The strongest sage of disqualified crest

Chapter 187 Strongest Sage, Getting Tailed

A few hours after we departed the first checkpoint.
We arrived at the second checkpoint.

『How is it? Think there's a demon here?』

『Nah, every one of them is a human... There's some slightly suspicious response beneath the ground though.』

『Suspicious response?』

『Yea. They're undoubtedly humans, but they have body reinforcement magic tools equipped on them. Stuff that couldn't have possibly been made with chant magic.』

Of course, if there were someone who could use chantless magic besides us, these magic tools could possibly have been created by that someone.
I saw myself how Giruas developed his own version of chantless magic and fought using it.

However... These magic tools are too refined.
They're not really something special in the past era, but body reinforcement magic tools aren't something a self-taught amateur could just randomly make.

...Probably a good idea not to beat myself over the source of these magic tools.

『Wait, so you're saying there's magic tools for body reinforcement... Would we get stronger in fight if we used one?』

『You'd better not. All the minute adjustments are too complicated, and when they're changed, it makes fighting harder. It has its use if you want to bulldoze through things with brute force, but the load on your body is high.』

Judging from the mana reaction, the magic tools equipped on the people underground are the type that bulldoze things through brute force.
Most likely with a severe side effect.

『From what the code in this board said, we have no choice but to pass through this checkpoint, don't we...?』

『Yea. That's a good idea... Don't worry. We will simply attack back if they try to pull a fast one on us.』

I probe mana reaction on the checkpoint once again.
Yup. They're all spectacularly small fry. No demon either.
At this level, Iris alone can take them all.

As a matter of fact, I've already figured out a short cut that won't be found out by checkpoints, but we're not gonna use it.
We should go with the flow if it doesn't alert the other party, yet on the other hand, finding out whether Folkia Territory is hostile towards us or not is better for us.

The move we're taking when we enter the city will differ depending on that knowledge.
After all, if Folkia Territory turns out to be an ally of demons, we must not apply for permission to enter Eteris Steppe.

They'd know our destination if we did.
The demons probably have no idea what's in Eteris Steppe, but that still won't stop them from bolstering the defense there.

While thinking and walking on the road, we're stopped by a guard, similar with the first checkpoint.

"Halt. Show me your pass."

It'd be nice if we could smoothly pass through this one too...
We show him our passes while thinking so.

"...This is..."

The guard slid our passes through a machine.
And then he tells us.

"Sorry, it's gonna take half a day to ask for the approval. You'll have to wait here till then."

"...Got it."

Looks like it won't go like the first checkpoint.
Well, it's only half a day anyway, might as well wait.

◇

『I wonder where they're getting the approval from? It doesn't look like they're doing anything resembling that though...』

At a place slightly apart from the checkpoint, Ruli asked me.
...Looks like she was attentive enough.

『You noticed huh. They're probably not asking for approval or anything.』

『...Then what is it about?』

『They're stalling for time. When our passes were slid through the machine, mana that resembled comm magic was emitted out of it. It probably takes half a day for the people at the receiving end of the magic to finish their preparations.』

『Receiving end... Who?』

『Ah. If the territory lord is our enemy, it's probably their underlings disguised as bandits or something along the line. Some demons might even pop up depending on the situation.』

『Disguised as bandits... You mean they're going to raid us?』

『Yea. The missing people that Giruas mentioned were probably their victims.』

Giruas said that there were a lot of adventurers that went missing near Folkia.
If they're really getting attacked by fake bandits, it explains a lot.

Ordinarily, they don't have any reason to attack adventurers who came to the territory... but the term 『Ordinary』 does not apply to people who employ magic tools demons made.

『What should we do if we get attacked?』

『We'll just turn the tables on them. While pretending not to notice anything.』

◇

A few hours later.
They finally 『Got the Approval』 and we were allowed to pass the checkpoint.

『I guess we're gonna meet some bandits soon?』

Alma asked me after we were far away from the checkpoint.

『I'm not sure if it's going to be bandits, but something is definitely there... Look.』

I deciphered the pass content and showed it to the two.
『Warning. High rank adventurers. Deploy B-class Disposal.』
There were codes written inside the passes.

『B-class Disposal...?』

『Yea. I'm not sure what that means, but it's definitely not good... I mean,We've got ourselves some guests tailing us already after all.』

I look far away.
Some place away from us, someone is tailing us.

The other party is relatively skilled at it, but even though their figure is hidden from sight, their mana response is completely bare laid open.
Behind the pursuer, there's around 30 bandits... or, people disguised as bandits, lurking.
Judging from the mana reaction, all of them have been equipped with physical reinforcement magic tools.

Now then... Where to begin.