Volume 1 Chapter 17 Quest： Prince Of The Sky II
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
’Was that okay?’
As Kian walked down the street in East End West with the 3 clients from Robert’s team, along with the handsome swordsman Funnelwing from the ‘Falcon Brigade’, the delinquent priest Rosen Pitt, the flashy magician Franciska, and the Wolfmen Serena, he suddenly heard someone say that.
(What do you mean?)
Kian was at the back, pushing a cart along with Robert’s 2 attendants.
Meanwhile, Funnelwing and the others were moving ahead quickly.
It seemed they had already patrolled the area, hunting down dangerous creatures like wild dogs in advance.
When Kian asked Franciska, she said they had gathered at 3 in the morning to start hunting.
Ha ha, looks like Mr. Kian’s got no work left to do──Funnelwing said cheerfully, but Robert insisted that as long as they collected and transported properly, there would be a reward.
In fact, it was better that there was no fighting, as it allowed them to conserve their strength.
’About the guild staff. You told her to show you the adventurer’s handbook later and sent her back, but wasn’t that a mistake?’
(What exactly was wrong?)
’Kian, you do not know the terror and fear of humans. What if there are traces of tampering in the adventurer’s handbook, and it gets tampered with again? You have given the enemy time to regenerate. They will surely twist things in favor of the reception girl during the guild’s inquiry. Do you realize that? The evidence is still over there.’
(It’s not like I didn’t notice; my adventurer’s handbook is still securely stored with the guild. …I see, so you think I should have invested all my beliefs and money to confront the guild.)
’I wouldn’t go that far.’
(It’s tough to corner the guild completely. It takes patience. After all, I’m just a Rank 9 adventurer who’s merely being kept by the guild.)
’But──’
”If I was in public, I might have done it. I might have protested with all my strength against the poor legal system of a border town and the meager funds at hand. Such straightforwardness is valuable, and I think what should be done must be done. ──But I won’t do that. Since I’ve thoroughly expressed what’s on my mind here, let’s leave this matter to them.”
’Well, what if you get expelled from the guild?’
”Then──.”
Kian raised one hand to the sky.
It was a clear day.
An endless blue sky stretched out above.
”It’s a career change. If they decide I’m not needed for their organization, working hard in such a place won’t be efficient. Let’s look for another path. For example──.”
Kian lowered his gaze from the sky and pointed to a majestic castle towering far away.
That castle was home to the family of the Margrave of Izerland, who had lost in the power struggles of the royal capital.
The previous head had died in despair, and now, it was said that his fragile daughter was leading the vassals.
’Would you volunteer for knightly service?’
(Well, I’d gain military achievements in the wild and get a position. Climbing the ranks in the knight order while trying to win over the princess.)
’You’re an idealist. Even this me is baffled.’
(If that doesn’t work out──then starting a business.)
Kian looked up at the sun again.
Having gained vampiric powers, Kian could now use Azrael’s swordsmanship and healing techniques, in addition to the ten years of scouting skills he had accumulated.
His lifespan had also greatly increased.
He would spend his abundant time traveling to various places.
And gather money and comrades to form a mercenary group.
Status and wealth wouldn’t matter.
He would gather those who believed in themselves and create the strongest army.
A fighting force that could rival the currently strongest mercenary group, the Wolfmen’s ‘Storm Herd’.
Once he reached that level, it would be easy to get in with the central nobles.
(As for the name… how about ‘The Eagle’s Brigade,’ soaring far higher than a falcon?)
’Wishing is free, isn’t it?’
Kian, who refused to acknowledge his crisis and only dreamed big, seemed to leave the glasses utterly exasperated.
Just then, Robert, who was pulling a cart, suddenly called out.
”Hey, what the heck is this!”
The air was thick with the stench of death, so much so that Borzov didn’t even need to look ahead in response to the voices. The roadside of the grassy, blue-green path was buzzing with flies, their incessant hum filling the silence.
…From the brown road stretching toward the rolling green hills, the scattered corpses of stray dogs painted a gruesome scene.
Just near the roadside alone, there were easily twenty bodies. Farther up on the hills, the occasional goblin corpse could also be seen.
Each one had either its neck severed or its heart pierced by earthen spears rising from the ground.
”Ah, we used a monster-attracting incense. Really glad it didn’t rain today.”
Funnelwing said as he walked back toward Robert.
Robert’s eyes widened in shock.
”You four managed to handle all of this? No way… you’ve gotta be kidding me!”
”It’s not a lie.”
Serena, who had been guarding the cart nearby, replied curtly.
”We took care of all the monsters in this area.”
”I-I see. Well, they don’t call you the Hope for nothing. That’s impressive, but still…”
Robert frowned deeply.
Borzov glanced at one of the stray dog corpses lying nearby.
From this point onward, the ground was littered with bodies—a clear sign that the cleanup had been abandoned halfway through.
”Funnelwing, why didn’t you deal with the corpses? Did you cut it short because you thought you wouldn’t make it to the meeting time?”
”Tch, as nitpicky as ever. Well… I’ll admit we were a little pressed for time. But the natural world will take care of the remains eventually, even if we don’t go overboard with cleanup.”
”I’ll handle it on the way back. Franciska, help me.”
”Ew, no way. Goblin stink is gross and nasty! If you wanna do it, Serena, you can do it by yourself!”
”…Fine, I’ll do it alone.”
Serena said nothing more and fell silent. Robert scratched his beard roughly.
”Well, sure, once night falls, the death wraiths’ll probably come and eat them up. But they’re way too close to the road—it’s dangerous. At the very least, they should be dragged up to the hills.”
”Serena, I’ve got some saltpeter in my backpack. I can sell you some if you need it later,” Kian offered.
Serena narrowed her eyes.
”You carry that around all the time?”
”Yeah.”
”Hah! What a handyman this guy is! When I had him working under me, he was always good at handling this kind of corpse cleanup or other dirty jobs.”
”Not exactly adventurer work, is it? Kehihihi!”
Rosen Pitt, the delinquent cleric, grinned mischievously.
”Ah… Oh, hey! If we cross that pass, we’ll find a spot for gathering ingredients! They grow down by the cliff on the right!”
Robert said, trying to lighten the mood with a cheerful voice.
He looked a bit intimidating, but maybe he was a decent guy after all.
The man leisurely pushing the cart next to Kian nodded in agreement.
”Yeah! I’m lookin’ forward to seein’ some new dishes made with wild ingredients, Robert!”
”Yeah, I’ll whip up a masterpiece even better than Shrimp with Chilli Sauce!”
(Huh? Shrimp with Chilli Sauce…?)
Kian furrowed his brows.
’That’s the dish you had at The Boar’s Trot Inn, right?’
(Hmm, now that I think about it, this Robert guy has the same hair color as Esther. Their faces are as different as night and day, though.)
’Human breeding is truly a mystery. By the way…’
(What’s up?)
’There’s a useful treasure hidden nearby. Rare equipment worn by ancient warriors.’
(What? Where?)
’Pour some magic power into me. Then I’ll highlight the location of the equipment through these glasses.’
Kian frowned at the thought of pouring magic power into──this strange pair of glasses?
He felt a strong resistance.
’What’s wrong? I mean no harm. Just a cup’s worth will do.’
(That much shouldn’t cause any trouble. I know firsthand how weak a cup of magic power can be.)
Kian nodded and concentrated, channeling the magic power into the glasses.
Then, in his line of sight──beyond the planned gathering spot──he saw a faint red object glowing.
’That red thing is magic power. The equipment is hidden using ancient illusions. Ordinary folks can’t sense it, and even seasoned adventurers wouldn’t expect to find it discarded by the roadside.’
(What kind of equipment is buried there?)
’You’ll find out when you go.’
(Did you hear about the whereabouts of this equipment from a traveler?)
’Yeah.’
(…Hmph, I see.)
As expected, these glasses are hiding something──though I think that, for now, it’s probably best not to dig too deep.
She probably won’t answer if I ask, and if things get worse, it’ll be a hassle.
I’ve decided to toss this aside only after I’ve gotten them to spill all the secrets about the treasure.
”Alright, I’ll hand you the bag, so gather some mushrooms that are about this size and fox-colored! They’re really hard to find, and the method of gathering them is tricky. I’ll show you one as an example, so just follow that!”
It was just then that Robert shouted loudly.
From far above, a massive roar like that of a lion echoed through the air.
The roar reverberated off the steep cliff to the right, sending a shiver through their eardrums.
The echo was almost like that of a hawk.
A creature with the voice of a lion and the cry of a hawk──.
”Ah!”
”Eeek!?”
The two men accompanying Robert looked up at the sky, their faces turning pale.
”W-What!?”
”──!?”
Funnelwing’s eyes widened, and Serena reached for the sword at her waist, taking a low stance.
In the blue sky, a winged phantom monster with the upper body of a hawk and the lower body of a lion──.
The massive silhouette of a griffin was flapping its wings.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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