Chapter 8
They Meet And Drink Yet Not Dance
In the western wing of Ciel-Terra, there was a medium-sized city by the name of El Tareff, sitting at the heart of Earl Keeley’s county .
The city rose using the Earl’s castle as its center, which was further surrounded by a wall .
Even at dusk, El Tareff’s shopping district shone bright with the buzz of haggling and arguments .
Among the streets haunted by stray dogs and drunkards, one particular tavern stood out with its “Closed for Today” sign . The Leaping Flounder was currently occupied by four adventurers .
“Night Python, eh…”
The woman, nearing 30 years of age, sighed as she filled her cup with a good helping of booze, the cuffs of her habit reeking of sweet intoxication . The fingers of her free hand were clasped around a long, thin, metal pipe, it’s head smoking with the ripe burn of tobacco .
Her blood-red lipstick and the mole under her eye mixed into a sensual concoction, drawing stares to her slightly peeved demeanor .
Metal accessories adorned all the skin her white and dark blue habit did not cover, while further below, her skirt had been ripped to form slits, an outfit that flew against the common sense of those of the Priestess persuasion .
Her elbow rested against the table as she drank, taking puffs from the metal pipe every few drinks like a snack .
Her name was Diana . She was a member of ‘Dragon’s Throat’, a party of level 4, Guard, that operated in this town .
“Aren’t they based in some other county?”
“Aye . They’ve got a network spread all over the country, can’t really hit ‘em well if it’s just one lonesome Lord on their tail . ” The man sipped his drink as he replied . His body was fully covered by heavy armor, but because the head poking out of it was flat and round, and his height overall was barely average, he lacked the menace of a heavy hitting vanguard .
Perhaps because of the current atmosphere around him, he looked somewhat light and casual, despite the heavy full body of armor .
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This was Hugh . He held the position of Tanker in Dragon’s Throat .
A man shook his furry head after listening to their conversation as he scooped up slices of cooked meat with a bone toothpick .
“The Lord Earl don’t really wanna do that much . Just wants ter kick ‘em outta his county . ”
With giant and thick muscles wrapped in olive-brown pelt, the dog-faced man spoke . A triangular pair of ears lay on top of his head .
It should go without saying, but this man was not actually human . Rather, he was a Kobold . This was Benedict, a Fighter by profession, and the leader of ‘Dragon’s Throat’ .
“Besides, it don’t gotta be anytime now, right… . ”
“Later ain’t gonna cut it . The Earl wants it done now . He’s been after ‘em for for some time now, looking to kick ‘em outta the county . Right now, thing’s looking pretty gnarly for the country . Heck, worst case scenario, we can’t even lift a finger in the future . It’s all up to fate, so we need to do what we gotta do asap . ”
“I see, I see . ”
The owner of this tavern was a friend of Benedict’s, so they were being allowed to hold a business meeting on a holiday . The drinks and food were all being put on their tab .
Their topic of discussion was the measures taken by Earl Keeley to suppress and, hopefully, eliminate Night Python’s operations from his county .
Benedict felt the conversation had reached its conclusion .
“So, our work’s exactly what we talked about earlier . He wants to poke his nose into their stuff . Our job’s keeping him safe . ”
“Yo, leader . Are we really sure about this?”
Diana’s eyes, glittering like the starry night sky, glared at Benedict . Or maybe the alcohol was working and she felt sleepy .
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“I’m okay with it, like always, but you know . The thing is…”
“I don’t care, honestly . ” the little girl spoke as she nibbled on a whole grilled fish .
“We’re adventurers . It’s our job . ”
Blonde hair fell on her shoulders in gentle waves . Her mauven eyes let not a glance away from her food while her cherry cheeks quivered gently as she partook her meal . Her dark hooded cloak was a size that was a bit larger than her body, giving her an uncouth appearance .
She, Iris, was the final member of Dragon’s Throat . An 11 year old Wizard, a genius that reached the level of Guard at such a tender age .
Diana seemed to look dissatisfied with Iris, who continued her meal in a composed manner .
“…I’m still against this . Especially if Iris is in on this . ”
“It’s not as if I don’t care about her wellbeing either, Diana . ”
Benedict shook his head, as if making excuses .
“Are you sure about this, Iris?”
“Diana . I am just as much a Guard-level adventurer as you, and everyone else present here is . ”
“You’re… you’re right . ”
“And what’ll happen to little Catherine if I’m gone?”
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Much of Earl Keeley’s family consisted of knights and adventurers . Even his Lady was a former Priestess and was quite knowledgeable about magic . The most defenseless among them, thus, would be Catherine, who only turned 11 this year .
On the off-chance that Night Python decides to retaliate, this young girl would be at most risk of being targeted . Even as an Earl, he had to consider her .
Thus the request Dragon’s Throat had received from the Earl was an Escort . And included in that request was the specific clause that Iris was to be Catharine’s body double .
Diana’s lips parted slightly, but her shoulders fell back, deciding to refrain from speaking her mind .
“Alright, okay, fine . Anyway, just, don’t do anything stupid . With the four of us combined, we’ll be fine against the average thug . Well, they’re a big organization, so I’m guessing they’ll be coming at us with all sorts of tricks and surprises . ”
“huh, yup . ”
“Then we’re going to tell the Earl what we decided on tomorrow . ”
Benedict closed the topic as he shot a glance at Diana’s reluctant expression .
But Hugh interrupted with his arm raising his mug up .
“Leader . I’m fine with what we got offered this time around, but you gotta answer us . How long are we gonna stick around here, playing fetch with this Earl?”
“Hmm…”
“Not saying I’m against working for the Earl or anything, nah, it’s actually the opposite . The man pays well too . But, I gotta say, there’s not much here on our level . Gotta go outta town every now and then just to look for some good jobs . If you ask me, I’d like to move to a place where there’s more opportunities . ”
The adventurer’s guild in El Tareff held jurisdiction over all of Ear Keeley’s county .
However, that wasn’t nearly enough territory to cover .
A Guard-level adventuring party would more or less be mid-level in ranking .
For them to go around accepting requests to exterminate giant sewage rats looks not only awkward, but the returns are lower as well .
On top of that, good quests were hard to come by inside a small county . For that reason, Dragon’s Throat often travelled to other towns, sometimes even to the Royal Capital, to look for better work .
Before becoming an adventurer, Benedict worked at the Earl’s home as a bodyguard . It was those favors he had incurred, that he was trying to pay off currently . However, making a living off only requests made by the Earl was difficult .
“And that’s not all . Staying around these parts itself’s gotten pretty dangerous . The coup might’ve gone well and the civil war’s over, sure, but what’s gonna happen next…? Are we gonna go to war with the Federation?”
“…I’ll think about it . Decide on what to do after we finish this one up . ” Benedict said as his ears drooped down .
Hugh was well-versed in worldly matters and much more grounded in thinking, often considering things far in the future . This helped to keep Benedict’s more flawed ideas from taking off . But while he often pointed out his flaws and fallacies, the ultimate decision lay in Benedict’s hands .
“Are we done? Okay then, I’m going to go back to the inn first . ” Iris stood, having finished her grilled fish . Their meeting seemed to be over .
“Need an escort?”
“I’m fine, I’m fine . It’s right around the corner . Besides,” she picked up the staff that leaned against the wall . It was quite long, with multiple golden ring decorations, like the brim of a sword .
“If some idiot tries to do anything stupid, I’ll just turn the tables on them . ”
“…can’t argue with that . ” Diana smiled as she blew out a thin cloud of smoke .
Translator: Fried Hedgehog