Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 73:
I was incredibly worried, but right now Same is supposed to be outside the city. If I return in Same’s appearance, I’ll have to show up at the royal palace right away.
On the other hand, it hasn’t been long since I said Sheele left for outside the city either.
So what to do?
I can fight in my cook guise… should I just secretly follow her in this form?
Nope. The answer is NO.
“This underground passage is just too convenient, after all.”
I open a door disguised as rock and step out into a forest near the eastern highway.
Greetings. This is Silent. The currently most dangerous version of Silent. Silent of the Sapphire Rank.
The Silent that makes crying children scream even louder.
“Melt said she’d stop by the General Guild first… Maybe I can get to the campsite ahead of her.”
I’ve used that campsite once before, back when I was switching from Same to Sheele.
So I remember where it is. If I can join the subjugation party from there…
“Man, I’m being overprotective… even I know that.”
A muscular macho man is sprinting full-speed along the road.
Carrying a giant greatsword on his back, he startles everyone he passes.
I think I heard some people yelling “Help me!!” or “Aah! Please don’t kill me!!” …but let’s just assume I imagined that.
Well, I mean… yeah. The equipment looks super mercenary-ish, and his face is pretty intimidating.
The pressure is unreal. While running, all sorts of thoughts cross my mind like:
“Is my face really that scary?” “Well, I’m used to it.” “Maybe I should wear a mask?” “Do I look like a bandit?”
I guess… those are probably Silent’s genuine feelings.
“Whew… made it.”
This campsite—it was dusk the last time I came, so I didn’t get a good look. But now that I see it clearly, it’s more like a forward base than a simple campsite.
The fences are sturdy, there are more guards than at other camps, and nearly everyone here is armed—mercenaries, adventurers, or warriors.
Why is it… my heart is racing, my blood is boiling?
Is this instinct… from being a mercenary?
“There’s a bulletin board here too.”
Like the one at the General Guild—this one also posts quest requests.
However, unlike the General Guild, only subjugation missions are posted here.
I see… maybe once adventurers reach a certain rank, they stop checking in town and come here for missions instead.
“Which one’s connected to the subjugation squad…? Ah, this one.”
Among the posted requests is a fairly high-ranked one labeled for Jade Rank and above.
It reads:
“In the forests near the mountains close to Lindblum, numerous powerful monsters have been sighted. These creatures are said to have fled the mountains and grown stronger by devouring other beasts. Similar cases have been reported in other regions, and adventurers are requested to subjugate them before they merge into a larger pack.”
Apparently, quite a few monsters have been spotted, and a small party won’t suffice.
Thus, they’re gathering solo adventurers and fixed teams to form a subjugation squad.
…Could this be a sign of something bigger? Or maybe fallout from the incident with those modified monsters?
I memorize the quest number on the notice and head to the adventurer guild branch in the camp.
“I’d like to take this quest. The number is 13754.”
“Hmm, don’t recognize you… what’s your rank?”
“This work for you?” [shows Sapphire rank tag]
“Wha—!? It’s real… wait, you’re the adventurer who handled that incident?!”
“Can you really call it resolved? We still don’t know the full picture.”
“True, but things settled down in the mountains thanks to you. We appreciate it—it’s an honor to meet you.”
“Don’t overhype it. Can I join this subjugation team or not?”
“Absolutely, we’d love to have you. The team’s still gathering—please wait here at the camp.”
I start walking around the camp.
I’ve heard the western highway leads to a port town, but what’s beyond the eastern route?
Most people here are combat types, but I do see a few wagons that likely belong to merchants.
Let me ask one.
“Excuse me, may I ask something?”
“Yes, how can I—wait, huh…?”
Don’t flinch the second you turn around. It hurts my feelings.
“I’m not familiar with where this road leads. If I continue down the highway, where does it end?”
“Ah, then you’d reach a town called Isbell. We’re headed there to sell ingots.”
“Hmm… So it’s a blacksmithing town?”
“Yes, though more focused on crafting—closer to the arts. There’s a rumor that processed gemstones are arriving soon. Supposedly to be offered to the royal family…”
“Interesting…”
Could it be the Eye of the Deep Sea? So they’ve already started processing it…
A town like that, where jewels and precious metals pass through… no wonder escort missions are common.
Before long, Melt might take those kinds of quests to rank up to Ruby.
“Thanks for the info. Let me buy something from you as thanks. Got anything?”
“Really? Then… how about this fatigue recovery potion? It’s not exactly fast-acting, so combatants usually pass it up…”
“Hmm… I’ll take five.”
“Thank you very much!”
And so, I receive five small vials and wait for the Lindblum adventurers to arrive.
Some time passes, and I see a group of adventurers disembark from a shared carriage arriving at the camp.
I watch closely, wondering if Melt is among them—but…
“Hm… Remiya? It’s been a while.”
Melt’s not there.
Instead, among the adventurers getting off, I spot Remiya—it’s been some time—and… wait, no way…
Even Shuris steps off the carriage.
“Silent-sama!? It’s been a while—I can’t believe you’re really here!”
“…? What are you talking about?”
“Hmm? Silent-sama, what brings you here?”
Wait—something’s off.
Why does it feel like we’re having two different conversations?
“I heard the rumors—that a large-scale subjugation team was being formed.”
“I see, so that’s how it was. Actually, regarding that, we had posted messages on the bulletin boards of cities outside Lindblum, requesting Silent-sama’s participation. I thought you might have seen one of those.”
“I see… I haven’t been visiting the guilds much lately. I heard there was a suspicious mercenary going around looking for adventurers, so I was being cautious.”
I quickly use Vias-san’s earlier comment as a convenient excuse to make up a plausible reason.
“I see… I suppose I should have stopped it after all…”
“Hmm? Remyia-san, could you introduce him to me as well?”
At that moment, Shuris-san—who had been watching me with a slightly wary gaze—joined the conversation, asking to be introduced.
“It’s an honor to be introduced to one of the Thirteen Knights. But no need for Remiya to do it—I’ll introduce myself.”
“Very well, then.”
“I’m Silent, a ‘newbie adventurer.’ It’s an honor to meet you, Shuris-dono, one who stands at the pinnacle of all adventurers.”
“Hmm… For a ‘newbie,’ the aura you give off is far too ‘savage.’”
“Apparently so. On the way here, I was feared by nearly everyone I passed.”
At that, I thought I heard a faint chuckle from Remiya.
“Pardon the rudeness. He really is a new adventurer. He’s the one I mentioned earlier—the one who received a Sapphire Rank promotion in record time.”
“Ah, now I understand. Honestly, I wouldn’t want to face off against him either. Silent, was it? I hope you never become an enemy of Lindblum… no, of the Holy Principality itself.”
“Don’t worry. One of our own has decided to settle in this country. Out of consideration for that, I’ll lend a hand where I can.”
I drop a subtle hint—just enough.
“I see… that’s good to hear. I’ve been assigned as the overseer for this subjugation squad. And she,” (gesturing to Shuris) “is here as a sort of supervisor to keep an eye on me.”
“Yes, that’s right. Now that Silent-sama is here, we may even be able to entrust the field command to you.”
“I’d rather just be a regular fighter.”
Shuris-san still hadn’t completely let down her guard.
Of course—there are still far too many unknowns about Silent.
At that moment, just as the shared carriage was leaving the camp, someone came dashing in at full speed.
“Aaah! I lost to the carriage! I was so close!”
It was Melt. Looks like she had been racing the carriage on foot.
…I bet Shuris-san was chuckling inside that carriage the whole time.
“Hey there, Melt-kun! Good job!”
“Ah! It’s Awa-Awa-san! Wait—were you on the carriage?”
“Fufu, I was watching you run from inside the carriage the whole way.”
“Mmmgh… Wait, what? Why? How!?”
At that moment, Melt noticed me.
Yeah. Of course she’d be confused why I’m here. I shouldn’t be.
“Looks like we’re fated to meet, Melt.”
I decide to speak first, before she can ask anything.
“Oh? Silent, you know Melt-kun?”
“That’s right. We’ve crossed paths a few times. I’ve also had a few conversations with her partner, Same—though not too close.”
“I see, so you’re acquainted with the rising star adventurer duo.”
“Rising star? These two?”
Wait… Melt, sure—but Same too?
“I can’t go into details, but the two of them solved a certain incident and are highly regarded by the guild. Melt-san, even from her initial registration, showed exceptional promise—ranked directly into Jade.”
“Wow… that’s impressive.”
“Though compared to Silent-sama, who received Sapphire Rank in just two days… it does pale a bit, doesn’t it?”
That was just luck. A coincidence of circumstances…
“Eh!? Silent’s Sapphire!? How’d you do it!?”
“It’s a secret. Ssshh… Ssshh…”
“You’re copying me! Fine, I’ll just ask Sigurd-san later!”
“Kuku. Well, we should start gathering the adventurers from Lindblum and explain the mission and formation of the subjugation squad.”
“Yes, you’re right. Let’s all gather by the reception desk.”
While we move, I speak quietly to Remiya.
“Remiya, keep an eye on that girl. She’s a bit reckless, but I guarantee she’ll be an asset.”
“…I see. So you really do know her. Understood.”
Remiya then goes to Melt and starts chatting with her.
That’s one worry off my chest. At the very least, I trust Remiya.
She’s the right-hand of the top of the General Guild.
“You know… I’m a little surprised. I expected you to be more dangerous, but Melt-kun seems to really trust you.”
“Really? Well, animals don’t judge people by their looks, I suppose.”
“Animals? Please don’t insult her like that.”
“Did that offend you? Still, I do think she often acts on instinct. Since you, one of the Thirteen Knights, know her, maybe you can be a role model for her.”
“…That’s a bit of a relief. At the very least, I can tell you’re not a bad person.”
“That so?”
Melt’s effect is incredible! Shuris-san’s wariness dropped drastically!
As Silent, getting close to the hidden side of the country is one possible path.
But if strong individuals become overly wary of me, it’ll make things harder to maneuver.
In front of the reception desk, over forty adventurers had gathered—even without counting Melt, Shuris-san, Remiya, or myself.
A few had already formed parties, but Remiya declared that she would still need to ask about everyone’s areas of expertise before deciding how to divide the groups.
“This mission will involve dealing with multiple high-ranking monsters. While we listed ‘Jade Rank’ as the minimum recommendation, that applies only if you encounter a monster one-on-one. You will be operating in teams of four, patrolling the foothills of the mountains along the border with Golda, where we don’t know where monsters of Jade Rank or higher might be lurking. You should consider this request as being on par with a Ruby Rank-level difficulty.”
Upon hearing Remiya’s briefing, the assembled adventurers straightened up.
They had likely just realized again how serious this request really was.
“For this operation, Shuris-sama will be acting as field commander. But due to the large number of people, the unit will be split—and the second team will be led by another Sapphire-ranked adventurer: Silent-sama.”
Geh. You’re seriously going to make me do that?
“We’ll now assign parties and divide up the squads. Each of you, state your rank and your weapon.”
And so, the more than forty gathered adventurers were assigned either to Shris-san’s team or to mine.
“So you lot are under me. Let’s see… twenty-three of you in total.”
Twenty-three adventurers were placed under me. Of course, Melt was among them.
“Hold up a sec—before anything, we don’t even know who you are. That lady from the dark division said you’re Sapphire Rank, but is that really true?”
“It is. There’s not much proof besides my tag, but if you want to experience it, I’ll show you. Don’t worry—I’ve killed more monsters—and people—than even the great Thirteen Knight over there.”
“I-I see…”
Right… now I have to form squads of four.
Wait, this part is my job too!?
“First, I’ll choose three people to move with me. Anyone here use a bow?”
“Yes! I have experience serving as an archer in the military!”
A rare sight among the mostly veteran adventurers—a female adventurer raises her hand confidently.
She looks to be a bit younger than Shuris-san… maybe in her early twenties.
“What’s your rank?”
“Just promoted to Jade.”
“Got it. Next… anyone confident in navigating forests?”
“Yes! I’m great at it! I grew up in a forest!”
As expected, Melt raises her hand.
“Right. You’re in my squad, then. Lastly…”
Honestly, three people is probably enough—but I’d also like someone who can assist or fill gaps.
“Anyone here good at close-quarters combat and skilled with traps or hunting? I’d like to assign at least one adaptable person to each squad.”
“Um, I’m a former locksmith turned swordsman. Up until recently, I was accompanying the Exploration Guild’s expeditions.”
“I see… anyone else who thinks they might be handy in other ways, speak up. Being an adventurer isn’t just about fighting. Versatile members who can support others are the backbone of a strong party.”
In game terms, like rogues or thieves—those kinds of roles are essential.
And so, I managed to divide the unit into six separate parties.