“Two swordsmen, one magician… they look quite agitated.”
“If you look closely, their equipment is also riddled with damage. They were probably attacked by a Dragon Species, and I suspect they realized things were getting complicated when they suddenly saw us.”
Two swordsmen, clad in steel armor and wielding long swords, approach them: one wearing a helmet obscuring his face, and the other a brown-haired youth with a red cloth tied around his forehead. Beside them follows a blond woman dressed in robes, carrying a staff, giving her the appearance of a magician.
Their equipment is damaged, and their bodies show signs of having received first aid. They were likely injured in a battle with a Dragon Species.
“I’ve heard that some magicians become adventurers seeking freedom, but if destroying a town is their idea of freedom, it’s quite laughable,” Laurentz grumbled, looking as annoyed as the adventurers. Jared wondered if Laurentz had some past incident with adventurers, but decided not to ask at that moment.
“Stop,” Jared said in a low voice, intending to intimidate them. He didn’t want to get within the swordsmen’s reach.
“We are magicians dispatched by the Mage Association. We request that you surrender peacefully.”
“Why should we?” the female magician replied. She tried to appear composed, but her expression was visibly strained.
“You should know without us telling you! It’s because you are the cause of this town’s destruction!”
“That’s a nasty thing to say. The town’s devastation was caused by the Dragon Species. We—”
“—I’ve heard the story from the mayor, so I don’t need any unnecessary explanations. You are at fault. Therefore, we will capture you. That’s all there is to it.” Jared cut off the woman’s words and began to channel his magic power.
“Hmph, even if you’re dispatched by the Mage Association, you’re still just children. Do you really think you can defeat us, who have far more experience?”
“It’s not a matter of whether we can win. We will win.”
“You have quite a lot of confidence in your abilities. sighs… This is troublesome. We have to fight the Dragon Species. We don’t want to waste our stamina and magic power fighting you.”
“That’s your problem, and none of our concern!” Laurentz yelled back fiercely. The woman then had a seemingly good idea and proposed,
“Then how about this? Why don’t you help us defeat the Dragon Species? We’ve lost two of our party members, so we’re short on manpower. Completing the quest will earn us fifteen million wen. Even split five ways, that’s enough to live comfortably for quite some time. What do you say?”
“Absolutely not.”
“Who would team up with the likes of you!”
Jared and Laurentz refused instantly, and the woman’s face contorted with anger. “So it is about money after all,” Jared thought with disbelief. Fifteen million wen was certainly a large sum, but it wasn’t an amount one would sacrifice an entire town for, even if there were few casualties among the inhabitants. Of course, he was aware that he could afford to think so nobly because he was a noble and didn’t lack for means to live. Nevertheless, it didn’t justify the adventurers’ actions.
“Furthermore, regardless of any quest rewards, hunting Dragon Species is not permitted. It would be one thing if the Dragon Species were harming humans, but here, they coexisted peacefully. In other words, what you are doing is illegal.”
“No adventurer follows such rules. Magicians from the Mage Association are quite prim and proper, aren’t they?”
“Hey, isn’t that enough? We left this to you to persuade them, but this isn’t going anywhere!” one of the swordsmen interjected irritably. The female magician grumbled her displeasure, but the man ignored her and leered at Jared and Laurentz.
“You brats probably wouldn’t understand, but hunting a Dragon Species is a rare opportunity, you know? Everything from the flesh to the bones of a Dragon Species is valuable. Of course, it’s also proof of our prowess. We’ve almost cornered it, so don’t get in our way.”
“That’s right. With two lives lost, we can’t back down now. We’re telling you this for your own good, so cooperate. You want money too, don’t you?”
Hearing for the first time from the magician’s lips that two of their comrades had fallen, Jared felt a sense of relief. At least, these adventurers weren’t heading towards the villagers. If they could defeat these adventurers here, they could protect both the Dragon Species and the villagers.
“If we wanted money, we’d earn it the honest way, so no thank you.”
“Who would ever join hands with scum like you!”
Jared refused the adventurers’ offer nonchalantly, while Laurentz rejected it with open hostility. Jared was tired of continuing a conversation with people who showed no remorse for involving the town. He had continued the pointless conversation hoping to recover some stamina and magic power, but there was no sign of recovery. In that case, it would be better to end the fight before nightfall. Fortunately, the opponents were also depleted. They might be at a disadvantage in numbers, but in terms of strength—Jared had no intention of losing.
“I see… It was your last chance, but fine. I’ll kill you first, then kill the Dragon Species!” The enraged magician shrieked hysterically at their refusal. That was the signal for battle. The swordsmen simultaneously readied their long swords and charged.
“Laurentz, a wall.”
“Leave it to me! Earth wall, envelop us!”
Jared stepped forward, knife in his left hand, positioned to protect Laurentz. Behind him, Laurentz poured his remaining magic power into the ground.
“Stop him!” The female magician shouted, perhaps sensing their intent, but it was too late. As Jared closed in on the charging swordsmen, he kicked one of them away and deflected the other’s sword with his knife. A heavy blow sent a shockwave up his arm. Unable to use his dominant hand, he didn’t want to engage in a test of strength. He let go of the knife and took a step back, causing the swordsman, deprived of an outlet for his momentum, to stumble. Jared mercilessly kicked the off-balance swordsman in the forehead. As the swordsman was sent flying back by the kick’s recoil, Jared offered his magic to a fire spirit and unleashed a barrage of fist-sized fireballs. Each fireball possessed more than twice the impact of an adult male’s fist, striking like powerful blows. They hit the swordsman one after another with the force of overwhelming numbers, sending him bouncing across the ground.
“Jared, the wall!” As the swordsmen fell to the ground with a crash, a circular earth wall, about five meters in radius, rose from the ground centered around Jared and the others. The wall was thick and well over three meters high, making it impossible for the armored swordsmen to jump over.
“With this, we’ve trapped you. If you want to get out and defeat the Dragon Species, you’ll have to defeat us first.”
“You! Damn brat!” The magician cursed and ignited fire at the tip of her staff. The flame grew by absorbing the surrounding magic power and oxygen, transforming into scorching inferno. As the sorceress unleashed her fury-fueled flames, Jared borrowed the power of a water spirit and extinguished the fire with a massive torrent of water.
“Wh-why… you’re a fire attribute magician…” Astonished, the magician watched as Jared unleashed another torrent of water. This time, it was a condensed mass of water, roughly twice the size of a fist. Jared didn’t use it as magic but as a blunt force. Released at blinding speed, the water sphere struck the magician in the abdomen, slamming her into the earth wall behind her. Stunned by the impact on her abdomen and back, she lost consciousness and collapsed.
“Ja-Jared, I’m sorry, I’m at my limit…”
“Rest, I can handle the rest. They’re quite depleted, and you’ve blocked their escape. I’ll finish this quickly.”
“Show those adventurers the pride of a magician!”
“Yeah, I will.” Encouraged by Laurentz’s parting words, who could barely stand after expending all his magic to create the earth wall, Jared moved to confront the swordsman he had kicked away earlier, now seen getting back on his feet. With two adventurers incapacitated, the Dragon Species’ resistance must have been fierce. The destruction of the town was clear evidence. Like the magician he had just defeated, they weren’t fighting at their full strength. Jared and Laurentz were also exhausted, but the advantage was theirs.
“UOOOOOOOOOOOHHH!” Dodging the attack of the swordsman who charged with his long sword held in both arms, Jared slipped inside his reach and unleashed an explosion of flame at point-blank range. The powerful fiery blast not only destroyed the armor but also ignited the clothing underneath, causing it to burn. The swordsman fumbled with his waterskin, frantically pouring water over his body, but flames born from magic power wouldn’t be extinguished by mere water.
“The best way to extinguish magic-infused flames is with magic-infused water!” Offering magic to a spirit, he created water bullets and fired them in a barrage. While suppressing the flames, he further destroyed the armor and helmet, inflicting damage. The swordsman, having lost his defenses, had collapsed. He was a middle-aged man with bandages soaked in blood all over his body.
“It looks like you were also badly wounded by the Dragon Species. With your body in that state, you were still trying to hunt it? Did you want money that badly?”
“…If I didn’t want money, why would I be an adventurer…”
“Was money worth dragging the town into this?”
“The town was ravaged by the Dragon Species. It wasn’t our fault. Two of our comrades died. The Dragon Species is to blame…” Jared saw no point in continuing the conversation with the swordsman, who showed no sign of remorse. He knocked him out with a kick.
“Just one more left—Hey, don’t try to get away!” The swordsman he had blasted away with a fireball was now skillfully using his sword and scabbard to climb the earth wall. However, Jared had asked Laurentz to create the wall precisely because he anticipated such an escape attempt. He wouldn’t let him get away.
“Don’t mess with me! Of course, I have to try! If I was defeated by a Dragon Species, it would at least be a good story, but getting beaten by brats would be a lifelong embarrassment! We came here to hunt a Dragon Species!”
“If you’re an adventurer, then face me!”
“You idiot! I want money! I don’t enjoy fighting!” Jared almost found himself agreeing with the swordsman’s straightforward greed. While he didn’t want to be prejudiced against adventurers, it was true that money was their primary motivation. Of course, some loved freedom, and others sought combat, so not all of them were the same. However, adventurers couldn’t survive without money, and they became adventurers because they lacked it. The Adventurer’s Guild might register adventurers and assign them jobs, but unlike the Mage Association, the rules were often unclear, and they offered little training. While the Mage Association spared no expense in supporting talented individuals, the Adventurer’s Guild seemed content to let them stagnate. While not all staff members of the Adventurer’s Guild were like this, their negative aspects were indeed prominent. This swordsman, desperately trying to escape while leaving his comrades behind, was, in a way, more of an adventurer than anyone Jared had met before.
“But I can empathize with that greed. I’ve sacrificed a lot for magic, too.”
“Don’t you dare! We adventurers live by risking our lives! Don’t talk about sacrifice when you’re a kid blessed with magic power!” The swordsman leaped from the earth wall with a furious expression and attacked, but Jared caught his fist and gripped it tightly. The swordsman winced in pain but didn’t cry out, likely out of pride.
“You’re right, I’m a kid. But I’m fighting magical beasts at the risk of my life, gaining experience, and striving to become a magician like my mother!”
“I don’t care!”
“I don’t care about you either! All you’ve been talking about is money, money, so isn’t there anything else?”
“Of course not, you idiot! What else would an adventurer seek besides money!”
“Was it for that money that you attacked the Dragon Species and destroyed the town?”
“I don’t give a damn about those fools who shamelessly claim Dragon Species are family! Dragon Species and humans can never understand each other! Give up your dreams! I’m an adventurer, and I’ll become a great one by killing monsters!” Jared could not forgive the swordsman’s words. He could not tolerate the selfish words of an adventurer. Having witnessed the villagers desperately protect the injured Dragon Species, he could not forgive such self-righteous adventurers.
“You cannot become a great person by hurting those who tried to protect their kin and only thinking of yourself! If you want to become great, learn from the people of this town who accept and cherish Dragon Species as their kin, and then come back!” With his right arm, which should have been weak, he swung with all his might and struck the swordsman’s jaw. The impact resonated, making the swordsman’s brain rattle. He rolled his eyes and fell to his knees. Jared, gasping for breath, opened his clenched fist and gently released the swordsman’s fist. Without support, the swordsman fell face-first to the ground.
“We win.” Unsure if he was being heard, Jared smiled at the swordsman.
