Seirei Gensouki's
Chapter 143: The Journey to Restoration pt2
Christina asked that question as if trying to start a conversation. Although somewhat confused by it, Rio decided to answer his question.
「This is a variety of dishes called porridge」
"Porridge? 」
Christina stood right beside Rio and peeked curiously at the contents of the pan.
She elegantly raised her long hair that stretched up to her shoulders with her right hand and then a gentle fragrance drifted into Rio's nasal cavity.
「Because it is not a popular type of dish among nobles, it is not impossible for you not to know about it. After cooking wheat rolled with oil in a pan, it is then cooked together with hot water 」
「Avery good aroma. It evokes the taste 」
Christina's lips formed a smile after she sniffed the aroma of cooking.
「I can't make it too complicated because it's an outdoor cuisine and I don't know if it tastes according to your taste but …………. . Done"
Rio threw the stir-fry mushroom that he set aside at the beginning while saying so. Sprinkle the chopped cheese on it, and the barley cheese risotto is complete.
Next he had a soup made of jerky, mushrooms, and wild spices that he utilized while utilizing risotto. It may be considered a feast for dishes cooked outdoors in the middle of a trip.
"That's not true . Very delicious"
"Thank you very much . Should we eat this dish there 」
Everyone had already prepared a great place to eat under Celia's guidance while Rio came out to cook the dishes. Perhaps he was quite proficient with earth magic since there was a simple dining table and chair.
「Let me help you carry that plate」
After saying that, Christina took the handle of the pot with the soup inside faster than Rio who tried to stop her. So they brought the dishes to the table where Celia-tachi was waiting for them.
（Dia …………. . Helping me?)
Rio thought so while daydreaming looking at Christina's back.
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「After this I will confirm the situation in the area while confirming our direction. I'll be back about 30 minutes 」
Right after they finished lunch, Rio who said those words immediately disappeared inside the forest.
「Aisia, can you keep watch in this area to ascertain if there are any dangerous beasts or demons around? Please expel them before they cause any danger if they come to attack 」
Rio spoke to Aisia who was still in her spirit form and could not be seen by the naked eye of Christina-tachi.
After that, Aisia manifested herself.
"Yes I can"
"Thank you . Aishia 」's
Rio smiled gently as he bowed lightly to Aisia.
After which, Aisia tilted her head in return. Maybe because he doesn't know why he said thank you to her, yet— He still says.
「……. Should we go to stay in the seirei no tami village after this trip is over? 」
When Rio noticed that he said those words to her.
There is Dryad in seirei no tami village. If it was her, she might know something about Aisia.
Although it was something that had to be done immediately, she couldn't help but delay until now due to the matter of protecting Miharu-tachi and then escorting Celia to her house.
He had always been the one to receive help from Aisia but that didn't mean that he lent something to her either, so he wanted to at least do something for her.
So he thought that it might be a good idea to take him to seirei no tami village because he could not find anything to repay his kindness.
「Seirei no tami is his village …………. . Where are Haruto's important people, right? 」
「Yes. You're right"
「Then, I want to go there」
Aisia nodded at him.
"I saw . I'll introduce everyone to you then 」
Although half a year had not passed since the last time he visited the seirei no tami, it felt like more than half a year for him.
In the first place, Rio returned to the Strahl region to get a clue about Lucius' place.
However, his search has yielded almost no progress until now.
Although he tried to get information regarding Lucius' whereabouts from the nearby town since he lived together with Miharu-tachi, he did not get any information regarding Lucius' whereabouts. For some reason he hasn't appeared on the front stage lately.
“Yah the Strahl region is vast and there are many people living there. "He had originally hoped it would be very difficult to find Lucius.
Although there was a sense of duty instilled within him to kill Lucius if that person was still alive, it would be fine if it turned out that Lucius was dead. Because he had no intention of going crazy about finding the man to the point that he could not see his surroundings.
Therefore, Rio was impatient while harboring a terrifying retaliatory fire within him.
「I'll go first. Our time is almost up 」
「Yes. See you around"
Sent by Aisia, Rio then kicked the ground. Walking through the sea of trees was like the wind and then rising in the blink of an eye after finding a suitable height.
Then he floated further with spirit arts to search for the next post town for their next stop while confirming their position and direction.
（If it's that place, we'll be able to arrive before nightfall as long as we don't get lost. Camping outside may prove too much for everyone）'s stamina
Rio found a post town he was looking for in front of the highway after passing through the check station.
If they got lost in the forest, then they had no choice but to camp outside for the day. Although there were preparations to be made, he wanted to stay in the inn as much as possible for the sake of Celia.
Because they won't waste too much time doing it. Rio decided to get down from the tree.
Then he continued to weave his way through the trees in search of a route with good footing.
He also did not forget to get rid of the ferocious beasts or dangerous demons he had encountered along the way.
After running inside the forest for about 20 minutes, now he decided to return to where Celia-tachi rested for a while by flying in the air. The time it took for him to return was a third of the time it took for him to run inside the forest.
Rio then landed nearby and walked towards the temporary camp.
（It should be along this river …………. Are you there, Aisia?）
Rio sent a telepathic message because he felt Aisia might be nearby. He should be able to answer immediately if he was within range of telepathic messages.
(Yes nih . I'm at the fountain near the temporary camp. You should be able to find a place as long as you follow the river）
(I saw . I'll be there)
Since he received a reply from Aisia, Rio just walked along the river without thinking too much about it.
Since he found a deep bush in the destination along the river, he pushed his way through it. After walking for a while, he found himself in an open space. Fountain .
And two naked beauties――,
「……………. . EH? 」
Rio's train of thought came to a halt when he saw that unexpected sight. He unintentionally let out a dumbfounded voice.
Their beautiful long hair grows up to their backs with the former having a snow-like color and the latter having an orchid-like color. In short, they were Celia and Christina.
The figure of a beautiful fairy like Celia was very different from the figure of Christina who was long and beautiful. Rio stood still in his place with a dumbfounded expression for a while.
Then–,
Rio was startled when Aisia suddenly spoke to him through telepathic messages. He then turned around in a hurry. There he saw Aisia manifest.
He then glanced at the fountain again in a hurry. Fortunately, Christina-tachi had yet to notice him.
（L-Come change places for now. Follow me, Aisia）
Rio brought Aisia with him to leave that place in a hurry.
（Please do not bathe in such a place, remember ………. ）
While saying that phrase in his mind.
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After meeting with Aisia, Rio returned to where Rei and Kouta were waiting for him.
"What are you doing? 」
Rio asked the two of them when he discovered they were trying to sneak into the bushes growing around the fountain.
「E, AH! Shiharu-kun! Y-You're wrong! I'm just trying to stop senpai from doing such a stupid act! 」
Kouta explained the situation in a panic. Rei on the other hand just laughed awkwardly with 「Ahaha」. It seems like it was just an effort.
Rio was surprised and accidentally sighed. However, even though it was just by chance, seeing that he had already seen the bare skin of two young noble and upper-class girls, he thought that he did not have the qualifications to blame or curse them.
「I wouldn't say that risking your life to peek is a wise choice. I suggest you step back before you get caught by Vanessa-dono 」
「Aah, as expected, I won't say as far as risking your life on the right track」
Rei said that to Rio with an honest expression.
「Unfortunately, the lives of people in this world are very cheap in kali」
Rio replied that it was unusual.
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Time will return a little, when Rio-tachi leaves the capital of Creia region.
The stage was changed to Bertram royal palace. In a certain post town in the southern region of Claire.
Since the area around this post town was surrounded by mountains and highways passed through the valley, the city was positioned at a point that one had to pass through if one was traveling on foot.
The population of the post town was about 200 people but then more than double that number, even at the lowest traffic, was always bound to stay in the inn. There is a shop and inn built along the highway, bars are also among the buildings it――
「KAAAAA ~ H! Nothing beats a beer after a hard day! Ou, guys! Today is to treat me. Drink until full! 」
「Nothing but cheap beer! 」
"What are you talking about . This cheap beer is not good enough! 」
"of course! 」
The adventurers who finished their daily work around the post town gathered inside this bar. Inside the bar was filled with vulgar laughter.
Generally the majority of adventurers are like them. Of course there were good people among them as well, but the behavior of people with low morals was more striking.
Nonetheless, those aspects cannot be helped to some extent.
Although there were many adventurers wherever one went, their activities were surprisingly narrow. And then, from the fact that they live a life in a limited space where power dominates, conceptions like 「Strong people are great」 or 「Loser」 already makes sense to them. As long as one did not show their strength even if it was just for show, one would be placed at a lower rank than those around him and even lose their trust.
For that reason, large adults are surprisingly easy to get into fights with silly excuses like "Can't stand the looks of it", "That guy is making fun of me", or "Aragic behavior".
They would go as far as picking a fight with a weak-looking newcomer without winking at the sake of showing off to their comrades and the surroundings.
「N? 」
When the adventurers were already dead drunk, the door of the bar suddenly opened. The sight of the adventurers in the bar was pulled towards the door.
A man like an adventurer entered the bar. He wore a leather suit, wore a traveling coat and hung a sword on his waist. He was about half his twenties.
"Ah? New face yes 」
The man who treated liquor for everyone muttered such words.
This was unlike adventurers from other places who had never passed through this post town.
But, many adventurers active in this region gathered in this bar.
When one set foot on the land of the original adventurers who had a strong sense of their territory, the newcomers are usually one of the three “Newcomers who will make this place as their base of operations”, “They came just to take a fight ”or“ Fools who visited the bar without knowing anything ”.
But then, the newcomer did not care about the other person's gaze and simply sat on the counter chair with an expression full of ambition.
Please beer and meat meat please
The man placed 3 large copper coins on the table and then ordered liquor and plates. After which, the other adventurers in the bar glared at him with scornful expressions on their faces.
「Y-Ya」
The shopkeeper who guessed the dangerous air inside the bar replied in a shrill voice.
And then, the man who treated everyone with liquor exchanged glances with several others and then stood up from his seat at once. The adventurers then sat on a nearby chair as if surrounding the man.
「Yo, Lad. You got guts there, don't you? Order like that without even sending greetings to us first. Did you come to this bar to familiarize yourself with the adventurers to make this city a base of your operations? 」
The man who was treating the liquor for everyone wrapped his arms around the newcomer's shoulder and then asked the question while wearing a provocative smile on his face.
"Yes it's true . I happen to have a commission for you guys 」
The newcomer responded with an indifferent voice.
「Ah, a commission? Can't you give it to the guild? 」
The adventurers were surprised by the conversation coming in an unexpected direction.
「Usually there are no branch guilds in rural areas like this, right? 」
「Ya, but still ………. . Is it the kind of work that will not pass through a permanent member? 」
For once, even in a place without an adventurer guild branch, guilds usually sent their permanent members for mediation and management work to a post town with a certain level of population. And then, this permanent member was a temporary worker in this post town.
「That means the remuneration is big. This is an upfront payment if you want to accept this job. I will pay triple this amount as long as the result satisfies me 」
Saying so, the man placed a pouch containing a large silver coin on the table.
「T-Three this time? 」
The nearby adventurer who saw the pouch filled with large silver coins became agitated. Everyone in the store instantly knows 「It must be a large amount of silver」 coins.
「………. I'd like to hear about your origin 」
The adventurer who treated liquor to everyone asked with a joyful expression.
「It's only if you take this job」
「In this case, please let me know the content of the work. Although I know that the payment is good, I will not take the commission without knowing the details 」
Being able to manage risk was a sign that he was some kind of veteran adventurer.
「Yeah, I'm just looking for someone――」
The newcomer then smiled doubtfully
「―― And the problem is I don't know what they」 looks like