XXI - Auhnaver and Young Lady

After a considerable time at sea, we finally arrived at the port city of Auhnaver. The structures were reminiscent of a famous Greek seaside town, their architecture a breathtaking fusion of elegance and functionality. Although the scenery was undeniably beautiful, we couldn't help but notice the haunted gazes of the residents. As they went about their daily routines, their eyes were devoid of life, as if they had lost everything that once mattered.

"What do you think happened here, Egil?" Ness asked, her voice hushed with concern.

"I heard the empire increased the taxes and is wringing the commonfolk dry since they launched the offensive in the kingdom," Arthur replied, his tone grim.

The evidence was plain to see. The market was brimming with goods, but transactions were scarce, a stark contrast to the bustling trade one would expect. Beggars and unsavory characters lined the streets, their presence an unsettling reminder of the city's plight.

Some of the townsfolk shot us suspicious glances, and Arthur's hand twitched towards his weapon, but I stayed his motion with a shake of my head.

"Leave them be."

"Yes, your... I mean, yes, Egil," Arthur corrected himself, nearly biting his tongue in the process.

Gale and Ness erupted into a fit of snickers, their laughter subsiding only when I fixed them with a stern glare.

Changing the subject, Gale jokingly remarked, "Dinero's gonna have it rough."

He was right. In such dire circumstances, it was nearly impossible to engage in trade. Perhaps if he had connections with nobles – the only ones who could afford luxuries at the moment – he might turn a profit.

After a few minutes of walking, we arrived at the guild branch, seeking more information regarding the quest we had received from Belisama.

The atmosphere here was noticeably quieter than in Solnir. I couldn't tell if the empire's economic woes had affected the guild's business, but the lack of people was evident.

The receptionist kindly explained the quest in detail and also warned us about the increased bandit activity on the outskirts of the city.

Given the empire's current state, such lawlessness came as no surprise. When survival was at stake, humans would resort to any means necessary – a harsh reality I was all too familiar with from my former world.

After gathering the information we needed, we searched for a place to stay. While all the inns had vacant rooms, the prices were exorbitantly high, prompting us to opt for camping outside the city walls.

Decent food was a luxury within Auhnaver, with prices easily five times higher than in Solnir. Fortunately, even with the addition of Arthur to our party, we still had more than enough supplies to last us a few weeks, all stored within the Storage blessing I passed on to Ness to prevent spoilage.

Regarding the quest, the undead were situated on the border between the former kingdom and the empire, where the first major battle started. No one knew the true origins of the undead – some claimed they were the lingering souls of fallen soldiers possessing the corpses, while others believed a demon was responsible. Regardless, our task was clear: we needed to venture forth and fulfill the request.

After finding a suitable camping spot, we ate dinner and turned in for the night. Arthur volunteered to take the first watch, and I relieved him a few hours later.

In the stillness of the night, I sat close to the fire, gazing up at the sky. Memories of the island resurfaced, and I felt anger towards myself for allowing such events to unfold. So lost was I in my thoughts that I failed to notice Ness take a seat beside me.

She smiled warmly, draping a blanket around my shoulders.

"I know what you're thinking. I needn't say this, but don't dwell too much on what went wrong back then. Continue living for their sakes and focus on what you can do now."

"Thank you," I said, a slow smile spreading across my face.

"Wake me up when it's time for breakfast, okay?"

I wouldn't have believed this glutton was a former deity if I hadn't known beforehand.

As the sun's rays peeked over the horizon, I roused them all to prepare for our departure. After a quick breakfast, we set off on our journey.

It didn't take long before we encountered the very thing the receptionist had warned us about – bandits.

Sixteen men stood before us, armed with knives and spears. Lurking behind the bandits, a short figure donned a leather hood, seemingly their ace in the hole.

"Hand over everything you have and we'll spare your lives," one of the bandits demanded.

"Criminals, don't you know who you're speaking with?" Arthur roared, his hand gripping the hilt of his longsword.

The apparent leader of the bandits scoffed. "Bunch of adventurers thinking they're hotshots. There's only four of you and a lot of us. Get 'em, boys!"

Just as the bandits were about to charge, several arrows thudded into the ground before them, causing them to halt in their tracks.

"Lowly creatures ganging up on four people, where's the honor in that?" a voice called from behind us.

Turning, we saw four figures sprinting towards us – another adventurer party, by the looks of their gear. The one who had spoken, a young man with long blonde hair in silver full-plate armor brandishing a kite shield, appeared to be their tank. Beside him strode a dual-dagger wielder, a female archer, and a lady spellcaster.

The tank approached me with a smile. "You guys seem to be fellow adventurers. Let's save the introductions for later; we'll deal with them first."

He charged at the bandits' position while his party members provided support.

My party was raring to go, but I instructed them to observe for now, as the other adventurers were handling the situation more capably than I had anticipated.

Their party was well-balanced, with the tank receiving all their attacks, the dual-dagger wielder picking off enemies one by one with the archer's aid, and the spellcaster providing support magic. None of them seemed to possess any blessings, even the spellcaster. Could one truly wield magic without a blessing?

They were faring well against the sixteen bandits until the hooded figure in the back made their move. Removing the hood revealed a young girl, who began chanting. She cast a wide-area ice spell, freezing only the adventurers from the waist down, leaving them trapped and immobile. The attack should have hit us as well, but I blocked it by creating a barrier of mana with my Mana Arts.

The intervening party stared at us in puzzlement, likely wondering how we were unaffected by the spell.

The girl, too, seemed surprised to see us unscathed. As she began casting another spell, I flung a weak mana ball toward her, aiming to knock her unconscious rather than cause lethal damage. The projectile struck her squarely in the stomach, sending her flying a considerable distance before crumpling to the ground.

With the girl dealt with, I instructed Gale and Arthur to round up the remaining bandits while I freed the adventurers from their icy prison. It didn't take long before they finished subduing them.

Once freed, the adventurers brushed off the remnants of ice and dirt, huddling together.

"Well, that was embarrassing. We let our guard down, haha!" the tank, Lucius, chuckled.

"Thanks for the assist. By the way, my name is Lucius, and these are my party members."

The dual-wielder approached me with a grin. "Thanks! But I'm just wondering, aren't you guys a teeny bit on the older side to be adventuring? Of course, except for the beautiful lady that's with you." He punctuated his statement with a wink directed at Ness, who remained utterly impassive. Gale and Arthur, on the other hand, looked ready to erupt at the mention of the word "old."

Then, a loud thump followed by a scream of pain – their spellcaster had swung her staff directly onto the dual-wielder's head.

"Idiot!" she shouted. The man crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

The archer rushed forward, panicked. "I-I-I'm sorry for our member's behavior. Igor, apologize to them."

As if part of a comedy routine, Igor sprang to his feet, seemingly unharmed. "Haha! I'm sorry if I offended you in any way."

"This is Sora our archer, and Eimi our support mage. That oddball over there is Igor," Lucius introduced them.

"We are adventurers from the Alfornalian Empire," he added.

It was interesting to hear they hailed from a nation currently at odds with the Apton Empire. One might be suspicious as to why Alfornalian adventurers were in Apton territory, but as members of an independent institution, they were free to conduct quests in other nations.

We introduced ourselves and then proceeded to question the bandits.

Interestingly, they were cooperative, no longer exhibiting any hostility towards us. Perhaps witnessing their mage's defeat had been the trigger.

According to the information we gathered, some were former citizens of Auhnaver who had grown weary of the rising taxes. They had left the city to survive by banditry on the outskirts. The rest hailed from other territories under the Empire of Apton.

As for how they had formed their group, they had met by chance but shared similar circumstances, banding together as bandits to survive.

"You may do anything to us, but please, spare the young lady," the bandit leader pleaded.

I got curious.