In the end, the adventurers consisted of the couple Benga and Amur, along with three others including Brian, as well as six escorting merchants. Additionally, Spellsess, Mainui, Kimishima, Nishina, Sakuragi, and Yazzak were part of the group. Furthermore, two members of the state militia, Gazelme and a soldier, joined the party.
It was a sizable group of fifteen.
Due to the distant destination, they had to travel on foot from the beginning. Amur hesitated to leave their pack animal cart in the city, but they would have to leave it behind if they encountered an area with no roads. They couldn’t afford to guard the luggage during that time. Reluctantly, they started walking.
Though the two groups of adventurers were dissatisfied with the march, they had no choice but to go along with it. Gazelme, who freely flew his Rock bird overhead and walked on his own feet, grumbled, yet couldn’t oppose Spellsess, who seemed oddly cheerful.
On the other hand, Kimishima and the other two seemed to enjoy the journey as if it were a small adventure, but in reality, they didn’t know where they were headed. As they prepared for camping on the first day and gathered around the campfire, they were informed that their destination was Dix Village, about three days’ walk away.
“Eh? That village ahead…?”
Kimishima’s face clouded upon hearing that. Gazelme, who was chatting around the same campfire, noticed and asked, “Something wrong?”
“When we escaped from Sensei and Galal Blue, that last… village? We saw it. And it seemed like monsters were living in the village…”
“In the village? What kind of monsters were they?”
“Well, it’s like… wild boars or… um…”
It wasn’t clear if “wild boars” would be understood by people in this world, so Kimishima drew a simple picture on the ground with a stick to explain. Upon seeing it, Gazelme immediately understood.
“Hmm. Those are orcs. They might be high orcs in these depths. Indeed, they possess intelligence and establish settlements. It’s entirely possible for them to use a deserted village as their settlement…”
Furthermore, they mentioned witnessing Carton and the state army fighting the orc group, and how the militia were defeated. This confirmed they were indeed high orcs.
“High orcs aren’t considered high-tier monsters, but even among mid-tier monsters, they’re quite high-ranking. They possess intelligence like humans and use weapons. They cooperate as a group. That’s why they can survive even in places where high-tier monsters roam. They’re quite troublesome.”
“At that time, drums were being beaten loudly in the village, and they were definitely attacking in groups.”
As others listened to the story, Brian interjected.
“What? A group of high orcs?”
“Eh? Oh, yeah. It seems like that.”
“I see…”
Gazelme responded.
“But Carton and the others were attacked and defeated by what seemed to be more than ten high orcs. Their combat strength as a group must have been significantly reduced.”
“Carton? You mean that guy who was removed from Celestial rank?”
“Yeah, that’s him.”
“Then did he… witness the fall of the Celestial rank? No… could it be him?”
“N-no way!”
“I see…”
Brian couldn’t help but be intrigued, but quickly pretended not to care about Celestial ranks. However, Keith interrupted, unable to bear it.
“What? Is there a Celestial? Then you don’t need bodyguards, do you?”
Sakuragi was the one who answered.
“Yeah? Sensei isn’t here right now.”
“Hey, Miki.”
“What’s up?”
“Don’t you think we’re talking too much about Sensei?”
“Oh. Yeah.”
As Sakuragi responded, Nishina tried to intervene hastily, but Keith continued to press on.
“Sensei? Is there a Celestial rank Sensei?”
“Well… no, there isn’t.”
“Hey, come on. What’s the deal? You asked for guards from people and now you’re keeping secrets like that?”
“Well, you see, there are a lot of assassins who come when there’s a replacement.”
“Assassins? I wasn’t asking with that in mind. The Celestial rank is just a fairy tale, isn’t it?”
“Ugh…”
Once humans say something, it’s hard to deceive. Especially for Brian and the others going into the hinterlands, once they start the journey, they inevitably start feeling like travel companions. This is especially true for the three who came from the peaceful country of Japan.
Gazelme, who had been listening to the conversation, interjected with a laugh.
“You know, right? Sensei is going up the Ladder in the wilderness.”
“G-Gazelme-san!”
“Hey, Gazelme!”
Though Nishina and Yazzak tried to stop him in a panic, Gazelme didn’t stop. Spellsess and Mainui, watching from a distance, didn’t particularly try to intervene either. Especially Spellsess, who seemed to be looking forward to Gazelme causing a scene, grinned knowingly.
“It hasn’t been long since they teleported here. Raising up the Ladder even a little increases the chances of protecting oneself from those who aim for replacements. If they’re not in Dudur Valley, there’s no other possibility, right? You don’t even need to hide it; it’s pretty obvious.”
“But…”
“Look, here we have adventurers who came to raise up the Ladder, refugees who want to see their homeland, and me who just came out of curiosity. That’s about it. Don’t worry. Don’t worry.”
Laughing, he gulped down the tea in his hand.
“I told you not to cause trouble…”
Yazzak held his head in his hands. Brian and the others were also at a loss for words at Gazelme’s nonchalant remarks.
“N-no, we don’t really care about the Celestial rank or anything like that…”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“Of course.”
Finally managing to speak, Brian, Keith, and Mike hurriedly nodded in agreement. Spellsess watched their reactions with a smirk.
At night, Gazelme called the Rock bird he commanded to the edge of the campsite. Everyone tensed for a moment at its size, but the Rock bird curled up and slept without a care.
Just like Regres’s Jenuin, Rock birds were high-tier monsters. With one present at the campsite, low to mid-tier monsters wouldn’t dare approach.
Just having that was a relief for a peaceful night’s sleep.
Kimishima remembered the days of escape, thinking how even in the forest, she could relax this much with so many comrades. However, Kimishima felt a strange sensation. It was as if something had been watching the group all along. A discomfort that made her heart restless.
