I Became a Raid Boss

“Finally, finally arrived…!”

It’s Ordo!

Seeing the fortress walls encompassing the city, Joanie shed tears of joy.

The people waiting in line to enter Ordo pointed and whispered at her as she spread her arms wide and shouted.

“….”

I pulled my hood tightly and settled a little further back.

“Ah, Kana!”

… With that unnecessary keen sense.

She couldn’t even properly see the attacks coming her way, yet as I created some distance, Joanie ghosted in and followed me.

“Why are you wearing a hood?”

“… So I won’t be recognized.”

Not many people would know what I looked like, but it’s best to avoid trouble just in case.

Even with my somewhat half-hearted answer, Joanie nodded in understanding.

By the way, just a bit ago, she was whining as if she was dying, and now she’s back to wandering around fine.

“Looks like it was just an act after all.”

“It was NOT an act! I really thought I was going to die!!”

Joanie earnestly protested in fluent Granic.

Thought she was going to die, huh?

“I always saved you just before you were about to die.”

“That’s not the point….”

“I was so excited to travel with Kana, but strange people kept appearing. I thought Kana would help, but instead, she just watched… no, more like urged me to hurry up and not fight. Of course, I appreciate the help, but if that’s the case, couldn’t you just stop it from the start? Where’s that cozy date I was hoping for…?”

Joanie muttered gloomily to herself in Arkish.

Looking at her very clearly frustrated face, I shook my head disapprovingly.

This is all good experience, yet she fails to appreciate it.

Throughout our journey to Ordo, Joanie was tossed around by the Apostles.

Some politely requested fights, while others just rushed in with their swords brandished.

There were those who ambushed us or shot magic and arrows from afar, but I dealt with those myself.

My goal was to enhance Joanie’s skills, not to torment her.

Of course, I let her choose any weapon when they openly challenged her.

One strange thing though, after the fights, the Apostles always looked at me expectantly as if they wanted something… Maybe it was due to the rumor spread by the Apostle who initially received the coins.

I’m not some golden goblin or something…

After giving a few coins, I decided to close my purse and offer a handshake instead.

Naturally, this was not my idea, but something the Apostles requested.

Why they wanted a handshake, I couldn’t understand.

‘For me, saving money is nice.’

Ah, of course, I didn’t do this for the Apostles that lost to Joanie.

The reason I started handing them out was out of guilt for interrupting fights to stop Joanie from dying, so there was no reason to give anything to those she defeated.

That unintentionally ignited a fiery enthusiasm in the Apostles rushing at Joanie.

What on earth did Joanie do to gather such desperate people wanting a piece of her?

“….”

I felt like Joanie just looked at me with a pile of hidden feelings in her eyes.

Must be my imagination.

By the way, something weird appeared in Ordo while I wasn’t looking.

“Next, please.”

The long queue to enter the city seemed odd, but at the checkpoint established at the city gate, the guards were inspecting the incoming people strictly.

Seeing some people get chased away for failing to pass the inspection, it didn’t seem like just a formality.

There had been checkpoints before, but they never enforced entry like this— has the policy changed since it became a Free Mercenary City?

I tugged at Joanie’s sleeve.

“What’s up, Kana?”

“That thing.”

“The inspection? Why?”

Judging by Joanie’s lack of concern, it seemed like a common occurrence.

Looking up for an explanation, Joanie understood my intent and spoke.

“They’re confirming identities. Things like mercenary badges and trade certificates.”

“Hmm….”

Saying that, Joanie took out her mercenary badge.

The golden emblem sparkled under the dimming sunlight.

With skills like that, she’s a gold-tier mercenary, must be the end times.

No, that’s not the important thing right now.

“Identity….”

In the past, I never had to worry about stuff like that.
With knights wearing Crimson Aegis armor lined up, who would doubt them?

But as for me, I had no means to prove my identity now.

“Next!”

While I was pondering, the line in front of us vanished, and suddenly it was our turn.

The scene inside the checkpoint was rather bleak.

Prison, desk, chairs, equipment to prevent disturbances.

It was truly a place faithfully bearing the name ‘checkpoint.’

The guard, wearing gleaming armor, saw us enter and said in a stiff tone.

“Please remove your cape.”

“Joanie, cape.”

Without a word, I took off my hood.

The guard’s eyes widened for a moment in surprise, then quickly returned to their normal state.

“Do you have anything to prove your identity?”

“Here….”

“I see, a mercenary from Liberi. Confirmed.”

The guard nodded after examining the mercenary badge Joanie handed over.

Then he turned to me and asked.

“And what about this young lady…”

“Ah, I’m sorry. My sister can’t speak Arkish well… She just came from a tiny village, and this is her first time in Ordo. I’m vouching for her, so could we let it slide?”

“Hmm… since you’re a gold-tier mercenary, the guarantee shouldn’t be a problem. But, I need to confirm one thing. What’s the name of the village you lived in?”

“Uhh, um… what was it…? No, I’m not lying, I just forgot…!”

As the guard showed suspicion, Joanie panicked, flailing her arms around.

Looking at the flow of the situation, it seemed trouble arose because of my identity.

‘Something to prove my identity…’

Oh, I have one thing.

Suddenly recalling something I had forgotten, I rummaged through my pockets.

It took a bit to find it since I had carelessly tossed it between the empire’s coinage and Grasis commemorative coins, but ultimately, I found what I wanted and immediately showed it to the guard.

“Is this okay?”

“Hmm? This is….”

The guard squinted as he scrutinized the item I had presented.

Seeing him seriously examine it made me think things might resolve easily, and I felt relieved.

Clank!

“…Huh?”

I found myself locked in a cell on one side of the checkpoint.

*

No way!

Joanie was spitting fire from her mouth.

Well, she wasn’t actually breathing fire; she was just so worked up that it looked like it.

“Really, seriously bad, bad… um…”

After Kana was locked in the cell, Joanie, having been kicked out from the checkpoint, raised her voice desperately to prove Kana’s innocence, then suddenly stopped.

Images of the hardships she had faced flashed through her mind.

For a brief moment, caught in a daze, she snapped back to reality and raised her voice again.

“…I swear she’s not a bad kid! She just forgot her village’s name because it was too rural!”

“If you keep causing a ruckus, even as a mercenary from Liberi, I cannot guarantee your safety.”

“No…!”

No matter what she said, she just received stern reactions, and in an instant, with Joanie alone, she was losing her mind.

– HAHHAHAHA

– Thanks for using Kana up until now

– Never thought of a jail ending LOL

– What happens if you get locked up?

– You just wait until they release you. Even if you log out, you’ll start back in the jail when you log back in.

– But what about Kana, since she’s an NPC? No clue how it’ll turn out for her.

Seeing Joanie’s anxiety rise was amusing to the busy chatroom, filled with laughter and chatter.

As she cast resentful glances at the chat, the guard, standing stiffly, finally spoke up.

“This is not about identity.”

The guard scrutinized the item Kana presented.

Even though his status was lowly and he couldn’t fully recognize the item’s true nature, he could tell it was not something a mere girl from a rural village would possess.

From the first time he saw her, he sensed something was off, but when the girl presented something bearing the crest of the fallen Grasis royal family, her appearance was no longer the issue.

Even though the country had fallen, using the royal crest indiscriminately was a significant problem, so he locked the girl up and immediately reported to his superiors.

If she was unknowingly using it… it was a tragic situation for someone so young, but she’d face serious punishment.

Yet, if she was related to the royal family…

‘No, that can’t be right.’

The guard denied the thought.

Though he didn’t know every member of the royal family, he hadn’t heard of any girl like her.

Moreover, survivors from the fallen Grasis royal family visiting Ordo now, along with the dimensional incursions? What kind of wind blows here?

‘I’d sooner believe the rumor that Lord Garid returned.’

That nobleman truly loved Grasis.

The thought reminded him of a man with a long scar across his face that he had previously seen from a distance, filling his heart with bitterness.

‘Come to think of it, I haven’t heard anything about the next commander after Lord Garid.’

The commander position had been vacant for some time, so surely someone must have taken it, yet…

Rumors floated around that he was quite the mess. A man who could eliminate foes without mercy, twice the height of other men, and had knocked down royalty at times…

Yet, no factual information was ever confirmed.

Once, he had asked his superior, who had been part of the Crimson Aegis, only to be met with a terrified expression and evasive answers.

That his superior looked frightened only made the rumors seem more credible.

‘…What meaningless thoughts I’ve had.’

Grasis had already fallen; what good would reflecting on the past serve?

Honestly, he felt that life was better now than before it fell, so he held no particular nostalgia for the past.

Shaking off lingering thoughts, he firmly pushed Joanie aside.

“If there’s no problem after the investigation, I’ll release you. But for now, please leave. By protocol, your companion should be detained as well, but as you are a servant of Lady Edel, we’ll overlook it.”

“If we’re going to overlook it, why not let Kana out too….”

Joanie grumbled, then fled as she caught sight of the guard’s fierce gaze.

– I’m disappointed in you for abandoning your comrade.

– The scars on your back are the inspector’s fault;

– Joanie / character controversy / abandonment

“Shut up! And it’s not running away; it’s a strategic retreat! Since there’s no point in staying, is there?”

Things were going in ways Joanie hadn’t anticipated, leading her to sigh deeply.

Of course, even now, she didn’t think Kana was in danger.

Considering Kana, even if she lost her weapon, she would likely destroy the city to escape if it came to life-threatening situations.

She didn’t want to end up in the position of a fugitive either.

“What on earth did Kana present…?”

Every time she felt she understood Kana, something else jumped out at her, keeping her on her toes….

Really an onion of a girl.

Muttering complaints to herself inwardly, Joanie moved on.

She contemplated ways to free the small bird locked in a cage.

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