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Quiet Satellite Town – Part 02

Northeast of Pond was a vast forest, its depths shrouded in silence.

“This should get you promoted to rank F.”

“I believe so. Oh, Paula, that knot is too weak. Can you tighten it more?”

“O-Okay.”

Paula proceeded to tighten the knot on the creature’s hind legs even more securely. Closely resembling a deer, it could only be found in the depths of the forest, not in the mountains, making it challenging to catch. Its keen ability to sense the presence of hunters also contributed to its high rarity. In fact, there were Animal Hunters who specialized in hunting them.

The Haze Deer.

“The Adventurers’ Guild was as quiet as a graveyard.”

Hikaru pulled the rope hanging from a tree branch, hoisting up the Haze Deer. It weighed over 80 kilograms, but allocating 2 points to his Soul Board’s Muscle Strength had given him considerable power that rivaled that of a typical adult. He could likely win an arm wrestling match against most opponents.

Blood dripped from the Haze Deer’s neck, evidence of Hikaru’s swift takedown with a single stroke. He was just about to butcher it.

“Um, Lord Hikaru. Why are there so few commissions at the Adventurers’ Guild?” Paula asked.

“The capital is still in chaos following the Fire Drakon Catastrophe. For better or worse, Pond is close to the capital. Adventurers would either move there or go somewhere far away to avoid any conflict. Seems like most adventurers chose the former. Not just adventurers, even merchants. There’s less and less people in Pond as a result.”

Consequently, the economy had stagnated.

“I see… So, is hunting this deer one of the few kill quests left?”

“No, there weren’t many kill quests either. Partly because summer, when monsters are more active, is coming to an end. The town is fortunate in that regard. If monsters went wild with no adventurers around, there would be casualties.”

“Then why…”

“Fewer adventurers mean less meat sold in the market. And as people gather in the capital and consumption increases, it would be more profitable to sell meat there than in Pond. Some merchants might decide to take their business to the capital instead, leaving the town with even less meat. Well, our efforts may not make a huge difference, but it’s still better than doing nothing, I suppose.”

“That’s wonderful!” Paula clapped her hands in delight.

She was overjoyed to know that her actions were helping people. It was especially gratifying since Hikaru, whom she deeply admired, was the one working to secure meat for their sake.

“Oh, but I’m still selling it at a fair price,” Hikaru said. “I have to make some money, still.”

“But you’re selling it in Pond, not the capital, right?”

“Well, yeah.”

“Then it’s still wonderful!” Paula said with a radiant smile.

“R-Right.”

Once it got to this point, Paula would keep on extolling him no matter what he said. It made his spine crawl, but there was nothing he could do about it.

“But this is also an opportunity to raise Soul Ranks, right?” Lavia chimed in.

“Yes, that’s correct. After participating in the Rulers’ Rumble, I realized that we need multiple means to solve overwhelming challenges.”

“Soul Rank,” Paula murmured softly, but Hikaru didn’t elaborate further.

He still hadn’t told her everything. It wasn’t due to a lack of trust, but rather because he believed Paula might embark on a different path someday.

Lavia had chosen to stay by Hikaru’s side, and she had proven that through her words and actions. As for Paula, Hikaru felt that he hadn’t fully grasped her true nature yet. Therefore, he couldn’t place the same level of trust in her as he did with Lavia.

“By the way, I asked Freya, and it seems like your wanted status hasn’t been lifted yet,” Hikaru said.

Lavia hung her head. Paula shared her disappointment; Lavia had already confided in Paula about her past. However, Paula remained unaware that Hikaru had actually rescued Lavia when she was being transported as a prisoner.

“You didn’t even do anything,” Paula said.

“Yes,” Hikaru agreed. “Lavia had nothing to do with the murder of Count Morgstadt.”

Strictly speaking, Lavia had aided Hikaru, the actual killer, by showing him an escape route, so she could be charged with something like “aiding and abetting”, but Hikaru chose not to dwell on those details.

Hikaru also hadn’t told Paula that he was the one who killed Count Morgstadt—Lavia’s father. He believed that the secret would likely remain between the two of them, because it was this secret that formed the foundation of their relationship.

“If only we could get rid of the king who’s obsessed with Lavia’s magic, then the problem would be solved,” Hikaru said. “He’s probably thinking that if he abdicated under the threat of the Fire Drakon, he would become a laughingstock. He values his own position and reputation more than the damage the drakon could cause.”

“Inept king,” Lavia said.

“I’ve known for a while that the king is incompetent, but he turned out to be even worse than I thought.”

“Is his successor any better?”

“Apparently, he has two children with rights to the throne, and the eldest son, Prince Austrin, is said to be just like his father.”

“Inept prince.”

Lavia was particularly harsh today. Considering how she was almost used as a weapon by the king, it was understandable.

“The other one, Princess Kujastria, doesn’t appear in public much, so I don’t know what kind of person she is.”

When they arrived at the royal castle on the Fire Drakon, it was likely Princess Kujastoria who appeared, but the distance and it being nighttime made it difficult to tell.

However, Hikaru thought her voice sounded familiar.

Within Hikaru resided remnants of Roland’s memories, the original owner of his body. However, those memories had faded significantly, and while he occasionally accessed them as knowledge, he rarely felt something like “familiarity.”

Yet, he distinctly remembered Princess Kujastria’s voice, suggesting that Roland had a deep emotional attachment to the princess.

I can’t tell… The memory’s very hazy.

Roland N. Zaracia had achieved a remarkable feat in his research for a spell to cross worlds at the age of 15. His memories about sorcery still remained, arranged like a well-organized bookshelf, but the parts associated with emotions, such as the sorrow of losing his parents, were hazy and fading rapidly by the day.

“As for me, I don’t have any attachment to this place, so I don’t mind leaving,” Lavia said.

“You can’t do that,” Hikaru replied. “I can’t accept the fact that you’re being treated like a suspect when you’re innocent.”

Hikaru’s interactions with Jillarte during the Ruler’s Rumble tournament had reinforced his conviction even further. He wanted to completely clear Lavia’s name. He wouldn’t mind leaving the kingdom afterward, but he couldn’t stomach the idea of leaving right now as it would seem as if she were running away. He wanted the girl he loved to walk confidently under the sun without resorting to Stealth.

It was embarrassing, so he couldn’t express it directly. And Paula was also present.

“Is that so? You’re quite stubborn.” Lavia appeared surprised.

After butchering the Haze Deer, they wrapped it in waterproof fabric. Removing the internal organs reduced the weight by half, but the edible parts alone still weighed around thirty kilograms. Additionally, they had hunted down a regular deer, bringing the total weight of their spoils to over sixty kilograms. Lavia and Paula assisted in carrying the load back to town.

Since they couldn’t take Lavia to the Adventurers’ Guild, Hikaru and Paula carried the meat themselves. At first, the receptionist Freya was thrilled to see the meat, but…

“Wait, isn’t this a Haze Deer?! How did you catch it?!”

“Ah, I actually bought a new weapon.”

Hikaru showed his atlatl. Also known as a spear-thrower, it was a stick about sixty centimeters long, with a hollow groove at the tip to hold a spear. By swinging the atlatl, one could utilize centrifugal force to throw a spear. The spear, known also as a dart, had a knife-like blade at the tip, with arrow feathers attached to the base. It was around eighty centimeters long, not too heavy, and Hikaru always carried five of them.

“An atlatl. That is an interesting choice for a weapon,” Freya said.

“I don’t exactly have a strong physique. So, I thought about something that would allow me to attack from a distance and ended up with the atlatl. It’s great because it packs more power than arrows.”

With 2 points on both Muscle Strength and Projectile, it was easy to wield.

In reality, however, Hikaru had approached the Haze Deer using Stealth and killed it with a knife.

“I’m done butchering it, but I have a feeling I’ll get an earful from old man Unken for my amateur work.” Hikaru let out a strained laugh.

Freya’s face momentarily clouded.

“What’s wrong?” Hikaru asked.

“Nothing. I’ll ask Sir Unken to take a look at it later. But for now, since there’s high demand for meat, we’ll buy it from you at a good price.”

“Is old man Unken not around right now? He always seems like he has nothing to do. He even taught me how to butcher.”

“Well… he is here, but…” Freya leaned closer to Hikaru and dropped her voice to a whisper. “He seems a little off.”

“Off? How so?”

“He’s been looking serious and troubled these past few days. Then again, being a Guildmaster must come with its fair share of worries, I suppose.”

Unken had previously kept his position as the Guildmaster a secret, but it was already known to Hikaru and his friends.

“There seemed to be some major activity in the capital yesterday,” Freya added. “We received a message through the Linga Quill Pen from the capital’s Adventurers’ Guild.”

The Adventurers’ Guilds regularly exchanged information, usually through writing. However, in times of emergency, they used the magic item called the Linga Quill Pen. It involved driving a stake deep into the ground and utilizing the magical energy flowing through the earth’s ley lines to deliver messages to distant locations. However, it required rare magical catalysts to operate, making it costly to use.

The use of the Linga Quill Pen indicated something quite important.

“’Maintain immediate contact with adventurers Rank C and higher to be prepared for any eventuality,’ was what they said. Not that there are any Rank C adventurers in this town.” Freya chuckled, but her face betrayed a hint of unease.

“Understood… Thank you for the information,” Hikaru said.

After the meat’s value was assessed, Hikaru and Paula received their payment and turned to leave.

“Um, Hikaru,” Freya called.

“Is there anything else?”

Freya hesitated, opening her mouth and then pausing, her brows furrowed in thought.

“Hmm?”

She seemed like she wanted to say something but couldn’t—that was the impression Hikaru got. He had no idea why Freya would act like this, so he glanced briefly at Paula.

Hikaru had told Paula beforehand to not talk while inside the guild, so she had only given short responses like “Yes” or “No” up until now. Of course, Paula didn’t seem to have any idea either.

Hikaru didn’t know that Freya suspected him of being involved in Lavia’s disappearance.

“Um… are you not forming a party with Paula?” Freya couldn’t bring herself to ask the crucial question.

“A party? I haven’t thought about it yet,” Hikaru answered.

Then they left the Adventurers’ Guild.