Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 446

Chapter 446

He was a mess. His face was so swollen it was hard to recognize him, and he was wearing almost nothing but his underwear, as if he had been robbed. He reeked of alcohol, as if he had been doused in it.

“You bastards… I won’t let you get away with this. Do you know who I am? I’ll hit you, I’ll hit you too…”

Mumbling flowed from his bloodied mouth. It was clear he had gotten into a drunken brawl, been beaten up, robbed, and left sprawled out.

So that’s why I was told to avoid him. He certainly didn’t look like someone I should meet. I briefly worried if it was okay to hand over confidential documents to someone like this. But I couldn’t just leave after coming all this way, so I had to at least confirm if he was really Chris. Honestly, I was hoping it wasn’t him, even if it meant I’d come all this way for nothing.

Looking closer, his injuries didn’t seem as severe as they appeared. He was probably just out of it because of the alcohol. It was just that he was covered in filth, as if he had been rolling around in the sewers. The stench of alcohol alone was bad enough, but mixed with the smell of blood and sewage, it was almost unbearable.

“Disgusting.”

I was startled by the voice that suddenly spoke. I turned to see Trowel smirking as if he knew what I was thinking.

“This kind of thing won’t kill me.”

“I just thought you hated dirty things…”

“I hate dirty thoughts,” he muttered, his eyes turning cold.

“…But I don’t really like this kind of mess either.”

“I’ll get him cleaned up right away.”

I immediately summoned Naias and had her scrub the man clean. Once the filth and stench were gone, Trowel’s expression, which had been full of disdain, finally softened. It seemed I had managed to prevent a corpse from appearing before my eyes. Relieved, I began to shake the man awake in earnest.

“Hey. Wake up. Hey?”

“Ugh…”

The man, unaware of the danger he had just narrowly avoided, was sleeping soundly despite being called. After shaking him for a while, he finally stirred. His eyelids twitched, and he slowly opened his eyes. But even after being cleaned, the man was still drunk. He grinned, his face still swollen.

“Heh, what’s this? The smell is gone. Is this a dream?”

“Wake up. This isn’t a dream.”

“Wow, a fairy is talking to me? But why is the fairy so big?”

…Yes, I know you’re not in your right mind. I sighed and turned to see Trowel on the verge of bursting into laughter and Ellyuen standing there coldly.

“Can’t you heal him?”

If he used his healing magic, it would sober him up and heal his wounds, making things easier in many ways. But the look Ellyuen gave me in response to my hopeful request was icy. I hadn’t expected anything anyway, so I resigned myself.

“Fairy, why are you so big? Aren’t fairies supposed to be only as big as a finger? Or is it a palm?”

“Yes, stop talking nonsense. I have some questions for you. Are you Chris?”

“Huh? Uh, yeah, I’m Chris. I’m Chris…”

I had hoped he wasn’t, but it seemed my wish was in vain. These things always turn out to be true. I couldn’t help but sigh.

“You’re Hunter Chris, right? From the Dawn’s Bow Guild.”

What was unexpected was the reaction that followed. The man’s eyebrows twitched dramatically, and his face, which had been docile, suddenly turned fierce. A clear light returned to his clouded eyes, and a wary expression settled on his face. It was as if he had sobered up instantly. I gasped at the extreme change, and a low voice, completely different from before, flowed from his mouth.

“…Who are you?”

“Excuse me?”

“Who sent you? Was it Theo? What’s he trying to do to mess with me this time?”

“No, that’s not it…”

“Damn it, what bad luck. Get out of here now.”

The man, Chris, staggered to his feet. He had regained his senses, but his body was still reeling from the alcohol. When I tried to support him, he pushed me away forcefully.

“Don’t touch me!”

“Ah, sorry. I was just trying to help…”

“I don’t need it! Didn’t you hear me say get out of here?”

The man glared at me fiercely, gritting his teeth. I didn’t know what he had misunderstood, but he looked at me as if I were his mortal enemy. If he hadn’t been so unsteady on his feet, he would have attacked me without hesitation. Still, it was better than him being drunk and out of his mind, so I calmly tried to talk to him.

“I don’t know why you’re acting like this all of a sudden. Let’s talk for a moment. I have something to tell you.”

“Do you think I’ll listen to anything you have to say? Theo, that bastard, still hasn’t learned his lesson after getting beaten so badly! Go back and tell him! I’m going to cut off his head tomorrow!”

“I think there’s a misunderstanding. I wasn’t sent by someone named Theo. I don’t even know who that person is.”

“Don’t lie! If it’s not Theo, then who would come now…?”

“Do you know someone named Davian?”

If you won’t listen, then I’ll just say what I need to say. I ignored him and asked the question, and surprisingly, it had an effect. Chris, who had been yelling, suddenly stopped.

“…What did you just say?”

Oh, if I had known it would work this well, I would have brought up this name sooner. The fierce beast seemed to have turned into a gentle lamb in an instant. I didn’t particularly like it, but it seemed this man was definitely Chris.

“Davian? Did you say Davian?”

“Yes, Davian. He asked me to deliver something to you. So, I’d appreciate it if you could sober up a bit.”

Then Chris blinked and quickly shook his head. He groaned loudly, burying his face in his arms as if he was in pain.

“Are you okay?”

“Ugh… I’m okay… No, more importantly, only I know Davian’s real name. Who are you…? How do you know that name?”

“I already told you, he asked me to deliver something and that’s why I came.”

“A request? Davian made a request?”

“Yes. It seems like you’re finally willing to talk.”

“Is Davian… alive?”

Um, I hadn’t expected that question.

When I was at a loss for words and closed my mouth, he looked at me with a confused expression. Then he grabbed his head again and let out a groan. After taking a few deep breaths, he staggered and stood up completely.

“Wait here for a moment. I’ll go sober up. We’ll talk again after I’m sober.”

That was the most welcome thing I had heard all day.

* * *

It was about thirty minutes later that Chris, who had gone into the store through the back door, reappeared. In the meantime, Trowel had completely dismantled and removed the wall made of garbage. It was a rather drastic method, but it was nice that the stench was gone.

Chris reappeared fully dressed. His injured face was also healed, so I didn’t recognize him at first. His face, now that the swelling had gone down, was surprisingly handsome. Except for his short blond hair, black eyes, and rather large build, I could have believed he was a completely different person. He looked at the cleaned-up alley and was taken aback, then rubbed his eyes wildly when he saw me.

“What the, I definitely took a recovery potion?”

“Yes, you look fine now.”

Even the smell of alcohol that wouldn’t go away even after washing was gone, so it seemed like it was a pretty good recovery potion, whatever it was. It was just that his behavior was still strange, like a drunk person. He stared at me with wide eyes several times, then looked at Trowel and made a face as if he had been punched, and when he got to Ellyuen, he looked completely dazed. Then he hurriedly rummaged through his pockets and pulled something out. It was a pendant with a blue gem embedded in it.

“The mental magic defense equipment is working properly too?”

He looked back at us with a bewildered expression. His gaping mouth moved like a goldfish.

“This isn’t an illusion magic?”

“What do you mean?”

“Your appearances… um, no, it’s nothing.”

I didn’t bother asking him what he meant, since he suspiciously avoided answering. I had a strong conviction that it would be better for my mental health if I just didn’t listen.

“More importantly, you said Davian earlier, right? How do you know him?”

“I met him by chance on a train. Actually, I don’t know if it was really him. He just said that if he told me to give it to you, you would know.”

“What did the guy who said that look like?”

When I described what I had seen, Chris’s eyes, which had been looking at me with disbelief, shook greatly. I thought that man might also be a messenger, but it seemed like it was him after all.

“Black hair and purple eyes, you say. About my height. A taciturn tone, and his face was a bit handsome? It’s Davian, it’s Davian for sure. That bastard, he was alive and didn’t even contact me until now…”

“That’s a relief.”

“Let’s go inside and talk in detail? I’ll ask the old man to clear out the store for a bit.”

“No, I don’t think that’s necessary. First, take this.”

I took out the document from my bag and handed it to him. He took it absentmindedly and looked at it with a puzzled expression.

“He asked me to give it to you.”

“Davian? He asked you to give me this?”

“Yes, he said that if I said that, you would know.”

“What the hell is this?”

“I think it’s better to check it yourself. He told me that it’s better if I don’t see it.”

Of course, I still saw it. But there’s no need to tell him that. Chris frowned, unable to understand, but obediently opened the envelope. The face that had been casually scanning the document slowly hardened the next moment. I leisurely watched his face turn ashen in real time. It was a little later that a groan flowed from his mouth.

“Oh, that crazy bastard.”

Well, it’s definitely the kind of content that would make you swear.

Chris scratched his head and looked up at the sky, reciting the names of various gods. People are all the same, it seems. When faced with something they can’t handle, they start looking for all sorts of gods.

“Wait, you said you met him on the train, right?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“You’re telling me that he asked you to deliver this to you between people who met by chance?”

“Yes.”

Chris sighed and cursed again. This time it was a little more violent and longer than before. Yeah, it’s absurd. I was absurd too. In addition, the person who committed that absurd act was also dumbfounded by his own actions. Still, it seemed like a friend was a friend, as Chris soon muttered with a serious expression.

“Seeing that cautious bastard commit such a reckless act, the situation must not have been good.”

“He seemed like he was being chased.”

“Chased? Was he hurt anywhere?”

“Not for the moment.”

His hardened face brightened at those words. “Okay, that’s good.” He seemed to believe that as long as he wasn’t injured, he would have been able to get through the crisis somehow, as he kept muttering in relief.

“Then I’ve definitely delivered it, so I’ll be on my way.”

“Ah, wait a minute. Didn’t you come all the way here on purpose? I need to repay you somehow…”

“Don’t worry about that.”

“But…”

“Shouldn’t you figure out your own situation before saying such things?”

It was Trowel who asked with a smile. I was horrified because it was too blunt, but Chris looked down at himself and just smiled bitterly.

“I guess I’m not in a situation where I can repay you right now. I was really being presumptuous.”

“It’s okay, you really don’t have to worry about it.”

“No, that’s not right. If I can’t do it with something tangible, how about another way?”

“Yes?”

“Do you need a hunter for anything? Do you need monster byproducts? I’m an Axis-class hunter, you know. I’ll get you anything. Ah, of course, I’m in this state these days, so I’ll need some preparation time.”

The words that followed were so unexpected that my eyes widened. Axis-class? This man was the second-highest rank? I had heard that he was a pretty successful hunter with fans, but after seeing his bum-like appearance a little while ago, I honestly didn’t believe it. Chris made an awkward face, perhaps because I was making an absurd expression without realizing it.

“Yeah, I know. I know I don’t look like it. But it’s true. Here, look, my hunter’s license.”

He took out a leather notebook and opened it. On the right side of the opened double page was a metal medal with a black crystal embedded under the head of a leopard surrounded by thorny vines, and on the left side was a chariot pattern with huge wheels engraved in gold leaf. Both seemed to have been magically treated, as I could feel a subtle mana.

“See? This chariot pattern. Axis, Axis.”

Perhaps the pattern on the left represents the rank. Are all the patterns different for each rank? I wanted to ask in detail, but it seemed like common sense here, and I was afraid I would get strange looks if I didn’t know, so I held back. I nodded roughly, pretending to know, and Chris finally made a satisfied expression. He folded the notebook and showed the cover this time. Engraved on it was a picture of a golden tree supporting a red sun with its branches on both sides. It was the flag of the Seik Empire, which I had often seen on the way here. Below it, the place name of Galea, the island, was written in a stylish font.

“You know that even hunter’s licenses have different credibility and status depending on the issuing agency, right? As you can see, I received it from the island. You can really trust my skills.”

“Um, yes. Since monsters are okay, would you mind lending me your name?”

“Name? My name?”

“Yes, I need a hunter’s guild to join.”

I hadn’t just suffered in vain while coming here. I was able to get quite a bit of information about this world from the people I met along the way. The most useful information among them was that high-ranking nobles, such as dukes, don’t do personal transactions well. In particular, the nobles of the island only associated with the guilds of the island. Even in the case of personal transactions, they would not recognize anyone who had not established themselves on the island and accumulated achievements for at least a few years. This was due to issues of trust, but also due to the honor and pride of being a citizen of the island. Just as the privileged class monopolized mana gates and airships, it was a rule for them to enjoy among themselves.

It was obvious that the dragon Lamias would also abide by this rule. It would take too long to accumulate achievements for several years, and there was a problem with the conditions if I were to create a guild myself. This is because citizenship or a manor title is required to contract an office, which is one of the basic conditions.

But if I borrowed the name of Chris, who is an imperial citizen, I could solve this process very easily. Chris was taken aback by my suggestion.

“Guild? You were a hunter too?”

“Not yet. I will be soon.”

“You’re too confident, aren’t you?”

“Wouldn’t it be okay if I’m a high-level spirit master?”

When I smiled, Chris’s eyes widened. A high-level spirit master? You? When I confidently stared back at his questioning expression, his face became complicated.