Chapter 6:

Chapter 6: Tweren

I Don't Know Much About the Outside World, so I Might as Well Work as a Beastiarian


“This is the closest I can get. I don’t want to cause a disturbance to the villagers,” said Anemoi as it was hovering in the air around the outskirt of Tweren.

There wasn’t any open space around Tweren as an abundance of tall trees surrounded them, which was understandable.

“This is fine! Thank you for everything!”

“I should be the one to be thanking you.”

“Pyuu!”

“Goodbye, Nimbus, Anemoi. We will meet again.”

After saying my farewell, I walked off Anemoi and fell headfirst below. The dragons weren’t concern about my action, proofing they believed I could land safely from a three hundred metre fall. That wasn’t to say that I could physically land safely without the help of magic.

Once I reached a terminal velocity, a small gust of wind gathered around my right hand.

“Let the whispers of the wind guide me to a place I seek. Air Drift!”

I swung my hand toward the ground below me, creating a small cyclone space to cushion my fall. I twisted my body so that I could land on my back.

When my body entered the isolated drifting wind, I could feel a sudden change of velocity, slowing my fall down until I landed safely. Still, the experience was tolerable and not life-threatening.

I stood up from where I landed and looked around. It was a full moon that night, illuminating what it could reach. That shouldn’t be a problem.

“Dusk Vision.”

Dusk Vision was a spell that allowed the caster’s target to see through the dark. However, there was a limit on how far one could see in the dark with a spell-like this. Therefore, it wasn’t suitable for anyone thinking about engaging in a long-range battle during the night.

Rustle. Rustle.

The nearby bushes shook violently. That vibration was enough for me to determine there was at least one monster. The best-case scenario would be a villager who was on the way to Tweren.

I silently drew my dagger and prepared myself. Instead of focusing on the direction of the source, I stayed vigilant to my surroundings, leaving not a single opening to the potential enemy.

The same bush rustled more than ever, bracing myself whatever came out of it.

“Woof!”

A dog peered its face out of the thicket and walked toward me.

“A dog?”

There was a letter strapped to its collar, indicating that this one worked as a messenger. Centaur wasn’t the only race that does deliveries. Domestic animals like dogs or cats could work as a messenger, but only on the scale between families or within a private network. In this case, this dog worked for the Merchant Division and was my ally.

I took the letter and read it.

Dear Sylvia,

My name is Fraya. I was assigned as your personal messenger under the Merchant Division whenever you wish for delivery. I can store items and equipment of any size, but not limited to an entire body of a giant or dragons, to be delivered safely to the Division.

I may not look like it, but I can defend myself from monsters who dare to fight against me, so please don’t concern about my safety. I know my paths. As for how to summon me, just say my name, whispers should be fine, and I will be there as soon as I can.

Yours Sincerely,

Fraya

Written by,

Eliza

I lowered down the letter and looked back at Fraya. She sat down, wagging her tail. Probably anticipating her first order from me. I couldn’t just tell her to go back to the Division empty-handed. I mean… empty-pawed(?)

If Eliza sent me a messenger, that would mean this method was meant to provide materials that couldn’t be sent through my Index. The Index could only be transmitted and received reports. Therefore…

“Would it be okay for you to send these to Melvyn?”

I took out the dragon scales Anemoi had given me as a reward for saving Nimbus.

“Woof woof!”

Fraya nodded to my request. I wondered how the Merchant Division trained their dogs to be able to understand human language. Putting my curiosity back into my mind, I packed the scales together in a paper bag and put them into one of Fraya’s bags.

After that, I wrote a letter for Melvyn and Eliza to update them on what I had just gone through and listed out the schematics and requirements I needed for Melvyn to work on and strapped them to Fraya’s collar.

“There you go. Is there anything else that I need to do?”

Fraya shook her head and took off.

I watched her go until her silhouette was no longer visible as it melted into the darkness.

As the letter said, I shouldn’t be concerned with a domestic companion who traverses in the world filled with monsters, bandits or hunters. It reached out to me, so that was sufficient.

The village of Tweren was located in the far East of the kingdom. It was also known as the village of elves. They specialized in herbalism, covering all kinds of ingredients found in the forest as long as they were not animals.

“Welcome! Are you looking for a room to settle in?”

“Yes, for one night.”

“I understand. Here are the keys to your room.”

I paid her the rent and received the keys. The room was located on the fiftieth floor of this tree. The trees in this village were tall and wide enough to create spaces and floors for the community to work and live in.

The interiors were designed to utilize cross-ventilation whenever a passing wind enters the building. The finishes applied to the wooden floors and walls were extravagant, making it less nomadic and more of a luxury mansion.

As for how I got up to the fiftieth floor, there was a magic floor that used gravity magic to control its verticality. It depended on the users’ intention with a bit of use of mana.

According to the receptionist, each floor offered its unique products and services. Maps could be found anywhere due to the size of the building. They had almost everything you would need, just like what you could find back in the Capital.

That would be useful for merchants and others looking for specific items and equipment, but a problem hidden in these advantages is that the prices in this place were ridiculous. Renting a place to stay for a night in Tweren wasn’t that bad. It is probably meant to let their tourists and travellers spend most of their Yones on these shops and receive their rents from the shop owners.

But what could I do? I was part of the Merchant Division, but that didn’t mean I had the right to interfere with businesses like these as I was just a Beastiarian.

Unfortunately, there wasn’t a single book in their bookstore worth buying for me as I already knew their contents. However, the selection of food they had piqued my interest despite that most of the elves were vegetarians or vegans.

That didn’t mean they wouldn’t serve poultry. Other races mostly handled them. After further exploration, I had a chance to witness elves were extracting meat that was growing from plants. You could say this process would deem its produce as vegetarian friendly, at least.

Of course, I did purchase some of them. There were different grades, so I bought one for each grade. As for dinner, I ordered a few of their specialities. The dinner consisted of mushrooms integrated into their vegetarian beef patties, sweet carrots and lettuces, fried mash potatoes, a side of silky tofu with secret sauce and a glass of soybean.

It was a pleasant meal. While I was eating, I picked up a few pieces of information regarding the Platinum Wolf from other consumers.

“Did you hear that? The Platinum Wolf has caused a ruckus South-East from here on the travelling merchants.”

“It is unfortunate that their wares were destroyed, and some of them were under life-threatening conditions.”

“What? Are they all right?”

“Yes. They were sent to the apothecaries here, and they were stabilized for now. All we can do is believe in them for their speedy recovery.”

“What about the adventurers? What were they doing? It was only a wolf?”

“This isn’t an ordinary wolf, you fool. It knows how to hide from the adventurers, and even a familiar couldn’t track it down.”

“…”

Interesting. So that is why no one was able to hunt it down.

After finishing my dinner, I thanked the people who made the dish and went to my room to sleep.

For the past few days, I have been gathering information about my target and marking them on the maps attached to the wall before me. Notes and markers were plastered to the maps to help me understand its history.

The locations of incidents were everywhere. It was more like it knew where to hit without giving a single hint to its home. Based on the merchants’ wares lost in its attack, the main item taken by the wolf was poultry.

After scanning the details once more, I sighed.

I could only speculate a few possibilities that were factored into its sudden appearance:

First: Human activities that somehow disrupted the ecosystem that limits its hunting options.

Second: It was born and came from a location unknown to the general population and the Division.

Third: Someone had summoned this monster and failed to form a contract with it.

Fourth: An alchemy went horribly wrong and produced unwanted results.

I took a cup of soybean from the table. Before I could take a sip, that was the moment that I realized the answer I have been searching for. Not a solution but one more piece of information I needed to collect.

“Excuse me. I was wondering if I could speak with the people who are in charge here?”

I went back to the store that serves vegetarian meat to customers. The ones that grew from plants.

“Umm... Is there a problem, miss?”

A young lady, who looked to be in her mid-twenties, came over from the back of the shop.

“Pardon my intrusion. My name is Sylvia, Beastiarian of the Merchant Division. I am currently under investigation of tracking down a Platinum Wolf’s hideout, and I need to ask a few questions.”

I showed her my pendant to prove my status.

“If my answers could progress your investigation, ask away…”

The store manager had a shy demeanour, but at least she was willing to cooperate.

“I know this isn’t something that one should ask, but may I know the source of your vegetarian meats. I swear under the Goddess Antheia, your trade secrets will be kept within the Merchant Division to search the Platinum Wolf’s whereabouts.”

I took an oath as I placed a hand over my heart. Because I met with Goddess Antheia, the only goddess I have met so far, using her name would be appropriate for taking an oath.

This was the least I could do to reassure the protection of her business. If I failed to keep that promise, Goddess Antheia would bestow a punishment to me.

The manager guided me to her office. She went over to one of her drawers, searching through the documents that would answer my inquiry. Once she found what she was looking for, she handed them over to me.

The document contained the information of every area that meant to grow their produce around Tweren. From the dates of the building, each facility was arranged in chronological order, making it easier for me to take notes.

“That’s all I need to know. Thank you for your cooperation.”

“Your welcome. W-would it be okay for me to make a request?”

“Hmm?”

She began to fidget around.

I patiently waited for her to gather the courage she needed before she speaks.

“Could you spare the Platinum Wolf’s life?”

That was unexpected. I personally thought most people of Tweren would want this creature to be killed due to the chaos it recently brought up.

“Depends. May I ask why would you want me to spare its life?”

I was aware of my harsh remark, but I couldn’t just accept people’s requests without knowing the truth behind their intentions.

She glanced around our surroundings and leaned at me.

“That was my friend…”

“Could you elaborate more about it?”

“That wolf is one of the guardians of Tweyen. It protected me from monsters when I was lost in the forest. If it were a monster like what people had described nowadays, I wouldn’t believe them without hesitation.”

“…”

In my mind, I was a bit taken aback. Every village had a least one guardian. Tweyen, however, was one of the few villages protected by multiple guardians, ranging from five to ten.

Record wise, Tweyen was supposed to have five guardians. There was not a single description of Platinum Wolf as a Guardian or a monster thus far. Meaning, this could be the sixth guardian, but…

“Very well.”

“Huh?”

She stared at me with wide eyes. Some tears were starting to form in her eyes.

She didn’t show any signs of lying to me when she presents this information. Suppose you were wondering how I reach this conclusion. Before I entered her office, I cast a spell that allowed me to listen to her heartbeats, reading her rates and activity to determine the weight of her words.

After confirming everything, I took my leave. This changes everything. I now have a reason to protect the new guardian.

Back in my temporary accommodation, I noticed a letter on the floor. It said there someone was looking for me and they would be waiting at the lounge. It also mentioned that it was written by the receptionist as well, so no reason to refuse.

As I entered the inn’s lounge, people and adventurers were relaxing in their seats while discussing their recent work or catching up with each other.

“Woof! Woof!”

I heard the familiar barks from my far right corner. Fraya stood up from her seat and placed her front paws on the table.

I took a seat across Fraya and began.

“Hello, Fraya. I guess the product is finished?”

She nodded to my question—tail swinging side to side.

“May I?”

I reached out for the letters that were placed in one of her travelling bags. This would seem rude to most onlookers, but this was probably the standard way to do things between Fraya and me.

Dear Sylvia,

I have created your weapon based on your schematics. The empty slot for a gem was questionable. But since you were making the request, I believed you have a good reason behind it.

In addition to the weapon, Fraya will provide you with a new weapon belt that could hold the equipment you possess. You can return the old one if you no longer wish to use it. The Merchant Division wishes you the best of luck in finding the Platinum Wolf.

Yours Sincerely,

Melvyn

I returned my gaze to Fraya. A sword sheathed in a scabbard, and a weapon belt was already on the table.

Wait… they weren’t on the table between us before. How did Fraya bring them out while I was reading the letter? There wasn’t a single sound produced from her. While I was contemplating, all Fraya was staring at me with those innocent puppy eyes even though it was an adult.

Fraya was more mysterious the more I thought about it. I kept reminding myself not to delve into it too much.

“?”

Fraya titled her head.

It was starting to get difficult for me to face her seriously when she was this cute. Think about your librarian days. Think of Fraya as any other clients.

To remove the awkward air around us, I cleared my throat and stood up, equipping the new weapon and belt.

“Ahem. Would you like to have dinner with me before you go?”

“Woof!”

I knew Fraya was part of the Merchant Division, which makes her my colleague, but I could at least treat her dinner for travelling this far to deliver my requests.

That evening, we both enjoyed our dinner. Apparently, inns had rooms meant for messengers like Fraya. She deserved to have a rest at least.