Seeker 102

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Chapter 102. The Road To The Dwarf Village

After leaving the town with our client, we walked along a gently sloping mountain path.

It wasn't a well-maintained road but rather a narrow, beaten path created by pedestrians.

The dwarf leading the way continued to march energetically without showing any signs of fatigue, laughing heartily.

"Hahaha! I must say, I've got myself a fine guard. I've seen many humans, but your eyes are clear. I don't think you harbor any ill intentions. That's the kind of people you are, I reckon."

"Uh, yes. Well, at least to an average extent..."

I gave a non-committal response as I walked behind the dwarf.

Our client had a somewhat tiresome disposition.

Dwarves are one of the so-called different races that inhabit this world.

They resemble humans but are considerably shorter even as adults.

The dwarf artisan named Baldor walking in front of me is said to have lived twice as long as I have, but he's only about as tall as my chest.

However, he has a muscular physique, broad and sturdy.

If we compared our weights, he would likely be heavier than me.

He has a full beard of the same brown color as his hair.

I'm sure it's fluffy to the touch, and Yuzuki is constantly resisting the temptation to touch it.

The word "patience" exists in her dictionary.

"But you know, young lass, those human girls are too slender. They need to eat more and become plump if they want to catch the eyes of us dwarf men, you see?"

"Oh, ahaha, I suppose so."

"Well, it's not like I want to be popular among dwarf men, so I'm fine. But I want to touch that beard of yours."

"What are you saying, little miss? Only my wife and cute children are allowed to touch my beard."

"Oh? Baldor-san, do you have a wife and children?"

"Of course. They live in the village we're heading to."

We continued our casual chatter as we walked on an uncharted path.

We set off in the morning and are expected to arrive at the dwarf village late afternoon.

We had lunch on the way, and as the afternoon approached without any incidents, I began to think we might reach the village without any trouble.

Even if that were the case, we should be able to accomplish two missions.

One is reaching the dwarf village.

The other is completing one D-rank quest.

In addition, there is one more mission that I'm quietly looking forward to.

That's to defeat three ogres.

On the path from the town to the dwarf village, encounters with monsters called ogres are not uncommon.

In our world's dungeons, we've never fought monsters known as ogres.

However, based on the monster guidebook I purchased this morning, I judged it wouldn't be a problem if we encountered them.

According to the data, they have moderate strength.

It would be good news if we encountered ogres on this journey.

But even if they didn't appear, that's fine too.

Either way, it would be exciting. That's what I thought

And things seem to be leaning toward the more favorable side.

As Baldor-san led the way along the mountain path, there was a moment when Kazane-san reacted with a twitch.

"...Shh. Something is approaching. There's more than one."

"What is it...? Could it be ogres!?"

"I'm not sure, but..."

Kazane-an approached me and whispered in my ear.

"...Daichi-kun, we could try to avoid a direct encounter now, but what should we do?"

Kazane-san conveyed the possibility of evading the encounter.

In our world's dungeons, such cases were rare.

If we thought we shouldn't let our guard down, it would be wise to avoid a battle here.

No, but.

If we faltered in the face of this level of "unknown," we wouldn't be able to accomplish anything ahead.

I took a deep breath and made my decision.

"No, let's confront them. Baldor-san, please step back. Kazane-san and Tsukiyuki will be ready to cast magic. We'll all strike together when they appear."

"Understood!"

"Yeah, got it. We're counting on you, warriors."

Baldor stepped back, and we moved forward to protect the client.

Soon, the sound of branches cracking underfoot echoed, and...

A large shadow appeared ahead of us.