Volume 2 Chapter 94 The Ominous Signs Of Disaster Approaching The Fortress
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
As the guard left the room, Maribel returned to her desk and opened the drawer.
She came back with documents, a wooden plaque, and something resembling a large plant thorn.
”First, please accept this letter and the pass.”
”A pass. Is it for the Izerland fortress?”
Kian glanced at the plaque he received.
The characters written on it were different from the limited-time pass he had received before.
”This is a pass to enter my direct territory, including the Izerland fortress. If you are not in my direct territory, please follow the instructions of the local lord.”
”Is that alright?”
”Yes. You aim to become an advanced-rank adventurer, right? You may need to go to other areas for material gathering and such. With that pass, you should be able to pass through my territory almost for free. Just show that letter to the soldiers at the checkpoint, and you should be fine. However, please wait for a month from now. We just took power from McCutchen and Waterman, so the command structure is in disarray. There’s a chance the checkpoint captain won’t let you through even if you show that letter.”
”I originally planned to spend some time in East End, so it’s not a problem.”
”The pass is indefinite. It’s specifically for you, so please take care of it. If you lose it, just come to me, and I will reissue it. It may take some time, though.”
”Thank you. I don’t know how to express my gratitude.”
”What I can do for you now is just this much. It’s even a bit less than what you deserve for your past rewards. Please don’t feel too humbled.”
Maribel waited for Kian to put the pass and letter into his backpack before finally offering the large plant thorn.
”What is that…?”
”You defeated the mithril golem for me in a previous quest, right?”
”Yes.”
”That mysterious basement, according to Natasha, had a warped flow of time inside. She said that as the barrier deteriorated, the flow of time began to return to normal. It’s hard to speculate when it was built, due to the aging of the equipment──perhaps around 3 hundred years ago, according to the Head Magicians.”
”Three hundred years…”
At that time, there were still shadows of Darkness, with the Empire of Night inhabited by vampires.
”It’s said to be a legacy of the vampire, isn’t it? There are legends saying that vampires once existed in this frontier as well. Essentially, that basement was an ancient ruin. It seems that the designer of this fortress, knowingly or not, built the Main Castle atop it. After that, multiple renovations were made, and it appears that the entrance to the ruins has been sealed off except for the wine cellar.”
”Is that so?”
Too dangerous.
Shouldn’t they have chosen the foundation land more carefully after thorough investigation?
”This was buried in the roots of the thorn vines that bound the mithril golem. Since we have excess samples, please feel free to use it. It seems to possess strong magic power, so if you take it to a weapons shop, they might be able to create powerful gear related to ‘thorn.’ However, as evidenced by the thorns, it is likely derived from the legendary ‘Thorn Demon.’ Please handle it with utmost care. It is because it’s you, Kian, that I trust you enough to hand it over.”
”Thank you very much.”
”Not at all, please make a new staff for your friend in the Kitsune mask. She is a magician, right?”
”I will do that. She will surely be happy.”
He intend to have Natra fight as a swordsman, but explaining everything could complicate matters.
Kian accepted the thorn vine with a social smile.
Maribel, now empty-handed, wore a wry smile.
”I was actually thinking of handing over the deed to the vineyard owned by Baron Waterman and the others, but I’m sure you wouldn’t want such a pitiful reward, right? I could have said, ‘I’ll give you Ramsey or Châtillon,’ but that would have tied you down to one piece of land.”
”That’s not really how it works.”
”Hehe, I can tell just by looking at your face that Kian wouldn’t be satisfied with just a vineyard. If, during your rise as an adventurer, you gain some land and wish for the backing of a noble, please feel free to count on me. Depending on the size and wealth of the land, I promise to grant you a noble title.”
”Is that really okay?”
”Yes, for me, it’s simple; I can bring in a strong noble ally just by approving it. Let’s build a mutually beneficial relationship. Right now, I don’t have the strength to ask you for any deals, but I will eventually create a powerful enough system to stand proudly as the king of this frontier. Dream big!!”
Maribel said this, and then she softened her eyes, which had dark circles under them, and made a tight fist.
Kian nodded once.
”I’m cheering for you from the shadows. Efforts don’t always guarantee rewards, but we have to take it one step at a time to understand anything. Even if you make a wrong effort and seem to be going in circles, there are plenty of good allies around Your Excellency, starting with Ms. Christy. I truly believe that one day your ideals will come to fruition.”
In a peaceful era in the frontier, as the population grows and technology advances, there may come a time when the profession of adventurer becomes unnecessary.
Before that happens, Kian would have to achieve his goals as an adventurer and seek another path.
One day, there might come a time when his path intersects with Maribel’s again.
(On the day I left Azrael, did I also have a face burning with ideals and ambitions like hers?)
Kian pondered this while he gazed down at the face of the blonde princess.
If that’s the case, he didn’t want her to face unreasonable setbacks.
(I couldn’t work hard and be smart, and if I hadn’t met ‘glasses’, I would have probably crumbled in the coal mine or starved to death by now. Effort can betray a person easily. However, I hope Maribel’s efforts from now on will be rewarded for the people living in this frontier.)
Fringilla left the office just as she delivered Christy to the napping room.
Fringilla didn’t greet Kian.
Well, this response is normal for a noble.
Maribel and Christy are unusual.
After that, joining the young guard who had been following since the castle gate, he apologized and expressed his gratitude for the wait.
After that, he was escorted to the drawbridge of the Main Castle.
”Well then, I’ll take my leave.”
”Ah, take care.”
He depart from before the Main Castle, seen off by Liam and the others.
He’s finished his farewells to Maribel and Christy.
Now, only Oswald remains.
It was still morning.
He still had plenty of time before meeting with Serena.
* * *
”Wait, he returned to Ramsey?”
At the front door of the Oswald residence.
Kian frowned upon hearing from the usual guard through the black iron gate about Oswald’s absence.
”Yes, it was just yesterday. The lord went home with Lady Aisha.”
”So he went to check on the situation in the country? It seems too early for the wheat harvest.”
”The lord didn’t mention his purpose. He only said, ‘I’m going home; I’ll be away from this mansion for a while.’ I’ve been instructed to convey this if any guests arrive.”
”I see…”
As Kian’s expression grew serious, the guard tilted his head.
”Do you have a message for the lord? I could relay it if you’d like.”
”In that case, could you tell him, ‘Adventurer Kian came to say hello as he returns to East End’? I’ve been much taken care of here in addition to East End and Quest. I should have brought some sweets as a gift…”
’Don’t do it. You’ve already given twenty gold coins to your familiar, buying something cheap would be quite rude.’
(Yeah. If only I knew Oswald’s preferences for sweets, I might have been able to handle it somehow.)
The guard made a subtle face and shook his head.
”I don’t know when he’ll return… If it’s something that can be stored, I’ll accept it.”
There was only one promised scroll, so he ended up giving it to Christy, who had helped him the most.
He had planned to express his gratitude to Oswald with a ‘promise’ like he did with Owl, but if he had the guard relay it, his appreciation would surely diminish.
However, it was better than saying nothing at allHe had planned to express his gratitude to Oswald with a ‘promise’ like he did with Owl, but if he had the guard relay it, his appreciation would surely diminish.
However, it was better than saying nothing at all
”If he has any requests, like monster hunting or collecting rare materials, just contact the adventurer Kian, and I will come quickly. Please convey that to Sir Oswald.”
”Yes, certainly. Take care on your journey. According to the vendors we deal with, there seem to be many Azraelian and Shin people who have been driven out of the fortress lingering in the town streets.”
”Speaking of which, they were quite aggressive in their previous expulsions.”
”When people gather, order tends to break down. In a town street where there is no overseeing organization, it’s not surprising if they resort to banditry at night. It is likely that some will kill to survive. You’re also Azraelian, so you aren’t an exception.”
”Thank you for the advice.”
”Not at all. Be well.”
He bowed to the guard and parted ways.
It was just before noon, so he should find a place to eat and have lunch.
Kian started walking from the winding path in front of the Oswald residence toward the main street.
’Walking the town streets at night might get you attacked by bandits.’
(Even if I go during the day, it won’t make a difference. Bandits attack people regardless of the time. At night, my stealth accuracy is better, and returning at night is no problem.)
Even if they come at him, he has the Windsong Blade, so he won’t be affected by arrows or thrown stones from a distance.
If they call for direct combat, Kian and Serena would surely make them their prey.
Kian looked up at the sky.
(After lunch, I’ll head to the Izerland fortress’s town to sightsee and then make my way to the drawbridge. Since I’ll be active in the East End for a while, this view will be my last here. ‘Glasses,’ I hope you enjoy your stroll too.)
* * *
As he entered a nearby tavern to have his meal, Natra and Rufna returned in their spirit forms.
A bag of gold coins, now partially empty, sat next to his backpack, so it seemed he could buy what he needed.
Inside, there was a group of mercenaries drinking and playing card games, and 2 merchants whispering in a corner, alongside Kian.
The merchants aside, the drunken mercenaries were dangerous.
Given that he looked Azraelian, he might provoke a fight just because of that.
He had planned to use charm to fend them off if approached, but ultimately, that didn’t happen, and he made it out of the tavern safely.
By the way, while eating, he had been eavesdropping on the mercenaries’ conversation, and it seemed they were planning to head southwest──toward Châtillon County.
Apparently, the Renaud clan was hiring mercenaries to strengthen their defenses.
They were discussing that there might be a war with Azrael soon.
The meeting between Maribel and Shajar was supposed to be for peace.
Why on earth was Renaud hiring mercenaries for that?
Did Maribel know about this?
(Surely something must have happened during the meeting. Isn’t that why Maribel and the others looked so tired?)
Was the meeting actually not going well?
Or, during the meeting, had tensions between the two nations suddenly escalated, causing everything they agreed upon to fall apart?
’It’s possible that the mercenaries are mistaken. From what I saw during the meeting, Princess Maribel and Lord Shajar were both calm. For a war to break out from there, it would take something like Princess Maribel seeking peace while having assassinated Lord Shajar’s eldest daughter──something that absurd is unlikely to happen.’
(That’s true.)
Well, however.
If a war were to break out, it would mean more work for adventurers.
Starting with assassination requests and searches for missing persons, monsters would come down from the mountains to scavenge the battlefield corpses, causing quite a stir, so there would surely be many requests for their extermination.
As someone eager to take on high-difficulty Quests and rack up points, this would be a blessing.
After leaving the tavern, Kian leisurely strolled down the main street, gathering souvenirs for Aliona, Nene the head of monastery, Esther, Robert, Moimoi, and Melissa.
In short, these are souvenirs for everyone at the monastery and the tavern ‘The Boar’s Trot Inn.’
Basically, it’s sweets and wine.
Since Aliona, Esther, and Robert have been particularly helpful, he decided to buy something special for them.
After some deliberation, he decided to buy a set of hair ribbons from the well-known clothing store in the fortress for Aliona and Esther, and for Robert, a bandana to wear on his head and several cooking aprons.
He ended up spending about 2 gold coins, but considering the favors from Aliona and the others, it felt insufficient.
He had no hesitation or regret about his wallet getting lighter.
By evening, he arrived at the castle gate of the fortress.
After that, he met up with Serena.
Kian finally put a temporary end to his long life in Izerland.
* * *
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
Leave a Reply