Chapter 120: Chapter 119: Old Mission Completed, New Mission Ready

[Wolf Shadow Mystery II (Ordinary - Regional Quest), Completed]

[You entered the mountains alone to slay the Wolf King and annihilated the wolf pack in a single assault on Vulture Ridge. The Hunters of Nomu Village witnessed the carnage you wrought and were struck with awe and fear. Your great name has begun to spread.]

[Contribution: 96%, reward multiplier: 6.0]

[Completion Reward: 4,800 Universal Experience Points (800 base x 6.0 reward multiplier), 600 Birch Territory reputation (100 base x 6.0 reward multiplier)]

[Current Birch Territory Reputation Level: Neutral (657.5/5000)]

—

The quest rewards were only just popping up now. It was likely because Basque had organized the Hunters to go into the mountains and confirm the wolf pack had scattered, completely removing the threat.

The 4,800 Experience Points, added to what he gained from the spar, came out to nearly ten thousand. It was enough to give Jon’s EXP reserves a much-needed boost, bringing his total back up to 40,260.

Its appearance also reminded Jon that he had something to do today.

His gaze shifted downward to another green tag.

—

[Delivery Commission (Excellent · Ordinary Quest)]

[Due to a recent series of events, the captain of the Nomu Village guard hopes you will travel to Birch Town to find the village chief, who has yet to return from reporting on his duties. Inform him of what has transpired and ask him to return to the village as soon as possible to take charge.]

[Quest Objective: Find Nomu Village Chief Reed and inform him of the village’s current situation.]

[Basic Reward: 600 Universal Experience Points, 30 Birch Territory reputation.]

[Additional Rewards: Bonus experience and a reputation reward multiplier will be given based on task completion.]

"Note: The village chief is a subordinate official of the local Lord. To find him, try searching near the Lord’s Mansion."

—

It looked like an ordinary fetch quest, but the "Excellent" grade reward meant it was anything but!

Any experienced player knew that this kind of quest was often the start of a whole new chain of events. It all depended on how you investigated and negotiated!

That was why Jon had accepted Basque’s commission just before he left.

And a piece of intelligence he received after returning to the Golden Maple Leaf Trading House—"Viscount Birch, Paris, left with his retainers to search for his daughter and has not returned for several days"—further convinced him that this matter wasn’t so simple.

He remembered that the Viscount of Birch Town wasn’t replaced in the future, which meant that Paris had not been killed during the turmoil stirred up by the Blood Eye Association that swept through the nobility of Heta County.

But for a powerful noble like him—the master of Birch Territory, the most prosperous fiefdom in Heta County, with several Knight retainers in his employ—to be gone for days without sending back a single word meant he must have run into significant trouble!

’In that case, should I get involved?’

’I have Big Mimi as a mount now, so I have a lot of freedom to come and go. I can manage my time. Still, before I decide whether to do this, I should go to the Lord’s Mansion first and see what’s going on...’

His mind made up, Jon saw no reason to say more to Vedri. After a simple nod to acknowledge him, he announced he had business to attend to and left the training grounds.

After he was gone, only Evans and Vedri remained on the training grounds.

Neither of them was the talkative type, so they would most likely just stand there and mind their own business without a word of exchange.

But perhaps out of curiosity, or perhaps shouldering some kind of mission, Vedri took the initiative and spoke.

"Evans, what do you think of Jon?"

The gray-eyed Swordsman stared at the Short Sword in his hand, still lost in the memory of the single strike Jon had used to break his defense. He was stunned for a moment when he heard Vedri’s voice, then snapped back to his senses.

He thought for a moment before giving his answer.

"I can’t see through him."

Hearing this, the curly-haired man’s tone remained unchanged as he pressed further.

"Can’t see through him? What do you mean?"

"Exactly what it sounds like. He has many secrets, and he won’t be explaining them to me."

"Perhaps Miss Reya knows more about him."

At this, Evans turned to look up at the sky, a rare note of sentiment in his voice.

"But... he is watched over and blessed by the Sun God. That proves he’s not a bad person."

"Not a bad person, huh..."

Vedri mulled over these words, his fingers drumming on the hilt of his sword. Finally, he turned and left without saying another word.

Evans paid him no mind, simply turning to pick up his sword and begin his daily Swordsmanship practice.

As a Swordsman of no extraordinary talent, after witnessing the glimpse Jon had shown him of the higher realms of Swordsmanship, he knew he had to redouble his efforts to achieve another breakthrough.

Meanwhile, after changing his clothes, Jon headed for the trading house’s rear courtyard. He wanted to see if Big Mimi was behaving itself and, if so, take the creature out for a walk.

When he got there, however, he saw someone unexpected.

Rosalind was standing in front of Big Mimi, scratching its chin like one would a cat. The creature’s eyes were narrowed in pleasure, and a deep purr like a roaring engine rumbled from its throat.

A light breeze stirred the gently falling snow. The silver-haired, silver-eyed Ice Beauty and the snow-white manticore, existing in perfect harmony, formed a picturesque scene.

But only Jon would have found the scene picturesque. The staff standing at a distance likely found it nothing short of terrifying.

They all wore expressions as if the sky were about to fall. They dared not leave, yet they dared not approach and cause a disturbance. When they saw Jon arrive, their relief was so palpable it was as if they’d just seen their savior.

A female attendant with a somewhat familiar face hurried over, her voice rushed.

"Mr. Jon, please, you have to talk to Lady Bennett! We... we really don’t dare go near!"

Jon nodded, then walked up to the woman and the beast. He reached out to pat Big Mimi’s nose while greeting his follower.

"Rosalind?"

"Ah... M... Mr. Jon..."

The ever-capable Rosalind seemed to have been lost in the pleasure of petting the "cat," as her reaction was uncharacteristically slow.

She pulled her hands back and clasped them in front of her, a hint of embarrassment that only Jon could detect showing on her serene face.

"You’re here. Are you preparing to go out with Big Mimi?"

"That was the plan. But if it’s not going to behave, I might just leave it here."

Hearing Jon say this, Big Mimi immediately let out a dissatisfied huff.

It had been stuck lying here since last night and had only gotten to eat one measly cow. If its rotten master didn’t take it out for some exercise soon, it would... it would—

"I give you an inch, and you take a mile? You have food and a place to stay, and you’re still not satisfied?"

Jon sensed Big Mimi’s emotions through their contract and tugged lightly on its whiskers.

It didn’t hurt, but it got the point across.

"AWOO..."

That one tug was enough to make the big cat deflate. Its ice-blue eyes looked pitifully toward Rosalind, like a child who’d been scolded by their father and was now looking to their mother for comfort.

Seeing this, Jon couldn’t help but ask in amusement.

"Hey, you two seem to get along quite well, huh?"

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