episode_0067

“What is this?”

Disappointment, Glenn’s body sagged with that emotion. The momentum he had been exuding just a moment ago also instantly subsided. It felt as if his energy would suddenly dwindle away, just like grass drying up in a drought.

Glenn, who immediately sensed the strange behavior of the wild wolf, ran. He chased the fleeing wolf at a distance. And as expected, he was able to find something.

It was a small cave. There happened to be a few humanoid beings near the cave. Judging by their slightly grayish skin and shorter stature than me, I was certain they were rock goblins that appeared in the mountains.

As soon as he confirmed his identity, Glenn turned his magical power to both arms. Flames or ice, which would he choose? Glenn decided that both were good, so he formed flames on his left arm and ice on his right arm. It was around that time that the goblins discovered Glenn, when he had reached right in front of them.

One froze instantly, and another was set ablaze. The rest were flustered by the sudden phenomenon. But Glenn did not stop.

Eventually, Glenn was convinced that he had completely cleared the outside of the cave. The presence of the monsters was now only felt inside the cave. Now, what should I do? The cave was smaller than I thought. I considered the possibility that a human had been kidnapped.

‘There were no villages nearby. The most recent human colony we visited was Teldam… Okay.’

Glenn, having concluded, gathered a few thick sticks from nearby. Most of them were dry and quite large. In an instant, Glenn made a spark from his arm. One of the sticks he had gathered in front of the cave burst into flames. Glenn threw one of them into the cave.

As the burning branches that had been flying for a long time disappeared from sight, Glenn’s sharp eyes caught the silhouettes of several goblins.

Okay, it’s not as deep as I thought. After completing his investigation, Glenn set fire to all the branches he had gathered in front of the cave entrance. All the branches were burning properly. He quickly took off his hood and fanned the fire in the direction of the cave.

After a while, when the smoke had fully permeated the cave, something burst out. Glenn cheered.

And, it was the end. Glenn felt a sense of emptiness when he was sure that there was no movement at all inside. What the heck, this was really nothing. Of course, if left alone, it was possible that it could cause damage to the party, but this was too small a scale.

‘The closer you get to the center of the continent, the more monsters there are, but the kingdom is still incredibly peaceful.’

Well, I heard that Teldam’s guards and adventurers would patrol the area whenever they had time and repeatedly fight off monsters. There couldn’t have been a strong or significant number of monsters in this area, which wasn’t that far from Teldam.

…Of course, it may be that this level of skill is felt as ‘weak’ because the man named Glenn is on a different level of skill than other adventurers.

‘You just did a proper warm-up. I didn’t think public safety would improve this much… It’s so different from the old days.’

Glenn, whose old memories came back to him, realized that his hometown was nearby. Of course, he didn’t know exactly where it was. It was probably located in some mountain range far to the east.

Of course, they were all buried somewhere in the mountains during the invasion of the Demon Tribe, but if this area had been as peaceful back then as it is today…

“Huh?”

Suddenly, as he looked up at the mountain range, something caught Glen’s eye. Oh, it was a bird. It was a blue bird, and it looked familiar.

Is it a bird from this area? No, but it seemed to be flying towards me so obviously. I squinted my eyes…

‘What is it, Jeonseogu?’

It was carrying something on both legs. The gray, wrapped object was clearly a piece of paper, commonly known as a note. Glenn’s guess became reality as the bird flew closer, coming within a few meters of him.

Bam. The bird let go of the object it was holding, and it fell right in front of Glenn. No, to be precise, it fell right into Glenn’s hands that he had inadvertently extended.

“A note? Who sent it?”

I was confused. At the same time, I felt like I had seen that bird somewhere. I turned my face slightly to see which way the bird had flown. But then something happened again.

Bam. Another sound. Glenn’s gaze, which had been looking around, was fixed on his two arms again. Another note, another sheet. Two letters had been dropped in front of Glenn. This time, judging by the fact that it was completely white, it was clear that the two letters had different origins.

Two messengers delivered two different letters to Glenn. However, Glenn was embarrassed to look at the notes that were addressed to him. Caution. The first virtue of an adventurer sent abroad was activated.

‘I have to check who it came from before I open it or not… I can’t see it coming from just anyone… Uh…’

It didn’t take long to dispel that hesitation. At the bottom right of both letters, the name of the sender was written.

In the gray letter it says,

“To the little senior. -Elders Schwenheiser-”

And the white letter read:

“To the Saint’s escort knight. -Esteel Sabre-”

“Now, it’s something I can’t watch alone.”

Glenn muttered as he carefully folded the two letters in his bosom. Since he had confirmed the sender, he was certain to check the letters. However, since he felt that the subject matter was serious, he instinctively took steps to return. This letter should not be read alone.

For you, it would be right to share the content with the people who are most precious to you.

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“… Strange creatures have been sighted in a newly formed cave near the northern coast of the Northern Kingdom. Using my summons to the fullest, I witnessed them, and they looked like crabs. Even the waves crashing into the shore looked unusual. Rumor has it that several people who carelessly entered the sea died from severe poisoning. Hurry up. My brother, Belzeph, and I will do our best, but this poison cannot be purified by ourselves. The Northern Kingdom Air Grants branch has also expressed its displeasure. The children, the saintess is the only one waiting, hanging herself. Those… guys, they are desperate to gain the saintess’ favor. Well, we are also relying on the saintess’s abilities. Anyway, we will do our best to prevent that damn poison from spreading to the land for about a month, so don’t hesitate and purify the east and come back quickly.

P.S. I’m jealous…what! This kid is really…”

Glenn finished his role of conveying the contents of the first letter to the group while going through the final part of the letter.

The sun had set in the west, and darkness had long since fallen upon the northern parts of the Southern Kingdom. The party had stopped their carriages and were resting their packs near the largest rock they could see in the nearby plains. It was a considerable distance from the small river they had come from earlier.

As soon as Glenn returned to the party, he informed them that a letter of great importance had arrived for him. He also suggested that they move to a new location since goblins had been discovered nearby a little while ago. The saintess, who was the leader of the party, agreed without hesitation, and the party rode along the road in a carriage until the sun set.

And then, we arrived near this rock.

“Glen, would you please read the following letter?”

“Yes, my lady. Estil Sabre to the lady’s escort knight. Elven forest, dangerous. Poison, considerable. Party, need to hurry. P.S. Traitor… that’s all. ”

“Oh, Estil, you write quite briefly…”

Milishia, who had a rather serious expression, smiled awkwardly as if it was a bit unexpected.

Since I’ve always been the type of person who finds anything other than research or magic annoying…hahaha…without saying it out loud, Glenn just smiled bitterly.

But you’re a traitor, Estil… Are you so jealous of me having a lover?

Glenn remembered the bullshit Estil used to tell when they used to hang out together.

‘You and I are definitely the type of people who have no love. You are busy wandering around, and I am stuck. Let’s live without forgetting this mindset.’

It was nonsense worse than a joke, but it seems he was more serious than he thought, as he said similar things several times after that.

When I think about it, this expression makes sense to some extent, but… isn’t traitor a bit too blatant?

Anyway, aside from the postscript, both letters, as expected, reported the severity of the strange phenomena occurring in the North and East. Of those who heard the contents of the letters, the one with the most serious expression spoke up. It was the monk Benedict.

“This is a big deal. The spread of poison through the sea… If we’re not careful, wouldn’t the entire northern coast of the continent be poisoned? ”

“That’s right. We need to solve the problem in the Eastern Forest before it gets any later, and hurry our journey to the Northern Kingdom.

Benedict, your insight was right. I’m sorry. I almost delayed the group’s progress because of my little mercy…”

“Oh, no, my lady! Aren’t mercy, humility, and consideration the virtues of our Air Grants doctrine? I have only made a judgment because the situation is so serious. So please stop blaming yourself…”

Glenn, who had been watching the Benedict monk converse with the saint, cautiously approached Briwen. As a fellow adventurer, he wanted to exchange adventurer-like information.

“Considering our party’s current pace of progress, how much longer will it take to reach the Elf Forest?”

“At least a week, at most… it’ll take two weeks.”

“Is there any way to reduce it further?”

“It’s impossible unless you push the horses to death or use some special power to move a long distance. Above all, considering that we have to cross the territory of other races in the central and eastern parts of the continent, it’s almost impossible to shorten it any further.”

“As expected…”

Yes. The eastern part of the continent is not only inhabited by elves. It is rumored that there are also small elves and spirits who are close to the water race and the elves. Although it is extremely rare, some dwarven factions live in groups somewhere in the east. Even though the elven territory occupies the largest area in the east, you must first pass through other regions in the east before setting foot there.

“There’s no time to rest.”

“That’s right. Even…there’s a high possibility that there will be unexpected obstacles.”

“Unexpected Obstacles?”

“Let me explain that to you, Glen.”

Milicia Airgrants interrupted Briwen and Glenn’s quiet conversation. She looked a little confused.

Oh, this expression is pretty too… but what’s going on? Briwen, who used the word obstacle… Did everyone talk about something while I was away?

“Glenn, as you know, Princess Luna and Prince Endymian are working hard to develop the central part of the continent. At the same time, the palace and many nobles have provided supplies and manpower to support them. And… on the way to the eastern part of the continent, there is a residence where our people… to be exact, those who participated in the development with the prince have settled. ”

“Where do you live?”

Glenn tilted his head because it was a concept he rarely heard of. Not a city, not a town, but a place of residence? Why would he use such an expression?

The knowledgeable Benedictine monk began to meddle cautiously.

“Originally, the expression base would be correct…but then it sounds like Prince Endymian is trying to build a new kingdom in the central part, so I am holding back. Anyway, you can think of the residence as a kind of military gathering place built by the kingdom in order to advance to the central part of the continent. However, this residence is not only home to soldiers, but also to many commoners, nobles, and those who are interested in advancing to the central part of the continent. The last time I saw it, it was full of tents, but I hear that recently, houses centered around logs have been built.”

“Wow… Have we already made that much progress?”

Even though the source of the poison that spread across the central part of the continent has disappeared for some time now, it has already developed to the point where people can create a place to live at the end?

At that moment, I felt a slight chill at the great pioneering ability of the Alcrea Kingdom. Even if the ultimate goal of the human kingdoms was to purify the vast lands of the central continent and search for resources, why were they rushing to pioneer in such a hurry? It was as if they were competing, ah…

“The Northern Kingdom is said to be conducting development activities much more aggressively than our kingdom. As you know, that region… was hit hard by the war, unlike our region. In the end, the only way is to advance further south, discover the plains, and actively purify them, or go to the northern sea. It would be common sense to choose the former for food production. And, considering the contents of the letter sent by the Schwenheiser brothers, there is a high possibility that serious problems will arise in the northern sea…”

I see. Glen nodded in agreement.

Indeed, it was certain that the Northern Kingdom had suffered the most damage in the long war with the Demon King. Unlike the Southern Kingdom, which had no natural geographical advantage of being surrounded by mountains and a narrow entrance, the Demons had easily invaded through the open southern part of the Northern Kingdom.

Now that there is no Demon King and they want to recover from the damage, they will want to focus even more on advancing and developing the central part of the continent. If only for survival. Once, Glenn, who had been in charge of the guerrilla force that surprised the Demons who had invaded the Northern Kingdom, knew their pain all too well.

“Let’s get back to the main topic. Sir Glenn. In order for us to enter the eastern part of the continent as safely and quickly as possible, we must pass through that settlement. However, in the past, the Bishop of the Church of Air Grants decided that if we meet those who have advanced to the central part of the continent, we must at least provide them with blessings or support that we can as members of the Church. Above all, I do not want to turn away from them either.”

“Yes, that’s right. So you’re saying there is time to delay there.”

“And that’s not all.”

The Benedict monk was about to say something more, but suddenly paused. Oh, the monk was hesitating, looking at someone. No, it was clear who it was. He was looking at the eyes of Saint Milicia Airgrants, who was right next to him.

Milicia closed her eyes for a moment, looking thoughtful for a moment. However, she quickly opened her eyes and faced Glenn without hesitation. The saint’s clear green eyes almost made her feel dazed for a moment, but Glenn barely held himself back. She must not lose her mind at those eyes right now. Milicia right now…

‘Like before, I want to face the fearful memories. Through me. And, for my relationship with Millie…’

For a moment, a smile almost spread across Glen’s lips, but he barely held it back and listened to the saintess’s words.

“Glenn, sir. Let me say this again, you can consider that residence to be the prince’s territory. And of course, Prince Endymian is in charge of the residence and resides there. After all, what happened at the last inauguration ceremony… I don’t think the prince will just let me go. I’m sure he’ll come up with various reasons and try to influence our schedule. The central part of the continent isn’t even part of the Southern Kingdom’s territory, so there’s hardly any eye on it. ”

Oh, it seemed like Milishia was about to use the word ‘interference’. She corrected herself immediately. Glenn was convinced that it wasn’t a wrong expression. He had felt the obsession of Prince Endymian deeply at that time. Fortunately, the dignity that had to be maintained in the palace was respected, so there had been little interference since the dinner… but in the central part of the continent, it was likely to be different.

‘They say that a mountain can be conquered by another. After defeating one noble bastard, the noble royal family was captured. Well, I guess I can’t be the only one who wants to be with a beauty as great as a saint.’

But if he could somehow surpass the prince, wouldn’t things be smooth sailing from then on? Glenn, a high-level adventurer, had no idea that this was only the beginning.

If you enter the Northern Kingdom in the future, you cannot even imagine that you will face greater hardships than this.