𝐓𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐯𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐠𝐞
Albero and his group departed from the abandoned village.
Although the S-class was in charge of security, they were able to sleep in shifts. Nothing particularly eventful happened, and they weren’t faced with any apparent troubles.
Albero defeated a kobold, but he didn’t report it.
Inside the horse carriage, Albero let out a big yawn.
ㅤ
“Hey Yorha. Can we send letters from here?”
“What? Sending it to someone?”
“No, earlier, I saw Oswald sending a letter in the forest. He also received a strange one and looked pretty excited, so I was curious.”
“. . . . . .Hm? Tell me more.”
“There’s not much more to it, just that.”
“That’s strange. Rashild should have sent the report. And in the forest? I find that intriguing.”
ㅤ
Yorha crossed her legs and folded her arms.
ㅤ
“For now, I’ll subtly look into it. Don’t delve too deep into this matter.”
“Eh, is it really something to take that seriously?”
“Better safe than sorry. Remember? Oswald holds a deep grudge against you.”
“. . . . . .”
“People like him tend to work in the shadows. There’s a possibility that his goal might be to tarnish the S-class reputation more than the demon subjugation.”
“I’ll leave it to you.”
“Mm, understood.”
ㅤ
Albero swore to himself that he wouldn’t hold back the next time Oswald tried anything. Opening the horse carriage window, he took in the fresh air.
ㅤ
◇◇◇◇◇◇
ㅤ
The horse carriage continued its journey, eventually arriving at the first village.
As soon as they arrived, the village chief and a few villagers came out to greet them.
Greeted by the villagers, those who stepped forward were obviously Oswald, Esterize, and Sanbalt. Rashild and the others stayed back, while Albero’s group wasn’t allowed to leave the horse carriage.
ㅤ
“Looks like they’re determined to keep us out of it.”
“Right. Seems like they just consider us tools for battle. What kind of joint operation is this? Aren’t they taking all the credit? Well, I don’t care anyway.”
ㅤ
Albero and Kid were watching Oswald and the others from the horse carriage window.
Ridelle reprimanded the two of them.
ㅤ
“Come on, both of you. Cheer up! Albero, look.”
“Whoa. . . . . .hey, Ridelle, don’t pat my head.”
“Hmph. . . . . .”
ㅤ
Ridelle vigorously patted Albero’s head.
“Mmm. . . . . .Ridelle.”
“Lapis, Ridelle just sees Albero like a younger brother.”
“Yorha-sama, I don’t really. . . . . .”
“Ashe, don’t worry.”
“I, I’m not worried. . . . . .How about you, Yorha?”
“Fufu, because I’m a princess.”
“Mmm. . . . . .”
ㅤ
The girls were chatting, but Albero couldn’t hear them.
Then, the village chief took Esterize and the others into the village. Fugil approached Albero’s horse carriage.
ㅤ
“Leave the horse carriage at the village entrance, and take the horses to the stables. Divide the group in half; one half will guard the village, while the other will patrol the surroundings, on the lookout for demon beasts and demons.”
“Understood, Nii-san. What about the others?”
“The A-class members, including my sister, are in a meeting. Grits and I will handle the miscellaneous tasks. . . . . .Sorry, but we’re counting on you.”
ㅤ
Saying that, Fugil headed to Grits.
They began unloading the luggage and moving it to where they would stay, taking care of the horses, and maintaining the horse carriage.
Yorha let out a deep sigh.
ㅤ
“Wel. . . . . .shall we divide the roles then?”
ㅤ
◇◇◇◇◇◇
ㅤ
Oswald, Esterize, and Sanbalt were called to the village chief’s house to discuss the upcoming plans, including with the village chief.
ㅤ
“I never expected someone as skilled as a summoner from the Asgard Kingdom to visit us.”
“Yes. Apologies, but we need to stay for a few days. There’s an issue with our horse carriage. . . . . .”
“Of course! If needed, we can call our local craftsman, although he’s just the village carpenter. . . . . .But I assure you, he’s good.”
“No need. We’re grateful just for the accommodation. We’d appreciate it if you continue with your regular lives without fussing over us. . . . . .Also, this is for the lodging.”
“O, Oh, my. . . . . .”
ㅤ
Oswald placed a pouch filled with gold coins in front of the village chief.
The village chief took the heavy pouch.
ㅤ
“Ah, sorry to trouble you, chief. We have a private matter to discuss among ourselves. Is there a suitable place?”
“In that case! Please use the village’s assembly hall!”
ㅤ
Behind the village chief’s house was the village’s assembly hall.
They immediately moved there and had Rashild guard the entrance. Inside, the hall was cramped, and the chairs and tables were old.
Oswald took a seat and sighed.
ㅤ
“Dealing with such low-lifes is exhausting. Just living in a rural village like this says a lot. They’re probably all low-ranked nobodies. . . . . .Well, better this than causing a ruckus.”
ㅤ
Oswald didn’t mention the possibility of a demon appearing in the village.
From what he saw, the villagers’ ranks were probably between E and C. Mentioning the possibility of a demon might make them flee.
If considering the possibility of a demon, it’s more convenient for them to continue living their usual lives.
Of course, the story about the horse carriage’s condition being bad was a lie.
ㅤ
“Oswald. . . . . .do you think it will appear?”
“I’m not sure. . . . . .Well, if it does, we can just send in an S-class. We’ll stay safe and take the credit.”
“True. It’s unfortunate for the villagers, but. . . . . .I’m glad they aren’t citizens of the Asgard Kingdom.”
ㅤ
Sanbalt said this with a grin.
A smile without malice. Esterize sometimes disliked this side of Sanbalt. But she felt the same way about anyone outside the Asgard Kingdom.
Esterize turned to Oswald for confirmation.
ㅤ
“For now, we’ll just observe.”
“Yes. We’ll wait until the day of the ‘prophecy,’ and if nothing happens, we’ll move to the next village. Also. . . . . .I heard an interesting story.”
“An interesting story?”
“Yes. Hehe. . . . . .I received a new ‘prophecy’.”
“”What?””
“Shh. This is a secret. . . . . .hehehe, things are about to get interesting.”
ㅤ
Oswald directed a murky smile at Esterize and Sanbalt.
ㅤ
◇◇◇◇◇◇
ㅤ
Near the village where Albero and others were, there was a horse.
The horse was carrying a large load. It was camping equipment.
A man was riding on that horse.
ㅤ
“That village over there. . . . . .well, this area should do.”
ㅤ
The man began preparing for camping near the village in the thickets.
The man summoned a small 『bat』 to his palm.
ㅤ
“I’m counting on you, 『ScoopBat』. . . . . .Find me some interesting scoop.”
ㅤ
Summoned beast ScoopBat.
Its ability is 『Stealth Photography』. Among the reporters in the Asgard Kingdom who have a 『Photography-type Summoned Beast』, only three possess this 『Stealth Photography』 ability.
One of them, Benzack, who works at 『Yggdrasil Newspaper Company』, grins in the bushes.
ㅤ
“Watch this. . . . . .With the pride of a newspaper reporter, I’ll take loads of photos for the joint request of A-class and S-class.”
ㅤ
Benzack’s favorite things are 『scoops』 and 『truth』. . . . . .His journalistic spirit was burning passionately.
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