Hello there, Author here. Sorry for the delay on the chapter. Some other things came up and I didn't have enough time to finish it on Saturday.
"Every day it's the same thing. There is always a line of people trying to enter this damned city. Why?! This place is too far away from anything. " A young guard said as he stood leaning at the inner walls of the city.
"Everything's good. Next! " The guard said as he sent in a merchant's wagon. Right after it entered, the next one quickly took its place. "Stop complaining. Work! Check the back of the cart." He began walking. The outside quickly became increasingly loud. It was a normal occurrence for the people in line to start complaining, so he just ignored it. Cicero's trainer ears were able to hear someone complaining about the line being cut by someone, but he didn't care. As long as it doesn't grow into a big problem, it's best to just focus on your job.
The wagon was so big that it nearly covered the entire room making it hard to see what they were carrying. There was barely enough space for a single person to squeeze themselves through to the other side, but a skinny person could pull it off. That was the young guard's job.
"Yeah, yeah... I'll go check the back of the cart... " The young guard said. He started walking with an angry and reluctant stride, but before he even got to the front of the cart, it began moving backward. The grunts and swears also stopped. "Hey! Cicero!" The young boy said.
Cicero immediately understood that the one cutting the line was now trying to cut even the wagon which he was currently checking. That was a level of disrespect he couldn't allow. "Huh?! What are you doing back there?! Wait for your turn... or... " The guard wanted to complain. Since he didn't get any messages about important nobles, merchants, or adventures, there had to be an idiot trying to pull a stunt. He meant to go out there and threaten whoever was doing it with jail or a fine. Maybe both depending on the person. But something felt off. His body told him to stay still.
The horses quickly began walking backward following the wagon. It didn't take long for the way to be cleared. That was beyond the point where Cicero was supposed to raise his voice and confront whoever was on the other side, but he didn't. He could only watch as the horses quickly moved to the side.
"By the gods! What is this? Go! GO!" The merchants on the wagon screamed outside the room. They immediately used their whips to order the horses to run. Run as fast as they could. Cicero couldn't tell exactly what was going on outside but could smell the scent of blood. At least two people were dead on the other side of the gate. That was already a problem that he would need to solve, but the fact that he didn't hear any sounds of fighting scarred him.
A huge man with red hair and no shirt appeared. The iron-like muscles he had on his body told Cicero that the man was extremely strong. How strong he was, however, Cicero couldn't tell. The man dragged another person by the arm as he walked forward, but Cicero couldn't tell who it was either. He immediately moved to the side and gave enough space for the man to walk forward. "Borchu! We're in the city. Wake up! " The man said before dropping him on the floor.
This man was not one to be taken lightly and if insulted would use violence without any hesitation. Cicero didn't have to try hard to imagine that someone in the line was pissed off that he had cut in and because of that, he killed them. Still, it was something he had to think about later. He had to figure out who they were and how to deal with them.
"I... had... my insignia on me... Yujiro. We could have skipped the line without doing anything to the people there. " Borchu said as he slowly picked himself up from the floor. He placed his hands inside his bag and began searching around.
"It would probably take time for them to check it and besides I don't stand around waiting for others. You need to memorize that or this friendship won't last long. " Yujiro said as he walked past Cicero.
"I see. I'll keep it in mind, Yujiro." Borchu said. He pulled out his gold badge and showed it to Cicero who immediately recognized it. "Guards! I'm Borchu from the special Frontier division. We are here on official business. I require your immediate cooperation."
'They are from the frontier army?! Why are they here so far away from the Elven Kingdom? ' Cicero thought as bowed his head. "Of course. I'll provide you with the best aid possible. Welcome to-"
"I am looking for someone named Alicia Lachlan Kayleigh. Where is her manor? " Yujiro asked as he turned around and walked toward the inner gate.
"I... " Cicero couldn't bring himself to speak anything. He had to search for the right words to not insult the army men while at the same time giving a proper answer. One that wouldn't allow them to do anything against the young lady. But no matter how much he thought, he couldn't come up with a good answer."Lady Kayleigh's manor..."
'They are here for Lady Kayleigh? Oh no. They came early this year again. They want to bring her into the war against the elves. I need to warn her servants before they can contact her. ' Cicero thought as he tried to come up with a good excuse.
"Lady Kayleigh does not wish to serve the army! When are you idiots going to get that through your head?! " The young guard said as he quickly walked up to Borchu. "She's already given her answer over four years ago and has repeatedly declined every year after that. In the name of the god of water, leave now! " The young guard took a single step forward before getting hit.
Borchu quickly turned his head to the young man and then punched him right in the face. The boy couldn't defend against the surprise attack. He took the full damage and was thrown back towards a wall. His limp body bounced on it after hitting it.
"How dare you?! What do you think this-" Cicero was about to pull his weapon out when he noticed something that Yujiro had disappeared. Borchu quickly kicked Cicero on his chest. He tried to endure it, but soon a few moments later, Cicero dropped to his knees. Even with the iron armor and experience fighting, his wind was knocked out of him. 'What is this? The armor has a dent in it. This is not the regular people the army sends. The metal is stabbing my chest... ' Cicero thought as he tried to recover.
"The kid is out cold and this one... he's not getting up soon. Nicely done, Borchu. You saved both him and the geezer. You were fast enough this time. " Yujiro said.
Cicero couldn't believe what he was seeing. Yujiro, who had disappeared just a few moments ago was now standing right in front of him. The killing intent was so obvious and unrestrained that in Cicero's eyes, the checkpoint turned into a forest, and the man who he believed was just another soldier turned into a huge monster. He couldn't explain why he was so sure but had Borchu not attacked them, they would be dead now.
"I'm sorry for intervening, Yujiro. I accept any type of punishment you see fit. " Borchu said as he lowered his head.
"I don't mind it, Borchu. I told you myself when we got here. If you can punish them before I do it, then I won't have to punish them at all. Those are the words I used. You should be proud for doing that." Yujiro said as slapped Borchu's back.
"Thank you, Yujiro. " Borchu said as he turned his head toward Cicero.
"Let's go back to business. I want to know where is Lady Kayleigh's manor. I don't need to tell you that it's urgent so I ask you to answer truthfully and fast. I don't think Yujiro will give me a three-second head start for you again. " Borchu said.
'Yujiro? I see... a three-second head start for the other guy yet feel like I escaped death by the skin of my teeth. What could a man like this possibly want from Lady Kayleigh? If they had someone of this caliber, they could end this war without her. Wait... maybe they don't need her anymore? Yes. Even with a powerful man like that, you'll need an army. Money. That's it. ' Cicero thought as he started to recover. He glanced toward the boy who was now unconscious and was extremely grateful. He had no idea what the idiot would do if he was still awake, but now that he was out, Cicero could focus on answering the question.
"It's not far from here. Enter the city, turn left, and keep walking. It's near the northern wall. The manor has a big garden filled with yellow flowers... you'll be able to spot it right away if you climb the houses. If you need anything else just ask anyone on the way there, but don't tell them you're here to meet Lady Kayleigh, or else they might try to pull something. " Cicero said as every moral fiber in his body screamed to lie, but he couldn't do it. He felt that the moment a false statement exited his lips either Yujiro or Borchu would punish him, whichever was fastest, and by doing that Cicero would accomplish nothing. Soldiers who were that capable and determined would find the manor within an hour. He could only hope that they only wanted monetary support.
"I see. Thank you for your cooperation. " Borchu said as he took his hand off of his sword's grip. He was ready to do a lot more damage than before.
"Alright, Borchu. She's here just like you said. Let's hope, for your sake, that she has relevant information and that this wasn't just a big waste of time. " Yujiro said as he began walking away.
"Don't worry about it. She's not only a Mithril adventure but she's extremely educated. Add to that the fact that her family is from an old lineage of warriors in the Slain Theocracy and she can't be a waste of time. Lady Kayleigh either has the information you are looking for or she can take us to who has it. I guarantee it." Borchu said as he began following Yujiro.
Cicero stood still for a few minutes, He had to be sure they were long gone before he could find the strength to check on the other guard. Once he was sure that he was safe, Cicero slowly got up and walked toward the young guard. After a small check-up on him, Cicero walked outside to check why the merchant had left so fast.
"This... this... by the gods... what have they done here?!" Cicero screamed. Several wagons were thrown to the side, toppled over, and completely trashed by a powerful strike, the bodies were scattered. "It was normal just a few moments before the wagon came in... what have I just allowed into the city... Lady Kayleigh! She needs to be warned. Monsters... they have to be. Monsters are in the city! " Cicero said as he immediately turned around and began walking toward the manor.
The first thing Yujiro saw as he entered the city was a huge market. For the first time after appearing in this strange country, he saw something familiar. The only out-of-place thing was the people who wore torn rags and stood in line near the entrance. "Why are their ears so damn long? Is it an ethical trait? " Yujiro thought as he immediately turned left and stopped moving.
"Long ears? " Borchu asked. He turned his attention to the market but couldn't see well enough from that distance. "Are they wearing rags or something like that? " Yujiro checked them out once again to confirm the description.
"Yes. Is it a normal thing to have slaves in this country? " Yujiro asked. He had a distant look and was a bit disappointed with the humans there. Weak humans trying to put down each other. Instead of searching for strength and power, they settled with forcing others to do their bidding using institutional power.
"They must be elves. Inferior creatures use magic, but nothing on the undead you described could be used. " Borchu said as turned his head to Yujiro.
"How unfortunate. I had some hopes that magic users could prove to be worthy opponents, but that guy was special? If he's an outlier, I'm losing hope for the average mage." Yujiro said as he began walking.
"Yes. Undead aren't that uncommon, but they are so weak that even those guards could easily beat them. Something that can teleport or even harm you would be extremely hard to find. " Borchu said. The undead was the enemy of all life so he knew that he had to report this undead to the government, but from what Yujiro told him, Borchu could only conclude that the higher-ups were involved. That was a huge can of worms he didn't know how to tackle.
They kept walking until they came to a residential area. The hours were irregularly shaped with some even taking a small portion of the streets. The roofs also made it hard to see beyond them a floor level, so he couldn't tell how far away he was from the wall without moving to the side. The architecture was extremely simple and repetitive, obviously created to confuse people and the roads were very curvy making it hard to follow in any particular direction. They even had dead ends and small alleyways.
Both of them traveled through the very well-kept stone road without saying anything as they tried to follow north. Instead of climbing the houses and finding a direct path to the house, Borchu asked Yujiro to not rush yet. He still wanted to iron out a few details before reaching the manor.
"Shouldn't you get some new clothing, Yujiro? You are going to meet a powerful noble. A good experience can only help. " Borchu said as he walked past the houses.
"Her family has fallen from grace a few generations ago, right? You said that on the way here. No matter how much she and her father worked in the last few decades, you can't consider her a powerful noble. She's, at best, just a local lord. " Yujiro said as he continued walking. "Besides, if she was important, she would be there where I appeared and thus, would be dead. "
"You are not wrong, still, I want you to leave the talking to me. These nobles are a bunch of shitheads that need some pampering. Even if her dad has earned the local's admiration by working as an adventure, that hasn't changed. If you try to intimidate her, she might become unable to cooperate." Borchu said as he shook his head.
"You said she rejected the army's advances, no? For four years, this country has tried to put her under their control, but they failed. Not only that but when we were at the checkpoint at the gate, the guard talked about her. Not her father. There is no way that she's like the nobles you are used to dealing with, Borchu. " Yujiro said as he began to smile. "This woman must have spunk. This might be fun. "
"She is a mithril adventure, a warrior from what I heard. Being headstrong is a must for her type, but I doubt she has enough strength to even lift a finger against you, Yujiro. Even I had..."
"Borchu. Women might be at a disadvantage when it comes to physical power but don't underestimate their mental fortitude. " Yujiro interrupted him before stopping. He turned toward his companion with a huge grin on his face. "Also, I wouldn't use you as a measurement for anything. You are too weak. Ha ha ha."
Borchu bit his lip as he stared at Yujiro laughing. At one point, only a few minutes before that moment, he had accepted his defeat and eventual death by Yujiro's hands. He had recognized this monster as his superior and thus held no shame in admitting defeat. But now, after the initial stress had disappeared, all Borchu was left with was a deep sense of frustration and anger. 'I'm strong. You'll see. One of these days, I'll-'
As if he were reading Borchu's mind, Yujiro grabbed his new friend by the neck and pulled him closer. "Good, that's the right mindset, Borchu. If you ever find an opening, don't think twice about it. Just attack me. It doesn't matter when or how. " Yujiro said. Borchu's mind stopped thinking. "You need to make an attempt on my life. You need the drive to fight me and to kill me. That's the minimum requirement for someone who claims to be my friend. That and a substantial amount of power, of course. But don't worry, you'll have the chance to prove it to everyone else soon enough. Your journey has only begun. " Yujiro said before jumping over one of the hours.
"Enough talking. I understood what you wanted to say. I'll leave you to talk with her by yourself. Don't screw it up. " Yujiro said as he began looking for the manor in mid-air. It didn't take a single second before he spotted it. The garden contracted immensely with the grayish manor. The building itself was old and dull, it looked more like a small fortress instead of the manor of a noble. 'As expected from a city near the frontier. The maze-like positioning of buildings and roads... the walls... this was a fort once. Not only that but there were many battles fought here. I can sense it. ' Yujiro thought. Once again, he was filled with a sense of happiness. His common sense and knowledge were finally being useful. He was clearly one step closer to finding Japan.