Chapter 45， The Drake-Riding Dilemma To Guard or Not to Guard

Wait, what are you pointing at?

"Is that the owner of the riding drake!? We must definitely hire them as our guards!"

"Wow, this is incredible! To have such a powerful Drake at your side, you must be quite the skilled adventurer, right?"

"Chairman! With this, we can feel safe having him as our escort!"

It was clear that they were eager to hire us. But hold on, Chairman—didn't you just say we needed trustworthy adventurers?

"What are we going to do about this?

We're supposed to be heading to the 'Apostles of the Fang,' right? Is it really okay to waste time here?"

"Well, I'll leave the decision up to you, Suzanne. With Snow's speed, we can make up for a day's delay."

Ava and Trinity were looking to me for a call. What should I do?

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Alive In World Online Chat Thread 902

105: Anonymous Adventurer: 02/28/2059 (Fri) 19:20:19 ID: RRdb6to12

"By the way, is it true that the Deep Green Forest is also known as the Maiden's Forest?"

106: Anonymous Adventurer: 02/28/2059 (Fri) 19:22:21 ID: KLsT410bl

"Monster girls, am I right?"

107: Anonymous Adventurer: 02/28/2059 (Fri) 19:23:59 ID: Ms6kinMan

"Not a big fan of that forest. There's not much muscle to it."

108: Shisha Kaoruko: 02/28/2059 (Fri) 19:25:02 ID: EVA2014Fifth

Indeed, the deep green forest is known as the Maiden's Woods, named for the female monsters that inhabit it.

109: Adventurer Anonymous: 2059/02/28 (Fri) 19:27:43 ID: AnT1m9C9

>>108 That's interesting. By the way, what kinds of monsters are there?

110: Adventurer Anonymous: 2059/02/28 (Fri) 19:30:21 ID: KLsT410bl

Female werecats, female werewolves, lamias, harpies, arachnes, female centaurs, etc.

111: Shisha Kaoruko: 2059/02/28 (Fri) 19:31:02 ID: EVA2014Fifth

Just so you know, despite the name "monster girls," the human part is merely a human shape, while the rest is that of a grotesque monster.

112: Adventurer Anonymous: 2059/02/28 (Fri) 19:31:21 ID: dn50SekkA

Oh, that's wonderful!

113: Adventurer Anonymous: 2059/02/28 (Fri) 19:32:35 ID: nzo3IxtI73

I was let down by how much I had looked forward to it. The lamia looks just like a snake woman! The resemblance to a human makes it all the more terrifying.

114: Adventurer Anonymous: 2059/02/28 (Fri) 19:33:19 ID: RRdb6to12

"What...!?"

Damn it! I thought I could get cozy with a monster girl!

115: Adventurer Anonymous: 2059/02/28 (Fri) 19:33:21 ID: dn50SekkA

This is ridiculous... what a disappointment!! ヽ(｀Д´)ノ

116: Adventurer Anonymous: 2059/02/28 (Fri) 19:35:11 ID: P6so7GdaN

>>110 By the way, what's the difference between a werecat and a werewolf versus a cat beastman (ketsuki) or a wolf beastman (wiiruf)?

117: Adventurer Anonymous: 2059/02/28 (Fri) 19:37:59 ID: Ms6kinMan

Indeed, muscles are the best.

118: Adventurer Anonymous: 2059/02/28 (Fri) 19:38:21 ID: KLsT410bl

The fundamental difference between monsters and beastmen is whether they possess intelligence. As 111 and 113 said, monsters can be viewed as humanoid creatures, while beastmen are much closer to humans, especially the females, haha.

119: Adventurer Anonymous: 2059/02/28 (Fri) 19:39:21 ID: dn50SekkA

Damn... maybe I should have set my sights on the Beast Kingdom from the start...!

120: Adventurer Anonymous: 2059/02/28 (Fri) 19:41:11 ID: P6so7GdaN

Are beastfolk really that different from monsters?

121: Anonymous Adventurer: 2059/02/28 (Fri) 19:42:35 ID: nzo3IxtI73

The name "Maiden's Forest" isn't exactly helpful, either. Its alternate naming and connection to monster girls can easily lead to misunderstandings.

The Marcha Caravan consists of just three members: President Marcha and two employees, Baine and Bachina. Their trading route connects the underground city of Emerald Green with the port town of Boatport and the vampire-ruled country of Midnight. They also supply goods to several villages along the way, supporting their vital lifelines. The village we're headed to now is one of those.

"So, you can only bring trusted adventurers to this village?"

"More precisely, we prefer adventurers who are tight-lipped."

Tight-lipped, huh? That seems to imply there might be some secrets in that village… or is the very nature of the trade there something too sensitive to be divulged? Honestly, it makes me wonder if there's something shady about the caravan itself.

"If you're willing to take on this request, I'd like to offer you this as an advance payment."

With that, President Marcha handed me a ring, slightly larger than usual. It's a bit bulky to be a bracelet, isn't it?

"Chairman! Are you really going to give that away?! It's an extremely rare Ava item—if we're not careful, we might never get another chance to acquire it!"

"It's necessary. To earn their trust, we must first show that we believe in them. By giving them this reward, we demonstrate our sincerity."

It seems this Ava item is indeed quite rare. I mean, never to be obtained again...? Come on, Chairman Marcha, you're a businessman! Won't you lose out by offering something like that as a reward?

"Do you really trust us that much after just meeting? The moment we receive this advance payment, we could just take off!"

"Don't worry. By questioning us, you've already shown you wouldn't betray us. If that were your intention, you'd just accept the reward in silence and pretend to guard it."

Well, if that were the case, I suppose silence would be the best policy.

"And besides, if you tried to pull something, the guards present would record your criminal history. That record would be linked to your guild card through the verification systems of each region's guards, ensuring you'd never be able to enter the town again."

Ah, so this guard is deliberately making the reward transaction visible to prevent any escape with it. At the same time, they're proving that there's no dishonesty in their business dealings.

Surprisingly resilient. Despite her small stature, she's clearly the president of the caravan. But what should we do? Our goal is the Angel Quest, and this time, the apostle we face is the "Apostle of Fang." We simply don't have the luxury to serve as the caravan's guards. Plus, running through the forest means her massive size would hinder us, making it impossible for Snow to accompany us. We might have to leave her behind. Still, abandoning her like this doesn't sit right with me. True, if we don't take her with us, they'll likely return to Emerald Green and hire someone else at the Adventurers' Guild, but that would delay our departure and negatively impact the village.

While I ponder this dilemma, President Macha explains the reward ring's effect. "Oh, I almost forgot to mention—this item, the Ava-Tem, is a Beast Shrinking Ring, crafted in the old Central Kingdom. It allows you to change the size of your beast. It seems the people of the old Central Kingdom aimed to make caring for their beasts easier and save on expenses by shrinking them."

What…?! So, if I use this on Snow, I can carry her around? What an incredible Ava-Tem! But wait. If it's this valuable, doesn't that mean it will come with a hefty price tag?

Trinity, who was thinking the same thing as I was, hesitantly asked, "If that Ava item is really that incredible, then it must cost a pretty penny, right?"

"Indeed, it's worth two gold coins—20,000 gold," was the reply.

20,000 gold… that's two million yen! Are you serious!? For just a bodyguard job, that's insane!

"It's a reward of such value, so I want you to understand the importance of not betraying my trust," they added.

Wow, this chairman is truly something else. Anticipating that we were struggling to manage a colossal Drake, they chose this beast-scaling ring as a reward. Even if it's an Ava item that can't be obtained again, their willingness to part with it easily speaks volumes about their confidence and insight into what we needed. More importantly, by offering something of high value, they're making it clear how much they're counting on us and putting pressure on us to deliver.

Chairman Marcha is incredible!

"Alright, with something this valuable, we have to accept the job. However, we're also on a tight schedule, so we won't be able to provide security for too long."

I decided to take on the request. Sure, it would cost us some time, but considering the ease it would bring in managing Snow, it was worth the effort.

I'll suggest that we limit the duration of the escort duty.

"Hm, I would prefer to have a regular contract in the future, but this is unavoidable. For now, please arrange for an escort from the village to the Kingdom of Night."

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I quickly used the beast contraction ring I had received on Snow. This ring can expand and contract, fitting snugly around Snow's neck when I attached it. As I activated the ring, Snow shrank rapidly to the size of a small puppy.

"Eek! So cute!"

"I can't help but want to hug him!"

"Growl!"

Trinity and Ava crowded around the now small Snow, who seemed to enjoy the attention, allowing them to pet him without reservation.

"It's lovely to see him like this, but make sure you stay alert on the escort duty."

Well, once we set off, I'm sure they'll focus on the task at hand, but it's good to remind them. Chairman Marcha had intended for us to leave on a tight schedule, so we could head to the village right away.

"If it's alright, I'd like to depart immediately."

At Chairman Marcha's signal, we made our way to the village nestled in the lush green forest. In the three-carriage convoy, Chairman Marcha took the lead as the driver, Baiyin sat in the middle, and Batchina brought up the rear.

We set up our defense against monsters by placing Ava at the front of the wagon. I took the middle wagon with Snow, keeping an eye out for any ambush from the sides, while Trinity was positioned at the rear for back protection.

As we made our way toward the village, monster attacks were inevitable. This lush green forest is also known as the Maiden's Forest, and it's said that all the monsters here are female.

We encountered various creatures—werewolves, werecats, lamias, harpies, arachnes, centaurs, and others—each one fitting the description of a so-called "girl monster." There are even some species that are only female by nature.

Yet, despite the cute label of "girl monsters," they were anything but endearing. While they had human-like forms, their faces were far from human. For instance, lamias looked like literal snake-women, with serpent-like eyes and tongues. The werewolves and werecats weren't charming girls with human appearances adorned with dog or cat ears; they were brutal, bipedal beasts. Centaurs, too, had wild, untamed features that made them far from what one would consider a girl monster.

We fought our way through these female monsters. Thanks to Ava's perception abilities, we quickly detected oncoming threats, and we dealt with most of them ourselves. Trinity had little opportunity to join in this time, as her role was primarily to guard the rear.

And there was one more... Snow was also making quite an impact. With her smaller size, she was now able to maneuver adeptly, dashing through the battlefield with her natural agility. Moreover, Snow could utilize light-based magic, conjuring countless luminous orbs and sending them flying at the monsters. Particularly in the case of surprise attacks from the side, her light magic proved invaluable as a guard.

When I think about it, having just three people to protect a three-carriage convoy was quite a risky venture. In that regard, Snow's contributions were a pleasant surprise.

After three hours of traveling towards the village in the carriage, just as Chairman Marcha remarked that we were nearing our destination, Ava picked up on a new presence.

"Oh, no worries. That's probably just the village guards," she said.

To our astonishment, what appeared before us was none other than a centaur. However, she didn't look like the monstrous type; instead, she resembled a classic female monster character straight out of a comic or game. The female centaur was clad in iron armor, wielding a spear and shield, striking a knightly figure. She approached us, spear at the ready and on high alert.