Thus begins a new adventure!Volume 3
Translator: RoblagEditor: H . K . Glenstid
Someone is sprinting through the forest at great speeds; leaping expertly and with feet barely touching the ground . It’s a woman, or to be more specific, it’s a young woman . Her smooth, silky silver hair is tied in a messy bun . She has a sword strapped to her waist, covered by her fluttering coat .
Her most distinctive features are undoubtedly her pointy ears .
The surrounding forest is full of blackened dead vegetation . None of the trees have their usual foliage . The thorns and shrubs are dry and seem to be alive with unusual erratic movements . Dark clouds loom overhead; the gray desolate panorama encases the sky with a depressive glow .
Chasing the young woman are a bunch of magical beasts . Child-sized lizards are hot on her heels, sprinting after her on their hind legs . Their lidless eyes are entirely focused on the woman, their blue scales ooze a strange liquid .
“You lot!” the young woman growls upon seeing the lizards still chasing her . “Are really getting on my nerves!”
Her hand falls to her sword’s handle . Leaping to the side, she spins in a deadly arc and in a blink of an eye her blade buries itself in one of the lizards . Taking advantage of the momentum, she continues to spin; her blade lobbing off the next beast’s head .
The young woman elegantly dances from foe to foe, her movements a graceful blur of death . The enemies stood no chance against her obvious extraordinary skill, as each beast was slain without breaking a single drop of sweat .
“I warned you…”
With rows of corpses remaining, the woman simply wipes the blood off her blade .
‘I’ve travelled so far just to find one worthy beast to slay,’ the woman thinks, sheathing her sword . “What a disappointment this has been…could it be that they’re all really weak?”
The young woman shakes her head and begins to run into the distance . She can still feel the presence of magical beasts chasing her, but she cannot be bothered to waste her strength of small fry . Although her body looks delicate, she shows no sign of being tired .
The young woman continues to run .
For hours upon hours, jumping over dead trees and dodging dry thorny bushes, the woman continues to run . Until eventually, she sees a cloud of miasma floating adrift .
The strange magical occurrence sends a cold chill down her spine .
The young woman skids to a halt, a gleeful look in her eye .
“Finally,” she says with a menacing smile . The young woman draws her sword again and begins to march towards the source of magic .
And there she sees a dark crouching creature .
The child-sized shadowy creature dissipates and bubbles, it forms undefined and changing constantly . Its limbs are, in a nutshell, very peculiar . A normal-looking human arm on one side, and a wing on the other . Multiple heads turn from one side to the other, scanning its surroundings for a threat, or worse…
Prey .
The creature made of shadows murmurs something in a low voice as it changes shape . It’s like the creature is begging, or maybe regretting something .
“Go… go… I go back… Master…”
“Sorry sweetheart, but you won’t be going back anywhere,” the woman manically smiles, readying her blade . In a single step, she closed the distance and brought her thin blade down on the shadowy creature .
Little by little, the signs of summer begin to appear .
The grass and trees of vibrant spring gradually darkened to a solemn green . The forest near the village of Tornela thrived with a solid lively glow .
The plains outside the village are covered with rows upon rows of carpet like grass . The livestock enjoys the warm sunny days .
The most laborious tasks during the early summer are harvesting wheat and shearing the well-fed sheep .
The nights in Tornela are relatively cool—even during the summer—but the daylight is dazzling and relentless . So, after losing the excess wool, the sheep return to the pastures, lighter and refreshed .
On the day the villagers are shearing the sheep, Belgriff sits in the garden of Kerry’s house; watching over the children . The old adventurer holds a baby in his arms while five other children draw pictures on the ground or watch the sheep being sheared on the other side of the garden .
Many homes in Tornela have sheep, but Kerry’s house easily held the most . It is for this reason that Kerry hires several villagers to help him with this process to the point where it is basically a small festival within Tornela .
However, their work does not end there .
Once everyone has finished with the sheep, they begin the spinning and weaving of wool .
A person with experience shearing sheep will take maybe forty to fifty minutes with the appropriate scissors . A beginner, on the other hand, may take up to twice or thrice as long . The more experienced people show the craft to the younger ones, however, there are many occasions when the sheep feel uncomfortable and try to escape . At other times the young shearer’s end up damaging the wool, or even hurting the sheep . Small situations like this end up causing a big commotion among the villagers .
Belgriff has had his fair share of sheep shearing, but the number of children has increased over the years, and he found himself looking after them .
Belgriff is thankfully willing to teach the young ones the craft properly, allowing the women who help wash and spin the wool to work without interruption . In addition, all the villagers feel safe leaving their children in Belgriff’s care as the children love him dearly .
When the baby in Belgriff’s arms starts crying, he puts his hand in his pocket and pulls his thumb out through the hole in the shirt . The baby giggles and eventually calms down, a satisfied and tired smile on its face . This is something that occurs on a regular basis .
As he entertains the baby this way, a relatively chubby but muscular man approaches the place . His clothes look like an adventurer’s and he has a battle-axe in his hand . His brown hair seems to be falling out yet a thick, dark beard covers the lower part of his face .
The man shields his eyes from the sun and then laughs aloud when he sees Belgriff .
“Hahaha, as expected of you Bel . Even with a baby as your opponent, they fall before the might of the Red Ogre!”
“Haha . Welcome back, Duncan . How was your day?” Belgriff replies with a warm smile .
“Eh, same old, same old . Ha~, but the young people of this village are…in really good shape . Clearly, their teacher is quite has been whipping them into shape no?”
“I have no idea what you are talking about, seriously…” Belgriff gets up with a wry smile and hands the baby over to Duncan . “Take care of him for a minute, will you? I’m a little thirsty . ”
“Huh?” Duncan splutters, bewildered by the sudden declaration .
The baby burst into tears as soon as it’s in Duncan’s hands . Duncan panics and quickly tries to calm the little one, but the baby starts crying harder .
“Hey! Bel! What am I supposed to do?!”
“Just hold him for a minute . ”
Belgriff quickly enters the kitchen where some women are busy preparing food . From a ladle, he takes a large mouthful of water . After that, he returns to the garden .
Apparently, Duncan’s chubby body is easy to climb, as all the village children have surrounded the man . Smiles of glee fill their faces as some of them on his shoulders while others are climbing on his back .
“Haha, I didn’t know you were so popular . ”
Duncan pales . “I-I’m not used to these things…”
Belgriff laughs heartily . He approaches and gently takes the baby out of Duncan’s arms, who continues to battle with the children who are pulling on his beard .
It’s been almost two months since Belgriff returned from Bordeaux territory . While he was in Bordeaux, the snow in Tornela melted completely . Ever since his return, the wheat shoots have become large and golden, so harvest time has come .
Surprisingly, Duncan was the first to welcome Belgriff back .
Duncan is an adventurer who once traveled the entire continent in search of a strong opponent . On one occasion, he heard the rumor of the ‘Red Ogre’ who lived in Tornela and made the long journey to that village . However, Duncan had already met Belgriff in Rodina village, but as he did not know the face of the ‘Red Ogre’, he simply continued his journey .
Upon arriving at Tornela, Duncan learned that Belgriff had gone on a quest . With nothing else to do, Duncan stayed in Tornela until his return .
It was fortunate that Duncan had a friendly personality . With no time at all, he followed Belgriff’s shoes and began to help the villagers train the youth .
Belgriff apologized for deceiving him in Rodina, but Duncan didn’t seem to mind all that much . What’s more, Duncan thanked the man . If he had discovered the truth in Rodina, he would never have made it to Tornela . Apparently, Duncan had grown very fond of the small rural village . Also, Duncan’s presence in Tornela while Belgriff was away was a godsend .
Of course, the villagers were disappointed because the development of the road was postponed, but another problem had arisen .
Low-ranking magic beasts, from E to D Rank began to appear quite frequently . Although they are low-ranking magic beasts and aren’t a problem for most adventurers; against normal villagers, they were a serious threat .
The young people of the village can handle swords and, of course, have enough strength to fight, but they have little to no experience in real battles . All the villagers feared that without Belgriff, deaths were going to be inevitable .
Duncan just so happened to have been visiting the village at the time . As a wandering adventurer, he played an important role .
Not only did he help exterminate the magic beasts, but he also assisted Belgriff in training the village youth . While Belgriff taught them the skills, knowledge, and precautions that came with adventuring; Duncan taught them what a real fight against the magic beasts was like .
The young people who already knew how to use the sword thanks to Belgriff, quickly learned how to deal with the magic beasts, and now, have formed a group focused especially on that, almost like a small adventurers guild .
So far, there have been no serious injuries and fortunately, no one has died . Everything was perfectly in order .
“I guess it wouldn’t make much difference if I left the village now,” says Belgriff as he thinks to himself . A peaceful smile graces the old adventurer’s lips .
“Huh? What are you on about? There ain’t many things I can do for the village . Unlike somebody who grew up here,” says Duncan, plopping down next to Belgriff .
“I appreciate you saying that,” Belgriff warmly smiles . “Why don’t you settle down here and look for a wife Duncan?”
Duncan is taken aback for a second before he bursts into a loud hearty fit of laughter . “Hahaha! Now that; doesn’t sound half bad!”
Suddenly, they hear a scream of surprise on the other side of the garden . Apparently, one of the young men who is shearing the sheep angered one of them . With a headbutt, the sheep managed to knock the man down and escape . The laughter of the old man who was teaching the boy and the people around him echoed throughout the garden .
Belgriff looks at that scene with a warm smile and then turns to see Duncan . “So, what happened? Were you able to find the cause?”
Duncan sighs and crosses his arms with a complicated expression . “I tried to find the source of the magic . Got nothing . Exploration ain’t my cuppa tea Bel . It’s usually just me and my axe, taking down magical beasts . ”
“Hmm…” thinks Belgriff, rubbing his chin . ‘Maybe I should go investigate too . ’
The quests that Adventurers are well known for can usually be divided into three broad categories . Subjugation quests, gathering quests, and scouting quests .
As the name implies, subjugation quests involve the elimination of magical beasts . It’s dangerous for the average person and usually, the beast threatens someone, so combat skills are a necessity . Some knowledge of the magic beasts is also required, but as the scouts have already collected enough information, it’s often not necessary to do much research during this phase .
In gathering quests, materials are collected . In the event that furs, fangs, claws or shells of magic beasts are required, these missions often overlap with subjugation missions . However, most of them only consist of gathering medicinal herbs and ores . Depending on the location of the resources, these missions regularly require no combat skills . It’s common for novice adventurers to take on these types of quests, and they are quests that all adventurers complete at least once in their careers .
The scouting quests are mainly oriented to dungeons, deep forests, and other unexplored areas of interest . The objective of these quests may vary greatly from gathering information about a high-ranking magic beast lurking in a dungeon, to identifying the priceless materials of some creature .
These quests can become something of a wildcard, as they can include unexpected combat and long hours of observation . That’s why adventurers who accept these quests require at least certain combat and observation skills . On several occasions, these quests are somewhat more challenging than the subjugation and gathering quests .
Just as there are several types of quests, there are also several types of adventurers, and Duncan seems to be an adventurer specializing in subjugation quests . That’s why he may not be the best person to carry out a scouting quest, where subtlety and patience are required . Although Duncan is a gifted AA Rank adventurer, he is…battle-hungry to the point where he is useless in other forms of adventuring .
He did after all come to Tornela in his lifelong search to find strong opponents .
On the other hand, when Belgriff was an adventurer, he accepted all kinds of quests . He subjugated magic beasts, collected materials, and researched dungeons .
He worked that way for two years, and he doesn’t remember taking a day off all that time . He accepted one quest after another, and thanks to this, he acquired the experience and courage necessary to do his job properly .
‘Anyway, the number of magic beasts has most definitely increased . A reservoir of magical energy may have appeared near the Tornela Mountains,’ Belgriff thinks, massaging his temple . ‘Which means the possibility of the higher ranking beasts appearing…’
In places with a lot of magical power, magic beasts are likely to gather unless barriers are created . In addition, it is also common for weaker magic beasts to gather around stronger ones . If the magical energy continues to accumulate like this, a dungeon will undoubtedly appear in that place . If they do not discover the cause soon, the problem with the magic beasts will only get worse .
For now, only low-level magic beasts have appeared . How long do they have left before it gets out of hand is the question in Belgrif’s mind .
Sooner or later, when Belgriff is gone, someone else will have to take care of the village’s defenses . So the training of young people is a must .
Even so, it is worrying not to know the cause of the increasing population of magic beasts . Whether they destroy the cause or leave it alone, they have to uncover the truth…
For some time now, a fly has been flying in front of Belgriff’s face, really bugging the old adventurer . He frowns and swats at it . At that moment, another sheep runs away and the laughter of the villagers is heard again .
“I miss my Daddy . ”
In the lower part of the coastal town of Elbren, at a table under the eaves of a yatai, Angeline sits idly . She has her chin on the table and her body is languid .
“You saw him recently,” Anessa says with a wry smile as she wipes the sweat from her forehead .
“It wasn’t recently… It’s been two months…”
Angeline pouts and tilts her head to one side, flattening her cheeks on the table . Miriam’s gaze is blank and distracted . Apparently, the soft hair on her ears is very helpful in cold weather…not so much in warm weather .
After returning to Orphen, the girls returned to their regular adventurer’s business .
They can work whenever they want and do anything else when they are not busy . That’s the life of high-ranking adventurers, which novice adventurers envy so much . And now that the threat of the Demon King no longer exists, everything is much calmer .
This time, they are in the coastal city of Elbren to collect the valuable iron coral . The other day, they explored a nearby sea dungeon for the rare material . After eliminating several oceanic magical beasts and collecting enough iron coral, they are preparing to transport them back to Orphen .
With their quest completed, the girls enjoy the fine dining seafood and wine that can be found in Elbren .
Angeline sips at the cold wine .
“I’m sure my Daddy misses me too…” says Angeline, watching wine swirl in her glass .
“A lot of people depend on Mr . Bel, so I don’t think he has much time to feel lonely . ”
“Muu…”
“Our visit to Tornela was refreshing, wasn’t it? Nya~…” Miriam mutters as she sways and wipes the sweat from her forehead . “I think the heat is getting to me…”
“Here Miriam, drink up,” Anessa says as she gives her friend a glass of cold water . “I did say we should eat indoors . ”
“I didn’t think the wind would stop blowing…” Miriam consumes the glass of cold water and sighs . For some time now the eaves with which the girls cover themselves from the sun have not moved with the wind .
Elbren is a town southwest of Orphen . It is a city that has flourished thanks to maritime transportation and fishing . Although it isn’t as big as Orphen, Elbren is a relatively large and crowded city .
Since the city is not so far south, its climate should not be very different from the climate of Orphen . It is, however, a coastal city and thus is at low altitude . Therefore, when there is no wind, Elbren is far hotter than Orphen . And with summer rolling in, the three girls could feel the difference .
“Why don’t you get yourself a boyfriend~?” says Miriam, leaving the glass of water on the table .
“What for?”
“That way you won’t feel so lonely anymore . ”
“I don’t know . The love you get from a boyfriend is different from the love you get from a father,” Angeline states, shrugging . “Besides, there are no good men in Orphen . What about you, Miri?”
“Eh, I prefer older guys . Boys our age are unreliable . Also, I wouldn’t want them to know that I’m a beast woman . Besides, it’s like you said, we don’t know any cool guys . They’re all too weak for my tastes . ”
“Don’t you think your standards are a bit low?” Anessa asks .
Seeing Anessa’s astonished expression, Miriam and Angeline bring their faces closer and smile mischievously .
“Trying to look good, huh~?”
“No person is good enough for Ane… Her standards are ridiculous . ”
“Shut up . I’m fine . It’s not like I want something like that…”
“Hmm~ . ”
“Well, I figured it would be that way…”
“What’s that supposed to mean! It’s not like that! I meant that right now I enjoy being an adventurer… Hey, listen to me!”
Angeline and Miriam drink wine quietly, ignoring all the excuses Anessa tries to make . At the moment, all three of them only have alcohol in their empty stomachs .
Angeline looks away . A storm cloud moves over the blue sky .
“I’m hungry…when’s the food coming?
“It should be here any minute now~ . ”
“Hmm…”
“Do you think Mr . Bel intends to get a girlfriend~?”
“What are you saying all of a sudden?” Angeline stares at her friend .
“If he gets a girlfriend, he won’t feel so lonely anymore, even if he stays in Tornela . Although Mr . Bel didn’t seem very interested when Ms . Helvetica kissed him~ . ” Miriam says as she rests her chin on her staff .
“I think he was a little embarrassed,” Anessa says .
“Hmm… I don’t think that little girl is good enough for my Daddy . ”
“That ‘little girl’ is a Countess, you know?”
“What do you think, Angie~? What kind of person would be a good mother~?”
After listening to Miriam’s question, Angeline began to think carefully .
“What does it take to be a mother, I wonder?”
“To be a mother…”
“Perhaps a voluptuous body?”
“No, that would mean Miri has everything to be a good mother . ”
That said, Angeline and Anessa turn to look at Miriam .
“Nope . ”
“Agreed . ”
“What do you mean~?!” Miriam asks while pouting .
Anessa drinks more wine with a wry smile . “Anyway, many people consider Mr . Belgriff to be a good father, so his partner must also be equally skilled as a parent . ”
“True . In addition, there are also many kinds of love . For example, I love my Daddy, but it is not the same as a woman loving a man . Maybe it’s like the love the beasts feel for each other? Yes, maybe like beasts…No, my Daddy is a gentleman, so calling him a beast is incorrect . ”
“I really don’t know what you’re talking about… I’ve never had a father before, so I’m not sure . But I think if I had one, I’d like him as much as I like Mr . Bel . But it’s also a different feeling than being in love with someone . ”
“Right~? I like Mr . Bel, too, and it is fun to be with him . But it’s something completely different from loving a partner . ”
“Yes, I like Mr . Belgriff, but I wouldn’t marry him…”
“First of all, I would have to allow it . And I don’t think any of us have enough skills to be a good mother,” says Angeline .
“And I wouldn’t like to have a daughter like you, Angie,” Miriam says, sticking her tongue out at Angeline .
“Haha~ . I think you’d love me . ”
“Do you really believe that~?”
While Angeline’s and Miriam’s argument goes back and forth, Anessa sighs heavily .
“What the hell are you two on about now?” she mutters to herself .
Angeline finishes her glass of wine and slams her fist on the table . “All right it’s decided then . I have no choice but to find my Daddy a girlfriend . ”
“Yay~ . That’ll be fun~!”
“Since it’s about candidates to be my mother, I have to choose carefully…”
“No, no, no . Mr . Belgriff is the one who should decide that, isn’t he?”
“If we leave him in his hands, he’ll never find anyone… he’s kind of a late bloomer . ”
“No, but it’s possible he knows someone in Tornela . ”
“No . If he had, he would have been married years ago . ”
“Well… Maybe… Maybe you’re right . ”
“Of course, in the end, my Daddy will be the one to make the decision . But since there are no possible partners in Tornela, we have no choice but to look for candidates elsewhere . Fufufu~, this is getting really fun…”
“Mr . Bel’s future wife~… But if we really find that person, then your father would concentrate on her and he might neglect you, Angie~ . ”
“What!”
Although Miriam said those words in a joking tone, they are at a loss of words when Angeline’s slumps and collapses onto the table . “Ah, what should I do? What should I do? What should I do? What should I do?”
“You…really didn’t think of that?” Anessa deadpans .
“Eh~! M-Maybe…it’s not the best time to look for a new wife~ . ” Miriam states .
The wind again begins to blow gently . A waiter comes up to the girls and places the food on the table . The Elbren-style paella with fried oysters and hake gives off a delicious aroma and lots of steam .
Angeline doesn’t notice .
The Team’s Corner*Translator’s Notes:
Hello everyone! First of all, I apologize for the delay with this title . I had some technical problems with my computer and lost some of the chapters I had already translated . I’m really sorry
From here we start the Third Volume of this novel, I hope you enjoy it a lot! New characters, new allies, new loves (?) Lots of new adventures await us!
*Editor’s Notes:
Hey everyone! Sorry for the delay as well . I had to plan a LOTR marathon with my friends, so I just got back from it . I’ll be sure to edit faster in the future . :3