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TENKEN 674 Side: A Certain Group of Three
「Big sis, is that Barbra?」
「Yeah, it seems so. There aren't many places with a port of that size. I'm sure of it」
「We're finally here! Uwa~h, I never thought the boat trips would be so boring」
「Wasn't it you who gets excited at it in the beginning? Biscot」
「Don't you come up on deck too, Clicker? It was quite exciting at first, but it got boring after seeing the same scenery for so long... Don't you think so, big sis Sibylla?」
「It wasn't that boring, I guess. The sea magic beasts were pretty tough too」
「Ah, it was stupid of me to ask big sis who's happy as long as she could have a fight」
「Hmm?」
「I-it's nothing! But if we were just going to enter the Kingdom of Kranzel, wouldn't it have been fine if we stopped by the port town of Dahz first? We don't need to come all the way to a town this far south, right...?」
「We can't. The border is heavily guarded at the moment. Besides, we don't want to cause any trouble」
「Can't we just break through them?」
「How stupid. Good grief, this is exactly why you are such a Biscot」
「D-don't use my name to represent stupidity!」
「Listen, unlike back in our country, there would be no supplies or reinforcements out there, right? We have nowhere to run if they come after us. And if we cause a scene, we might find ourselves stuck sooner or later」
「Is that so?」
「It is. In the first place, we don't even know what they're capable of」
「You mean their strength? What's the big deal about those guys?」
「Hey, Biscot」
「! W-what is it, big sis?」
「It's not necessarily a bad thing to look down on people from other countries. It's practically a habit in our country. It won't change anytime soon. But don't underestimate the capabilities of people you've never seen before. Are you going to do the same thing as those idiots at the top?」
「I-I'm sorry」
「That's what we're going to find out, remember? The truth whether those outside of our country really are a small fry or not」
「Yeah」
「The demon knights of the Kingdom of Filias are said to be around too」
「Haa~h, they're really a pain in the ass. I understand, we shouldn't move too recklessly」
「It's good that you understand. CaptaăƒŒ... No, Sibylla-sama, there's several methods to measure the strength of those outside of our contry」
「Hee? What kind of method is it? The only thing I can think of is something related to fighting」
「Please refrain from doing that when we got there. We are supposed to be traveling mercenaries. I've asked the Morley Trading Company, a subsidiary of my family, to guarantee our identities. So if we were to do something wrong, the trust of that trading company, which has spent a long time building up its credibility in the Kingdom of Kranzel, would be lost at once. It would be a great loss for our country if we lose this trading company」
「Well, that's true. It can be used in a variety of ways, such as to acquire foreign currency, gather information, and in cases like ours, to infiltrate」
「You seem to be aware of that. However, Morley Trading Company is probably less loyal to the country than we are, since they are more active outside. Worst case scenario, they might even ditch us」
「Oi oi, Clicker. Is it safe to rely on those guys then?」
「We should be fine as long as we don't do anything that could put them at a disadvantage. Besides, with the strength of this ship, the three of us can easily overpower them」
「Well, you might be right...」
「Just follow our instructions, you're stupid after all」
「Kuh!」
「Biscot, be quiet」
「Yes...」
「So, you said there are several methods to determine how good an adventurer is, right?」
「Yes. First of all, the conventional method is to submit a request. If we can get them to escort us, we can see them at work up close. Well, there's a problem with this method though」
「What's the problem?」
「If the other party was skilled enough, they might be able to see through our real prowess. There is a high possibility that they will have doubts about why we asked for an escort when we're strong enough to defend ourselves」
「I see」
「Although it's a bit of a roundabout method, we can check the quality of the magic beast's meat and medicinal herbs sold in towns. There is also the method of checking the quality of their armor. We can't directly check their capabilities this way, but we can at least use it as a rough indicator of their overall strength. Fortunately, we are heading to Barbra, a city with a large population. It's a good place to investigate」
「I get the gist of it, but I'd rather not have to do the investigation myself」
「Me too. It'd be easier to just attack the adventurers there」
「I've told you we shouldn't do something like that, right!? Well, I don't believe that Sibylla-sama and stupid Biscot can do it anyway. I'm just proposing the method」
「If I don't have to do the tedious investigation, I'm fine with being stupid」
「Leave the investigation to me」
「We'll leave it to you. So, Clicker, anything else? From the way you're talking, you've got other proposals, don't you?」
「The next one is the direct method. In a little while, there's going to be a martial arts tournament in a city called Ulmut」
「A martial arts tournament? Hohou. That sounds like fun! There'll be some strong fighters, right?」
「I've heard that many famous adventurers will be competing in the tournament, so we could get a good idea of their abilities by watching their fights」
「Watching their fights? So we're just going to watch and not compete?」
「Give me a break, will you? We'll be in trouble if they find out who we are. We must refrain from doing anything too conspicuous」
「Tch...」
「Don't "tch" me! Anyway, unlike us, Sibylla-sama will certainly stand out. If you were to participate in the tournament, they would definitely look into your background. So as to not attract too much attention, you mustn't win the tournament... But you hate to lose on purpose, right?」
「Haa~h... I guess I'll have to be content with watching it this time」
「Please do so」
「That means we can rest a little in Barbra before going to Ulmut to watch the martial arts tournament, right?」
「The two of you can think of it that way. I'll take care of the various arrangements」
「Okay. We'll leave it to you」
「Hehe. So we're staying in Barbra for a while? I hope they have some good liquor」
「I hope they can keep us from getting bored」
「...Please don't cause any trouble while we're there, okay?」
TLN: It’s all dialogue XD