Seeker 169

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Chapter 169. Roadblock

After spending a relaxing night at an inn in the city of Luxerry, the next morning.

We'll return to the original world in 88 days.

We met up with Eslyn-san and tried to leave the city through the northwest gate following her lead, but...

"Huh? Is this gate closed?"

When Eslyn-san asked this, the gatekeeper guarding the northwest gate replied.

"Yeah. A Mutant Ogre appeared on the road ahead, and a B-rank adventurer party barely escaped and came back. The Black Wolf Knights are going to exterminate it, so this gate will be closed until that's done."

By Mutant Ogre, they meant a wild boss monster that suddenly mutates.

In our world's dungeons, we've heard that mutant monsters appear very rarely.

We've never encountered one, and they are considered quite rare.

Mutants generally have significantly higher combat capabilities than regular monsters.

However, they don't appear universally and repeatedly.

Once you defeat one, it's generally unlikely for the same mutant monster to reappear in the same location.

It seems that this rule applies to both our world and this world.

"That's a problem. Time is money for us merchants. We can't afford any further delays. We'll wither away."

"Even if you say that rules are rules, so I can't let you through."

"How long will it take? Can we leave by tomorrow?"

"It's hard to say. It could be finished today or take two to three days. Or it might even take more than a week."

"Oh no..."

Eslyn-san tried to negotiate to find a way out, but it seemed the gatekeeper couldn't grant passage on their authority, leaving us in a frustrating situation.

Just then...

"What's going on? What's the dispute about?"

We heard a dignified girl's voice from behind.

There were also clinking sounds of armor and weapons and many footsteps' sounds.

The gatekeeper turned his gaze toward the source of the voice, straightened his back, and saluted smartly.

"We've been waiting for the Black Wolf Knights! This group of merchants insists on passing through the gate."

"I see. It looks like the three of you are adventurers."

When I turned around, I saw a group of people parading down the main street of the city, all dressed like adventurers.

A total of seven people.

Leading them was a silver-haired, green-eyed beautiful girl.

She looked even younger than us—about fifteen or sixteen years old.

The girl was clad in silver armor, wielded a sword, and was mounted on a warhorse.

What's following behind them are all sturdy men.

They are clad in chainmail and scale armor, carrying various weapons like axes, spears, bows, and shields.

Some of them wear Viking helmets, giving them a visual that's more reminiscent of bandits or brigands than a knightly order.

Like us, they possess extraordinary abilities, including the girl at the front.

We can't accurately gauge their strength.

Generally, only seasoned adventurers are hired as knights, so we should assume they've all reached the level 25 cap.

Their imposing presence also suggests that this assumption is probably accurate.

However, the girl on horseback who approached us and spoke didn't seem to possess that strength.

Her movements in the armor seemed somewhat awkward, and she appeared to be outmatched by her armor.

She gave off an impression of an inexperienced girl trying to act tough.

By the way, when they say knight order, it doesn't necessarily mean they have dozens or hundreds of soldiers.

In this world, knight orders are elite, small units comprised of individuals with exceptional abilities.

However, it's not just Eslyn-san who's in a bind about not being able to proceed through the gate.

We also have a limited number of days we can spend in this other world. We can't afford to waste several days doing nothing.

Taking this into consideration, I respond to the girl on horseback.

"Yes, we're adventurers. You're the Black Wolf Knights, correct? And you'll exterminate the mutant ogre that has appeared ahead?"

"That's right. We can't lift the gate's closure until that extermination mission is completed. We can't grant passage until we've defeated the mutant monster."

The girl gives a straightforward response.

But I can't back down now.

We can't afford to waste any time, so I press forward.

"In that case, how about letting us participate in the extermination?"

"What...?"

"Our employer is in a hurry. We also believe that, as a three-person party, we can handle an A-rank quest without any issues. We won't slow you down. It's our convenience, so we won't even ask for a reward."

"Hmm..."

The girl covers her mouth with the gauntlet-covered hand and shows a thoughtful gesture.

But at that moment, one of the strong men behind her steps forward.

And he shouts.

"No way, no way! Young adventurers like you, as soon as you gain a little strength, you get cocky. Three of you handling an A-rank quest? You young bucks are full of yourselves. This is a roadblock. Scatter, scatter!"