Incubus Banishment - Vol 2 Chapter 21

Chapter 21 – The Empress’s Invitation
「Fuu, I never thought that we would suddenly run into the core members of the Empress Brigade.」

「……It was surprising.」

Alicia and I said that and looked at each other after we had taken enough distance from the Empress Brigade.

After that we collected ourselves and recalled the reason why we strolled around the city.

It was to prepare for entering the dungeon.

There was one thing that I wanted to obtain first before entering the dungeon.

That was the map of this city’s dungeon.

The large dungeon that had city forming around it tended to have vast internal structure.

The freshly created dungeon and the Armor Ant’s nest that I conquered beforehand couldn’t even compare. Even exploring just the surface level would take a lot of time.

I would be able to grasp the internal structure to some degree with my detector penis but……I didn’t want to use it casually because there would be a lot of other people at the surface level.

If we wanted to dive until the perfect floor for Alicia and I to level up, obtaining map was a necessity.

Because of that Alicia and I immediately headed toward this city’s adventurer guild in order to obtain the map.

The adventurer guild’s building here was far larger than the one in fortress city Gretona. Alicia and I entered inside while feeling overwhelmed by it. The inside of the guild was overflowing with crowd and liveliness. Strong looking adventurers were delivering a lot of monster materials while there were also people enjoying their rest at the bar that was annexed to the building.

「Found it, the dungeon’s map.」

The crowd made it slightly difficult to move but, I immediately found what I was looking for.

I found it in a shop inside the guild that was also selling various kinds of rations and magic items for exploring dungeon.

Unlike the middle floor and below, the surface floor was practically teeming with people exploring it. Detailed map for the floor was being sold openly. The price was also moderate. There would be no need for me to show my A rank identification to the guild just to buy it. I didn’t want to stand out so this was a blessing.

While I was here I also bought some rations and healing items before I headed toward the exit together with Alicia……it was then.

「Oi you two, you wanna to enter the dungeon even though you are still just brats?」

Some large men stood on our way.

「Even though we’re being lonely drinking alone in our holiday with just men like this, you are showing off your girlfriend like this aaah, oi.」

「You two are beginners who just got your Gift this year right? It’ll be dangerous to go to the dungeon with just brats, so we’re going to kindly help out you guys.」

They seemed to be drunk. Smell of alcohol was drifting from their mouth as they approached.

U-uwaa. We caught the attention of some troublesome people…….

「Ah, err, there’s no need to trouble yourself like that.」

I tried to avoid the men without causing any commotion as much as possible while hurriedly moving toward the exit.

But,

「oi oi boy, how about you don’t look down on us too much yeah?」

One of the men grabbed my shoulder and said this.

「All of us are level 70 after all. What’s more we’re from the Lion King Brigade.」

「Eh!?」

He said Lion King Brigade. Isn’t that one of the three great brigades just like Empress Brigade!?

No way that was the case, I suspected that the men were just bluffing but……the surrounding was clearly ignoring our complication here.

Even the guild staffs who originally should be mediating for this kind of trouble were also pretending to not see this. Their attitude proved that the men’s words were the truth.

They were legitimate members of Lion King Brigade.

W-why are we keep running to adventurers from each brigade like this!?

No, well, each brigade apparently had a lot of members, so perhaps the probability of running into them actually wasn’t that low!

The men seemed to think that our surprise was us being scared and got even more carried away.

「You guys will get a lot of benefit with us y’know? We gonna protect you two both inside and outside the dungeon. See, beginner like you brat can’t even dodge this kind of, attack!」

「Tsu!」

He must be planning to beat us right from the start to make the hierarchy clear.

The man who was holding my shoulder suddenly punched at my stomach.

I immediately twisted my body to forcefully dodge the attack.

「Eh――」

Then the man who said that he was level 70 got dragged by my movement and *Whomp!* rolled through the floor with a loud sound.

Ah, crap! It was already too late when I thought that.

「……Aa?」

The rolling man didn’t understand what just happened for a moment.

But 「Puh」 a snicker came from someone in the surrounding. The man’s face turned bright red instantly.

「Y-you son of a bitch! After I’m being so kind like this……you dare to shame me instead!」

What kindness!? I wanted to retort like that, but that kind of sound argument wouldn’t work on drunken man like this.

「I’ll kill you!」

The men led by the man who fell on the ground furiously pulled out their weapon.

Wait, aren’t your boiling point too low!?

Or perhaps they were acting like this based on the reasoning that they couldn’t let themselves be underestimated as members of a brigade that was in charge of the city.

W-what to do?

I would be able to defeat them easily, but that would only make me stand out in a bad way, and it would make the Lion King Brigade into my enemy.

I could also pretend to lose but, if I did that then they would set their eyes on Alicia next……just as I was troubled on what to do like that.

A woman’s voice called out to the men who pulled out their weapon.

.

「The Lion King’s underlings are vulgar like usual. How childish you can be that you’re going to gang up on some rookies.」

.

「Eh」

「How unpleasant. Begone from my sight.」

That voice with a tone that sounded like it was only natural to stand above other people changed the mood inside the guild.

My gaze was also drawn toward the direction of the voice. There my eyes widened in shock.

「Empress……!?」

Because standing there accompanied with several subordinates was one of the city rulers who I happened to catch sight at the city just now. Stacy Poisondoll.

「Oi, it’s the Empress……!?」

「Why is the Empress coming personally to the guild!?」

Everyone inside the guild became noisy. Meanwhile the men of Lion King Brigade were greatly taken aback.

「Wha-, why the hell is the Empress in this kind of place!?」

「Why you ask? I too am an adventurer, so it’s only natural for me to show up in the guild. More importantly」

The Empress narrowed her eyes.

「I said, “Begone”.」

「Wha-!? GAAAAAAAAAH!?」

Instantly the Lion King Brigade’s member was blown away.

A black lump was shot from the Empress’s fingertip with enormous speed and shot through the man’s body.

「P-Poisondoll you bitch! What the hell are you doing!? Do you want to start a fight with us Lion King Brigade huh!? AA!?」

「Impertinent. Do you think the Lion King will choose to confront me over a mere level 70 grunts? Not to mention you all are just some thugs who picked a fight with some adorable beginners.」

「You, bitch……!」

Their blood must have rushed into their head.

The men of Lion King Brigade switched target from us to the Empress.

「You idiot brazenly left your base! We’re going to take that head of yours here!」

「Haa. Troublesome. ……Abyss magic 」

「「――Tsu!? GYAAAAAAAAAAH!?」」

It wasn’t even a fight.

Black lumps with greater number and power than before flew in high speed and blew away the level 70 men. They were silenced instantly.

The Empress fired the attack without chanting as though it was only natural. That proficiency when she casted magic as though she was just breathing.

There were many things to be surprised about but……what shocked me the most was the type of that magic.

That magic――,

「Don’t tell me it’s abyss magic……!? That means that person has the highest ranked Gift for dark magic , !?」

I surmised the Empress’s Gift from the attack that she launched. I couldn’t stop my eyes from widening like saucer.

After all Abyss Sorcerer held the position as the highest ranked Gift for dark magic. It was a powerful Gift that was said to rival Holy Knight depending on the person’s proficiency and battle condition.

It was a Gift worthy for someone who stood on the top of thousands of adventurers. Then the empress called out to the shocked me.

「That was a horrible predicament you found yourselves in. What a bad luck that you caught sight of such vulgar bunch.」

「Eh!? Ah……um, thank you very much for saving us.」

I felt slightly taken aback from getting rescued by the leader of Empress Brigade, the group that I was wary about because of their fiendishness. Even so I thanked her together with Alicia.

But the real surprise only came after this.

「……Even so, you have potential.」

「Eh?」

「You didn’t waver at all even when getting hassled by that Lion King Brigade’s bunch. I think you will be able to go far as adventurer. But as you are right now you will only get pestered by that kind of idiot and get crushed. And most of all it’s too thoughtless of you two for planning to enter the dungeon alone. That’ll be a waste. ……That’s right. I’ll teach you two some things, so how about you two come visit our base tonight for dinner? There will be a lot of delicious foods made from the produce of the dungeon here you know?」

「Ee!?」

I was genuinely shocked by that sudden offer.

Or rather, it felt simply too unnatural.

But,

(If I refuse this offer, things will become even more troublesome than if I beat up those Lion King Brigade’s members……)

Right now we were someone who had just gotten helped by the Empress.

And even before that, we had gathered a lot of attention from the surrounding. We would throw a mud to her reputation if we refused her right now. Depending on the person such insult could even be more unforgivable than simply beating up their subordinates. There was no doubt that we would get their attention in a very bad way in that case.

I had experienced by myself the inner working of such society during my days living as noble. The option of refusing didn’t exist here.

「T-then, we will take up on your kind offer.」

「My, that’s great. Then I’ll send my subordinate to pick up you two later, let’s meet again……tonight.」

The Empress said that and turned away, then she vanished to the back of the guild like she owned the place.

H-hmmm, I didn’t want to stand out too much, and I also didn’t want to get involved too deeply with the brigades but……let’s just count ourselves lucky that we didn’t become enemy with any of the brigades even after something like this happened.

And so while I was feeling relieved for the time being inside the guild that was in an uproar, beside me,

「…………I wonder why……for some reason that person……is giving off a dangerous scent.」

Alicia was holding my hand with a strong grip without me noticing.