STGB Episode 522

Giant Island (1)

Sixty newbie explorers descended to the ground floor.

They seemed quite flustered when they saw that we were still alive, but they soon calmed down and came over to introduce themselves.

“Baron Jandel, it’s truly an honor to see you alive. I am Myul Armin, the leader of the Armin Expedition Team.”

Despite not being part of the Four Great Clans, the Armin Exploration Team is quite famous and well-regarded. They’re famous for continuing to explore even during the war.

“Magnon Nias. I lead the Einferial Clan.”

Einferial? I’ve never heard of them before.

Unlike us who arrived haphazardly, this batch was clearly divided into two groups.

Myul Armin cautiously asked me, “But Baron, you don’t seem too surprised to see us?”

“I’d already guessed some time had passed outside.”

“…Huh?”

Is he suspecting that there’s a player among my team?

Before his suspicions could grow, I quickly added, “We found some clues during our exploration.”

Which isn’t strictly untrue. If I look back now, I could have guessed as much from the village chief as well.

“Ah… I see.”

“But how did you know we were still alive?”

It was Magnon Nias, an explorer who looked to be in his late 30s, who answered my question.

“You must also know of the gatherings of evil spirits, Baron. Word of this place was passed through them all the way back to the city.”

But why does this guy talk like that?

He’s speaking as if he’s on equal footing with me. Does he think nobles are a joke?

As I glanced at him, Myul Armin, sensing the tension, quickly spoke.

“Yes. But given the source, many were skeptical. However, most acknowledged the possibility, Baron.”

“I see.”

Okay, I think I’ve laid enough groundwork to avoid suspicion about the evil spirits.

Time to ask them a few questions.

“Still, you’ve done quite well. You’ve already figured out how to open the portal.”

“We can’t compare to you, Baron Jandel. There were several clues from the evil spirits. We connected the ancient language on the stone monument with the Ruined Temple and thought it might be worth a try.”

“So, are your two clans in some sort of alliance?”

“For the moment, yes.”

Man, this guy’s speech is so curt. How am I supposed to deal with him?

While I was wondering, Myul Armin tactfully stepped in again.

“We met at the Ruined Temple. Since time was short, we decided to combine the fragments we each had to open the portal.”

“Ah, by the way, we had two fragments. He had one.”

“…Yes, that’s correct. So we adjusted our numbers accordingly.”

No wonder the group was split into 40 and 20.

So that’s the backstory.

“Well, that’s enough about us. Can we now hear about this place? Since it’s a new level, we’d like to gather some information before diving into exploration.”

Ugh, why is this guy so rude?

Does he think nobles are a joke just because I’m being polite?

“Your tone sounds like you’re collecting a debt.”

When I lowered my voice, he finally glanced at me and changed his tone.

“That’s not the case… It’s just that, whether we like it or not, we’ll be seeing each other often until we find a way to escape, so I thought we should communicate.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. Our existence will be a great help to you, Baron Yandel. The Anabada Clan isn’t small, is it?”

Although we haven’t talked much, I’ve already made up my mind about this guy.

“On the other hand, our Einferial Clan, though smaller than the Four Great Clans, is just as capable. Next month, the members who couldn’t come this time will follow—”
He’s going to be nothing but trouble if I keep him around.
As soon as that thought crossed my mind, I cut him off.

“We don’t need you.”

“…What?”

“We don’t need your help, so go do your thing.”

When I spoke bluntly, he flinched and stared at me.

Then he realized I was serious.

“…You’re making a foolish choice. What if we find the escape method first?”

“Judging by your attitude, I doubt that’ll happen.”

“…You’ll regret this.”

“Oh, most of the guys who said that ended up dead.”

“Hmph!”

With a snort, he quickly gathered his members and started preparing to leave.

“Are you really going to let them go like that?”

Myul Armin, watching them, expressed concern.

“Ah, you’re right. It’s not good to let them go like this.”

I nodded in agreement and called out to the guy who was about to leave.

“Wait a minute.”

“…Hmpf, have you changed your mind now?”

“Never mind that, come here.”

I waved my finger at him, and although he looked annoyed, he obediently came over. He stared at me as if to say, “Get on with it.

Whack!

Since time was short, I quickly smacked him in the back of the head.

“Ow!!”

I expected it from his bald head, but the sensation wasn’t bad.

“W-what was that for?!”

“Ah, I just felt like hitting you.”

“…What?”

He looked stunned by my response, but I didn’t care.

What could he do besides glare with puffed cheeks?

All you can do is glare at me, right?

“That’s all. Now go on your way.”

“……”

“Do you have a problem?”

“…I see rumors can’t be trusted.”

After that, he quickly gathered his members and left as if fleeing.

Watching them go, I chuckled and Myul asked me, “…Why did you do that?”

Ah, that?

“It felt like now or never.”

“Now or never?”

I just shrugged.

After all, you can’t meet a dead man again.

***

Anyway, he’s gone, so there’s no point in dwelling on it.

Instead, I focused on Myul Armin.

“Myul Armin, was it?”

“Yes, Baron.”

“I will call you Myul.”

“It’s an honor, Baron.”

“So, what’s the plan from here?”

“Ah… I actually have something to discuss with you regarding that, Baron.”

“With me?”

I wondered what it was, but it turned out to be about that post on the community. The one about being trapped on an island and waiting for someone to rescue them.

“Seeing you here, Baron, it appears the rumors of explorers trapped on an island are true. Therefore, we plan to head there first.”

“Why?”

“We need to save those who can be saved. Besides, since we have no information about this place, it’s better than wandering aimlessly.”

“Well, that’s true.”

Myul was the complete opposite of that other guy.

Even without a long conversation, I could tell.

This guy is quite reliable.

“If there’s anything we should be cautious about here, could you tell us? I know it’s presumptuous, but it would greatly help in protecting the members who followed me. Ah, of course, we’ll compensate you.”

“Compensation? Don’t bother.”

I chuckled and only gave him two pieces of information.

“If you see the island, take a good look. Last time I got close, there was a Tol-Rapupa floating around.”

“Tol-Rapupa…the Level 1 monster, right?”

“Yes. That’s the only one confirmed so far, but don’t let your guard down.”
Myul’s expression darkened upon hearing about the first-class monster.

“However, more dangerous than the first-class monster is the ‘Rainy Season.'”

“Rainy Season…?”

“On the 14th day, it starts raining monsters from the sky, and it lasts until the 21st day. So, you need to find a place to hide during that time.”

I went on to describe the level of monsters that appear during the Rainy Season, and Myul’s face turned pale.

“So, when you said there’d be no chance… this is what you meant.”

“Exactly. Well, we’ll be on our way now. Good luck surviving.”

“Huh?”

Myul was startled by the sudden farewell, but I didn’t answer and turned to join my team.

You’ve got to keep people on edge with this kind of thing.

One step, two steps, three steps…

Hmm, he should’ve stopped me by now.

Why isn’t he grabbing me?

Did the Level 1 monster and the Rainy Season not scare him enough?

Sigh… Guess I’ll have to make the first move and propose the deal myself.

Just as I was thinking that

“Baron…!”

Myul grabbed me from behind, and I slowly turned around with an innocent expression.

“What is it?”

“Well…”

“Speak quickly. We don’t have time.”

“…Would you consider joining forces with us, Baron?”

Still, I looked Myul up and down with a disinterested expression.

“Huh… You guys?”

“Yes. We promise not to be a burden in any way, and we’ll hand over command to you, Baron.”

Myul emphasized that their team was a small, elite group, specializing in finding traces of Gavrilius’s achievements—thus having a wealth of exploration experience. It was all information I already knew.

As I said before, they’re fairly famous for all the right reasons.

“Your proposal isn’t half bad, but how are we splitting the loot?”

When I bluntly mentioned the practical side of things, Myul thought for a moment and finally spoke.

“You arrived here first and know more about this place, so we won’t get greedy.”

“Give me the exact numbers.”

“We won’t claim any ownership of the mana stones. In return, we’d like half of any exploration gains, including essences.”

Heh, look at this guy. He may seem like a decent person, but he’s still an explorer at heart. He continued

“I’ll split mana stones exactly in half, but in return, you only get a thirty-percent share of the exploration gains, including essences. And we get the first pick.”

“How about lowering our share to twenty percent if you remove your first-pick right?”

“That’s not happening.”

When I shut him down, Myul’s brow furrowed. He was probably troubled because, from his point of view, it was practically a slave contract.

That was my cue to apply the final bit of pressure.

“Myul Armin. The decision is yours. But keep one thing in mind.”

I looked him straight in the eye.

“I, Bjorn—son of Jandel—will never abandon my allies, no matter what.”

That much was pure truth, through and through.

Whether he sensed my sincerity or not, after a tense moment he finally spoke:

“…I accept the terms.”

And just like that, I acquired twenty valuable ‘slaves.’

The addition of Armin’s Team was a huge gain for me, to the point where the days spent on the rocky island didn’t feel wasted at all.

The more I learned about them, the more impressed I was.

Four Level 3 explorers.

Twelve level 4 explorers.

One priest and three mages.

A luxurious lineup that made it hard to believe they’d accepted what was essentially a slave contract.

If we can get used to working together, it might even be possible to take down Level 2 monsters.

Once I finished assessing their combat strength, I went around greeting each member of the Armin’s team.

“I’m Bjorn, son of Jandel. Looking forward to working with you.”

“I—I’m Charlotte Amblet, a mage of the expedition…!”

“Is that so? Then you’d better keep your strength up. Here, have some jerky.”

“Th-thank you!”

“All right, and you—what’s your name?”

“B-Brian Amblet…”

“Amblet?”

“Ah…! Charlotte is my younger sister.”

“Oh! You both became explorers? That’s quite impressive. Next—what about you? What’s your name?”

“Ah, I’m…”

It took a fair bit of time to exchange greetings like that, but it was definitely worth it.

This seems like a good sign.

Thankfully, it seemed there was no ‘Hans’ this time around.

Continue reading more chapters at henprogressive.com