Chapter 8

We chose the fastest carriage to get to the Lev Magic Empire as soon as possible, but when the news of the empire's "collapse" spread, all the shared carriages stopped operating. Now, most of the carriages on the move belonged to merchant caravans who saw this as a business opportunity.

In a village near the empire, Zelly decided to ride with a merchant caravan—she would get a ride in exchange for serving as a guard—while I decided to run ahead. There are limited roads for horses, but there are many paths I can take on foot.

Humans can do more than you think.

"Are you really okay, young master?"

"Yes, I should be able to get there in a day."

"Don't say that so easily... 1 day of running..."

Zelly stuck out her tongue and made a displeased face. I think she could have come with me, but she didn't want to push herself that hard. Besides,

"Well, you'll probably solve everything, right? There's no need for me to go."

She seems to have such high expectations.

No... I don't even have any certainty that I can do anything...

Anyway, since it was already late at night, we decided to have dinner with the people from the caravan.

There was only one tavern in the village, and it had apparently been a place where people heading to the Lev Magic Empire would stop by. The empire was secretive, so there wasn't much traffic, and it didn't seem to have much impact on business.

The tables, which could seat about 20 people, were crowded with the members of the caravan Zelly would be joining. But the food that came out was just grilled meat, which you could find in any village, and cheap wine, which you could buy in any town.

The people, tired from their long journey, said it was delicious, so there was no problem. Hunger is the best spice, after all.

"Thanks a lot. I didn't expect to hire someone as skilled as you here."

The leader of the caravan was a woman in her twenties with long red hair tied back carelessly. When her bangs fell over her face, she would brush them away irritably, but it seemed to also hide a burn scar near her right eye.

She was well-tanned and wore a sleeveless shirt. Her biceps were slender but well-muscled.

She laughed a lot and had a loud voice, a boisterous person.

"Besides, you're a woman, which is great. Female guards are hard to come by."

"Is there a disadvantage to not having a female guard?"

"Oh, yeah. There are a lot of things only a woman can understand. Right?"

"That's true, young master. But you'll understand that much later, I guess."

Zelly, who was already drinking, was annoyingly patting my head.

"You say 'young master' so much, but you look so poor."

"Well, well, there's a long story."

I told them I would stay in the village and wait for Zelly. I didn't want to be stopped if I said I was running.

My clothes were getting dirtier and dirtier from the long journey from the Holy Capital.

"By the way, you've been to Lev a few times, right? Can you tell us about it?"

"Don't call me 'miss.' I'm not that young. And don't call me 'aunt' either. I'll kill you."

"Ah."

Troublesome.

"I'm Yua. Call me by my name."

"Yes, Yua."

"Good boy. ——You have some connection to Lev, don't you? That's why you're sending Zelly there alone."

"......"

I remained silent. I didn't want to reveal too much.

"People have all sorts of reasons. It's fine if you don't want to talk about it."

Besides, if I stayed quiet, she would interpret it in a way that satisfied her, which was easier.

Yua took a big sip from her mug and started talking.

"......So, about the empire. Soldiers are gathering from all over, and the atmosphere is tense. I just heard from the village chief that there seems to be a problem within the empire."

"Problem?"

"They have this dungeon called the 'Labyrinth of the Nine Emotions,' and the whole country is trying to conquer it. But apparently, the team in charge of the conquest has been lying in their reports and is now being punished."

Zelly and I exchanged glances. What's that about?

"What was it called again? I forget which department, but the female leader of that department is in trouble..."

"Female leader!?"

I was startled. The only female leader in the Labyrinth Conquest Department should be Rurusha.

"Oh, oh. You're a man, aren't you? Do you like women? Huh?"

"No, that's not it. Is Ruru—Labyrinth Conquest Department 4 being punished?"

"Well, it's a matter of words, but apparently, the female leader is in custody. And the adventurers who cooperated with her are also being pursued for the same crime..."

"———"

The adventurers who cooperated must be the "Silver Scales."

I stood up and ran outside.

"——Hey, young master! Wait!"

Zelly, who followed me, called out.

"I'm going ahead."

It was already late at night. The sky was filled with stars, and a cool breeze blew from the nearby forest.

The light was dim, but I could use [Light Magic] to run.

"You can't be serious... young master. Going into the forest at night is suicide."

"I'll be fine."

"You'll have nothing but problems! Look, young master. You're strong, but you can't underestimate the forest. What if you get bitten by a spider with unknown poison? What if you fall into a cave? Besides, you're alone!"

"——Zelly."

I didn't turn to her.

"We'll meet up later."

And I started running.

"Ugh~ Young master, you idiot~!"

I left Zelly's shouts and worries behind as I ran out of the village.

(Rurusha is in custody. Is everyone in the "Silver Scales" safe?)

I ran.

Of course, Zelly's worries were justified, and I didn't think I could run as fast as I could during the day.

But even so, if I left now, I should be able to reach the empire's checkpoint by noon.

Maybe nothing would change in this half day, but I couldn't stop running.

★ "The Underworld" Dark Elf Village ★

"......I see. So, Mr. Rayji is going ahead, leaving me behind, is that it?"

The aura emanating from Anastasia made the centurion and Knock flinch.

The two had returned to "The Underworld" after parting ways with Rayji. To their surprise, all the天赋珠玉 (tianfu zhuyu) that had been placed there in large quantities were gone. The surroundings were devastated, and the overgrown vegetation was in ruins.

Despite the chill running down their spines, the centurion and Knock split up and returned to the village—worried that the mediator might be following them, but fortunately, there was no sign of them.

When they returned, they found Anastasia, who was beaming with joy, rushing over. Upon confirming that Rayji was not there, her face turned to one of despair as if the world had ended. Now, after hearing the whole story, she was extremely angry.

"So, you're leaving me behind again, is that it?"

"N-no, Princess, he said he has important business there..."

"Am I not important to you?"

"That's not what I said! Knock, say something—"

"Everything is as the High Elf wishes."

Seeing Knock already prostrating himself, the centurion was speechless.

"We're leaving."

"......What?"

"We're leaving. For the 'Altar of the Sky.'"

"But, the preparations—"

"Right now!"

"Eh~!?"

"As you wish."

While the centurion was surprised, Knock immediately stood up and ran to his comrades.

"Are you serious...?"

After running for days, his body was already wobbly—

"Centurion."

"Ah!"

When Asha spoke to him in a soft voice, the centurion was shaken to the core.

"Please guide us, will you?"

"......Y-yes."

Unable to resist her unwavering smile, the centurion had no choice but to nod.

This is the power that commands the Dark Elves—while he was amazed, he also thought,

(Rayji, when you see the princess next, be careful with your words... You never know what might happen.)

He felt a slight sympathy for Rayji.