Chapter 78
Chapter 78
An exceptionally large tent stood amidst the built-up dwellings (yurt). The winners of the hunting festival stood within, waiting for the reason why they were summoned by the emperor. Sei was there as well, looking around while trying to kill some time. Of course, as the top winner, the white-winged girl was here, but even the pervert in bikini armor and the pretentious guy in all black were here too.
So they were in the top ranks, Sei thought while feeling somewhat uncomfortable.
Hmm…The one in all black. Was he always this short?
For some reasons, he was wearing sunglasses. That was rather strange. However, Sei did not really know him, so he decided not to voice his suspicions. In fact, his discomfort was justified because the guy in black was actually not the same person as before.
The real guy was still unconscious in the inn due to being assaulted yesterday. The one impersonating him here was Aries. He was wearing a black wig and a costume created by Ruphas. Of course, Sei did not know any of this, so he brilliantly overlooked it.
Several minutes later, a small cat beastkin appeared in the tent. His height was about one hundred thirty (centimeters). He was basically a bipedal tabby cat wearing small armor, making him appear somewhat funny.
However, when he entered, the beastkin soldiers saluted all at once. Apparently, he held a high position, contrary to his appearance. He glanced at the assembled warriors and gave a slight cough.
“Everyone, I’m a cat.”
This much was obvious. Surely, everyone present had the same thought. Contrary to his appearance, his voice was rather rough. It was often said that it was difficult to differentiate between the genders of beastkin, but this one was apparently male.
“I am Kaineko, the commander of the warriors of Draupnir. Brave ones, you have gathered today according to the summons. The battles during the hunting festival yesterday were spectacular. His Majesty was very pleased.”
At that moment, Sei suddenly felt the urge to complain.
What is with that silly name? Is he trying to be the funny man? Is he waiting for someone to retort back with a straight man’s response?
But when he glanced around, nobody had any reaction to that name. A sudden feeling of loneliness assaulted Sei.
Is it only me? Am I the only one who thinks it is funny?
As Sei thought this, Kaineko rubbed his face with his hand and continued speaking.
“You have been summoned today because we hope that you can lend your strength to this country. No, to be precise, it’s not an exaggeration to say that this hunting festival was held to search for strong warriors.”
“In other words, this is a request from Draupnir?”
“Yes.”
It was a small muscular man who asked Kaineko. He had a messy beard and carried an axe.
He’s probably a dwarf, Sei thought. This is the first time that I’ve seen one.
“This is a formal request from Draupnir. Of course, a reward will be prepared. Once the request is met, we promise to reward all participants with one thousand eru. And the person who brings back what we want will be rewarded with five hundred thousand eru. Of course, the others will also be given the highest honors.”
Five hundred thousand eru. These words changed the looks on everyone’s faces except for Sei, Virgo, and the black-cloaked guy. This was an exceptional reward for adventurers. If one was not too wasteful, it would be enough to live off it for more than ten years.
Furthermore, even if one did not acquire the target, as long as he participated, he would be rewarded with one thousand eru and a place of honor. This alone made it worth the while to participate. Future adventures would be easier and one’s name would become famous.
“So what should we be looking for?”
“I’d like you to go to the Spiritual Peak Hnitbjorg and retrieve the elixir stored there.”
When Virgo asked her question, Kaineko revealed the identity of the target item. When Sei heard this, the screen of a recent large-scale RPG came to his mind.
Since it would be a waste to use, the elixir was always left in the inventory while resorting to cheap potions and recovery magic instead. Before the player realized it, the final battle was over and there were still dozens of elixirs waiting to be used. This was a common situation.
For Sei, the elixir was like a decorative flower within his inventory. He would be anxious if he didn’t have it, but he would not use it even though he had it. That was essentially what an elixir was. But in contrast to Sei, the item’s name was astonishing to the natives of this world. Everyone was agitated and raised their voices in disbelief.
“Elixir!? Hey, stop joking! That is a legendary miracle drug that was lost because of the Demon King two hundred years ago!”
“Indeed, but the miracle drug is real. Our great founder, the Beast King Dubhe, kept the miracle drug in Hnitbjorg.”
As he listened to the story, Aries remembered the raid on the royal tomb. The legendary miracle drug, the elixir, was a miraculous item that only some alchemists could make. It was one of the highlights of alchemy more than two hundred years ago, produced by the joint research of Ruphas Mafahl and Megrez the Wisdom King. It was a first grade medicine that could heal all wounds, completely recover mana, cure diseases, and even prolong life.
…There was a pile of them in the royal tomb, Aries thought as he looked into the distance.
His master had said, “I was preparing to use them some day, but before I realized it, they weren’t used and the number of them had increased significantly,” or something like that.
Of course, they were all recovered and were now stored in Mafahl Tower. There were forty-three bottles. If all of them were sold, it would yield a terrifying amount of money that could buy the entire living space of the humanoids. It was said that the Demon King destroyed all the extant elixirs, so now they had disappeared from the world. Only the royal tomb guarded by Libra was overlooked.
“Of course, you are not allowed to run away with it. If you do so, you may consider this entire country to be your enemy.”
The elixir was the most valuable miracle drug. If it was sold, the price would not just be fifty thousand eru. It might even be ten times this amount. Therefore, it would not be strange if some people got greedy, but doing so would make an enemy out of the entire country. After emphasizing this carefully, Kaineko continued his explanation.
“But there may be some who would be unsatisfied with this. Therefore, we promise that we will share the elixir with the person who brings it back, albeit only a small amount.”
With that said, Kaineko showed everyone a small…really, really small bottle that could be handled with one’s fingertips. That was the amount they were prepared to give. It was just a small bottle that was about five centimeters long, but it was enough to excite the adventurers.
Although it was only a mouthful, its value was immeasurable. It could heal all kinds of wounds, cure all manner of diseases, and even extend the lifespans of people nearing the end of their lives by several years or even a decade. This was the effect of the elixir.
However, Aries remembered Dina complaining, “There’re too many!” while collecting the forty-three large bottles of elixir, each of which contained three liters. If this scene was shown to the people here, they would surely faint.
“Uh, why do you need something like that?”
“The guardian dragon-sama, who is the key to the protection of this country, suddenly had a serious illness…We need the elixir as a cure.”
If used correctly, the ultimate miracle drug could turn the tide of war. For example, if Megrez drank it, he would be able to walk again. If Merak drank it, his lost wing would regenerate. Even if they could not remove the curse of the Demon King, the Seven Heroes could change the current war situation by regaining fully functional bodies. And surely, the Demon King must have destroyed all of the elixirs in order to prevent this.
Perhaps Dubhe anticipated this, so he kept it somewhere safe. And now was the time to use the miracle drug.
“If the guardian dragon-sama falls, our country would be destroyed by the demons. The elixir is necessary to prevent this.”
The revitalization of the guardian dragon. Without it, there would be no tomorrow for Draupnir.
Sei gulped at the unforeseen crisis. He engraved into his heart that this was a request that would determine the survival or doom of a country. But at the same time, Sei considered the possibilities. If he successfully completed this request and acquired the elixir, he could give it to Megrez.
…Perhaps this could lead to the revitalization of the Wisdom King, one of the Seven Heroes who could turn the tides of war alone by himself. Thus, he summoned the courage to ask an important question.
“I want to ask one thing…Can that amount cure legs which have been paralyzed?”
“Hmm. It’s possible. If the legs were completely lost, it might not be enough. But if it was just legs that could not move, then it could certainly be cured.”
The fires of motivation lit up in Sei’s eyes. The miracle drug, the elixir…This was something he must obtain by all means. If it could restore the Wisdom King to a healthy body, it was well worth the risk to take on this request.
On the other hand, Aries knew of this long ago. However, he did not mention it to Ruphas because he thought it would be a waste to use the elixir on the people who betrayed his master. And since Ruphas did not say that she wanted to give the elixirs to the Seven Heroes, he interpreted it to mean that she had not forgiven those traitors.
Of course, he had never thought of the truth…that Ruphas had treated the existence of the elixir as a mere recovery item that was used in the game.
“…I heard that.”
A deep voice spoke out among the crowd of people. And the voice was not friendly at all. It was threatening like a sword. Everyone’s eyes focused on an unremarkable beastkin warrior that one could see anywhere else. Under everyone’s gazes, he distorted and changed into an amorphous liquid. It was like a human-shaped slime. He undulated further before becoming a blue-haired youth with a cold presence.
Blue skin with vertically slitted pupils. These were the features of demons, the nemeses of the humanoids.
“Ah, a demon!”
“What a surprise. To think that an elixir still exists. With such a thing, the wounds of the Seven Heroes could be healed.”
His piercing gaze seemed to look down on everyone present as he spoke in an emotionless voice.
Kaineko immediately drew his sword and slashed at the demon with a speed that the current Sei could barely follow. The blade swang down deep into the demon’s body, but there was not a single drop of blood. In fact, there was no reaction at all. The body that had been cut simply flowed like water.
“It’s futile.”
“!?”
The demon’s arm twisted like a whip and sent Kaineko flying. His armor was crushed by the single blow and Kaineko fell onto the ground without any further movement. As the commander of the soldiers, he must be fairly capable. And yet, with just one blow…Too strong. Yes, Sei thought so as his palms became sweaty.
“Dead? Or just unconscious? No matter. That’s what happens when you charge at me without properly gauging your own skills. I hope you get a little smarter in the future.”
“You!”
The demon’s mocking remarks enraged the beastkin soldiers, who simultaneously charged at him with their spears. But it was still ineffective. The spears pierced through as if they were stabbing at water. The demon, who was stabbed, did not even change his expression.
“Such a pointless act.”
The demon quickly moved his finger to draw a five-pointed star in the air. A vessel for firing arcane magic was created. The top point was Wood, followed by Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water in a clockwise direction. To connect the five points according to the principle of mutual generation and mutual destruction, a double circle was drawn to surround the star, representing the Moon and the Sun. And then, the accumulated mana was poured into this vessel.
“Arcane magic!? Impossible, this is too fast!”
The activation of magic was done in three basic steps. Create a vessel, then pour in the mana, and finally release the magic. The speed at which these three actions were done depended on the skill of the magic user. The higher the skill level, the faster the magic would be released.
The ultimate skill was to use magic without actions at all. This was the summit occupied by Megrez, Aigokeros, and the Demon King. The Seven Luminaries of the demons could also use simple magic without actions. In other words, if they needed to draw a seal, it would be a prelude to releasing advanced magic.
“Apsaras!”
And then, a huge swan of water was created. In the tent where there was no escape, the magical bird cried out—and the tent exploded from the inside.