Ihoujin, Dungeon ni Moguru

【4th day】

This is the city of adventurers.

It was very natural when you thought about it, but disputes were very common. Adventurers were such creatures after all.

Theft, robbery, murder, fraud, and squabbles between party members about their share of the rewards. Apart from bar fights, it was the Adventurers’ Guild’s job to mediate between the affected adventurers and deal with such things.

That was what I was told by the receptionist in charge of me.

I asked a question.

Then, who deals with disputes between adventurers and non-adventurers?

It becomes a troublesome story from here on.

The Adventurers’ Guild here was operated by the monarchy of the Kingdom of Lemuria. When the current king gained fame as an adventurer, he made the Guild independent from the Central Adventurers’ Union that was in charge of running the Guilds.

Independence itself was not unusual. Dispatching personnel to the various Guilds under its purview was costly and provided a low return for the Union. Moreover, it was a world where moving between places took a long time. There were also dangers when crossing the sea. If the additional personnel that the Guilds requested for didn’t arrive, there would be an additional burden on the people who were already dispatched there. If business was disrupted or if the Guild went bankrupt, the adventurers and the aspiring adventurers would all become a rioting mob. Hence, there was nothing better to the Union than if a Guild could operate autonomously.

However, when it came to operating the Guild independently, problems kept emerging one after another.

One of them was the disputes between adventurers and non-adventurers.

Everyone knew that the king was a prominent adventurer.

Setting aside criminal acts, if he favored the adventurers when settling disputes, the non-adventurers would say,

『As expected from the king of adventurers. He’s partial towards them』

If he favored the non-adventurers,

『The king has forgotten the heart of an adventurer!』

Was how it would go.

He was a king before he was an adventurer, but that was not how people saw him. Rather than the king, all they saw was the famous adventurer, Lemuria Oru Almagest Razva.

If the majority of the citizens were serfs, then it would probably be good to let his reputation be of secondary importance. But adventurers were people that had great fighting prowess. He had to take that into consideration. There were monsters among them that could destroy a country alone.

So, would the problem be solved if he gave preferential treatment to the adventurers? No.

Just because it was called the city of adventurers, it did not mean that the city consisted only of adventurers. Merchants who bought and distributed the materials were needed. Craftsmen who processed those materials and made weapons were needed. Cooks who filled stomachs were needed. Carpenters who built the houses for people to live in were needed. Serfs who grew grain were needed. People who provided entertainment and rest for others were needed. There would be no end to it if you tried to list everyone needed.

After agonizing endlessly over this problem, the king turned elsewhere for a solution, even though it pretty much defeated the purpose of being independent.

The Kingdom of Lemuria joined the center continent’s Monarchical Alliance and requested that they dispatch military police to help.

The military policemen held a thankless role.

On top of that, they earned the enmity of the monster-like adventurers. You couldn’t get them to say their job was easy, even if you threatened them. And in the grand scheme of things, they couldn’t send large numbers of armed men into another country, even if it was an allied nation. That was why only the most talented people were chosen.

I had been looking for the military police since last night. It was because I had a dispute with some adventurers. However, I was about to die from my injuries and fatigue.

To think that I would die before even exploring the dungeon. In gaming terms, I was about to meet my end before I even started the tutorial.

It was a life where I had completely failed to live up to my name. My sister also had no luck despite her name. Just what was going on with the two of us? If there was such a thing as an item that brings luck, I want to bring it home.

For that reason, I had to stay alive and go to the dungeon.

With dragging feet, I started moving again. A child pointed at me and was told by his parent『Don’t look』. Did I look so terrible?

After turning a corner, I encountered a pair of elves who screamed loudly.

One of them looked like a typical elf, a tall beauty with long hair and a bow. The other carried a staff and was unusually petite for an elf. Her voluptuous breasts caught my eye even through her loose robes. Both were dressed like adventurers.

「I’m sorry to have surprised you. If possible, the military police, urgh, geho」

I vomited blood for some reason. I immediately held it in with my hands to prevent the women’s clothes from getting dirty.

「Y, you’re badly injured」

The elf with the staff had a worried look on her face and started to come closer.

「Onee-chan! Don’t get involved!」

The elf with the bow pulled her back. Yeah, that’s the right thing to do. I would have done the same.

「At least let me use some simple healing magic」

「This guy is definitely dangerous, let’s disregard and ignore him. Why should we help a Hemu?」

I didn’t want any sympathy from the two women, but I turned to them with a glimmer of hope.

「Sorry. I will, reward you. Military police station. Location, give…… directions?」

「Go straight ahead from here and turn right at the bar with a large horn on its sign. It’s a short distance from there. Should I call someone for help?」

「It’s okay. Thanks, for help」

I was about to hand her a few gold coins as a reward, but my hands were dirty with blood so I placed the coins on the cobbles.

「Alright then」

I re-gripped the chain in my hand and resumed moving at a snail’s pace. I couldn’t hear their quiet voices.

I felt like singing a song.

It would be like I was the background of the closing credits of a movie. Well, the problem was that I hadn’t done anything yet and hadn’t even started at all.

I found the bar and turned right. Fortunately, the station was closer than I expected. If I had to walk another 50 meters, I would definitely die. I knocked on the door and got a carefree reply in return. My legs had reached their limits, perhaps because of the relief I felt at reaching my goal. I collapsed inwards as the door opened.

「Uwaa!」

The person who had shouted was a middle-aged man. He was wearing a uniform, a sword and a hat with a distinctive diamond-shaped brim.

「Are you, military policeman?」

「That’s right, what’s wrong?」

「Here」

I gave him the chain.

「What’s this?」

The puzzled military policeman followed the chain outside.

I heard him make a disgusted sound.

Outside was a trio of adventurers who had their broken arms and feet restrained by the chain, which was then pierced through and tangled around the many holes made in their bodies until they were a ball-shaped mass. Moans of agony could still be heard, so they shouldn’t be dead yet.

It was because I was dragging something like that, that everyone ran away and I couldn’t ask for directions.

「You told me not to underestimate you, right?」

I laughed at them with a reproachful look in my eyes.

「Don’t underestimate me, adventurers」

Satisfaction.

With that feeling of satisfaction and a refreshing sense of accomplishment, I died.

※

I was alive.

「………………………!」

「………………………」

「………………! ………………?!」

「………………………」

「………………………!」

「………………………!」

The voices of a man and a woman could be heard in the distance.

This was the worst. I remembered my two dead parents. Memories of people who had disappeared and turned into ashes shouldn’t cling to me. Was this kind of thing what was called a curse?

「It’s wrong to treat him this way! How is he at fault?!」

「Stop being weirdly on his side. Think of your and my positions, who are the people we’re supposed to protect and help?」

「Then, isn’t hunting down the rotten apples also part of our jobs?!」

「Try to do something like that, and it won’t just be the Guild but the king that’ll be drawn into this affair. Cool your head, fool」

「Now now, both of you, we can discuss this further after he wakes up」

「In that case, you can start now」

I said as I got up from the simple bed.

Evetta-san, a boy with small wings on his back, and the military policeman were there.

「Souya! Are you alright?!」

Evetta-san came closer and put her hands on the metal bars. I was well and truly imprisoned right now.

「Ouch, it hurts」

My whole body was hurting. My flesh and bones were making creaking and grinding sounds. And for some reason, my skin felt hot. It was hot, but it wasn’t a fever caused by injury, and it felt like there was something hot warming me up from outside.

「You should be glad. If a passing elf didn’t use her magic, you would have lost your arm」

Now that the military policeman had mentioned it, I suppose I did block a long sword with my arm and it had cut to the bone.

I tried moving all five fingers on my right hand. There was slight pain but there were no problems with the nerves and muscles. That’s amazing.

「What was that elf’s name?」

「No idea. She didn’t give her name. She had big boobs though」

「Seriously?」

「Yeah, like this! They were like this!」

The military policeman was making big, roundish gestures at his chest. The person who had been staying silent beside him rolled her eyes at him with disdain.

「Souya. You look okay」

「I’m sorry. I must have made you worried」

「I can guess the reason for the most part, but please tell me exactly what happened」

Evetta-san drew closer.

The metal bars that she was gripping were starting to make creaking and groaning sounds.

「Woah, I’m sorry, horned Onee-san. That’s my job. I’ll let you stay here, so let me ask the questions first」

「………Okay」

With a scary expression on her face, she consented.

The military policeman went to the desk, took out a pen and paper, then sat down.

「First, Onii-san. Your name is Souya of Japan, correct?」

「Yes」

The pen’s ink ran smoothly across the paper.

「You are suspected of injuring three adventurers」

「Yes」

Things must have turned out this way because I fainted before I could explain the situation.

「Do you have an explanation for that?」

「First of all, my property was stolen from the camp that I lived in. The culprits were those three adventurers. Luckily, I was able to find them and although I got injured in the process, I restrained them and brought them here, which is what led to the current situation」

「Did you find the stolen property?」

「No」

There were no containers in that cramped room. I had no time to interrogate them, and I couldn’t stay around there for fear of an ambush.

「Then, is there anyone who can testify that your property was stolen? Proof of that is also fine」

「………No, there’s none of that」

This was bad.

Things were looking very bad. If Makina could be restarted…, no…, would the people of this world be convinced by seeing something that was incomprehensible to them?

「I checked the lodgings of those adventurers, but I couldn’t find any foreign-looking goods. Even if I was trying to flatter them, I couldn’t say that they were people of good conduct, and they had a bad reputation. There were even rumors that they did unscrupulous work for a merchant’s protégé. But, when there is no evidence, all that remains is the vicious beating you gave them. I could have swept it under the rug if you had only beaten them up lightly, but what you did, it’s too much for me to overlook」

I had no response.

I regretted my impulsive actions now.

「And there’s one more bad news for you, Onii-san」

Eh, there’s more?

「It’s about the proof of your identity」

The military policeman put down his pen.

「According to the law of the center continent, it’s a sin to be a non-follower, someone who is not contracted with a god. Such people must be captured and taken to the magistrate of St. Liridias. By the way, the sentences issued by the magistrate are 90% death penalty and 10% becoming guinea pigs for experimentation」

「What the…」

Wasn’t that just a witch hunt?

「Personally speaking, I don’t really want give custody of Onii-san to people like that. More specifically, I only arrived at my post ten days ago and I don’t want to turn right around and go back to the center continent. Because we’re short-handed over here, I would then have to come right back here again. I would end up spending so many months on a ship」

After that story which was a mix of scruples and self-interest, I asked,

「Umm, how long does a one-way trip take?」

「Six months at the earliest」

Even if I was miraculously declared innocent, it would still be checkmate for me.

Okay, I had made a mistake trying to talk my way out of this. I should try to escape. My equipment…… was all taken away.

「And so, I have a proposal for the two of you from the Adventurers’ Guild. Can you make an exception or use a temporary measure or something like that to make this Onii-san an adventurer? In that case, this will no longer be under the jurisdiction of the military police and there’ll no longer be a need for a sea voyage」

This lazy military policeman was pretty capable. I was a little impressed.

「I’m also begging you to please help me」

「I refuse」

It was an immediate answer.

The one who had answered was the beautiful-looking boy with wings. For a beast-man, he looked like a normal human, and I didn’t think he could fly because his wings were too small to begin with. They were almost like ornaments. He looked just like a child, but it was useless to judge people by their appearance in this world.

「I am Solcia, the Guild President of the Lemuria Adventurers’ Guild. Foreigner, let’s make one thing clear. Non-followers are not qualified to obtain the legacy of the gods. That’s all, I have other work to do so I’m leaving」

「Guild President! Please do something!」

「Let go!」

Evetta-san had stopped the Guild President, who had intended to say his piece curtly then leave, by hugging him around his waist. I thought that they looked a lot like siblings messing around with each other and felt that it was very heart-warming, but that was just my mind trying to escape from reality.

「Including even the fringe gods, just how many gods have turned him down! It’s unheard of! What’s more, he made hostile opponents into a meatball and dragged them around the city and shamed them! There’s no god who will want to be contracted with him once they’ve learnt of his behavior!」

Well, that was a sound argument.

There were also some parts there that were the consequences of my own actions. 𝒇𝘳𝐞𝚎𝓌𝑒𝑏𝒏𝑜𝙫ℯl.c𝚘𝒎

「Please at least defer it for one day, I’ll go ask the gods in the city one more time」

「Umm, I feel really bad about that, Evetta-san」

「Souya, keep quiet for a moment!」

Are you my mum?

For a while, we watched the futile exchange between the Guild President and Evetta-san. The military policeman, with a resigned look, muttered,

「I guess I’ll go reserve a ship」

Regrettably, my adventure was over.

A monologue ran in my head.

I wanted to explore the dungeon. I was repeating myself, but I hadn’t even done anything yet. The only thing that I could do after this, although I would feel bad, was to knock out the military policeman and escape. ……I wonder what would happen if I escaped?

Just then,

「I’ve heard what’s going on. Isn’t it a simple matter?」

Truly, a voice from the heavens.

From the prison’s window, a small shadow slipped between the bars and dropped down onto the ground.

「Eh」

It was a gray cat.