Chapter 258 – Bliss of Amnesia
The new work of rising and energetic Rank 5 party『Wing Road』was the popular topic in the City of Spada.
Their new work was that they captured the wirepuller behind the bandits who had been rioting in Fuaren recently before Chivalric Order or Law Guardians reached them.
No one knew how they found out the identity of the wirepuller, but they entered the headquarters of that Slave Dealer which happened to be a mansion in Upper Class Area, fought, and splendidly rescued the girls that were captured there.
There was even the information that among the girls abducted was the daughter of an influential noble in Fauren, if they had saved her a day later she might’ve been sold off to some distant foreign country.
The swift rescue of Wing Road had various overbearing parts or so the Chivalric Order had complained, but against their big achievements it got stuffed somewhere and now there was no-one who would criticize them head-on.
If it went bad then it might’ve given rise to diplomatic problems with Fauren, more than anything the girl they saved was a ‘high-class item’, meaning there was no injury of any sort on her, of course, chastity included.
The bad Slave Dealer was captured, beautiful girls were rescued, happy ending.
However, it wasn’t like everyone who was involved in this matter had a happy conclusion.
For instance take this one young man here.
「Shit……Damn it……」
His name was Eddie, a Second Year Knight Cadet commuting to Royal Spada Academy.
His appearance and family both were totally normal, Eddie was just your any young man in Spada. However, he was the only person who succeeded in escaping after their party was attacked by those aforementioned bandits.
「Damn it, don’t fucking kid with me——」
Eddie unintentionally punched the wall while walking on the street.
That was because he heard a student he passed by before saying that the matter ended peacefully now that the wirepuller behind the bandits of Fauren was captured.
No, the student wasn’t the only one speaking in a carefree manner, but actually all the people in the city would just speak that the case ends happily now that the lady from Fauren was rescued and wirepuller got arrested.
And the party which completed it, Wing Road, announced their accomplishment of their success in quest『Subjugation of Bandits of Fauren』.
「——It ain’t damn over yet!」
Without caring for the puzzled gazes staring at him, Eddie shouted.
For him this matter was still now over, there’s no way it would end, unless he rescues his best friends——and his childhood friend Shenna from those bandits.
The day they were attacked, the reason Eddie alone was able to run away wasn’t because he abandoned his friends.
Against people with more ability than them, they made a plan to let one run away and bring in reinforcements.
In that live-or-die, no, die-or-be abused situation, no one objected the plan and let Eddie run away.
The reason they chose Eddie was because of his ability, they thought he would be able to shake off the bandits and reach the Isckia Village.
Like that, under the cover of his friends, Eddie stole one horse of the bandits and escaped from that place at full speed.
Before that time he had never thought that taking the horse-riding classes would be so helpful.
He was able to make the horse run faster, but also used Boost for using the Martial Skills and Cure Magic for exhaustion recovery. All the skills were on the level of being able to withstand a true fight, hence finally he was able to successfully escape.
However, everything did not end with just that.
Eddie returned to Isckia Village, intruded the Adventurers’ Guild and petitioned for a rescue squad.
Like that a rescue squad was made and they departed——however the bandits one step higher in taking fast actions.
Eddie reached the campground site on that evening, but there were only three dead bodies of his best friends, comrades in arms, and nothing else was present.
「Damn it, Shit……what the fuck is Hero Party『Wing Road』, do damned shits. A hero is one who saves all people」
Eddie again started walking around the Spada City while muttering complaints towards the young heroes.
The pain from punching the wall felt extremely vacant.
「I don’t need anyone else……I will go and save you all alone……」
Eddie had been searching for help till this time of today.
Aside from his party members, there was no corpse of Shenna nor her party, surely they were taken by bandits alive, so, he still had comrades he had to save, Eddie didn’t had time to rest.
The rescue squad formed in Isckia Village disbanded after bandits had ran off, the job after that was of Vigilante Corps or Chivalric Order.
Eddie could only have prayed that they would find out the hideout of bandits.
However he couldn’t have hoped that they would use personnel for commencing a large scale search, as the girls were just normal adventurers.
The Chivalric Order would only do their work normally, at the same time, Eddie understood that the matter won’t be ending immediately.
Hence without waiting for Chivalric Order to defeat the bandits, Eddie started to move for recruiting new adventurers for heading to rescue.
However it took till today’s time for Eddie to understand that it was an impossible plan.
It wasn’t that much problem in posting the rescue quest in Guild, even the reward amount was somehow made done by the help of the victim’s families.
However there was not a single adventurer who took on the quest.
Fighting against bandits is more risky than fighting against monsters.
Especially in case this time with a wirepuller with power and influence to some extent. If it went bad they would be in a bad state of getting avenged anytime.
Hence, unless the bandit subjugation is an emergency quest the adventurers don’t easily participate in it, even if they have enough power.
Eddie had been frequently visiting the Guild, and also asked many adventurers even by bending down.
The result of that wasn’t favourable can be explained from the fact Eddie was still present in the Spada City.
Moreover with Wing Road capturing the Slave Dealer the other day, others finally started to think of not getting involved in this ‘already concluded case’ anymore.
The charm of bandit subjugation was that the number of bandits rampaging around equates to that much of victims appearing.
That is why, upon finishing it, the fame one gets is quite high.
Anyone can understand that if they see Wing Road getting words of admiration from anyone in the city.
However, with their announcement that the matter is now settled, the charm of that quest swiftly disappeared l, to the extent that it was the lowest grade of quest now.
「Fuck! I will……I will……」
This situation definitely wasn’t because someone was in the wrong.
It is the legitimate right of Adventurers to refuse a quest, Wing Road just happened to complete it in their place.
It’s not like anyone had the bad intentions of making Eddie suffer, just that, there was no one appearing to save Eddie, no, the captured Shenna and others.
And for something like that to occur as if normal is the true reality of the world.
「I will……save them」
However, although an adult, Eddie was too young to accept such harsh news.
Eddie resolved to save them alone if no-one decided to help.
However to others it would only seem like he doesn’t assess the situation correctly and is trying to do suicide in a funny way.
In the first place, where was the hideout of bandits who captured Shenna and others? Were they hiding somewhere around Isckia Village? Maybe they went to Fauren or they might’ve gone to some different country.
Let’s say if he were to luckily find out their hideout, but, how will he save the girls?
8 people including Eddie were one-sidedly defeated against three bodyguards, so there’s no way he could win against them alone.
Then sneak in without being spotted? That would’ve been possible if Eddie’s class was Assassin and the target for rescue was just one.
There was no way he would succeed, but, there was no one point that out for him, no even if someone pointed it out, it would be impossible to stop Eddie.
He was a young Knight Cadet with promising future, so being an apprentice Knight, how could he abandon his comrades.
However if Eddie was from Civil Course, even then he would’ve gone to say them alone.
Thinking about his hard to please childhood friend facing hard times right now, Eddie just can’t help but want to save her.
「I will go, even if it’s just me——」
He hardened his resolve and in his brain appeared the figure of that girl who had been with him since childhood.
「I will save Shenna!」
「Eh……Eddie?」
At that moment he thought the words that reached his ears were a auditory hallucination.
That was because the voice was just too similar to a certain girl’s voice.
「……Huh?」
He turned back on reflex and this time a hallucination was reflected in Eddie’s eyes.
After all, the person he resolved to rescue just a moment ago was standing in front of him right now.
「W-Why did you suddenly shout out, don’t scare me!」
Green coloured pigtails, an average girl without any standing out characteristic, the only characteristic, her glasses, were not there, it was the face that she used to have some years back, however with just that difference there was no way he would not recognize her.
However, Eddie couldn’t help but ask her.
「Are you……Shenna?」
These words were not for confirmation, but rather a prayer wishing that this illusion in front her were real.
「Geez, who else do I look like, don’t tell you don’t recognize me because I don’t have my glasses?」
To the words clinging on the faint hope, she showed her affirmation. It was the same as when they were arguing some days before in the Academy over a foolish subject.
「A-Are you really Shenna……how……」
「Even if you ask me how. Well, I got saved after getting captured by bandits and just returned to Spada, err, seriously I don’t feel any reality in this because I don’t have my memories——」
Eddie wasn’t able to understand the vague ending words of Shenna right now, but,
「Shenna it is truly you, right……you were saved right?」
「Uh-huh, that’s how it is」
The next moment Eddie embraced Shenna tightly with his two hands.
As if not wanting to let her go even if she were a dream or an illusion.
「Eh, Wait, Eddie!?」
「I’m so happy, Shenna, I, I——」
Shenna embraced him back with her face bright red, while Eddie was weeping so hard that his words didn’t make any sense anymore.