Volume 3 Chapter 1 The Warrior Monk’s Expenditure
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
A dark elf dressed in dancer-like attire sat down and gave a small wave.
As she phased into spirit form, she instantly appeared before Kian.
The scent of herbs wafted, and her silver sidetails swayed.
Rufna stretched her lips, painted a thin red, and playfully tapped Kian’s shoulders.
”Good job. You were really focused. The question is whether this will work in a real battle.”
”Sir Kian is skilled at translating the movements he imagines in his head into precise actions with his limbs. There shouldn’t be a problem.”
Natra said that, wiping the sweat from her face with a cloth.
She, who was supposed to be wearing traditional clothing, was now in a black, off-the-shoulder shirt and white shorts.
She vaguely recalled taking it off at some point because it was hot.
”Natra, thank you. You worked hard too.”
”Sir Kian did well too. Sit down. Let me wipe your sweat.”
”Ugh. ──Rufna, did you get any nutrition?”
”Yeah, we hunted a bunch of beasts with Leis and the others out in the wilds. We also gathered some herbs and poisonous plants along the way. I want to make a potion with the wolf’s liver, but unfortunately, we don’t have the equipment.”
”We got permission to build a house, but we ended up staying at ‘The Boar’s Trot Inn’ instead of setting up a base anywhere… I’m sorry. I know that without alchemy tools and equipment, Rufna can’t fully utilize her abilities.”
Rufna isn’t just a magician; she’s also a sage, an elf herbalist and expert in potions and poisons.
She could also make profitable paints and cosmetics with alchemy, so if she had the equipment, she could definitely make a living from it.
But, she’s been living like a homeless person, spending nights at the training ground these past few days, so that wasn’t the main issue.
”That’s okay. We should be finishing up some personal requests soon. It might be a good idea to check our equipment and items.”
”We had this conversation about a month ago…. Natra, thank you.”
”I’ll give myself a good wash with hot water later. ──I agree with checking our equipment. The fight with Oswald really wore us down. Once we finish up these smaller jobs, we’ll only have that quest about the Bloodsucking Kind in that mountain village left, right? I’ve saved up enough money, so it’s probably time to buy some of the missing items we need.”
”Yeah, we should get Rufna some supplies for her potion-making.”
”Actually, Master needs to do it first.I’ll tell you if you’re not aware, but you usually take on jobs in your everyday clothes with a handmade wooden sword and a club, you know.”
”Of course, I knew that.”
”But a warrior monk is trained to dodge attacks, and we can imbue our weapons with ‘impact’ so we usually manage. Besides, using the wooden sword also helped me train in controlling my ki.”
”You bought us all new armor and a long sword, but what about you? At least get something decent.”
”But if I get something temporary, I’ll just have to buy a new one soon.I do have that flowered jacket that can deflect magic shots left over…”
”Let’s just find some suitable light armor. The size is…”
”Umm…Master, you’ve gotten bigger again?”
”My muscle mass has definitely increased. I don’t even know what size I’ll be in a month.”
Kian said that as he picked up a piece of timber lying nearby.
He put strength into it, and the branch, which was thick as a child’s arm, snapped in 2 with a sickening crack.
He did it without using magic power.
On nights when his vampire abilities increased, he felt strong enough to grapple with a large bear in the wild, metaphorically speaking.
”You’re like a gorilla.”
”I’m still human, though. I think my grip strength is over 130 kilos now.”
”Damn. No wonder I can’t get out of that breeding hold. I even fell asleep with it in yesterday, and this morning I was pulled out at least 20 times.”
”I’m sorry.”
”Mmph…do it again, please!”
”Anyway, we’re getting off track.──Sir Kian, you don’t need armor. Just keep adventuring and look for some suitable equipment along the way.”
Natra pulled a memo from her pocket and flipped through the pages.
”We’ve completed 5 personal quests in the half month since Rufna returned home, earning about 7 gold coins. The rent for ‘The Boar’s Trot Inn’ is already paid. It’s fine if we spend most of it.”
”Seven coins? You’ve made quite a bit of money. Well, our expenses were practically 0, so it’s not surprising. It’s a good reminder of how cost-effective Azrael’s warrior monk is in battle.”
”Healing was handled by me and Milady, and I gathered the materials locally to make the potions.”
”Ah, yes. The reward should rightfully go mostly to Natra and Rufna.”
”My lord, we don’t need any rewards right now.” “That’s right! You need to be our priority right now.”
Almost simultaneously, they were both interrupted.
Natra continued with a serious expression.
”Once the quest in the mountain village is finished, let’s visit the fortress. Seven gold coins might still be a bit tight… but if we negotiate well, we might be able to ask Lord Renaud to repair Windsong Blade.”
”With the Windsong Blade, my attack power increases significantly. ──Actually, after I got rid of it, I realized that the magic sword was a cheatingly powerful piece of equipment.”
Wind-related magic is ineffective.
Even projectiles like large rocks from a sling are ineffective.
As long as they maintain some distance, against any strong opponent, a single strike from that magic sword would end the fight before it even began.
The only real drawback was that it was so noisy to draw from its sheath that it would alert the enemy to their position.
To be honest, the deterrent effect of that single strike from the magic sword was what allowed Natra and Rufna to win.
Without it, they likely would have lost to Rufna.
In a ranged fight, they would have just been chipping away at her health and eventually fallen.
It was the close-quarters combat that allowed their Mist Form ability to really shine.
A side note
”Let’s go see Sir Renaud at the fortress. Since Her Excellency Maribel has given us a pass and a tax exemption, traveling there will be free.”
”Lord, it’s fine if the magic sword repair is refused, but please be very careful not to get any troublesome personal requests pushed on you.”
”I know, but there’s no preventing it. If I turn down Sir Renaud’s request for a half-baked reason, he might take revenge by setting his hounds on me.”
”So, you need to negotiate skillfully. Never show a weak attitude. Don’t worry, I’ll be right there with you.”
”You make it sound like I have no choice. But I’ve lived over ten years longer than you, you know.”
When Kian furrowed his brow, Natra let out a mischievous “Heh heh” laugh.
”Our lord is a 30-year-old who loves to act like a baby.”
”Sorry… Please forgive me…”
”My Lady, don’t bully him so much. ──But it’s been half a month since I last visited. I’d like to see how the princess are doing.”
”The princess was cursed by that vampire. I get the feeling that if I handle it poorly, it might bring trouble upon us.”
”You’re so cold, milady… Well, with our equipment in disrepair, it’s probably best to avoid confronting that vampire for now.”
”Speaking of vampires…”
Natra shifted her gaze back to Kian.
”Sir Kian, haven’t you told Lady Serena yet that Lord Owl might be the ‘User of Azrael’s Death Sword’?”
”Ah”
Kian nodded, knitting his brows together.
Half a month ago.
After saying goodbye to Oswald at the fortress,
Kian had an argument with Serena.
She challenged him to a duel, but he managed to convince her that they couldn’t fight in front of the detention facility.
She then suggested returning to East End to duel, but he somehow managed to put it off due to personal requests the next day.
However, Serena didn’t give up and kept coming back, saying they should duel after all the requests were done and there was time on the schedule ── specifically after completing the emergency Quest in the next mountain village.
”If you don’t want to talk, can’t you just beat her up and be done with it?”
”I think that’s for the best for Serena. Challenging Owl to a fight is too reckless. ──But, if I, with just my wooden sword, were to defeat her, fully armed, I feel like our relationship would be over.”
”She’s Wolfmen. It won’t be easy, I imagine…. But if lord wins, Lady Serena will likely leave the party. After that, she’ll probably go looking for other allies and try to stop the ‘Death Sword User’.”
”That’s right…. Serena’s been a helpful comrade. I wouldn’t want to hurt her pride…. But if she keeps running from the duel, the situation won’t change. After the Quest tomorrow, I’ll duel her here. If she decides to leave me then, I can’t stop her.”
Kian said that, and Natra nodded readily.
”Understood. I think it’s best to wrap this up quickly, too.”
”Me too. I’ve been handling these past few personal requests by myself. Honestly, there’s barely a point to being in a party with her right now. It’s almost like we’re only staying together for the extra points from being a 4-person party. Continuing this unhealthy relationship will only lead to some unforeseen disaster eventually. I think we should have a clear conversation about everything, including the rewards.”
”Yeah”
Kian nodded once and stood up.
He needed to get back to ‘The Boar’s Trot Inn’ soon.
If he didn’t, he wouldn’t be able to get enough sleep.
His vampire transformation was progressing, and he was clearly becoming less in need of sleep, but he still wanted to maintain his health and spirits by keeping a regular sleep schedule.
Natra’s gaze fell on her notepad.
”The request from the mountain village was canceled a month ago, before Lady Christina’s call for help. Since then, the situation has worsened, and a newly-issued request was given to an intermediate-rank adventuring party who haven’t returned. The Guild is taking this seriously and has designated it an emergency Quest with increased rewards.”
”There might be another party from the Guild who was specially requested to join us, unexpectedly. My reputation in East End is pretty well-known, you see. I’ll definitely try to keep things low-key and prioritize cooperation and completing the Quest.”
”Understood.” “Yes.”
Kian picked up his backpack and turned to the two of them.
”Let’s head back to the inn. Rufna, use magic to even out the ground.”
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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