Chapter 119: On the Road, far from Home.

There once existed a human kingdom in the western regions of the continent of Altrust, one under the name of the Leosfalt Kingdom. Although nowhere as massive as the Folschreck Empire, the Leosfalt Kingdom could proudly call themselves one of the largest human countries. Due to their geographical location, they not only had access to the ocean, but also the Belzac Forest, Saelariel Forest, and the Ankoran mountain ranges.

However, due to the influence of the wise elves from Saelariel and the industrious dwarves ruled by the Ankoran King, the north of the Leosfalt Kingdom slowly changed from the rest of the kingdom. A rift formed between the ideals of the noble lords of the north and those of their southern brethren.

The first king of the Leosfalt Kingdom spent his entire life fighting and fending off beasts, developing a deep-seated disgust and fear of those born with the heritage of a beast and human as a result. Their extraordinary natural physical abilities reminded him too much of the monstrous creatures he had fought against in order to establish his country. Even though beastmen and humans had lived amongst each other ever since the descent of the Origin Gods, the king couldn’t suppress his hatred.

However, eradicating all beastmen would be a fool’s errand. Not only would it be impossible to track every beastman on the continent, but he would also anger the Goddess of Light. Humans prayed to the divine Mother for her protection and love. The first king was no exception. Many beastmen prayed to Aurena as well; slaughtering them would deprive his beloved Goddess of followers. If their deaths couldn’t satisfy this man’s hatred…then bondage would.

“These poor beings are humans, too! Make them work for the future of the Leosfalt Kingdom and amend their ancestor’s sins!”

His charisma hid his cruelty in front of his subjects. In the Leosfalt Kingdom, beastmen had no rights and anybody who would mate with them or a beast would have their rights as humans taken away. Slavery would serve as their penance.

Although the other countries had the concept of slavery, none were as harsh as the Leosfalt Kingdom; however, no one denounced this decision. Although cruel to beasts and beastmen, he was kind and wise to humans. His kingdom grew under his rule.

His descendants, the Leosfalt royal family, ruled with the teaching of the first king as their mantra, so the changes in the north couldn’t be tolerated. The elves of Saelariel were allies with the children of the oceans and the ancient dragons, while the dwarves had contact with the beastman alliance in the east. The humans of the north choose to adapt in order to gain what they could from the elves’ and dwarves’ friendship.

This displeased the royal family, but the northerners’ contributions helped the kingdom. The first king may have hated the beastmen, but the later generations of royalty didn’t. They saw the beastmen only as pitiful pups and kittens whenever they brought a glass of wine. Unlike the elves, humans forget.

…However, that uneasy balance changed once the Empire called for the hunting of faefolk. As a vassal country, the Leosfalt Kingdom had to obey. Even if it were optional, none of the nobles could ignore the potential of the endless mana source of the faefolk. Most of the northern nobles participated in the capture of fairies and sprites, so as to harness the faefolk mana to strengthen themselves.

However, not all nobles agreed to do this. The ancestors of the Morgiana and Myrddin houses stayed neutral due to their friendship with the elves, while the Groushias prevented anybody from capturing the faefolk in their lands due to the dwarves. A divide in the country due to different ideals began to manifest.

As the kingdom closest to the elves of Saelariel, the Leosfalt Kingdom was quickly decimated under the power of the elven forces. In the aftermath of the “War for the Faefolk,” the king and queen died. The power struggle between the remaining royal families and relatives began.

That was when another claimant to the throne appeared. A young man with white and black wings, eagle-like eyes, and sharp talon-like claws on his feet called out, “The crown is my birthright!”

He might have been an arvisian, but his claim was legitimate through the possession of the [Prince] title. His grandmother, a princess of the Leosfalt royal family, had been thought to have been kidnapped and killed by the ruler of Griffonpeak, but the truth was different. A bond between a young woman and a griffon was made, and the result was the young man’s mother. His words were true. He was a royal, even if he was a beastman.

Almost all of the nobles wanted to deny him, put him into a cage. A prince, no matter how noble, was weak without any support. He had the support of his grandfather, but a kingdom ruled by griffons and arvisians would face hardship with their low numbers.

“Marquess Morgiana will support your claim! The fae have suffered enough of human greed!”

“Arcaliess Myrddin will right the wrong with your guidance, my Prince!”

“House Groushia will trample the fools from the south! We will support your claim!”

Morgiana, Myrddin and Groushia, however, wished for peace with the elves and the dwarves. To them, the prince was a welcome surprise.

“My father was a fool! Greenveil’s bow will shoot down your enemies, my Prince!”

“Equevanna seeks the best outcome of this situation. Our treasury is yours to use, my Prince.”

The hope for the desolated Greenveil, which stood no chance against the power of the elves, and an opportunity for the Count of Equevanna, who suffered the most from elven and dwarven trade sanctions.

“I have come to repay my debt to you, my friend. Lecartiglio will storm the land with your hippogryph knights!”

Even the usually beastman-hating House Lecartiglio couldn’t deny the young man, for he brought peace between the land of Lecartiglio and the predators of Avitor Peak.

A civil war erupted among the lands, but as Morgiana, Myrddin, and Groushia had barely taken any damage from the “War for the Faefolk,” the south lacked the power to put down the new avisian prince’s forces. The difference in ideals finally divided the land officially, splitting the Leosfalt Kingdom, with its longstanding history, into the Artorias Kingdom and Atadoro Kingdom. The arvisian with the blood of royalty and a Griffon ruled the young Artorias, while a member of the royal family’s branch family ruled the south as the new king. Although a ceasefire has been established amongst the two kingdoms, the hostility wouldn’t die any time soon.

The civil war ended in 2493. This was the fall of the Kingdom of Leosfalt.

*****************************

“That is what I learned about the kingdom’s history. Apparently, the ruins have been here since before the Leosfalt Kingdom!” Saori informed us with a bright smile, fully enjoying sharing the knowledge she learned.

“Ahh, so that’s the reason. Ellaine did surprise me when she said the royal family wasn’t human. I found it weird to imagine a couple of arvisians founding a country with mostly humans,” I commented. “Hmm, so I would guess Artorias might have intentions to reform the political ties with the elves? Morgiana and Myrrdin supported the young prince for that reason, probably.”

“Hmph! That is wishful thinking. Similar to how the elves still remember how they fought alongside the dwarves during the war, they won’t be easily swayed by a simple change in leadership. Even if they are beastmen,” Tasianna stated with derision. Her own disdain for humans probably got roused by the story.

“Tasianna, are you still not okay around humans? To be honest, I thought your anger had subsided during our stay at Ellaine’s. You even work well with Svena.” I wasn’t intending on chiding her; rather, I was actually curious about her current opinion on humans. We’ve been living among humans for a while, so I was opportunistic that it helped cool her hatred for a bit.

“Lady Hestia, I can control myself better because of your and Miss Saori’s support, but that doesn’t mean I have forgiven the human race as a whole. I can now distinguish between a kingdom and an individual because of you, although tolerating any of them is annoying,” Tasianna explained with a troubled face, before shyly scratching her head. “Also, I can see from Manuela’s behavior how much she wants to repent, but it isn’t her fault. The fault lies with her ancestors. She feels uncomfortable around me and I feel uncomfortable around her. I just can’t fully embrace the humans around me, but that doesn’t mean I would let that disrupt my duty to you. As long as you must work with humans, I must, too.”

Great! That’s definitely some progress!

After leaving Firwood, we literally sprinted in the direction Saori told us to go, using the map we got from the hunter’s guild as a guide. A normal person would’ve had to hire a carriage to travel, which would take at least three days to reach our destination, Rashan Village. However, being stuck in Firwood for a week without doing any Quests made us want to just run and stretch our legs. After Tasianna transformed back into her fairy form, Saori and I ran as much as we could.

We planned to camp outside for today and reach the village tomorrow. With our travel speed, we could do it. The reason why we were walking and talking about history right now is due to Saori’s Stamina. Unlike me, who can replenish my Stamina as long as the sun is up, Saori needed rest as running nonstop was tiring.

“So, what do you expect from the ruins, Saori?” I asked while munching on some jerky.

Saori shrugged at my question, pulling out the commission paper for our current Quest. “I’m a bit uneasy, to tell you the truth. I don’t know what to expect from the sound of this Quest. I hope nothing happens to the village until we arrive.”

The details of our Quest are as follows:

Rank: C

Reward: Experience, 2 C Rank points, 40000 Davi

Description: The mana concentration has increased around Rashan village’s land and the nearby forest, significantly increasing the spawning of monsters. According to an investigation made by the soldiers of Baron Teullon, they have designated the ruins nearby to be the source of the mana increase, although a clear cause hasn’t been determined yet, as the soldiers must mind their safety. The baron will take care of the excessive mana in the area; the task requires you to delve into the ruin and find the source of mana. Threats to the village must be eliminated. Ask the village chief for further details.

Objective: Investigate Rashan Ruins and find the source of mana flooding the land. Ensure the safety of Rashan Village and its villagers. Ensure the safety of Baron Teullon’s demesne

Slain Monsters: 0

Quest: Investigate the ruins close to Rashan Village and subjugate all threats to the villagers

The Quest sounded like a bona fide adventure to me, making my blood rush in excitement. I’m a bit apprehensive of going into the ruins, as I personally hate caves and any underground spaces, but I honestly should get rid of this fear. Dungeons, like the one in Cedaraille, would probably be the same as a cave, and I wanted to go into one whenour party gets the chance. My [The Light] title makes me feel weak and claustrophobic inside caves, but I need to learn to endure it.

Regardless, Melia did warn us about the Quest before we took it. She was the one who recommended it to us, as she couldn’t find any other adventurers to take the Quest, so she wanted us to know what we are about to tackle.

“This Quest was actually stamped as D rank when it first got commissioned. Ten D rankers took it, but I haven’t heard back from them in a while. The reports we received from the village chief indicate that they entered the ruins but haven’t come back out. The guild is presuming the worst.”

The Quest was kept up on the bulletin board, but its rank had recently increased due to another report from the elder. The area around the village had become more dangerous and there had been sightings of D rank monsters. In addition, the soldiers and guards noticed strange, black figures moving through the forest during the night, killing monsters and dragging them somewhere. No villagers or guards were hurt, but the guild had to take the issue seriously now that D rank monsters have appeared.

Apparently, when the guild gives out Quests, the rank is usually determined by the danger of the monsters. “A party of five D rankers can take on a D rank monster,” is an example of a rough estimation of a Quest’s difficulty. Of course, this wasn’t absolute. That’s why the hunter’s guild recommends hunters to take on Quest one rank below them for safety’s sake.

Between the monsters with a D rank appearing in the area and the confirmation of an unknown enemy inside the ruin, the guild had to increase the rank of the Quest.

A hunter’s first job is to take care of their safety, so not many hunters were interested in the job once it got its rank increased. Firwood might be close to Belzac Forest, but not many strong adventurers came to town after the failed Fenrir hunt a few years ago. The reputation loss seriously damaged their image.

That’s why we were chosen. The Quest was urgent, and the danger couldn’t be estimated properly. The Saori I knew a few months ago would have rejected it, as she wanted to stay on the safe side, but this time she readily accepted it. I was a bit confused. Was the history nerd inside her overwhelming her rational side? Was the 40000 Davi reward enticing her? No, we’re talking about Saori here. If she’s this confident about our success, then I shouldn’t refuse to go.

Besides, I know our party’s strength. If the problem of the Quest lies in massive amounts of monsters, then we will have no problems. Tasianna is specialized in defense and her ice magic can slow large waves of enemies. My firepower as a mage is perfect for eliminating a large quantity of weaker enemies. And Saori had two skills perfect for the occasion.

Bloodlust

A skill that transforms the user’s natural bloodlust into a skill. Boosts the user’s abilities in a life or death battle by a certain amount, depending on the level of this skill

Lifetaker

This skill is given to those that have slain many enemies in a short amount of time or those that have committed themselves on a path of blood. Temporarily increases the user’s stats for every kill they perform. The degree to which this effect can activate depends on the level of this skill, increasing its maximum effect each level

She got this skill after she evolved into a [Young Shadowstalker Cadejo]. Her current [Lifetaker] was level three, so after killing three enemies, she’s pretty much at full power, and the effect of the skill was very good. If I continuously played [The Will to Fight and Survive], I was sure she could eradicate a room filled with weak fodder-type enemies more efficiently than I could. The [Idol] skill with its ability to create new songs has made our party so much more powerful.

…However, the problem lay somewhere else. We were uneasy for an entirely different reason.

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“I can understand what you mean, Saori. Hopefully, the soldiers and guards can take care of the monsters surrounding the village,” I agreed to her feelings. “Oh yeah, what do you think about Melia’s words? They sounded freaky to me.”

After we accepted the guild, Melia told us a weird gossip, “You know, I don’t want to talk too much about it, but I heard the guild master cursing the guild master of the alchemist guild when he heard the update on the situation. That’s when I remembered that one of the adventurers took an escort Quest from the alchemist guild a year ago. The destination was Rashan Village.”

Could it be a coincidence? Maybe. However, why would the guild master of the alchemist guild threaten the safety of a small village?

“It is probably just a coincidence. Or maybe Melia heard wrong. She did not look very convinced about it when she told it to us in the first place, easily brushing it off and telling us to forget about it.” Saori had a skeptical look at the situation. “I mean, why would he do it in the first place? What has the guild master to gain from hurting a barony? A baron is a low ranked noble, but he is still a noble while the guild master is a commoner. Probably. The village is also close to Belzac forest and its villagers collect nearby herbs and materials, which the alchemists probably need.”

I nodded. The logic makes sense. I asked Saori if her Stamina was full, but ended up pulling out a block of wood after she told me she still needed a bit longer. I was planning to level up my [Handicraft] and [Woodworking] skills. There is no time to waste!

“Oh right, Lady Hestia, how are you progressing with your custom spells?” Tasianna asked.

I answered without glancing away from the wood I was cutting, “Not so good. My second [White Flames] spell is progressing well, but that’s because I’m using [Imperial Hellfire] as my reference. However, the one I had in mind for [Corrosive Fire] isn’t doing too hot. I wish Master Kush was here to help me with it. No matter how I structure the chant, it fizzles out every time.”

The chant of a spell determines how your mana will construct your spell. There’s some leeway with [Fluid Cast] that lets you change the spell’s form and allow additional mana to strengthen and enlarge the spell, but usually a spell does exactly what the description says. [Minor Heal], [Moderate Heal], and [Major Heal] all heal your injuries at different strengths, while [Cure] only removes status afflictions. That is the importance of a chant.

Master Kush already stressed that my chant should envision my spell perfectly and that I have to write it down into the magic circle. If the chant cannot replicate what I want the spell to do, it just fails and fizzles out. A good example would be my [Imperial Hellfire].

The tips Master Kush gave me for [Imperial Hellfire] were still noted down on a wooden board, so I’ve been using it as a reference for a [White Fire] spell. On the other hand, I wanted [Corrosive Flames] to conjure armor of corrosive flames for me, similar to Saori’s [Shadow Armament]. However, I’m making no progress there.

I’ve even researched books on custom spells. I thought looking up spells like [Stoneskin] or [Flame Veil] would help me figure something out, but I’m just stuck. Ellaine, Barathan, and Manuela haven’t created any custom spells, so they weren’t much of a help. Ellaine asked if I wanted to talk with her mother, but I thought I’d have figured it out by then.

I feel like when I first started using magic. Master Kush, where are you?

Magic is hard.

“Stop.”

“Hmm?”

“We got company.”

As always, Saori’s scouting abilities were top-notch. My senses still haven’t found an enemy, but Saori’s had. As I was about to stop carving, Saori pulled out two daggers, holding a silver one in her right hand and a fang-like one with her left. The red mist in her eyes told me she was ready to go hunt.

“Tasianna, stay with Hestia. I want to test these two out first. 441 Attack power with the assassin dagger, while the frog fang has 386. I wonder how much my damage will increase.” Her eager eyes told me she wouldn’t take no for an answer. I wanted to test out my new spear too, but there would be another chance once we arrived at the village.

“Raaaarrrgh.”

As Saori entered the woods, twirling her daggers with exceptional dexterity, growls came from behind multiple trees. As eight of them came out, I noticed their appearances. They were large, white-furred monsters that looked similar to a rabbit. They had two thick antlers like a stag on their heads, four large incisors in front of small sharp teeth, claws on their front legs, and thick hind legs like a kangaroo.

Loopridae were rabbit beastmen that lived in Firwood. If beastmen were born between humans and monsters, then what kinda giant rabbit created those loopridaes? Well, these things were large enough for the task.

Mana Eyes.

Loopriszar

A loopabit that has survived its vulnerable early evolutions and has evolved into a true predator. Although equipped with large antlers and steel-like teeth, loopriszars inherited the cautiousness of their early evolution, knowing when to quit if they face a strong enemy. Their strong legs allow them a strong forward jump. Rank D

Because [Identify] merged into [Mana Eyes], I am now forced to use this mind-numbing skill whenever I want to identify something. It still hurt when I activated this skill, all the mana in the surrounding entering my vision and taxing my brain as it tries to deal with the sensory overload. I would’ve complained about it more if [Mana Eyes] hadn’t gained the [Blacksmith’s Appraisal (Incomplete)] skill.

“Rank D! It is leveling time!” Saori was a bit too excited in my opinion.

The loopriszars’ eyes focused on our party as saliva was dripping from their mouth. It was winter, so it was likely that these monsters were starving.

As I was thinking that, one of them rushed at Saori with its mouth open.

“Slow.”

“Rabbit stew, Lady Hestia?”

As if she responded to our words, Saori sidestepped the attack and stabbed her silver dagger into the rabbit’s arm before submerging into its shadow while pulling its arm with her. Instead of diving into the shadow with Saori, the rabbit screamed in pain as its arm was stuck in the shadow.

Saori then jumped out from a tree’s shadow. At the same moment, the rest of the loopriszars charged at her, shrieking an ear-piercing sound. Unlike the danger that was heading her way, Saori’s expression was calm and serene. She knew what to do.

Using [Air Walk], Saori kicked the air and dodged the attack. Simultaneously, black tendrils erupted from the tree’s shadow and tangled around two of the rabbit’s legs, holding them back from attacking.

“Shadow Pierce.” Falling from the air, Saori blackened her silver dagger and perfectly pierced the back of the first rabbit’s head, instantly killing it.

Experience has reached multiple breaking points. [Young Sunfang Dragon, Hestia Atsuko Kargryxmor]’s Job [Cleric] has risen from [Level 0] to [Level 3]

Attributes have increased due to level up

Three at once? Damn.

Without batting an eye, Saori pulled her dagger out of the dead rabbit’s head, blood flowing out like a sprinkler. With one dead and two struggling to free themselves from her [Dark Tendrils], Saori only had to deal with five more. She bent her knees, lowering her body, and raised her daggers as she faced the monsters.

Dodge and stab and it repeated itself four more times. Saori’s movements were powerful and graceful, flowing through the combined attacks of the rabbit, as her daggers precisely stabbed once before continuing with the next loopriszars. There were no wasted movements, her daggers hit the neck of each rabbit every single time. Death followed.

“R-Reeeee!”

The two captured rabbits suddenly freed themselves from Saori’s tendrils and were about to flee from the battle. They knew they had lost. However, Saori’s focus was already on them. With two quick flicks, her daggers flew through the air and hit the rabbits. Once again, they hit the loopriszars’ necks.

Experience has reached multiple breaking points. [Young Sunfang Dragon, Hestia Atsuko Kargryxmor]’s Job [Cleric] has risen from [Level 3] to [Level 5]

Max level of Job [Cleric] has been reached

Attributes have increased due to level up

Awesome, the first day of the Quest and I already max leveled my Job. Imagine if we have to kill more monsters, what a waste that would be, right?

I dismantled the loopriszars, since I had the highest level in [Dismantle]. While I was doing that, I learned Saori and Tasianna leveled up once. Saori was now level 20, or 70 as a wolfkin, and Tasianna was at level 51. It was a very exciting day for them, as we hadn’t leveled up in a very long time. What a shame that I couldn’t join in the fun.

“Oh yeah, how did you hit them all in the neck? You were so precise. Kill in one shot, wow,” I praised her. Even I wasn’t as precise with my attacks.

“I found a teacher in Firwood. Tasianna and I have been training with him, much like you’re been training with the guild master.”

That was why she was always so ruffled up whenever we returned to the mansion. I never asked her about it as I never was that curious. As usual, Saori and Tasianna were always diligent. I wonder what they thought about me when I was lazing around all the time. I really don’t dare to ask them that.

After I’d dismantled all the rabbits, our party sprinted toward our destination until the sky went dark. We made camp and made some stew with what Saori had hunted today. Rabbit stew, delicious!

As we were enjoying our dinner, Saori once again noticed a presence, making me wonder if this was the Belzac Forest. As Saori was about to head out again, she suddenly frowned and instead shouted out, “Stop!”

“Please, travelers, I come in peace. I mean no harm!”

The voice that responded sounded like a woman’s voice, soft and clear. As her silhouette became clearer as she approached, Tasianna stood up. She was currently in her elven form. “Saelari!” she cried out with a face filled with not just surprise but also happiness as she smiled.

Saelari?

The woman then removed her hood once she felt the heat of the campfire. “Saelari?! Seolu sifla Saelariel famno isschata kelg?!”

Her flowing lime hair illuminated the dark while her fair face was beautiful like a master painter’s magnum opus. Her ears were round and had two elegant earrings. Just as I started to wonder at Tasianna happily greeting a human, the woman removed her earrings, and her ears suddenly became long and sharply pointed.

Elf?

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