Chapter 188: Location Scouting (1)

The “Round Table of Lasting Peace” negotiations between Tarmine and Galvano…were going to take place tomorrow before noon. John Dae was driving a black car equipped with bulletproof glass, and Seiya, Celseus, Colt, Eich and I were heading to Swain Fortress, which was said to be on the border between Tarmine and Galvano. There were several cars behind us, among which John Dae’s subordinates seemed to be riding.

Seiya said to John Dae from the back seat.

「Hey, don’t drive too fast. Drive safely. 」

「You’re following us and yet you keep saying things like “Stop smoking” and “Drive safely”! You’re so noisy! 」

John Dae distorted his tongue as he slowed down a little. For Queen Carmilla’s aides, which were John Dae and his subordinates, it was normal to arrive the day before because they had to prepare for the big day. But John Dae didn’t understand the point of us following him and was in a bad mood.

「Also, you guys! Make sure you change your clothes when you get there! 」

John Dae said to all of us. Everyone else was in full battle mode, except for me, who was wearing a dress, so it was not appropriate for an alliance meeting.

「That’s right. John Dae, will you prepare a formal attire for me? 」

「I’ll lend it to you, since I have no choice. Also, you’re talking like I’m here to take care of your business, but I’m not! And you over there, you’ll change your clothes too! 」

「Huh? I’m wearing a dress, aren’t I? 」

Eich burst out laughing.

「Lista’s dress is pretty dirty! I can even smell it! 」

「What!? We…Well, if you look closely, it’s definitely dirty in some places…oh, it’s torn here and there! …John Dae! Make sure you prepare some clothes for me too! Something cute! 」

「Okay, I understand. 」

John Dae sighed loudly. Before I knew it, the car was driving down a bustling street. It seemed like we had entered a town.

「Where am I? 」

I muttered, and Colt answered.

「It’s Galvano. Swain Fortress is in Galvano territory. It’s quite on the outskirts though. 」

「What?! This is part of Galvano too!! Galvano’s territory is so big!! 」

I was surprised that we returned to Galvano. John Dae cleared his throat.

「In theory, yes. The area around Swain Fortress is a neutral territory. To begin with, we, Tarmine, are in charge of managing the fortress. The only people working in the fortress are from Tarmine. 」

John Dae raised his voice. He didn’t want people to think that Tarmine was losing to Galvano in terms of territory or magical power.

「Look at the people in this town. They’re all filthy unlike the people in Tarmine. Just like the goddess’ dirty dress. 」

What my eyes saw was a familiar sight from Galvano. Just as John Dae had said, there were men and women of all ages wandering around in rags.

「You’re right…Wait a second, just now, you were dissing me, right? Hey. Wait, hey. 」

But John Dae ignored me and glared ahead. Before I knew it, the car was slowing down to a turtle’s speed. John Dae distorted his tongue.

「Damn it. We can’t stop now. 」

I could see a crowd of people through the window from inside the car. Was there some kind of event going on? It seemed that the traffic had become congested, and we couldn’t move forward.

Colt said while looking at the crowd with a cold gaze.

「It’s because of a local specialty. 」

「Local specialty? 」

I thought those people were lining up at a famous restaurant, but then an incredible sight caught my eyes. Those people were cheering around a boxing-like ring with their hands raised. In the center of the ring, two strong men faced each other. Around them, wealthy people were sitting in luxurious chairs and drinking fine wine. Of course, they were closely guarded by bodyguards armed with machine guns.

「It’s called “Stager” …a fist fight that ignores weight differences. Of course, you can die. But if you win, you get a prize and a chance to join Leon’s direct unit, “Guiding Rewrite”. That will give you a good life. That’s why they risk their lives to participate.」

I looked at the ring as I listened to Colt’s explanation. The tall man’s fist hit the jaw of the man opposite him. The man collapsed, but the tall man continued to punch him.

I couldn’t bear to watch and looked away. However, a wealthy old man and woman looked at the men in the ring and laughed in vulgar, cruel voices…

「Hihihihih! 」

「Oh, oh, oh, oh! 」

I was shocked to see them laughing wickedly from inside the car.

…Whoa…! They seemed to be the kind of wealthy people who were tired of all kinds of entertainment and could only get excited about events where life and death were at stake…!

John Dae spoke.

「They’re a pathetic bunch. Both the men competing and the people watching. 」

While I agreed with John Dae’s words, I was thinking about something else.

…This was like the entrance exam for the Beast Emperor’s Corps, wasn’t it?

In the past, in Exfolia, the Beast Emperor Grand Leon formed the Beast Emperor’s Corps as his direct subordinates. Seiya and I took the entrance exam for the Beast Emperor’s Corps in order to infiltrate. We even fought in a similar ring. By the way, at that time, my opponent, who had transformed into a fishman, was the undead John Dae. I beat John Dae to a pulp with the fishman skills that Seiya had given me.

「John Dae was also really pathetic back then, right? 」

「Huh? Wait a second. What do you mean? Why was I pathetic? 」

Then, Seiya, who had been silent with his arms folded, cleared his throat. Oh no! I said something unnecessary again…I felt uneasy, but Seiya glared at John Dae instead.

「Hey, don’t be silly. The road’s clear. Go faster. 」

「You just told me go slower, and now, you’re telling me to go faster!! 」

…And so, the sun was starting to go down by the time we finally arrived at Swain Fortress.

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Cautious Hero is always funny to read. Enjoy dear readers!

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