Chapter 33: The Daily Life of a Ten Year Old - Monster in the Forest
When I told my father that we were going to Seren and that I wanted to ask "Battle Axe of Destruction" to escort us along the way, he gave his two cents' worth of approval.
My mother was still reluctant, so I decided to have her observe a mock battle with Roland quickly. Roland, who seemed to grow even in middle age, had grown to the 29th level before I knew it and had become the most powerful knight in Leadwald, both in name and in reality.
My mother, a noble lady, had never visited the barracks, let alone the training grounds in the garden. It was also the first time she sees a mock battle, and she was shocked by Roland and my fight.
With wobbly steps, she left the training grounds in silence.
Perhaps I in my mother's mind was too different from me in reality.
A few days later, my mother agreed to go to Selen, "I reluctant about that." she said.
Now I had everyone's approval, but when it came time to go, there was so much I did not know about the institute. How did the entrance examination work?
When I asked my father, he told me that nobles could enter without any conditions. Is that right, the institute?
I heard that there are certain conditions and that after the procedure, the patriarch, or in my family case, my father's confirmation is required. Without that, even if I am accepted, I am still a student (provisional).
Also, I am not exempt from the entrance exam to check my basic academic ability and combat skills.
I was worried because of all the confusion. But according to my father, the purpose of the school is to "improve the quality of the nobility," so it would be a complete disaster to dismiss them because they are uneducated.
Anyway, if there is no exam, we only need to prepare for the trip.
Since things get hectic before departure, I went around to greet those I have come to know early.
Some expressed their regret, some were unconcerned, and some whose regret was not the correct one.
The order was Nerio, Ragnidig, and Pavel, in that order. Pavel's regret is weird because no one can make the General tea. I taught him how to make it because it was so easy, but he was rubbishing his own Shogun tea, talking like a connoisseur, saying that it lacked depth. When I asked him to drink the tea, he liked it. So it probably had something to do with my "Mixing" skill. I decided to advance the rest of the tea, except for mine and my brother's, since it would become a hindrance on our long trip.
I also went to say hello to HeRRit branch guild master, as he had something on his mind.
He said that "The Battle Axe of Destruction" would move their base of operations to the Selen area even after the escort was over. They are one of the leading adventurers in Reedwald. I wondered if the security would be worse after they were gone.
I asked them about it, and they told me that there was still a big hole to fill. He said that it is normal for adventurers to move around. He also said that "Battle Axe of Destruction" can aggressively earn money by taking on requests to save money for travel and activities. He laughed and said that he was grateful for the help as he digested his food, but he wished he had done this much before anyway.
I spent the rest of my days greeting people and getting ready for the trip.
Then one day, one week before departure, the morning class was over.
After the morning class, I am taking a break in my room, sipping General tea, when Roland came in. He used to be like my personal bodyguard, but I see him less and less these days. It had been a while since he visited my room.
I looked at Roland to see what he wanted, but his expression was not good.
"I just received a report that one of our hunters is seriously wounded."
I stood up in surprise.
"Nerio?
"We don't know."
I was about to run out when I suddenly felt something strange.
"Wait a minute, that's strange. It's not unusual for a hunter to be injured. If you don't know if it's Nerio or not, why is the report even coming up to you?"
If the hunter was injured, the story would have stopped at the guards and would not have reached the knight's ears.
Roland raises his eyebrows, "That's the thing, though."
"That hunter was attacked by an invisible monster. I'm in the process of contacting the Adventurers' Guild. I'm sure they'll make their move. Invisible monsters are the most troublesome of all."
"Invisible monster……"
Undead? How did you say it – there was some translucent ghost? Otherwise, it wouldn't surprise me if there were demons with a constitution, skills, or optical camouflage on their outer skin.
"Ok. I'll go check on Nerio just to be sure."
Leaving Roland behind, I headed for Nerio's place.
There were no crowds around Nerio's house, and the usual peace was in the air. Standing in front of the house, I could sense the landlord's presence from inside. It looks like everything is going to be all right.
I knocked on the door, and Nerio immediately appeared.
He seems a little surprised, but not particularly injured.
"It was a different person, after all. I heard a while ago that a hunter was seriously injured. I came to check on him."
"Is that so?"
Nerio thanked me with a happy face when he realized that I had rushed over to see him out of concern.
I let him come up to the house and asked him if he knew anything.
"The injured man is a hunter named Gordo."
"Is he the one who helped you before?"
"No, no. I knew him, but we weren't close."
I nodded.
I was relieved that he was not an acquaintance.
But I get no other new information, and I get up to leave for the moment.
Nerio came out to see me off, and as we parted, he said
"Gordo is a cautious man. The fact that he was so badly injured suggests that the monster is dangerous. I advise you not to go into the forest until you know what that monster is."
He advised with a serious look on his face.
After saying goodbye once again, I headed for the Adventurer Guild at a moment's notice.
There was no sign of change at the guild.
No one was in a hurry, and the atmosphere was not bleak. It was business as usual.
At the counter sat a receptionist whom I had never seen before.
I said my name and told him I wanted to see Herrit-san, the guild master.
With some nervousness running through his smile, he runs up a short distance and says, "One moment, please." Then he comes right back and shows me into the reception room.
I greet the waiting the guild master, Herritt-san, and quickly get down to business.
"I heard that a hunter was injured. Could you tell me about that?"
"That's fine, but you know him?"
"No, it was someone else. But I was still curious. That's why I'm here."
The guild master Herritt nodded his head in understanding.
"We have very little information about that. A hunter named Gordo was hunting in the Leknod forest when he was suddenly get attacked by something. He sprinkled Kut Pirap on the spur of the moment, and it saved his life."
Kut Pirap – chili peppers, huh? If that worked, the undead line disappears.
"I hear Gordo is quite good. Are you aware of him in the guild?"
"Of course, he often brings in materials. If he's registered as an adventurer, he's sure to get a D rank, and I'd even consider a C rank."
"That's a better rank than I expected. Gordo was attacked by an invisible presence in a familiar forest, huh?"
As I pondered this, Herritt opened his mouth hesitantly.
"Between you and me, a D-rank party that left before Gordo was attacked is missing. The request they received was for a collection. The quest is usually finished in a day at the earliest, two days at the latest."
"Are you saying that these adventurers were also get attacked?"
"I can only speculate. But the point where Gordo gets attacked and the direction they were headed coincide. Gordo also testified that there were signs of movement of many people."
"Is it possible? What do you think we're dealing with? A hunch would be fine."
Herritt pretended to be troubled.
"……The situation is weird that I can't even make a statement based on a hunch. The first thing I suspected was the Invisible Stalker. But Gordo was under a claw attack. The next one up was Nuclept."
I know about Invisible Stalker, but Nuclept is new to me. I didn't hear about it from Roland's lecture or Nerio.
When I said that, Herritt nodded as if it was only natural.
"They are an extremely rare monster, so it's no wonder you don't know about them. The closest example of its defeat was three hundred years ago, and it is not that easy to find."
"So it's transparent?"
"Yes. It is said to use invisibility and illusions. And what they are, they are rats."
Rats?
"A rat. I've heard they're as big as dogs."
They'll eat anything, and they're voracious. That would explain why they were getting attacked.
But would such a rare monster appear out of the blue?
Unlikely. The level of rarity is different from Eras Rhino or Tremble Cube. Only the staff and scholars, people who are like monster geeks, would know about them. And the only thing they have in common is invisibility and claws. Even if the result is correct, it is too early to jump on the bandwagon.
After all, as the guild master made clear, we have no clue.
"I guess we'll have to shelve the true identity for now. So what are you going to do? I know enough, of course, that my father has heard about it. If the guild wants to see what's going on, maybe the knights will step up."
The lords don't move just because a hunter is injured or an adventurer goes missing. It sounds terrible, but it's true.
However, when it comes to invisible demons. It is a different story. You never know when, how, or when they might come to town. There was a good chance that my father will send an investigation team, or even if not, there was a good chance that he will order the knights to investigate it.
If the knights solve the problem, the face of the Adventurers' Guild, which had already suffered casualties, would be destroyed.
The guild master Herritt was aware of this, even though he did not tell me so.
"There is nothing to worry about. A C-rank party has already accepted the investigation request. They should be on their way tomorrow."
"Don't say "Battle Axe of Destruction" or something like that."
"No," The guild master denies with a laugh.
"What we received was the "Sword of the Deep Silence". They specialize in exploration skills, and we think they are exactly suited for the job."
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