Seeker 356

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Chapter 356. The Altered Quest

"The quest details have changed... is that correct?"

"Yes. Last night, the butler of the Holmlund family came by and requested the changes. I warned him that under these conditions, no one would take the quest, but he insisted, saying 'it's what the master desires.'"

The receptionist at the Adventurers' Guild answered my question with an apologetic look.

This happened the morning after we arrived in the city of Lahati.

We visited the Adventurers' Guild and checked the board to see if yesterday’s S-rank quest was still available. It was, but something seemed off.

The details had been altered, so I went to ask the receptionist about it.

The newly posted quest details read as follows:

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Quest Overview: Obtain a Roc Bird’s Egg

Quest Rank: S (Recommended Level: 25 or higher / 8 participants)

Client: Count Holmhrund (Agent: Butler Ove)

Quest Details: The young lady of the house wishes to eat the legendary omelet made from a Roc bird’s egg. We’ve learned that a Roc bird appears in Monster Mountain to the northwest. If defeated, a treasure chest will appear, containing the egg. The Roc bird is a mighty monster, but we ask you to beat it and bring back the egg.

Additionally, the young lady wishes to see the Roc bird with her own eyes. Therefore, escorting her to witness the Roc bird is also a required part of completing the quest. Her safety is of utmost importance.

Reward: 250 gold coins

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The last part of the quest had conditions so absurd, it was hard to believe.

None of this had been written in yesterday's description. If these conditions were there, I wouldn't have thought this quest was a good opportunity.

When I asked the receptionist what this was about, I got the response from earlier.

The reward, by the way, remains the same as yesterday—right at the threshold of an appropriate S-rank quest.

"Senpai, I think we should pass on this. This client gives off a real bad vibe."

"Yeah, I feel the same. But an S-rank quest with a Roc bird... that's tempting. Should we just go to Monster Mountain without taking the quest?"

"That’s an option too..."

Listening to Yuzuki and Kazane's opinions, I thought it over.

The missions related to this Roc bird quest are "Defeat one Roc bird" and "Complete three S-rank quests”.

The former would earn 50,000 experience points for defeating one Roc bird.

As for the latter, I've completed one of three S-rank quests so far, and completing all three would net me 80,000 experience points.

However, as Yuzuki pointed out, given the changes to the quest and what the receptionist said, this client is likely the type of person who imposes unreasonable demands.

If that's the case, Kazane's idea of just going to hunt the Roc bird without the quest seems like a reasonable alternative.

Monster Mountain near this city is known as one of the few places in the world where Roc birds appear. Even if we skip the quest, it'd be a waste to pass up Monster Mountain itself.

However, if we can also complete an S-rank quest at the same time, that’s obviously preferable. The suspicion that the client might be difficult is just speculation for now. We could at least visit the client’s mansion and hear them out.

None of the other quests on the board seemed as enticing or relevant to our mission as the Roc bird quest.

So, what should we do?—As we were debating this, the receptionist made an unexpected suggestion.

"If you're even slightly interested in this quest, I could accompany you to the Holmlund estate and try to convince the client again. How does that sound?"

This was an offer I hadn’t anticipated.

"Wait, you'd go that far for us?"

"Yes. Normally, this isn’t something we do... but to be honest, the butler’s been pestering the guild daily, asking if anyone has taken the quest yet. Frankly, we're tired of it, and I doubt there are adventurers more suited for this than you."

The guild is aware that we’ve broken through our limits and surpassed level 50. So, when she says "suited," that’s what she means.

This receptionist, who initially seemed intimidated by our level, quickly adjusted when we asked her to act normally. There’s something subtly competent about her.

In any case, if she’s willing to negotiate, that’s reassuring.

"Alright, we’ll take you up on that."

With the understanding that we might not accept the quest depending on how things go, we headed to Count Holmlund’s estate.

After leaving the guild, we followed the receptionist to the upscale residential area, stopping in front of an especially large mansion.

The vast property, including the mansion, was surrounded by a stone wall. At the main gate, a guard stood holding a spear.

The receptionist explained our business to the guard and requested to meet with the person in charge. The guard gave us a suspicious look.

"If you're here about the Roc bird egg, four adventurers already came and left with Elvira-sama and Butler Ove. Are you sure there isn’t some mistake?"

The guard seemed to be openly doubting us, as if asking, "What are you talking about?"

But we were just as confused. The receptionist turned pale.

"That’s impossible! These adventurers are the only ones who’ve even consulted the guild about that quest!"

"I don’t know what to tell you. The adventurers came earlier and took Elvira-sama with them."

Yuzuki, who had been thinking, spoke up to the receptionist.

"Could it be that they bypassed the guild and hired rogue adventurers directly?"

"I... don’t know. But..."

The receptionist seemed just as baffled by the situation as we were.

Just then—

"—Daichi-kun!"

Kazane sharply looked up at the sky.

A moment later, I followed her gaze.

Whizzing through the air, an arrow shot toward us—not on a trajectory to hit.

It struck the stone wall of the Holmlund estate and fell a few meters in front of the gate.

Attached to the arrow was a folded piece of paper.

"A message...?"

The guard, wary, approached the arrow and picked it up. After some hesitation, he removed the letter and read it.

His eyes widened in shock, his voice trembling as he spoke.

"Elvira-sama... has been kidnapped?!"