Chapter 72

"Hey, how long is this going to last?"

"Who knows..."

It had been about three hours since I started selling the sashimi out of a whim. A long line had formed in front of the Maple Guild.

The sashimi of a tuna-like fish. To be honest, without soy sauce or wasabi, and with only salt as a substitute, it was quite unsatisfactory to me. Moreover, the habit of eating raw fish is not common in foreign countries on Earth, so I thought it wouldn't sell much. Despite some promotion, at first, as expected, almost no one tried to eat it. The few buyers were adventurers using it as a penalty game, those who wanted to show off their bravery, or those who were just curious... all adventurers, really. That's how few ordinary people were willing to try it. Although there was no cost involved, I thought it might be a failure at one point. However, the feedback from those who tried it was good, and as I started to think about stopping, the number of people began to increase, eventually forming a small line. The line itself had a promotional effect, and it grew to the point where it looked like some kind of event.

"Alright, it's ready. Can you take it?"

"Understood! More coming in!"

While having many customers was good, there was a miscalculation. I couldn't keep up with preparing the fish. This shop, of course, had no sushi knives or freezing equipment to deal with parasites. In other words, I had to cut the fish with a magic sword, and I had to identify and distinguish any parasites. It was extremely busy.

"I won't do this anymore from tomorrow. I think I'll dry the fish and sell it gradually."

"This is selling well, and perhaps hiring a cook would be a good idea."

"To eat it raw, freshness is necessary. Do we have any equipment to store it besides the item box?"

"We can prepare equipment to store food, but not something that can handle this level of freshness."

"Then it's impossible. A bit disappointing, but okay. Here's the next one."

One of the reasons I started selling sashimi was that I thought it would be a waste to just catch the fish and leave them. However, I had no intention of becoming a cook to clear the inventory. In that sense, it would be more convenient if it sold without much effort. While thinking about this, I was cutting the tuna-like fish into three pieces with a magic sword when the touch panel notified me that someone had come to the back door. From the reaction, it seemed to be someone I didn't know, probably a man. I could also hear a knock.

"Someone is at the back door."

"I'll go check."

It had been quite a while since the line formed. Maybe someone came to complain. If that were the case, they would probably just barge in without knocking.

"It's someone from the Adventurer's Guild. Is it okay to let them in?"

"Sure, but have them stand a bit away for hygiene reasons."

"Understood."

The person who came in, as expected, was someone I didn't know. I don't know all the staff of the Adventurer's Guild, of course.

"The Adventurer's Guild has called for a gathering of nearby adventurers. Please report to the Photren branch."

"Right now?"

I didn't stop cutting the fish. The line was still long, and if it was an emergency, I would have to go, but if I suddenly stopped, it might cause a riot. The responsibility would be on the guild.

"No. The urgency is relatively low, and the guild hasn't decided on its actions yet. Please come to the Photren Guild in one hour."

It seemed the riot was avoided.

"Understood."

The staff member then ran off to other adventurers.

"Merchia, please cut the line at the point where we can finish in 50 minutes from now."

"Understood."

Merchia gave the order, and a few employees went out. I continued cutting the fish, and the line ended after about 45 minutes.

"Alright, I'll leave it to you. Just leave the meat and fish around, and dry them. You can dry fish, right?"

"It's fine. It probably won't sell this much."

"Even if it sells, it will just deplete the inventory."

I left the shop and headed to the guild. A non-emergency call from the guild was rare. If this town or Broken was under attack, there would be an emergency call. A call at night, and not in an urgent situation, was unusual. I wondered what it could be.

"Hello. I came because of the call. Is this the right place?"

When I entered the guild on time, the atmosphere was different from previous calls. There was a large map made of paper where the request board usually hangs—small scale, with small towns and a wide area. It didn't seem like many people had gathered, but maybe I was too early. I decided to ask the receptionist.

"Yes, it's you, Kaede. The monster attack in this area was quickly suppressed by adventurers, but it seems to have happened in other regions as well."

"So, you want me to go for support?"

"Yes, the call time was staggered because we were deciding on the allocation of forces. It will be a long journey, but are you okay with it?"

"It's happening in multiple places... I can go almost anywhere. I have the necessary items in my item box."

"Thank you. Because of your item box, flying magic mobility, and magical firepower, you have been assigned to go to Fortima alone. The location is here. Please check with the local guild for further instructions."

The receptionist pointed to a spot on the map. It was a town facing a forest (not a monster territory, just a regular forest). It was probably about the same size as Ein. Not a small town, but considering the Metal Lizard incident in Ein, there might not be much room for maneuver.

"Understood. Should I leave immediately?"

"Not absolutely immediately, but as soon as possible. There is a possibility of the damage spreading."

"Got it. I'll be off."

"Thank you."

I confirmed the general route to Fortima and flew out of the town. Since I didn't know the destination and there were no clear landmarks like the sea, I had to navigate while flying. It was a bit slower than flying straight, but it was better than getting lost.

Still, it took less than 30 minutes to reach Fortima. My magic output had increased during the battle with Leviathan. The top speed was probably around the speed of sound, so the time for acceleration and deceleration had shortened. My MP didn't decrease even with such acceleration. In fact, it had been increasing even when I wasn't fighting sub-dragons or wisps.

However, something was off about the town. I couldn't tell why, but it felt strange. The town itself looked different, with walls that were more white, but the source of the discomfort was probably not that.

As I lowered my altitude and looked around the town, I understood the reason. There was no vitality.

Normally, in a town of this size, even at night, there would be a certain number of people walking on the streets. But now, there were no such figures. People were not entirely absent, but everyone was standing around buildings with weapons. This suggested that monsters had already entered the town. I decided to look for a building that looked like a guild and land there. I would enter the town without going through the gate, but it would probably be allowed.

"Who are you?"

One of the people with spears, who seemed to be on guard in front of the guild, asked.

"I'm an adventurer from the Photren Guild. I want to enter the guild."

"Oh, oh. Reinforcements, thank you. We don't have enough manpower..."

"Oops."

While we were talking, a Green Wolf charged at us. I realized it was a Green Wolf only after I reflexively used magic to deal with it. It was nostalgic, the Green Wolf.

"So, this is the situation. Should I check with the guild on how to proceed?"

"Uh, y-yes. Please do... You people from Photren are strong..."

With the permission, I opened the door and entered. The inside was different from any guild I had seen before. It wasn't even a guild atmosphere. The guild was full of people with children and the elderly, clearly not related to the guild. It seemed to be serving as a shelter. Since there was no place to stand, I flew to the counter using magic. Only one of the three counters had a receptionist.

"I'm here as reinforcements from the Photren Guild, Kaede. What should I do?"

"Ah, Kaede, are you alone?"

The receptionist looked at me with a worried face.

"Yes, alone. But my mobility and firepower are top-notch, even in the Decibattle. I can fight like a party on my own. I've even defeated a sub-dragon alone."

To be precise, it was twice, but one was an unofficial record.

"Top in Decibattle, defeated a sub-dragon alone...! Is that true?"

"There's no reason to lie. It would just get me killed with unreasonable tasks."

"Right. If you're that strong, please start by supporting the area around the gate. If that goes well, please help with the monster extermination in the town."

"Understood. I'll go."

Since even the guild's defenses were like that, the real fighting force was probably concentrated around there. I headed to the gate, dealing with the occasional monsters with rock spears. I saw more competent adventurers fighting Green Wolves. They seemed to be outnumbered, and the situation was not good. A couple of adventurers were lying on the ground, still alive but in bad shape. The remaining five or so adventurers were struggling against multiple Green Wolves. I heard footsteps from behind and saw a Gargon charging. I quickly took out my blade staff and fired a concentrated barrage of rock spears to support them.

The rock spears, which had far greater power than when I was fighting Gargons and Green Wolves, blew them away. The adventurers turned to see the sudden reinforcement that had blown away the enemies from behind.

"Saved! Are you reinforcements?"

"Yes, from the Photren Guild, Kaede. I'm a magic swordsman."

While answering, I stepped forward and fired a large number of rock spears, starting the extermination of the monsters gathered around the gate.