◈Episode 110 To a Faraway Land (4)
─Great Sage, the demon knight left without responding to the investigation. What should we do?
The eyebrows of the Archmage who was talking with White Wind in the drawing room slightly lowered.
“Ugh, how did that happen?”
─I asked what happened the moment I was consumed by the devil…
“I knew it would be like that. Just leave it alone. “Don’t just send someone to catch him.”
─I understand.
When the fierce white wind answered calmly, she was the one who was embarrassed. The Archmage put down the teacup he was holding.
“Can I send him away?”
“How can I hold back when I express with my whole body that I hate myself like that?”
“But wasn’t the investigation done to create a seal? If you do that, it will be difficult to properly create a sealing ball…”
“Yes. It’s impossible. I told you before. That absolute seal you hope for will never be possible. “Even if you cooperate obediently, it will be difficult if you show up like that.”
“Was that why? I took it to mean that I lack skill. If you do that, I would rather persuade you…”
Demon knights are an important resource. Not to mention his use of force, his very existence eliminates one of the great evils he has to deal with.
Therefore, sealing tools that can be insured is also important. It’s not that I don’t understand the Demon Knight’s feelings, but in this matter, I have to somehow make a concession.
“It’s no use.”
The Archmage thought so.
“If you die, they won’t do anything more to you than this.”
Even if the fierce white wind, which always smiled brightly, had not whispered with a slanted expression, it would have led to action.
“How do you know that?”
“Because I have a part like that too. “You too, right?”
The white wind poured honey into the teacup. Each time the teaspoon was spun, honey melted into the warm tea water.
“I know in my head that this is not right or inefficient. But still, there are some things that cannot be compromised. “Something you would rather die than compromise with.”
The water will be sweet.
Will it be sweet?
“I respect him.”
The amount of honey continued to increase from one spoon to two spoons. Until the water in the teacup overflows and the heat can no longer melt the honey.
It’s like if the pain that remains in your heart goes beyond a certain point, you can’t let it go and melt it away with reason.
“That’s why I gave you something that can blow your heart in times of crisis.”
“…! “What!”
“I rather find it surprising that you are doing this. Didn’t you know that you would respect people more than me? Or has your disgust for yourself affected that kid?”
“…!!”
“Well, it’s not important. “You will take care of it.”
“…did it seem like I didn’t respect him?”
“Not to that extent. Is it to the point where you wonder if you are sensitive because of the hero or for some other reason? I didn’t think you would try so hard to persuade me. I thought I would at least take some time to persuade him. This is not a problem that can be solved right away. “It also goes without saying that not much time was given to develop the sealed sphere.”
White Wind quickly took a sip of the tea containing half of the honey. Even though it must have been sweet, the face was still expressionless.
“Well, the development period is short, everyone, so let’s put it aside and the previous one is your personal problem, so I won’t touch on it any further. “If you try to persuade me, I won’t stop you.”
Fierce White Wind made a light gesture with his fingers, saying that if he succeeds in persuading them, he must let them go.
“Don’t worry about the rest. “Of course, how to deal with demons is a question that needs to be studied, and we will fully cooperate with the warrior on how to apply divine power as long as he is in the magic tower.”
Oh, of course we have to search for the spy. White Wind went over all the issues he had lightly raised.
The Archmage’s hand smoothed the teacup without saying a word.
“…Thank you.”
“It was nothing.”
Although the outside view could not be projected, the outside view, which had been filmed and transcribed with a magic tool, was illuminated around them.
“ah! That’s right, I don’t know anything else, but I should have entrusted a request to the demon knight! “I forgot that!”
“request?”
“iced coffee! Now I can’t send it to get it. It’s all because of you! “You solve it!”
“What… such an unreasonable thing to do.”
“You solve it, baby.”
* * *
I raised an eyebrow at the hanger.
“I guess I lost my hands and feet because I had no shame.”
I’d be happy if the side quests come to me on their own. As of now, I’m just dealing with large-scale quests that I don’t know if they’re main quests or not.
But separately, Magic Tower is the client? Even if you handle it on your own, shouldn’t you get kicked out at least once?
“Okay, I apologize for what I said earlier. “Please at least listen.”
I wonder if the apples are too dry… okay, whatever. They look after me because I am young.
I took the attitude that I would listen for now as I was looking at my cousin. The child, who turned bright red, began to explain the whole situation.
“Snakes started appearing in the lake two weeks ago. “It’s not like there weren’t snakes before, but this is the first time I’ve seen a snake that big.”
The child complained that the snake was so aggressive that it even attacked people on the bridge like it was doing now. Thanks to this, the number of customers visiting the Magic Tower has decreased.
“Among the labs run by Magic Tower, the smaller ones make a living by selling magic. If the number of customers continues to decrease in such a situation, all the labs will go out of business. “That has to be stopped!”
The other party argued that it does not mean that the lab room he belongs to should be blocked because it is in such a situation. In my opinion, the reason was 99%.
“so.”
But… I’ve always been curious about quests like this. I’m passing the request on to the adventurer’s guild. That’s right. That’s because they normally take care of such miscellaneous tasks instead.
But if it’s this urgent, shouldn’t the Magic Tower itself step in?
“That’s why. So, please accept the request….”
Why don’t you come forward? Is there a reason?
“…Please, please. The Adventurer’s Guild also rejected this request. The wizards from the labs that had suffered damage tried to come forward, but they were all in the research field and were extremely weak… Other labs with combat wizards refused to help, saying it was none of their business… The Great Sage just told them not to worry… .”
While I was trying to guess the background of the request for a moment, the child swallowed his excuses with a dejected look on his face. Thanks to you, I now understand why you are asking me. Additional questions arose.
“…The Adventurer’s Guild refuses?”
“Ssi. It’s all because of the temple! They say we are the culprits and tell us to take responsibility ourselves! Even the Adventurer’s Guild agrees with that!”
Uh, a temple? That’s strange. Aren’t you the type of person who likes helping others to the point where you often volunteer for free? The Adventurer’s Guild also acts for the public good, so why do they do it?
“Isn’t it really too much? Of course, in the aftermath of the research conducted by some labs, the city was covered in bugs, the ground shook and several houses collapsed, or the drainage holes were blocked and all the houses on the lower floors were submerged in water. “This time, we are really victims too!!”
…There was a reason. Anyone can see that it’s because of that.
If that situation had happened not just once or twice, but several times, you would have looked like the culprit even if you turned around and looked at it.
“If they provide free treatment, it is only a single price. “We also compensate for the damage in our own way!”
In addition, I received free treatment once or twice, but I couldn’t help but hate it if I had to clean up after you every time…
I took a deep breath as I realized why the two organizations that were committed to the public good had separated from each other.
In any case, they say it is not their fault and it is not a situation that can be resolved, so they are willing to step forward. It’s not devil-related, but it’s just snake hunting. It won’t take long.
“…Is it okay if I catch all the snakes?”
“Please…yes?”
“I asked if I could catch all the snakes.”
As for the contract… I don’t know. I don’t have money, so I don’t have Gao. If you give it to me, it’s okay, but if you don’t give it to me, I’ll just pass it on as I didn’t give it to you.
Anyway, the reward for handing over the dragon scale is still sleeping in my wallet. Oh, suddenly there’s dust in my eyes.
“yes yes!”
But when I think about it again, how do I catch this snake? In a normal game, you just have to catch a certain number of mobs wandering around the field, but here… oh wait.
“Is there anything that allows breathing underwater?”
“Oh, of course! I’ll bring it! No, no. Let’s go together! “We will provide you with all the items you need!”
Come to think of it, me. I think it’s been a while since I’ve seen the quest window.
uh?
* * *
I realized that the quest wasn’t showing up, but I didn’t have time to think about it in depth. This is because the desire of the client I was facing right away was too strong to think about anything else.
In addition… even if an error occurred in the system and the window no longer opened, there was nothing I could do.
The bug is crazy. It would be nice to just crash and be forced to log out, but there’s really nothing to try other than to appreciate it.
Does that mean you will be consumed by anxiety and become scared? That can’t be possible. I felt like I was trying to calm down and put off finding out the cause.
It is not too late to rest and think about this later after this quest is over. At least you can think about it while exploring that lake.
I feel like I’ve spent more than a few weeks not knowing that the quest wasn’t showing up, so what’s going to happen if I add an extra day or two? If that were the case, problems would have arisen right away. Damn.
“Our salvation!”
“light!”
“thank you!”
So, faithfully procrastinating, I followed the client and visited their lab.
It is a bonus to receive items such as items that enable breathing underwater, medicine to prevent divers, and hot packs to prevent hypothermia. The same goes for lights that can be used underwater.
“Are you sure you’re okay with that?”
I went back outside, took off my military boots and coat, and placed them neatly in my inventory. It wasn’t an emergency so I couldn’t take it off, so there was no reason to wear it and swim in discomfort.
Also, taking those two off won’t ruin your appearance.
“Take this with you too. “If you press a button, the compressed air will create a balloon that will float to the surface in an instant.”
Rather, isn’t the underwater contrast here too good? I recalled a sea survival game I had played in the past and looked again at the items being presented.
It looks like a harness, but it has an air pocket on the back, so it doesn’t look bad when worn. The best thing is not to use it.
I took a final look at the hot packs—finger-sized stones—that I had placed on my wrists, ankles, waist, and chest, and then placed the underwater breathing device in my mouth.
“Let’s go!!”
“cheer up!”
with a splash!
The cheering shouts that were slightly buried in the sound of diving were subtly irritating today.
Purr.
I swam inward, feeling my breathing apparatus working well.
Because the city and research institute were nearby, the water was very murky. Should I call it green algae or dust? Floating objects are no joke.
Peep, pout, poop.
Still, it’s not to the point where you can’t see it at all.
With the sound of bubbles popping, I swam a little lower. Little branches, leaves, seaweed, etc. passed by, and the bottom began to become visible.
“…?”
Strange bushes were occupying the floor.
Is this okay? Without even having time to think about anything else, I picked up the knife and started preparing. Even if the bottom is sandy, it would be dangerous, and if there are such bushes, it is difficult to know when a snake is approaching.
I swam moderately, not going below a certain depth. A few fish passed me by, and soon a couple of snakes also started coming towards me.
I guess it’s because I got the vibe from catching Dragon Abyeong. And unlike back then, I had plenty of magical power, so catching the giant water snake wasn’t that difficult.
The king water snakes that were approaching me split in half and sank to the bottom of the lake.
“…??”
However, the bushes began to surround the bodies of the water snakes. It was not at the level of being shaken by the water current or being crushed by the carcass of a water snake.
They were clearly wrapping around the fallen body and dragging it in.
Doesn’t this seem like a bit of a mess??
Porreuk.
First of all, it could be my mistake, so I’d better check further. I wandered around looking for other snakes. Since I was a little nervous about going, I was planning to experiment with the people I would have to kill anyway.
Of course I felt sorry for the snake! To be honest, I was really sorry to see the kids who came to find a home and that we had to get rid of them because they were harmful birds!! I feel sorry for the human being.
Suddenly!
I found the third snake and cut it down. Then he snatched up the sinking body and held it for a long time.
The snake’s body, held in my hand like a fishing line, slowly went down.
Grumbling.
“…!”
After all, you have to catch it!
I frowned as I saw the aquatic plants starting to tangle around the snake’s body. Then, I pulled the snake to check the strength of the water weeds.
It felt a little strong, but it was torn apart.
Should I go up now and investigate a little more?
I handed the snake used in the experiment away and looked down at the bushes. The dark-blue shaking thing looked somewhat like the maw of an animal.
Pogrrrrrr.
…let’s look at it a little further. This may be what these guys are like. If that were the case, it seems like the wizards would have told them, but who knows, they may have forgotten and not told them.
Even if it was in an abnormal state, I had to at least collect a sample so I could ask the wizards something. We also need to check how far this bush has spread.
So I put the snake aside and started looking at the bottom of the lake. There was no need to pay attention because the snakes attacked on their own without having to wander around looking for them.
More than that, I’m a little worried that the bushes are spread out too widely.
I furrowed my brows when I saw that they had almost taken over the bottom of the lake and had even covered what appeared to be the Magic Tower building.
Fortunately, it hasn’t spread to the water’s edge, but if things continue like this, it looks like everything there will be filled with this aquatic plant.
First of all, there aren’t many fish. I kicked my feet again, looking at the fish that can only be found in places without aquatic plants.
I must have caught about 15 snakes, and I knew roughly the extent to which the aquatic plants had spread. The intention was to tear off just a little bit of the aquatic plants.
“…!”
But why is this so tough!
I approached the water weeds from the outskirts, thinking it would be better to catch them from one side rather than from all directions.
It was the right decision. The things that entwined my limbs in an instant were very unyielding.
Crack!
My hand, which barely had one arm free, swung the knife. I’m sorry. The bushes were cut down with a sound like metal being twisted.
I am now completely free too.
Purr.
Why does being tied down feel so bad? Trembling, I grabbed some of the cut off aquatic plants and climbed up. Even after cutting them down, the seaweed-like stems of grass kept tangling around my arms, as if they were still alive.
with a splash!
“Ah, you came out!”
Wow, I think I searched for about two hours, but this is quite difficult. I removed the breathing tool with my free hand and slowly approached the bridge. Because part of the railing had been torn off, it wasn’t that difficult to climb up.
“How about it? “You caught some snakes…”
“What is this?”
It’s a snake and it’s sleeping. Let’s ask this first. What would have happened if I had approached the bush without thinking?
“grass?”
“As I approached, he tried to pull me over. Please explain.”
“What are you trying to pull?”
I pushed back my wet, limp hair. It wasn’t a very nice feeling to have floating objects stuck in between.
“Well, about that. Can I explain?”
At that time, someone suddenly intervened.
“Great Sage!”
“What can you do, Great Sage!”
It was a fierce white wind that appeared as if it was living up to its name.
“This is something I originally wanted to entrust to you.”
I had a feeling that this incident was going to get bigger.