Chapter 77 - First Encounter
Neighahhh…
One week later, Leo stopped before a water stream as he let the horse have some water while doing the same himself.
"Refreshing!"
Although Leo's route this time wasn't parallel to a river, the Empire's land was mostly green with all kinds of water bodies spread around its land. After his meticulous study of maps, Leo had managed to make it so his route would coincide with some form of water source every day or two, making it easy for him to replenish his limited water reserves.
"That should be it, right?"
According to the map provided by the Association, this would be Leo's last stop before reaching his destination. From his current location, Leo could already spot a small-sized human settlement
A brief amount of rest was enough for the horse to put forward one last spurt, delivering Leo to the peripheries of a fairly populated village.
"Hello there young sir, are you looking for an accommodation to rest away the wear of your journey?"
Leo slowly led the horse through the standard farm village before he was approached by a smiling child. He didn't seem to be much younger than Leo himself, but Leo didn't look his age to begin with.
"Indeed. Though, I would like to meet the village chief first to talk about your little problem. Do you think you can guide me to him?"
Leo smiled back as he shined out a silver coin in his hand. Having experienced Arthur's poor life as an orphan, he didn't mind being a bit generous towards people of similar situations.
"O-of course! This way sir!"
Under the boy's guidance, Leo quickly reached the center of the village. In front of the house that easily looked the largest around, a few elderly men were sitting in a circle, whispering with grim expressions…
"Chief! This young sir here says that he came to solve our problem!"
"Shhh! Little Loey, don't speak nonsense! Wait, what did you just say?"
The man sitting at the center of the circle not only looked the oldest, but he also had a wisened aura about him. He panicked the moment he heard the boy's words only to raise his eyebrows in surprise.
However, the moment he got the chance to look around, his forehead creased as he could only see a young man on a horse.
"The one you were talking about… it couldn't be him, right?"
"It's me, I was sent here by the Association."
Knowing that he was being disregarded because of his age once again, Leo didn't pay it any mind as he took out his Sword Identity. Regardless of his employer's reaction, he would still do the mission as it was necessary for his objective. It wasn't like he was here out of goodwill anyway.
"Oh! Even such a young person is a member of the association? This sure is an eye-opening experience. Although… I'm not sure how strong a 'grade-2' would be, are you sure you want to handle that 'beast' on your own?"
The elderly man's eyes flashed as soon as he laid his eyes on the metal card, but he was still somewhat skeptical as the horrors he witnessed flashed in his mind…
"Don't worry, just tell me about it in detail and leave the rest to me."
`~~~`~~~`~~~`
'I can do this.'
The next day, Leo stared hard at the ceiling as he tried to boost his courage as soon as he woke up. Compared to everything he had gone through so far, what he was going to do today wasn't only a new experience, it was also a far more terrifying one.
Knock. Knock.
"Big Brother Leo! Come join us for breakfast if you are already up."
Although Leo wanted to directly proceed with the mission, he knew that he had to be in the best shape possible if he didn't want to mess up. So, he ended up accepting Leoy's invitation to spend the night at the extra room in his and his sister's house.
"Coming."
Having grown familiar with Loey who reminded him of his 'siblings' over the short period of less than one day, Leo casually accepted his offer from behind the door. After washing his face and confirming his resolution once more, Leo left the room to join the pair.
"Thanks for the meal."
Despite the breakfast being similar to the frugal meals Leo had in the Orphanage before he changed their financial situation, anything tasted better than the rations he was forced to eat for the last week. Besides, the food also managed to trigger some nostalgia from the Arthur in him.
Neighh.
"Come closer, you can pat it down if you want."
Since Leo couldn't possibly bring his horse along for such a dangerous mission, he decided to leave the horse to the siblings as he judged them to be trustable. With his identity as a member of the Association, no one would dare touch his belongings anyway, at least as long as he didn't disappear for long.
"Here you go. Take care of it for me, you can sell it if I don't come back in a week or so."
Although Leo had the right to ask for free lodging per his mission's conditions, he still handed Loey 5 silvers in total to cover everything including food for the horse as he sympathized with the orphaned pair.
"Don't say that Big Brother Leo! I'm sure you are strong enough to make quick work of that monster!"
"I sure hope so."
After nodding to Loey's enthusiastic waving, Leo held the 'Infinity Sword Wheel' on his back as he held another bag over it using his left hand before heading Northwest.
As the village's buildings and their residents started to dwindle, Leo steadily left the village surrounded by greenery and trees. The scenery grew more calming and mesmerizing as he advanced. However…
'This is it.'
That didn't last long!
Not far out of the village, the view abruptly turned jarring within a certain radius. The trees barely stood as terrifying claws marks were ingrained deeply beyond the bark, even the grass had it worse as it was flattened to the ground…
Grrrrrrr…
"Hey."
…And this was how Leo's first encounter with a Sword Beast had started.