Volume 1 Chapter 21 Full Equipment ‘Nightshade Series’
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”Ugh…”
Kian, who had just decapitated the griffin, collapsed to the ground, leaning against his axe.
Right next to him, the headless beast’s body was gushing blood.
”Hah… Hah…”
He tried to support himself with his arms but failed.
As a pool of blood spread around him, Kian fell back, gasping for air with his mouth wide open.
A tremendous sense of exhaustion washed over him.
It was proof that his magic power, the source of life, was running low.
’You okay?’
”…”
He almost lost consciousness for a moment, but the voice of the glasses brought him back to reality, and he reached for the pouch at his waist.
Pulling out a bamboo tube, he bit down on the stopper and yanked it out. A sweet aroma wafted up.
A precious energy drink.
This special blend made by Aliona would give him monster-like energy if he drank it.
The liquid was said to contain ingredients found in tea and coffee, honey, and eastern ginseng juice.
This one tube cost 5 times the price of a painkiller.
”────.”
Forcing himself, he downed the liquid inside.
He couldn’t even taste it.
Once the bamboo tube was empty, Kian fell back again, breathing heavily.
”No way, man. You really took it down all by yourself…”
Hearing a presence nearby, he opened his eyes to see Robert cautiously stepping out from behind the windmill shed.
He was still covered in blood.
Just moving a single step seemed to cause him intense pain, twisting his bear-like face into an even scarier expression.
”Hey, you okay?”
”…….Use it.”
As Robert peered down at him with concern, Kian pulled out a painkiller and hemostatic ointment from his pouch and handed them over.
”You don’t have to force the ointment. But make sure to take the oral medicine. It’ll make you feel a bit hazy, but the pain will ease up.”
”But, that’s yours, right?”
”It’s just that my magic power is running low. I’m not seriously hurt. All the blood on my body is from this guy.”
Kian pointed at the griffin and pushed himself up.
”Hey, where are you going?”
”To the riverbed. Gonna pick some thyme leaves.”
Kian said, “You better take your meds,” and then headed to the windmill to gather some herbs.
’What are you doing?’
(I will make the griffin bit the stem of the thyme with its beak. It’s Azrael’s teaching, so it won’t go hungry in the afterlife.)
He fed the heavy head some grass and wrapped it up tightly in cloth.
He made a loop to hold it easily since he had to bring it back to the guild as proof of the hunt.
’What about the griffin’s body?’
(I ain’t in any shape to be breaking it down, and neither is Robert. The griffin’s claws and muscle fibers can be used for various tools, but we’ll just have to let it go this time.)
As for disposing of the corpse… the only beasts that would come sniffing around the griffin’s blood are probably the undead.
They’ll take care of the meat.
Plus, unlike with Funnelwing and the other, this place is far from any town or street.
’What about the ancient equipment?’
”Oh right, it’s supposed to be buried around here.”
’Yeah. It’s armor, but it’s pretty light and easy to carry.’
Kian looked down at the blood-soaked cloth armor.
It was gross.
Plus, he’d need some good equipment to carry Robert back.
”Alright, let’s go grab it. Where is it?”
’First floor of the windmill. Behind the spiral staircase. If you wear this one, the illusion will break.’
Kian nodded and stepped over the broken window of the windmill to get inside.
* * *
The illusion shattered way too easily.
Behind the stairs was a broken stone floor.
When he moved it aside, neatly folded black clothing appeared.
Reaching out to touch it, he felt the damp leather.
”A leather coat and a chain shirt. Light armor.”
Kian muttered as he spread out the equipment he pulled out.
It was made from a monster he’d never seen or heard of.
The coat was pure black and had an elegant look.
Despite being stored under this rundown shack, it didn’t seem dirty at all.
As he touched it with his blood-stained hands to check it out, suddenly the leather coat pulsed and started to absorb the blood.
”────!?”
(Is this equipment, is the fabric still alive!?)
’This equipment is made from the skin of an Elder Remi Cain’
”Remi Cain?”
Kian frowned.
The white light streaming through the window illuminated the dusty room.
(When it comes to Remi Cain, it’s a high-level vampire species. They lack intelligence but are powerful monsters with a special ability to blend into their surroundings. And this is an Elder one?)
As soon as they’re discovered, national knight orders and high-level parties rush in to hunt them down.
’That’s right. In ancient times, Remi Cain were common monsters. The Elder ones are even smarter. They had special abilities honed over hundreds of years. There weren’t many of them, though… This armor inherits the traits of the Remi Cain. “Remi” means shadow. It suppresses the wearer’s body temperature and emitted magic power, making it harder for others to sense their presence──it’s got stealth abilities. If used in the dark, it becomes harder to spot visually.’
”It’s pretty thin, though… How’s the defense?”
’It’s way tougher than your rags. It’s strong against steel weapons, water, and cold, but it’s pretty weak against fire and silver due to the monster’s original traits. If it gets splattered with enemy blood, the armor absorbs it, and the torn fabric regenerates, temporarily enhancing its properties. It doesn’t have any particularly amazing abilities for combat, but it’s light and has plenty of pockets and holders inside for carrying tools. It even breaks down and absorbs dirt, making it quite convenient. It looks like a classy leather coat, too.’
”Huh, it definitely looks way better than the hobo equipment I had before.”
’It’s called the “Nightshade Set.” It includes the Nightshade Scarf, Nightshade Coat, Nightshade Gloves, Nightshade Armor Bottoms, and Nightshade Leggings and Boots. It’s a versatile travel equipment from ancient times.’
”Well, I guess I’ll try it on. It seems to fit just right.”
Kian took off the ragged equipment covered in griffin blood, removing the knives and vials he had stashed.
Then he quickly donned the ‘Nightshade Set’.
”Oh… this feels pretty nice.”
He looked down at the leather coat that reached his knees.
The inner fur was soft.
When he touched the outside, he found it surprisingly sturdy, providing solid protection for most of his body.
The collar snugly covered his neck, and the longer sleeves protected his wrists.
If he added a scarf, it seemed like it would keep him pretty warm.
Above all, it was way lighter than the ragged equipment he used before.
The old stuff had homemade holders and iron plates for defense, so it wasn’t as light as it looked.
’Try jumping back quickly!’
”……whoa.”
Kian pushed up the bridge of his glasses.
The moment he leaped back, the coat’s fabric blurred like a black mist.
He hardly felt any air resistance.
’With the resistance gone, the speed of “Leap” should’ve increased. The sound of the wind from the equipment has also disappeared, making it easier to be stealthy.’
”This is good equipment. I’m sorry for calling you a piece of junk before.”
’Finally realized this one’s power, huh?’
”So, what kind of equipment is buried in the ‘Labyrinth of Roses’? Is there any handy equipment for magicians?”
’What’s buried there is equipment specifically for swordsmen in battles against magicians. While it excels against magic power, its physical defense isn’t much different from that ‘Nightshade Set.’ As for equipment for magicians… I’ll tell you when you get closer. Not telling you now.’
”I see. Well, I’m satisfied just to have gotten this equipment. Good job, you piece of junk glasses.”
Kian said this cheerfully and peeked into the hole where the equipment was stored again.
Since it was a full set, he thought there might be weapons buried there too.
Unfortunately, he didn’t find any swords, but instead, he discovered a heavy leather pouch filled with something and a folded letter.
”A pouch with coins and a letter. The letter is written in a language I don’t know. An ancient language, maybe…? As for the coins… they’re all copper. They’re from way before the current large copper coins or regular copper coins. They were minted──5 hundred years ago!?”
If they were silver coins, he could exchange them for a good price depending on their content, but with copper coins, even if he could exchange them, he probably wouldn’t get much money.
The East End is basically a town for adventurers, so you won’t really find bankers or money changers around here.
If you get into the fortress of Margrave Izerland, you might spot a banker or 2, though.
”Five hundred years ago… the equipment of the vampire type, Remi Cain.”
Kian frowned while tying a bag of coins to his waist.
(I couldn’t read the letter, but there were some bloodstains on the paper. The person who wrote this was probably seriously injured. If what the glasses guy said is true, the ‘Shadenight equipment’ is travel equipment. They must’ve run into some kind of accident while traveling and ended up here, exhausted…?)
Kian blinked.
Suddenly, he thought he saw white ash, like crushed bones, scattering in the wind.
”Hey, glasses. Why didn’t the traveler using this equipment have any silver coins? It’s all copper, and it’s pretty heavy.”
’Who knows? Maybe they just couldn’t handle silver.’
”…….Can’t handle silver. And this guy had armor but no weapons at all.”
(Did they have a sharper weapon on them than steel? They might’ve been a magician, but if they were, you’d think they’d have at least one staff buried somewhere.)
Kian narrowed his eyes.
”All the spells and equipment you’re introducing me to seem pretty connected to vampires.”
’That’s a minor issue. What matters is whether it’s necessary for you. If you find me creepy, you can sell me at a stall in the East End. But I’d rather have more exciting adventures with you.’
”I won’t toss it aside until you tell me where to find armor for magicians and equipment that’s tough against physical attacks. My other persona is alive because of you, after all.”
Kian said this as he adjusted the stone floor back into place with his foot.
Just then, a big bearded guy──Robert──popped his head out from the windmill window.
”There you are… The blood stop is done. Thanks.”
”No problem.”
He received 2 empty bottles.
As Kian was putting them away in his pouch, Robert shot him a suspicious look.
”Did you change clothes?”
”Yeah. The ones I was wearing got all covered in blood before I got here.”
”Is that so… That’s some pretty fancy equipment you got there. Why weren’t you wearing it from the start?”
”That’s none of your business.”
”Well, yeah, I guess that’s true.”
Ignoring Robert’s weird face, he stepped over the window of the windmill and went outside.
”Mr. Robert, unfortunately, the field trip isn’t over yet. Our trial continues until we safely reach the East End town. How’s your back injury?”
When Kian asked, Robert grimaced.
”Not too good. My legs aren’t moving like they should, and it hurts quite a bit.”
”I’ll help you. We gotta get past the town road where the dead dogs are rolling around before it gets dark.”
”Yeah, but before that… Sorry, and thanks, Kian. You really saved me. I have a daughter, and I’m glad I didn’t have to make her sad.”
”Don’t relax until we get to the town. Even if we escape Griffin’s claws, it won’t matter if we get attacked by wild dogs on the way back.”
”Yeah, you’re right. But really, thank you. I owe you one. I run a tavern in town, so if you ever want to drop by, I’ll treat you to some good food and special wine. Of course, I won’t charge you. It’s the least I can do for saving my life. I don’t even know if I can repay it in a lifetime.”
”…Don’t you keep a customer ledger?”
”Huh? Have you ever eaten at my place? Sorry, but my daughter handles all the bookkeeping, so I don’t really know.”
He scratched his head like a big bear, not good with numbers.
Kian let out a small sigh and tucked himself under Robert’s shoulder.
”Let’s go. There’s a detour on the right side to bypass the cliff, so we can get back to the town road from there.”
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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