It’s been sunny for two days in a row.
I’m thinking of doing some work today, so I head to the guild’s bulletin board to check on the quests. Maybe I’ll start with jobs that have deadlines coming up soon.
I check out quests with deadlines within five days.
There are plenty of requests for gathering plants like medicinal herbs and flowers. Additionally, there’s a rare request for collecting honey.
Anya is good at gathering plants, and Mew-chan is skilled at collecting honey. So, I think I’ll choose a different quest.
Next, I check the quests with deadlines within ten days.
There’s one B-rank quest available.
I pick up the request paper. The reward is 67,500 gold. That’s quite a sum. Plus, it seems like a job with a decent amount of thrill and fun.
“Anya, do you want to come with me on this quest?” (Wilhelm)
Anya was busy preparing protective gear… against bees…?
“I’m sorry, but I have to rush to another quest today…” (Anya)
“Huh, did something happen?” (Wilhelm)
“The client just informed me of a large order for sweets, and they urgently need a lot of delicious honey… So, I’m going with Mew-chan to collect honey.” (Anya)
There was indeed a quest for honey collection.
It seems that the reward will be increased to meet the new deadline. That job is definitely more of a priority for her. She probably also wants to meet the client’s expectations.
“Wil-kun, I’ll go with you on that quest!” (Sofia)
Sofia-san, who had been helping Anya prepare, eagerly raised her hand. So, it was decided that Sofia-san and I would go on the quest together.
I walked through the town with Sofia.
It’s crowded because it’s the middle of the day. Walking while avoiding people is tiring, and the noisy chatter is overwhelming for a shut-in like me.
I tend to walk with my head down to avoid getting dizzy.
“Oh, look, there’s the saint from the church! Remember her? She’s the one who we made the throat medicine for the other day. Wait, why are you behind me now? Weren’t you walking beside me just a moment ago?” (Sofia)
Oh… busted.
“You’re all slumped over like a squid. Did the number of people make you sick?” (Sofia)
Caught red-handed.
“I was just admiring how gracefully you walk from behind.” (Wilhelm)
“Yeah yeah, tell me that when you’re not slumped over.” (Sofia)
Fair point.
To block out as much noise as possible, I pulled up my hood. It helped a bit, I guess.
I noticed a woman wearing a luxurious white robe at the edge of my vision. Oh right, Sofia-san mentioned the saint being here.
The saint was walking on the far side of the street.
“Wait, wasn’t the saint supposed to be in her fifties?” (Wilhelm)
“Huh? That saint retired last year. Being a saint is pretty demanding, so it seems tough as they age. Usually, they switch around fifty years old.” (Sofia)
“Oh, I see… I was a complete shut-in last year.” (Wilhelm)
“Ah, then you wouldn’t know. There was a succession ceremony and everything.” (Sofia)
A replacement, huh…
Hmm, I feel like I’ve seen that saint somewhere before…
No way… Is she really a saint? I find it hard to believe.
“By the way, is that saint’s name perhaps Edelweiss?” (Wilhelm)
“Yeah, that’s right. Huh? Do you know her, Wil-kun?” (Sofia)
“Yeah, I do. But is that really her name?” (Wilhelm)
“Yes…?” (Sofia)
“Were there no other candidates who seemed like they could become saints?” (Wilhelm)
“Hahaha, there are quite a few people like Wil-kun, who said stuff like that. But Edelweiss-san is properly carrying out her duties as a saint, you know?” (Sofia)
“Wow… That bad kid… I mean, tomboyish Edel-nee1, huh?” (Wilhelm)
Edel-nee and I have been friends since we were kids.
Although we’re a year apart in age, being nobles, and with our parents being close friends, we used to play together all the time.
It’s just that she’s been a bit of a troublemaker for a long time.
That same Edel-nee becoming a saint… It’s a story that’s hard to believe.
Since Edel-nee took a different path in life, we haven’t crossed paths.
◇
As soon as we left the northwest side of the city, we entered the forest.
Each tree is spaced apart, making it quite easy to walk through.
Maybe because of the good scenery, there are only small and laid-back monsters, like those that climb trees.
The sunlight shining through the trees is beautiful.
It’s quite a nice view. Walking through this place with a beautiful woman and a shut-in like me feels a bit too luxurious.
“I feel like it’s been a while since I’ve come this way for a quest.” (Sofia)
“Yeah, there aren’t many good materials around here. Even the monsters are scarce.” (Wilhelm)
“I know right?” (Sofia)
Sofia-san was walking along cheerfully, seemingly having a good time.
By the way, the quest we took on is to “Retrieve Red Cockatrice Eggs”.
Cockatrices are strong monsters that usually inhabit deeper parts of the mountains, but it seems that there’s an even stronger subspecies of females that have made a nest further ahead.
Apparently, a high-end restaurant wants to use the eggs from that nest for cooking.
By the way, cockatrices have the appearance of a chicken’s head and body with a snake-like tail. Ecologically, they’re about the same as chickens.
“But it’s kind of sad, isn’t it?” (Sofia)
“What do you mean?” (Wilhelm)
“We’re going to take eggs from their nest, right? If I were a monster, I’d be upset.” (Sofia)
“But there are only females in the nest, so they might not get angry even if we take the eggs, right?” (Wilhelm)
“Is that so?” (Sofia)
“Well, we’ll find out soon enough.” (Wilhelm)
By the way, infertile eggs won’t hatch no matter how long you incubate them. That’s why they’re perfect for consumption.
After walking for about twenty minutes, we arrived at a quite large spring.
It was a very beautiful spring.
It was a peaceful place where waterfowl2 floated leisurely.
There’s an impressive monument indicating that it’s managed by the country. I wonder why they’re managing a place like this. Perhaps it’s for landscape preservation.
“Huh? I think I’ve been here when I was little.” (Sofia)
“In this seemingly empty spring? Were you fishing or something?” (Wilhelm)
“Mm, not exactly. I came with Anya-chan’s mom, Angelina-san. Angelina-san was dancing gracefully above the water with her wings fluttering.” (Sofia)
“Are you sure it wasn’t a dream? People having wings is impossible, isn’t it?” (Wilhelm)
“Angelina-san was a priestess who offered prayers to the gods. She danced here as part of her ritual. Hmm, I feel like Angelina-san told me something important here. But it’s been so long that I can’t remember.” (Sofia)
Sofia thought for a moment, but it seemed she couldn’t recall anything important after all.
However, there were some things she remembered.
Angelina-san was a priestess who prayed to the gods for rain and abundance at this spring. Her prayers were performed through a beautiful dance using rare sword techniques.
And that dance was apparently a traditional cultural heritage that the country had long protected.
However, because it was a special culture passed down only to pure-hearted women through generations, with Angelina-san’s premature passing3, there was no successor to inherit it.
“Maybe the next successor was Sofia-san after all.” (Wilhelm)
“That could be, but if Angelina-san were alive, it might have been Anya-chan. That’s what I feel.” (Sofia)
Because it was a tradition, the country had protected this spring. It all makes sense now.
“Well then, shall we get back to the quest? The Red Cockatrice’s nest is on the opposite bank. Shall we swim across? Or should we go around the spring?” (Wilhelm)
Swimming would take too long, and going around the spring would also take nearly an hour. That’s how large the spring was.
“We don’t have to do that.” (Sofia)
Sofia-san waded into the water up to her ankles and then slashed at a large lotus leaf with her sword. It was a very big leaf.
Next, Sofia-san found a long branch from a nearby tree.
“What are you going to do with that?” (Wilhelm)
“It’s going to be our boat.” (Sofia)
Sofia-san floated the lotus leaf on the spring.
Then, she hopped onto the leaf. It swayed quite a bit, but it didn’t sink at all.
“Come on, Wil-kun, hurry up.” (Sofia)
“I’m a bit scared, to be honest.” (Wilhelm)
I hopped on. The lotus leaf wobbled quite a bit, but it didn’t sink.
Sofia-san used the tree branch to row the lotus leaf forward slowly.
“It’s quite a distance to the other side… Are you going to keep doing this all the way?” (Wilhelm)
“No, no. The monsters around here are generally friendly. Ah, look, here it comes.” (Sofia)
I looked in the direction Sofia-san was pointing, and two large eyeballs approached swiftly. To my surprise, it was a frog-like monster. It was about one size larger than me.
I didn’t want to fight on this kind of platform.
“Wil-kun, killing is prohibited here because this is a sacred spring.” (Sofia)
“But what about the monsters?” (Wilhelm)
“Well, just watch.” (Sofia)
The frog-like monster followed us and held onto the lotus leaf with both hands.
With a hop and a skip, it started swimming forward.
In other words, it was pushing us towards the opposite shore.
“Um, what’s going on? Isn’t this frog-like monster too kind?” (Wilhelm)
“Right? But hey, the world is vast, so it’s okay to have creatures like that, isn’t it?” (Sofia)
Other waterfowls swiftly approached us.
Sofia-san gently stroked the waterfowl with a kind gesture.
It’s unimaginable for wild animals to come near humans or monsters.
“What a mysterious experience.” (Wilhelm)
It’s a good thing I didn’t accidentally slash the frog. We were transported to the opposite shore quite easily.
We thanked the frog and continued into the forest.
The Red Cockatrice was enormous.
Perched atop its nest, it glared at us with eyes that seemed to threaten to devour us. Its body was covered in fiery red feathers that resembled burning flames, giving it an incredibly intimidating presence.
It was completely different from any Cockatrice I’d seen before.
Its body seemed to be about five times taller than that of a human. Even a regular Cockatrice is taller than an average adult, but not to this extent.
Given its immense size, there’s no doubt it’s incredibly powerful.
“Sofia-san, let’s use one of us as bait while the other retrieves the eggs.” (Wilhelm)
“Yeah, that sounds like a safe plan.” (Sofia)
“Then, Sofia-san, could you be the bait?” (Wilhelm)
“Eh? Why? Isn’t it usually the other way around?” (Sofia)
“I think you’re the right person for the job.” (Wilhelm)
“That’s not true. I’ll go get the eggs.” (Sofia)
There are plenty of eggs in the nest. All of them are large.
Just lifting one of them would be quite a feat. Are you sure you’ll be okay?
“Be careful, Red Cockatrices have poisonous tails shaped like snakes. Also, they shoot magic from their front mouths. It’s pretty dangerous.” (Wilhelm)
“Wait. Why are we assuming I’ll be the bait?” (Sofia)
“Because you look tastier as bait than I do.” (Wilhelm)
“Don’t say that while staring at my chest! Besides, that creature is female, right? I doubt it’s interested in breasts.” (Sofia)
“You never know, right?” (Wilhelm)
“Gwaaah!” (Cockatrice)
“See, it reacted! It means it’s interested!” (Wilhelm)
“It was just trying to intimidate us!” (Sofia)
I picked up a nearby stone, about the size of my fist. It would hurt if it hit. I planned to throw it at the creature.
“It can’t be helped, I’ll be the bait then. I’m going to throw this right now.” (Wilhelm)
“Alright, I’ll go get the eggs! Leave it to me!” (Sofia)
“Yeah. But if you end up being chased, I’ll get the eggs instead.” (Wilhelm)
“Okay, that works. Just make sure to come save me quickly if that happens!” (Sofia)
“Of course. Prepare yourself. Ready—Go!” (Wilhelm)
I enhanced my physical abilities with magic and hurled the stone at the Red Cockatrice’s face.
“Gywwaaah!” (Cockatrice)
The Red Cockatrice’s eyes widened, and then it immediately glared at me.
I pointed at Sofia-san.
“It was her!” (Wilhelm)
“W-W-What are you talking about?!” (Sofia)
“Gwaaaaahhhhhhh!” (Cockatrice)
“Don’t you believe him! Look, he did it! You definitely saw him do it just now!” (Sofia)
The Red Cockatrice emerged from its nest, menacingly advancing towards us.
“Let’s split up!” (Wilhelm)
“Huh? What? Whyyyyy? Just defeat it already!” (Sofia)
“If we do that, we might not get any more egg requests! Resource conservation is important!” (Wilhelm)
I moved away from Sofia-san, who seemed hesitant to act.
Now, Red Cockatrice. Which way are you going to go?
Ah, damn it. It’s coming towards me.
“Haha, that’s karma. I’ll make sure to get the eggs, so do your best!” (Sofia)
“That’s weird. Good karma usually pays off. Well then, please take care of the eggs!” (Wilhelm)
Well, this is probably the safest outcome. I started running.
Wow, this is intense. It feels like I’m being chased by a giant monster. The Red Cockatrice is kicking up dust as it thunders after me.
If it catches me, I’ll probably get eaten. Hahaha, but I’m skilled enough not to get caught.
Let’s enjoy the thrill for a while.
Huh? The Red Cockatrice slammed on the brakes. Then it quickly turned back. Towards the nest.
Oh, Sofia-san is walking with the egg in her arms.
“Huh? Wait a minute? No wayyy!” (Sofia)
“Sofia-san, just run away as fast as you can!” (Wilhelm)
“It’s impossibleeeee. It’s a B-rank monster!” (Sofia)
“You don’t have to fight. Just run away!” (Wilhelm)
Without needing to be told, Sofia quickly dashes away. With the Red Cockatrice’s large egg held against her stomach, she runs at a furious speed.
Ah… her breasts are too big, making it difficult to hold the egg.
She probably didn’t have time to put the egg in her magic backpack. Or maybe it was too big to fit through the backpack’s opening.
“Nooooooo, I’m going to be eaten! I’m definitely going to be eaten! And I’m not bragging, but my breats are too big and it’s hard to run!” (Sofia)
“Even though your breasts are bouncing the egg around, please don’t drop it. We can’t deliver it if it’s damaged!” (Wilhelm)
“I know, but it’s really hard!” (Sofia)
“Gueeeeeeeeeee!” (Wilhelm)
It’s angry. Oh, it’s angry alright.
Ah, it shot flames from its mouth.
“Sofia-san, jump to the left!” (Wilhelm)
“Eeeek! That was close! My clothes got burned a bit!” (Sofia)
“But nice dodge!” (Wilhelm)
“If you can catch up, then help meeeee!” (Sofia)
“I didn’t want to interrupt when you were so focused.” (Wilhelm)
“You were totally enjoying the show, weren’t you? Here, take this!” (Sofia)
“Well, I guess I have no choice.” (Wilhelm)
I grabbed the egg and ran. It’s incredibly difficult to run like this. Sofia-san did an amazing job running at that speed in this condition. She’s been a guild warrior for a long time, after all.
I can see the spring ahead.
There’s the lotus leaf we rode on earlier. Let’s use that to get back.
“Sofia-san, please get on the lotus leaf and move ahead. Here, you have the egg.” (Wilhelm)
“What about you, Wil-kun?” (Sofia)
“I’ll keep that thing busy.” (Wilhelm)
I slammed on the brakes and turned around. The enraged Red Cockatrice was charging at full speed.
Let’s give it a little surprise.
This is one of the Hero’s Divine Sword techniques. Although it doesn’t involve an actual sword, it’s a magical technique the Hero was skilled at for escaping.
I gathered magic into my right hand, forming a shining white orb.
“I’m sorry for causing a disturbance in your nest. But it’ll fetch a good price, so I’ll be back to bother you again someday. Take this! [Flashball]!” (Wilhelm)
I hurled the magical orb at the Red Cockatrice’s face while closing my eyes.
Upon impact, the magical orb exploded with an astonishingly intense light.
The explosion had no real power, but the light spread explosively enough to blind anyone who had their eyes open.
My vision was completely overwhelmed by the light.
Taking advantage of the brightness, I turned around and ran.
I heard the sound of the Red Cockatrice collapsing. Perhaps it was startled and fainted.
We arrived at the spring.
I opened my eyes and leaped onto the lotus leaf with vigor.
The leaf swayed significantly. Sofia-san, holding the egg, grabbed onto me tightly to avoid falling.
The nearby waterfowls fluttered into the air.
Wow, it’s impressive how they all spread their wings and flew together. It was a magnificent sight. I could hear Sofia-san’s awe in admiration
The frog swam up, seeming ready to push us again.
“Quest complete!” (Wilhelm)
I held up a fist whil Sofia-san responded by bumping her fist against mine.
“Mou, I thought I was going to die from your antics, Wil-kun.” (Sofia)
“But it was still a good experience, wasn’t it?” (Wilhelm)
“Huh? Was it?” (Sofia)
Oh? Sofia-san seems a bit down. Perhaps she’s tired. She’s gazing absentmindedly at the waterfowls.
The waterfowls are each landing gracefully one by one in the center of the spring, a bit further away. Quite an elegant descent.
“Ah, I remember… now.” (Sofia)
“Remember what?” (Wilhelm)
“Angelina-san’s sword technique.” (Sofia)
“Huh? Why does watching the waterfowls remind you of that?” (Wilhelm)
“Well, because the name of her technique was [Waterfowl’s Swift Blade].” (Sofia)
“[Waterfowl’s Swift Blade]…?” (Wilhelm)
It was the first time I heard about that sword technique.
Well, that makes sense. Since it’s traditionally passed down to only one woman, there’s no way I would know about it.
“I remember now. I saw Angelina-san perform [Waterfowl’s Swift Blade] here. I completely forgot that I was supposed to ask her something important then.” (Sofia)
Sofia-san looked at the spring with a nostalgic expression.
“Angelina-san told me something. She said that the lineage might end with her, so she wanted to leave behind the secret scroll of the [Waterfowl’s Swift Blade]. She asked me to read that scroll and teach it to Anya-chan someday.” (Sofia)
“A secret scroll? Is there really such a thing?” (Wilhelm)
“Yeah, let’s try to find it. We have to pass it on to Anya-chan.” (Sofia)
It’s reassuring to know that there’s a secret scroll.
I am, after all, a remarkable man who resurrected ancient magic using research materials left behind by the Demon Lord. So if there’s a secret scroll, I should be able to revive it. The traditional sword technique, the [Waterfowl’s Swift Blade]…
Upon returning to the guild, I immediately searched the bookshelves. However, I couldn’t find the secret scroll anywhere.
I didn’t expect this. Perhaps it’s buried somewhere deep so I might not be able to find it until the year-end major cleanup…
TL Notes:
Thanks for reading!
A random childhood friend revelation?! I mean, that’s so late but I like childhood friend characters so I’m looking forward to their interaction. It sounds like she’s the onee-san kind of character who likes to tease MC.
Apparently, Edelweiss is pronounced “ay·dull·vice”.
Also, I already bought Vol 3 cause I know I’ll definitely translate it and it was on a small discount. And let’s just say that the illustrations are really nice.
You know what, I’ll just share it with you guys, cause the illustrations doesn’t really spoil anything big in V3. I really want to know what led to that Anya & Clara one tho HAHAHAHA.