Volume 1 Chapter 18 Emergency Quest
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Ding-Dong!
I woke up because of the bell in the village in the dark.
It’s not dawn yet, so I can’t see the light of dawn.
I don’t have a watch, but if I have Stargazer’s Astronomy skill, I can know the time if I can see the stars.
I look at the night sky every day before I go to bed, so I can guess the time without using the skill.
It’s about 9 p.m. on Earth, and it’s the beginning of the evening in this world.
I found out with the Astronomy skill that one day in this world is exactly 23 hours, 42 minutes, and 17 seconds.
It’s a little less than 24 hours, so the watch I brought from Earth will be 20 minutes late every day.
A watch that is off by an hour in 3 days is only useful as a stopwatch.
The time in this world is divided into 6 parts during the day and 4 parts at night, which is quite rough, but I don’t have much trouble getting used to it.
After all, there are no time-based jobs here.
I know it’s still the beginning of the evening, but it’s rude to ring the bell while everyone is sleeping.
It’s probably the church bell, so I should think that something unusual has happened.
I grope in the dark to get my equipment ready.
There is starlight from the window, so it’s not really dark, and I can manage without light if I get used to it.
Mr. Zenom and Ms. Nina came to the entrance before me.
”What happened?”
”It’s the bell that announces a change, a bandit attack, or a monster attack.”
I shivered down my back, is this what they call fear?
”What should we do in this case?”
”Prepare to move at any time and wait. Adventurers should go to the guild, and there may be an emergency quest.”
Emergency quest!
Considering my unlucky ability, it only smells dangerous.
If this were a game, the emergency quest would be a delicious festival event, but it’s common to get hurt if you participate without training your character.
I’ll watch the situation here, it’s not a game, so it’s just right to be too careful.
”Let’s hurry, Sir Hero.”
Ms. Nina seems to think I’m going for sure.
Even a guy like me is her Sir Hero.
That trust she has in me feels heavy.
I decided to check things out and headed to the guild.
I ran into Mr. Laken, who was holding a lamp.
Behind him, there was a group of armed servants following.
”Hey, Hero. Perfect timing, come with me.”
”What happened?”
”Women got attacked at the docks.”
The docks?
Is that the place where everyone is washing clothes?
”Were there any injuries?”
”I don’t know. Lucia and the others went ahead. We need to hurry.”
I know the wives wash clothes at the canal in the evening.
Ms. Lyra was a regular there.
I hope she’s okay.
Countless torches move around the area of the canal.
The reflections of the flames on the swaying water look strangely beautiful, even at a time like this.
At the dock, women were lined up covered with cloth.
Are they all dead?
The moment I saw those still bodies, my heart felt like it would stop from shock.
”Is my wife, Bonnie, okay?”
A man, possibly related to one of the fallen women, staggered over.
”They’re all n*ked. You guys better not come over here, or I’ll hit you!”
Standing tall with a healing mace in hand is the red-haired woman, Ms. Lucia.
She’s a sister from the church and Mr. Laken’s only daughter, Ani-Ani’s mother.
”Don’t worry, they just fainted. They are all fine.”
They’re alive? That’s good!
I suddenly felt relaxed.
Oh right, in this world, if they’ve been baptized, they come back to life at the church.
If they were really dead, there wouldn’t be bodies left here.
Reviving isn’t 100% guaranteed.
Luck, strength, age, and blessings can all make a difference, but for ordinary villagers, it’s about 50/50.
If revival fails, you’re lost, leaving only a pinch of ash behind.
This world also has its harsh realities.
”You all go back to the village. Hurry up and check if anyone is missing.”
Mr. Laken gives clear instructions one after another.
In this world, getting kidnapped is worse than being killed.
If you’re killed, you might come back in the church, if you’re lucky.
But if you’re kidnapped, who knows what will happen.
”Hero, keep an eye out for monsters.”
”Understood.”
Indeed, with my searching skill, I’m the right guy for the job.
The monster that attacked the ladies might still be lurking nearby.
I scan the area with Radar Scan, but there’s no sign of anything.
I imagine sending radar waves from my brain, carefully scanning the surroundings.
There are too many people, too many reactions, making it hard to search.
But I should be able to tell if there’s something hostile.
”Looks like we need some help over here, I’m coming to assist.”
Ms. Nina goes to help Ms. Lucia.
For now, the ladies who fainted are lucky to be in the warehouse at the dock.
It’s a sturdy building, so it should hold up if monsters attack.
The limbs of the fortunate ladies flicker in the torchlight, an eerie yet fantastical sight.
I shouldn’t be looking at this, right?
Ms. Flare said she likes to show off but doesn’t like being watched.
Feeling a bit regretful, I turn my gaze to the dark canal.
I don’t think there are any hostile monsters, but the pitch-black water still looks eerie and inviting.
A sonar might be more effective underwater than a radar, but Radar Scan can detect fish and stuff like High Slimes at the bottom.
Don’t think we need a sonar.
What about mist-type monsters?
If there are monsters that don’t show up on my search skill, they’d be my natural enemy.
Keeping guard against something you’re not even sure is there wears you down.
It doesn’t really boost your skill proficiency either.
This job is harder than it looks.
* * *
Finally, the long night breaks, and the whole village is in an uproar.
Luckily, no one in the village is missing, and all the ladies are awake.
They’re saying we’ll move to the church for a thorough check-up and to hear what happened.
”Thank you, here’s the reward for the emergency quest.”
Mr. Laken looks really sleepy, but he’s making sure everything is taken care of properly.
The reward for the emergency quest was a flat 1000 gold.
It felt a bit low, but in my case, I also finished the daily quest ‘Hero’s Daily Quest I’, so I was a bit happy.
Today, I can take a nice nap.
By the way, I also completed ‘Hero’s First Emergency Quest’.
The reward was 100,000 gold, 10 common gold coins, not bad.
In the end, I still don’t know the details of the incident, but I’m glad there was no damage.
Mr. Laken said everyone should rest today since there will be a detailed investigation starting tomorrow.
The village gate is tightly closed, and it seems we can’t go in or out for a while.
I can’t go quail hunting now.
Well, anyway, I’m so sleepy, so I’ll just go home and sleep.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
Leave a Reply