novelraw Chapter 114 : Hello Everyone
Chapter 114 : Hello Everyone
[Greetings, adventurers seeking generous rewards!
I am Freya Thunderstrider, a Dawn Knight serving the royal family.
A tyrant among Wyverns, a nightmare straight out of poetic tales named Kiran, is wreaking havoc near Sefiro. It measures fifty feet in length, stands a hundred feet tall, and can curse people to death with its near-abyssal corrupting breath from over a hundred paces away.
Perhaps even farther, but it's hard to say—no one has survived getting that close. The northern forest has been completely assimilated into a sea of cursed roots, with signs of further spread.
Hereby, on behalf of the Dawn Kingdom, I extend to you an urgent and honorable commission—to hunt down the evil dragon 'Kiran.'
I believe there will be brave adventurers willing to take on this task and slay that evil dragon. Not only will they receive the reward, but they may also claim the gold hoarded by that fearsome monster in its lair. Even a fool knows this tale.]
Elaphia silently read through the entire commission, imagining a corpse covered by a white sheet being carried before the Princess, a familiar tag attached to its head. In her nearly two centuries of life, she had never once considered dragon-slaying. For the sake of her vengeance against Dreka, she cherished her life dearly, fearing she might perish before fulfilling her long-cherished wish.
Though the reward mentioned in the commission was substantial, it was conditional on being alive to enjoy it. Elaphia had no intention of carelessly throwing away her precious new life.
Aside from the Princess and Loranhir, Elaphia didn't particularly care about much else.
"Should we look for some simpler commissions?" Elaphia said bluntly. "After all, this dragon is a local problem. The risk seems too high compared to the potential gains. There's no need to get involved. Completing easier tasks to gather travel funds and escort the Princess back to the royal city should be our priority."
"...That's true," Loranhir gazed at the iron-gray sky, seemingly deep in thought.
Dragons, dragons, dragons.
Their journey always seemed accompanied by dragons. Loranhir recalled it hadn't been long since they last encountered one, and now there was another chance to face a new evil dragon.
Evil dragons weren't this numerous everywhere on the continent—why did she keep running into them so frequently? It was as if she shared some strange connection with dragons.
Loranhir felt that everything happening now was somehow related to dragons.
The defeated vampire must be connected to dragons.
The holy sword heating up must be connected to dragons.
Loranhir desperately wanted to encounter more dragons to understand what was truly going on.
She still had many unanswered questions, and to find those answers, contact with dragons was unavoidable.
Loranhir's gaze shifted to where the Princess sat nearby, standing quite close.
Well, there were other factors too.
"...Patunasankus." Loranhir gripped the holy sword, silently reciting the Black Death's name.
...
...
...
"No, this is the one," Loranhir shook her head. "I still want to see what this is about."
"Ah, hero," Elaphia sighed very softly, glancing at the princess—clearly the true decision-maker among them."...Princess, Princess, what is your opinion?"
Patunasankus' attention had been focused entirely on the evil dragon named 'Kiran' from start to finish.
She remembered hearing about this 'Kiran' before—in her impression, he had always been a wyvern full of ambition and promise. At a young age, he had established his own nest and even snatched a princess, acting recklessly without knowing his limits as he roamed about. More than once, he had boasted about his newly captured princess at the Princess Symposium.
But the 'Kiran' from back then was nothing like the one Patunasankus saw in the commission now.
Even in simple line drawings, the sketch of 'Kiran' in the commission gave Patunasankus an unusual feeling—continuously festering, with every wound resembling a black datura flower.
She vaguely felt she had seen similar records in some literature from her nest.
The specific details were a bit hard to recall.
No inherited memories remained either.
"I have no objections." Patunasankus didn't even lift her head, directly passing the decision-making authority to Loranhir.
"Then I'll go inquire about this commission, Elaphia, you continue looking after the princess." Loranhir stood in front of the carriage holding an umbrella, rain falling from its edges as she prepared to set off.
"Forget it, I'd better go with you to take a look, just in case anything goes wrong." Elaphia thought of Loranhir's severe commission hoarding habit, her scrutinizing gaze essentially treating her like a mischievous child.
"Your Highness, we might need some time. Please don't leave the magical inscription casually, just wait here until we return." Elaphia instructed Patunasankus before leaving.
"Since I'm idle anyway, I might as well return to the nest briefly to check some literature. It shouldn't take long anyway." Patunasankus said leisurely while watching their departing figures.
"If they come back and can't find me, I'll just say I went to play cards too, hmm... This excuse works perfectly to go withdraw some money from the nest."
Patunasankus stood up and opened her umbrella, swaying unsteadily as she walked out. When pushing the carriage door open, she glanced back.
Elaphia and Loranhir's figures appeared hazy and distant. At the road's end was a brightly lit village, candlelight stretching their silhouettes very long.
They turned into an alley and disappeared, silently and without a trace.