Chapter 170
Chapter 170
After finishing everything we had to do, we came down the mountain.
As we neared the entrance, noisy voices reached us.
Three suspicious men were being stopped by the sentries. Judging by their attire, they didn’t seem to be imperial soldiers.
“What? You can’t even go in without a certificate?”
“Damn it, those entrenched privilege bastards. This is how they monopolize everything.”
“Then where the hell are we supposed to find Vedervel?”
They spat on the ground and, in the end, turned back without gaining anything.
When I approached the sentries, the two of them immediately straightened their posture and bowed their heads.
“Ah, welcome back. Young Master, Young Lady.”
“Who were those people just now?”
“They were adventurers from the outskirts, not from the Kirchen District.”
“There are quite a lot of people like that?”
“Ah, please don’t even get me started. It was quiet for a while, but this month, the number of adventurers attempting illegal entry has increased a lot.”
The sentry clicked his tongue while looking at them leaving.
“What’s the reason?”
“Well, probably…… that.”
The sentry pointed at the wall.
A flyer posted there caught my eye.
「The Empire’s Greatest Sword, First Knight Order Captain, Vedervel.
The last sighting was in Kirchen, famous as the natural habitat of Moonlight Herb.
Killing is prohibited. Upon capture only, 100,000 gold and the title of Imperial Royal Knight will be granted. If you provide eyewitness accounts or clues, a small reward will be given after verification.」
The only clue to Vedervel’s appearance was the blurry back view shown in the photo on the flyer.
Blue eyes flashing, silver mane-like hair fluttering in the wind.
Perhaps because she looked like a wolf.
It seemed she was also called the ‘Wolf Knight’.
「Wolf Knight, Vedervel.
A Sword Saint who rose to the position of First Knight Order Captain in just three years after receiving the Imperial Knight title.
The successor to the title of ‘The Empire’s Greatest Sword’ after the retirement of the Empire’s General, the Black Demon.
Currently missing, with the most recent sighting being in her hometown, Kirchen.」
While I was reading the flyer, the sentries spoke again.
“She’s probably hiding somewhere in Kirchen, and they’re trying every place they can to capture Lady Vedervel, don’t you think? Adventurers are curious by nature.”
“And they’re offering a whopping 100,000 gold, so it’s hard not to get greedy.”
“Hey, you idiot. Money isn’t the problem.”
The senior sentry scolded the junior.
“It’s an Imperial Royal Knight title. The post is at the Imperial Palace itself. Just the benefits alone can’t even be converted into money. On top of that, if you capture a Knight Order Captain, honor and achievements will follow all at once.”
“Y-yes, sir.”
The two continued their conversation.
“Senior, but why do you think Captain Vedervel keeps staying in Kirchen? The rumors have already spread, and adventurers from all over the country are gathering. It’s practically like she’s saying, ‘Come catch me,’ isn’t it?”
“Well. There must be a reason she can’t leave this place.”
“If it’s something important, couldn’t she just take it and run?”
“Idiot. She’s staying because she can’t take it with her.”
“Then what could it be?”
“If it’s something that easily catches people’s eyes and is hard to move…… wouldn’t it be something huge? Like a giant gold ingot.”
“If it’s hard to move, that makes sense.”
While they were chatting, they must have noticed me listening quietly, because they hurriedly bowed their heads.
“Ah, we talked too much, didn’t we? We’re really sorry.”
I gave a faint smile.
“It’s fine. I was curious anyway, so it was good to hear. It’s not a meal, but take this and have a quick bite.”
I handed them a cup filled with purple slush ice.
Since it wasn’t cold during the day, it should be fine to offer.
“This is…… what is it?”
“Slush.”
Lapin answered for me.
“Slush…… huh?”
“I’m going.”
“Good work.”
As Lapin and I started walking, the sentries bowed again.
“We’ll enjoy it. Thank you for the encouragement. Young Master, Young Lady!”
A moment later, a small shout came from behind us.
“Senior! This drink is insanely good! Out of everything I’ve eaten in my life…… s-senior? Why are you crying?”
“This blueberry…… it’s such a touching flavor, it reminds me of my mother back home……. I miss you, Mom…….”
“Senior……!”
I heard sniffles, but it didn’t feel negative.
……Well, as long as they enjoyed it, that was fine.
After walking a bit more, a bustling town in southern Kirchen came into view.
Perhaps because of the large floating population, business was in full swing.
‘We finished the raid earlier than expected…….’
Going straight back to the lodging like this felt like a waste. Since we were already in the south, it would be better to enjoy ourselves a bit more.
‘Come to think of it, we also have to do a food tour, right?’
I planned to try Kirchen’s specialty dishes and buy the recipes if they were good.
‘……And it feels like we’ll need at least one adventurer to travel with us.’
This time, while climbing Namsan, I realized something.
In the game, the process of climbing snowy mountains was skipped, but reality was different.
Namsan was manageable with just my senses, but other mountains would be a different story.
The difference in elevation alone was incomparable. I couldn’t take it lightly.
‘Yeah, we need someone with snowy mountain experience.’
To avoid problems during the snow mountain climb, it would be good to hire a mercenary.
Of course, I wasn’t determined to hire one no matter what. If a good opportunity came along, I’d hire one; if not, then so be it.
‘At least I should look into it.’
Places where adventurers usually gathered were always the guild-affiliated restaurants.
“Lapin. We haven’t eaten lunch yet, so should we check out the famous guild restaurant here?”
“Yeah, sure.”
When the word ‘restaurant’ came up, Lapin’s calm face lit up, her eyes sparkling.
As we headed toward the restaurant together, my gaze suddenly stopped at the wall.
Five people who looked like adventurers were gathered around something posted there.
When I glanced at it while passing by…… as expected, it was a flyer looking for Vedervel.
It was identical to the flyer posted on the wall at the Namsan entrance.
‘It’s not like Vedervel committed a crime and went missing.’
She wasn’t a criminal.
She had simply disappeared without a word, so they were trying to find her again.
Even so, she had been one of the Empire’s greatest military forces.
‘Anyway, Vedervel is hiding here, huh…….’
Adventurers and mercenaries must have heard the sightings of Vedervel and come all the way here, aiming for the reward.
‘But capture alive? Is that even possible? That would be extremely difficult.’
No, it wasn’t just difficult.
Capturing someone alive was several times—no, dozens of times—harder than killing them. Capturing a national-level force like Vedervel? If someone actually succeeded, then the position of the Empire’s Greatest Sword would have to be passed on to the captor.
Of course, no one would think a single person stood a chance, so there were probably people forming teams and ganging up with the idea of capturing Vedervel together.
But most of them likely hadn’t come here truly intending to catch Vedervel.
After crossing countless battles over and over like mercenaries and adventurers do, one eventually came to know their own limits better than anyone else. Everyone who survived was like that.
‘They’re probably here aiming for the reward just for providing clues.’
On top of that, Kirchen was famous as a natural habitat of Moonlight Herb.
For adventurers with herbal gathering skills, it was a convenient place to stop by while they were at it.
Anyway…… I, too, had no intention whatsoever of trying to capture Vedervel.
No matter how well I knew the攻略, the gap in overall power was obvious.
‘Yeah, even if the positions are the same, the difference in capability is enormous.’
That wasn’t limited to this case alone. It applied everywhere in society.
Even among cadets of the prestigious Yggdrasil, the combat power of top-ranked students and bottom-ranked students was starkly different.
The same applied to Imperial Knight Order Captains.
Thanks to the abilities of spirit beasts, I had been able to defeat Verdi, the weakest among the captains, but Luga, the former Knight Order Commander, and Vedervel, who had inherited the current title of the Empire’s Greatest Sword, were on an entirely different level.
Even if I used the abilities of spirit beasts, the reality was that I couldn’t leave so much as a small scratch on them.
Attempting to攻略 Vedervel would have been a waste of time, so giving up quickly was the wise choice.
“One Blessing of Eternal Snow!”
“Here too, Blessing of Eternal Snow!”
As expected, the guild restaurant was crowded with adventurers.
Nearly all the seats were taken, but fortunately, there was an empty table left in the corner.
I sat there with Lapin and opened the menu.
The signature dish was a steak called ‘Blessing of Eternal Snow’.
Lapin was also staring intently at the ‘Blessing of Eternal Snow’ on the table next to us.
“Two Blessings of Eternal Snow, please.”
Not long after placing the order, the food arrived.
The two of us took a bite almost at the same time.
It was hard to hold back an exclamation.
“Villed, it’s good.”
“……It’s pretty decent.”
The flavor of the sauce blending with the meat juices was impressive.
It was good enough to secure the recipe and apply it to other dishes as well.
It was while Lapin and I were happily enjoying our meal.
“Long time no see, my friend.”
“Polia!”
“Ah, Polia of the Wolf Helm!”
From a table some distance away, a name that stood out sharply reached my ears.
“Polia, you’re alive. It’s been almost several years, hasn’t it? I haven’t seen your name in the Adventurers’ Guild lately.”
“I went somewhere for closed-door training. I got frustrated and slipped out for a bit, though.”
Listening to their conversation from the table some distance away, I fell into thought for a moment.
‘Polia?’
……I’d heard the name before as a rumor in the game. She had been the name of a fairly famous adventurer.
When I turned my gaze toward the table where the voice had come from, I could see the person called ‘Polia’.
A woman with long black hair tied into a ponytail.
She looked to be in her thirties, young, slightly taller than average, with a well-balanced build.
Under a thick cloak draped over her shoulders, adventurer’s clothing designed for mobility was visible.
On one side, she carried a luggage bag holding something about the size of a bowling ball.
She continued speaking with a cheerful smile.
“It feels like every adventurer there is has gathered in Kirchen. There were so many familiar faces I hadn’t seen in a while, I was busy greeting everyone.”
“Polia, don’t you plan on returning? Your achievements are still spoken of as legends.”
“Returning…… I’m satisfied with my current life. It’s not retirement. I’ll think about when to go back later.”
After raising her beer mug in farewell, Polia left her seat.
After confirming that, I turned my gaze back to my table.
Step, step…….
The sound of boots drew closer. She was walking this way. I could strongly feel her gaze.
Before long, the footsteps stopped. It seemed she had stopped beside me.
And then…….
“Hey, kid.”
A low, relaxed voice.
“You’ve been staring for a while now. Did you want to talk with this Lady Polia?”
Thud—!
She casually sat down in the seat next to me.
“You’re a face I haven’t seen before. A rookie adventurer?”
From right beside me, I met her eyes as she smiled leisurely.