If you want to support, you can at: https://www.patreon.com/finlegost

There you can find 18 chapters in advance.

Thanks to my patrons and to those who comment on the chapters. It means a lot to me and motivates me to continue this hobby of mine.

And, of course, thanks to everyone who reads this work.

*************************************

'"Alessia, what are you doing here alone? Oh, Emir, you were here. I didn't notice," Miria said in amazement, with amazing acting skills.'

'Emir: "..."'

'Hey, I know I said all that stupid stuff about being a tree and all that, but don't get in my face that I was being ignored on purpose! I already knew that! That's why I wanted to escape reality!'

'It's these things that take away my desire to help people for free and without charging taxes. No matter how I look at it, I am losing money and health.'

'- Although it's funny that they treat master like this, I must let them know that it was him who brought us here.'

'"Don't be like that, Miria. Emir cared a lot about you, and that's why we ran all the way here."'

'"!!!" They were all very surprised.'

'They quickly backed up 3 steps. At the same time, they brought a hand to their mouth, hinting that they can't believe what they just heard. And, as a final touch, they widened their eyes and opened their mouths in shock.'

'Emir: "..."'

'Mn, their acting skills are not only amazing, but they possess perfect timing. In my mind, I removed a copper coin from my inventory and tossed it on the ground to indicate that their street show was to my liking. Of course, I would never really..........'

'Irina: "...."'

'Miria: "....."'

'Zia: "...."'

'Ah... It wasn't my imagination... I did throw a coin at their feet!'

'Will they believe me if I tell them that I did it unconsciously?'

'- I want to hit him!' All three women thought something similar.'

'Um... From the way they look at me, apparently, they won't believe me. Well, at least seeing that expression on their faces as they grit their teeth is worth it. I'll remember it every time they try to annoy me.'

'"Cof Cof" Alessia coughed for attention and said, "We came here thinking something weird was going on with your mission. What specifically is it about?"'

'Her words successfully diverted attention, and the 3 annoying beauties began to explain the mission.'

'"To deliver a message to the Red Flag guild of the Drial Cenit kingdom. The ones who are waiting for us are members of this guild. The mission also indicated that there would be experienced personnel accompanying us, but as you can see..." Irina casually glanced at the men accompanying them.'

'I see. They accepted the mission, thinking it would be safe because of the number of members performing it. But, by the time they realized that these members were not that experienced, it was too late to cancel the mission.'

'If a mission is accepted and then canceled, then there will be a punishment. This ranges from colossal sums of money, to being banned from accepting a mission again for a certain period. They couldn't afford to cancel it. They don't have that much money on their hands, as they spent it all on the preparation for the 10th floor of the Altamira labyrinth. Something they had to postpone, because they were dragged into the border war.'

'"Changing the subject, what are you doing here Alessia? Someone told us that you weren't caught, and that you were far away from the war," Zia said worriedly.'

'Hey, it wasn't 'someone', it was me! My name is Emir, just in case.'

'Looking all around, Alessia walks up to Zia and whispers in her ear, ''We know an unaffiliated traveler. He brought me here to visit'''

'Zia: "..."'

'- Visiting? Since when did the war become a zone for tourism?'

'"I- I see."'

'You shouldn't force yourself, Zia. You can‌ say something if you want. It is evident that you find it hard to accept what we are doing.'

'After Zia casually explained to the other girls what Alessia whispered to her, they all nodded.'

'"This brings back memories. It makes me think back to when they irrupted on our mission, thinking we were in danger." Although Miria's words sounded annoyed, she said them with such an innocent smile that the whole meaning of the sentence changed completely.'

'But, the next second, her smile disappeared. And she said in a serious tone, "But this time you came just in time. We have had a bad feeling from the moment we saw our companions. The mission seems so simple and so well paid that it doesn't match the appearance of those guys."'

'Miria is someone who doesn't mince words, unlike the others, who talk low or control their tempers. She said that to get the men to listen to her.'

'- Who does that woman think she is?! We're going through a bad time too!'

'Just by seeing the look of response from those men, Alessia, I, and the 3 annoying beauties understood everything. Not only them, but everyone present is in someone's crosshairs.'

'[...Wars are plagued by old foxes. If you act carelessly, without knowing it you will be being the chess piece of one of them]'

'Ugh, I got the chills. To get this feeling off my chest, I ask the most important question to understand the entire situation.'

'"Who is the sender?"'

'For a moment Irina wanted to speak, but then shook her head.'

'"No matter what, revealing information about a mission is taboo. You should know."'

'"But..." With a mischievous smile, Miria continued saying, "That doesn't mean you can't accompany us to receive the reward."'

'"Will it be delivered personally by the owner of the mission?!"'

'At Alessia's words, the 3 annoying beauties smiled.'

'While they could tell us about the message to the Red Flag guild, they can't tell us about the owner of the mission. Since there is a strong possibility that he has some sort of influence, which is enough for Irina not to want to go into details.'

'"Let's continue. The other side must be waiting for us," said one of the men.'

'"Yes," Zia agreed in a monotone.'

'No one questioned the idea of Alessia and I joining their group. From the beginning, they were understaffed. Now that we are here, they accepted us with open arms.'

'The relaxed atmosphere ended the very moment we started walking. Everyone is cautious and walks with one hand near the hilt of their weapon, to draw it as soon as needed.'

'Minutes later, we arrived at our destination.'

'According to my map, there are around 40 red dots. They are all members of the Red Flag guild, and their levels range from 10 to 25. There are even some who already possess intermediate classes like Knight and Swordsman.'

'With a calm attitude, Zia moves forward alone and withdraws a card from her pocket.'

'"I was ordered to deliver the following letter. It outlines everything needed to conduct the agreed meeting."'

'A stout man who appears to be the leader sent one of his men to receive the letter. The latter, with bad manners, took the letter out of her hand, and then handed it to the leader.'

'"Is that all?" said the leader.'

'"Yes" Zia nodded.'

'"... You may go."'

''Zia made a small bow as a sign of respect, and then walked in our direction.'

'"Let's go"'

'Without any opposition, we all accepted Zia's words and made our way back. Originally, we thought that the leader would put us in some kind of predicament, waiting for any carelessness of ours so he could start a conflict by announcing that he had justice on his side. But despite his attitude, he let us go without any problem.'

'Or so the others must believe.'

'According to my map, there are 14 people following us. It would be fine if that was their only purpose, but from their movements I'm sure... They come with bad intentions.'

'This is even more obvious when I look sideways at one of them, and realize that his Status does not possess [Guild: Red Flag] like the others. They must be people hired by the same guild to do the dirty work, or they are simply carrying out a mission just like us.'

'I patiently waited and kept walking like the others...'

'Until the conditions were met.'

'Activate profile [Agility].'

'At great speed, I unsheathe my sword and run in the direction of the nearest man. This one opened his eyes wide, as if he still couldn't believe what he was seeing in front of him. Even when his intentions are obvious, I'm not so cruel as to give him a painful death. So...'

'I swing my sword in a horizontal line, cleanly slashing his throat.'

'"!!!"'

'Both, allies and enemies were shocked at this.'

'"Prepare for battle! Unknown number of enemies!" shouted Irina.'

'"Attack, attack! They noticed us!" shouted the enemy leader.'

'As I head towards the next man, I look at Alessia and called her attention while, with signs, I told her '13.''

'Alessia: "!!!!"'

'- 13 enemies are surrounding us. I must tell the others!'

'From her reaction, she already understood what she must do, so I will concentrate on my part.'

'Just meters away from me stands a man wearing light armor. At a glance, this one looks careless, since in his hands he carries two curved sabers.'

'"You don't know how many times I've seen that same look. I will thoroughly enjoy assassinating you!"'

'Emir: "!!!!"'

'Despite murdering one of his companions in front of him. Has his attitude not changed at all? Something strange is going on here.'

'Stopping in place, I use the accumulated momentum and perform a lunge with the tip of my sword, aimed at his stomach.'

'With great difficulty, the man dodges to the side, and only then do I understand why he is so confident... His sabers leaked a clear liquid when he moved. In other words, they are poisoned.'

'Activate profile [Strength].'

'"Hahaha! I knew it! Brats like you always make the same mistakes! ... ... ... ... Huh?" he looked incredulously down at his chest.'

'- He pierced my light armor... with a mere sword?'

'Without wasting time, I gently withdrew my sword from his heart. And with that, the man falls to the ground, dead.'