Chapter 806

806: Nocta Again

「Urushi! Faster!」

「K-Kyun…」

『Fran, he'll collapse if he goes any faster! Urushi, slow down!』

「Kyu……」

Urushi obeyed my orders and lowered his speed slightly.

I could tell from his relieved look that he was really close to the limit.

『Fran… you're pushing Urushi too hard!』

「I-I'm sorry……」

『……I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have shouted.』

「No, I was wrong. Urushi, I'm sorry.」

「Woof.」

Urushi turned around and licked Fran's face, as if to say he didn't mind.

I'm sure Urushi knew how frustrated Fran was. I could understand too.

She wanted to finish everything Nadia asked for and hurry back to Castel as soon as possible.

But is that really the right thing to do?

Nadia's request made her intention fairly clear.

By asking her to go to Nocta, Nadia wanted to distance Fran from the danger in Castel.

Nadia's last words to me, "take care of Fran", had the hidden message of "I've sent her away, now don't let her come back."

Fran might be left traumatized by being unable to save Nadia, but anything would be better than dying. To be honest, I might have done the same thing if I were in Nadia's shoes.

But Fran told me what she wanted with a look of resolve.

「Master.」

『What is it?』

「I'm gonna help Auntie.」

『……You know how Nadia feels, don't you?』

Fran must understand that Nadia didn't want her to come back.

「Still…… I don't want to regret anything.」

She had no intention of losing either the acquaintance she's reunited with or what's left of her old home.

『Sigh……』

I know when Fran makes this face, she never changes her mind. After hearing all those stories from Nadia, I've realized she inherited that trait from her parents.

It's a stubbornness ingrained into her at a genetic level.

『Guess we have no choice.』

「Then…!」

『But, if we're gonna do this, we need to lay the groundwork. No going back to the village without a plan, okay?』

「……Nn.」

『Fortunately, we have money. It'd be nice if we could hire some strong adventurers in Nocta, but…』

I don't know how many adventurers we'd be able to get, but we should be able to save Nadia with enough comrades.

Also, if Fran returned and asked Nadia to run away with us, maybe she would change her mind.

That would be a complete waste of Nadia's determination, but as long as Fran wants to save her, her will is my priority.

However, as heartless as it may sound, it might be best if Fran doesn't make it in time to save Nadia. The worst case scenario would be Fran returning to Castel alone, and dying alongside Nadia.

The best outcome would be Castel, Nadia, and Fran all coming through unscathed…… But I couldn't see any way to save Nadia when she clearly wanted to make a last stand.

It might be difficult for us to even make it back in time to hear Nadia's last words. Well, I guess it all depends on how many adventurers we can gather.

Thanks to Urushi's efforts, we were back in Nocta before the evening.

After entering the town, we headed for the Adventurers Guild immediately.

The guild was crowded with adventurers as usual, but many of them remembered Fran. Some of them called out to us, and none of them dared to pick a fight.

「Oh! It's the meat girl!」

「Oh wow, it really is!」

「I heard she beat up those dragon idiots.」

「Cool!」

But Fran didn't have time to reply to them now.

As soon as she passed through the crowd of adventurers, she spoke to the receptionist at the counter.

「Hey. Do you have a minute?」

「What is it?」

「I'd like to make a request. Is this the right place?」

「Oh, please wait just a moment! I've been told to call the submaster when you get here!」

Apparently, she's been designated as a VIP for selling all that meat. I guess the submaster will take care of her business, no matter how big or small.

Well, that is convenient for us since we are making a rather complicated request this time.

We were led into the back, where we met the submaster in what looked like a reception room.

「I understand you have a request?」

「Nn. I'd like to hire adventurers.」

「Oh? And what kind of adventurer are you looking for? A scout or guide?」

「I need one hundred skilled adventurers.」

「One hundred, you say?」

The submaster was surprised. Of course he was.

「And I'd like to leave this with the guild.」

「This is…… Nadia's guild card!」

「You know her?」

「Of course I do. She was a high ranking adventurer who had been active in this town for a long time! Since she hasn't been seen for about four years, we all assumed she was long dead…… There were even stories that an antidemon had stolen her body.」

We had heard previously that there were antidemons who disguised themselves as adventurers. Apparently, they have to kill and devour the person they want to copy.

In other words, the appearance of a fake Nadia meant the real Nadia was dead.

She had told us the erosion of Overgrowth progressed to the point that she could no longer enter town because of the antidemon aura she emitted……

I guess she knew that because she tried entering town once and failed. The submaster must be referring to that incident.

「She's alive.」

「Is that so! And where is she now?」

「Castel.」

「Castel was the destination you were heading for, yes? Wasn't it supposed to be an abandoned village now?」

「Nn. But it's being targeted by antidemons and Nadia is protecting it. I want to help Nadia.」

「I see. So that's why you need adventurers.」

「Nn! One hundred strong adventurers!」

Fran nodded vigorously, but the submaster simply frowned.

「Hmmm. I'm afraid that would be impossible.」

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