Chapter 85

Dryden is a town known for livestock and hunting.

It is surrounded by several dairy villages, and Dryden thrives as a small city connecting them. People buy goods from the city that they can't get in their villages. For visitors from elsewhere, leather products and dairy products like cheese are the main items. And horses. Horses are quite expensive, though.

"Thank you for the escort. I really appreciate it. If you're free again, please let me know."

"Yes, if there's another opportunity, please don't hesitate to use our services."

Artemis is a small, elite group with excellent skills. ...But I think their good looks also play a big role.

The leader of the caravan we just greeted had a long mustache.

If you're going to pay money, you'd rather travel with pretty girls than rough men. It's a very natural desire for men. I understand the feeling.

But whether it's worth paying a lot of money to hire the Gold Class for that is debatable. Rich people probably have a looser sense of these things...

After parting with the client, we report to the guild.

The Dryden branch of the guild is always busy dealing with monsters that attack those villages and the ones that wander over from the Latreille Mountains.

Honestly, from the perspective of a modern person who has been reincarnated, Dryden feels more like an adventurer's guild than Regol. Regol is too prosperous and lacks exciting missions. I don't really seek excitement, so it's fine for me. I don't want a job that constantly puts my life at risk.

Because it's such a spirited guild branch, the atmosphere gets a bit tense when unfamiliar guild members from other branches come in.

"...This is Regol's 'Artemis.'"

"That's...?"

But the fame of "Artemis" has spread to Dryden as well, so they don't cause any trouble.

Besides, no one in the guild building would dare to hassle a Gold Class member.

It's not a world where a female-dominated party can be underestimated. Skills and enhancements can easily contradict appearances.

"Following behind Artemis feels really good."

"Mongrel-senpai, are you thinking of joining?"

"No way."

"What's with you... Well, I guess it's thanks to Shina-senpai and Nastasha-senpai. They keep the atmosphere tight, so weirdos don't come around much."

"I see... But it's more than just Shina and Nastasha..."

I glanced at Goriliana, who, as usual, had a shadow over her deeply carved face. Her expression was unreadable. She seemed angry.

...Probably everyone is afraid of Goriliana...

"Why are there people from Sangreille here?"

"Terrible."

"Kukuku..."

Wait, am I the one getting hassled here?

Is this because there's a cute girl in Artemis, and they want to show off their manliness by targeting me?

What a joke... Should I cry to Artemis and ruin your impression? Or should I bow to Goriliana and get beaten up?

"What do you want with us?"

As I was thinking about this, Rina stepped forward.

Hold on, Rina. You shouldn't be the one to step up. That's not your character.

"Who's this guy?"

"This is a legitimate Halperia guild member who's working with us on a joint mission. He's not from Sangreille. I don't like the way you're talking."

"...The one with the white hair."

"Hmph."

Rina's straightforward words left the men in the corner of the guild speechless.

Shina and the others must have also been giving them a stern look from the back.

They didn't throw any more jeers.

"The report and free hunting procedures are done. We'll split the reward later, so let's go outside for now."

"Got it."

"Okay."

We left the guild, which had a bad atmosphere. The men were giving me harsh looks, but it wouldn't be good to provoke them. Mainly for Artemis.

If it was just me, I could have given them a piece of my mind, but I can't ruin Rina and the others' reputation.

"Ugh, what a bunch of jerks!"

As soon as we stepped out of the building, Ulrika complained.

Well, I guess it's understandable that they were jerks. That's just how guild members are. Other guilds are mostly like this. You can't expect the same environment as our home base in Regol.

"Mongrel-senpai, you should have said something back. You usually start a brawl here..."

"What do you think I am... I'm usually like that."

"Letting them get away with it isn't good..."

"...Yeah, you're right. That's also correct."

I put my hand on Rina's head and gently patted it.

"Hey, what are you doing... Stop petting me..."

"Rina, you should learn to handle such situations more maturely."

"...Did I do something wrong?"

"Not really. I appreciated you standing up for me."

For me, it's like this.

It's not about being good or bad because of being from Halperia... There are good people among the Sangreille too, and they are just ordinary people. I want Rina to understand that.

In this world, saying such things might be futile, and there might be no opportunity to experience it. It might just burden Rina with unnecessary morals, but that's what I was thinking.

"I'm tired from the long journey. How about we go to an inn and have a meal?"

And then, Nastasha, who completely ignored the atmosphere, spoke up.

Well, I appreciate that she tried to change the mood, and it's fine. She definitely didn't think about it. She was just tired and hungry.

"Hehe... Yes, that's a good idea. Let's stay at an inn in Dryden tonight and head to the lake in the morning."

"Yay! Hey, hey, Captain, what are we going to eat? Where are we going to eat?"

"I'm fine with anything."

"Me too..."

"I want some good meat. Can we charge it to Artemis?"

"Oh, is Mongrel joining Artemis?"

"Lie, I'm fine with anything. I'll pay my own way."

"Ahahaha."

In the end, we had fried pork at a restaurant a little away from the guild and spent the night at an inn.

I thought Ulrika and I would share a room, but we had separate rooms.

Ulrika was sharing a room with Rina.

...It's a bit late to think about this, but is it okay for young men and women to share a room? I was a bit skeptical.

The next day, we left the inn early in the dark and boarded a carriage heading to Lake Zahaia.

There's no convenient shuttle service to Lake Zahaia, so we paid to ride along on a carriage that happened to be going to a nearby farm.

I often catch rides on carriages like this, but it's surprising how quickly we found one with a group of women. I'm impressed, not jealous. I'm not saying being a woman is an advantage or anything, but it's another aspect of women's strength.

"There are many delicious waterfowl at Lake Zahaia. But the path is a bit rugged in some places, so local hunters don't go there much."

"Hmm, it's a hidden gem. Local people would know such places, right?"

"Well, there are more profitable hunting grounds near Dryden. Waterfowl are delicious, but there are more lucrative places, so people don't go there."

"Wow. Is the Dryden branch doing okay...?"

In my mind, the Dryden area is always in a state of intense battles with monsters. It's a place where people constantly complete tough quests to earn money, like crab fishing. ...I see, there are places where people don't go... No wonder they get poached by Regol.

Sorry, Dryden branch... But Regol is developing more... I'm really sorry...

"The carriage is getting more bumpy. Be careful not to bite your tongue."

As we approached the farm, the road got worse, and the carriage started to shake more.

I appreciate the ride, but this carriage is probably for farm work and not of great quality. It's really bumpy. It feels like we're playing aliens.

"Unn."

"Are you okay, Ulrika-senpai?"

"Ah, ahaha. I bit my tongue a little..."

"Are you okay...?"

"He-he-he, I'm fine..."

No, let's not play aliens. No one would get the joke, and biting your tongue is no fun.

Besides, today's meal would probably sting the wound...

Hmm, I'm getting hungry even though we haven't caught anything yet...