ALL NOVEL Chapter 259
―Cough!
A massive serpent appeared before Lars and Tanya, its mouth wide open. Drool dripped from its jagged teeth.
“Be careful, Party Leader. If you get swallowed, we won’t be able to find you.”
“Yeah, looks like it. Commander, try to slice it in one hit.”
“That thing? Do you think I’m a Swordmaster or something?”
“You could just escape. Who knows? Shout ‘Aura of the West Wind.'”
“‘Aura of the West Wind!'”
Tanya shouted confidently and swung her sword, but all that resulted was being thrown back by the dust storm kicked up by the serpent.
“Doesn’t seem to work. I was a bit hasty, sorry.”
Lars cast a healing spell and pulled out a flask from his waist pouch. He jumped into the serpent’s mouth, hands full.
“Party Leader!”
The serpent’s mouth snapped shut, and for a moment, Tanya was worried.
―Boom!
With a dazzling explosion from within, the serpent was torn apart. Lars rolled out of the wreckage.
“Eew, sticky! I didn’t want to use this method.”
“Indeed, attacking from within because the inner skin is weaker. I’m impressed.”
“What are you talking about? The thickness is the same inside or out; I concentrated the effect of the explosion potion.”
“…That makes sense.”
“Here, wipe this off. It smells terrible.”
Tanya shrugged and dried Lars’s head with a towel.
Three years had passed since the two had started their adventures.
The most active country for adventurer guilds on the continent was the Kingdom.
Lars, who had recklessly headed toward the kingdom territory, obtained a license with Tanya and started working, leveling up from E-rank to A-rank.
“We’ve completed the subjugation of an advanced demon, the Hell Worm Beast. Let’s head back to the guild.”
Recently, the area where the two operated was in central Kingdom territory. Lars had once organized a public operation to intercept a dragon from the Empire that was flying to the intermediate world. This was the exact spot.
It took a year to defeat it, but the magical flow around had strengthened the nearby demons. After collecting artifacts for two years in the intermediate world, Lars was just finishing up his cleanup.
‘Thanks to that, I prevented the dragon from becoming one of the Four Heavenly Kings. I erased quite a few bad endings, though.’
Time had been stolen away. Still, it had become a springboard for growth, so it was a net positive in the end.
‘By the way, why did the dragon come from the Empire?’
He had only known about it as a past event from the future, but experiencing it firsthand allowed him to gather more information.
Rumor had it that something had happened during a festival. There were tales that one of the royal family had gotten involved, but the specifics were controlled, so he couldn’t know for sure. That was already three years ago.
The adventurer guild was always bustling. It served as a rest area and supply depot for adventurers, as well as an exam hall for promotions.
“Hey, the Empire’s idle son is back already!”
When someone spotted Lars and shouted, attention turned to him. Adventurers drinking during the day or playing cards swarmed over, marveling at the demon corpse Tanya was carrying.
“Oh my god, you defeated an advanced demon in less than half a day?”
“He’s going to break another record.”
“Isn’t the guild vault going to go bust at this rate?”
“Lars, let me get in on the next one too!”
Lars high-fived the welcoming adventurers and bumped shoulders with them.
At first, many looked down on him because he came from nobility, but since the dragon subjugation, he had gained fame and was well-liked by everyone.
“Lars, our party is out of potions; can you sell us a few?”
His fame came mostly from the unique potions he could create.
His innovative use of alchemy as a healer, which was a support technique of blacksmithing, had transformed the combat mechanisms for adventurers.
“Don’t rely too much on potions. Remember, in the field, it’s the healer that saves your life.”
“Haha! Our party doesn’t have to worry.”
One of the party leaders crossed his arms, grinning and showing off his gold teeth. Beside him stood a tall, muscular healer.
He bowed and greeted Lars.
“Greetings, Gothberg Party Leader.”
“You look well, Hugo.”
“Thanks to you. I developed a new potion; can I show it to you? I experimented with a freezing trap.”
“Let’s discuss it after the request report. I’m looking forward to it.”
When the dragon from the Empire appeared, Lars learned that Hugo had just been expelled from the Inner Palace.
He had occasionally teamed up with him since helping his daughter back then.
For Lars, it was an excellent outcome to have deleted bad endings and gained a companion who understood alchemy and medicine.
“My alchemy is up to C-rank, and my medicine is at D-rank now.”
Although he hadn’t become the type of doctor he envisioned in his past life, given the environment in this world, he could pursue his ambitions.
Usually, he acted only with Tanya, but sometimes he led task forces of dozens for larger requests.
The healer was in a prime position as a party leader since they could grasp the situation from the rear.
They could instantly assess the status of injured party members using medicine and support treatment through alchemy. Lars significantly boosted the party’s combat effectiveness in a completely new way.
“Party Leader, isn’t it time to move to another area?”
“Yeah, it’s about done here. I’d like to remove the Four Heavenly Kings preemptively if possible.”
Lars had explained to Tanya that he had predicted the actions of the Demon King’s army for efficient operations.
“Finding their whereabouts is the problem. We should gather the necessary artifacts and prepare.”
“Hmm. If the remaining artifacts are the goal, we’re looking at the Principality, Kingdom of Law, or the North.”
“We have two parts of the ‘Seven Pieces of the Immortal’ and three parts of the ‘Crown of the Prophet.’ Which one should we seek first?”
Both were world-class artifacts effective in fighting the Demon King. Just then, the guild became noisy.
“What!? Why is that person here?”
“Isn’t that a high-ranking individual?”
Lars and Tanya turned to the entrance as a woman in a neat dress entered with guards.
She approached Lars swiftly, greeting him with a light nod.
“I am Princess Neria A. Williams of the Kingdom. You must be the A-rank adventurers, Gothberg Healer and Knight Tanya.”
“Ah, Your Highness. What a surprise to meet a noble lady in such a place.”
As Lars greeted formally, he didn’t expect Neria to chuckle.
“You have found the two adventurers with the highest request success rate in the kingdom recently. What brings you to this humble place?”
“I believe it was inevitable that a calamity like the dragon would fall upon our land. It signifies that the fate of the human realm rests not with the Empire, but with our Williams royal family. Following my searches, I have identified another grave threat.”
“A grave threat, you say?”
With a serious expression, Neria answered.
“There are savage tribes that the Empire missed during their subjugation last winter. They pose a potential threat to the Kingdom should they cross into the Principality. They fled eastward from the frozen lands.”
“Then the Kingdom isn’t in immediate danger, is it?”
Tanya questioned back.
Lars thought that his hometown might be at risk. As he contemplated visiting the Marquisate after a long time, Neria hardened her gaze.
“The scouting party found something even more dangerous while chasing them. There’s an uncharted, ice-filled northern basin. An unimaginable scale of black magic rituals is being conducted there.”
Savage tribes, north, black magic.
Ritual― necromancy.
Great demon.
Puzzle pieces fell into place in Lars’s mind. It was as if the ending lists before him were telling him where to go.
“I have one question, Your Highness. Is it possible that you could tell me the location of that basin?”
“Hehe, you’re quick-witted. Yes, Party Leader. It’s located north of the Gothberg Marquisate, beyond the Demon Forest, after passing through icebergs.”
“So, that’s why you came to see me.”
“I’ve heard you referred to as the most splendid adventurer.”
“You heard me right. I need to give treats to the friend who spread those rumors. What’s the compensation?”
“I’ll provide you with one artifact of your choice from the royal treasury.”
“Five, including equipment.”
“Three. But I’ll also give you the right to a date with me.”
“I don’t need that.”
“Lars! Have you lost your mind?!”
“I’d take three days of dates with the princess!”
“Is he blind or something?”
Adventurers, observing their conversation from afar, jeered at Lars. Neria also frowned.
“Three it is.”
“Four, negotiation sealed. Let’s depart right now. Hey, let’s organize a task force! 30 people, 6 parties! 5 gold in advance, and 10 gold for subjugation rewards! All volunteers line up in front of me!”
A swarm of adventurers rushed to Lars. As he observed Neria looking disappointed, Tanya remarked,
“His skills are undeniable. Just wait and see.”
*
A month later, the 30-member task force “Hippogriff,” led by Lars, arrived at the Gothberg Marquisate.
“Brother!”
Lars was warmly embraced by Neria, who had grown significantly since he last saw her.
“Wait, did Neria not grow?”
“Brother!”
Though they called him brother, their tones were vastly different. Lars took ample time to catch up with his family and waited for the snowstorm to pass.
Finally, the skies cleared.
“The Hippogriff task force departs.”
Wearing legendary-grade armor, Lars rode forth at the front line.
The image of the barbarian maiden from his last life resurfaced in his mind.
She was surely on the other side of this.