The place I had chosen as my next destination was a village located a short distance away from Cailen.
There were two things to be gained in that ordinary country village.
The last remaining rune in this area, and—
'The start of the main story.'
A current that would create countless stories across the entire continent.
'Around now, it should probably...'
I calmly organized my thoughts.
The main story could be seen as a massive wave that was bound to arrive.
Rather than standing still and getting swept away, putting myself in a more proactive position beforehand was clearly far more advantageous.
And for someone like me with no connections or background, the starting point to take up such a position was a single, unremarkable little quest.
"...Porins Village?"
Hearing my words, Renia's eyebrows rose slightly.
Evening in the city, with delicious smells wafting from all around. Amid the noisy bustle of the restaurant, her gaze turned to me.
"Yeah. I'm thinking of heading over that way, so I wanted to get some information about it. Pretty sure the Adventurers' Guild had a commission for that place, too."
I spoke while recalling the list of commissions I had seen at the entrance when I first stepped into the Adventurers' Guild not long ago.
-Resolve the Strange Rumors in Porins Village (Detailed information provided upon accepting commission)
The listing I had kept my eye on to head to right after obtaining the two runes.
"...Hmm. Was that the favor you wanted to ask me?"
"Yeah. Doesn't seem particularly difficult or unreasonable, does it?"
Hearing my words, Renia poked repeatedly at the innocent chunk of meat on her plate.
"And here I thought, when you said a favor..."
"When I said a favor?"
Smiling wryly as she looked away, she waved her hand.
"...Never mind. I'm an idiot for thinking pointless thoughts. Right. You want to know about the Porins Village commission?"
Having lived here in Cailen much longer and possessing a wide network of contacts, she would probably be able to provide more detailed, practical information.
"That's unexpected. A small country village, huh. I figured you'd be interested in higher-paying commissions."
I smirked at Renia's words.
It was a natural reaction. Yet that country village commission, which looked so ordinary on the surface, was one of the starting points of a massive current.
Staying in Cailen right nearby at this exact time, it was an opportunity I couldn't afford to miss.
"Ah, and while I'm away visiting that place, I'd like you to look into the political situation of the kingdom for me, too."
"That's a pretty troublesome favor. What's the pay?"
She asked with a hint of playfulness in her eyes. Looking at her, I spoke.
"Would the price of saving your life in the dungeon be enough?"
Gently spoken words. With a smile playing at the corners of her mouth, Renia picked up the mug of beer in front of her and replied.
"More than enough."
It didn't take long for Renia to dig up information on that commission.
Noon the very next day, to be exact. Meeting me at the tavern we had agreed on in advance, she held out a single sheet of paper.
"I looked into it, and it turned out more interesting than I thought."
What Renia held out was a sheet written with various commissions from the Adventurers' Guild. Among them, one line stood out.
-Resolve the Strange Rumors in Porins Village (Detailed information provided upon accepting commission)
The exact same contents I had seen not long ago. Across the top of it, however, a red line had been drawn.
That meant one of two things.
Either the commission had already been completed, or it had been canceled.
"Looks like the guild already washed its hands of it. When I dug into the details, they apparently decided it was 'a commission unsuitable for adventurers.' I figured it was just an idle rumor in a small country village, but it might be more dangerous than it looks."
She spoke in a somewhat serious tone. I tilted my head slightly.
"Is that so?"
A slightly different flow from what I knew. Still, it wasn't a problem.
If the guild had pulled out, I could just go handle it by myself.
If anything, you could say it saved me from having to pay the thirty-percent guild fee.
"Here's a map and a sheet with the details of the commission before it was scrapped."
I took everything Renia held out. Perhaps because she was a seasoned adventurer, she had prepared quite thoroughly even for a simple request for information.
After wrapping up my conversation with her, I left the tavern right away to make a few preparations. Now that my next destination was set, there was no reason to hesitate.
Having finished preparing for a new journey, I headed for the city gate.
Through the wide-open entrance of the city, countless people—including merchants and mercenaries—were coming and going.
My destination was Porins Village. Leaving the noisy shouts and laughter behind me, I set off toward the open fields.
The distance to the village was roughly two days on foot. Wanting to save a bit of time, however, I was traveling on horseback.
Thanks to my heavy pockets, I had bought a horse without a second thought. The problem, of course, lay elsewhere.
'...This is harder than I thought.'
Riding a horse for the very first time in my life wasn't all that simple.
Granted, after taking about two hours of lessons from Renia before departing, I had been told I had "more talent for it than expected."
Either way, it saved me a considerable amount of time. Alternating between riding and walking, I managed to reach my destination around sunset.
Porins was an ordinary country village. On the surface, at least.
The very first place I headed was the tavern located in the center of the village. Since it was the only one in the village, it doubled as an inn.
After tying my horse up in a shabby stable, I stepped inside. Perhaps because the sun was setting, several villagers were seated in the first-floor tavern.
"From out of town, are you? Care to eat first?"
Bringing over a glass of water, the innkeeper asked. Looking at him, I spoke casually.
"I heard strange things have been happening in the village."
A question asked straight out without beating around the bush. The one who answered my question was another villager sitting at a nearby table.
"Don't even get me started. Some folks have even left the village because of it."
As if they had needed someone to vent their frustrations to, stories began pouring right out of several villagers' mouths.
To sum it up, it was simple.
Starting one day, strange incidents had begun occurring in the village.
From livestock collapsing or well water drying up, to eyewitness accounts of people spotting ghosts near the graveyard.
Naturally, it wasn't anything downright inexplicable.
This was a world where all sorts of peculiar monsters and wicked magic existed, after all.
The very first place the villagers had turned to was the Adventurers' Guild located in the nearby big city.
They had done so thinking the Adventurers' Guild would be able to handle a much wider range of problems than the Mercenaries' Guild, which dealt with things like hunting, caravan escorts, and combat.
Unfortunately for the villagers, however, the Adventurers' Guild hadn't been able to properly resolve it either.
"A few folks did come out here. But not one of 'em could clearly figure out the cause."
Clicking his tongue, the man continued. Because the reward had been set low, it seemed adventurers who could hardly be called veterans had visited the village.
"Well, they did figure out something, at least. Said it seemed related to magic or spells, so we'd be better off asking the Magic Tower or the temple for help instead."
A matter of efficiency rather than difficulty. That was the reason the Adventurers' Guild had concluded the commission wasn't suitable for them.
Up to this point, it matched what I knew. With things flowing as expected, I nodded.
What the villager said next, however, was quite unexpected.
"Well, we don't have to worry anymore, though!"
"...?"
"Because a Master Mage came all the way from the Magic Tower to help us out!"
Words spoken with gusto. Raising an eyebrow slightly, I asked him.
"...A mage from the Magic Tower, you say?"
"That's right. Ever since the Adventurers' Guild pulled out, the strange incidents seemed to be getting worse and worse, so we pooled together all the village funds!"
Do variables always crop up like this in the flow of reality?
I clicked my tongue softly. Still, it wasn't over yet.
This incident wasn't something a low-tier mage could handle. Going by my calculations, someone of at least the 4th Circle or higher had to come to resolve it.
Considering the variable of Hell Difficulty, it might even require someone higher than that.
In the meantime, the villager kept talking.
"Brace yourself. He's a full 2nd Circle mage!"
"..."
At his words, I blinked.
"What Circle did you say?"
"2nd Circle, I tell you! Not 1st Circle, a full 2nd Circle!"
"..."
I barely held back the dry laugh threatening to slip out.
Then again, even if country villagers pooled their money together, how much could they possibly gather?
The odds of moving the high-and-mighty sages of the Magic Tower with that much were practically zero.
Feeling my worry—that a genuinely skilled mage might have come and resolved it first—wash cleanly away, I fell into a slightly different kind of concern.
A 2nd Circle mage had only just shed the label of a novice—an apprentice mage.
I'd be lucky if he didn't get ahead of himself out of sheer enthusiasm and get in the way, or else get scared out of his wits and run off.
Wait. Actually, wouldn't the latter be better?
According to the villagers, that grand Master Mage had arrived in the village only this morning. Thankfully, he didn't seem to have started work yet.
Glad I rode a horse over here, even if it was clumsy.
"Hmm."
Should I go have a chat with him first?
Finishing my thoughts, I slowly rose from my seat. It looked like I would have to put off my meal for a moment.
"Where is that mage right now?"