The Wrong Hero

Chapter 28 - Arrivals

Over the past few days, they had discussed what would be done with the two lumos in the carriage. While initially the idea of them going to Siltvelt with the Shield Hero sounded promising, Sadeena pointed out a problem. Neither one of them were particularly suited to combat. Dante remembered how Siltvelt had treated Naofumi when he initially went there, through multiple timelines too. While he had no doubt the majority of his party could handle themselves if an issue arose, the same couldn't said for Imiya and Tolly.

Another, smaller issue was that neither one could contribute much to the group. They were a dexterous people, but the work that would benefit Dante's group would require a more stationary workplace. Additionally, Dante was mistaken about Tolly's experience. While he did apprentice under the same master as Erhard, Tolly told him he had to leave to help care for his family.

Fortunately, Dante had an idea. One he should have considered before. He left a portal location in Reichnott's territory before the wave. That way, they could have quickly picked up the carriages if they weren't brought with them. He did discuss with Reichnott about leaving some of the village children there, if and when they found some, so adding a couple of lumos wasn't going to cause much of an issue. It was likely the safest place he could leave them.

Dante teleported the pair there, along with JoJo, and introduced them to Reichnott. The lord was more than happy to accept them, with one small condition. Since the death of Idol, bandit activity had increased. While the guards in his territory were enough to keep people relatively safe, venturing out was dangerous. Dante was happy to help out with that issue. He did cause it, after all, and he could always use more parts for the job level power up.

With Fiadia, the three of them were able to deal with a few small bandit gangs. Nothing big, just groups of six or seven that had camped out in the forests. The rabbit woman was a fairly good tracker, it turned out. While her level didn't seem that high, one of Dante's battle potions helped that. The dead bandits also provided her, Imiya, and Tolly some good XP gains, at least while the last two were in range.

With the mini-quest complete, Dante and JoJo set out. While Dante wouldn't get alerted if the two lumos were in danger, he had his status open often enough that he might see if they were injured. He also told them that he'd check with the slave trader if any more of their friends were found when he asked about the villagers. Dante likely wouldn't be back in Reichnott's land unless he found someone, or something urgent came up.

~The Wrong Hero~

"We're here." Dante said, sitting atop Dio with Sadeena behind him. His view was that of a sprawling city, bigger than that of Melromarc's capital. Of course, Melromarc didn't have nearly as many attractions as Zeltoble. Several coliseums were easily seen from where they stood.

One of the coliseums was their destination. They made their way through the lively city streets. So many of the people out there were armed and armored, Dante was pretty sure the adventurers and mercenaries outnumbered the average people. A number of shops did have shields on display. Dante had visited a few of them earlier.

At the coliseum, Dante followed the directions Beloukas gave them. There was a man guarding an entrance in the back, away from prying eyes. Dante showed the man the letter Beloukas wrote for them and they were allowed to enter. They walked inside for bit before coming to a set of stairs that led down under the coliseum.

A few more twists and guards later, they came to a large area that was filled with cages. Humans, demi-humans, and monsters were on display. A small room in the back had a few people speaking to one another. Dante, Sadeena, and Dio approached.

"Welcome, welcome!" The short, fat man said, turning from who Dante assumed was an assistant. The man was definitely a relative of Beloukas; he looked just like the slave trader, but with a slightly different outfit. It was pretty creepy. "How can I help you this fine day?"