would conduct a final check before entering the cave.
When he arrived at the guild, the other four were already gathered.
“Then, I’ll explain the objective of the request and other goals not explicitly stated in the request.”
They weren’t gathered to solve the problem in this cave.
The party’s precise objective was to search the cave.
To find out why people were disappearing there, what kind of monsters inhabited it, what threats existed, and so on.
Of course, it would be ideal if they could solve the problem during the mission, but if it was something beyond the capabilities of adventurers, their main objective was to gather information for the territorial army.
And a secondary objective was to confirm the status of the missing people.
They had to find out what had happened to the people who had disappeared near the cave.
This included Ronchevich and Pichoni from Wagner’s party.
“There’s something I need to mention. I was debating whether I should say this since it hasn’t been confirmed…”
“What is it, leader human?”
“It’s about the ordeal my party faced while searching the cave.”
Wagner looked around at everyone with a serious expression.
Hmm.
Come to think of it, on the first day he met Wagner for drinks, Wagner had told him this.
That the cave was strange.
That it didn’t feel like a naturally formed cave, and that he had a bad feeling from the moment they entered.
“Cojo and Bruno were the scouts in our party, taking on the same role as Iyer. They acted as guides at the forefront when we searched the cave.”
“And?”
“They were good adventurers, not quite as skilled as Iyer, but still competent. But for some reason, they seemed disoriented that day.”
Disoriented…
It was strange for competent scouts, skilled enough to be in Wagner’s party, to have trouble finding their way.
Wagner looked at him.
“Iyer, I’m sorry for being vague, but I thought you should know, as a scout.”
“Of course. I’ll keep it in mind.”
“Don’t think of it as an ordinary cave. There’s something different about it.”
When he nodded, Wagner seemed relieved and turned his gaze away.
He didn’t know what it was yet, but he would remember Wagner’s words.
After that, Wagner explained the monsters they had encountered in the cave.
There was something strange about that too.
Many of the monster names he mentioned weren’t found near Tillasden.
There were monsters found in other regions, monsters whose habitats were forests or grasslands, not caves.
Most of them were unrelated to the Tillasden Forest.
It was like a monster melting pot…
He couldn’t imagine such a cave forming naturally.
“Survival is the priority. Our goal is to keep each other alive. Please keep that in mind.”
Wagner looked around at them with a firm gaze, then gave a slight smile.
“If we return safely, there will be a large reward from the Phailure family. Let’s all do our best for that.”
He clearly set their objective while skillfully easing the party’s tension.
As expected of Wagner.
He was the epitome of a good party leader.
But it was true. If they completed the mission safely, since it was a request from the Phailure family, a considerable reward would be waiting for them.
That was something to look forward to. He might even be able to buy a house with that money, huh…
“Let’s do our best, Wagner.”
His dream of owning a house swelled, and he patted Wagner’s shoulder. Wagner patted his chest in return.
“Then, let’s disband for today. Everyone, please get a good rest and I’ll see you tomorrow in top condition.”
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[Don’t mine at nightttt dont go into that caveeeee]
Thanks for the chapter