Legend

Alector was saved the day before by Ray, Seto, or the adventurers of the city of Gilm, including the scorching winds, who had been attacked by a herd of icebirds. To Ray's question as to why he bothered to drastically reduce the flow of people… No, it seems almost possible to say that at this time of year Alector's merchants came to the city of Gilm, Alector sips one or two bites of wine, then opens his heavy mouth.

"When I set up the merchant corps, there was a nobleman who assisted me. The child fell into a certain illness. I was told that the only ingredient for the medicine that works for the disease is in this city of Gilm..."

(... sounds like something you heard somewhere)

There's a demonic fever thing going on in the back of my brain, Ray.

Place the skewer you had in your hand on the plate and ask Alektor.

"Maybe the disease is an exorcism?

"No. I've heard that demonic fever has become endemic in the city of Barr for some reason, but this time it's not a demonic fever. It is also common for children to grow the amount of magic when they grow up, but it is a disease where the growth of magic is inhibited and the effects also cause problems with their physical abilities...... The ingredients for the medicine to deal with the disease are the flower roots of certain rare plants that grow only on the border."

"... plant roots this winter, huh?

That won't be possible to get. He was Ray, who tells him to smell like that out of the blue, but Alector shakes his head with a slight grin.

"It's certainly winter, but that plant is a magic plant, so you don't have to worry about it withering. In the first place, the root of the plant itself was already available yesterday."

"You're moving fast."

"I'm a merchant somehow. However, selling that root to those who assisted me will not cover this damage. So I'm just looking for the seeds of commerce to somehow bury that. Fortunately, few other city merchants are rivals in the city of Gulm this time of year. Because of that, I think I can handle it..."

"... but?

Encourage Alector, who separates words with meaning and concern, to continue the conversation.

Then I can keep my voice down slightly and keep my words going as if I was in trouble when I heard them around me.

I had decided that if I tried it the most ray, it would be like part of the performance. Anyway, the adventurers are drinking and making a scene around. That cheer is somewhere, and if anyone was trying to eavesdrop on Ray and Alector, they wouldn't be able to hear it.

"Actually, the adventurers you hire as escorts in yesterday's battle with the monsters have died more than expected. I'm having trouble filling that hole."

"... it's not enough that only seven of us survived when I went to the rescue," he said? Given that one carriage is missing in the first place, aren't those seven enough?

In such a ray inquiry, Alektor shakes his head unfortunately.

"If you do say that the seven of us yesterday will be escorting you home as is, then nothing will go wrong. But the adventurers of the foursome, the blades of the moon and night in Rank D, were the adventurers who originally hired them on the condition that they were only one way."

"The blade of the moon and night...... when it comes to four, are there three men and one woman?

"Yes. They were an adventurer party originally aimed at the city of Gilm. It was winter before I arrived in the city of Gilm, and I was stopped by the city of Subrusta on the decision that it was dangerous to go out in the middle of nowhere. So if you get to know our merchant squad and you're with two groups of parties that were hired as escorts, that's why we're here on a one-way escort contract. Originally, I didn't mind at all because I had a contract as a round-trip escort with the two remaining groups of parties... I didn't think that would happen to one of those two groups. Borders, I heard, but sometimes you still don't know unless you actually experience it. I never thought I'd be raided by that many monsters."

Alector brings a dark look to his face as he explains it for a long time, picking dishes on the table.

With the adventurers making a scene at the surrounding table, only Ray and Alektor's seated seats were engulfed in moist air.

"Excuse me. You weren't talking about doing it in the rank up celebration seat, were you? Anyway, that's what happened.... So, right? Actually, I have one request for Mr. Ray."

Alector calls out to Ray with a bright voice to switch the dark atmosphere.

As far as listening to previous stories, it was easy to imagine what the other person was going to say to Ray as well.

"I mean, you want to hire me as an escort?

"Yeah. Yesterday's battle was amazing. When Mr. Ray waves that big sickle, a few icebirds quickly become unspeakable wrecks, and if you use magic, this is also powerful again. Honestly, I don't want a temporary escort or anything, I want you to sign an exclusive deal with my merchant squad."

I guess that word wasn't even a complete compliment. No, it was more of a pretty serious caged word.

However, the proposal is not welcome for Ray. Even though I became an adventurer to acquire the Demon Stone, as an escort... and if I became exclusive, I would no longer be able to freely fight monsters, and above all, as far as I was listening to Allector, the border was closer for the first time. Ray didn't want to go anywhere without a wide variety of monsters because of the border.

"I'm sorry, but I have a lot to do, too. Let me say no to an exclusive escort."

"... Really?"

Even for Alector, I didn't think it was possible to hold Half-Ray in, given the information Mileyne had given me the day before. Still, there is still something unfortunate about being rejected for a proposal that hangs on a glimmer of hope.

"I'll let you study for the reward, won't I?

I don't have a problem with money.

"... Really?"

The last trump card, Alector, who also shook his head and sighed at the increase in the reward he just put out.

(According to the information Miraine told me, collecting magic items is also a hobby...... that's not a profit if you're giving them magic items for every escort you give them. There are a limited number of Demon Stones that can be obtained here if you decide to have up to two of the same species.... you just have to give up)

He was an allektor who whined inside, but fate had not yet abandoned him.

"It's just..."

To that word that came out of the mouth of Pottori and Ray, Alektor looks up.

"Luckily it's winter and I don't have much to do either. So you can escort him to the city of Subrusta... what do we do?

"Is that okay!?

"Yeah, but like I said, it's just up to the city of Subrusta."

"Yes! Please! If you go to the city of Subrusta, you won't be able to call it a border anymore, so there are Shizukuishi people from there."

"Shizuku Reishi?

"Yes, it's a party of three female adventurers"

That's what they say, and Ray also remembers the faces of the three pairs of women who were fighting with Seto, using shields and swords, halvards and bows.

"Shizuku Reishi? What's your rank, by the way?

"Rank D party, right? It's a big thing at that young age.... but Ray became rank C because of his youth."

"No flattery. More of a favor than that..."

"Yes. Should I take the form of a nomination request?

"Oh, that would help."

"What about the reward? That's a lot of damage in this case, so it would be helpful if you could study it."

Again, I guess the damage I've suffered is past my head, that's what Alektor tells me with a bitter smile.

Or maybe it was what Ray himself said earlier when he heard the word that he wasn't having trouble with the money. And in fact, Ray's reward for thinking about it for a few seconds was very much appreciated by Alektor.

"Right. Then at least 20 iron spears... oh, not so good with this iron spear, even the coarse stuff. However, it is difficult to say that the pattern breaks when I use it. As for the tip..."

So he gets stuck in words, and Ray thinks about his powers.

A rusty blade is not disadvantageous when used as a throwing spear for a long-range weapon if it has the power of a ray. No, it would be more of a convenience considering the possibility of tetanus from a wound caused by a rusty blade.

"Right, I don't mind being somewhat rusty when it comes to the tips. Instead, the moment I touched it, I thought I could crush it. And when I encounter a monster on the way to the escort, if it was a monster demon stone I don't have, I want you to give me two as a matter of priority. Why don't you have your meal money later?

"... right. I also feel a lot cheaper to hire Mr. Ray, a Rank C adventurer, is that really okay?

I said I wanted the reward to be as low as I could get myself, but still, I guess Ray's price was more than I expected. On the contrary, the thought that you might be up to something because you discounted too much springs up in Arectre's chest.

But I thought it was a fair reward for Ray. You can even prepare Seto's meal at any rate, because we have decided that it will end up being an amount not so different from hiring a regular Rank C Adventurer.

Similarly, unlike the spear-like products of Tsu's spear, this one feels more like quantity than quality because it is separated from disposable.

"Oh, no problem. And as I said earlier, there's nothing to do during the winter. To some extent, I'm free. Make it the city of Abu Ero, the city of Subrusta, I've never been there."

Still, Alector points his gaze toward Ray as if he were looking to the bottom of his mind. And take that gaze dignified from the front, Ray.

Eventually, the first person out of sight was Alektor.

"Okay. We'll send a nomination request to the Alliance tomorrow."

"... doesn't it have to be today?

"Yeah. Actually, I had a business meeting about the product after this. So, I'm sorry, but it would be helpful if you could take the request at the guild even after noon tomorrow. Of course, I'll have enough for Mr. Ray to ask for the spear."

"Don't help me if you do that. So, when exactly do you plan to leave the city of Gilm?

"The day after tomorrow, right? I'll put it on the requisition, but please come in front of the city's main gate when the 6: 00 a.m. bell rings. It'll still be a little dark at that time, but it's hard to go down the road because of the snow, and I want to reach the city of Abu Ero by sundown."

This is the first time I've actually been to the border, even for Alector, but I still know that when monsters are at night, they activate. Especially now it's winter, and monsters that don't usually show up. Icebird, which was raided the day before, would be exactly that. For this reason, plans were made to leave the city as soon as possible, to stay overnight in the city of Abu Ero without being forced, and to stay overnight in the street until the city of Subrusta due to distance problems, and to arrive the next day.

Of course, it doesn't mean you can stay alert during the day. Compared to the night, the monster's movements could not yet be described as active, but nevertheless there was no option in Allector to be more alarmed than remembering being attacked by a herd of icebirds the day before.

Still, there is a Rank A monster Ceto who easily buried the Icebird for this trip, and who is following that Ray. The amount of escorts was reduced for the lost adventurers, but given the quality, it was certain that it was up there.

"Well. Now it's time for me to excuse myself around here, but Mr. Ray will eat the food I ordered. It's a celebration of ranking up."

"Helpful. See you tomorrow morning at 6: 00."

"Yes, thank you"

I can hire Ray and he smiles with relief, bows his head, sets the table, and leaves the tavern.

Dropping off Alektor's upbeat hindsight, Ray begins to reach out again to the various dishes on the table.

The adventurers who are making noise in the tavern also seem to rarely see such a ray, especially with their peers instead of getting tangled up. Basically, there's no reason for it to be a good hit, let alone a ray that doesn't condone the person that involves you, but still rarely involves you from Ray's.... It would still be a normal thing to do this again not to be assured that it is not here. For this reason, if left alone, Ray was treated like a wild beast who was growing up.

And two days later, for Ray, a request for escort begins against the first merchant squad.