I stepped inside the Vale City's Adventurer's Guild once more, lantern in hand. The hall in front of me was almost empty now; only a handful of adventurers lingered, proof enough that it was quite late into the night.
There were no clocks here to measure the time, but judging from how Miria had been yawning nonstop earlier, it had to be well past our usual bedtime. I also felt a pang of guilt for the new girls back home. They had all still been awake when I dropped Remu and Miria off, insisting that they would only sleep once I and all the other girls returned.
I had told Sherry that they could go ahead and rest—especially now that the bandits were already dealt with—but they had refused in unison. I could have ordered them, but I let it be. Truthfully, I wasn't feeling sleepy either. After slaughtering so many people so brutally, I doubted I would've had a peaceful night's rest anyway.
With that in mind, I headed toward the Order of Knights headquarters, which I had visited before. My black cloak and most of my gear were tucked away; the bloodstains, though not mine, would have raised the wrong kind of attention.
The Guild building was shut, a lone lantern hanging by the door to cast light in the dark street.
I knocked firmly. When no answer came, I knocked again. This time, the door creaked open.
[Knight – Level 6]
"Who are you? What do you want at this hour?" the young knight grumbled, yawning as he held his lantern up toward my face.
"Michio Kaga, an Adventurer," I replied evenly. "I'm here to report a bandit attack on a village."
His expression shifted instantly. "What? Bandits? Where are they attacking?"
"They aren't attacking right now," I clarified. "They had attacked and occupied Nayuta Village before. But my party and I defeated them, however the villagers are defenseless right now, and we can't remain there to guard against another attack."
"Huh? So the bandits are all taken care of?" the knight blinked slowly, his voice thick with sleep. "Then why are you here? If it's the bounties you're after, come back in the morning." He stifled another yawn.
"I just told you why I came here—the village needs protection," I said, narrowing my eyes, irritation creeping into my voice.
"I've never even heard of a village called Nayuta," he muttered, rubbing his temple. "Look, you dealt with the bandits, didn't you? They'll be fine for the night. Just come back in the morning. Go home. Sleep." He waved his hand dismissively and started to push the door shut.
"Wait," I said firmly. "I know someone in the Order. Can you pass on a message for me? Ask her to meet me right now, if possible." I had realised that this Knight will not be of much help to me.
He paused, frowning. "Who?"
"Azur Vanguard Nantes Gozzeru. Tell her that Michio Kaga—her friend—wants to see her." My voice was steady, confident. Between her and her cousin Radia, Azur was the safer choice, especially at this hour. I only hoped she was staying at the headquarters tonight and not in her private lodgings somewhere in the city.
The knight's eyes widened. "You're… a friend of Lady Azur?"
"Yes. She told me herself I could seek her out at the Guild whenever I wished," I replied. From his tone, it was clear that Azur carried weight here—she was not a knight yet, so it must be because she is a noble, or because she is related to Radia.
His posture straightened, the sleepy haze gone. "In that case… may I request to see your Intelligence Card?" His tone was far more formal now.
"Of course." I raised my left hand.
He began chanting the activation spell. I had already concealed my first job to an Adventurer, so I wasn't worried—though I couldn't shake the thought that my one-hour limit for using that skill might be close to running out, given how many times I had used it during today's auction.
As soon as he confirmed my card, I retracted my hand, and slipped it back in.
"Michio-san, please come inside and take a seat. I'll go and inform Miss Azur right away," the knight said with a polite smile.
"Alright," I nodded, following him in as he closed the gates behind me.
The interior was well-lit, lanterns hung along the stone walls casting steady pools of light. He guided me into a side room lined with chairs and tables, asking me to wait comfortably before leaving.
As soon as I was alone, I let out a sigh. Even in another world, I had to rely on connections just to be taken seriously. Figures. Still, this was a medieval-style society where nobility and guilds held most of the power—it was only natural.
In fact, the only reason I had come to the Vale Knight's Guild instead of Braston or Quratar was because I knew two people here—both noble-born, both beautiful. That familiarity should help tip things in my favor.
At least it seemed Azur actually stayed in the headquarters itself. That was good news. If not, I would have been forced to play my trump card with Radia—and if even she wasn't here, I would have no choice but to return home or even consider staying in the village overnight, just to keep them safe.
As I waited, I idly chatted with the girls through the party link. In the back of my mind, though, doubt lingered. Azur and I had only met once; calling us acquaintances was already generous. Meeting a man late at night, alone—there was a real chance a noble lady like her wouldn't even come. If that happened, dragging Radia into this would likely end the same way.
Just as I was brooding over that possibility, light footsteps echoed down the hall. The door creaked open, and in stepped a stunning girl.
[Azur Vanguard Nantes Gozzeru
Warrior Level 28
Equipment: Sacrificial Misanga]
"You know, Michio, there was no need to come here this late just to tell me you'd accepted me into your Labyrinth party," Azur said with a faint smile as she entered.
Unlike her formal knight's dress from earlier, she now wore a simple blue tunic and pants, her blonde hair flowing loose around her shoulders. The change gave her an entirely different aura—less noble knight, more beautiful girl-next-door.
"I'm sorry to disturb you so late at night, Miss Azur," I said as I stood up.
"Eh, it's fine. I hadn't gone to sleep yet anyway," she replied with an easygoing smile. "So, if you're here this late… does that mean we're heading into the labyrinth first thing in the morning?" she asked eagerly.
"No, I must apologize again, but that's not why I'm here. I came to report a serious incident regarding a bandit group and their occupation of a small village named Nayuta," I said gravely.
"Oh?" Her expression stiffened. "A bandit group? Can you give me the details?" she asked, her demeanor shifting to match my seriousness.
I gave her a concise rundown of the situation, carefully changing certain details so my deception and unique skills wouldn't come to light.
"Wow… to take on an entire bandit group just for the sake of your slave—Michio, you're every bit as brave, strong and kind as I imagined," she said, suddenly clasping my hand in both of hers. Her blue eyes sparkled. "I definitely have to join your labyrinth team now!"
"I'm flattered that you think so, Miss Azur. But as I've told you, I have my own difficulties," I replied with a wry smile. Her bare hands were soft and warm against mine.
"Just call me Azur," she said, gripping my hand tighter. "And I can wait for you. Otherwise, it might take me years before I ever become a knight." She sighed.
"You're passionate enough, Azur. You'll surely become a knight sooner than you think. And… I'll see if I can make room for you in my party in the coming weeks," I said, still smiling wryly. I couldn't help but feel guilty for constantly turning down such a pretty girl. By then, I would have climbed high enough in the labyrinth that it wouldn't be a problem to take her along.
"Thank you! I knew you wouldn't reject me, Michio," she said, shaking my hand with both of hers, her face glowing with excitement.
Did she not realize how misleading her words sounded?
"And about this bandit problem…" I prompted, steering the conversation back on track.
"Oh, can you give me those bandit intelligence cards as proof?" she asked, finally letting go of my hand.
"Sure," I said, pulling out a pouch filled with the cards.
"Alright, please wait here. I'll have these checked and see if any of them have any bounties," she said, standing up and striding out. "I just hope Big Sis doesn't get mad at me for waking her up…" she muttered with a wry smile as she left.
I didn't even get the chance to thank her before she was gone.
Thinking back on the revised story I had told Azur, I realized that, in truth, I had been far too lucky tonight.
First, disguising myself as the Slave Merchant had worked flawlessly, and through the old adventurer's guidance I had been able to easily reach the village—one of the biggest obstacles, considering none of us actually knew its location.
Once there, half the thieves were asleep and all of them were unarmored, easy prey for swift kills before they could even react. Out of the twenty-six bandits, more than half died before the fight truly began.
The bandit leader had been caught literally naked, letting me walk right up to him in disguise. The only real confrontation was with the last seven, but even they were steamrolled thanks to my overpowered Magic Bracelet.
I glanced down at the bracelet, noting the charges left.
[Magic Bracelet
– Magic Gem (70%)
– Magic Gem (100%)
– Magic Gem (100%)
– Magic Gem (3/10)
– Magic Gem (6/10)
– Magic Gem (6/10)]
If all the bandits had confronted us head-on, even with the bracelet, the battle might have been tough. Still, I doubted I would have lost—magic and superior equipment like Durandal and the Boots of swift acceleration, simply gave too overwhelming of an advantage in this kind of fight.
If the Storm spell could have been used on humans, I wouldn't even have bothered with stealth kills. I would've stormed in and massacred the lot of them.
But obviously, the Storm spell affects everyone other than your party in the vicinity, so it wouldn't be a good option if any villagers were caught in it.
Still, this kind of abnormal luck I experienced today—was it the result of the skill Heroic Luck? Technically, I was doing a heroic deed, rescuing a village and all that, so it makes sense it might have been in effect. Then again, none of the bandits tripped over themselves and died, so maybe this case doesn't count as "supernaturally lucky."
I'm not sure. Unlike Opportunity Sense, I've never felt Heroic Luck actually activate, so either it's not something I can sense at all… or it just hasn't triggered yet.
Even without it, though, I can't help but feel that these level-up skills have been helping me a lot. Even that first Courage boost I got from leveling up Hero—I'm sure it helped me keep my composure today. Maybe the daily labyrinth runs have also toughened me up; fighting has started to feel natural. Honestly, if I go a day without battling demons now, I might start feeling uneasy. It has become a habit.
And seeing how scummy these bandits were, I almost wanted to wander around town tonight and deliver justice with my own sword. With unique skills like Appraisal and the Mask of Obscurity, it honestly wouldn't even be hard to pull off.
Obviously, that was just the childish part of me wishing to play the "Dark Knight" in another world. In reality, I had better things to do—with a bunch of hot girls waiting at home, I had no time to be skulking around town in a black cloak delivering justice.
It might sound harsh, but I don't really care that much about others. If something messed up happens right in front of me, sure, I will definitely step in. But beyond that, I don't have the kind of hero complex that makes me want to dip my hands into everyone's problems.
Just take this village as an example—sure, it was relatively easy for me to deal with the bandits, but it wasn't without risk. Those bastards were really trying to kill me. One wrong step, and my wonderful life in this other world would have ended in an instant. Normally, if I had known a village was occupied by bandits, I would have just reported it to the Knight Guild and left the problem to them.
But this time was different. I took the risk because it was Setsuna's village, and she is—or will become—my woman. Now that I have these powers and systems in this world, of course I will use them to protect and satisfy the desires of my harem girls. As for everyone else? They can fend for themselves.
And honestly, I really think that it's not such a bad mentality to keep in this foreign world, especially while I am still weak. With not even a single advanced job in my list, I am nowhere near the top of this world. I need to stay cautious and humble until I climb that high.
After a long internal monologue with myself and passing the time by chatting with the girls from time to time, the door finally creaked open.
***
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Hogwarts: Monsters and Magic