Chapter 171
Adventurer Polia.
She seemed to be revered among adventurers as a living legend.
However, from what I heard in adventurers’ stories, it appeared that for some reason she had currently stopped being active.
‘In the game, I didn’t really have much contact with a person named Polia.’
She had existed only as a rumor, a character that was never actually implemented. This was my first time seeing her in person.
And yet, she noticed my gaze and sat down in the seat next to me.
On top of that, she even asked whether I was an adventurer.
I didn’t sense any malice or wariness. She must have approached me purely out of curiosity.
Just by being close to her, I could instinctively feel that she was someone with considerable ability.
“……I’m not an adventurer.”
“Huh? Really? So you’re not an adventurer.”
“I just came to travel. And… there’s another reason as well.”
“Another reason?”
“It’s a journey to treat my younger sibling’s illness.”
After answering like that, I put a piece of steak into my mouth and motioned toward Rapin, who was sitting beside me with a blank expression and sparkling eyes.
“This here is Rapin. My biological younger sibling.”
I gazed steadily at Rapin and met her emerald-colored eyes for a moment.
She tilted her head, then quietly placed her fork on the table and brought her hand to her mouth along with a napkin.
“Cough, cough. Villed oppa. It hurts so much.”
……Thankfully, she had good sense. She was playing along with my words. I opened my mouth, putting on an act like the protagonist of a tragedy.
“Rapin, it hurts, right? Just endure a little longer. Oppa will make you better soon.”
“Mm, Villed oppa.”
Because of Rapin’s gentle tone, the acting felt slightly off, but…….
“……I see. Your sibling is sick.”
Polia nodded as if she understood. It seemed the acting had worked.
“But what your sibling is wearing, isn’t that a Yggdrasil school uniform?”
“Yes. We’re students.”
Polia recognized it at a glance. As expected of an adventurer who had seen and experienced many things, she seemed quite knowledgeable.
“I completely mistook you for adventurers.”
“I understand. There are a lot of adventurers gathered in Kirhen right now. Even when we took the train, the seats were full of adventurers.”
Polia kept alternating her gaze between my face and Rapin.
“Hmm. Your sibling is cute, but you’re not cute at all. Families that look this different really do exist.”
“Are you picking a fight with me?”
“Haha, sorry. That’s a misunderstanding. I didn’t mean it that way.”
Polia took a sip of her beer and continued.
“You came traveling together to treat your sibling’s illness. You really cherish your sibling.”
“Yes. My sibling is my only family. I absolutely want to cure the illness.”
“……You’re a good older brother. Right, family is precious.”
Polia showed a faint smile.
“I have precious family too.”
After saying that, Polia spoke with a slightly puzzled expression.
“But then, why did you bring a sick sibling all the way to Kirhen? Don’t tell me you also came to hunt Vedervel? To buy medicine with the reward money?”
At Polia’s question, I let out a dry laugh and replied.
“What are you saying. There’s no way we’d aim for Vedervel. Even if we’re students, we know our place.”
“Then why did you specifically come to Kirhen?”
“As I said, we came to treat my sibling’s illness. There’s a special medicinal herb that only grows here. You must have heard of it, Moonlight Herb.”
“Of course I know it. Moonlight Herb is Kirhen’s representative medicinal ingredient.”
“Yes. I was told that Moonlight Herb is necessary for my sibling to recover, so I came to find it myself. There really isn’t anywhere else to obtain it.”
“……Really?”
Polia took a drink of her beer and looked as if she were thinking for a moment.
Then, as if she had made up her mind, she opened her mouth.
“Hey, kid. I’m really sorry to pour cold water on your shining effort, but Moonlight Herb…… is extremely hard to obtain. I’ve lived in Kirhen for a long time, so I know, but recently the harvest has been so bad that there’s practically none at all.”
“Yes, indeed. It was difficult to obtain.”
“Right. So you already know. Don’t push yourself too hard. Even if you can’t find it, there’s no need to be too heartbroken.”
“No. I’ve already found one.”
“Yeah, right. ……Huh?”
Polia blinked belatedly.
Then she scratched her head and spoke.
“Kid, I think I misheard just now. What did you find?”
“Moonlight Herb. I said I already found one.”
“……Huh?”
Polia took a big gulp of the beer in her hand and let out a laugh.
“Kid, not every green plant by the roadside in Kirhen is Moonlight Herb, you know?”
“Of course. How could I mistake that beautiful blue glow for an ordinary roadside plant?”
When I answered seriously, the smile faded from Polia’s face.
“……You’re lying.”
“I’m telling the truth.”
“Then show me.”
“Ha…….”
I let out a light sigh as if it were bothersome.
“I don’t know why I’d need to show you, and I don’t want to show it for long. I’ll show it for exactly one second.”
“Fine, show me. You probably just mistook some weird plant…….”
Leaving Polia like that, I opened my subspace and put my hand inside.
Then I pulled something out while gripping it.
What was in my hand was…… a blue flower.
A gentle light seemed to flow along the veins of its leaves, and a dazzling blue radiance, like a condensed night sky, sparkled brilliantly.
After showing it in front of Polia’s eyes for a brief moment, I put it back into the subspace.
“There. Satisfied?”
“…….”
Polia stared with her eyes wide open, unable to close her mouth, as if she had been struck by shock.
“You…….”
Polia, who belatedly came to her senses, grabbed my shoulders with both hands.
“You, how did you get that?”
“I told you. There’s always a way to obtain it.”
“……A way to obtain it?”
Polia rubbed her cheeks with both hands, then leaned her face toward me again.
“Kid, that wasn’t a dream just now, right? I’m really sorry, but show me just once more!”
“No. Don’t bother me any further.”
“This is unbelievable. To think the day would come when I’d see Moonlight Herb again.”
Polia’s breathing grew more irregular and faster than before.
”……Boy, you’re not trying to pull some trick, are you?“
“Why would I go out of my way to make a counterfeit just to show it to you? What would I gain from that?”
“Right. You’re correct. That isn’t a fake. That beautiful natural light…… can never be made artificially. It was unmistakably a Moonlight Herb. I’ve seen it once in the past, so I know.”
Polia fell into thought for a moment, then opened her mouth.
“So, boy. Do you have some kind of secret method to find it?”
“Because of my unique magical energy, I was able to track the Moonlight Herb’s location.”
“The location?”
“Yes. That’s why I climbed South Mountain and harvested a single stalk there.”
“South Mountain? That place is a restricted zone. How did you get in there?”
In response to that question, I answered by taking a golden compass out of my pocket.
“A student of Finders……!”
Polia exclaimed in shock.
“You’re more of an elite than you look, huh?”
“What do you mean by ‘than I look’?”
“……”
Polia seemed to hesitate briefly and brought her hand to her lips.
“……Alright. If it’s you, I think I can tell you. Boy, what’s your name?”
“Villed.”
“I’m Polia. This meeting is fate guided by the goddess. Boy Villed, cooperate with me.”
Polia forcibly grabbed my hand.
“If you and I join hands…… capturing Bedervel will no longer be just a dream.”
I lightly shook her hand off and replied with an indifferent expression.
“Excuse me, but I don’t have the slightest interest in capturing Bedervel. I value my life too, you know.”
“B-Boy. Just listen to me until the end.”
Polia glanced around, then leaned her face a little closer to mine.
“This information must never be told to anyone else. I’ll tell only you. The reason Bedervel can’t leave Kirhen.”
Polia swallowed and whispered quietly near my ear.
“……Bedervel is looking for the Moonlight Herb.”
I stared straight into Polia’s eyes.
“On what basis am I supposed to believe that?”
“Believe me. It’s true, boy. I paid a hefty sum to an information crow to get this intel.”
Polia moved her face even closer and lowered her voice further.
“Adventurers from all over the country are gathering in Kirhen right now. Bedervel is surrounded by enemies on all sides, so fleeing to another region would be the smarter choice. And yet Bedervel is still hiding in Kirhen. There has to be a reason to stay. Doesn’t that serve as proof? And if you know the location of the Moonlight Herb…… then the chance of running into Bedervel is extremely high.”
“……That might be true.”
When I replied, Polia seized the opportunity and pleaded.
“Boy, you said you just climbed South Mountain, right? Let me warn you. Mountains like the Spitz Snowy Mountains in the northern outskirts…… if just the two of you climb them, there’s a high chance you’ll go missing. If you’re with me, that won’t happen.”
Polia continued in a more earnest voice.
”I’ll also act as your escort. Even if you discover Bedervel, you don’t have to participate in the fight at all. I’ll face Bedervel alone. Don’t worry about your safety.”
“And what exactly am I supposed to trust about you?”
“Me? I may not look it, but I’m quite strong.”
“How strong are we talking?”
“Well…… it’s hard to put it into exact words.”
Polia looked straight into my eyes and continued.
“What’s certain is that I’m stronger than Bedervel.”
Her voice was serious.
Her black pupils didn’t waver. They proved that she firmly believed the words she had spoken.
She said she was stronger than Bedervel. It wasn’t something that could be laughed off as arrogance.
A seasoned adventurer stakes their life every time, so they’re better at judging themselves than anyone else.
Surviving harsh adventures is proof of strength.
Moreover, Polia was a figure called a legend even among adventurers.
She must have a solid sense of self-assessment.
……And yet, she answered with firm conviction that she was stronger than the Empire’s First Sword.
“Boy, please. Work with me. Like you, my family is also in danger. It’s urgent. Now…… I can’t afford to delay any longer.”
“…….”
I let out a light sigh, then opened my mouth.
“There’s something important you skipped. If we capture Bedervel, how are you planning to split the reward?”
“Half of the hundred thousand. You’ll get exactly fifty thousand gold. You can also take the other half’s imperial knight title.”
“I’ll say it again—I won’t fight at all even if we encounter Bedervel. Is it really fine to give that kind of reward anyway?”
“Yes. You don’t need to help. I’ll handle it alone. I have no intention of forcing a student into battle.”
I met Polia’s gaze for a long moment, then finally nodded.
“……Alright. Well, nothing ventured, nothing gained. I was thinking anyway that I’d need companions if I were to climb the snowy mountains.”
“Good decision, boy.”
Polia smiled brightly and extended her hand.
I raised the corner of my lips and took her hand.
“Departure is tomorrow morning.”