Chapter 52
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Translator: Xrecker
Chapter: 52
Chapter Title: Main Event (1)
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"Recently, there have been reports that the monsters near Lake Lazenta are going on a rampage. The rampaging monsters have become a greater threat, so they are no match for ordinary adventurers."
"So you're asking us to take on the quest?"
"Yes! I'm sure that with the skills of everyone in Fortis, you will be able to succeed! Of course, we have prepared a hefty reward! Would you be willing to accept?"
"Hmm."
Of course, I was planning to accept, but as a matter of courtesy, I asked the group members for their opinions.
"What do you all think?"
"I'm fine with it!"
"Hmph, a direct request from the guild. This is all thanks to my great performance!"
"I-I'm fine with it too, but... wh-what about our classes? Lake Lazenta is a two-day trip by carriage... we have our common class tomorrow. Th-that's also our last common class...."
"Ah, that's right."
"It's better to attend the last class."
The common class conducted by Roderick, which was mandatory for all new students at the academy.
The class, which was only held for about a month for the sake of the students' autonomy, was now coming to an end.
"Ms. Deishee, is this a quest that needs to be done immediately? If possible, I'd like to do it after tomorrow."
"Yes, of course, that's fine!"
"Then we'll accept the quest. We'll start the day after tomorrow."
"Understood!"
[Achievement: You have become a promising star of the guild.]
[Achievement Reward: 1 Point, 2 Fame.]
'Huh. I got another one at a time like this?'
As soon as I accepted the guild's quest, I acquired not a title, but another achievement.
It was the same type of achievement completion as the overwhelming victory I had gotten when I had defeated Tuo Jin.
That night.
When I was alone in my inn room, I discovered that a new "Achievements" tab had been added to my status window, besides the "Titles" tab.
That screen was similar to the achievement completion tab that had been in Lu-Fan.
The achievement tab, which gave you a small amount of affinity stones that could be used for gacha pulls when you completed an achievement by performing a certain action.
That achievement tab had appeared before my eyes.
However, the only difference was that there was no mark on the side that showed you could get affinity stones, but a mark that informed you how many points and how much fame I had obtained by completing the achievement.
And the achievements that I had not yet obtained were displayed in a dark color in Lu-Fan, with the method to obtain them written below, but the achievement tab I was looking at had no such mark at all.
If it had been displayed, I would have worked on completing the achievements until I had completed them all, so it was a shame.
But I couldn't just think of it as a bad thing.
In any case, it meant that I had one more way to earn points, which could be used to acquire stats or skills.
Thanks to the achievement I had just obtained, my current possessed points were 7, and my fame was 74.
When my points reached 10, I would decide whether to invest them in stats or skills again.
We decided to do the quest that the guild had designated the day after tomorrow, and we chose a monster subjugation quest to do today.
While completing today's quest, I learned a new fact.
Until now, we had mainly hunted monsters near Valendia that we had not yet caught.
But this time, it was a monster that we had already caught once.
And we had even defeated a captain monster that we had already caught, but no achievement was completed and no additional points were given.
I had expected it last time, but as expected, unless it was an enemy with a unique name like the bandits, I wouldn't be able to complete an achievement.
'I'll have to actively hunt bandits or thieves from other countries if I see them.'
After completing the quest, we exchanged the magic stones for cash as usual, sold the corpses at Cat's Commerce, and were about to return to the Lucadia Academy when.
"We've got some good tea and snacks in today~ how about a cup before you go?"
Shasha called out to us, and we decided to have a light tea time in her office.
While having tea, I told Shasha that we had received a designated quest from the guild today.
"Ooh! A designated quest from the guild! Well, the reputation of the Fortis guild you created has been great lately, mister~."
"Is that so?"
"Of course! Other academy students also do quests, but~ there are few parties that subjugate as many monsters as Fortis!"
"Oh ho ho ho ho! That's because we're fast at defeating monsters!"
"Hmph, it's all thanks to my powerful magic!"
"M-Mr. Shih-han also kills monsters in almost one blow...."
"...My powerful magic can also be a one-shot if I put my mind to it!"
"H-eek! I'm sorry!"
"But Lake Lazenta... for monsters to be rampaging in a place that is said to have received the protection of the water sacred beast, Platon. That's ominous~."
Shasha rubbed her hands together and smiled a merchant-like smile.
"If there's anything you need in advance, wouldn't it be better to buy it today?"
"No, there's nothing I particularly need right now. I have enough consumables for now."
Thanks to Pamela making medicine, I had enough potions and magic power recovery accelerator potions.
Of course, besides consumables, there were also various daily necessities, so I had to use Cat's Commerce, but.
'Come to think of it....'
"I'll buy a sleeping bag and a tent instead."
Since it took two days to get to Lake Lazenta, we needed tools to spend the night.
When I was alone, I could just sleep in the carriage with a blanket, but now there were many people.
Even before the academy's entrance ceremony, the distance between Valendia and the Lucadia Academy was also two days, so when we were coming and going, we would sleep with blankets, keeping a little distance from each other.
I wasn't particularly uncomfortable, but it was better to go more comfortably if possible.
"Got it! I'll recommend the best ones for you!"
At Cat's Commerce, we bought sleeping bags and tents, and a few more tools needed for camping, and then we returned to the Lucadia Academy.
The day after we finished Roderick's last common class.
We went to Valendia and immediately boarded a carriage that passed through Lake Lazenta.
However, besides us, one more person was added.
"It's a pleasure to be with you, everyone."
"Really... Kyeong-hu. I told you you didn't have to follow."
"I cannot do that! I was sent from the Shu family to assist the young lady! I cannot just stay and guard the house."
Kyeong-hu, the maid assigned to Yeon-hwa by the Shu family, decided to accompany us.
For the record, since Kyeong-hu was a graduate of the Lucadia Academy and had a badge, there was no problem with her using the warp stones.
Yeon-hwa had told Kyeong-hu to just wait at the villa, but she had not backed down, saying that since it was not a day trip but a round trip of four days, she could not wait without seeing Yeon-hwa.
In the end, we had to buy a sleeping bag and a cushion for Kyeong-hu as well.
"Please leave the cooking and other miscellaneous things during the journey to me. Of course, I have no intention of interfering as long as Young Lady Yeon-hwa is not in danger, in order to respect your quest as much as possible."
Not only I, but the other members as well, did not particularly object to Kyeong-hu's accompaniment.
The carriage was not that cramped when we were moving, and Kyeong-hu was not actively getting in our way.
While riding in the carriage, I looked at Kyeong-hu and thought.
I had felt it when we first met, but as expected... in this real world, her face was completely different from what I knew.
The guildmaster of Valendia was also like that, but Kyeong-hu in Lu-Fan was a character who only appeared briefly in Yeon-hwa's affinity quest.
Therefore, her appearance was just that of a female NPC passing by on the street, with a Chinese-style outfit.
But the Kyeong-hu in front of my eyes now was a woman with sharp eyes and short, light green hair.
Since there was nothing much to do while moving in the carriage, we naturally spent our time talking.
"The way Ishihan hit Tuo Jin with a thump! thump, thump, thump! was amazing!"
"Young Lady Yeon-hwa. I've heard that story about three times at the villa."
"A good story is good no matter how many times you hear it!"
"If you're tired of Ishihan's story, I'll tell you about my great performance! It was just yesterday! Even the Stone Orcs with their tough skin were completely wiped out by the power of my skill! Thunder Dance of Punishment!"
"Ah, um... you're talking about the time when you believed in Yeon-hwa's protective talisman and jumped right in... and got surrounded by Stone Orcs, right? The time when the effect of the protective talisman wore off and you had to use your magic in a hurry, Mr. Arsvald...."
"It wasn't in a hurry! It was all calculated, and I was just biding my time for a cool performance!"
"I-I'm sorry! I'm sorry for saying something so tactless without knowing that!"
"Be careful next time!"
"Y-yes!"
As we talked, the time passed quickly.
When night came, the carriage stopped.
"We have to stay here for today."
As soon as the coachman finished his words, he immediately started preparing for the camp, taking care of the horse's feed.
"Let's start our preparations too."
We pitched a tent near the carriage and took out the low chairs from the camping set and set them up.
After taking out the firewood we had prepared in advance from our subspace rings and lighting a fire, the rough preparations were finished.
"Then I will show you my cooking skills."
"I'm looking forward to it, Kyeong-hu."
"Please leave it to me!"
Kyeong-hu took out her cooking utensils and ingredients from her subspace ring and immediately started cooking.
When we had stopped for lunch, we had eaten preserved food that we had stored in our subspace rings, not a proper meal, so I was also looking forward to Kyeong-hu's cooking skills.
A little while later.
"It's ready. It's a Ruong-style soup."
A soup made with ingredients often used in Ruong was ready.
"I've made it so that even those who are not from Ruong can eat it easily. Ah, if you'd like to add more spice, Young Lady Yeon-hwa, please add more of this pepper."
"Thank you, Kyeong-hu."
"No! This much is only natural! Then I'll go and give some to the coachman."
While Kyeong-hu was taking the remaining food to the coachman, we took a bite of the soup.
"I-it's delicious."
"It's delicious."
"Oh ho ho ho ho! Kyeong-hu is also in charge of the cooking at our villa. Her cooking skills are considerable."
"Not bad. I especially appreciate that she didn't make it spicy from the beginning!"
After finishing dinner, the women took out one of the camping sets they had bought at Cat's Commerce from their subspace rings.
A portable shower.
An item that was possible because of magic.
It was a device that allowed you to take a shower using a magic tool equipped with a water-spraying mechanism, inside a circular curtain.
The set included not only the shower itself but also a privacy curtain so that no one could see you when you were taking off your clothes.
"Then we'll go wash up first."
"Alright."
Kyeong-hu stood in front of the installed privacy curtain with her arms crossed.
"I will protect Young Lady Yeon-hwa and Ms. Pamela's shower. So that no bad wolves can steal a glance at their precious bodies!"
Her blazing gaze was directed at me and Arsvald.
"Hmph, as if a cool guy like me would do something as unsightly as peeping!"
Of course, I had no intention of peeping either.
As a man, I was curious, but I had basic morals and manners.
Arsvald and I went into the men's tent and quietly waited for our turn.
A little while later.
"We're done."
"Right, I'll be right..."
I was at a loss for words for a moment.
The appearance of Yeon-hwa, who had opened the entrance to the men's tent, and Pamela, who was behind her, was different from usual.
It was not the basic outfit they wore when we were on a quest.
Because it was a medieval-style nightgown with a long-sleeved one-piece design.
An outfit that could never be seen in Lu-Fan.
To me, it was as if a new skin had been unlocked and had suddenly appeared.
"? What's wrong?"
"You both look good in your nightgowns."
"R-really? He, hehehehehe...."
"Oh ho ho ho ho! Thank you, Ishihan!"
Pamela wriggled her fingers and grinned foolishly, while Yeon-hwa laughed her usual energetic laugh.
Camping wasn't so bad after all.