---Next Day---
As the first rays of morning light began trickling in through the stained-glass windows, I stood in my room performing light stretches. Today, my plan was to pay the local Adventurer’s Guild a visit to secure access to one of the many dungeons in the region. Already a full member, having registered shortly after returning from Luxion’s island weeks ago, I hoped to be in and out before the morning rush.
<Master, the equipment you requested is ready.> (Luxion)
Everything deposited on my bed, I finished stretching and went to look at it. I was confident Luxion wouldn’t screw me over, but it was still better to be safe than sorry.
<I am proud of you, Master! It is always a wise decision to examine your personal equipment, no matter who gives it to you. After all, your very life depends on it working as expected.>
“I am relieved you didn’t take offense to me double checking your work,” I chuckled, testing my equipment’s power systems. “Moving on to another topic. Aside from mass fabrication facilities and the underground hangar, what other resources does your hidden island have?”
In response to my inquiry, Luxion fixed his gaze upon my face.
<Strange, you didn’t seem to be interested in my island’s capabilities previously. Where is this coming from, Master?>
“To be fair, I was in a hurry to get back to the Bartfort territory. As I set sail to find you, Zola arrived unannounced to drag me to the capital. My parents stalled her long enough for me to escape, and they both paid the price for that. If I had returned any later, the damage might have been permanent,” I remarked, recalling the aftermath.
Upon discovering I had escaped, Zola flew into a fierce rage. She unleashed a brutal tongue lashing on my parents, harassing them for their treachery, and then resorted to physical violence. The fucking bitch laid her hands on my mother while my coward father stood by and watched it happen. Of course, after she was done with my mother Luce, Zola turned her fury on my father Balcus. Once she had exhausted her rage, for good measure, the old hag lit my bedroom on fire just to spite me.
“With my arranged marriage annulled and our territory on the recovery, now is the time for me to focus on my future. To do that, I want to know what I have to work with.”
<I understand. In that case, I highly recommend reevaluating your decision to leave Zola and her children alive. If left alone, your younger brother Colin will suffer the same treatment as you did.>
At the mention of my ten-year-old brother, I stopped my examination and thought about it for a moment. While I had the benefit of otherworldly knowledge, Colin could not fight back against Zola’s scheming. In the event my parents couldn’t reach me, my baby brother would end up as some old hag’s plaything. Considering this possibility, I apologized to my father for going back on my word.
“Your logic is sound, Luxion. As Colin’s older brother, my responsibility to safeguard him supersedes my promise to our father. I would love nothing more than to do it myself, but I cannot afford the complications it would create right now,” I stated, glancing over at him. “Make it look like an unfortunate accident. Ensure they suffer before death claims them.”
<As you wish, Master. I will ensure they never trouble you or your family again.>
As I watched Luxion’s lights blink, a cold stone settled in my gut. I wasn’t just a scientist anymore; I was a survivor who knew that leaving a viper in the grass only leads to a bite on the heel. Once they stopped flickering, he confirmed they would take care of it.
<Now back to your earlier inquiry, I possess several other facilities beyond the two you listed. They are: advanced power generation and shipbuilding facilities, along with cloning, horticulture, and research laboratories.>
“Very nice, my plans will be much easier to achieve with those available to me. The only problem I foresee is the limited space to expand them for future needs. I suppose we could renovate the island, but having the enormous hangar is very useful.”
<In that case, I highly recommend searching for other locations like my island around the globe. Statistically speaking, it is highly unlikely that my island is the only survivor of the Great War. That conflict destroyed my ability to connect or contact other locations, so I regrettably cannot guide you directly to any of them at this time.>
As one observes the world now, it’s hard to believe we were previously a technologically advanced society. Four thousand years ago, half of the world’s population suddenly found itself able to wield magic. Most mages paid their newfound gift no mind, but a few people experimented with their powers. Those individuals came to realize they could make scientifically impossible feats happen with magic.
As this news spread among the masses, the scientific community feared they would soon become obsolete. To hold onto their societal status, researchers began exploring ways to suppress or seal a mage’s power. Their reckless decision marked the beginning of a bloody arms race which devolved into what we knew as the Great War.
“That shouldn’t hinder our search efforts too much. The Holfort Adventurer’s Guild has detailed records of every dungeon in the kingdom. Also, if I increase my noble rank to Viscount, I can gain access to the royal library. There are many ancient journals and maps there which might provide some clues.”
After I finished my equipment checks and verified everything was to my liking, I got suited up. As the two of us headed to the door, Luxion activated his stealth field and vanished from view.
---Capital Adventurer’s Guild Hall---
My plan to avoid the morning chaos by arriving just after dawn was a complete bust. When I walked into the guild at a quarter past seven, the place was already a madhouse. On the far side of the room, opposite me, veteran adventurers fought over the day’s job posting while newbies waited patiently nearby for the scraps. At the receptionist counters to my right, greedy adventurers were accosting the workers, claiming they were being short-changed.
“I gravely underestimated how popular being an adventurer is,” I spoke, barely able to hear myself. “Let’s check in with the receptionist and get out of here. The longer we hang around, the more likely a confrontation with some idiots will occur.”
<Agreed. Limiting our time here would be preferable. I fear our IQs will steadily drop if we hang around here too long.> (Luxion)
I wove through the crowded room, found the end of the line, and then queued up. Just as I settled in for a long wait, some parties began making their way toward the door. As they did, porters shot to their feet to offer their services. Out of curiosity, I looked back to see if any of them piqued my interest. Since I was unfamiliar with the capital’s many dungeons, it made sense to hire a porter who knew their way around.
‘Let’s see here. Hiring a beastman makes the most sense as they have a good—‘, I thought as my eyes fell upon two familiar faces in the crowd.
At the back of the porter group, a crimson eyed woman with brown twintails desperately sought to grab adventurer’s attention. Offering to use her magic to aid the party, every word she spoke was drowned out by her peers. Just as one adventurer looked her way, several jackass porters swept her feet out from under her.
Upon noticing the dastardly deed, a female beastman with long chestnut brown hair walked over to check on her. From the canine subset of beastman, she looked no different from a human, save for her floppy labrador ears and puffy tail. After offering the fallen woman a hand, they immediately demanded an explanation from their peers.
“Why do you keep doing that?!” the crimson eyed woman complained. “For the past two weeks, all of you have made sure no one notices me. What did I do to upset you?”
“Jeez, you people are stupider than the rumors suggested. Someone want to break it down so her peabrain can understand it?” a porter laughed.
“It’s because you are filthy Crimson Eyed Demon, that’s why! Your people only know how to sow destruction and ruin wherever you tread,” another porter stated. “Keep coming around here, and we will beat some sense into you. Go back to your stinking, cursed village and never show your face here again.”
After finishing what he had to say, the porter spat in her face. Unable to take the abuse any longer, she stumbled back onto a bench and wept. Enraged on her behalf, the female beastman got up in his face and demanded that he apologize.
“Watch your tone, you mangy mutt! We don’t like beastman much around here either. All of you think you’re hot shit because some nobles keep your kind as pets. Well, guess what? We don’t give a shit what those wealthy pricks think of you. Fuck off, or the slavers will add one more toy to their offerings.”
When she refused to back down, several other porters stepped forward to back him up. No longer certain of her victory, the female beastman stepped back with a frustrated look.
“Yeah, that’s right, bitch. Both of you can get the fuck out of our- “
“That is no way to talk to women, mongrel!” I growled, grabbing him from behind the head and slamming him into the floor.
After I released him, I stood back up and glanced at his supporters. Before any of them had the chance to draw their weapons, my crackling energy sword was at one of their throats.
“If you wish to continue living, get out of my sight this instant. We have no place for bigots like you in the Holfort Kingdom.”
Wisely heeding my warning, the porters scrambled out of the guild as fast as their legs could carry them. With the nuisances gone, I sheathed my blade and turned to the women.
“Are both of you alright?”
“No… hiccup I am not alright! hiccup I came to the capital looking to earn money because hiccup my village is on the verge of financial collapse. If I can’t find work soon, hiccup my clansmen will starve this winter.”
Before I could stop myself, my hand reached out and gently patted her head. Startled by this, she wiped her tears away, then looked up at me.
“Why hiccup are you patting my head?”
“You looked like you needed a bit of comfort, and this is first thought that came to mind. I apologize for not asking your permission first.”
“Hehe. It’s okay, I don’t mind.”
Giving me one of her beautiful smiles, I could feel my heart doing somersaults in my chest. As one of my favorite characters from a certain isekai series, it filled me with joy to meet her in the flesh. The same went for the lovely beastman standing beside her from a different series.
“Ahem!” I said, forcing myself to stop. “I am Baron Leon Fou Bartfort. It is a pleasure to meet your acquaintance.”
“It is a pleasure to meet you too, Lord Bartfort. My name is Yunyun, and as you probably overhead, I am a Crimson Eyed Demon. I am not crazy like my fellow clansmen. Blowing up buildings and shouting weird, incoherent things is not something I do.”
Unable to stop myself from laughing, I nodded my head and thanked her for the reassuring information. While I knew Yunyun was just trying to overcome her clan’s terrible reputation, telling people she was different was probably not helping her case.
“My name is Roxanne, Lord Bartfort. I am from Silver Fang Village; I am here to earn money to help pay off my relative’s back taxes. After my parents died, they took me in even though they barely made enough to put scraps on the table. This is my way of repaying the kindness they showed me when I was younger.”
One of my favorite isekai characters, Roxanne, was a top-class Beast Warrior with an inhuman ability to avoid monster attacks. Since childhood, she had been inadvertently training evasion skills as she toyed around with monsters for fun.
“Forgive my rudeness, but I can tell both of you are capable fighters. Why are you selling yourselves as ordinary porters?”
“I guess you aren’t aware, huh? Unlike nobles, who can register for free, civilians like us must pay a five thousand dia fee to become adventurers. A family of four could comfortably live on that amount for ten years.” Yunyun answered, fidgeting with her hands. “So, are you in need of a porter or two?”
With her tail tucked between her legs, Roxanne looked at me with pleading eyes.
“Please… Even if it just to act as your shields, hire us.”
“Yeah, if we make nothing today, we will be out on the street tonight. We used the last of our money last night to pay for a room at an inn.”
On the verge of hitting rock bottom, the women saw me as their last hope to make it here in the capital. If I didn’t hire them, both would likely turn to other methods for earning cash, and for curvy women like them, it would not end well.
“I have a better idea. If I pay for both of you to become adventurers, would you form a permanent party with me?”
It took them a moment to process my offer as they stared blankly at me.
“You… you shouldn’t make such cruel jokes. If you don’t want to hire us, just say so. We are adults, not little kids.”
“I swear, on my honor, this is no joke. I am offering to help you both become full-fledged adventurers. In exchange, I want you to form a party with me. Full disclosure, I have only cleared a single dungeon, so I am only slightly more experienced than you two.”
“Wait, you are being serious? Of course we will accept!” Yunyun shouted.
“We will be in your care from now on,” Roxanna stated.
Seeing Roxanne’s tail wagging furiously, with their heads bowed, brought a smile to my face. With the matter settled, we got in the registration queue and patiently waited for our turn.
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