Chapter 20: Boss Mario and the Cart Lizard!
"Err…. The thing is… I got robbed by bandits on my way here!"
"What? How? Aren't the roads protected by the guards?" Ban exclaimed in shock.
"Well, some things happened. I heard that something was going on inside the core area of the Beast-Filled forest, Lagom, beasts had become wild and the Lord of both cities decided to mobilize the guards stationed in the roads as backup troops." Mario said with a dejected tone.
The roads were supposed to be well protected by the E-Elite Rank guards, twenty-four seven. From beasts and robbers alike.
And now that the guards were away, it seems that the robbers used this opportunity to run amok.
Robbers were also summoners, they were the type of guys that we're afraid to confront the strong and bully the weak.
If given the opportunity, they would always rob carriages that had food and other necessities carried in them.
They are also not a group that could be trifled easily as they also have members with noticeable rank.
For example, Boss Mario was already an F-Apprentice Rank. And for him to be still robbed, it must mean that he got besieged by multiple people of the same level or a bandit group with an E-Elite Rank on their side.
'Well, I heard that Boss Mario was not a Combat type summoner, so I might be wrong about it! However, the wild beast had gone rampant? Was it connected to the reason why the Demon Ant Lair was barren and the Night Worm being present on the periphery of the forest?' Ban pondered about it. But as he did not know the answers to those questions yet, he decided to put the matter at the back of his mind.
In the Summoner's World, several types of summoners exist. The type of summoners they are will be decided the moment they awaken their first monster.
Boss Mario for example. He has a summoned monster called, Cart Lizard. As its name suggests, the lizard has a cart connected to the end of its tail. It was a monster best suited for being a carriage and supply distributor if a war broke out. These types of summoners are called Logistics types as most of them owned docile monsters that can only be used as supports, as per where their name originated.
Depending on the summoner, and regardless of their summon, they could still register at the Adventurers Guild and complete various Quest for rewards.
However, Boss Mario chose to opt-out of an Adventurer's life the moment he realized he had a support-type monster.
After all, even if an Adventurer's life was a life full of wealth and fun adventures, dangers would also lurk in every corner and they would not know if they will die the next moment.
Ban could now be considered as a Combat type summoner as Eva was basically a Combat Beast with her strength and skills.
"Anyways, Ban, come up inside the carriage for now. Although I don't have any bread, I have this left-over food this afternoon, you can have it if you want." Mario said as he offered a lunch box wrapped in a piece of handkerchief.
"I'm actually not that hungry Boss Mario, I just kind of miss the taste of your bread, hehe!" Ban smiles cheekily as he decides to reject Boss Mario's offer.
Based on his expression, Ban could tell that the middle-aged man was also hungry.
"You can eat that Boss Mario, I'll just eat a ton after we arrive in the City," Ban stated as he hops on the carriage that was connected to Cart Lizard's tail.
He was already familiar with the monster and even tried driving it for himself before. Although it looked menacing, it was actually a very docile and timid monster.
"There you are again with that playful side Ban. Sigh! Well, I'm not in the mood to play with you so I'm gonna eat this. Damn it, my 10 Gold Coins worth of bread!" Mario said as he furiously opened the lunch box, eating the contents inside it as he ordered the Cart Lizard to continue their journey.
While the carriage was moving, Boss Mario suddenly spoke,
"Oh yeah, Ban, I heard that you were having your awakening ceremony today? How did it go? What kind of Monster did you awaken? Is it suitable for combat? If not, then you can work for me at least." Mario wiped clean the lunch box as he barraged Ban with a ton of questions.
"I quite admire the strength you have even though you were not a Ranked human yet." He added.
"Oh wait, why are you even here on this kind of hour anyway," Mario said with a questioning gaze.
Hearing the matter about his failed ceremony, Ban's mood went down all of a sudden, as he lowered his head regretfully.
Mario noticed the change of his expression and he could not help but ask nervously, "Did something go wrong?"
By how cheerful Ban always is, their neighborhood and the other adventurers actually called Ban as Happy-Ban or Joy-Ban. They based it on his everyday cheerful and joyful mood, which seems to affect all the people around him, including the adventurers.
Seeing him like that, Mario instantly knew that something had gone wrong.
"Well... the thing is…" Ban spoke after a moment of silence.
He gathered his thoughts as he did not know where to start.
After a long pause, he finally raised his head before saying,
"Boss Mario, was it possible to not awaken on the spot and instead awaken a few hours or even days after the awakening ceremony?" Ban spoke with a nervous and hopeful expression on his face.
In fact, he already knew the answer from the start as he often heard adventurers talking about it before.
He just wanted to set the things up so Boss Mario would not suspect him. After all, almost all of the people in their neighborhood knew of him as being cheerful and innocent all day long, none of them knew a single thing about his past that he chose to hide, for now.
"Hmmm, I've heard my adventurer friends talk about it before and it is indeed possible. However, there's actually a limit to it. I heard that if someone who did the awakening ceremony and still did not awaken a monster even after three days, they would then be considered as Wastrels. Anyways, no Wastrels had been witnessed ever since the city has been founded. Even around the Empire, if something like that appears, they would be immediately disposed of as they are very much a bad luck already." Mario answered with a thoughtful expression.
"Wait Ban, don't tell me you are!!" As if realizing something, Mario suddenly exclaimed in shock as he pointed his trembling hands towards Ban.
________
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