Volume 3 Chapter 3 Before Departure
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Exiting ‘The Boar’s Trot Inn’ tavern, among the bustling servers carrying towels back and forth, there was Natra, sitting at a table, engrossed in reading documents.
Natra was dressed in her red and white kimono, with a freshly polished long sword sheathed beside her.
As Kian approached, she promptly stood up to greet him.
”Good morning, my lord.”
”Hm? Lord?”
The server wiping tables nearby──Moimoi──tilted her head quizzically.
”That’s right, Moimoi.”
”Oh, I see. Morning, Kian.”
”Morning.”
”Milady, weren’t you doing weapon maintenance outside?”
”I was, but the street got too rowdy, so I came inside. I don’t like crowds. I’d rather avoid them when I’m not on a mission.”
”Really? I didn’t know that. I thought you’d be used to it, considering how long we’ve been together.”
”Considering the time I spent training in the monastery, I wouldn’t say that’s unusual. There’s still a lot I don’t know about Rufna myself.”
”Come to think of it, you didn’t even know how I ended up joining the military, did you? Guess Azrael must’ve been hell for you, huh?”
”This East End is far more comfortable by comparison.
――Sir Kian, would you like something to drink?”
”No, I’m good.”
Shaking his head, he reached for the chair next to Natra.
He was considering ordering some ready-made breakfast when, suddenly, a cheer rose from the street.
(Come to think of it, it’s been unusually rowdy since Rufna and I purified ourselves. There were no festivals that I remember, but something must have happened.)
”──Good morning, Mr. Kian”
Rufna took a seat, and just then, Esther appeared from the back, seemingly timed to perfection.
After casting a fleeting, uneasy glance at Natra and Rufna, she turned to Kian with a smile.
”Good morning, Esther. I’d like to order some breakfast, even if it’s just something that’s already made. Do we have enough ingredients?”
”Yes! I prepped the ‘Kian Special Set’ yesterday, so I can make it for you! …I’m really happy you’re having breakfast here after so long. You’ve been spending a lot of time at the training ground outside of town lately, it seems.”
”I’ve been making sure to come back here every night. Have the rumors been circulating among adventurers?”
”Yes, well… Hahaha…”
”I used it every day when I wasn’t out on quests, of course.”
Rufna shrugs her shoulders.
Kian gazes back at Esther.
”I’m sorry, but I might not be able to come back here for the next couple of days. There’s an urgent quest in the mountain village about the Bloodsucking Kind disturbance.”
”Ah…, that…”
”‘That’?”
Esther nods and glances at Moimoi, who is mopping in the corner of the hall.
”It’s near Moimoi’s hometown, apparently. There’s been an incident.”
”Has her family been harmed?”
Natra narrowed her eyes slightly.
When she wasn’t putting on an act, she tended to come across as cold and indifferent, rarely showing concern for others.
But deep down, she had a kind heart.
The part of her shaped by growing up as Sarah’s younger sister hadn’t changed, even now that she’d become Kian’s servant.
”No, it seems her village hasn’t suffered any direct harm yet. But nearby mountain villages have had lots of livestock killed, and people working in the fields and local hunters have been affected too. I’m just hearing this from other adventurers, but it’s probably becoming a dangerous place to live.”
”If the damage spreads, the villagers might have to abandon their homes and move elsewhere. Then, the rampaging monsters will go to nearby villages in search of food.”
It means the day when Moimoi’s village suffers serious harm is drawing near.
Rufna claps Esther’s shoulder twice, causing her ample bosom wrapped in her serving attire to bounce.
”Don’t worry, we’ve taken the quest, so it’ll be fine! We’ll go, take care of it quickly, and be back before you know it.”
”That’s reassuring! Oh, will Ms. Natra and Ms. Rufna be having breakfast?”
Esther said it with a business smile when suddenly, a series of loud cheers erupted from outside the tavern.
Then, with his vampire hypersenses, he detected a pungent smell of thick blood.
(This smell… it’s blood from a corpse. But not a human. The iron content is too high.)
Moments later, she sensed two massive surges of magic power outside.
One was black, thick and sticky like sludge.
The other was white, cool and refreshing.
The refreshing one had a scent reminiscent of Aliona’s magic power.
Through his ‘glasses,’ he saw a red-highlighted shadow moving slowly down the west road.
The owner of the sludge-like magic power was waving his hands grandly at the girls on either side, seemingly responding to the cheers.
There was a sense of déjà vu about this situation.
Even with the ‘glasses,’ bitter memories flickered through his mind.
”──Sir Rean of ‘Lion’s Companion’ has returned.”
”Melissa”
Turning around, he saw Melissa, the friendly maid, standing there with a broom in one hand.
She glanced at Natra and Rufna with a dazed look, then playfully snorted and turned her head away.
”I’m going out to see Sir Rean. He’s a hundred times cooler than Kian.”
”Alright, just be careful not to trip.”
”────! Come on, Moimoi! Let’s go see with Esther!”
”Ah…, I think I’ll pass. I’m going back to help my dad.”
”Huh? Why? Esther, you said Sir Rean was super cool before, right?”
”That was 2 months ago. I’m not that interested anymore.”
Esther kept shooting glances this way, seemingly wanting to subtly convey that she was only interested in Kian now.
Despite the fact that he’s supposedly getting cozy with various women behind the scenes.
Melissa and Moimoi left the room, breathing heavily.
Moimoi didn’t seem too interested in Rean, but Melissa grabbed her arm and dragged her out anyway.
As the tavern door swung open with a burst, the room erupted in loud cheers.
He doesn’t know what they hunted this time, but the adventurer’s town seems to be buzzing with the hero’s return.
”I’ll bring your breakfast right away. What about Mr. Natra and Ms. Rufna?”
”I’ll have the same as Sir Kian.””Me too, give me the same.”
”Understood. Please wait a moment!”
Esther toddled back behind the counter with a smile.
Come to think of it, he hasn’t seen the serving outfit she designed, inspired by the royal city’s swimsuits, yet.
He’d love to take his time appreciating the finished product when he has the chance.
”I hope the commotion outside settles down by the time we finish breakfast. Still, I didn’t know ‘Lion’s Companion’ Rean was a hometown adventurer.”
”Did you know about Rean, Rufna?”
”Of course I do. Right, Milady?”
”‘Lion’s Companion’ Rean is one of the few Rank 1 adventurers in these parts, and the ‘Lion’s Companion’ party is also Rank 1. I’ve heard their activities span not just the entire kingdom but also several countries in Azrael.”
”Well, I’ve never actually met him. So, if Rean comes nearby, I thought I’d go out and just take a look at his face. I’m not a fanatical fan like that waitress, so I won’t be waiting outside or anything.”
”Sir Kian, you must know a lot about Rean, having been an adventurer in this town for nearly 15 years, right?”
”Know about him? I was in their party when I was just starting out.”
”Oh.””Really? No way!”
”But I got kicked out pretty quickly.”
”Were you a vanguard swordsman back then?”
”I was a swordsman and a scout for the vanguard. But Rean was a better swordsman than I was back then, and as a scout, he could fight differently than me. They hired me to learn how to prepare as an adventurer, how to efficiently take on quests, and how to negotiate. After watching for about a month, a smart person could figure most of it out. They probably kicked me out early to keep their party at 4 members and to avoid splitting the monetary rewards further.”
It’s a bitter memory.
Unlike Funnelwing or Rosen, who would have cursed him to his face, they expelled Kian with a practical judgment and silent contempt, mixed with a hint of pity.
It was over ten years ago, and he tries not to let it bother him, but returning it doesn’t exactly improve his mood.
”Sorry, but I’d rather not talk about that.”
As he pushed up the bridge of his ‘glasses’ to end the conversation, Natra and Rufna exchanged a glance.
”We’re sorry, Master.”
”No.”
Kian gave a casual shake of his head and removed his ‘glasses.’
It seems like the ‘glasses’ won’t be coming back today, and he has no intention of wearing them unless it’s necessary.
His thoughts returned, and Kian, without his ‘glasses,’ was left to deal with the regurgitated memories of his disliked ‘Lion’s Companion.’
Kian let out a small sigh and stood up from his seat to help Esther with the dishes she was bringing out from the kitchen.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
Leave a Reply