第七話 レイドクエスト
〈アンデッドの群れの討伐〉の
冒険者の数は、俺を合わせて丁度十人であった。
F級、E級冒険者の集まりだが、一人だけこの中にD級冒険者が紛れていた。
「今回の参加者にふざけた冒険者がおるとは聞いていたが......貴様だな、エルマ!」
青い硬そうな髭が特徴的な、壮年の男であった。
背には馬鹿でかい斧を背負っている。
の監督を任されるような冒険者なので、ギルドからの信頼も厚い、温厚な冒険者であることを期待していたのだが、見事に裏切られる形になった。
「よくいるのだ! 貴様のような、ギルドと魔物を舐めておる新人がなァ! アランダエイプを、たかだか【Lv:12】で討伐しただって? 馬鹿も休み休み言うがいい! 貴様の根性、叩き直してくれるわい! 冒険者が、貴様が思っている程甘いものではないと教えてやるわい!」
審査役から顔を覚えられるように頑張らないと......とは思っていたが、いきなり目を付けられていた。
それもマイナスの方面に。
出だしから最悪だった。
これではちょっとやそっと好成績を出したとしても、ゴウタンから『気に喰わん!』と言われて落とされるようなヴィジョンしか見えない。
ただ、どうにかここでE級へ昇級してしまいたい。
に出られる機会なんて、ここを逃せば数ヵ月は来ないだろう。
ゴウタンから言い掛かりを付けられないレベルの実績を出すしかない。
何せE級冒険者になれなければ、制限のせいで〈重鎧の誓い〉のスキルを伸ばすことができないし、〈
「......昇級判断は、公正にお願いする」
俺が言うと、ゴウタンは太い眉毛をぴくぴくと揺らした。
「チッ、どこまでも生意気な奴だ」
しばらく進んだところで、一人の魔術師が細身の剣を掲げた。
羽帽子を被る、金髪の男だった。
「〈サーチ〉......敵の魔物の群れ、近づいています。規模、ざっと三十前後かと」
〈サーチ〉は周囲の生物の気配を確かめる魔法スキルだ。
低レベル帯で〈サーチ〉が手に入るスキルツリーは珍しい。
装備から察するに彼は赤魔術師だろう。
身体能力が高く、攻撃魔法から回復魔法、その他様々な補助魔法まで広く覚える。
〈サーチ〉は赤魔術師の専用スキルツリー〈赤魔法〉の【8】で手に入る。
「うむ、よくやってくれた、テイル」
赤魔術師はテイル、というらしい。
ゴウタンとは顔見知りのようだった。
「ええ、私は外れクラスと違って、優秀なスキルを幾つも有していますからね。E級への昇級承認、お願いしますよ」
テイルは俺へと目をやり、くすりと笑った。
目が合うと、わざとらしく馬鹿にしたように肩を竦める。
「君のギルドでの奇行......おっと、行動はちょっとした噂になっていたよ、エルマ君。重騎士なんだって? 残念だったね、そんな外れクラスを持って」
「いや、俺はこのクラスを気に入っている。心配してくれてどうも」
「ハッ、強がりを」
俺があしらうと、退屈そうに鼻を鳴らして俺から離れて行った。
......どっちかと言えば、赤魔術師の方がキツいクラスなんだがな。
後はパーティーで欲しい役割が埋まらなかったときに、妥協として組み込むくらいか。
まあ、ゲーム程皆が効率的に動こうとするわけではない。
ピーキーで玄人好みなクラスより、器用貧乏でも扱いやすいクラスの方が優遇視されているのは当然のことか。
「一応確認しておくが、今回のアンデッドの群れを率いているのはグールヘッドであるという。奴は、D級冒険者である儂が狩る! 貴様らは距離を取り、雑魚を狩るのだぞ! 巻き込まれても、儂は庇わんぞ!」
「グールヘッドか......」
巨大なグールの頭部のような外見の魔物だ。
D級冒険者の目安は大体【Lv:40】である。
対してグールヘッドは大体【Lv:30】程度。
グールヘッドは攻撃スキルを持っていない。
厄介なのは死体からゾンビを造り出す〈黄泉の息吹〉くらいで、動きも単調で読みやすい。
お供のアンデッドの群れも、恐らく最下級格の魔物だ。
順当に進めば、まず冒険者側が敗れることはないだろう。
......ただ、集まった十人の冒険者は、大半がF級冒険者であり、そもそも
デスペナルティは経験値減少どころじゃないんだ。
もっと万が一を想定すべきだろう。
俺はざっと周囲へ目をやり、冒険者達の顔触れを確かめる。
を達成できる確率は八割ってところだ。
「ゴウタン、もう少し指示を具体的に詰めておいた方がいいんじゃないのか? 万が一に備えて、逃げるときの基準や合図、その際の各自の役割も詰めておいた方がいい」
「......な、なんだと? 貴様、新人の分際で儂に難癖をつけるつもりか!」
ゴウタンは俺の言葉を聞き、顔を赤くした。
ゴウタンの性格は承知の上だ。
聞き入れてもらえるかはわからないが、さすがに言っておくべきだと思ったのだ。
「アンデッドの群れについても、報告と全く同一だとも限らない。命を預かっている以上、最悪の状況には最低限備えておくべきではないのか? 下級冒険者の監督を任されている立場なんだろう?」
「ぐ......うぐ......き、貴様......!」
ゴウタンは黙って、歯を食いしばった。
すぐに言い返さないところを見るに、さすがに俺の言葉に理があるとは思ってくれているようだった。
ただ、引っ込みが付かないのだ。
「俺はまだレベルも低いし、冒険者としての経験も未熟で不安なんだ。熟練者からしてみればいつも通りの簡単な依頼なんだろうが、俺達のために指示を頼む」
俺はそう言って頭を下げる。
「フ、フン、子守りは性に合わんが、仕方あるま......」
「『俺達のため』だって? フフ、おいおい、巻き込むなよ。たかだか最下級アンデッド相手に怖がってるのは、外れクラスのエルマ君くらいだろうよ。直前で怖くなって、ゴウタンさんにぎゃーぎゃと泣きつくとはね」
テイルが口を挟んできた。
最悪のタイミングだった。
さっき軽く流されたのを根に持っていたらしい。
「必要ありませんよ、ゴウタンさん、そんなもの! 怖いなら、勝手に後方まで逃げてればいいんだよ。そうでしょう、ゴウタンさん?」
「む、むぅ......そ、そうだな、テイルよ」
ゴウタンが自分の言葉を曲げられるように俺が作った逃げ道を、見事に塞いでいきやがった。
「もっとも、そんな覚悟でよく冒険者なんて志そうと思えたねぇ。私達の邪魔だから、次から
ゴウタンはテイルに流され、どこか後ろ髪を引かれるような様子で先へと進んでいった。
俺は頭を押さえ、溜め息を吐いた。
こうなった以上、もう俺が口出しすることは不可能だ。
元より他の冒険者からの信頼が薄い。
「余計なこと......起きなきゃいいんだけどな」
Ch 7
On the day of the [Undead Swarm Subjugation] Raid Quest, I walked with the other adventurers to the forest close to Rondalm.
The number of adventurers present, including myself, was exactly ten.
The group was made up of mostly F rank and E rank adventurers, except for the single D rank adventurer amongst them.
"I heard that there was an adventurer amongst you who is just messing around, but.... I guess that was you, Elma!"
It was a middle-aged man with a unique stiff blue beard.
He had an enormous axe on his back.
Since he was entrusted with not just the authority to promote people, but he was also selected as the supervisor for the Raid Quest by the Guild, I expected a trustworthy and mild-mannered adventurer, but my expectations were cruelly betrayed.
"You have some nerve showing up here! You are looking down on monsters and the Guild! You say you took down an Alanda Ape by yourself while you were only [(Lv:12)] ? There should be a limit on how much bullshit you dare to spout! I'm gonna straighten you out with a good beating! That will teach you that being an adventurer isn't a picnic like you think it is!"
I wanted the examiner to remember me, but... it seems I was already singled out by him.
And not in a positive way.
This went to shit right from the start.
At this rate, even if I manage to show some proper results, I can already imagine Goutan saying something like "I don't like you!" and failing me anyway.
However, I really wanted to take this opportunity to get promoted to E rank this time.
If I miss this chance, the next opportunity to participate in a Raid Quest with a supervisor who has the authority to promote people will not come along for a few months at least.
The only way to succeed is to accomplish something that even Goutan can't push under the rug.
Without becoming an E rank adventurer I won't be able to raise my [Vow of the Heavy Armor] skill, which mean I won't be able to raise my level in a Dungeon.
"...I ask that you judge me fairly."
When I said that, Goutan's thick eyebrows started twitching.
"Tch, what an impudent guy."
After they advanced a bit farther, a mage raised his thin sword.
He was a blond man with a feathered hat on his head.
"[Search]..... The enemy monster swarm is getting closer. Their numbers should be around thirty."
The [Search] is a magic skill that can determine the presence of living creatures in the area.
A Skill Tree that contains[Search] can only rarely be found in lower leveled areas.
Judging from his equipment he should be a Red Mage.
That class has high physical stats, can learn attack spells, healing spells, and a great variety of support spells.
[Search] can be obtained by putting [(8)]  points into the Red Mage's exclusive Skill Tree, called [Red Magic].
"Mmm, excellent work, Teil."
It seems the Red Mage is called Teil.
Apparently Goutan and he already knew each other.
"Indeed, I have a number of helpful Skills, unlike those with a defective Class. Please consider my promotion to E rank."
Teil flicked his gaze at me and smirked.
When our eyes met he just shrugged his shoulders as if to make fun of me.
"Elma-kun, your outlandish.... oops, I mean outstanding claims have become a bit of a gossip, you see. You are a Heavy Knight, right? That's too bad for you, pulling such a defective Class."
"Nah, I actually came to like this Class. But thanks for worrying about me."
"Hah, blustering like that."
When I tried to brush him off, he simply snorted and walked away, looking bored.
....if I had to choose one, then I would say the Red Mage was the less than ideal Class instead.
At most, it can be used as a second choice if the party is missing another important class.
Well, it's not like everyone wants to operate as efficiently as possible here, unlike in the game.
It's normal that a jack of all trades Class that's easier to use would be preferred instead of a peaky Class that's usually favored by professionals.
"We will be checking to be sure, but apparently the swarm of undead is being led by a Ghoul Head this time. Since I'm a D rank adventurer, I will be taking care of that one! You will be keeping your distance and hunting down the small fry! If you get caught anyway, then I won't be saving you!" Goutan yelled at us.
"A Ghoul Head, huh..."
It's a monster that looks like a giant ghoul head.
D rank adventurers are around [(Lv:40)] on average.
As for Ghoul Heads, they are usually around [(Lv:30)] .
Ghoul Heads don't have any attack Skills.
The most troublesome is its single ability [Breath of Yomi], which creates zombies from nearby corpses. Other than that its movements are simple and easy to read.
Even the undead swarm accompanying it should just be made up of the lowest ranked monsters.
If we proceed with care, then it should be unlikely for our side to suffer a defeat.
....however, among the ten adventurers gathered here, the majority are still F ranked adventurers, many with no experience with Raid Quests at all.
The penalty for death is not just a minor loss of experience points anymore.
We should be preparing for possible emergency situations.
I took a look around and checked our lineup of adventurers.
Taking everything into account... at this rate, there should be about 80% chance that we could complete this Raid Quest without losing anyone.
"Goutan, shouldn't you specify a bit more what you meant by your previous orders? We should decide what to do in an emergency, like when exactly to run and on what signal, and if we do, then who is responsible for what in that case."
"....wh-...what did you just say? A newbie bastard like you wants to criticize me!?"
Hearing my words, Goutan's face flushed red.
I'm well aware of Goutan's personality.
I don't know if he will hear me out, but I thought I needed to say that at least.
"It's possible that the undead swarm somewhat differs from the one described in the report. Since we are putting our lives on the line here, shouldn't we prepare a bit for a worst case scenario at least? Aren't you supposed to be the supervisor for a bunch of low ranked adventurers?"
"Gh....ugh....y-you, bastard....!"
Goutan kept clenching his teeth without saying anything.
Judging from the fact that he didn't immediately retort with something, he too must've felt that my words made some sense.
It's just he can't be seen admitting to it anymore.
"I'm still at a low level and don't have much experience as an adventurer, so I'm somewhat uneasy. This might be a routine job for an experienced person like yourself, but please give a bit more detailed instructions for our sake."
Saying that I bowed my head.
"Kh-khm, well, I don't like to babysit, but it can't be helpe-"
"'For our sake' you said? Hey, hey, don't involve us in this. The only one who would be scared of the lowest ranked undead here is just you, Elma-kun with the defective Class. Who would've thought that you would get scared and start crying at Goutan-san just before the battle."
Teil cut into the conversation.
This happened at the worst possible moment.
He must've been pissed off about me brushing him off before.
"There is no need for that, Goutan-san! If you are scared then you should just stay far back in the rear. Isn't that right, Goutan-san?"
"M-muh...r-right, that's right, Teil," Goutan said, still flustered.
The escape route I created for Goutan to go back on his word was neatly closed by this little shit.
"What's more, how did you even think you would be able to work as an adventurer with so little courage? You are just getting in our way, so I would kindly ask you to stay away from Raid Quests in the future, Elma-kun. Well then, let's hurry up and proceed, Goutan-san."
Goutan got caught up in Teil's flow, so he started moving forward, however reluctantly.
I dropped my head and let out a sigh.
Now that it came to this, I won't be able to interfere anymore.
The other adventurers had no trust towards me to begin with.
"I just hope nothing out of the ordinary happens....."
The Reincarnated Heavy Knight Who Was Exiled After A Supposed Big Miss Is Unparalleled With His Game Knowledge
大ハズレだと追放された転生重騎士はゲーム知識で無双する
https://www.novelupdates.com/series/the-reincarnated-heavy-knight-who-was-exiled-after-a-supposed-big-miss-is-unparalleled-with-his-game-knowledge/
Action Adventure Fantasy Romance Shounen
Abandoned Children Adapted to Manga Adventurers Alchemy Arrogant Characters Artifacts Blacksmith Calm Protagonist Clever Protagonist Determined Protagonist Dungeons Fallen Nobility Fantasy World Game Elements Guilds Hot-blooded Protagonist Level System Love Interest Falls in Love First Lucky Protagonist Male Protagonist Mystery Solving Naive Protagonist Nobles Poor to Rich Previous Life Talent Reincarnated in a Game World Romantic Subplot Skill Books Strategic Battles Strong Love Interests Strong to Stronger Sword Wielder Underestimated Protagonist Weak to Strong
https://ncode.syosetu.com/n8465gx/
猫子