Episode 21 One Set of Equipment 『Twilight Series』
「Gughh......」
After beheading the Griffin, Kian crumpled to the ground, leaning on his axe.
Right next to him, the body of a headless beast was bleeding profusely.
「*pant*, *pant* ......」
He tried to support his body with his arms but failed.
Next to the pool of blood, Kian fell on his back and opened his mouth wide, letting his chest rise and fall.
A tremendous sense of emptiness.
It is proof that the magic power that is the source of life is in a state of depletion.
『Are you all right?』
「......!」
He almost fainted for a moment, but the voice of the glasses brought him back and he reached for the pouch on his waist.
Pulling out a bamboo tube from inside, he sucked the stopper of the drinking vessel with his teeth and pulled it out. A sweet aroma softly pervaded the air.
The tiger's energizer.
It was a special blend made by Arueno that would give him the energy of a monster if he drank it.
The solution contains ingredients found in tea and coffee, honey, and ginseng juice from the east.
This one bottle cost five times as much as a painkiller.
「――――」
He forced himself to drink the liquid inside.
He didn't know what it tasted like.
When the bamboo tube was empty, Kian fell on his back again, breathing hard.
「No way, man. He really did it all by himself. ......」
When he opened his eyes to see the presence of someone nearby, he saw Robert cowering out from behind the windmill.
He was still covered in blood.
I wondered if he felt strong pain just by moving his foot one step, and his bear-like face twisted into an even scarier look.
「H-hey, are you okay, man?」
「............. Use it.」
When Robert looked into his face with concern, Kian took out a painkiller and a blood-reducing ointment from his pouch and gave them to him.
「You don't have to use the ointment. But be sure to take the painkiller. It will make you dizzy, but the pain will go away.」
「B-But, hey, it's yours, right?」
「It's just that my magic is depleted. I'm not seriously injured. The blood on my body is all this Griffin.」
Kian points at Griffin and pulls himself up.
「Hey, where are you going?」
「To the riverbed. To pick some Thyme leaves.」
You should take your medicine, he said, and Kian went to pick some herbs under the windmill.
『What are you doing?』
(Thyme stalks are chewed in the beaks of Griffins. It's a lesson Azrair taught me so I wouldn't have to worry about food in the afterlife .......)
Feed Griffin's heavy head with grass and tie it up with a piece of cloth.
He also made a loop to make it easier to hold in his hand since he need to bring it back to the guild as proof of suppression.
『What about Griffin's corpse?』
(Neither Robert nor I am in any condition to use our strength for dismantling. Griffin's claws and muscle fibers can be used to make all sorts of tools, but this time I have to give up..)
As for disposing of the carcasses, ...... the only beasts that would come smelling of Griffin blood would be dead demons.
They'll take care of the meat.
And unlike Funnelwing and the others, we're far from the city streets.
『What about the ancient equipment?』
「Come to think of it, I think they were lying around here.」
『Indeed. It's armor, but it's pretty light and easy to carry around.』
At the glasses' words, Kian looked down at his bloody cloth armor.
It is indeed disgusting.
And if he's going to be returning with Robert on his backs, he'd better have some good equipment.
「All right, let's go get it. Where is it?」
『First floor of the windmill. Behind the spiral staircase. If you wear glasses, you can break the illusion.』
Kian nodded and stepped over the window of the collapsed windmill and went inside.
× × ×
The illusion was broken with stunning ease.
There was a broken stone floor behind the stairs.
When he removed it, he found a black garment that had been carefully folded.
He reached out and touched it, and felt the moist feel of leather.
「A leather coat and wedge mail. Light clothing, huh.」
Kian muttered as he unfolded the equipment he had pulled out.
It was made of the leather of a magical beast that he had never seen or heard of before.
The coat was pure black and looked elegant.
It didn't look dirty even though it was tucked away under this tattered hut.
As he touched it here and there with his Griffin's blood-soaked hand to check it out, the leather coat suddenly pulsed with a thud, wiping away the blood as if absorbing it.
「――――!?」
(This equipment, the fabric is alive!?)
『It is a piece of equipment made from the skin of Remi Cain's Elder self』
「Remi Cain?」
Kian frowned.
The white light coming through the window illuminated the dusty room.
(Remi Cain is an advanced vampire. It has no intelligence but is a powerful monster with the special ability to assimilate the surrounding scenery. And this Elder individual?)
It's the kind of thing that, as soon as it's discovered, the State Knights and parties of higher rank will immediately come to take it down.
『Correct. In ancient times, Remi Cain was a common demon. The Elder Individuals were bigger and wiser. They also possessed special abilities that they had refined over hundreds of years. There were only a few of them, as you can imagine,....... The armor inherits the properties of Remi Cain. The word "Remi" means "Shade". It suppresses the wearer's body heat and emanates magic power, making it difficult for others to detect the wearer's presence - a covert ability. If you use it in the dark, it will make you difficult to be detected visually.』
「It's a very thin fabric, but. ...... How about its protection performance?」
『It is much tougher than your rags. While it is resistant to steel weapons, water, and cold, it is quite weak against fire and silver due to the characteristics of the monster it was made from. If you catch the blood of an enemy, this equipment will absorb it and regenerate the torn fabric, and temporarily strengthening the armor's properties. There are no great abilities in terms of combat, but it is light and has many pockets and holders on the inside to hold a lot of tools. The fabric breaks down and absorbs dirt, making it a very useful piece of equipment. It also looks like an elegant leather coat, which is quite nice.』
「Hmm, it certainly doesn't compare in appearance to the hobo gear I've been using.」
『It's called the 『Twilight Series』. A Scarf of Twilight, Coat of Twilight, Gloves of Twilight, Armor of Twilight, Leggings of Twilight, and Boots of Twilight. It's ancient, general-purpose travel gear.』
「Let's try it on for now. The size seems to fit perfectly.」
Kian took off his ragged gear, which was soaked in Griffin's blood, and removed the knives and medicine bottles he had stored in it.
He then quickly put on the 『Twilight Series』.
「Ohhhh, ....... It's quite comfortable to the touch.」
He muttered and looked down at the leather coat that has fabric up to his knees.
The fur on the inside is soft.
When he touched the outside, he found that it was sturdier than it looked, and it protected most of his body well.
The collar was tight around his neck, and the long fabric around his arms protected his wrists as well.
The scarf seemed to keep him warm as well.
Above all, it was much lighter than the rags he had used before.
The previous one was not as light as it looked because he had made his own holders and protective steel plates.
『Try a quick jump backward.』
「............, ho.」
Kian pushed up the bridge of his glasses.
With a quick leap behind him, the fabric of his coat became a haze of black mist.
He barely felt the resistance of the air.
『With no resistance, the speed of the blink must have increased. The wind noise made by the equipment has also disappeared, making it easier for you to hide.』
「This is good equipment. I'm sorry I ever called you a piece of shit..」
『You have finally realized my power.』
「So, what kind of equipment is said to be buried in the Rose Labyrinth? Is there any useful equipment for mages?」
『The equipment buried in there is for swordsmen who specialize in fighting mages. While it has excellent anti-magic power, its physical defense is not that different from the 『Twilight Series』. The equipment for mages is ...... I'll tell you about it when we're close to that equipment. I won't tell you now.』
「I see. Well, I'm just happy I got this equipment. Well done, clanker glasses.」
Kian said in a good mood and looked again at the hole where the equipment was stored.
He thought that since it was a complete set, there must be some weapons buried in there.
Unfortunately, he couldn't find any swords, but instead, he found a leather bag full of something and a folded letter.
「A bag of coins and a letter. The letter was written in a script I didn't recognize. An ancient language ......? The coins were all ...... copper coins. They are much older than the large copper coins and ordinary copper coins that are used today. They were minted -- five hundred years ago!?」
Silver coins could be redeemed at a high price depending on their content, but even if copper coins could be redeemed, it was unlikely that much money would be expected.
In the first place, the East End is a town for adventurers, and bankers and money changers have no business there, so they are unlikely to be found. You might be able to find a banker or two in the fortress of the Count of Ezerland, though.
「Five hundred years ago ...... the vampire Remi Cain's equipment.」
Kian frowned as he tucked the bag of coins around his waist.
(The letter is illegible, but there are several spots of blood on the paper. The person who wrote this was most likely seriously injured. If what the glasses say is correct, the 『Twilight Series』 is traveling gear. They were traveling and suffered some kind of accident and ran out of power here. ......?)
Kian blinked.
Fuuhh, suddenly, he thought he saw white ashes, like powdered bones, scattered in the wind.
「.........Hey, Glasses. How come the travelers who used this equipment didn't have any kind of silver coins with them? It's quite heavy with all those copper coins.」
『Who knows? He must have had a problem with silver.』
「............. Not good with silver. And while this guy had armor, he didn't have any kind of weapon.」
(He had sharper weapons on his body than steel weapons: ......? He may have been a mage, but mages would have at least one wand buried in his body.)
Kian narrowed his eyes.
「......The techniques and armaments you introduce me to are somehow related to vampires.」
『It's a small matter, I suppose. The important thing is whether you need it or not. If you're creeped out by me, you can sell me at a stall in the East End. As for me, I would love to have more exciting adventures with you.』
「I won't abandon you until you at least tell me where to find mage's armor and equipment with superior physical durability. My persona is only alive because of you.」
With that, Kian set the stone floor back in place with his foot.
Just then, a large, bearded man named Robert poked his head out of the window of the windmill.
「I didn't know you were here. ...... I'm done with the bloodletting. Thank you.」
「Don't mention it」
He received two empty bottles.
As Kian was putting them away in his pouch, Robert gave him a quizzical look.
「...... Did you change your clothes?」
「Yeah. The one I wore before I got here was slick with blood.」
「I see. ...... That's some fine gear you've got there. Why didn't you have it on from the start?」
「It's none of your business.」
「Well, you're right.」
Ignoring Robert's strange expression, he stepped over the window of the windmill and went outside.
「Robert-san, I'm afraid our excursion is not over yet. Our ordeal will continue until we reach the East End in one piece. How was your back injury?」
Kian asked, and Robert frowned.
「It's not so good. I can't move my legs as well as I'd like, and it hurts a lot.」
「I'll lend you my shoulder. We'll be past the road with the dead dogs by nightfall.」
「Yeah, but before that, you can go to ....... Sorry, and thanks, Kian. You've been a big help. I have a daughter, and I'm glad I didn't cause her any grief.」
「You won't feel safe until you get to the city. Even if you escape the claws of the griffin, there's no point in dying if you're attacked by wild dogs on the way back.」
「Yeah, you're right. But thank you so much. I will return the favor. I run a tavern in town, and if you don't mind, come visit me sometime. I'll treat you to a nice meal and a bottle of my best wine. Of course, I won't take any money. It's the price of life. I don't know if I could pay you back in a lifetime.」
「...... Don't you keep a book of your customers?」
「Hmm? Have you ever been to a restaurant to eat by any chance? I'm sorry, my daughter does all the bookkeeping for me, so I don't know much about it.」
I'm not good with numbers, said the big bear-like man, scratching his head.
Kian let out a small sigh and put his body under his shoulder.
「Let's go. There's a loophole on the right-hand side that goes around the cliffs, and that's how we get back to the road.」
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