kscans

Chapter 281 - A Howl in the Snowy Plains 1. Fly to the Demon Mountain

It had been nearly twenty days since their arrival in Laurenzen. On the first of April, when Yuri and the others were beginning to think about returning home, a flustered visitor arrived at Adon’s mansion, bearing news that would be dire for some, yet glad tidings for another.

That morning, Yuri was summoned by Adon to the reception room.

"Kudol-san, and… the Guild Master? What are you doing here?"

Seated on the sofa with grave expressions were Kudol, the leader of "Lucky Footsteps," and Naval, the Guild Master of the Adventurer’s Guild.

"Yuri-kun, a rather troublesome situation has come up. Ordinarily, involving you would be out of the question, but… this time there are circumstances that prevent us from saying that," Adon said, his face just as bitter as Naval’s, as he glanced over at the Guild Master.

"I’ll explain the rest. To put it simply… Yuri, I need you to find a lost child."

"...Pardon?"

"Essentially, a nobleman went into the mountains saying he was going on a big game hunt and hasn't been heard from since. He’s the son of a fairly influential noble, so the guild wants to secure him. To do that, we want to borrow your strength, given your experience on Salt-Sour Mountain."

The previous year, the logistics of Laurenzen had been threatened by a monster known as the Tyrantbot, which used invisibility to launch surprise attacks. The ones who subjugated that Tyrantbot were, officially, "Lucky Footsteps," with Yuri cooperating. Of course, the Guild Master and some other adventurers suspected that Yuri’s contribution had been significant. If so, it was not unnatural for them to seek Yuri’s help. Yuri was about to accept this explanation, but the circumstances were apparently not that simple.

"Normally, relying on you, a non-guild member and a minor at that, would be completely improper. I understand that all too well, but…"

"The young man who went missing is the heir of a noble who has a… delicate relationship with Viscount Fransel, the lord of Laurenzen," Adon added.

Hearing Adon’s supplemental explanation, Yuri began to grasp the situation. A conflict between lords here in Laurenzen was indeed a situation that a merchant could not possibly overlook. Just as Yuri came to this understanding, it seemed the matter was a bit more complex and delicate still. Naval, looking as though he could barely contain his frustration, explained that the young man’s father had secretly requested Viscount Fransel’s cooperation. Viscount Fransel, seeing an opportunity to improve relations, readily agreed without much thought. He then posted a search request to the Adventurer’s Guild.

"The trouble is, we had to report the general details of last year’s Tyrantbot subjugation to the lord. After all, Laurenzen’s logistics were on the brink of collapse."

At that time, they had mentioned the name "Lucky Footsteps" as the heroes of the Tyrantbot subjugation, and at the same time, had told him about Yuri, saying something to the effect of, "there is a child with good eyes who cooperated in the Tyrantbot subjugation." Since Yuri had been granted an audience with Baron Darren, Viscount Fransel would eventually learn of his existence anyway. This was Adon’s way of subtly letting him hear about Yuri beforehand, a move that, of course, Yuri, Old Man Audel, and even Kudol had agreed to. But this time, it had completely backfired. Viscount Fransel, who had not been informed of how important Yuri was, and who was also unaware that Yuri was not one of his own subjects and was under the protection of Baron Darren, had understood him to be merely "a child with eyes good enough to find a Tyrantbot." Annoyingly, on a complete whim, he had requested that Yuri be added to the search party.

If only he had known this would happen, he would have talked to him sooner, Adon gnashed his teeth, but it was too late now. He wanted to march right over and have strong words with the viscount, but unfortunately, the situation was urgent.

The Adventurer’s Guild, too, felt a pang of guilt for involving Yuri, a minor and a non-adventurer, but…

"Actually, there’s one more reason we’ve brought this to your doorstep."

"One more?"