Chapter 88: 087 The gathering humans
At this time, in a corner of the square, about a dozen people were scattered about.
Among these individuals, some belonged to the Knight Order, and others were adventurers. While both groups wore standard-issue armor and carried standard-issue swords, each had their own assortment of mismatched equipment, which made it easy to distinguish between them.
They had gathered around several horse-drawn carriages. In the middle was one with a carriage that resembled a cage, equipped with iron bars, clearly intended for the transport of prisoners.
When Shane arrived, all the members of Vivian’s Team were already present. Aside from Vivian, who was conversing with the leader of another adventurer team and some members of the Knight Order, Tielle was leaning against a carriage with her arms crossed, looking indifferent. Lu Muya and Merica were also nearby, quietly speaking with Tielle and appearing rather restrained.
This was likely because the adventurers and knights in the square couldn’t help but steal glances in their direction from time to time. Even the patrolling knights and soldiers sometimes sneakily looked their way, which probably made them feel uneasy, right?
“After all, this is a place full of old guys who sweat under the sun all day long, training and working. Suddenly throwing a few sweet and delicious young girls into the mix… If the vibe gets even slightly improper, it could turn into hentai plot in minutes,” Shane couldn’t help but comment before moving forward to join in.
Of course, Shane wasn’t joining the so-called old men; he joined the assembled adventurer teams and the Knight Order, instantly drawing considerable attention.
Vivian, who was in conversation, noticed Shane and smiled at him.
Not only Vivian, but Tielle, Lu Muya, and Merica all reacted to Shane’s arrival. Although one was only raising her head to look at Shane and the other two hesitated, unsure whether to approach, this indicated to others that Shane received a different treatment compared to the rest.
Shane approached Vivian, scratching his head as he apologized.
“No, you’re quite early. For now, only our team and another adventurer team have arrived. There is still one team that hasn’t shown up to report, and the Knight Order is still making preparations,” Vivian explained to Shane in a gentle manner, her friendly and approachable attitude once again offering a soothing effect to the old men around, who cast admiring glances her way.
As expected, the sight of Shane being spoken to with such a tender smile from Vivian elicited a refreshing but chilly hostility from the onlookers.
If it had been in the past, Shane would have had a complaint or two about the situation, but he had experienced enough of it to no longer bother reacting.
In such circumstances, Vivian stepped aside a bit, revealing the figure of the adventurer she had been talking with to Shane.
“Let me introduce you,” said Vivian to Shane. “This is Alis, the leader of the other adventurer team that will be joining us on the escort mission today.”
The man Vivian was referring to, like her, was decked in heavy full-body armor and had a sword at his waist, though he carried no shield and appeared to be a middle-aged man around forty years old.
“You’re the newcomer that’s been the talk of the Guild lately, right?” Alis greeted Shane with a clear and refreshing smile, much like a sunny uncle. “I didn’t expect you to come along. I thought given Vivian’s protective instincts, she wouldn’t bring you on such an important and slightly dangerous assignment.”
Alis wasn’t the only one who thought this; surely others must have thought the same, right?
At a certain distance, it seemed that members of Alis’s team were taken aback upon seeing Shane. Soon after, they began whispering to one another, clearly discussing the matter.
Shane, however, didn’t feel anything about this.
“I asked to come here on my own,” Shane said humbly, “After all, it’s a rare and important mission. Even if I’m lucky enough to pass the evaluation and become an official adventurer, with my level, who knows when I’ll see a commission of this scale again. So, seeing as this opportunity is hard to come by, I might have taken slight advantage of Captain Vivian’s kindness for her to bring me along to see the world and broaden my horizon.”
This was the excuse Shane had thought up in advance.
The reason is simple: for a high-level commission , it’s easy to see that someone with too low a level would not only be of no help but might even drag the team down.
While Shane certainly didn’t want to play the role of a dark horse pretending to be weak, he also wasn’t going to go around boasting about his abilities. If he did, it would surely evoke some doubts from others.
Considering that, Shane felt it was best to take the responsibility onto himself to begin with. Otherwise, it might have been alright for himself, but if others started doubting Vivian, that would be troubling.
One could imagine what it would be like if Vivian, as the leader of a team about to undertake an important mission, was seen bringing a novice to wander around in such a situation. Shane could brainstorm several scenarios just off the top of his head, such as someone looking down on Vivian or being unhappy with her actions, thinking she lacked the qualities of a good leader.
When the time came, Shane was confident he would kick those naysayers out straight away, without resorting to the cliché ploy of pretending to be weak to give them a slap in the face later.
So, regardless, he’d better pin the blame on himself first.
Hmm, he thought, having grown accustomed to blame-shifting, he even managed to shift the blame onto himself—could this be the ultimate level of the art?
While Shane’s mind wandered in this manner, Alis burst into hearty laughter.
“I see, you’re here to gain some experience, huh?” Alis clapped Shane on the back, speaking as if they were old friends, “Indeed, it’s a good opportunity. But I don’t believe that the ‘devil’ everyone talks about is just here to see the world. And not to mention, the Vivian I know wouldn’t bring a newbie on such a risky mission for that reason. Kid, you wouldn’t happen to be hiding some impressive tricks, would you?”
Hearing this, Shane gave Alis a sidelong glance.
(Indeed, deserving of being the leader of a high-level adventurer team, he seems quite easy-going at first glance, but he’s actually quite astute.)
That’s what Shane thought.
“Alright, Alis, don’t pick on Shane,” Vivian waved away the hand Alis had placed on Shane’s shoulder, saying irritably, “Although Shane is a newcomer, he has a bright future. Even Riley didn’t object to his participation in this commission. As a senior, you should help him within your means, instead of being so informal all the time.”
It seemed that Vivian and Alis had a good personal relationship, speaking to each other with little of the usual politeness.
“You’re quite strict,” Alis laughed it off, saying, “Well, since he’s a promising junior, I will definitely do what I can. Let’s wait and see how you develop.”
“Thank you,” Shane offered his thanks for the time being.
However, at that moment, an untimely voice cut in.
“Level 10 at the age of twenty and hasn’t mastered any Skills—is such a novice really considered to have a bright future?”