Seeker 294

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Chapter 294. Journey Through The Desert

In the desert kingdom of Narija, a member of the royal family, Princess Lulu, was terrified by the expansive red landscape before her.

"Why... Father..."

With brown skin and black hair, the 16 year old girl collapsed in the king's bedroom.

On the floor nearby lay her beloved curved sword, stained with blood.

In front of her, beside the bed, lay her father—the king.

The king's clothing was dyed deep crimson across a wide area from his chest to his abdomen.

Blood spread unbelievably across the bed and floor.

Princess Lulu had a gut feeling that her father was beyond saving.

Lulu couldn't quite comprehend the situation.

That was the scene that greeted her upon waking.

No, she had some recollection.

She had gone out to subjugate monsters—Sandworms, beasts that appeared in the desert—with the palace warriors.

During that subjugation, Lulu was attacked from behind.

While she was surprised by the hot pain running through her back, she lost consciousness one after another from the successive attacks.

"L-Lulu... Are you there?"

"Father!"

She heard the king's faint voice and hurriedly crawled to his side.

Despite being soaked in blood, Lulu lifted the king's upper body.

From his pocket, the king took out a brooch with a purple gem embedded in it.

"Hold this... and go to the grave of the founding king... there, you'll find the Mirror of Truth... Ask... Rashad..."

"F-Father... Father!? Please wake up, Father!"

Even after the king breathed his last, Lulu continued to scream.

Tears flowed from her eyes, dripping onto the king's cheeks.

Footsteps approached from outside the room.

The door got vigorously knocked on, and then opened, revealing several warriors and servants.

Upon witnessing the blood-soaked scene inside the room, the servants screamed.

The warriors restrained Princess Lulu, considering her the prime suspect.

＊＊＊

Three days after the futile battle with the ruffian Gelzer, on a night.

We were traveling through the desert at night with a caravan of many camels.

"Ugh, it's cold... Senpai, I want you to warm me up~"

"I want the same, but clinging to you makes it hard to walk."

"Yeah, I want to stay attached to Daichi-kun forever."

"............"

"Kazane-san, Senpai associates attachment with something lewd, so it's not good."

"Lewd...? Ah! N-No, that's not what I meant! Daichi-kun!"

"This is unreasonable..."

The usual banter among us, Kazane, Yuzuki, and me.

The Griffin fluttered above my head, chirping "Kupii" intermittently.

While deserts are typically associated with heat, nights in the desert are cold.

Still, it's much better than the daytime heat, so we walk at this time.

When traversing the desert, we sleep in the shade during the day and walk at night.

This is the desert-walking method taught to us by our employer, the wolf tribe merchant, Volff-san.

"Hahaha! You youngsters are in your prime. It's enviable. I had such times with my wife too."

Volff-san said so, spurring us on.

He's a man in his thirties with a manly physique, silver-gray hair, and wolf-like ears and tail.

He wore thick clothing that covered his entire body, reminiscent of the desert people.

Volff-san is not only our employer. But also the leader of the caravan we're accompanying.

Each of the more than ten camels is loaded with goods.

We're in the middle of a trading journey to the far eastern country called Yamatai.

It's a land where people of the same race as us, with black hair and black eyes, live.

By the way, between the incident with Gelzer and taking on this escort request from Volff-san, we cleared another quest.

It was a request from the fishermen's union in the port town of Baren to subjugate a ghost ship, but it's not particularly important, so let's put it aside.

Just note that by completing the mission Defeat three Wights, a new mission to Defeat three Mummies was triggered.

"Volff-san, were you married? How's your wife doing now?"

Shivering from the cold, Yuzuki clung to me and asked Volff-san.

While looking at us, Volff-san smiled wryly and replied.

"She's raising the kids at our house in the trading city of Bern. I'd like to relax at home once in a while, but for that, I need to earn enough to bring back."

"I see. Being a merchant is tough too."

"You bet. So, it would be troublesome if anything happened to the cargo. Girls, I'm counting on you to protect the cargo for the reward they're paying."

"Got it. You can leave it to us as if we're on a big ship."

Clutching onto me, she lacked persuasiveness.

I lightly pat Yuzuki's head and call the Griffin flying above my head, then jump it onto the chest of the kouhai clinging to me.

Yuzuki happily hugs the Griffin, moving away from me a little.

Watching that scene with a smile, I turn to Volff-san.

"We'll do our best as much as possible. As long as we don't encounter formidable opponents, I think we'll be fine."

"You're reliable, big brother. Please take care of my sister."

"Yes, leave it to us. We'll make sure to protect Volff-san and the cargo for your family's sake. Right, Daichi-kun?"

Saying so, this time, it's Kazane who clings to me.

Though I agree, I can't help but feel that showing this kind of scene to the client would only make them anxious.

Objectively, it would seem like a foolish couple trivializing their work and enjoying a picnic.

Anyway, that's what happened one night as we walked through the desert.

I felt a slight tremor, almost like an earthquake.

It gradually intensified.

Volff-san, while trying to calm the camels that were about to break formation with fear, shouted.

"This might be... it! One of the most dangerous monsters in this desert!"

Indeed, the merchant's wolf tribe's intuition was correct.

Soon, from ahead in the direction of our progress, something running underground, stirring up the desert sands, approached.

It surfaced from the ground, raising sand, a giant creature that looked like a huge caterpillar.

Even just the part that emerged on the surface exceeded five meters in length.

It was over a meter, and even if it spread its arms, it couldn't hold them all.

When the head, which would be its head, opened its mouth, sharp teeth lined up inside.

"So that's the Sandworm... Kazane, Yuzuki!"

"Yeah, Daichi-kun!"

"Let's take it down!"

With my divine spear, Kazane and I rushed toward the giant monster.

Yuzuki provided support from behind.

"Be careful! It's a formidable enemy, though I think you understand!"

Volff-san's warning reached us.

With his voice at our backs, Kazane and I finally dove into the Sandworm's embrace.

"Hah...!"

The head of the giant caterpillar moved unexpectedly fast, attempting to swallow Kazane whole, but she skillfully dodged it by leaping aside.

Upon landing, Kazane jumped towards the attacking Sandworm.

I measured the distance and launched my attack.

"Take this! [Three Strikes]!"

"Here I go, Fenrir Arrow!"

Including Yuzuki, three attacks exploded almost simultaneously.

Three consecutive strikes from the divine spear, two consecutive strikes from the dagger, and a magical bullet that bloomed into ice flowers, all hit the Sandworm's colossal body at once—

And instantly, the Sandworm's massive body dissipated into black mist.

Then, a large magic stone fell to the ground.

As I picked it up, I heard the voice of our employer.

"What...!? Y-You defeated it in an instant!? The Sandworm...!?"

The surprised and bewildered employer, nearly losing his balance as he was pulled by the camel, quickly regained his composure and pulled the reins back.

I went to Volff-san's side to help calm the camels with the other attendants.

"As you can see, we're capable. As long as we don't encounter formidable opponents, I think we'll be fine."

"Haa... Adventurers are truly unpredictable."

Having overcome a small obstacle, we finally arrived at the oasis city known as the Desert Capital in the early morning of the day after tomorrow.