Chapter 164 How Shall We Break Through?
Geneus-san, a dog man, is a baron and is also in charge of checking who comes into the country. He has three vassals who probably do the same work.
Sometimes, I can't help but feel sorry for them; they might be forced to do all sorts of chores and even told to deal with us adventurers in some way.
Geneus-san never said that, but that's the decision we came to. Or maybe, in Wareels (their place), being a baron is like being a messenger, someone who isn't treated very well. I think that because I've read stories like that. It's like, the darkness is deep... maybe?
Anyway, the dog-people have decided to help us out completely. That means they're not prisoners, but allies. If we keep them here too long, people in Wareels might start to think something's wrong.
Like, maybe there was an accident, or perhaps they faced an unexpected counterattack. But, and I don't want to think this, if something happened to them, maybe no one would even come looking... It's a sad thought, but in a country that would give a baron such a job, who knows?
"Yeah, that makes sense. The lake is huge, after all. They found us and tried to escape to the sea side. That's why we got back late. So, what do you think about reporting this?"
Mother suggested it. I can't shake the feeling she's still up to something. I mean, look at her, the corners of her mouth are slightly turned up, and her fangs are kinda peeking out.
They've been caught in Ensgard for a few hours now. The other side probably don't feel that something's off with the timing yet, do they?
"At the very least, I'd switch sides. You know, family is the most important thing. Well, all I have are my two sisters."
Jam-san just shrugged with a 'oh well' kind of look. Oh, so Jam-san is still single, huh? Then he's in the same boat as me.
"Oh, what happened with that young lady you were involved with?"
"Eh? Oh, that... um, well, certainly, thanks to Tatsuma-sama, the situation in our country has completely changed. But before that, things were pretty tough, so there was talk of maybe next year or the year after..."
Huh? He had a fiancé. riajuu people, go explode... Jam-san and Seteas-san, seriously.
"Hey, hey, big brother. It's written all over your face. You've got Maya-chan, right? And there's Rosalier-san, Her Majesty Queen Myla, Mother, and Mom too, you know?"
"Ah, thanks..."
That's not it, that's not it, Maya-chan... They're family, but, well, never mind.
* * *
The infiltration plan is set. Wareels is mostly home to dog-people and wolf-humans. But there are a few humans who come and go. Apparently, it's because a handful of traders visit each year. I see, so it's not a completely closed-off country.
After Geneus-san and the others return, they'll safely get us into the country. We'll start preparing various things using his house as our base. They surely won't betray us. After all, I have something like a 'hostage' in the form of their 'family's health'.
"Big brother, it's been a while since we teamed up, huh?"
"Yeah, it has."
We were like a dynamic duo in the MMO, causing a ruckus. But by 'causing a ruckus,' I mean we were just having a blast with raid events, small-time events, and conquering dungeons. Still, we knew each other's moves like the back of our hands.
"I can't wait to go wild again!"
"Uh, that's not happening this time."
"What? No way!"
She looked genuinely bummed out. I mean, during the Daioraden event, she did whatever she wanted, right? That was kinda like Maya-chan's way of blowing off steam. But this time, it's a no-go.
"I really can't join in this time, so I'll just wish you safe travels. Though, 'safe' might be a nonsense word for you, Tatsuma-sama."
"Wait, you knew the word 'nonsense'?"
"Story without a climax, punchline without a joke, pure nonsense, haha!"
Maya-chan, you're kind of off. You really know some old words, don't you?
We got a carriage that merchants usually use. Normally, we'd ask Rosalier-san to drive it. But from what I've heard, there are only the Dog-Human Tribe, Wolf-Human Tribe, and Humans here, so Rosalier-san would stand out.
She could insist on being part of the guard and come along, but she doesn't seem to want to return to that form.
I thought Maya-chan learned to drive a carriage from Rosalier-san. That surprised me too.
"It's a different world, so you should be able to drive a carriage, right?"
"I'm sorry. I was relying on others."
We can't bring Centrena and Alesion on this mission. That's why they were so reluctant last night. Centrena wouldn't let go, biting onto my arm, and Alesion was leaning on her, trying to help. Maya-chan was just watching and laughing.
"Is there no danger?"
Mom seemed a bit worried, but Mother just brushed it off.
"At least Tatsuma-kun is kind of like a monster, you know?"
"That's harsh, Mother..."
"And I've heard that Maya-kun is something similar, so I don't think you need to worry."
"Hahaha, I guess the secret's out, huh?"
"I hope that's a good thing..."
It's probably about how strong we are. I think it's like those super messy scenes in Daioraden. But don't worry, I won't let anything happen to Maya-chan.
If we're quick, it'll just be an overnight trip. At most, it'll take two nights and three days. If Geneus-san and the others stay too long, people might think they've been captured. That's what Mother said too. So we decided to hurry back.
And that's why, the next morning, we were off to Wareels.
"Alright, let's hit the road!"
"Okay, okay!"
You know, I just realized this is my first time heading out to the town below Ensgard Castle by myself. Usually, Gefiliona-san is with me, or lately, I've been riding on Centrena's back.
"Has Maya already gone out to play in the town?"
"Yeah, I took Mii-chan shopping."
"That's not fair."
"Well, because I'm not famous as big brother, right?"
"But Maya-chan's famous too, isn't she?"
"That's true, but I'm in disguise, so it's all good."
"I wonder..."
While we chatted like this, before I knew it, we had breezed through the town. No guards with us, of course. But still, as messengers and scouts, a few of Berberiguru-san's crew from Jam-san's place were secretly following us. They're like ninjas, you know? They have ways to trick the Beastmen's super sniffing powers. Pretty cool, actually.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Donate me
Support Me with USDC
(ERC20)
Support Me with XLM
(Stellar Lumens)