The next morning after I leveled up from the getting along showdown
between Alicia and Regina.
Alicia and I finished our preparation and immediately departed toward the
dungeon city Sankrid.
The distance from the fortress city Gretona to the dungeon city Sankrid
would take more than one month on stagecoach.
Although it was close compared to going to demihuman nation, it was still a
very far distance.
But we managed to arrive to dungeon city Sankrid in a week since departing
from the fortress city.
It was thanks to,
"Ok, we arrived! As expected from me! Carry Penipeni's wind magic is
really excellent!"
The half elf girl――Carry Penipeni who managed to avoid the fate of
becoming penis transporter brought Alicia and I to here with her wind
magic.
Carry-san's wind magic was truly excellent. She deserved to proudly puff
out that big chest of her.
The duration of time she could fly in one day, speed, and altitude were all in
high level.
Not only that, she seemed to have precise control on air current too. Even
though we were riding on a staff that was moving in high speed, our face
wasn't hit by the wind at all, making it a pleasant journey through the sky.
I had heard that having elf lineage made it easier to be awakened to excellent
magic type Gift, but it was still very astounding for someone who wasn't
even twenty years old to be this skilled.
"Thank you so much Carry-san. We're really in your debt. I hope we will be
able to rely on your help again in case something happen."
"Fu-fu-fu. Of course. I'm the half elf with powerful luck that rescued me
from being penis transporter specialist. I shall help your properly next time
too in my capacity as a carrier."
Carry-san responded to my gratitude with a smug expression.
But the next moment Carry-san went "Hm?" and tilted her head as though
she realized something.
"... Eh? But thinking carefully I was carrying the penis producing
machine Erio-san just now, so in the end I'm still transporting penis as my
first job...?"
"What are you saying?"
Like that Carry-san returned back to the fortress city while still puzzling out
such question.
I had been vaguely noticing it during this one week but, Carry-san was
someone who was a bit peculiar somehow huh...
"W-well, putting that aside... this is the dungeon city Sankrid huh."
"...Amazing. It's far bigger than even the fortress city..."
Alicia and I moved from the arrival and departure place for wind magician
toward the city――and got overwhelmed by the crowd.
I thought I was used with crowd as someone who used to live in the capital,
but the disorderly impression that Sankrid gave made the place felt even
more crowded.
The economy here must be prospering greatly from the various magical ores
and monster materials that were produced from the dungeon. The people
were in high spirits and the city was filled with a lot of flourishing shops.
I also caught some sights of people who seemed to be the same age with
Alicia and me――beginner adventurers who had just received their Gift. I
could see once more how perfect this city was to hide ourselves.
By the way.
There were also a lot of other cities that got called dungeon city. Most of
them were being properly managed by the country.
In contrast, this Sankrid was located at the frontier of Spermaria
Kingdom――in other words it was near the border. Because of that there
was often conflict with the neighboring country regarding this city's
ownership. Meanwhile brigades that were made up of unaffiliated
adventurers spread their influence and turned this city into a place where the
country and the church's authority wasn't really strong.
The brigades were taking advantage of that and became able to rule this city
after a long time, so the kingdom left them alone because they apparently
didn't want to take over this city so much that they would turn the
neighboring country and the adventurer brigades here into enemy for that.
The Holy Knights that were affiliated with the capital polished their skill in
nearby dungeon that the country managed, so they almost never go out of
their way to a place like Sankrid that was located in the middle of nowhere.
Because of that this city became a special place that managed to escape the
monitoring of both the capital and the church. I felt nothing but thanks for
Rouge-san's recommendation of this city.
"Alright, we already got a suitable inn... so let's walk around the city for
now while making preparation to enter the dungeon."
"...Yes. I can't wait."
Alicia and I had booked a room in an inn that had thick wall (important),
then we immediately went out to the city.
Just in case Alicia hid her face using her cloak and we also held each other's
hand so we wouldn't get separated within this crowd.
We were approaching a main street that had a lot of shops intended for
adventurer, like weapon shop, item shop, and so on. It was then.
(? What?)
The people walking on the main street suddenly started opening a way by
moving to left and right.
I tilted my head in contemplation of what was going on. I focused my gaze
to that direction.
Because ahead of where the crowd was splitting there was a group of
adventurer with atmosphere that made it clear that they weren't ordinary
people.
Their equipments were clearly of the highest class even from this far away.
They carried themselves similar to the Holy Knight.
Their appearance gave the impression of people who had gone through
numerous carnages. They were radiating a presence that overwhelmed the
surrounding just by being there.
And the peerless beauty who walked at the head of that group was clad in
especially different atmosphere even among that group.
She was a human female who looked distinctive with her glossy black hair
grew until her waist and her almond shaped eyes.
Her age should be around the latter half of her twenties.
The aura that was rising up from her whole body seemed to say that it was
only natural for others to obey her. It felt like I would reflexively harbor
feeling of awe just from her bearing.
She was clearly not normal.
Or rather, don't tell me this group is... a bad premonition filled my chest.
Right after that.
"Oi that... it's the "Empress"."
"She's so pretty it's scary like usual..."
"Oi stop, who knows what will be done to you if she get her eyes on you.
Open up a path for her to pass."
The words that the citizens whispered told me that my suspicion was right.
(A-as I thought they are one of the three largest brigades...! What's more
they're the core members of Sankrid's second brigade――the "Empress
Brigade" that Rouge-san warned me about...!)
That meant the black haired beauty walking at the front was the tenth leader
of Sankrid's second brigade――Stacy Poisondoll who was in charge of
around 2000 adventurers.
If that was the case then I was really unlucky.
To run into such person so suddenly within a city this large…
(W-well, there's no way I'll suddenly catch the attention of someone like
that without any reason... just in case let's keep some distance from that
group.)
What made a group scary wasn't just the strength of each individual
member, but also its organizational capability.
We would become unable to hide ourselves in this city and leveled up
secretly if we got their attention. We should be as careful as possible here.
And so I pulled Alicia's hand to blend within the crowd. It was then.
"Tsu!?"
I felt an intense gaze on my back and turned around.
But,
(? Is it just... my imagination?)
There wasn't anybody here who was looking at us.
I had a bit of bad premonition, even so I prioritized leaving that place for the
time being.
*
Like that Erio followed the flow of the crowd to walk away from there...
while someone was glancing in fixation on his back.
The gaze belonged to a beauty with distinctive glossy black hair and almond
shaped eyes.
The leader of around 2000 adventurers who were no different from thugs,
Stacy Poisondoll.
She was sporting a sloppy grin that didn't suit her beautiful face.
"Hey look there Liza, I found a really lovely couple. Fufu, I wonder if those
two are rookie adventurers who had just gotten their Gift. It's so charming
how innocent they are."
She spoke to look for agreement from the brigade's upper echelon behind
her.
That voice sounded sugary like a girl cooing over freshly born puppy or
kitten.
But Stacy licked her lips in the next moment while saying this.
"Aah geez, they're so bad. If they show off their intimate relationship to me
like that... it makes me want to just steal him away."
0
Those words from Stacy caused the female aide who she addressed to mutter
"Your bad habit is rearing its ugly head again" in exasperation.
But that was all.
Nobody in the group tried to stop Stacy who was going to steal the boy from
the girl before cruelly devouring him in front of the girl. Far from that there
was even someone among them who wordlessly started tailing the boy and
girl to follow the unspoken command of the "Empress".
But that too was only natural.
Because in this city it was the brigades, or their leaders standing on the top
who were functioning as the law.
"Fufu, what fortune it is to be able to encounter such nice prey before the
big fight. I'll mess them up good with my skill for pre-celebration."
.
Stacy Poisondoll (28)
Level 250
Hobby: Plundering (Limited to innocent couple who had just obtained their
Gift)
.
That wicked adventurer who was reigning at the very top of this dungeon
city felt shivers running through her spine while imagining that adorable boy
who vanished into the crowd.