Volume 3 Chapter 86 Visiting The ‘Lion’s Companion’ I
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
He walked alongside Sarah, sharing old memories.
It felt nice for him to share their journey together.
Compared to the funny stories Sarah told, most of Kian’s tales ended sadly (thanks to his long, rough life), but it seemed like Sarah still enjoyed them.
Thinking back, he realized that his way of getting close to girls usually started with something awful, so spending time with Sarah felt super fresh.
It was nice because they could talk endlessly without feeling pressured, and the silences weren’t awkward.
Kian thought to himself, so this is what childhood friends are like.
* * *
In the end, they managed to reach the border of Izerland and Ramsey, at ‘Cockley Clay.’
They got there thanks to their relentless march, even after sunset.
Normally, it would take about 2 days, but with the party members being basically unstoppable, they made it work.
They stopped at ‘Cockley Clay’ to let the army horses pull the carts rest.
Even though they were half-monsters, the poor horses had been working all day and were really sluggish.
When they entered a small village near ‘Cockley Clay,’ they paid the village head for permission to camp by the roadside close to the settlement.
They unhitched the horses from the cart, took care of them, and tied them to nearby trees to let them sleep.
Both army horses were squatting down to sleep, but according to Priscilla, just like regular horses, if they stayed in that position, they would be at risk of dying in 4 to 6 hours due to internal strain.
So, it was good to check on them at least once in that time.
They’d leave after the horses woke up──after the sun came up.
Until then, they’d camp right here.
Priscilla got off the carriage and right away made a shelter with magic, all excited, carrying a fluffy sleeping bag, a magic stone lamp, dried fruit, and grape wine as she went inside.
This was nothing like the usual campsite an adventurer would set up.
No bugs flying around, no sticky night heat mattered at all.
It was totally like a fancy noble’s summer hideaway (and yeah, she definitely was a rich noble).
If the lower-rank adventurers saw this, they’d be grinding their teeth, insanely jealous for sure.
Natra and Rufna even fetched water from the nearby river with magic to make a hot tub.
They absolutely had to cover it up later or the village head was gonna nag.
”Okay, I’ll start a fire and make some snacks Kian and the others can munch on.”
”Ah, Ms. Serena, I’ll help too.”
”Alright, let’s do it together.”
”Yay!”
Finally, Serena and Sarah pulled out some sausage and potatoes and started cooking.
You’d wonder if they even planned to sleep with how wild they were acting.
’Tomorrow we’ll reach that “Snow Past of the Giant” where Rean and the others disappeared, right? After that, chances to light big fires like this will be rare. Let them have their fun.’
(Right. ──While they’re all busy enjoying camp, I’ll just get my stuff done.)
’Huh?’
Kian turned his back on the two warhorses, which he’d charmed to sleep, and headed toward the village called ‘Cockley Clay.’
The village was surrounded by old wooden fences, with houses mostly having triangular, plant-thatched roofs leaning down to the ground──an old style.
There wasn’t a single stone used, and judging by how fragile the materials were, they probably rebuilt everything from scratch every generation.
”Sir Kian, where are you going?”
”Natra, huh? Weren’t you making a bath?”
”It’s done now. I came to ask if you wanted to go in first.”
Behind her, a square pool was steaming up thickly.
Rufna was already trying to take off her clothes.
Kian put his hand on his hip.
”The village head is still awake. If I hand over ten silver coins, he should gladly talk about the party that passed through a few days ago.”
”I’ll come with you. The villagers might attack to steal Sir Kian’s armor.”
”This is the village where Maribel regularly sends timber, and the villagers are obligated to repair their houses and so on. It’s also within the territory of the Izerland Adventurer Guild. The security here is pretty good.”
”Did you forget that Sir Kian was poisoned by that Witch the other day? I’ll go too. Just wait a moment.”
Natra said this in a stern tone and returned to the carriage holding a magic sword.
It’s not good to flash weapons around, but when you say that, Kian is in full armor.
It was too late to say to not provoke the villagers.
Kian, accompanied by Natra, entered the settlement of ‘Cockley Clay,’ heading towards the large-roofed house in the back to the left.
”This is completely different from Azrael. It’s a terribly primitive building. Even in the East End, they used sturdy stone materials.”
Natra muttered while looking at the sparse settlements on either side.
”In the north of Franz and among the Hairkin Races, these types of houses are common. There are plenty of wood and plants for roofing. They have durability issues, but they’re low cost, and if you really want, a single family can build one from scratch.”
”However, the walls of the houses are made of mud.”
”That’s just a barn.”
Responding like that, they stepped into the village head’s property, which stood about 6 or 7 meters high.
When Kian knocked on the wooden door, the village head opened it with a frown, holding a candle flame.
”Sorry to bother you so late. I have some questions.”
Right off the bat, he pressed the cloth containing the silver coins into the village head’s hand.
The village head glanced down with a wary look──he did a double take at the pile of silver coins and nodded repeatedly.
”Would you like to have a few drinks?”
”Oh… yeah, sure. But are you sure you want to take all this? You’re not planning on killing us later, are you?”
”Don’t worry, we’re not like those mountain bandits. You might see our weapons and think we’re the same, but this sword swears not to commit senseless slaughter.”
”Speaking of which, you guys have different skin colors. Guests from Azrael?”
Kian and Natra exchanged glances.
”Yes. You figured it out well.”
”Sometimes merchants stop by.”
”I’m not a merchant. I am Kian of Izerland. I was recently knighted by Her Excellency Maribel.”
”Kian of… You’re the one who saved the Princess from the traitors, right?”
”That’s right.”
As Kian nodded, the village head gaped in shock.
He scanned Kian and Natra’s gear from top to bottom, like he was devouring it with his eyes.
His gaze particularly lingered on Kian’s dazzling ‘Silver Ice’ armor, clearly mesmerized.
Eventually, the old man struggled to move aside from the doorway.
”P-Please, come in.”
”Thank you.” “Excuse us, village head.”
The interior had one large room, divided into sections by pillars and walls.
The whole place was about ten meters square.
It was around 4 times larger than other villages.
Directly ahead was the cooking area with a stove.
To the right was the food and wine storage, separated by a narrow aisle.
It wasn’t empty.
They were somewhat well-off.
Kian and Natra were guided to a guest room divided by a wall on the left side.
The village head’s son and his wife came out from the storage area, wide-eyed at the sight of the Silver Coins the village head had received.
After that, it turned into a conversation of 2 against 2 between the village head and his son.
”If it’s the kind of Adventurers who look like that, a few days ago some came here.”
”Really?”
”Yeah, so you mean the tall blonde guy, the blonde elf girl, and the light-haired lady, plus the furry girl, right?”
”Old man, ‘furry’ is not a word Sir Knight would use. It’s Cat Beastmen.”
”Ah, I see. Cat Beastmen.”
Kian nodded.
”It’s definitely that group of 4. They were supposed to be posing as shoe salesmen.”
”Ho ho ho, there’s no way they could sell shoes with those looks!”
”Is that so? You know what they say, ‘Learn from others to correct yourself.’ I should dress more normally starting tomorrow.”
”Those guys are from the famous ‘Lion’s Companion’, the party of Sir Rean, right?”
The village head’s son leaned over the table and asked.
It was a tricky question to answer, but affirming it seemed like it would keep the conversation smooth.
”Yes, we’re hurrying to catch up with them. Do you think we can catch them now?”
”Hmm…? But since it was almost a week ago, they must have already crossed the ‘Snow Past of the Giant’ and entered the merchant city of Ramsey.”
”Yeah. Looks like they pushed hard like you guys did. When they showed up in the village, it was just before the date changed. I heard the horses neighing and everyone in the village started buzzing, so I went to check it out.”
The village head’s son continued.
”Then I saw the blonde beautiful couple, and the other 2 were really pretty too. I thought a high-class brōtḥel must be touring around. But as soon as I lit a torch, I realized it was Sir Rean. They stopped by our village during their quest. I remembered well since they had helped my friend before.”
”Did you notice anything strange about Lord Rean and the others?”
”Strange? What do you mean?”
”Well, if you didn’t notice anything, then that’s good.”
Natra shook her head.
Kian furrowed his brows.
”Kitsune, what’s going on? Why are you asking about Rean and the others?”
”I’ve met Lord Rean once, and I’ve seen his strength and his methods. Both Lord Rean and Lady Lyritisse are very cautious adventurers, which is why I have a strong sense of discomfort with this incident.”
”────”
(What is Natra saying?)
”I’m saying that the ‘Lion’s Companion’ didn’t fall apart just because of a monster ambush. There might have been some internal issues, like maybe a tangled mess of passions within the party that kept them from working together properly.”
(That’s absurd. Rean’s group is a Rank 1 Adventurer team. They wouldn’t fall apart over something like love troubles. Vestacia, Lyritisse, and Ninini all take pride in their work. Rean wouldn’t stand for it.)
’It’s not just about relationships falling apart. Rean got enchanted by something bad, something like a cursed magic power.’
Just as Kian was about to object to the vague claim, the village head pounded his hand on the table.
”Ah, now that you mention it, the blond man did seem pretty out of it.”
”He did? I didn’t notice.”
The village head shook his head and looked at Kian.
”Certainly, he asked me to introduce him to the village herbalist. He said he had dizzy spells and headaches, and he felt heavy and sluggish, like he wanted something to take the edge off, maybe an… adrenaline? A herb that would make him feel less tired. He asked to keep it quiet from the other ladies and came to the storeroom in back. At the time, he was sweating buckets on his face.”
”────”
”Village Head, what did you do? Does this village have a herbalist?”
”No, it doesn’t. But I’ve lived a long time, and I can make something to lift the spirits. I mixed a brew of chamomile and lavender with strong alcohol and gave it to the man.”
’Some kind of half-baked laxative?’
”So, what happened with Rean?”
When Kian asked that, the village head shook his head.
”He paid with some copper coins and got the medicine. That’s all.”
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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