Chapter 101

“...”

Upon hearing the reason for which he was brought there, Naell grew annoyed. The Yetis he fought while picking some herbs a while back were quite troublesome afterall.

That was why in the first place, he reported it to the guild so they could sort it out. Yet that decision came biting back, as inevitably the quest fell on him.

'That Loknar must be grinning right now.' Naell thought as he trudged upon the dewy forest. Quickly he coated his shoes with magic to avoid letting the moist ground drench the soles of his feet.

‘Should I just freeze this all up? I mean they keep calling me frosted anyway.’

“..Don’t you dare noob, HOOT..”

“What?” Asked Naell as he heard Owly, the young owl was also looking at him slightly perturbed.

Owly in a way knew what his lazy friend was thinking, and it was truly the nonsense he guessed. Thus he refrained from explaining further and chose to focus on their job.

Soon the young owl flew off, letting Naell be left on the ground with more of his rubbish thoughts.

Presently, after the Guild leader's summary of the mission, the duo went to the outskirts of the village where the supposed reappearance of the Yetis was seen.

In truth, although the Guild assumed it was the Yetis, at that moment Naell and Owly grew more dubious the further along they went.

This is way too close, considering they launched onto us when we were miles away. -

Although Naell could feel remnants of some aura close by, he could not pinpoint if it really was them.

By now, they would’ve surely attacked, HOOT. -

Owly’s sentiment was indeed the same. Even whilst he was searching for clues up in the air, he could only feel low-rank monsters and beasts alike, scattered throughout the nooks and crannies of the forest of Alawenta.

There was no longer even a hint of the aura they experienced back then.

Well, I can’t remember much, HOOT. -

Naell nodded in response. He knew what Owly was referring to, and considering the aura appeared within Alawenta and near the village, there were only two options.

One is that this is a different monster, HOOT. -

… The other is that they’ve evolved further. -

Both wanted to believe neither of their guesses to be true. However, it was still a known fact that the ones who commissioned them- the two scholars from Esquel Co., were missing.

These were the scholars who were investigating the Yetis beforehand, yet since their disappearance, the guild’s quarters grew busy trying to find them.

As for Naell and Owly, their jobs were to investigate the Yetis and report if they found anything regarding the whereabouts of the scholars.

For hours they walked, and only then did they detect a sudden strong aura that alerted their senses. Yet it disappeared as quickly as the piercing wind that brushed against their shoulder.

However, that was enough for them, as immediately and without hesitation, Naell and Owly ran to the location.

As they rushed through bushes and wild flora, they came across a hidden area, stopped in their tracks, and were only dumbfounded by what they saw.

The two Yetis were having a tea party with two people that seemed to be the scholars they were looking for.

“...”

Garbed with white cardigans, and black stretchy pants, the two lads sat with their matching trench coats patterned with the distinct embroidery of several clouds.

Yet what really caught Naell’s attention was how the two seemed oddly familiar. Further, they oozed mana and aura right before them.

"..."

Nonetheless, upon seeing Naell and Owly, the scholars were also surprised while the Yetis got scared upon recognizing the red-eyed mage.

"Aigoo! The Dragon…!" Said the large furry one. Just hearing the voice of an uncle that was generous enough to give you candy, Naell and Owly grew unable to utter a single word in response.

“Wha…”

Sensing their confusion, the red-haired scholar spoke first, "Ah, please be at ease and have some tea first."

Directing his hands to the drinks and cookies that were served, Owly’s eyes twinkled. With a HOOT he quickly let his tummy decide.

…. you. -

As Naell was contemplating what insult he should say to Owly, the other man offered his hand to him while saying, "You must be Naell Beryldot. We've been expecting you."

He then accepted the man’s greeting and shook his hand. Both men then introduced themselves to him and Owly.

"I'm Drhys, and this here is Sajae." Said the scholar with long blond hair. Meanwhile, the other man, the red-haired scholar simply smiled and waved.

Upon hearing their names, Naell and Owly also introduced themselves. By then they were fully convinced that these two were the scholars that went missing.

The one who was called Drhys, aside from having long yet wavy blond hair, had distinct bluish eyes. Sajae on the other hand had mousy red hair and possessed brownish-grey almond-shaped eyes that were a unique trait of the Easterside Empire.

“Are you guys the so-called East n’ West scholars?” Naell asked as he adamantly sat with them.

He remembered that by the end of the volume he was reading in Arts and Magic, two scholars were introduced as possible allies of the protagonist party. They were often referred to as the East and the West.

Upon being called by their title, both men laughed dryly as if it was a title they were not at all used to. In the past, both scholars were at each other's throats, mainly because both of them were adventurers and at the same time members of Esquel Co.

It was pretty rare for scholars to have the abilities or prowess those two possessed. Hence rivalry formed around them. However, after completing a mission that resulted in capturing a prominent bandit, they became partners, both in the academe and in adventure.

Soon thereafter, their fame allowed them to be two of the first-named scholars of Mundo. Not to mention they were even acknowledged by Odino Thorton when it came to strength.

“I’m actually from the north.” Nonchalantly said Drhys as he sipped from his cup of coffee.

Sajae then [ poof ] out a set of cups which he then offered to Naell and Owly, “And I’m from the east, deep east.”

“...”

The discussion then went on as they explained why they asked for Naell and Owly. Yet since it was as early as could be, (for all of them, as it appears they had all just woken up) they did so casually with food.

Served was what seemed to be roasted meat with fresh water from who knows where. Luckily, hot drinks were also served, boiled on the side.

“So you’re telling me, these two were actually being hunted?” Asked Naell while sipping the brewed coffee.

Drhys, upon also taking a swig of coffee, answered Naell’s inquiry. “Yes, that was the time in which they awakened…

They became enraged and lost control, but upon battling you, their mind was fully integrated and somehow mellowed down, as you can now see.”

“Mm, so it is true that beasts and monsters are the same.” Naell casually replied not thinking anything of his words.

Yet when Sajae and Drhys heard that, both of their eyebrows furrowed. Silence took upon the table with only the munching of food being heard.

Only then when Sajae drank some water did he ask, “Care to explain that a bit more, young master?’

“...”

Naell then knew he made a blunder. It was just that he and Owly often conversed about controversial topics.

Sensing they would not move if he didn’t answer, Naell then began explaining. “Well, genetics-wise, their origins could be in the same branch of species. Like how humans and elves might also be related.”

“...”

He was then asked another question, this time from Drhys, “Genetics?”

“I mean like- uh… lineage?”

“Oh. I see. It looks like you are as smart as the rumors go, young master.” Said Sajae with a grin.

Naell just smiled and replied addressing both scholars, “Please just call me Naell.”

After a while, as the sight of them chowing down meat began to bring forth his hunger, Naell also began eating. Just the first bite was enough to surprise him, as the meat was so tender that the bite melted in his mouth.

Seeing that, the Yeti who was called “Wifey” began to speak, “Tis one we hunted in the depths of Alawenta, they eat fresh herbs and water from river, making their meat exquisite, Dragon-Sire.”

“...”

Naell then realized everything that day would take some getting used to, as the two yetis even appeared more well-mannered in eating than the monstrous Owly.

“This is yummeat HOOT!”