[Main Quest #9]
-Stop Teron.
Teron of House Vyuern. Crushed under mounting pressure, he made an irreversible mistake and entered into a contract with a Demon.
Defeat Teron in battle, and save him.
Reward: 200 exp, 30 gold, the title ‘King of the First-Years’
Failure Penalty: Death
※ This quest cannot be refused.
I was in the middle of a hidden piece, but apparently that hadn’t changed the condition for triggering the quest: collecting fifty headbands.
Defeating Teron, the boss of this chapter.
It was a quest I had cleared so many times I had practically chewed it up, torn it apart, and savored it. With my current specs, it was easy enough to clear with my eyes closed.
The problem was—
‘…Nothing changed?’
Since the hidden piece had triggered, I expected the quest itself to change too.
But there was no change? That meant I had taken the wrong approach.
It wasn’t my fault. Guiding a hidden piece—especially one I was seeing for the first time—down the correct path was close to impossible.
‘Maybe giving up really is the right choice…’
That was the rational decision.
Choose and focus.
It wasn’t a useless ability in games. No, if anything, it mattered even more in games.
And if the game was infamous for its dogshit difficulty—and I was trapped inside it—then it mattered more than ever.
“…”
So why was I still hesitating? Nothing special. Just the pride of a veteran player.
And—
‘I want to help Teron and Daike somehow.’
—because of that ridiculous thought.
I didn’t know whether it was because I had met the two of them in reality instead of inside a game, or because I had gotten closer to the truth.
“Ggh…”
“Th-the Demon is agonizing! I-it has to be the anguish that will bring about the continent’s destruction!”
While Rezé spun in circles on all fours and made a racket, Luna scratched the back of her head and walked over.
“Don’t you think it’s about time you told us?”
“Pardon?”
“I’m asking what your plan is. How are we supposed to keep up if we don’t know what you’re thinking?”
Come to think of it, Luna was a genius when it came to creating variables.
The problem was that those variables didn’t always work in our favor.
‘Maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to ask for her opinion?’
Since it was Luna, I gave her a simple explanation of the situation I was in.
That contradictory dilemma of wanting to save Teron and Daike while also getting excellent results ourselves.
After hearing me out, Luna actually fell into thought.
Our Luna, thinking something through. I was so moved I could have cried.
Was this how fathers felt when raising daughters?
Anyway, even Luna, the queen of unexpected twists, didn’t seem to have an answer.
So I really should just give up—
“What? That’s easy.”
“Pardon?”
“You just beat them into submission. If someone keeps getting hit, they eventually come to their senses. It’s the same with Magic Tools, isn’t it?”
Comparing a person to a Magic Tool.
Looks like I had failed as a father. No, “brought about total ruin” would probably be more accurate.
“Problem solved! Let’s go! Charge forward!”
Charge forward.
As Luna dragged me along, I couldn’t help but pause.
The phrase felt familiar.
I’d heard it today too. From whom again…?
-You simply think too much. That isn’t a bad thing, but sometimes the right answer is to push through boldly.
Right. It was Adonis.
Advice from an old man walking toward the end of the world.
The reason his words came back to me now wasn’t just because I had heard them earlier.
‘One of the roles characters serve is to provide clues.’
If making a bold choice was the key to clearing this hidden piece—
From experience, it probably wasn’t. But there weren’t any other options either.
And if the result would be the same no matter what, then there was no harm in throwing the dice.
“Let’s go.”
“What, did you think of something?”
A certain sentence suddenly came to mind.
Something logical. A classic line.
Naturally, the gaming world had its own famous sayings too.
And there was one that fit this situation perfectly.
“First, we hit them.”
Luna flashed a grin at my words.
“Now that’s my friend.”
And so we headed for the place where the protagonists had gathered.
With Rezé wailing behind us—
“Th-the Demon’s plan is beginning!”
Since I already knew the way, it didn’t take long to reach our destination.
Warm sunlight, cool stream water, even the sweet chirping of birds.
It was a place where exhausted bodies and minds could recover, and where you could inspect your gear one last time before the final battle.
A place so beautiful it was called the resting place of the gods.
And there—
“I heard everything! To think you’d steal Luna’s first camping experience! How could you do such a thing when you’re the head of the Love Aid Club?!”
“Eek! You should’ve helped me! Where have you even been all this time? I didn’t give you the title of vice-head for nothing, you know!”
A weasel and a marten were fiercely bickering.
“It’s so unfair! I was a victim too! That thug forced me to… sob…”
“Hmph! If it were me, I would’ve bitten off my tongue and died first!”
Girls, anyone hearing this is going to get the wrong idea.
What is it with camping that has you making this much of a scene?
“Ah… this is seriously annoying. Now I remembered it again.”
Luna suddenly turned around and wiped her tears.
Luna, of all people, was crying.
I couldn’t believe it.
Camping… was it really that important to a girl?
Maybe it was the kind of event on the level of an anniversary or a proposal.
Either way, it definitely looked like I had committed a grave offense.
“Awaken, Demon! D-don’t make Luna cry!”
Rezé, with a red headband tied around her forehead, raised up a picket sign.
The striking rabbit had returned after a long absence.
I resolved that situation easily enough by snapping the sign in half and stuffing her upside down into a box.
Because the rabbit wasn’t the issue right now.
“We’ll go camping the day vacation starts. We’ll eat good food and watch the stars!”
If Luna stayed upset, then I wouldn’t even get to hammer things in place(?) later.
I was circling around her and pleading while she hid her face with both hands, when I noticed her glancing at me through the gaps between her fingers.
“…Ten times.”
“Pardon?”
“You have to do it with me at least ten times.”
“Isn’t that a bit much?”
“Sob… I’m going to die without ever going camping again!”
“Understood! Ten times! I’ll give you the best camping experience possible!”
Luna immediately held out her pinky.
And that was only the beginning. We hooked fingers, signed, copied it, took a photo, and even wrote out a contract.
“May I at least read what it says?”
“I might just drop out.”
“If it’s what Luna wants, I’d even make a contract with a Demon!”
Even a Demon’s contract, the very symbol of unfair agreements, probably wasn’t this bad.
I feel like I’ve been had somehow… but maybe that’s just my imagination.
“Come over here and soak your feet. The stream water’s really cold.”
“Zero! My friend is here!”
“Love is romance too.”
As befitting the final location, it wasn’t just Yuridia and Victoria here. Alex, Raymon, and Adonis were there too.
While Luna was busy stuffing Raymon upside down into the stream, I took a place beside Alex.
“You two are close as ever.”
“Keke, are you jealous?”
“Maybe. To be more precise, I’m jealous that I’m not the one getting your attention.”
“…?”
This one seemed to be going off the rails too.
Surrounded by men who threatened my chastity(?).
But that wasn’t what mattered right now.
“I want to save Teron and Daike.”
Maybe it was because I skipped the small talk and went straight to the point.
Or maybe it was because they simply couldn’t understand what I meant.
Either way, the kids all looked at me strangely.
“I-I’m fine with it! If it’s what Zero wants, I can do anything! Ufufu!”
…Everyone except Raymon, who was still bobbing in and out of the water.
“Zero, didn’t I tell you already? Saving both of them is impossible.”
“What do you mean, save them? No, before that, why are you even worried about them?”
Yuridia and Victoria both flared up at once.
This was what happened when there was too much of a gap in information.
I could try persuading them by telling them what I knew from the game, but—
‘Setting aside the source, it wouldn’t sound credible.’
It made no sense for an ordinary student like me to know even the secrets of House Vyuern.
I needed someone who could back me up.
Someone who had information on the same level I did.
There weren’t any other players in this world, but fortunately, there was one person who was close enough.
“How long are you going to keep standing there and watching?”
“Huh? What are you suddenly—”
Just as the others tilted their heads in confusion—
“…Insolent brat.”
Caron emerged from the forest.
In truth, he had been following us for quite a while.
More accurately, he had been lingering around Luna.
“Keke, eavesdropping on the conversations of young students. How sneaky of you.”
“I was merely monitoring the place where a major conflict was likely to occur for safety reasons. Especially when someone like you, a magnet for trouble, requires active surveillance.”
He said stalker-level things so casually.
As expected of Caron.
“With hearing that sharp, I’m sure you overheard my concerns. Well then, how about it? Would you care to act like a proper teacher and help solve your student’s problem?”
“A teacher cannot interfere during an exam.”
“Is that so? Then how about a lesson in history? Is that allowed?”
“Well… something on that level should be fine. If you all wish to waste your precious time of your own accord, I can humor you for that much.”
Yuridia and Victoria tried to object immediately, but Alex stopped them.
“There has to be a reason. Right?”
“Maybe. Maybe not.”
Once Yuridia and Victoria fell silent, Caron finally spoke.
“So then, what is it you want to know?”
“Please explain the hunting dog system.”
“The hunting dog system is an institution—a mechanism, really—designed to make the lives of nobles more comfortable. These days, proper treatment of servants is considered one of the standards of a great house, so the practice is gradually disappearing, but a few families still make active use of it.”
It was a smooth explanation, befitting someone who worked as an information broker while disguised as a teacher.
But it still wasn’t the information I wanted.
“Well? Was that a good lesson? Requesting a lecture in the middle of final exams. It’s impressive enough that I almost want to deduct points.”
“Keke, if that’s all there is to it, I’m a little disappointed.”
“That sounded very much like you think there’s something I left out.”
“And if I said there was… would you tell us?”
In other words, would he reveal it even if it was top-secret information?
Caron’s lips twisted upward.
The children’s faces turned pale.
“I would. Assuming it’s information I actually possess.”
“I’ve heard House Vyuern has operated the hunting dog system for a long time.”
“That’s right. More than a hundred and fifty years, I’d say.”
“Maybe because of that, I heard they have a tradition.”
Caron’s face stiffened at once.
He had already realized what I was about to ask next.
“Would you tell us what it is?”
“…Why don’t you explain it yourself? You seem to know already.”
“Keke, surely a mere student couldn’t possibly possess knowledge superior to his teacher’s.”
Caron glared at me like he wanted to kill me.
It was information too ugly and cruel to reveal to the world, which was why it had never been made public.
So from his perspective, seeing it about to be dragged out into the open had to be infuriating.
But he couldn’t refuse to tell the truth, either.
Because if he didn’t, then I would.
“…That’s right. As you said, the hunting dogs of House Vyuern, Teron’s family, follow a special tradition.”
In the year a child of the family turned five—
An orphan of the same age would be found and given to that child as a gift.
That orphan would spend every waking moment with the child, and naturally become that child’s personal hunting dog.
A hunting dog, a sibling, a companion, a friend—or perhaps something beyond even that.
And then, after they spent five years together, in the year both children turned ten—
“A command is given to the noble child.”
An order to kill their own hunting dog.
That’s right. To personally kill the one person who had spent more time by your side than anyone else.
That was—
House Vyuern’s special hunting dog tradition.
–TL Notes–
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Hmm…I wonder how would this tied in to Daike unusual talent?
And would Teron get a buff if he kill Daike?
But if Duje Zeppelin himself max out at 8star,It clearly not that amazing