The attack is scheduled for tomorrow morning, with the meeting to take place at the city gate.
Considering that the quest to defeat the desert dragon would take several days, I specifically told Lilith to take good care of Katya.
Although I am protected by Julius, I am not particularly worried, but actually the person I am most worried about is Lilith.
Rather than having Lilith take care of Katya, it would be more accurate to say that Katya is supervising Lilith.
While I'm away, that guy will definitely spend money extravagantly, and he might even try to rip off Katya until he's emptied her wallet.
Although I know Lilith isn't that kind of person, without my constraints, leaving her a week's living expenses would only amount to a meal for her.
At the same time, I didn't tell Lilith that I was on a quest to hunt down the desert dragon. I also told the guild that if any orc girl asked me about me, I should just say that I was on a regular C-rank quest.
Although I knew Lilith might secretly follow me after I left, I still had to be prepared, because I didn't want to drag them into any more dangerous situations.
The advice of a "human god" is generally unlikely to be smooth sailing. Although it is unknown whether there is any foul play in this quest to subdue the desert dragon, there is definitely a certain degree of danger involved.
Even if there's no problem with the commission, it's still a small team of this size.
The problem must be when I meet with my family.
In short, I don't think the "human god" is so kind as to let me meet with my family so easily.
~~~
The next day, I went out as agreed.
Despite being full of enthusiasm, I wasn't very confident. In other words, I had a feeling that something unpleasant would happen on this trip.
Using the remaining time yesterday, I will gather information about the desert dragon just like Pro did, and I won't let go of information about "Crusador," since it's an unfamiliar place.
In short, this is what Pro taught me to do before carrying out a commission. I've already suffered losses in intelligence matters many times, so I can't be reckless this time.
At this time, the surrounding sky was still dark.
I waited for everyone at the agreed-upon North Gate, but perhaps because I arrived too early, no one else had shown up yet.
Speaking of which, Nighold only said yesterday that we would meet in the morning, without specifying a time. Could it be after breakfast?
This is the time when Pro often meets up when carrying out commissions. Would it be completely unusable in "Robertia"?
"These guys..."
Although Robbie's climate is relatively dry, the occasional sandstorms still make it feel too cold.
Even if "Robebia's" time is not universal, in Sylvie's adventure stories, it seems that it is common sense for adventurers to gather early in the morning when they are going to fight.
Even if you arrive at the agreed location early, it's still better than being late and being left behind by the team. In the end, none of those guys showed up, leaving you all alone standing in the sandstorm waiting foolishly.
"Damn it... these people are so slow..."
No matter how tightly I wrapped my robe around myself, it couldn't stop the howling of the sand and wind. Helpless, I could only curl up into a ball and lean against the city wall.
"Could it be that the departure time was changed at the last minute?"
This possibility cannot be ruled out.
However, I have already informed them of my address in advance, so even if the time changes, someone will at least notify me.
"..."
Just as I was thinking this, a few figures finally appeared in front of me.
They were probably an adventure team, two men and two women, leaning against each other as they approached me.
"Hmm? You're here so early? I thought a kid like you would sleep in and be late."
"Um... I just woke up a little earlier."
To be honest, this person's words are really unpleasant to hear. Although they are not particularly offensive, they just have a certain peculiar quality to them.
"so."
After the adventure team arrived at the location, the other members began to appear one after another.
However, Nidhogg, the captain, did not appear at this time. Even though all eighteen members of the expedition team had arrived, they still could not see him.
"What's going on? Can the team leader be late?"
However, the others were already used to it. Some huddled together against the city wall like me, some were chatting about something, and some were even kissing in a corner...
"Sorry! Something came up at the guild and we had to make a last-minute change!"
About half an hour later, Nighogd finally appeared on the road, accompanied by three dragon chariots. He was on the first dragon chariot, shouting at us.
"Is everyone here?"
Nighold then jumped off the dragon carriage and began counting the number of people. Only after confirming that everyone was accounted for did he begin to call on everyone to climb onto the dragon carriage one by one.
"Your name is Leon, right? Nice to meet you!"
Upon seeing me, Nighold unexpectedly reached out to greet me, probably because yesterday's assessment had left a good impression on him.
"Um... my name is indeed Leon! Since I'll be a temporary team member today, I look forward to working with you!"
He reached his hand out of his pocket in response, and then beckoned me to climb onto the dragon cart.
It's worth noting that Nighold and I were on the same dragon carriage, the very first one. It seems like they reserved a spot for me on purpose.
"Does this guy also get special treatment?"
Obviously, the one who gets to sit in the first dragon carriage is either a powerful adventurer or someone who is very close to him.
"Hmm... I don't think it'll be too bad."
The first dragon carriage was significantly more comfortable than the others. Not only were the sides of the carriage made of special plush cushions, but the materials used on the exterior were also clearly different.
It appears to be made of some valuable wood, with a dark purple hue, and looks very hard and sturdy.
"Hello! My name is Da Ge Mu, I am the vice-captain of the temporary squad, my profession is a mage, and I am responsible for the rear guard. Please take care of me."
As soon as I sat down, a rather gloomy-looking man in the corner was the first to greet me.
"Hello! I am Leon Cabendian, also a magician. Um... I don't know which position I will be responsible for yet, but I will most likely be a defender."
As he said, the man was indeed a magician, as could be seen from his blue-brown robe, and most importantly, he was holding a long magic wand.
"Hmm... no... for this mission, you were assigned to the center-back position, responsible for covering the front-line. After all, you are a king-level mage, so putting you in the back-line is a waste of your talents."
"Hmm? It seems that as the vice-captain, he already knows that I am a King-level mage."
"I wouldn't dare say that this is beneath my talents; I just like magic."
"Kid! I didn't realize you were so modest! Just based on that, I've got your back. You can rest easy and stay behind me! Hahaha!"
At this moment, a burly man with a black beard in front of me would roughly press my head down with his hand. He also had scars on his face that looked like knife scars, which made him look somewhat terrifying.
"Who are you?"
Although his behavior was somewhat impolite, I wasn't offended. After all, he didn't mean any harm in his words, so I didn't need to show my dissatisfaction and ruin the atmosphere.
"Oh! I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Arubel! A warrior. See this giant axe of mine?! I'll cleave the desert dragon in two, hahaha! I'm mainly responsible for the vanguard! So, kid, you can rest easy and stay behind me! I promise I'll protect you! Hahaha!"
Although he looks fierce, he's a smiling, black-bearded middle-aged man—that's my assessment.
"Alright! I'm Leon Cabreen! I'll cover for you just the same! Please take care of me!"
At this moment, Vice Captain Da Ge Mu slightly raised his chin, and a man in front of him, also wearing a long robe, began to greet me.
"Hello. My name is Lucius. My profession is a healing mage, and I play as a defender."
He was a person of medium build, dressed in a white robe, but who seemed not to be good at speaking.
"Hello. My name is Pantene. I'm a professional archer and a center-back."
Holding a bowstring, she was an ordinary-looking woman with an average figure.
In short, including the captain, they were all between twenty-five and thirty years old. Although their adventure rank was unknown, they were at least A-rank or higher to be able to participate in this expedition.
Finally, there was a girl who looked to be about the same age as Lilith.
"I'm the center-back! Yuna, the long-range striker."
For some reason, she would glare at me with a stern expression.
"When did I offend this kind of guy?"
"Hello, I'm Leon Cabreen, a center-back like you. Nice to meet you."
"Hmph! No need!"
"This girl..."
It's that kind of arrogance that makes you look down on everyone else, which is really infuriating.
"Yuna! You can't be so rude!"
It was the vice-captain, Daigeki, who reprimanded her.
"But!"
"Leon is a teammate! And he's a center-back just like you. Get along well! This mission to hunt down the desert dragon is no joke."
"snort-"
"Immature, short-tempered, confident, and domineering—truly an immature child."
Regardless, that's my assessment of her.
Although she is about a year older than Lilith, she is still a minor. The standard for adulthood in this world is sixteen, which means she is at most fifteen years old.
In short, at that moment I felt she looked a lot like Leah.
"Let me make this clear first, I don't acknowledge you as a center-back. I only reluctantly agreed because the vice-captain insisted. If you drag us down and end up causing that person's death, I will absolutely not forgive you!"
"yes……"
In short, I know I can't say much to this guy; if it causes dissatisfaction and we start arguing, it will be a real mess.
After all, it was a temporarily formed expedition team. If something happened that affected their harmony, their fighting coordination would be greatly reduced.
However, since they are all just casual acquaintances and we won't see each other again after this mission is completed, it doesn't matter if I just bear with it. Since she has already refused, there's no need for me to be so eager to please her.
"Don't do this, Yuna."
"But, Vice Captain..."
"Sigh... Yuna... You need to understand that one day you will also leave our team and join other adventure teams. In the state of you, who would dare to accept you?"
"What do you mean by that? Are you trying to kick me out, Vice Captain?"
"It's not that we're kicking you out. You need to understand that we will all grow old or die one day. At that time, you will have to leave us and join another team. If you refuse to cooperate with others and always act like a spoiled child, how can others accept you? So, in the future, you need to learn to cooperate with others in addition to us."
"……Can"
"Alright, Leon didn't mean any harm. Besides, he's just a temporary player. If you refuse now, you'll have to cooperate with the other players. As a center-back, you can't be the only one."
"I understand... Vice Captain..."
"Um……"
"This vice-captain is actually quite kind-hearted; he even takes on the role of coaching the team members."
Regardless, he is not a bad person, and what he said is indeed true.
Even I would find it difficult to associate with someone with such a terrible attitude. In short, I would choose to simply ignore her.
However, since she and I both belong to the Central Guard, we should naturally cooperate well. At least in this mission to subdue the Desert Dragon, I will not have any conflict with her because she refused me.
~~~
Three days later.
We have finally arrived at Crussulu, Robbie's place of exile.
As its name suggests, "Crusuiro" is indeed a place of exile. The entire land looks as if it has been ravaged by fire, with tortoise-shaped cracks covering the earth.
Only one low mountain seems out of place, but although it is a low mountain, it is just a relatively prominent one in the Gobi Desert.
Crossing this land, the landscape before you is a desert, with yellowish-brown sand covering the flat wasteland.
Once we arrive here, we will set up camp a few hours' walk from where the desert dragons dwell.
The way to set up camp is also very simple, just three horse-drawn carriages placed together to act as a wall to block the wind and sand, although some magicians will set up something like a barrier.
In short, this area is very safe, at least it is not disturbed by sandstorms.
At this point, Captain Nighold would gather everyone together to discuss strategy.
According to information obtained from the guild, the Desert Dragon's vision is somewhat impaired at night, and its movements become slower.
Therefore, Nighold's idea was to wait here until dark before taking action, similar to a surprise attack, a tactic often used by adventure teams.
Meanwhile, other adventure teams will share their experiences in dealing with other monsters that, like the desert dragon, are difficult to see and move around in at night.
Although most of it is not needed, it can still be of some help.
Besides Yuna and me as center-backs, there was an adventure team called "Morning Star" sitting in the third carriage, who were also assigned to center-backs.
It was a small team of two men and two women, the first team to arrive when I was waiting at the city gate.
Two of the men were mages, while the women were an archer and a healing mage.
The team was extremely unbalanced; I really don't know how they grew into an A-rank team. But what I didn't know was that one of them was a barrier mage, who played a crucial role in dealing with weak monsters.
There were many more vanguards. It seemed that at this time, there was no distinction between adventure teams. Anyone who wielded a greatsword, axe, hammer, spear, or other melee weapon took on the role of a vanguard.
And I think I found out what Yuna was really unhappy about, because as a mid-to-short range long-range pikeman, she should have been a midfielder, but because of her age, she was assigned to the center-back position.
However, the vice-captain's intention is understandable. After all, someone like Nighold, who charges ahead, must be prepared to sacrifice himself at any time. Yuna is only fifteen years old. If she were to lose her life in the expedition, it would be a huge loss.
Therefore, entrusting cutting-edge work to experienced and adaptable older people is indeed the wisest course of action.
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