Day 2 of Ogre Hunting: To the Trade Guild
We quickly left the camp and entered the forest, taking the shortest route to Vardmoi.
Using the main road would have taken too much time.
As for not getting lost in the forest, I had a pocket watch with a built-in compass, and Talat was confirming the direction, so there was no doubt that we could navigate without any mistakes.
Thanks to that, we reached Vardmoi before the gates opened in the morning.
The gatekeepers were surprised, though.
“Who are those people tethered to the spider?”
“They’re adventurers who tried to kidnap me. Oh, I’m Lily, a Copper-ranked merchant.”
I deliberately introduced myself as a Copper-ranked merchant and presented my identification.
If I had identified myself as an adventurer, there might have taken it as disputes among adventurers.
What’s important is the narrative that “an adventurer attacked a merchant.”
“Kidnap? Any proof?”
“The identification papers should show records of the rewards and penalties. We even got to the point where they tied me up with a rope.”
“Then they should face penalties. Show your identifications, all of you.”
“Ugh, no, that one is a Green-ranked adventurer…”
“Her being a Copper-ranked merchant is certain. If you don’t want trouble, show your identifications!”
While saying if they didn’t want a painful experience, the guards had already kicked one of the adventurers.
Seeing that, the other two reluctantly showed their identifications.
“Hmm, indeed, there’s an ‘attempted kidnapping’ in the rewards and punishment section. It’s shameful for Green-ranked adventurers to be involved in a crime…”
“It’s because she’s acting all cocky while only being a Green-ranked adventurer herself!”
“As I mentioned earlier, she’s a Copper-ranked merchant. Even if adventurers have minor conflicts, they won’t receive penalties on their identifications. So, the fact that penalties were given implies that you have committed a significant crime.”
“That can’t be…”
The adventurers, wrapped up in Talat’s threads, hung their heads in defeat. §
With a penalty like ‘attempted kidnapping’ on their records, their path as adventurers was likely to be closed off.
Maybe they could find work in the city.
I needed to make sure they didn’t fall further into a life of crime.
“So, your name is Lily? What should we do with these folks? Should we keep them at the guardhouse and hand them over to the Adventurers’ Guild?”
“Ah, the Trade Guild will take care of them. We’ll keep them in custody as soon as we enter the city. With Talat’s thread around them, there’s no way they can escape.”
“Understood. Please wait a little longer until the gates open.”
“Yes. Oh, and there’s a possibility that their fellow adventurers might come looking for them, so please let them know that the Trade Guild has taken custody of them.”
“I’ll take care of that as well. Then, please wait a bit longer.”
The guard returned, and we waited for the gates to open.
Eventually, the bells rang, signaling the opening time, and once we finished the paperwork, we headed straight to the Trade Guild.
Since we arrived right at the opening time, there was no one there yet.
However, the three adventurers, wrapped up in Talat’s threads, made us stand out significantly.
Soon, Alizée, who was in charge of me, came rushing over.
“Good morning, Lady Lily. Weren’t you planning on hunting Ogres today?”
“That was the plan, but we were attacked, so we came back. These are the ones who attacked us.”
“… Hmm. They’re adventurers, right?”
“When the guards checked their identification earlier, I peeked, and all of them are Green-ranked adventurers.”
“Oh my goodness. We’ll take custody of these individuals. Is that alright with you?”
“I wouldn’t have brought them here if it wasn’t.”
“My apologies. Please escort these individuals to the underground dungeon.”
“Yes!”
The guards who had appeared seemingly out of nowhere carried the adventurers away.
It seemed they would be taken with Talat’s threads still binding them, ensuring they couldn’t escape.
Now, it was time for us to plan our next steps with the Adventurers’ Guild.