The Ultimate Sage Who Faked Incompetence and Was Disinherited Just Wants to Enjoy His New Life! - Episode 12: Escort Request

Episode 12: Escort Request 

“You’ve gotten used to taking requests in this town, haven’t you?” 

As I gazed absentmindedly out the window of our base at the Silver Crescent Moon Inn, Lilia fluttered over to my side. 

“Yeah. Lately, I’ve been focusing on requests that are only available to Silver Rank and above. Thanks to that, along with the money from selling magic stones, I’m earning much more than when I first started.” 

“That’s a good thing. Thanks to you, I can take it easy and rest.” 

By now, we had more than enough to live comfortably as just the two of us. We could keep earning money at this pace. But Lilia had insisted that I take regular breaks. So, today was a rest day. I’d made it a rule to take the day off after completing a request. 

“I’m surprised at how easy it’s been to make money.” 

“That’s only natural with your skills. If only that old man would hurry up and promote you to Platinum Rank already. He’s so stubborn.” 

The Guild Master of the Adventurers’ Guild was still “that old man” in Lilia’s eyes. She must have had a bad first impression of him. Maybe it was because he tried to test me? I didn’t really mind, though. 

“Like you said, I should be at least Gold Rank by now. I’ve been completing my requests properly. What’s the holdup?” 

“Why don’t we ask him next time?” 

“Yeah, let’s do that.” 

I flopped onto the bed, stretching out lazily. Lilia’s feathers brushed against my cheek. They were tickling me. I remember her saying that her wings were sensitive. But she didn’t seem to notice. Oh well. I’ll just keep lounging. 

As I lazed around, the inn’s hostess came by to clean the room. I quickly scooped Lilia up and stepped outside. The Silver Crescent Moon Inn provided daily room cleaning and even laundry services upon request. It was incredibly convenient. At this rate, I was starting to think there was no need to rent a house—we could just keep living at the inn. 

In a way, it was like having a servant. The only downside was that we couldn’t keep many personal belongings. But that wasn’t an issue since we didn’t have much to begin with. If I could master the spatial magic Lilia was teaching me, I could solve that problem. Unfortunately, I hadn’t gotten the hang of it yet. It was tough. 

“Lilia, what do you want to eat today?” 

“Hmm… How about the house-smoked bacon platter?” 

“Sounds good. The bacon here is top-notch. If we ever go on a long journey, I’d love to bring some as provisions.” 

— 

The next day. 

We avoided the morning rush and headed to the Adventurers’ Guild. There weren’t many people taking Silver Rank requests, so there was little competition for them. 

Besides, we had made a habit of taking leftover requests. We were still newcomers, after all. We had realized it was better to be on good terms with the veteran adventurers than to stand out and attract unnecessary attention. 

“Oh, there you two are.” 

“Good morning, Guild Master. What’s up?” 

“It’s rare for you to speak to us first. Trouble?” 

Lilia’s blunt tone made the Guild Master give a wry smile. Since she was a Fairy, he had to handle her carefully. She was adorable, after all. 

“I have a request for you two. To advance to Gold Rank, you need to complete at least one escort request. That’s the rule.” 

“Ah, so that’s why I haven’t ranked up yet.” 

“Exactly.” 

“Why didn’t you tell us sooner? Don’t tell me you did this on purpose?” 

I had a strange feeling, like a dark aura was rising behind Lilia. It was probably just my imagination. But the Guild Master’s face stiffened. 

“Of course not! I was planning to tell you. But most escort requests require at least four people. I was waiting to see if you two would form a party with someone. But it looks like that’s not happening, so I was at a loss.” 

“I see. As for forming a party… I still don’t plan on it. The two of us can handle things just fine.” 

I didn’t mean any harm, but I just couldn’t bring myself to trust anyone other than Lilia. As long as I felt this way, forming a party would only make me uneasy.

Lilia must have noticed as well since she never tried to push me into forming a party. 

“So, here’s the deal. There’s an escort request that requires at least six people. I was wondering if you two would be willing to join.” 

“What kind of parties are the others?” 

Lilia asked with her arms crossed. She was looking somewhat important. Since she was flying, she was literally speaking from above. 

“One of them is a group you know—Liner’s team. They have three members. Then there’s another party of a man and a woman. If you two join, that makes six.” 

Three parties working on a single request. I wasn’t sure if this was common, but it was definitely a chance for a rank-up. Given that the Guild Master had come to us personally, the client likely wanted Silver Rank adventurers to accompany them. 

“Guild Master, if we complete this request, will I be promoted to Gold Rank?” 

“I guarantee it.” 

The Guild Master stated it firmly. Did he actually want me to rank up? Or was he just afraid of Lilia? 

“Got it. We’ll take the request. When do we leave?” 

“Three days from now. Make sure you’re ready by then. The destination is the commercial city of Everan.” 

“The commercial city of Everan… Understood.” 

After signing the request form, we left the guild to begin preparations for the long journey. It would take about two days by carriage to reach Everan. If they needed six escorts, the client must be someone with considerable wealth. Probably a merchant. 

“Even though we can buy extra supplies along the way, we should still prepare a decent amount of food. I wish we could ride in the carriage, but… that’s unlikely, isn’t it?” 

“Yeah, probably. I’m glad I’ve been doing daily endurance training. It’s paying off now.” 

“Hehe, Fel, you’ve really gotten stronger.” 

She was right. My once-weak body had started to build muscle. Lately, I had also been doing push-ups to strengthen my arms. Close combat was still out of the question. But at least I was getting faster at repositioning myself in battle. 

“If only I could use spatial magic, then I wouldn’t have to worry about carrying luggage…” 

“It can’t be helped. That magic is special. Don’t worry, you’ll be able to use it eventually.” 

When we returned to the Silver Crescent Moon Inn, I told the hostess about the escort request. She offered to hold our room for half the usual fee. So I agreed. If everything went smoothly, we’d be back in about five days. 

I’d camped out many times before. And I already had all the necessary equipment. The only thing left to buy was food. I couldn’t forget to pick up some of that house-smoked bacon. 

The only downside of camping was that the food was never as good. If I could fix that, camping would be a lot more enjoyable. Too bad.