NOVEL NEXT Episode 23
Chapter 23
“Are both of you ready?” asked Orto as he turned back before the entrance.
“I’m good.”
“I’m ready too.”
Ort nodded as he looked back in front of the entrance.
Regarding preparations, both Alshade and I only had our respective weapons, Tonitos and Finbul, with us.
As for our belongings, we each had a recovery potion in our pockets.
“And Orto, are you really prepared with just that? I remember seeing you wearing a full-body metal armor without the helmet before.” asked Alshade.
While Orto had a sword at his waist and metal armor to protect vital areas such as the chest and hands, the rest of his outfit seemed to be lightweight clothing.
It was natural for Alshade to be concerned.
“No problem. This outfit was specially made by an acquaintance, and it uses the steel spider-‘Metallus Spider’s’ thread, so it has better defense than it appears to.”
“Wow, you’re using steel spider thread? That’s the first time I’ve seen it.”
“Well, even though it’s lighter than a metal armor, it still has some weight. Nobles usually don’t use this type of attire, so that’s natural.”
The steel spider was a monster that could prove its mid-tier strength if fought alone.
It had such a sturdy outer shell that regular weapons and skills couldn’t even produce dent, and even lower-tier magic swords would struggle to cut through its threads.
Those threads were prized for their strength and used as materials for bows that required thread and armor made of cloth in the mid-tier.
However, the drop rate increased in case of shorter battle durations.
The reason being that the threads stored in the spider’s abdomen were used up during combat, and once they were all used, they became difficult to process.
In other words, to obtain them, it was preferable to defeat the steel spider in one shot as soon as you encountered it.
However, that meant you needed the skills of a mid-tier or higher-ranked individual, making it inevitably valuable.
I wonder how much value a clothing made from those threads would have?
As I unconsciously stared at Orto’s outfit, he chuckled.
“Are you curious about my clothes too, Rios?”
“Well, yeah.”
“I see. Then let’s talk about it in detail after dealing with this matter. We don’t have time now. Well then, Alshade-sama, as planned, we’ll take care of the guards first.”
By saying they would talk after this matter was settled, was he indirectly telling me to be careful not to die?
I’ve heard that the first battle is the easiest to die in, so I should be even more focused.
“Okay, be safe. We’ll meet up in front of the back gate of the mansion, right?”
“That’s correct. Well then, good luck to you.”
“You too, Orto.”
Ort opened the front door, and with a gust of wind, he disappeared.
Although he could likely achieve the same result with his physical abilities alone, the lack of sound suggested he used wind magic for movement.
“I could probably do that much, but seeing it in action is amazing.”
“I was surprised too when I first saw it. It’s hard to believe that one person can do so many things.”
“Agreed.”
In the Wildia Chronicles, or rather, in this world, once you cross a certain threshold of strength, you become something more than just human.
Orto being a mid-boss, it’s only natural that he stands in the same realm as those otherworldly beings.
It almost makes me feel sorry for the enemy surveillance personnel that would be attacked by him.
Alshade, who was chuckling beside me, will likely be able to do the same in the future, so I too would have to work hard not to fall behind.
“Alright, let’s go. Rio, follow me.”
“Understood!”
Enhancing my legs with magic, I followed behind Alshade as she started running.
To avoid drawing attention, she chose a path with as few people and as little light as possible, consisting of narrow streets with houses that weren’t lit.
“Stop,” Alshade suddenly said.
“What’s wrong?”
“There are two guards patrolling ahead. Let’s hide and wait until they pass.”
“Understood.”
As Alshade stopped suddenly, I wondered what happened, and it seemed that the guards were coming this way.
She led me by the hand and we hid behind a fence of a nearby house.
We kept our breaths as quiet as possible, and soon enough, the light passed by us slowly.
It didn’t seem like they were thoroughly searching. Frankly, it was somewhat anticlimactic.
“Are they really patrolling like that?”
“Well, the guards on patrol intentionally make themselves visible. It’s a deterrent against night thieves.”
“It’s quite sloppy. With that kind of carelessness, won’t someone with enough strength try to break in?”
“They probably would. However, this area is filled with residences of lower-ranking military officials. They have security magical tools, so it’s not a problem.”
Indeed, as there was little foot traffic and few lights around, it seemed that many of the residents were absent due to their involvement in the ongoing war.
“It’s probably because Al is here that the security magical tools didn’t activate.”
“Exactly. All the security magical tools are on a conditional basis. If, by any chance, a vassal were to act maliciously or conspire with enemies, it would be a hassle if the security magical tools activated during their capture and they used it against our soldier’s to fight back.”
“Well, that makes sense.”
I don’t know what the effects of the security magical tools are, but if the soldier’s gets interrupted or are held back by them while the enemy manages to escape, it’d be troublesome.
Alshade stuck her face out of the gate and peered at the situation on the street.
“Hey, why are there so many houses of lower-ranked officials all the way to the front of the mansion?”
“It’s to ensure that soldiers can gather quickly in case of an emergency, making it difficult for a large army to deploy on the front side. And as a last resort, it was probably to burn down the enemy and their forces using a fire strategy.”
“The first two reasons make sense, but the last one is unsettling.”
Lower-ranked officials are most likely regular troops, and it makes sense to gather them near the mansion for immediate response in times of need.
Making it difficult for a large enemy force to set up on the front side also makes sense.
However, planning for a fire strategy seems quite ominous.
“This city doesn’t have a castle. Once the outer walls are breached, defeat is highly likely. So, the first-generation head of the Baltzfeld family thought of that, ensuring that many enemies would be taken down with him.”
“Al’s ancestor sounds quite scary.”
…The first head of the Baltzfeld family seems to have been determined. I would definitely not want to oppose him if we were in the same era.
As I was imagining Alshade’s ancestor and feeling a bit frightened, I was suddenly called from behind.
“Alshade-sama, we’ve successfully reunited.”
“Uwomuguu!?”
“Ort, good job. Rio, you were surprised, huh? Take a deep breath and calm down.”
Just as I was about to scream in surprise, Alshade approached me quickly and covered my mouth with her hand.
After she removed her hand, she urged me to take a deep breath, but the sweet scent made my heart race for a different reason.
“Phew… Orto-san, please refrain from scaring us like that.”
“I apologize. It’s just that out of concern, I wanted to teach you what it feels like to be caught off guard.”
“It’s fine, Rio. While Orto might have had some mischievous intention, the fact that even though you were surprised but didn’t scream means it’s okay.”
Ort showed no sign of remorse, and Alshade defended him with a smile… I wonder if these two are surprisingly composed even in this situation?
I know that even if I point it out, they’ll just play dumb, so I won’t say anything.
“You were a little late, but what were you doing?” Alshade asked
“I was scouting the mansion’s surroundings.”
“So, what did you find?”
“Well… it seems…”
It seemed Orto was slower to show up because he was conducting reconnaissance. The information is valuable, so I decided to let go of the incident of being frightened from behind and listen carefully to Orto’s report.
――――――――――――――――――――
――A Certain Master-Student Eye Contact――
Disciple (That was quite a good trick you pulled off.).
Master (I apologize for the surprise).
Disciple (I’m counting on you in the future).
Master ((Yes, I’ll support you with all my strength.).
――End of Communication――
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