BXBX NOVEL Chapter 215: The Quest of the Wandering Merchant (4)
Chapter 215: The Quest of the Wandering Merchant (4)
[Why am I getting involved in this nonsense?]
Piego couldn\'t understand it at all.
It felt like watching grown adults seriously playing with children\'s toys.
Ketal spoke leisurely.
“What\'s the hurry? We have plenty of time. Let\'s take it easy and enjoy ourselves slowly.”
Ketal smiled as he watched others fight.
There was a genuine light of joy in his eyes.
[…Monstrous child.]
It wasn\'t a matter of power.
It was hard to understand Ketal\'s philosophy.
Piego sighed and swung his flame.
The approaching ogre was incinerated, leaving no trace behind.
[This place is a dragon\'s lair. How did we end up here? I thought it had vanished from the surface.]
“You\'re aware of it. We came through the wandering merchant.”
[You mean that monster. Indeed. There\'s no other way besides through him.]
“You know about it?”
[Of course. It\'s a mysterious creature that existed on this land long before I did.]
Piego spoke indifferently.
[No one knows what it wants or where it resides. It\'s a mysterious monster. I can\'t understand why humans would trade with such a thing…]
“If our interests align, I see no reason to refuse. Is it different for spirits?”
[It\'s not a creature of nature. It\'s more like an enemy to us.]
“Oh.”
Ketal showed an intrigued expression at Piego\'s words.
It seemed that the wandering merchant did not have a close relationship with spirits.
[But... a dragon\'s lair, huh. Well, you probably won\'t have any trouble.]
However, Piego looked at the others curiously.
[Who are those guys?]
“They are a party to hunt the dragon with.”
[A party? To hunt the dragon with you?]
Piego was momentarily startled.
[With just those guys? Well, it should be fine...]
Piego, who was about to say something, soon realized.
Common sense didn’t work with Ketal.
He closed his mouth.
[Do as you please.]
“That\'s the plan. Ah, there\'s one thing I want to ask.”
[What is it?]
“What do you think about that boy?”
The mountain was quite deep.
It was quite dangerous, as powerful monsters resided there.
Of course, for those of the highest rank, it wasn\'t a big deal, but it was different for the boy.
“Huff, huff, huff.”
The boy, Ian, was following them with a pale face.
His legs were trembling, perhaps from fear or fatigue from the mountain climb.
[He’s just an ordinary boy with no power. It must be very hard for him to keep up.]
“Is that all?”
Ketal asked as if there was nothing more peculiar about him.
Piego spoke in a puzzled tone.
[What more is there? He doesn’t seem to have any special power. I don\'t know why he\'s following, but you said the wandering merchant brought him, right? Then we can\'t do anything about it.]
“Hmm.”
Ketal\'s face showed interest.
“So that\'s the extent of your perception.”
Piego didn\'t think much of the boy.
Or rather, he couldn\'t.
“I understand now.”
[Then why did you ask?]
Piego grumbled.
After advancing a bit more, Seraphina spoke to the struggling boy.
“We should rest here.”
“The day\'s getting dark, so it\'s a good idea. We need time to prepare.”
The mercenary king agreed.
They set up camp near the forest.
Seraphina offered a small prayer.
“Sun God, please protect us under your light.”
A radiant light enveloped them.
The boy barely managed to sit down, rubbing his trembling legs.
Seraphina offered a prayer of healing to the boy.
“Th-thank you…”
“How much further do we have to go?”
“At this pace, we should reach in two days.”
“Tsk. We have a long way to go.”
The Spellweaver looked dissatisfied.
Without the boy, they could have gone twice as fast.
The progress was slow because they had to protect him.
Although the Spellweaver mediated, he wasn\'t pleased with the boy being in the party.
He was a magician who valued logic and efficiency.
It was frustrating to be delayed by the boy.
The boy shrank under the weight of those gazes.
To lighten the mood, Ketal opened his pouch.
“Everyone must be hungry. Let me cook for you.”
“Huh?”
“What? You can cook too?”
Instead of answering, Ketal showed them through action.
He pulled out a pot and various stored ingredients, starting to cook at a quick pace.
“Piego, could you provide some fire?”
[…Alright.]
Piego, suddenly treated as a log, resignedly breathed out fire.
The ingredients cooked rapidly.
Ketal smiled with satisfaction.
“That was quick. You\'re quite useful.”
[…….]
Piego’s flame flickered momentarily.
The others watched with mixed feelings.
“…Is it okay to treat a spirit like that?”
“As far as I know, it’s not.”
The higher the rank of a spirit, the prouder it was.
It was said that even contractors couldn\'t treat highest-ranking spirits lightly.
Although they tried talking to Piego out of curiosity, he completely ignored them.
This confirmed the information.
Yet now, Ketal was treating Piego like a convenient tool.
“Is this really okay?”
“No problem.”
“…I see.”
Judging by Piego’s increasingly agitated flames, it seemed problematic, but since the contractor said it was fine, they had no room to intervene.
Before long, Ketal made a meat stew and handed it to them.
The mercenary king\'s eyes widened as he cautiously tasted it.
“It’s delicious.”
“Indeed. You\'re good at cooking too. Impressive.”
Seraphina admired.
Ketal smiled with satisfaction at their reactions.
“Thank you.”
The food quickly disappeared.
They rested.
The mercenary king muttered, as if realizing anew.
“Will there ever be another gathering of this scale?”
“Probably not.”
The Chief Inquisitor of the Sun God, the Archmage of the Tower, the Mercenary King, and a contractor with a highest-ranking spirit.
Each was a high-ranking leader or someone with comparable power in their respective groups.
The idea of such individuals gathering to undertake a quest together was a dream come true for enthusiasts.
“With this much power, we should be able to slay a dragon.”
“…To be honest, there\'s one thing I\'m a bit skeptical about.”
The Spellweaver said with a hesitant face.
“We are certainly strong. We have the power to be highly regarded anywhere. But our opponent is a dragon.”
A dragon.
It was said that only those who reached the level of a hero could face them.
Even with four top-tier superhumans, there was a significant gap from being heroes.
Hence, the Spellweaver had his doubts.
“I wonder if it’s truly possible.”
“No problem.”
The mercenary king dismissed the Spellweaver\'s concerns simply.
“The Wandering Merchant does not propose impossible deals.”
If they couldn’t slay the dragon with their power, the merchant wouldn\'t have made the proposal in the first place.
But the Wandering Merchant had made the proposal.
This meant they had sufficient power to slay the dragon.
“Of course, I understand that our power alone might not be enough. The dragon was said to have just reached adulthood. Perhaps it hasn’t fully gained its strength. Or it might be injured. There might have been power loss during the summoning process.”
“That could be true.”
The Spellweaver nodded.
He muttered, as if realizing anew.
“If we succeed, we will all earn the title of Dragon Slayer.”
“Dragon... Slayer.”
The mercenary king spoke in an excited voice.
There were only two or three Dragon Slayers on the continent.
And they were all heroes.
If they succeeded in slaying the dragon, it would be the first time for superhumans.
The thought of gaining such fame and reputation made their hearts swell with excitement.
The Spellweaver, feeling the same, stroked his beard with anticipation.
“If we earn the title of Dragon Slayer, it will raise the prestige of our school. I’ll have something to boast about to the Tower Master.”
“…Come to think of it.”
Seraphina suddenly recalled something and cautiously asked them.
“You all offered something to the Wandering Merchant, didn’t you? What did you give?”
“A third of the treasures I’ve gathered so far.”
“Something similar for me. I paid ten artifacts from the school. My students made quite a fuss.”
“Same here.”
What Seraphina offered was a noble shield handed down through her order for centuries.
The mercenary king grumbled.
“I almost cried blood when I handed over my treasures. For that much, they should have given us a reward. Just giving information about the dragon’s lair and telling us to slay it ourselves is so heartless.”
Seraphina gave a bitter smile.
She secretly agreed.
However, even so, the reward for successfully slaying the dragon would make the price they paid seem trivial, so it wasn’t a loss.
“Hmm.”
Ketal silently listened to their conversation.
This confirmed it.
The others had paid a significant price just to get the information about the dragon’s lair and come here.
In contrast, Ketal had come here empty-handed.
‘Payment for value and transaction, huh.’
Ketal stroked his chin.
“So, what did that boy give?”
The Spellweaver glanced at the boy.
The boy, who had been clattering dishes, flinched.
“…He must have paid an enormous amount.”
The Mercenary King had to give up a third of the treasures he had accumulated over his lifetime just to get information about the dragon’s lair.
But that boy had done nothing and merely followed them.
To do that, he must have paid an unimaginable price.
That meant he had the wealth to afford such a cost.
“Is he perhaps a prince of the empire?”
“Who knows…”
Seraphina trailed off.
She had no clue about the boy’s identity either.
The boy shrank as if he found their gazes burdensome.
The Mercenary King spoke indifferently.
“Enough. The important thing is slaying the dragon. Discussing that is more important.”
“That’s true.”
At the Mercenary King’s words, they shifted their focus and began discussing their strategy. The boy let out a small sigh of relief.
Ketal quietly watched the boy.
“Oh, by the way.”
The Spellweaver suddenly remembered something.
“Ketal, what did you give up? Was it similar to us?”
“Similar.”
Ketal replied with a grin.
* * *
The next day.
They continued their journey, defeating any monsters they encountered.
“Huff, huff, huff.”
The boy followed, panting heavily.
The Spellweaver clicked his tongue.
‘Why are we even doing this?’
He never thought he would end up babysitting a boy with no apparent talent.
The Spellweaver kept casting disapproving glances at the boy.
Had it not been for Seraphina looking after him, the boy would have continued to cower.
Surprisingly, the Mercenary King also took care of the boy.
Though he didn’t make it obvious, he subtly ensured the boy wasn’t too uncomfortable.
“I’m the only bad guy here.”
The Spellweaver grumbled.
Seraphina gave a bitter smile.
That night, they rested again.
At this pace, they would reach their destination by tomorrow.
Once again, Ketal cooked, and they ate heartily.
That night.
When everyone had fallen asleep.
The boy cautiously got up and staggered towards the edge of the forest.
“Where are you going?”
A voice rang out from behind.
Startled, the boy turned to see Ketal leaning against a tree.
“I-I need to pee…”
“Ah. It could be dangerous, so I’ll go with you.”
“Thank you…”
Ketal followed the boy.
When the boy stopped, Ketal turned his back and gave him some space.
After a while, the boy returned.
“Let’s go back.”
“Yes…”
As they walked back, the boy spoke cautiously.
“Thank you…”
“Hmm?”
“For agreeing to bring me along. Honestly, I know I’m a burden.”
“Ah, it doesn’t matter.”
From Ketal’s perspective, it was enjoyable either way.
The boy, feeling a bit more at ease, continued.
“You all handle those terrifying monsters so easily. You’re all incredibly strong. I want to have that kind of power too.”
“Is that so?”
Ketal looked at him with a puzzled expression.
“To me, you seem stronger.”
“…What?”
The boy flinched.
“I’m just a boy with no power. That can’t be true.”
“Is that so? If you say so.”
Ketal smiled and walked ahead.
The boy remained standing there.
After Ketal disappeared from view.
The boy’s face, initially flustered, became serious.
‘What is with that guy?’
The boy narrowed his eyes.