Chapter 43
Chapter 43
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: A Day Off
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A Period of Rest (1)
“You’ve obtained a Heroic-grade companion. Congratulations.”
I knew other races besides humans could appear, but a succubus was a bit of a surprise.
A succubus.
A demon race said to appear in dreams and absorb a man's vitality.
I haven't heard a specific explanation for them in Elsia, but most settings are like that, so it's probably similar here.
And a princess, at that...
I'm curious, but since she's a demon, I have a feeling she won't get along with Rina.
If her personality is anything like Timi's, she might be a handful. I should probably ask Radios about her later.
“But Sir Hyeon-ung, a Legendary-grade companion would be even better…”
“That’s enough. No more combining for now.”
“Understood. Still, if you ever change your mind, please come find me.”
Will I ever change my mind?
I doubt it, but I told him I would and left the Summoner's Shop.
My familiar room.
Geumyong and Nix were still sleeping so soundly you could carry them away and they wouldn't notice.
I was about to head to bed myself when I remembered something I'd forgotten.
Enhancing my boots.
I couldn't do it in the labyrinth, so I had to do it outside.
I took out the Blessed Armor Enhancement Scrolls I'd collected in the labyrinth.
Thirty-four in total.
Hoping for at least ten successes, I took off my boots and tore a scroll over them.
****
I woke to the feeling of something pressing down on me. I opened my eyes to find Geumyong and Nix playing on my stomach.
“Chirp! Chirp!”
“Kyuu!”
They looked like angels when I went to sleep, but they were little devils now that I was awake.
They seemed to be asking for food, so I took some gold from my inventory and tossed it to Geumyong.
I threw the coins one by one into the air, and it deftly caught and ate every single one.
“Chirp! Chirp!”
“Ow, you little rascal.”
Nix started pecking my arm with its beak, as if to ask why I was only feeding Geumyong.
I drew up my mana and released it from my fingertips. A stream of blue energy flowed toward Nix.
I'd heard it was good to feed it a little mana even when not in combat, and it drank it up eagerly.
I glanced at the clock on the wall; it was only seven.
I had planned to sleep in since I finally had a day off, but these two weren't letting me.
Still, I wasn't in a bad mood.
I took my boots out of my inventory and quickly put them on.
It might have been my imagination, but they seemed to shine brighter than yesterday.
[Boots of Reinforcement (Unique) +239
Ordinary-looking on the outside, but these incredibly sturdy boots are imbued with an unknown power.
Defense 249 (10+239), Strength +249 (10+239), Agility +249 (10+239), Vitality +249 (10+239), Luck +249 (10+239), Mana +249 (10+239).
Special Effects.
Infinite Reinforcement.
—No limit to enhancement level.
Limit Break
—All stats +1 upon item enhancement.
Destruction Prevention
—Item will not be destroyed upon enhancement failure.
Blessing Reinforcement
—The enhancement level reset penalty does not apply when using Blessed Armor Enhancement Scrolls.]
I had succeeded twelve more times yesterday.
If only one more had succeeded, I could have hit a clean 250.
That part was a little disappointing, but there was still plenty of time.
I planned to post on the community forum again this afternoon.
I did clean them out last time, and not many people went to the last labyrinth, so I wasn't expecting much.
I ordered room service through the mana crystal orb, took a quick shower, and just as I came out, I heard a knock on the door.
As usual, it was that fellow Luke, pushing a cart.
“Luke, aren’t you a guard?”
It felt like Luke brought my meals eight or nine times out of ten.
“Hehe, I have to be the one to bring your meals, Sir Hyeon-ung. Good morning.”
It was obviously for the tip, but he had a way with words that always put me in a good mood.
“Right. Thanks for your hard work.”
I tossed him a one-silver coin, and he snatched it out of the air.
“Thank you. Oh? You’re wearing the clothes I bought for you today. Are you going somewhere nice?”
“I was thinking of meeting the lord.”
“The… the lord? You know… ah, right, you’re the Pioneer.”
“Well, I’ll be on my way.”
“Yes, sir. Have a wonderful day.”
I had originally planned to check yesterday, but I'd been invited to dinner with Tae-soo, so I postponed it by a day.
There was still a lot of time before I had to go to the labyrinth, but it was better to take care of it while I had the chance.
I also needed to talk to him about renting a venue for the new summoner training.
I lifted the cloche on the cart and found the usual bread and soup.
Crispy bacon, a sunny-side-up egg, salad, and fruit.
The bread was soft and the soup had a familiar taste, but after having kimchi stew yesterday, it tasted rather bland.
Honestly, I know my way around a kitchen.
I've lived on my own for over five years, after all.
It would be nice if there was a summoner like Seol-hwa who could at least procure ingredients from Earth.
I ate a moderate amount, pushed the cart outside, and played with Geumyong and Nix for a bit before leaving the Kabisa.
As I walked toward the lord’s castle, I noticed the green trees were turning yellow.
They looked similar to ginkgo trees. It seemed the seasons were beginning to change.
Come to think of it, it had already been a month—no, over forty days—since I came to Elsia.
I'd been to the labyrinth three times, after all.
I hadn't noticed while I was in the labyrinth, but thinking about it now, time was flying by. Lost in thought, I soon arrived in front of the lord's castle.
After a simple security check like last time, I was able to meet the lord right away.
“Welcome.”
Almonde Schubert, the Lord of Kramis, greeted me as warmly as ever.
“It’s been a while.”
“Is there something on my face?”
He wiped around his mouth with his hand. He looked quite different from the description the Harpy Queen had given me.
But then again, people can change over time.
“Not at all. First, may I give you the Hippoere feathers you requested last time?”
“Oh, yes. The Imperial Palace has been pestering me about when I’d send them. Go ahead and put them out over there.”
I took the Hippoere feathers out of my inventory.
They filled one side of the office.
“My, you’ve gathered quite a lot. At this rate, they might go extinct.”
“It’s not quite that many, but ah! By any chance, do you need Hippoere King feathers?”
“Oh, you caught a king as well? Take them out. I’ll have to pay more for a king’s feathers.”
When I took out the king’s feathers too, the lord nodded with a smile.
He snapped his fingers, and the pile of Hippoere feathers vanished in an instant.
“With this much, I can properly boast to the Imperial Palace. You’ve done well.”
As he spoke, he took out an orange orb, just like last time, and handed it to me.
[You have completed the Lord of Kramis’s mission.
You have acquired 187,000 Contribution Points.]
187,000 contribution points. That was 18,700 Jewels.
It was much more lucrative than I'd expected, but I was still a little disappointed.
He had given me a Treasury Item Selection Voucher last time.
And these were feathers from five Hippoere Kings…
“I’d like to give you another selection voucher, but my steward raised hell last time, so that will be difficult.”
“Can a steward go against the lord’s wishes?”
Seriously? Last time, he sweet-talked me, saying a lord could do anything. This was too much.
“…Well, since you said you wouldn’t be the lord, I’ll be honest. Even a lord can’t do everything as he pleases.”
Is his steward a pawn of the angels or something?
In any case, it seemed my choice back then was the right one.
“Still, how could the steward…”
“There are circumstances I cannot speak of to you. Besides, didn’t you get a fine item from the treasury last time?”
He was grinning, a clear sign he knew about the boots’ effects.
I suppose he would have received a report. It would be strange for a lord not to know about an item from his own treasury.
“Yes. I’m making good use of the boots.”
“You know they’re not ordinary, so be careful with them. It would be best not to enhance them in the labyrinth, in particular.”
He could have told me that sooner.
Still, the angel was a bit of an idiot, so I managed to avoid a crisis.
“I will take your words to heart.”
“Still, I can’t just give you contribution points for bringing all these feathers. Wait just a moment.”
He went to his desk, quickly scribbled something with a pen, and handed me a bundle of papers.
[You have acquired Tax Exemption Certificate (1 year) x10.]
“Ah, thank you.”
“Take those to the administrative office, and they’ll handle your taxes.”
Oh, so there's something like this.
It made sense, since collecting taxes is the lord's job.
The tax for summoners who have been here for over three years is 10 gold, so this was worth 100 gold.
“You don’t seem very pleased.”
“Ah, no, that’s not it.”
“Don’t deny it. When you sit in this seat, you learn to see these things at a glance.”
He definitely didn't win his position as lord by playing games.
After about seven years, when I've been here for ten, these would be worth 200 gold, but it still felt a little lacking as a reward.
Well, it's not like this is the last quest I'll ever get from him.
Besides, I had other important matters to discuss.
“I was going to give you this a bit later, but wait here.”
He went to his desk and took a golden envelope from a drawer.
“Oh, really, it’s fine.”
“Nonsense. It doesn't seem like the Pioneer will be changing anytime soon, so take it.”
I had no choice but to accept it.
[You have acquired Kartea Empire Martial Arts Tournament Seeding Ticket x1.]
A tournament seeding ticket?
“Once every four years, a martial arts tournament is held in Kartea.”
Once every four years? Like the World Cup or the Olympics?
“Can summoners participate?”
“You pay taxes too, don’t you? What I just gave you is a seeding ticket that lets you bypass the regional qualifiers and participate directly in the main tournament held in the capital.”
I was shocked.
“Are summoners allowed to leave Kramis?”
According to the basic training, we weren’t allowed to leave the city walls except to pick up new summoners.
Getting caught leaving without permission was an automatic death sentence.
Even when leaving to get new summoners, I heard the lord's knights had to accompany them.
“It’s forbidden in principle, but the martial arts tournament is an exception. Of course, you’ll have to travel with me to the capital for the tournament.”
“I see. What’s the prize for winning?”
“You seem confident.”
“Well… I am the Pioneer, after all?”
There were no summoners in Kramis stronger than me.
“It would be best not to be overconfident. Besides myself, two others hold seeding tickets.”
“Pardon?”
“The Lord of Aldes, where the Kershna Tower is located, and the Conquest Commander of the Aurelia Sea of Trees also have the right to recommend seeds.”
Those were all options I had to choose from at the very beginning.
I hadn't expected it, but it seemed I would be able to meet summoners who chose different starting points.
I absolutely have to attend.
It was a chance to get new information I knew nothing about, especially since even the community forums were disconnected.
“Not only that, but the strongest fighters from all over the empire will be participating.”
“…I see. By any chance, if I achieve a good result, will there be some benefit for you as well, my Lord Duke?”
“Well, the Imperial Capital would probably provide more support.”
He didn't seem too enthusiastic, so I guess the benefits weren't that significant.
“Then what about the prize for winning?”
“I can’t tell you that right now, but it should be fine to say that His Majesty the Emperor himself will be presenting the award. It will be well worth looking forward to.”
An award from the emperor…
Just looking at the contribution points, even a duke gives them out in the hundred thousands. The emperor would probably give at least a million.
Not just contribution points, but it was reasonable to expect something like a Mythic-grade piece of equipment.
“I’ll have to work hard, then.”
“Indeed. Is there anything else you wanted to discuss?”
“Ah, I heard you sent a notice saying the training venue for new summoners couldn’t be rented this time…”
“Ah, I’m aware of that matter.”
“I was told that if I spoke to you again, I would just have to participate directly this one time…”
“Yes, that is correct. It seems the steward is holding a bit of a grudge against you because of what happened at the treasury. I’d like to side with you, but I’m bound by the regulations.”
I was hoping to skip it if I could, but it seemed that would be difficult.
“Now then, have we finished our discussion?”
“Are you very busy?”
“My work has piled up a bit. I need to send off those Hippoere feathers as well. However, if you wish it, I can always make time for you.”
“In that case, may I ask just one more thing?”
The most important topic was still left.
“Of course. Go ahead.”
“By any chance, do you know the name Alice?”