Kuro no Maou

Chapter 24 Quest and Rank (2)

Quest: Collection of Rixei grass

Reward: 5000 silvers per bag

Deadline: first week of the month of distant thunder (Enrai)

Client: Irz village Item shop shopkeeper Kisshu(T/N: キッシュ suggest a better name if you can think)

Details: Required to enter Fairy Garden and collect a prescribed amount of Rixei grass in bags. A party who brings more than 3 bags will receive one potion set compounded from Rixei grass as well.

Quest: Recruiting Escorts for Peddler group (From Kuar to Daidalos)

Reward: daily wage of 7500 silver + battle allowances

Deadline: 20th of the month of Early-summer breeze (Ryokufuu), departure on 22nd

Client: Peddler representative Morty

Details: Recruiting escorts for a group of peddlers from Kuar to Daidalos. Free three meals per day. It’ll be a month long journey but the route is the north-west highway with almost no dangers.

Quest: Recruiting luggage carrier for [Irz Blader]

Reward: 3000 silver per day

Deadline: plan till the end of the month of early-summer breeze (Ryokufuu)

Client: Leader of [Irz Blader] – Nino

Details: We need a luggage carrier for the party. The quest is a level 2 monster extermination but we’ll protect you properly so don’t worry!

Quest: Night sentry at Irz Village

Reward: 4000 silver per day

Deadline: Recruiting till the month of new sun (Shinyou)

Client: Irz village vigilante corps leader Grint

Details: Recently goblin and raptor type monsters have been increasing. So we need to reinforce the night time security of the village. You can come whenever you are available and can take the reward for the day on that day as well.

“Hmm, there are some words that I can’t understand………”(kurono)

Turning the 10 page documents I read the various quests available.

The major details I can understand since I can understand the letters but I can’t understand many things like calendar or place names, names of monsters etc. I can’t decide quickly like this.

“Even if you can’t understand well, most of the rank 1 quests here can be completed without much trouble, there is barely any fighting involved after all.”(Nyarko)

“No, before that I need to understand the calendar and names of places; do you sell a calendar and a map?”

“mumu, to think that someone cultured like Kurono-san doesn’t know the calendar, this is very unexpected. Could it be you’re a prince of a far away country!?”

“Aren’t you dreaming a bit too much?”

“Oops sorry. I wasn’t supposed to talk about this right? Um, both calendar and maps are sold at the item shop.”

“The shop of the one mentioned in the quests?”

“That’s right. Since it’s the only item shop in the village, all adventurers get their potions and other items from there.”

“The villagers also use it but the main customers are definitely the adventurers. If Kurono-san is going to become an adventurer at the village then you’ll definitely have to go there someday. After leaving here take a right and you’ll soon see its board.”

“Okay, I’ll go there after this.”

“Also Kurono-san, this is a bit unrelated to adventurer job, but if you want to learn about the calendar, geography and the plants and animals as well as monsters around here, you can ask to see the books stored in the village head’s house. Kurono-san can read after all, and you also seem to have a good understanding ability as well as memory so there shouldn’t be any problem.”

“Yeah, I like reading as well as writing.”

“Eh, Kurono-san is a writer!?”

“Ah, no……..as a hobby…….”

Shit, if she asks what type of books I write I’ll be in trouble.

“oops, this will also come under over-inquiry, I won’t ask anything else.”

“Thanks.”

It seems she thinks that there might be some secret since I was hesitating right now, but let’s just let her think that way. It’ll be easier for me as well.

She probably won’t understand even if I told her about a supernatural battle-story set in modern Japan after all. And there is also a chance of me being treated as a mentally ill guy as well.

“Anyway, can anyone freely read in the library at village head’s house?”

“It’s not something as amazing as a library but if you talk about a place where books are kept then it’s either there or here (guild) only.”

I see, collection of books isn’t common in houses even in modern Japan as well after all.

“Is that so? Then I’ll try going there tomorrow.”

For the time being I should be able to learn a lot about this world from those books.

“Well then Kurono-san, will you be accepting any quests?”

“No, I need to gather information and make some preparations so I won’t be taking any today.”

“Very well. Other than quests, we also reward for collecting raw materials and killing monsters as a freelance as well so please make use of that too. The details about it are put up on the bulletin board there. The sale price of materials and rewards on subjugating monsters changes with season so please keep on checking regularly. Ah, by the way, the current recommendation is goblin subjugation! It seems a big group has settled near here so the price is quite high right now. Soon an extermination quest might appear as well.”

“Are you talking about the ones living in the cave west of Fairy Garden?”

“You are well aware; did you hear it from Lily-san? But even if you are with Lily-san please be careful, if you get to close them they’ll attack in large numbers. In case of goblin extermination, it is advised to split them in small groups and attack them!”

“Sorry but the goblins there have already been already annihilated.”

“Eh?”

“Yesterday, I and Lily exterminated them.”

“Eeeh!? Really!?”

“Yes, I also received the reward from the Village head as well. The gold coin I paid during lunch was out of that. Well the fairies of the fountain had pushed the work on Lily so I just decided to do it and help her though.”

“Yesterday? In just one day?”

“Yeah, we attacked the cave directly and finished it up.”

“Ku, Kurono-san did?”

“More or less, though Lily destroyed the cave itself in the end so I might lose in terms of number defeated though.”

“No, No way……….just who are you Kurono-san?”

“You promised not to ask right? Well I did say that I am black magician.”

“I see…….right, it doesn’t matter who Kurono-san is as long as you can contribute to the village and the guild by completing quests. If you are strong enough to single-handedly take on such a large group of goblins then all the more so! I look forward to working with you!”

“Same here.”

“Umm, if you are that strong then was there any reason to even hear such an elementary level lecture? Also are you fine to be at rank 1?”

“That is, well, my knowledge is quite one-sided you see. I need to hear the rules at least. Although, there really isn’t any meaning in hearing the methods to defeat goblins.”

“I understand. If you have anything you need to know about the village or guild, please ask me.”

“Thanks, I’ll be counting on you.”

“Also, umm”

“Hm?”

“Is Lily-san really that strong?”

On her question there was no change in Lily because,

“Ah, she fell asleep.”

She was sleeping comfortably lying on my lap.

After eating so much and listening to such boring lecture she might have become sleepy after all. For the time being, she seems to be resistant to waking up so I’ll let her sleep.

“Are the people of the village aware of Lily’s strength? From her words, the village head was also aware that Lily had been constantly exterminating monsters.”(Kurono)

“To protect the fountain of light it is said that she has been fighting the monsters in Fairy Garden for a long time now. It’s a quite famous story. But, whenever I see her like that I just can’t seem to believe it……”(Nyarko)

That overly innocent sleeping face. No matter how you look at it, it doesn’t look like the face of someone who fights.

“No, well, even I thought the same thing at first. But, Lily is definitely strong. At least she can use stronger magic than me.”

The beams of light that repelled the rain of arrows and the pillar of light that smashed the cave, I don’t think I can defend against either of them.

“Is, is that so? Amazing.”(Nyarko)

“Well, it doesn’t sound believable until you see it for yourself.”

“Somehow, you guys are an amazing combination. This definitely raises my expectations! First-class adventurer might not be a dream!”

“Hm, well I don’t really want to rise to such heights. I only became an adventurer to take care of my livelihood.”

In the first place, Lily isn’t even an adventurer.

“Not at all. You will also start to aim for greater heights when you start completing quests.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes! That is what it means to be an adventurer!”

Without any basis, Nyarko-san proclaims this with confidence.

I can’t really think of that but maybe I will also one day become an adventurer who pursues his dream and romance?

At least, as long as I am living with Lily, at least the future looks bright.

{T/N:the view changes to third person here}

Even in this world, there exist things that are a proof of a person’s status.

If you are an adventurer, it is the certificate issued by the guild, i.e. the Guild card.

As long as you have it, you can get verified in any guild and receiving quests and rewards becomes smooth. It was a small dark grey plate made of metal. If Kurono saw it he might feel it’s similar to [Dog tags].

“Ah, Nyarko, is that for the person in the black mantle who just came?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

The senior staff member of the Avian harpy race – Pine, looked at the guild card with interest.

“Black magician? Another weird one came it seems.”(Pine)

On the guild card, the name, rank and class is written.

“Yeah, he is a completely mysterious person!”(Nyarko)

“Well that isn’t really rare though. But he seems to be a companion of Lily-san so he shouldn’t be just some hoodlum or villain.”(Pine)

Since you can become an adventurer without giving any info about yourself, shady group of thieves and criminals also tend to gather here as well. Especially muscle-headed hoodlums and thugs who are proud of their strength.

Of course, adventurers aren’t just these guys but then again it’s also true that there are quite a lot of them like these guys.

“Kurono-san has a scary face but it seems he is properly educated. He seems to be skilled at magic as well. He might be some noble or the apprentice of a famous magician.”(Nyarko)

“fuun, skill at magic? Did you see his black magic?”(Pine)

“No but he exterminated the goblins who had appeared along with Lily-san. He also got rewarded by the Village head so he doesn’t seem to be lying as well.”

“Well looks like an amazing one has appeared……this rookie has high expectations on him.”

“Yes! I’m excited as well!”

“But, this place doesn’t have many high ranked quests.”

“I know.”

But still, the presence of a strong adventurer in a village is always a good thing.

Although it costs money, they can take action quickly in case of monster attacks. They also exterminate monsters near the area as quests so the safety of the village is also guaranteed.

Other than that, if a variety of quests are properly completed, the client is able to perform his business smoothly.

“Now then, I’ll go and deliver the guild card.”

And thus, Kurono received the guild card and officially became a guild affiliated adventurer.