The City-State of Bigdaleio

On our way to Bigdaleio, Eiji contacted me through Friend Chat. His message was quite simple: he had just logged in.

I didn't know whether Toji was logged in as well, but even if she wasn't, it wouldn't be a problem. Why? Because...

"Tell us what you found out from your investigation! We're going too, so let us know."

Yeah. It's all Jigoro's fault. That guy fully intends to stay here for a long time. At the very least, he plans to remain until he defeats the monster that caused this situation. Persuading him now would be difficult. In that case, all we could do was cooperate so we could return as soon as possible.

"Indeed. It lives at an oasis to the south of here. Many warriors, including us, went to investigate, but no one has even seen it yet."

"Not even seen it? How come?"

"Because the oasis it has occupied is currently covered by a sandstorm at all times."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean? Brother, what do you think?"

Why are you asking me? I don't know anything about the situation!

"It could be the monster's Skill, or it might be continuously using the Sandstorm of 【Sand Dust Magic】."

"That's nothing but guesswork."

"Of course it is!"

I can only say something noncommittal! Do you think I know everything!?

"We have considered the same possibilities as you, Izam-dono. The investigation was meant to confirm which one it was, but this attempt failed as well. Many warriors besides me went to investigate, but none of them had any success. The only consolation is that no one has died."

See? My prediction was nothing more than something anyone could come up with. The people of Bigdaleio must have knowledge of monsters capable of creating a similar situation.

They must have planned to identify the monster by determining whether it was using a Skill or the Sandstorm of 【Sand Dust Magic】. I can't even imagine how powerful a monster must be to prevent them from doing that.

"Even if it's a powerful monster, the oasis is pretty far away, right? Can't we just leave it alone?"

"That is not possible. That oasis is one of the few places where farming is possible, and it serves as a base when we go on expeditions. Some people were even stationed there. We must take it back as quickly as possible."

I see. Thinking about it, there are only a limited number of places where farming is possible in Bigdaleio, which lies in the desert. If a monster occupied one of those few places, it could be called a national crisis.

"We keep repeating our investigations because attacking without any information would be dangerous... but they have all ended in failure. The young warriors have grown impatient and are now insisting that we attack, even if it means acting recklessly. We need to achieve something soon..."

Bowie clenched his fist in frustration. As a warrior who lived in Bigdaleio, he must have found the situation deeply humiliating. Like the younger warriors, he surely wanted to take back the oasis as soon as possible. However, it would be foolish to cause unnecessary casualties. That was precisely why he continued going out to investigate, even at the risk of being wounded.

What a moving story! Jigoro is eager to help, and to be honest, I'm interested in fighting in the desert too. In that case, helping them could be worthwhile. I do feel as though I'm simply being swept along by the situation, though.

"I don't know about defeating it, but Cal and I should be able to help with the investigation."

"What?"

"We can scout from above. We flew all the way here, so... Ah, have you already tried that?"

I thought we could observe the oasis from above, but they might have already done that themselves. If so, it wouldn't be very useful... would it?

"From above...? Then I would very much like you to help! Bigdaleio has monster tamers who command bird monsters, but none of them possess enough intelligence to scout an area and bring back information!"

"Then it seems we have a role to play. We'll discuss the details after we arrive in Bigdaleio."

This might allow us to make progress in our investigation of the monster. If that happened, exterminating it would go smoothly as well. If we officially took on the quest, we could even expect a reward. It would be killing two birds with one stone!

◆◇◆◇◆◇

After that, we exchanged various opinions along the way and arrived in Bigdaleio. Bigdaleio was a city-state surrounded by sturdy, rugged walls without any needless decoration, with a huge oasis at its center.

This oasis supplied all the residents with water for daily use, and they also cultivated aquatic plants and farmed fish there. It was truly a life-giving spring that sustained every citizen of Bigdaleio.

"These walls are more impressive than Ireves, where we went during the event."

"It would be unfair to compare them to a human city. More powerful external threats roam this area."

"I suppose you're right."

I was convinced by Bowie's explanation. Once we left the city walls, monsters like Sand Worms crawled all over the place. The monsters that appeared around the city were generally weak. Even so, I was told that many of them were above level 20. Considering that the heat could slow them down, as it did Iris, the field's difficulty was still fairly high.

"Hmm? What's that...?"

As I gazed at the formidable walls, an Orc standing near the city gate caught my eye. Though he seemed a little bigger, I recognized the equipment he wore, even though some pieces had changed.

"Eiji! It's been a while!"

"Oh! Izam-san!"

So it really was Eiji. Apparently, like Nanako and Mossan, he had completed his evolution after the fierce battles at Ireves.

"Are those your clan members...? Wait, why are you with Centurion-san?"

"I'll explain everything one thing at a time. First, show us to your base."

"O-okay. I'll show you to the inn where we're staying."

We had encountered two interesting people on the way here. That alone made this an adventure worth telling. I should tell Eiji and Toji about those encounters as well.

"In that case, Bowie-dono, I think we'll part ways here. Once I've caught my breath, I'd like to discuss our plans. Where should I go?"

"Understood. Given the circumstances, I would like to discuss it at the royal castle."

"The royal castle?"

"It stands on an island in the oasis. I'll make the arrangements, so come by later."

"Understood. Then I'll see you later."

◆◇◆◇◆◇

We followed Eiji to the inn where he was staying. Its lobby was far larger than I had expected. That made sense, since the inn also accommodated huge monsters such as Orcs.

Bigdaleio was a nation of monsters, and travelers from other countries in the desert region, as well as wandering monsters, sometimes came here on a whim. As long as they obeyed the country's laws, the nation seemed broad-minded enough to welcome anyone.

In fact, when I removed my mask upon entering the country and revealed that I was Undead, no one was surprised at all. That was because there was a Mummy among the merchants who formed caravans in this desert. So the only thing that surprised them was seeing Cal, who was a Dragon.

Incidentally, Cal was waiting behind the inn. They wouldn't let him inside, naturally, since he would frighten the other guests. There was nothing we could do about that, so I had to resign myself to it. He had looked lonely, so I would have to show him some affection later.

"A giant riding a sheep... I can't tell whether it's fancy or not."

"He's definitely strong as hell. I wish I could've fought him."

"What is this guy? Is he one of those battle maniacs?"

"Ah, haha..."

After we arrived at the inn and introduced ourselves to one another, Toji logged in, so we went ahead and finished introducing everyone. Yes, it seemed as though we would get along well.

After the event, Eiji evolved into an Orc Heavy Warrior, while Toji evolved into a Ghoul Raksat Saif. Let's take a look at each of their Races.

Eiji's Orc Heavy Warrior is a Race specialized in handling heavy weapons, further honing its power and toughness. In exchange, it is difficult to move nimbly, and it is also poorly suited to using magic. It is a tank specialized purely in defense and physical attacks. If I constantly applied healing and similar effects to him with my 【Soul Arts】, he would become an impenetrable shield. It was a straightforward evolution, and there was no doubt that it would display its strength without any quirks.

In contrast, Toji had evolved into the unusual Race known as Ghoul Raksat Saif. According to Toji, there was one condition for becoming this Race: taking the Job of Sword Dancer. As for the conditions for becoming a Sword Dancer, they were that 'the combined levels of 【Swordsmanship】, 【Dance】, 【Singing】, and at least one type of magic-based Skill must total 20 or more.'

You'd never be able to fulfill those conditions if you didn't know about them! Toji happened to possess all of them purely by chance, so she had to be considered extremely lucky. As for the Race's characteristics, they were the exact opposite of Eiji's. In exchange for low defense, she was a speed fighter who toyed with her enemies through rapid movements. Her evasion ability was high as well, and the fact that she also possessed the Skill of 【Acrobatics】 made her especially troublesome. Anyone fighting her would need to patiently wait for the chance to land a heavy blow.

In addition, 【Dance】 and 【Singing】 allowed her to slightly enhance her own and her allies' stats, while also occasionally throwing off enemy attacks. According to Toji, though, it was best to consider this little more than a bonus.

It might sound versatile, but of course it wasn't perfect at everything. Needless to say, its magic was inferior to that of a pure mage, and its power modifier from 【Swordsmanship】 was weaker than that of a pure swordsman. Its 【Dance】 and 【Singing】 were also a step below those of specialists such as dancers and bards. If its Skills were used to their full potential, it might surpass all of them, but without that ability, it would become the ultimate jack-of-all-trades and master of none. It was both a Race and a Job that truly tested the player's skill.

"Now that we've finished introducing everyone, let's discuss what we'll do next. Before leaving Bigdaleio, we'll help resolve the anomaly surrounding this country. Does anyone object?"

I looked around at everyone's faces, but no one objected. This was a matter we had brought up ourselves, but Eiji and Toji both owed this country a debt of gratitude, so they said they were willing to help.

"Good. Then let's head to the royal castle first. We've arranged to take on a quest there."

"Sure thing, brother."

"W-we're coming too?"

"Of course. We're in the same party, aren't we?"

"That's right. Let's go."

And so, our party, consisting of me, Jigoro, Iris, Eiji, Toji, and Cal, set out for the royal castle of Bigdaleio.