Legend

"I don't know, you're busy too."

"No, not at all. Even for me, I wanted to take a little more time off."

"Grrrrrrrr"

Ray returns his words with a small shoulder to the words told to him by the guards at the main gate.

Next to such a ray, Seto was also honking as if he agreed.

Leaving the Lordship's Hall and rendezvous with Seto, who, as usual, was playing in the garden, Ray told General Lana that he would be away for a few days at his request towards the wheat pavilion at dusk as it was, and that he had come all the way to the main entrance as quickly as possible.

Why did you bother telling Lana that you were away from the city when you were taking a few days' stay, purely for a message to the guests who came for Seto?

Ray originally settled the wheat pavilion at dusk, but most of his luggage is housed in mysteries.

For this reason, if you are a normal adventurer, it takes time to carry out those luggage and dispose of them when removing the boarding house... Only Ray doesn't need to worry about the area, so he was able to easily remove the inn.

Most importantly, in this case, I'm only away for a few days, so I don't need to get so nervous.

"Anyway, if Ray and Seto are going to put up a bandit exorcism, as long as I'm not complaining about it, I'm happy about it."

The look on the guard's face as he hangs his words toward Ray brings up a serious look.

As a guard… and above all as a resident of Gilm on the border, you understand the seriousness of the continuing raids on the merchants.

Of course not everyone gets attacked more than the merchants also hire escort adventurers.

Many were attacked and repelled, but the current season, which is heading into late summer, also saw a high number of merchants coming to Gilm for that matter.

Many of them take a sweet look at the border, and in the case of such people, many do not pay for escorts.

As a result, more merchants were to be attacked by bandits.

Even more so, the bandits in question are clever enough to kill all those who attacked them and hide their clues as much as possible.

Say hello to Captain Langa.

"Oh."

After completing the process, Ray is escorted out of the gate by a guard.

"Ah, it's Seto. You're as cute as ever."

Ray walks up to a short distance from the street with such a ceto as the adventurer, who was just in the process to enter the guild, sees Ceto and smiles small.

(Seto's been well known, and I don't think we can have this decision anymore.)

While thinking of it that way, Ray makes sure he's far enough from the main entrance and the street before crossing over to Seto's back.

"Well, let's go Seto"

"Grrrrrrrr!"

It sounded sharply at Ray's words, and after a few steps of help, he was winged and rushed up into the air to go.

"... Gru?

Seto makes a surprising noise as he flies through the sky to Abu Ero.

Ray, listening to that voice and looking down, found an amazing sight on the ground...... no, in a way I expected to find the right sight.

About three carriages and a group on horses chasing it.

It's a good structure in this world, but most of all, it was the number of people on that horse.

I've counted all the way from the sky and there will be nearly 30 rides.

That's not the number of bandits already. Ning Lo, the army in some country or a mercenary regiment is more right.

"No, I see. Mercenaries."

Ray feels terribly convinced by the words that have surfaced unexpectedly.

It's not uncommon for a mercenary regiment that actually has no job to saddle into a bandit regiment.

However, because there are powerful monsters near this border, even if they become bandits, there are many powerful monsters, or adventurers who defeat them, so it is we who can destroy them immediately.

"But what if it was a mercenary regiment with enough power to do something about it? Then, naturally, the city's guard might be heavily loaded with its power, or even a small number of knights sent to Abu Ero.... it's just my guess."

"Gru?"

What are you gonna do? and asks Seto looking behind him, Ray asks him to think a little and head toward the carriage.

Seto listens to that favor and descends towards the side of the carriage running away from a bunch of horseback riders chasing him from behind in a madness of death.

It wasn't the three carriages that were desperate to escape that first noticed Seto's presence, but the cavalry that was following him from behind.

It would have been natural given the distance.

That way, knowing it was Griffon who came down or no, the cavalry that was leading the way signals something.

In an instant reaction to it, the cavalry tries to make a big bend instead of chasing the carriage away from Ray, Seto and the carriage.

(That's a controlled move. Now it's less likely that I'm just a bandit.... no, it could actually be the right bandit for discipline)

While thinking that way, Ray calls out from above Seto to the one who is still desperate to run the carriage.

"Hey, there's no more bandits."

"Huh?... Hih!

And all of a sudden a voice hung from the side of himself shall be raised by his Lord with astonishment.

That won't be impossible either. When the bandits on horseback were chasing me, I was suddenly called from next to the carriage.

Besides, Seto was not flying in the sky to gaze at you and Ray, but running on the ground.

In that state, it would be natural to assume that they were caught up by the bandits who normally attacked them from behind.

Ray also immediately notices the convulsed face of your man, and furthermore breathes a small sigh of sight into the man of a merchant in his 40s holding a bow, trembling from his carriage carrier toward himself.

"Don't worry... I may not feel safe telling you, but I'm not a bandit. Gilm's adventurer."

Tell him so, and stroke Seto's neck running next to the carriage with himself.

"Haven't you heard of it? Gilm says there are adventurers out there who use Griffon as their obedience."

"... ah"

I guess that one word stimulated my memory. The merchant whines a word and bows down.

As the carriage slowed down, other carriages that were running around slowed down as well.

"Excuse me!"

Merchant bowing his head toward Ray.

Earlier, it was a man with a bow from the carrier toward Ray.

"No, never mind. You can't help but mistake me for a bandit in that situation. … but it's a lot smaller."

Ray wondered if there were exactly 15 or so people in all because all three carriages were acting together, but the total number of merchants who came down was 5.

I didn't think of it as a merchant squad that owned as many as three carriages.

"... yeah, the..."

Another merchant with a bow toward Ray opens his mouth as he can't tell.

"Because I didn't think a bandit would have all those horses. If you're a few horsemen, think you can handle it..."

Didn't you have an escort?

"... Yes"

I guess the merchants have various reasons, but in the current situation of a massive bandit out there, taking this many carriages with them without escort only seemed to walk with the ducks carrying leeks and even cookware momentum such as pots, knives, slabs and chopsticks.

(Most of all, that many bandits. It was oddly disciplined, and I don't think I could handle it where there were two or three escorts)

Thinking that way, one of the merchants opens his mouth like it's hard to say.

"So, um... it would be helpful if you could escort me to Abu Ero, what do you think? Of course, we'll pay the reward properly."

"Whoa, we can afford the money..."

"But it doesn't make sense to ketch the cost of the escort, if you lose it all as a result!

"... damn"

Watching the merchants talking like that, Ray wonders what to do again.

I understand that there are some special circumstances from the current conversation, but I also have to rendezvous with the Langa and the others in Abu Ero as soon as possible.

When I think about it that much, I think of it.

(In the first place, this is why we are so far in the way of defeating the bandits that we think are mercenaries. Then it's not such a bad story to cut the bandits' power even before you meet Langa, is it? Or it would be possible to exhaust it if it worked)

Speak up to the merchants who are still rubbing Ray on whether or not to hire him as an escort.

"If you want to swallow these terms, you can do a free escort... how about that?

To the word free, the merchants stop arguing and everyone's gaze is directed at Ray.

That way, the merchant man who pulled his bow toward Ray opens his mouth like he's afraid.

"That condition is... what is it? I'm sorry, but we have very little to pay."

"It's not like I'm giving you something else instead of money. Actually, I was on my way to Abu Ero, and the reason for that was to deal with the bandits that were attacking this carriage earlier. So, anyway, I'd like to reduce the power of those bandits for later."

"But with you, you wouldn't be attacking me, would you?

To the words of another merchant, Ray nods as he looks at Seto.

Note that when it came to Seto at heart, he slept on a meadow beside the street as usual, closing his eyes and guarding his surroundings.

Those who know nothing...... if you look at the merchants in front of Ray, for example, they will probably just look like they are in the sun.

Though in heat above 30°C.

"Oh. Certainly the Bandits wouldn't show up if Seto were here, rather than if I... So I'll have Seto follow me away. So, I hide in the carriage and wait for the bandits to come."

"... wait a minute. Doesn't that mean you're gonna lure the bandits with us?

"Right."

Ray agrees perfectly with the merchant's words.

In contrast, a blood vessel appears on the merchant's forehead, and he goes on to say words to control his attempts to yell out loud.

"Don't you think you'd rather have me as an escort if I were used as an escort than as an escort? If the bandits come out, I promise I'll pay them back."

"Gee, that's..."

A man who tried to scream clogs his voice.

That's true. More than impossible to pay to hire Ray, give up Ray's escort as a means we can take, or follow Ray's word to make ourselves miserable.

The former is in danger of life, but the latter must taste the humiliation of being fed to attract bandits.

"I think merchants make choices that are in their own interest?

Everyone shuts up about Ray's words...... in the meantime, a weak merchant who has bowed to Ray opens his mouth.

"Okay, let me take that suggestion."

"Hey!"

One of the merchants screams unexpectedly, but the weak merchant shakes his neck sideways before the words are spoken.

"What he's saying is right. We need his help to protect ourselves from bandits more than we can afford to pay. The power of the adventurer known as Deep Red."

"It's..."

Intelligence is the life of a trader.

And in Gilm there is a lot of information spread that Ray... more precisely Seto is back, and the merchants naturally listened to the story.

It is easy to identify that it is the person in front of you, beyond the fact that no adventurer exists other than Ray, who is subjugating Griffon.

"Besides, I don't think that's such a bad story because it means we can get a grip on the bandits coming after us, depending on what you think. More than he is, even if the others attacked again earlier, the total annihilation of the other side would be confirmed by then.... right?

"As far as I'm concerned, I'm gonna do it."

I'm not going to use the merchant squad in front of me as a ray, but naturally I'm not going to hurt you.

"... can I really believe you?

Ray, with a small shoulder over the merchant's words, opens his mouth.

"If you don't believe anything else, I don't. But I hope so. I don't even need to hold you guys that far. There are many other merchants and merchants coming and going between Gilm and Abu Ero."

"It's..."

A glance at the word-stuck merchant, turning his gaze to the feeble merchant who would be the leader of this merchant corps, and also asking with confirmation of his last will.

"So, are you sure you want to take my suggestion?

"Yes, please"

Back to back with a weak personality, the merchant instantly bows his head.

While he was somewhat surprised by the way things were going, Ray had a crush on the merchants.