vertical handle (3)
It’s been a week since the merchants who were allowed to trade salt left.
Chris was following a path he had become accustomed to at some point.
The heat still remained in his body as he returned from his morning training.
After being guided to the training ground by Baren, he visited there whenever he had time.
In addition to reviewing the skills of the shield knights he learned in the past, he made the skills in the status window that he had not yet mastered into his own.
It’s because I don’t have time and my body is tired, but I still have a lot to learn.
Chris, who was heading to lunch that didn’t particularly pull, found armed soldiers lined up in front of the lord’s castle.
It was not a simple review, but the appearance of preparing for a full-scale march.
The number of people is about 30, and Jack and Hulin, the knights of the territory, are at the forefront.
“What are you guys going to do now?”
“Ah, lord! You are welcome.”
The two knights who found him run to him with expressions like loyal dogs and explain the situation.
“There was a report that a monster had appeared in the forest inside the territory, so we were on our way to clear it up.”
“Oh yeah? Have you ever been a victim?”
The forest here is different from the mountain behind the neighborhood seen on Earth.
Wild boars and wolves are the basics, and sometimes there are bears, so there are not a few cases where human accidents occur.
Usually the village hunters take care of it… If the territory’s guards are worthy of dispatch, it should be considered at least a bear.
Jack and Hulin hesitated to answer Chris’ question, looking dumbfounded.
“uh… No one has been hurt yet… … .”
“I was in such a hurry to mobilize before there was any casualties. Originally, I had to get permission from the lord and prepare the soldiers.”
“Unbelievable!”
Chris groaned involuntarily.
The guards he knew were those who prepared to wake up when three or four villagers died.
However, aren’t these people willing to believe only the reports of the villagers and step out without hesitation?
The last time at the celebration was not very reliable, but I could see that they were very sincere compared to their skills. It goes without saying that because of this, the evaluation of them within Chris has risen.
Chris nodded as he looked at the soldiers lined up behind them.
“okay. I will go with you.”
“yes? Are you saying that the lord will step out in person? It’s an honor for us, but no matter how… … .”
“no. It’s been a while since I’ve been hunting or something.”
Chris, who got rid of the hunting grounds that the locals had worked hard to build, spoke boldly and called the coachman.
Jack and Hulin’s work attitude is admirable, but their skills are by no means outstanding.
If a monster that is just a little strong comes out, the few soldiers could get hurt.
Around the time the coachman of the lord castle brings out Chris’s ghost horse. Elesis and Tyrone, who were looking for him at the restaurant, also came out.
A little tired of the comfortable but monotonous life, they follow him without a word.
When their lord was with them, the spirits of the nobles noticeably rose.
Among them, there were quite a few who witnessed the skills of Chris and his party during the war with Breton.
After leaving the city with the soldiers, Chris and his party reached a small village before long.
Thanks to being away from the mine, the place that had maintained its green light was surrounded by tall trees.
If monsters appeared in this place surrounded by grass, the villagers would not be able to sleep well at night.
The village chief, who was anxiously waiting for the soldiers, did not think that the lord would appear in person.
He was surprised to find Chris in the middle of the procession, dressed in a strange outfit. It was usually the players who had such a strange appearance, so they bowed their heads to the knights.
“Oh, I never thought you would bring a valuable player to a place like this… … .”
“Everyone, be courteous to the lord of Vector.”
Upon hearing the news that the guards were coming, the villagers who had come out early were startled by Hulin’s words. I heard that the newly appointed lord was a player, but they didn’t even think that the lord himself would come, so they hurriedly bowed their heads and apologized.
Chris asks the circumstances from those who show a slightly uncomfortable reaction.
“Did you guys say you saw a monster in the woods?”
“I-I didn’t witness it myself, but… I’m sure there is something. We were too afraid to approach it properly.”
“what?”
Could it be that these guys called the soldiers of the Territory without seeing the monster in person?
When Chris, who was slightly dumbfounded, clicked his tongue, the village chief urgently added his words.
The players are famous for having an eccentric temper, so it’s not strange if the villagers’ throats are blown off if they look wrong to the lord here.
“Two days ago, all the animals in the forest started running away! At first, I thought there was a storm coming, but I heard a bizarre and ominous sound coming from the lake… … .”
Well, they wouldn’t have asked for the help of the gnostic soldier without any certainty.
If the soldiers were in vain because of their information, who would have to deal with the irritation?
Chris gave up on getting useful information and headed into the woods fearlessly. Many were surprised by his behavior, but they did not dissuade him because they knew of Chris’ power.
As the village chief said, the forest was a bit bizarrely quiet.
Not to mention wolves and birds, even the sounds of grass insects have completely stopped.
This means that there is a tyrant that even animals cannot handle.
Chris called Illesis next to him to be a little more careful.
“Illesis, scout with your familiar.”
“That, that… wait for a while.”
Chris, who expected an affirmation without delay, questioned her when he saw her hesitating for some reason.
When I left the castle gate, Illesis, who was interacting with the familiar that I had set up earlier, expresses disapproval.
“I’m not going to scout because he’s too scary. I guess I’ll have to force myself to do it… … .”
“Huh.”
The young beast tamed by Illesis is a strong heart that flew well even in the middle of the battlefield where flames and arrows soared.
To think that a guy like that would come and refuse scouting now.
It must be a monster beyond their imagination that nestled in this forest.
Chris struggled with the answer, feeling ominous and anticipatory at the same time.
The epic experience that I had been accumulating for a long time was almost full thanks to the fight against Hellyuon.
If you experience a death fight at least once in the future, you’ll be able to get the reward you’ve been waiting for.
So, the appearance of a powerful enemy out of the blue was rather welcome.
But no matter how much it was, it was tantamount to committing suicide to just attack the other person without any information about it.
In addition, among the powerful monsters, there are often those that can only be defeated by using methods such as silver weapons or holy water.
If it’s Chris and his party, they can just leave, but there are villagers behind them.
While the party stopped marching for a while. Tyrone, who had been quiet until now, suddenly showed a strange smile.
He moves in front of Chris with an exaggerated gesture.
“Finally, the time has come for me to step out. As an epic collector, this is nothing to me.”
“What, do you have anything to use right now?”
“of course. Epic item, the crown of the forest!”
A proud voice echoed through the trees, and a crown of grass and vines appeared on Tyrone’s hand.
It looks like it was made playfully by children in the village, but that is also an epic item.
Jack and Hulin widened their eyes when an object they wouldn’t normally see appeared.
“That’s the player’s treasure… … .”
“What effect does that have?”
Curious about the precious magic tool, Illesis asked in a voice full of anticipation.
Tyrone put the crown on his head and laughed.
“Now I can talk to animals!”
“… yes?”
As soon as he saw the crown of the forest, Chris sighed and added an additional explanation.
“That’s an epic item that allows you to use the abilities of druids. Even so, only very basic things like talking to animals are possible… … .”
Users of Arios Online classified the crown of the forest as an obsolete epic item.
As in the eyes of the main god, those who were absorbed in the Epic Quest turned their backs on the newbie bus as soon as the item’s ability was revealed.
Hearing such circumstances, Illesis muttered in a shocked voice.
“I-I can’t believe there was such a garbage Epic item! It’s certainly a rare ability, but it’s hard to believe that it’s practical… … .”
“Aren’t you too harsh?”
When Tyrone, who seemed slightly hurt by her words, closed his mouth, Chris defended him.
“If there were other useful epics, I would have written them long ago. The fact that Tyrone hasn’t shown it yet means that it’s so bad that I can’t use it normally.”
“Thank you for defending me, son of a b*tch.”
Tyrone, obviously pouting, began to use the forest crown to summon the animals around him.
Then, the squirrels, crows, and deer that had fled out of the forest flock to him and begin to shout at Tyrone.
Tyrone, who faithfully listened to the petition of the local people, took off the crown after organizing the information.
“They say the new monster that appeared in the forest is a huge snake. He had human-like forelimbs and held a bow in his hand… … .”
Tyrone, who was explaining to the party, felt a sudden sense of deja vu and made a strange expression.
Chris and Elesis also recall similar figures.
Ruins of Argal where they used to obtain the Shield of Faith.
The shape of Nakboros, one of the watchmen there, resembled the descriptions of the animals.
“Hey, no matter how you look at it, isn’t that him?”
“Aren’t they just of the same species as Nakboros? I’m sure he won’t be the only one left in this world.”
“Chris, have you ever seen another naga on your adventures?”
“no.”
Chris was able to deny his assumptions thanks to Illesis.
In fact, before I saw Nakboros, I didn’t even know that there was a race called out to this world.
With a slight hesitation, the three of them went towards the lake with the soldiers on standby.
If the courtesy naga is Nakboros, Vector’s Gnostics aren’t much help.
As the group got closer to the lake the villagers had told them about, they felt an unknown pressure.
Perhaps Nakboros, who considered people a nuisance, played some trick.
As he made his way through the grass, it wasn’t long before he found a calm lake and a crypt beside it.
Next to the dungeon still under construction, Nakboros was looking at the party with his tongue flicking.
As if he knew they were coming, he had a very calm expression.
Chris said awkwardly, remembering him waving at him.
“uh… hi?”
“How have you been? From what I can see, he seems to have become the lord of this land and has been living well.”
Nakboros greeted them warmly, as if meeting an old friend.
I listened to the latest information well, even though it was buried in the ruins for hundreds of years.
After reading the expression of the party, Naga smiled lightly and answered the question.
“You look like how did you know? I’ve just been freed from the ruins, but my children aren’t.”
Around Nakboros, snakes large and small gathered together, showing their forked tongues to their godmother.
Perhaps that was an expression of affection unique to snakes.
Chris asks, staring at the crypt, which looks very authentic.
“What are you doing here?”
Hearing those words, Nakboros’ gaze changed sharply. However, it didn’t seem to pose a threat to them, so I waited patiently for his answer.
Nakboros replied.
“Those rat-like members of the Church Alliance! How annoyingly the lowly trifles that couldn’t even reach Argal-sama’s toes were chasing after them! There is a limit to continuing killing and running away, so we came to this place where the church’s guys have a weak sphere of influence.”
“Are you thinking of staying here?”
“Originally, I tried to find another place, but there weren’t that many vacant lands. The water here is clean and there are few people, so I really like it. Friend, will you not cast out this poor naga?”
Nakboros speaks happily with an expression as if he is playing a joke.
Judging by what he said, it was clear that he had deliberately settled down knowing that Chris was the lord of the place.
Chris asked in a slightly curt voice.
“A friend… Then what can you do for your friend?”
Nakboros is a monster similar to Hellyuon, whom he managed to defeat with the help of Origin Epic.
It was not very pleasant for such a strong man to invade his territory without any notice.
It’s fortunate that there doesn’t seem to be any particular malice, but I can’t like it.
In a visibly stiff atmosphere, Nakboros replies, maintaining a smile.
“With me, other monsters won’t dare invade your forest.”
“Not only monsters, but also villagers can’t enter the forest… Are you sure you don’t eat people?”
Naga laughs when Tyrone can’t hide his concern.
“You humans are needlessly picky prey for a largely tasteless subject. I don’t know if it walks into my mouth again, so I don’t want to hunt and eat it.”
“Then I’m glad. Could you give me some information about the bust?”
Nakboros was a watchman in charge of the Trial of Wisdom.
Since he was Argal’s subordinate, he might have information about the bust.
When Chris thought so, he shook his head.
“Sorry, but that is impossible. Thanks to you, I was freed from the duty of protecting the ruins, but I am still the body that served Argal.”
“I see… okay. If that’s difficult, I’ll ask for sparring.”
When Chris, who hadn’t had high expectations from the beginning, revealed his true needs, Nakboros became interested.
While Illesis and Tyrone on both sides are shocked, Nakboros nods as he looks at the crest engraved on the back of his hand.