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Chapter 433: In the woods at that Time ( Retze’s POV)

I hide in the crook between the roots that are wrapped around a rock and heave a sigh.

Dean and the others are also somewhere nearby; we are spread out since there’s nowhere we can all hide together. We are all wrapped in the same cloak that can conceal us from the black spirit’s eyes, so it’s hard to tell who’s who at first glance.

The camouflage effect weakens when we move around, but it’s thanks to the cloak that we can hide from the black spirit’s gaze that can penetrate even through the shadows, so no complaints about it.

These cloaks were issued when we accepted this quest, and they will be added to our compensation once we finish the task.

As I watch the snowflakes drift down, I remove the gloves and rub my face, feeling how tense it’s become. It’s already the winter season and the cold isn’t ideal for venturing deeper into the Magical Woods.

My face is stiff because of the cold, although it’s also partly because I didn’t have any reason to exercise my facial muscles recently. After days of crouching with lowered voices, we’re about to reach our destination, apparently.

It’s been around a month since we left Canum. Huddling deep in the Magical Woods brings up the memory of when we accepted the quest from the Guild.

The Guild Master briefed us himself back then, with a slightly grim face after we signed the non-disclosure oath that said [The details of the quest will not be disclosed except for the purpose of fulfilling it]. These oaths are common to prevent anyone from leaking information, even if the person declined to accept the quest.

「Why aren’t they asking the adventurers from Fortress City? 」
If I’m not mistaken, Dean was the one who asked that after listening to the conditions of the quest.

The client who commissioned this quest was Anoma’s fief lord, and the task was [Return the Spirit Drop to the spirit who created it.]

Canum is in a different country from the fortress city, plus the Adventurer’s Guild in Fortress City Anoma has more human resources than Canum, like Gold-ranked Amadeo and his party for example.

「Seems like they have a hard time requesting a quest from their own city’s guild. On top of that, the Spirit of the Drop is quite strong, so they want to be prepared in case there’s an attack. 」
The Guild Master’s tone was tinged with reluctance; seems like he wasn’t thrilled about this quest either.

It’s just that Canum is near the fortress city. If monsters attack Canum, the country will provide aid, but it would be the fortress city’s adventurers who would be the main responders. The guild master of the fortress city’s adventurer’s guild probably has a hand in this, so we have no way of turning it down.

The Spirit Drop is the crystallization of a spirit’s own power and is only given to the person it favors. It’s somewhat similar to the manastones found in monsters, but it doesn’t have the influence of grudges and negative aura, and it’s far more powerful.

It’s extremely valuable so people usually won’t ever let it go. It’s also rare, and depending on the effects, some drops might be impossible to exchange for money ー Jean must’ve fed his drop to X-Stick, but his case is an exception. I bet there’d be plenty of folks who go hysterical if they knew, but guess there’s nothing we can do about it.

However, if the spirit of the drop transforms into a black spirit, then the person or place where it’s kept will become a target. In short, the spirit who brought the drop to the fortress city of Anoma recently turned into a black spirit. It returned to the Magical Woods so we have to chase after it and return the drop.

It would have been better if they exhaust the drop or break it as early as possible, but now it’s too late. It would take too long before the remnants of power dissipates completely so nothing will change, the people and place involved with the drop will still be under threat.

The only way to avoid the disaster is to shatter the drop near its former owner ー the black spirit ー and return its power back.

And so, here I am, freezing my butt off deep in the Magical Woods. It’s been a pain since I’m escorting someone who can sense the spirit’s presence, but at least things were much better than I imagined.

The person we’re guarding is bundled up with Ash under a cloak. She’s supposedly the third daughter of the fortress city’s fief lord, but despite her noble status, we haven’t heard a word of complaint from her so far. Seems like she’s used to roughing it and can handle herself pretty well.

But here’s the thing—there’s only supposed to be one daughter of the lord, and I’ve seen her before. This girl’s got different hair ー she’s not the same person. She’s earnest and doesn’t seem to be the scheming type, but something feels off, and it’s got me on edge.

Considering the forces the fortress city has, that spirit isn’t just strong—it’s a serious threat. Even if it’s injured and weakened, it’s possible that we’re dealing with an extremely dangerous opponent.

Since we’re the ones holding the drop, it’d be good if we encounter the spirit soon and get this over with before it recovers.

I pop a caramel Jean gave me into my mouth, the sweet scent hitting me for just a second.

We’ve come this far, so not only are there more monsters, they are also stronger. Honestly, we don’t have the luxury to hunt for food. We’ve been grabbing edible moss and leaves as we traverse the woods, but they taste awful and aren’t filling—honestly, I’d rather not eat them at all.

The fact that my mind keeps drifting back to Jean’s cooking whenever I let my guard down means I’m pretty spoiled now. Not long ago, whenever we spent days in the Magical Woods, we’d hunt when we had a bit of leeway, and it’s also normal to rest on the cold, damp ground.

Lost in thought, I catch Dean and Chris’s eyes. At that same moment, they both toss the same caramel into their mouths.

The slightly annoyed look on their faces and the way they popped the caramel is oddly funny, and for the first time in a while, I feel a bit lighter. I’m pretty sure I had the same expression they did.

Let’s just finish this job and go mooch some food off Jean.