Day 90 of summoning other worlds [Compulsory Request] Part 2:

Von...

An arrow shot from behind snatched Ryoma's left earlobe and pierced the gyoja-dai.

''Ryoma-sama!''
Shut up! You need to shut up and control that horse! Sarra!

Ryoma yelled at Saara, who was screaming at the sight of blood dripping from her earlobe, and let her concentrate on controlling the galloping boxcarriage.
Ryoma had never experienced riding a horse or operating a carriage before, and Saara's reins sitting on the gyoja-dai were his only hope of surviving this attack.
Even if the words came from concern for his own safety, they meant nothing to Ryoma right now.

The carriage has arrows sticking out of it like a full-body hedgehog.
Normally, you should be in the seating area where the board canopy is attached, but that's not possible now.
It's a very good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for when you're in the marketplace, because the trajectory of the arrows shot at you from the rear of the car is mountainous, so they will pass through the car body and land on the canopy-less platform.
Ryoma, unable to control his horse, protected the gojadai from the arrows by ripping off the thick curtains that hung on the windows of the chassis and swinging them around so that Saara could focus on the reins.

'd*mn you! They're still coming after me!

''Ryoma-sama. As I thought, this is........

At Saara's words, Ryoma wore them off in an abhorrent manner.

'Walls bastard you lick my ass. No, now is not the time to say that. .........Saara! Laura and the others should be down by now. Great! Don't miss your cue!

Yes!

Ryoma thought back to what happened at the encampment seven days ago as he desperately knocked down an arrow.


The 83rd day and night of the otherworldly summons.

This is in the forest northwest of the port city of Fluzard in the Eastern Region.
Under the name of a compulsory request, what was brought to Ryoma and the three of us was to guard a merchant corps heading to the Roselia Kingdom, one of the three kingdoms in the Eastern Region.
The Roseria Kingdom exists between the Kingdom of Zaruda, known as the Iron Kingdom, and the Myst Kingdom, a maritime trade kingdom that includes the port city of Frazad.
The Kingdom of Roselia is a country where the majority of the land is plains and farming and herding is the main industry.
It's a good thing that you're able to get the most out of it.
What was assigned to Ryoma and the others, who were supposed to be gathered to guard the merchant army, was a magnificent canopied carriage.
It's not the kind of thing a mercenary or adventurer would ride in.
The next strange thing is that although they call themselves a trading company, the other wagons are empty.
I'm sure it's understandable if some of the multiple wagons are empty, but if they are all empty, it's suspicious.
If you are thinking about leaving the port city of Fulluzade, you should be able to prepare any number of goods for trade.
If we consider the efficiency of our business, there is no way we would go out to trade with an empty cargo.
Moreover, the merchants are also very suspicious.
They are very narrowly focused on their bodies.
And they have calluses on their hands.
When he noticed that in the handshake he exchanged when he went to greet the merchant captain, Ryoma couldn't help but twist his head.

Now the main mercenary guards of this trading company were sitting in a circle around a bonfire, discussing the matter.

''I've been curious too... at least, I've never seen a merchant unit like this before.

Lione, the head of the mercenary group [Red Lion], replied to Liang Shin's question of whether he had ever seen such a merchant unit before.
Although she is a woman, she has an imposing physique of over 180, with wheat-colored skin.
She has muscles as toned as a panther, yet her breasts jut out wide, asserting her femininity to a great extent.
Her red hair, cropped around her shoulders, blended well with her golden eyes.
She was in her mid-thirties or so in age.
She's an attractive woman who exudes a mature and s*xy woman's charm.

''I've been working as a mercenary for a long time, but this is my first time, isn't it?

He is an assistant to the mercenary group led by Rionne, and his name is Bolz.
He is a man in his mid-fifties and is missing his left arm.
He seems to have lost it when he participated in the battle, but considering the way he speaks so lightly with Ryone, who he has never met before, he doesn't seem to be too concerned about it.
This is the first time that Bortz, who has been running a mercenary business longer than Rionne, is also the first time, so it's safe to say that there is something to this merchant unit.

''You........what do you think?''

Lyonne asked Ryoma.

''I honestly regret taking on this request...''

Rionne and Bolz both nodded at Ryoma's words.

''The reward is good, so we took it on, but I guess this was a mistake...''

But, Ane, sir. It's a request I'm undertaking through the guild. You don't have to worry about it so much, do you?

Hearing Rionne's words, the mercenary, whose name Ryoma didn't know, said.

''You're an idiot. You. I'm amazed you've been able to make it as a mercenary with that level of risk management.

''Wha! No matter how much Ane-san, you ain't going to talk like that!

I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make it work.

'You. I'm not sure if it's a "B" grade or not. I'm sure you'll be able to make a better decision than that boy.

At Lionel's words, the gazes of the mercenaries present turned to Ryoma.

The first thing that brought everyone here in the first place was me, but it was the boy who said that.

''Heh! Rionne of the Red Lion is too much for this young man to take orders from. Hey!

Ryoma is the youngest person in this room.
His real age is 16, and even if he looks like he's in his mid-20s thanks to his aging face, most of the people around him are between 30 and mid-40.
It's no wonder that the mercenary who was crushed by Lionel's men would talk big as payback.

''Ahn? Who do you think you're talking to...?

A calm voice. But it sounded to Ryouma like the calm before the storm.
And the mercenaries around him must have felt the same way.
The voice that had been cheering the mercenaries' loud mouths stopped abruptly.

''Well, I know how you guys feel. It's not clear for now, so let's call it a day.

Bolz's words loosened the air in the place.
It's a good idea to have a good time with them.

It's a good thing. This is a good thing........

Bortz and Ryoma nodded in unison at Rionne's words.

''It looks like they're all dumb...''

'But you can't whine about it, Boltz. If you don't prepare for the worst, there's nothing you can do about it.

With that, Rionne turned her gaze to Ryoma.

'Boy. What do we do?

'Well, there's nothing we can do about it for now. We can't just discard the request just because it's suspicious, can we?

That's probably true. But....if there is a reason for this request, what do you think it is?

Ryone's words were answered by Ryoma with a deep sigh.

They're using us as bait to lure someone into doing something they're not supposed to, but if you read the facts, you'll see what I mean.