13. Arcana Online
13. Arcana Online
A woman with red hair and seductive eyes, exuding an alluring atmosphere, was drinking tea.
The request room was empty after the little miss had left.
The black shadows rippled, and nurous assassins revealed themselves.
"Shall we follow her?"
"No need. We've already confird it."
The words written in the communication channel:
[If harm cos to the benefactor, the Ether Duke's knight order will move.]
They're openly threatening to send the Black Knight Order.
I wonder what the identity of our little miss, whom the Ether Duke is protecting, could be?
An interesting being has appeared after a long ti.
Our little miss, who makes your heart warm just by looking at her and makes you want to protect her.
"Hmm, I still can't figure it out no matter how much I think about it. Well, we can get to know her slowly."
A smile ford on her lips as she took a sip of tea.
"Sweet is indeed the best."
*
*
*
Coming out through a different entrance, I was able to exit into a general store located on the main street.
To think it was so blatantly there.
More importantly, what should I do about this?
[A quest has arrived.]
Let's retrieve an egg from the griffin's nest in the Valley of Death.
Reward: Experience, large amount of magic stones.
A straightforward quest where I just need to bring back an egg.
The Valley of Death was located half a day's walk from the City of Stars.
The problem is that the recomnded level is 60 and above.
How am I supposed to get it at level 20!?
I accepted it anyway because the reward is good.
But is the old man I t in the alley Duke Adonis Ether?
The only old man I encountered in the alley was that one.
The alarm went off not long after, so there's only one culprit!
It's the old man.
As evidence, when I made an excuse about the old man, even the pretty older sister at the information guild accepted it.
He must have been a very important person.
"Kyuuung."
"Are you hungry?"
"Kyuung!"
"Then let's go clear a quest."
We have no ti to waste, if only for our Yong-yong's sake.
Coming out of the city and walking along the signpost pointing towards the Valley of Death, I see a bear with a huge body in the distance?
What? Why is it so big?
As the bear with the huge body approaches, I'm scared, but it looks familiar?
"Groan!"
"Oh!? It's you!?"
"Groan!"
It's the bear that gave a ride!
Why has it grown so big!?
It's grown more than twice its size, but it approaches and acts cute.
It has a cute side that doesn't match its size.
It says it will give a ride like last ti.
"Do you know the way to the Valley of Death?"
"Groan!"
"You're saying I should just trust you? Then I'll leave it to you."
A distance that would take half a day to walk, we arrived near the valley in no ti.
I thanked it for the ride and said I'd give it more magic stones when I get them, and it said "Keep your promise" before leaving.
Is it normal for every monster I et to have such a peculiar way of speaking?
When I looked at Yong-yong, it tilted its head and spoke in a cute voice.
"Kyuung?"
"Indeed, our Yong-yong is the cutest in the world!"
I almost lost my mind for a mont, but there's no ti.
I need to get the egg and return to the village before it's too late. Then I can feed our Yong-yong.
As I approached the valley, an eerie feeling and a chilly wind blew.
The valley seed to be warning to turn back now.
But I still have to go in.
I slowly entered the valley.
Surprisingly, there was nothing.
They said there was a griffin's nest, but is it really here?
Should I go up?
While I was wondering how to climb up the valley, Yong-yong cried out while looking at a corner.
When I turned my gaze to look there, there were stairs. Did soone else make them?
I climbed up the stairs for a long ti.
After climbing for over an hour, I was finally able to find the griffin's nest.
There was a large egg in the nest that looked like a griffin's egg, but a problem arose.
A griffin was flying in the sky, keeping watch with ironclad security.
"H-how can I break through that and take the egg...?"
"Kyuung?"
"Hmm? No, it's nothing. I'll figure sothing out."
Yong-yong tells to just trust it, but its heart is enough.
While I was racking my brains, I felt a gaze.
I looked up and saw a griffin staring at .
And then it tilted its head and spoke.
"Human."
"Y-yes!?"
As I stared back with a bewildered expression, it slowly descended to the ground.
Then it looked at closely.
"Are you lost?"
"N-no, that's not it."
"Then are you a thief?"
At that mont, it looked at with a cold gaze.
If I say 'yes' here, I feel like I'll be torn apart by those huge claws...
"Well... I need an egg."
"......"
I answered too directly.
The griffin looked at with a dumbfounded expression.
"This is the first ti I've t such a brazen thief."
"Ahaha. I'm not good at lying."
Is this all that's left for now?
Just as I was about to ask it to make it quick and painless, the griffin said "Wait a mont" and flew up into the sky.
How much ti has passed?
The griffin that flew away earlier returned with nurous eggs.
"These are children who couldn't be born with life."
When I checked closely, they were all unfertilized eggs.
Unfertilized egg
An egg laid without fertilization taking place.
The griffin, with a sad face, said it would give them all to without asking for anything in return.
"Why are you giving these to ?"
"Although they are children who couldn't be born, if they can be of help to soone else, those children would be satisfied too."
Its low whispering voice was full of sadness.
I put the eggs in my inventory and said I would co back to repay this kindness, but it said there was no need and told to return carefully before leaving.
Even as I left the valley and headed towards the village, I couldn't shake off the lancholic feeling.
Is there anything I can do to repay them?
I headed towards the city on the bear that appeared from sowhere, saying it would give a ride back too.
Looking at the bear that had grown more than twice its size overnight, I recalled a mory.
I gave the bear a magic stone yesterday, could it be...?
«Gluttony»
The more magic stones your summon eats, the stronger it becos.
[Just watching it eat makes you feel full!]
"That's it!"
*
*
*
After presenting my pass at the entrance and entering the city right away, I went into the store I had co out of before. The clerk who recognized told to follow and guided .
Using the back door, I entered the request room I had been in before, and the pretty older sister was waiting.
"Our little miss. Are you giving up?"
Hearing those words, I took out nurous eggs from my inventory and placed them on the table, surprising her.
"Wh-what are all these eggs...?"
"They're griffin eggs."
The pretty older sister was so surprised by the nurous eggs that she couldn't close her mouth.
[Quest Clear!]
Reward will be given.
At the pretty older sister's gesture, another employee handed over a large bundle, which was full of magic stones.
Enough for our Yong-yong to eat comfortably for several months.
It was already drooling while looking at them, so I gave it one, and it ate it deliciously.
While watching that sight, she made a proposal.
"Oh? That's a creature I've never seen before. How about it? I can offer you a pretty good price if you're interested."
"No!"
"That's a sha."
She smiled and handed a business card.
The card had 'Erica' written on it.
"Let introduce myself properly. I'm Erica, the head of the information guild. I'll allow you to call Erica unni with love and affection."
"Nice to et you. My na is Yuna. Erica unni."
"Unni...?"
She looked at with a slightly dumbfounded expression, but as I put the pouch of magic stones in my inventory and stood up, she grabbed my wrist.
"Do you have urgent business? If not, want to go sowhere nice with unni?"
"I have sothing to do, so I'll take my leave."
"You're so cold. Co play again soti."
Erica unni let go of my wrist and waved her hand.
It's ti to go repay my debt to the griffins.
*
*
*
The Valley of Death had been the domain ruled by griffins since ancient tis.
Until their natural enemy appeared, that is.
The wyvern horde that has been showing up recently.
They're like bugs that attack when there's an opening or steal eggs.
Their intensity has been increasing, and there were signs that an all-out war might break out soon.
While I was keeping watch from the sky.
The human who took the eggs appeared again.
And upon seeing , they were waving their hand.
As I approached, they took sothing out from their bosom.
"Why have you co back, human?"
"I ca to repay your kindness!"
They handed sothing, and when I looked closely, it was a stone containing magical power.
As I swallowed it in one gulp, changes occurred in my body.
Power was surging.
"I brought a lot, so could you call the other griffins too?"
"Very well, human."
I called my kin with a loud voice, and all the griffins in the valley, except for a few guarding the nests, flew in.
Their number exceeded several hundred.
The human looked surprised at that sight and checked sothing.
"Phew. That's a relief. It should be about right. Yong-yong, I'm sorry...? I'll earn more next ti and feed you plenty."
"Kyuung."
I got goosebumps when I looked at the source of the sound coming from the human's bosom.
Why is such an enormous being acting cute towards a human?
Just that being looking at sent chills down my spine.
I felt relieved when it quickly lost interest and started doing sothing else.
At that mont, the human started feeding the magical stones to my kin.
"Co on, will you line up in order? I'll give you one each!"
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