Chapter 28. A Brief War of Nerves
The name Raviata was special.
It was not simply because they were an Adventurer Party with a long history or because they were powerful.
The reason the name was so exceptional was that they had been the first group in human society to wield Mana in the current era.
The first leader of the Raviata Adventurer Party had discovered how humans could use Mana within dungeons, then generously released that knowledge to the world, gifting humanity as a whole with tremendous growth.
And that was not all.
Successive leaders of the Raviata Adventurer Party had each made discoveries worthy of being recorded in history, and humanity had advanced enormously every time they did.
For that reason, the name Raviata could never be taken lightly by modern humanity.
That was why everyone in Shane’s group except Shane himself was trying to hide their nervousness……
“Haha! This is seriously impressive. You prepared this much in only two weeks? James, doesn’t the contract we offered him back then seem embarrassing now?”
“I truly have nothing to say.”
Raviata laughed heartily as she marveled at Shane’s preparations, and even the exacting James could only agree with her.
‘I…… don’t understand a single thing they’re saying.’
Despite being a Mage herself, Delilah could not understand any of the conversation between Shane and Raviata.
It was almost absurd.
Roughly two hours earlier—
Raviata and James had arrived at the appointed time, and after everyone finished eating, they immediately began discussing the Mezaia Great Forest.
In truth, it would not have been an exaggeration to call it Shane’s one-man performance.
“Getting that stubborn Magic Tower Elder to acknowledge you in only two weeks would have been impressive enough, but you even managed to squeeze Magic Tools out of him. I can barely believe it even after hearing about it.”
“They are not exactly known for being accommodating.”
For the past two weeks, after finishing the dungeon subjugations with his companions, Shane had independently continued preparing for the expedition into the Mezaia Great Forest.
During that process, he had contacted people from the Magic Tower and obtained the Magic Tools necessary for exploration.
He had even somehow brought along an Elf who hailed specifically from the Mezaia Great Forest.
Raviata had been particularly surprised by the Elf’s presence.
The reason was the unique nature of the Mezaia Great Forest.
“As everyone knows, the Great Forest has the World Tree those pointy-ears cherish so much. Fighting those pointy-ears on top of dealing with that ridiculous environment is exhausting beyond belief.”
In truth, being forced to fight the Elves, the overlords of the forest, while simultaneously dealing with the bizarre weather phenomena of the Mezaia Great Forest was practically an impossible mission.
And now Shane had brought along an Elf who could serve as a channel for communication.
From Raviata’s perspective, it was an unexpected windfall.
“This is embarrassing. You’ve prepared this thoroughly, yet all I’ve brought is bad news. I’m ashamed to carry the name Raviata.”
“Bad news……?”
“Well, a few leeches have attached themselves to our expedition. To them, the reputation of our Adventurer Party and that Dragon Heart theory you spread must have smelled like an irresistibly sweet jar of honey.”
Raviata continued explaining.
The Empire and the Kingdom of Hiel, which bordered the Mezaia Great Forest, had both decided to send accompanying contingents.
“On top of that, the Adventurer Association asked us to bring along an Adventurer Party that’s been making a name for itself recently. I swear, there are thieves everywhere.”
“That does not look particularly promising.”
“Exactly. They want to preserve their own reputations while gaining information, and if we fail, there’s little risk to them. They probably saw it as the perfect opportunity.”
“Um, but all of them are fairly famous groups, aren’t they? Wouldn’t they still contribute to our combat strength?”
When Delilah raised a hand and asked, Raviata smiled bitterly.
“I’m not sure how best to put this, but you could call it the complications of adulthood. If this were about anything else, it might be different. But we’re talking about a Dragon Heart that’s never been discovered before. They want to keep us in check, and if the opportunity arises, they’ll try to swallow it for themselves. Even inside a Cradle that is dangerous enough already, we’ll have to engage in a war of nerves with other humans.”
“And if the objective actually appears before us, there is a good chance it will not end with a mere war of nerves.”
At Shane’s addition, Delilah opened her mouth blankly.
“Ah…….”
This time, Klein cautiously asked a question.
“Then why are we traveling with them at all?”
“If trouble occurs inside the Cradle, at least we can deal with it there. If they turn against us from the outside, however, things could become complicated before we even begin.”
“Pardon……?”
“To put it simply, if we reject their proposal, we have no idea what kind of tricks they might pull behind our backs. The Kingdom of Hiel in particular borders the Mezaia Great Forest. They could even block our route into the Cradle entirely.”
“But subjugating the Cradles is one of humanity’s greatest aspirations. If they did something like that……”
James calmly explained.
“Of course, they would not block us openly. But they possess a plausible justification. They could raise objections by claiming we might disturb something dangerous inside the Cradle. If they use similar arguments to create anxiety among the public, there is no telling how public opinion might turn.”
“And the Adventurer Association of the Allied Nations oversees that side of things, and this time, they’ve got one foot in this too.”
“Yes. They could easily waste our time by claiming they need to verify the expedition’s safety.”
Raviata’s reputation was certainly tremendous.
But it was not so great that she could control international public opinion.
If someone confronted Raviata directly, that would be one thing.
But manipulating public opinion in such a manner was outside the area she could control.
“……That is complicated.”
“Why does everyone have to live in such a complicated way……?”
“That isn’t just. Doing something like that is wrong.”
Klein, Delilah, and Aneis shook their heads in disgust one after another.
Raviata gave the three of them a bitter smile.
Ordinarily, no one would have gone this far to interfere.
A campaign of public pressure might work once or twice, but if people attempted this sort of obstruction every time someone entered a Cradle, the public was not foolish enough to tolerate it forever.
This time, however, was different.
The Raviata Adventurer Party already possessed enough reputation and combat strength to deserve the epithet Mobile Nation.
What would happen if they also obtained the legendary Dragon Heart?
It would already be a major concern if an organization possessing power on the level of a nation acquired such a treasure.
But for that treasure to belong to a single independent organization?
No one could simply sit still and allow that to happen.
“In any case, that’s why there’ll be more people than expected when the expedition begins tomorrow. I’d appreciate your understanding.”
“I have no intention of complaining about something that cannot be helped.”
“Thanks for saying that. I won’t forget that concession, so you can look forward to being compensated for it. Everyone get some proper rest, and I’ll see you again tomorrow.”
“Yes. Take care.”
Only after the long conversation ended did Raviata and James leave the restaurant.
Once their presence disappeared completely, Delilah spoke in a drained voice.
“We haven’t even entered the dungeon yet, and I’m already exhausted…….”
Neither Klein nor Aneis could disagree.
“When tomorrow comes, you will miss today. Manage your condition accordingly.”
It did not take long for the group to realize that Shane’s words were true.
—
“Ha. I heard about it, but are you truly sure bringing children this young is the right decision? Exploring a Cradle is not some children’s adventure game.”
The Knight Commander from the Kingdom of Hiel, who introduced himself as Adam, frowned as he looked over Shane and his companions.
A sharp-featured man, he had spoken those words almost immediately after everyone finished introducing themselves.
As though agreeing, Dominic, an Imperial Guard Knight standing beside him, nodded.
“Hmm. They certainly are rather young. The name of a Cradle is hardly something to take lightly. What do you think, Leader of the Lampert Adventurer Party?”
“……Everyone should take responsibility for their own life.”
The final person was Ilexa, leader of the Lampert Adventurer Party, who had been sent under the name of the Adventurer Association.
The indifferent reply sounded as though none of it mattered.
Raviata sighed inwardly at their attitudes.
It was not that they genuinely wished to exclude Shane’s group.
The entire expedition had begun because of Shane’s paper in the first place.
But this was a gathering of parties pursuing their own interests.
They were engaging in this petty war of nerves because each side wanted to seize as much control over the expedition as possible.
After all, Shane and his companions were still merely Academy cadets.
At that moment, Shane, who had not spared the dispatched parties so much as a glance, addressed Raviata.
“Raviata. Do you remember the contents of our contract?”
“Huh?”
The contract?
While Raviata tried to remember what he meant, James let out a quiet sigh.
“Yes. Under the terms of the contract, your cooperation is limited strictly to the Raviata Adventurer Party.”
“Then I have no obligation to accommodate them. Correct?”
“……Correct.”
“From this moment onward, I will consider them independent forces. Whether they survive or not is none of my concern.”
Because of the attitude displayed by the dispatched groups, Shane had decided to treat them as though they did not exist.
“Ha. I have no idea where that confidence comes from. Does exploring a Cradle look that easy to you?”
Adam, the Knight Commander from the Kingdom of Hiel, frowned after overhearing Shane.
Shane did not even look at him.
He simply attempted to leave.
But someone stepped directly into his path.
“Hey. Our Commander is speaking to you. Are you too young to know your place?”
One of the knights in the contingent shoved his massive frame forward.
The atmosphere immediately stiffened.
“Phew.”
“A sigh? Do you not understand the situation you’re in?”
“Wells. Enough. If that is their position, then we will treat them accordingly.”
“Ha. Commander, your problem is that you’re too kind.”
Adam pretended to stop him, but this too was merely an act designed to establish dominance.
“Brats like you don’t know how harsh life can be. I suppose that happens when you think the name of your precious family gives you the right to treat a kingdom’s Knight Commander however you please.”
The knight called Wells reached out to place a hand on Shane’s shoulder.
Raviata stopped him.
“Hey.”
“Huh?”
“Enough.”
“…….”
At that single word, Wells frowned.
Then he pulled his hand free from Raviata’s grip.
“Fine. Since the famous Raviata herself is saying it, I’ll stop here.”
Wells returned to his Knight Order.
Raviata turned toward Shane.
“Hey, hey. Even so, trying to kill him was a bit much, wasn’t it?”
No one else had noticed.
Only Raviata had sensed the subtle Mana gathering beneath Shane’s left hand.
Its intensity had been extraordinary.
It possessed a level of lethality completely unlike the Mana Bullets Raviata had witnessed before.
“……I owe you one. I have an extreme aversion to physical contact with other people.”
He sincerely meant that he owed her.
Shane had genuinely intended to cripple the knight called Wells.
He had certainly grown far more restrained since his regression, but fundamentally, Shane despised humans.
He wanted to protect humanity only because he needed them to oppose the coming threat and because he wanted to protect Klein from being destroyed in the process.
It was certainly not because he found humanity endearing.
Had he acted according to his personality just now, matters would only have become more troublesome.
“Good grief. Touch you twice and a person might lose their life.”
Raviata joked as she walked away.
Then Shane’s companions approached.
“Seriously, those bastards have no manners at all. You did well holding back. Very well.”
Having watched everything from behind, Delilah became angry on Shane’s behalf.
Aneis and Klein did not look particularly pleased either.
Klein especially stared coldly toward Wells, who had returned to his contingent and was speaking with the other knights.
‘Has that boy ever looked at another person like that before?’
Finding the sight rather amusing, Shane felt some of his earlier disgust wash away.
“Enough. It will not be long before those smiling faces turn into despair anyway.”
It did not take very long for those words to come true.
—
Fortunately, at the entrance to the Great Forest, there was no rain carrying a mixture of different attributes.
“Run! Faster!”
Even so, Adam desperately shouted at the knights under his command.
ROOOOOAR──!!
Rain was simply pouring down as though the sky itself had been torn open.
Streams of water powerful enough to be called rivers burst out from every direction as though a dam had collapsed, pressing down upon the expedition.
Meanwhile, Shane’s group and the Raviata Adventurer Party had noticed the danger early and were already running far ahead.
Dominic, the Imperial Guard Knight who had been carefully observing their movements, and the Lampert Adventurer Party followed closely behind.
The only group falling behind was the Knight Order from the Kingdom of Hiel.
It was not as though they had responded particularly slowly.
They had only started moving about a minute after the others, who had immediately followed Shane when he suddenly began running without explanation.
One could even say they had reacted quickly.
Nevertheless, the torrents erupting between the roots behind them nearly swept their feet out from under them.
They were running through a tunnel formed by the roots of enormous trees.
As they followed the path, a huge opening appeared beneath the tree from which those massive roots originated.
It was impossible to tell whether the opening had been created deliberately or formed naturally.
Shane’s group and the Raviata Adventurer Party, who had been running ahead, had already reached the base of the tree.
If they could only get inside, perhaps they would finally have a chance to catch their breath.
“Aaargh! S-Save m—GLRK?!”
At that moment, one of the knights at the very rear of the group was struck by a torrent bursting between the roots and knocked down.
“Wells!”
Of all people, it was the knight who had threatened Shane earlier.
Adam could not simply leave him behind and rushed toward him, intending to drag him back.
Unfortunately, the instant Wells fell, the current caught him and dragged him downward.
The force of the water was so tremendous that even though Wells immediately drove his sword into the ground, he was swept away in an instant.
