31 [ Treasure-N-Quest 3 ]

Both of them fixated their curious gazes on me, eager to unravel the mystery of how I had uncovered the hidden scroll submerged in that serene lake.

"I had a hunch the moment we stumbled upon the first scroll beneath the gushing waters of the fountain. Coupled with some deductive reasoning, it began to make sense."

"You see, they mentioned there were a hundred scrolls concealed throughout Ruonar City, each offering no more than a pristine white sheet as an initial clue."

"It struck me that the information provided on that piece of paper was the primary hint. Therefore, the scroll must be concealed in a place that sets it apart from the rest."

As we strolled toward our rendezvous point, I continued, "Furthermore, let's recall our first scroll discovery beneath the fountain. The answer was 'shadow,' wasn't it? Now, 'shadow' isn't a location per se, so why did the riddle focus on it rather than specific places?"

"Well, the answer lies in the possibility that 'shadow' could also denote a place associated with shadows. The same context with the answer that denotes the place must be a farm."

"Now, when you think of 'shadow' in the context of Ruonar City, what's the first place that comes to mind?" I posed this question to my companions.

Both of them mulled over the question, their brows furrowing in concentration. Finally, Leno broke the silence with a confident response, "The Shadow Alleyway?" I nodded approvingly. "Precisely," I affirmed their answer.

"It's the only alleyway in Ruonar City that leads to a place renowned for crafting the finest potions," I added.

"So, when I first set foot in Ruonar's Park, three distinct features caught my attention: the tranquil lake, the majestic park center tree, and the inviting playground."

"However, I assumed the other two locations had already been discovered by someone else. Now, reflecting on it once more, Leno, when exactly did you stumble upon the white scroll?"

Leno's face contorted into a peculiar expression, seemingly taken aback by my deduction. "Oh, now that I think about it," he muttered, "it was at the park centre tree. Damn, you also got it right, kid. That's how I found it."

Leno's face displayed a mix of surprise and amusement. His eyebrows shot up, with a slight chuckle in response to my explanation. Naera applauded in admiration, her appreciation evident.

"Wow, I can't believe Aeren gave birth to you. You're almost a carbon copy of him," Leno mused, scratching the back of his head.

I contemplated his words before responding, "You mean my mother gave birth to me?"

Leno clarified, "It was a joke. Don't tell this to your father but he is the wife and Viora is the husband from what I saw."

"From what you saw!?"

"Gah. You know nothing about how they first met, ah forget about it, this joke doesn't work on you."

"Also what I mean is not just that, I meant it in terms of intelligence! Yes, you're like a younger version of Aeren from before his retirement," he proudly proclaimed.

Curious about my mother's, I asked, "And what about my mother?"

"Kid, your mother is, well, quite the force to be reckoned with. Don't get me wrong, I didn't mean it negatively. She's just incredibly formidable and has a bit of a temper. Even mentioning her nickname can strike fear into the hearts of A-Rank adventurers."

I was taken aback. This description of my mother was starkly different from the kind and gentle Viora I knew. It made me wonder...

I remembered a particular incident from my infancy when she had confronted a werewolf. She appeared incredibly imposing, blood dripping from her back as she relentlessly battled the creature, leaving it no room to retaliate.

Intrigued, I inquired, "So, what did they used to call her?"

Leno replied, "'The Hollow Sword.'"

Curious about its origin, I pressed further, "How did she earn that?"

"It's because she's endured numerous expenditures alone, on her own, always confronting them head-on with only her faithful silver sword by her side. She wasn't exactly the friendliest during those times, no smile at all, until she met her wife," Leno explained, punctuating his statement with his signature touch of humor.

For some reason, I couldn't stop myself from slightly laughing at his joke. "I wonder." I chuckled. "What if I told Mom about this?" I asked with a smile.

Leno chuckled along and said, "Please, spare me, kid. I'm still young enough to die."

"Hehh~ this is my first time hearing about Aunt Viora's past and I didn't expect that." Naera said.

"Life is full of surprises, kids." Leno replied.

…

We eventually reached the water fountain, with just about 10 minutes remaining before the gathering, and to my surprise, the rest of the group had already assembled there.

"It appears everyone's here," Vanessa commented.

"So, did your group discover anything?" Gina inquired of Leno.

"We stumbled upon a white and a red scroll," Leno disclosed.

"A red one!?" Gina and Vanessa both expressed their surprise, while Leno wore a confident smirk on his face.

Following that, we started sharing our search findings. Leno kicked things off with our discovery. When they learned that I had located the scroll in the lake, their faces contorted with bewilderment. I had to clarify once more, but this time I downplayed it, making it seem like more of a lucky hunch rather than a deliberate effort.

Next up was Gina's team, who had come across a blue scroll and a white scroll. Surprisingly, both scrolls had already been solved.

Finally, it was Vanessa's team's turn. They had discovered two yellow scrolls, with one already having a solution while the other remained unsolved.

I wanted to recheck the moment when Leno handed me the scroll, so I turned to Vanessa and asked her to pass it over. With no hesitation, she agreed and tossed the scroll to me. As soon as it touched my hand...

[ You have found the scroll ]

[ You have earned +1 Essence Point ]

[ You have found (3/10) scrolls ]

It seemed that having the scroll in my hand was crucial to completing the task.

"Could you solve it for me while you're at it?" she requested.

"Are you sure? Wouldn't that mean I get the marble?" I inquired.

"Who said I was giving it to you? I just want you to become more familiar with the riddle, but the marble will be mine," Vanessa replied unabashedly. I chuckled to her response.

I didn't have any intention of keeping the marble for myself anyway. I proceeded to read the riddle aloud and began contemplating the answer.

"The City's Gate."

[ You have solved the scroll ]

[ You have earned +1 Essence Point ]

[ You have solved (2/5) scrolls ]

This is the pursuit that is worth my time and effort.

I tossed the yellow marble to Vanessa, and she caught it with an air of anticipation. "Oh, good job!" she exclaimed.

"Hmm~ you're more skilled than I anticipated," Gina muttered to herself.

"Alright, actually, I have something important to discuss with all of you," Gina began.

"I believe this will greatly improve our ability to search for the scrolls effectively," she remarked while jotting down certain words on the paper.

Then, she passed the pen to the others. "Now, write down all the answers on this paper." I could see where this was heading now. Initially, I contemplated explaining the situation, but it appeared that Gina had already caught on to it as well.

She started explaining to the others in a manner similar to how I had explained to Leno and Naera. However, her explanation was notably clearer than mine.

Once she had clarified the pattern of this search quest, we wasted no time and promptly resumed our search, with everyone now comprehending the strategy elucidated by Gina.

Armed with our newfound clue, we made our way towards the location, the answer to the scroll.

As the team set off towards their designated locations, Gina cast a brief, subtle smile in Raul's direction, her gaze fixed upon him.