CHAPTER 14 – CANDIDACY

“… That’s all. Please accept my apologies, but we must request that you dispose of the Ghezo Velche as soon as possible.”

The Chief’s speech came to an end while Merc was still mesmerized by the adventurer’s sword.

“We understand. Would it be possible to have someone guide us to the Ghezo Velche’s location?”

With a low-pitched and clear voice, the male adventurer, who had been listening and just giving mute nods up until now, asked. When the village Chief heard his request, he made a serious face.

“It’s only natural that you’d ask for that. However, having the men who discovered it guide you would be a bit cruel on my behalf… They’re hesitant to return to the mountains, you see. I can lend you a couple of Belball1, which are expert mountain climbers, in their place.”

Instead of a guide, the village Chief offered the adventurers a couple of the village’s riding horse Magic Beasts. The young man, though, shook his head at the offer.

“The Belball’s hooves will make a noise that could expose our location. We also aren’t used to riding horses because we don’t normally do it. I appreciate the offer, but I’m afraid we’ll have to decline. Even if it’s not the men who discovered it, anyone can serve as a guide. We also don’t require a precise location. We can have our magician use her Mana to find it as long as it’s close.”

“Hmph…”

The youth’s refusal to compromise disturbed the village Chief a little. The Chief had most likely intended to just tell the adventurers where the monster was located rather than dispatching any of the village’s residents to guide them.

However, from the perspective of the adventurer, navigating through a mountain they were unfamiliar with and without a map was difficult based solely on explanations.

If such were the case, they would have to face a powerful Magic Beast after exhausting themselves by searching the mountain blindly. And they were probably hoping to avoid it at all costs.

Wait? If they fail to subjugate the Ghezo Velche and I clean up after them, I’ll take credit for bringing it down, right?

When Merc saw the distressed Chief, she completely forgot about the sword and had a new thought.

She’d join the adventures and, if they failed to subjugate the Ghezo Velche, she’d take it down herself. She’d be hailed as a hero for saving the village, and she’d be allowed to leave.

Of course, if the adventurers were to successfully subjugate the Ghezo Velche, that would be fine as well. After all, her desire to leave the village was purely selfish, whereas the village’s goal to slay the Magic Beast was shared by all. She couldn’t just voice her wish freely.

“Chief. Can’t we just send any of the hunters if the general area is fine? We know the Magic Beasts congregate at the Cave of Horror, so as long as we lead them there, it shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Hmph.”

Standing close to the Chief, the counselor suggested to him while casting a sharp glance at the adventurers. The Chief eventually nodded, albeit reluctantly.

“… Okay. We’ll start by finding some candidates for a guide. After that, we’ll make a decision, so I’m afraid you’ll have to wait for a…”

“… That won’t be necessary.”

Merc cut his words short by opening the sliding door and went inside just as the Chief was about to finish his sentence. Law, like everyone else in the area, was absolutely flabbergasted by her behavior.

“M-Merc?!”

“Y-YOU! What do you think you’re doing?!”

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The Chief was taken aback, while the counselor screamed angrily. His expression conveyed his displeasure with the young girl’s actions. The counselor had disliked Merc from the start because she didn’t have any womanly characteristics and merely swung her wooden stick around.

He had recently grown to despise her even more as a result of her being praised as Rosemary’s disciple.

Merc, on the other hand, simply disregarded him and kneeled with her head raised.

“Chief. I’ll gladly take on the task of guiding the adventurers.”

“W-What? B-But you’re still a child.”

“The Chief is right. The mountain is off-limits to children. This is none of your business.”

Merc’s abrupt offer was met with disapproval by both the Chief and the counselor. As outsiders, the adventurers had evidently decided to keep an eye on the situation.　

They remained quiet as they watched the scene unfold.

“However, the purpose of my visit to the mountain this time is to guide the adventurers. They will be accompanying me, so I will not be alone. Furthermore, do you honestly believe that someone else will step forward to help?”

“Hmph…”

The Chief’s brows furrowed in response to Merc’s remark. In retrospect, Merc’s statements weren’t that ridiculous.

In the same manner that humans regarded elves as sacred, elves found it difficult to engage with humans.

Elves and humans had previously been unable to communicate with one another, leading to them seeing each other as adversaries. Due to the passage of time and the current state of affairs, both races engaged with one another when it came to administrative matters, and some, like Merc’s father, Oron, even worked in human communities.

That, however, was still a rare occurrence even today, and each race’s firmly rooted reserve for one another continued.

Even though the elves outside the Chief’s mansion were interested because they were not involved, they would most likely flee if asked to help.

There was no reason behind it. That’s just how it was.

“… Merc, you realize it’ll be dangerous, right? I’m assuming you still remember what happened to Ganan?”

The village Chief, however, still unable to make up his mind, rose up and spoke bluntly while staring down at Merc. A wave of loneliness washed over Merc’s heart the instant she heard Ganan’s name, but it was only for a brief moment.

Merc smiled as she daringly gazed up at the Chief.

“Aren’t you the one forgetting something, Chief? The one who defeated the Velche back then was me.”

“… Oh. That was indeed the case, now that I think about it. Fine then. You can go.”

“CHIEF?!”

The counselor quickly raised his voice when he heard the Chief’s plan to release Merc, pleading with him to reconsider. The Chief, on the other hand, merely gave him a harsh look.

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“It’s just as Merc says. Nobody in this village is likely to be willing to help them. Or are you implying that you’d like to volunteer?”

“… Understood. You’re free to go, Merc.”

The counselor changed his mind as soon as he heard the Chief’s inquiry and permitted Merc to enter the mountain. That demonstrated the man’s egoism.

“It appears that you’ll be the one guiding us. We don’t feel at ease here, so would you mind if we went somewhere else?”

With a smile on his face, the male adventurer spoke to Merc just as the guide’s case came to a conclusion. His short red hair and bright smile emphasized his charm. Estert could never hope to compete with him.

Merc accompanied the adventures to a different location after being asked by the handsome youth.

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