NOVEL WEB Chapter 10
Heading East
Everlasting Moon Flower.
A rare medicinal herb, one of the key ingredients in elixirs, is found only atop the sacred peak of Mount Gagazia.
Haise, who had been commissioned by the royal family of Heiberg, was preparing in his shabby inn room.
The adjacent room, where Haise stayed, housed his travel supplies.
“Sleeping bag, tent, ancient manuscripts, clothes, cooking gear, utensils, spices… Food? Guess I’ll buy some in town.”
It had been a while since his last long journey, and it was his first time heading east.
The region was home to the forest nation of Yggdrasil, where Mount Gagazia was under the management of Yggdrasil’s royal family.
With the letter of introduction from the Heiberg Kingdom, both entry and the investigation were permitted.
Haise packed all his belongings into a storage ring, known as an item box.
“…Truly convenient.”
Magic Tools.
Some, infused with magical properties, could be purchased for mere copper coins, while others, like Haise’s item box, cost thousands of gold.
His item box was top-tier, capable of halting time for its contents.
Even boiling water stored inside would remain hot and bubbling a year later.
“….”
Back when he was part of Sasha’s team, affording an expensive item box like this was unthinkable.
And even if he could, buying one would have instantly rendered his role as the team’s porter redundant.
“Alright, all set. Time to shop, stop by the guild, and then head out.”
Haise stepped out of the room and spoke to the middle-aged man reading a newspaper at the front desk.
“I’ll be away for a while, but keep the room as is. Here’s an extra month’s payment.”
He handed over gold for two rooms.
The man glanced sharply at Haise before pocketing the coins with a small nod.
“…Thanks.”
Though quiet, the man’s words reached Haise clearly.
Saying nothing more, Haise left the inn.
◇◇◇◇◇
“…I’ll take a hundred of those skewers.”
“A hundred!? R-right away! Just wait a bit!”
Haise was shopping in a street filled with eateries in the castle town.
His focus was on food supplies. He bought water by the barrel and stored freshly grilled skewers into his item box the moment they were ready.
The shopkeeper, recognizing the time-freezing nature of Haise’s item box and his status as an S-rank adventurer with money to spare, grilled with extra care.
Though Haise ordered a hundred, the shopkeeper grilled one hundred and ten.
“Here, ten extra! Come back again!”
“…Thanks.”
Leaving a gold coin, Haise walked away.
The shopkeeper bowed profusely.
Though there should have been change, Haise couldn’t be bothered.
Since awakening his abilities and hunting high-level magical beasts, money was no longer a concern.
Once, he had been overjoyed at the thought of upgrading his bronze sword to an iron one.
Now, after going solo and tackling powerful beasts, wealth had lost its allure.
“Next, bread… some fruit and vegetables, too.”
He continued shopping, placing items into his item box as he went.
Once done, he made his way to the adventurers’ guild.
At the reception desk, a nervous junior receptionist greeted him.
“Um, um, the guild master is in a meeting with Sasha right now.”
“Got it. I’ll wait.”
“Y-yes, sir!”
With time to spare, Haise checked the quest board.
“Oh, a B-rank extermination quest. Crimson Kong… Wait, it’s in the west? Wrong direction…”
While scanning the quests, a pleasant aroma wafted by.
Glancing to his side, he noticed someone standing there.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“I see.”
It was a slender girl.
She had short, emerald-green hair, and her delicate shirt, breastplate, mini-skirt, and sandals revealed long, elegant legs.
But her ears stood out the most—they were long. She was an elf.
A decorated bow rested on her back, with a quiver at her waist.
Though Haise hadn’t been staring, the girl remarked,
“Is an elf such a rare sight for you?”
“Well, yeah. Elves are native to the forest nation of Yggdrasil in the east. You don’t see them much here in the central Heiberg Kingdom.”
“True. I just arrived today.”
“Today?”
“Yes. I’ve traveled west and finally made it to the central region. I’m an adventurer, by the way.”
She pulled an adventurer card from inside her breastplate. It displayed a B-rank.
“B-rank, huh? Any party members?”
“None. I’m fine on my own.”
“….”
Adventurers typically worked in teams to overcome individual limitations.
Yet, Haise saw something familiar in her independent demeanor.
“What about you?”
“Me? I’m solo.”
“I see. By the way, I showed you mine…”
“Oh, right.”
Adventurer cards served as ID, and it was customary to show yours if the other party did.
Haise retrieved his card from his item box and showed it.
“S-rank adventurer.”
The girl appeared slightly surprised but quickly masked her expression.
“Unusual. An S-rank adventurer with no team.”
“I’ve heard that before. Not so much these days.”
“I see.”
A brief silence fell. After about thirty seconds, the girl spoke again.
“Are you taking on a quest?”
“Yeah. A royal commission. Heading east… but that’s as much as I can say.”
“East? You’re heading east?”
“Yeah. That’s all I can say.”
“Understood.”
She was surprisingly easy to talk to.
But that was all.
“Haise! The guild master is free now!”
“Don’t call the guild master like he’s an object!”
“Ouch! That hurt!”
The junior receptionist was scolded with a smack.
Raising a hand lightly, Haise said, “Later.”, and left.
“…East.”
The girl murmured softly, watching Haise’s back as he walked away.
◇◇◇◇◇
The guild master’s office was on the third floor of the guild.
Haise climbed the stairs, arriving just as Sasha and her party exited.
“….”
“….”
Their eyes met.
Sasha’s gaze no longer wavered.
“Kept you waiting.”
“No matter. Is this about the royal commission?”
“Indeed! Too bad for you; if you wanted to bring me along, it’s too late now!”
Myuane, the second princess, puffed her chest—though it was a flat plain.
Haise ignored her.
Then her brother, Cress, stepped forward.
“Forgive my sister’s rudeness. I’m Cress. A pleasure to meet you.”
“…Yes, Your Highness.”
“Drop the formalities. Just call me Cress. We’re all adventurers now.”
“Understood.”
“Let’s get going! Right, Sasha?”
“Agreed.”
As Piasora clung to Sasha with a playful voice, Sasha turned to Haise.
“Well then, Haise. We’ll take our leave.”
“Yeah.”
“You’re heading east, right? Be careful.”
“I will.”
Sasha seemed like a different person from their party days—stronger and resolved.
For some reason, Haise found this version of her appealing.
Perhaps her newfound strength made her easier to respect.
He recalled their past, where her vulnerability had made her cling to him.
Her previous neediness… that wasn’t the Sasha he wanted to see.
“…Why are you staring?”
“Uh, nothing.”
“Hmm?”
“Anyway, take care.”
Without another word, Haise knocked and entered the guild master’s office.
◇◇◇◇◇
“At least knock, will you? Honestly…”
“Sorry about that, Geist.”
“…You’re going, then?”
“Yes. I’m heading to the eastern Yggdra Kingdom to collect the Everlasting Moon Flower from the summit of Mount Gagazia.”
“…The average monster rank on Mount Gagazia is B to SS. It’s said an SS+ rank dragon-type beast, the Green Elephant Dragon, resides at the summit. Neither Yggdra Kingdom adventurers nor the Yggdrasil clan—one of the Big Four—dare approach it. Be careful.”
“Understood. Thank you.”
“Also… take this.”
Geist handed him a letter.
“It’s a letter of introduction. Please give it to Yggdrasil’s clan master, Ibis. They might offer some help.”
“…Geist, are you acquainted with the masters of the Four Great Clans?”
“Forty years as an adventurer gets you some connections.”
Haise stored the letter in his item box and downed the tea Geist had served in one gulp.
“Well, I’m off.”
“Take care out there.”
“I will.”
“…Haise. Your ‘ability’ is certainly strong. But you’re not invincible… don’t let it get to your head.”
“…I know. I won’t.”
With a slight bow, Haise left the room.
◇◇◇◇◇
Exiting the capital’s east gate, Haise began his journey eastward.
He strolled leisurely, contemplating his next move: catch a carriage or ride a magic vehicle from the next town. With no deadline for the mission, he intended to take his time.
Yawning, he conjured a handgun in his right hand.
“……”
A black, L-shaped metal object.
To the untrained eye, it didn’t look like a weapon.
The Desert Eagle. A weapon from another world, described in an ancient manuscript.
The manuscript in Haise’s possession was left by an otherworlder, a human from a world not of this one—a fact only Haise knew.
“Who’s there?”
He aimed the Desert Eagle behind him.
No one was there, yet Haise, his senses sharpened by awakening his ‘ability’, felt a presence.
Awakening often enhances the body or grants unique powers. Sasha’s visible aura was one such power gained as a [Sword Master].
No response came.
Haise fired slightly away from where he sensed the presence.
Bang! The Desert Eagle expelled its casing, and the bullet was embedded in the ground.
“Next one will hit.”
“…I surrender.”
From nowhere, the girl he met at the Adventurer’s Guild emerged, calm and unshaken.
“…It’s you.”
“Sharp of you to notice.”
“Why were you tailing me?”
“I have a request.”
“Find someone else. I only take subjugation quests.”
“I need access to Mount Gagazia. Just let me stay behind you until then.”
“How do you even know about… Tch. I work alone. No companions.”
“I’m not your companion. I’ll stay behind you. At the mountain, let me walk beside you.”
“Why?”
“For elixir ingredients.”
“The Everlasting Moon Flower?”
“Yes.”
Her expression remained unchanged. No fear, no tension, even in Haise’s presence.
“If I die on the way, leave me. I’ll just follow you. Let me stay near only at the mountain.”
“……”
“I’ll pay you. You can do whatever you want with me along the way. How’s that?”
“……”
Lowering his gun, it dissipated into smoke.
Haise ignored the girl and started walking.
“Presea.”
“…?”
“My name is Presea.”
“……”
“And you’re Haise. Not that you need to respond; I’m just talking to myself.”
Presea, as she introduced herself, followed Haise, keeping a strict thirty-meter distance.