(Room in a certain building in Mana City)
Four days have passed since the royal army completely blockaded Mana.
“Any information?”
Sitting on the sofa with his feet on the table, Arvish asked the question as he stares blankly out the window. Feria, who had just entered the room, quietly sits down on the sofa and slowly answers,
“Yes, I now know in which floor they are in. I already hired an adventurer to show us around the dungeon. Things are going well.”
“Can we trust that adventurer?”
“Of course. We’ve done our investigations on him you see. We are picking people who don’t like the Homeless party. In other words, our interests aligned.”
“That’s good then. By the way, how about the whereabouts of those people who we suspect are their associates?”
Feria shakes her head. Arvish clicked his tongue seeing that.
“A man named Arnold in the market told me that Rodman, the weapons dealer here, disappeared six days ago. Perhaps he felt that his life is in danger after he saw the wanted list.”
“I see. I think it’s better to assume that he is no longer in this city. Tsk! And here I thought I could send him to the execution table together with the homeless party. My plans have gone awry.”
“That’s true. However, isn’t it just a trivial matter? As long as we catch Shinichi Tanaka and Erna Frederia, everything will fall into place.”
Feria smiles as she cuddles up to Arvish. Staying in that position, the two of them pulled their faces closer and shared a passionate kissed.
“Excuse me, I have a report—”
The soldier who opened the door and entered the room stiffened at the sight of the two of them. Feria and Arvish quickly separate. They stand up to correct the disorder of their attire.
“Knock properly when you enter the room! Do you want to be beheaded?”
“Uh-, I-, I’m sorry. Marquis Ryan come to visit and wants to see you two!”
“It’s that damn old man again. He is so persistent!”
Arvish reluctantly leaves the room and walks to the waiting room. At present, the royal army led by the hero is staying in the largest inn in Mana. Of course, they didn’t pay for accommodation. They evicted the employees of the inn and requisitioned the entire building around it. As a result, the military walks around the inn like they own it, and the general and the hero use the suite inside the inn as they please as if it was their own rooms.
Arvish walked inside the waiting room and faced Marquis Ryan who was already sitting on the sofa.
“You are here again! No matter how many times you come, the lock down of this city will not be lifted.”
“That’s not what I came here for. Please take a sit first.”
Arvish sits down in a chair and rests his feet on the table. Ryan sighed at such attitude which is not of a hero at all.
“So?”
“It’s been four days since the city was locked down, and as the lord, I’m not convinced by your heavy-handed approach. However, as an aristocrat of this kingdom, if it is the king’s order to arrest sinners, it is impossible for me not to obey. I’ll be happy to cooperate you see. However, it is a different story if you take over the buildings and land of the city without permission. I demand that you return the inn to its owner immediately.”
“Is that so? Well, you’re wrong. We are acting on His Majesty’s orders. We have been given authority to do whatever is necessary. If you have any complaints, please tell His Majesty. Oh-, right! I don’t think that just you, a city lord, can interfere.”
“No, I should be able to do it. It is stated that a marquis can have as much power as a duke only within his fiefdom. This is my territory. No matter how many generals and heroes are here under the King’s order, they cannot ignore my authority in this land.”
“That again! I’m tired of hearing it. Hey, someone go and get this damn old man out!”
“Wait! Listen to me! I am the lord of this Mana City!”
Several soldiers entered the room, they surrounded Ryan, who was seated on the sofa, and forced him to leave. Arvish just yawned, not caring at all.
“I’m going in.”
It was the General who entered the room and replaced Ryan. He sat down on the sofa casually and waited for Arvish to report to him.
“Apparently, they are on the twenty-fourth floor of the Great Dungeon. We have already hired an adventurer to guide us there. It would be better to leave tomorrow.”
“Twenty-fourth floor huh. It’s going to take a lot of work to get there.”
“That’s precisely why the Homeless party did not run away. They must be holding their breath, thinking that we won’t be able to dive that far. Then we, the kingdom’s army, are going to attack all at once.”
“You mean, a surprise attack? By the way, the Marquis was here, right? What did he come for?”
“Ah-, I chased him out because he was talking about something insignificant like we have to return the inn. He doesn’t seem to understand that he is just a city lord with no power at all. Honestly, just dealing with him makes me sleepy.”
“Hahahaha, just be patient until tomorrow. He will stop complaining if we leave the city.”
The general stood up and tried to leave the room. Arvish quickly held him back.
“How is Professor Jill doing?”
“That madman is locked up in his room and messing with his skeletons all day long. I don’t understand how His Majesty’s expectation for such a person is so high. Jeez!”
The general then leaves the room.
Arvish, who was left behind, plopped down the sofa and muttered, “You don’t even know the value of that thing, what a bumpkin!”
◇◇◇
Marquis Ryan returned to the mansion in a horse-drawn carriage, quickly entered the building, and stepped into a dark room with closed curtains.
“No matter who comes, tell them I’m not here.”
“I understand.”
The maid bows to him and leaves. Ryan made sure the maid had left, then he flipped through the carpet on the floor. A door can be seen from underneath it, he then grabs the handle without hesitation. He opened the door and quietly descended the stairs leading to the basement.
There is a small room in the basement with about 10 square meters, and in the center of the room five people were talking around a lamp.
“How is life here?”
Ryan calls out to them.
One of them, Rodman, replied,
“Well, I can’t say it’s comfortable. There’s indeed water and food here but not being able to get some sunlight is not refreshing at all.”
“I’m so sorry for putting you guys through so much trouble. Until the army leaves this city, I could only ask you guys to live underground. Well, it’s almost a week now. I know it’s not a pleasant experience, so if you need anything, please let me know. I’ll get it right away.”
“No, not at all! Don’t bow your head! It’s those military guys who are at fault, not City Lord-sama! We’re so grateful to you, you see!”
Rodman hurriedly spoke to Ryan, who bowed his head to them. Then, Arnold, who was watching the scene, immediately began to speak,
“Fuwahahaha! An upper echelon of this kingdom has finally begun to seek my muscles! I thought it would come someday, but I didn’t expect it to come at this time! I’m telling you that my biceps were surprised!”
“You-, shut up! Isn’t that going to mess up the story?”
“Hahaha, you’re jealous of my muscles, aren’t you? In that case, you should eat bones. You need an open mind to build good muscles, right?”
“This bastard! Let me give you a punch!”
As Arnold and Rodman begin to grab each other, Ryan decides to talk to Rodman’s son, Kane.
“The underground life will soon be over, and the army will probably dive into the Great Dungeon at any moment.”
“So they are finally leaving to find the Homeless party huh. Come to think of it, with their bounty, they managed to attract a lot of attention from the kingdom.”
“Yeah, it seems that His Majesty has been quite angry. Even though Lord Medil is working towards a solution, it will probably take a while. What I am concerned about is Tanaka-san’s movements.”
“Have you contacted them?”
“No, I don’t know. I’m sure he’s doing something about it but I’m worried about what he’s going to do. Tanaka-san’s anger is more frightening than His Majesty’s you see.”
What Ryan fears most is the collapse of the kingdom. At this point, the Homeless party are capable of destroying the kingdom. For Ryan, who understands this, this incident was like throwing a fire into a powder keg. It’s such a dangerous act. Then again, they are talking about a man named Shinichi Tanaka. Even he, can’t predict what he is going to do.
“In a couple of days, the army will be moving out of this city, so for the time being, be patient until then.”
“What should we do after that?”
“You just have to go about your life as usual.”
“??”
Kane tilted his head in confusion at Ryan’s words. He didn’t understand the meaning of the City Lord’s words.
Then, a few days later, he learned the meaning of those words.
◇◇◇
“Are you ready?”
“Yes, everything is in place!”
The soldiers respond vigorously to the general’s words. They are at the entrance to Mohed’s Great Dungeon. The soldiers lined up and waited patiently for the General’s order. Behind them was Professor Jill, accompanied by four lich.
“That magical beast is creepy no matter when I look at it. Is it really not going to attack us?”
“You’re thinking too much, Feria. Look at that figure, they are quietly following the professor’s orders. Besides, we need any kind of force we can have right now.”
“It’s a bit of a shame to use the help of a magical beast. But you’re right Arvish-sama. I guess I wasn’t ready enough.”
The two stared at each other, and seeing that passionate atmosphere, the General immediately cleared his throat.
“Hero-dono, I would like to here your words before we depart. The command of this mission has been entrusted to you, you see.”
“Ah-, right. Okay, I’ll act as a hero does and raise the morale of our soldiers.”
Arvish drew his sword and raised it to the sky.
“It doesn’t matter whether they are dead or alive! Let’s capture the Homeless! Drag them before His Majesty! Death to them! Glory to us!”
“Death to them! Glory to us!”
The soldiers repeated Arvish’s words. It could be said that the morale of the royal army was relatively high. The reason for this is the enormous reward. Otherwise, no one would have thought to dive into the most dangerous dungeon.
“Should we leave now danna-sama? I’m tired of waiting you see.”
The hired adventurer called out to Arvish. His name is Coby. He has been adventuring in Mana for a long time. He looked so dirty that he could be mistaken for a vagrant. Moreover, his stature is very short at about 140 cm tall. His front teeth, which protrude like that of a rat, make the man look sly.
“I’m counting on you as our guide. Be sure to take us to the twenty-fourth floor.”
“Hehe, of course. As long as you guarantee my safety, I’ll show you around as much as you want. Oh right-, I’m going to ask for a proper reward, okay?”
“I know. I’m not going to break my promise.”
Arvish replies without making eye contact with Coby. In his heart, he was angry at Feria for choosing this guy and not opting for other decent guy. However, he quickly reconsiders and regained his calm thinking. What’s important to him is to kill Shinichi, and what is in front of him is just a small matter.
“Let’s go!”
At Arvish’s command, the 5,000 soldiers moved in unison.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
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