Dream Life

Tria Calendar October 3, 2017.

Early in the morning, when the weather is still cold at the beginning of October, he leaves Ars, the king's capital of the Kaum kingdom.

More than half a month ago around September 15th, the village of Clarae was wiped out on the streets of Toa - the streets connecting the northern city of the Kingdom of Kaum, Barbezi, with the eastern fort of Fort Major Toa. Apparently the cause was attacked by a herd of orcs who could have been led by the Demons. Yet another five days ago, on September 28th, the village of Eilis near Ars Street - the main street connecting Ars with Periclitle, the land of adventurers - has been attacked.

The home village of Rasmore could be the target from the footsteps of the oak, and abruptly, only six of us Zaksextedt return to the village.

Ars to the village of Rasmore is approximately three hundred km. I plan to travel that distance in six days.

In six days the itinerary of 300 km is quite harsh on the Als streets, where there are many rugged mountain roads. Of course, an early horse's decree would allow us to run even shorter, but this would be the limit for a single adventurer without the support of the state. If you increase your speed poorly, you will crush your horse along the way, and vice versa, it will not be both delayed.

That's what I know, but given the oak footprint, I'm in a hurry.

(It's about 100 km from the village of Clarae to the village of Alice. It takes thirteen days to travel that distance...... the distance from the village of Alice to the village of Rasmore is about one hundred and forty km. If we're going to move at the same pace, we should have plenty of room, but Oak's feet can move in a shorter period of time... I still don't have any information that we keep moving west, but I only have a bad feeling...)

At this time, when the orcs moved west, I was convinced for some reason.

There is no clear reason, but I also feel strongly that I really need to go back to the village.

Through the castle gate with dawn, you speed up your horse's legs at once. I intend to change horses every time in the city along the way this time. Fortunately, the streets have been paralyzed since yesterday and replacement horses will be relatively easy to secure.

Without enjoying the finish of our brand new gear, we drive our horses.

Around 4 p.m. on October 5.

He arrived safely in Barbezi, the main city on Als Street.

Barbezy is a transportation stronghold where Als and Toa streets intersect, but for the last three days there has been little traveler appearance on Als streets. There were mercenaries, but they didn't travel unscrupulously like us, and they quickly overtook them. Since after noon yesterday, it felt like I was running through a deserted street.

And although it's a barbecue city, for the large number of people, you can see them arguing by the way about whether the merchants are standing around eating stalls.

We have a little more time before sunset, so we would like to move on to the next town if it were meant to be, but we decided it would be dangerous to move on without information. There must be an adventurer here in the village of Alice who went to investigate and plans to gather the information they are gathering.

Fatigue has accumulated in the three days of forcible forces, but even Sharon, by far the least able-bodied, seems to have no problem. He took the inn early, entrusted the Dans with arranging horses for the next day, etc., accompanied by Liddy and Beatrice, and headed to the Adventurers Guild to gather information.

Unlike the recessionary city, the Adventurer Guild was surprisingly lively. They're heading out to investigate the area, and many adventurers report at the reception.

Speaking to a senior guild official, Oak apparently headed north from the village of Alice, but told me he still didn't know where he was actually.

I'm heading to a nearby tavern to hear a little more about it.

Beatrice nodded at me and gave me a signal when I was gathering information. It would be most effective in these settings for her to speak up with a veteran style.

Beatrice speaks to a young man who appears to be a scout.

"How's the economy? Can I talk to you for a second?

Calling for service with that said, and ordering liquor. We were listening elsewhere to adventurers, mercenaries, men like soldiers in the guard.

The stories you hear are almost identical to the information you get in the guild, and the Orcs still seem to have gone north.

He tried to speak up to mercenaries and adventurers to get more information. But before I can speak, a despicable voice echoes the liquor store.

"Isn't that a lot of gear? What aristocratic bonbong is that?

Several mercenaries, who seem to be companions to the voice, laugh.

(Still tangled up... I can't help it with this gear, but it's a hassle...)

The guy who's been making fun of us is a slightly obese early forties guy, who looks like a swordsman as far as gear goes. I guess he's a veteran mercenary because of his bald head and the wounds on his face and arms, and his wearing metal armor. There were a few mid twenties youngsters around him, but one of them looked slightly worried, grabbing the man's arm.

"It sounds awkward, Mr. Jed. If they're noble, rubbing them sucks. And the Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce..."

Stop the young man from saying, "Ugh!," he said, shaking it off,

"I'm scared of nobles and mercenaries. Can you do it! First of all, I guess we're stuck because the kingdom didn't move! Let me say about one of your complaints!

He seems pretty drunk and completely mistakes me for a noble son in the Kaum kingdom. If you just look at the equipment, you can't help but mistake it because it's not something that the nobles of other countries can align themselves with.

Liddy's about to come forward and say, "I'm complaining about something," but he grabs his arm and stops.

"I'm Zacharias Lockhart. Well, I can't say he's a nobleman's son, but he's not a Kaum nobleman."

When I say that, a mercenary named Jed says, "Lockhart?" and trying to remember something. A young man next door said, "It's Lockhart. I'm making a scotch, it's that lockheart," he explained in a whisper.

So you finally realize, "Oh, that lockheart..." he mutters. And he opens his mouth trying to say something but doesn't seem to get the word out.

You seem to have noticed the seriousness of the matter in one word.

He said that being able to rub with the Lockhart family on Als Street is about losing your job. But I can't honestly apologize before I get tangled up from myself. He still seems to be worried about how to say it, wandering his gaze with a chirp without saying anything.

I thought it would be a good opportunity to gather information.

"I need to talk to you for a second, okay? I don't care if our village sucks."

I spoke with adventurous, somewhat rough language to darken that I was not the son of a nobleman, and even more to create a sense of fellowship.

Jed has a slightly soothing look on his face and turns his expression into something serious, even though he has a red face, either because I didn't say anything high-pressure like nobility and didn't show a look that cares about the story earlier.

He says, "Well, sit down," and invites us to our seats.

I'm sure there's an intention to mislead one of the earlier cases, but I still haven't touched on anything the fifteen boys have talked about with their tame mouths, and on the contrary, they seem generous enough to give me information.

"Jed Horn, he's a Class V mercenary. So, what do you want to know? Lockhart will take care of us, too. I'll tell you anything you know."

The Rockhart family has a very good reputation on Als Street. This stems from the fact that the Lockhart family is crusading demons and bandits near the territory to ensure their safety. Jed's mention of being taken care of must also be referring to that.

"I want information about the village of Alice and the footsteps of the oak. I heard it on the guild, but it won't tell me anything more than an official announcement."

"I see. I do have little information. If it's a rumor, I can let you hear it, but don't expect credibility."

That's what he told me. He gave me a lot of information he knew.

The village of Alice was wiped out on September 28th. There were no survivors, and they told us that the weapons the villagers had had were being taken away, just like the village of Clarae, which had been attacked before that, and that the number of bodies was not as high as twenty.

"... the guy I checked told me the number of orcs ranged from two hundred to two hundred and fifty. He said he headed north, but there was also a mix of people's things in his footprint. I don't know if it belongs to the villagers or the demons. But at least it's not just the oak."

"Isn't it just the oak..."

Answer to my whine, "Oh,"

"I have two more pieces of information. The Knights and the Alliance didn't release him."

"Two more?

To my inquiry he returned the inquiry.

"What would normally happen if an orc attacked a village?

"Men are killed and eaten, women are raped and taken away... aren't they?

Oak is said to have a ratio of more than 90% males and few females. And when you look at a woman, whether she's a human, an elf, or an animal, she instinctively runs into a breeding act. Looking next door, Liddy looked blatantly disgusted.

"Normally. But this time, he didn't get a woman or a crime, he just got killed. The people who were taken away may be women, but they still killed a lot of young women..."

Abnormal indeed. At least a wild oak would rape him before he killed him.

"... and there's another strange thing..."

"Weird thing?

"That's right. You'd know if you were an adventurer, too, but basically orcs are clumsy demons. Exquisite enough to use a stick. I'll just swing by my power, too. But this time, many of them were slaughtered with blades..."

(What's the purpose? Were you even practicing using weapons? ……

"... Besides, they're hardly going to eat the ones who got killed. If you're an orc, you attack people, you take them from each other. But you eat them. They're walking away without eating..."

Regardless of the credibility of Jed's story, there are too many strange things about Oak's behavior this time around.

First, if there are more than two hundred oaks, a considerable amount of food must be secured.

Demons are not only gaining energy from their diet, they are also gaining energy from the power of the Spirit, that is, from their magic. It is simply not comparable, but it is said that large dragons and giants need little meat or grain as food. Of course not all demons don't need food, and the lower the rank, the more percent they will need food.

In the case of oaks, they are demons equivalent to grade six and can live with less food than goblins, but they should nevertheless be about 2m tall and weigh about 150 kg, that is to say a heavyweight professional wrestler or boast a stature similar to that of Tabernacle Ritz and need some food to maintain their body.

The extent to which it is necessary has not been studied, so we do not know the exact details, but there is no need at all. It's possible he fed the livestock, but Jed didn't even hear about the livestock.

I said, "Are you sure it's an oak?," he muttered.

"I know what you're trying to say. The Knights haven't released it because they suspect it's not an oak, but a medium ghost tribe, or demon tribe unit. That's what we're talking about..."

The Middle-Ghost tribe is a demonic tribe that serves as an oak, a species known as the Ghost tribe along with the Big Ghost tribe and the Little Ghost tribe. He says he looks terribly like his family, Orc, and if you're the Knights of the Kaum Kingdom who have been fighting the Ghost Nation for hundreds of years, it's not strange to think so.

"... There was also a vigilante in that village, so they're supposed to be fighting back, but strangely, they didn't have a single oak body. Maybe the Middle-Ghost Clan hid it. That's what I heard."

This is a very awkward situation if this story is true. Not only do the Middle-Ghost tribes have the same physical abilities as the Orcs, but they also have skills in martial arts. Considering that even an unskilled orc is equivalent to a sixth level, a skilled Middle-Ghost tribe can be a dangerous enemy far above it.

(If you are a medium ghost warrior, not an oak, the village is in danger...)

The strength of the Village of Rasmore vigilantes is on average about level thirty, or six mercenaries. It's a level that can be described as serving as a soldier, but still tough to cross with enough ghost warriors to come aboard enemy land.

There are rumors that ghosts are prone to bloodshed on their heads and are not good at group warfare, and the village vigilantes trained by their grandfathers are good at group warfare, so that's the only way to save them. But there is no denying the possibility that the Kingdom of Kaum and the western countries are deliberately flushed propaganda for the sake of war.

There was something else that bothered me.

"Don't worry about the twenty people they took away. What's that information?

"I don't know the details. But the guy who went to investigate said there was only one house with no body."

"Just one house? Whose house is this?

Neither did Jed know any more detailed stories, and he just replied, "You haven't heard that far".

(Either way, too little information. If the Knights are exercising intelligence control, it may be useless to go ask them straight away than there are no handouts, but why not check with the Knights at once...)

When I said "thank you" to Jed and gave him his right hand, he shook his right hand back, "It's no big deal".

I'm sorry about earlier.

I smiled,

"I don't care. If we get stuck here, we can't help but be frustrated."

Mercenaries often have extended contracts that do not change their remuneration. Of course, in the meantime, the employer owns expenses such as accommodation and food, but the liquor and other preferences are self-contained. There is also the possibility of a deficit if prolonged.

We'll rendezvous with Beatrice, but it looks like we've got more commercial guild information than just what we heard.

"... They say the commercial guild is screwing the Knights. Unseal the blockade now. So far, it's a waste of time heading north. They'll kick you back at the gate even if you try to force me to leave... and one more thing. You also heard me tell the Knights to put it on the merchant corps escort. They say they can take responsibility for the delayed crusade of the orcs..."

After the tavern, he came to the Black Steel Knights building in Barbezy city, but there were overflowing merchants around who seemed to have come to complain. There were even merchants trying to get through using bribes, but none of the soldiers, the guards, tried to get through.

In front of the main door was a plaque, which, as Beatrice had heard, forbade the journey north of Barbezy unless authorized by the Kingdom or the Knights. It also stated that in order to ease the mood of the merchants, or in the course of a few days, the army was to be dispatched to ensure their safety.

In order to obtain information and to leave tomorrow, I wanted to meet with officials of the Knights, but even using Lockhart's name, I had no island to attach at all: "I have been ordered not to let any of you through," he said.

Beatrice said, "I knew it. What are you gonna do? I've heard."

"I guess not if you're a normal adventurer. But what about the Knight of the Caerm Empire? A knight from another country returns to defend his territory. There must be no stopping that."

Liddy tilts her neck at my answer.

"But you don't have a knight's reign. And it's the rod that carries the trail. What are you gonna do?"

What she's saying is right. Father Masaias would have no problem at all. Even Rodrick, my brother, who is a man of honor, cannot be stopped if he says he will fight to defend his territory as a son. It's a little subtle that this is my second son. If the battle has already begun, it is not yet possible to say that we will take command to defend the territory, because they may say that it is fine to see a little more if we just fight.

Naturally, I understand that too, but I said, "Well, leave it to me," and headed to the gate.

The North Gate was sparse and idle for people to come and go, although it was open. There are about ten gatekeepers guarding the gate, standing without a job.

I spoke to the knight in charge.

"My name is Zacharias Lockhart, Knight of the Caerm Empire and second son of Masaias Lockhart. I'd like to speak to the person in charge here."

That's what I looked like then, but on my way here I was replacing it with a cloak for my outfit containing the Rockhart family crest - a raised lion with a sword - that I had in my storage magic (inventory), and if you look at it all the time, it doesn't even look like an authentic knight, combined with the black dragon leather armor I got in Ars.

And show the left-hand orb - the demonic prop that proves his identity - and show that he's not falsifying his name.

The knight who seemed to be in charge of defending the gate looked at me suspiciously, but when he saw the orb information and confirmed it was real, he had confirmed the matter with a puzzled look.

"What can I do for Sir Lockhart's son?

I didn't break my serious expression, I just told him "It's an important matter," and said I wanted to talk to him in the jail.

The knight named himself Warren Curtiv and headed to the stuffing.

Cut the story out where I got stuffed.

"We have to go home as soon as possible to protect our territory. So tomorrow, I came to ask you to let me and the five Lockhart family officials through the gate."

Curtives have a bewildered look,

"Have you seen the circular of my kingdom? We are not allowed to head north from Barbezy without permission from the Kingdom or the Knights"

I nod small, say, "I don't have permission," and say, "So I offered the day before to ask permission," and I go out strongly.

"I'm so sorry, but I'm not supposed to be able to give you permission here. Again......"

I was disrespectful and I said, "But!," he said, blocking Cursive's words.

"Then you can't make it. I went to the Knights outpost earlier, but they didn't deal with me at all."

"But it is. Even if they say it here..."

I turned off my expression, lowered my voice, and pressed, "If I don't make it, what is your country going to do about it?"

"Even if they say it's a responsibility..." says Curtiv, but sweat is erupting from his face.

(He still seems to know. Tell the story of me getting tangled up in that Earl. That's another push...)

The story of Count Oswald Granger adding difficulty to me, whereas the Blacksmith Guild went to protest the kingdom, is famous. Most people here in Barbesie will also know that gossip involving senior nobles should spread quickly among knights and civilians.

The story of the Queen herself visiting the Alliance to apologize illustrates how the Royal House of Kaum values its relationship with the Lockhart family. On top of that, stopping me from complaining about the Lockhart family's existential crisis could develop into a serious liability issue.

"No matter what happens ahead, it's my own responsibility! We will not hold the Black Steel Knights accountable!

So I cut the words and create desperation.

"Please! Let me go and protect my hometown! Give me a chance to wave my sword beside my father!

Speaking of which, it seems to me, I just thought that the cursive could not go under either.

"Okay. Let's hang each other up. I can't promise you anything, but I will do everything I can to help."

When Curtiv said so, he left the spot to the deputy chief and ran to the Knights' outpost.

When I came back in about twenty minutes, I had a pass in my hand.

Looks like he managed to convince the upper management.