Chapter 7 - The Adventurer Named Rolo Mercia

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We bought the souvenir cheese (it was cheap, so we got a whole wheel) and left the dairy city that same day, heading back toward Marhas.
After talking it over with Rolo, we concluded that this situation needed to be shared with all of Marhas as soon as possible.
The situation was likely worse than we had thought.

“Our one-night stop turned into camping out. You sure that was okay?”

I tossed a branch into the campfire and spoke to Rolo, who sat beside me.
My childhood friend, chewing on some roasted dried meat, nodded while still chewing.

“It’s fine. Besides, I had a bit of a bad feeling.”
“…I see.”

What Rolo was likely wary of was getting tied up with something in Hirte.
Given how actively we had worked in the adventurer city of Advante, our adventurer reputation was extremely high, something rarely seen in these rural regions.
After all, our former party Silhasta had been proposed as a candidate for the national selection.
Naturally, as former members, we were held in high regard as well.

From the guild’s perspective, we were the perfect candidates to unload troublesome requests that were too risky for greenhorns.
Of course, we were capable adventurers, so we wouldn’t mind helping solve problems here and there.
But priorities were priorities.
First, we needed to return to the village and begin our investigations.

“Still, Versatile Mystic, huh? That really suits you, Rolo.”
“Keep teasing me and I’ll get mad, you know?”

Rolo puffed out his cheeks, and I gave him a wry smile in return.

“No, really. I’ve always thought you were amazing.”
“From you? Come on, no way.”
“Such little faith.”

I let out a laugh as I threw a twig into the fire.
Rolo tends to underestimate himself while giving me too much credit. He thinks he’s nothing special, which couldn’t be more wrong.

“You’re incredible. You came from the countryside, taught yourself magic, and even learned melee combat just to keep up with me.”
“I’ve never once beaten you, though.”
“Only because you don’t use magic against me.”

Rolo had trained to the point where he could spar with me even without using any body-enhancing magic.
People call me Skysunder, but I’m really just a brute who muscles through things. Rolo, on the other hand, fights with a deep understanding of himself.
If he used magic against me, I’d probably lose without being able to do a damn thing.

“Silhasta relied heavily on you, you know.”
“That’s not true. I’m just a jack of all trades, master of none.”
“I only charged the front lines because I knew you had Fimia and Saran covered. Even they could focus on their roles because you were there. More like… a jack of all trades and master of them all.”

He was top-tier both as a mage and a swordsman.
That’s the kind of man Rolo Mercia is.
I’d always believed that someone like him would be recognized sooner or later. Maybe the world was finally catching up.
Albert was probably just now realizing how valuable Rolo had been.

“I wonder how everyone’s doing…”

Unlike my petty thoughts, Rolo’s voice was full of worry.
Kindhearted, as always.
Well, that’s part of what makes him who he is.

“Saran’s smart. He’ll figure something out.”
“Yeah… Hey, Yulg, you’re not thinking of going back?”

He looked up at me, concerned, his eyes just a little anxious.
Hey, don’t do that. What if I fall for you or something?
We’re both guys, you know?

“At least while Albert’s the face of the party, I’m not going back. If you go back, I’ll follow, though.”
“I see…”
“Besides, we’ve already formed a new party, haven’t we?”

It’s just the two of us, but that’s kind of nice.
I’m not great with people to begin with.

“If we’re going to do a serious investigation, two might not be enough.”
“True. One more… no, maybe two more people would make things easier.”

As we said that, two faces came to mind — Fimia and Saran from Silhasta.
Fimia was a gifted priestess, so skilled in holy magic that she’d been given the title Saint.
Healing, protection, barriers… no one could match her when it came to defensive magic.
With Rolo and Fimia behind me, I could push ahead even when things got rough.

And if Saran was with us, that’d be even better.
He was a noble-born scholar and mage, and also Rolo’s magic instructor.
He could be annoyingly formal at times, but his depth of knowledge was unmatched in the kingdom. If Saran Zolark published any findings, it could easily shake entire organizations.

Of course, there’s no way talented folks like them would be in the middle of nowhere like this.
If we wanted to run a proper investigation, we’d either need to find a competent adventurer in Hirte or hire an actual party.
Though odds are, no one would want to enter the unexplored region.

“If only the others from Silhasta would come…”
“Yeah — except Albert.”
“Yulg, you always say that! I’m sure Albert had his reasons too.”

Rolo smiled softly, and I let out a sigh.
Seriously, why is he such a bleeding heart?
When Rolo was expelled, everyone in the party except Albert had opposed it.
But Albert pushed it through using his authority as leader.
With the person most justified in being angry acting so calm, I don’t even know where to direct my anger.

“…?”

As I absentmindedly snapped thick, dry branches in frustration, I suddenly sensed someone approaching from down the road — from the direction of Hirte.
It was already late at night, a time when even adventurers like us had decided to camp out.
If someone was moving around at this hour, they were either a monster or a bandit.

“Rolo.”
“Yeah, I feel it too.”

We exchanged a glance and reached for our weapons.
The footsteps weren’t those of a horse. But it didn’t feel entirely human, either.
Which meant… monster?

“Yulg?”

Just as I raised my mace toward the approaching footsteps, someone called out from the darkness.
It was a familiar voice. I was so surprised I instinctively lowered my weapon.

“No way— Fimia?”