Okano The Unwanted Undead Adventurer: Volume 3

1. Auflage 2018
ISBN: 978-1-7183-2104-5
Verlag: J-Novel Club
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: 0 - No protection

E-Book, Englisch, Band 3, 250 Seiten

Reihe: The Unwanted Undead Adventurer

Rentt Faina has successfully overcome the menacing tarasque standing between him and the Dragon Blood Blossoms he seeks. But then, in the depths of the Swamp of Tarasque, a well-dressed man appears before Rentt, proffering a quest of his own on behalf of the highly-revered Latuule family...
Offered an exceptional reward for the collection of Dragon Blood Blossoms, Rentt visits the Latuules, only to find himself trapped in a maze! Seeking a way through to reach the Latuule family manor, he stumbles across an opening with beautiful roses and...a table with teacups?
'Are you giving up?'
Will Rennt make it out undead enough to achieve his objective of becoming a Mithril-class adventurer?! A young girl's invitation to tea-time may be Rentt's only means of escape!

Autoren/Hrsg.

Okano, Yu

Weitere Mitwirkende

Jaian

Yeung, Shirley

Leseproben

Chapter 1: A Peculiar Man

“Oh...? How very rare to chance upon another person in these depths.”

The man had a surprised expression on his face, and he spoke in a relatively non-threatening way, as if to declare he wasn’t a dangerous individual by any means. Upon closer inspection, he hardly looked like someone who bore me ill will. He didn’t seem like an adventurer of questionable morals either, specifically the kind who wouldn’t hesitate to prey on their fellow adventurers.

I still kept my guard up, though, for there was no way of knowing if my observations held water. At the very least, we should have a conversation.

“I am... Surprised as well. After all... No sane individual... Would wander into the depths of the... Swamp of Tarasque.”

He smiled at my response.

“It’s almost as if you claim you are not very sane yourself, kind sir. I do beg to differ, though, as I am very much in control of my own faculties. In no small part to these—I assume you are similarly equipped?”

The man held up what appeared to be a magical tool, one for nullifying poison, if I had to guess. In addition, he was also armed with several vials of actual holy water, no doubt purchased from an established church. In his other hand was a high-quality, well-annotated map of the swamp. Compared to myself, who charged into the swamp with nothing more than my unique constitution as defense against the elements, this man seemed much more prepared.

A seemingly true explorer of the Swamp of Tarasque.

I lowered my head slightly at his words. I was hardly as prepared as he was, but that wasn’t a fact I needed to disclose.

My circumstances were quite different: my Undead constitution staved off the poison, and my divinity helped me out of a tight bind with a Tarasque. But I didn’t explain this to him.

I simply couldn’t.

I only nodded, somewhat halfheartedly.

“...It is as you say.”

“I see! As expected of one who challenges the swamp. On another note...are you here for Dragon Blood Blossoms as well?”

“...Yes. You are after... The same? It is a good thing... that we do not need to fight over... The flowers. To think another adventurer... Would arrive at the same time as myself.”

Honestly speaking, few adventurers were capable of making it to this point. Even if they were skilled, purchasing the adequate equipment required a fair sum of coin. In addition, the typical adventurer wasn’t partial to exposing themselves to potent poisons on a regular basis. If an adventurer were truly skilled enough to trek through the Swamp of Tarasque, they would instead be exploring the labyrinth depths, and making good coin in the process.

If one desired a Dragon Blood Blossom, however, this was the only place to go. Even so, few dared venture this far into the swamp.

Raising my head to look at the man again, I couldn’t help noticing his beauty. His skin was pale, almost like it had never been touched by the sun. Long tresses of silver hair framed his face, hosting the very look of a noble. But there was a certain coldness to his features, accompanied by an almost unfeeling gaze.

At his waist was a rapier, and on one of his arms a well-made, lightweight metallic shield. However, for one reason or another, I couldn’t shake the notion that his equipment was decorative more than useful. If anything, finer clothes suited him. In fact, he would look at home in finery and formal dress alone, sword and shield be damned.

The contrast between the dreary swamp and the finery of this man couldn’t be more striking. It wouldn’t be strange if he’d ventured into the swamp for the express purpose of picking these flowers.

“Ah, you see...” the man continued, “I am not an adventurer.”

“...Is that right?”

“Verily so. How should I describe it... I am something akin to a butler, serving a certain esteemed individual. My master desires Dragon Blood Blossoms on a regular basis, hence my trips here.”

Unless I misheard him, he was a butler, on orders from his master to gather Dragon Blood Blossoms. What a wonderful master-servant relationship, given the dangers involved.

Turning toward the black mouse perched on my shoulder, I grunted and then turned back to face him.

Edel... This mouse would never do anything of the sort for me.

Making a mental note not to expect much of anything from my familiar, I posed a question to the man: “...Forgive my bluntness... Is your master... Unwell?”

“Ah, yes. I suppose you could say so. Recently, even getting up has been quite the chore... Frankly speaking, I should be at my master’s side right now, not out here picking flowers. Even so, it is undeniable that my master requires Dragon Blood Blossoms. While the extract could be easily made into a potent medicine, my master has developed quite the taste for...freshly-pressed flowers, if I may say so. Speaking of...would you happen to know of any methods to preserve freshly-extracted Dragon-Flower Blood? Perhaps you might have such knowledge, given that you are an adventurer...?” he asked, somewhat inquisitively.

While a Dragon Blood Blossom could be processed into medication, freshly-extracted Dragon-Flower Blood was much more potent. I didn’t know the specifics as well as an herbalist would, but I understood Dragon-Flower Blood degraded in a few days’ time and had to be used within that time frame. If one required a regular supply for any reason, one had no real choice other than visiting the swamp repeatedly.

For the average person, this would be an impossible feat, requiring a great amount of resources and hard work. While a magical tool would remain potent and functional once purchased and adequately maintained, holy water was another matter. Given that a single bottle deprived the purchaser of a few gold coins, the protection it offered from the swamp was proven.

I’d never given it much thought until now, but the monopoly that churches had over the supply of holy water almost seemed illegal.

Regardless, I had no idea how to preserve Dragon-Flower Blood. While I’d learned many tricks and skills from my short tenure as an herbalist’s apprentice, what the man was asking for was clearly beyond me. Even if such a method did exist, it was likely still undiscovered.

“...No. If I did know... Such a method I would... Stop adventuring and become an herbalist.”

Such was my answer. A flat-out lie, given the fact that I had to become a Mithril-class adventurer. If I did discover such a method, I wouldn’t stop adventuring; even so, the man before me didn’t need to know this, either. I was, however, telling the truth when it came to not knowing very much on the specifics of preserving Dragon-Flower Blood.

The man, as if expecting such a response, merely smiled. “I suppose so, yes,” he said, in a well-practiced manner.

“I... Apologize for being... Unable to help.”

The man’s expression softened, an equally apologetic look tinting his features. “No, no. Please, do not worry of it. In fact, I should apologize for expecting so much from someone I only just met. Think of it more as a casual question, good sir. Do not trouble yourself over it.”

He seemed genuinely apologetic.

I decided to offer some pleasantries of my own. “Thank you for... Your concern. I am... Not in the business of... Disappointing people I have just met. I would be glad... To help. If there is something I could... Do, however...”

The man seemed taken aback at my words, and he paused momentarily as if in deep thought. “Is that right...? In that case...even if you do not bear the knowledge I seek, perhaps it is fortunate that I made your acquaintance on this day. My master would certainly feel that way.”

I tilted my head, not exactly understanding his statement.

“Ah, I do apologize. I occasionally get lost in mine own thoughts. I refer to what you mentioned prior, if there was anything you could do to help.”

“I did say... That, yes.”

“To tell the truth, we have been searching for a reliable party to bring us Dragon Blood Blossoms at regular intervals. The search is not progressing well, of course...”

“Hoh...?”

I expect that would be the case. If the adventurer in question was of a high rank, it wouldn’t be in their best interests to continually expose themselves to the Swamp of Tarasque. Even if the rewards were grand, or in some cases of questionable legality, most adventurers would refuse such a request if there were no good reasons behind it.

This was why that orphanage girl, Alize, was so troubled. If the details of the request weren’t so difficult, someone would have surely aided her with it, given the client was an orphanage.

A sudden thought flashed across my mind—

“...I see. By reliable party... Do you mean me?”

“Quite so. I do apologize for the reckless nature of this request. We will, of course, submit a formal series of requests via the guild and arrange for an agreeable set of contracts and rewards. If you will accept, I would be most indebted... Please do forgive me for asking after all this time, but you are an adventurer, yes?”

It was almost like he already knew I was an adventurer. I supposed I should introduce myself, then.

I told the man my...