AbyssRaven
patreon
Chapter 106: Farron, the Guild Master of the Hunters Guild Branch. [Release Version]
🕑 Added 2020-10-05 01:04:46 +0000 UTCSome pretty large changes when the group visit the guild. Aside from the feedback I've gotten, I also believe I didn't give this chapter enough love. It wasn't written in my style, and I admit I rushed it too much. I couldn't stand it looking like the first draft so I made these changes.
I think it got better, but feedback is always welcome. Thank you guys for reading and giving your opinions on the chapter. Made me realize it was bad, and that I should strive for better.
__________________________
“Bwuaaah …” I yawned, before peering over Tasianna’s shoulder at what she was making. “Do you think you’ve gotten used to human society, yet, Tasianna?”
Tasianna’s face contorted into a frown as she thought over my question, however, her hands didn’t stop, continuously applying a sweet honey coating on a batch of pre-baked rice crackers. “… I still feel uncomfortable. I still believe we shouldn’t be here, Lady Hestia. Lady Ellaine is gracious for allowing us to stay and use her kitchen, but I cannot trust Barathan or Miss Manuela one bit. Not to mention all the impertinent maids acting like you are their mistress, hmph!”
Only able to laugh wryly at her clingy behavior, I rubbed her shoulders in an attempt to cool her down. Despite her anger, the rice crackers she was making looked marvelous, and I couldn’t wait to bake and try them.
During these last three days we’ve spent in Ellaine’s mansion, Saori and Tasianna have been allowed to use the ingredients from her storage for our meals. While a lot of the veggies, fruits, and spices House Helvas could provide were similar to the ones we had gained from the Belzac forest, a few actually caught our eyes.
<Tazlok Sauce: A fermented liquid condiment created through a tazlokbean and tazlokwheat paste mixture. This black liquid has a slightly sweet and rich umami taste>
<Tazlokwheat: A type of wheat found inside the Tazlok mountains, only able to grow underground. Its grains are hard and tough, with a mild sweet taste when eaten. These plants are as hardy as the creatures living under the Tazlok mountains>
<Sugarcarratas: A carrata whose roots have a high concentration of fructose. The size of the carrata and fructose amount depends on the mana concentration in the ground>
A carrata was a Peolyncian carrot, only with longer roots, and this type could produce sugar similar to sugarbeets. With the amount of sugar sacks I found in their warehouse, I was honestly surprised how abundant they were in this world. Saori was stunned when she learned how dirt-cheap sugar was, compared to the “luxury” of yeast-made products.
However, what took us off-guard was the sauce and the wheat. First, we found rice at Carine village being an integral part of the villager’s diet, and now we found the Peolyncian versions of soy sauce and buckwheat?! When we asked Tasianna why she couldn’t think of them, she simply told us the description didn’t match when we last described them to her.
According to her, tazlokwheat, beans, and rice—originally called tazlokkern—were national crops of the dwarves, grown and cultivated under the Tazlok mountain, one of two mountain ranges of the expansive Ankoran mountain ranges. It was within these mountains that we would find the dwarven nation of Ankor-Nazta, and their undermountain cities called “strongholds” or just “holds,” for short.
Rice was once famine food and animal fodder since it was easy to store in quantities, wheat was there to make hard--to-perish bread for dwarven miners, while beans was used to create savory meals to keep the stout dwarves ever active. All these crops sounded so similar to their Earthen variants, but it was interesting what their cultural and historical value was in this world.
Although already export goods for centuries, these three crops have only recently gotten more popular outside dwarven territories, to the point rice was grown on human farms. Nowadays, you could find them everywhere, as long as you were a trading partner of the dwarves. In addition, stuff like noodles and sake, for example, could be found aplenty in the dwarven nation due to one particular figure Saori and I had been wanting to learn about—the Revolution Queen.
We’ve planned to visit the dwarven territory eventually to learn who she exactly was. Vanialasma, the leviathan we met in the Belzac forest, called her an [Otherworldly Reincarnator] like us. It certainly was interesting, right? Somebody, possibly from our world, came here before us, and she managed to leave a mark in this world. Not only culinarily, but she was also the major trendsetter for current manatech—courtesy to her name, “Revolution Queen,” as in a manatech revolution.
Speaking of dwarves, considering House Helvas had these crops, they must have a good relationship, or at least, a trading agreement with the dwarves, right? Compared to the elves, I guess they managed to resolve the bad feelings after the “War for the Faefolk.”
Mhmm, delicious.
While Tasianna was making a ton of snacks for us, Saori was making fried tazlokwheat soba, better known as yakisoba, and also a huge batch of experimental curry using some new spices we got from the mansion’s food storage. Funnily enough, we were making all of this before dawn came, as I wasn’t exactly allowed to enter the kitchen.
Well, it was not that I was forbidden from it, as I could inspect how the meals were made, but the chefs and the other kitchen staff couldn’t feel calm with me around. Svena and Manuela explained to me that the older staff members were used to the previous Count and Countess Helvas, Ellaine’s grandparents, entering and exiting to make sure feast preparations were correct, but the younger staff members hadn’t gotten used to that, yet. Their work would be compromised with me around, especially after Ellaine told everybody to treat me like a Greifnoble, a noble tier above hers.
So, before the chefs started work, the three of us had some time for ourselves in here. I hadn’t baked anything in the last five days, so I really needed to satisfy my desire to bake something myself and eat it. And, honestly, the bread that was inside the kitchen’s oven smelled fantastic, and I couldn’t wait to bite in.
Baking is so satisfying.
After a while, alas, Svena came running in and called for me to return to my chambers. Well, I managed to make my piping hot, fluffy bread, so I was happy. I returned to my room with Svena and Tasianna, who readied me for the morning, and then I went to eat breakfast with Ellaine.
After filling my stomach, I was about to leave with Saori and Tasianna to the hunters guild to pick up our IDs, but was stopped by Ellaine and Barathan. Barathan wanted to come with me to ensure everything would work out well, but I declined his offer and expressed my dislike of being “followed” whenever I left the mansion. Yes, he meant well, but if I allowed him to come every single time he was “worried,” then I would never be able to enjoy my normal time outside the restraint of a noble.
I wasn’t here for any reason other than to simply enjoy my life. I came to Firwood to help Lorena, but aside from that favor, I just wanted to explore the city without somebody’s bias influencing my party and me. I lived for multiple months in the wilds, so coming back to society, now a full-fledged idol, I wanted to learn more about how people lived their lives here and maybe do a gig or two while I was in town.
I told them my opinion straight, even threatening to leave the mansion if they rejected my wish. I fulfilled my promise to Ellaine by traveling with her to Firwood and also by staying here for an unspecified time. She probably thought I would enjoy the noble district more than the commoner’s after visiting it, believing I would want to stay here instead of moving out.
However, although I was used to wealth and splendor, and while I wished to stay for all the conveniences, I didn’t need them. Knowing she wanted to keep me here for surveillance under her father’s orders, she reluctantly handed over all the needed documents and warned me to stay away from the church, before seeing the three of us off.
We rode the carriage to the entrance to the commoner district, scared the guards with the document from Firwood’s lord, and then continued on foot. With anticipation in my heart, I rushed through the streets and pathways with Saori and Tasianna frantically following behind me. Luckily for the baffled citizens of Firwood, I was tactful enough to not push people around like some thug.
As the three of us gathered in front of the hunters guild, my ears picked up a multitude of voices and music coming from inside the building. It was a bit after breakfast time, so presumably, adventurers were picking up Quests and mingling with each other. Seeing as how adventurers were constantly entering and exiting the building, it had to be full!
Oooh, I can’t wait! I’m gonna become an adventurer!
Entering through the door, the sounds intensified. Numerous people with varying appearances all carried around different weapons ranging from swords, bows, spears, staves, and so on, were walking and standing around in this crowded building. Compared to the soldiers working at the gates and patrolling through the streets, their weapon quality varied a lot, from shabby-looking to well-maintained killer tools.
Their outfits, on the other hand, made me the most excited. Whether it was thick, padded cloth armor, leather-like armor with scales or carapaces attached to them, or just fine, silky-looking robes; I could see “normal” armor and armor made out of monster materials. Heavy metal armor was the rarest, but those who did wear it seemed the most impressive to me.
I didn’t know the exact terms for the different armor, but Saori should. I could tell she was quietly naming each of them with gleaming eyes, hidden behind her stoic mask. Honestly, for a history nerd, Saori just didn’t have much time to do what she loved. However, if I were in her shoes, this place was like a historical medieval festival dialed up to 200% authenticity.
About the races, all of the adventurers were humans and beastmen, which was disappointing to me as I thought I would at least see a dwarf. Elves, faefolk, and demonkin were out of the question as they hated humans. Thankfully, the variety of beastmen made up for the lack of races.
Wolfkins, katzunes, and foxians comprised the majority of them, which translated into a bunch of wolfdogs, cats, and foxes. There were also a few leonids, lion beastmen; loopridae, rabbit beastmen; and arvisians, bird beastmen. They would range from full animalistic humanoids like Master Kush and the saurians, to human-like with a few animal characteristics like Saori and me.
Cat-girls, rabbit-girls, fox-girls, huh? I have the feeling a boy would go crazy here.
Coming from the medieval European world of Ellaine’s mansion to this fantasy-filled place was exciting. It really was exhilarating to be reminded that I was in such a fantasy-like world with all these adventurers. I did remember that a small minority of Ellaine’s servants were beastmen, but I haven’t personally met them.
Honestly, if it weren’t for our races, the three of us would stand out considering how “unadventurous” our outfits looked.
“Huh? Look. A saurian lass just came in.”
“Saurian? Hey, pal, there is a difference between a saurian and lizardman, and that girl is a lizard. Jeez, you humans …”
“An elf? Huh, never thought I would see one around town.”
“Just go to the capital. All the half-elves live in their own districts anyway.”
There were so many voices that I had trouble identifying who exactly was speaking.
While taking in the atmosphere of the guild, our party went over to the counter and lined up before it, as there were three massive lines of rambunctious people occupying all three counters.
While we were waiting, I focused on listening to the music. When we first visited the guild, it was devoid of music, only being filled by the sounds of people speaking. However, now, I could see some bards playing lyres and harps over at the tables next to the kitchen-bar counter manned by two identical-looking rabbit-girls.
I did notice this bar the last time I came, but back then, there wasn’t anybody working at it, so I thought it was deserted. As today was a “normal day at work,” the vibrancy and life filled not only the eatery but this whole building, contrasting the lukewarm welcome I received three days ago.
“Welcome to the hunters guild, how may we-Oh! Lady Hestia, Saori, Tasianna!” Once it was our turn at the counter, a familiar katzune woman greeted us with a brilliant smile.
“You still remember our names?” Saori asked with a brow raised.
“Of course, as an employee of the hunters guild, it is my duty to remember adventurers with renown or with the potential to become powerful one day inside our town. My name is Melia, in case you three forgot,” she responded before calling over a receptionist working on papers behind the counter. “You must be here for your IDs, yes? Before I am allowed to issue you them, the guild leader of this branch of the hunters guild wishes to speak with you three.”
He wants to speak with us? Why do I have the feeling we’re gonna get interrogated again?
After her colleague took over for her at the counter, Melia guided us behind the counter and up a set of stairs to the first floor. After announcing us to the guild master’s wolfkin secretary, she rang a bell behind a large door similar to how a noble would be announced, and a deep, rough voice escaped from behind the door, welcoming us in with a “you may enter.”
We entered the room to see a bulky flare-red-haired human man sitting behind a document-covered desk. The room had a pair of sofas situated in the middle with the desk in between them, probably to serve as a place for discussion and negotiations instead of for lazing around.
To the left, three bookshelves filled with a handful of books and a vast assortment of scrolls lined the wall in a tidy fashion. Did the guild master organize them himself or was it his secretary? Regardless, it gave the impression the guild master valued neatness. In contrast, the right side of the room looked more fitting of an adventurer guild’s room, decorated with two standing suits of plate armor and three shields mounted on the wall with two swords in an x shape placed behind them.
While one part of the room gave a respectable and business-like atmosphere, the other side would remind any visitors they were in a guild responsible for the management of numerous monster hunters. Considering this wasn’t inside the noble district, it was very well decorated.
Without turning his eyes away from the documents, he gestured with his left arm for us to sit on one of the couches, while he kept on working in silence.
Kyaah! You look soooo the part, Sir! I silently thought to myself, but Saori still gave me a “I know what you thought” glance when she noticed my tail swinging around joyously. Verdammt nochmal, tail! How could you expose me!
Once the secretary closed the door, the man stood up, gave us a deep bow from the hip, before speaking to me with a polite but aloof look, “I, Farron Nordor, the current guild master of Firwood branch of the Hunters Guild, welcome you, Princess Hestia Atsuko Kargryxmor of the Dragon Empire Kargryx. Please, let us sit and speak.”
I stiffened up a bit when I heard that, having to take a deep breath as my secret was exposed. Sure, I came in prepared, but hearing it announced like this felt awkward. It honestly felt surreal.
The man came forward, bowed deeply before me out of respect before stretching his arm out with his tanned hand. As I believed he wanted a handshake, I shook his first, then Saori, lastly Tasianna, although reluctantly under Saori’s scrutiny.
We sat down on the sofa afterward. The guild master, Farron, adjusted his coat as he sat down, revealing his amulet of Aurena from underneath his vest, while Melia stood behind him. The guild master looked to be in his early forties or so, and while I’d expected him to appear rougher considering he was the guild master, he actually had the air of a respectable and diligent man.
“Clothes make the man,” and he just oozed leadership and charisma from the way he dressed himself, despite his lack of a smile. He was stoic and had a sorta sharp focus behind his eyes that reminded me of the saurians, suggesting he was not only calm and confident in the situation, but that he knew not to drop his guard.
This is the man Master warned me about. The rank A hunter, huh? The ‘Wing Ripper.’ I had to steady my breath once again after I remembered that fact. Master wouldn’t lie, so I had to be wary.
Although outer appearances were a bit deceiving to gauge a person’s strength, with the three of us being good examples, I trusted the draconic instincts I’d been training since my birth, and it told me I should be wary of him. He wasn’t activating any aura skills right now, but his presence alone made my tail restless.
His muscles, barely held back by his clothes, lead me to believe he was a close combatant like Krim-Slak and Grazlahta. I couldn’t feel that much mana from him compared to Countess Helvas and Master Kush, so he couldn’t be a mage. Urgh, my strength evaluation wasn’t quite there yet. I really wanted to appraise him with [Identify], but held myself back, knowing it could cause more than just a misunderstanding.
“No need to be so wary, Princess Hestia. I confirmed your Profile; you are not only a blessed of the Goddess, but also a daughter of the royal family of Kargryx. The Firwood Guilds of Hunters and Mercenaries have no intentions of harming you,” Farron told us with a matter of fact tone. “I am here to confirm certain information with you and also give you a rundown on how your guild membership will work. Normally, Melia or one of the other receptionists would do it but I wish to have a little talk with you and your companions.”
“Pardon my rudeness, but why is Melia here exactly? When you casually revealed Lady Hestia’s true status, she did not seem very surprised,” Saori replied with a hint of caution.
“The walls are fortified with a soundproof rune. No sound will come in or out, so a leak of information won’t happen the moment all doors and windows are closed.” Farron pointed at one of the mounted shields and revealed the green-glowing runes hidden behind them. “As for Melia, she is here as your official handler while you stay and work with us in the Firwood branch. To fulfill her job correctly, I’ve revealed to her your IDs, and I also made all the other receptionists sign a magic contract to not reveal your profile or identity to anybody not privy to it. If she is available, Melia will act as your sole handler to smoothen your time at the guild.”
Magic contracts? I can sorta guess what it means, but not the details.
“What’s a magic contract? And what exactly did you make them sign?” I asked, not wanting to be so ignorant about everything.
Farron raised a brow to my question. “A contract connected to the contract department of the mages guild. Once you sign it, the magic within it forbids you from breaking the contract’s conditions while in its effective range. In this specific contract, nobody is allowed to speak about you without Melia’s or my permission. As you do not wish this information to spread, we have made the appropriate arrangements to prevent leaks.”
Seeing me confirm with a nod that I understood him, he then took out three black cards and white bracelets from inside his coat and placed them on the table. “Now … A dragon, a fenrir, and … I presume a fairy? A rather interesting and diverse party, honestly. Kargryxmor’s descendant, a spawn of Belzac the [Three-Eyed Fenrir], and a fairy in the form of a wind elf …”
The three of us had already accepted that our secrets would be exposed the moment we issued our IDs, but it kinda felt weird to have somebody just lay it out like that.
The guild master pinched the bridge of his nose as he leaned forward. “However, what made these past three days a nightmare for me and presumably for everybody involved in it was the fact that we have two world reincarnators among us. The last and only recorded otherworlder was the Ankoran Queen, or High Queen to non-dwarves, called the ‘Revolution Queen.’ Now, we have Princess Hestia Atsuko Kargryxmor and Miss Saori Segawa in our world.”
I tilted my head as I responded, feeling a bit sympathetic to the plight from the tone of his voice. “Sorry, I guess? We really needed those IDs to start living properly, and with memories of our past life, living in the wilderness was a no go. If you want to blame somebody, blame it on Count Helvas for accepting our heartfelt plea.”
“Lady Hestia—Actually, do I need to keep up our pretense here?” Saori wondered as she realized this was the same situation we had with the saurians. She shook her head and looked straight at Farron. “Hestia and I do apologize for giving you trouble with the process, Mr. Farron. However, with how much we’ve heard, living in society without an ID would be impossible and our goal to live a relatively peaceful life would be impossible without them. You should understand our position, without IDs we cannot even take on a Quest or a profession.”
Saori wasn’t exaggerating here. When we even needed to show our IDs at the village gates to enter Carine village, when they didn’t even have a [Crystal of the Divine System] to authenticate it, it was clear to me how important they were. Master Kush and Tasianna both explained how you couldn’t accept Quests and get a proper working position at an establishment without IDs.
I understood everything on our Profiles was just a huge information nightmare, but what were we supposed to do when making IDs required revealing our information? The reason why we did it with the help of a noble in the first place was to keep this nightmare hidden from the majority of the people around us.
The guild master massaged his temple for a moment, but then opened up his eyes, having had his chance to complain. “Sorry, had to get that out of me, and call me Farron. I would rather avoid formalities if possible, and you two are already being casual so let’s stick with it. Let’s get back to the topic, I wish to know your monster ranks.”
I raised an eyebrow, finding that question questionable. Even with all the information we’ve already given, he wanted more? I didn’t like being treated like a princess, but I could say that was rude.
Noticing our reluctance, he raised his hand up, waving it to soothe our worries. “I can guess from your stats what you are, but I need confirmation for when I send this report back to the nobles. Speaking of noblemen, one of them is the King of Artorias.”
He then gestured over to Tasianna. I could understand from her sour expression that she wasn’t enjoying her time here. After speaking it over with Saori and Tasianna through telepathy, we decided to inform him of our races and ranks, but nothing else.
Farron nodded when we told him our ranks, noting he guessed correctly but that he didn’t expect us to have races he’d never heard of before. Melia even commented she’d never heard of [Young Sunfang Dragon] or [Young Shadowstalker Cadejo], nor their adult versions from the bestiary before. She eyed us with curiosity and even prodded for more information, but we refused to tell her anything more, as we wanted to keep the finer details a secret, for example my solar core.
Apparently, [Identity Blocker] worked even inside our IDs. It could protect the card from being inspected with [Identify] if its level was high enough, and it seemed Farron couldn’t get all the information from our cards. He could see the names of our skills and title, but he couldn’t understand what they did. He wanted to know what our unique skills did, as he couldn’t read up on them.
Another point for investing in this skill, yes!
“… Hold on, I think I overlooked something here,” he muttered after we finished speaking, widening his eyes upon realization. “You two still possess the ‘young’ prefix in your race name? Impossible … Lady Hestia, this isn’t your ‘Adulthood Ceremonial Pilgrimage?’ You haven’t reached dragon maturity yet?”
… Okay, more words I’ve never heard about. My whole stay in Firwood has revolved around information, information, and, oh guess what, more information! Ahhh, I feel so dumb ...
“No idea what you’re talking about but the System told me I would lose ‘young’ once I reach five. I’m only nine months old and Saori is five months old,” I said nonchalantly.
“What, you two aren’t even a year old yet?!” Melia blurted out in surprise.
“… I see, the headaches won’t stop this early, huh?” Farron complained once again as he massaged his temple and leaned back on the couch, trying to relax.
“We were both born inside the Belzac forest and the three of us met there, if you want to know the truth. Imagine it, you wake up one day and somebody tells you you’re the princess of some unknown empire you’ve never heard of, and you’re a dragon to boot. The world we came from only had dragons in fables and myth, and now you’re telling me I’m a dragon princess?! What the hell?” I continued, shrugging over this information as a joke. “Although, I guess you could call my previous lifestyle ‘noble-like,’ so that helped me fit into the role a bit. But nothing could have prepared me to aid a goddess in her goals.”
“That is pretty fascinating, Princess Hestia! I joined the hunters guild to listen to interesting tales from wandering adventurers, but yours and Saori’s might actually be the most outlandish ones. I’m happy to have the honor to meet two otherworlders,” Melia commented.
“True. The tales of Lady Hestia’s and Miss Saori’s world are wonderful, although I sometimes get confused by them,” Tasianna added, looking cheerful, as she was now speaking with a katzune. “Did you know, on their world, ‘Earth,’ most of their technology works using controlled lightning and fuel, and it is completely devoid of mana. The descriptions felt nostalgic for our fairy tales.”
So the reason why you believed us so quickly was ‘cause of your previous experience with the ‘fables’ of those wandering fairy adventures?! Tasianna! I thought dumbfounded, remembering when she commented about it during one of her history lessons.
Farron clapped his hands to catch everybody’s attention, aware the discussion would diverge if he didn’t. “You can all talk about it when you four are free. Let’s return to my questions before we forget everything; there are only a few left so hear me out.”
He then leaned forward, looking at me seriously. “Princess Hestia, I need a proper answer here. Your royalty status and the fact you’re a descendant is indisputable thanks to your titles, so were you actually born in the Belzac forest? Have you never visited Kargryx, your homeland? Are you saying your egg was inside that forest all this time.”
“Kargryx isn’t my homeland. As far as I am concerned, the Belzac forest is more my homeland, as that is where I was hatched from my egg,” I told him bluntly, not even hesitating when I replied. “I don’t know my dragon parents, and I’ve never been to either Kargryx or Loatryx. I also don’t know what you mean with this ‘Adulthood Ceremonial Pilgrimage.’ I was born alone. I also just recently became a rank B, for your information.”
“I can attest to that,” Saori chimed in. “You seem to know about Belzac and his descendants so you can take my word, for whatever it is worth, that I met Hestia inside it when she was only a rank D. She evolved into a rank C in front of me and then into a rank B inside the kingdom.”
“So, can I. I made my vow to become her retainer when she was only a rank C,” Tasianna added too.
Farron was decently surprised that we were this willing to give him this information, but Saori believed there weren’t any consequences to telling him. If none of the information leaked, and he didn’t have any ill intentions, then nothing bad would happen to us. Actually, she sounded so confident that nothing bad would happen when she told me to not worry through telepathy.
“We will become adventurers, no? As the guild master of one of the two adventurer guild branches, I presume you wish to have us work as proper guild members. Intentionally sabotaging us would give you no benefit, while the guild could use two willing hunters,” Saori asserted her position with a confident smile. Farron noticed the intent behind her words and nodded, telling him his daily life would dramatically change if he were to anger me.
Would the nobles actually do that to one of their rank As? Jeez, poor guy. He might be strong, but he was still only a desk worker.
“… Just once more, let me get this straight. You don’t know who your mother is. You don’t know if you have siblings or not. You don’t even know your dragon clan?” he shot out even more questions. At this point, it became abundantly clear this person knew more about the dragon empire than I did.
Just wanting to get this through with, I just answered as concisely as possible, “No. No. Kargryxmor clan, right? That’s my last name.”
“No, that isn’t what I mean. When I spoke about your clan, I speaking of your maternal line, since it is clear you are Kargrxmor dragon due to your name.” He then eyed Tasianna. “Miss Tasianna, I presume you have told the Princess everything about dragon names and such, right? How lineages matter in this case?”
Tasianna, shaking off her icy glare, nodded. “True dragons born into a lineage, and not through a random monster spawning, usually take up the name of their ancestor as their last name as a sign of respect and to honor their deeds. In this case, Lady Hestia is a Kargryxmor, first and foremost. I gave her a quick summary once, but not in detail.”
Farron scratched the back of his neck as he sighed. He then looked back at me, showing me pity. “I guess I do owe you some answers when I’m dumping information on you. Seems like you have it rough as an otherworlder, huh?”
He paused a second to point at me and then continued, “You were reborn as a princess of the Dragon Empire, Kargryx, Princess Hestia. This means your lineage flows back to its origin with the Black Tyrant of the Skies, Kargryxmor, when he was still a mortal. Now, he rules over us as the God of Dragons and Oaths, which makes your heritage even more prestigious. My question was directed at who your mother was; which of the Queen Mothers you are the child of.”
Queen Mothers? Wait, hold on, does my dragon father have a harem?
“… It’s all becoming clearer. Gotta send a message to her, then,” Farron mumbled that last part but instantly corrected his posture and let out a deep sigh. He really should sleep more. “Alright, Princess Hestia, considering you don’t know much about yourself. I guess you don’t have much control of your [Battle Frenzy] yet. You may use the guild’s training ground if you need to let loose.”
This just confirmed every suspicion I had. This guy knew too much. He even knew I had [Battle Frenzy] and even correctly guessed I didn’t have it under control. It surprised me you could actually control this thing.
Saori and Tasianna have taken it upon themselves to monitor and supervise my mood as I could easily lose myself in whatever I do, whether it’s magic, idol training, or simply lazing around. They even told Svena to watch out if I ever become moody.
While I haven’t felt any serious irritation in the last six days, I did think it might be risky to leave this hanging while we were in town. Wait, hold on, this was the sixth day … Oh shit, maybe I should consider his offer to train.
“Haaa, this really is troublesome.” Farron shook his head, before his face tensed up a bit and he faced Saori. “Saori, I presume you don’t know much about your legacy, either. You’re an otherworlder, so it’s understandable. Just to be clear, we, the hunter’s guild, did not expect another [Belzac’s Successor] to exist. Seven years ago, we’ve sent people out to hunt down any Belzac forest garm, fenrir, and the rank A alpha male we dubbed the ‘Grim Messenger.’ Through a pyrrhic victory we paid with heavy casualties and the lives of two rank A hunters, we presumably eradicated all garms and fenrirs eligible for [Belzac’s Successor] … Apparently, we didn’t.”
…Oh no. No, no, no, no! D-Did I just-!
While my eyes widened in horror. Did I just cause the extinction of the garms? Was that what the garm matriarch meant when Saori was the “last Belzac?” I couldn’t help but turn my head in Saori’s direction as I wasn’t sure how she would feel by this revelation, but against my fears, she kept a calm, albeit troubled expression.
“… What were the reasons and goals for this Quest?” she asked in her usual tone when we were in public.
Snapping his fingers and directing his fingers towards the bookshelves, Farron ordered Melia to look for a scroll among the pile. She returned with it, and Farron handed it over to Saori. “More details are inside the scroll. The gist is that our Quest giver wished to expand into the Belzac forest and set up an advance camp to collect valuable alchemical resources for the alchemist guild. In fact, while I could guess who the true sponsor was, the client on paper was the alchemist guild. Exterminate Belzac’s spawn and gain control over the forest. While we cannot completely take it over due to its value if it stays ‘free,’ setting up a small camp for hunters to collect herbs and kill monsters would be ideal.”
“The plan did not work, correct?” It was an easy deduction since we haven’t met a single human there.
Farron shook his head. “No, we underestimated the environmental repercussions the extermination of ‘Grim Messenger’ would have on the forest’s ecosystem. Numerous monsters from various places of the Belzac forest looked at this power vacuum as an opportunity to migrate, and with our dwindling manpower and with the death of two rank As, the Quest was marked as canceled by me. Thankfully, the guild didn’t face any repercussions thanks to Lord Marquis Sirius, but it still did a blow to this branch’s reputation.”
“Huh, no wonder you are the only strong person I noticed inside the guild, guild master,” Tasianna scoffed, finally showing her fangs with that snide remark.
Saori nodded, gave it a few moments of thought and then responded. “Well, I thank you very much for this helpful information. You have nothing to fear from me as I feel no familial bond to my garm parents and siblings. When I met Hestia, she had just battled my ‘family’ and bested them. To me, the two people sitting with me on this couch are my family. I am not seeking revenge on you, or any participant.”
“S-Saori …” I uttered with a mix of guilt and happiness. I felt bad for killing possibly the few last Belzac wolves, but also joy from Saori’s continued enforcement of our relationship. Noticing it, Saori patted my head for a moment.
“Good enough for me. You’re a smart woman. You understood the underlying message immediately.” Farron gave her a thumbs up. “And you, Madam Fairy? You should get what I am doing here—can you become a threat? You are the only Peolyncian native among your party, and from the moment you sent that chilly aura towards me, I knew your hostility towards the human race. I won’t deny nor excuse the actions of our past kinsmen as it was a terrible and cruel act from humankind.”
Tasianna stayed silent, glaring at the guild master with icy fury. Farron barely responded to it but reciprocated with his own stern gaze. The two battled in a staring contest for seconds until Tasianna finally opened her mouth in contempt.
“… I hate you humans, I admit it, I really do. I’m sorry, Lady Hestia and Miss Saori, but I can’t simply turn my feelings off at this moment. These humans have done something unforgivable to us faefolk and killed many innocents to sate their greed. They took somebody precious away from me. The majority of fairies might make-believe and ignore the truth, but I will stand tall and display my disdain like my neighbors, the long-living elves of Saelariel,” she declared with derision. “However, I don’t care about you if you leave me and my party alone. I am a retainer and friend first, before my hatred. Firwood, as a town, has done nothing I personally felt a grudge to because humans aren’t the only ones living here.”
She then glanced at Melia for a moment with softer eyes, before returning them to Farron. “I hope my answer was pleasing.”
“If it helps, she’s my retainer,” I figuratively stepped forwards in support. “I have ordered her to behave and we’ve been doing our best to help her adapt to human society. Please, we don’t want to cause any trouble, honestly.”
Farron then sighed in exasperation but still showed us a thumbs up, signaling we passed. He then went on to explain our privileges as hunters, as the three of us let out a relieving chuckle at the dispersing tension.
First, as members of the hunters guild, we are legally allowed to accept monster-hunting Quests commissioned to the guild. Second, concerning monster hunts, we would possess the protection of the guild when it came to those matters, but that also meant we are representatives of the guild and needed to respect the laws of the towns and cities we work in. Third, we could use all resources and functions of the hunters guild, which included Job changing. Lastly, hunters had a responsibility to report on their Quest fulfillment and also any potential monster infestations or attacks.
“Melia, take care of their registration with these three cards. Help them set up the bracelets, and, well, do your job, really,” Farron said before handing the three blank IDs and party bracelets to Melia. “I’ve heard you have two Quest commissions from House Helvas, but they are related to the mercenary guild. The hunters guild only deals with monsters. I’ll inform the guild master at the mercenary guild about everything so simply hand over those documents to the receptionist there and show your IDs.”
We stood up, and Farron gave us one last bow to wish us luck as newly appointed guild members. “May Themestra, the Goddess of Hunting, bless you on every Quest.”
He knew quite a lot about Kargryx, didn’t he? Why does he want me to stay quiet about it, then? Weird …
We then went back down to the rowdy ground floor with Melia and she began our registration process at an unoccupied fourth counter. “Oh, before I begin to surprise you. The guild master has ordered me to directly promote you three up to rank D hunters.”
“Rank D? Why rank D all of a sudden? We haven’t even done anything yet” I asked.
Shouldn’t we start at the bottom like everybody else?
“The adventurer guilds measure their members similarly to the monster ranking system, which means rank D is around the average of a hunter. Although it is rare, a guild is allowed to directly give a new member a higher rank than rank G if they show us their skills. However, we are not legally allowed to give you anything higher than rank D, as you must show us you can work by fulfilling Quests and accumulating Quest points,” Melia explained. “Concerning why we are doing this, it is because the materials you handed over was plenty enough in points and because of your true power. We wish to not restrict our members.”
“Miss Melia, I have a feeling there is a hidden intention behind this,” Tasianna stated.
I clapped Tasianna’s shoulders after she said it. “Ahhh, come on, Tasianna. Who cares? Getting rank D now just speeds everything up and we can start taking on higher Quests earlier. Uhm, I believe we’re only allowed to take on Quests either one rank higher than our current one or anything below it, right, Melia?”
“Yes, that is correct, Lady Hestia,” She responded with a nod. “Now, please put your hand on the crystal and I will officially welcome you to the guild as rank Ds!”
“Will we also be able to gain and change Jobs with your help once we join, correct?” Saori asked.
“Ah, that reminds me, you two do not have Jobs yet. Which now makes sense after I heard your background,” Melia replied, her cat ears moving around in excitement as she recounted what we said in her head. “But, yes, you may change your Jobs immediately after your IDs are issued. So, shall we start, Lady Hestia?”
‘Super Arcane Mega Pyro Mage Light Idol’, here I come!
Comments
Diego Rossi
Bard, minstrel, etc. are professions, not necessarily classes. A class that use magic through song and music can be called Bard, but it is not necessarily for the professional singers and musicians to have that class. Lady Ellaine has a decent musical skill and she is a Mage.
Diego Rossi
Adding Berserker to someone that suffer from Battle Frenzy doesn't seem a good idea. Gong Sunfang Dragon had the added advantage of reducing it, taking a class that probably increase it is a bad idea.
Milandaanza
Yes jobs! I still don’t think mage is best for Hestia considering the way she ends up brawling and all the mage skills she already has. Come on Berserker Hestia and Assassin Saori!
No, no, when Hestia explained to them what an Idol was, they thought it was a ritual dancer. Don’t forget, the lizardmen come from a different part of the continent and an Idol sing and dances spectacularly.
Imp
Hm.... I didn't comment on this before, but there's bards? Curious. The lizardmen left me with the impression there was no such class; they only knew about ritual dancers. Or maybe Hestia (or the lizardmen) being unreliable narrator. Hm. Ooohhh! Renaming thing got cleared up. Cool - that had bothered me a bit. "Blessed by the Goddess of Light" - Hestia apparently didn't use System Neutrality to hide her blessing. That said, curious that he focused on the Light and Dragon blessings, and ignored the Fire one. Possibly because of the letter from Helvas, but if he's going to worry about bringing up the monster parts, why not the fire blessing? "guild could use two willing hunters," Not including Tasianna? More information about Garm Mother! Nice. Kind of hoping that Saori gets an arc dealing with their literal ghosts. "Really behind it" - heee, could that be a hint towards a certain noble who was behind Tasi's kidnapping? Okay, rampant fan speculation aside...
Jonathan Seah
I meant the summoned class. Who are all hanging around in the human world and very familiar with bread. At least theoretically. It would be fun for them to accidentally spark a trade war due to an offhand comment about yeast. lol
Imp
How many transmigrators? We know of one before the recent summons. And she mainly dealt with dwarves, from the sounds of it.
Oh, right, Battle Frenzy. I wanted to mention it in a future chapter, because you guys know what, but i forgot that is pretty important especially with how the guild master was insinuating the Kargryxmor’s anger problems.
Jonathan Seah
Huh. That seems pretty fragile, especially with some transmigrators hanging around. All it takes is a 'wtf' moment from them or Hestia leaving a bit of yeast dough for next time when someone's watching to destroy an entire trade good.
Kevin Caffrey
I love the revisions. The new version flows way better, it’s like night and day. If I may offer one more suggestion, when Farron asks whether they are a threat, it seems like it would be in character for Hestia to mention Battle Frenzy and her needs on handling it (namely freedom to spar). They seem to be laying all their cards on the table, and while it’s totally understandable that they might forget to mention it, I think it could read better if they do.
Termac
Hmm. Perhaps the guy speaking out is a somewhat spoiled, overly proud son (but not heir) of a laynoble? Regarding the question of how the guy and his group overheard, I suggest making it a bit more obvious by making it clear that they were talking within earshot of some of the guild members. For instance > “Rank D? Why rank D all of a sudden? We haven’t even done anything yet” I asked. could be > “Rank D? Why rank D all of a sudden? We haven’t even done anything yet” I asked, as we passed by couple groups of adventurers seated at the tables. The guy has a sword and his armor is described as "decently used." Maybe part of his complaint is that he thinks Hestia, Saori and Tasianna really don't have the strength to be D-rank adventurers, and are being granted that rank because of nepotism or bribery or something like that. Keep in mind that Hestia looks 15 (barely adult by Peolyncian standards) and is wearing a white cape, suggesting she's spent far more time in the Church than fighting monsters or even training, Saori looks 18, and Tasianna is wearing a *maid* outfit, and looks young as well (although she "is" an elf, so…) and all three of them are stylishly dressed, (I'm not sure the guy would know mana clothing by sight) unarmored, and appear unarmed, as well.
Bob
It would depend on the rules and culture of the guild you have designed. The complaint itself is not unrealistic, as complaining like that would at most incur a (relatively) mild reprimand. If you are wanting things to escalate further while still being realistic, the group would have to believe that they would normally get away with this behavior. An example of such is if they were nobles the guild would rather not offend. Perhaps one of those priests is with them; they seem to be an entitled lot that throw their weight around.
Of not otherwise noted, she always wears he default outfit from her artwork
Imp
Another question about this confrontation - is Hestia wearing her white cape? I didn't see any indication of what Hestia and company was wearing, but pretty much all her outfits are rather noble-looking, aren't they?
Termac
Yes, but you need to actually do that. You need to *know* to do that.
The biggest annoyance about it making the encounter outside is the fact we have Job change before us, and I’m pretty sure everybody wants to finally see how the Job system works in the story. Hestia wouldn’t leave the guild before she gets her first Job.
Termac
Yeah, it's not clear as is whether their problem is with Hestia's party or with Melia. And if it's with Melia, she should be able to threaten them expulsion from the guild they worked so hard to rank up in. Unless Melia's pretty meek, I guess, and afraid to use the authority she should rightfully be able to wield to keep order within the walls of the Guild.
Kevin Caffrey
Part of the issue with that scene was that by ending with it as a minicliff, you are signaling that the conflict will be important. However, even if you can make that interaction itself seem more natural, I can’t see any way the conflict would realistically escalate. The guild knows Hestia shouldn’t be offended, so the only realistic next action I can see is that the receptionist gives them a verbal beat down and then it’s over (which would make the prior cliff a letdown). If the goal is to make longer lasting trouble with an arrogant party, then I think having that occur just as they are leaving would work better. They could talk amongst themselves about how they are pleased to straight to D rank, right as they pass Tropey Arrogant Group. If that happens outside, the guild master/receptionist would not be able to intervene.
Jonathan Seah
I still find it strange how yeast can have a shortage when it grows. You can literally grow yeast in a bottle with a bit of leftover dough and some water.
Efgbog
Maybe specify where they are, like Hestia has just come out of a door behind the counters or near them and the clique party is currently waiting inline or already being served, so that they are close enough to hear. Also make it clear that they were not around when Hestia came the first time or that they have been out of town so they don't know who she is
Any tips on how to make it feel less artificial?
Comiak
Enhanced hearing skills exist and they have a wolfkin who probably has better hearing. As for not hearing that they demonstrated their skill, it's as you said, it's a noisy room, and they probably only heard a few words. I can imagine the kid probably just jumped the gun after hearing gossip that the wolfkin told him, He was probably told "Hey those guys are starting at rank D didn't know that could happen". But yeah, this definitely screamed artificially created conflict but it's a common trope.
Termac
Maybe the wolfkin rogue has really good hearing and caught the first mention of "D rank." Maybe the loud kid was watching Melia specifically, perhaps due to romantic interest. Maybe her voice had a way of cutting through a noisy room.
Imp
See, this is why you should have brought the butler. He was the anti-trope repellent
Kevin Caffrey
The ending felt weird. How would that group, which is across a noisy room, even have heard what was going on? And if they did hear, then wouldn’t they also have heard that Hestias party already demonstrated the proper skill? The interaction ended up feeling like an artificially created conflict.
