Side Story. Rosaria Quest (3)
Yuria opened her eyes again at the sound of friendly greetings.
Rosaria nodded her head and flapped her arms.
"Yeah, I'm here! But why are you here, mister?"
"Larksper came to do a few things about the Orc Alliance. They said they had to cut down trees, so Larksper taught his brothers how to use the magic saw."
He sneakily showed off the threatening magic saw he was holding.
Yuria looked up at Larksper with a puzzled face and then looked down at Rosaria.
Isn't he calling Rosaria a teacher?
'And why is the conversation so natural?'
They were talking very comfortably, as if they had met a longtime acquaintance.
Not knowing what the situation was, Yuria alternately looked at Rosaria and Larksper, and then Rosaria introduced Yuria to him.
"Oh! Mister, this is my friend, Yuria!"
Following the naturally flowing atmosphere, Yuria grabbed the edge of her robe and greeted him gracefully.
"Ah, hello, I am Yuria, the eldest daughter of the Frenda family."
She stuttered a bit, but successfully introduced herself.
Larksper also bowed his head and greeted her politely.
"I am Larksper, the chieftain of the Barchan Alliance. Are you a noble?"
"Yes? Oh, yes. I am a noble."
Larksper.
There was no doubt about the name that had been ringing in her head since she heard it.
'The Chieftain of the Bultan Alliance, Larksper!'
He occupied the Karlton mountain range and used its resources to civilize the orc tribes.
She had heard complaints that they couldn't be easily subjugated by the empire because they were under the protection of the Kingdom Alliance and Althea Church.
'It wasn't an exaggeration to say that they were familiar with orcs, as they even joined hands with the Silence Tower...'
The gears of her thoughts, which had been stopped in the horror of encountering a monster for the first time, seemed to be moving little by little.
"We have to go now on an adventure."
Then Larksper shook his head.
"I cannot let you go like this. The teacher is my hon... hon... "
Larksper's eyes widened, and he fell silent.
Unable to find an answer for a while, Yuria pointed out the word.
"Are you talking about being an honored guest?"
"Yes, an honored guest. The teacher and her friend are Larksper's honored guests."
A moment later, a carriage was brought from another group of orcs.
Yuria and Rosaria were placed on it.
As if escorting a delegation from another country, they were led to their village.
* * *
In the middle of the forest on the map, there was a small village.
With log fences and wooden houses, it was no different from the appearance of a small rural village.
It was information that had not been updated on Yuria's map.
Although it was a temporary residence for the Orc chieftain, the inside of the hut was as splendid as that of a king of a country.
The space was just a little cramped. Decorations that could be used in a fairly large kingdom were visible.
"So, we came all the way here for a fun adventure."
"I see."
Rosaria chattered on endlessly, and Larksper listened to her stories, reacting appropriately.
Unlike Rosaria, who was talking very affectionately as if she had met a long-time friend, Yuria was as uncomfortable as sitting on a bed of thorns.
Larksper, who had been sneaking glances at Yuria, seemed to have a sudden thought and started talking to her.
"Frenda... Young lady?"
"Yes, yes!!"
Larksper, who had barely combined the words in his head, and Yuria, who nodded her head vigorously.
Larksper pointed to the fruit with one hand and made a gesture of eating it.
"It's sweet."
Yuria, who thought for a moment that he was going to eat her, came to her senses and reached out to pick up an apple.
Her picky eating habits, which didn't allow her to eat apples unless they were carved into rabbit shapes, didn't even have a chance to surface.
She was eating only to survive!
However, after taking a bite, Yuria's tension was completely relieved.
'It's really sweet.'
The taste was so sweet that it made her temporarily forget she was nervous, as if there was a lump of sugar in her mouth.
Even in the empire, which was known for selecting the highest-quality fruits, she had never tasted such fruit before.
While Yuria was munching on the apple, Rosaria asked her.
"How is Mister Larksper helping here?"
"I am helping the brothers who cannot join the Barchan Alliance. I teach them metalworking so that they can make the things we need, and in return, we give them food."
Larksper, who had become familiar with human economics, realized that there was no need for all orcs to gather in the Kalton mountain range as the orcs' rights increased.
It was easy to gather local information, and they could supply the items that were difficult to obtain in the Kalton mountain range instead.
He thought it was a way to rationally educate the barbaric orcs and preserve their race.
Larksper traveled all over the continent and expanded the alliance's influence.
For him, who had a dream of prosperity and tribal integration, it was a moment of great happiness.
"You said you were doing a quest, right?"
"Yes."
"Could you show Larksper the request form?"
"Sure!"
At Rosaria's words, Yuria handed over the request form she had kept in her pocket.
Larksper checked the location and spoke to an orc outside in the orc language.
And after a while, he answered Rosaria.
"The other brothers say they've never seen such a monster before. It could be dangerous."
"The adventure rank is F."
"What is F?"
Larksper tilted his head.
Rosaria didn't know the exact meaning either, so she couldn't explain it.
"F rank is not very dangerous!"
She just said it's not that dangerous!
Larksper, without doubting her words, nodded.
"Is that your practice?"
"Yes. To become a great magician, you need to go on adventures and prove yourself."
Larksper stroked his chin with his hand.
After pondering for a moment, he nodded.
"Larksper also likes to practice. Can I join you?"
"Mister Larksper?"
"If Larksper stays still while the teacher takes risks, it would be a shameful thing to do as a student and a brother. So, I will join."
"It's a practice that Yuria and I are doing together. Is it okay...?"
Not knowing for sure, Rosaria turned her head and passed the baton to Yuria.
"It's hard to do adventure requests alone in the first place. It's possible for someone to help."
"That's right."
Upon hearing that, Rosaria jumped up.
This was her favorite moment in the hero's story.
The hero gathers companions, and the adventure group gradually becomes bustling!
"Great!"
While Rosaria reacted warmly, Yuria couldn't hide the anxiety on her face.
Although the Orc chieftain was said to be kind, she couldn't tell if it was right for her to mingle with the orcs.
"Can we go together?"
"Ah, yes......"
Yuria nodded her head.
Yuria, who had thought everything would go smoothly, was initially unable to do anything when she saw the orc.
Because she felt the need for an adult so deeply, she thought that Larksper's company would make the dangerous journey safer.
* * *
Chieftain Larksper.
Unlike when he was with the orc group without a shirt, this time he wore leather armor.
If you didn't look at his face, it looked like a giant human warrior was standing.
He had two axes on his belt, a greatsword on his back, and two spears.
Yuria recognized the items as gifts from the imperial workshop by their markings.
'The empire's items are in the hands of an orc...'
Were they items plundered from the imperial army?
However, all of them were in good condition.
If they were plundered items, they would usually be poorly managed and rusted somewhere, but the management was perfect.
That meant they were made in the empire's workshop.
"Imperial items are good. They're sturdy and have a sharp edge."
"Is that so?"
"Yuria, you're from an imperial family, right?"
"Yes. I'm an imperial workshop magician."
"I see. Larksper has a bad memory. I forgot a little about the Frenda family."
"Oh, no! It's okay since I didn't recognize you as the chieftain either."
"I see. Then it's even."
As Yuria and Larksper walked and bonded, they arrived at Dun Luster Village before they knew it.
The patrolling soldiers were startled to see the two girls and the orc.
"An orc warrior?"
"How did an orc get here!"
The village guard pointed a spear at Larksper.
Larksper casually showed the amulet of the Althea Church.
"What? An Althea Church believer?"
"If the Althea Church recognizes the orc..."
Under the light of Althea, everyone is equal.
So they didn't stop Larksper any further.
Larksper inquired around the village and found the requester.
Finally, he found a woman who ran a poultry farm.
"That's right. I'm the one who requested it. Are you the leader?"
"No, I'm not the one who accepted the request."
"Is that so? Then the leader hasn't arrived yet?"
The woman didn't think that Rosaria and Yuria were the ones who took the request based on her common sense.
Unable to be ignored any longer, Rosaria raised both her hands and shouted.
"Rosaria is the leader!"
"The little lady? Hmmm..."
When she heard that the girls had taken the request, she first thought something was wrong.
"Larksper has ears too. Just tell me the story."
"Alright. I'll tell you what happened."
The number of chickens had decreased.
Feeling something strange, the woman waited for the chicken thief to appear, prepared for the third attack.
When she was sure that the thief appeared periodically, the woman went outside with a hook and a torch.
She, who thought of the creature as a hedgehog, came face to face with an unexpectedly large thief.
"It was definitely a wolf. I saw its long snout like a dog's."
Hearing that, Larksper went over the fence of the poultry farm and entered.
As Larksper entered, the ground was soft enough to sink in, but it was difficult to find traces of the wolf.
The chickens had already trampled all over, and the owner of the poultry farm had cleaned up, erasing the traces.
"Did it say it bit the chicken to death and ran away?"
"Yes."
"Having good night vision, being carnivorous... and not eating humans, a large creature..."
For Larksper, who had hunted wildly in the Kalton mountain range, it was a very difficult creature.
"Maybe it will attack again tonight. Can you ambush it, orc gentleman?"
"Hmm... It might be possible. But I can't guarantee success."
So said Larksper, the chieftain and great warrior.
"If it comes again, the prey will rely more on its senses. It will use its nose, eyes, and ears to act cleverly. If it fails this time, it might change its pattern or become even more difficult to catch."
"It seems cunning..."
The mistress bit her lower lip in annoyance.
"Don't worry. Larksper has a way. We'll solve it tonight."
"Alright."
The conversation ended like that.
The sun was tilting, and the sky was turning dark.
The three returned to the chicken farm, where the crowing of the roosters could be heard.
Having finished a hearty meal, Larksper smeared the soil of the chicken farm on his body.
The smell of chicken feces and filth covered Larksper's entire body.
"Mister, you smell terrible!"
Rosaria laughed heartily.
Larksper scratched his head awkwardly.
Yuria asked Larksper while holding her nose.
"Is this to mask the smell?"
"That's right."
It couldn't be called barbaric.
Covering oneself in filth and ambushing was a notoriously famous tactic.
"Larksper will ambush. You and Yuria should rest at the inn."
"No way. Then it's not our request!"
"That's right! The smell is strong, but... we can endure it!"
Yuria and Rosaria were stubborn.
However, he shook his head.
"Miss Yuria, your perfume is strong. If the orcs can smell it, the wolf will definitely smell it too."
"Eh......"
"Same goes for the teacher. It's dangerous because you might get caught instead."
"Ugh."
"If you're prepared to get dirt like Larksper, you can stay together."
He showed her the dirt covered in chicken feces.
With a determined look in her eyes, Rosaria spoke in a resolute voice.
"Fine—."
"No! Even so, there is a line that a lady should not cross!!"
Yuria interrupted and stopped Rosaria's words.
This time, even Yuria couldn't compromise.
This is a special summer illustration for July.
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