Chapter 410 – Getting Followed?

“Hey, watch it!”

“Sorry!”

A girl, donned in an oversized backpack, descended through a gangplank that could barely accommodate two people at once. The substantial size of her backpack inadvertently caused a minor collision with a fellow disembarking passenger. Swiftly, she turned around, bowing her head in apology before darting away. Behind her, a large airship was docked, and numerous other passengers were also disembarking.

Upon disembarking, she hurried through the somewhat dirty-looking docks, cluttered with boxes and rugged sailors. This section of the docks was designated for manual laborers like herself and the other porters. On the ship’s opposite side, a contrasting scene unfolded, with lavishly dressed individuals disembarking onto a place befitting nobility. The nobility and the rich preferred to keep their distance from the commoners, reflecting the harsh reality of this world.

However, such trivial things didn’t worry this happy go lucky girl. She just sprinted forth at an astonishing pace, her white rabbit ears flopping around with each step that she took. She was quite energetic at finally arriving at her home. As she approached the exit for the docks she stopped herself for a moment, her red pupils glanced back at the airship. She scanned the area while looking for a peculiar individual who didn’t seem to appear even after she waited.

“Could that person have disembarked on the other side?”

Her ears drooped in disappointment as she realized she didn’t have the chance to thank him for his intervention. It made sense that such a powerful mage would likely be a prominent adventurer, perhaps in the service of nobles or merchants. It wasn’t uncommon for such individuals to receive compensation far beyond what a platinum-ranked adventurer could earn independently. She lingered a few more minutes, but it became evident that he wouldn’t be emerging.

“Hm… maybe he’ll visit the adventurer guild instead? What if he’s already there? Oh no, I should hurry!”

With renewed determination, the rabbit-eared girl sprinted towards the bustling city, her thoughts focused on finding the mysterious mage who had intervened on her behalf. The city was a maze of narrow streets and large buildings that she knew like the back of her hand. The air was filled with the scent of various goods, and the clamor of merchants and locals haggling created a lively atmosphere.

As she navigated through the crowded streets, the girl couldn’t help but marvel at the diversity of the city. Stalls lined the sidewalks, selling everything from exotic fruits to magical trinkets. Street performers showcased their talents, drawing crowds with mesmerizing displays of fire manipulation and illusionary arts. The city was alive with energy, a stark departure from the rigid routine of her life as a porter.

The girl finally arrived at the Adventurers’ Guild. The imposing building stood proudly in the heart of the city, its emblematic swords crossed in a display of strength. The guild was a hub for adventurers, mercenaries, and those seeking their services. As she entered, the bustling noise of the city was replaced by the more subdued hum of conversations and the occasional clinking of tankards.

The interior was spacious, with a large bulletin board displaying various requests from citizens and organizations seeking assistance. Adventurers of all shapes and sizes mingled, sharing stories and discussing potential missions. The rabbit-eared girl scanned the room, hoping to catch a glimpse of the mysterious mage.

“…”

“Lunya? Is that you, what are you spacing out for?”

“He’s not here? … Huh, what? Oh, it’s just you…”

“Well, sorry for being just me!”

Lunya, the girl with rabbit ears, turned around, spotting one of her friends. The other girl, a bit older but still in her twenties, had vibrant red hair and donned a set of leather armor. A conspicuous quiver filled with arrows adorned her back, unmistakably revealing her profession to anyone observant.

“I didn’t mean it like that!”

The girl started waving her arms around in panic while trying to explain herself. She realised that what she had pronounced was quite rude but her friend just started laughing and gave her a pat on the head.

“That’s fine, I see that you’re back from your little side trip, anything interesting happened on the way.”

“Oh, something did!”

“It did? Why don’t we sit down and wait for the others? Now that you’re back, we can have our strategic meeting, can’t go spelunking without our best porter!”

The rabbit girl blushed and smiled in response to the redhead adventurer’s praise. Soon, the two were seated at a table. The adventurer promptly ordered some beer and began chugging it from a large pitcher. In contrast, Lunya opted for water, politely refusing the alcoholic beverage.

“Oh? You met a strange mage?”

“Yes! I think he was a Platinum adventurer! His voice was gentle but also quite manly!”

“Haha, do you have a crush on him? You know that those mages can fake their voices, right? I bet that behind that mask an old grandpa is hidden~”

“No!”

Lunya vigorously shook her head, her rabbit ears twitching with defiance.

“It’s not like that! He helped me out, I just wanted to thank him, that’s all.”

Her friend chuckled, taking another sip of her beer.

“Alright, alright, no need to get defensive. So, did you find him here?”

Lunya scanned the room again, disappointment evident in her expression.

“No, not yet. I thought he might have come to the guild. Maybe he’s on a mission or something?”

The adventurer leaned back in her chair, tapping her fingers on the table.

“Platinum-ranked, huh? That’s impressive. Not many of them around here. If he’s not here, he might have taken a high-profile quest directly from the nobles. They usually prefer dealing with the best.”

Lunya’s eyes widened with realization and her ears flopped in disappointment again. This made her friend chuckle even harder but soon her smile was gone as she abruptly changed the subject of the conversation.

“If what you said is true, then you were quite lucky. Those mercenary bastards probably belong to the Obsidian Brotherhood, they are truly a bunch of nasty bastards.”

The two fell silent for a moment, acknowledging the unfortunate reality that some groups abused their power. This particular bunch had a notorious reputation for mistreating others, especially women. Numerous stories circulated about their nefarious exploits. Even though people were aware of these issues, such groups often managed to escape with minimal consequences after paying fines. The nobility displayed little concern for the well-being of adventurers or commoners, leaving individuals to either seek street justice or endure the situation.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

“I think you should maybe stop taking those side jobs, at least until we actually manage to become platinum ranks ourselves”

The redhead adventurer suggested and Lunya just nodded in response. Silence fell on the two again as they continued to take in their drinks and was only broken by the appearance of two other faces.

“What’s with those faces? Did someone die?”

The silence was abruptly shattered by a loud voice as another person approached Lunya and her adventurer friend. The two turned to see a large woman with exposed muscular arms. A foolish grin adorned her face as she held a massive hammer meant for two-handed over her shoulder. Standing at a height of a bit over two meters, her imposing figure contrasted with the shorter individual beside her. This companion was another girl with animal ears, white-grayish hair, and a bushy tail peeking out from behind.

“Another hammer?”

“Of course! Hammers are the best, look at this baby!”