Episode 35 Quest: Not Just His Brother II
The East Forest in the East End is actually a forested area located in the northeast part of the city, although it has the word "East" in it. While the streets facing the ocean in the southwest are warm thanks to the warm currents, the East Forest is cooler due to the cold winds coming from the mountains in the north. In addition, the forest is covered in its own moisture, making it a "bad" place for adventurers to hunt in the winter, as they may end up losing money just to get the necessary equipment.
Kian and Serena were making their way through the forest.
Serena was in front and Kian was behind.
At first, they walked along the forest path that adventurers take, but halfway through, they veered off to the side and entered a place that even mushroom hunters would not enter.
Kian could feel the sweat beading under his inner garments.
The terrain was definitely not conducive to walking.
Rampant trees.
The ground was gently sloping and covered with humus.
Large rocks and mossy fallen trees blocked their way.
「Didn't the guard's brother think it was strange that he was going into a place like this?」
Serena blurted out as she jumped over a fallen tree with one foot.
Kian put his hand on the trunk of the fallen tree, lifted himself up, and landed on his feet, careful not to sprain his legs.
「He didn't think he was going to make it. If he had, he would have turned back and fought with the guards (his brother).」
「In a dense place like this, a magical beast could have appeared at any moment. It's insane to go in there alone. How well did he get away with it?」
Kian was just about to reply that he must have been very stupid - when he saw a crow flying from the depths of the forest.
Kian stuck out his arm and the crow perched on it.
「They didn't find any dead bodies, but they did find a basket of mushrooms. There seemed to be a backpack lying nearby. But there are some "Big Dragonflies" flying around - "Spoon wings", I guess.」
Kian's eyes narrowed at the message from the crow.
Spoon Wing is an insect-like flying dragon with red compound eyes, a mouth that sticks out like a trumpet, and an elongated body.
It's not a pure flying lizard species, so it's classified as a sub-dragon.
「How many of them? You mean there's more than one of them?」
「Crow, do you know the exact number? ...... Probably five of them. But the forest is too dim to tell for sure.」
「What do we do? Do we just go in there?」
「I think so. ――Wait, there's another crow coming.」
This time he saw a crow flying up from the bottom of the slope.
The crow perched on Kian's shoulder and cawed.
「――It looks like the crow has found a human being. What, he's alive? Are you sure? In tattered clothes, with an injured leg? Curled up in a cave, near a bonfire, shivering? No doubt about it.」
「...... Apparently, we should have started on this request first.」
「I didn't think he'd still be alive. ...... According to the crows, there are also a couple of "Spoon Wings" flying around the cave. I guess a battle with these guys is inevitable.」
「Let's hurry up!」
As soon as Serena said that, she jumped up from the rock she was standing on and slid down the slope, kicking up the rotting leaves. Without killing her momentum, she glides down the slope as if she were using a sled.
(Tsk, that was reckless of her.)
Kian thought inwardly as he put his hand on the tree trunk.
Strengthening physical abilities only strengthens muscles and bones.
It is impossible for a human body to do what she does, so Kian leaps down the slope step by step.
He was a confident hiker in the mountains, but Serena was much faster than him.
「Crow, lead her to the human.」
He ordered the crow perched on his shoulder to fly away and catch up with Serena, who began to glide alongside him.
「Serena, follow him!」
「Okay!」
A loud voice came back.
Kian released another crow into the sky and hurried down the humus slope.
However, Serena soon disappeared from sight.
(Is she a deer or something? ....... I can't catch up with her)
『Because beastmen have a different body structure than humans』
「The vampire's eye magic is useful, but at times like this, I want regular four attribute magic. I especially want earth magic very much.」
He clubbed away the thin branches with his club.
When the path opens up again, he jumped down the slope.
Continuing the cycle, he eventually reached the end of the slope and the riverbed.
A narrow stream trickled through the hummus.
There seemed to be a spring somewhere.
(This stream must have helped him survive.)
『Kian, be careful. There's a big presence up ahead.』
「............!」
He didn't need the glasses to tell him that.
Ahead.
As the stream flowed by, a long, thin shadow, about two meters long, swept through the trees.
A low buzzing sound of insect-like wings and an unpleasant high-pitched squeak echoed through the forest.
Serena, who was ahead of him, crouched guardedly under a pair of flitting shadows.
She was already drawing her sword, holding it backhanded in a low stance, hidden behind her back.
「Gather the other crows. Go!」
As if in response to his voice, the crows perched on the large rocks in the riverbed took off at once.
Kian ran toward Serena, splashing through the shallow stream water.
「......, ......, ............!」
In his right hand is a handmade club.
He put on the magic he developed and get into the stance for the basic technique of "Shoot".
The weapon is held at the lower level, and his gaze is on the shadow of a huge dragonfly flying in the air.
A white wind swirled around the crude oak wood blunt weapon.
kichi-kichi-kichi-kichi-kichi-kichi-kichi-kichi-kichi-kichi――――
The deafening buzzing of the insects echoed, and a slender, two-meter-long body emerged from the shadows of the leaves.
Red compound eyes.
A mouth like a trumpet.
The insect's wings were shaped like a spoon.
It was a common type of "Spoon Wing" seen in this neighborhood.
「Shihh!」
He steps in.
His right foot sinks into the mud of the stream, and the spray splashes down to his groin.
A white shockwave shot out from a club raised from the bottom near his left foot.
The blow, fired in anticipation of Spoon Wing's movement, accurately struck the monster's wing.
A single pale iridescent wing was torn off, and a high-pitched scream rose up as if a claw had scratched the steel.
「Serena!」
He rushed towards her, his magic power clinging to his club again.
Serena gestures to the ground for a moment, then abruptly disappears from Kian's sight.
The black earth erupted in a drip.
She jumped up――?
When he moved his gaze, he saw Serena running up the trunk of a tree.
She kicks the vertical trunk, which is more than ten meters high, and throws the wired knife into the branch before it loses momentum. As soon as she felt a jolt in her leg, the bark shattered and scattered, and Serena disappeared again.
By the time he realized that she had pulled the wire and kicked the trunk at the same time, Serena was flying through the air.
She pounced on the other Spoon Wing from above, who was flying in the shadows of a tree.
She didn't aim for its wings.
Her light blue eyes blur in the air, leaving behind a shadow.
There was a dull thud, and the longsword in her other hand was thrust into the monster's neck.
It was a precise blow that pierced through the gap in the green shell of the Spoon Wing.
She fell to the ground with the monster as if she were being dragged off, and rolled around on the rotting leafy ground.
The sound of crunching bones.
Serena, who had been covered in mud as she struggled with Spoon Wing, quickly got up and grabbed three knives from her chest, and threw them carelessly.
They pierced the red compound eyes and soft throat of the remaining one that Kian had shot down, completely stopping the monster's breath.
「Phew.」
Standing up, Serena drew her longsword and walked over to the twitching Spoon Wing on the ground.
She spun her sword around and around――
Before he had time to follow the beautiful trajectory of her sword, she ripped off the head of the other one with a single sword stroke.
「I didn't have to do anything.」
「You cut off the wing of this one. That was enough.」
Serena replied nonchalantly as she carefully wiped the surface of her longsword clean with a cloth.
She's red from top to bottom with blood.
Her shining silver hair is no longer a shadow of its former self.
But she doesn't seem to mind it and quickly ties up the mouth of the Spoon Wing lying on the ground with a piece of string. If she didn't, the remaining poison would flow out and be dangerous.
「We'll just collect the head and dismantle it later. First, let's collect the survivors who are said to be in a nearby cave.」
「Hmm........I can tell where he is by the smell. That way.」
Serena pointed with her longsword to the end of the stream.
「Okay, I got it.」
「Hold its head. And tie the other one's mouth shut.」
「Yeah.」
「At the very least, I'd like to bring back its venom glands and the liver, and hopefully its iridescent wings.」
「Its wings might be worth a fortune to the right people. The one I dropped has one of its wings ruined, but the one Serena killed with one blow has both intact. If you can bring back the wing, you can have it all for your money.」
「Eh, really?」
「It's only natural since you killed it. I didn't do anything, so there's no reason for me to take it. Or do you not need the money?」
「No. I'm short on cash right now, so anything I can get in the way of silver would be great. Thank you, Kian.」
「I'm just saying the usual things. I don't need you to be so impressed.」
「Yeah. But thank you.」
Serena smiles softly, her dog ears drooping.
It would have been a very nice view if she wasn't covered in blood, but right now it looks like a bizarre scene, to say the least.
Kian waited until Serena had wrapped the monster's head in a cloth before he opened his mouth.
「Let's go. We need to save the man who's dying in the cave.」
「Yeah.」
Serena nodded and started walking.
Her silver tail was wagging happily.
Perhaps, he thought, he could read her emotions better by looking at her ears or tail than by looking at her basically expressionless face.
× × ×
They then walked for about twenty minutes.
As the stream began to curve to the left, he saw a large tree standing in the straight line of the stream. He doesn't know what kind of tree it is, but its roots are exposed from the soil, and the bottom is completely hollow.
It was a small cave.
As he approached, he could smell a slight odor of smoke.
Serena, who was walking in front of him, quickened her pace.
「Is anyone there!? Answer me if you can hear me!」
A high, clear voice.
The tense voice of a young girl echoed through the forest, and a small bird fluttered away from a nearby tree.
Kian followed, approaching the cave.
Serena shouted again.
「I'm here to help! I know you're there!」
They reached a point where they could see the back of the bonfire.
Near the entrance of the cave, there was a heap of dead leaves, which burst into flames as if in response to Serena's voice.
「He.....Help!? Did help come!?」
A large man with a beard came out from under a quilt of fallen leaves.
He was wearing tattered armor, and his face was black with mud.
「Are you John?」
「Yeah, I'm John! But how the hell do you know my name?」
The big man crawls towards him.
His right leg is pinned by a tree branch.
It seems that the injury the crow was referring to was a broken right leg.
「We've been asked by your brother to come and collect your belongings and body.」
「Wh...... What did you say!? I'm still alive! Recovering bodies? That fucking brother!」
「Looks like we got the right guy.」
Serena muttered as she saw the big man's reaction.
「We'll talk later. There's still 'Spoon Wing' nearby. Let's get out of here before they find us.」
Kian said and stood the man on his shoulders.
「Damn it! Matilda, you set me up! I come here looking for rare mushrooms, and I run into a bunch of Spoon Wings! She must've known this place was dangerous when she hired me! Fuck! Fuck!」
「Matilda? Didn't you come here at your brother's behest?」
「Huh? It was Matilda who asked for me!」
「...... I see. If you learn from this, next time you'll only take requests through the guild.」
Kian said and exhaled.
『I think I know what happened.』
(Yeah, I'm worried about getting paid if I bring this guy back.)
Serena put her hands on her hips.
「You've been alive for a while, ....... You've been here for about a week, haven't you?」
「Yes, I have! I survived on the water from the stream here, and the bugs and lizards that crawled around the caves! I ate all the dried meat in three days. Shit, that's no way for a human to eat!」
「If you're that healthy, you're gonna be okay. Come on, let's walk.」
「Kian, I'll take the head of Spoon Wing.」
「That's very thoughtful of you. Here, take it.」
Kian returned the suggestion of carrying the luggage with a superior look, but Serena didn't seem to mind and carried the second head on her back.
She quickly started walking ahead of Kian and the others.
「We need to collect the venom glands, liver, and wings and burn the body.」
「That's right. I wish I had time for that.」
「Damn you, Matilda! When I get back, I'm gonna make you pay!」
He followed Serena, urging the large man who was letting out a disturbing muttering.
Fortunately, the man can walk slowly, as long as he has a shoulder to lean on.
At this rate, they would be able to get out of the forest before nightfall.
When they got back to the riverbed where they had killed the two Spoon Wings, the big man rolled his eyes at the headless corpse lying there.
「No way, dude. The two of you killed these guys?」
「I didn't do much of anything. It was Serena who did it.」
「For real, as expected of Silver Wolves.」
The big guy looks at Serena like she's a monster.
Indeed, her movements were not human.
If Azrair's swordsmanship was based on rationality, her fighting style was that of a beast that fights with its physical abilities. It was a fighting style that Kian, a mere human, could not imitate.
In any case, her movements were not in the range of humans, so it was impossible to apply any logic to them.
Everything from timing to power was too different.
(Silver wolf tribe ...... again, I'm glad she's on my side)
Kian thought about this and called out to the silver wolf tribe girl who was silently disposing of the bodies.
「It seems that Funnelwing made the wrong choice. I don't think it was a good decision to banish you from the party.」
「............. Roses told me it was hard to heal because I was moving around. Funnelwing said that Francisca's magic didn't work because I was moving around.」
「Oh, I see. So you've become a one-man play.」
In Falcon Clan, they use Funnelwing to attract the enemy, and Francisca's magic to finish them off. And the bad monk, Roses, should have only flown recovery to the vanguard Funnelwing.
But if Serena moves around as she pleases there, the enemy monsters will come after her because of her amazingness. Roses, the healer, would be burdened twice as much, and the Funnelwing would not be able to keep up with Serena's speed and would be ignored by the monsters. As for the magic, Francisca's magic power would not be enough if she had to target each of the scattered enemies one by one.
If the monsters were weak, Serena would be able to finish them off, but if they were weak enough for Serena's weapons to penetrate, the party's efficiency would drop drastically.
It would have been better if they had changed their fighting style to focus on Serena, but Funnelwing's unwillingness to do so seemed to be the end of their relationship with her.
Rather than Serena, he must have decided to invite someone else who was more suited to the Falcon Clan's fighting style.
In a typical party fight, it is better to leave the firepower to the magician and let the warrior stay in front as a shield.
「I don't know if I'm a one-man play or not. ...... The direct cause was that I got into a fight with them. I was uncooperative.」
Serena carefully wrapped the stripped parts in cloth.
「Ooh, you can use my oil. I still have some leftovers.」
「Thank you, that would be great. I think I can just about burn all of it with mine. ――――! Kian!」
Serena's ears suddenly perked up as she was about to take the oil from John.
She turns her back to Kian and quickly draws her sword from its sheath.
It didn't take him long to realize why she was on alert.
From behind the trees, he could hear the wings of several huge insects.
The shadows of five black dragonflies appeared from across the slope.
Red compound eyes, trumpet-like mouths, and insect wings that resembled spoons.
They were the "Spoon wings" from above.
It seemed that everyone who had been around the nest had come to them.
Kian's eyes grew stern.
「Tsk, they've come to check on their dead friends.」
「O-Oi! What are we going to do about this!?」
「Don't panic. Kian, take care of John-san.」
Serena steps forward, holding the sword in her backhand in front of her.
「Are you going to do this alone?」
「You and John-san run to the entrance of the forest. I'll deal with these guys.」
With that, Serena kicked the ground and jumped out of the way.
She crawled on the ground and ran up the slope.
This is what it means to leave the sound behind.
A small silver shadow runs through the trees, belatedly raising the dead leaves behind them.
「――――!」
As before, she ran up the conifer trunks and gouged the spinal cord of the flying Spoon Wing. It was a surprise attack like a gale.
Before it could scream, it was dead and falling, and Serena jumped further, stomping on its body.
There was no time for Spoon Wing to react.
It was too fast.
Serena held the hilt of her sword in her mouth and pulled out the knife on her chest with both hands.
The two knives wrapped around the necks of the two animals on either side, leaving a wireline in the air as soon as they were released from their holders.
As the wires dug into the narrow space between the shells of their necks, Serena crossed the two wires and hooked them on the tree trunks where they landed.
「Fuhh!」
Pulling on the wires.
The two attracted monsters were both flung off their heads by Serena's longsword in one blow.
「Amazing」
As John muttered to himself, Kian was kneading his magic.
It would be bad for Kian's personal reputation if only Serena was active.
(......, ......!)
Release of magic power.
The kneaded magic power was released widely and thinly in the vicinity.
Kian's eyes widened with a snap.
(Crows, come!)
Dohon――And there was a vibration like a rumbling of the earth around Kian.
Kaa-Kaa.
Kakaa. Kakaa.
Kaakaa. Kaakaa. Kaakaa. Kaakaa. Kaakaa. Kaakaa――――!!!!!
In response to their master's call, the crows in the vicinity became a black vortex and swarmed into the sky.
Dozens of rustling feathers rang out, and black feathers scattered all around.
Kian used the application of "Impulse" to clothe the bodies of the crows with magic power.
The black wings and beaks of the crows took on a metallic sheen.
And then.
「........!, .......! .........!!」
(Kill these guys!)
He mixed the stagnant killing energy with magic and released it into the surroundings.
The blackbirds all chirped at once.
The black flock rushed towards the flying Spoon Wings, their wings rattling like a storm.
Even with their huge bodies of nearly two meters, the treachery of these small birds was deadly.
「......!」
Serena's eyes widened in astonishment and she left the scene.
One of the Spoon Wingers, wrapped in a crow, let out a chilling scream.
Creak-creak-creak――――
But the swarm, transformed by Kian into a rampage of nature, bites through the soft parts of the insect dragon's eyes, throat, and wings like a hungry ghoul, and swallows them.
They don't care if their friends are exposed to the poisonous liquid of Spoon Wing.
They were biting into the monster's body like crazy, abandoning themselves.
「Wh-What the hell!? What's going on!?」
Cried John.
Kian felt the edge of his mouth lift up naturally.
He made a gesture of squeezing with his open right hand as if he were strangling his enemy.
A scream of desperation rose from the center of the bird burial.
In the high sky, the sound of creaking insects was heard.
The last of the Spoon Wing seemed to have decided to flee the unusual situation.
The monster tries to fly away across the slope, abandoning its friends to be eaten alive by the birds.
But Kian wasn't about to let him (?) go.
The swarm of crows left the bloody carcass behind and attacked the last of the fleeing creatures from behind.
The black swarm had become such a dense mass of black that it seemed to be coming from all over the forest.
Through the gaps in the trees of the forest, they could see black birds circling in the sky, gathering like rain clouds.
One by one, they descended into the forest, devouring even the last remaining "Spoon Wing" alive with their beaks full of holes.
John held his mouth.
「Oh, ......」
「Oh, my God ......」
Serena, who had landed on the ground, backed away as if in fear.
Eventually, the crows devoured the two monsters to the bone and scattered into the sky, leaving behind several flapping wings. Kian had released the control.
All that was left were the remains of the monsters, reduced to shells and bones, and countless black feathers.
× x x x
All three of them were silent on the way back.
John had a dumbfounded look on his face, and Serena was standing right next to Kian, giving him a blank stare.
Of course, Kian, not wanting to explain his abilities to Serena, kept quiet and pretended to be busy assisting John.
When they were nearing the exit of the forest, Kian finally opened his mouth to offer Serena his condolences.
「Well done, Serena. You've done a great job.」
「...... Is that sarcasm? For me, whose only function is to wield a sword.」
「Why would you be? I'm only complimenting you.」
「...... I knew you were hiding your power. If you had that kind of power, you wouldn't have needed me. If you think I'm one of you, I want you to confess how many more secret abilities you're hiding.」
「What are you so angry about? Serena is a very dependable vanguard. Your judgment of the situation was excellent, and your skill with a sword was superb. I'm convinced that I've got one of the strongest forces available in this city. I hope you will continue to support me.」
「It seems like you really think so ....... I'm a little flattered, but I can't honestly rejoice because I've been shown your power. ......」
『This girl has quite a troublesome personality...』
Kian made a refreshing smile at Glasses' words.
「I think it's cute that she's so troublesome.」
「Huh ......?」
「Anchan, is that a confession? Don't do that in front of me. I'm heartbroken........」
「It's not a confession as far as I'm concerned, but I guess it's an appeal to the male gender. You know, I find Serena to be an attractive woman.」
「............. Were you such a soft person?」
Serena said with a puzzled look on her face.
Kian replied with a smug look on his face.
「I'm just being honest with myself. I only said you were cute because I found you cute.」
「Mmm. ....... C-cut it out!」
She shivered and shouted loudly as if she had been touched.
But despite her words, her cheeks are flushed and she's rubbing her thighs together.
It seemed that the night's training was slowly taking effect.
It's only been four days, so she's probably only feeling a little uncomfortable, but it's definitely having an effect.
(I can't wait to see what happens in another ten days.)
Kian smirked as he gave the silver-haired beauty a moist stare.
Serena didn't notice the perverted monk smiling wickedly at her, but looked down at her body as if she was surprised by her own reaction earlier.
「Ah! That guy, my fucking brother!」
As they exited the forest, the large man holding onto Kian's shoulders gritted his teeth and glared at the doorway of the training grounds.
There stood the client's mustachioed guard, talking to a woman Kian didn't know. She was a young woman dressed like Esther, who looked like a tavern waiter.
John looked at the woman as well, and his face turned even redder.
「Matilda......! Damn, I've been taking care of her for years, and now she's switching sides with my brother!」
『So both Matilda and the guards were trying to kill his brother John.』
(It was Matilda that John was asked to do it. So it was Matilda who first tried to kill the guard brother, and his brother didn't stop John from going into the danger zone. Rather, the guard wanted John to go to the nest of "Spoon Wing" and die. Unintentional. It can also be taken as murder by omission. I don't know if the two of them were in cahoots, though.)
As the three of them walked toward the training area, the man and woman who had been chatting amicably turned to Kian and the others and made surprised faces. The woman was "John ......! Why, how are you still alive!?" The woman screamed.
John spat at her.
「That's too bad, you shithead」
「J-John, I thought you were dead!」
「I almost died, brother fucker! If I hadn't rolled down that slope, Spoon Wing would have sucked the contents right out of me!」
「John! You've got it all wrong! I didn't know you were picking mushrooms in Spoon Wing's nest!」
「Shut up! You approached me because you were trying to get money for your struggling tavern. I know what I'm talking about! Damn it, ......, I went off the deep end just because your vagina feels good! All I had to go deep on was my dick!」
Serena's cheeks reddened and she coughed at John's angry dialogue.
She didn't really like the bottom line.
(Kuku, I'll make you love it sooner or later.)
『Poor little thing. ......』
An angry younger brother and a confused older guard.
The guard was unsure of what to do and then turned his anger on Kian.
「O-Oi, bastard! You "Garbage Scavenger"! This is not what I asked you! Why is my brother still alive!?」
「What I was asked to do was to collect your brother's belongings and bring back his body parts. It was a bit of a big haul, but I brought back the clothes he was wearing and his body from head to toe.」
「DON'T-SCREW-WITH-ME! That's not just a body part, that's a whole fucking body! In fact, he's still alive and kicking!」
「I'm not supposed to be alive! WHAT!? Why don't you say something, Matilda!? You filthy whore!」
Matilda, a waiter at the tavern who had been called a whore, was finally going to get a blue streak on her temple.
「Shut up! You know, I appreciate the money you give me for the tavern, but I'm sick and tired of your rough sex! It didn't feel good at all, and every time you tried to make me lick your asshole!」
「Huh? You licked my asshole with pleasure!」
「O-Oi, Matilda. You licked John's asshole ....... With your pretty tongue. ......」
「He forced me to lick it! Believe me!」
「Not only that, but you sucked my dick into your pussy and screamed "I'm a sex slave" with your stupid face! You were so fucking happy!」
「That was because you gave me an enema of a bottle of distilled liquor, and I was confused. ......!」
「E-Enema!?」
The guard's eyes widened at the revelation of the abnormal sex act.
It was going to be a long conversation, so Kian tapped the guard on the shoulder and handed him the guild questionnaire.
「Before you get into a fistfight, write down your rating on this.」
「Aahh!? This is bullshit! This is the lowest rating I can give you, an E!」
「I brought your brother back alive, and I'm not getting an E. I don't care if you want to write a rating that doesn't make sense, but you're a guard at the Adventurer's Guild training grounds. You may be paid by the government, but I don't think you should be branded a nuisance by the Adventurers Guild.」
Kian broke off and indicated his surroundings with his hand.
「There are a lot of witnesses around, including your friends.」
「Gughh......」
When the guard noticed the presence of onlookers around him, his face turned blue as if he had been splashed with cold water.
He wrote the words on his evaluation sheet, turning red and blue with anger and impatience.
「Rating B? Come on, give me a fair evaluation!」
「Kuhh, I know! Fuck you! I hope Spoon Wing sucks you to death!」
The guard shouted, his mustache quivering, and threw the paper back at Kian.
「Let's go, Kian.」
Serena called out to him, looking disdainfully at the three of them as they started arguing again.
「That's right. At any rate, one request is done. Two more to go until we reach our goal.」
「Next is ...... "Rose Labyrinth"?」
Serena asked, taking out a copy of the request.
Kian nodded.
「Yes, it's a maze of black roses that rains all year round. At the end of the maze, there is a western-style house of an ancient countess. We're supposed to go there and search for treasure.」
「But no one's ever been able to get through the maze before, right?」
「Yeah. They say that the maze is so sturdy that even if you try to blow up the rose wall with explosives, it won't budge. I think there's a secret in the rose garden. At any rate, I'll go and investigate once and then figure out what needs to be done.」
「Hmm, got it. You'll start tomorrow?」
「No, I'll start early in the morning the day after tomorrow. The quest is over sooner than I imagined, so we'll have plenty of time. You could even take the whole day to recover.」
「I'm not exhausted at all.」
「Don't be in a hurry. There's no need to rush.」
「Got it.」
Serena nodded and began to walk towards the river in front of the east gate.
「Where are you going?」
「Bathing. I've got blood on my hands. You should go home first.」
「I see.」
『Are you going to peek?』
(I'm not a pervert. I don't waste my time trying to make myself less likable.)
Kian raised his hand in response to the glasses.
「See you later, Serena.」
「Hmm. I'll see you the day after tomorrow.」
With that, Serena turned her back and walked away.
The remaining Kian began to cross the drawbridge leading to the city.
(Come to think of it, I've been so absorbed in taming crows and bats that I haven't been back to the Pig's Foot Pavilion in a few days. I should get some rest in bed.)
『That's a good idea. But first, just pick up your reward at the guild.』
(I had to deliver the evaluation sheet, and I was going to stop by the guild anyway.)
Kian replied in his mind and presented his adventurer's card to the guard guarding the gate.
On the other side of the gate, the East End was bustling with people in the evening.
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I hope that garbage guard gets fired. That whore waitress too.
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