Chapter 103: The Second Son of the Impoverished Viscount Household Pursues Those Eyes 4
*
There were two reasons for Guild Master Calbanus’s misunderstanding.
One was that he had heard about me from John Parkour.
The other was that, due to this presumed ‘me’ he’d heard about, the Jewelhead Dragon had appeared about three days earlier than expected, and on top of that, had undergone Blackening.
Then, he was told that this Blackened Jewelhead Dragon had been driven away by “Elza the Impaler,” who should originally have been in Faltar.
From my Master’s perspective, the damage to her reputation was severe.
But from Calbanus’s point of view, the timing seemed far too convenient.
Two disciples of “Kind Barbara,” who was famously known for searching year-round for strong Monsters, caused a Jewelhead Dragon to appear.
And by some method, they caused its Blackening.
Setting aside the truth of the matter…
It certainly sounded plausible.
“Then ‘Kind Barbara’ truly has no connection to this incident, and she herself is not in this town, correct?”
Calbanus asked, pressing the point, his voice filled with a hope that it was indeed a mistake.
Apparently, the fact that my Master hadn’t orchestrated this was bad news for Calbanus.
Honestly, I felt sorry for my Master, being suspected of intentionally trying to cause a Monster’s Blackening without a shred of evidence.
However, she had a prior record of doing similar things, so I couldn’t bring myself to blame Calbanus.
Recalling the time Master went hunting for a sealed Monster, I thought, That was quite an ordeal, and my gaze drifted into the distance.
Perhaps taking my silence as affirmation, Calbanus spoke in a strained voice.
“Then who on earth is going to defeat that Dragon?”
It sounded less like a question and more like words uttered in utter bewilderment.
*
Therefore, when I said I intended to defeat it, Calbanus didn’t exactly laugh in my face, but he didn’t believe me.
Well, I understood how he felt; even in Faltar, I was only Rank 4.
Even with the backing of being “Kind Barbara’s” disciple, most people wouldn’t believe it.
As for me, whether he believed me or not didn’t matter either way.
After all, what I needed to do remained unchanged.
Still, I didn’t understand Calbanus’s worry.
“Well, even if I can’t defeat it—though I will—at worst, it’ll disappear in two more days, right? Is it really something to worry about, who defeats it?”
It was almost a soliloquy, but Calbanus answered my question.
“That thing is no longer in the forest.”
Suddenly, I was informed that my jewel had gone missing.
*
The Adventurers Guild possesses a vast information network.
While not exhaustive, the immense amount of information gathered and organized in cooperation with Adventurers Guilds in various countries can sometimes even uncover state secrets.
Sometimes, they know things even nations don’t.
Like right now, for example.
Though he didn’t seem to intend to threaten me, Calbanus explained, his tone becoming heavy as if delivering a threat.
Apparently, among the information gathered by the Adventurers Guild, there was this piece:
That Blackened Monsters change their characteristics.
There were too few examples for it to be confirmed, but since this time it involved a Jewelhead Dragon, whose traits were well-defined, they understood that this unverified information was likely correct.
In other words, the Jewelhead Dragon, which normally wouldn’t leave the Forest of Fools, had gone somewhere.
And it was reasonable to assume that the trait of disappearing in three days had likely changed as well.
Furthermore, Calbanus continued gravely.
There were also unconfirmed reports that Blackened Monsters grow stronger over time.
“This too is just an unverified rumor, mind you,” Calbanus added, but I thought it was probably true.
Or rather, it would be more accurate to say it clicked.
The Blackening of a powerful Monster like a Dragonkin—I had to admit it now—was a situation serious enough to mobilize the Knights Order, even in a slightly odd country like Faltar.
And yet, I had thought I could win against the Blackened Jewelhead Dragon.
Lately, I felt I’d gotten a bit stronger.
But even so, I couldn’t flatter myself into thinking I could hold my own against the Knights Order single-handedly.
Incidentally, the First Knights Order of the Faltar Kingdom was the kind of group that made Master say, “I’d like to fight them.”
Setting aside Master’s own craziness, a Knights Order that could elicit such words from her must be quite formidable.
My gut feeling from fighting the Blackened Jewelhead Dragon was that I could win.
But if it grew stronger over time, that changed things.
“Alright, I’m going hunting right now after all.”
“Were you even listening!?”
As I gathered my thoughts and declared this, Calbanus raised his voice and shouted.