NOVEL NEXT 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 numerous assassins revealed themselves.
"Shall we follow her?"
"No need. We've already confirmed it."
The words written in the communication channel:
[If harm comes 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 time.
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 formed on her lips as she took a sip of tea.
"Sweet is indeed the best."
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*
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 recommended 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 met 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 time 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 me a ride!
Why has it grown so big!?
It's grown more than twice its size, but it approaches me and acts cute.
It has a cute side that doesn't match its size.
It says it will give me a ride like last time.
"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 time.
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 meet 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 moment, but there's no time.
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 seemed to be warning me 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 someone else make them?
I climbed up the stairs for a long time.
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 something out."
Yong-yong tells me 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 me.
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 me closely.
"Are you lost?"
"N-no, that's not it."
"Then are you a thief?"
At that moment, it looked at me 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 me with a dumbfounded expression.
"This is the first time I've met such a brazen thief."
"Ahaha. I'm not good at lying."
Is this all that's left for me now?
Just as I was about to ask it to make it quick and painless, the griffin said "Wait a moment" and flew up into the sky.
How much time has passed?
The griffin that flew away earlier returned with numerous 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 me without asking for anything in return.
"Why are you giving these to me?"
"Although they are children who couldn't be born, if they can be of help to someone 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 come back to repay this kindness, but it said there was no need and told me to return carefully before leaving.
Even as I left the valley and headed towards the village, I couldn't shake off the melancholic feeling.
Is there anything I can do to repay them?
I headed towards the city on the bear that appeared from somewhere, saying it would give me a ride back too.
Looking at the bear that had grown more than twice its size overnight, I recalled a memory.
I gave the bear a magic stone yesterday, could it be...?
«Gluttony»
[Just watching it eat makes you feel full!]
"That's it!"
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After presenting my pass at the entrance and entering the city right away, I went into the store I had come out of before. The clerk who recognized me told me to follow and guided me.
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 numerous 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 numerous 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 shame."
She smiled and handed me a business card.
The card had 'Erica' written on it.
"Let me introduce myself properly. I'm Erica, the head of the information guild. I'll allow you to call me Erica unni with love and affection."
"Nice to meet you. My name is Yuna. Erica unni."
"Unni...?"
She looked at me 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 somewhere nice with unni?"
"I have something to do, so I'll take my leave."
"You're so cold. Come play again sometime."
Erica unni let go of my wrist and waved her hand.
It's time to go repay my debt to the griffins.
*
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The Valley of Death had been the domain ruled by griffins since ancient times.
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 me, they were waving their hand.
As I approached, they took something out from their bosom.
"Why have you come back, human?"
"I came to repay your kindness!"
They handed me something, 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 something.
"Phew. That's a relief. It should be about right. Yong-yong, I'm sorry...? I'll earn more next time 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 me sent chills down my spine.
I felt relieved when it quickly lost interest and started doing something else.
At that moment, the human started feeding the magical stones to my kin.
"Come on, will you line up in order? I'll give you one each!"