Should we continue on to Pelmia like this?
Or should we return to Vespian as suggested by the others?
“Alright, alright. Fine, let’s go back to Vespian.”
After a brief deliberation, I finally nodded and agreed with the others’ opinion, albeit with a long sigh.
I couldn’t force my way through with just my own stubbornness when all the other party members were opposed.
Although the chances of meeting Heid were high if we returned to Vespian… well, given how things have turned out, there’s nothing I can do about it.
I’ll just have to take another request and bury myself in a dungeon as soon as we get back, or hole up in the inn like a shut-in and wait for Heid to leave.
“Ugh… Hilde. Perhaps, um, that is… you’re not, not upset, are you…?”
Perhaps because of the sigh I let out, Friede, who was lying on my thigh, carefully gauged my mood.
Her anxious look, as if worried she might have hurt my pride, was quite amusing – like a puppy looking up at its owner with uneasy eyes after causing mischief.
“Hm? Of course not…?”
…Honestly, it was quite cute too.
“Upset? How could I be? You just said what was right, Friede.”
I chuckled and stroked Friede’s head. Reassuring her with a single phrase that there was nothing to be displeased about.
Wasn’t it said that outstanding looks are a cheat key that makes life easier in itself?
It certainly seemed that way.
Despite being twenty years old, which would be considered a full-grown adult by any world’s standards, perhaps due to her youthful face, I found myself becoming more lenient, as if dealing with children, without even realizing it.
* * *
Did I mention this earlier?
That the reward for this request was so pathetic that even calling it dirt cheap would be an overstatement.
Since Lug, who was the client, revealed that the request itself was a disguise and ran away, the only compensation we could receive was the advance payment he had deposited with the guild.
The additional rewards based on the number of bandits subjugated became empty promises, and even Belita, from whom we could have expected some bounty, fled as soon as things turned unfavorable.
Considering the nearly ten-day period and the number of bandits we dealt with during that time, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say we had practically done volunteer work.
…At least, that’s what I thought.
“Still, we did end up with something.”
Until Amy, who had gotten up after taking sufficient rest, pointed to the two wagons that Lug had left behind.
“We can take those, right? They abandoned them and left.”
“…You’re right?”
I nodded with a face of realization.
I hadn’t thought of it, but since the Rivilla merchant group, who were the owners of those wagons, had abandoned them and left, they were no different from a fallen money pouch.
Finders keepers, as they say.
The daily necessities and moderate luxury goods used to disguise it as ordinary trade, the weapons and armor left behind by the subjugated bandits, and even the wagons themselves.
Although it might be a bit troublesome to dispose of, if we took all of that and sold it, it seemed like we could more than make up for the losses from this job.
No, if we sold everything at a fair price, we might even be able to pocket several times the reward we had originally expected.
“…How much do you think we could get if we sold all of that?”
“Well… if we sell everything including the horses, it might be a bit over one gold coin.”
So that’s about thirty silver per person at most?
It was quite a substantial profit.
Those Rivilla merchant group guys, were they not fraudsters but rather Santa Clauses who got the season wrong? The joke crossed my mind to that extent.
No, considering how they screwed us over, they might be closer to treasure goblins than Santa Claus?
Anyway, it was a good thing. With that money, this request could be considered not a loss but a huge success.
The only issue that concerned me was whether the other parties wouldn’t object if our party monopolized all the contents of the wagons…
“The wagons, you mean? Take them if you want.”
“What…? Is that really okay?”
Contrary to expectations, Bardu willingly gave up ownership of the wagons.
“Haha. If we hadn’t stopped Belita, these goods wouldn’t even be left. I’m just grateful to have saved my life, so I can’t shamelessly claim a share.”
He burst into unpretentious laughter as if he had never even thought of claiming ownership in the first place.
“Uh… well, thank you.”
I nodded in gratitude, stumbling over my words slightly out of embarrassment.
I had misjudged him.
I thought he was a person with good character but still couldn’t escape the limitations of an adventurer, but it turned out Bardu was truly a saint incarnate.
To the extent that if he had chosen to be a priest instead of a warrior, I wouldn’t be surprised if he went around emitting a halo.
“Let me add one word of caution: you should be somewhat careful when disposing of those. You might be mistaken for handling stolen goods, or the Rivilla merchant group might even turn around and accuse you of robbing their cargo.”
He not only willingly gave up ownership of the spoils but even went so far as to advise us to be cautious of potential problems that might arise during disposal.
“That should be fine. I’m a member of the Magic Tower, after all. A low-ranking one, but still.”
It was an unnecessary worry since our party had Amy, but.
Treating it as stolen goods and slashing the price or threatening with accusations – that’s only possible against ordinary adventurers without backing.
Trying such tricks against a magician affiliated with the Magic Tower would only result in harm to themselves.
Didn’t I mention before? The Magic Tower folks are no different from a magical mafia that doesn’t hesitate to use any means necessary for the pursuit of their members’ interests.
They might be the worst bastards to those who aren’t affiliated magicians, but once you’re a member, they become a solid backing like city walls.
Picking a fight without justification against a Magic Tower member was no different from picking a fight with the entire Magic Tower.
It’s suicidal, in other words.
Isn’t that why Amy keeps paying expensive membership fees to remain affiliated with the Magic Tower?
If Lug’s higher-ups from the Rivilla merchant group were to accuse Amy of robbery, an unidentified corpse would likely be added to the city’s sewers before long.
…Maybe not just one corpse, even.
* * *
That wasn’t all we gained as spoils.
They say a tiger leaves its skin when it dies, and a person leaves their name.
Belita didn’t leave her skin or name since she escaped without dying, but perhaps some final conscience remained in her, as she did leave one thing behind before departing.
“Kachak! Found this! Spear that goes boom with fire! That woman’s lost item!”
A black iron long spear with flame explosion magic embedded in it.
Belita’s beloved weapon, which she hadn’t managed to retrieve, was stuck in a corner of the bushes.
“Ah, this was left behind. I thought it had been destroyed in the explosion.”
I took the spear from Kikel and swung it around a few times.
Although it was the first time wielding a spear since the possession, the movement of my arms and legs felt incredibly smooth, as if wearing perfectly fitting clothes.
Come to think of it, wasn’t Brunhilde’s swordsmanship set up as a modified version of her family’s spear technique twisted into sword form?
So it’s no wonder the sensation of wielding a long spear feels remarkably familiar. To convert spear techniques into sword techniques, one would first need to master the spear techniques themselves.
Although she stubbornly stuck to longswords in the story to hide her Eisenstein lineage, when you think about it, spear techniques were actually her fundamental martial art.
Ah, to be precise, should I say javelin techniques rather than spear techniques?
My memory is a bit vague, but… I think I read that Eisenstein spearmanship was set up as a martial art that shoots spears like projectiles rather than swinging them.
It was a setting that was only briefly mentioned in the story, so I’m not sure about its accuracy, but.
…Well, whether it’s spear techniques or javelin techniques, what does it matter?
Although Eisenstein spearmanship is said to focus on javelin throwing… it’s still one of the skill characteristics ranked higher than Iron Arm, so surely it can’t consist of just one technique of throwing spears?
Unless all the family members are mentally ill long-range maniacs, that’s impossible.
It might not match up to the hereditary spear techniques of families specializing in close-range spear combat, but Eisenstein spearmanship must have had its own techniques and stances for close combat.
Not that I would ever use them.
Why, you ask? Well, isn’t it obvious?
While it might be different for someone who only specialized in spear techniques, for a knight like Brunhilde who had also internalized sword techniques, all you need to do in close combat is swing a sword instead of a spear.
The sword technique established by Brunhilde… that is, Eisenbalt swordsmanship, was a sword technique specifically designed and specialized for close combat from the start.
Therefore, in terms of close combat alone, Eisenbalt swordsmanship was several times more powerful and precise than the close-range spear techniques that came as a bonus with javelin techniques.
There’s no reason to fumble around with a spear in a situation where you can just draw a sword and swing it.
So for me, the most efficient way to use this spear would be not to wield it, but to utilize its javelin power to strike decisively in the first blow or at a critical moment, like a finishing move.
In fact, when you think about it, it might be best not to use it at all.
Even Brunhilde in the original work gritted her teeth and fought only with a sword because her family background couldn’t be revealed.
In other words, if I start throwing spears around, it would reveal that she – I – am from the Eisenstein family.
I’m not sure what the problem with that is since the author left it unresolved, but it’s clear that it’s no small issue.
Judging by how extremely rare it was for Brunhilde to use a spear in the story, perhaps a crisis would befall her as soon as it became widely known, or something like that?
At least she knew what crisis would come, so she could prepare countermeasures, but for me, who knows nothing about this, it’s impossible.
In short, it means that for me, it’s best not to use spear techniques at all if possible.
Unless it’s a situation where I can annihilate all witnesses, I can’t even begin to guess what kind of snowball effect it might set off in other situations.
…Well, still, obtaining Belita’s spear itself was an extremely joyous thing.
Honestly, for an adventurer, this long spear was several times more valuable as a reward than the wagons.