Chapter 73

Yesterday, we spent the whole day playing, eating, and enjoying the sea to our heart's content.

The next day, we arrived at the sightseeing city.

We moved through the bustling streets filled with tourists, locals, and merchants.

First, Iksa said he wanted to visit the branch of the Magic Research Institute, so we decided to split up for a while.

During that time, I decided to head to the Adventurer's Guild with Garai.

Iksa and Suaro would go to the institute, while the rest of us would stay together—such was the division.

"Ah, here it is."

The Adventurer's Guild in the sightseeing city of Bizer was a large building, not inferior in size to the one in the capital.

The interior was similar, and there were quite a number of adventurers present.

By the way, although it's called a guild, the Adventurer's Guild is not related to the dark guild Garai used to belong to.

The term "guild" simply means "association."

There are also Merchant Guilds and Mercenary Guilds, among others.

"Um, what exactly do we do for a greeting?"

"Just tell the receptionist that we'll be staying in this town for a while. They'll likely approach us if they have any information or consultations."

Garai supported me, who was unfamiliar with the process.

So, we headed to one of the reception windows.

The receptionist was busy with paperwork, so we decided to wait until she was free.

"Hey, did you hear? It seems that beastmen bandits have appeared again at the edge of town!"

At that moment, we overheard a conversation among other adventurers.

"They attacked a merchant's wagon."

"Again... They're really no good."

"This means there will be more missions involving beastmen."

It seemed that the beastmen had caused some trouble.

Upon hearing this, Mau, Meala, and Uga instinctively huddled together.

We formed a wall to hide them.

"Those bastards. We should go and teach them a lesson."

"Haha! We don't need your help! I heard there's a beastmen village not far from this town. I could go and wipe them out all by myself!"

One adventurer was particularly excited.

Turning around, I saw a young adventurer with dual swords on his hips, a confident expression, and an A-rank badge on his collar.

"Well, that's true, but it's not certain that the beastmen from that village are the same ones—"

"Who cares! They're all the same! Besides, the beastmen in that village were driven out of this city for a reason! They can't complain if they get hunted down!"

"..."

...This is not good.

"I'm sorry, it took a while! What can I do for you today—"

"Ah, it's okay, thank you. We'll come back later."

I didn't want Mau, Meala, and Uga to stay in this place any longer.

The young receptionist with a braid had finished her work and approached us, but we decided to leave the Adventurer's Guild immediately.

***

After leaving the Adventurer's Guild, we headed to our meeting place with Iksa—a stone monument near the entrance of the town, which recorded the history of the city.

"I'm sorry, I brought you to a bad place."

"It's okay, Mako. Don't worry about it."

Mau said.

"Yeah, indeed. If we had stayed there any longer, we might have been noticed. The atmosphere was worse than in the capital or the market city."

Uga said, crossing his arms.

Since they mentioned that beastmen-related crimes were "again" happening, it seemed there might be a habitual criminal organization nearby.

"..."

Then, I suddenly realized something.

I had felt a sense of unease since we arrived in this sightseeing city.

I couldn't pinpoint why, but now that we were in the city center, I understood.

There was a wall in the middle of the city.

Not the outer wall that surrounded the city, but another wall inside the city, surrounding the center.

There were gates and gatekeepers.

From the scale, it seemed the area inside was not small.

What is this...?

While we were thinking about this, we arrived at the meeting place.

Iksa and Suaro were already there.

"Huh? You're early, Iksa. We also left the Adventurer's Guild quickly... What happened?"

"Hmm? Oh..."

I noticed that Iksa looked serious.

He was tapping his chin, deep in thought.

"...I've felt a sense of unease since we arrived in this town yesterday."

"You too? I felt it too, about that wall, right?"

"Yeah. It's been a while since I last came to this town, but there used to be no such thing."

It reminded me of a manga where a city was surrounded by walls, and there was another wall inside the city.

Iksa continued, looking at the wall.

"Additionally, there's another thing that felt off."

"Another thing?"

"Beastmen. I haven't seen a single one in this town."

"Is it that unusual for there to be no beastmen?"

Leire was puzzled, and Iksa nodded.

"Yes. This sightseeing city of Bizer was originally a place where many beastmen lived. It's close to the sea, and many of them were skilled in fishing. The lord, Prince Stinger, was open-minded and welcomed beastmen if they were useful to the land."

"...Indeed, there's not a single one of them here."

"I asked the researchers at the institute earlier. It seems that, at some point, the number of crimes and violent acts by beastmen increased, leading to their expulsion from the town."

The beastmen were driven out of the town and sent to remote areas.

"The beastmen who lived and worked in this town didn't give up easily and protested. However, they were forcibly expelled by adventurers and Prince Stinger's private knights, according to his decision."

By the way, Iksa pointed to the wall in the city center.

"That wall was suddenly built at some point. The lord's residence is inside that area."

"What's inside there?"

"...The researchers don't know much, but it seems a new entertainment facility is being built in that area. There's a checkpoint at the entrance, but no special qualifications are required to enter."

Iksa frowned.

"Since that area was built, the town's finances have been steadily improving... However, if the economy is that good, it should be more widely known. Something seems fishy."

"Yeah, it smells suspicious."

We looked at the wall that stood there.

"...By the way, I overheard at the Adventurer's Guild that there are beastmen bandits at the edge of town."

"..."

"Iksa, you seem to have doubts."

Iksa's expression had been serious since earlier.

He didn't seem to accept the situation and the changes in the town.

"...The beastmen who lived in this town were relatively gentle and loved this sightseeing city. The story of increased crimes and violence doesn't seem credible."

"So, you think there's some other reason."

"Yes."

Then, there was only one thing to do.

"Let's uncover the truth, Iksa."

Iksa's eyes widened at my suggestion.

"Are you sure? This is supposed to be a vacation."

"There's no point in a resort if the situation feels off. Besides, uncovering the truth about the beastmen's crimes is part of an adventurer's duty."

We hadn't officially taken on the mission, but Iksa smiled wryly.

"Thank you. Then, let's head to the village where the beastmen were driven—"

"Okay, I understand."

***

So, we returned to Iksa's villa.

The rumored beastmen's village was a considerable distance from the town, and the path was steep and rugged, so we decided to go in a wagon pulled by Entia and Kuro.

After preparing, we set off immediately.

The sky was overcast, and the gray clouds seemed to reflect our uncertain feelings about this place.

"Mau, Meala, are you sure you want to come? It might be dangerous."

We were leaving the sightseeing city of Bizer and heading down a bumpy mountain path surrounded by forests.

Mau and Meala were also in the wagon.

If the story about bandits was true, it could be dangerous...

"It's a problem involving beastmen, so we want to know about it."

"If there's trouble, having us and Uga here might make a better impression."

They said.

Hmm, they've become quite brave.

And, they do have a point.

"It's fine, Mako. I'll protect them."

Garai said.

At that moment,

"Hey, boss!"

Entia slammed on the brakes and shouted.

Instantly, Garai reacted, swinging his fist behind him.

The arrow shattered with a loud sound.

"...They're here."

Iksa muttered, and we got ready for battle.

Suaro also took a stance behind the wagon.

Multiple shadows appeared from the trees, surrounding our wagon.

Each one was armed.

They walked on two legs but had round ears on their heads, resembling "bears."

They were bear beastmen.

"Leave the wagon and disappear."

The lead beastman pointed his sword at us and said in a low voice.

His eyes were sharp and full of hostility.

It seemed the rumors were true.

"Wait a moment. We want to talk to you—"

"Shut up!"

There was no room for discussion.

Before Iksa could finish, the beastmen attacked the wagon.

"There's no choice, Iksa."

"...Yeah."

There was nothing we could do now.

However, this was a situation we had somewhat anticipated.

"Everyone!"

I shouted to my companions.

"Don't attack more than necessary! Disable them and aim to subdue them!"