The gentleman who gave us this ring told us that showing it and giving his name would guarantee our identity. Yes, that was all he said.
Before I could tell who had given it to me, a gentleman recognized it. «It is a Verbal Message ring. And it belongs to Sir Garfizel, who had gone to search the second floor portal».
«Verbal Message Ring...?»
Seeing my reaction, he chuckled. «Looks like you didn't even know what this was. Wait. Now it will be known if your words are true or not».
As the knight turned the ring jewel to the side, a blue light filtered through and entered his body. The knight closed his eyes silently, as if he wanted to enjoy the glow. It took him about three minutes to open his mouth.
«The Corpse Collector is near the portal, huh?».
In that phrase all the causalities were drawn in my head. Damn, so that's why it was a Verbal Message ring. No wonder he gave it to me when I hadn't even asked for compensation.
I see why he gave it to me.
The gentleman named Garfizel wanted to deliver information using me, whom he met by chance. That's probably why he also gave us information about this place.
«By the dark area, do you mean where the monument is located?».
«Yes, head there. You will be safe as long as you get there».
If the message was delivered, that was good. If not, there was no damage. Still, I could have been honest. Now I really felt like an idiot.
Why are there so many bastards who treat people like toys in this world?
It left a bitter taste in my mouth, but the lucky thing was that this ring guaranteed our identity for sure.
«Little Balkan, Bjorn, son of Yandel». I never revealed my name to him, but the gentleman called me.
«Have your doubts been cleared up yet?»
«It seems certain that you are not on Noark's side. Although it is questionable how you entered the path on your own... pass. We will go to the temporary Headquarters to discuss the details».
«I'm glad to hear that. Do they also have a priest?» There couldn't possibly be a priest here, but I was going around the bush.
Fortunately, the gentleman seemed to understand what he meant. «Yes, I guess you need treatment first». He saw our state and nodded. It was a little surprising. I thought I would be adamant and say research came first. «Your colleagues will be taken to a makeshift infirmary».
«...¿Y yo?»
«Research comes first.»
Ha, I figured he was still considered a gentleman. «I can wait, so go rest first.»
«But...!» Missha protested my decision, but I stared somewhere in silence, the place where a patient was in a more critical situation than my missing arm.
«Is Daria okay?»
«I'm not sure. Rrraven used a spell to unlock the curse, but she hasn't awakened...»
«The priest will treat her. You should take her there».
«...Sorry,» Erwen said.
What was there to regret? I smiled and patted him on the shoulder. He acted as if he had committed a sin. I approached Raven for a brief conversation. «You are the leader when I am not there. I know it's hard because of mana depletion, but I'll let you do it».
«...Don't worry about the team. I'll take care of it. I may be exhausted, but not as exhausted as you».
Hmm, I figured that wasn't something a one-armed bastard should have said.
«If you're done, follow me», said the gentleman. «My subordinate will take your colleagues to the infirmary».
«Okay.»
After that, I separated from the group and followed the knight inside. It was an unknown sight. The dark area, which was normally free of light, was all illuminated thanks to the installed torches.
It looked like a temporary shelter.
If the outside area was made up of guards and scouts, the inside was a little different. The explorers squeezed into the narrow hallway sitting or lying down to rest.
«There is no fog here».
«A defensive magic circle has been placed».
«Defensive magic circle...?»
«Oh, you still wouldn't know if you came from outside. Fog is a poison-type dark magic, although it is not very dangerous considering its wide range.»
Dark fog type magic, huh? So it was the Supper of Evil? Since there was no problem breathing it and it was enough to cover the entire first floor, I thought it had to be fog magic released to block our view.
How many dark wizards did they grind for that?
A chill ran down my spine. What would have happened if we had gone to the outskirts and made the decision to resist on our own?
We would have been screwed.
No matter how weak the energy was, after a few days of exposure the symptoms would have appeared. Only then would I have realized the identity of the fog and devised a countermeasure. No matter how late it had been then, the options would have been fewer.
«Hey you, you can rest, but stick to the wall».
«Oh yeah... Sorry».
We advanced for about twenty minutes through that narrow passage. Finally, the central cavity appeared. No, I should actually call it square.
«...How did you do this?»
«We used magicians to demolish nearby exterior walls and expand the area. We couldn't accommodate everyone in that small space».
Huh. Was this military style civil engineering? I figured there was nothing that couldn't be done when there were so many people gathered. The cavity, which used to have a radius of about thirty meters, expanded more than hundreds of times in size. Barracks had been built on the expanded land that housed different clans.
«Forward».
The place the knight took me to was a large barracks located right in the center. At the entrance was the flag of the imperial family of Rafdonia, and inside I saw people gathered around a round table.
A meeting of the leaders, huh?
Although this was the palace barracks, it was not filled only with knights. There were also explorers who bore the marks of famous clans and discussed something passionately. There was a familiar face between them.
«Oh, you are...!» The woman was startled, as if she had seen a ghost.
I smiled bitterly and waved. «We meet again, Versyl Gowland». I didn't know we would see each other again so soon either.
«How are you... Have you found a wizard capable of teleporting?».
Of course not. Instead of responding, I waved the arm with only the elbow left.
Judging by his expression, he seemed to understand what that meant. «...Did you really go that way?». Versyl murmured in disbelief. We just crossed the route those guys had abandoned. He didn't seem to expect us to make it. «How did you do it?»
I wasn't proud to say it, but I used a similar method to hers. I threw away what I had for my priorities.
While I was meeting with Versyl, a man intervened and created a silence. «Enough talk». So this guy was the big man here. «Mr. Ergos, you should be on the front line. What are you doing here? And who is that barbarian next to him?»
«I had to inform you of something, so I have temporarily left my position».
«Cuéntame.»
«I have obtained Sir Garfizel's Verbal Message ring».
«...¿But Sir Garfizel?»
«Yeah. This man is an explorer named Bjorn Yandel. He gave me the ring».
When the knight handed him the message ring, the man activated it. After a while, he spoke without stopping to look at me. «I'm Marco Elbern. I am the head of the third Royal Guard». It seemed like he was finally interested in me. «I'm going to ask you some questions. Can you answer them honestly?»
«...lo haré.»
«First, if the message content of this ring is true, it means that the Corpse Collector is located to the north, on the border with the Goblin Forest».
Some of the scouts exclaimed «Corpse Collector!» hearing that, but not loud enough to disrupt the conversation. It wasn't something I needed to worry about right now.
«So what do you mean?»
«Is it reliable information?»
«It's reliable. I escaped from him, but also briefly fought him».
»I fought with him»? Can I know what your range is?»
«...Rango 5.»
When I revealed my rank, the head of the guards touched his chin with a strange expression. «If those words are true, that man must have let you go».
«Probably». I admitted it willingly. In fact, the Corpse Collector only seemed interested in blocking the portal to the second floor. If it weren't for that, we would have had a lot of trouble escaping. «Are those all your questions?»
«No, one more. It looks like you just entered the path assigned to Sir Ergos. Is that true?»
«That's right.»
«I want to hear about that in more detail. Was there any way to avoid passing through the enemy?»
«If there was, do you think it would look like this now?»
«...That's true. Then tell me in more detail how you got here. It can be beneficial for the strategy».
Although it was already proven that I was not an explorer on Noark's side, there was no point in refusing this and creating problems. I explained the twenty-minute battle concisely. I figured it was enough to portray the desperate road we had just taken.
«A moving story». Marco's gaze became a little more favorable. The clan scouts who were also listening to my story also looked at me fascinated. «I see in you the qualities of a commander».
«If it were, more than half of us wouldn't have died».
«That's why I said qualities. Your companions are all alive. A great commander is not someone who makes the perfect decisions. He is someone who takes what is necessary».
It didn't seem like he was being sarcastic, but it wasn't really a topic he wanted to talk about. Even though it was a compliment, I didn't find it very funny. I changed the subject. «If there are no more questions, I want to leave soon».
«Actually, I have one more question for you. The man you met in the end. Did he have a scar on his chin?»
¿A scar? «Yes.
When I nodded, the gentleman laughed, amused. «I had my doubts since you talked about a great sword of adamantium, but it was actually the Serpent Knight».
«The Serpent Knight?»
«A bastard who stabbed his master's son and escaped. It's a pretty famous name, but I guess it was a long time ago for you.»
No wonder he used an aura. He was a gentleman. Seeing how the surrounding explorers murmured, I assumed that he once had a certain reputation.
«Anyway, congratulations. Since you killed that man, your reputation will go up».
«My reputation, huh?»
«What, barbarians don't like that?»
You're not wrong, but I'm not like normal barbarians, you see.
Of course, there was nothing wrong with having a good reputation. I had to get permission to enter the royal capital of Karnon, anyway.
«If I come back alive».
It wouldn't be too late to think about that later. Not even a day had passed since the maze opened.
«I have held an injured person for too long. Go rest. Sir Ergos will tell you the rules here».
With that, I left the barracks and, guided by a gentleman, headed to the temporary infirmary to join my companions.
«Sir!»
«How is Daria?»
«The priest has cleaned it and it is better now. He's sleeping... But all thanks to you!». Now that her sister had been treated, Erwen regained her composure and perked up again.
Missha approached and pushed Erwen away. «Hey! Stop bothering him and leave».
«Sorry?»
«Excuse me? Can't you see Bjorn is hurt?»
«Ah...»
«Let me see. You're OK? Does anything else hurt? You must be tired, be called there in the middle of it. Let's show your arm to the priest».
It seemed like everyone's wounds had already been treated, so I followed Missha to the priest. Oh, for reference, there was no cost because this was a war situation. All explorers had to follow the emperor's orders. This infirmary was probably a meeting of priests from other teams in the first place.
«You won't regain all your strength for another day and you will feel strange. I have to go treat the other patients. May the brightness of the sun be with you».
With healing, the arm grew back within minutes. Once again I realized the importance of a priest. If it had been an advanced potion to cure me I would have needed at least two or three jars. Not only did this go beyond rebuilding an amputated arm, but the greater the physical ability, the weaker the effect of a potion.
If I make a clan, I have to find a priest somehow.
After treatment, I met with my teammates. «Raven, have you heard about the situation here?»
«They assigned us a region, something like that.»
«Did they assign a region?»
«Where we will sleep from now on. We all get a map and it looks like we're in an outside hallway, I guess because we're late. I think the inner safe zone is already saturated».
I laughed silently at Raven's words. The innermost region was full of barracks of large clans. Were they really assigned there because they arrived earlier?
«Anyway, let's go there quickly. Apparently we have to do on-call shifts starting tomorrow».
Wow, it was like being in the army. Scrutinizing the rigid atmosphere around us, a question suddenly came to mind. «...But where is Takelan?» Takelan Arvenon, the rank 5 scout, was the only survivor of this plan.
As soon as I mentioned the name Takelan, everyone froze.
«Oh, he...» Raven tried to smile as she responded: «He left as soon as he was assigned his mission. Apparently anyone who is here alone or on a team of two or fewer people is used to fill vacancies on the teams.»
«¿In series?»
So it couldn't be added to our team? The clans also seemed to go together. There were many teams made up of more than six people as they moved, anyway.
When I expressed my question, Raven smiled awkwardly and said, «He wanted it. So you don't have to worry».
«If you say so». I nodded indifferently and thought: «Something happened while I was away. An incident occurred. Although I didn't know why they were hiding it from me. I could ask Ainar or Missha later.
«Erwen, you're joining the Blue Wall Clan, right?» i asked.
«Yes... I don't want to, but Daria said we had to do it... She said it could cause problems later because of our contract».
Well, the contract was one thing, but she would have thought it would be much safer that way, since Blue Wall operated a whopping six teams. One of those teams disappeared on the way here, however.
«Then we'll get going. Take care of your sister when she wakes up. And always be alert to your surroundings».
«Okay...!»
After separating from Erwen, we headed to our assigned district. It was a passage located on the outskirts and less than two meters from the equipment next to us.
«It had been a long time since I had slept on the first floor...»
Like the explorers that we were, we put our sleeping bags on the floor without question and lay down next to each other. We all knew that we should be very grateful to be able to sleep like this.
¡Honkkkkk!
As soon as he lay down, Ainar snored. I didn't know why, but upon hearing that I remembered what I had to do: check today's loot, inspect the equipment that was covered in lava, and wash my body, which was soaked in blood and sweat. Oh, I also had to investigate what had happened to Takelan. The to-do list was hilly, even though we had already done all this work.
Ugh, it doesn't matter. Do it tomorrow.
When I closed my eyes, the force left my body. It was like I was sinking.
Just as my consciousness slowly sank into the flood, I heard Missha's voice at my side. «Bjorrrn, you did well today».
Then I heard Raven's voice from the other side. «Yeah. You really went through a lot».
Abman also laughed timidly and added: «Rest a little, Yandel».
¡Honkkkkk!
Only then did I realize that the exceptionally long first day was finally over.