《Starting a New Life for the Discarded All-Rounder》 Volume 1 - Prologue That night, Roa stayed at the trading company in a room that Coralde assigned him. After having a meal in the company¡¯s staff cafeteria, he had been led to this room. The room, prepared exclusively for Roa, was to be used to concoct magic potions. It was far larger than the medicine room in Crack of Dawn¡¯s mansion, equipped with large racks where Roa could fit items freely. The racks already included materials for basic magic medicine, so it was possible to start creating regular magic potions immediately. The table was also very wide, making it easy to work on it. All the concoction and alchemy tools lined on the table were brand new, without a single hair or stain. There was even a magic tool that could be used to record the work performed in the room. It was black, palm-sized, and hemispherical in shape, and it allowed one to record and even re-watch all work performed in the room, without the need to take notes. In a small room connected to this one, there was a bed and a table. Roa was told that it could be used to take a rest during work, but it was much better furnished than the storeroom that Roa had used as living quarters in the party¡¯s mansion. Coralde had told Roa that he could freely use it as lodging if he didn¡¯t have anywhere else to go, so he decided to live there as long as he worked for Coralde. ¡°Okay then, I should start by making the necessary magic potions for the material gathering expedition.¡± Roa whispered to himself as he started working. He decided he would do everything he could to repay his debt of gratitude to Coralde. After the commotion in the hall, the adventurers¡¯ guild did not accept the request too smoothly, but it ultimately went through somehow. The guild staff that had guided them in the beginning panicked because of his repeated failings, so he couldn¡¯t properly handle the matter anymore, and the guildmaster had to take over. The guildmaster did not say anything about the presence of All-Rounder Roa but, when he heard the contents of the request, he mentioned it would be difficult to accept. When Coralde mentioned his conditions, the guildmaster said that even if they accepted the request, he didn¡¯t know if there was any party that would agree to undertake it. The conditions were that ¡°the request was for A rank adventurers only¡±, ¡°All materials from magic beasts, plants, minerals etc found during the expedition would be bought by Coralde¡¯s company,¡± and that the ¡°All-Rounder Roa was not to be looked down upon.¡± The first 2 conditions were often placed for escort missions of chemists or alchemists in dangerous areas, escort missions for researchers¡¯ expeditions, and other similar types. The last one, however, was the real obstacle. The world of adventurers was a meritocracy. In the case of escort missions for chemists or alchemists, and especially researchers, these professions were far from the adventurers¡¯ specialties, so even if they looked down on them, they would never openly despise them or treat them badly. The adventurers knew that the people they escorted had a different set of skills than them, which reined their feelings of discrimination. If the person to be escorted was someone like Roa, who used to be an adventurer like them and stagnated seven years in the rock-bottom All-Rounder job, things would be completely different. Since he was active in the same sphere as theirs, they knew he was far inferior to them. Even if they knew that he was related to the requesting party and was to be protected, they would look down on him subconsciously and might abandon him in an emergency. Many adventurers were rowdy types: it could even be said that without the possibility to work as adventurers, they would likely end up being criminals. It was difficult to demand them to not look down on someone they perceived as inferior to them. This was especially true for adventurers who had reached A rank. The guildmaster asked Coralde to give up on the request if no party rose to undertake it and demanded a higher reward than regular escort missions. Coralde agreed to pay and the request was finally accepted. ? When Roa started working on his magic potions, Coralde was working on some documents in his office. He was not one to let paperwork pile up, but because of the encounter with Roa his plans for the day had changed completely, so he had papers to take care of before the next day. If I didn¡¯t have to work on this stuff, I could go eat dinner with Roa¡­ So sighed Coralde, but the speed of his pen did not relent. He was a few sheets away from finishing the mountain of paperwork, when a knock was heard at the door. ¡°Come in.¡± ¡°Pardon me. Master, is it not time for you to take a small break? I have taken the liberty of preparing you some tea.¡± A middle-aged maid in a uniform with subdued colors entered the room. ¡°I only have a few more papers to check and sign, so I¡¯ll have it when I¡¯m done.¡± ¡°Understood. I will make preparations, then.¡± The maid brought a cart with a tea set in the room and started making tea. Only the sound of Coralde¡¯s pen on the paper could be heard: the maid placed the teacup on the table with barely a sound, a clear sign of her expertise in that profession. ¡°¡­.how is Roa doing?¡± Coralde asked, his eyes still fixed on the documents. ¡°He started working on magic potions as soon as he entered the room.¡± ¡°Hmm. My long-standing question might finally be answered tomorrow, then¡­¡± ¡°Your question, master?¡± The maid¡¯s expression slightly mellowed while she continued preparing the tea. She knew that her master was in a good mood when he made meaningful statements like that, as well as that he was eager to tell someone about it. She was always the listener in such cases, as she had served for the longest time of anyone else in the company and her lips were tightly sealed. ¡°The secret of Mr. Roa¡¯s magic potions. The ones he creates are all at least 20% more effective than the ones sold in the market.¡± ¡°20%, you say?¡± ¡°10% for low-level healing magic potions, 20% for medium-level potions, even 25% for high-level ones. 20% on average.¡± ¡°¡­.that¡¯s, quite amazing¡­¡± Magic potions were only effective when they were created with a fixed ratio of materials and a fixed method. Even if a very effective medicinal herb was used in great quantity, the effect of the resulting potion would not change. Because of this, it was common for all magic potions to have similar effects. ¡°In the beginning, I thought he used a different method. Well, to be fair, his recipes are a little different. When a chef cooks a stew, they are careful to take out any impurities, right? Or when they remove impurities from herbs with straw ashes. Washing the herbs well before cooking, removing the hardest stalks¡­he adapts these methods when creating magic potions, taking out any unneeded elements.¡± ¡°Cooking methods? It is true that we do things like that, but¡­does it change things so much?¡± ¡°It does indeed. Our magic potions are said to be more effective than normal ones, aren¡¯t they? That¡¯s because we imitated Roa¡¯s style. I was skeptical too when he first told me how he created them. He said he didn¡¯t do anything special and told me that while we were chatting, so I think he has no idea about the effects. When I tried it, however, the effects of the potions were increased, without a doubt.¡± Coralde then stood up. He was finally done with his paperwork. Moving away from the table, he sat down on the sofa. As soon as he did, the maid poured his tea, with perfect timing. ¡°I made herb tea for you today. Citrus tea, to be precise.¡± A faint fruity scent emanated from the teacup. Coralde looked at it and smiled. ¡°This too was made with a recipe Roa created.¡± ¡°¡­.really¡­.?¡± Looking at the surprised maid, a satisfied look appeared on Coralde¡¯s face. ¡±The citrus grass we grew as insect repellent got a bit out of hand, you see. It was a waste to throw them away, so he tried making tea out of it, could you imagine that? He sure has bizarre ideas at times. He asked me to not spread the word, but our company has already benefited from Roa¡¯s ideas in more ways than one actually.¡± Coralde took a sip and the tea¡¯s faint sourness and pleasant scent spread in his mouth. ¡°Anyway, back on topic. We started making magic potions using Roa¡¯s method, but our alchemists could only create potions with 10% more effectiveness at most. Even if they imitated Roa¡¯s methods and perfected them, nothing has changed.¡± Other merchants would probably be satisfied even by that 10% and stop the research, seeing as R&D required a surprising amount of funds. Though, Coralde was different. ¡°So I started thinking that Roa had to have some other secret other than the method he told me about. I asked him to tell me about it, after proper compensation, but he maintained that he didn¡¯t have any such secret. I tried offering more and more money, but I just ended up putting him on the spot.¡± ¡°Is that so¡­¡± ¡°It really looked like he wasn¡¯t hiding anything. My instinct as a merchant told me so at least. I think that even he isn¡¯t aware of his secret¡­isn¡¯t it the same for you too?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± The maid was confused because of the sudden question. ¡°Even if a group of people does the same kind of work, with the same methods, some are nimbler, quicker than others, right? Even with the same ingredients, used in the same quantities, some cooks make more delicious dishes, right? Even if you ask them how they do it, many can¡¯t explain it.¡± ¡°That is true. I find it difficult to teach my line of work sometimes too.¡± The maid focused on her role as a listener. She hadn¡¯t seen her master in such a good mood for a long time. ¡°I kept waiting¡­normally, I would have used money or other methods to bring him to my side. But he wouldn¡¯t fall to such methods.¡± Coralde was supposed to be talking about how tough it was to wait so long, but he looked simply amused. ¡°I thought that he was the type that would disappear from my sight if I used forceful methods¡­even if I did, he was still yearning to become an adventurer¡­or rather, fixated on it. As long as that didn¡¯t disappear from within him, his talent could be crushed I thought. And today, the chance I waited for for so many years has finally arrived¡­¡± Coralde was looking in the distance as if he was staring at something very dear. ¡°All the work performed in that room will be recorded by a magic tool. ¡­I asked Roa for permission first, of course. Even then, he was happy, since he didn¡¯t have to take notes of the most complex tasks. The tools he will use are the same ones we use: if we compare the potions he will create with ours, we should be able to finally uncover his secrets.¡± Coralde¡¯s hand holding the teacup trembled slightly. The opportunity he had been waiting for many long years had finally arrived: he couldn¡¯t help being emotional. ¡°¡­Roa is a talented young man. He also lacks many important talents though.¡± Coralde noticed his hand was shaking and held the teacup with both hands, as if to confirm the warmth of the herb tea. ¡°He lacks the ability to gauge his own talent, the ability to know its limits, the ability to know when to quit. But that might be exactly why he could grow his talent so much¡­¡± The pleasant scent of the herb tea swirled around Coralde¡¯s cheeks. Volume 1 - CH 1.1 Chapter 1 ¨C A New Life Begins Roa left the party¡¯s mansion and headed towards the adventurer guild: he had to report that he was no longer part of Crack of Dawn. ¡°What should I do now?¡± His wounds were already healed: Roa¡¯s smile was wide, his step light. He knew he couldn¡¯t continue being an adventurer, so his fears and worries seemed to have disappeared. Why had he been so set on being an adventurer until now anyway? His heart felt so light and free that he questioned even that. ¡°Roa! Roa!!¡± ¡°?¡± When he reached the city center, Roa had someone call his name. He was about to turn around when a hand touched his shoulder. ¡°Mr. Coralde?!¡± A shining bald head entered Roa¡¯s line of sight, enough to let him recognize the person. ¡°I¡¯d never expect to find you here! Out on an errand, are you?¡± ¡°No, I was going to the adventurer guild actually.¡± ¡°I see! I¡¯ll accompany you then!¡± The splendidly lucid-headed man, Coralde, was a merchant. He owned one of the top trading companies of the area -the Amadan County- and was well known for being quick to action. Coralde was still in his forties, but had turned the small shop he had built into a large trading company in just over 10 years: his great talents as a trader were well known throughout the county. Roa had dealt with him often in his errands to scrounge money, and, for some reason, Coralde had taken a liking to talking to Roa, despite him being a mere All-Rounder. ¡°Sir Coralde! Please do not run off like that!¡± ¡°Oh, sorry, sorry. I just saw Roa, so I had to, you see.¡± Coralde apologized to the guard who ran up to him, but did not seem to be repenting at all. He laughed as he massaged his sparkling dome. A merchant quick enough to outrun a guard¡­? Roa was pretty puzzled, but did not say anything. He knew of the merchant¡¯s other alias, ¡°Coralde the Omnipresent¡±: he was known for suddenly appearing wherever there was money to be made. Despite Coralde¡¯s middle-aged chubby figure, he was not out of breath at all, even if he had run to reach Roa. ¡°Oh yes, I have to offer you my congratulation!!¡± ¡°Er¡­ehm, that¡¯s, well¡­¡± Coralde¡¯s congratulation was surely meant for Crack of Dawn¡¯s designation as a Hero Party. Even if a party received an award, however, few people would go as far as congratulating even members with All-Rounder jobs. To be able to do something like that so naturally was another one of Coralde¡¯s unique traits. ¡°Why the hesitation my boy? Did something happen?¡± Roa¡¯s reply might indicate that he was just hesitating, but Coralde noticed that it was not so simple. Roa thought a bit if it was okay for him to tell, but realized that the news would spread soon enough and that Coralde, who had treated him kindly despite his All-Rounder job, would not react badly even if he knew. ¡°¡­actually¡­I was dismissed from the party¡­¡± ¡°My!¡± Coralde was surprised for a moment, looked away for a few seconds, deep in thought, and his lips formed a smile. ¡°That is quite fort¡­apologies. It must have been hard for you. For me however, there could be no better tidings, so I rejoiced. I am truly sorry.¡± Coralde bowed his head in a very natural manner. ¡°Tidings¡­? Please, do not worry. Honestly, I also feel strangely relieved. It feels like I am finally free of something that possessed me. I was probably too fixed on becoming an adventurer, so my field of view was too narrow¡­when I learned that I couldn¡¯t continue being an adventurer I felt desperate, but as soon as I left that mansion I felt so free. I honestly feel really good right now.¡± Coralde looked at the relieved Roa as if he was looking at someone very dear. Moments ago, the word ¡°tidings¡± slipped out of his mouth, but it expressed his honest feelings. He had already started thinking about certain plans for the future. ¡°You look quite well now, my boy.¡± ¡°Do, do I?¡± ¡°You certainly do. A truly nice expression you have there. So, what are you going to do from now on?¡± ¡°¡­actually, I was told that I was out of the party just after noon today, so I haven¡¯t thought of anything yet. I barely have any money left though, so I have to find a job, and fast¡­Mr. Coralde, I only have a couple, but wouldn¡¯t you buy some magical potions?¡± ¡°But of course! Could you come along to my shop then?¡± ¡°Yes sir!¡± ¡°Then, let us go!¡± The two men started walking together. Coralde¡¯s guard was concerned by his master¡¯s bizarrely high spirits, but followed them without showing it. After a while, they reached Coralde¡¯s trading company, so Roa headed to the back entrance as usual. He was stopped, however, by the owner himself. ¡°You¡¯re not a party member anymore, so let¡¯s enter from the main entrance.¡± Roa had no reason to refuse Coralde¡¯s invitation. The reason why he had always entered the shop almost in secret from the back entrance was that he didn¡¯t want the other Crack of Dawn members to know that he worked odd jobs to earn some money. Adventurers belonging to a party could work other jobs in their free time, as long as they duly performed their duties in their party; if the Crack of Dawn members noticed that Roa worked odd jobs, however, they would become irritated and attack him, saying that he had to worry about working for the party instead. From their point of view, if Roa had any free time it meant that he was skipping his duties for the party: they thought that it was natural for him not to have any time for anything else. ¡°Whoa!¡± Roa couldn¡¯t contain his surprise at seeing the trader company¡¯s luxurious entrance for the first time. The entrance, carved in stone, belonged more to a temple or sanctuary: all of the columns that supported it were intricately decorated, in some places even adorned with golden leaves. Works of art were on display everywhere, surrounded by fresh flowers to make them stand out even more. It was clear that the flowers were cared for closely, as there was not a single wilting leaf in sight. ¡°I do not enjoy such lavishness, to be honest; but a ¡°facade¡± like this can help the company too, so I gave up and built it according to my clients¡¯ tastes. More than titles or looks, I care about contents, you see.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± Coralde led Roa towards the back of the hall, to the usual guest meeting room. It was a simple relaxing room built mainly in wood, equipped with equally simple furniture. The only work of art present was a painting depicting a small rural village, there were no flowers either. The large window showed a well-kept garden. Roa didn¡¯t know it, but the garden was an artificial one: the light pouring from above seemed natural, but it was created by a magical item. It would certainly require large amounts of wealth to preserve it. The quiet garden gave a very natural feel, but only nobles or very wealthy merchants could ever build such a space. Only two rooms faced the garden: the guest meeting room Roa was currently in and the room of the company¡¯s president. This showed that the room Roa and Coralde were currently in was reserved for important transactions. The room appeared frugal to Roa¡¯s eyes, but the walls and the floor had been built with wood strictly selected by experienced artisans; the furniture too was composed of first-class items, the painting created freely by the court painter in his youth. Roa was invited to sit down and obliged, as usual. When he first sat down in the chair, years before, he thought ¡°as expected of a trading company, they have comfortable chairs even in normal rooms like this¡±; excluding the company president¡¯s room however, that chair was the most valuable in the whole building. Roa was pretty ignorant in terms of chairs though, so he would never realize it. ¡°Then, could you show me the potions?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Roa opened a small bag and placed small glass bottles on the table. ¡°I have 12 low-level healing magic potions and 3 medium-level healing magic potions.¡± Roa never said it officially, but his sub job was an alchemist. It was a job where talent was everything, one of the few that did not require studying under a master. If one was capable of creating magical potions, it was possible to become an alchemist even without a master¡¯s approval. ¡°I couldn¡¯t make high level healing magic potions this time. In exchange, I obtained some interesting materials, so I made this.¡± Roa took out another small bottle. It was larger than the others and contained a light blue liquid. ¡°This magic medicine prevents sudden death.¡± ¡°My!¡± Coralde took the bottle in his hands and scrutinized it. ¡°What effects does it have?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t give a clear answer with my low-level appraisal tools, but it can withstand the sudden death attacks used by the Undead. I am sure that you could find out much more if you researched it¡­¡± ¡°Is that so. Giacomo, make preparations for appraisal.¡± ¡°Yes sir.¡± Coralde¡¯s guard fetched a small box from the back of the room. Coralde took it and took out a tube-shaped item, about the size of a thumb, equipped with lens at both of its ends. It was a magic tool used for appraisal, which compared the target with the Akashic Records and displayed information visually. Depending on the quality of the magic tool, the obtained information varied, but Coralde¡¯s tool was of quite a high level. Coralde looked at the glass bottle through the appraisal tool. ¡°My, my, my. I see. It is indeed true that it can affect sudden death attacks from the Undead. The probability of evasion depends on the level gap between the attacking Undead and the user, however, so it is fairly unstable. Its effects are present for 8 hours after it is drunk, so it must be used before being attacked. Fairly obvious, of course. It can prove useful only in specific situations, but it is interesting indeed.¡± Coralde continued to think, a smile on his lips. ¡­Roa is an interesting fellow, after all. I was right to build a friendly relationship with him, despite his All-Rounder job. Coralde had met Roa by chance, but his instincts told him that the boy smelled like money. If he kept dreaming of being an adventurer and belonging to a party, his talents would probably fail to awaken even if Coralde dragged him out of the party, or even worse, disappear completely. Thus Coralde decided to wait. He kept a friendly relationship with Roa, waiting for the chance that had now finally come. He couldn¡¯t let it go. Coralde looked at Roa straight in the eyes. ¡°Mr. Roa, I have a proposal for you.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Until you can find the next job, how would you like to work for me?¡± Coralde¡¯s hairless head sparkled even more than usual. ? At the same time, in Hero Party Crack of Dawn¡¯s servant beasts¡¯ hut¡­ A gryphon was quite enraged. The reason was that Roa had not come for the scheduled afternoon brushing session. The gryphon was clawing at the ground out of irritation, scattering the straw of its bed everywhere. The other two servant beasts looked at it, a bit exasperated. Both of them were magic wolves, one with blue fur, the other with red fur. At first, the wolves were also looking forward to Roa¡¯s brushing, irritated by how late he was, but because of the gryphon¡¯s overt rage they felt their irritation subside. They both spoke to cover for Roa. The blue and red wolf decided to go to sleep, using each other¡¯s bodies as a pillow, forming a kind of circle. The gryphon howled in a tongue incomprehensible to humans, continuing to rip at its straw bed. At a certain point, its expression turned into a twisted smile. The wolf twins glanced at the gryphon, then closed their eyes. ¡­.¡±grandpa¡± looks like he¡¯s having fun today too¡­ Their thoughts were the same as they drifted off to sleep. The only sounds echoing in the hut were the gryphon¡¯s howls and its claws scratching at the ground. ? About the same time as when the twin magic wolves fell asleep, Roa and Coralde arrived at the adventurers¡¯ guild. Roa decided to accept Coralde¡¯s invitation and was discussing the conditions. The trial period would be for one month. Roa¡¯s work would consist of concocting existing magic potions and developing new ones. The new magical potions could be anything, as long as they did not exist before. He would work in a room in Coralde¡¯s trading company, which he could use as his living quarters too if he wanted. If Roa succeeded in creating a new magic potion, Coralde would buy the recipe and forbid Roa to mention it to anyone else, but he could create it freely. As a reward, other than the price for the magic potion and its recipe, Roa would receive 30 silver coins a month. For Roa, the conditions were nothing short of exceptional. The currency used in the continent were gold, silver, and copper, as well as 10 cents and 1 cent coins; with just 1 silver coin, it was possible to stay in the best inns in the city of Amadan, complete with breakfast and dinner. If one already owned a house and saved a little, they could live without concerns for one full week. Roa would receive 30 of such coins. He had no reason at all to refuse. As a reward to an alchemist, Roa¡¯s sub job, it was actually pretty cheap, but if the reward was higher there was the risk that Roa would worry or refuse it, so Coralde considered well before proposing it. Having Roa work in one of the company¡¯s rooms also served as a tactic to keep him under control. There was just one problem, however: the materials for new magic potions. Until now, Roa had gathered materials from plants or magic beasts in forests and dungeons he visited as an All-Rounder. During work, he gathered parts to provide the party with magic potions; during meals, free time, or at night he collected parts to have some money for himself. The locations he visited there were inhabited by magic beasts that A rank adventurers were dispatched to defeat, which would be far too dangerous for average people to visit. They considered requesting adventurers to collect materials, but then discarded it. Roa always combined parts following his instinct, so he couldn¡¯t tell what materials were necessary, which made it impossible to request a gathering expedition. After a lengthy discussion, they decided that Roa himself would go looking for materials, with a group of adventurers as an escort. Roa and Coralde then went to the adventurers¡¯ guild: Coralde to request an escort for Roa, the latter also to report his exclusion from the party. The famed merchant Coralde and the All-Rounder Roa were a bizarre combination, so they gathered the attention of the adventurers present. ¡°Sir Coralde, did that boy disrespect you in any way?¡± Before they could reach the reception, a male guild staff member noticed Coralde¡¯s unmistakable shiny dome and hurried to him. Both Roa and Coralde laughed wryly at this reaction. ¡°Not at all. I came to make a request today.¡± ¡°¡­.yes¡­?¡± Coralde¡¯s smile left the guild staff unable to respond. Why in the world was the merchant Coralde in the company of an All-Rounder? The guild staff was still confused, but concluded that they just happened to enter together and were actually unrelated. ¡°Should I go to that counter to make a request, then?¡± ¡°Ah, yes! My apologies! We will prepare a room for you right away, sir Coralde! Please wait a moment!¡± The guild member rushed to the back of the hall, returning very quickly. ¡°This way, please.¡± ¡°Hm, thank you.¡± Coralde followed the guild staff, with his escort and Roa in tow. ¡°Why are you following us!? Go away!!¡± The guild staff noticed that Roa was following, stopped, and then shouted at him. He would have never imagined that at an All-Rounder could be related to Coralde¡¯s request, so he thought that Roa was coming with them uninvited. The adventurers started whispering because of the angry shout that echoed throughout the hall. They were acting normally, but were actually very interested about the request that the famous merchant had come in person to make. Especially because they hoped to be the ones to undertake it: if they succeeded in having the rich trader notice them, he might start supporting them financially. Among the whisperers, some glared at Roa, wondering what in the world he was doing. It was normal for them to misunderstand: All-Rounders were just novices, apprentices, never treated as normal people¡­ Roa was starting to find the situation difficult to bear. ¡°Haha, Mr. Roa here is an important part of my request, you know? Why did you decide to send him away on your own? You are not trying to get in the way of my trade, are you?¡± ¡°Heh!?¡± Coralde was still smiling, but the tone of his voice was ice cold. A chill ran across the whole hall, which turned completely quiet. Even the greenest adventurer understood what it meant to get in the way of a famous merchant¡¯s trade. Coralde was not just any famous merchant either: he was a man that ¡°even gods and devils fear¡±, as they say, who had built an immense fortune in one generation. Guild members and adventurers were but mere ants before him, so it would be easy for him to crush them. Why would an All-Rounder be an important part of his request though? There had to be a very particular reason behind it. The heads of the adventurers were riddled with questions, but no one dared to speak. ¡°T-then, do you wish to request the Crack of Dawn party?¡± ¡°What does that party have to do with my request? Mr. Roa has been kicked out from that party, as it seems. He has nothing to do with them anymore. Am I right, Mr. Roa?¡± ¡°Y-yes!¡± Roa hesitated a bit, as he suddenly was in the center of everyone¡¯s complete attention, but managed to reply. ¡°Would you mind taking us to the room, then? Or are you more inclined to waste our time?¡± ¡°Right away! C-certainly not. My sincerest apologies. P¡­please, this way!¡± The guild member, a few shades paler and sweatier than before, somehow recovered from the shock and resumed accompanying the small group. The guild hall was still eerily quiet, but as soon as Coralde and the others entered the soundproofed room, a whole new ruckus started. The main topic of discussion was the connection between Roa, an All-Rounder for seven years, bottom of the barrel and then some, with Coralde, the shrewdest merchant of the area, but not one person managed to guess the right answer. Only Coralde knew that it was the first step towards a great change which would soon affect the city itself. Volume 1 - CH 1.2 That night, Roa stayed at the trading company in a room that Coralde assigned him. After having a meal in the company¡¯s staff cafeteria, he had been led to this room. The room, prepared exclusively for Roa, was to be used to concoct magic potions. It was far larger than the medicine room in Crack of Dawn¡¯s mansion, equipped with large racks where Roa could fit items freely. The racks already included materials for basic magic medicine, so it was possible to start creating regular magic potions immediately. The table was also very wide, making it easy to work on it. All the concoction and alchemy tools lined on the table were brand new, without a single hair or stain. There was even a magic tool that could be used to record the work performed in the room. It was black, palm-sized, and hemispherical in shape, and it allowed one to record and even re-watch all work performed in the room, without the need to take notes. In a small room connected to this one, there was a bed and a table. Roa was told that it could be used to take a rest during work, but it was much better furnished than the storeroom that Roa had used as living quarters in the party¡¯s mansion. Coralde had told Roa that he could freely use it as lodging if he didn¡¯t have anywhere else to go, so he decided to live there as long as he worked for Coralde. ¡°Okay then, I should start by making the necessary magic potions for the material gathering expedition.¡± Roa whispered to himself as he started working. He decided he would do everything he could to repay his debt of gratitude to Coralde. After the commotion in the hall, the adventurers¡¯ guild did not accept the request too smoothly, but it ultimately went through somehow. The guild staff that had guided them in the beginning panicked because of his repeated failings, so he couldn¡¯t properly handle the matter anymore, and the guildmaster had to take over. The guildmaster did not say anything about the presence of All-Rounder Roa but, when he heard the contents of the request, he mentioned it would be difficult to accept. When Coralde mentioned his conditions, the guildmaster said that even if they accepted the request, he didn¡¯t know if there was any party that would agree to undertake it. The conditions were that ¡°the request was for A rank adventurers only¡±, ¡°All materials from magic beasts, plants, minerals etc found during the expedition would be bought by Coralde¡¯s company,¡± and that the ¡°All-Rounder Roa was not to be looked down upon.¡± The first 2 conditions were often placed for escort missions of chemists or alchemists in dangerous areas, escort missions for researchers¡¯ expeditions, and other similar types. The last one, however, was the real obstacle. The world of adventurers was a meritocracy. In the case of escort missions for chemists or alchemists, and especially researchers, these professions were far from the adventurers¡¯ specialties, so even if they looked down on them, they would never openly despise them or treat them badly. The adventurers knew that the people they escorted had a different set of skills than them, which reined their feelings of discrimination. If the person to be escorted was someone like Roa, who used to be an adventurer like them and stagnated seven years in the rock-bottom All-Rounder job, things would be completely different. Since he was active in the same sphere as theirs, they knew he was far inferior to them. Even if they knew that he was related to the requesting party and was to be protected, they would look down on him subconsciously and might abandon him in an emergency. Many adventurers were rowdy types: it could even be said that without the possibility to work as adventurers, they would likely end up being criminals. It was difficult to demand them to not look down on someone they perceived as inferior to them. This was especially true for adventurers who had reached A rank. The guildmaster asked Coralde to give up on the request if no party rose to undertake it and demanded a higher reward than regular escort missions. Coralde agreed to pay and the request was finally accepted. ? When Roa started working on his magic potions, Coralde was working on some documents in his office. He was not one to let paperwork pile up, but because of the encounter with Roa his plans for the day had changed completely, so he had papers to take care of before the next day. If I didn¡¯t have to work on this stuff, I could go eat dinner with Roa¡­ So sighed Coralde, but the speed of his pen did not relent. He was a few sheets away from finishing the mountain of paperwork, when a knock was heard at the door. ¡°Come in.¡± ¡°Pardon me. Master, is it not time for you to take a small break? I have taken the liberty of preparing you some tea.¡± A middle-aged maid in a uniform with subdued colors entered the room. ¡°I only have a few more papers to check and sign, so I¡¯ll have it when I¡¯m done.¡± ¡°Understood. I will make preparations, then.¡± The maid brought a cart with a tea set in the room and started making tea. Only the sound of Coralde¡¯s pen on the paper could be heard: the maid placed the teacup on the table with barely a sound, a clear sign of her expertise in that profession. ¡°¡­.how is Roa doing?¡± Coralde asked, his eyes still fixed on the documents. ¡°He started working on magic potions as soon as he entered the room.¡± ¡°Hmm. My long-standing question might finally be answered tomorrow, then¡­¡± ¡°Your question, master?¡± The maid¡¯s expression slightly mellowed while she continued preparing the tea. She knew that her master was in a good mood when he made meaningful statements like that, as well as that he was eager to tell someone about it. She was always the listener in such cases, as she had served for the longest time of anyone else in the company and her lips were tightly sealed. ¡°The secret of Mr. Roa¡¯s magic potions. The ones he creates are all at least 20% more effective than the ones sold in the market.¡± ¡°20%, you say?¡± ¡°10% for low-level healing magic potions, 20% for medium-level potions, even 25% for high-level ones. 20% on average.¡± ¡°¡­.that¡¯s, quite amazing¡­¡± Magic potions were only effective when they were created with a fixed ratio of materials and a fixed method. Even if a very effective medicinal herb was used in great quantity, the effect of the resulting potion would not change. Because of this, it was common for all magic potions to have similar effects. ¡°In the beginning, I thought he used a different method. Well, to be fair, his recipes are a little different. When a chef cooks a stew, they are careful to take out any impurities, right? Or when they remove impurities from herbs with straw ashes. Washing the herbs well before cooking, removing the hardest stalks¡­he adapts these methods when creating magic potions, taking out any unneeded elements.¡± ¡°Cooking methods? It is true that we do things like that, but¡­does it change things so much?¡± ¡°It does indeed. Our magic potions are said to be more effective than normal ones, aren¡¯t they? That¡¯s because we imitated Roa¡¯s style. I was skeptical too when he first told me how he created them. He said he didn¡¯t do anything special and told me that while we were chatting, so I think he has no idea about the effects. When I tried it, however, the effects of the potions were increased, without a doubt.¡± Coralde then stood up. He was finally done with his paperwork. Moving away from the table, he sat down on the sofa. As soon as he did, the maid poured his tea, with perfect timing. ¡°I made herb tea for you today. Citrus tea, to be precise.¡± A faint fruity scent emanated from the teacup. Coralde looked at it and smiled. ¡°This too was made with a recipe Roa created.¡± ¡°¡­.really¡­.?¡± Looking at the surprised maid, a satisfied look appeared on Coralde¡¯s face. ¡±The citrus grass we grew as insect repellent got a bit out of hand, you see. It was a waste to throw them away, so he tried making tea out of it, could you imagine that? He sure has bizarre ideas at times. He asked me to not spread the word, but our company has already benefited from Roa¡¯s ideas in more ways than one actually.¡± Coralde took a sip and the tea¡¯s faint sourness and pleasant scent spread in his mouth. ¡°Anyway, back on topic. We started making magic potions using Roa¡¯s method, but our alchemists could only create potions with 10% more effectiveness at most. Even if they imitated Roa¡¯s methods and perfected them, nothing has changed.¡± Other merchants would probably be satisfied even by that 10% and stop the research, seeing as R&D required a surprising amount of funds. Though, Coralde was different. ¡°So I started thinking that Roa had to have some other secret other than the method he told me about. I asked him to tell me about it, after proper compensation, but he maintained that he didn¡¯t have any such secret. I tried offering more and more money, but I just ended up putting him on the spot.¡± ¡°Is that so¡­¡± ¡°It really looked like he wasn¡¯t hiding anything. My instinct as a merchant told me so at least. I think that even he isn¡¯t aware of his secret¡­isn¡¯t it the same for you too?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± The maid was confused because of the sudden question. ¡°Even if a group of people does the same kind of work, with the same methods, some are nimbler, quicker than others, right? Even with the same ingredients, used in the same quantities, some cooks make more delicious dishes, right? Even if you ask them how they do it, many can¡¯t explain it.¡± ¡°That is true. I find it difficult to teach my line of work sometimes too.¡± The maid focused on her role as a listener. She hadn¡¯t seen her master in such a good mood for a long time. ¡°I kept waiting¡­normally, I would have used money or other methods to bring him to my side. But he wouldn¡¯t fall to such methods.¡± Coralde was supposed to be talking about how tough it was to wait so long, but he looked simply amused. ¡°I thought that he was the type that would disappear from my sight if I used forceful methods¡­even if I did, he was still yearning to become an adventurer¡­or rather, fixated on it. As long as that didn¡¯t disappear from within him, his talent could be crushed I thought. And today, the chance I waited for for so many years has finally arrived¡­¡± Coralde was looking in the distance as if he was staring at something very dear. ¡°All the work performed in that room will be recorded by a magic tool. ¡­I asked Roa for permission first, of course. Even then, he was happy, since he didn¡¯t have to take notes of the most complex tasks. The tools he will use are the same ones we use: if we compare the potions he will create with ours, we should be able to finally uncover his secrets.¡± Coralde¡¯s hand holding the teacup trembled slightly. The opportunity he had been waiting for many long years had finally arrived: he couldn¡¯t help being emotional. ¡°¡­Roa is a talented young man. He also lacks many important talents though.¡± Coralde noticed his hand was shaking and held the teacup with both hands, as if to confirm the warmth of the herb tea. ¡°He lacks the ability to gauge his own talent, the ability to know its limits, the ability to know when to quit. But that might be exactly why he could grow his talent so much¡­¡± The pleasant scent of the herb tea swirled around Coralde¡¯s cheeks. Volume 1 - CH 1.3 In Crack of Dawn¡¯s servant beast hut, the gryphon whimpered. With outstretched wings, the gryphon sprawled out lifelessly on the ground amidst its mess of a straw bed. The twin wolves were restlessly pacing in circles in their space. The gryphon had been angry until the evening, but as Roa had not come even after sunset, it had started to become worried. No one had brought the servant beasts their dinner. Until now, Roa had prepared them two meals a day, but none of the Crack of Dawn members had ever noticed. The care of the servant beasts had been left completely to him: not even their tamer Eric had cared for them, so they would never notice. Servant beasts, and any magic monster, could be without food for several weeks. In fact, wild magic beasts sometimes lived without feeding for weeks at a time when prey was scarce. Because of this, the three servant beasts were not concerned about their meals, but about the fact that Roa had not shown up. The twin wolves smelled the air, worried. The gryphon hurriedly looked away from the twins. If it was human, its face would be bright red by now, but its feathered visage did not show any changes. That day, the three beasts quietly went to sleep. ? The following morning, the gryphon¡¯s mouth was wide open, in shock. Its eyes were fixed on the plate in front. On the plate, there was a heap of brown pellets. It was the adventurers¡¯ guild-made standard dried feed for servant beasts¡­commonly called ¡°Crispies¡±. The gryphon scoffed at those ¡°things¡± on its plate, which looked positively nasty. After studying them for a while, it decided to try a bite. A roar, incomprehensible to human ears, boomed in the hut. The twin magic wolves tried a nibble too, but then pushed the plate back into the corridor with their noses. The ¡°Crispies¡± had been prepared by Eric, the party¡¯s tamer. In the morning he had realized that the servant beasts hadn¡¯t been given any food, so he scavenged in the servant beasts¡¯ feed storeroom and brought them what he found. The crispies he found, however, were a prototype that the guild had given to them for free: Roa had checked their smell and taste and decided that the servant beasts¡¯ wouldn¡¯t like it, so he had left it inside the storeroom. Since the feed had been left out after being opened, the originally bad taste had deteriorated even further. Roa had made emergency rations, in case he fell ill or had to leave for an extended period of time, but Eric, who had never cared for the servant beasts, had no idea. The gryphon had slept on the ground because he had clawed at the straw the day before, but seemed to have conveniently forgotten as it voiced its indignation, provoking unsympathetic looks from the twin wolves. A barrier had been erected around the servant beasts¡¯ hut, which weakened their powers. It was a standard option for servant beast huts, which eliminated the need for collars while inside the hut. The hut also contained any noise or smell. The twin wolves agreed with the gryphon¡¯s proposal too. The twin wolves grumbled at the hopeless situation and lied down again, giving the inedible crispies a glance. ? The same morning of the servant beasts¡¯ struggle, the Crack of Dawn members visited the guild, looking for requests to undertake. All of them were eagerly looking at the request bulletin board. The leader, Stefan the swordsman, the warrior and tank Olun, Bonne the cleric, Serge the thief, and Eric the tamer. After eating the breakfast Olun¡¯s wife prepared, they had set out for the guild. The newly designed Hero Party had attracted everyone¡¯s attention and envious gazes as soon as they stepped inside the guild. ¡­.or so they thought. The reason they attracted attention was Coralde and Roa¡¯s visit the day before. The adventurers and guild staff wanted to ask them about the connection between Coralde and Roa, instead they just looked at them from a distance. It had already become widely known that Roa had been kicked out from Crack of Dawn. Normally, people would think that he had been kicked out for being too useless, but the events of the previous day conflicted with this theory. If the reason why Roa had been kicked out tied in with his connection to Coralde, asking imprudent questions might irritate the party. Crack of Dawn¡¯s members often insulted and hit Roa, so they were known for their severe lack of patience. They were also a rather powerful group, as their newly acquired title showed. No one was brave enough to ask potentially dangerous questions to such an easily irritable and violent bunch. Crack of Dawn¡¯s members, on the other hand, were quite content with being the target of such ¡°gazes filled with envy and admiration.¡± ¡°What about this request?¡± Olun pointed at a request for the extermination of Silver Golems. Apparently, two Silver Golems had been spotted in Norfar valley, about one day¡¯s travel via carriage to the west of Amadan. Golems were creatures created through alchemy in the distant past. Having lost their creator, they had turned wild and proliferated, or so people believed. The creatures magicians could create with earth magic were also called golems, but they could not move or act unless ordered to, making them clearly different things. Golems created through alchemy were closer to magic beasts: they could grow and proliferate by absorbing magic and minerals. Depending on the minerals they absorbed, their bodies¡¯ structure changed: Silver Golems, as their name suggested, were made of silver. Their presence signaled the fact that a silver mine had to be in the area. The request for their extermination was motivated by this, aiming to further expansion and growth for the city. The request came from none other than the lord of the Amadan county. ¡°The reward¡¯s kind of lame, but if we give a contribution to the city we¡¯ll become even more famous.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a very good idea. Contributing to society and the people is important too.¡± The female servant of the gods was weak against keywords such as ¡°being useful to others¡± and ¡°charity work¡±. ¡°Right! We¡¯re the Hero Party after all!¡± The leader Stefan agreed and ripped the request from the board. The other adventurers kept looking at them, eager to ask questions, but unable to actually do it. Volume 1 - CH 1.4 When Coralde entered the staff cafeteria for a late breakfast, he found his employees engaged in conversation. The cafeteria had been built to provide lunch for the trading company¡¯s employees. In this country, people would usually go out to eat lunch, but Coralde¡¯s trading company was so large that it would take a considerable amount of time, so he decided to go ahead and build a cafeteria inside the company. The food served was usually stew, which could be prepared in large quantities at the same time, paired with soup and bread. The ingredients were also used in the company¡¯s transactions, so the meal was served at the very low price of two 10 cent coins, to the employees¡¯ joy. The average meal cost about five 10 cents coins. In the beginning the cafeteria only served lunch, but then started to serve the leftovers as dinner for unmarried employees who lived in the company dormitory and those who stayed at work until late at night. Dinner eventually became an official service, and, at present, all three meals were served in the cafeteria. In the company, being overworked was jokingly referred to as ¡°Eating all three meals in the cafeteria¡±, but no one actually disliked the cafeteria: it was a joke born from affection. As proof, the cafeteria was almost full every morning for breakfast. Intrigued, Coralde approached a group of chatting employees huddling together. Other employees noticed him and greeted him with a small bow, but the huddled employees were too focused on their conversation to notice his arrival. ¡°¡­.do you mean that the smell comes from a kind of alcohol?¡± ¡°It could be. I can¡¯t say anything without testing it first, though.¡± Coralde heard the voice and understood that the person he was looking for was in that group. He peeked inside the huddle and, as expected, found Roa. He heard someone whisper ¡°he looks like a turtle¡­¡±, but pretended not to hear. Coralde¡¯s turtle-like stretching shiny baldness was then noticed by Roa. ¡°Good morning, Mr. Coralde!¡± The other employees then noticed their boss too and hurriedly greeted him. Coralde often had his meals brought to his office, so he seldom appeared in the cafeteria. The employees moved away to make room for him, curious about this rare occurrence. ¡°Did something happen, Roa?¡± Coralde was concerned about the bustling atmosphere, worried that a commotion broke out between the newcomer Roa and the employees, but was relieved to see that everyone had enthusiastic expressions on their faces. He had finally managed to have Roa in his company: he would hate to have to let him go because of a squabble. ¡°That¡¯s¡­oh, so he¡¯s the person master Coralde personally hired, now I understand.¡± The man that was talking with Roa nodded in understanding, then started explaining about the situation. It all started from a conversation he was having with some colleagues over breakfast. The man was an aromatic oil craftsman, hired by the company. Aromatic oils were made by extracting the essence from strongly aromatic plants, fruits, flowers etc, then immersing it into oils to pass on the scent. Rich people would use them on their hair or skin or for beauty purposes, but there were also other uses. Adventurers used them to repel insects when entering magic beast forests and they were also used in church rituals: aromatic oils were very expensive but also the target of varied demand. The craftsman used heavy stones to press the materials and extract their essence, then dipping them in oil to let the scent penetrate. He found the whole process long and extenuating, however, so he was thinking of creating a different method. He had thus reached the idea of simply boiling the materials in a pot of water, so he tried it with a basketful of flowers. The flowers started giving out a nice scent while being boiled, so the man excitedly thought he had succeeded, but all he could create was colored water with a pleasant scent and a bunch of discolored flowers¡­ He was talking with his colleagues, hoping to get a laugh out of the whole thing, when Roa, who was sitting next to them, nodded to himself. ¡°¡­..that might work out through distillation¡­¡± ¡°¡­..eh?¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry. I happened to overhear what you said, I didn¡¯t mean to bother you.¡± ¡°No, not that, what do you mean that it might work out?¡± ¡°Well, ehm¡­have you ever heard the ¡°Tale of the Nasty Drunkard?¡±¡± ¡°The Tale of the Nasty Drunkard?¡± Roa then started narrating the story. In a certain village a very strong drinker. He could drink copious amounts of alcohol and was very slow to get drunk. Thinking of a way to get drunk more quickly, he thought that boiling liquor in a pot could make the water evaporate and make the drink stronger, so he tried it. The boiling liquor gave a very nice smell, so he kept boiling it, humming a happy tune. When the pot¡¯s contents decreased to about half, he tasted them, expecting to find very strong liquor, but the liquid inside had terrible taste: the liquor had evaporated. The story didn¡¯t end there, though. The man was disappointed because of the bad taste, but happened to notice that a wall next to the pot was cracked and leaked. He picked up a few drops with a finger and smelled it, finding the scent of alcohol. He licked his finger and noticed that it was a very strong liquor like he had never drunk before. The man started furiously licking the wall, which before he realized it turned sparkly clean. ¡°This story is about how the process of ¡°distillation¡±, used to create strong alcohol, was discovered. Distillation means making alcohol evaporates first, then cooling down the vapors formed to make strong liquor. In the story, the evaporated alcohol cooled down on the stone wall and formed a strong liquor, right? Don¡¯t you think that it¡¯s pretty similar to your story?¡± ¡°Oooohhh!!!¡± The man realized what Roa meant and reacted loudly, so people gathered around the aromatic oil craftsman and started discussing the matter together. That was the reason why Coralde found so many people huddled around Roa when he entered the cafeteria. ¡°Oh¡­my, oh my! I see!!¡± If it was possible to gather strong aroma essence through distillation, a fantastic product could be created! Coralde¡¯s trader spirit was about to make him go into a frenzy, but he kept himself in check, as he couldn¡¯t show such a side of himself to his employees, and somehow succeeded in keeping his cool. Coralde, incidentally, knew the ¡°Tale of the Nasty Drunkard¡±: it was a classic story used to explain how people discovered distillation. When he first heard of it, he thought it was a well-made story. He wasn¡¯t sure that he could have ever connected it to the craftsman¡¯s story of boiling flowers. He thought of distillation as a method to create liquor, and nothing more. ¡°¡­would you like to experiment with distillation?¡± Coralde asked the aromatic oil craftsman, who had explained the situation. ¡°Yes! Of course! But¡­¡± ¡°Oh, there¡¯s no need to worry. I¡¯ll make sure you are free of your current tasks. Can you prepare a document with the details of the experiment and the materials needed? I¡¯ll make sure you have the budget too.¡± ¡°Yes sir!¡± The man¡¯s smile was as bright as the sun. He probably understood that a chance of success had just fallen onto his lap. ¡°Thank you very much!¡± The man bowed to Roa, so deeply that his head was about to touch the ground. Roa was utterly confused, it could be said it was the first time he was ever thanked like that, so he simply watched, his mouth wide open. ¡°Hehe¡­Roa, this is all thanks to you, you know?¡± ¡°What¡­? But we were just talking¡­¡± Roa still couldn¡¯t understand why he was being thanked. ¡°Just talking, again, hmm¡­ it was a very valuable chat, though. Roa, you are still influenced by the adventurer¡¯s way of thinking, because of all the time you spent in that party. An adventurer would probably think nothing of what we just talked about, I suppose. Maybe they would even berate you for talking about something unrelated to their work. It is different for us, though.¡± ¡°Is that so¡­¡± ¡°You might not understand now, but you will one day. Oh yes, when his experiment succeeds and a recipe is created, I¡¯ll make sure you are rewarded properly as the inventor.¡± ¡°Eh?! Just because I talked about it!?¡± Roa was very surprised by the sudden mention of a reward, but Coralde just showed a kind smile in response. ¡°Your conversations¡­or I should say, way of thinking, is worth paying for, that¡¯s what I mean. You are not in the adventurer¡¯s world anymore, where strength means everything¡­¡± Coralde¡¯s words were kind; however, Roa¡¯s expression was tinged with loneliness. ? After the cafeteria event concluded, Roa and Coralde went to the latter¡¯s office. ¡°The adventurers¡¯ guild contacted me this morning: it looks like they found an escort party for the request.¡± That was the reason why Coralde unusually visited the company cafeteria. Upon hearing those words, Roa¡¯s expression stiffened a bit. He agreed to make a request to go gather materials with an escort, but he still felt uneasy about how things would go with the adventurers acting as escort. An All-Rounder like him to be escorted by rank A adventurers was comparable to nobles escorting a small-town merchant. Coralde noticed his somber expression and laughed wryly, as Roa reacted exactly as he expected. ¡°Actually, since you are preoccupied about being an All-Rounder, I had this prepared for you.¡± Coralde then took out a palm-sized piece of metal, equipped with a clasp. It was square-shaped and shone like silver, with characters engraved on its surface. ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°This is proof of belonging to the creator¡¯s guild. And it¡¯s yours.¡± ¡°Eh? ¡­I mean, why? Eh!?¡± Roa couldn¡¯t understand what Coralde meant and was completely confused. The reason was simple: something like that was not supposed to happen. ¡°I wanted to surprise you, my boy. I apologize for acting without your permission, but I acquired your information from the adventurers¡¯ guild. You were surprised? Yes?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± Roa was too shocked for words: all he managed to mutter were ¡°eh?¡± or ¡°wha?¡±, failing to form proper words. Coralde, on the other hand, looked as giddy as a kid who safely performed a prank. There was a reason why Roa was so surprised. The Creators¡¯ guild badge was not something easy to obtain, unlike the adventurers¡¯ guild, which only required registration at the counter. The Creators¡¯ guild was an organization of craftsmen who could create items with consistent quality. To have its badge¡­in other words, to be a registered member of the Creators¡¯ guild meant to be recognized as a full-fledged creator and to possess the related amount of skill. Because of that, it was necessary to receive a recommendation from two other people: one to guarantee the aspiring member¡¯s skills and one to guarantee the quality of their creations. In this world, the master-disciple system was very common. The person who guaranteed the aspiring member¡¯s skills was in most cases their master. The person who guaranteed the quality of the creations was limited to merchants belonging to rank B or above of the Merchants¡¯ guild, who was also known for their appraisal skills. Creators who wanted to join the guild first became disciples of artisans who already belonged to the guild, then sought connections with merchants who could guarantee the quality of their creations, while working under their master. ¡°The recommendations were provided by me and an alchemist that works for this company.¡± Roa was staring at the Creators¡¯ guild badge, but he was so flabbergasted that he couldn¡¯t actually see anything. The front of the cubic badge showed an engraving of the ¡°hammer & pincers¡±, the Creators¡¯ guild symbol; the other sides showed Roa¡¯s name, the name of the alchemist who vouched for him and Coralde¡¯s name. It was very rare for the owner of a large trading company to vouch for anyone: having such a strong backup would grant a series of advantages, but Roa was currently not in a condition to think about such things. ¡°The creator¡¯s style says to attach the badge to your belt: I heard that many attach it on the back, so it doesn¡¯t get in the way when you work.¡± Each guild¡¯s badge had a different shape. The Adventurers¡¯ guild badge was a plate, which was often tied to a string or chain and carried as a necklace, so it wouldn¡¯t be lost during fighting: most adventurers kept it tucked under their shirts. The Merchants¡¯ guild badge was card-shaped and was mainly kept in the owner¡¯s breast pocket. It was said to symbolize protection against being stabbed in the heart¡­or so merchants said, ironically referring to the fact that their job often garnered resentment from others. Roa was still completely frozen in place, unable to pick up any of the words coming out of Coralde¡¯s grinning lips. ¡°Anyways, from now on you are a creator Roa! Let us go meet the adventurers who will escort you!¡± Utterly satisfied by his successful surprise, Coralde flashed a glint from his hairless dome. ¡­the ¡°prank¡±, however, was not meant to simply surprise Roa. It was undeniable that Coralde enjoyed pulling this little trick on the boy, but his true objective was to exploit the confusion to have him accept the Creators¡¯ guild badge. Even if Coralde said ¡°let¡¯s go register you to the Creators¡¯ guild¡±, Roa would have surely strongly refused. Alchemists were an extremely rare breed, so having the skill to create magic potions was enough to become one, with no need to study under a master, but nevertheless Roa did not consider himself an alchemist. Roa¡¯s skills as creator and the quality of his creations, however, were real and proven. His abilities exceeded the alchemists hired by Coralde¡¯s company and his creations had equally high quality. Even if Coralde tried to convince him with these arguments, however, Roa would feel guilty to those who had alchemy as their main profession. The reason was that for someone without a master like Roa to join the Creators¡¯ guild, unorthodox methods would be necessary. Furthermore, something else the current Roa would have no way to know was that the Creators¡¯ guild, unlike the Adventurers¡¯, required a considerable fee to register. Coralde easily imagined that had he mentioned that fact too, Roa would feel even more intimidated and would have fled the opportunity even more. Coralde¡¯s plan was to complete the registration in secret, surprise Roa so much that he couldn¡¯t be able to process what happened and make him take the badge in the meanwhile. Roa was always putting himself down, saying that he was just an All-Rounder. Coralde acted on the plan also to make him have some confidence, by forceful means if necessary. He also thought to use the fact that Roa would possess badges from two guilds, the Adventurers¡¯ guild and Creators¡¯ guild, as an unusual merit that would attract attention. ¡­it could be interesting to spread a nickname like ¡°Roa the Double¡±. But that would mean that his membership in the Adventurers¡¯ guild would stay, which is difficult, hmm¡­ Coralde continued his machinations in his head, still smiling, completely unnoticed by the panicking Roa. Volume 1 - CH 1.5 A certain room in Amadan¡¯s Adventurers¡¯ guild, on the second floor, the room receiving the most sunlight, the guildmaster¡¯s office. Guildmaster Steed caressed his beard while deep in thought. He sat behind his desk with his chair pulled back and legs crossed upon the table. He was, naturally, a high ranked adventurer. Despite the white streaks in his hair, signifying that his rather advanced age, he was still in his physical prime retaining an imposing aura. There was a knock on the door. ¡°Come in.¡± ¡°Excuse me.¡± The door opened and a woman with a very calm atmosphere entered. It was Viviana, head of the guild¡¯s reception. She also oversaw the guild¡¯s offices, essentially making her the office¡¯s head manager as well. ¡°Sorry to make you come here in the morning, I know it¡¯s quite busy at this time..¡± ¡°That¡¯s alright.¡± The guildmaster uncrossed his legs and turned towards Viviana. His stern expression made it seem like he was glaring at her. Viviana did not seem to mind as she quietly returned the man¡¯s gaze. ¡°Actually, after I went back yesterday, that scoundrel Coralde came to ask for ¡®a little something.¡¯ So I wanted to hear your opinion.¡± The Adventurers¡¯ guild operated at night too, in order to respond to emergencies related to magic beast attacks. There were only a few staff members active at night, but even so they could operate as they did during the day. ¡°A little something, sir?¡± ¡°Yeah, he came to ask for all the information we have on the All-Rounder kid. His assistant came in running, wheezing and all.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know who was in charge, but we did ask to provide some sort of identification, I hope?¡± In this world, personal information was handled rather loosely. Even so, in guilds and such organizations, information was never disclosed without a clear reason for the request. ¡°Of course. If we didn¡¯t, a certain manager would have our heads on a platter¡­ah, this hasn¡¯t been reported to you because I told the staff to keep quiet, okay? Don¡¯t go scolding them now, rather you should praise them. They came to see me first thing in the morning to report it, since they thought it was unusual.¡± ¡°Could you please get to the main point?¡± ¡°Sorry, sorry¡­¡± Under Viviana¡¯s chilling glare, Steed¡¯s shoulders dropped and he laughed dryly. If I said something like ¡°those stinging eyes! I want more!¡± my wish would surely be fulfilled¡­is what Steed thought as he continued. ¡°Now, to the main point. The messenger said that the kid¡¯s information was needed for ¡®his registration at the Creators¡¯ guild¡¯. What do you think?¡± Viviana¡¯s brow furrowed. Her collected atmosphere gained a more forceful feeling. ¡°That¡¯s quite unthinkable¡­is what I would like to say, but we¡¯re talking about that Coralde. I can only think that he has specific goals and methods to do that.¡± Viviana spoke as she continued thinking, while looking nowhere in particular. ¡°I am not too knowledgeable about the subject either, but I believe that one does not need a master to be recommended to the Creators¡¯ guild. Coralde is currently pushing to hire creators directly, so he probably studied the Creators¡¯ guild¡¯s regulations in detail. I don¡¯t believe that he would attempt a fraudulent registration.¡± ¡°Hiring creators directly, huh¡­what purpose would that serve? Merchants just need to buy what creators make, don¡¯t they? Those creator fellows destroy the stuff they make when they don¡¯t like it, or use up materials for the sake of ¡°experimenting¡± or whatever¡­if you hire them directly, they¡¯ll waste your money like that, won¡¯t they? It all looks like a waste to me.¡± Guildmaster Steed was, crudely speaking, a ¡°muscle brain.¡± He wasn¡¯t exactly apt at figuring out the hidden motives in this kind of situation. ¡°On top of that, they say that he even hires half-assed novices thrown out by their masters. I just don¡¯t get what that bald tightwad is thinking.¡± The guildmaster gave up thinking and raised his arms in surrender, then threw himself back on the chair. Viviana, a finger on her chin, was thinking. It was a small gesture, but it had a kind of sensuality to it. ¡°There are certain rumors about that All-Rounder which might tie into this¡­ Would you like me to continue?¡± ¡°Go ahead. That¡¯s the reason why I called you here.¡± The reception department was the guild¡¯s information center. Naturally, they handled the flow of information within the guild. Furthermore, as they often interacted with adventurers, they had the chance to gather all sorts of information. The guild placed its members in restaurants and bars, not only to keep an eye on the often rowdy adventurers, but also to take note of the conversations heard in such locations, which was a task carried out by the reception department. ¡°The magic potions used by the Hero Party Crack of Dawn were made by him, or so the rumors go. The party members kept it hidden, so no adventurer knows for sure, but there are a few reports confirming this.¡± After this preamble, Viviana continued. Based on these reports, Viviana concluded that Roa was capable of creating magic potions, a talent that Coralde noticed and made him decide to hire him. ¡°Hm? Hmm? I see now. There¡¯s still stuff missing, but I guess it makes sense. I¡¯d like some more information though.¡± The guildmaster thought for a few moments, then rummaged through the documents on his desk and fished out a sheet of paper. ¡°You¡¯ve heard that Crack of Dawn undertook a request this morning, right? The extermination of the Silver Golems in Norfar valley. They¡¯ve requested a carriage, so make sure the coachman is someone chatty and shrewd.¡± Viviana gave a small nod. ¡°Coralde and the kid are also coming here today, to meet the escort party. Could you join in the meeting and try to suggest they go to the Aldon forest?¡± Viviana, again, placed a finger on her chin, pondering the guildmaster¡¯s orders. Deciding that he couldn¡¯t have been thinking too deeply, she settled on the easiest, crudest possibility. ¡°The Aldon forest is next to Norfar valley. You wish for me make it so the Hero Party meets with the All-Rounder boy, is that it?¡± ¡°Exactly. If Coralde requests one of our carriages too, tell the coachmen to ¡®accidentally¡¯ bump into each other. Make sure Crack of Dawn knows nothing about it, nor the party that took Coralde¡¯s request.¡± The crude possibility Viviana thought of turned out to be the truth. ¡°We need information. The fastest way to do it is to have them talk. It would be ideal if we could make them talk in the guild, but Coralde is going to be together with the kid to keep an eye on things. We¡¯re going to try it during the mission, when the bald eagle isn¡¯t around.¡± It was a crude plan, through and through. Viviana had no reason to object however. ¡°Understood¡­but, is it worth it to do so much, just for this?¡± Certainly, it was intriguing. But even if an All-Rounder, thought to be useless for the guild -who, in fact, had been of little to no use for the guild until then- was snatched up by Coralde and made into a member of the Creators¡¯ guild, the Adventurers¡¯ guild had nothing to lose. Viviana hadn¡¯t even know of the boy¡¯s existence until then. Was it really necessary to spend time and resources investigating him? ¡°I just don¡¯t like it all, dammit. It feels like the bald tightwad is playing us like a fiddle¡­but more than that, I feel that if we let this go unchecked, something serious is going to happen to Amadan¡¯s Adventurers¡¯ guild¡­yeah.¡± Unlike the guildmaster¡¯s usual boastful persona, his last words were spoken with little confidence. ¡°Anyway, the first ¡®Hero¡¯ in 18 years from our town is involved, right? There¡¯s no harm in being cautious.¡± The guildmaster turned his voice lower, but as he normally spoke rather loudly, his tone was now that of normal conversation. ¡°You know, listening to you made me think¡­the All-Rounder kid is not making any ¡°forbidden drugs¡±, is he? That party¡¯s servant beasts have always looked weird to me¡­they were too strong to just obey people¡¯s orders like that. They have a gryphon with them for heaven¡¯s sake!!¡± The guildmaster ended up shouting, rendering all his efforts to keep his tone down useless. ¡°If you wanted a magic beast like that exterminated, you know how many people you¡¯d need!? I heard that it¡¯s not really strong, so maybe it¡¯s still young, but even so it should be a lot stronger than a human. Besides, that party¡¯s tamer used to be an archer! No matter how lucky he got, there¡¯s no way he could tame a monster like that!¡± Steed was definitely dissatisfied with the situation, as his voice grew even louder. ¡°If the All-Rounder boy made ¡°illegal drugs¡± to control the beasts¡¯ mind, though¡­it could work. The materials are supposed to be found in the magic beasts¡¯ forests, so if you know how to, you can make them. But if that¡¯s the case, our ¡°Hero¡± becomes a huge sham. The whole guild would be in danger!!¡± The guildmaster¡¯s fists slammed on the table. Viviana was used to it, though: she continued looking at him, not moving an eyebrow. ¡°I¡¯ve never been able to really trust those tamers in the first place. They all say different things about magic beasts! Some say that you have to make it clear who¡¯s stronger, others say that you¡¯ve got to trust them, some that they can communicate, that they can hear their voices, that it¡¯s important to give them a name¡­it¡¯s a hot mess.¡± The overexcited guildmaster finished the remaining tea in his cup. Viviana, whose mood was the complete opposite of his, simply observed him. ¡°Why not go ahead and have both parties die in an accident? It might be safer to have them disappear before any scandal comes to light.¡± Her voice was ice cold. ¡°¡­what? There¡¯s no way we can¡­wait, you just tested me now, didn¡¯t you!?¡± The guildmaster noticed Viviana¡¯s observing gaze and shouted at her. ¡°Testing you, sir? I would never dare. I simply proposed to eradicate all the seeds of doubt.¡± Viviana replied plainly, without losing her composure. The guildmaster brushed back his whitening hair with his hands, sighing, to calm himself down. ¡°No need to think that far. First we should check if there really are problems or not.¡± ¡°Yes, understood. I will make sure the coachman is knowledgeable about servant beasts and drugs, so they might be able to make a judgement about that to..¡± ¡°Yeah, you do that.¡± ¡°Is that all, sir? I will go back to work, then.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Steed watched Viviana bow and leave, then mumbled to himself. ¡°That woman¡¯s too damn scary¡­¡± Even so, he seemed somewhat amused, perhaps thanks to his hearty personality. ? In Crack of Dawn¡¯s mansion, the thief Serge and tank/warrior Olun were searching the magic potion racks. The following morning they would leave for the Silver Golem extermination mission, so they would have to buy potions if they didn¡¯t have enough. ¡°Looks like there are enough healing potions. We need insect repellants too, put them in the magic bag.¡± ¡±Got it.¡± Serge checked the labels on the potion bottles and their numbers, as Olun filled the bag hanging from his muscular arms. The magic bag, while expensive, was the most common magic item. It made any item inserted inside smaller and lighter, easy to carry, as well as the opposite. It would not affect human hands nor could it be used on living beings, but could easily store almost anything else. Many thought it was a relic of the fabled space magic, but it actually used a combination of several kinds of magic to create a phenomenon mimicking space magic. In simpler terms, it was a bag that could contain much more than it seemed. Not only did adventurers crave one, but merchants, hunters, fishermen and all other professions did as well. It could be considered the ultimate magic tool. Having a magic bag meant to be relatively successful financially, so it had become a status symbol for all professions. The Creators¡¯ guild held the recipe to make one, which was guarded tightly. Many tried to study magic bags and learn how to recreate them, but no one had succeeded. Some theorized that it was necessary for mages, alchemists, clerics, and other jobs to work together at the same time to craft one. There were several other examples of organizations that managed to create something very popular and keep the recipe for themselves. The most famous example was the Supreme God Church¡¯s Holy Water, the Farmers¡¯ guild¡¯s Prosperity Seeds and Sprouts, and the Merchants¡¯ guild¡¯s Appraisal magic tool. The Adventurers¡¯ guild¡¯s Subjugation Collar and Barrier could also be considered part of this category. The Appraisal magic tool could instantly identify the characteristics and quality of any item, so it was also very useful to creators; the Subjugation Collar was also often used by farmers and transporters, to use magic beasts as labor. It was also popular among other unusual groups of people. ¡°All the healing potions and insect repellant are in the bag.¡± ¡°You put them all inside?¡± ¡°What? Did I take too many? Should I take some out?¡± ¡°¡­well, I guess more is better than less. Thanks to the magic bag, weight isn¡¯t an issue either¡­¡± When Crack of Dawn reached the top 100 adventurers¡¯ ranking, they exchanged a smaller magic bag and all of their funds to buy a new one, as a celebration. The new bag cost about 200 golden coins: an amount that would take 20 years of a miserable lifestyle to save. It was large enough to contain a small house, so there would be no effect in putting in more potions than usual. ¡°What about the antidotes?¡± ¡°There aren¡¯t any poisonous beasts in the valley, so let¡¯s only carry one for each member, just for emergencies. We have Bonne with us anyway.¡± ¡°Gotcha.¡± ¡°There¡¯s only one monster repellent left¡­ We¡¯ll have to stock up.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a ¡°monster repellent ¨C base liquid¡± here though? Can¡¯t we use this?¡± ¡°We just need to thin it a bit and we can use it. Yeah, put that in too.¡± ¡°Roger.¡± Olun continued putting the magic potions in the bag, almost emptying the racks. Average adventurers would be shocked by the quantity, but, since they had saved on creation costs thanks to Roa¡¯s efforts, Crack of Dawn members had probably forgotten the actual value of magic potions. ¡°¡­Bonne was in a really good mood. Almost disturbingly.¡± ¡°¡­we¡¯ve become a Hero Party and her hated All-Rounder is gone. It¡¯s been nothing but good things these past few days. Of course she¡¯s in a good mood.¡± ¡°Guess you¡¯re right.¡± While they talked, the short-statured thief Serge continued rifling through the racks, checking and handing Olun potions, who promptly put them in the magic bag. ¡°Since we¡¯ve become a Hero Party, she¡¯s once again a candidate for Holy Woman too. Because of a conspiracy plotted by her father¡¯s enemies, she was deemed to be ¡°unfit to become a Holy Woman¡± and kicked out of the church with the pretense of ¡®training¡¯, right? So she became an adventurer and had her share of troubles¡­ so of course she¡¯s happy.¡± ¡°Yesterday her father came bearing gifts, right? Hugging and dancing with her in the entrance like that! He must have been really happy!¡± The two became too focused on talking and their hands stopped moving. Thinking about what happened the day before, they were staring off in the distance. ¡°The gifts he brought were crazy too!!¡± ¡°A real golden ¡°Statue of the First Hero!!¡± Did you see how the carriage tilted when they took it down!? How much does that thing weigh!? I¡¯m scared the floor¡¯s going to give out!!¡± ¡°He went and bought this mansion for Bonne, even got us a maid -though not a live-in one-¡­rich people are really different, man. He even promised that he¡¯s going to give us more backing from now on!!¡± Crack of Dawn¡¯s mansion was initially a rental. When Bonne joined the party, her father bought the mansion for the party, since he couldn¡¯t allow his precious daughter to rent a house to live in. He then said that the fact there wasn¡¯t even one maid was unthinkable, so he hired a maid out of his own pocket. For the party, it was one good thing after the other, but for the All-Rounder Roa there was nothing to rejoice about: his misfortunes instead increased exponentially. First, the purchase of the expensive magic bag meant that he wasn¡¯t useful as a baggage holder anymore. Olun¡¯s marriage also meant that his wife would take over the chores. Lastly, the maid¡¯s arrival meant that he had even less to do around the mansion. Roa wanted to be useful to the party in any way possible, so he focused on creating magic potions and taking care of the servant beasts. These two tasks became the core of his work. However, the party members already had sufficient earnings from their adventures adding the financial backing from Bonne¡¯s father, they came to the conclusion that they could just buy magic potions and feed the servant beasts, so Roa¡¯s two tasks were basically meaningless. Thus, the useless servant boy so focused on these meaningless tasks, lost even more value in their eyes. ¡°Hey, quit slacking off!¡± Serge and Olun¡¯s chat was interrupted by the voice of the party¡¯s tamer, Eric. ¡°Oh yeah, sorry.¡± ¡°I have to go out to buy supplies at noon, remember. Make sure you¡¯re done by then. One more thing, the maid can¡¯t take care of the servant beasts after all. She¡¯s too scared to even approach them. We have to look for some servant to do it.¡± ¡­why don¡¯t you do it yourself then¡­? Serge and Olun were both about to react in the same way, but stopped. There was a risk that the ungrateful task would be left to one of them, so they quickly held their tongues. ¡°¡­.after we kicked him out, it¡¯s been one pain in the butt after the other.¡± Olun¡¯s offhand comment caused Eric¡¯s expression to turn sour, but it lasted merely a moment. By ¡°him¡± Olun meant Roa, naturally. Roa would completely take care of the servant beasts, plus there was no need to pay him. He would also do all the preparations they were currently busy with. It wasn¡¯t only stocking magic potions: Roa would keep their equipment in the best condition too. All they would have to do was to leave on the set date. ¡°We all accepted that we would have more stuff to do and money to spend, didn¡¯t we? Besides, our esteemed sponsor (Bonne¡¯s father) also said that someone not blessed by God like him wasn¡¯t fit to be in the ¡°Hero¡±¡¯s party.¡± Among the teachings of the church, nothing said that ¡°those without talent were not blessed by God¡±. ¡°Talent is a manifestation of divine blessings¡± was a popular line of thought: because of this, it was undeniable that there were those who adopted beliefs such as that. One of the major supporters of this faction was in fact Bonne¡¯s father. Because of their deep connection to Bonne and her father, it wasn¡¯t too strange that the other Crack of Dawn members were infected by this kind of thinking. ¡°In any case, you better finish up here before I have to go out.¡± Eric¡¯s words were tinged with irritation. ? At the same time, the servants¡¯ beasts¡¯ hut was very quiet. The straw beds were scattered and filthy, the mood somewhat somber. The magic wolf twins were still cuddled in a ball, sleeping, but the gryphon was standing firmly, its eyes wide open, staring at the mountain of ¡°Crispies¡± in front of it. <¡­.a few days are but an instant, compared to the time I have lived¡­a mere instant¡­nothing I cannot endure¡­yes, I shall endure until the brat returns¡­he can be quite something if he tries to, I say¡­until the situation becomes clear, I will not do anything that could cause him trouble¡­I will not¡­will not¡­endurance is a vital trait¡­vital¡­trait¡­I will not¡­will not¡­I am a good boy if I try¡­> The gryphon¡¯s voice echoed in the silent hut. Failing to notice the twins¡¯ complaints, the gryphon continued mumbling. Volume 1 - CH 1.6 Coralde and Roa punctually arrived at the guild at the appointed time. The group of adventurers they planned to meet had already arrived and were waiting in the guest meeting room. The party of adventurers was composed of four members, all of them quite tanned. Their clothing also exposed their skin, something rare in this country. There were four men and one woman in the party, but while they weren¡¯t wearing any armor -as there was only an introduction meeting planned for that day- the woman carried a sword, while one of the men was wearing attire that clearly suggested that he was a magic user. In this world, it was usually said that women were more suited to using magic: the vast majority of magic users were indeed female. Sword users, on the other hand, were mostly men, because of their superior strength. Roa was used to such a distinction, so that reversal of genders was enough to make me feel something was strange. ¡°Thank you for having us, sir Coralde.¡± The large man who stood out the most in the group spoke first. He was probably the leader. ¡°My, so it was you all from ¡°Nostalgia¡± who accepted my request. I¡¯m very glad. Everything will go well if it¡¯s them, Roa. I thank you all for accepting this task.¡± Coralde and the party apparently already knew each other: as soon as he saw them, his expression turned to a satisfied smile. Roa bowed to them one moment later than Coralde, but his expression was stiff. He looked slightly away from the adventurers, an ambiguous expression on his face. He still couldn¡¯t fully accept that he would be escorted in such a mission, afraid that the adventurers would call him useless or worthless. After sitting down, invited by the receptionist Viviana, who had accompanied them to the meeting room, Roa finally gathered the courage to look at the adventurers. ¡­.wait¡­where I have seen them before¡­? Roa then thought that as they were seasoned adventurers who often frequented the guild, it would be weird if he had never seen them before, so he stopped jogging his memories. ¡°Let us start the meeting, then. I am the mediator, Viviana.¡± Viviana nodded slightly. ¡°The present request is for an escort mission, so the adventurers¡¯ party and the requesting party will discuss and decide if they really want to form a contract. There are no problems if you decide to withdraw at this point, but after the contract has been formed, if a party decides to cancel it there will be a sum to pay for breach of contract. Please remember it.¡± Viviana briefly explained the contents of the escort mission, in a completely expected manner, except her final words. ¡°Lastly, I would like to make a request on behalf of the adventurers¡¯ guild: could I ask you to head to Aldon forest for this gathering mission?¡± ¡°My, and why would that be?¡± Coralde inquired about the reason behind the sudden specification of a location. He seemed mildly amused, but Viviana was completely expressionless. ¡°I understand your doubts. As you may know, sir Coralde, Nostalgia is an A-rank party, but they have arrived in this country only recently. They are still not used to the forests around this town, so we cannot guarantee your safety in a highly dangerous forest.¡± Roa looked again at Nostalgia¡¯s members. Their dark skin and clothing, the strange feeling he had, were all explained if they were foreigners. ¡°However, among the adventurers registered with your guild, there is no one that fits the conditions given better than them. Thus we are forced to specify a forest with a suitable level of risk, in order to guarantee the safety of the escorted party.¡± Viviana spoke firmly, without changing her expression even a little, but all she said was a series of excuses in order to carry out the order she received from the guildmaster. ¡°My my, I see, ¡°if that¡¯s the case¡± I have no objections. Roa, Nostalgia members, what do you think?¡± ¡°No problem for us.¡± ¡°¡­me too, the Aldon forest is rich in flora and the magic beasts are not too dangerous, so it¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°I thank you for your understanding. In exchange for accepting our conditions, I would like to offer you a carr-¡± ¡°That won¡¯t be needed.¡± Coralde spoke up from the side as if to snatch away Viviana¡¯s words. Viviana looked at Coralde, a displeased expression flashing on her face for an instant, but the man simply smiled, looking amused. ¡°¡­I would like to offer you a carriage at no charge, is what I wanted to say¡­?¡± ¡°And I said that will not be needed. Our company will supply both carriage and coachman. Do not worry, our coachmen are quite skilled too.¡± After taking the adventurers to their destination, coachmen would usually camp in a relatively safe location nearby and wait for their return. Since it was impossible to find means of transport to return, having them wait was the only solution. Horse carriages never passed through areas where magic beasts could appear. Adventurers also needed to transport the magic beasts they exterminated at times. Even parties equipped with magic bags often had to carry back materials exceeding their bags¡¯ capacity. The magic beast materials they could carry with them directly affected their profits as well. It was enough to bring back certain parts as proof of extermination, but very often the materials paid more than the reward for exterminating magic beasts. Because of this, unless the adventurer in question was in a financial pinch, hiring carriages and coachmen was very common. Coachmen would wait in relatively safe areas, but they were still close to dangerous regions, so a coachman was also required to be able to defend themselves in case of emergency. Average coachmen did not have much fighting ability, so the guild hired retired adventurers for such occasions. Since the coachmen were either veterans or people they would have to work with one day, most adventurers hired carriages and coachmen from the guild, unless the requesting party specified otherwise. ¡°As you surely know, our company¡¯s coachmen are quite strong. Some despise them as ¡°Cowards who sold their pride as adventurers¡±, but they are much stronger than your average adventurer.¡± Coralde, still grinning, studied Viviana¡¯s expression, but her business smile did not waver. ¡°They¡¯re quite sharp too, so they would notice right away if anything fishy happens. If this didn¡¯t conflict with the guild¡¯s ¡°interests¡±¡­oh, pardon me, the guild¡¯s security regulations, I would have them escort Roa on this gathering expedition from the start, honestly.¡± The ¡°security regulations¡± mentioned by Coralde were the restricted entry to forests inhabited by magic beasts. For security reasons, only adventurers and those escorted by them were allowed to enter. In such forests there were not only magic beasts, but many precious materials as well. Coralde hinted at the fact that monopolizing them was in the guild¡¯s best ¡°interests¡±. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Thank you for your mediation. Could you leave us alone now? The requesting party and adventurers¡¯ party always had some time to discuss in private, if I recall. If there is anything else you ¡°want to know¡± or wish to stay here till the end, it¡¯s a different matter, but that is not the case, is it? When we are finished we will sign the contract, so we will contact you again.¡± ¡°¡­yes sir. Excuse¡­me.¡± Coralde, always smiling, watched Viviana leave the room, with a hint of frustration tarnishing her business smile. Roa and the adventurers, unable to grasp the situation, simply watched, dumbfounded. ¡°Looks like there¡¯s someone engaging in petty mischief around us.¡± Coralde smiled at Roa and the others. He had probably noticed that something was afoot. ¡°Well, I do not think they will harm us directly. This town¡¯s guild does not have anyone skilled enough to track a carriage or spy on others in a magic beast forest. Spying on people in town is the most they can do.¡± Roa had not the slightest idea why anyone would spy on them: he understood, however, that if he left things to Coralde everything should go smoothly. ¡°Then, let us begin.¡± Coralde¡¯s voice was bright and chipper, as if nothing had happened. Roa and ¡°Nostalgia¡¯s¡± adventurers sat more properly in their seats. ¡°Okay then, sir Coralde knows us already, but I suppose we should introduce ourselves to sir Roa?¡± ¡°Please!! There is no need for formality!! My name is Roa!! I will be in your care!!¡± Startled by being addressed as ¡°sir¡± by A-rank adventurers, Roa ended up shrieking. He was used to Coralde addressing him politely, as the merchant had expressed the wish to, but being addressed with a title by others was different. He was addressed in a similar manner in Coralde¡¯s company too, but it made him feel itchy every time. One of the adventurers then whispered ¡°I guess he really forgot¡­¡± to themselves, but Roa was too tense to notice. ¡°We will call you like that, then. I am Dietrich, Nostalgia¡¯s leader. I¡¯m a swordsman and frontline fighter.¡± The large man was surprisingly not intimidating: he emanated a sort of kindness even. ¡°This is our shield¡ªin this country you call them tanks, we use the word shield¡ªanyway, our shield, Cornelia. She¡¯s a woman, but she can also use magic, so she¡¯s smarter than an average man.¡± Roa was surprised that the short woman was introduced as a tank: she looked just like a normal person. ¡°The mage-looking guy there is, obviously a magic user, Bernhart. The other flashy looking guy is Kristoff. He¡¯s our scout and a swordsman too.¡± The mage-looking robed man and the easygoing-looking man lowered their heads. ¡°We four form the adventurer party ¡°Nostalgia¡±. You might feel uneasy after hearing that we came from another country, but we¡¯ll definitely carry out our mission, so just leave it to us. At your service!.¡± The leader then bowed deeply before Roa, much to his surprise. In this country, many adventurers acted haughty and boastful even towards the parties they would escort, but even if they didn¡¯t, they would never lower their heads to the requesting party. Most of them wouldn¡¯t even introduce themselves, having the guild¡¯s mediator do it in their stead. Few adventurers even considered an escort mission as ¡°protecting someone to receive a reward¡±, viewing it instead as ¡°being forced to act as guards since we¡¯re getting paid¡±. For them, an adventurer¡¯s true task was to slay magic beasts, so escort and gathering missions were just side jobs to do when there was nothing else available. Disliking such an attitude, merchants with high profits preferred not to hire adventurers and hired their own escorts. Particular missions such as this one, which involves entering a magic beast forest, were the exception. Because of this, only merchants with poor profits hired adventurers as escort, which further aggravated the adventurers¡¯ prejudices. ¡°Thank you all, for accepting.¡± ¡°Thank you very much!!¡± Roa imitated Coralde and bowed his head too. ¡°They¡¯re quite different from the adventurers you¡¯re used to, aren¡¯t they Roa?¡± ¡°Yes! They are all so polite.¡± Roa had a good impression of the party, which made him completely forget his uneasy feelings. ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear you say that. Well, most adventurers here are, so to say, kind of particular¡­we only seem polite in comparison. Back in our homeland, they always told me to fix the way I talk.¡± ¡°Our leader is pretty shy with strangers. And since sir Coralde is here too, he¡¯s being all formal too. Once he gets used to you his tone will relax and you¡¯ll find out he¡¯s just a big dumb adult, so you might be disappointed.¡± ¡°You¡­! Don¡¯t say things like that when you try to gain people¡¯s trust!!¡± Heckled by the party¡¯s shield, Cornelia, the leader Dietrich grabbed her head and held it down, but his expression showed no anger, just a wry smile. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, we¡¯re always like this.¡± With his other hand, Dietrich scratched his head, embarrassed. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m glad to see that you did not change at all. I was actually planning to request your party specifically in case they didn¡¯t find anyone to accept our request. It would cause rumors, however, if I asked for you, since you came from another country and your position is peculiar, so I kept it as a last resort. I¡¯m really glad you accepted before I had to do it.¡± ¡°No, sir Coralde, you did not have to go out of your way for people like us. We¡¯re just expendables for this guild anyway. If we ever feel uncomfortable we can just go back home, so please use us as you see fit.¡± Dietrich smiled. ¡°We¡¯ve just come over here to see how the continent¡¯s magic beasts were. We have our own reasons to have accepted this request, so it feels weird to be thanked¡­¡± ¡°Your own reasons?¡± Coralde probably understood what Dietrich meant to say, so he looked at Roa, then back at Dietrich again. Dietrich nodded deeply. ¡°Yes, we were interested in sir Roa¡­I mean Roa. If we were together for a few days, we might understand why sir Coralde is interested in you, or so I thought.¡± ¡°My!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you spoil anything now, sir Coralde. We¡¯re very much looking forward to what interesting things he has in store for us. We want to experience them ourselves and be surprised. We were surprised enough that you personally came to the guild with him¡­but if you¡¯re so invested, then he must have all sorts of things up his sleeve, right?¡± ¡°Not at all!! I¡¯m not such a special person in any way. I was just lucky enough to be picked up sir Coralde after my former party kicked me out¡­¡± For Roa their expectations were simply excessive: he felt like he was being set up for something impossible. He hurriedly denied and looked down sadly. Dietrich looked at Roa deny his words and putting himself down, then crossed his arms. When he was about to speak, he noticed that Coralde was looking at him. Coralde, looking at him in the eyes, lightly shook his head. It was apparently enough for them to understand each other, as they both smiled. ¡°In order for you to know more about us, I¡¯d like to talk about our homeland. Is that okay with you?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± Roa was surprised by the sudden change in topic. He would understand if they wanted to tell him about their abilities or battle prowess, but no adventurer would go out of their way to talk about their homeland: it would take too much time to talk about something like that. Even if they did talk about it, it would only be to kill time during the escort mission. ¡°Our homeland, the Kingdom of Nereus, is located near the sea, you see. They call it ¡°Marine Kingdom¡± or ¡°Pirate Kingdom¡±, and it¡¯s composed mostly of islands and archipelagos. The royal palace is also located on an island.¡± Hearing about their homeland, Roa understood why Nostalgia¡¯s members were so tan. ¡°Even before the kingdom was established, we thrived thanks to the sea and trade via sea routes, but there was one thing we missed. Can you guess what?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Roa couldn¡¯t find an answer to the question. Roa had heard of the kingdom of Nereus, but it was too far to know any more details about it. ¡°That one thing is people.¡± Dietrich continued, without waiting for Roa to answer. ¡°Since our country is for the most part water, the population has always been scarce, but thanks to the sea we have plenty of resources and trading has always been strong, so there is a lot of work available. We have always welcomed immigrants too, of course, but even so, there are still too few people. Then our king, in order to help the limited citizens to work in the most effective manner possible, built schools. Schools for children.¡± ¡°Schools?¡± Roa knew about schools too of course. He only saw them as places where the children of nobles and some rich people went to though: lower-class citizens like him had nothing to do with schools. He saw them as places where one prepared to enter society or learned specialized skills. Nobles and rich people would hire private teachers, but lower-class citizens learned to read, write, and perform basic arithmetic from their parents. Some unusual churches and orphanages gave lessons too, but few families sent their children there. To work normally, the teachings at home were more than enough. At home, only the most basic knowledge could be acquired, though: one¡¯s vocabulary would be quite limited. Because of this, the country¡¯s literacy rate was not very high, and very few lower-class citizens could read books as smoothly as Roa did. ¡°Yes, schools. Not only for nobles, but schools to learn about basic reading, writing, math, and basic knowledge for many professions.¡± Dietrich talked while looking straight at Roa. His gaze was strong, but Roa found it kind rather than intimidating. ¡°All citizens have to frequent a school after they turn 8 years old. Then for four years, they learn the basic skills for a job. After that, they become novices of the job best suited to them.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that a waste, though?¡± Roa commented spontaneously after hearing that children would learn basic skills of many jobs. In this country, it was thought that focusing on one set of skills from an early age was key to mastering it. Children would help around the house until 10, then start learning to inherit their family¡¯s business or become someone¡¯s disciple to learn another craft. In an adventurer¡¯s case, for example, they would become an all-rounder at age 10, join a party, and accumulate knowledge about adventuring while doing various chores; they would then become the disciple of a party member and start training for a specialized job. ¡°It might seem like a waste, but it actually isn¡¯t. Even a musclehead like me can read books and knows enough math to assist a merchant¡¯s work. While I might lose to a fisherman by trade, I know a fair bit about fish too. I also know enough about foreign countries to be able to dabble in trading. I can also do carpenter work, as long as it¡¯s simple. I can use basic magic and, of course, the sword too. Because I¡¯ve been taught a lot until I turned 12. Even at my age, I can be of immediate help in any job.¡± Dietrich listed his various competences, but he wasn¡¯t just boasting. In Nostalgia¡¯s homeland, this was apparently the norm. ¡°The only exception is the church, I guess? That doesn¡¯t depend on any country¡¯s policies after all. Of course, everyone has things they¡¯re good or bad at, so even if I know about them there are things I just can¡¯t do¡­like cooking for example. You might think that we learn so many things for nothing, but this is surprisingly the opposite¡­it¡¯s a rather effective method.¡± ¡°Effective¡­¡± Until now, Roa had been often made fun of for trying his hand in various areas. Someone who couldn¡¯t master one thing and did all sorts of activities to earn money was called worthless. Dietrich¡¯s words shook Roa¡¯s values to the core. ¡°First of all, few people end up choosing the wrong job. Knowing the basics of many jobs helps people understand what they are actually suited for. Besides, even if they become apprentices somewhere but can¡¯t seem to get any further, it¡¯s easy to just switch to another job. It doesn¡¯t put you in a bad light as it does here.¡± In this country, people who switched jobs were deemed as spineless, as they couldn¡¯t persevere in their occupation. Perseveration was indeed hailed as a virtue. ¡°Even without actually changing jobs, you can always help in other kinds of work and pursue your dreams while earning something. After all, some people like very much what they do and are focused on it. No one denies that. Everyone knows about other jobs to an extent, so there really aren¡¯t any walls between them. Since the population is so scarce, helping others¡¯ jobs is very welcome.¡± Apprentices helping in work other than their own to earn something happened often in this country too. It happened because they weren¡¯t skilled enough at their main job though. It was something that others looked down upon, allowed only because the person doing it wasn¡¯t skilled enough in the first place. ¡°Even if you fail at one job, you can find something else to do right away, so no one really fails, in the true meaning of the word. Thanks to our basic knowledge, which foreigners might see as useless, we can find jobs and work effectively.¡± Roa finally began to understand why Dietrich said all of this. It was for his sake: for the sake of someone who worked as an all-rounder for seven years, and was told to leave his party after not producing enough results. ¡°Oh, your face tells me that you finally realized. I¡­we don¡¯t think that a person is over just because they couldn¡¯t accomplish much in one job. Even if you try working somewhere and it doesn¡¯t go well, your talent might flourish somewhere else. We know lots of people like that.¡± Roa looked around and found other Nostalgia members looking at him with kind expressions. ¡°We don¡¯t look down on any job, nor do we go out of our way to damage our relations by ourselves. Even if you fail, no one makes fun of you. Of course, we try to steer clear of rotten people or people with bad attitudes¡­but it doesn¡¯t look like you¡¯re one of them, Roa. You don¡¯t need to put yourself down in front of us. Please treat us as equals.¡± Dietrich was trying to break down Roa¡¯s hardened values. He was trying to stop Roa from looking down on himself, trapped by a single country¡¯s values. ¡°¡­I¡¯ve talked to you about our country because I thought it would help you understand us and trust us. Sorry for the long monologue.¡± Dietrich finished talking and scrutinized Roa. The latter looked confused and was still quiet. ¡°Come on now, leader. You¡¯ve said too much, now he¡¯s all confused!¡± The scout/swordsman Kristoff teased the party leader. ¡°You need to take your time with this sort of things, make people understand bit by bit. When you want to get close to someone you always hurry things up, don¡¯t you leader? That¡¯s why you¡¯re so unpopular with the ladies¡­¡± ¡°Ooh, I see!¡± ¡°Right?¡± ¡°I told you to stop joking when we¡¯re talking about serious things!¡± Thanks to the other members¡¯ comments, the mood lightened up quickly. Roa wasn¡¯t sure if they did it on purpose, but Roa was somewhat relieved by it. What they said was surely the truth. There were male magic users, female tanks¡­shields, proof that their values were different than this country. More than anything, their atmosphere was much different from the adventurers Roa knew. ¡°¡­.I..wil¡­¡± Words trickled from Roa¡¯s mouth. After he became an adventurer, very few people treated him as an equal, the greatest example being Coralde. They were all from other professions than adventuring, however: their connection always started from business, so he felt that there was something different than a pure relationship of trust between them. People who worked in a different area, based on different ways of life and knowledge, had to be trying to build a connection with him because of ulterior motives, is the suspicion which inevitably surfaced within Roa. The people before him now, who just told him to treat them as equals, however, were adventurers. They were part of the same world as his and accepted his words without doubting them. ¡°¡­.I will trust you!! Please trust me too!!¡± Roa finally managed to let out a shaking voice, and only then noticed that tears were flowing on his cheeks. ? After returning from the meeting¡­ In his room in Coralde¡¯s company, Roa recalled the meeting with Nostalgia and squirmed, blushing violently. ¡°That was so embarrassing¡­¡± Lying face down on the bed, he squirmed some more. The bed in the nap room in Roa¡¯s laboratory -which he currently used as living quarters- was cleaned every day, its sheets and pillow covers changed daily too. The smell of sunlight they emanated was very pleasing, so much so that he almost drifted off to sleep, despite the sun still high in the sky. ¡°Why did I cry¡­?¡± He felt lighter after being discarded from the party, but evidently he still had lingering feelings. Being told by other adventurers that they wanted to build a relationship of trust between equals probably made such feelings erupt. Now he could review the situation coolly, but at the time Roa couldn¡¯t restrain his emotions. ¡°¡­I wonder how old Gry and the twins are doing¡­¡± Roa found himself thinking about the servant beasts. It was unlikely that they would ever meet again, so he tried not to think about them. He couldn¡¯t help it though. In recent years, the only equal relationship he had ever had outside of business was with the servant beasts. It was a bit pitiful to say that the only friends he had were servant beasts, which he couldn¡¯t even talk with, but it was the truth. ¡°I wonder if they are eating properly¡­¡± Gryphon¡¯s expression turned sour when its feed included vegetables, but when it started eating it probably got sick of eating only meat, because it ate more eagerly when vegetables were mixed in the meal. The twins always started fighting when they didn¡¯t receive the same amount of the same food, because both of them wanted the bigger portion. Roa had been kicked out of the party without being able to tell anyone about their food preferences or other quirks, so he was worried if they were doing well. ¡°Sigh¡­if I start thinking about them, I can¡¯t stop¡­¡± More and more things kept popping inside his head. He started thinking about the servant beasts, but then many more memories resurfaced, in an endless flow. Roa stayed immersed in his memories about the servant beasts for a while, but then a knock on the door interrupted him. Roa finally got up from the bed. ¡°Please, come in!¡± He hurried to the chair and sat down, calmed down his breathing and answered. The visitor was Coralde. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to bother you, you must be busy preparing for tomorrow.¡± ¡°Not at all, it¡¯s alright!¡± Roa definitely couldn¡¯t say that he was squirming on the bed, recollecting his past with servant beasts, so he acted as normal as possible. He felt that Coralde saw right through him, however, and felt uncomfortable. ¡°Actually, it¡¯s about the magic potions you made yesterday¡­¡± The magic potions created by Roa the day before had been concocted using tools and materials provided by Coralde, but when he examined them with his appraisal magic tool, he found out that they were slightly inferior to the potions Roa had brought him until then. When told this, however, Roa didn¡¯t feel down. Coralde had told him before that the magic potions he created were of higher quality than the normal ones. Though, Roa didn¡¯t know why that was. Roa thought he made potions following the public recipe, and nothing more. It was true that, as Coralde had pointed out, the methods he used were different from the norm. He had only removed what seemed like unneeded scum, like when cooking, thinking that potions too ¡°were something you put in your mouth¡±; he didn¡¯t think he did anything special. When he was told the reason he thought that removing unneeded parts probably improved the quality of magic potions, but it was just a coincidence. Treating it like it was an accomplishment by Roa¡¯s part was not right, he thought. Roa¡¯s old magic tool, a memento from his grandma, couldn¡¯t appraise items in such detail, so he wasn¡¯t aware of it at all. ¡°Are there any differences in the way you made potions until now and the potions you made yesterday?¡± Roa started thinking. ¡°Oh¡­the herbs had everything attached, right?¡± ¡°What?¡± Coralde looked at Roa, wondering what he meant. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry. How can I explain¡­you see, when I pick herbs in the forest, I don¡¯t¡­I never pick up the stalks, new sprouts or the roots. My grandpa was a hunter, and when we picked up herbs in the woods, he always said to leave the parts that produced seeds, so that they could grow next year too. So I only pick grown leaves, so that the plant doesn¡¯t die out.¡± That was common sense for a hunter. Even in the lushest forest, if a plant was removed from the roots up it wouldn¡¯t return so easily. That was the reason why hunters picked up herbs while thinking about their future. ¡°But the plants yesterday had stalks and new sprouts attached. I didn¡¯t think they would influence the recipe, and it would be a waste to throw them away, so I used them too.¡± ¡°I see¡­.¡± Coralde snapped his fingers, convinced of Roa¡¯s answer. For Roa, that was the normal way of gathering herbs. He had never paid close attention at how other adventurers did it and he always gathered herbs by himself, so he had never wondered about the condition of herbs sold in stores. The day before he had made potions with the herbs prepared by Coralde, gathered by someone other than himself, and felt something was off. ¡°¡­those herbs were grown in our fields. I bought the seeds from the Farmers¡¯ guild, so we always harvest them completely. I wondered if the difference was between wild and cultivated herbs, but never considered that the gathering method could be different.¡± ¡°The Farmers¡¯ guild even sells seeds for medicinal herbs¡­?¡± More than the mystery behind the difference in quality, Roa was more interested in the Farmers¡¯ guild. ¡°The Farmers¡¯ guild¡¯s ¡°Prosperity Seeds¡± include all sorts of plants after all. Vegetables, medicinal herbs, trees¡­they sell anything there¡¯s a demand of. Their seeds also produce stronger plants and greater harvest, so no farmer grows their own seeds anymore. Because of that, people say that if the guild disappears, the country will starve to death. Thanks to the Farmers¡¯ guild headquarters being here, other countries have stopped waging war on us, or so they say.¡± ¡°It¡¯s like we have the main source of everyone¡¯s food¡­I see how it would stop foreign invasions.¡± Realizing how the peacefulness of the country hailed from an unexpected location, Roa was impressed. Even if the country was said to be at peace, the fact that it wouldn¡¯t be attacked by foreign agents boosted internal conflicts of power: relations between the country¡¯s lords were always precarious, but Roa had no connections to such spheres of authority, so he had no idea. ¡°I¡¯ll go tell them to try making potions only with grown leaves, then.¡± ¡°I can do that, though.¡± Roa wanted to offer to help, but Coralde stretched his arms and blocked him. ¡°Not this time! You will leave on a gathering mission tomorrow. Eat well and turn in early today. Lots of, well, things happened today, you must be tired.¡± Coralde¡¯s kind smile reminded Roa of the embarrassing scene during the meeting. Since he started crying, all the finer details were handled by Coralde himself. Roa had no reason to be treated so kindly by him. ¡°I¡¯m¡­I apologize for the trouble I caused¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Even if you feel you overcame your troubles, they¡¯re actually still deep down in your heart¡­it happens often. There¡¯s nothing to be concerned about.¡± Coralde¡¯s kind words made Roa feel even more embarrassed, as his face turned beet red. Volume 1 - CH 2 Chapter 2 ¨C Departure to the Gathering Mission The following day, the cold air of the morning was still misty. Two carriages were brought in front of the Coralde company, surrounded by several silhouettes. Out of concern that the adventurers¡¯ guild tried to pull some trick, Nostalgia and Coralde decided to leave before the guild opened. Except in case of emergency, carriages belonging to the guild required paperwork to be used, so they could only leave after normal office hours started. Even if the guild was plotting something, they wouldn¡¯t go as far as breaking their own rules to do so, or so Coralde and the party assumed. Luckily, the town¡¯s gates were opened at dawn. Though impossible to depart in the dark of night, they could still do so very early in the morning, when few people were out and about. ¡°Good morning!¡± ¡°Morning!!¡± Roa approached the carriages and found that Nostalgia¡¯s members had already arrived. Different from the day before, they were fully equipped now. The party¡¯s shield, Cornelia, was wearing a hulking full body armor despite her short stature, which made her look very unbalanced. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for making you wait.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t, we just came early to load up our luggage. We finally finished just now. Sir Ro¡­Roa, that¡¯s all you¡¯ll bring with you?¡± Roa noticed that, since the day before, Dietrich always started addressing him with ¡°sir¡±, then corrected himself. It was probably easier for him to address Roa with ¡°sir¡±, so Roa¡¯s request of not using titles was probably putting him on the spot¡­even so, it would be too weird to say that using ¡°sir¡± was okay now. Roa felt apologetic, but could do nothing to change the situation. The other Nostalgia members noticed too, but chose not to say anything. It was just a habit for Dietrich. In the past, Dietrich¡¯s speech was much rougher than now: he could barely use polite speech. The person who educated him was extremely strict and hammered into his head that people he met for the first time, his superiors, and bosses should always be addressed politely, mixing preaching and ¡°physical¡± teaching, so it had become a habit. Usually, he would revert to a more familiar tone after some time, but when told to ¡°address me without titles¡±, he always ended up talking in an unnatural way, like now. ¡°Most of the things I needed were prepared by sir Coralde, so this is all I need.¡± Roa showed the two bags he carried. One was a common magic bag, the likes of which Nostalgia knew well too. The cloth had a curious luster, which seemed kind of metallic. The other was an old, stained cloth shoulder bag which Roa had carried to the meeting too. He pointed out to the newer bag. ¡°This is a magic bag sir Coralde lent me, where I put the magic potions I made. This old one is¡­a magic bag too, but I use it to carry my own things.¡± ¡°Eh? You have your own magic bag? That shape is pretty strange though.¡± The voice belonged to the scout and swordsman Kristoff. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s pretty worn out and would be thrown away, so Mr. Coralde sold it to me for cheap some time ago. Though, it can only fit pretty much what you could carry with both hands. I would have gotten in trouble if they found out I had it, so I disguised it by stitching a leather bag over it.¡± ¡°¡­are you sure it was okay to tell us all that?¡± ¡°Yes, no problem.¡± If Roa said it wasn¡¯t a problem, Kristoff couldn¡¯t say anything else. Very few people possessed magic bags for personal use. Because of this, disguising their appearance to prevent theft was a rather common practice. ¡°¡­you said that you made those magic potions by yourself?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Roa honestly answered the question asked by Cornelia, the party¡¯s shield. ¡°Wasn¡¯t that supposed to be a secret?¡± ¡°No, not really. I asked Mr. Coralde to keep it a secret that I sold my magic potions to make some money, but I didn¡¯t hide the fact that I made them.¡± Cornelia looked at Roa as if she couldn¡¯t believe her ears. Nostalgia¡¯s members knew of the rumors circulating about Roa in the guild. One of them concerned his supposed ability to make magic potions, but as far as they knew no one could say for sure. They all thought that it was because it was a secret, so she was mildly shocked to learn that it was just a coincidence. Magic potions weren¡¯t something you could easily make, as long as you weren¡¯t an alchemist by trade. In her homeland, the basics of alchemy were taught at school, but only one out of one hundred students managed to create even the simplest potions. Alchemy required the use of magic tools, so an aptitude in magic was necessary too. It also required a large amount of knowledge, so many students gave up on it during theory. It was hard for her to imagine that someone in Roa¡¯s position could have had the chance to study it, so his mystery deepened even more. I¡¯ll ask him how he studied it in the cart¡­was the course of action Cornelia decided to take. ¡°Okay everyone, we¡¯re leaving.¡± One of the coachmen called to the party. Despite the title, the man looked just like a middle-aged adventurer: he wasn¡¯t wearing armor, but his body was clearly trained. He was also carrying a sword at his waist and, to Roa, he looked stronger than the average adventurer. ¡°How should we split our group in the carts?¡± Roa¡¯s question prompted Nostalgia¡¯s members to look at each other and grin. There were 2 carts: with just one, there wouldn¡¯t be room for all their luggage and the gathered materials they would have to bring back, so they decided to use two. Such a luxury wouldn¡¯t have been possible with the adventurers¡¯ guild¡¯s carts. These carts were property of Coralde¡¯s trading company; he thought that putting them to use would definitely be better than just letting them stay idle, so they accepted his offer. ¡°EVERYONE TOGETHER!!¡± Dietrich shouted all of a sudden, his fist in the air. He was really loud. After his voice resounded in the early morning air, quiet returned to the town. ¡°¡­so, all the luggage goes to the second cart. We¡¯re riding in the front one.¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s going to be a long trip, so let¡¯s enjoy it.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Cornelia and Kristoff led Roa to the cart, as if pushing him on. The mage Bernhart also followed them, silent. ¡°¡­guys, I¡¯d appreciate a reaction here.¡± Dietrich mumbled to himself, his fist still in the air. ¡°Hey! After I shouted, shouldn¡¯t you all say ¡°yeah!¡± or something in reply!?¡± His face was getting redder. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s forget the silly adults raising their voices at dawn and go!¡± ¡°Really?¡± Roa was perplexed by Cornelia¡¯s words, but he could only walk in the direction he was pushed to. ¡°Whenever our leader does anything dumb, remember, it¡¯s okay to ignore him. That¡¯s the one thing he can¡¯t stand, he¡¯s a lonely guy after all. He looks like a proper guy most of the time, but he¡¯s a big dumb goof at heart, so forgive him if you can.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Kristoff pushed Roa forward too. ¡°You guys know that I can hear you, right!? Wait, I¡¯m getting on too! Don¡¯t leave me behind!¡± ¡°Leader¡­please. You¡¯ll wake up the whole neighborhood.¡± ¡°SORRY!¡± Dietrich apologized earnestly after Cornelia¡¯s rebuke. ¡°¡­you¡¯re still loud¡­¡± ¡°¡­sorry¡­¡± The party¡¯s early morning departure was somewhat awkward. ? ¡°Mithril boy, I don¡¯t appreciate all this racket in the morning¡­¡± When Roa and the others boarded the cart, its coachman called out to them. He was clearly older than the one they talked to before, with numerous white streaks in his hair. ¡°¡­sorry. But don¡¯t call me boy anymore, I¡¯m almost 30¡­¡± ¡°You make a racket with no care for other people¡­you¡¯re a brat.¡± ¡°¡­sorry.¡± Quickly silenced by the man¡¯s words, Dietrich sat down on one of the cart¡¯s seats and grumbled an apology. Roa was starting to understand why the other members called him a ¡°dumb adult¡± during their first meeting. After making sure that everyone was sitting, the coachman spurred the cart forward, which started transmitting its vibrations to the passengers as the horses moved. The other cart followed in tow. The party¡¯s luggage and the other coachman were supposed to be on it. ¡°Do you know each other?¡± When the cart¡¯s pace stabilized, Roa asked a question to the coachman. ¡°Well, yeah. These guys helped me when I was attacked by bandits.¡± The coachman answered, his eyes fixed on the road ahead. The roads used for transport rarely saw the appearance of magic beasts; one reason was that plants that magic beasts disliked grew along these roads, but magic beasts tended to dwell in forests and other locations where magic essence was found in abundance, and rarely left them. This was different for normal beasts and people, however. Normal beasts, different than the magic ones, normally appeared on the roads too, but never attacked people, barring cases of extreme hunger. What travelers using common roads needed to be wary of the most were other people¡­bandits who attacked travelers and convoys. ¡°It happened when I was returning from Adad, the next country over, with Mr. Coralde. We were attacked despite the fact that we didn¡¯t have any luggage and had a good number of guards with us¡­I ditched the cart and ran away with Mr. Coralde, protecting him as we did, but they kept chasing us. When I thought it was all over, they saved us. ¡­that time, I wasn¡¯t a coachman yet, I was still a guard. But that time I hurt my leg, so I became a coachman.¡± The coachman then placed a hand on his leg. ¡°We ditched the cart, so we didn¡¯t have any healing potions either. Thanks to the Mithril boy and his comrades the wound somehow closed, but I can barely walk now.¡± ¡°We were in the middle of our journey and had used up all of our healing potions too. There wasn¡¯t anyone around capable of using healing magic either. I felt bad for the old man, but all we could do was close the wound¡­¡± Roa looked towards the direction of the voice and noticed that Cornelia was standing beside him all of a sudden. Judging from the fact that she managed to stand up straight despite the cart¡¯s vibrations, without any support, she had to have an excellent sense of balance. Healing potions can¡¯t fully heal a partially recovered wound. The partially healed part is considered cured, so no more recovery is attempted. The only exceptions were magic potions of the highest rank, but even nobles would have a very difficult time obtaining one. If you wanted to fully heal such a wound no matter what, you¡¯d have to carve out the partially healed flesh and drink a high-level healing potion. The coachman¡¯s wound, however, was probably so deep that such a method wasn¡¯t feasible. ¡°What are you saying? I¡¯m nothing but thankful to you people! I¡¯m already pretty old too, it was a good chance to retire from the escorting business. You¡¯ve shown me something rare too.¡± ¡°Something rare?¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s¡­¡± Cornelia answered Roa¡¯s question. Unfazed by the vibrations, she walked to the back of the cart towards Dietrich, his head still drooping. ¡°Hey leader, give me your sword for a minute.¡± ¡°Huh? Why?¡± Cornelia swiped the sword from the still musing Dietrich and returned to Roa¡¯s side. She extracted the blade from its sheath just a little and showed it to Roa. ¡°Our leader¡¯s sword is made of mithril.¡± Despite being classified as silver, that metal had a transparent brilliance to it that silver could never achieve. It felt as if it was wet to the touch. It was the first time for Roa to lay eyes on mithril. ¡°This is mithril¡­¡± Roa¡¯s eyes changed color before the metal he had never seen before. Mithril, also called Magic Silver, was a magic metal, just as the name suggests. It was said to form when a large quantity of magic essence¡­of magic power poured into silver. It was actually found in silver mines near locations where magic essence was abundant. ¡°Amazing, it¡¯s my first time seeing it¡­that¡¯s why he was called ¡°mithril boy¡± then.¡± Roa spoke while gazing at the sword. Mithril was a metal slightly more valuable than gold. Adventurers who made a decent profit would not struggle too much to acquire some. Few could use it fully in sword form, and it was not really necessary to do so, so few people had blades made of mithril. It was more common to see it used in swords made for rituals or decoration purposes. ¡°He whacked me with that and my wound closed up.¡± ¡°Old man, I doubt ¡°whack¡± is the proper term here¡­you know that pouring magic power into mithril generates holy light, right? Four of us poured our magic power to generate holy light and heal the wound.¡± Pouring magic power in a mithril sword caused it to glow faintly, making it possible to damage even opponents that normal attacks left unfazed, like ghosts or undead. It was also said that using even more magic power made it possible to produce the same effects as healing magic. It was only said to be so: even mages with high magic power could only produce a faint glow on their own. There were very few examples of successful manifestations of healing magic. ¡°¡­healing via mithril. That¡¯s rare indeed.¡± ¡°It was an emergency last resort, really. Good thing it worked.¡± ¡°That last resort saved me, so I¡¯ve got nothing but gratitude.¡± ¡°It was just luck, old man.¡± Cornelia laughed, slightly embarrassed. The cart quietly proceeded through the city and finally reached the gates. The gate guards strictly inspected any incoming visitors, but were quite lax when people left. The coachman just needed to show his Coralde trading company badge and they let him through. While the cart continued on its way, Roa was thinking. Lost in thought, he stared off into space. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Intrigued by his serious look, the finally recovered Dietrich called to him. ¡°Nothing, just¡­I was wondering, what is the reason why mithril is mithril?¡± ¡°Wha?¡± Dietrich¡¯s reply was a surprised yelp, but Roa¡¯s serious expression made him start thinking about the meaning of his words. ¡°Silver absorbs magic power and becomes mithril, correct? Then it can also emit holy light. But even if you pour magic power into silver, no holy light comes out, right? Or does it? Maybe human magic power just isn¡¯t enough to do that?¡± ¡°¡­..¡± This is the face of a researcher that got his switch flipped on¡­ So thought Dietrich as he looked at Roa and decided to leave him alone. Several hours later. The Hero Party Crack of Dawn departed for their Silver Golem extermination expedition. The moment their servant beasts were released from their hut, they moved around wildly for a few seconds, glad to finally be free. After looking towards the party¡¯s mansion, however, the gryphon emitted a cry and stopped. The gryphon¡¯s cry served the purpose of scanning its surroundings, but no one in Crack of Dawn realized it. The twin wolves hung their heads low. Left with no other choice, the servant beasts followed behind the Crack of Dawn members. The party then borrowed a cart at the Adventurers¡¯ guild and rode it through the town. As regulated by the guild, there were two coachmen on the cart. They were retired middle-aged adventurers, with particularly rough looks on their faces. One of them was driving the cart, while the other stood guard in the back. He was looking at the guardian beasts running behind the cart. He noticed that one of the magic wolves disappeared, but the next instant it returned, holding a rabbit in its mouth. The sight of the two magic wolves fighting over it was almost adorable, but when the rabbit¡¯s legs were ripped apart and the scene turned feral, the coachman¡¯s brow furrowed. ¡°Your servant beasts sure are in high spirits.¡± The coachman in the back talked to the Tamer Eric, who was next to him. It might seem like he was implying that Eric wasn¡¯t controlling them properly. Unaware of such hidden meanings, Eric raised his head from the book he was reading. ¡°Yeah, I guess¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never seen a gryphon as a servant beast before. They¡¯re really powerful, it must be amazing to have one. They¡¯re also very difficult to control, right?¡± ¡°Not really.¡± Eric wasn¡¯t too keen to chat, but he properly replied to the coachman. The title of ¡°Hero¡± had been awarded thanks to the ranking the guild managed. It was supposed to be a comprehensive evaluation, but there were unclear sides to it. There was nothing to be gained from acting rudely to guild workers. The coachmen were employed by the guild, so Eric had to humor the conversation. ¡°How did you manage to tame it?¡± ¡°¡­.I found it all charred black at the foot of the ¡°Mount of Fire¡± and caught it. It was wounded and weak at the time, so I thought I could use it as a shield, but after the taming it recovered, so I just kept it.¡± ¡°Oh¡­I see¡­what amazing luck you have.¡± What Eric meant by ¡°taming¡± was probably placing a subjugation collar on the gryphon. The coachman had its doubts that such a thing could really happen, but he didn¡¯t let it show. Gryphons were magic beasts of a very high level. It could be possible to place a subjugation collar on them when they are weakened, but after they recover the collar wouldn¡¯t be enough to keep them under control. The coachman would have never believed such a story if he didn¡¯t see the gryphon obediently follow the cart. It was apparently possible to subjugate magic beasts without a collar, if they were physically weak or were weak-willed. Some farmers actually used magic cows and other beasts without collars and used them for farmwork. The coachman had also heard that in countries by the sea they used dolphin magic beasts for fishing. Gryphons, however, were magic beasts well known for their harsh temperament, so it was hard to believe that there were ways to subjugate them outside brute strength. ¡­there must be something secret here after all? The coachman recalled the reason why he was chosen for this job. Thanks to many years of experience as a thief, he was confident in his judgment. That was the reason why this job was assigned to him. The guild¡¯s ambiguous order of ¡°find out if there¡¯s anything problematic¡± stimulated his curiosity. A ¡°Hero Party¡± was one of the country¡¯s top parties. To investigate such a party at this point meant that there was a strong reason to do so. It was either connected to the church, or maybe they were suspected of unfair play? The coachman glanced at the female cleric Bonne, cozily sitting on a very comfy cushion in the best seat of the cart. Crack of Dawn was too close to the church. Bonne¡¯s father was part of the brass in the Supreme God Church; Bonne herself was a candidate for the role of ¡°Holy Woman¡±. ¡°Close¡± wasn¡¯t enough to describe their connections. For the Adventurers¡¯ guild, which did not enjoy the best of relationships with the church, it wasn¡¯t a pleasant affair. Regardless of the fact whether the party engaged in unfair play or not¡­it was an undeniable fact that other adventurers looked at Crack of Dawn with suspicion. The coachman himself had witnessed these party members fighting several times. They were certainly not weak, but individually there were plenty of stronger adventurers. For example, there were better thieves and clerics working for the guild. The three servant beasts, however, had elevated the party¡¯s status to be worthy of the title of ¡°Hero Party¡±. Their presence was much too powerful. Knowing that their tamer was a former archer, anyone would suspect that there was something hidden. Many had already tried to uncover the secret behind Crack of Dawn¡¯s servant beasts, but no one ever reported discovering anything suspicious. During battle the servant beasts fought in total cooperation with the party. Their movements, flowing like water, even made the party members look awkward at times. Servant beasts were, obviously, magic beasts. Barring a small number of species with high intellect, magic beasts normally possessed the same level of intellect as normal animals. Some species with high longevity eventually acquired intellect on par or superior to humans, but it was hard to think that such magic beasts would ever become servant beasts. Three servant beasts with an intellect equal to normal animals, trained to be capable of fighting alongside humans¡­their tamer had to definitely be skilled. The adventurers¡¯ suspicions met the conclusion that the tamer Eric, a former archer, had to be a genius. ¡°Could you tell me the name again?¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m Eric.¡± ¡°No, not your name, I meant the servant beasts¡¯ names.¡± The coachman smiled a bit, thinking that his conservation partner made a joke. ¡°They don¡¯t have one!!¡± Maybe embarrassed by the misunderstanding, Eric spat back and returned to his book. The coachman looked at him, his shoulders dropping. ¡­they don¡¯t even have a name? Or maybe he was embarrassed and couldn¡¯t say it? The coachman looked away from Eric and reflected. Servant beasts were beings full of mysteries. Battle-oriented servant beasts could rarely be tamed before the invention of subjugation collars. One of the reasons was that no principle had been found as to how magic beasts could be tamed. After all, the reasons explained by tamers were many and sometimes even conflicting. Some said that defeating magic beasts and showing them superior power allowed them to be tamed, while others said that once their hearts connected they would understand each other. Others even said that giving a name to the magic beasts bound them, thus turning them into servant beasts. There were rumors of a powerful magic spell, the basis upon which subjugation collars were made, and magic drugs that could manipulate their minds. There were even stories of tamers who listened to the magic beasts¡¯ words and made them into servant beasts, which sounded like a fairy tale. Because of this, most tamers were people who changed jobs halfway and were outside the usual master-disciple system. Based on this knowledge, the coachman first tried to ask about the servant beasts¡¯ names, but that proved to be ineffective. Well, if this party really has any problems, I bet the cleric acting as a holy woman is in the center¡­ The coachman then gave up on finding the servant beasts¡¯ secret for the time being and switched stance. He only tried talking to Eric because he was close and would be easy to talk to: he wasn¡¯t the one the coachman suspected the most. The coachman and Crack of Dawn would be together the whole day. There would be plenty of chances to know more about the female cleric. Thanks to the servant beasts, it wasn¡¯t really necessary to keep watch. But when the coachman looked again towards the back of the cart, he found the twin wolves playing with the rabbit they caught, tossing it back and forth. The gryphon had caught a deer, who knows when, and was half dragging it along. Where did it even catch it? Surprised by the speedy hunt -the deer hadn¡¯t even made a sound- the coachman realized again how powerful a beast the gryphon was. ? The cart Roa and Nostalgia¡¯s members were riding was far ahead of Crack of Dawn¡¯s cart. When they reached the halfway point to their destination, they decided to take a rest. Rest stops were placed at fixed intervals along the roads. They were managed by villages or towns nearby, so their appearance and structure were varied; some were just pillars and a roof, others even had tea shops and snack stalls. The rest stop Roa¡¯s group stopped in was a fairly famous one in the area, which also had a tea shop inside. While rough, it was a building made of stone. There were even tables and chairs set on the grass all around it. It was bustling with a crowd of travelers. ¡°Okay, I will leave for a little while then.¡± ¡°What!?¡± As soon as the cart reached the rest stop, Roa was about to go off somewhere. ¡°Wait a minute! We¡¯re supposed to be your escort! Don¡¯t go off on your own! Hey!!¡± Dietrich shouted at Roa, then Kristoff quickly caught him. Because of the sudden ¡°escape¡± Kristoff took the relatively rough course of action of putting Roa in a joint lock. ¡°Ouch!! It hurts!!¡± ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going!?¡± Caught in Kristoff¡¯s joint lock, Roa was returned to the other Nostalgia members. With no idea why he was treated like that, Roa looked at them, utterly confused. ¡°Where¡­? I was just thinking of gathering materials while you ate¡­there¡¯s a small river behind this rest stop, where a lot of Whiteroot Grass grows. The rest stop manager already authorized me to gather things there, so there¡¯s nothing to worry about that.¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± Whiteroot Grass, a kind of medicinal herb, grew close to small bodies of water. It couldn¡¯t be used to make magic potions, but it could be used to make normal medicine to bring down fevers or cure infections and was also edible. ¡°¡­Roa, man, are you really aware of your position? You aren¡¯t, are you? We were hired to escort you. What happens if the person we have to escort takes off on their own?¡± Roa tilted his head to the side at Dietrich¡¯s words. ¡°But around this rest stop it¡¯s pretty safe, you know?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the problem! What about your food, anyway?¡± ¡°¡­I was thinking of nibbling on some dry meat while gathering¡­¡± ¡°C¡¯mon, you have to eat something properly at least!¡± ¡°But if I don¡¯t pick up the Whiteroot Grass¡­¡± Dietrich and the other Nostalgia members held their head with their hands. The conversation wasn¡¯t leading anywhere. Behind them, the coachmen laughed wryly. ¡°Hey, mithril boy, listen here.¡± ¡°Eh? Yes?¡± Dietrich raised his head and looked at the coachman. ¡°Being from another country, I guess you didn¡¯t know yet, but in this country All-Rounders don¡¯t eat with other party members. In rest stops, while the others eat, they have to check the supplies, fill in anything missing or do any chores that they can¡¯t do while the cart is moving. For Mr. Roa too it must be something like a habit.¡± ¡°A habit¡­?¡± Dietrich looked at Roa, who nodded in agreement. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­I shouldn¡¯t have acted on my own.¡± Listening to the coachman¡¯s words, Roa realized that he had acted on his All-Rounder instincts. When he visited this rest stop with the Crack of Dawn party, he went to pick up Whiteroot Grass every time. While it could be found near any small river, as far as Roa knew the Whiteroot Grass near this rest stop was the most effective as a medicinal herb. He didn¡¯t often have the chance to visit this rest stop, so for Roa gathering Whiteroot Grass was the highest priority. ¡°Er, if you apologize you put us on the spot even more¡­¡± Cornelia understood the situation, but was not sure about how to deal with it. For Nostalgia, Roa was the person they had to protect; even though they were paid by Coralde, he was also their employer. One of their duties was to respect their employer¡¯s wishes as much as possible, but they would have never expected their employer to act like an All-Rounder. Roa understood what he did and felt really terrible about it, his countenance turning pale too. This probably happened because of his experience of being scolded when he was in Crack of Dawn. Even if I told Roa that ¡°you¡¯re the employer, you should take charge and give us orders¡± right now, I¡¯d just confuse him even more¡­ Cornelia was reflecting on the issue, but it was a rather tricky one. Kristoff and Bernhart shared her sentiment. Kristoff, despite having put Roa in a joint lock, did not know what to say either. Bernhart, who was expressionless, talked very little, had not much of a presence and was shy to boot, looked the same as before, but he was concerned too¡­probably. ¡°¡­okay. So it¡¯s important to go gather that Whiteroot Grass, right?¡± The question came from Dietrich. ¡°Yes. The quality here is very good, so¡­¡± Roa whispered in response, weakly. ¡°¡­I see. Let¡¯s go get it all together, after the meal.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°One more thing! Don¡¯t make us worry again! If you have to act on your own, tell us first!¡± ¡°Yes!!¡± ¡°Good!¡± Roa¡¯s answer was full of energy. Dietrich flashed a big smile and nodded. ¡°Eh!?¡± Except Roa and Dietrich, everyone was stupefied by the sudden development. ¡°You wrapped it up by treating your employer like a kid?¡± was what pretty much everyone wanted to say, but Roa seemed convinced, so they decided not to. More than anything, they did not want to risk endangering the situation after it was apparently solved. Everyone thought the same and swallowed their words. If someone talked, Roa would probably be confused the most. No one wanted to do that to the most important person in the current situation. ¡°Anyway, to make Roa work without food is pretty horrible.¡± Dietrich was more angry with Roa¡¯s past working environment than his decision to go off on his own. ¡°¡­.well, but that¡¯s normal.¡± ¡°What?¡± Kristoff interjected in the conversation. ¡°That was his role, so it couldn¡¯t be helped. Leader, when you¡¯re having a good time, eating or napping, I go out to gather information sometimes.¡± ¡°¡­..¡± ¡°You¡¯re not going to say that you never noticed, are you?¡± Kristoff¡¯s cold gaze stabbed Dietrich. ¡°No, I mean, of course I did! Every time!¡± ¡°¡­mithril boy¡­us coachmen take care of the horses or check if the carts aren¡¯t damaged while you eat¡­¡± ¡°I noticed, I really did! Why is everyone accusing me anyway!?¡± After Dietrich¡¯s lame complaint, Kristoff and the coachman looked at each other and smiled wryly. Kristoff jokingly pointed out Dietrich¡¯s poor choice of words because he wanted to prevent Roa, after being scolded like a child, regarding Dietrich as above him in rank. The coachman probably understood his intentions and joined in. Coralde had told them not to act as if Roa was inferior to them and Nostalgia¡¯s members did not think of him as being below them from the beginning. Because of his habits, however, Roa himself acted as if he was below them, which made things difficult. If, on the other hand, they treated him as superior excessively, he might end up feeling outside their circle. The ideal relationship was that of a spunky brat and his serious friend: a relationship between equals, in which Roa could easily discuss with Dietrich what he wanted to do, and in the end, Dietrich would make the final decision. At least that¡¯s what they all thought¡­ ¡­except Roa and Dietrich. ¡°Okay, got it! Let¡¯s all eat together. After the meal, we¡¯ll split and go gather Whiteroot Grass, take care of the horses and check if the carts are damaged. How does that sound?¡± Unexpectedly, as Kristoff and the coachman thought, Dietrich¡¯s conclusion included Roa¡¯s wishes and treated everyone as equal. ¡°Well then Roa, after the meal tell us where the Whiteroot Grass grows.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Roa nodded vigorously. He finally got used to addressing me without ¡°Mr.¡±¡­. Unaware of everyone¡¯s thoughts, Roa was simply happy that Dietrich called him without titles, naturally. After that, Roa¡¯s group ate their meal at one of the tables laid in the grass near the rest stop. Roa and Nostalgia¡¯s members sat at one table, the coachmen at the one next to it. Someone had to stay near the carts to keep watch, so the coachmen took their meal in turns. ¡°We won¡¯t be able to eat warm food for a while after we leave, so eat up!!¡± Dietrich continued piling food on Roa¡¯s plate. To save time, this rest stop served food on large plates placed on the center of the table: guests would then take what they wanted to eat freely. Drinks would also be served in large jugs or teapots. At first Roa just picked a little bit of everything, out of restraint, but Dietrich noticed and started putting the most delicious bits of food on Roa¡¯s plate, ultimately looking like he was forcing him to eat more. The leader¡¯s going overboard¡­ Nostalgia¡¯s members were wary of the situation, but Roa seemed somewhat happy, so they didn¡¯t stop Dietrich. If he really went overboard they would have stopped him, by force if needed, but for now the leader and Roa had created a ¡°balanced¡± relationship of a spunky kid and his timid cohort. ¡°Okay, stop! He can¡¯t eat that much. Think about Roa¡¯s pace too!¡± Cornelia stopped Dietrich when the food on Roa¡¯s plate had become mountain-like in size. ¡°Sorry¡­¡± ¡°And Roa! Don¡¯t just do everything you¡¯re told, if you don¡¯t like something or are troubled you must refuse, even if the other person does it out of kindness! If you use too much restraint this dumb leader will grow an ego!¡± ¡°¡­yes, I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± ¡°Good!¡± After thinking about it a lot, Cornelia decided to treat both Roa and Dietrich like children¡­though her attitude towards Dietrich was the same before too. The two men sulking together looked just like brothers. ¡°Anyway, is the Whiteroot Grass far from here? ¡­ah, you can finish eating first.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s very close¡­just behind that building.¡± Roa pointed to a building in a corner of the grassy plain. It was a small hut, apparently the rest stop¡¯s stockroom. ¡°I guess it won¡¯t take much time to gather the Whiteroot Grass. So, if that¡¯s okay with you, Roa, after the gathering can I check your actual ability?¡± ¡°Eh?¡± The ¡°ability¡± mentioned here obviously referred to ability in battle. Adventurers wouldn¡¯t be interested in any other kind of abilities. Roa, who couldn¡¯t find any talents in his seven years of All-Rounder work, didn¡¯t know what to answer, precisely because he knew well how much ability he had. ¡°I just want to know in case of emergency, no one is forcing you. I have no intention of making you fight in our battles. In case we have to escape, I need to know more or less how you can move¡­no good?¡± ¡°¡­well¡­if that¡¯s the reason¡­¡± ¡°Good, thank you.¡± Roa gave an uncertain reply and returned to stuffing his mouth with food, more restless than before. The reason why Cornelia wanted to know Roa¡¯s actual ability was as she explained, but she had another one too. The previous night, Nostalgia¡¯s members had a meeting before the mission: one of the topics that came up during the meeting prompted her request to Roa. That was ¡°Does Roa really lack the ability to work as an adventurer?¡± In Nostalgia¡¯s homeland, after years of education, even a person with extremely poor physical skills would acquire the minimum amount of ability to work as an adventurer. And that was while training in other professions too. Roa had survived for seven years on actual battlefields as an All-Rounder, so they doubted that he really lacked the necessary ability. Just by looking at Roa walk, board the cart and other small movements, they could tell that his motor skills weren¡¯t bad. Cornelia found it hard to believe that he wasn¡¯t fit for adventuring in any way. Well, there is the possibility that he lacks something else, something vital¡­ Cornelia looked at the nervously eating Roa and, to his side, Dietrich wolfing down food with a carnivore¡¯s appetite, as she was lost in thought. ? After the meal, Roa, Cornelia, and Bernhart went to gather the Whiteroot Grass, while the other members went to watch the horses and check the carts. Whiteroot Grass grew close to small rivers. Its roots had the greatest medicinal properties, so it was harvested from the roots up, but it had to be harvested in a way that it could grow easily in the future too. Because of this, the members with the highest dexterity were assigned to the gathering party. ¡°Pick up only the bigger ones. Don¡¯t just rip it out, but put one hand inside the mud, unwrap it from the other roots nearby and pick it up. If you just rip it out you¡¯ll take the neighboring roots with it, so be gentle, in order not to damage the other plants¡¯ roots. If there are many big plants clumped together, don¡¯t just take them all, try to leave at least half.¡± The group reached the small river and started harvesting as Roa instructed, but as the plants grew on soft mud, they were surprisingly easy to pull out. The cold river also felt pleasant to their bare feet. Once they filled Roa¡¯s basket, their work would be done. They had an agreement with the manager of the rest stop, so they couldn¡¯t take more than that. It didn¡¯t take much time for the three members to finish their task. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s have a little sparring match then.¡± Cornelia wiped her feet with a cloth, put on her shoes and called to Roa. His expression stiffened instantly, but she knew it was going to happen, so she continued without paying too much attention to it. ¡°I¡¯m going to strike a few times, you just need to defend yourself.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Roa was only equipped with the knife he used for gathering and self-defense. He didn¡¯t even have a practice wooden sword and Cornelia knew well that he wasn¡¯t skilled enough to do proper sparring, so she just picked up a tree branch and gave it to Roa. Cornelia also picked up a tree branch and swung it to test it. She had taken off her armor before the meal, so her equipment was lighter now too. ¡°Okay, here I go.¡± Cornelia then swung the branch several times, targeting Roa. They were just practice swings, so they weren¡¯t very fast, and Roa could parry them all with his branch. Oh? I thought he¡¯d be much worse than that¡­ Roa¡¯s movements were clearly a beginner¡¯s, but even so, Cornelia¡¯s assessment was not negative. ¡°Thank you, I know now.¡± She thought that if he trained he could become fairly skilled, but it would be pointless to say that now, so she kept the evaluation to herself. ¡°Can I try too?¡± Bernhart spoke of his own will!? Cornelia was shocked that the always silent Bernhart spoke, but he paid her no mind. ¡°Can you create fire magic, about as big as a palm?¡± ¡°Yes. Fire.¡± Roa did as he was told and created a fireball from his palm. He used it every day for his alchemy work and as a light, so he could do it without problems. If they had talent for magic, even little children could do it: it was an extremely basic spell. Bernhart looked at it and tilted his head. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡­nothing¡­¡± Roa watched Bernhart go, wondering what his motive could be. ? Roa¡¯s group then left the rest stop and proceeded on the latter half of their journey, eventually reaching the outer edges of the Aldon forest. The Aldon forest was home to magic beasts. In the center of the forest there were pools of magic essence or exit points of underground veins of magic power. Thanks to the magic essence released by such spots, plants grew in an unnatural manner, also giving birth to flora species unique to places where magic essence was abundant. It was an ideal environment for magic beasts, where great numbers of them dwelt. The quantity of overflowing magic essence influenced the flora and strength of the magic beasts, so such locations were ranked and managed as to only let adventurers with sufficient rank inside. The Aldon forest was ranked by the Adventurers¡¯ guild as a rank B forest. It was the most dangerous forest rank B adventurers could access however: it was also said that it would soon be changed to rank A. The Aldon forest was located next to the Norfar valley, where the magic essence from the forest flowed to. Because of this, despite lacking any sources of magic essence, magic beasts roamed the valley too. Magic beast forests were ideal habitats for magic beasts, so they rarely appeared anywhere else. Thanks to the presence of such forests, damage and casualties caused by magic beasts could be kept to a minimum. Furthermore, the flora grown in magic beast forests, because of the unique environment, had very high medicinal capabilities: many of them could be used to make potions impossible to replicate with normal plants, so despite how dangerous such areas were, they were vital for human life. Roa and the party started setting up camp in the designated area at the edge of the Aldon forest. They would spend the night there and enter the forest the next morning. The ¡°designated area¡±, despite the official-sounding name, was just a wide clearing where carts could be stopped and it was easy to keep watch of the surroundings. There were poles to tie horses to and stones forming fireplaces, but it was just a square in the end. Roa and the party set up two tents: one for Roa and Nostalgia, the other for the coachmen. It was too small for all of them to fit in, but someone always had to be out to keep watch, so there was no problem. ¡°Hm? I smell something good?¡± Cornelia mumbled to herself. She had removed her full body armor to prepare to camp. She couldn¡¯t lie down and get up in her heavy gear, so she removed it whenever she could. ¡°What? We haven¡¯t started cooking yet. Are you hungry or something?¡± ¡°You idiot, I¡¯m not like our leader, you know! Can¡¯t you feel a¡­kind of sweet scent?¡± ¡°Listen now¡­¡± Kristoff replied to Cornelia¡¯s mumble, and Dietrich then protested for being insulted all of a sudden. Kristoff concentrated on the surrounding scents and felt a faint sweet scent, just like Cornelia said: something he had never smelled before. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry, it¡¯s me.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± They looked at Roa and saw that he had a small pouch in his hand. ¡°This scented pouch keeps magic beasts away. I was thinking of putting some around the camp.¡± ¡°Oh, it sure smells good. Very different from Mente.¡± Mente was a kind of medicinal herb, a plant with a very strong smell and a main ingredient in monster repellents. Monsters also hated citrus smells, but the smell Cornelia felt now was completely different than the ones she knew: it was a sweet, spice-like scent. ¡°I made this myself, I guarantee that it works well. Weak magic beasts will definitely stay away.¡± ¡°That¡¯s impressive.¡± Normal monster repellents managed at most to keep away small, weak magic beasts and magic beasts with a very sharp sense of smell. They couldn¡¯t definitely keep magic beasts away. Repellents that definitely kept magic beasts away emanated smells that people couldn¡¯t stand either. Roa¡¯s scented pouch was different however. ¡°That¡¯s a really nice smell though. Couldn¡¯t you make it into a perfume? If it works as monster repellent and smells this nice, I bet you could sell it not only to adventurers, but to nobles too. Honestly, I¡¯d like to have some.¡± ¡°Ehm¡­¡± Roa fretted a little, looking troubled. ¡°Er, miss Cornelia.¡± ¡°What? Aah, this smells really good¡­¡± When Roa replied, Cornelia took the pouch in her hands. ¡°Er, that¡­¡± ¡°Ah, Roa, you should call us without titles or anything too. Don¡¯t only make us call you like that, that¡¯s cheating, okay?¡± ¡°Eh? O, okay, Cornelia.¡± Roa didn¡¯t know why that would be cheating, but he simply did what he was told. Cornelia was savoring the scent of the pouch, almost rubbing against her cheeks. ¡°So, Cornelia, about that scented pouch¡­¡± ¡°What about it?¡± Roa wasn¡¯t sure how to explain. ¡°Well, magic beasts have territories, right? In a strong magic beast¡¯s territory, weak ones would never get close.¡± ¡°?¡± Cornelia was confused as to why the topic suddenly shifted to magic beast territories. The other Nostalgia members and coachmen, who were listening too, failed to understand in the same way. ¡°In towns, dogs and cats have their own territories, right? Have you ever seen how they mark their territories?¡± ¡°?¡± Cornelia tilted her head even more. ¡°They piss on trees or walls, or rub their butts against them.¡± One of the coachmen replied instead. Even so, no one managed to understand what Roa was getting at. ¡°Well, in the party I was in before there were three servant beasts, a gryphon and two magic wolves.¡± ¡°?¡± No one had any idea why Roa was talking about something like that. ¡°The magic wolves¡­well, they¡¯re big dogs, pretty much. The gryphon too, it has a bird¡¯s had but most of its body is of a lion¡¯s¡­a big cat.¡± ¡°Ah¡­.!¡± At this point, one of the coachmen realized, then started grinning. ¡°So, if you have something that expresses a strong magic beast¡¯s territory¡­other magic beasts will think there¡¯s a strong magic beast nearby and won¡¯t get closer¡­or so I thought.¡± ¡°Ah!! So the monster repellent in that pouch is magic beast piss!!¡± The loud comment of realization came from Kristoff. ¡°No, it¡¯s not!! It¡¯s not!! It¡¯s not piss, it¡¯s liquid that comes out from a certain spot on their butt!! Something used to mark their territory! It¡¯s a totally different thing!!¡± Roa denied with all his strength, but since he seemed concerned when Cornelia took the pouch and put it near her nose, it was clear that this ¡°something¡± did not come from a very clean place. ¡°I¡­think I¡¯ll go wash my hands.¡± Cornelia quickly let go of the pouch, then dashed off towards the carts, where the party¡¯s water supply was. She wouldn¡¯t falter even when sprayed with magic beast blood when fighting, but things like ¡°that¡± concerned her, apparently. Actually, Cornelia and Roa were both unaware that perfumed oils with animal origins already circulated among nobles; even ones like Roa¡¯s scent pouch, which came from preferably unspecified places, were sold at quite high prices. The quality of the scent won against its source. These scented oils came from normal animals though. After Cornelia left, the atmosphere was rather awkward. Everyone had wry smiles on their faces, but in front of the apologetic Roa they couldn¡¯t laugh openly as they wanted. ¡°So, Roa, do you have any more of that monster repellent? More than the wolves, the gryphon¡¯s would be very effective, I think, so if you have any left I¡¯d like some¡­¡± Dietrich tried to change the awkward mood. ¡°I have some left, yes. I couldn¡¯t take the base liquid with me when I left Crack of Dawn, so I only have some in small bottles, thinned with alcohol. If it¡¯s thinned the smell is only effective for a few days though.¡± Roa took out small bottles of monster repellent, thinned with alcohol. It was a very small quantity, left by accident in the bag he brought: he didn¡¯t take it from Crack of Dawn on purpose. ¡°Do you have to thin it before using it? The stronger the smell, the more effective it is, no?¡± It was a normal question to ask: the more effective a monster repellent was, the better. Meeting an unexpected magic beast could very well prove fatal, after all. The smell wasn¡¯t something people would dislike either. Roa probably expected such a question, because he replied right away. ¡°If the smell is strong, the opposite effect occurs. What do you think would happen if, inside the territory of a certain beast, the strong smell of another magic beast suddenly appears?¡± ¡°¡­.the owner of the original territory, furious, comes to attack the intruder?¡± Dietrich imagined two rabid dogs fighting over territory. Roa nodded happily as he obtained the reply he expected. ¡°That¡¯s right. So it¡¯s better to thin the smell, so it doesn¡¯t travel too far.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Magic beasts and animals were pretty similar in that regard¡­ Dietrich nodded, convinced. Just then Cornelia came back, still a bit embarrassed. ? The sun was beginning to set. Crack of Dawn¡¯s cart also reached its destination, a camp close to the entrance of Norfar valley. In the distant past, a river flowed through Norfar valley, but it was now completely dry. In the past it was used as a stone quarry, so even now it was filled with rocks and boulders. The camp was the former quarry¡¯s rest stop. It was pretty crude, but in true quarry style it housed buildings made of stone, including huts and horse stables as well. It was strange to call it an outdoor camp even if it had huts, but it was the common name for such locations. The leader Stefan and Bonne quickly entered the huts to secure a place for themselves. The coachmen, Serge, Eric, and Olun pulled down the luggage from the carts. ¡°Tch, they could at least help with the luggage¡­¡± They voiced their frustration with Stefan and Bonne, who went straight to relax. When Roa was still around, all luggage duties were left to him; they didn¡¯t lift a finger to help him, though it seemed like they had forgotten about it now. There was no need to pitch tents this time, but that too was a task Roa did by himself: he had even customized the tents to be able to set them up by himself. Thanks to the party¡¯s many magic bags, though, it wasn¡¯t such a tough job. ¡°We don¡¯t need to light up a fire, do we?¡± ¡°Yeah, the magic beasts around here are all stone types, so they don¡¯t fear fire. It would be pointless to light one. Set up the monster repellents instead.¡± In the rocky Norfar valley, most magic beasts were of a certain type. Most monsters had adopted rocks or minerals in their carapace, like Rock Lizards for example, and did not fear fire. Lighting one would instead attract their attention. The targets of their extermination expedition were Silver Golems, creatures created by alchemists which had lost their master and turned feral. They never feared fire and their bodies were mostly of silver, so fire would not damage them. Golems created via alchemy were said to be based on slimes: just like slimes, as long as the core inside their body wasn¡¯t destroyed they would continue regenerating, making them quite a difficult opponent. Maybe thanks to their slime origins, though, they were affected by monster repellents like other magic beasts. ¡°Let¡¯s see here¡­¡± Serge rummaged through the magic bag and took out a small bottle. ¡°Guess I should spread it in a wide arc¡­¡± He walked off while talking to himself. Serge then dropped a few drops of the bottle¡¯s contents, forming a large circle with the huts in the center. Had he used a Mente & citrus-based repellent, this would be the correct usage. The label on the bottle, however, read ¡°Monster Repellent ¨C Base Liquid¡±. Crack of Dawn¡¯s members were used to the smell, so they didn¡¯t notice, but that was Roa¡¯s special gryphon ¡°liquid¡± repellent. They had clearly forgotten about thinning it before using it, as they said before leaving. The servant beasts glanced towards them as soon as the liquid was scattered, but did nothing more. The gryphon knew the smell, of course, as did the twin wolves: it would not affect them at all, but they were concerned that it was a little too strong, at least for a second. The beasts then took a spot near the huts and enjoyed the cool feeling of the stones. They were feasting on the rabbits and deer they hunted on the way there. Serge and the others, noticing the prey, thought they wouldn¡¯t need to give them food for dinner, just as the servant beasts hoped. They did their best to show off their prey, so that they wouldn¡¯t have to see ¡°those¡± Crispies anymore. The scent of the monster repellent wafted throughout the surroundings, led by a warm breeze towards the valley. Deep in the valley, the scent had no way to escape anywhere, nor could it be absorbed by the rocks. It kept flowing towards the depths of the valley¡­triggering something that no one present expected. ? A few hours later¡­ The smell of monster repellent reached the farthest depths of the valley. Because of its geography, things easily pooled in the valley: the same had happened to the magic essence flowing in from the forest. There weren¡¯t any underground veins of magic nearby, but there was enough magic essence to call it a magic essence pool. Crack of Dawn¡¯s target, the Silver Golems, were ¡°there¡± too. The smell of monster repellent carried by the breeze¡­the intense smell, which marked the gryphon¡¯s territory, had instilled fear in the two Silver Golems. Unlike logical fear, it was instinctual and primordial. It wasn¡¯t something that could be easily suppressed. Silver Golems, from a human standpoint, were very powerful magic beasts. Though, that only applied to humans. For a gryphon, they were opponents easily defeated one on one. Even if a gryphon had to face two at the same time, they just risked a few scratches. Faced with the smell of a strong opponent, the golems reacted by instinct. Either we flee¡­or we fight to protect our territory. Based on their strength, the golems¡¯ only option was to flee: they had no chance of winning. They did not want to flee, though. That was the two golems¡¯ final decision. The valley had a rich silver mine and overflowed with magic essence: for the Silver Golems, it was the perfect homeground. Paradise, even. They wanted to avoid having to leave it, no matter what. What else could they do, then? The golems¡¯ thinking was, in comparison with humans, rather childish. If we can¡¯t win by fighting normally, we have to create a situation in which we can win. That was their conclusion. For the golems, increasing their battle power meant to increase their numbers. This would be difficult to do in a normal location, but the current environment was more than ideal. The silver necessary to create their bodies, the magic needed to animate them¡­both were abundantly available. Until now, only two golems had been created, because there was no need for more. The moment had finally come, though. The Silver Golem absorbed the magic essence in the atmosphere and split its core. Golems increased their numbers by division: the split core absorbed silver and other materials and rebuilt its body. This ability was the reason why golems were said to be alchemy creatures based on slimes. The two golems first became four¡­ Those four would then soon turn into eight¡­ How much will they able to reproduce before the gryphon¡¯s attack¡­? Will they have enough power to stand against the gryphon¡­? The Silver Golems concentrated all their strength in increasing their numbers. ? It was late night in the campsite near Aldon forest. Nostalgia¡¯s members were sitting around the fire. ¡°He¡¯s finally asleep.¡± After a simple meal based on bread, dried meat and vegetables, they planned to turn in early to be ready for the next day. They lit a fire to also serve as magic beast repellent. While they also boiled water, they wouldn¡¯t prepare hot meals near a forest infested by magic beasts. If they cooked meat or prepared soup, the smell would surely attract them. Roa¡¯s gryphon-made monster repellent was probably effective, but it wasn¡¯t worth taking risks just for the sake of a meal. ¡°How many times did he ask if it was really okay for him not to stand guard?¡± ¡°Like we¡¯re going to have our employer stand guard for us!¡± ¡°Right!¡± It was Roa, of course, who asked such a question so many times. While camping they would take turns standing guard, but their employer was not included in this shift, naturally. That too was a part of the escort mission, after all. Because of his habits, however, Roa felt that it was his responsibility to do it. He felt vaguely guilty to go to sleep while others would stand guard for him: he was so persistent in asking about it that a bizarre situation ended up happening: adventurers on an escorting mission trying to convince their employer to go to sleep and let them work. Nostalgia¡¯s members couldn¡¯t know, but while Roa was in Crack of Dawn night guard duty was always performed by him and the three servant beasts. The servant beasts could stay awake for several days without trouble, and even if asleep they possessed enemy detection abilities far higher than human beings. Roa joined them to go wake up the other party members in case anything happened. Roa didn¡¯t stay up all night to stand guard, of course: after checking on the party¡¯s items, he slept outside until it was time to prepare breakfast, wrapped in the servant beasts¡¯ fur, so he could wake up as soon as they moved. Sometimes he also asked the gryphon if there were any presences of magic beasts nearby: in case there weren¡¯t, he took one of the magic wolves and went to gather herbs and materials to make some pocket money. Even if accompanied by a servant beast, normally walking around in a forest at night was an insane idea, but Roa had absolute trust in the gryphon¡¯s ability. ¡°So, what did you want to talk about?¡± Dietrich asked. It was supposed to be Cornelia and Bernhart¡¯s turn to stand guard, but they said they had something to talk about, so all Nostalgia members were awake and gathered, for a sort of meeting. Until they were sure Roa was asleep, they held the meeting originally planned for the following day. ¡°¡­.it¡¯s about Roa¡­.¡± Cornelia started talking. His movements weren¡¯t bad, but as a swordsman he was a complete beginner. It didn¡¯t look like he could only move like a beginner despite having received training, but that he was never taught anything. If he trained, maybe he wouldn¡¯t be able to become a first-rate swordsman, but he could surely become a decent adventurer. ¡°There¡¯s no point in saying that now, though. ¡­I thought that you guys would probably notice when you¡¯ll see how he moves in the forest, so I wanted to make sure you didn¡¯t start telling him things or giving him training tips lightly. Roa just gave up on becoming an adventurer, so you¡¯d just give him needless concerns¡± Thus concluded Cornelia. ¡°¡­.The same can be said for his magic. I think he¡¯s rather talented, to be honest¡­his magic flow and structure were both smooth. With some training, he¡¯d be able to use effective offensive spells¡­I can only think that no one in that could give proper magic teachings.¡± Bernhart too gave his opinion, in a strained tone. Roa was skilled enough in alchemy to create magic potions, so it was impossible for him not to have any talent for magic. He was focused on production, which only required low magic power, but alchemists were also magic specialists. ¡°The hero party¡¯s magic user¡­is that fallen holy woman, the cleric, huh. I heard she was reinstated as holy woman candidate after they received the title of hero party, but she¡¯s just horrible. Holy women also have to act as instructors in the church, right? If someone who can¡¯t even teach a bit of magic gets that position, it¡¯ll be a fine mess.¡± Dietrich spoke unusually quietly, making sure Roa didn¡¯t hear anything. His normal cheerful expression was also gone, as his brow was deeply wrinkled. ¡°She might have become a candidate again, but if she was discarded once I doubt she¡¯ll really become a Holy Woman. Rumors say that she did something really bad and was thrown out of the church, with the pretext of ¡°training¡±¡­¡± Kristoff was the party¡¯s intel specialist, so he actually knew what that ¡°really bad¡± thing was, but chose not to say it. It would have just made the other members feel sick to their stomach. ¡°Looks like money and power are more important than talent or humane qualities in this country¡­I don¡¯t think that¡¯s impossible¡­¡± ¡°Rotten to the core.¡± It might be another country for them, but such a corruption of authority was nevertheless unpleasant. The expressions of Nostalgia¡¯s members were painfully dejected. ¡°This country looks down on people too much. Money and power are more important¡­Roa¡¯s case is the same. Because of the master and disciple system, if you end up with someone who can¡¯t teach your life is over? It¡¯s just ridiculous. The disciple isn¡¯t at fault at all!¡± Dietrich did his utmost not to speak any louder. In the kingdom of Perdu and throughout the continent, belonging to a guild was proof of being trustworthy, no matter the profession. Depending on the country, however, guild regulations varied wildly. In this country, the master and disciple system was an absolute staple. There were rare exceptions, but it was a universal rule. The Adventurers¡¯ guild, differently from the Merchant or the Creator guilds, allowed anyone to become an adventurer, as long as they registered. It was however necessary to join a party as an ¡°All-Rounder¡±, become the disciple of one of the party members and to be recognized by them, otherwise you couldn¡¯t form a party and take requests. Exceptions were only adventurers who came from abroad, like Nostalgia, but they weren¡¯t trusted very much because of the Adventurers¡¯ guild¡¯s closed mentality, so they had a rather difficult time in finding work. One might think that if an All-Rounder ended with a master incapable of teaching, they could just become someone else¡¯s disciple, but this was very difficult to do so in this country. A disciple that left a master before being recognized as full-fledged was labeled as ¡°discarded because of having no talent¡±, ¡°spineless¡±, ¡°ungrateful¡± and would not be accepted by any other masters, in most cases. Even if they were accepted by someone, that master also risked damaging their reputation, as they had picked someone ungrateful. This was the same for All-Rounders like Roa, who could not become anyone¡¯s disciple and were discarded from their party¡­or rather, were treated even worse. Furthermore, in this country if someone failed at their first job and tried switching to another they would be labeled in the same way, as ¡°discarded because of having no talent¡±, ¡°spineless¡± and ¡°ungrateful¡±, which would make it very difficult to find another job. People like Roa, who smoothly found another profession, were very rare. Or maybe Coralde was rare, since he hired Roa without any qualms. While he never gave them the favorable treatment Roa receives, Coralde had hired people in similar situations before, as long as they were talented. ¡°This country has been at peace for a long time, its population just continuing to increase. I guess they can afford to waste people.¡± ¡°Grrt¡± Cornelia was surprised by the sound that followed her comment, the sound of Dietrich¡¯s teeth grinding. Wow, he¡¯s really angry¡­our boss really hates that kind of stuff after all¡­ Cornelia and Dietrich had known each other for a long time, so she knew his personality well. It didn¡¯t match this country¡¯s spirit at all. They had come to this country, rich in magic beast forests, just to practice fighting against land-dwelling magic beasts. Now that they had learned enough, there was no point in continuing to bear such an unpleasant environment. I guess it¡¯s about time to go¡­ Cornelia thought this while reminiscing about their nostalgic homeland, where the sea breeze always blows. ? The gryphon noticed the unusual happening in Norfar valley and whispered. Dawn was approaching, so the surroundings had started getting brighter, but the valley¡¯s cold air had formed thick layers of fog. There was barely any visibility, just as if they were inside a cloud. Since the twin magic wolves were playing around, excited by the fact that they could barely see their front paws, the gryphon sent them to practice inspecting the surroundings while they played. Magic beasts had several tools at their disposal to learn about their surroundings. In addition to sight, smell, hearing and the other senses humans and animals also had, they could let their magic power expand to inspect the surroundings. The twin magic wolves tended to rely on their five senses, so the thick fog was the ideal situation to have them train their ability to inspect surroundings through magic power. While instructing them in this activity the gryphon too expanded its detection field to the maximum, thus noticing the unusual situation. The twin wolves got so close that their snouts were about to touch the gryphon¡¯s face. They had to, or they couldn¡¯t see it in the thick fog. The gryphon deftly moved away its eagle-like face and grinned. ¡°Hehehe¡­rejoice, twins! You¡¯ll be able to go all out for the first time in a long while. It will take these useless dolts another full day, but there is plenty of small fry awaiting!¡± ¡°So many?¡± The gryphon started counting the number of presences it detected. ¡°¡­..56, 57, 58, fift¡­.what!! They increased again! I was almost done counting and they increased again! They¡¯re over 100 now¡­more than double than before!? This manner of increasing, this magic power¡­are they superior versions of slimes? No, maybe golems?¡± To reach such a conclusion with so little information available was not possible for any monster. The gryphon could only tell they were golems, but the twin wolves went as far as stating the magic beast¡¯s name. The twin wolves had been paying attention to Crack of Dawn¡¯s conversations, so they knew that the expedition¡¯s goal was to take down Silver Golems. The gryphon had not the slightest intention to listen, so it didn¡¯t know. A request undertaken by human adventurers would just involve magic beasts too weak to stimulate its interest, or so the gryphon thought. It always thought any enemy magic beasts could just provide good fodder for the twins. The gryphon looked away from the twins, awkwardly. The gryphon tried to quickly change the topic, but its prediction was correct. The Silver Golems, fearing the gryphon¡¯s smell, continued doubling their numbers as quickly as possible. They had just reached 128 units. If they kept increasing at this pace, the following day -when Crack of Dawn was expected to reach its destination- they would reach over 1000. As long as the silver needed to build their bodies was available. The twins ran around in the fog, as happy as could be. The thick fog made it impossible to see anything, but they had started getting used at perceiving the surroundings via magic power, so they didn¡¯t bump into anything. The joy of being allowed to use magic attacks made them unable to stay still. The twins were high-rank elemental magic wolves, ¡°Fire Magic Wolf¡± Skoll and ¡°Ice Magic Wolf¡± Hati. They were unique species, twins born from the same parent, ¡°Great Magic Wolf¡± Fenrir. They were still young and had not yet had a chance to fight against magic beasts that could let them unleash their full power, so the members of Crack of Dawn and the Adventurers¡¯ Guild only considered them to be magic wolf pups with an unusual fur color. Their actual power, however, was quite terrifying. Unlike normal magic wolves, they could use elemental magic. The ability to use magic was very rare among magic wolves; their parent, Fenrir, had learned to use wind magic over time: in its younger days, it was an average magic wolf. Its children were supposed to be normal magic wolves too. The twins could use magic mostly because they were unique magic wolf units, but even so their learning speed was incredibly fast, thanks to the gryphon, which had taught them as a way to kill time. The gryphon also taught them to fight cooperating with each other, so even without using magic they boasted very high skill in battle. The recent events had caused stress to both the gryphon and the twins: thanks to this very convenient chance to release their stress, they were all in very high spirits. The twins were running around in a frenzy, while the gryphon muttered to himself in words incomprehensible to humans, his expression stuck in a grin. Though they expressed themselves differently, their joy was the same. Volume 1 - CH 3.1 Chapter 3 ¨C To The Magic Beast Forest The sun rose up over the forest. ¡°Whoops.¡± Cornelia blocked the Wild Boar¡¯s charge with her shield. For a female adventurer, her physique wasn¡¯t that large. It was thanks to magic that she could withstand the Wild Boar¡¯s charge. She reinforced her bones and muscles and also used an earth magic spell to prevent her feet from slipping. Thanks to that, she could withstand the Wild Boar¡¯s charge without budging an inch. Wild Boars were over 2 meters tall and easily weighed ten times more than Cornelia. Even Olun, Crack of Dawn¡¯s tank, would be blown away if he tried to take the Wild Boar¡¯s attack from the front. Roa knew it, so he was deeply impressed by Cornelia¡¯s strength. Once it was stopped, the Wild Boar was then struck by lightning. It was Bernhart¡¯s lightning magic. He had muttered the enchantment to himself, so no one else knew when the spell would activate, but Nostalgia¡¯s members kept fighting without any concern. ¡°Rrah!!¡± The Wild Boar, completely unable to move because of the lightning, was then attacked by Dietrich. His slash ripped through the beast¡¯s weakness, its neck. Moments later¡­Dietrich wiped the blood off his blade and waited for the smoke and dust kicked up by the Wild Boar¡¯s body to disappear. ¡°Death confirmed! Finish!¡± Nostalgia¡¯s members then relaxed. ¡°Amazing¡­¡± Roa, who had been watching them from some distance, nodded to himself. He had watched Crack of Dawn fight for many years. Even if he couldn¡¯t fight himself, he was able to tell how powerful an adventurer was from the way they fought. As far as Roa knew, Nostalgia was a party of top class adventurers. They were strong enough to, maybe¡­no, they definitely surpassed Crack of Dawn, minus the servant beasts. Their teamwork was extremely smooth and natural as if they formed a single entity. They knew how the others moved and moved to the positions the others wished they were. All of their movements were ideal. As a result, they dispatched a Wild Boar -a magic beast Roa expected them to struggle more against- with just 3 people, and an attack each too. Roa¡¯s group had entered the Aldon forest right after breakfast. The first magic beast they encountered was that Wild Boar. They were still in the outer reaches of the forest: it was strange to find Wild Boars there, as they used to dwell in the depths. ¡°Roa, what did you do to my armor?¡± ¡°Hyes?¡± Surprised to be spoken to while he was still thinking about the battle, Roa replied with a high-pitched tone. Cornelia walked towards Roa and called to him all of a sudden. She was now completely armored, from head to toe. ¡°I just feel it¡¯s lighter than usual.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way the armor got lighter, come on.¡± Kristoff stepped in from Roa¡¯s side, as to protect him. ¡°But I can move more easily too¡­¡± That morning, when Nostalgia¡¯s members woke up, they found that Roa had performed maintenance on all their equipment. Roa felt uneasy since he had too little to do, so he thought to help them out. He had applied grease on leather to make it stronger and softer, polished metal parts and applied matte to prevent it from shining too much. He also stitched any ripped cloth parts: a perfect maintenance. That wouldn¡¯t make an armor lighter, however. There were magic spells that made armor lighter, but they knew that Roa could not use them. ¡°I just arranged the balance a little. I don¡¯t think there would be much of an effect with other gear, but yours is a full body armor after all. I suppose it feels different when worn.¡± ¡°Balance?¡± Roa said it as if it was nothing, but Nostalgia¡¯s members could not follow. ¡°That armor and shield were made by the same artisan, yes? Also, when you bought that armor maybe you bought a sword too?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, but¡­¡± ¡°Right. But you recently you exchanged the sword with another one, didn¡¯t you? The armor, sword and shield were made in a way to create a balance together. Normal artisans don¡¯t go that far, but yours was definitely someone who knew their craft very well. They even provided weights to make it easier to do small adjustments.¡± Roa pointed at several spots on Cornelia¡¯s armor. ¡°I went ahead and did the adjustments. Your sword arm¡­.right shoulder should feel heavier than before, but now that it¡¯s balanced you won¡¯t need to use excess force, so you should feel better than before.¡± ¡°What¡­.?¡± Roa¡¯s words had hit bullseye. Cornelia¡¯s armor and shield had been crafted by an artisan she knew, so they had been completed after a series of minor adjustments based on her movements and quirks. Her sword, however, broke after she came to this country, so she was forced to buy a new one. ¡°¡­Roa, did you study under an armorsmith?¡± Kristoff asked without thinking: he then said ¡°no, there¡¯s no way he did¡­¡± to himself. Having been an All-Rounder till recently, there was no way Roa had become an armorsmith¡¯s disciple. ¡°No, I was just taught how to do adjustments. There was this artisan, a very skilled person who was a bit strange, though, and did not belong to the Creators¡¯ guild¡­ in exchange for some healing potions, they taught me a bit¡­it helped me a lot, though.¡± ¡°That¡¯s ¡°a bit¡±, huh¡­¡± Dietrich whispered, at a loss for what to say, but Roa did not notice at all. Nostalgia¡¯s members too learned more than basic skills of caring for weapons and armor, at school and from artisans they knew. No one ever taught them about adjusting balance, however. It was probably very delicate work that only expert artisans could perform without failure. Roa¡¯s skill was intriguing, but that mysterious ¡°very skilled person who was a bit strange and did not belong to the Creators¡¯ guild¡± even more. Maybe they didn¡¯t enter the guild because they didn¡¯t meet the conditions, or they refused because they didn¡¯t like organizations, but if they could teach such complex work in ¡°a bit¡±, they had surely achieved a much higher level of craftsmanship. Nostalgia had yet to find an armorsmith they could trust in this country, so they decided to have Roa introduce them. ¡°¡­anyway, we should cut up the Wild Boar¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll help too!¡± Roa talked to Dietrich and Cornelia, who were about to start working on the fallen beast. ¡°No, leave it to me and Cornelia. I¡¯d like you to do your own job, Roa.¡± ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right. I¡¯ll go look around here if there¡¯s anything to gather. Can someone escort me?¡± ¡°Okay, Kristoff, you go with Roa. Bernhart, you guard us while we cut up the Wild Boar.¡± Dietrich softly refused Roa¡¯s proposal and gave orders to the party. ¡°Oh yes, please take this, everybody.¡± Roa gave a small, fingertip-sized candy to not only Dietrich and Cornelia, but the rest of the party too. ¡°It¡¯s a medicinal candy. It¡¯s less effective than liquid medicine, but it heals you slowly, so it doesn¡¯t place any burden on the body. It doesn¡¯t make you feel full either. It¡¯s perfect when you¡¯re a little fatigued. Don¡¯t chew it though, just let it melt.¡± For magic potions, the speed at which they were absorbed by the body was considered most important, so they were mostly liquid. They were very effective, but -be it via healing or recovery- causing sudden changes to the body would cause a relatively heavy burden on the body. In the worst case, an excessively strong effect could make the user feel sick. Because of this, except in emergency situations when one was unable to move, generally adventurers never used magic potions while on the move. Roa¡¯s recovery candies, however, had been made with the objective of slowly healing fatigue and small wounds without burdening the body, so they could be used every day and could help keep the body always in the best shape. ¡­.this guy has been thrown out of the party because he can¡¯t fight, but isn¡¯t he a literal ¡°All-Rounder¡±¡­? Dietrich looked at the candy he received with mixed feelings. Roa cannot fight. That was only because he wasn¡¯t taught properly, though. He was knowledgeable in magic potions and normal medicine and could also perform maintenance on weapons and armor at professional level. Since he had offered to help with cutting up the Wild Boar without hesitation, he was probably accustomed to that. Honestly speaking, they couldn¡¯t tell the extent of Roa¡¯s abilities. Dietrich started thinking of having him join their party, but as they would leave the country one day, he couldn¡¯t invite Roa; snatching him would also displease Coralde, which was far from Dietrich¡¯s intentions. Dietrich quietly put the candy in his mouth and started working on the fallen beast. When we go back, I¡¯ll have an honest talk with Coralde¡­ Dietrich continued thinking while working. The medicinal candy tasted like medicinal herbs, a bit bitter, yet sweet. Volume 1 - CH 3.2 A few hours later, Cornelia and Bernhart were cutting up the third magic beast of the day. Next to them, Kristoff was standing guard. Roa, escorted by Dietrich, had gone looking for herbs to harvest. Apparently, there were rare mushrooms in the area¡­said Roa as they quickly disappeared among the bushes. Because of the experience acquired during his visits with Crack of Dawn, Roa knew to a certain extent what grew where in this forest. ¡°It¡¯s just too weird.¡± Kristoff, while keeping wary of the surroundings, spoke to the two members working on the carcass. ¡°Yeah, this is really pretty weird.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Cornelia agreed. Bernhart was silent, but his expression showed that he too shared their same opinion. The dead body they were cutting up belonged to a King Serpent. It was a snake magic beast, about as large as a man¡¯s torso. It wasn¡¯t poisonous, but its biting and constricting attacks allowed it to defeat even Wild Boars. It was the third magic beast Roa and Nostalgia encountered in the few hours after entering the forest. Because of the repeated fighting and dismantling of the magic beasts, they had barely made any progress: they were still in the outer part of the forest. Two Wild Boars and a King Serpent. Both types of magic beasts normally dwelt deep in the forest. Since gathering materials from monsters was one of their objectives, they weren¡¯t using Roa¡¯s special monster repellent, but even without considering that, the situation was bizarre. ¡°All these beasts should be further in, we¡¯re not supposed to be encountering them around here. When we found the second Wild Boar, I thought they were moving as a pack, looking for prey, but then a King Serpent comes out? This is just plain weird. Detection also shows that there are a lot more beasts around than usual, I guess there must be something going on deep in the forest?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, encountering beasts like these here is really unusual. Because of them, we¡¯ve only progressed half of our plan¡­¡± Cornelia replied to Kristoff, but her expression was not troubled. King Serpent¡¯s skin and meat both fetched good prices, so she was glad they could hunt one. While cutting the beast up, she found out that it was a female and could collect its eggs, which could also be sold for a good sum. For Nostalgia, which was in a dire financial situation, it was a very welcome turn of events. Despite having fought three magic beasts in a short span of time, they were still full of energy and in great form. ¡­.though, we can¡¯t let our guard down¡­ Cornelia realized that the prospect of big profits and her own condition were causing her to lose focus, so she reprimanded herself. She knew that her good condition was because of Roa¡¯s medicinal candy. She wouldn¡¯t get conceited and let her guard down so easily. She renewed her focus, rolling the bitter candy inside her mouth. ¡°Something must be going on, but I wonder what?¡± ¡°The worst case would be a Wyvern¡­no, well, the absolute worst would be a dragon. Anyways, a strong magic beast probably appeared in the forest and they¡¯re all fleeing from it. We don¡¯t have enough info to draw a conclusion yet.¡± ¡°¡­.dragons are out of the question, but even against a Wyvern we can¡¯t do anything by ourselves¡­¡± ¡°Crack of Dawn apparently took down a Wyvern on their own.¡± ¡°They have a flying servant beast though.¡± The ability to fly by itself was a large advantage. A Wyvern with its membrane wings ripped would fall to the ground, where even Nostalgia could have a chance against it, but the simple ability to fly made it almost impossible to attack. It was possible to launch magic attacks towards the sky or to boost one¡¯s physical abilities to try to jump and attack it, but it left a lot to luck; failing to land a strike also meant leaving openings for counterattacks. As long as there wasn¡¯t a real emergency, they would never use such a haphazard strategy. Those were the dangers of flying enemies. Flight magic did exist, but very few could use it: those who could use offensive magic or wield weapons while flying were even fewer. ¡°Servant beasts, huh¡­ by the way, the boss didn¡¯t thank Roa for saving us, right? He said he would say it himself, so we¡¯ve been keeping quiet, but¡­I guess he lost the perfect timing¡­¡± ¡°¡­.he sure did. Our dumb leader probably forgot all about it¡­¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Kristoff and Cornelia nodded to each other. Nostalgia¡¯s members and Roa¡¯s first encounter was not their meeting in the guild actually. Some time before, magic beasts had overflowed from a dungeon: the guild ordered all of its adventurers to deal with the emergency. That time, Nostalgia¡¯s members had just arrived in the country, so their countermeasures against land monsters were not well organized. Dietrich had pushed himself hard to protect the other members, suffering a grave wound in the process. That time, Roa healed him with magic recovery potions. Roa was accompanied by one of the magic wolf twins then, so Nostalgia¡¯s members thought he was a tamer. When they learned that he was an All-Rounder they were surprised, but also started being interested in him. It could be said that that episode was the reason why they accepted this request. Roa¡¯s actions that time had been instructed by the party leader. Crack of Dawn, as a ¡°performance¡± to raise their contribution level to become a Hero Party, sent Roa to go around healing adventurers other than Nostalgia too. For Nostalgia, however, the fact that Roa saved them remained the truth. The next day, when they learned that the potions were handcrafted by Roa, they only felt even more grateful. That time, Roa had helped many people, so he didn¡¯t remember all of them, but Dietrich wanted to find the right timing to properly thank him. ¡­or at least that was the plan, but during the first meeting Roa¡¯s meek demeanor caught his attention, so they didn¡¯t talk about it. On board of the carriage, when the coachman mentioned being saved by Nostalgia a good chance appeared, but Dietrich was too down in the dumps to talk: at the rest stop they were too focused on Roa running off to gather Whiteroot Herb to mention it, and after that Dietrich seemed to have completely forgotten about it¡­ ¡°Our boss can¡¯t think about two different things at the same time, after all¡­now he¡¯s focused on the escorting so he probably forgot about that.¡± ¡°He¡¯s really dedicated when he¡¯s working¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Bernhart¡¯s hands did not stop working on the carcass, but he nodded to Kristoff and Cornelia¡¯s words. ¡°Hey, looks like they¡¯re back.¡± A bit after Kristoff¡¯s words, the sound of footsteps on grass could be heard. ¡°We got a huge catch, people!¡± Roa and Dietrich appeared from between the bushes, with a loud announcement atypical for that forest environment. Dietrich carried a large basket from which a large number of toxic-looking red items poked out. Roa, walking next to him, had a sort of resigned expression. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Kristoff looked at the toxic-looking things with clear suspicion. ¡°Mushrooms, all mushrooms! I know they look like one bite could kill you, but they can apparently be used for medicine. For aphrodisiacs even! The moment I heard we could make aphrodisiacs I asked for some! Lately things have been going pretty well with Felis from the inn, so with some aphrodi-mghshr¡­.¡± Dietrich couldn¡¯t finish his sentence. With what failed to become a proper shout, Dietrich¡¯s body was blown backwards, the mushrooms in the basket scattering through the air. The red mushrooms formed a pretty arc in the air, which Roa gazed at, in a daze. ¡°We¡¯re here to work!! You dumb adult!!¡± Dietrich¡¯s quick trip through the air had been caused by a swift kick from Cornelia. Powered by her full body armor¡¯s weight, it would be fierce even if she held back. Her face was bright red, maybe because of anger or perhaps out of embarrassment, as Dietrich quickly destroyed the praise she had just assigned him. ¡°¡­.sorry¡­.¡± Kicked in the air, thrown on the ground, rained on by red mushrooms, Dietrich mumbled again what seemed to have become his favorite phrase. ? ¡°Do you really need these suspicious mushrooms?¡± After she calmed down, Cornelia asked this question. Her eyes, turned towards Roa, looked very strict. As this was work for her too, Cornelia wouldn¡¯t say it outright, but her cold gaze indubitably meant ¡°Throw the ingredients for medicine like that in the trash¡±. ¡°The medicine made with these can be sold at a very good price, you see. Mr. Coralde told me that if I ever found some I should bring it back right away¡­¡± Roa was shaken by her gaze, but replied firmly. He wouldn¡¯t use those ingredients himself, but they were very important both for him and Coralde. They couldn¡¯t just toss them away. ¡°¡­.even if you say aphrodisiac, it will only have a mildly exciting effect on people¡­it¡¯s not a magic potion, so it only works on couples that already like each other¡­besides, making love potions that would work without a person¡¯s consent is a crime.¡± Magic spells and potions that bent others¡¯ will existed, but were treated as taboo and were illegal in most countries. Making so-called ¡°love potions¡± that influenced a person against their will was not allowed. At least¡­ on the surface. Dietrich, who had been kicked away and was now slumping on the ground, mumbled ¡°so it¡¯s okay for me and my Felis¡­¡±, but fortunately Cornelia did not catch it. If she did, another flurry of blows would have probably rained on him. Kristoff, on the other hand, thanks to his ears trained for scout work, caught it and whispered ¡°No way¡­¡± to himself. Felis was the daughter of the inn where Nostalgia lodged, but the fact that she felt affection for Dietrich was very far from the truth. There was no need for investigation: everyone¡¯s eyes said so clearly. This ¡°truth¡± only existed in Dietrich¡¯s brain, probably. ¡°Besides, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll make aphrodisiacs with the ones gathered this time. Mr. Coralde said that they needed ingredients for cosmetics after all.¡± ¡°Cosmetics?¡± ¡°Those mushrooms apparently stimulate the areas of the human brain that have to do with ¡°sexuality¡±. They can work as aphrodisiacs, but if women use them one of the side effects makes their skin prettier and hair glossier. The Coralde company thus started selling them as cosmetics, lowering their aphrodisiac effect. They say that they¡¯re pretty popular among nobles lately.¡± The aphrodisiacs made with those mushrooms -named ¡°Red Mushrooms¡±, without much imagination- were very difficult to gather, despite their vague effects, so they were very expensive. Even Coralde¡¯s company had very little in stock. Roa, however, had found a spot where they grew in this forest and had brought them back in a large quantity, thus Coralde¡¯s company could advance their studies on them. They had distributed them to the company¡¯s many married workers and inquired about their effects. As a result, they learned that they had beauty-enhancing effects on women and ¡°energizing¡± effects on men; but, as there were cheaper and more effective energizers already on the market, Coralde chose to use them to make cosmetics. The recipe for such cosmetics, incidentally, was invented by Coralde¡¯s company, so Roa did not know it. ¡°Ah¡­.the ¡°Angel Drop¡± series. It¡¯s pretty popular lately¡­.¡± Cornelia seemed to recall the name of the cosmetics in question. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right!¡± Roa immediately confirmed her words. The Angel Drop series was a popular series of cosmetics sold by the Coralde trading company. The company sold many kinds of cosmetics, but only the Angel Drop series was an exclusive. It was easy to realize that the cosmetics made with Red Mushrooms had to be those. The Angel Drop series was too expensive for common folk to afford, but they were famous for being as effective as they were costly. Since they were available only in very small quantities, they were monopolized by nobles. Even then, rumors about their effects spread, so many women longed to have some. ¡°¡­.Roa, ehm¡­.¡± ¡°Cornelia, my dear? You¡¯re not going to ask him for some after you kicked me away, are you¡­?¡± Just as Cornelia started to say something, Dietrich interrupted her with a rather creepy tone of voice. She turned towards him and found him staring at her, grinning. Despite his light tone and smile, the glare in his eyes was scary. This is bad¡­. Nostalgia¡¯s members and Roa were terrified by the pressure emanated by Dietrich¡¯s twisted grin. ¡°Of¡­of course not. I was just¡­I was just going to say to pick up the mushrooms and go on already!¡± ¡°Yes¡­yes, of course! Cornelia would never say something like that!¡± ¡°Of course I wouldn¡¯t!!¡± ¡°Yes, yes! The sweet Cornelia who shouted at me to focus on my job and kicked me so harshly, she would never say something like that!¡± Needless to say, normally Dietrich never addressed Cornelia with words like ¡°dear¡± or ¡°sweet¡±. In other words, he was implying that he would pretend it was all a joke. Cornelia looked at the Red Mushrooms, frustration in her eyes, as she bit down on the medicinal candy in her mouth. Next to her, Bernhart continued to cut up the King Serpent, in total silence, determined to stay out of the situation. He was almost finished¡­ Bernhart had actually noticed something. Far from mentioning it, however, his expression remained as unreadable as before. He always spoke very little and would rarely join in conversations. If what he noticed would cause another commotion, he would absolutely not say it. What Bernhart had heard was that the Angel Drop series was indeed very effective, but only as cosmetics. Using them regularly would show a difference, but just that. Bernhart knew something that could provide even greater effects on hair and skin and had immediate effectiveness to boot. That was magic with healing properties and healing potions, but no one would ever think to use them for beauty purposes. Even if their healing effects were positive for the body, they also burdened it at the same time. The accumulation of this burden would cause headaches and nausea, symptoms known as ¡°Magic Stupor¡±, so it was unfit for regular use as a cosmetic. Magic Stupor also more easily affected those with weak magic power, taking more time to pass, so its affinity with noble madames was quite low. Roa¡¯s medicinal candy, on the other hand, healed fatigue and small wounds slowly, without burdening the body, so it could maintain a state of recovery without causing Magic Stupor. A candy that could be used everyday and was clearly effective, though in a small scale. If one was looking for beauty effects, the candy¡¯s weak effect was more than enough. Roa didn¡¯t seem to be aware, but the candy could become an ideal cosmetic for ladies. Bernhart had realized this much, but did not say a word. Roa had handed the candies out very easily, but Bernhart was sure that they couldn¡¯t be cheap. They could easily become much more expensive than the Angel Drop series. His predictions turned out to be correct. Using one whole medium grade healing magic potion on the ingredients allowed the creation of 10 candies at most: it was an incredible item after all. Using it just to relieve fatigue and heal small wounds was a massive waste. One medium grade healing potion could heal wounds grave enough to make someone unable to move, and their price reflected such an effect. No adventurer would ever use it to heal fatigue that a good meal and rest could heal too, or to fix barely noticeable wounds. The only exception was Roa, who probably gathered the ingredients and concocted them himself, so he could ignore all costs. The only person who would ever think of making something like that was also Roa. He had tried to replicate the same effect with cheaper magic potions, but had not succeeded yet. Because of that, Roa treated the candies as incomplete items and never mentioned them to Coralde. If Coralde knew about them, he would definitely push to release them as a finished product, for cosmetic purposes. While there might not be many adventurers willing to pay much to adventure while their fatigue slowly healed, there were plenty of aristocratic ladies willing to spend small fortunes on cosmetics. Ignorant of the dream-like cosmetic she was crunching in her mouth, Cornelia¡¯s thoughts went to the Angel Drop series, which suddenly escaped her grasp. Bernhart peeked at the other members, still gathering the mushrooms, as he finished carving up the beast with admirable skill and placing the King Serpent materials in the magic bag provided by Coralde. The somewhat humorous accident had caused Nostalgia¡¯s members to completely forget about the abnormality of the forest. Volume 1 - CH 3.3 At the same time, Hero Party Crack of Dawn was fighting against five Rock Lizards. Rock Lizards were less than two meters long, but one-third of their body was composed of their tail, so they looked even smaller. They ate rocks and soil, as well as the plants and organisms within, to absorb nutrients and extract minerals to form a rock armor that protected their head and back. ¡°Why are there so many attacking us!?¡± The thief Serge howled as he checked the surroundings. In battle, the lizards moved very quickly: a lash from their tail could prove dangerous for any adventurer. Rock Lizards normally never moved, and it was even rarer for them to attack in packs. ¡°Don¡¯t ask me!!¡± ¡°Crush them all, it¡¯ll be a pain if they attack us from behind! Don¡¯t let even one escape!!¡± ¡°Servant beasts!! Don¡¯t let them escape!!¡± After the tamer Eric¡¯s haphazard order, the gryphon gave precise instructions to the twins. They followed by jumping down in the rock valley and quickly circling behind the Rock Lizards. The next instant, the Rock Lizards¡¯ movements came to a halt. ¡°They¡¯ve stopped!! Do it now!!¡± The wolves shook their heads a little: as if in response, the Rock Lizard closest to Crack of Dawn attacked the shield-carrying Olun. The others were all completely still. The gryphon nodded, satisfied by the beasts moving as expected. For the gryphon and the magic wolves, it would be all too easy to crush the five Rock Lizards with brute force. They also had other ways to immobilize them without using something as vague as ¡°pressure¡±. This was all training for the twin wolves. Pressure¡­to limit enemy movements through gaze and gestures to control the battlefield without using magic or physical attacks. This was simply an exercise for the wolves to improve their usage of it. Soon enough, it was the Rock Lizard¡¯s turn. The Rock Lizards attacked one by one, as dictated by the twin wolves: they leaped at the party and its swordsmen cut through their bellies. There was no need for the party¡¯s rear guard to do anything. <¡­.that useless lot¡­they didn¡¯t even bring striking weapons in a place filled with rock-type magic beasts? Are they looking down on them, or do they have some plan? Choosing the appropriate weapon is the basis of battle, is it not? Are you fools? You are, aren¡¯t you? To limit the choice of weapons to use in battle is a privilege reserved for the truly strong! Something allowed only to someone like me!> The twin wolves complained to the endlessly droning gryphon. They managed to keep the Rock Lizards under control, but it wasn¡¯t easy: they were focused on directing the beasts to attack Crack of Dawn one by one. The gryphon looked displeased by the rebuke, but decided to keep quiet and not bother their earnest efforts. Not having anything else to do, it inspected the depths of the valley with its magic power. <¡­.things are proceeding well.> Smiling at the results of the inspection, the gryphon whispered as quietly as possible. The number of golems the gryphon detected was in the hundreds. It was already too difficult to keep track of their exact numbers. There were some different presences among them, which the gryphon attributed to there being not enough silver anymore for the golems to form their bodies, so they used rocks or other minerals. The magic essence flowing into the valley probably grew scarce too: some golems crossed the valley and proceeded towards the forest. The gryphon did not know why the golems were increasing their numbers to such an extent, but it was an ideal situation, so it didn¡¯t dwell on the reasons any further. It could finally release the stress accumulated every day. For the gryphon, concerning itself about things it didn¡¯t care about was nothing but a waste of time. What is pointless is pointless. It could be said that it had a big heart or, put less nicely, that it was careless. Deftly twisting its beak in a grin, the gryphon looked again at the twin wolves. The last Rock Lizard jumped at Stefan: the battle was about to end. <¡­pitiful lot. As always there is no cooperation in your battles¡­the blowhard (party leader) and the big lug (tank warrior) are fighting, why do the others not support them? The scrawny fool (thief) and the barking mouth (tamer) are just standing around, while the harpy (female cleric) isn¡¯t even in position¡­she even closed her eyes when the lizard attacked. They¡¯re not going to be able to fight deep inside the valley. Should I have them fall asleep again, so they don¡¯t get in our way? Or should I have them fight to their limits against the ¡°snails¡±, then show them our power¡­?> What the gryphon called ¡°snails¡± were the golems. Just as it called the magic beast Rock Lizards as just ¡°lizards¡±, it was clearly looking down on them. Slimes were ¡°slugs¡±, and mineral bodies created from slimes¡­with a ¡°shell¡±, so to speak, became snails. The fight with the Rock Lizards was over, so the twin wolves returned to the gryphon¡¯s side, looked at its face and backed away, disgusted. ? After the battle against the Rock Lizards, a cloud of dust had been kicked up. The Norfar valley was formed when a river dried up, so it was rife with rocks and crags and had very little green. Because of that, it was easy for clouds of dust to form. So much dust¡­my skin and hair will be ruined¡­ Bonne stroked her blonde hair with a finger. The sunlight in the valley was already strong enough: because of the dust, she would not only get filthy, but her hair and skin would suffer too. Bonne made sure no one was looking at her and whispered a chant. Her body emitted a faint light, impossible to see under the bright sunlight. ¡°Whew¡­¡± Bonne nodded, pleased by the effects of the spell. She had used healing magic on herself, in order to preserve the fairness of her hair and skin. Just a little bit, that¡¯s okay¡­ She stroked her hair again, making sure it had recovered its gloss. When she was still in the church, as a candidate for the Holy Woman title, she did it every day, but after becoming an adventurer she used magic in that manner more sparingly, following adventuring rules. The effect was lighter than magic cast by someone else or a magic potion, but even one¡¯s own magic could cause Magic Stupor. Because of this, it was common sense for adventurers to use healing magic as little as possible in a situation when they could face magic beasts. After starting to use Roa¡¯s recovery candy, however, Bonne had become used to that pleasant feeling, so her old habits resurfaced. She always felt her best when her hair and skin were in top condition after all. If she used cosmetics when she was fully healed, they would also have much greater effects. Her beauty, marred by the adventurer¡¯s lifestyle, had finally returned to her peak days, when she was in the church. ¡°I have to obtain that candy again, as soon as possible.¡± Bonne mumbled to herself. After Roa was banished, the recovery candy stock quickly disappeared. Since it had been made by a talentless All-Rounder, she thought it would be sold pretty much anywhere, so she had cared little for how much was left. She ordered her maid to buy some in town, to no avail: they even told her that no one ever heard of something like that existing. Bonne even sent a creation request to the Creators¡¯ guild, but the response wasn¡¯t positive there either. She did not even think for a second that the useless Roa could have created an original recipe and thought that in the worst case, she could just ask her father¡¯s alchemist to make it. She did not have any candy left, so she used her own magic, but the risk of Magic Stupor was present. The recovery candy, a tool to preserve her beauty without worrying about Magic Stupor, had become a very important item for Bonne. ¡°¡­I want to go back already¡­¡± In the party¡¯s mansion there was the ¡°Barrier of Purity¡± magic tool, provided by her father, which purified the atmosphere and eliminated all toxic substances, so Bonne¡¯s skin would not be burdened. More than anything, the maid was there too, so she did not have to deal with any annoyance. She did not dislike watching others fight, using magic, or even the smell of blood, but she hated not being able to use the maid to do her bidding. Why can¡¯t we bring the maid along? This has always been a mystery for Bonne. Without the maid, she had to ask the other members for ¡°favors¡±, which was cumbersome for the proud cleric. The other members said that it was difficult to fight with more targets to protect. Why would they need to protect the maid? Even if she was killed by a magic beast, we could simply hire another¡­ The dissatisfied Bonne kept thinking. She had given up as the guild¡¯s regulations stated that only the party members accepting the request could go, but she wasn¡¯t convinced yet. In an escort mission, they would have to accompany useless people anyway; in extermination and gathering missions, they would be accompanied until the destination by useless coachmen. More than anyone, they had been burdened by a worthless All-Rounder all this time. Why was only her maid not acceptable? She simply couldn¡¯t understand. She thought of having the maid register as an adventurer and come with them, but that would put the maid on the same level as them. Which would defeat the whole purpose. A maid becoming on the same level as her¡­and a member of the Hero Party? Simply inadmissible. It would be nice if a maid could be used like a servant beast¡­. Bonne realized that she had filled her chest with troubles and sighed, to keep them in check. In this country, criminals were sometimes used as slaves, but even so, humans were treated like humans. It wasn¡¯t possible to treat them as servant beasts. ¡­they¡¯re the same things, and yet¡­it won¡¯t work. Anyway, just a bit more and¡­ Bonne thought about a recently born glimmer of hope. Now that they were awarded the title of Hero Party, she was practically back to being a candidate for the Holy Woman position. If she accumulated more achievements her training would be deemed complete and she would probably return to the church soon. She could then return to a lifestyle of freedom. Feeling the troubles welling in her chest disappear, Bonne curved her lips into a smile. ? Roa and Nostalgia¡¯s members took the first break of the day in the location where they cut up the King Serpent. Thanks to the recovery candy they had no physical fatigue, but the Red Mushroom episode broke their focus, so they decided to take a break to regroup. They all sat down and took out water from the magic bag to quench their thirst. As soon as he finished drinking, Roa stood up and went to the location where the King Serpent was cut up, crouched and started doing something. ¡°¡­.he¡¯s doing something again¡­¡± He just won¡¯t stay still¡­ Kristoff then approached Roa to see what he was doing. He was digging the soil in the place where the King Serpent¡¯s unused bones and guts had been buried. If a magic beast¡¯s carcass was left in the open after removing the desired parts, it would often attract other magic beasts, so burying it was considered good manners, for one¡¯s sake and the sake of other adventurers too. ¡°What are you up to?¡± Upon closer inspection, Kristoff saw that Roa was using a scissor-like tool with dull ends to catch something and put it inside the glass bottle he was holding. ¡°I¡¯m gathering Ghoul Beetles.¡± ¡°Ghoul Beetles?¡± ¡°They¡¯re insects that eat corpses. The forest¡¯s cleaners.¡± Roa¡¯s tool had indeed caught a black beetle. They apparently appeared in swarms in soil mixed with blood: there were several others crawling on the ground. ¡°But what¡¯s the use of those critters?¡± ¡°The pelt craftsman told me to catch them if I found any. When you tan skins or hides, getting rid of leftover fat or flesh is really hard, right? But if you put these guys in a container with untanned hide, they¡¯ll clean it up of any flesh in just one night.¡± ¡°¡°Is really hard, right?¡± he says¡­¡± Kristoff had learned various skills at school, but tanning hides wasn¡¯t one of them. Their country was surrounded by the sea, so there were very few land animals or magic beasts. Because of that, they mostly depended on foreign trade to acquire animal pelts. ¡°Oh¡­when you tan hide, if you don¡¯t remove fat and flesh properly, when you use Alm stones¡­when you use medicine, it doesn¡¯t work as well. Normally you do it with a knife, but magic beast hide is really big, so it¡¯s hard. These Ghoul Beetles, however, eat every speck of leftover flesh, so working on the hide becomes a lot easier.¡± ¡°Is that so¡­¡± Kristoff¡¯s reply was pretty vague. He didn¡¯t know how hide was tanned, so even with Roa¡¯s explanation he couldn¡¯t form a mental picture. Roa was probably dissatisfied with that answer, so he thought again. ¡°¡­.ah! A specimen! Mr. Kristoff, when you learned about cutting up magic beasts, you must have seen a magic beast skeleton specimen, yes!?¡± ¡°Oh yeah, they showed us one when we learn about the body structure of magic beasts.¡± ¡°That¡¯s it!! That¡¯s another one of these Ghoul Beetles¡¯ jobs! If you let them eat leftover flesh from the bones, the skeleton becomes that clean! Amazing, right!?¡± ¡°That¡¯s amazing all right¡­¡± ¡°Right!? The fact that these tiny insects can eat every little last piece of flesh like that is really amazing!! Regular Ghoul Beetles can eat a lot too, but the ones that dwell in magic beast forests are a lot more voracious. But even if the pelt craftsman sends a capture request, the guild doesn¡¯t even answer them, so they always ask me.¡± Roa was overjoyed that Kristoff finally agreed about how amazing the Ghoul Beetles were and nodded strongly to himself as he continued talking and carefully putting the insects in the bottle. Roa seemed to think that Kristoff was not convinced before not because he hadn¡¯t understood the explanation, but because he hadn¡¯t understood how incredible those insects were. This guy is really funny¡­ Kristoff, impressed, continued watching Roa work. As he focused and his head emptied itself of thoughts, he recalled something. ¡°¡­.oh yeah. Don¡¯t you think that the forest is unusual today?¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Roa was surprised by the sudden question. Kristoff asked it because he thought that Roa, who was very knowledgeable about the forest, its mushrooms and insects, might know something about the unusual phenomenon they noticed. ¡°¡­.it¡¯s unusual?¡± ¡°I mean, even if we are in a magic beast forest, encountering three of them in such a short time is pretty unusual, isn¡¯t it? They¡¯re all beasts that normally stay deeper in the forest, too. Isn¡¯t it unusual for them to be in these parts?¡± Roa¡¯s response was unexpected for Kristoff. He thought that Roa knew more about the forest than them, so he started wondering if their hypothesis was wrong. ¡°¡­.I¡¯m sorry¡­ now that you mention it, that is unusual.¡± Roa reflected a bit, then his expression changed and he replied with a glum expression on his face. ¡°Honestly speaking, I was always together with a gryphon whenever I went into a forest until now, so there were always few encounters with magic beasts. I thought that entering a forest normally would make you encounter this many monsters, so I didn¡¯t think about it too much. I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± ¡°Oh, I see. Nah, you don¡¯t have to apologize.¡± Being together with a gryphon would surely make the magic beasts behave differently than normal. Most magic beasts would follow their instincts and flee if a gryphon was around after all. The only ones attacking would be magic beasts driven into a corner or those with an extremely aggressive nature. Being used to such a situation would surely make one lose sight of the difference between usual and unusual. Kristoff had also guessed the reason why Roa was so knowledgeable about the forest. If a gryphon was with him, he could walk around freely and safely, so he could explore various locations. ¡°¡­we¡¯ll discuss about the forest¡¯s anomaly ourselves. Sorry for asking without considering your circumstances. Please forget it.¡± Kristoff smiled at Roa, trying to make him feel at ease. ¡°As I¡¯m sure you know, when an anomaly is spotted it¡¯s an adventurer¡¯s duty to research it as much as possible, but in an escort mission the target¡¯s safety takes priority. If the situation becomes dangerous, we¡¯ll have to interrupt the mission and turn back. Please understand.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°¡­.besides¡­¡± Roa was concerned even if Kristoff said to forget about it. The latter then whispered to Roa¡¯s ear. ¡°Roa, my man¡­you¡¯ve made a forbidden love potion before, haven¡¯t you?¡± Kristoff whispered so that only Roa would hear. ¡°Heh!? No, no, I¡­never!¡± Roa¡¯s panic at the unexpected question painted a large ¡°Yes, I have¡± sign on his face, despite his words of denial. Kristoff¡¯s curiosity had been piqued by the fact that Roa, who explained so thoroughly about aphrodisiacs, just said that love potions that worked against the target¡¯s will were ¡°illegal¡± and nothing else. A bundle of scientific curiosity like Roa, even if he wouldn¡¯t use the potion himself, with the ingredients and recipe available¡­it was difficult to imagine that he would never attempt to make it. ¡°¡­.I just bluffed. Roa, you¡¯re an open book.¡± Kristoff flashed a huge grin. ¡°Just because I bet our leader will ask the same trick question. You better deny it without letting it show then. If he notices, he might force you to make one and use it on someone¡­we don¡¯t want to become associated with a criminal.¡± Still grinning, Kristoff walked away from the troubled Roa. It took a little more time before Roa could notice that Kristoff¡¯s joke was meant to lift Roa¡¯s slumping spirits. Volume 1 - CH 3.4 After the break, Roa and Nostalgia had a small discussion to decide how they would move: continue advancing or return. Roa said he would follow Nostalgias¡¯ decision, leaving the final decision to Dietrich, who decided to proceed a bit further and see how the situation unfolded. The three magic beasts they defeated had already provided plenty of materials, so they decided to use the gryphon liquid monster repellent to ensure safer travels. Thanks to that, their progress quickened considerably. The three magic beasts had caused them quite a big delay, but even while gathering flora and minerals, they managed to reach their destination by noon. The location they selected for lunch was close to a small river. While there was the chance that magic beasts also visited the river to drink, it was a clearing with very good visibility, one of the locations within the Aldon forest that could be said to be relatively safe. To save time, the group¡¯s lunch consisted of boiled meat sandwiched in bread and water. After the meal, Dietrich, Cornelia, and Kristoff started checking their weapons, so Roa went foraging for materials in the area, escorted by Bernhart. Roa went into the river, looking for something. The river was rather shallow, so even the short Roa just needed to take off his boots and roll his pants up to his knees. The current was calm, so it was possible to see the riverbed clearly. If Bernhart also took off his boots, he wouldn¡¯t be able to react quickly in case of an emergency, so he stood guard on the riverbank, wary of the surroundings. ¡°I wonder if I can find some¡­? Oh, there it is.¡± Roa was looking for something, talking to himself, then picked up something the size of a fingertip: a magic crystal. Just like mithril was silver transformed due to magic, crystals too changed under the effects of magic. It was transparent, but observing it under sunlight revealed a faint rainbow light in its center. The crystals that flowed down from the river source, because of increased river flow due to rain or other reasons, absorbed magic on the way and turned into magic crystals. They had the ability to store magic power, so they were often used to craft magic tools. The transformation process was the same as mithril, but unlike mithril they changed with weak magic power and could be produced artificially, so they were not very expensive. Even so, producers that only used natural crystals would pay more for them, so they were treasured by beginner adventurers as a source of income. Roa¡¯s basket had already caught a good number of magic crystals. Since only adventurers ranked B and above could enter the Aldon forest, very few people visited it just to make some pocket money, so it was a treasure trove for such crystals. ¡°I guess I¡¯ve got enough¡­¡± Roa looked around but couldn¡¯t spot any more crystals, so he decided to stop. As soon as he got out, Bernhart, ever silent, handed him a piece of cloth to dry his legs. He then extended both hands to receive Roa¡¯s basket. ¡°Thank you very much.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡± Bernhart nodded without a word. When Roa dried his legs and put back on his boots he retrieved the piece of cloth and they returned to where the other party members were. What a mysterious person. He¡¯s silent, expressionless and seems cold, but he¡¯s very attentive¡­and rather handsome too, so that gap could make him pretty popular, thought Roa. His gaze then shifted naturally towards Dietrich. ¡°Hm? What¡¯s up?¡± Dietrich noticed Roa¡¯s gaze, tinged with a hint of pity. ¡°¡­.no, it¡¯s nothing. May I take a look at how you do maintenance for your sword?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t do anything special, though? Even if it¡¯s mithril, maintenance is the same as any other sword. I carefully wipe away the magic beasts¡¯ fat and blood, add a light dose of vegetable oil for the rust, then wipe it with wool.¡± Mithril was very hard and resistant to rust. Despite this, Dietrich probably felt uneasy unless he cared for his sword, as if it was made of iron. Roa¡¯s eyes were charmed by the flowing-like quality of Dietrich¡¯s sword. After being coated in oil and wiped with wool, its transparent brilliance was enhanced even more, making it look just like a jewel. ¡°It¡¯s so pretty¡­¡± ¡°Yeah¡­so pretty that people say it doesn¡¯t fit me. It seems that thanks to this glow, most mithril weapons are treated as decorations more than actual weapons.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard that too. They¡¯re especially favored by Church people, since they can emit Holy Light when imbued with magic. The Church uses mithril for all sorts of items other than weapons, apparently. They even say that somewhere in the capital there¡¯s an altar made completely of mithril¡­¡± Dietrich¡¯s brow furrowed. ¡°As nasty as ever, that church¡­¡± Dietrich spat out the words as if they disgusted him. He probably had had unpleasant run-ins with the church. Roa was the same too, so he smiled wryly. ¡°But it¡¯s also actually effective in several ways. I¡¯ve just heard rumors, but it seems that ¡°Holy Water¡± can only be made at that altar.¡± ¡°That sounds like bullcrap though. I bet it¡¯s just an excuse to spend money. They¡¯re always making up reasons to make people give them donations.¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Dietrich spoke as if he had been forced to make a donation too in the past. Roa was curious, but didn¡¯t want to make him recall something unpleasant any more, so he chose not to inquire further. ¡°Okay, finished.¡± Dietrich raised his sword against the sunlight, to check of any cloudy spots, then sheathed it. ¡°People! Once you¡¯re finished with maintenance we¡¯re going! If you¡¯re ready, say the word! As we decided, if things turn really bad we¡¯re hightailing it out of here! Don¡¯t you let your guard down!¡± ¡°Okay, okay.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Everyone replied except Bernhart, who simply nodded. ? Around the same time, Crack of Dawn too was taking a break, after several encounters with magic beasts. The party members were sitting down, looking quite tired, while the gryphon was on top of a boulder, checking the surroundings. The gryphon expanded its magic power to investigate the surroundings. Its brow was furrowed, making its originally nasty-looking expression look even more menacing. That was because they had been proceeding much faster than expected. It thought that the repeated battles against magic beasts would slow the party down, but at this pace they would probably reach the location of the golem swarm in the evening, which would disrupt the gryphon¡¯s ¡°nasty prank¡± plans. The valley was flanked left and right by tall walls of rock. Since the depths of the valley were swarming with golems, the gryphon thought that the other magic beasts would all come running their way. Actually, what happened was that more than half of the magic beasts chased away by the golems, terrified by the gryphon¡¯s aura, desperately climbed over the rock walls and fled outside the valley. The stone walls were not steep monoliths: using the rocks sticking out of the walls, even humans could manage to climb over them. No magic beast would be unable to overcome that hurdle. The few that have failed to escape had been slain by the golems. The total number of magic beasts was far below the gryphon¡¯s expectations. The twin wolves peeked at the gryphon¡¯s face. Compared to Crack of Dawn¡¯s members, panting and wheezing because of the repeated fighting, the magic wolves were still full of energy. They were running around and playing, without showing any sign of fatigue. The twin magic wolves looked straight at the gryphon¡¯s eyes. Their pure eyes made the words die in the gryphon¡¯s throat. When you fail, admit it honestly think about the cause, make a countermeasure, and reflect about it. Words the gryphon itself had told the twins. It also recalled having told them that ¡°reflecting about things too long was meaningless¡± and ¡°instead of regretting something, think of a better plan for next time¡±, in its usual haughty manner. The gryphon was torn between praising them for remembering those words or to change the topic from its failure. In the end, its mouth opened. <¡­you have done well in remembering those words. Very good! Yes, apparently I have failed. Thus I wish to ask for your help.> It then looked at the blue wolf. The gryphon nodded to the blue wolf, then turned towards the red one. The gryphon was aware that its predictions failed, but was still bent on acting out its plans for retaliation¡­ Volume 1 - CH 3.5 Roa and Nostalgia, who had no way of knowing the gryphon¡¯s evil plan, continued their gathering mission without any trouble. In the evening, they reached a camping spot as planned. The sky had just started turning red, so there was still a little time until sunset. It was probably thanks to the gryphon¡¯s monster repellent that they managed to proceed so far. They reached a camp at a clearing near the depths of the Aldon forest. Normally, such a place would be close to the center of the forest, where magic essence concentrated. The magic essence in Aldon forest, however, also flowed into Norfar valley, so the depths of the forest were very close to Norfar valley. The following day the group would gather materials along another route as they returned towards the exit of the forest. Unlikethe valley, where the entrance was restricted by its structure, the forest could be entered freely from anywhere, as long as there weren¡¯t obstacles. The party would return to the spot they entered from simply because the horse carts and coachmen were waiting there. If they encountered any serious trouble, they would forget about the entrance and use the shortest route to leave the forest. Since there was still time before sunset, the party decided to take a break before making preparations for camping. Roa and Nostalgia¡¯s members were sitting around the clearing. ¡°¡­.this is bad¡­¡± Kristoff whispered to himself. Why didn¡¯t he warn Roa in time¡­? Praying that things hadn¡¯t turned for the worst yet, he checked the situation. Roa was sitting on a fallen tree with Dietrich. For both hierarchy and safety reasons, they made sure the employer and leader were close as often as possible. The employer would be given the best spot, with the strongest party member next to them. Because of that, Roa and Dietrich were often together and had become quite friendly, so they were often close even if no one encouraged them to. Kristoff peeked at them. His expression was as cool as possible, as he prepared to deal with the situation. He predicted that this would happen sooner or later, but he thought he still had some time. A prediction was only a prediction, after all. Losing his cool would not improve the situation: that was an undeniable truth. He continued the observation, as composed as he could. ¡°So Roa, what kind of girls do you like? You have someone you like, right? You¡¯re a healthy boy too, there¡¯s no way you don¡¯t! Riiight? C¡¯mon, tell me! Whisper it if you have to! Come on!¡± ¡°Er¡­.ehm¡­you¡¯re too close¡­don¡¯t pressure me smiling like that¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m not telling you to say her name, come on. Speak up, won¡¯t you?¡± ¡°..eh¡­?¡± Roa is in a pinch¡­ Dietrich had fully turned into ¡°annoying adult¡± mode. Being a rather shy person, Dietrich would usually take time before opening up to people: during that time, he acted like a sensible adult, but little by little this facade would peel away: ultimately he would show his true nature, which was very fitting to be called ¡°annoying adult¡±. Normally, the facade wouldn¡¯t crumble in just a few days. It took a few weeks at the earliest and even years in some cases. It was normal to always act professionally with business partners, after all. This time, however¡­the meeting with Roa possibly had very good affinity from Dietrich¡¯s standpoint. They had become friends at breakneck speed. Roa looked troubles but was actually enjoying himself and started initiating conversations with Dietrich, which accelerated the process even more. Rather than a bad adult, Dietrich was starting to look like a drunkard by how he pressured Roa. Kristoff planned to leave them be as long as Roa seemed to be having fun, but the current topic was not good. Love was the most taboo topic of all during puberty: Roa seemed genuinely troubled. It was obvious that Kristoff would find the situation dangerous. He wasn¡¯t like this before, though¡­ Kristoff looked at Dietrich with pity in his eyes, but the latter failed to notice and kept talking to Roa. Differently from the other members, Dietrich and Kristoff had a slight age gap between them, but knew each other since school, so it could be said they were childhood friends. Learning all sorts of things at school, finding out to be capable with the sword or magic, some would delude themselves to be really strong and start acting violent: it happened rather often in their country. Dietrich and Kristoff weren¡¯t exceptions: they too were young delinquents who engaged in all sorts of tomfoolery. At the time, Dietrich was the leader of the delinquents: a calm, smart kind of bad guy. They had been caught by the guards, won over real bad guys, beaten to a pulp by then, rinse and repeat. People even said that one day they would become pirates. One day, however, Dietrich¡¯s mother put them through the wringer in a way too chilling to recall even now, so the whole gang turned over a new leaf. After this change, a kind of silliness impossible to hate was born inside Dietrich. Until then, he had just acted like a cool and calculating leader: that new character was probably his real one. His personality was now serious yet a little dumb, easily excited and reckless. The adults said that it was like all poison had gone out of his body. It was a positive change, so his companions and adults welcomed it, but did not think he wouldn¡¯t change even after turning into an adult. I guess he was spoiled too much¡­. At the time, the memories of Dietrich as delinquent were still fresh, so he wasn¡¯t scolded or reprimanded, for fear of retaliation. Dietrich was, without a doubt, the strongest and scariest of his generation. ¡°Hey!! Can¡¯t you see that you¡¯re putting Roa on the spot!?¡± While Kristoff was relishing past memories, Cornelia -who couldn¡¯t bear looking at Dietrich¡¯s rampage anymore -kicked his back and stopped him. For Kristoff, her presence was really useful. ¡°¡­.sorry.¡± Dietrich pouted like a puppy scolded for playing around too much. Nothing in that silhouette resembled the old leader of thugs. ¡°Boss¡­I know that you¡¯ve taken a liking to Roa, but you overdid it this time. You¡¯re not a kid anymore, so you should n¡­.wait, everyone, get ready for battle!!¡± Kristoff started by teasing Dietrich, but his tone quickly turned very serious. At the same time, all of Nostalgia¡¯s members grabbed their weapons. ¡°Magic beasts!?¡± ¡°They¡¯re still outside my detection field, but I have a really bad feeling about this! Get ready for battle and stand by.¡± Kristoff then closed his eyes and focused. Everyone watched over him, with serious looks on their faces. ¡°¡­found them. They¡¯re to the right of the boss, coming from the direction of the valley! Three¡­no, five units. They¡¯re the size of humans and are coming straight this way. They¡¯re really fast! There might be more too!!¡± ¡°Roger!¡± Kristoff related the results of his detection and all Nostalgia members got in position, ready to battle. They didn¡¯t need words: their training let them know instinctively where to stand. Roa too, thanks to instincts developed during his many years as All-Rounder, quickly found a safe place to hide. After a while, the sounds of the magic beasts¡¯ footsteps and the plants they ran through reached the group¡¯s ears. ¡°Here they are¡­I can see them. Wait¡­what? Rock Lizards? Why here!?¡± All members swallowed their breath after hearing Kristoff¡¯s words. Rock Lizards were lizard magic beasts smaller than humans. They fed on soil and rocks, so they wouldn¡¯t usually be found in a place rich in green like a forest. Despite this, however, they know were, and very close too. Roa and the group were confused for a moment, but prioritized eliminating this menace rather than pursuing the mystery behind their presence, so they focused on the magic beasts. They were fully ready to start fighting the very moment the Rock Lizards jumped out of the bushes. This was surely thanks to Kristoff¡¯s detection and Nostalgia¡¯s advanced battle expertise. Rock Lizards did not usually moved much, but when needed they could show reptile-like quickness. Average adventurers would have been attacked before they even realized they were coming. ¡°There¡¯s 3 more behind them, they¡¯re 8 in total! Same direction! That¡¯s all for now!¡± ¡°Roger!¡± Dietrich replied to Kristoff and Cornelia started moving. She stepped in front without a word: the first Rock Lizard which jumped out was smacked back by her shield and crashed into the others coming after it. Because of this several lizards were bunched together and they all stopped moving. Dietrich swiftly approached them and attacked the bunched up Rock Lizards. One, two, three, four slashes. The mithril blade shone in the dark. With each slash, the head of one rock lizard was separated from its body. The Rock Lizards¡¯ heads and backs were protected by stone armor: without proper equipment to break through it, adventurers usually aimed at their belly or throat. Dietrich¡¯s mithril blade was capable of breaking down the Rock Lizards¡¯ armor, but the blade risked to be chipped or dulled, so he aimed at their necks. ¡°Half!¡± Dietrich howled. The Rock Lizards behind the first group, crawling on the ground trying to overcome the corpses, raised their heads. Dietrich swung again, aiming at the throat they exposed. ¡°Five, six! The other two went to the right!¡± Probably thinking they couldn¡¯t match him, the remaining Rock Lizards cut off to the side. ¡°Sure, leave them to me.¡± Cornelia casually replied and moved to assist Dietrich. The Rock Lizards noticed and jumped to attack her at the same time, foolishly exposing their belly, not protected by armor like their heads and backs. Cornelia did not use her shield and easily slashed through both beasts¡¯ stomach with her sword. ¡°Kristoff, is it over?¡± ¡°¡­yes, at least for now.¡± ¡°For now?¡± Dietrich was concerned by Kristoff¡¯s vague reply. His expression was stern, his words heavy. He looked completely different from the man who was playing with Roa until moments before. ¡°I¡¯ve got the nastiest feeling¡­coming closer from just outside my detection field. I guess the Rock Lizards were on the run from that.¡± ¡°They were running away, huh¡­¡± Those words made everyone present understand that the source behind the anomaly was in Norfar valley. In that area, a place where Rock Lizards could run away from was only Norfar valley. A threat that made Rock Lizards flee was now present in the valley. ¡°Okay! We¡¯re running away too. Let¡¯s go as far away from the valley as possible. Roa! I¡¯m sorry, but in the worst case we might have to walk all throughout the night.¡± ¡°That¡¯s okay.¡± Dietrich loosened his stern expression and smiled to Roa to make him feel safe. Kristoff said that the monsters were on the run. He wasn¡¯t sure if it was the complete right answer. The Rock Lizards were indeed running out of fear of the Silver Golems and the gryphon, but they did not attack Nostalgia and Roa just because of that. There were many other escape routes through the forest. There was no need to rush to attack potentially hostile presences. The reason why the Rock Lizards attacked them was the gryphon¡¯s monster repellent. The Rock Lizards were running away from the gryphon¡¯s presence, its smell, but something emitting the same smell, although fainter, was also on their escape route. They probably panicked, thinking they had no way out, and attacked as a last resort. This also applied to the golems, which had increased so much to spill out from the valley. If the golems found Roa and the party, emanating the same smell as the gryphon, they would probably attack them, judging them as enemies to eliminate. Roa and Nostalgia, however, had no way of knowing this. They could only conclude that they were attacked, by pure chance, as the monsters were running away from Norfar valley. They had no idea why the beasts were clearly hostile and rushed in their direction to attack¡­ ¡°Cornelia, I leave the rear guard to you. It¡¯s highly likely we¡¯ll be attacked from behind, so I¡¯d like the toughest among us to do it. Bernhart, try to preserve your energy and magic as much as you can. Your magic is our trump card, so the less you have to act, the safer we are. Kristoff, be wary of enemy presence from all sides. I know it isn¡¯t easy, but only you can do it on a wide range.¡± Dietrich gave orders and talked to the other members. They knew each other and their respective abilities well. He didn¡¯t have to actually talk for them to know what to do. Dietrich did so all the same as a sort of ritual, to reaffirm how trust he had in them. He wanted to show his trust and to raise their morale by even a little. A higher morale meant higher survival rate. Dietrich knew it by experience. ¡°Then, Roa.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± Dietrich smiled at Roa. A warm smile one would hardly imagine possible in such a risky situation, enough to make Roa feel safer. ¡°Do you still have some of that candy? I¡¯m sorry, but things will probably turn sour, so the more you can give us, the better¡­¡± That candy was Roa¡¯s recovery candy, of course. To go as far away as possible quickly, it would be extremely useful. ¡°Yes! Yes I do!¡± Being relied on in a situation where he would only be a burden, Roa couldn¡¯t help but smile broadly. Volume 1 - CH 4.1 Chapter 4 ¨C Abnormality in the Forest The group picked up their luggage and got ready to depart. They had taken a break before preparing the camp, so they hadn¡¯t unpacked yet, which helped. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Roger!!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Cornelia, Kristoff, even Bernhart clearly replied with ¡°roger¡±, followed by Roa. This exchange happened several times during battle too, but every time their reply was perfectly synchronized. They were completely in sync. Roa was slightly embarrassed to be the only one to answer with ¡°yes¡±. He then recalled that, just that morning, Dietrich had been ignored by the others when he raised his voice in town. I see, so at that time, he tried and failed to do this¡­ It¡¯s pleasant to hear companions reply in sync to a leader¡¯s command. More than anything, it signals a sense of unity. In a proper situation, it raises morale. Only in a proper situation though¡­ Roa now understood well how wrong it was to do it in town at dawn, just to get on a horse carriage. Roa started walking alongside Nostalgia¡¯s members, lost in such thoughts. Kristoff was in the lead, followed by Dietrich, with Roa in the center, Bernhart behind him and Cornelia taking up the rear. Kristoff was in the lead, but he wasn¡¯t paying attention only in front, but in all directions. What Kristoff used to do so was detection magic: it was a simple spell which used little magic power, but since it was necessary to keep constant watch of the surroundings, its mental toll was rather heavy. In exchange for using it at all times, Kristoff would not normally join in the party¡¯s battles. In other words, thanks to Kristoff acting as scout the other members only had to focus on fighting. Bernhart too did not normally participate in the fighting. Magic power was limited: a single offensive spell was capable of completely changing the tides of battle, so they would not waste it on enemies that could be taken care of by other members. Nostalgia¡¯s fighting style consisted in Kristoff scouting any threats, Dietrich and Cornelia fighting, Bernhart assisting them whenever necessary. ¡°¡­.this is bad. They¡¯re coming up from behind, heading straight for us. They¡¯re definitely chasing us. Three units¡­.big ones.¡± Kristoff spoke a few minutes after the party started walking. His tone did not show any impatience. He knew full well that impatience would not help at all in the current situation and was keeping his feelings in check. ¡°Will they catch up with us?¡± Dietrich¡¯s tone was very quiet too. He talked while walking forward, not missing a step. Roa too, thanks to his many years of experience as All-Rounder, was used to such situations and was calm too. ¡°They¡¯re not especially quick, but they are faster than us. Even if we start running, they¡¯re going to catch up with us sooner or later.¡± ¡°¡­I see. I wanted to use the shortest route out of the forest, but that won¡¯t take us away from the valley. Supposing that the source of this anomaly is in the valley, the first priority is to get away from it. Let¡¯s keep going at this pace, when they catch up with us we¡¯ll counterattack. Let me know as soon as you can.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Dietrich chose to keep walking and counterattack the beasts because he didn¡¯t want to risk being surrounded. As the magic beasts came from a single direction, if they kept advancing and quickly beat them back whenever the beasts caught up, they could avoid the worst outcome, to be surrounded. This decision was backed by his assumption that they could take care of the monsters dwelling in this forest and Norfar valley without much trouble. It also signaled that Dietrich thought that the magic beasts¡¯ attacks would continue for a while. Why were magic beasts coming out of Norfar valley? Why were they chasing after Nostalgia and Roa? What was the cause of it all? Dietrich reflected but could not reach a conclusion. There were too many unknown factors. He was not confident in how to react. Why didn¡¯t I decide to turn back as soon as we detected an anomaly in the forest? Dietrich regretted. He did not show such regrets or lack of confidence in his expression or attitude, though. The worse the pinch, the bolder you must act. Any worry would infect the other party members. He knew that such a thing would only lower their survival ratio. ¡°They¡¯re coming! 3 units, from behind.¡± Soon enough, Kristoff spoke again. ¡°Roger! Let¡¯s take them down.¡± Nostalgia¡¯s members stopped, put down their luggage and prepared to strike back¡­then it arrived. Heavy footsteps, the sound of crushed trees and plants. What appeared from the bushes was a roughly three meters tall, giant human-like figure. ¡°¡­.a golem.¡± Dietrich whispered. Golems were not normally found in areas rich with nature. Dietrich also recalled that Silver Golems had appeared in the Norfar valley and an extermination requested had been posted. He only knew because that same request had been accepted by the Hero Party Roa used to belong to. Coralde had informed them about how he expected the guildmaster to move, as well as about Crack of Dawn. 3 beasts..no, 3 golems¡­ Dietrich corrected himself and tried to calm down. The extermination request was supposed to be for 2 golems. But there were more. Golems increased when they felt in danger. They increased their numbers in order to ensure their continued survival as a species. Based on this knowledge, Dietrich reached a conclusion. ¡°You messed up, blasted Hero Party!!¡± Dietrich roared. ¡°Cornelia! Stop the one in front! I¡¯ll take care of the other ones!¡± ¡°Roger!¡± Cornelia smashed her shield against the golem in front. The golem¡¯s powerful advance stopped instantly, almost incredibly. Dietrich passed next to her and headed towards the other 2 golems. Dietrich guessed that Crack of Dawn had driven the golems into a corner, making them feel desperate enough to start increasing their numbers, then lost track of them. Assuming that this was the cause behind the anomaly, he felt increasingly irritated. His conclusion was right and wrong at the same time. Dietrich thought that Crack of Dawn had driven the golems into a corner through battle, but actually they had just scattered the monster repellent¡¯s base liquid. What they failed at was just ¡°not thinning the monster repellent base liquid¡±. They didn¡¯t lose track of the golems. They hadn¡¯t even come in contact yet. If Dietrich knew the truth, he would probably still be irritated at how ridiculous it all was. Three Silver Golems. As the name said, their bodies were made of silver. They had thick bodies, much thicker than human armor, completely made of silver. Normally, no sword could damage them. Mithril could, but it presented the same risk of damage to the blade as to try to slice a boulder with it. What could he do, then? The gryphon called the golems ¡°snails¡±, but their nature was closer to beetles or crustaceans. Silver golems were silver exoskeletons controlled by a slime inside. Just like beetles and crustaceans, their joints were thin and soft. ¡°Rraaahhh!!¡± Dietrich avoided the golems¡¯ attempt to crush him with surprising agility and slashed them with equally surprising focus and precision. He aimed at one arm and one leg. The elbow, then behind the knee. He slashed their joints till half. It was enough to knock human-shaped beasts off balance. Dietrich did so to both golems. It was difficult to aim at arms and legs that were wildly moving to attack, but Dietrich¡¯s speed and great focus allowed him to. Golems, like slimes, had a weakness: the core inside their body. Destroying their armor and the core inside with a sword, however, was a difficult task. Compared to that, slashing the joints in their arms and legs was much easier. ¡°One more!¡± Dietrich shouted and kicked the golem he attacked towards the second one. The golems, having lost their balance because of their slashed joints, helplessly clashed and rolled on the ground with a thunderous sound. Dietrich had already turned to the golem Cornelia had stopped with her shield. Thanks to Cornelia keeping the golem still, it was simple to cut off its joints. This time Dietrich didn¡¯t just slash them, but completely severed them. In a very short time, the three golems were collapsed on the ground. As long you didn¡¯t go too close, they were just masses of silver thrashing about and crushing plants. Because of their weight, once they lost their balance they couldn¡¯t move by themselves anymore. If left alone they would recover, like slimes, but there was enough time to finish them off. ¡°Cornelia, you have the Battleaxe, right? Go finish them off.¡± ¡°Yessir.¡± ¡°Kristoff, are there any more coming?¡± ¡°I have a bad feeling¡­¡± Kristoff¡¯s words meant that while his detection field did not catch anything, he could feel something was there. Considering the distance, it wouldn¡¯t take much time. ¡°As soon as we finish them off, we¡¯re going. I¡¯m sorry, but give up on gathering materials this time.¡± Dietrich then flashed a confident smile to Roa and the other Nostalgia members. Inside, however, he was seething with anger. Kristoff, Cornelia, Bernhart, Roa. I¡¯ll never forgive them for putting my party members¡­my family at risk because of a stupid mistake. When we go back, I¡¯ll have to think of some ¡°punishment¡±¡­ Dietrich was smiling as he looked at Cornelia finish off the golems, keeping his rage sealed inside. He didn¡¯t realize himself that he unconsciously started to think of Roa too as family. ? Golems were one and many at the same time. Each one had their own consciousness, but they also shared one with other golems. What one golem learnt and thought was shared with nearby golem packs. This was a characteristic of slimes, the base golems were built from. Slimes simply shared where food could be found or dangerous locations, but golems could share thoughts of higher intellect. Some of the increased golems had fled the valley. The survival of a few golems or the whole pack was not a big difference. The valley was a paradise for them, but it would be meaningless to stay there if it meant being wiped out. If the golems managed to defeat the source of the dangerous smell in the valley, the other golems would just need to return. Thanks to their shared consciousness, they would soon learn of the victory. Where they fled to, however¡­in the forest, they found the same smell. It was definitely the same smell that made them fear being wiped out, but it was fainter. The golems thus concluded that it had to be ¡°that thing¡±¡¯s children. Since the smell it emitted to mark the territory was fainter, it was natural for them to reach such a conclusion. A child would be weak now, but could grow into a threat for the golems. If they didn¡¯t kill it while they could, they would be killed themselves one day. The golems then headed straight towards the source of the smell. Coincidentally, some Rock Lizards which had fled the valley before the golems fought with the source first. As the lizards were easily defeated, the golems grew confident. It has to be ¡°that thing¡±¡¯s children. Small, yet strong. Dangerous. It must be killed. The golems approached the source and found that ¡°that thing¡±¡¯s children were five. The instant the golems reached the source, they were faced with killing intent. Intent to kill the golems. Truly dangerous, after all. The golems tried to crush the ¡°children¡±, but were quickly wounded and rendered incapable of moving freely. Dangerous, dangerous, dangerous¡­ The three golems were incapacitated. Dangerous, dangerous, dangerous¡­ One of the golems was cut open by one of the ¡°children¡±, its core destroyed. The golems¡¯ comrade has been killed all too easily. Dangerous, dangerous¡­kill¡­.kill¡­kill¡­ When the three golems were killed, such thoughts spread clearly to the whole pack. All golems which had crossed into the forest started heading towards the source. A new pack also started moving in the valley. Volume 1 - CH 4.2 The gryphon had quietly sneaked away from the Crack of Dawn and entered the depths of the valley. Crack of Dawn was currently camped in a location far from the depths of the valley, where the golems were gathered. Exhausted by the continuous attacks of Rock Lizards and other beasts, they decided to call it a day and exterminate the golems the following day. They pitched their tents while the sun was still up in the sky, had a light meal, left one member to guard the camp and went to sleep. That ¡°guard¡± too leaned against a boulder and dozed off, so it wasn¡¯t really useful. They had left all guarding duties to Roa until then and knew that thanks to the servant beasts there was no need to stand guard. They had someone stand guard just for added safety, but didn¡¯t think it was necessary: that¡¯s how lightly they judged the situation. ¡­.they would never even dream that those servant beasts were plotting a nasty plan against them. The gryphon whispered to himself while looking up. What he was looking at was a wall of wind. The wind that rose from deep inside the valley, straight towards the sky, and split the valley into two sections, front and back. The wall was several metres thick, but unless you were mere centimetres away from it, you would not hear any howling nor feel any pressure. The mark of the wall having been created via magic. And the creator of such a magic wall was, of course, the gryphon. The magic spell it baptized ¡°Wind Wall¡±, after its appearance, belonged to one of the elements the gryphon was more proficient in: Wind. It was a spell that acted very similarly to barrier magic. Such continuous spells consumed a tremendous amount of magic power and were difficult to control: one small mistake and they would instantly disappear. The gryphon, however, had already kept it up for several hours. The large pack of golems beyond the wall were gathered alongside it. <¡­look at these metal slugs all bunched up together¡­just like a swarm of insects. Disgusting¡­> The gryphon spat a disgusted comment in a very casual tone. The golem pack looked like mere ants or bees to him, apparently. It hated insects: once it had been wounded and insects caused the wound to infect, a very painful memory for the winged beast. It didn¡¯t even want to lay eyes on one. Some golems charged towards the gryphon, but the wind barrier easily knocked them airborne, making them crash on the pack a few moments later. The same thing had already happened several times: among the golems there were many wounded and recovering. A physical wall would be weakened after repeated attacks, and would be eventually destroyed. They just needed numbers to accomplish it. A wind strong enough to make Silver Golems fly away that easily, however, was impossible to deal with. The golems continued their cycle of charge, flight, crash landing, and recovery. The reason why the gryphon had set up such a massive, large scale spell was simple: to create an effective annoyance. ¡°You¡¯re sleeping all peacefully¡­then a herd of golems appears! Surprise!¡± was the gryphon¡¯s plan. It had to keep the golems at bay while also avoiding to decrease their numbers, or it would all be for naught. This was the nasty plan the gryphon came up as a ¡°prank¡±. Servant beasts were still magic beasts. Creatures of a world where death loomed at every corner. They also lived on the lives of others. Life was very ¡°light¡±: the lives of insignificant creatures, especially, were lighter than air. Worthless compared to the thrill of enjoying oneself without reserve.. For the gryphon, his own entertainment was the priority. Just like before, the gryphon looked at the golems, a disgusted grimace on its face. They were still repeating the cycle of approaching the wind barrier and being blown upwards. The ground shook whenever the golems crashed, but the slew of golems under them acted as a cushion, so the vibrations were not too strong. The noise and clouds of dust were both blocked by the wind wall. There was little chance for Crack of Dawn to notice. The gryphon whispered to himself while sending loathing looks to the golems. No golem heard such whispers, of course. ? The sun had completely set and darkness was creeping closer in the surroundings. In the increasing dark dusk, Nostalgia was fighting against the third group of golems. They¡¯re more than before? Dietrich thought while fighting. They fought against three golems in the first and second battles, but now they were five. It might be just his imagination, but if they really increased, at some point they won¡¯t be able to defeat them all. Even with just five, it became more complicated to fight them: when facing against one, the other golems would get in the way. Cornelia was luring them away and stopping them, but there was a limit to what she could do. It would be ideal if she could slash their joints like Dietrich, but her iron blade was not fit for such precise attacks. She could sever their arms and legs if she switched from sword and shield to her battleaxe, but without her shield she could not protect herself. More than anything else, the battleaxe¡¯s large size made it difficult to strike golems with it. She would need a ¡°shield¡± member, so it was ultimately meaningless. If the attacking golems increased even more, Bernhart would have to join the fray too. If they exceeded ten, they would need Kristoff¡¯s help too. ¡­.don¡¯t you increase so much, okay? Do me a favor here¡­ Dietrich silently prayed as he slashed the five golems¡¯ arms and legs and stopped their movements. ¡°It¡¯s over! Cornelia, finish them off!! Kristoff, are there more coming?¡± ¡°Gotcha!¡± ¡°The bad feeling is still there.¡± ¡°¡­I see¡­we can¡¯t rest easy yet!¡± Dietrich smiled at Nostalgia¡¯s members, who smiled back. He made sure everyone was still doing well and felt relieved. This was mostly thanks to Roa¡¯s recovery candy. Battle fatigue can¡¯t be recovered easily: breathing becomes more difficult, exhaustion piles up. Muscles start burning. Counting the Rock Lizard encounter, this was their fourth consecutive battle. All encounters required them to fully focus: normally, they would be too exhausted to move properly at this point. Thanks to the recovery candy, however, after a few minutes of walking they would be back to top form. I guess we¡¯ll get through this somehow¡­ Without Roa, they would have eventually grown exhausted, surrounded by the golems and killed, but it looked like they could manage to escape from the forest somehow. Dietrich found a glimmer of hope and smiled from the heart. ¡°Bernhart, can you make a light? It¡¯s gotten too dark.¡± ¡°¡­.no problem. Recovery is faster.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the beasts spotting us and lighten up. They¡¯re aiming at us anyway. It¡¯s too late to worry about that.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t overdo it though. If you think there¡¯s any risk, let me know. We¡¯ll switch to the lantern.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Bernhart nodded and whispered a chant, then a ball of light appeared over them, illuminating the surroundings. It was a basic light magic spell that consumed little magic power. Over time, however, it would consume magic power, making it impossible to use magic when it was really needed. Using it at the wrong time could prove disastrous, so one needed to be careful with it. Thanks to Roa¡¯s recovery candy, Bernhart¡¯s magic power recovered at a faster rate than it was consumed by the light spell. If he just walked with the spell on, he would never run out of magic. In order to walk safely in the forest, it was definitely better than using the lantern, which illuminated a much narrower range. Using it as they walked instead of quickly lighting it up whenever the golems attacked also allowed them to see the surroundings better and pick better positions to prepare to battle. The fact that they could use a light continuously and not worry about fatigue were both thanks to Roa. All Nostalgia members realized this and looked at him with gratitude. ? Around the time when the sun set, the twin wolves were on top of Norfar valley¡¯s rock walls. Crack of Dawn¡¯s members were asleep, the gryphon had sneaked away, so they had nothing to do. They were on top of the walls, but still kept track of the situations around the tents. The gryphon would scold them if something happened before the ¡°fun¡± began, so they kept watch properly. ¡°This is so fun!¡± The twin wolves were running and jumping on the rock walls surrounding the valley, one on the wall facing the forest, one on the opposite wall facing the plains. They were quite far from each other, but their eyesight allowed them to see each other clearly even at nighttime. The blue wolf Hati was on the wall facing the plains, the red wolf Skoll on the wall closer to the forest. The ground under them changed as they proceeded. A thin membrane of ice and white smoke rose under Hati¡¯s paws; no flames rose under Skoll¡¯s, but the grass turned to ashes instantly and the same white smoke rose up. Normally the gryphon, their master of magic, forbade them to use magic, but this time they had permission, which apparently made them extremely happy. They were more skipping than walking. Sometimes, they looked at each other, stopped and waved their hands¡ªfront paws at each other. Then they jumped, happily. The gesture of waving paws was taught to them by Roa when they were still puppies, small enough for Roa to be able to carry both in his arms. Roa brought them with him on walks when he went shopping; whenever he saw someone he knew he would say ¡°Let¡¯s say hi!¡± and waved his hands together with their front paws. The shopping arcade¡¯s ladies would then pet them, sometimes they would also receive treats. One day, they started waving their paws without Roa prompting them to. They eventually grew bigger and Crack of Dawn¡¯s leader forbade them to go out so often, so they couldn¡¯t go into town anymore, but the twins still liked that gesture. They used it often with people they liked or even people they met for the first time, if they didn¡¯t feel malice from them. The twins stopped at the same time and looked up. They looked far away, towards the hill overlooking the valley and the forest. It was too far for humans to even distinguish the trees on the hill, but the twins seemed to have noticed something there, so they smiled and waved. They tilted their heads, puzzled. They were disappointed for a second, then looked at each other and smiled. Jump, leap, jump. The twins kept prancing on at the same rhythm. One freezing the soil, the other one scorching it. The white smoke hailing from their paws dancing in the air, as if following music. A prelude to the nightmare that was going to begin. The gryphon¡¯s voice reached the twins¡¯ ears. As soon as they did, the twin magic wolves rushed down the valley¡¯s rock walls, leaving one a frozen trail, the other a scorched trail in their wake. A nightmare was about to begin in Norfar valley¡­ Volume 1 - CH 4.3 Just outside Aldon forest, the Coralde trading company coachmen were talking. One of the coachmen, while patrolling the surroundings, had spotted magic beasts fleeing from the forest. ¡°How many were there?¡± The other coachman asked. He was the coachman with a lame leg who called Dietrich ¡°Mithril boy¡±. Chuck was also the leader of the coachmen in Coralde¡¯s company. ¡°I saw a pack of Jackalopes and Huge Rats. There were at least a few hundreds of them¡­running away as if being chased by something.¡± ¡°Really now¡­¡± They were lucky enough to notice early. To ensure the safety of the camp and make the horses have some exercise, they had patrolled a few kilometers along the forest. Chuck fiddled with his beard, deep in thought. ¡°What do you think could be the cause?¡± ¡°Judging from how they were running, I can guess they were scared of something. But it didn¡¯t look like there any beasts on a rampage, or anything flying around. It didn¡¯t look like anything changed in the forest itself.¡± ¡°Maybe ¡°they¡± have noticed something¡­¡± By ¡°they¡±, Chuck meant the Adventurers¡¯ guild coachmen, supposed to be standing by outside Norfar valley. The Aldon forest and Norfar valley were next to each other, so if something happened in the forest, there was a high chance that the source was in the valley. ¡°But¡­¡± I don¡¯t want to get in touch with guild people now¡­ Chuck did not voice his thoughts. Because of the Roa business, there was the risk that the Adventurers¡¯ guild was plotting something, so he didn¡¯t want to contact them. He didn¡¯t think it was likely, but the guild could have orchestrated the forest¡¯s anomaly. Going to meet them would mean exposing themselves to danger. The magic beast forest was under the sole jurisdiction of the Adventurer¡¯s guild. If the guild decided to do something, it would be the best place to eliminate all traces of it. The current guildmaster was also known for being incapable of rational thought. It was impossible to predict what he could do. ¡°I suppose we should ask the president for instructions¡­I¡¯ll write a letter now, you go get the fast horse ready. Keen is the best for relaying messages.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± ¡°Since there is nothing strange in the forest itself, maybe the people inside haven¡¯t realized yet¡­¡± People that live in the mountains do not know how they are shaped, as they say¡­ Chuck recalled a local proverb. A person in the center of a situation could not know its full extent. The complete outlook would be first grasped by observers from outside. I sure hope the mithril boy noticed what¡¯s going on and ran away¡­ Chuck¡¯s brow furrowed as he turned towards the forest. ? The A-rank adventurers¡¯ party Nostalgia was fighting against golems, again. The golem assaults continued: they were currently on their ninth bout. Luckily, up until the eighth encounter, the number of golems they faced at the same time did not exceed five. That was probably thanks to the fact that they kept moving: if they stopped, they would have quickly been surrounded by a large number of golems. They had already defeated more than 30 golems, so it was easy to see that things would turn out that way. This time, however, things were different. 30 units. A number much higher than previous encounters. For an average party, it was a number that spelt unavoidable doom. They would just be trampled to death. Even accomplished veterans would be surrounded and smashed. Nostalgia, however, was not normal or average enough to be done in just like that. ¡°Bernhart! Stop them!¡± As soon as Dietrich shouted, a bolt of lightning ran through the air. Expecting the order, Bernhart had already chanted the spell and was standing by. Golems, especially metal ones, had good affinity with lightning magic. As they conducted electricity well, it was possible to attack their insides while ignoring their exoskeletons. It wasn¡¯t enough to inflict lethal damage, but sufficient to stop them in their tracks. The instant they were hit by lightning the golems stopped moving: the Rock Golems mixed in with the Silver Golems also became more sluggish. Dietrich took advantage of this to attack the Rock Golems, which -albeit slowly-still moved, to stop them completely. ¡°Kristoff, your turn!¡± ¡°Roger!¡± After nullifying them by cutting their joints, Dietrich kicked the golems, away from the pack. Kristoff used the battleaxe to bust their chests open and crush their cores. Kristoff had changed weapons to the battleaxe. Originally Cornelia¡¯s item, it was as big as her, but Kristoff could handle it too. They used this strategy for the sake of efficiency. Against a 30-strong herd of golems, just cutting their joints to halt their movements was not enough. The golems stalled in the beginning would recover, creating an endless loop. There was the need to use a weapon, even if it wasn¡¯t completely familiar, to crush their cores quickly. ¡°Shit!! I should have bought a mithril sword too! And maybe a hammer too!¡± Cornelia shouted, on the verge of tears. She swung her shield to strike the knees of the Silver Golems which -albeit slowly- had started moving again, destroying their joints with brute strength. It would be difficult to damage a golem with an iron sword, but the shield which could stop their charges was good enough as a striking weapon. It wasn¡¯t made to be swung, however, so even with physical boosting magic, there was a great burden on the body. It was also hard to aim, so it would be almost impossible to finish them off in one blow. It would take several attacks for each golem. Because of this, even with the recovery candy, Cornelia was fatigued enough that she couldn¡¯t help but complain. ¡°They¡¯re starting to move like before! Be careful! Bernhart, prepare the next one!¡± ¡°It¡¯s ready! Give me the cue!¡± ¡°Roger!¡± The situation was dangerous enough that they couldn¡¯t afford to hold back anymore. The golems were decreasing, but Nostalgia¡¯s members weren¡¯t sure if they had enough energy left to finish them all. Things could work out as long as they could stop them with lightning magic, but Bernhart¡¯s magic power was limited. Everything depended on how many golems they could defeat before his magic ran out. They had magic potions, but relying on them presented the risk of Magic Stupor. Even if they defeated this pack, they might be attacked again. They couldn¡¯t be optimistic. In such a situation, Roa could only watch from a distance. Next to Nostalgia¡¯s luggage, he watched over the whole situation, gripping his bag tightly. He was desperately trying to recall his magic bag¡¯s contents, thinking if he had anything useful in case of emergencies. He had various magic potions, but nothing else. Roa did not have any means to attack the golems. There was nothing he could do against them. ¡­if only grandpa Gryph and the others were here¡­. Roa thought about Crack of Dawn¡¯s servant beasts. He would probably not see them anymore¡­the twins, old Gry. The beasts had not been given a name, but Roa called them like that. I¡¯m useless, after all¡­no, I can¡¯t give up like this! Roa shook away the dark thoughts from his head. Giving up was too easy. Now wasn¡¯t the time to think about servant beasts he couldn¡¯t rely on or feel ashamed about being useless. He had to think about what to do in order to survive. Roa desperately tried to think about what could be the reason for what was happening. If only he could figure it out, it might be possible to find a countermeasure. Why did the golems replicate so much? He had talked about it with the other Nostalgia members while they were moving, but they couldn¡¯t guess the reason. Something they were fairly sure of was that Crack of Dawn was responsible for the golems¡¯ multiplication. The Norfar valley had been closed off when the golems¡¯ presence was found, so the biggest recent change to the valley was supposed to be Crack of Dawn¡¯s arrival. Crack of Dawn was the cause, but for some reason Roa¡¯s group was being continuously attacked. What was connection¡­? ¡°Another group arrived!! There are many too!!¡± Kristoff¡¯s shouts echoed. The situation was getting more and more desperate¡­ ? Stefan, Crack of Dawn¡¯s leader, woke up because of the vibrations shaking the ground. Still drowsy, he recalled his present situation. They had set up tents to camp in Norfar valley. If there was any danger approaching, the people standing guard would let him know. Was it an earthquake? He sat up, but the ground didn¡¯t shake anymore. It was a brief, weak shock. Stefan looked around. The faint light in a bottle hanging from the roof of the tent was enough to distinguish the shape of the things inside the tent. Inside the bottle there was glowing moss, a plant that absorbed light during the day and emitted a faint light at night. Complete darkness would make it difficult to react quickly in case of emergencies, and lighting a lamp would make it too bright to sleep, so Roa had gathered that moss for when they didn¡¯t light up a bonfire. It was a rare and rather difficult to obtain, but naturally Crack of Dawn¡¯s members did not know that. Inside the tent, Olun and Eric were still sleeping, wrapped in blankets. It didn¡¯t seem like anything had happened. Serge was supposed to be standing guard, Bonne was supposed to be in her single tent. Stefan concentrated, but did not hear a sound. Was it my imagination¡­? Just when he was about to lie down again, he felt another rumble from the ground. It lasted just an instant, again. It was like something heavy had fallen on the ground, but no such sound could be heard from outside. ¡°Wake up, you two.¡± Stefan, still half asleep, decided to wake up the other two. ¡°Something¡¯s weird outside. I¡¯ll go check it out.¡± Stefan picked up his sword and stood up. He confirmed that the other two had woken up and stepped outside. It was dark outside. It was obvious, as they hadn¡¯t lit a fire, but the cloud was hidden by clouds too, so the darkness really thick. The lamp on the large rock near the tent illuminated the surroundings. ¡°That fool is sleeping¡­¡± Next to the lamp was Serge, sleeping in a sitting posture. ¡°Hey!! Wake up!! You¡¯re supposed to be standing guard!!¡± Stefan poked Serge¡¯s head with his sword¡¯s scabbard. ¡°Nmh..?¡± ¡°Wake the hell up!! Can¡¯t you even stand guard properly!? Get working or I¡¯ll kick you out of the party, like Roa!!¡± ¡°¡­..I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± Serge rubbed his head and wiped the drool from his mouth, with a small grin. That moment, he felt a chilling gust of wind. A gust of wind so cold, a chill ran down his spine. ¡°Wha!?¡± ¡°Hagh!?¡± The two men looked around, their hands on their swords¡¯ hilt, trying to find the source behind the chill. It was killing intent. A chilling wave like they had never felt before. ¡°Wha, what the hell was that!?¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on!?¡± Olun and Eric probably felt it too, as they leapt out of the tent. Was it a magic beast!? The four warriors gathered and checked the surroundings, but there was nothing to see. The only things present were darkness and an indescribable feeling of terror. Another tremor transmitted from the ground. ¡°¡­hey, turn up the lamp¡¯s light.¡± ¡°¡­.yeah.¡± Was there something beyond the darkness? What was causing those tremors? Despite the fear, they had to find out the truth. Serge obeyed Stefan¡¯s order and turned up the lamp¡¯s light. The illuminated area widened, dispelling the darkness in the surroundings. A few meters away from them, there was something. Humanlike silhouettes? It was quite a crowd too. A crowd of figures too large to be human¡­ ¡°¡­golems¡­¡± When the lamp was turned to max, the four adventurers understood. Gigantic bodies of silver reverberating in the light. The target of their expedition. Silver Golems. ¡°We¡¯re surrounded¡­¡± They weren¡¯t just 2 Silver Golems, as the request said. The group was surrounded by a seemingly endless pack of golems. ¡°¡­wake Bonne up!! Get your weapons!! Bring me my armor!! Move it!! MOVE IT!!¡± ¡°¡­ye¡­yes!!¡± As soon as Stefan realized they were surrounded by golems, he barked orders at his comrades, but they were still in a daze and acted a few seconds after his orders. Why was there such a ridiculous amount of golems? Why didn¡¯t they attack? The group was too panicked to think about such things and rushed inside the tent to get equipped. They managed not to fall to their knees out of fear as they were adventurers, after all. Only Stefan remained outside, inspecting the surroundings. He was ready to draw his sword instantly if something happened, but his hands were shaking. Because of that, his sword was rattling inside the scabbard. Soon enough his eyes got used to the darkness and the golems¡¯ silhouette became clearer, increasing his fear even more. Golems as far as the eye could see. They had not just surrounded their camp: they were streaming in from the depths of the valley. Just the narrow space they had occupied¡­the camp they set up, a few meters wide, was a comically small circle in a sea of golems. There was no escape. ¡°What? What is going on!?¡± Bonne¡¯s hysterical screaming could be heard from the tent. It was difficult to imagine from her usual ¡°Holy Woman¡±-like expressions. Her shrill shouts irritated Stefan. At the same time he thanked her, as he felt his fear lessen a little. Another tremor rose from the ground. That same moment, he saw something move in the golem horde. Something was jumping¡­a red and blue shadow. Stefan quickly understood what it actually was. ¡°¡­the twin magic wolves¡­¡± The twin magic wolves were dashing through the golem horde, rushing and leaping. Following their movements, golems were collapsing left and right. The golems were fighting back, but could not keep up with the wolves¡¯ movements and fell without being able to do anything. For whatever reason, no sound could be heard, so it was like watching a dream. Is this an illusion¡­? Stefan doubted his own eyes. The twins had a fur with different color than normal magic wolves, but they were still puppies. They couldn¡¯t be powerful enough to defeat golems in a single blow. He had never even seen them properly fight against other magic beasts. During that day¡¯s fighting they had only chased other magic beasts, never even wounding them. Yet now they were fighting against golems. Crushing them one by one in an overwhelming display of force. They didn¡¯t use their fangs, their greatest weapons: they just needed to lightly touch the golems with their paws to stop them. It wasn¡¯t strange to wonder if it was all an illusion. ¡°Is¡­is everything okay?¡± ¡°Boss¡­¡± The party members returned as Stefan was looking at the twin wolves fighting. He pointed to them, without a word. The twin magic wolves were running, jumping, as if dancing. Sometimes even using the golems as platforms to dash through the air. The golems fell one after the other, like puppets with severed strings. Was it a dream? Crack of Dawn¡¯s members could only watch as that mirage-like vision continued. The wind brushing against their cheeks was cold. How much time had passed? Maybe it was just an instant¡­ The party, still immersed in watching the twins fight, felt a presence behind them. ¡°¡­.the gryphon?¡± They turned around and found the gryphon. Since when was it there? When the 4 members, Bonne excluded, checked the surroundings, it wasn¡¯t anywhere to be seen. Stefan could only think that it appeared all of a sudden. The gryphon was a few meters away from them. It was smaller than average large-sized magic beasts, but its body was still about 3 meters long. It would be impossible to fail to notice its presence. It was lying down on a boulder people would struggle to climb, looking down on the party. It opened its large beak as if yawning out of boredom. ¡°Eek¡± Bonne, surprised by the yawn, let out a small shriek and cowered. What was there to be scared of? The gryphon is a servant beast of the Hero Party, Crack of Dawn. They had tamed it, ordered it around, subjugated it for years. There was no reason to be scared at this point. ¡°Hey¡­what are you¡­?¡± Stefan was about to ask, ¡°What are you doing there!?¡±, then he realized. He too was scared. His voice was trembling. The gryphon was looking straight at the 5 adventurers. No one could look away. The gryphon visibly moved its paws to its neck. The place where the ¡°Subjugation Collar¡± was. There, its raptor claws reached. The gryphon¡¯s beak deftly twisted in a grin. The claws cut through the collar, all too easily, as if it had already been severed. A single thud-like sound. The collar fell from the peak. ¡°¡­.eh?¡± The Subjugation Collar was enchanted with mental manipulation magic, to subjugate magic beasts. It wasn¡¯t possible for a magic beast to break it, nor could a Tamer order them to. Or at least, it wasn¡¯t supposed to be possible. The destroyed Subjugation Collar turned to mere trash. ¡°You bastard!! What did you-whaaa!!¡± ¡°Eek¡­.¡± A flash of light. The Tamer Eric shouted out of anger, but several bolts of lighting fell near his feet before he could even finish his sentence. ¡°T-thunder?¡± ¡°M, magic?¡± ¡°¡­.why?¡± All members expressed their confusion, but the gryphon simply continued to stare straight at them. Now that they had witnessed lightning magic, they couldn¡¯t move even if they wanted. The gryphon¡¯s gaze froze them in place, not even allowing them to collapse because of fear. They viewed the gryphon as a young specimen. The Adventurers¡¯ Guild and other adventurers knowledgeable about servant beasts shared their opinion, although Roa called it ¡°Old Gry¡±. Normally, gryphons learned magic as they advanced in years, but the Crack of Dawn¡¯s servant beast gryphon did not show any sign of knowing magic and seemed even inept at flying. It was unruly and rarely joined in the fighting. Because of that, everyone thought it was still young. They just thought so and never actually confirmed it. As the outward appearance of gryphons did not change much even as they grew older, it was difficult to determine how old they actually were. The tremors from the ground still continued. The twin wolves were still fighting against the golem pack. They jumped around as if dancing, beautiful and apparently having a lot of fun, with a tinge of insanity. The group had picked them up when their eyes hadn¡¯t opened yet and raised them until now. They were still young. They weren¡¯t supposed to be powerful enough to defeat golems. The gryphon facing Crack of Dawn was grinning as it looked at the group, as if testing it. Small bolts would sometimes fall around them, as if taunting them. The servant beasts they were used to now looked completely different. What exactly was going on? No one in Crack of Dawn could know. This bizarre reality thrust upon them had filled their minds with fear and confusion. Then suddenly, the gryphon raised one of its front paws. The sharp claws on the beast¡¯s paw¡­pointed behind the group. The same instant, their bodies felt lighter, their terror dimmed. Invited by the gryphon¡¯s claws, they turned around. As before, they found the golem horde and a mysterious white area that was apparently keeping them at bay. The gryphon then lowered its front paw. A crash, a rumble, a shattering sound. Such sounds rained on the party as soon as the gryphon completed that movement. Crack of Dawn¡¯s members cowered, surprised. They understood that it was the sound of the twin wolves fighting the golems. ¡°¡­it can¡¯t be¡­?¡± They then realized that the strange space that sealed off the noise of the wolves fighting the golems and prevented them from coming closer was under the gryphon¡¯s control. In the spot the gryphon pointed to, a few golems started moving in a way different from the others. Until now, that area, a dozen of meters wide, was a safe space. For some reason, the golems couldn¡¯t penetrate it. Just like something was restricting their passage¡­ That restriction, however, was no more. The golems started invading the previously safe circle. They were 2 units, Silver Golems. Golems moved slowly. Crack of Dawn¡¯s members failed to see it or even perceive it, but the circular safe space had been created via the gryphon¡¯s ¡°Wind Wall¡± magic. Differently from the wind barrier in the depths of the valley, however, the wind in this wall blew not upwards, but horizontally, towards the exterior. A wind strong enough to push back golems was howling in a space of a few centimeters. It was a powerful wind that ignored all laws of physics, that only magic could create. The gryphon had used a wind barrier slightly different than the one used in the depths of the valley, so that Crack of Dawn¡¯s members would not realize what was going on because of the noise caused by golems crashing down on the ground. It was even more difficult to control than the wind magic knocking the golems upwards, so even the gryphon could not keep it up for extended periods of time. The two invading golems had overcome such a fierce wind, so their bodies were battered and bruised. The gryphon moved a front paw again, back to the position it was before lowering it. Again, the sounds vanished. In that secluded space a few meters wide there now were a gryphon, five adventurers and two golems. A whistle. The gryphon attracted the party¡¯s attention, then moved its beak to point at the golems. Just like a person using their chin to give a command. The command here was definitely ¡°Try to fight them¡±. Two Silver Golems. No one in Crack of Dawn could recall at this time that it was the intended target of their expedition. ¡°You bastard, quit messing around!!¡± Another flash of lightning. The shout had come, again, from the Tamer Eric. He had been the beasts¡¯ master till recently, so he probably found it possible to talk to them even in such a situation. The lightning bolts this time did not simply strike close to his feet, but burnt off the tips of his shoes, signaling that the gryphon could launch precise attacks and there would not be a next time. The gryphon motioned its beak towards the golems again, prompting the shocked adventurers to move. ¡°¡­there¡¯s no other way. Let¡¯s do this!¡± ¡°But..!!¡± ¡°We don¡¯t know what it could do to us if we don¡¯t fight. We have to do it. Or will you fight the gryphon? It can use magic, didn¡¯t you see?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s do it. Luckily, these golems¡¯ movements are dull. I¡¯ll go first.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Stefan readied his sword. He said ¡°We don¡¯t know what it could do to us if we don¡¯t fight¡±, but there was no guarantee that it wouldn¡¯t do anything even if they fought. He simply thought that there was a higher possibility of survival against the golems. If the gryphon really controlled that safe space, it could disappear at the whim of a winged beast, causing the golem horde to trample them. Stefan attacked the golems, swinging his sword down. The gryphon looked at him, half surprised, half disappointed. No one noticed, however. Volume 1 - CH 4.4 The gryphon was surprised to see Stefan slash the golems head on. In a completely negative way, of course. Stefan¡¯s slash did damage the golem¡¯s chest, but nothing more. The core hidden deep inside the beast¡¯s chest was still untouched. The gryphon was absorbed in the fight, for all the wrong reasons. In the end, the gryphon ignored Crack of Dawn¡¯s battle and lost itself in tangential thoughts. The gryphon¡¯s plan of ¡°Surprise the sleeping Crack of Dawn members with a horde of invading golems!¡± was in action. During the execution, it had heard something ¡°very interesting¡±, so it sometimes thought about it, grinning to itself. The twin wolves were enjoying their golem hunt beyond the wind wall. They jumped and leaped, rushed and ran, knocking out golem after golem. When they met the gryphon¡¯s eyes, they gleefully waved their paws. The twins did not use their claws and fangs, just their four limbs as weapons. Similar to when they were running on the cliffs in the depths of the valley, they emitted cold and heat from their paws to instantly freeze or scorch whatever they touched. Silver is a good conductor. The cold and heat quickly penetrated into the golems¡¯ bodies, freezing them or making them boil. With precise aim, destroying a golem¡¯s core was very simple. The wolves were like their natural enemies. Truthfully speaking, the twins did not destroy the golems¡¯ cores right away, but played with them by crushing them part by part to enjoy a longer hunt. The golems had increased their numbers to defeat the gryphon, but were being annihilated by two magic wolves without being able to attack it even once¡­it was a nightmare. ¡°Eric!!¡± The shout made the gryphon turn around: it saw Eric being punched and blown away by a golem. The gryphon had stopped following the battle altogether, so it did not know how it had progressed. Eric was a Tamer, but fought with a bow when he joined the fray. Golems were unaffected by regular bows, but even so he was supposed to be the party¡¯s rearguard, so he should not be defeated first. Serge ran up to Eric and made him drink a healing potion from the magic bag he carried. The Tamer spat out blood, but was not in mortal danger. ¡°Shit!! How hard are they!?¡± The gryphon mumbled in response to Stefan¡¯s shout, but humans couldn¡¯t understand its speech. Whatever it said, the humans would never know. ¡°Hey! Gryphon! Help us!!¡­Please help!!¡± Olun shouted. His plate armor was battered and stained, his bloodied helm proof that he had been attacked several times. The gryphon heard the man¡¯s pleas, but naturally did not move. The gryphon first did not plan to show itself in this place. It considered staying atop one of the valley¡¯s cliffs and enjoy seeing Crack of Dawn¡¯s members¡¯ surprise at being surrounded, then beaten by a few golems so that they would lose their confidence and realize where they truly stood. It planned to come down when most of them were knocked out or fainted and have the twins eliminate all golems. The twins would attack the golems secretly until then. It thought that, if they didn¡¯t see the twins attack, when they woke up and saw the golems defeated they would think that ¡°Someone came and did this after we were knocked out¡± If the gryphon didn¡¯t show itself, the Wind Wall would be just a ¡°strange phenomenon¡±, so no one would realize that was its doing. In a world where magic and magical beasts existed, there were many phenomena still unexplained by mankind. Without evidence, it would be easy to hide the truth. It was a spell no average magic beast could ever perform, so no one would ever think it had been created by the gryphon on its own. The gryphon had managed it by creating a magic tool-like item. Using this tool, it used magic essence in the atmosphere to activate magic directly, something very far from human or even magic beasts¡¯ comprehension. As it was difficult to control, the gryphon planned to lie still in a high location and watch the situation from afar. Just one sentence, however, changed everything. The gryphon understood everything thanks to Stefan¡¯s ¡°I¡¯ll kick you out of the party, like Roa!!¡±. Without the brat, there was no more need to play the servant beast role or to stay with Crack of Dawn. The gryphon had unleashed its actual fighting prowess, which it had hidden until now, hating to be used and seeing the party gloat of achievements that were not theirs. It had also told the twins to use their powers freely, even if they ended up standing out. As a last farewell, the gryphon appeared before Crack of Dawn and crushed the Subjugation Collar, the symbol of its servant beast act. It made them fight the golems just to avoid ruining the plan it had prepared. The gryphon had never officially become a servant beast. The same held true for the twin wolves, of course. They wore the Subjugation Collar, but its magic was inactive, so it was nothing more than an accessory. ¡°Gwahh!¡± ¡°Eeek!¡± Serge was blown away and bumped against Bonne, then they fell together. Because of the impact, the magic bag fell from Serge¡¯s hands. ¡°No!! No!! Ouch! It hurts!! Heal! Heal! Heal!¡± Bonne had just suffered a scratch, but panicked and repeatedly cast healing magic on herself. She used abbreviated chanting, so the effect was minimal: further confused by the lingering pain, she kept casting magic. The magic bag that fell from Serge¡¯s hands and was stomped on by the golem that was chasing him and Bonne. After a flash of light, the magical bag¡¯s contents appeared at the golem¡¯s feet: a large quantity of food, magic potions, spare weapons, and armor. It had been ripped apart and destroyed completely, so it spat out its contents. The contents were stomped on by the golem¡¯s feet, so a cacophony of crushed glass, wood, and metal echoed in the surroundings. The only good thing was that the sound distracted the golem, making it lose its balance and fall down. A beak turning pale was certainly not an everyday occurrence. The gryphon reflected for a short while, then whispered, an embarrassed expression on its face. <¡­it¡¯s not my fault¡­it¡¯s yours for being such a useless lot! You shouldn¡¯t have surprised me like that!> No one could hear the gryphon as it talked and convinced itself with excuses. It then glanced at the Crack of Dawn members, still engaged in battle, and spread its wings. The gryphon apparently still saw the golems as insects, so it gave up on fighting them. It slowly flapped its wings and took flight, but the Crack of Dawn¡¯s members were too busy to notice. The wind wall was slowly dissipating. As the gryphon said, the golems beyond it had severely decreased in number: the bodies of the defeated golems also formed a sort of barricade, so the surviving golems could not rapidly reach Crack of Dawn. The gryphon headed to the twins¡¯ position. The two replied right away to the winged beast¡¯s call. Even while jumping around in joy, the twins kept defeating golems. The Subjugation Collars around their necks were quickly destroyed, one into mist, the other into charred pieces. The gryphon flew past the Aldon forest in an instant and headed towards the town. ? The golems reflected. Not one or some of them, but all of them, through their shared conscience, felt they were in danger. Their fleeing companions were being killed by the five units in the forest. Five units who had the same smell as the thing that threatened them. They believed them to be its children. If they shared its smell, they had to be its offspring. The threat they felt from ¡°that¡± was true. Even its children were powerful. If its offspring were so strong, ¡°that¡± had to be much, much stronger. They confirmed the thing which scattered the smell. The golems tried to attack the thing that invaded their paradise, but were stopped by a bizarre wall and could not go any closer. Danger¡­danger¡­danger¡­ When ¡°that¡± left the depths of the valley, the wall disappeared too. The golems went looking for ¡°that¡± and found what appeared to be its new nest nearby. There were a strong smell and the same wall that locked them in the depths of the valley. The golems were enraged by the audacity of building a nest in their paradise. The wall did not allow them in, however. Kill¡­kill¡­kill¡­ The golems gathered their comrades and tried crushing the wall, but something outside the wall started to kill them. Something with the same smell as ¡°that¡±. Two very fast things started destroying the golems. One froze them, the other burned them. At first they crushed the golem¡¯s cores, but then started destroying their parts and leaving them unable to move, not taking their lives. The golems could understand the two had not grown any weaker. They were holding back, playing with them, like cats play with their prey. They were viewed as innocuous creatures they could kill at any time and were being used as toys. The golems were simply used as playthings, mutilated and left alive. Danger¡­danger¡­danger¡­ While their comrades were being destroyed, two managed to pass through the wall. There they found the source of the smell and five units bearing the same smell. Those five were weak, but ¡°that¡± did not help them. Those five children were probably of no use to ¡°that¡±. Weak children eventually die even if protected: protecting them is futile. It was a law of nature. ¡°That¡± eventually left and the wind wall disappeared alongside it. Kill¡­kill¡­kill¡­ The golems had stopped the five weak children, but the two quick children were still destroying them. Soon enough, no golem in the valley could move anymore and the two quick children disappeared. Did they go to their parent? There were many golems left, wounded but still alive, with ample minerals they could use to recover. The minerals of their fallen comrades. There also was enough magic essence in the valley. Reviving themselves was easy, but meaningless. Numbers did not change anything. The source of the smell could not be touched. Even its children were too powerful. In that case¡­ The only way out was to boost their individual strength¡­ The golems left their mineral bodies and gathered, to reunite the power that was split and multiplied. Their cores fused and became one again. To become something powerful enough to defeat ¡°that¡±¡­ Volume 1 - CH 4.5 ¡°Shit!! They won¡¯t stop coming¡­!¡± Kristoff cursed under his breath. His breathing was ragged and shallow. The fatigue made it hard to move his body. Even with the recovery candy, it wasn¡¯t possible to restore his fatigue anymore. Nostalgia was still fighting golems in the Aldon forest: they had finally been surrounded, Roa included. The only fortunate part was that the defeated golems formed a sort of barricade. Every time new golems attacked, they aimed at places where it was easier to move¡­places where few golems were piled up, so even defeating them normally gradually created new barriers that did not let new enemies flow in. Now they just needed to defeat the golems that entered the gaps. The golems took unnatural stances when they tried to get over the barriers, so it was easy to attack their limbs and restrict their movements. Thanks to that, Nostalgia managed to hold their own against a large number of golems. Though, they could only restrict their movements¡­ If the golems crossed the barricade and they destroyed their core, they could defeat them. However, this would leave corpses inside the barricade reducing the available room for Roa and Nostalgia. Eventually they would be unable to move and the golems would overwhelm them. They could store the golem corpses inside their magic bags, but that also had its limits. They considered throwing them out after killing them, but it was close to impossible as new golems keep attacking them. If the damaged golems fell outside the barricade however, they would just attack again after they recovered, as their core remained intact. In the forest, rich in magic essence, the golems had practically unlimited energy. If they continued attacking, Roa and Nostalgia would eventually exhaust themselves. In any case, their prospects were grim. Kristoff inspected the surroundings, but the golems blocked all their escape paths. There were too many to even get an exact count. They easily numbered in the hundreds. If they could escape their current position Bernhart could do something with wide range magic, but it would only buy some time at the moment. Unless they came up with a great idea to resolve the situation, using the barricade to defeat the golems was still safer than trying to escape. It surely wasn¡¯t a great plan to risk wasting a great amount of Bernhart¡¯s magic power now. ¡°Quit whining!! Or you¡¯re not eating the next meal!¡± Dietrich shouted while attacking a golem. ¡°Aah¡­I¡¯m hungry¡­I¡¯m hungry!!! Since this battle is so hard, let¡¯s go eat meat at ¡°Snow Peak¡± when we go back! The boss gets the bill!¡± ¡°I like that, let¡¯s do it! If the boss gets the bill.¡± ¡°You guys¡­!!¡± Cornelia and Kristoff jokingly replied to Dietrich¡¯s shout. They smiled, but were covered in mud: they were not openly bleeding, but their armor was battered. The recovery candy could heal small wounds quickly, but they suffered more and more wounds it couldn¡¯t heal. Their fatigue was also accumulating. Roa had attempted to use healing potions several times, but they had refused. They wanted to avoid using them as much as possible, so long as they weren¡¯t fatally wounded. In the current situation, they had no idea when, if ever, they would break through the golem¡¯s encirclement. There was still the possibility of being wounded later. Because of the risk of Magic Stupor, they wanted to save healing potions for as long as possible. The situation was desperate, but their eyes were still alive. They believed they could survive and resisted, focusing on catching even the smallest signs of a breakthrough. ¡°You know, with all the Silver Golems we¡¯ve defeated, we can make a small fortune just by selling their parts. It must have taken a whole silver mine to create all these golems, right? So, boss gets the bill.¡± Cornelia talked while striking a golem climbing the barricade with her shield. ¡°There¡¯s plenty of Rock Golems too though. I guess the Silver Golems used up all the silver, so they had to use other minerals. We¡¯re going to be filthy rich¡­yeah, the boss gets the bill.¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to split the reward, okay!? Why do I have to pay!?¡± The group exchanged banter to motivate each other and themselves that they could still go on. That was the only way to keep their cool. Bernhart didn¡¯t join in the conversation, but shared their sentiments. Roa was different though. He did not fight, nor speak a word. He was in a safe spot, inside the barricade of golem corpses. He was near the center of the barricade, close to Bernhart, but he kept moving around the safer areas of the barricade. Nostalgia¡¯s members thought that he couldn¡¯t stay still because of fear. They didn¡¯t have the luxury of carefully looking at him, so it was no wonder they thought so. Roa, however, was animated by a strong will. That must be it¡­! Roa was thinking. He moved and looked at how the golems responded. Their movements were regular: simply put, they followed him. They were targeting him. Roa thought of reasons why the golems would target him. If his supposition was correct, the reason why the golems had increased so much was tied to Crack of Dawn. Then, as the golems were targeting Roa, his hypothesis could go further. Roa looked at his hip. A pouch was hanging from it¡­the monster repellent pouch. If the golems fought Crack of Dawn and perceived a threat¡­ If the golems increased their numbers to fight Crack of Dawn again¡­. There was a possibility that the golems viewed the gryphon¡¯s smell as the mark of an enemy threat. In that case, the monster repellent pouch would have the opposite effect and end up attracting the golems. But nothing would change even if I hide it¡­ If the pouch was put back in the magic bag, the smell would be blocked, but the gryphon¡¯s smell was already all over Roa. They had lived together for a long time: the gryphon¡¯s smell had probably become part of Roa¡¯s own body odor. It would also be pointless to get rid of the smell now that he had already become a target. What if I used another smell to cover it then? Roa had several potions and plants with very strong smells in his bag. If he used one of them¡­ but that too would be little use now that he was a target. Roa regretted not realizing it earlier: if he did, they would have had a chance to escape. In that case¡­ Roa bit his lip. His gaze was directed at the four adventurers protecting him. Focused on fighting, they did not notice Roa¡¯s look. The three swordsmen were fighting back a golem that was trying to cross the barricade, while Bernhart was shooting lightning bolts to stop the movements of golems they couldn¡¯t reach in time. Roa looked through his bag and took out a bottle, poured its contents all over a piece of cloth, then tied it to his belt. He then took out a rope and set it on fire. ¡°Ehm¡­Bernhart.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Bernhart looked at Roa silently. White smoke had started rising from the rope Roa had set on fire. ¡°I¡¯ve thought of something. Could you shoot a lightning bolt -weak enough not to burden you- straight in the direction I tell you, to stop the golems¡¯ movements?¡± Roa looked straight at Bernhart, with nothing but seriousness in his eyes. White smoke kept rising from the rope in his hands. Bernhart recognized that rope. It was used to seep clothes in smoke, for insect repelling properties. It emitted a strong, refreshing smell. ¡°¡­..we need to ask the leader first.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no time! This is our chance! Please, there¡¯s no time to waste explaining! Please believe me!¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Bernhart looked at Dietrich, but the latter was busy beating back golems. The smoke was spreading: a thin veil of scent covered the inside of the barricade. The smoke was heavier than air and tend to stay close to the ground. Bernhart realized what Roa was trying to do, but could not predict what it would lead to. ¡°Lea-¡± ¡°Please! There¡¯s no time!¡± Bernhart was about to shout ¡°leader¡± to ask Dietrich for permission, but Roa forcefully pulled on his clothes and stopped him. It looked like he was just desperately holding onto Bernhart, but Roa stopped him from shouting on purpose. He then drew Bernhart¡¯s attention again, who was still looking towards Dietrich. ¡°Please hurry! In this direction!¡± ¡°But-¡± ¡°Hurry! We¡¯re running out of time!¡± Bernhart was compelled to follow at Roa¡¯s insistence, then started chanting a spell. Roa had pointed to a direction the three warriors could not cover, where lightning bolts had just fallen moments ago. It was a bit wasteful, but shooting a lightning bolt in that direction would pose no problem. Thanks to the other members¡¯ efforts, he still had plenty of magic power left and a lightning bolt in that direction would not disrupt their attacks. He would not be disobeying Dietrich¡¯s orders, so it was barely within the realm of acceptance. Normally, Bernhart would never have followed Roa¡¯s instructions without checking with Dietrich first. However, judging by Roa¡¯s desperate plea that there was no time, the fact that he wouldn¡¯t be outright disobeying orders and that Roa was their current employer, he chose to comply. A lightning bolt flashed. Roa threw the smoking rope on the ground. ¡°Thank you very much! I¡¯m sorry! Please forgive me!¡± Roa shouted and, as soon as the bolt vanished, sprinted in the same direction it had flown through. Bernhart couldn¡¯t move immediately after casting magic. It was just a moment, but it was enough for Roa. While running, Roa looked at the other golems¡¯ movements. He realized that, even while the golems fought against Dietrich and the others, they were paying attention to his movements. I can do it! It¡¯s going to work! With renewed confidence, Roa ran even faster. The golems were clearly following his movements. ¡°Roa!! What are you trying to do!?¡± Surprised, Bernhart called to him, but Roa did not stop. He climbed over the golem corpses and jumped out of the barricade. Thanks to the thunderbolt, the golems around Roa could not move. He looked around and confirmed that the golems fighting against Dietrich¡¯s group had also left the barricade and were heading towards Roa. ¡°Roa! What are you doing?!¡± ¡°Why!?¡± ¡°You idiot!!¡± Shouting voices came from inside the barricade. Roa kept running at full speed, as to shake them away. Roa had taken a gamble. What he had taken out of the magic bag and poured on the piece of cloth was monster repellent. He had poured plenty of it, to make the smell as strong as possible. As Roa predicted, the golems were following the gryphon¡¯s smell, so if he scattered the smell as he ran he could act as a decoy. For added safety, he had lit up an insect repellent so that the barricade would be filled with another smell. The remaining monster repellent smell should have been dispelled. The golems were chasing after him as expected. Roa¡¯s gamble paid off. He could hear the golems¡¯ heavy footsteps behind him. He could also hear the chasing golems bumping into those incapacitated by the lightning. It was enough to determine that a large number of golems were chasing him. Roa was running as fast as he could to put as much distance as possible between the immobile golems and Nostalgia¡¯s barricade. Because of this impromptu golem barrier, the chasing golems could not catch up to him quickly. Even without that, humans could still run faster than golems. Roa did not plan to flee like that, though. He didn¡¯t know how far the lightning bolt had flown, but, sooner or later, he would run out of its range and encounter other golems or, perhaps, the chasing ones would catch up first. In any case, Roa would surely be killed if he was surrounded by golems. If he only drew the golem mob away from Nostalgia and gave them time to flee, it was enough. Dietrich would probably understand Roa¡¯s intentions and run away, to protect his comrades. There was no chance for Roa to be saved, so he would never choose that option. Roa believed so. Roa could not fight, but that had nothing to do with running. The golems were powerful magic beasts, but their movements were dull. Roa¡¯s small physique could probably help in running from such massive creatures. Roa ran as fast as he could, only looking forward, barely paying attention to the sounds around him. He ran between the spaces occupied by golems, trying to find areas with as few as possible. A woosh sound flew past his ear. The fist of a golem had brushed by him: the sound made Roa realize that the golems in the surroundings had started moving. He didn¡¯t know whether he had exited the lightning bolt¡¯s range or the chasing golems had caught up to him, but he did not have the luxury to ponder about it. Roa kept running. Pain jolted his back. He had probably been punched by a golem. The powerful impact sent him flying, rolling, crashing on the ground. The pain made it impossible for him to speak or even breathe. I have to go farther! He stood up despite the pain. He could barely stand on his shaking legs, but he wanted to gain as much distance as possible. Roa breathed in deeply. ¡°I can¡­still go¡­!¡± Roa ran off on his heavy legs. Rather than running, it was like his legs were moving alongside his body as he fell forward. Even so, he was advancing. Behind him¡­no, all around him, the rumbling noises caused by golems echoed with the sounds of metal grinding and clashing reverberating through the forest. Another shock on his back. Roa fell forward, as if he was pushed. Is this¡­.the end¡­? Roa felt something heavy on his back. He had probably been caught by whatever struck him as something was standing on his body. ¡°It felt¡­good¡­¡± Roa was moments away from being killed, but smiled. He was happy because he managed to protect someone else. To meet his end after actions worthy of an adventurer was his heartfelt ambition. Even if he was chased out of the party or registered into the Creators¡¯ guild, he was happy to end as an adventurer. In the end, Roa hadn¡¯t completely given up on being an adventurer. Roa was ready. He closed his eyes, accepting the incoming death. Yet¡­ ¡°¡­..wha?¡± He thought he would be killed quickly, but nothing happened¡­he thought he would be crushed to death, but the weight on his back did not change. His back¡­.was warm? Golems should be cold and hard. Whining sounds. A peculiar sound could be heard from above Roa. ¡°Hyah!¡± Roa let out a weird shout. Something licked my ears!? ¡°Eh?¡± Roa twisted his upper body and looked behind him. There, he found two familiar faces. ¡°Eh? The twins? Why?¡± ¡°¡°Woof¡±¡± The twins answered Roa. Looking at the two magic wolves riding on his body, Roa was speechless. ¡°But why?¡± Four sparkling eyes looked at Roa, filled with glee. Behind them, two tails wagged furiously. Roa¡¯s mind fell into utter confusion. ¡°Er¡­first of all, it kind of hurts like this so can you move¡­?¡± The twins duly obeyed Roa¡¯s words and got off from on top of him. The sparkling eyes and wagging tails remained unchanged. When Roa tried to stand up, the pain on his back made him sweat profusely. ¡°Ouch, ouch, ouch¡­¡± Moving even just a little sent jolts of pain throughout his body. He reached for his magic bag amidst the pain, took out a healing potion and drank it. ¡°Phew¡­.¡± The pain subsided, as well as the fatigue from all his running, so he could recover some semblance of mind. Roa sat up and looked at his surroundings. ¡°Eh?¡± Roa¡¯s body froze for a moment. To soothe his shock, the twin magic wolves approached him and started licking his cheeks. Before Roa there was a countless number of golems, all knocked out. Their bodies reflected the moonlight and shone in the darkness. They did not look damaged in any way, but were completely still. The only explanation was that they had been killed without exterior wounds. Roa had no idea what had happened, but he knew that he was saved. ¡°Why are you two here?¡± Roa asked while energetically rubbing their heads, but naturally the twins had no way of answering. As he was rubbing them, Roa noticed that the Subjugation Collars on their necks were no longer there. ¡°Did you run away?¡± When Roa¡¯s hands stopped, the twins leaned forward and put their heads on his thighs, urging him to rub them more. Completely forgetting how he had accepted death a few minutes prior, Roa was enjoying a pleasant time amidst a sea of golems. I wonder what happened? They had surely run away: Eric would never remove the collars outside of the servant beasts¡¯ hut. He seemed to know that the servant beasts did not like him and could probably not command them without the collars, so he never removed them. Either the collars somehow fell off and they fled, or there was another reason¡­in any case, something serious must have happened to Crack of Dawn. First of all, Roa and Nostalgia thought that the reason for the golems¡¯ multiplication lay with Crack of Dawn. The fact that the golems chased the gryphon-based monster repellent Roa used was further proof. So was Crack of Dawn defeated and fled? The twins were unscathed and full of energy though. Eric would surely use the servant beasts as shields before they were wounded, so it would be impossible for them to be defeated if the twins were alright. The servant beasts acted on their own sometimes, but always followed orders. At least whenever Roa saw them. That happened because Roa obeyed the party members, so the servant beasts did too, but Roa never noticed it. One of the twins, the blue one, raised its head. Its furiously wagging tail stood up straight, then it ran off. ¡°Eh? Where are you going?¡± Roa was about to stand up to follow it, but the other wolf had still its head on Roa¡¯s thigh. Furthermore, as if to scold Roa for not rubbing it, it used its front paws to hold him still and started rubbing its head against Roa. Roa thought that, if one of them was this calm, there was nothing to worry about, so he sat down again. There were still loads of golems lying in the surroundings, but thanks to the twins he felt completely safe. ¡°¡­what happened to grandpa Gry?¡± The red magic wolf tilted its head at the question, then put it back on Roa¡¯s thigh, fully enjoying being rubbed. Roa had been taking care of the twins since before their eyes fully opened, so he always talked to them as if he talked to children. However, their bodies had grown a lot: they were now as big as large breeds of dogs. Their heads were rather heavy too. Roa then heard a thud-like sound, as if something heavy had fallen on the ground, not too far from his position. Roa thought that the golems were attacking again and tried standing up, but the red magic wolf prevented him from moving. ¡°Hey! Stop it! We have to run or¡­¡± The wolf then put its whole weight on Roa, forcing him on his back, then started licking his face. ¡°I said stop!¡± No matter what Roa said or how much he tried to break free, the wolf did not budge, happily continuing to hold down Roa. It was much heavier and more powerful than Roa, so pushing it away was out of the question. As Roa was fighting¡­or, in better terms, playing with the red wolf, one more weight saton his body. The weight of one more wolf. The blue wolf had returned and joined its twin in licking Roa¡¯s face. Soon after, the red wolf left this time. A bit later, another heavy sound was heard. The red wolf returned and they lay on top of Roa for a while, then the blue wolf left again. Another heavy sound. This continued a couple more times and Roa realized what they were doing. ¡°¡­.could it be that you¡¯re taking turns defeating golems?¡± The wolf happily nodded to Roa¡¯s words. A twin kept Roa still and protected the area, while the other went to defeat golems. Roa realized it and finally stopped resisting. ¡°Thanks.¡± Even so, the twin wolves shouldn¡¯t be strong enough to defeat golems. However, considering the number of golem corpses around him, Roa had no choice but to believe it. The twins continued this routine for a while and Roa continued rubbing them. It was because they kept pressing him to do so, but Roa, even if he hadn¡¯t met them for just a few days, missed them too. A man and two wolves enjoyed a peaceful time under the moonlight. Volume 1 - CH 4.6 ¡°Heeey¡­¡± The twins were enjoying their rubs together, not periodically leaving anymore, when Roa heard a voice in the distance. A voice he knew. Roa was undecided about how he should answer. He saw a magic light in the distance, growing closer. ¡°¡­.what should we do?¡± The twins tilted their heads. ¡°The people that accompanied me in this forest are coming to look for me¡­but I did something that I shouldn¡¯t have done¡­ah! No, they¡¯re not bad people! They¡¯re good people!¡± The twin wolves grew wary and bared their fangs as Roa talked, so Roa hurriedly stopped them. They were definitely going to fight Nostalgia. Roa somehow succeeded in stopping them, but their ears were vigilantly detecting the voices. ¡°Heeey!! If you¡¯re alive make a sound! Heey!¡± The magic light grew closer and Roa¡¯s expression stiffened. ¡°What do you think I should do¡­¡± Roa started thinking. No matter the reason, he had acted on his own while they were fighting to protect him. It wouldn¡¯t be strange if they didn¡¯t think well of him anymore. He couldn¡¯t bear to face them. He thought of running away, but the situation would surely not improve at all. The golems might not have been completely defeated. Even so, they were looking for him, raising their voices loudly. There was a high possibility that magic beasts attacked them, so he couldn¡¯t just leave them. ¡°I¡¯m here!!¡± Roa made his decision and raised his voice. ¡°Roa!¡± The voice returned. After a while, four silhouettes appeared: Nostalgia¡¯s members, with Dietrich in front. ¡°Roa!¡± ¡°Are you alright!?¡± The voice he heard before was Dietrich¡¯s, but Cornelia and Kristoff spoke first. Dietrich glared at him, silently. Behind him, the other three members looked relieved. ¡°I¡¯m okay¡­¡± Roa stood up and faced Nostalgia straight. The twin wolves at his side were quiet, but their ears were standing straight and wary. Dietrich approached Roa slowly, a stern expression on his face. It was completely different from the expression he had until moments before. Smack! Roa was punched before he could prepare himself. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you have faith in us!?!¡± Dietrich howled. Roa did not stumble or fall: he only had a bruise on his lip. That let him know how much Dietrich was holding back. Roa expected that this would happen, so he held the twins¡¯ scruffs to keep them calm as he bore the pain. Growling. The twins bore their fangs, clearly showing hostility. If Roa didn¡¯t keep them down, they would have already jumped for Dietrich¡¯s throat. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± ¡°You idiot!! Drawing the golems away by yourself!? Don¡¯t get cocky!! We were supposed to protect you! Why did you run away from us!? You damn fool!! You didn¡¯t trust us at all!? Do you even know¡­how much¡­we worried¡­? I¡¯m..I¡¯m¡­never¡­gonna forgive youuu¡­!¡± Dietrich hugged Roa. Since he was a head taller, Roa¡¯s face was buried in his chest, leaving Roa confused, but he couldn¡¯t break free. Dietrich¡¯s armor hurt too. When Roa finally managed to take his head out of Dietrich¡¯s arms, along with a faint whining voice, Roa felt a warm liquid falling on his head. ¡°Aah¡­.aah¡­.wah¡­¡± Muffled crying descended from above. Roa did not know what to do. He looked at the other members for help, but they were either smiling wryly or looked exasperated: they clearly had no intention to help. ¡°¡­think of it as your punishment. We left it to him, since he said he would scold you properly¡­but I guess this was expected.¡± ¡°¡­I too wanted to punch you and scold you, but this is just gross¡­I got over it. The boss isn¡¯t into boys, so don¡¯t worry and enjoy the embrace.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Longer growling. As Dietrich punched Roa, the twin wolves clearly showed their hostility to him. It wasn¡¯t killing intent, though, but jealousy. They probably couldn¡¯t forgive him for being closer to Roa than them. They didn¡¯t bite, respecting Roa¡¯s wishes, but were quite irritated. ¡°Roa, please listen like this.¡± ¡°Yes¡­.¡± Kristoff¡¯s words made Roa¡¯s expression stiffen again. ¡°You did something unforgivable. You know that, right? Even if you did it to save our lives. You didn¡¯t talk with anyone, tricked Bernhart into using magic and acted on your own. If you died and we survived, it would be simply the worst. I don¡¯t know if you thought about it, but we¡¯re not so rotten that we would be glad of being saved by the person we were supposed to protect.¡± Kristoff continued, quietly. ¡°No matter what the truth is, others would think of us as despicable adventurers who used their employer as a scapegoat to survive. We would be finished as adventurers. Well, I doubt we would even feel like continuing to be adventurers, so it would be over anyway. Even if you saved our bodies, you were about to kill our ¡°soul¡± as adventurers.¡± ¡°¡­¡­..¡± Roa reflected. In what he thought would be his last moments, Roa felt happy to be able to die as an adventurer. If Nostalgia¡¯s members felt the same, his actions were nothing but humiliating. Of course, many adventurers used even the dirtiest tricks in order to survive. Roa knew that Nostalgia was different. ¡°But after that, let me say this. Thank you for trying to save us. Thanks for being alive.¡± ¡°Kristoff¡­.no, everyone, I¡¯m so-¡± ¡°Whoa!! I¡¯m burning!!¡± Roa¡¯s eyes swelled with tears, he was about to apologize¡­when Dietrich shouted. His arms let go of Roa. Dietrich crouched down, holding his thighs as if to withstand against something. He was holding his thighs where they were not protected by armor and his pants were visible. Roa and the other Nostalgia members had no idea what happened. The three adventurers inspected their surroundings, thinking that they were under attack. ¡°¡­uugh¡­.what the hell¡­.it got so hot and¡­what? This is scorched?¡­But this is frozen?¡± Dietrich removed his hands to look at his pants: one side had burn marks, while the other had crumbled into frozen shards. On both sides, the skin under the pants was bright red. The scorched and frozen parts both showed paw marks. Undeniable proof. Roa looked at the owners of those paws¡­the twin wolves, which did not look irritated anymore and were happily wagging their tails. ¡°¡­.what did you two do?¡± In response, the twins left Roa¡¯s side and approached Dietrich. Roa and the other Nostalgia members, unaware of what had happened, could only watch. The twins stood on Dietrich¡¯s right and left side, then pressed on his thighs with their paws!! ¡°Yow! Hot!!¡± Dietrich leaped back. ¡°Magic!?¡± The reaction came from Bernhart. ¡°The red one used fire magic, the blue one ice magic. Incredible magic control! They focused magic only on their paws, not letting it out into the surroundings¡­the ice magic must feel hot because the temperature is extremely low.¡± ¡°Magic!? You two can use magic!?¡± The twins replied to Roa¡¯s surprise by happily waving the paws which used magic, very proudly. ¡°So that¡¯s how you defeated the golems! Amazing¡­¡± ¡°Normal fire or ice won¡¯t reach a golem¡¯s core: touching them would let magic propagate directly, that¡¯s how it was possible. Enough physical ability to touch the golems and enough magic control to activate it as soon as they touch them¡­fantastic!¡± ¡°These kids are really something! They¡¯re still children, right? I¡¯ve never seen a magic wolf use magic before!¡± Bernhart was especially talkative among the three. It happened whenever the topic was magic, apparently. Praised by Nostalgia¡¯s three members, the twins jumped around. It was like they were saying ¡°More! More!¡± with their bodies. ¡°Um, did everyone see them defeat the golems?¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s why we were sure you were still alive and came looking for you. After you ran off taking the golems with you, these two appeared and started chasing after you, taking down the golems on the way. Their fur is a different color than normal, so we realized right away that they are the magic wolves that were always with you.¡± ¡°It was really something else! They just touched the golems and they collapsed, just like that! They didn¡¯t even lose speed at all while attacking, running like the wind. I honestly thought I was dreaming.¡± ¡°Can you people worry about me a little!?¡± Dietrich shouted. He was still crouching, bearing the pain caused by the burning and freezing paws. Since he had also been crying, his face was dirty with tears and snot. He was in such a sad state, very unfit for a leader¡¯s position, that they just glanced at him, then returned to their conversation. Nostalgia¡¯s other three party members judged that he would be okay, but Roa realized that Dietrich¡¯s tears and snot probably fell on his head, so he couldn¡¯t bear to keep looking at him. ¡°¡­.why did they attack the boss, by the way?¡± ¡°¡­I think they were jealous. It always happens when someone they don¡¯t know becomes friendly with me. They always pull on their clothes or do little pranks.¡± ¡°What part of this is a little prank!? It¡¯s going to leave a mark! It¡¯s like I got branded, dammit!¡± Dietrich¡¯s pitiful protests made everyone smile wryly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± Only Roa lowered his head, apologizing profusely. Next to him, the twins rubbed their heads against his body, as if urging him to praise them, wagging their tails. The group had been engaged in a life or death battle until only a short while before, but now the atmosphere was completely peaceful. They could even smile and laugh from the heart. The forest¡¯s disturbance, however, was not gone yet. The night was still long¡­ ? Meanwhile, the gryphon¡­ The gryphon was flying over town, fussing by himself. It did not have the slightest idea what trouble this would cause in the future¡­. Volume 2 - CH 5.1 Chapter 5 ¨C Together Again! Deep within the Aldon forest. Roa¡¯s group, chased by golems to the brink of collapse, could finally rest for a moment. Both Roa and the members of the adventurer party ¡°Nostalgia¡± took their water flasks from a magic bag and doused their parched throats. Only Dietrich -the leader of the party- was still silently braving the pain caused by the burning and freezing paw marks of the magic wolf twins. Roa recalled the events that had transpired in the past few days. So many things had happened in just a couple days, each one impossible to forget. The adventurer party he belonged to, ¡°Crack of Dawn¡±, was awarded the highest title of ¡°Hero¡± for its exploits. Crack of Dawn then s became a ¡°Hero Party¡±. It was like a wonderful dream come true, but the next day Roa was kicked to the depths of despair. Stefan, Crack of Dawn¡¯s leader, announced that Roa was no longer a member. Roa was an ¡°All-Rounder,¡± the lowest job in existence, who only handled chores and did not participate in battle. Stefan couldn¡¯t bear that someone like that was a member of his Hero Party. Thus Roa was expelled from the party. Without even the time to say goodbye to the servant beasts he had taken care of for many years, Roa was kicked out of the party. Roa was walking aimlessly through the town, when another change took place. The merchant Coralde, whom Roa visited from time to time to sell his magic potions, hoping to make some spending money, welcomed him to join his trading company, albeit temporarily. Coralde¡¯s company was one of the country¡¯s top trading companies. Being employed by them was a hallmark to success. From riches to rags, then riches again. Could this be called being lucky? This is way too much for someone as ordinary as me¡­ So thought Roa, who viewed himself as someone completely average and boring. If Nostalgia¡¯s members heard, they would say that Roa was putting himself down again. Even in the few days since he met them, Roa had proven time and again how skilled he could be. He showed incredible ability as an alchemist, could adjust armor better than the average artisan, was knowledgeable about various forest flora, and exhibited brilliant thinking in a pinch. Roa was totally outside the norm, in everything except fighting. Adventurers earned a living fighting against magic beasts. Because of this, fighting prowess was their most valued asset. Roa was thus regarded quite poorly, as he had failed to move from the lowest job of All-Rounder, but other than fighting he could literally do anything. ¡°Okay, okay, calm down now.¡± Roa calmed down the magic wolf twins and had them drink water too. They were too excited to see him to stay still. He crouched and rubbed them gently. The wolves placed their heads on his knees and enjoyed the rubs, their eyes almost closed. Servant beasts are normally controlled mentally via accessories called Subjugation Collars. The two wolves, however, wore nothing of the sort. They adored Roa even without something like that: probably more proof of how abnormal he really was. ¡°I told you that bullying the weak is wrong, didn¡¯t I?¡± Roa admonished the twins. Though they did not seem convinced, they whined in apology. They had stamped their paws on Dietrich¡¯s thighs out of jealousy, because Roa was important to them, so they did not feel they had done something really wrong. The twin wolves rarely came in contact with people outside the Crack of Dawn party, as its leader commanded them. Because of this, they sometimes had trouble finding the right distance when interacting with others. They were friendly and easygoing, but their notion of right and wrong was sometimes a bit skewed. Being magic beasts, it might be something they couldn¡¯t help, but Roa suspected it was because of their foster parent¡¯s -the gryphon- nasty personality. ¡°Gh¡­.¡± Roa¡¯s innocent ¡°bullying the weak¡± was another blow to Dietrich¡¯s confidence. Roa had used simple words that the two pups would understand and did not mean anything by them, but for Dietrich they were daggers that stabbed him straight in the heart. He wanted to defend himself, but couldn¡¯t. The twins were clearly much stronger. In the forest they had visited to gather materials, they had ended up being chased by a horde of Silver Golems. If Roa hadn¡¯t acted as a decoy to let them escape, they would probably be all dead by now. Roa too was ready to die then. They were supposed to protect him, but ended up being saved by him: Dietrich regretted this deeply. The solution to such a dire situation was brought by the magic wolf twins. From the viewpoint of the twins, capable of defeating dozens of golems in mere instants, Nostalgia was surely weak. He had to admit it. He was proud of their status as A rank adventurers, but before the twins it didn¡¯t mean anything. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s yellow lotus¡­¡± Roa was looking around while patting the twins and spotted a familiar plant. It was yellow lotus, a kind of medicinal herb. It couldn¡¯t be used to create magic potions, but its roots could be made into stomachache medicine. Many of the craftsmen Roa knew used it often. ¡°Woof!¡± After hearing Roa¡¯s words, the twins¡¯ ears sprang up; they raised their heads and ran off. Roa hadn¡¯t given them any orders, but they always tried to help. They wouldn¡¯t let even the smallest comment go unattended. Many things had happened, but the twins were still the same as before. Roa looked at them with a gentle smile. ? The magic wolf twins were in a good mood. They barked a melody thought up on the spot, in complete unison. Their singing couldn¡¯t be heard by humans, but they were prancing around as if dancing, so anyone could tell that they were in high spirits. They had been separated from Roa for a few days. They didn¡¯t make a ruckus because of Roa¡¯s absence, like the gryphon, but they were lonely and worried. They had always been together with Roa, so they would naturally feel lonely if they were separated. Their attitude was simply more mature than the gryphon¡¯s. They had finally met again and could stay with him, so it was obvious for them to be excited. Other people came and Roa¡¯s safety was ensured. From the twins¡¯ standpoint, these people got along with Roa much better than the Crack of Dawn members did and did not emit the slightest hostility towards him. They were a bit concerned that some of them got along too well with Roa, but they handed out punishment, so it was okay. There were no more presence of magic beasts in the surroundings: the situation was safe. In that case, the twins had one thing to do. In a forest, gathering useful materials was the obvious thing to do. They knew about minerals and plants, both their smell and their looks. They also knew the characteristics of insects, animals and magic beasts. They were careful enough not to gather too much, for the future, and also knew the rules to pick up materials without ruining them. Thanks to being with Roa, they had acquired knowledge surpassing not only adventurers but even experts, but they didn¡¯t care much about that. If they gathered materials, Roa would be happy. That was the important thing. They wanted Roa to join them, but noticed that he was tired. Not only physically, but also mentally exhausted. So they wanted him to rest. The twins ran off in two separate directions. They stayed close enough to be able to run back to protect Roa if anything happened and kept checking the surroundings for any threats. They looked for medicinal herbs, cutting the leaves, careful not to damage the stalks, gathering them little by little. They ripped tree bark without damaging the trunk, looked for mushrooms via the smell and dug them out while paying attention to the spores. If they couldn¡¯t hold any more in their mouths, they returned to Roa. Their timing was the same too. The twins didn¡¯t need to talk or to communicate between each other. They knew what the other was thinking, they recognized the other as a part of themselves. They did have separate consciences, but they could be said to be two parts of one whole. After placing materials at Roa¡¯s feet, they poked their heads towards Roa. He then would flash a big smile and gently pat them. Happy whining sounds. The twins enjoyed Roa¡¯s pats for a little while, gleefully. The magic wolf twins ran off one more time, hoping to make Roa even happier. ? After the forest disturbance quiet down a little, Roa¡¯s group could finally find a moment to rest¡­at the same time, a signal of incoming trouble surfaced in the city. It took about one day via horse carriage from Aldon forest to the city, a time that included also the resting time people and horses needed. A fast horse on its own could probably cover the same distance in two hours. In Coralde¡¯s company in the city, one such horse had just arrived, bringing a letter from the coachman Chuck. He was stationed outside the forest, waiting for the party¡¯s return, and had noticed the magic beasts fleeing away from it. He had thus petitioned Coralde for instructions. Coralde received Chuck¡¯s letter from the messenger horse and, despite the late hour, acted immediately. He first went to the Adventurers¡¯ Guild, which was in charge of supervising the forest, then contacted Adaman city¡¯s lord. Even if the Coralde trading company was large and powerful, they could not act on a magic beast forest on their own. Only adventurers could enter a magical beast forest, barring special orders from the lord, so it was especially off limits. There were exceptions, but in any case an escort by adventurers was necessary. It would also require days of waiting, so Coralde chose to follow official protocol. No matter if the method used was the normal one or a shortcut, one had to go through the Adventurers¡¯ Guild no matter what. After receiving Coralde¡¯s message, the Adventurers¡¯ Guild guildmaster was holding his head in his arms. He regretted staying in for overtime and not going home earlier. Even if he did, though, he would have probably been called back to handle that urgent matter, so he somehow got rid of his gloom and started giving out orders. ¡°¡­.send scouting teams to the Norfar valley and Aldon forest. They don¡¯t need to go inside, just circle the surroundings on horseback. Then ready a request for B rank¡­no, A rank adventurers. We need at least five parties. Choose people apt to rescue missions. As soon as the scouts return, we¡¯ll decide what to do next.¡± His orders followed protocol for such a situation, but he didn¡¯t agree at all. ¡°I can¡¯t stand it¡­¡± After all staff members left the room, the guildmaster grumbled to himself. The first thing that irked him was the fact that, while he had received contact from Coralde¡¯s company, the guild¡¯s coachmen -who were in the same location- had not sent any communication. Total beginners like the trading company¡¯s coachmen had noticed it, but actual pros, the guild¡¯s coachmen, didn¡¯t? The patrolling officers had not sent any report either: one more thing for the guildmaster to be irritated about. The Adventurers¡¯ Guild hired patrolling officers, pros that surveilled areas where magic beasts dwelled, like the Aldon forest. They were tasking with patrolling all such locations and reporting in case they noticed any irregularities. Even if something abnormal happened in a magic beast forest, it was extremely rare for its effects to extend as far as the city. Because of this, the number of patrolling officers was rather small, and as they patrolled all locations the frequency of their surveillance was low, but they were paid for such emergencies, so it would be wasted money if they didn¡¯t prove themselves useful at a time like that. Useless, the whole lot of them¡­ The guildmaster sighed heavily while leaning back his large body on the chair. The creaking sounds of the wood resounded in the quiet room. Should I wipe out the first report received from the Coralde company¡­? The guildmaster considered acting as if the first communication about the matter had come from a guild worker, but then shook his head as to get rid of that train of thought. The lord had already been contacted, so this countermeasure was out of the question. Even if he announced that the guild had noticed the situation first, it would just raise the question why he did not report it. No matter what he did, the guild had already lost face, so all they could at the moment was to go with the flow. Struggling was just a waste of energy. ¡°¡­wait¡­Viviana had said something¡­¡± The guildmaster recalled the conversation with the head of the reception department, Viviana, a few days prior. The conversation mentioned that Crack of Dawn had become a Hero Party largely thanks to servant beasts much more powerful than the party itself and that an All-Rounder recently been banished from the party had been hired by Coralde¡¯s trading company for whatever reason. The guildmaster suspected that Crack of Dawn controlled the servant beasts with illegal methods and the All-Rounder was connected to it. If it was true, it could lead to a scandal that would put the very existence of the guild at risk. In order to dispel that worry, Viviana had come up with a frightening proposal. ¡°¡­.It might be safer to have them disappear before any scandal comes to light¡­¡± He didn¡¯t know if Viviana really meant that. The guildmaster, however, grinned when he recalled her words. In the current situation, it sounded like a very appealing idea. It was a ¡°lucky coincidence¡± that the ¡°Hero Party Crack of Dawn¡± and the ¡°All-Rounder,¡± potential seeds for a scandal, were at the center of the problem. The troublesome adventurers¡¯ party from abroad was with them too. The foreign party had recently caused an incident that had lowered the reputation of the country¡¯s adventurers, so the guildmaster would very much appreciate if they disappeared off somewhere. The guildmaster pondered. If no disturbance had actually happened, the Coralde trading company would be the one to lose face. If a disturbance happened, he would lose face and would be reprimanded by the Adventurers¡¯ guild HQ and the local lord. But if any seeds of concern and troublesome elements could be swept away with it, it would make it easier to swallow the bitter pill. He could maybe even see Coralde all forlorn because the All-Rounder brat he got his hands on kicked the bucket¡­ The guildmaster started to think more deeply about how to deal with the Norfar valley and Aldon forest incident. Since the disturbance involved a magic beast forest, no one would blame him for coming up with a countermeasure after a thorough inspection of the location. The rescue expedition was delayed because it took time to draft a proper countermeasure. The people in the forest died, but it couldn¡¯t be helped. Between the city¡¯s safety and the lives of 10 or so people, the former was definitely more important. The guildmaster bared his canine fangs and quietly laughed to himself. He then continued to consider the method to delay the rescue efforts and the ¡°accidents¡± that could happen in the forest. Volume 2 - CH 5.2 Meanwhile, at the Coralde trading company, Coralde was listening to a certain man¡¯s report. The man had arrived just after Coralde finished sending a communication to the Adventurers¡¯ guild and the local lord about the report he received from Chuck the coachman. ¡°What happened in the Norfar valley?¡± ¡°Just as Mr. Chuck reported, magic beasts have been fleeing. As per your instructions, I went to inspect the surrounding areas. Magic beasts with climbing abilities, like Rock Lizards, have been fleeing from the valley too.¡± The man was a sort of ¡°secret agent¡±, hired personally by Coralde. He belonged to the Mercenaries¡¯ guild and had signed a long-term contract with Coralde. The man¡­and the other secret agents Coralde had hired did not belong to his trading company. As per their guild¡¯s regulations, they did not engage in illegal activities, but they would undertake other missions. They could be called Coralde¡¯s personal arms and legs. Coralde suspected that the Adventurers¡¯ guild was up to something, so he had his secret agents watch over the Aldon forest, where Roa and Nostalgia were harvesting herbs, and the Norfar valley from a distance. ¡°When I noticed the Rock Lizards fleeing, I tried going closer to better assess the situation, but I was spotted and gave up.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± The Adventurers¡¯ guild coachmen and horse carts were stationed at the entrance of the Norfar valley. In order to observe the movements of Crack of Dawn in the valley without being found, the secret agents could only look down from the top of a nearby hill. ¡°Were you spotted by the guild¡¯s coachmen?¡± Coralde was impressed that the guild¡¯s coachmen would be capable to notice the presence of secret agents on the top of a hill. The secret agents were first rate professionals, capable of using magic to conceal their presence. To spot them from afar was a near impossible feat. ¡°No, not them.¡± ¡°Crack of Dawn, then?¡± ¡°No, sir.¡± ¡°Did the Adventurers¡¯ guild hire secret agents too, then?¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not the case.¡± Coralde continued asking questions without letting the man continue, so the latter could only deny his hypothesis. Ultimately Coralde ran out of ideas, so he stopped talking. The secret agent then addressed his flustered employer with a vaguely tired tone. ¡°It was the servant beasts, Crack of Dawn¡¯s magic wolves. They were on the upper side of the valley. As soon as I spotted them, they sensed my presence and¡­waved their hands at me.¡± ¡°They waved¡­their hands?¡± ¡°Well¡­precisely speaking, their front paws.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant¡­¡± Servant beasts obeyed the orders of their masters, but were magic beasts at heart. Coralde was naturally surprised that they would ¡°wave their hands¡± at anyone. ¡°Do servant beasts usually wave their hands?¡± The secret agent could only respond to Coralde¡¯s genuine question with an awkward expression. He had seen a number of servant beasts during his time with the Mercenaries¡¯ guild, but the experience he just mentioned was completely new for him. ¡°I was surprised as well. They waved their paws as if they saw a familiar face in the streets¡­both of them. What exactly are those servant beasts? I¡¯ve never seen any act so human-like before.¡± ¡°Roa has raised them since they were small¡­so I suppose they grew up different than normal¡­¡± Seeing the secret agent uncharacteristically flustered, Coralde laughed wryly. The wolves had been raised by Roa, so it wasn¡¯t unbelievable that they turned out to be unusual magic beasts. For Coralde, Roa had become a classic example of the extraordinary. ¡°Furthermore, those magic beasts were likely using magic. I couldn¡¯t see clearly because of the darkness, but the terrain changed wherever the wolves and a sort of smoke rose¡­that was probably ice or fire magic.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± It was not unbelievable for magic beasts to be able to use magic. It was only possible, however, for magic beasts of particular species or magic beasts that gained knowledge and magic power after living for hundreds of years. Magic wolves only a few years of age did not belong to either category. The remaining possibility was that, while they looked like magic wolves, they were actually a kind of unknown magic beast. They could also be rare mutations or beings created via alchemy. Coralde had also seen Crack of Dawn¡¯s wolf twins several times, but he just thought they were magic wolves with an unusual fur color and never even considered they could be special. Their actual abilities were probably kept secret within the party. Magic wolves that, despite their young age, were intelligent enough to be able to copy human gestures, could notice secret agents concealed by magic from a distance, and could even use magic themselves. These reasons were more than enough to keep it a secret. ¡°As the servant beasts spotted me, I assumed that Crack of Dawn did too, so I gave up on surveilling the valley. It could have been interpreted as hostile behavior.¡± ¡°That was a sound decision.¡± ¡°I left two other agents to monitor the forest and valley from a distance, as per your original instructions.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Coralde crossed his arms and reflected. The twin wolves were interesting, but it was not the time to think about them. Their top priority was ensuring Roa and Nostalgia¡¯s safety. ¡°I believe we will be able to know if master Roa and the others safe thanks to the smoke from their camp¡± The secret agent continued on, but, even if they could learn of the party¡¯s location, only adventurers were allowed inside magic beasts forests. There was a limit to what Coralde could do. Nostalgia is skilled enough to be able to return safely even if they face a level of trouble, but¡­ Coralde was sure of it, but wanted to do whatever he could all the same. Even if it turned out that he was worried for nothing. As a merchant, he valued information above all else, so a situation in which he couldn¡¯t gather any information was quite painful. With his arms still crossed, he closed his eyes to further focus on finding something he could do. ? Silence reigned in the Norfar valley. In the place where the golems and magic wolf twins fought, large blocks of minerals were amassed here and there. Most of them were silver, which reflected the moonlight with a dull shine. Needless to say, they were the remains of the golems that fought the magic wolf twins. They were completely still and looked like they could not move anymore. Yet¡­ One of the hundreds of golems in the valley¡­ Inside the body of this lone specimen, something was pulsating: the fusion of all the golem cores in Norfar valley. Because of the massacre suffered at the hands of the gryphon and its brethren, the golems learned that they could not defeat them. They once more gathered their scattered power. A large amount of cores and energy fused into one, creating an incredibly powerful mass of energy. The golems decide to fuse all their cores into one in order to create a more powerful body. With more magic essence in one core, they would be able to move a massive body much faster. The golems knew that mass and speed would turn into more power. Kill¡­.kill¡­kill¡­ Hate filled the air. The golems in the valley had not been able to even lay a finger on ¡°that¡± and were destroyed by ¡°its¡± children. Even its comrades managed to escape to the nearby forest and encounter the other children of ¡°that¡± and were completely annihilated. Among the golems destroyed in the forest, many were still alive, but they could not move anymore, much like the ones in the valley. Because of the smell, the golems had mistaken Roa, Nostalgia, and the wolves for children of the gryphon. All of them were considered the gryphon¡¯s family, targets that had to be killed. Kill¡­.kill¡­kill¡­ If they escaped, ¡°that¡± will probably let them go. However, with so many casualties, the golems¡¯ shared conscience was filled with hatred, so ¡°escape¡± was not an option. Slowly but surely¡­ a very strong magic power seeped out of the golem¡¯s core. It was heavy, sticky, like the surrounding darkness. Magic power was not normally visible. However, the magic power resulting from the fusion and compression of multiple golem cores had become so thick that it could be seen by the naked eye. The magic power oozing from the core spread to the surrounding silver, then started transforming it. That was an unexpected occurrence even for the golems themselves. The body started faintly glowing in the dark as the golems obtained a new kind of power. Volume 2 - CH 5.3 ¡°So, what do we do now?¡± The first to speak was Nostalgia¡¯s scout and swordsman, Kristoff. Next to him, Dietrich was still keeled over holding his thighs in pain. The pain didn¡¯t seem to be going away anytime soon, so he suffered in silence. Kristoff glanced at him, but didn¡¯t say a word. ¡°We should get out of the forest. I¡¯m sure not all the golems have been defeated.¡± The party¡¯s shield, Cornelia, ignored him too. Even though Dietrich was right in front of her, she completely and utterly ignored him. ¡°¡­I also think we should exit the forest¡­but, er, is it okay to ignore him? He looks like he¡¯s in a lot of pain¡­¡± Unable to bear the situation anymore, Roa finally addressed Dietrich¡¯s condition. The reason for Dietrich¡¯s pain was the freezing and scorching paw marks left by the two magic wolves. Under Dietrich¡¯s hands there were clearly paw-shaped marks, one burning, the other chilling. They were the results of the jealousy felt by the wolf twins when Dietrich hugged Roa: while he didn¡¯t cause them himself, Roa felt responsible. He had offered to cure the wounds, but Cornelia stopped him. ¡°What? No, our boss is not so frail to be hindered by a couple burns, don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°He¡¯s as tough as he looks, you know. He¡¯s just acting because he wants to be consoled. Even with his thighs slashed, the next second he¡¯d be on the offensive again¡­besides, if he really couldn¡¯t stand the pain he¡¯d drink a recovery potion, it¡¯s not like he doesn¡¯t have any.¡± ¡°That¡¯d be a waste of potions!!¡± Dietrich finally reacted to Cornelia and Kristoff¡¯s exchange. Thanks to the great number of recovery potions brought by Roa and the recovery candy he didn¡¯t need to use any, but each member of Nostalgia had their share of recovery potions, as part of their basic equipment. Even if he had plenty, Dietrich thought it would be a waste to use one for a mere burn. Though they were low level, recovery potions were not so cheap that they could be used so easily. It felt wrong to use such expensive items outside of emergencies. Dietrich had said that ¡°it would be a waste¡± rather than ¡°it could cause magic stupor¡±, so he too thought that the golems¡¯ threat was over for the moment, so he could afford the luxury not to drink recovery potions right away, because of financial reasons. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The mage Bernhart then suddenly approached Dietrich. Because of his lack of expression, Dietrich did not know what Bernhart¡¯s intentions were and stiffened for a moment. The latter did not seem to care, though: he took Dietrich¡¯s hands and removed them from his thighs. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Dietrich, surprised by the sudden action, was still frozen in place and stared at Bernhart¡¯s still expressionless face. Roa and the two other Nostalgia members also failed to understand the mage¡¯s intentions and watched silently. If Bernhart was capable of using healing magic, it could be interpreted as a necessary preparation to do so, but that was not the case. Most of the magic he learned was offensive, as was common for mage adventurers. ¡°Wonderful!!¡± After a long silence, Bernhart erupted in praise, his eyes sparkling. ¡°No matter how much I look at it, only the skin¡¯s surface is damaged! Even then, the fact that the pain persists for so long means that they use magic arranged in such a way to not paralyze the pain receptors! Magic truly perfect for annoying others! It is simply ideal for torture! How wonderful¡­!¡± Bernhart shouted, eyes wide open to observe the paw marks better. His lips were curved in a devious smile, difficult to imagine from the usually deadpan mage. He was clearly excited, as his entranced eyes were fixed on the paw marks located on Dietrich¡¯s thighs, and the situation could be easily misunderstood. ¡°Twin wolves! Yes, you two! Could you please use magic one more time!? If possible, slowly enough for me to be able to decode the enchantment! Now!¡± Bernhart turned his gaze to the twin wolves, instigating them to use magic, his fingers pointing to Dietrich¡¯s thighs¡­ Because of the sudden plea, the twins¡¯ bodies shook and they dropped the materials they were holding in their mouths. Then, after looking at Bernhart, they quickly hid behind Roa, their tails between their legs. His eerie aura probably scared them. The twins had been happily gathering ingredients just minutes ago, but their mood had completely changed. It was rather bizarre to see them quiver in fear, despite being capable of treating hordes of golems like toys. Despite Bernhart¡¯s lack of hostility, the twins had raised their hackles. Their eyes were locked on Bernhart, wary of the creepy aura he exuded. ¡°Wait, wait, wait!? My thighs, again!? Why!?¡± ¡°I would happily give my body for the progress of magic, but I can¡¯t observe it properly like that!!¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the problem here!!¡± Watching the bickering comrades, Roa and the others could only bitterly laugh. ¡°They¡¯re making a pretty big ruckus, but won¡¯t the golems notice?¡± Cornelia speechlessly looked at Dietrich and Bernhart, then talked as if she suddenly recalled something. The mood was rather relaxed now, but they were fleeing with their lives just moments before. It was natural for her to be concerned. Rather, it was bizarre for Bernhart and Dietrich to be able to fight like that. ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Cornelia had asked the scout Kristoff, but Roa replied instead. ¡°We have the twins here. If any hostile magic beast approaches, they will surely notice.¡± Roa then patted the frightened wolves. Their fur returned to normal, as did their expressions. ¡°They¡¯re still children, but their detection abilities can be trusted.¡± After Roa¡¯s confident words, the twins stepped forward from behind him, their chests proudly swelling in Cornelia¡¯s direction. They also waved their paws. ¡°Yeah, it looks like their detection range is even wider than mine, so I guess we can rest easy. They found you much faster after all.¡± Kristoff spoke with an impressed tone and the twins turned towards him, puffing their chests up. ¡°I think that¡­they probably tracked my smell, though¡­¡± ¡°Your smell, I see¡­magic beasts detect others by smell or instinct, we can¡¯t even compare.¡± Kristoff thought that the twins had used a spell to find Roa¡¯s location, as they were capable of using magic. However, Roa¡¯s remark reminded him that animals and magic beasts tracked others via smell. His first theory was not completely wrong. Because of the gryphon¡¯s teachings, the twins could extend their magic power to detect other presences. They couldn¡¯t do so as well as the gryphon, but thanks to their innate senses of smell and hearing, they could detect presences in a rather wide range. ¡°How does your detection magic work, Kristoff? You are using it now, right? I always wondered about it, but I can¡¯t understand it by myself¡­¡± Some mages were able to analyze and decode magic spells if they were used before them. If a spell was chanted, its structure could be decoded from the enchantment, but analyzing magic without enchantments, like Kristoff¡¯s enemy detection, was very difficult. ¡°Hm? Have you tried studying it?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I was just interested¡­¡± In the case of chantless magic, one had to analyze the resulting phenomenon and try to decode the spell from just that. There were several patterns for magic spells, so expert decoders were fairly accurate. Having the ability to decode was also a hallmark of being able to develop original magic spells. Bernhart told the twins to use magic slowly so he could precisely decode the enchantment because he possessed such talent. Of course, the activation of magic spells was also tied to magic power quantity and affinity, so whether one was able to use a spell was a completely different question. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not a secret or anything, so you don¡¯t need to apologize¡­I see, you can analyze magic? I guess it would be obvious for Roa. Alchemists usually are after all¡­¡± Unlike crafting magic potions based on existing recipes, crafting new magic potions required one had to analyze the transformations during processing, combine materials accordingly, and rearrange magic in order to generate the necessary transformations. Considering that Roa could freely create magic potions, he had to be an expert at such analysis and composition of magic. Kristoff found this theory convincing and, with a somewhat apologetic expression, looked at Roa, brimming with curiosity. In a way, Roa¡¯s the same as Bernhart too¡­ The honesty in his eyes made it harder to refuse, thus making him even harder to deal with than Bernhart. ¡°This magic is ¡°Sonar¡±, a spell used underwater, which Bernhart altered to use on land. Originally it was used by fishermen to detect underwater formations and fish groups.¡± ¡°By fishermen?¡± ¡°Yeah, it was used for fishing. Most fishermen have little magic power, so this spell is made to consume little magic but cover a wide area. It¡¯s a kind of detection magic, but it¡¯s a little too simple to deserve to be called magic. It just spreads magic power at regular intervals to scan the surroundings.¡± Kristoff then lightly bopped Roa¡¯s head, who was staring at him intently, to hide his embarrassment. ¡°If those magic power waves bump into something, the user feels it. But only the number and size of the target, so it¡¯s hard to even tell people and magic beasts apart. The reason why I said I had a bad feeling so many times before was because I could feel traces of many presences when the magic power scan was too thin to actually tell what was there.¡± Kristoff had indeed said that several times while they were on the move. Roa remembered that Nostalgia¡¯s other members listened to his reports and acted accordingly. He thought it was a hunch coming from his experience, but now learned that it was actually based on something concrete. ¡°The detection range is¡­¡± Sudden growling. Before Roa could finish his question, the twins started growling menacingly. The blue magic wolf then ran off. It disappeared deep into the forest, running like the wind, before Roa could say anything. The red magic wolf, its fur standing up, stood in front of Roa, clearly wary of danger. ¡°¡­.as expected, the wolf twins have a wider detection range. I can¡¯t feel anything yet¡­¡± Kristoff whispered to himself in a somewhat lonely tone. A little while after the blue wolf had run off¡­ ¡°It¡¯s entered my detection field too. It¡¯s just one presence, but¡­¡± Kristoff¡¯s expression clouded. The others kept looking at him, without moving an inch. ¡°¡­.it¡¯s huge. More than twice the golems¡¯ size¡­¡± His clearly tense words changed the mood instantly. Kristoff¡¯s detection could not tell what kind of magic beast it was. If it was a golem, the wolf that had run off would take care of it instantly. However, if it was another beast, it might prove too much for one wolf to defeat and would come to attack them too. The presence¡¯s size, more than twice the golems¡¯, was the most concerning fact. There were some exceptions, but in general, a magic beast¡¯s power corresponded to its size. ¡°Listen, Roa.¡± The question came from Dietrich. His former dazed expression was no more: he wore the face of a seasoned warrior now. He had been lamenting the pain of his wounds until moments ago, but it was like they didn¡¯t hurt anymore. ¡°The golems were chasing you, right? What¡¯s up with that?¡± ¡°The smell. What the golems were actually chasing was the gryphon¡¯s smell. They probably fought against Crack of Dawn and recognized the gryphon as a threat, I think. The golems that survived multiplied to defeat the enemy and started chasing the gryphon¡¯s smell.¡± Roa understood the meaning behind the question and explained his theory. ¡°I see, so that¡¯s why they were coming after you¡­¡± Dietrich remembered how Roa acted as a decoy to draw the golems away. He lit up a rope that burned with a strong smell and started running after the smoke filled the surroundings of Nostalgia¡¯s members. The golems lost track of Nostalgia because of the smoke and started chasing down Roa, the only source of the gryphon¡¯s smell. It was proof that Roa¡¯s theory was found. ¡°Kristoff, is that unit coming towards us? What happened to the magic wolf?¡± ¡°It¡¯s coming straight here. If it¡¯s after the gryphon¡¯s smell, it¡¯s probably a golem. The magic wolf¡­ apparently just encountered it.¡± They didn¡¯t know who did it, but a light sigh was heard, probably to dispel the tense mood. ¡°¡­no good, it¡¯s still heading here, as fast as before¡­¡± Kristoff¡¯s report sent a chill through the group. The magic beast was approaching at the same speed. It meant that one magic wolf was not enough to fight it. Their uneasiness quickly swelled. ¡°Ah!¡± The other wolf, the one with red fur, ran off. The wolf twins had defeated golems in turn after joining with Roa: one of them would stay at Roa¡¯s side while the other fought. If they went to fight together, the enemy had to be powerful enough to require their cooperation. Looking at the second magic wolf go, Roa¡¯s expression was visibly worried. Not because he felt his own life was in danger, but because he was worried about the wolf twins. ¡°¡­let¡¯s also get ready to fight. We won¡¯t be able to flee anyway. It¡¯s just one, right? It¡¯s us four and those two magic wolves together, it¡¯ll be a cinch.¡± Dietrich talked with a casual tone, to give confidence to the group, beaming a big smile. Nostalgia¡¯s members looked at each other and quickly nodded, then prepared to fight, focusing on the direction the magic wolves had ran off to. Fighting against so many golems had surely exhausted them, both physically and mentally. Even then, they showed no fear in the face of the powerful incoming threat, glaring at the direction the magic beast would come from, without a single opening in their stances. They started hearing sounds of trampled trees, coming closer and closer. Nostalgia¡¯s members drew their weapons. Then, from the depths of the forest, it appeared. ¡°¡­..Mithril Golem¡­¡± Who did the low, rumbling whisper belong to¡­? It was also rather loud. Golems were alchemic creatures with bodies formed by absorbing minerals. Alchemic creatures were living beings modified via alchemy to give them additional abilities: most of them were created from magic beasts. Golems were said to originate from the magic beasts called ¡°Slime¡±. Their metallic bodies were controlled by slimes from the inside. They were comparable to insects with exoskeletons. Mithril Golem, as the name suggested, possessed bodies made of mithril. ¡°¡­was there a mithril mine¡­?¡± Cornelia whispered, dumbfounded. Her remark was incorrect. There were no mines producing mithril, nor in the valley where the golems were, nor in the surrounding region. Mithril caves originated from silver caves located where magic essence accumulated, which would change silver into mithril over many years. The silver mine in Norfar valley was close to a forest abundant in magic essence, but it was not enough to transform silver into mithril. Why was there a mithril golem here, then? ¡°¡­.it¡¯s shining¡­¡± The mithril golem was glowing. Kristoff stared at the soft, almost warm light. It was the same light as the one emanated from Dietrich¡¯s mithril sword when he healed the wounds of Coralde¡¯s coachman. ¡°It¡¯s holy light, right?¡± No one answered Dietrich¡¯s question, but that was indeed holy light, without a doubt. It glowed faintly when magic power was infused in mithril and could defeat the undead, which could not be damaged through normal weapons. It was also said that infusing more magic power granted it healing powers. The approaching golem was enveloped in such a light. Its light was also shining brightly and continuously. The silver golem had transformed through its own magic power. The silver golems, which had not been unable to lift a finger fight against the magic wolves or even get close to the gryphon, had sought more power. They understood that numbers would not change anything and instinctively sought another method. The method they found was to fuse their remaining cores together to create a single powerful golem. The result of the twin wolves treating the golems as playthings, ultimately leaving them alive, was that hundreds of disabled, but live, golems remained in Norfar valley. The fusion of the surviving golem cores bore fruit in a core that contained more magic power than hundreds of regular golems. The concentrated magic power overflowed from the core and was so dense it forced the silver to transform into mithril. Thus was the transformation process of the silver golem into a mithril golem. Though it shone with a holy light, the golem was like a damned soul wrapped in the dark flames of resentment. ¡°Ah!!¡± Roa gasped, as the twin wolves, who tried to attack the approaching golem, were swatted away like flies. ¡°Gaw!¡± Whining in pain, the wolf twins rolled on the ground before Roa. ¡°Are you alright!?¡± ¡°Growl!¡± The twins barked sharply. Roa ran closer to them, but the twins did not even glance at him: they stood back up and ran towards the golem again. They were brimming with fighting spirit and did not show a hint of fear. ¡°We can¡¯t let those dumb dogs do everything!¡± Dietrich howled as he rushed forward. He called the twins ¡°dumb dogs¡± out of spite. He did not falter before the new threat either. He was even grinning, with beast-like fangs protruding from between his lips. The smile of a berserker: it could be described no other way, but it came from his concern for his comrades. No matter what powerful enemies showed up, he would keep smiling, so that they would not lose heart. As Kristoff said, the mithril golem was much larger than the silver golems. Its height alone easily exceeded five meters. Dietrich didn¡¯t even reach its stomach. Naturally, his blade could strike its hips at best. ¡°You huge hunk of rubbish!¡± Dietrich swung his mithril sword towards the backside of the golem¡¯s knees, the spot where its armor was supposed to be the thinnest, but he was easily repelled with the loud sound of clashing metal reverberating through the air. The mithril sword could cut through silver, but not mithril, as it¡¯s quite difficult to cut material with something of equal hardness. If it was moving, it could only be wounded at most. And that wound would seal up very quickly. ¡°Tch.¡± The mithril golem depended on its massive magic power to move. While it could not cast magic, the beast used this magic power to move and reinforce its body. The surplus magic power was used to repair its body, producing faint glimmers of holy light. Woosh. A gust of wind howled over Dietrich¡¯s head. His movements were stopped by the golem¡¯s approach and his sword was knocked back. It was only a moment, but it was enough for the golem¡¯s huge arm to swing towards him. With a flash of light, Bernhart struck the golem with lightning. However, there was no effect, the giant was not hindered in the slightest. When the mithril golem¡¯s fist was about to crush Dietrich, its trajectory changed at the last moment. The fist landed on the ground, a dozen centimetres from Dietrich, carving a large hole in the soil. ¡°Dumb dog! I owe you one!¡± The blue-haired magic wolf had tackled the golem¡¯s arm and forced it out of its initial trajectory. Afterward, the blue-haired wolf spun in midair, lightly landed on Dietrich¡¯s head, then jumped again and landed. Hmph. The magic wolf gave Dietrich a sidelong glance and snorted through its nose. Despite being stepped on, Dietrich did not receive damage and just laughed wryly. Several fireballs hit the mithril golem¡¯s head and bounced away. Though the golem had a human-shaped figure, it lacked sensory organs. Nevertheless, attacks to its head were effective at disturbing its balance. Though Bernhart¡¯s attacks couldn¡¯t damage the golem, they were enough to let the magic wolves and Dietrich gain some distance from the enemy. ¡°We can¡¯t even damage it.¡± ¡°My magic doesn¡¯t affect it either. I can¡¯t even hold it back.¡± ¡°I tried to draw its attention, but it ignored me! I don¡¯t think I can stop it!¡± ¡°Woof!¡± ¡°Woof¡­¡± All members made their report, but no one gave up all hope. Nostalgia¡¯s members spoke for a few seconds, then scattered again to strike the next counterattack. Their movements were smooth, clearly the fruit of training. Roa and Bernhart stayed in the back, the others formed a circle surrounding the golem, maintaining a set distance. It was a formation used when the party¡¯s shield was not effective. The magic wolves, despite never having trained with Nostalgia or even being able to communicate, joined in too. Nostalgia¡¯s members were surprised by the twin wolves¡¯ perception, but they were results of the gryphon¡¯s training. The methods of cooperating with humans had been drilled into their brains. The mithril golem ignored Nostalgia and advanced straight towards Roa. On this route stood Cornelia. It was natural for the member with the highest defense to guard Roa and Bernhart. She tried stopping the golem with her large shield, but there was just the grating of clashing metal: the golem did not stop moving, going forward without paying her the slightest attention. ¡°Cornelia!¡± With a swing of its arm, the golem smacked away Kristoff, the closest member, into a nearby tree. The twin wolves jumped at the golem from behind, but it didn¡¯t seem to even notice. The same happened when Dietrich slashed it. With a light swing of its arms, both the twins and Dietrich were sent sprawling. Despite Cornelia¡¯s attempts to stand her ground with magic, her boots simply dug deeper into the ground as the golem trudged onward. In the end, she was blown away as well. Roa took out recovery potions from his magic bag and tried running to the wounded members, but stopped when he noticed that the mithril golem was directed towards him. This mithril golem was still chasing the gryphon¡¯s smell. Roa had used a great quantity of the gryphon¡¯s monster repellent to lure the silver golems¡¯ horde. Its effect was still potent, so he had the most intense smell of the group. ¡°Roa!¡± Bernhart stood between Roa and the mithril golem as he started launching fireballs. He couldn¡¯t afford to preserve his magic power any longer. He shot powerful fireballs from as many directions as possible, but they couldn¡¯t even distract the golem who was dead set on Roa. The magic beast lightly swung its arms, as if to brush aside annoying twigs, and Bernhart¡¯s body was knocked to the side. After lighting the surroundings in red, the flames were extinguished too. Even the fire magic had disappeared¡­signaling the depletion of Bernhart¡¯s magic power. In the darkness of the night, broken only by moonlight, the mithril golem continued to emanate a holy light. Its brilliance outshone the surroundings as if it were the only colored existence in a monochromatic world. With a gigantic palm that could easily crush the average human being, the mithril golem stretched out its hands straight towards Roa. Roa swallowed his breath¡­ He had accepted his death once before, but now felt that he wanted to live. For his own sake and for those who protected him. However, there was no one around that could stop the mithril golem. Or at least there was supposed to be no one¡­ Boom! A thunderous sound and a flash of light. A streak of light falling from the sky. As if rending apart the moonlight¡­ The streak of light fell from the sky to the ground, piercing the mithril golem in its wake. A blue and white thunderbolt. Roa thought he had been crushed by the golem¡¯s palm and was hallucinating. Yet, the mithril golem¡¯s palm had not reached him. It stopped right before the boy, unmoving as if frozen. Magic? Roa looked at Bernhart, who remained on the ground but was staring at the sky. He was gaping wide-eyed at a certain spot. Roa followed his gaze and looked up too. The moonlit sky was studded with stars. What he saw was a familiar figure bathed in moonlight. ¡°Grandpa¡­.Gry¡­?¡± Roa mumbled. As his whisper melted away in the air, Roa began to feel dizzy. At the same time, a ¡°voice¡± descended from the sky. The inhuman, utterly boastful voice could be heard and understood by Roa too. What is this voice..? Is there someone else besides us? It felt like the voice was delivered straight to his mind. Startled by the sudden voice, Roa looked around, but saw no one. Nostalgia¡¯s members were lying on the ground, but no one was in mortal danger. Though in pain, they were staring dazedly at the sky, but no one seemed to be talking. The gryphon was floating in midair, the moon at its back, silently looking at Roa and the others. It wasn¡¯t even flapping its wings, so it was likely magic that kept it afloat. Roa and Nostalgia¡¯s members looked at the sky, speechless, while the magic wolf twins seemed somewhat annoyed. The brave expression they had worn just moments ago was gone. They felt completely dejected. The difference in their expression was as stark as the difference between a feral beast and a stuffed animal. Though Roa had seen such an expression on them before. It often happened when they were with the gryphon. Every time it did something silly, they stared with those same eyes. The magic wolf twins whined in unison. <¡­no, twins. I am not the one to blame. Mithril does not conduct magic power or electricity well, so your magic is ill-suited to fight it, there is nothing that can be done about it. If you wish to defeat it, you must train your magic control further and become able to manipulate it freely.> More whining. As the voice continued, the tails of the wolf twins progressively pointed downwards. ¡°Bow wow~¡± ¡°Bow wow~¡± With a tinge of dissatisfaction, the twin wolves lowered their heads in sadness. The source of the voice was clearly talking with them. Roa was looking at the flying gryphon, but his disbelief still prevented him from accepting where the voice really came from. A breeze. The gryphon cried loudly, as to attract attention. Then, the light of magic appeared. Thanks to the light, the gryphon¡¯s silhouette became clearly visible. ¡°It¡¯s really grandpa Gry¡­¡± Gryphons were said to be difficult to distinguish, but Roa had lived with it for years, so he could do identify it with confidence. A strong wind blew, as to wipe away Roa¡¯s whisper, creating whirlwinds of leaves. The leaves rose as high as the gryphon¡¯s position, then gently glided downwards. A breeze. The gryphon cried again and, with a sharp sound cutting through the wind, something flew out of its throat. It advanced through the falling leaves, slicing them as it did. Many such unseen objects flew down through the leaves. Wind cutter. The invisible blades created by wind reached the immobile golem and cut through its limbs, even cleaving the thick armor protecting its core, with almost comical ease. The giant crumbled to pieces with a thunderous sound. ¡°¡­.it cut through mithril with a wind cutter!?¡± Bernhart¡¯s handsome features were twisted in unrestrained surprise. ¡°To cut through metal with wind cutter, blades of wind without actual mass¡­and mithril, of all metals¡­¡± ¡°Wonderful¡­¡± Very much pleased by Bernhart¡¯s adoring gaze, the gryphon boasted in midair, puffing its chest so much that it was about to flip over. If he simply saw what happened, Roa too would be impressed by the gryphon¡¯s magic powers. He also felt grateful for it saving their lives. However, because of their savior¡¯s voice, he couldn¡¯t help but feel his enthusiasm wane. It was terrible. Most of it was. The twins, used to such a situation, started playing by themselves. They seemed tired of paying attention to the voice. They seemed depressed until moments before, but they had apparently recovered. The gryphon, with its chest still puffed up, descended towards Roa. It did not flap its wings once as it silently glided down. It finally landed on the golem¡¯s remains, twisted its beak into a grin and looked at Roa. As the golem was still emitting a faint glow, the gryphon looked like a gloating king treating a mountain of riches as if it were nothing. It was a beautiful scene, as if taken straight from a myth. All the requests were very detailed. Every time he heard the voice, Roa felt his gratitude decrease further and further. While listening, he looked straight at the gryphon. Still looking, he pulled out a small glass bottle and some sort of scissors from his magic bag. Roa then opened the lid of a small bottle and pulled something out with the scissors-like tool¡­then threw it at the gryphon. Something black hopped on the gryphon¡¯s back. Something tiny and black. When it started crawling on its back, the gryphon understood what it was. It was one of the ghoul beetles Roa had gathered in the forest. Flick, flick, flick. Roa continued to launch the bottle¡¯s contents towards the gryphon. The gryphon shook its body, desperately trying to throw off the insects, but their prickly appendages stuck to its soft fur, so it was very difficult to remove them. Roa continued throwing them, so the insects on the gryphon¡¯s back kept increasing in number. The gryphon clawed at its back with its hind legs and frantically flapped its wings to prevent the bugs from landing. Since it was moving wildly on the unstable foothold provided by the mithril golem¡¯s remains, the gryphon stumbled and fell¡­ ¡°Why? To confirm something, and to punish you.¡± Roa peeked at the beaked face of the stumbling gryphon and laughed. ¡°¡­.I didn¡¯t know who the voice belonged to. That¡¯s what I wanted to confirm.¡± Still lying on its back, the gryphon¡¯s beak opened wide. What the voice said suggested that it belonged to the gryphon, but it didn¡¯t match the movements of its beak and it was also delivered directly to Roa¡¯s mind, so he couldn¡¯t be sure. Another reason was that Roa couldn¡¯t believe that the gryphon he spent so many years with had started talking all of a sudden. He then decided to act and see how the gryphon reacted, then make a final judgment. The action he decided on, however, was the rather uncouth act of throwing bugs on it. It was also meant as punishment, as Roa said, for the gryphon¡¯s many irritating statements¡­ ¡°You boast as much as I expected, grandpa Gry¡­I see now¡­you said all that because you thought I couldn¡¯t hear¡­¡± The gryphon, still lying belly up, turned to another direction. It seemed to be looking intently at something. <¡­my true name has been overwritten¡­a servant beast contract has been formed!? But¡­when!? Anyway¡­rather than that¡­my name is¡­> The gryphon¡¯s body started trembling. Its eyes were filled with despair, to the point of tears, its beak still gaping. If it didn¡¯t have fur and wings, its skin would surely look pale. The gryphon, now Grandpa Gry, raised a cry that echoed in the forest¡­ Volume 2 - CH 5.4 At about the same time as Roa¡¯s reunion with Grandpa Gry, a commotion was going down in Adaman city. ¡°A gryphon!?¡± The Adventurer¡¯s guild guildmaster shouted, banged his fists on the table, and stood up. The guildmaster¡¯s quarters were properly sound-proofed, but his loud voice and banging fists managed to escape outside. The guild staff who came to report jumped in his seat, literally. ¡°Y-yes!! A gryphon flew back and forth several times over the city, then left¡­¡± The guild staff simply repeated what he had just reported. He had gathered what surrounding residents had hurriedly come to report themselves. Similar reports will probably come soon from the city¡¯s guards too. Appearance, inspection and extermination of magic beasts: any information regarding them was reported first of all to the Adventurers¡¯ guild. ¡°¡­.it wasn¡¯t wearing a subjugation collar, right?¡± ¡°Correct. Someone tried to confirm it, thinking that it might be the Hero party¡¯s gryphon, but they said that it wasn¡¯t wearing anything around its neck.¡± That was part of the report the staff had previously stated too. The guildmaster¡¯s back was streaming with cold sweat. In recent years, only once was a gryphon spotted in the vicinity of Adaman city. Only the gryphon the Hero party Crack of Dawn turned into their servant beast. The gryphon territory nearest to the country was near the border with the country to the north, days of distance from the city, in the neutral zone surrounding the Citadel dungeon. In the long history of the country, gryphons were spotted only in very rare instances. ¡°¡­.understood. Go.¡± ¡°Yes sir.¡± After the staff member left, the guildmaster gnashed his teeth and his angry fists pounded the table, again. Shit! What the hell happened!? His grinding teeth were about to let another shout out, but he managed to hold it in. If the gryphon that appeared over the town was Crack of Dawn¡¯s, the possibilities were two. Either the tamer died or the servant beasts escaped. Both of them were equally terrible. Because the guildmaster himself had delayed the forest rescue operation. If, by a stroke of luck, ¡°Crack of Dawn¡±, ¡°Nostalgia¡±, and the ¡°Problematic All-Rounder¡± all died, all those troubles coming out of nowhere would disappear¡­so he thought as he arranged for the rescue operation to depart the following day or the one after that. If the tamer died or the servant beast fled and became free, there was the possibility that he would be considered responsible. Even if it wasn¡¯t found out that he delayed the operation on purpose, he would be questioned for his poor handling of the situation. It should not be possible though. The ¡°Subjugation Collar¡± was equipped with a failsafe. First, it was enchanted with mental manipulation magic to prevent the servant beast itself from removing it. It would fail even if the tamer ordered the servant beast to take it off. It also worked as a failsafe in case the collar was damaged or the tamer died. A curse. The mental manipulation enchantment was so powerful that it would not be out of place to call it thus. In case the collar stopped working, for whatever reason, the curse would be immediately activated and the servant beast would die. Servant beasts¡­magic beasts could not dispel the curse. Or rather, more precisely, ¡°magic beasts that could be controlled by the subjugation collar could not dispel the curse¡±. The guildmaster did not know that and had not noticed. Not only him, but not even the Adventurers¡¯ guild headquarters staff who invented the collar did. It was impossible to subjugate magic beasts that the subjugation collar could not affect after all. It was a contradiction. If it didn¡¯t work, the beast would not become a servant from the start. If one tried to put the subjugation collar on such a powerful magic beast, the failsafe would prevent it from being attached. Since it wasn¡¯t possible to enslave such a beast, it wasn¡¯t possible to confirm if the curse worked either. No one would wonder what happened when there was such a clear contradiction. The guildmaster gave up on thinking that the gryphon that appeared in town was the one tamed by Crack of Dawn. It was pointless to think about the impossible. The guildmaster, ill suited to deep thinking, threw away that line of thinking. ¡°Is it a gryphon that flew in from somewhere then¡­?¡± That would be a big problem. He would have to report where it flew from, for what reason it came, and where it had disappeared to. The reason why the guildmaster was in the guild so late at night in the first place was to handle the Aldon forest and Norfar valley abnormal events. Adding the gryphon¡¯s investigation to the mix would probably exceed the abilities of Adaman¡¯s Adventurers¡¯ guild. Adaman¡¯s Adventurers¡¯ guild supervised many magic beast forests, so it was relatively large, but it still had its limits. It was clearly over capacity now. A headache-inducing situation. The Citadel dungeon, territory of many gryphons, was in a neutral region that did not belong to any country. The gryphons ruled over many other flying magic beasts, so humans could not lay their hands on it. If those gryphons started moving their territory and the region became usable by humans, the neighboring countries would surely start competing for it. There was even the possibility of war. Because of that, the royal palace would surely demand a detailed report about the current events. An inspection would surely be dispatched too. Investigation teams from other countries might visit the city in secret. The inspection and the report were troublesome enough, but what could happen later was much more so. The guildmaster held his head in his hands. No matter how much he thought, however, he could only imagine futures each one worse than the other¡­ ? At the same time, one more person was listening to the same report. ¡°A gryphon, you say¡­¡± In a certain room of the Coralde trading company, Coralde was receiving a report from an employee. The employee looked extremely pale, but still provided a detailed report. ¡°It has been witnessed by multiple people, including our employees, and none of them would lie or make mistakes.¡± The employee¡¯s report gathered the statements of the trading company¡¯s employees and business partners. As information was a vital weapon in trade, all sorts of intel gathered in Coralde¡¯s company. Information that could greatly affect the country or the city was gathered at top priority. ¡°It¡¯s ¡®that¡¯ gryphon, surely. If it was another one, it would have been seen by someone as it flew here, but we have no such information, do we.¡± Coralde was actually very surprised, but he did not show it in his expression or tone. It was to maintain his pride as president of the company: if he was shaken, the people under him would be too. He could show his weakness only a select few. ¡°That gryphon¡± Coralde mentioned was known by everyone in the city: Hero party Crack of Dawn¡¯s servant beast. It would be normally impossible for him to be flying about freely. Even if the Adventurers¡¯ guild allowed the usage of servant beasts, large ones like gryphons had a limited range of movement in the city. They could use only selected streets and were not allowed to fly, except during emergencies. If it was really that gryphon which flew over the city, something had to have happened to its masters, Crack of Dawn. ¡°¡­something happened to Crack of Dawn in Norfar valley and the gryphon escaped. Then, chased by the gryphon, magic beasts started escaping from the forest? We did not receive any reports of the gryphon leaving the valley, though¡­could they have missed it? The agents I sent to keep an eye on things were too few?¡± Coralde mumbled to himself, deep in thought. He had sent some of his men to monitor the situation in the forest, but it was mainly to see what the guild was up to. Because of that, not much attention was paid to what came out of the forest. They were also supposed to focus on humans, however, as the possibility of flying creatures was not considered in the slightest. ¡°It¡¯s not close to the city anymore, right?¡± ¡°Yes. I went to confirm too, but it had flown away already.¡± ¡°I see¡­yet absolutes do not exist, after all. Let us gather information about the possibility it flew here from somewhere else. Thank you for working until such a late hour.¡± Coralde smiled and prompted the employee to leave the room. He would receive a fee for the information, albeit small. Good work must be rewarded, bad deeds must be punished¡­Coralde always rewarded appropriately those who rendered him something profitable. The employee who came to report likely paid his information sources as well. ¡°Well then¡­¡± Now alone, Coralde leant back on his chair and exhaled deeply. ¡°What in the world is going on¡­?¡± There was no one to hear his uncharacteristic grumble. He started feeling a twinge of regret for sending Roa to gather materials in the forest so quickly. At the time, he thought it was the most ideal option, so it couldn¡¯t be helped. Coralde threw away his feelings of regret. In the merchant¡¯s line of work, such unexpected events happened frequently. If he felt regret every time, he wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything. ¡°A little more and¡­.I¡¯m so close to finding out the secret of Roa¡¯s healing potions¡­¡± The potions made from the materials prepared by Coralde a few days prior were inferior to the ones Roa had concocted before. Coralde discussed the possible reasons with Roa and reached the conclusion that it might depend on the quality of the materials. For his healing potions, Roa used only leaves from grown medicinal herbs, but the potions made in Coralde¡¯s company were made from the whole herb, from the root to the leaves. That might be the reason, they discussed, so Coralde decided to make experiments to confirm it. The results had come out a little while before, but they were not what Coralde hoped. The potions¡¯ quality increased slightly, but it was within a margin of error. In the end, he couldn¡¯t find out the secret behind Roa¡¯s high quality healing potions. If anything happened to Roa, the mystery would remain one forever¡­. Coralde was also worried about Roa and Nostalgia, but the possibility that the mystery would be forever out of his reach made him feel very anxious. ¡°I hope nothing bad happened, but¡­¡± Soon enough, at daybreak, he would receive a report about the forest¡¯s current situation. At night it would be possible to ascertain the party¡¯s safety, thanks to the bonfire they would have lit up. Let¡¯s try to calm down and wait¡­ Coralde emptied the cup of cold herbal tea on his desk. Volume 2 - CH 5.5 Grandpa Gry had removed its collar, flown about freely over the city to find Roa¡¯s whereabouts, then returned to where it came from, the direction of the Aldon forest, creating a big problem in the city. Grandpa Gry was not so admirable as to talk about its failures: on the contrary, if it could hide them, it would do so as much as possible. It would never, not in a million years, even hint at the fact that it flew over what it was looking for, all the way to the city. Or that the wolf twins, with searching abilities much lower than the gryphon¡¯s, found Roa first. Because of this, Roa would learn of the truth only much later¡­ <¡­.that¡¯s probably a nickname¡­no, a derogatory epithet¡­! Why is it considered a name¡­and I was so looking forward to it¡­I thought about cool names so much, and¡­was it then? Because the brat whispered it after my lightning struck? I became conscious of that blasted name. Was that the reason why the contract was bound¡­? It cannot be helped¡­I was called like that for so many years¡­aah¡­> In the Aldon forest, Grandpa Gry was lying on the ground, looking somewhere with a pout on its beak, endlessly complaining. Doing everything it could to be consoled and paid attention to. It would even slyly steal glances at Roa and the twins at times. Roa looked at it from the side as he headed towards Nostalgia¡¯s members. He could tell that their condition was not critical by looking at them, but other than than Bernhart, it looked like they could barely stand up. Bernhart alone looked strangely energetic, possibly because he had a lucky landing. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Cornelia and Kristoff were sitting, leaning against a large tree. Their expression was dark, their gazes directed at Grandpa Gry. Roa gave recovery potions to both of them. ¡°¡­.thanks.¡± ¡°Sorry for the trouble.¡± They both took it and swallowed it in one gulp. <¡­.the golem didn¡¯t injure them at all, though? It was stupidly emanating all that holy light, so any damage would be healed right away. As proof, look at the twins! They were attacked so much, but are completely unscathed, are they not?> Grandpa Gry, still lying down, talked to Roa. Its back was turned to Roa, so its expression wasn¡¯t visible. Prompted by the gryphon¡¯s words, Roa looked at the two adventurers, but they did not look unharmed at all. The mithril golem¡¯s attack had blown them away, sending them crashing against trees and the ground, so they couldn¡¯t be unscathed. Roa pointed this out and Grandpa Gry replied maliciously. Grandpa Gry raised its neck, glanced at Roa, then lied down again, still acting peeved. It glanced at Roa again. ¡°¡­.you¡¯re going on and on boasting like that, but you just want me to give you attention, don¡¯t you? Stop interrupting and make sure you pay attention to the surroundings instead.¡± <¡­¡­> They had never had a conversation before, but Roa knew Grandpa Gry¡¯s personality very well. He quickly realized that, no matter what it said, it only wanted Roa to pay attention. The quick glances were proof. Since Roa had noticed it, he knew that no matter what the gryphon said, it was no more than chatting, in the end. He could ignore it without problems. This worked only for Roa, however. ¡°¡­.it¡¯s just as the gryphon said. We still have a long way to go¡­we told you to believe in us, but couldn¡¯t do anything. We were saved by Roa, then the twin wolves, then the gryphon¡­we can¡¯t do anything.¡± Dietrich was sitting on the ground, holding one of his knees. His other stretched leg was being pawed at by the twin wolves. It looked like they were just adding on his wounds, but they only meant to invite him to play with them, since in their mind he wasn¡¯t injured much. Roa smiled wryly at their nonchalant attitude. Surprised, Grandpa Gry quickly stood up. ¡°Crybaby¡­?¡± ¡°¡­.Grandpa Gry, since when were you looking¡­?¡± Roa recalled when Dietrich hugged him and cried while mysterious liquids poured on Roa¡¯s head. It happened a good while before the gryphon arrived to save them. <¡­well, that¡¯s¡­not something worth discussing now, is it!> Roa¡¯s accusing tone made the gryphon realize its blunder. Feeling guilty, it tried hastily to change the subject. Grandpa Gry had actually returned to the forest just a bit before Roa¡¯s group encountered the mithril golem: not much time had passed yet. It returned just when Dietrich and Bernhart were discussing the twins¡¯ magic. Dietrich was arguing with Bernhart with his face still dirty with tears and snot, so the gryphon probably thought he was protesting to the point of tears. It indeed planned for a shocking entrance, but when it arrived in the forest the situation was already critical. <¡­.anyway! Not only the brat, but the others can hear me too!?> Grandpa Gry shouted, meaning to change the topic quicker. ¡°I do.¡± Dietrich¡¯s reply was short, his expression rigid. He was angry at his own inexperience. Roa had also given him a recovery potion, but Dietrich did not accept it. ¡°I can hear you too.¡± ¡°Me too.¡± ¡°Y-yes sir, I can hear you! Esteemed Grandpa Gry, I would humbly ask you to impart your knowledge of magic upon me!¡± One of the members was in a very different mood than the others, but they all could hear, apparently. Grandpa Gry pushed its sharp claws on its beak and reflected. ¡°¡­..¡± Interrogated by Grandpa Gry, Roa did not know what to answer. In actuality, they were an escort party and their employer: Coralde had paid them, but in reality, they were hired adventurers and the person who hired them. After being with them for just a few days, however, Roa did not want to say that. ¡°We¡¯re comrades!¡± Dietrich was the one to break the silence. ¡°Roa is my, our comrade!¡± As he did, Granda Gry¡¯s expression turned sour. It stood up slowly and sent a sharp look towards Dietrich. Nostalgia¡¯s members could not answer Grandpa Gry¡¯s words right away. Grandpa Gry¡¯s gaze towards Dietrich was cold. ¡°No!!¡± Dietrich looked straight back at Grandpa Gry. ¡°¡­.no¡­.¡± Dietrich¡¯s fists were clenched so hard, his nails were digging into his palms. ¡°You damned¡­.!¡± Dietrich stood up and howled like a beast. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare look down on us!! We¡¯ll take down your blasted mithril golem! That¡¯s what we have to do, right!? No, I¡¯m going to cut you down too, dammit! I¡¯ll kill you and show you how strong I am!! And make Roa our comrade!!¡± ¡°Quit yapping!!¡± Bonk! Sounds echoed, at the same time. One came from Dietrich¡¯s back. The other from Grandpa Gry¡¯s head. Dietrich¡¯s back had been struck by a fierce kick from Cornelia. Grandpa Gry¡¯s head by a wooden brush Roa had pulled out from who knows where. ¡°Boss!! What are you doing, picking a fight with a high-level magic beast!?¡± ¡°Grandpa Gry! I know you¡¯re doing it for my sake, but you said way too much.¡± Dietrich collapsed forward and Grandpa Gry held its head with its claws because of the pain. <¡­.uuugh¡­brat! What are you doing!? I am simply teaching him his place! If they get close to you the same things as the useless lot will happen again! You wanted to continue being an adventurer with those useless fools, so I didn¡¯t do anything, but I do not want to experience that anymore!! They never appreciated your worth, looked down on you and even threw you out in the end!!> With the same brush he used to whack Granda Gry, Roa started to gently comb its hair. The gryphon shouted loudly at first, but gradually simmered down. <¡­if you wish to continue adventuring, I shall lend you my powers! You do not need to serve dull humans¡­¡­my¡­¡­our powers can easily destroy¡­.other adventurers¡­..> The soft brushing pleased Grandpa Gry, who closed its eyes to enjoy it. <¡­¡­the twins kept practicing¡­..to be of help to you¡­..I also¡­.taught them magic¡­.they said that when they learned it well¡­..they wanted to surprise you¡­..give them a name too¡­..and the contract will be formed.> The gryphon talked as rumbling, pleased noises came from its throat. Roa progressively put more strength in the brushing. Nostalgia¡¯s members watched as the brushing and pleased rumbling intensified. Only the twins looked on with happy glints in their eyes. ¡°Grandpa Gry, why did you hide that you can use magic?¡± Roa lightly put his hand on the gryphon¡¯s side and it sat down immediately, completely closing its eyes. There was no more harshness in his expression. Roa then pushed it slightly and the gryphon¡¯s body all too easily rolled over, belly up, spreading its limbs and showing its stomach. Roa continued by brushing its white stomach hair. <¡­..I could not use magic because of my wounds¡­when the twins arrived, I had recovered, but¡­I did not want to show those abilities to the useless lot¡­just because I¡¯m a gryphon, they used that spiteful collar to take me from you¡­.if I showed more power, who knows what they would have done¡­I disliked that my powers led to their fame too¡­¡­¡­.I planned to do something when the twins became independent, but¡­.> ¡°Grandpa Gry, you want to be with me, right?¡± <¡­..it¡¯s the same for the twins, you know?> ¡°I see.¡± Roa then stopped and looked at Nostalgia¡¯s members. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t become your comrade.¡± There was a conviction in his tone. Roa¡¯s expression was clear. He had the face of a man who had made his decision. ¡°I see¡­yeah, I should have known.¡± Dietrich replied first to Roa¡¯s words. He was still on all fours because of Cornelia¡¯s kick, so he looked up at Roa¡¯s face. His face, dirty with mud, showed a lonely smile. Hearing what Grandpa Gry said to Roa probably gave him things to think about. ¡°Even if I did, I would probably be in the way¡­.¡± ¡°After all that happened, you still put yourself down like that?¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Despite the fact that Grandpa Gry talked about Roa as if he was superior to Nostalgia, Roa¡¯s opinion of himself had not changed. The reason why he refused could maybe be that he didn¡¯t want to bring them down, rather than what Grandpa Gry said. As usual, he had a fairly low opinion of himself. Smiling wryly, Dietrich thought of the people that caused him to think like that and clenched his fists. <¡­.hey! You¡¯re already finished!?> Grandpa Gry scolded Roa, still lying belly up. The short brushing clearly did not satisfy him. ¡°Yeah, the conversation was over after all.¡± Roa replied in an unexpected way and returned to brushing Grandpa Gry. The other Nostalgia members looked at him a bit sadly but accepted Roa¡¯s decision. ¡°People too used to getting dumped always go wild¡­¡± ¡°That was just like meeting your new girlfriend¡¯s father and proclaim she is your lover. Of course he¡¯d get wary.¡± ¡°It was a chance to learn unknown magic¡­.you deserve the death sentence¡­!¡± ¡°Woof!¡± ¡°Woof!¡± Fully recovered thanks to the magic potions, Nostalgia¡¯s members stated their accusations one by one. ¡°No, we were Roa¡¯s comrades, weren¡¯t we!? We shared a life or death experience together!¡± ¡°You really have to realize that delusions like that are the reason why girls don¡¯t like you. I told you in advance not to confuse Roa, but there you go¡­¡± ¡°Woof!¡± ¡°Woof!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­..but hmm¡­why are the magic wolves kicking me like this¡­?¡± The twins were indeed continuously kicking Dietrich. Roa found it heartwarming, since they were inviting him to play, but to Dietrich and the other Nostalgia members it only looked like they were adding on his injuries. ¡°Anyway, should we set up camp? My detection can¡¯t find anything anymore and with the gryphon and the twins around, we should be safe. I¡¯m exhausted, honestly.¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right.¡± Everyone agreed to Kristoff¡¯s proposal to set up camp, barring one¡­.gryphon, Grandpa Gry. The gryphon grinned, deftly twisting its beak. Its stomach was still being brushed, so it was still -rather shamefully- belly up with its limbs spread, but even if it could speak human language, its sense of shame was not the same as the average human. On the contrary, it showed its stomach rather boldly. ¡°Even if he said that, it¡¯s gone now, isn¡¯t it?¡± Kristoff pointed at the golem¡¯s glowing remains. It was clearly dead and did not move an inch. ¡°!?¡± The Nostalgia members tensed up. Roa stopped the brushing too. ¡°Is it possible for another one to show up?¡± The new of this very unhappy truth froze not only Nostalgia, but also Roa in place. Grandpa Gry stood back up, climbed on top of the golem to prove a point, then looked down -literally and figuratively- on the group. In clear contrast with Grandpa Gry¡¯s amused tone, Nostalgia¡¯s members were growing pale. The situation had taken a nasty turn¡­but they did not have the means to resist. ¡°You¡¯re telling me to defeat it?¡± ¡°That was the condition to become comrades with Roa, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Grandpa Gry¡¯s sadistic tone froze the atmosphere. I just said that because I got too worked up! Such words came up into Dietrich¡¯s throat, but then he remembered that he said he would cut down the gryphon as well. Thinking that the gryphon could bring that up again, he realized that there was a higher chance of surviving against the mithril golem. However, they were not currently in danger and there was no reason to put themselves in it. There was now enough strength to protect Roa and now that he clearly refused to become their comrade, there was no point in looking for a fight. Dietrich didn¡¯t have the slightest intention to go fight a mithril golem on his own will. If possible, he would like to be forgiven. I guess I should prostrate myself or something¡­so he started thinking. It was somewhat pathetic, but Dietrich was used to prostrate himself to apologize¡­.only to girls, though. ¡°YOU WILL LEND US KNOWLEDGE!?¡± The shout came from Bernhart. He was so loud that even Grandpa Gry faltered. ¡°I WILL DO ANYTHING!! PLEASE IMPART US YOUR TEACHINGS!!¡± Bernhart shouted again as he approached the gryphon. His eyes were filled with reverence. Even if they could talk and it was an ally at present, to approach a high-level magic beast like that wasn¡¯t normal at all. <¡­..hm¡­.?> Grandpa Gry too found itself at a loss for words because of the unexpected reaction. Roa, who was thinking of whacking the gryphon again for getting too feisty again, was taken aback too. ¡°What kind of knowledge could allow a magic user like me to defeat that mithril golem!? Is it something like your majestic wind magic? But I do not have enough magic power to cast such a powerful spell! What kind of methods would you suggest!?¡± Bernhart continued pressing the gryphon with questions, close enough that spit from his fervent words could reach the magic beast. He was clearly desperate not to lose a precious chance. ¡°Stop it! We didn¡¯t stand a chance before, remember? How are we supposed to win!? There¡¯s no need to risk our lives for nothing!!¡± ¡°Yeah, and the gryphon can kill it easily, right? Even if we can receive its teachings, shouldn¡¯t we take Roa back to town first? We will apologize for the leader¡¯s rash words, but don¡¯t make us take risks for nothing!¡± Cornelia and Kristoff tried with all their might to pull Bernhart away from Grandpa Gry, but he resisted with unthinkable strength. It was probably the kind of strength people could exert in extreme situations. ¡°I will not give this up, no matter what!! Cornelia, try all you want, but I will not stop!! This is a chance to touch upon the knowledge of a being that can use such advanced magic so easily! And it even offers to teach us personally!! I will never surrender!! If you two refuse, then the leader and I will go alone!! I will receive lord Grandpa Gry¡¯s precious teachings and rise to greater heights!!¡± Roa had no chance to interject. He had no idea how to react to Bernhart, whom he thought to be a quiet, attentive person, and his verbal rampage. He had showed a similar reaction when the wolf twins used their magic: evidently he was the kind of person that lost sight of his surroundings when magic was involved. A magic fanatic, so to speak. ¡­I have to be careful too¡­. Roa knew that he shared some of Bernhart¡¯s qualities, so he calmly reflected while looking at the situation. Dietrich was standing there dazed as well, but he was feeling much tenser. His words had started it all, after all. Then Bernhart involved him even more. He had to find a way for both Bernhart and Grandpa Gry to desist. He didn¡¯t know the gryphon¡¯s personality well, so he didn¡¯t know what the right course of action could be. On the other hand, he knew Bernhart¡¯s too well, so he knew that he wouldn¡¯t stop easily and was at a loss about what to do. ¡°Bernhart! Calm down!!¡± ¡°I am calm!¡± ¡°If you were, you wouldn¡¯t say stuff like that!!¡± ¡°I am!! This is a stroke of luck that not even her excellency the queen could grant!! What magic user worth their salt could ever let it go!? O esteemed Grandpa Gry! I beg of you, please do share the secrets of your unfathomable powers! I beseech you, even the tiniest fragment of your boundless wisdom will do!¡± Even while wrestling with Kristoff and Cornelia, Bernhart fought them off with every last ounce of his strength and continued shouting. After listening to Bernhart¡¯s passionate pleas, Grandpa Gry glanced at Roa. He looked perfectly happy, with an utterly satisfied expression on its face. The gryphon boasted and laughed loudly. Despite the high-sounding tone, what he said was almost pitiful, which was very like Grandpa Gry. ¡­Grandpa Gry did not actually mean to sic the mithril golem on Nostalgia. It simply felt like pranking them a little. Dietrich just needed to act humble and apologize. The gryphon just wanted to make him swallow his words, after saying that Roa was their comrade as if he was something they owned. He knew that Roa would stop any proposal that put Nostalgia in danger, after all. It could tell that Roa liked them and it heard from the twins that they had put their lives on the line to protect him. The conversation was supposed to end when Roa interjected between them. Because of Bernhart¡¯s unexpected entry, however, the conversation turned to how the gryphon should be adored. No matter what triggered it, there was no way that the proud gryphon wouldn¡¯t be pleased by it. It had forgotten its initial goal and was now cackling, very much pleased. Looking at Grandpa Gry, Roa found himself calmer, almost cold. He didn¡¯t really care what they did anymore. Grandpa Gry is a good teacher, so they should be okay¡­. Roa sighed loudly. Despite what it said, Grandpa Gry usually took good care of those beneath it. It would never treat badly someone that approached it as humbly as Bernhart did. The wolf twins were a good example: after it took them under its wings, their safety was guaranteed. Nostalgia¡¯s members would be pushed a little hard, maybe, but they would be injured at most. Nothing Roa¡¯s recovery potions couldn¡¯t fix. The rampaging Bernhart and adulated Grandpa Gry couldn¡¯t be stopped easily even if they tried. Their safety was guaranteed, so letting them do as they pleased could be the best way to limit damage to a minimum. ¡°Guess I should do what I want too¡­¡± The loudly laughing Grandpa Gry, Bernhart grappling and fighting against Cornelia and Kristoff. Dazed and confused Dietrich. Despite the probably imminent arrival of a mithril golem, the 4 humans and the magic beast seemed to be acting a comedy, so Roa let them be. Roa looked at the magic wolf twins, still pecking at Dietrich; they immediately understood what his gaze meant and ran up to him. Roa gently patted them. ¡°Can you help me a little? I want to gather mithril fragments about the size of a fingertip.¡± The twins wagged their tails happily and ran towards the former golem, now just a heap of mithril. ¡°Let¡¯s see if it works.¡± No one was there to hear his excited whisper. Volume 2 - CH 6.1 Chapter 6 ¨C Conclusion in the Forest Deep inside Norfar valley, moonlight and tranquility reigned. My body feels hot¡­ And yet, so cold. The female cleric opened her eyes. A burning sensation filled her body. Deep inside it, however, she felt a terrible chill. She slowly opened her eyes fully, but her field of view was blurred, twisted. She was some sort of wreckage in front of her and recalled what happened until then. Her party, Crack of Dawn, was rebelled against by the gryphon they used to tame and was forced to fight against a silver golem without proper preparation. They were punched, kicked, almost killed by the golems. The gryphon abandoned them and flew off somewhere¡­ The wreckage before her was the contents of their magic bag, spat out after the golem broke it. It contained their important foodstuffs, magic potions, equipment reserves, stomped and crushed by the golems. She was lying next to it, like a corpse. After remembering everything, her brain probably returned to functioning properly: the burning sensation turned into pain. Only then did she notice the wounds covering her body. ¡°He¡­gah!¡± A jolt of pain struck deep into her throat. She tried casting recovery magic, but spat out a clot of blood and could not finish the incantation. Because of the failed chant, the spell was not performed, but the magic power meant for the spell still poured into her body. At the same time, she felt sick, as if her brain was being shaken, and she felt colder. Magic stupor. She understood instinctively. She had fallen into a state of magic stupor. Her body reached the limit of the magic power it could accept. Bonne continued using healing magic on her wounded body. In her state of confusion, she used abbreviated chanting, so there was barely any effect, doing nothing to even alleviate the pain, but even so she continued casting. Because of this, despite the lack of discernible effects, the vicious cycle of accumulating magic power continued. It hurts¡­.stop¡­. ¡°He¡­.he¡­l¡­¡± She tried chanting with all her might, but her voice wouldn¡¯t come out. She couldn¡¯t form full words¡­ I should have learned to cast spells without chanting¡­ Meaningless regrets welled up inside Bonne. Casting magic using long incantations was the simplest way. The next method was to use abbreviated chanting, reciting only the keywords required for the spell. Finally, the most difficult method was to cast spells without chanting the incantation. Bonne had studied abbreviated chanting, but she couldn¡¯t cast spells without chanting. She had the resources to learn, but disliked the effort needed to do so. Her role was recovery and long-range offense, not to put herself in danger. Because of this, she couldn¡¯t imagine a situation where not even abbreviated chanting was possible and considered it useless to practice any further. It hurts¡­ Thinking that, if she could at least get rid of whatever was clogging her throat, she could chant, Bonne tried raising her body to go look for water. A sharp pain jolted through her, from her legs to her back. She couldn¡¯t scream. All she could do was bear with it and clench her teeth. Bonne opened her tear-filled eyes again and the view became clear: the tears probably washed away the dirt covering her eyes. She could see many corpses of silver-colored golems around her. They reflected the moonlight, giving a dull glow. Is there anyone that I can use¡­? She looked around, bearing through the pain. The golems were not moving, but nothing else moved either. What happened to Crack of Dawn¡¯s members¡­? She finally spotted two of them. The first was Olun, the tank. His large armor and body stood out. He was beaten and battered, collapsed on the ground, but his hands moved slightly when Bonne noticed him, so he should still be alive. However, he didn¡¯t look like he would be of much help to Bonne in the current situation. He looked just like a corpse. The second figure she spotted was the leader, Stefan. His arms and legs were twisted, partly severed. It surely did not look like there was any chance he was alive¡­ And I¡¯m here, injured, in so much pain¡­you¡¯re all useless!! She looked down at those two ¡°things¡±. They might be called Hero Party, but in the end they were just a bunch of low-born humans. If they weren¡¯t any use to her, there was no point in their existence. Bonne quickly discarded any thoughts about them and looked around again. She could clearly see some wreckage and water-like liquid pooling under it. Magic potions¡­ Bonne realized what the pooling liquid actually was: the magic potions stored in the magic bag. They had flown out their shattered glass containers. If only I could drink that¡­ She tried raising her body again. Despite the severe pain, she managed to move her upper body, but her legs wouldn¡¯t budge. She started crawling on her arms. She could advance just a little, but it felt like an immeasurable distance. She managed to reach the pool, somehow, and put her lips to the muddy remains of the recovery potions. If she possessed correct knowledge about magic potions, she would have known that what she was doing was extremely dangerous. Her brain shook. She felt strong nausea coming up. All the symptoms of Magic Stupor struck. She bore through them and continued sipping the muddy water. Then Bonne, overtaken by a Magic Stupor so strong that she felt like she was going crazy, lost consciousness again. ? In the Aldon forest, Dietrich came to and found very unique scenery before his eyes. Cornelia, in light gear after removing her armor, was hugging Bernhart from behind, for whatever reason. There was no intimate atmosphere at all, however: both of them were staring at the ground before them, with very grave expressions on their faces. Kristoff was sitting on the ground, with his eyes closed and legs crossed. He had a block of mithril on his lap and his hands over it, as if they were looking for something. The block of mithril probably came from the golem, but it was not glowing anymore. ¡°¡­what¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re awake.¡± The voice came from the side. Dietrich turned and saw Roa sitting next to a small folding table, using pots, mortars and glass containers to concoct magic potions. It was a pretty strange sight, considering they were in a magic beast forest. The twin wolves were at Roa¡¯s sides, watching him work. I remember I prostrated, and¡­what happened next? Dietrich looked through his memories, but they were cut off halfway. He recalled that right before losing consciousness he felt a sharp pain, then it felt like he was doused in chilling water and a multitude of worms crawled all over his body; he realized that was the reason why he lost consciousness. Did the gryphon do something to me? Scratching his bedhead, Dietrich instinctively found the right answer. He had suffered through all sorts of unpleasant and painful sensations, but now he felt completely recovered. His body brimmed with strength. ¡°Would you like some water?¡± ¡°¡­yeah, sorry for the trouble.¡± Dietrich drank the water Roa gave him, then looked around again. He saw Grandpa Gry, on top of the remains of the mithril golem. It looked extremely proud, like a king atop a throne. When their eyes met, the gryphon deftly twisted its beak into a grin. ¡°¡­..¡± I was ¡°crybaby¡± and now I¡¯m ¡°sleepyhead¡±¡­ Dietrich wanted to protest that they were both humiliating names, but he swallowed his words. If he said anything thoughtless they might end up arguing again. ¡°Grandpa Gry, he needs to eat first.¡± Grandpa Gry wanted to start the training immediately, but Roa interrupted. Dietrich recalled that they had continued fighting without eating anything for dinner and felt that his hunger was reaching its limits. ¡°You said that something like that was possible if you became a great wizard or a sage, right? And you also said that if they go without meals for too long, magic users can become Liches, right?¡± Grandpa Gry replied, but avoided Roa¡¯s eyes. ¡°It¡¯s not, that¡¯s why you explained it like that to the other three¡­Grandpa Gry, why are you especially strict to Dietrich?¡± <¡­.I dislike that man¡­> ¡°You¡¯re saying that again? Sheesh¡­and it¡¯s disrespectful to talk from a high place like that, come down.¡± Grandpa Gry begrudgingly obeyed and descended from its mithril throne. Roa didn¡¯t think Grandpa Gry really hated Dietrich: he knew it was just acting difficult. If it really hated him, it would do much worse. Grandpa Gry acted like that because it saw Dietrich as a rival. On the other hand, for some reason the twin magic wolves seemed to have taken a liking to Dietrich. They were currently kicking his legs around, inviting him to play now that he was awake. He didn¡¯t know what they meant and thought they didn¡¯t like him either, though. ¡°Here, please eat this.¡± ¡°Oh, thanks.¡± Dietrich took the bowl he was suddenly given. Steaming soup filled it. ¡°¡­is it safe to eat?¡± The soup was filled with lots of meat and colorful vegetables. ¡°Grandpa Gry says it is. I made the soup with Wild Boar meat and Whiteroot herbs.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Dietrich wasn¡¯t worried about the flavor of the soup, but whether it was safe to make soup in the middle of a magic beast forest. In magic beast forests or their surroundings, the smell of food would attract the magic beasts, so it was common sense for adventurers not to cook meat or make soup. Roa understood the meaning of the question and answered that it was all right. ¡°¡­.¡± Dietrich glanced at Grandpa Gry, who joined in the conversation, then drank the soup, which filled his empty stomach with warmth. Grandpa Gry shouted in protest, but Dietrich ignored that too and continued drinking. ¡°Delicious¡­by the way, I forgot to ask since so many things happened, but what happened to Crack of Dawn?¡± Dietrich suddenly asked a question to Grandpa Gry. Surprises, new fears, shouting, so many things happened that he couldn¡¯t ask before, but the question never left his mind. If the gryphon was here, something must have happened to Crack of Dawn, the party it used to belong to. Something surely not pleasant. The mass creation of golems that almost caused Nostalgia¡¯s death was surely tied to Crack of Dawn. Dietrich was naturally concerned about it. <¡­¡­..> Grandpa Gry did not reply. It did not change its expression and looked straight at Dietrich, a heavy pressure in its eyes. ¡°¡­.he won¡¯t tell us. Something like, if we learn something we aren¡¯t supposed to know, we will seem suspicious when they interrogate us about what happened.¡± Aah, they¡¯ve been annihilated then¡­ Dietrich reached a conclusion. He had half predicted it, since Crack of Dawn¡¯s servant beasts appeared without their subjugation collars. They were likely killed by the silver golem horde. With a word like ¡°interrogation¡± being mentioned, something as grave as that surely happened. And the gryphon was hiding something. Dietrich didn¡¯t want to think that it led the annihilation of the party itself, but, at the very least it abandoned them to their deaths. Roa probably realized such a possibility existed, but he did not seem worried about Crack of Dawn, nor happy about their demise. He too was probably hiding a complicated state of mind¡­ ¡°¡­I see, yeah I get it. It¡¯s true that it might be better for us not to know right now.¡± ¡°Anyway, what are you doing there?¡± Dietrich felt he was going to think of something he didn¡¯t want to, so he changed the topic. With ¡°there¡±, he meant Cornelia hugging Bernhart and Kristoff holding his hands over the block of mithril. ¡°Cornelia and Bernhart are practicing to share magic power and cast spells together. They will use their combined magic power to use Cornelia¡¯s earth magic and stop the golem from moving. Kristoff is training to inspect the contents of mithril, a modified version of his sonar magic. He will be able to detect where the golem¡¯s core is.¡± Grandpa Gry nimbly used its front paws to hand a thin stick to Dietrich. It was as long as a broadsword, but very thin, thinner than even a finger, resembling a needle more than a stick. Dietrich noticed it glowed in a familiar light and his brow furrowed. ¡°A mithril stick?¡± What am I supposed to do with this? Dietrich glared at the cackling Grandpa Gry. ¡°Are you making fun of me?¡± A needle that not even children play-fighting would use? Everyone would think so, especially a swordsman like Dietrich. ¡°Well, you see.¡± Roa interrupted. ¡°It¡¯s the base used to infuse magic power and create a sword.¡± Grandpa Gry boasted, again. ¡°I should infuse magic in this?¡± ¡°As Grandpa Gry taught me, after being bathed by holy power, mithril can be infused with magic power. Apparently emitting holy light changes its structure and makes it easier for magic power to flow through it. In normal swords, however, the mithril content is too high, so a normal person¡¯s magic power would be completely absorbed, so it won¡¯t work. The solution is that stick.¡± When Roa discussed what to do with the servant beasts, his first question was about mithril. Not knowing the characteristics of the enemy¡¯s body made it impossible to come up with countermeasures. Roa himself knew about mithril, albeit very little, but it was all from books. Since Grandpa Gry knew so much about magic, he would probably know much more, so Roa asked about mithril. As a result, he gained new knowledge. After coming into contact with large amounts of magic power, silver turned into mithril. If magic flows into mithril, it emits holy light. Roa already knew that much. He didn¡¯t know, however, how mithril changed after emitting holy light. He thought mithril did not conduct magic power, but that was wrong. Mithril accumulated magic power and controlled it¡­in other words, it absorbed magic spells. When it absorbed magic power beyond its capacity, it turned into a core and magic manifested around it. This was not known because the magic power of an average person would be completely absorbed by the amount of mithril needed for a core, making it seem inert to magic. Even a mere mithril knife could absorb a spellcaster¡¯s entire magic power. A whole sword¡¯s worth of mithril would eat up even a legendary wizard¡¯s magic power. Because of this, Roa and Grandpa Gry crafted a needle that looked like it did not have any practical use. Grandpa Gry¡¯s grin from above irritated Dietrich, but he held it back and kept silent. ¡°Wind Cutter¡­¡± Dietrich recalled how Grandpa Gry cut through mithril with Wind Cutter. If he could use that magic on his sword, he could probably defeat the mithril golem. ¡°Cornelia and Bernhart will use earth magic together to stop the golem, then Kristoff will find the location of its core. Finally, Dietrich will cut it down. That¡¯s ¡°our¡± plan. You have to pour in all your magic power, or it might fail. So you have to succeed on the first try. It¡¯s a pretty huge gamble.¡± The plan Roa explained was pretty simple. The role of Nostalgia¡¯s members was not too different from the usual. The problem was whether they could do what they were told to. Dietrich looked at Grandpa Gry¡¯s very eager expression and felt irritation well up within. This damn bird expects us to fail, huh¡­. If Nostalgia failed, it would save them, then surely taunt them mercilessly. It could be Dietrich overthinking it, but it was pretty likely. He wanted to avoid that at all costs. ¡°You can practice until dawn¡­about six hours. If the mithril golem comes up early, Grandpa Gry will keep it at bay, I made it promise that. Please do your best.¡± Grandpa Gry was supposed to be the one to tell them how to defeat the golem, but, for some reason Roa, explained it all. Dietrich found it quite puzzling, but also more reliable than Grandpa Gry taking command. Dietrich was convinced and decided to first down the soup Roa made for him. Volume 2 - CH 6.2 When light began to filter through the darkness¡­. ¡°Okay!! Let¡¯s do this!!¡± ¡°Yes!!!¡± Nostalgia¡¯s members answered Dietrich¡¯s call. Their voices echoed in the forest. Six hours until dawn. They practiced the method taught by Grandpa Gry to defeat the golem. It was a repetition of basic exercises: they could only practice once the actual method, using all of their magic power, because it took time to replenish magic power after exhausting it. Even with their pores expanded by the secret technique, it took at least one hour to fully refill magic power. ¡°Do your best!¡± Roa encouraged them by smiling. Next to him, the wolf twins waved their paws. Grandpa Gry was still on top of the dead mithril golem, and from that spot it had created a Wind Wall. The cores of the silver golems had already fused, giving birth to another mithril golem. In the beginning, it had picked up Grandpa Gry¡¯s scent and headed to attack Roa¡¯s group. Grandpa Gry, however, quickly created a Wind Wall and easily trapped it. The newborn mithril golem was smaller than the first and did not emit holy light. Smaller, yes, but still over 4 meters tall¡­double the size of the short Roa, of course, but even Dietrich¡¯s larger figure. This time it also did not emanate healing light, so being struck by it would definitely cause grave injuries: in a way, it was more dangerous than the first mithril golem. ¡°Yeah! Let¡¯s do it!!¡± Dietrich clenched a fist and responded to the encouragement. Roa kept smiling: he was not worried in the slightest. One reason was that Grandpa Gry would help in case of failure, but he did not think that Nostalgia would fail in the first place. There¡¯s no way they will fail in something even I could do¡­was what he thought. After discussing and creating the plan, Roa tried all training himself while Nostalgia¡¯s members were still unconscious. His curiosity compelled him to; it was also his idea too. Even if it was reckless, he had to try it. Roa was aware of his limits, of course, so he did everything on a small scale. It was just an experiment. The ¡°Magic Blade¡± Dietrich would create by enveloping a blade with magic power, he tried as a ¡°Magic Knife¡±. He tried Cornelia and Bernhart¡¯s ¡°Magic Share¡± with the twins. Kristoff¡¯s ¡°Detection Magic¡± with a small piece of mithril. He continued practicing and, by the time Nostalgia¡¯s members woke up, could pull them all off perfectly. It was thanks to Grandpa Gry¡¯s accurate teaching and Roa¡¯s incredible dexterity. Now, thanks to sharing magic power with Grandpa Gry through the contract, he had access to boundless amounts of magic power and could try all sorts of magic. While looking at Nostalgia practicing, he thought of many ways to adapt magic to various purposes. Roa thought that Magic Knife was a rather useful kind of magic, but could not think of many ways to use it. He noticed, however, that detection magic could be arranged for various purposes. Kristoff¡¯s detection magic spread magic power like a ripple to investigate the surroundings. Roa knew that craftsmen hit rocks or minerals with a hammer, using the sound and reaction to check the density and the presence of air bubbles. Because of this, he realized it could be used to check the interior of the mithril golem¡¯s body to pinpoint the location of the core. When he tried it out, he found out that rather than using sounds or reaction, gauging the differences in magic power waves could give the core¡¯s location with higher accuracy. He also found out that it worked also on liquid and gas objects, which could not be checked with a hammer. He could use it to check if what he mixed to make potions was mixed with exact balance, something not possible just by looking, so he liked it very much and tried using it in various ways. ¡­if I do it too much, it starts heating up¡­ During practice, Roa also found out about this side effect. Just like metal heats up after being hit multiple times, using detection magic several times on the same object makes it turn hotter. Kristoff used magic power thinned over a wide range, so he never noticed this phenomenon, but Roa had tried it on small items, hitting many magic waves in a row on the same small range, so he noticed. By now he used it regularly to heat up magic potion ingredients. He could heat them up directly, so there was no risk of burning or heating up surrounding items, so he found it easier to use than fire magic. In other words, Roa had mastered everything they thought of for Nostalgia in little time. That was why he thought they couldn¡¯t fail in something it took a short while for him to do. If they heard, they would surely protest about such an easygoing opinion, though¡­ ¡°Got it!!!¡± All of Nostalgia¡¯s members replied together to Grandpa Gry¡¯s words. They went in front of the Wind Wall behind which the golem was trapped and prepared for battle. They breathed deeply and waited for the invisible wall to vanish. Bernhart was firmly embracing Cornelia from behind. She was chanting a spell faintly, ready to activate it at a moment¡¯s notice. Kristoff and Dietrich made sure they were on a stable foothold, ready to approach the enemy immediately, then looked straight at the golem. It was a one-time gamble, with all their magic power at stake. The mithril golem moved. ¡°Rock Bind¡±! Bernhart¡¯s voice echoed. At the same time, the ground around the mithril golem¡¯s feet swelled up and stretched towards them, like a snake. Multiple earthen snakes coiled around the golem¡¯s legs and blocked them. Finally, they hardened. The ground turned into rock. Mithril absorbs magic. It cannot affect physical phenomena created by magic, however. Water or wind effects would break down once the magic behind them was absorbed, but rocks were different. One just needed to create something that wouldn¡¯t break down even without magic as support. Roa¡¯s idea was simple yet effective. The rocks created by Cornelia and Bernhart¡¯s magic were very sturdy, not even the powerful mithril golem could break through them easily. ¡°Scan¡±! Kristoff quickly closed in on the immobilized golem and shouted as he touched it. He moved rapidly, disregarding all danger. His detection magic, specialized to scan for solid objects, was named ¡°Scan¡± by Grandpa Gry. The spell was also modified to fit the current objective. Kristoff touched the golem for a few seconds, his eyes closed. He then opened them and marked a spot on the golem. ¡°Here!¡± The mark was a red piece of cloth. They used it to find their way in the forest: using resin as glue, it was hard to remove once stuck. Kristoff attached it to the center of the mithril golem¡¯s body, slightly to the left. Comparing the golem¡¯s body to a human¡¯s, it would be a bit lower than the heart. That was the core¡¯s location. ¡°Got it!!¡± Dietrich answered while looking straight ahead. He firmly grasped the mithril needle, which glowed faintly. The light then turned progressively brighter. ¡°Wooooohhhhh!!!¡± Dietrich howled. The light shot away as if scattering and something else formed in its place. It was invisible, but all present knew there was something there. Wind Cutter. The mithril needle was wrapped in wind magic and turned into a ¡°Wind Sword¡±. One horizontal slash. Dietrich swung his sword towards the golem twice his size. The wind had no thickness. Normally Wind Cutter does because the spellcaster imagines actual blades, like swords or scythes, when using it. Thus the caster simply needed to imagine wind without thickness when creating it. Wind without thickness cannot be opposed: it enters the ¡°gaps¡± within solid matter and cuts. Mithril was no exception. All-purpose blades with extreme sharpness. The mithril golem¡¯s body was slashed mercilessly¡­it started collapsing from the severed parts, progressively turning into rubble. ¡°Good!¡± ¡°We did it¡­¡± ¡°Amazing!¡± ¡°We are very grateful!¡± Nostalgia¡¯s members reacted each to their victory. Feeling lighter after having used up most of their magic power, they sat on the ground. They felt exhausted, but there were smiles on their faces. It was finally over. A sense of accomplishment filled them. The ominous words came from Grandpa Gry. As if triggered by its dejected tone, the collapsing mithril golem moved. The rock bind crumbled. ¡°Be careful!¡± Roa shouted. He had realized because he was looking from afar, but Nostalgia¡¯s members, closer to the golem, had no idea what had happened. Normally they would be able to react to such a situation, but not in their current state. Extreme tension, magic used for the first time, full depletion of their magic power¡­their mental strength was exhausted too. While small, an opening formed. The mithril golem swung its arms. The target was the sitting Dietrich. Only Grandpa Gry¡¯s entertained mumble could be heard. It was looking at Dietrich¡¯s movements. He was sitting on the ground, his eyes away from the golem. The golem¡¯s arms swung down. Roa saw a vision of Dietrich being crushed under them. However¡­swiftly and silently, Dietrich swept the arms away. It looked like he did so unconsciously, as if swatting away a fly. That was all he did, but the mithril golem¡¯s elbow joints were severed: because of the swing¡¯s momentum, its arms fell on the ground next to Dietrich. Roa couldn¡¯t understand what Grandpa Gry meant. The servant beasts could have reacted too, actually, but Grandpa Gry caught Dietrich¡¯s movements and provided slight magic support, in a way that no one would notice. It also used wind magic to stop the magic wolf twins from jumping in. ¡°Eh?¡± Surprisingly, the incredulous comment came from Dietrich himself. He had really moved unconsciously, so he looked curiously at his arms. He had no idea why he moved like that. His hands still firmly grasped the mithril needle. Only Grandpa Gry fully understood the extent of what just happened. The mithril golem¡¯s body stopped, its physical body crumbling completely. The last attack was probably the final offensive the core could muster. Dietrich¡¯s slash slightly veered off course, creating that opening. Fragments of the crumbling golem fell on Dietrich, but Grandpa Gry made sure they didn¡¯t hit him. ¡°Grandpa Gry, what just happened?¡± To praise not the person who performed the movement, but their mentor, was simply twisted. Roa looked at Grandpa Gry mumbling its dissatisfaction. ¡°So, Dietrich is good enough with the sword and magic to impress you, Grandpa Gry?¡± Roa looked at the shouting Grandpa Gry and smiled wryly. It didn¡¯t want to admit it, surely. Grandpa Gry was irritatingly scratching the ground with its front legs, in a quite amusing manner. The magic wolf twins too looked with a sort of pity. ¡°Okay, Grandpa Gry, I got it, you won¡¯t admit it. It looks like he doesn¡¯t get it either.¡± Roa looked at Dietrich, but he was still confused by what happened. He didn¡¯t seem to have heard what Grandpa Gry said. Nostalgia¡¯s other members, however, were looking at Grandpa Gry while stifling their laughter: they had clearly heard it all. ¡°Yes, of course, let¡¯s put it that way.¡± Roa gently patted the neck of the shouting gryphon, then hugged it. ¡°I¡¯m grateful. Thanks to Grandpa Gry, Nostalgia could defeat the mithril golem.¡± Despite its words, Grandpa Gry did not look displeased at all. It wasn¡¯t content with the change of topic, however, so it still looked at Dietrich with a peculiar expression on its face. Dietrich was still lost in confusion, though. Grandpa Gry seemed to realize something while looking at him: it twisted its beak into a particularly evil-looking grin. <¡­twins, go wake up the sleepyhead.> Obeying Grandpa Gry¡¯s order, the twins moved in Dietrich¡¯s blindspot and approached him slowly. They seemed very eager. Soon enough, they were at his left and right side, without being noticed¡­ ¡°Yeowch!!!¡± Paws were pressed on the adventurer¡¯s thighs. A burning hot paw print on one side, a chilling one on the other. The fifth and sixth marks were pressed on Dietrich¡¯s thighs. Together with his pathetic shout, the light of dawn illuminated the sky. The forest disturbance finally reached its conclusion. Volume 2 - CH 6.3 ¡°Okay then, let¡¯s prepare to leave the forest.¡± Roa said, a good while after Dietrich calmed down after shrieking in pain from being branded again by the wolf twins. ¡°Right, we have to gather the mithril at least.¡± ¡°Outside?¡± Cornelia was puzzled by Grandpa Gry and Roa¡¯s conversation. Nostalgia¡¯s members, Dietrich excluded, were fairly excited to have defeated a mithril golem by themselves, but after resting a while they had calmed down. ¡°¡­well, you see¡­while you were sleeping, Grandpa Gry told me that the Adventurers¡¯ Guild people noticed the disturbance in the forest and formed a search party.¡± ¡°Wait, do you mean that¡­the time limit to defeat the mithril golem was because of that!?¡± Grandpa Gry¡¯s words probably made him realize the possibility, so Kristoff reacted. ¡°That¡¯s right. We didn¡¯t say anything so you wouldn¡¯t feel pressured. I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± The mithril golem had to be defeated by dawn, so they could only practice until then. They didn¡¯t question it at the time, but thinking about it, it was strange that there was a fixed time to defeat the mithril golem despite the fact that they had the means to keep it at bay. ¡°Well, that¡¯s fine, but¡­¡± ¡°If the adventurers¡¯ guild finds the mithril, they¡¯ll make up a reason to take it from us, so I wanted to gather it all before they arrived¡­¡± ¡°Aaah, you have a point there.¡± Other than Bernhart, Nostalgia¡¯s members answered in unison. If the adventurers¡¯ guild found such a quantity of mithril, they would probably use any means available to obtain it for themselves. They would definitely tell Roa and Nostalgia to hand it all over, without offering anything in return. It was tyrannical but rather common. ¡°Even the large Magic Bag Mr. Coralde gave us can barely hold all the mithril¡­I guess we¡¯ll have to give up on all the silver.¡± Kristoff seemed frustrated. Cornelia understood that it couldn¡¯t be helped, but her shoulders dropped. Generally, materials obtained from defeated magic beasts belonged to those who defeated them. If they couldn¡¯t be brought back and were left where they were found, they would belong to the next person who found them. It would be too complex to decide what belonged to who in which case, so the rules were simplified to the extreme. Silver was much less valuable than mithril, but it was still very precious for the average person. It was natural for them to want to bring as much back as possible. Grandpa Gry was boasting, again, on top of the mithril mountain. Needlessly proud, as usual. ¡°Actually, Grandpa Gry modified the Magic Bag¡­¡± ¡°What did you say!?¡± The Magic Bag¡¯s recipe was owned by the Creators¡¯ Guild as an absolute secret. Many tried to deconstruct it to analyze its components, but they never heard of anyone succeeding. The magic formula used in it were also covered in layers of Protect spells. ¡°Nothing undoable¡­? You just modified the spell a little and removed the limiter¡­you said that you don¡¯t understand the details of the spell formula, didn¡¯t you?¡± Looking at Grandpa Gry puffing its chest so much it was about to fall over, Roa sighed. Grandpa Gry said that they could ¡°fill it as much as they liked¡±, but that was not true. The limit depended on the materials used. Magic Bags were originally equipped with limits as a failsafe device to prevent the materials from deteriorating and break down: removing such limits presented its risks. It was an imprudent technique that most people would not use even if they knew it. ¡°¡­It feels late to say it, but¡­this is all outside common sense¡­¡± ¡°How wonderful¡­¡± Cornelia sighed heavily, but Bernhart voiced his amazement, stars twinkling in his eyes. ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s better not to think too much about whatever Grandpa Gry does¡­at least I already gave up.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a problem, but you should use some more restraint. Because you don¡¯t have any common sense.¡± Nostalgia¡¯s members were all about to retort with ¡°you¡¯re one to talk!¡±, but they managed to swallow the words. ¡°That¡¯s true, but¡­anyway, let¡¯s talk about that once things settle down. About the twins too.¡± Roa then turned towards the wolf twins. The two magic wolves were still lightly kicking Dietrich to invite him to play. The latter, who was paw-marked again after lowering his guard, was hugging his knees, sulking. He needed a bit more time to come back to life. Slashing and defeating the mithril golem was a feat worthy of praise, but he had moved unconsciously in the last strike, so he couldn¡¯t actually feel it as real. The paw marks felt much more so. One could only pity him. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s tidy up and leave the forest! Everyone, I¡¯m sure being out of magic power is tough, so please have one of these.¡± Roa gave all members small bottles filled with liquid. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Kristoff asked while shaking the small bottle before his eyes. A transparent liquid made waves in a bottle that seemed to be used to store medicine. In the battle with the mithril golem no one of them suffered any injuries. They were just out of magic power, so while their bodies felt a little sluggish, they had no problems moving around, so it wasn¡¯t supposed to be necessary to drink medicine. ¡°It¡¯s a magic power recovery potion.¡± Roa replied with a rather happy tone. ¡°Magic power recovery!? You even have something like that!? And so many¡­? Then, why¡­.¡± Why didn¡¯t you take them out sooner? So Cornelia was about to say, but she stopped. If they knew Roa had magic power recovery potions, they would have changed their battle strategy. Compared to other recovery potions, magic power recovery potions caused Magic Stupor more easily, but even considering such a risk, they could be used in various ways. Nostalgia¡¯s members had faced many critical situations in the magic forest, so there were plenty of moments they would have gladly used magic power recovery potions. However, they were much more valuable than other recovery potions. Cornelia understood wanting to save them, so she didn¡¯t finish her sentence. Roa probably realized how she felt, so he answered in an apologetic tone. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t bring these with me, I just made them.¡± ¡°You made them? In a place like this? Can they be made so easily¡­?¡± Nostalgia¡¯s members noticed that Roa was making something while they were training. Magic power recovery potions, however, couldn¡¯t be made so easily, and they couldn¡¯t understand why he would make them now, and not before they entered the forest. ¡°You see¡­actually, this magic power recovery potion is¡­Holy Water¡­.¡± ¡°WHAAAATTTT!?!?¡± Even the still sulking Dietrich shouted. Roa covered his ears to protect his hearing from their combined loudness. ¡°Holy Water!? But why? How? Roa, you said you just made them!? You made¡­ Holy Water?? It¡¯s a secret recipe of the Supreme God Church!!¡± ¡°¡­magic power recovery potions¡­it¡¯s true that Holy Water has magic healing capabilities, but¡­it¡¯s not something you can just sip on so easily, is it!? Are you stupid?¡± ¡°Wait, one of these is worth¡­how many gold coins¡­?¡± All of them pressed Roa. If it was true, it was on a whole another level than the modification of the Magic Bag. It was a huge discovery. A scandal, even. Their pressure made Roa step back. Grandpa Gry sent a warning, which defused the situation, but they were almost grabbing Roa by the collar. Nostalgia¡¯s members then noticed that the magic wolf twins were behind them, paw stamps ready to eliminate any threats on Roa. They were saved by a hair. ¡°Er, you see, a few things helped me realize the recipe. Church people love using mithril tools, the altar where Holy Water is made is completely mithril¡­the potions I made for Mr. Coralde¡­the potions I made in Crack of Dawn¡¯s mansion apparently are 20% more effective than regular ones, but I couldn¡¯t recreate them in Mr. Coralde¡¯s company. While trying to recreate them, I realized the method thanks to these hints.¡± ¡°So?¡± Nostalgia¡¯s members, deeply invested, crouched in order to match eyes with Roa and went so close to him they almost butted heads. ¡°The first mithril golem¡¯s mithril kept emanating holy light, right? That made me realize it. In Crack of Dawn¡¯s mansion the cleric Bonne brought the magic tool ¡°Barrier of Purity¡±, so maybe its secret was also mithril.¡± The magic tool ¡°Barrier of Purity¡± simply purified the atmosphere. Its recipe was guarded by the Supreme God Church, but since the commoners or even the nobles failed to understand the advantages of cleaner air, it was thought to be a joke Magic Tool, made by the Church just to make itself look more important. ¡°I thought that the Barrier of Purity probably contains small mithril fragments, which release very small quantities of holy light. So, making recovery potions in a place with small quantities of holy light boosts their effect, is the hypothesis I came up with.¡± Roa thought about the differences between Crack of Dawn¡¯s mansion and Coralde¡¯s company and this was his conclusion. If the Barrier of Purity magic tool was not the cause, then he would have to experiment with geographical positioning, building materials, sunlight etc., which would require an enormous amount of time. ¡°I tested that too, but my appraisal tool can¡¯t show the finer details, so I have to ask Mr. Coralde to appraise it to be sure.¡± If the Barrier of Purity magic tool emanated very faint holy light, making potions next to mithril emanating strong holy light should have the same or even better results. Roa then tried making potions next to the mithril golem¡¯s remains. They had to wait for Coralde¡¯s appraisal to know if the potions were really 20% more effective, though. ¡°Anyway, putting that aside. If holy light has that much of an effect, I thought it could also be used in other ways¡­and I recalled that the altars used to make holy water were all mithril. So I tried experimenting and I put a mithril fragment radiating holy light in water¡­and it worked.¡± ¡­it worked!? That¡¯s it!?! Nostalgia¡¯s members were all speechless, unable to put their feelings into words, but shrieked and shouted in their heads. Water and holy light. That was all it took. ¡°Holy Water¡± was a truly appropriate name. It was water, sure enough. ¡°It¡¯s a very simple recipe, so I guess that¡¯s why many can¡¯t figure it out. But it¡¯s almost impossible to test it, so I think I was really lucky. It looks like the water needs to be exposed to holy light for at least 4 hours, after all.¡± Roa talked as he looked intently at the holy water bottle in his hands. He didn¡¯t know how the Supreme God Church caused mithril to continuously radiate holy light, but it was surely a method that researchers and creators could not use. A large quantity of magic power was necessary to generate even an instant of holy light. To make it radiate for a long time one needed many magic users taking turns to pour their magic power or very special magic tools. Even if someone realized the content of the recipe, it was not easy to replicate. As Roa said, he had indeed been blessed by lucky circumstances. ¡°¡­.I wanna¡­.lose my memories¡­¡± Kristoff mumbled to himself. ¡°This is bad¡­.if the Supreme God Church finds out we know, our lives are in danger¡­¡± ¡°¡­holy water is a miracle from God, after all¡­¡± The Supreme God Church stated that holy light was one of god¡¯s miracles and no recipe existed. That¡¯s why, as Kristoff said, their lives would really be in danger. ¡°And I thought that the forest disturbance ended and everything was alright¡­ then we got neck deep in the biggest trouble of all!! Hordes of golems or mithril golems are nothing in comparison!! This is not good¡­so not good¡­!¡± ¡°If we become enemies with the church and its believers¡­it¡¯s much worse than a pack of golems, even if they don¡¯t kill us, we won¡¯t be able to live normally anymore¡­¡± ¡°¡­let¡¯s get rid of all evidence. Pretend nothing happened. Got it?¡± ¡°¡­ah¡­yeah¡­¡± Nostalgia¡¯s members replied weakly to Dietrich¡¯s words, and Roa looked at them with a sad expression on his face. Grandpa Gry then yawned out of boredom, as the twins, tired of the long conversation, started running around aimlessly. ¡°Roa, I understand how you feel. It¡¯s an amazing discovery and all. But this is too dangerous. We got to hide it, please, let us hide it!!¡± Dietrich prostrated himself even more perfectly than how he did to Grandpa Gry. ¡°¡­please, Roa, use some restraint¡­this is too far outside common sense¡­.¡± Cornelia pleaded as if begging. She said the very same thing Roa said to Grandpa Gry. ¡°But it¡¯s just a recipe? So simple even I could figure it out¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s not ¡®just a¡¯ recipe!!¡± They all shouted together. ¡°Grandpa Gry too modified a recipe that is supposed to be secret, right? But you weren¡¯t so surprised¡­¡± ¡°Listen, Roa. The Creators¡¯ Guild and the Supreme God Church¡¯s level of danger is totally different. So please¡­!!!¡± If the Creators¡¯ Guild or the Farmers¡¯ Guild recipes were identified, they would just create something of higher level. They were probably working every day to be prepared for such situations. The Supreme God Church was different, however. God¡¯s miracle must not be explained. ¡°understood¡­¡± Roa begrudgingly agreed. ¡°But I already used all my leather pouches and made holy water¡­¡± Roa¡¯s words made Nostalgia¡¯s members fall to their knees. The Aldon forest disturbance was over, but Nostalgia¡¯s trials were far from over¡­ Volume 2 - CH 6.4 Several hours later¡­ When the Adventurers¡¯ Guild search and rescue team entered the Aldon forest, the sun was already high in the sky. Then, less than one hour after the search and rescue team¡¯s departure, Roa and Nostalgia left the forest. It wasn¡¯t because the rescue team was extremely skilled: Roa¡¯s group left the forest by themselves. It all happened because several misjudgments piled upon each other and delayed the start of the search. First, they arrived late. They left town in a hurry, but took double the expected time to arrive. This had been orchestrated on purpose by a certain person, but no one realized it. One other reason was that the Adventurers¡¯ Guild coachmen in charge of picking up Crack of Dawn also acted slowly. They were standing close to the entrance to Norfar valley, but, despite being right next to the location of the disturbance, they did not notice anything. They kept saying that there was no problem, that they deserved a bit more trust, thus ultimately delaying any inspection of the forest¡¯s surroundings. If a regular adventurer said that, they would have probably ignored it and proceeded with the search, but they couldn¡¯t ignore a fellow guild worker. They were retired adventurers employed again, many of them being older, which probably influenced things as well. When the coachman Chuck saw Nostalgia¡¯s members arrive at the camp they had previously set up, they looked terribly tired. ¡°I¡¯m glad to see you¡¯re safe!¡± ¡°¡­.thanks¡­¡± ¡°You had me worried!¡± ¡°¡­that¡¯s¡­.sorry¡­¡± They spoke little, probably due to exhaustion. In contrast with the overjoyed Chuck, their gazes were hollow, their clothes muddy, their equipment damaged. The leader Dietrich even had strange holes in his pants, shaped like magic beast paws. ¡°What¡¯s up with those?¡± There were also three magic beasts with them, species that were not supposed to dwell in the Aldon forest. Roa shouted ¡°These are servant beasts! They are not dangerous! Please do not worry!¡± as soon as they appeared from the forest, so no one attacked them, but the mood was tense all the same. Many of the adventurers who came to the forest for the search and rescue already reached for their weapons, ready to battle. As they did not wear subjugation collars, they could not easily believe that they were servant beasts. ¡°These are the servant beasts formerly belonging to Crack of Dawn. They ran away and Roa took them in his care¡­I¡¯m sorry. Please let us rest awhile.¡± Then Nostalgia¡¯s members picked the first place they could find and sat on the ground as if collapsing, with little care for the mud and dirt. They somehow managed to move their exhausted bodies and took off their armor. Only Roa looked like he still had energy to spare, but that was because he was under their protection, or so Chuck predicted. He could never guess that the reason why Nostalgia was so exhausted resided with Roa himself¡­ Roa was immediately sent to the Adventurers¡¯ Guild horse carriage to receive Subjugation Collars for the servant beasts. Since servant beasts without collars couldn¡¯t be trusted, it was natural that this took priority to resting. ¡°We have to notify the president! Prepare a horse!¡± Chuck would have preferred to ask for more details before sending a dispatch, but looking at Nostalgia¡¯s state, he decided that it was better to let them rest first. He made preparations to first let Coralde know that they were safe. ¡°And food too! Make them something easy to eat even when tired. I don¡¯t know when they¡¯ll be able to eat, so make something delicious even if it¡¯s cold!¡± The magic beasts had already fled the forest and with so many adventurers around, there was no concern of being attacked by magic beasts. Chuck then decided to prepare properly cooked meat, instead of dried meat, and gave instructions accordingly. Their recovery was top priority. If it was necessary, he would give them time to sleep before eating. Looking at Nostalgia¡¯s members, their armor removed, and the glum looks on their faces, Chuck hurried the preparations along. ? At the same time, another group of people were looking at them, from a certain distance. They were the secret agents hired personally by Coralde. They took a position farther away to avoid being found out by the guild¡¯s adventurers. Being already proficient in hiding, if they positioned themselves farther there was no risk for them to be found. They used magic and optic devices to aid their spying activities and emitted little to no magic power. Even detection magic would have a hard time spotting them at such a distance. ¡­or at least that¡¯s how it was supposed to be, but after being found by the magic wolf twins, the secret agents became even more prudent: they made sure to stay in the shadows and never to enter their targets¡¯ field of view. They took turns and surveyed both the forest and the valley at the same time. During their surveillance, they noticed the light of magic coming from the forest, flashing several times. They then noticed a bonfire¡¯s smoke, so they thought someone must have survived, but they couldn¡¯t tell what happened in detail. When they saw Roa and all of Nostalgia¡¯s members emerge safely from the forest, they breathed a sigh of relief. Even so, their expressions seemed sour. ¡°They all came out of the forest safe, good. But¡­¡± The words came from the man who had returned once to town during the night and reported to Coralde. He had returned immediately to the forest and resumed the surveillance. ¡°Where did that gryphon come from?¡± He had spotted the twin wolves running on the valley¡¯s ridges, so he imagined they had run towards the forest from his blind spot. However, the gryphon was a mystery. The secret agents had gone back and forth between the forest and the town several times to make their reports, so they were aware of the commotion in the city. If the gryphon which caused the commotion was the same one that belonged to Crack of Dawn, it had to have left the valley once to go to the city, then return. But no agent had seen the gryphon enter or leave the forest. Though they were confident in their abilities, it wasn¡¯t unthinkable that they missed it leaving or entering the forest. To have missed both instances was hardly possible¡­or rather, they didn¡¯t want to consider such a possibility. In actuality, the gryphon¡­Grandpa Gry was very skilled in concealing itself, but they were too proud of their skills to reach such a conclusion. When it entered or left, Grandpa Gry felt a detection aura in the surroundings and naturally used magic to pass unnoticed. Grandpa Gry also used the magic in town, but lost its patience after failing to find Roa and did not have the leeway to hide anymore. As a result, many townspeople spotted Grandpa Gry, but the latter did not seem to care. It knew nothing in town could pose a threat, and even if there was such a thing, it was confident it could escape. ¡°¡­let¡¯s leave the mysteries for later. Our priority is to report to lord Coralde.¡± After muttering to himself, he too started quickly giving orders to the other agents, like Chuck did. ? Nostalgia¡¯s members were utterly exhausted. Their bodies felt sluggish and heavy. They glanced to the side and saw Roa walking with the servant beasts, talking with the guild¡¯s adventurers. ¡­is that guy really human¡­? Dietrich would have wanted to stay collapsed on the ground like that and sleep, but clenched his teeth and resisted, as he couldn¡¯t show something so unsightly. The reason why they were so tired was having to recover the golem materials and erasing all traces related to the holy water. They only picked up the largest blocks of silver, but they collected every last fragment of mithril, which took considerable time: in the end they even got on their knees and looked for any piece left in the grass. They worked without drinking recovery potions, thinking it would be strange if they still looked energetic when they left the forest, so they felt even more tired than after they were chased by the golem horde. Additionally, they also looked for any traces connected to the holy water, despite not knowing if there were any, so they were mentally exhausted as well. Thanks to that, the rescue team did not interrogate them in detail when they left the forest. They would probably go through a proper interrogation when they returned to town. ¡°Roa¡­is sure full of energy.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Dietrich replied to Cornelia¡¯s comment. She was also exhausted too and was sat holding her knees. For some reason, only Roa was still energetic. He hadn¡¯t used any recovery potions, of course the same as Nostalgia. He had also worked like them, or maybe even more. He was still full of energy, though. It wasn¡¯t because he wasn¡¯t human and had much more strength than Nostalgia¡¯s members, but because gathering materials was an everyday task for him, so he was much more used to it than any adventurer. He knew how to sit and move without tiring his body too much, the most effective way to look for materials and was to predict how materials scattered after magic beasts were defeated. The twin wolves were also used to supporting him and did so effectively. On the other hand, Nostalgia¡¯s members had rarely ever gathered materials: clearly speaking, they were bad at it. Compared to Roa, they were total beginners. Of course, the twins wouldn¡¯t help them either. Such small differences between them and Roa piled up and formed a large gap. Dietrich and Cornelia had enough energy left to talk, but Kristoff and Bernhart, who had less energy than them, looked into the distance, silently. They all hugged their knees, focused on recovering their energy. After a while, Roa returned from the Adventurers¡¯ Guild horse cart. The twin wolves walked close to him, one at each side, watching Roa¡¯s face gleefully. Grandpa Gry was behind them, clearly in the foulest of moods. The three magic beasts were wearing Subjugation Collars on their necks. One of them was clamoring loudly, but naturally no one other than Roa and Nostalgia could hear. Roa and Nostalgia pretended not to understand, as there were other people around, and the twins completely ignored it. The guild¡¯s adventurers seemed slightly relieved now that the servant beasts were wearing collars, but they were still wary of them. They kept a certain distance from them and did not get any closer. The twins sometimes glanced at Grandpa Gry, but walking with Roa was apparently much more important, so their eyes always returned to him. The Subjugation Collar doesn¡¯t work on these guys at all huh¡­ He had sort of guessed it, but nevertheless Dietrich tiredly looked on in disbelief at the three ¡°servant¡± beasts. The Subjugation Collar was equipped with a failsafe device that prevented it from being equipped to magic beasts which rejected its mind control magic. It was made to clearly tell if a magic beast could not be subjugated. If the collar was equipped, the magic beast was tamed¡­ or so it was supposed to be, but the three magic beasts did not seem to be affected at all. Grandpa Gry talked about rewriting the spell formula, however, so there had to be some sort of effect. Dietrich then gave up on thinking, realizing that attempting to apply common sense was pointless with them. ¡°It looks like they¡¯ll let us sleep for a while. What will you do?¡± ¡°That would be great¡­¡± ¡°Should I prepare a tent? But the weather is nice, so maybe you want to sleep on the grass over there?¡± ¡°¡­you¡¯re tired too, aren¡¯t you? The grass is fine.¡± Dietrich then stood up, slowly followed by the other members, moving towards a grass field away from the camp now packed with adventurers. On the way, they told one of Coralde¡¯s coachmen that they would rest for a while. They fell asleep soon after. The gryphon lied down and Roa did so too, leaning on its body. The twins lied down at his sides. ¡°Everyone, you can use Grandpa Gry as a cushion too if you want. It hates if humans ride on it, but for some reason it loves sleeping together.¡± ¡°Yes, yes.¡± Nostalgia¡¯s members first looked at them from a bit farther away, but then, looking at Roa¡¯s pleased expression and the tender fur of the gryphon and wolf twins, gave in and were sleeping next to them before they realized. Soon enough calm, satisfied snoring noises could be heard. The 5 humans and 3 beasts¡¯ sounds blended in harmony in the blue sky. However, one of them¡­one of the 3 magic beasts still had its eyes open. These words were whispered in a very, very amused tone. Volume 2 - CH 7.1 hapter 7 ¨C If Something Comes Twice, it will Come Thrice. If it Comes Thrice¡­ A crowd of humans gathered outside the Aldon forest. Some of them belonged to the Adventurers¡¯ Guild, but most of them were adventurers hired through requests. They acted normally where the guild staff could see them, but secretly circulated various rumors¡­ Have you seen that? The All-Rounder is together with the Hero Party¡¯s servant beasts! A man whispered. Triggered by this, a cluster of adventurers began talking quietly. It was next to pointless chatting, in which it was impossible to tell who said what. ¡­so what? He¡¯s Crack of Dawn¡¯s All-Rounder, right? What¡¯s strange about it? You didn¡¯t see? They weren¡¯t wearing Subjugation Collars at first! He was commanding a gryphon and two magic wolves without using a collar! No way, that¡¯s a gryphon!! Who the hell can command a gryphon without a collar!? They¡¯re the wildest magic beasts there are! You know as well as I do about the places people can¡¯t even approach because of gryphons!! The Citadel Dungeon, right? A castle fortress of old the gryphons turned into their home, so no one can get closer to its surroundings, was it¡­ They can fly, after all, so their territory is really wide¡­ Who cares about that! I¡¯m talking about the All-Rounder. He commanded the magic beasts without a collar, doesn¡¯t it mean that he was the real tamer in the party? ¡­what are you saying, an All-Rounder is an All-Rounder, no? Are you daft or what? You can¡¯t even understand that? Shut up, I was wrong, all right? What are you all whispering about? Hey, you¡¯ve seen it too right? That All-Rounder was commanding the servant beasts without a collar. So we were saying that maybe he¡¯s Crack of Dawn¡¯s real tamer, and Eric was just a fake that took the kid¡¯s achievements for himself. What? For real? You can do something like that? You can with the Subjugation Collar, I guess? Besides, I always found it weird, actually. Eric used to be just an archer, he never showed any talents as a tamer¡­ Yeah, you¡¯re right. I never heard anything about him being a tamer, and he comes back all of a sudden with a gryphon, of all things? I remember people wondering if he had some secret method or something¡­ And it was always the All-Rounder kid taking care of the servant beasts, right? For real? You fools, enough with the rumors! The guild¡¯s going to punish us! Punish us? For what? For what? Crack of Dawn was named Hero Party because they tamed a gryphon, right? If it comes out that they just used the All-Rounder kid for that, it¡¯s all mud on their faces! Yeah, you¡¯re right¡­the gryphon is the whole reason why they got the Hero title in the first place¡­ And that¡¯s fair, ain¡¯t it? It¡¯s not like they¡¯re especially strong or anything. Without the gryphon, it wouldn¡¯t be weird if they were still ranked B. What? They¡¯re that weak? They have the Holy Woman though, don¡¯t they? Former Holy Woman, and candidate to boot. People say she messed up and got expelled from the church, you know? Whoa! And I liked her and all¡­that air she has just turned me on¡­ God man, you like that sort of woman? She¡¯s definitely black as tar inside! The whole church is like that, all they can think of is money! Hey, I get where you¡¯re coming from though. I got my fair share of troubles because of the church too. But it doesn¡¯t mean they¡¯re all bad¡­and she¡¯s so cute! Shut the hell up, all of you. The issue here is the All-Rounder! Wasn¡¯t there a rumor recently that he was actually an alchemist? Oh yeah, that Crack of Dawn downed magic potions like water because he made them? What? Really!? Hey, the day after Crack of Dawn was made a Hero Party, the All-Rounder kid was kicked out, I heard. And so the bald trading company¡¯s bald president took him in right away! Exactly, and because of that people started saying that he was actually an alchemist. Seriously? So if I got him in our party¡­he has a gryphon too¡­ Shut up, you didn¡¯t know!? He¡¯s already hired by the bald geezer. Say anything weird to the kid and you¡¯ll get scalped! Give me a break, no one gets killed over something like that! Yeah, you¡¯re a happy feller, aren¡¯t ya. That bald geezer is one scary bald geezer¡­ The whispering continued endlessly, spreading rumors like ripples expanding on the surface of water¡­ ? ¡°Ngh¡­ah¡­.achoo!!¡± Dietrich woke up with a powerful sneeze. The very next moment, a ¡°voice¡± resounded over his head. ¡°Shut up¡­¡± Dietrich complained, still half asleep. He closed his eyes again and lied down on his makeshift pillow. It was very soft fur. It felt wonderful to the touch, soft, elastic to the right degree, faintly warm¡­ He then recalled what it was. Oh crap¡­ Dietrich then slowly opened his eyes and looked around. It was the nasty beast¡¯s fur, indeed. It¡¯s almost irritating how good it felt¡­ Dietrich reorganized the current situation in his dozing head. Scared by the gryphon, no one else dared approach the grass, but he could see people in the camp a few hundred meters from their location. His sleepy eyes eventually recognized Coralde¡¯s coachmen, Roa and Nostalgia¡¯s other members. He also spotted the magic wolf twins, running around in the surroundings. A bonfire had been lit up: they were having a meal. ¡°You¡¯re not joining them?¡± Despite the gryphon¡¯s excuses, it was clear that it didn¡¯t want to go help them. Dietrich couldn¡¯t imagine the prideful magic beast doing anything of the sort. His head still on the gryphon¡¯s fur, Dietrich looked at its face. A symbol of fear for humanity. A high-rank magic beast with power and attacks that spelled death for those who encountered it. Dietrich looked up at its face while feeling its warmth. It was an unthinkable situation, but he felt no fear. Perhaps he had gotten used to it, or maybe because of its strangely human-like-nature? There were several examples of magic beasts that learned human languages after living long enough. High-rank magic beasts could also talk with humans from the beginning. In the distant past, the first hero and sage commanded magic beasts, such the ¡°Crimson Phoenix¡± and the ¡°Blue Dragon¡±, which could speak the human language. It was a first for Dietrich, however: he never experienced something like that, so he had nothing to compare it to. I thought magic beasts lived just following their instincts, but I guess that was wrong¡­ Dietrich thought that even magic beasts that became close to humans only did so because of their instincts, so talking with the strangely human-like Grandpa Gry had been shocking. Dietrich then realized that Grandpa Gry was staring at him. ¡°What?¡± Unable to sustain its gaze, Dietrich blurted out a question. <¡­there is something I want to ask, now that the brat is not around.> Its eyes were aimed straight at Dietrich, as if trying to peer in his very soul. ¡°¡­I¡¯m Dietrich, leader of the adventurer party Nostalgia.¡± Dietrich, who understood the true meaning of Grandpa Gry¡¯s words, answered while returning its direct gaze. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°¡­..¡± ¡°¡­.¡± Grandpa Gry¡¯s continued questions caused hesitation to appear in Dietrich¡¯s eyes. Even so, he didn¡¯t avert his eyes. ¡°I am Dietrich, an adventurer.¡± The moment Dietrich spoke, Grandpa Gry¡¯s aura expanded. Pressure. Pressure, though without killing intent, but still hardly bearable for humans, weighed heavily on Dietrich. ¡°Take it as you will.¡± Despite the overwhelming pressure, Dietrich¡¯s lips still formed a smile. He was just bluffing, but he surprised himself of being able to continue smiling while subject to a high-rank magic beast¡¯s pressure. His body was still leaning against Grandpa Gry¡¯s stomach. From a distance, it looked like they were relaxing, but the pressure was simply keeping him from moving. The pressure suddenly relented. Grandpa Gry looked away from Dietrich, towards Roa, who was working on something. Grandpa Gry looked again at Dietrich and glared at him. Grandpa Gry then quickly stood up. Without support, Dietrich rolled on the grass. ¡°Whoa!¡± Dietrich unconsciously reacted, but the grass provided a soft landing. All his eyes could see was the clear blue sky. Right after Grandpa Gry spoke, Dietrich¡¯s body was pushed by something and rolled on the grass. ¡°Woof! Woof!¡± A red and a blue fur coat appeared and disappeared at the sides of Dietrich¡¯s vision. After a light impact, his body was rolled with even more momentum and he understood that the twin wolves were bouncing him like a ball between themselves. His rolling had probably sparked the light of mischief in them. A somewhat tired voice resounded. The wolves had suddenly showed up to announce that Grandpa Gry and Dietrich¡¯s meals were ready. Dietrich was relieved to be freed from the conversation with the gryphon and rolling on the grass did not cause any pain, so he let the twins do their thing. The situation, however, gradually became fun for him too. He imagined a grown man like himself being rolled around by wolf cubs and started laughing. ¡°Pfft¡­hahaha!!! You two!! Stop it! Dumb dogs!!¡± Unable to hold it back anymore, he laughed loudly while calling to the twins. As if triggered by his laughter, they rolled him back and forth even faster. ¡°Hahaha¡­bwahahaha!! I said stooop!¡± ¡°Woof!¡± Dietrich spread his arms and legs as much as he could, trying to stop the rolling: he quickly stood up and launched his counterattack. ¡°Come on! You¡¯re going to get rolled too!¡± Dietrich chased the twins, grabbed their bodies and launched them on the grass together. The blue and red balls of fur rolled perfectly. ¡°See if ya like it!¡± Dietrich then pushed them with his hands to give them more momentum: the perfectly round balls of fur rolled on energetically. ¡°Woof! Woof!¡± ¡°Woof! Woof!¡± Of course, if the twins had run seriously there would be no way for Dietrich to catch them, nor would they be rolled like that. They were enjoying it too. After rolling about enough, it was Dietrich¡¯s turn again. They gauged the perfect timing, split roles in pushing his arms and legs and set to roll him again. ¡°No! Stop! Hahaha!!¡± ¡°Woof!¡± Once again Dietrich rolled on the soft grass. Dietrich¡¯s laughter and the twins¡¯ happy barks resonated in the plains. Grandpa Gry was standing still, watching over them. The gryphon looked simply lonely, mumbling to itself. The wolf cubs and the human played like that for a while, rolling each other, but fun times don¡¯t last long. ¡°Hey!! Stop playing around, it¡¯s time to eat!! Roa¡¯s distant call made the twins¡¯ ears perk up, and the next instant they were rushing towards him, not even looking at Dietrich anymore. They barked a couple times when they passed next to Grandpa Gry, but did not slow down one step. What remained were Dietrich rolling on the grass and Grandpa Gry looking at him. <¡­..> ¡°¡­..¡± They looked at each other, speechless. The hierarchy in the twins¡¯ heads had become clear. Even if they had fun playing together, Dietrich would be immediately ignored if Roa called. Grandpa Gry was checked every now and then, but ignored even if it called to them. On the other hand, Roa could call them from afar and they would respond immediately. The way the twin wolves treated them was very different. Evidently, Roa was at the top of the ladder for them. ¡±¡­.shall we go?¡± A newly formed, strange sort of connection between them, the man and the gryphon plodded towards the camp. Near the forest¡¯s exit, where the horse-drawn carriages Roa and Nostalgia rode on were stationed, a bonfire had been lit, with large pots over it. The pots, two in total, billowed merrily. ¡°Dietrich, sit here please.¡± When the man and the gryphon arrived, Roa invited Dietrich to use a wooden crate as a chair. Nostalgia¡¯s other members were already sitting. Roa was the only one hastily making preparations. ¡°You sit and eat too, Roa.¡± When Dietrich took his seat, Kristoff -who was sitting next to him- called to Roa. He was holding a wooden bowl, filled to the brim with what looked like wheat porridge. 2 large meatballs topped the porridge. The coachmen probably prepared food easy to digest, so Roa and Nostalgia could eat easily. ¡°As soon as I finish preparing the servant beasts¡¯ meals, I will!¡± Roa then poured the contents of the other large pot in a wooden crate-like container. It was not porridge, but soup with meat and greens. It contained lots of meat and looked positively delicious. ¡°Roa, I want that too.¡± Dietrich remembered seeing the same soup before. It was the wild boar and whiteroot grass soup they had the day before¡­or more precisely, in the early morning of the same day. It had a firm meaty flavor and was very delicious. This time it had a lot more meat than the one they ate in the morning, so it looked very appetizing. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, this is for the servant beasts!¡± Roa refused with a smile. ¡°Not even one bowl?¡± ¡°One of them eats a lot, so I¡¯m not even sure if this will be enough, actually. Besides, it doesn¡¯t taste good, you know?¡± A peeved reply could be heard, but since the Coralde company coachmen and some Adventurers¡¯ Guild people were still around, Roa ignored it. The source of the voice too sat close to Nostalgia, but as soon as it did the coachmen and adventurers moved away, just like retreating waves. Even if it was wearing a Subjugation Collar, they still feared it. It was good enough that they didn¡¯t run away. ¡°It doesn¡¯t taste good?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t exactly taste bad, but it¡¯s made for servant beast palates, so humans don¡¯t like it much. It has little salt and less spices too. It feels thin, or should I say watery.¡± ¡°Servant beasts have different tastes than us? We ate the same thing last night, didn¡¯t we?¡± ¡°It seems like they don¡¯t like rich flavors very much. If it¡¯s a once in a while, it¡¯s okay, but¡­food flavored for humans is, in human terms, like really spicy food for them.¡± ¡°I see.¡± It was pretty convincing. Dietrich didn¡¯t hate spicy food per se, but he wouldn¡¯t eat it every day. It was delicious only if eaten every once in a while. In this country, various spices circulated. The ones from the southern regions and rarer species were very expensive, but the ones the locals could cultivate were fairly common. The most popular ones were dried mustard and ginger. Those words were heard together with a howl-like cry from Grandpa Gry. It flashed a mischievous grin at the same time, but Dietrich simply glanced at the gryphon and ignored it. Roa and the other Nostalgia members did so too, but the other humans present were rattled by the sudden cry. Some gripped the hilts of their swords, others bumped into each other and stumbled as they awkwardly tried to flee. ¡°Quiet, Grandpa Gry.¡± One word from Roa made the gryphon lower its head and turn quiet. The people around them felt relieved and, at the same time, looked at Roa with newfound respect. They understood that he wasn¡¯t just together with the servant beasts, but actually commanded them. Their opinion of Roa completely changed that very instant. As soon as Roa placed the wooden containers in front of the servant beasts, they eagerly started eating. ¡°Who¡¯s the greedy one now¡­?¡± Looking at them, Dietrich muttered under his breath. The other humans couldn¡¯t hear, but the gryphon¡¯s ears wouldn¡¯t miss it. Dietrich had a thing or two to say in response, but kept quiet because of the other humans¡¯ presence. Roa had served him the wheat porridge bowl, so he started eating too. It was seasoned deliciously and he felt his whole body warm up as it entered the stomach. Roa too prepared his portion and finally sat down. Right then, the Coralde trading company coachman, Chuck, appeared. ¡°The guild is fine with interviewing you later, apparently, so we can go back to town if we want. We don¡¯t know if they¡¯ll let the gryphon in town, however. What will you do?¡± ¡°Oh, I see.¡± Being the group¡¯s leader, position-wise, Chuck spoke to Roa. The latter gave a brief reply, then reflected a little. It was obvious that they didn¡¯t know if they would let the gryphon in town. Any subjugated magic beast, unless it was extremely weak, would never be let inside immediately. Normally they would have to camp outside town for a few days to check its behavior. The Subjugation Collar¡¯s effects were trusted, but for the sake of safety such measures were taken all the same. Moreover, in case of a high-rank magic beast like the gryphon, normally their movement inside the city was limited. When Grandpa Gry was with Crack of Dawn, it was only allowed to move between the party¡¯s mansion and the city gates. They were also instructed to use roads as far away from public facilities as possible. Grandpa Gry was already well known as a servant beast, but that was under Crack of Dawn¡¯s tamer, Eric. If it was presented as Roa¡¯s servant beast, it was highly likely that they would not let them in town. ¡°If we go now, we will be forced to camp outside, I guess. What should I do¡­?¡± It was already past noon. By the time they arrived in town, the gates would surely already be closed for the day. Based on the horse carriages¡¯ speed, they would arrive in the evening. In case of emergency reports, people were allowed inside even after the gates were closed, but their current situation was different. They could try bribing the gate guards with some gold, but it was not necessary to go so far at the moment. ¡°Let¡¯s move. The air feels ¡°nasty¡± here.¡± Kristoff whispered while glancing at the Adventurers¡¯ Guild staff. Thanks to his training as scout, he was very sensitive to the atmosphere around them. The guild¡¯s people clearly viewed Roa, Nostalgia and the Coralde company coachmen as abnormal. The freely moving gryphon was a source of fear, but also of irritation. ¡°Yeah, I agree. We should leave.¡± Dietrich agreed, but it was because he was concerned about Roa. He estimated that the party who went in the Norfar valley to investigate it would be back soon enough. They would definitely come back with news of Crack of Dawn¡¯s demise. Dietrich thought that it was surely better for Roa and the servant beasts to not be there then. It would be cause for trouble and could also affect Roa mentally. Dietrich hoped for Roa to agree with his proposal of leaving, while not noticing his true reasons. ¡°I agree too, we should leave. There¡¯s the Magic Bag thing too¡­¡± Cornelia was concerned about the limits of the Magic Bags. The ones they had were modified by Grandpa Gry to remove their capacity limits. They could exceed their limits and break down anytime. If they did, all their contents would spill everywhere. Their contents were great quantities of silver and mithril. If the Adventurers¡¯ Guild staff found out, it would definitely start a huge commotion. Lastly, Grandpa Gry shouted. Roa nodded to his surroundings. ¡°Understood, let¡¯s go. Let¡¯s use the most suitable road, considering that we will camp outside town.¡± The location proposed by Grandpa Gry was perfect for setting up camp. It was a flower field, but it wasn¡¯t under human management; it was just a natural wide grassfield. Its vegetation was very rich and flowers bloomed all year, barring winter. It was also a gently sloping hill spanning several kilometers, so it was called ¡°Floural Hill¡±. ¡°How about camping on the Floural Hill?¡± Roa presented Grandpa Gry¡¯s proposal to Chuck, while making sure not to show any reactions to the gryphon. It would be a detour, but they were in no rush. More than anything, Roa wanted to gather camilles too. Their aroma improved sleep quality and they were delicious in tea as well. They could also be used in magic potions with calming qualities. If there was the chance, he would very much like to gather some. ¡°Let¡¯s do that, then. How many years has it been since I last camped on Floural Hill¡­? Sleeping there feels really good, with the flowers¡¯ scent and all, but it¡¯s so close to the city that it¡¯s rarely used.¡± Chuck agreed too. It was perfect as a camping spot, but, because of the reasons Chuck stated, very few used it. It was more suited for picnics. ¡°Okay then, let¡¯s finish eating and prep¡­¡± A tremor. Before Roa could finish his sentence, the earth shook. ¡°An earthquake!? Everyone, take cover!¡± Dietrich quickly gave orders. The shouts of other leader-like members of each group present could be heard. The quake, however, settled after an instant. There was no need to take cover. Earthquakes and tremors did not occur often in the area, but were not exactly rare. If they weren¡¯t too strong, there wouldn¡¯t be problems, or so everyone thought. As it stopped quickly, everyone thought it was a weak one, so no one was concerned. ¡°¡­looks like it settled. Let¡¯s finish eating and prepare to leave.¡± After Roa spoke, everyone continued eating, as if nothing had happened. Only Grandpa Gry, however, tried its hardest to keep a smile on its beak, as it acted natural while looking towards the forest. Volume 2 - CH 7.2 The grassfield¡¯s flowers shone orange in the evening sun. When Roa¡¯s group arrived at Floural Hill, it was almost evening. As soon as the horse carriage stopped, Roa bolted out with a basket and started quickly gathering camilles. He wanted to pick a basketful before the sun set. ¡°Look at him go¡­¡± Nostalgia¡¯s members laughed wryly while looking at Roa, whom they were supposed to escort, rushed out without making sure the surroundings were safe. However, the wolf twins were at his side, so they didn¡¯t stop him from going far from them. They knew well how strong the twins were, as well as how loyal they were to Roa. With the twins around, Roa would be safe even without Nostalgia protecting him. Grandpa Gry was also guarding the surroundings. There was no need to grapple Roa to keep him still, as they were on their way to the forest. The coachmen released the horses from the carriage and started caring for them. In the meanwhile, Nostalgia¡¯s members set up tents, lit a fire and prepared to camp. As for Grandpa Gry¡­ Suddenly, thunder roared. After the completely calm comment, Nostalgia looked towards the source of the sound and found a large dent, spanning dozens of meters, formed in the blooming grassfield. The ground was now shaped like a mortar, but the plants in it were unaffected. ¡°Eh? What??¡± Roa hurried to the source of the sound¡­Grandpa Gry itself. Grandpa Gry laughed to change the topic, but did not dare look at Roa¡¯s eyes. ¡°Grandpa Gry?¡± A retort just like a little kid found in the middle of a prank. ¡°Rather than that, that was magic you never used before? Why now?¡± Roa inquired why Grandpa Gry would try such a spell at a time like that. He knew he had to scold Grandpa Gry, but he was more interested in why it would do that. <¡­.thanks to the contract between us, I can now use new kinds of magic! Of course I would be itching to try it out!> ¡°You can use new kinds of magic?¡± ¡°Human nature¡­?¡± Grandpa Gry, you¡¯re a magic beast, aren¡¯t you¡­? Roa mentally reacted like that, but then thought about what Grandpa Gry said. The contract¡¯s magic share involved not only magic power, but also elemental magic. The only thing Roa possessed in great quantity was the number of elements he could use: his magic power was little and he had never been trained, however, so he couldn¡¯t even perform the most basic offensive spells. On the other hand, as he had repeatedly used what little magic power he had in delicate work when making magic potions, it could be said that he was a genius at magic manipulation. It was said that with enough training, anyone could learn to use all elements of magic. In actuality, affinity was a real issue. It affected what elements could be effectively used: if affinity was bad growth would be extremely slow, so each person ended up with elements they couldn¡¯t effectively use. ¡°Grandpa Gry, what elements could you use until now?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Roa became lost in thought, so his reply seemed uninterested. Roa often used ¡°Fire¡±, ¡°Water¡±, ¡°Lightning¡±, ¡°Earth¡± and ¡°Ice¡±; he couldn¡¯t actually freeze things, but he could cool them down. He could also use a little bit of ¡°Light¡±, to the extent of making his surroundings brighter. He never uses mental manipulation magic on humans, but he could make magic potions with such effects. He wasn¡¯t aware of it, but if he could make magic potions that affected the mind, he probably could use magic of the same type as well. There were also other similar types, which he didn¡¯t test himself but produced results that suggested he could use them. Roa thought this far and suddenly felt scared. Grandpa Gry¡¯s magic power easily exceeded any human¡¯s. Not even great wizards could compare. All magic beasts possessed larger quantities of magic power than humans in the first place. Its magic manipulation was first class too. It had sliced through a Mithril Golem with a basic spell, after all. It could also create original advanced spell formulae. Seeing how easily it modified the Magic Bag¡¯s formula, there was no doubt about it. If Grandpa Gry started freely experimenting with all the new elements it had obtained¡­ Things would turn very bad, very quickly. ¡°You are hereby forbidden from using new magic without my permission!! Or I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll make one mess after another!! Got it?¡± Roa¡¯s words created an utterly displeased expression on Grandpa Gry¡¯s face. ¡°I know that you¡¯re eager to experiment, so I won¡¯t tell you not to. But don¡¯t do it without asking! If you don¡¯t obey, then no meals for you!¡± Roa¡¯s curiosity towards the unknown was even stronger than Grandpa Gry¡¯s. Or rather, it was bottomless. To restrain such an urge was difficult: for Roa, it would be like torture. That was why he couldn¡¯t completely outlaw Grandpa Gry¡¯s actions. <¡­I suppose there is no other way¡­> ¡°It¡¯s a promise, then.¡± Roa smiled to Grandpa Gry, judging that the case was closed. Grandpa Gry seemed to accept the restriction, as it wasn¡¯t completely banned from experimenting. ¡­.there were certain people, however, who were dissatisfied with such a conclusion. Nostalgia¡¯s members, of course. They gathered together and whispered among themselves. ¡°Hey, boss¡­can we really leave things like that?¡± ¡°We can¡¯t, can we? Roa can make magic potions, so he can use all sorts of elements, right? Depending on the element, it could cause serious damage¡­ ¡± ¡°Simply wonderful! To create such a hole with basic earth magic¡­! To create holes without scattering the ground in the surroundings is a very advanced skill. Because you need to instantly compress the ground and turn it into rock! To do so in such a casual manner¡­! As expected of Lord Grandpa Gry!¡± ¡°Bernhart¡­there¡¯s nothing wonderful at all here, so stop. If it goes on a rampage with all other elements it can use, it¡¯ll be a catastrophe¡­¡± Kristoff and Cornelia looked dead serious, but Bernhart did not seem concerned in the slightest. On the contrary, he was overjoyed. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we tell Roa to forbid it from experimenting altogether?¡± They knew that saying anything directly to Grandpa Gry would be meaningless, so Dietrich agreed that relying on Roa was the only way. This, however, created another cause for worry. ¡°Even if we can convince Roa, if the gryphon learns we told him, what will happen to us¡­?¡± Kristoff¡¯s worry had solid grounds to exist. ¡°So? We just let them be?¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Dietrich was at a loss for words. They continued discussing the topic, making sure Roa -who returned to gathering camilles- didn¡¯t hear them, but couldn¡¯t agree on a course of action. In the end, Nostalgia discussed it several more times, where Roa and the servant beasts couldn¡¯t hear, but no conclusion was ever reached¡­ ? Meanwhile, back at Norfar valley, the Adventurers¡¯ Guild search & rescue party was advancing deeper into the valley. The setting sun turned the whole valley bright orange. While it was called a ¡°search & rescue party¡±, only a few of the guild staff members were actually specialized. The rest were normal adventurers, some of them with scout expertise suited for searching, and their party members. ¡°There¡¯s something there¡­¡± One of the adventurers pointed towards the direction they were headed to¡­deep into the valley. There was indeed something, reflecting the evening sunlight. They proceeded quickly, making sure to check the surroundings for any threats. ¡°¡­what the¡­hell is this¡­?¡± Masses of silver. A number of Silver Golem corpses, enough to cover the whole area. ¡°¡­..whoa¡­..¡± No other words could be said. Illuminated by dusk, the golem remains appeared simply unreal. Some of the party members were enchanted by their beauty, others by how much they could be worth, others by the fear towards whoever defeated them. The members¡¯ reactions were varied, but they all swallowed their breath and looked at the surroundings, speechless. The silence continued for a while. ¡°¡­.hey!!¡± One of the men suddenly shouted. ¡°There¡¯s someone collapsed over there!¡± All members then moved. If there was someone there, it had to be one of the people they were tasked with searching for. The search & rescue party had been sent to the valley precisely to look for the Hero Party Crack of Dawn. Around the location where there were people on the ground, the number of golem corpses was very small, almost as if something separated the two areas. ¡°There¡¯s someone here too!¡± ¡°Here too!¡± One after the other, collapsed people were found. Those responsible for the discovery all had sour expressions on their faces: the condition of those they found was far from the norm. They had been clearly mauled on and stomped by a large number of golems. Their limbs were twisted in unnatural directions, their bodies were crushed here and there. They had also lost a lot of blood, so from a distance they looked like nothing but corpses. ¡°This one¡¯s alive!¡± ¡°Wait!!!¡± One of the men found a woman near a strange mass of wreckage and approached her, but someone else intimated him to stop. ¡°¡­the stuff pooling around her is magic potions? There¡¯s a lot of shattered bottles, right?¡± The reason why he spotted the other man was the liquid pooling around the woman. Most magic potion containers had unique shapes, so they were easily spotted. The man had noticed that there were many such containers among the shattered wreckage. As they were many kinds of containers, there were probably multiple kinds of potions mixed together. It was impossible to tell what would happen if you drank such a mixture. The woman was lying in the middle of such a puddle. ¡°Don¡¯t touch it with your bare hands, or you might get poisoned.¡± Most magic potions became effective after being drunk, but that was not all. Their effects appeared also if they were absorbed through wounds or skin, and some of them even after they were only smelled. The most feared effect of such a large mixture of magic potions was ¡°Magic Poisoning¡±. If a human was subjected to large quantity of magic potions or magic, they went into the state called Magic Stupor. If such a state worsened even more, it turned into Magic Poisoning. If a human contracted Magic Poisoning, they wouldn¡¯t be affected by magic recovery unless the poisoning healed: not only recovery, but they would become impervious to the effects of any kind of magic and suffer even more pain than in a state of Magic Stupor. It could also take weeks until Magic Poisoning wore off completely. The time needed until recovery depended on the amount of magic one was subjected to, so dipping in such a large amount of magic potion probably meant it would take months, even years to recover. For adventurers, who often made use of recovery magic and potions, it was one of the worst case scenarios they could encounter. ¡°What should we do?¡± What they would do was already decided, however. They were a rescue party, so they had no choice but to rescue her. The men nodded to each other and stepped, protected by their boots, in the magic potion puddle, carefully, then grabbed the woman by her clothes, where they weren¡¯t wet. They gave up un lifting her, as her clothes would get ripped, and dragged her out of the magic potion liquid in one pull. The woman¡¯s body would get bruised, but it was not the time to worry about that. She was already wounded and bloody, so she won¡¯t complain about a few more bruises, probably. ¡°This is Bonne, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, I think so.¡± The adventurers talked while looking at the muddy face of the woman they dragged out. Her features were so different it was difficult to recognize her. Not only her face changed, though: her arms and legs were fractured, twisted in abnormal shapes. Her torso was probably wounded too, as her clothes were red with blood. She was still alive, however. She was unconscious, but detection magic registered her as a living being and she still had a pulse. Her wounds made it seem a mystery that she was still alive, but she was. The magic potion mixture probably saved her life in a sort of miracle. ¡°¡­.damn¡­wasn¡¯t it better for her if she died¡­?¡± One of the men muttered. ¡°She¡¯s definitely in Magic Poisoning too. With so many potions, it¡¯ll take months¡­or even years.¡± Recovery magic or potions did not affect those suffering due to Magic Poisoning. In a world where the progress of medicine was slow, due to the existence of recovery magic, there was no way to cure such grave injuries without magic. The multiple bone fractures and larger wounds would never heal completely, the damaged muscles and nerves would never return to normal. To make things even worse, the partially healed wounds could not be affected by recovery magic or potions. The partially healed state would be perceived as a natural state, so the power of magic would try to return to such an ¡°original¡± state. In order to truly heal them, advanced recovery magic would be necessary, but it was so valuable that even nobles struggled to obtain it. Even if the Magic Poisoning wore off, her body would remain damaged, her wounds never heal. ¡°What terrible luck to end up in such a state¡­¡± ¡°Luck? They were the lucky ones. They got the Hero Party title and all. I guess their luck ran out then.¡± ¡°It ended? They ¡®threw it out¡¯, didn¡¯t they?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± The face of the All-Rounder surfaced in the men¡¯s minds. Despite being in the same location, some people could leave the forest safe and sound, despite the disturbance that happened in it. One of them even used to belong to the Crack of Dawn party and picked up their servant beasts in the forest. The luck that Crack of Dawn threw out definitely had human form¡­ Volume 2 - CH 7.3 Dawn broke out. Roa¡¯s group had spent the night on Floural Hill. There was nothing other than plants on the hill, which allowed for a wide view of the surroundings, so there was nowhere magic beasts or bandits could hide. Roa¡¯s group spent such a peaceful time that the events in the forest seemed almost like a dream. Roa was woken up by Grandpa Gry¡¯s voice. The others slept in tents, with only Roa sleeping with the servant beasts. He fell asleep using Grandpa Gry as pillow and its wings as blanket, with the wolf twins close by. However, when Roa woke up, Grandpa Gry was in front of him and he was sleeping while hugging the twins. ¡°¡­.what?¡± Still half asleep, Roa looked at the gryphon. Usually he would wake up first, so it was rare for him to be woken up by Grandpa Gry. Some trouble must have happened, so Roa stood up hurriedly. ¡°Morning.¡± Roa heard Cornelia¡¯s voice from behind Grandpa Gry. Kristoff was next to her too. With the servant beasts around, there was no need for anyone to stay awake to stand guard, but Nostalgia¡¯s members and the coachmen took turns all the same. Not being used to no one standing guard, they probably felt worried. Roa recalled that Cornelia and Kristoff were the last pair, who stood guard at dawn. He thought that Grandpa Gry called them, since they were awake. They both looked a bit sleepy. Floural Hill was said to be the harshest place to stand guard: the flowery scent and the peaceful atmosphere lulled people to sleep. The camilles, blooming in that season, had positive effects on sleeping, so standing guard on Floural Hill was a battle against sleep. ¡°Good morning, did something happen?¡± Roa yawned leisurely, then the twin wolves sleeping next to him woke up as well. Roa gently patted their heads.