Chapter 256
Legend Chapter 256
Rei was told to name his compensation from Axe of the Thunder God, but he tilted his head in response .
(Compensation . Normally, that would mean money, but I’m not short on money . In that case, magic items? The Axe of the Thunder God, that can emit lightning, is certainly attractive . But even if I had another spear or axe, it wouldn’t be of any use . )
At the back of Rei’s mind, he thought of the Power Axe that he had passed to Ara .
The Power Axe had been a fairly high quality magic item, although still inferior to the Axe of the Thunder God . However, the weapons Rei used were basically the Death Scythe and spears for throwing at long distances . Aside from those, he had daggers for some situations . Because of that, after taking that axe from Vargas, it had basically been kept in the Misty Ring .
Of course, there were quite a few adventurers who used battle axes . But fortunately or unfortunately, barely any of the adventurers that Rei worked with used one . As a result, the Power Axe was never brought out until an issue arose where Ara’s sword became useless .
(In that case, there’s no point in asking for a magic item as compensation . There’s nothing that stands out aside from the Axe of the Thunder God . A necklace that increases resistance to fire is not that useful to me either, as someone who is good at fire magic . ……Then……no, wait? Rank A party . If I think of them as a fighting force……would that work?)
He quickly put the thoughts together in his head . After about 30 seconds, Rei spoke .
「Compensation . In other words, I can consider it as returning a debt?」
「That’s right . I understand it as such……what about Elk?」
Marina nodded at Rei’s words and turned to Elk .
「Of course . I’ll do whatever I can . 」
Elk nodded in agreement towards Rei, who was sitting beside him .
Rei, who heard those words, smiled internally but kept expression level as he spoke .
「I see . The war with the Bestir Empire will start soon . I want you to participate in the war and play an active part . As much as possible, I want to maximise the strength of Axe of the Thunder God . The greater the damage to the Bestir Empire, the better . 」
「……What? Is that all you want?」
Elk responded at Rei’s proposal .
For Elk, the Mireana Kingdom was his beloved homeland . He thought of Gilm as the place he’d evenutally like to bury his bones . In order to protect his city and country, he had intended to participate in the war as a mercenary from the beginning .
In fact, if Axe of the Thunder God participated in the war, as a rank A party, the Mireana Kingdom would welcome them . For adventurers, rank A wasn’t a position that could be reached by strength alone . However, strength was still something that contributed greatly to it .
「Ah . But, of course, I won’t be satisfied with average battle results . I expect great results like beheading enemy generals and large numbers of enemy soldiers . 」
「……I understand . 」
Elk nodded firmly when he heard Rei’s requirements .
To Elk, Rei’s proposal was nothing more than a bridge that had to be crossed . After all, the Bestir Empire had taken his loved ones hostage . In exchange for their lives, he had been ordered to kill Rei .
(If the target of assassination hadn’t been Rei……if it had been an ordinary adventurer, I probably would have killed them . And after that, I probably would have been killed as well . After all, Min and Rhodes had been taken hostage . And if I had died, Min and Rhodes……would probably have had to return the debt of my stupid deeds . )
In his inner self, Elk renewed his determination to fight the Bestir Empire . Fighting spirit and bloodlust spilled out from his large body .
Rhodes held his breath momentarily as his dad’s aura as he loooked at the others . However, no one else seemed to show any particular change to their expression after seeing Elk’s aura .
(……I’m still too weak . This was all caused by me as well . )
When Rhodes sighed, Marina turned to look at Min and Rhodes .
As a member of Axe of the Thunder God, Rhodes had met with Guild Master Marina several times before . Still, Marina’s overflowing sex appeal had always dazzled him each time .
However, this time, it was safe to say that Elk’s murderous aura had saved him from embarrasment due to the fear in his heart .
「So Elk will need to achieve merits in the war . What will the other two do?」
「Wait a moment, Guild Master! I was the one who tried to kill Rei . For those two……」
Perhaps Marina’s words were unexpected . Elk’s murderous aura from several seconds ago was suddenly extinguished .
But, Marina silent shook her head at Elk’s response .
「No, it can’t be done . I’m sorry, but this time, it’s not just about you, but about Axe of the Thunder God as a whole . Because of that, the punishment you will receive must also be carried by the whole of Axe of the Thunder God . 」
「But, Guild Master!」
Elk still tried to make a plea, but surprisingly, it was Min, who sat next to Elk, who stopped him .
「Elk, don’t worry about it . Like you, I’m also angry with the Bestir Empire . 」
「Min……but what about Rhodes? Yes, it’s true that he’s much stronger than most soldiers in terms of ability alone . He has also killed bandits . But, you know that it’s different from war right? You’ve also experienced that . 」
「Dad! Even I……」
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Rhodes interjected at Elk’s point, but when Elk looked back with sharp eyes, he couldn’t say anymore and kept quiet .
Min spoke as she looked at Rhodes with a bitter smile .
「Don’t worry . In the first place, I’m a mage, so I’ll focus on shooting magic from the back . Rhodes will stay near me as my guard . I won’t be going to the frontlines, unlike you . 」
「……In that case……」
Elk tried to nod reluctantly at his wife’s words when a voice was heard again .
「Wait a moment you two . It’s nice that you’re worry about me, but I was the biggest cause of all this . So I want to be able to take responsibilty for it properly . 」
Rhodes had retreated at Elk’s gaze earlier, but he spoke up again .
And, when Elk tried to say something again……
「Ah, you can talk about that later in a family meeting or something . Anyway, my request is that Axe of the Thunder God participates in the war . Regarding the division of roles, you can decide that . 」
Rei’s words interrupted them .
After all, to Rei, it was Elk who was important to his request . If Elk, a rank A adventurer used his power to his full potential, he would be a powerful force for the Mireana Kindgom . Moreover, it was also true that Min was a mage with great skill, so it would also be good if she could demonstrate her skill .
(In the next war, the Demon Soldiers will definitely appear . In that case, it will be necessary to prepare our forces to be as strong as possible . In that sense, by goal was achieved by I pulled both Elk and Min into the battlefield . It’s too bad for Rhodes, but the situation won’t change much with or without him . However, as Elk said, Rhodes is much stronger than an ordinary soldier . )
As he thought about it, Marina, who had been silently listening and hadn’t gotten herself involved in the dispute, clapped her hands to gather the attention of everyone .
「Well then, Rei’s punishment for Axe of the Thunder God is to participate in the war . I’m sorry, but since it’s a punishment, you won’t get paid . 」
「Ahh, that’s not an issue . 」
Certainly, the reward from being hired as a mercenary wasn’t high, but if you contributed notable merits, the reward would be greatly increased . However, since Elk and the rest of the party had been active as rank A adventurers, they had plenty of money and were not particularly concerned with the reward . Even though it was painful for them to participate in the war without any rewards, in the end it was only a little painful .
「The guild will confisticate any rewards that Axe of the Thunder God receive . That is the Guild’s punishment for Axe of the Thunder God . 」
「I understand . ……Guild Master, Rei . This time, I’ve cause a lot of trouble . ……I’m very sorry . 」
Elk gave a bow, followed by Min and Rhodes .
After a few seconds, Marina spoke up .
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「It can’t be helped……I won’t say that, but something like this was bound to happen eventually . Also, it was brought up in the conversation about the war earlier, but don’t overprotect Rhodes . I know that kids are cute, but doing that will prevent a child’s growth . This is a warning not as a guild master, but as a Dark Elf who has lived much longer than you . 」
「……」
Marina continued to speak to the silent Elk and Min, who had raised their heads .
「I’m not saying it’s wrong to from a party with family . In fact, I’ve seen a lot of people who have formed a party with their family . And, with your ability, Axe of the Thunder God was able to rise to a rank A party . But it’s also a fact that parents will eventually need to separate from their children . Please think carefully about it . ……Ah, I ended up talking about quite a bit . Anyway, this matter is now closed! I’ll get in touch with Daska, so don’t worry about it . Please prepare youself for the war and hone yourself . Now then, you can all leave . 」
Saying that that was it, Marina stood up from the sofa, went to her desk and started reading documents .
The four of them watched her, but eventually realised that there was no point in staying any longer and left the office .
「Rei, so……about that . How about getting some food together? I don’t expect this to make up for anything, but will you let me treat you?」
Those were the first words Elk said after leaving the guild .
As expected, he was feeling sorry for causing so much trouble in this situation .
「I see . I’m happy for you to treat me to a meal . Of course, it’s not just me, it’s Set as well, right?」
「Guru~?」
As Rei came out of the guild, Set who was coming over, gave a cry a tilted his head when he heard about getting fed . Elk, who was feeling very sorry for the trouble he had caused, didn’t reject and nodded his head .
「O-Of course . But where would you like to eat? Since it’s not just us, we can’t take Set to an ordinary dining place right?」
「Hmm, you’re right . As far as I know, the Satisfied Stomach will cater for Set . Of course, he can’t go inside . 」
「Satisfied Stomach? Min, do you know about it?」
「Ahh . It’s an eatery on back street . I think the shopkeeper son there was an adventurer . I heard that the taste and quantity of food there is above average . 」
「I see, if you say so, then it must be so . You okay with that Rhodes?」
「Hm? Ah, right . I don’t mind, but……ah, no, sorry . Actually, I’m fine . There’s something I’d like to think about by myself, so I’ll split up with you all here . 」
After saying that, Rhodes left before Elk and Min had any time to say anything .
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For Rhodes, it was because he needed some time to think carefully about what Marina had said .
Elk and Min realised that . Although they looked somewhat regretful, they let him leave without stopping him .
「……Well then, shall we go? A lot of things happened today, so I want to eat and drink to my fill . Rei and Set, eat as much as you’d like . Well then, please lead the way to the Satisfied Stomach . 」
After Elk said that, Rei led them straight to the Satisfied Stomach without another word .
「Heh~……this is quite nice . 」
Elk muttered to himself as he stuffed stir fried meat, skewers and stew on the table into his mouth .
In his hand was a cup with a high alcohol percentage beverage, which he drank from as he picked up food .
The Sastified Stomach could be considered a common eatery . Normally, there would have been a big fuss if a celebrity like Elk came over, since it was past 2pm and peak hours, there were only a few guests in the dining area . Moreover, the owner, Dishot, wisely reserved the rest of ths eatery for them, so only the customers who were already present were suprised by Elk’s appearance .
And even for those customers, Elk’s presence alone wasn’t something to raise a fuss about . Thanks to that, Rei and Elk enjoyed their meal without being disturbed by their surroundings . That said, since Set naturally couldn’t enter the dining area, he had his meal outside .
「Wait a moment . 」
Saying that, Dishot brought out a juicy Fang Boar steak with a crunchy exterior .
It was probably due to Dishot’s skill as a chef that the meat had almost no odour .
When he saw that steak, Rei smiled as he suddenly thought of a mischievious idea .
「Dishot, I have some fried udon that doesn’t exist in Gilm . ……Would you like to try some?」
「Oh, is that a challenge for me? All right, I accept the challenge . 」
Dishot said that with a smile as Rei’s words had stimulated his pride as a chef .
In response, Rei also smiled and took out the pot containing the fried udon with demiglace sauce that he had bought in the city of Abuero .
……In the end, the huge pot of fried udon was eventually finished by Dishot and Elk .