Legend

"Dear Elaine, it's tea."

Put tea on the table in front of Elaine where Arla is sitting on the couch reading a book.

"Uhm."

Elaine brings tea to her mouth as she rolls through the pages of the book.

As he sees how it is, Ray turns his gaze into the carriage.

There's hardly even a shake, and it usually feels like we're in a room somewhere, but this carriage is definitely moving towards the dungeon right now.

"That's what you should call a nobleman"

Custe sends a chillary glance at that word he accidentally whined about, who was also reading some book on the couch near Elaine, but goes back to the book again without saying anything in particular.

He initially started traveling by carriage from the city of Gilm, pointing a gaze that looked down openly against Ray, but he decided to treat Ray's presence like air just because he said he was sorry to get involved after Elaine noticed that.

Also, Ver, who is not currently in the carriage, is steering the carriage on your podium.

Is that kind of sharing from the beginning around here, especially before we left without saying anything. As an escort, I asked if I had to be vigilant on your stand, but I was convinced that according to Elaine, one of the effects of this carriage was to inform those inside the carriage when they sensed hostility.

Ray enters the carriage with great care if it has such a function, and at the same time decides that he will be able to know the raid with Seto's ringing at times because Seto is walking beside the carriage.

Or even if some monster or bandit came raiding, if the monster was the opponent, the meat would just be Seto's meal, and if the bandit would just expose the wreckage to the field.

"What's up, Ray? It doesn't seem very comfortable."

Elaine calls out to Ray, who seems to be out of place somewhere, but it was only natural for her to be restless if she tried Ray, who had never been on such a luxurious carriage.

"I've never been in one of these fine carriages before, so I'm so nervous"

"Hmm, is that what it is? But it will take two days from here to the dungeon. One of these days you'll get used to it, so now you should feel better and enjoy your journey.... if anything, I'll lend you a book or something I have?

"No, I have the book."

Elaine nodding as impressed by that one word. Books in this world are basically copies, and therefore the price of each book is the appropriate amount. Even cheap items have a few silver coins. Some rare items are white gold coins.

"Anyway, what I was learning from my master was basically combat techniques, including magic, so in order to do it as an adventurer, I had to find out for myself how to strip down the material of the monsters I had defeated and the characteristics of the monsters."

"Is that common to be an adventurer? Though it is normal in the Knights for the upper ones to teach the lower ones a lot. Ara, how'd it go with you?

Elaine asks Ara, who has begun to soften her attitude to Ray, albeit slightly, from one of the carriages.

Even Ara still has a strong memory of being killed the day before, but her attitude toward Ray was not as tough as Custe's because she was convinced that it was her brave leg after one night.

(I guess it's Custe and Ver that's the problem in that sense. Custe in particular has a high pride as a nobleman and tends to look down on those outside the nobility.... I hope that area dissolves on this trip with a guy named Ray)

While Elaine thinks so, she looks at herself as she pretends to read the book... and looks to Custe, who is asking exactly if Ray would do no harm to herself.

For Elaine, the presence of Custe is a very dependable subordinate, as long as it does not have the pride characteristic of its nobility. When it comes to the arms of spears, the Duke of Kelp is at the top of the Knights, and above all, he admires himself as a nobleman and Elaine herself, so he doesn't have to worry about betrayal, so he can safely join the battlefield.

While thinking that way, Ara shares her experience when she joined the Knights.

"Right. I did learn a lot from my predecessors initially when I joined the Knights of the Duke of Kelp. For example, where to store the weapons used in training, and advice on combat... that would have been impossible to follow the training without those seniors telling me."

"I guess so. This is how my Knights look, but are adventurers different?

To Elaine's words, Ray remembers when she signed up for the guild.

I thought if I had been able to interact well with the face of the eagle claws that had tangled with me, I might have been what Arla was saying. But.

"I'm not saying I didn't get that chance, but until a few months ago, I grew up in a place where there was only a magic master and Seto, so I really don't like people."

"Really? It doesn't feel that way when you're interacting with me."

"Because there are quite a few things that suit people and don't fit. Not with Master Elaine..."

Ray turns his gaze towards Custe only for a moment.

I saw that. I nod in the wind that Elaine and Arla were also convinced.

"Well, that's why I ended up having to learn and remember on my own because the guild was the first. … but after that, Elaine gained a lot of knowledge of adventure by interacting with the Axe Face of the Thunder God that she knew."

"Yes, that's it. Ray, I heard you met Elk when you were in a crusade against the Orc settlement?

Has Xing come on board, Elaine, who closes the book she was reading and sips a cup of tea?

Or maybe he's concerned about Ray, who's not well tamed in the carriage.

Aware of her own intoxicating boss's such care, Ara takes an attitude of listening with some jealousy but also with interest to the rumors Ver has heard about her crusade against the Orc settlement.

"Right, it's not a mistake. In fact, the request to crusade that orc settlement would very likely have failed without the elk."

"Mm-hmm? I heard Ray defeated Oak King, didn't I?

"I'm the one who did finish the oak king. There was also a Rank C party called Burning Wind though. But it wasn't until Oak King had to escape the settlement in the first place that Elk... or Thunder God's Axe came into play."

"Go on."

"It was the Axe of Thunder God that was placed in the first place in the most prominent place in the night raid against the Oak settlement. So, I was flashly defeating the orcs and attracting the orcs who were in the settlement... That's what I should call a Rank A party, and I was dealing with most of the orcs that came together and crossing without pulling a step. So the orcs in the settlement turn to the elks, and they still can't defeat them. Eventually, Oak King decided he didn't have a chance to win, and he knocked out a very small group of his men who were trying to get out of the settlement with the scorching wind that I discovered and were nearby on Ceto."

"... I see. If you listen to that story, it certainly sounds like you couldn't have done it without Elk... but fulfill it. Was that really impossible?

Zokri.

Chills run as if cold ice had been inserted into Ray's spine into that one word of Elaine casually said.

Yes, in fact, if Ray could have done something with one person and one person with Seto, he could have done it by himself. However, in that case, the method is to use the magic of Ray to the fullest extent possible to burn down every settlement.

"One thing with Ara yesterday. I played that big sickle you waved, but the weight of that blow. And that magic you can feel from yourself. Think of it...... no, let's not. There's nothing I can do about saying that here. Wouldn't you?

To that word of Elaine, Ray pushes upset to death and tilts his neck as usual on the surface.

"Well, I don't know what you're talking about."

But it was bittersweet of Elaine to see Ray's face like that.

"I'm not good at belly art either, but you're no better at belly art than me like that.... Well, fine. Instead, why don't you do me a favor today at the camp?... you don't mind?

"Nothing. I don't think I need to make arrangements."

"Say what. We're going to try the dungeon together, right? There's no harm in knowing each other's strengths.... or that's the least you should do"

"If it's my strength, Custe knows enough. So will Ara."

Custe, put out to make out, turns his abominable eyes to Ray. And Arla looks at Elaine, her beloved boss with a bitter smile.

"Lord Ray, we can't stop Elaine from happening, so please give up."

All I could do was advise Ara to give up that way.

To that word, how did you decide you were going to be opponent of a mock fight? Ray sighs and nods.

"Okay. Surely it's not good that we don't know each other's strengths when it comes to challenging dungeons together from now on. Let me take it from you."

"Well, that helps. Now, suppose we wait for the night to pass? Ray, it's like keeping you fit for the night."

"... Yes"

That's when I answered. Suddenly the sound of a whistle echoes into the carriage.

"What's this?

It was Arla pulling her sword out of her hips sheath with a serious look on her face that answered Ray's words, who squealed wonderfully.

"Lord Ray, this is one of the effects this carriage has been given, the sound of sensing someone trying to do harm to this carriage."

"I mean, a raid?

"Probably. I don't know if the enemy is a monster...... but?

The word was interrupted because the whistle sound that was ringing in the carriage was abruptly interrupted.

"Uh... that?

Arla is baffled by the sudden interruption of the whistle sound. Custe, watching it, calls out from the window of the wall to your table.

"Ver, what happened?

"Uh, that's it. Come on. Ironsnake attacked me..."

"What!?

Custe tries to get back to picking up the demon spear in an aggressive fashion to Ver's words. But Ver stops it.

"No, it's okay, it's okay. Look, you see that?

After Vel's gaze, there, Seto, a griffon, was smashing a giant snake's head about twice as long with sharp eagle claws.

The contents of the head and skull are crushed and scattered around because of the rupture of the Ironsnake's head.

"Do you want to lightly defeat Ironsnake?... That's what you should call a griffon"

Ironsnake. The rank itself is E and a low monster, but that's a low offensive late rank on the back of a high defense.

Its body is covered in iron-like scales as its name suggests, and in low-ranking adventurers it has enough defense to literally not stand a blade even when attacked with weapons. Or a weapon that focuses on destructiveness like a hammer, stick, or axe can be countered to some extent in order to be able to shock inside.

And what is its high defense? The only way to attack the back is to tighten, bite, and strike with a tail, which is no different than the usual snake. Also, there is no poison in the fangs, so the attack itself is not that much of a monster to be afraid of. Just even sturdy defense and inexhaustible health. Together, they result in the perception that they are not strong but troublesome monsters.

But such a monster could not resist the blow of Seto, a griffon - with a rigid bracelet, a magic item to boost power - and lightly scattered its life.

"Grrrrrrrrrr!"

And the voice of Seto coming from the door that Custe opened.

Feeling what that voice expects, Ray calls out to Elaine with a bitter smile.

"Dear Elaine, would you mind if I step out of the carriage for a moment on Ceto's errands?

"Yeah? What, suddenly. I guess Ironsnake came out, huh?

Elaine asks as she lowers her hips the sheath that holds the jointed sword.

"Apparently Seto defeated that iron snake, because Seto's ringing that he wants you to keep it"

"Storage?"

"It's Seto's dinner today."

"... oh, I see. Really? Seto is alive, so naturally we need food? Is that Ironsnake?

"That's right. There are a lot of meals in the item box for Seto, but I would never go over them if I could procure them locally because I eat so much."

"Hmm, well, fine. Custe."

"Okay."

The carriage slowly stops when Elaine calls out to Ver, where Custe is in the throne.

Make sure of that before Ray gets out of the carriage.

"Gru."

Praise him and stroke Seto's head, which just gives him his head, before storing the headless iron snake inside the item box.

"Well, that's convenient."

Ver's inspiring voice as he watched how it went. Turn your gaze toward Ver as you reward Seto with dried meat.

"Well. It's more than enough to be an adventurer on a solo.... and bad. You should leave soon."

"Sure.... You too, Custe's opponents may be tough, but will you try to be as friendly as possible? I don't have many friends because of my personality."

"Well, it depends on the other guy"

I give that back to Ver, who suddenly talked to me, and I head back into the carriage.

(I thought you hated me... and you didn't?

With such questions in my mind.