Chapter 59
Chapter 59
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 59
Chapter Title: The Hundred Steps Rite (1)
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The blue-haired girl grinned and hopped up onto the wagon.
“Perfect! This works just fine!”
Before anyone could stop her, she plopped her butt right between Poppi’s crossed legs.
Then, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, she leaned her back and head against Poppi’s chest.
It looked for all the world like a father with his little daughter on his knee.
Of course, the fact that they weren’t father and daughter—not to mention they’d just met for the first time today—was the problem.
Yuri and Poppi—who had frozen solid in shock at the blue-haired girl’s sudden antics—stared in disbelief.
The blue-haired girl, meanwhile, was thrilled and chattered away.
“Wow, this is comfier than I thought? Feels like sinking into a plush chair! If it stays like this… Huh?”
As she prattled on, she suddenly grabbed something she felt on her thigh.
“What’s this?”
Flinch—!
The moment her hand tightened, Poppi shuddered with an utterly mortified expression.
“I’m… hungry!”
Squeeze, squeeze.
“Huh? What’s this? It’s getting bigger all of a sudden?”
Poppi’s face—and even his scalp—turned beet red, like a boiled octopus.
“Stomach… so… hungryyy…!”
Letting out a guttural roar, he seized the blue-haired girl by the waist and hurled her into the air.
The force was so immense that she soared several meters up.
“Wh-what?!”
She spun gracefully in midair like a swallow before landing lightly back on the wagon. Bewildered, she blinked rapidly.
In the meantime, Poppi was…
“Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry…”
Clutching his legs tightly and machine-gunning the word “hungry” like a mantra, almost humming it like a tune.
“What’s with him?”
The girl, oblivious to what she’d done, just kept tilting her head in confusion.
Meanwhile, Yuri—who’d witnessed the whole fiasco from right beside them—had a gut feeling.
“…Oh, hell…”
A new breed of lunatic had appeared in his vicinity.
* * *
A hundred wagons snaking through the forest road was a sight to behold.
Leading the entire procession at the front was the one-eyed man’s wagon.
He’d claimed a space meant for four all to himself, lying back with his legs dangling idly.
Just as he closed his eyes to savor the moment…
“Hm?”
His eyes cracked open slightly.
In the sliver of vision, a black dot rapidly approaching from straight ahead caught his eye.
The dot grew closer, resolving into the shape of a Black Sword trooper, who then vaulted right onto the one-eyed man’s wagon.
Thud.
The sudden arrival was a poised woman who appeared to be in her late thirties.
The one-eyed man greeted her lightly upon seeing her.
“You’re here.”
“Vice Captain.”
She dipped her head in salute. She was a lieutenant under his command.
She also filled in the gaps left by the one-eyed man’s lax approach to everything, earning her the nickname “Mom” among his subordinates.
Even today, having handled his duties in his stead, her voice carried a sharp edge.
“What are you doing here, Vice Captain?”
“Lying down.”
“The rite’s right around the corner. You should be preparing.”
“Prepare for what? And can’t you see I’m working?”
“What work?”
“Escorting the rookies.”
“…You could dump that on just about anyone! You know the rite is a hundred times more important than this!”
“If it’s that important, you should handle it instead of me. Right, Mom?”
“……”
Her lips twitched at his cheeky grin.
It was the kind of face that might have earned him a slap if he weren’t her direct superior.
Forcing down her anger, she straightened her twisted mouth.
Then she remembered her original mission.
“Whew… Here’s the report.”
“Go ahead.”
“The rite rehearsal is complete. Everyone’s standing by.”
“Good work. Go wait then. Oh! Wanna ride with me? It’s got a certain charm.”
He patted the seat beside him, but she didn’t budge.
She still had more to report.
In fact, that was practically why she’d come.
“…Here’s the report.”
“Hm? Wasn’t that it?”
“We’ve confirmed usage records from a first-year trainee at the January 1st special discount store.”
“What’s the big deal? It’s made for them to use, so of course there’d be—wait. Hold on…!”
The one-eyed man, about to brush it off, bolted upright in shock.
“Wh-what year did you say?”
“First-year, sir.”
“…A first-year came to the mainland that day and used the special discount?”
“Yes, sir.”
“……”
The one-eyed man was speechless.
The first-year exclusive special discount store.
For decades, no one had used it. The reason it still existed was singular.
Its role as a hidden quest.
The Cradle issued quests of all kinds, including many hidden ones beyond the official ones.
The first-year special discount was one such hidden quest.
Discovering it and using it.
No one knew who’d proposed it, but this “First-Year Special Discount Quest” had existed for decades.
And not a single first-year had ever used it.
Not once.
‘It was never meant to be cleared in the first place.’
Thus, the Cradle had labeled this “First-Year Special Discount Quest” as “Impossible” difficulty.
It might even vanish soon.
But someone had cleared it.
‘Who the hell…?’
The thought brought a name to mind unbidden.
In a low voice, the one-eyed man asked,
“Was that first-year… by any chance, the one who used the special discount—Yuri Holland?”
“How did you know?”
“……?!”
His hunch had been spot on.
Talk about a long shot hitting the mark.
“…That bastard again.”
What the hell was this guy up to!
He’d gone to the Cradle mainland, then back to the Forest of Beginnings.
Not content with that, he’d raided the Black Sword garrison—his own tent, no less?
How he’d traveled between the mainland and Cradle piqued his curiosity.
But more than that, he wondered what the hell was in that guy’s head—what made him tick.
Shaking his head in disbelief, the one-eyed man suddenly stiffened and stammered,
“I-if I remember right, we… put that in this year’s first-year special discount lineup, right?”
As if she’d anticipated the question, the woman nodded.
“You mean the Goll Clan’s secret art?”
“Y-yeah! That one!”
“We did.”
“Why?”
“Why? You told us to put it in, Vice Captain. I even asked you three times to confirm if you really wanted it included.”
He was at a loss for words at his adjutant’s curt reply.
She wasn’t wrong, so he nodded awkwardly.
“…Right, I said just toss it in to fill the quota.”
Quest rewards scale with difficulty.
High-difficulty quests, usually for fifth-years, offered the best rewards.
But this first-year special discount quest was Impossible-rated.
And the reward? “Purchase store items at insanely low prices.”
Here’s the issue.
How many points would a first-year trainee—even a prospective rider—have?
Thus, the first-year special discount items had to be cheap enough for them.
Yet, as an Impossible quest reward, they needed to be top-tier goods.
Balancing both was tough, so they’d always mixed low- and high-quality items.
The problem was one of the high-quality items added this time.
They’d slotted it in to meet the quota, but it wasn’t just “high-quality”—it was way beyond.
The one-eyed man sighed deeply.
“…For how much?”
After all their years together, she could decode his mangled words perfectly.
“300,000 points.”
A hefty sum.
More than any normal trainee could dream of.
But for a guy who’d scraped points doing weird shit in the Forest of Beginnings?
Gulp.
The vice captain swallowed dryly and asked again.
“No way… it sold, right?”
“……”
She answered his disjointed question with silence.
But that silence spoke volumes.
“Ha… haha…”
Duran Bikovich, one of the Black Sword Corps’ vice captains.
Staring at the sky, he let out a hearty laugh.
“…Hahaha!”
The Goll Clan’s secret art had made it into this special discount lineup.
Its effects rivaled legendary elixirs, so they’d kept the name intact.
That legendary name was none other than…
“…The little shit hit the jackpot.”
“Elixir.”
* * *
Yuri lifted the pendant hanging around his neck toward the sky.
The deep emerald liquid inside sparkled in the sunlight, looking utterly delectable.
Gulp.
‘I wonder what it tastes like?’
Green apple?
Grape?
Its elegant, dessert-like allure whetted his appetite.
Yuri suppressed it with superhuman willpower.
‘Hold on… just hold on.’
If it was poison, one sip and he’d be gone from this world.
Even if it was a potion, who knew the side effects?
Like…
‘Hair loss or something?’
His eyes involuntarily flicked to Poppi’s bronze bald pate.
His raging hunger vanished in an instant.
‘…I’ll ask the old man when he shows up and eat it then.’
Johann would know what it was.
Cranky as he was, the man was remarkably knowledgeable.
Praising Johann in his mind, Yuri tucked the pendant back under his clothes.
Then he glanced at Poppi’s side.
There sat the huddled blue-haired girl.
While Poppi and the girl had their bizarre tussle, the wagons had set off—letting her claim the rearmost spot.
Yuri had figured she’d pull some more weird stunt since she’d insisted on boarding.
But contrary to expectations, she’d only introduced herself as “Arin Helga” and promptly shut her eyes.
It was an anticlimactically meek end for someone who’d caused such a fuss just to ride along.
‘Then why the hell did she make all that noise to join us?’
Yuri realized anew.
‘Trying to understand crazy people’s actions is pointless.’
No one was as unpredictable as they were.
‘Whatever. At least it’s quiet now.’
Arin hadn’t opened her eyes once since, just sleeping. Poppi crouched a bit away from her.
Sure, Poppi kept scooting toward Yuri to avoid touching her, making it cramped, but it beat the racket.
Yuri savored the peace.
Meanwhile, as the wagons rolled on, the other 50th Cohort trainees gawked all around.
“This is… the Cradle.”
“Finally… we made it, to the Dragon’s Cradle!”
Having survived a hellish month, they were overcome with emotion at reaching it.
The scenery wasn’t much different from the Forest of Beginnings, but they imbued the air itself with meaning just because it was the mainland.
But that awe didn’t last.
Clatter-clatter.
An hour after the trainee wagons started moving…
“…How much longer is this gonna take?”
“We’re not there yet?”
After a full hour of riding with no change in scenery, they began to wonder.
Still clinging to hope: “We’ll be there soon, right?”
But Yuri—who’d already been to the mainland—had sprawled out comfortably from the start.
‘At this pace… it’ll be a while.’
If they were heading to the central district, it wouldn’t take just one or two hours.
And his guess was spot on.
Exactly seven hours after departure.
Screech.
The wagons slowed and halted in a wide forest clearing.
The moment they stopped, groans erupted everywhere.
“Ar-are we there? Tell me we are!”
“Finally… sob…”
The trainees, who’d been crammed in for hours, rose like zombies with cracking joints.
Desperately trying to stretch.
But no rest for them.
“Fall in!”
Startled by the booming voice, they scrambled off the wagons and assembled at one side of the clearing.
Once all 300 had gathered, they marched off again.
Step step.
Clueless where they were headed, they simply followed the Black Sword troopers.
Soon, the endless forest path finally ended.
A massive circular arena appeared ahead, drawing gasps from all around.
“What… is that?”
“Whoa…”
“Hey, I’ve seen one of those before.”
“That’s… the arena where slave gladiators fight!”
Even as the 50th Cohort marveled at its overwhelming size, their feet didn’t stop.
Slowly, steadily.
They passed through the north gate Yuri had slipped in and out of hours earlier.
Up to there, it was as Yuri expected.
He figured the forked path would greet them next.
But what welcomed the 50th Cohort wasn’t a fork.
Yuri’s eyes widened slightly in surprise.
‘There was another path?’
The north gate’s fork was T-shaped.
What he’d thought was a dead-end wall had opened into a new passage.
The moment they entered it.
Thud.
Yuri felt the air change.
Heavy somehow, laced with a thick, unpleasant odor.
And a familiar heaviness he’d sensed somewhere before.
His brow furrowed.
‘…What is it? It wasn’t like this before.’
It was an eerie sensation he hadn’t felt on his previous visit.
And Yuri wasn’t the only one.
The faint chatter from moments ago died completely.
Step step.
Only the footfalls of hundreds echoed.
Everyone felt it.
Beyond the dim passage’s end.
Past the distant light of the exit.
Something awaited them.