Chapter 16

It's gradually increasing, and I'm happy about the bookmarks!

Aiming for 10, then 20!

"Hmm... That's not bad, who is it for? Is it Risesu as expected?"

When Nod heard the answer from Ginias, he asked with a teasing tone.

The crystal flower is a flower that blooms in certain areas of the capital, with petals and stems that look translucent, almost like crystal, hence the name.

While the crystal flower itself is relatively easy to obtain, the pink variety is a different story, and so is its meaning.

The usual crystal flower has translucent petals with a bluish tint, but during a specific period, only the crystal flowers in the swamp turn a rare pink color.

The reason for this was unknown to Nod, who was not a scholar, but he knew the story surrounding the pink crystal flower.

Long ago, a certain adventurer fell in love with a nobleman's daughter.

While the daughter did not hate the adventurer, noble marriages were alliances between families.

Marriage between different social classes was not allowed, and the daughter, understanding this, told the adventurer:

"The only thing you can offer me is the crystal flower."

In the Ilva continent, there is a common custom of giving flowers to convey one's feelings. The meaning of the crystal flower is "affection." It means that love beyond the feelings for family and friends is not allowed. The daughter, bluntly conveying this, put a lid on her love, but after a while, the adventurer appeared.

"I offer you the crystal flower."

Upon hearing these words, the daughter, thinking the adventurer had given up on her, felt a mix of relief and great sadness as she reached out to take the flower.

However, the flower presented to her was indeed a crystal flower, but its petals were a vivid pink.

At the time, it was believed that crystal flowers only had blue petals, but the adventurer had found this pink crystal flower in the swamp during his adventures.

The daughter, seeing this impossible sight, felt her suppressed emotions overflow with surprise. She wanted to make her "impossible" love come true, just like the pink crystal flower.

Eventually, their love was fulfilled, and the adventurer and the daughter were united. This is a famous story.

The place where the adventurer found the cluster of crystal flowers is the swamp in the Kingdom of Hamil.

The love story that took place in a distant country spread across the land of Ilva, and the Kingdom of Hamil was no exception.

Even now, the meaning of the crystal flower in the Ilva continent is "affection," but the meaning of the pink crystal flower is different.

Its meaning is "I will always love you."

Ginias's intention, blushing, was clear. He was going to confess to his childhood friend, Risesu.

On the contrary, Nod, who had been an adventurer for some time and had a decent relationship with them, was surprised that they were not in a relationship.

He had seen them stick together during adventures and breaks, and even when camping, he thought they were lovers because Almina, a female, slept with Ginias.

However, even though Nod was not particularly good at such matters, it was clear to him that Risesu also had feelings for Ginias. If Ginias confessed, she would accept it without hesitation.

Therefore,

"If that's the case, I have to help you out."

Supporting the romance of a friend of the same generation, whom he had met since becoming an adventurer, made him even more enthusiastic about the swamp mission.

§

After that, Nod and Ginias set out to find their party members for the swamp mission.

Elsa, who was on vacation, was not at her inn, so they left a note in the door gap saying, "I want to discuss a mission, please come to the guild," and returned to the adventurer's guild later that night. Of course, they earned some money by taking on a simple mission in the meantime.

When they went to the adventurer's guild to report the completion of the mission, Elsa was there.

Unfortunately, she had not returned to her inn, so the note was wasted, but Nod explained the situation to her without any concern.

Elsa sighed dreamily and said, "That's so romantic," and readily agreed to join the mission.

After informing Elsa that they would meet at the guild the next day, Nod headed to Ginias's inn.

Ginias reported that, unfortunately, Geigos had not been found, but Shino had agreed to join.

Nod informed Elsa and Ginias that they would be at the guild the next day, and then went to bed for a good night's sleep.

The next morning, they arrived at the guild earlier than usual, and soon everyone gathered.

It turned out that Geigos had already taken on another mission, so Nod, Elsa, Ginias, and Shino decided to take on the mission together.

Elsa and Ginias did not know each other, but after a brief introduction, they began to discuss which mission to take.

In this case, their first goal was the pink crystal flower, and their second goal was to slay a giant snake, so they chose a mission that would allow them to achieve both.

When they have specific goals like this, it is efficient to take on multiple missions that can be completed on-site.

Ginias and his party often take on long-term missions in distant places (because they are a large group and aim for high-reward missions that require many people), so they understood this balance better than Nod and his group.

As a result of the mission competition, they took on a few simple gathering missions in the swamp and a mission to collect the venom glands of venomous snakes, which also live in the swamp.

They wanted to take on the giant snake slaying mission as well, but unfortunately, there was no such mission available.

After confirming the necessary equipment for the swamp, especially poison protection and insect repellent, the group set out for the swamp.

§

The vast wetland was covered with reeds and pampas grass, looking like a golden carpet had been laid out.

Perhaps due to the rich nutrients in the soil, the grass was tall, reaching the height of a small tree.

The tall grass, taller than Nod, completely concealed whatever was hiding behind it.

The swamp soil was soft, leaving footprints, but it did not sink, and it was sturdy enough to support Nod's weight.

A cool breeze from the distant mountains caressed Nod's face through the gaps in the carriage canopy. The breeze was refreshing and did not make the swamp feel damp.

"Surprisingly, the humidity is low."

"Indeed, I thought it would be more muggy."

Elsa agreed with Nod's comment as they got off the carriage.

"It's autumn now, so it's a bit better. In summer, it's unbearable."

Shino and Ginias, dressed in light armor, got off the carriage next. "We went to the west in summer," Ginias added.

The west is considered a relatively comfortable region even in summer. Indeed, Ginias and his party had taken that into account when choosing their jobs.

"How about you, Nod?"

"We were in the forest and the mountains."

In summer, they had been on a promotion mission, hunting in those two places. The trees in the forest shaded the sun, and the mountainous area was at a high altitude, so it was comfortable. But if they had taken on a mission in the swamp, it would have been hell.

"Alright, everyone ready? I'll lead the way, so keep an eye out in the rear."

Shino, the scout, called out as he took the lead of the party.

The exploration of the swamp began.

§

"Having a scout really makes things easier."

After the nth encounter with a monster, which they ended with a quick strike, Elsa continued to gather plants while saying this.

"Well, that's my job."

Shino, who worked more efficiently than any other party member, quickly finished gathering and observed for anything else that caught his eye while saying this.

"Yeah, we always get to take it easy."

"I'm honored."

Ginias expressed his gratitude, and Shino responded with a playful tone.

Despite the playful tone, Nod could tell he was being cautious of his surroundings.

Indeed, Shino was an excellent scout.

He could sense the presence of monsters from the slightest traces and roughly estimate how long ago they were left.

Thanks to this, they were able to successfully ambush in the swamp, where visibility was poor.

Furthermore, he quickly and keenly found the materials they needed to gather, and the missions they had taken on were being completed one after another.

Among the monsters they defeated was a venomous snake, and they successfully obtained the necessary amount of material for armor.

"This swamp makes it easier to find traces."

Shino casually said this. Nod looked down at his feet in response.

His feet were on the black, swampy soil, and his footprints were left behind.

However, it was not just his footprints; there were also the footprints of other party members, and traces of monsters that had moved before they arrived, among other things.

Nod had also learned basic scouting skills, but that was why he could appreciate how impressive it was for Shino to instantly gather various information and read it.

Nod's level of skill could only tell which direction something had gone.

"We need a scout in our group..."

While listening to Elsa's voice, Nod seriously considered it.

Nod and his group had completed a considerable number of stone-level adventurer missions and would soon receive a mission to become crystal-level adventurers.

At that time, they could take on the promotion mission together with Ginias and his group.

However, Ginias's group already had five members, and with the addition of Nod and Elsa, there would be seven.

Ginias's group was composed of Geigos, a spearman, and Ginias, a swordsman, in the front line, with Risesu, a healer, and Almina, an archer, in the back, and Shino, a scout, in the middle, covering both the front and back lines, making for a well-balanced formation.

Nod and Elsa were both skilled front-line fighters, so if they joined Ginias's group, they would not be a burden, but the support in the back would not be able to keep up.

While a temporary alliance might be fine, a permanent addition to the group might not yield good results.

Ginias and his group probably understood this, which was why they had not brought up the topic so far.

If the short-term goal was to become crystal-level adventurers, it might be fine, but considering the long-term goal of becoming bronze and then iron-level adventurers, they might need new members.

Nod thought about this.

§

"Ha!!"

With a shout, Nod braced his shield and put all his strength into his arm.

From the other side of the shield, which was only about half the size of his body, a massive body, incomparable to Nod's, came flying at high speed.

As the green-scaled giant body hit the shield, Nod added a sideways force to it, like a punch.

--This is a defensive technique called "offensive defense."

It is said that a master can neutralize an opponent's attack with a gentle touch, and although Nod had not yet mastered this advanced technique, it was effective.

The headbutt of the giant snake, powered by its strong muscles after rearing its head, is a simple but highly effective attack that takes advantage of the mass difference.

However, this blow did not shatter Nod's body behind the shield.

The direction of the force added to the side deflected the impact that was heading towards Nod's body.

The giant snake's head, which had shot out diagonally behind Nod, hovered in the air without catching its prey.

Nod's shield, as a result, was deformed and his arm holding it was numb, but the shield, fixed to his gauntlet, did not fall from his hand.

The stretched body of the giant snake became thinner than when it was coiled.

Seizing the momentary gap during the attack, Nod delivered a powerful counterattack.

As he was pulled into a half-turn by the force of the blow, he stepped back with his pivot foot to avoid stumbling. The power from his foot traveled to his waist, and the rotation of his waist concentrated into the tip of his sword, which he held in his dominant hand.

The swift blow, combining Nod's own strength with part of the giant snake's, created a destructive force.

The steel blade cut through the tough scales and thick skin, shredding the inner muscle fibers. The slight resistance was probably the snake's bones. The sensation suggested that it had reached the internal organs.

The giant snake's cry echoed through the swamp.

The snake writhed in pain and then glared at Nod with a face full of rage, determined to return the suffering many times over.

"Shh!!"

The snake's distinctive forked tongue emerged as it opened its large mouth and lunged at Nod again.

Nod pulled his sword out of the snake's body, shook off the blood, and readied his shield.

However, his arm was still tingling and he could not put much force into it.

It would be difficult to deflect the attack again.

However, the giant snake did not swallow Nod whole.

Instead, a small bag was thrown from the side, hitting the snake's jaw.

The snake, in a state of frenzy from pain and anger, had a narrowed field of vision and did not notice the thrown object, which it would have normally detected.

Then, a shining object, a short sword blade reflecting the sunlight, flew from behind the small bag and cut it open.

The contents of the bag were spilled out and fell onto the snake, which was close by.

"–Giiiiii!!?"

The sudden abnormal sensation.

The violent stimulation transmitted through the sensitive olfactory organs threw the snake into a panic.

The snake writhed to escape the pain, and a spear, thrown from above, pierced the tip of its writhing body.

Elsa, using Nod's body as a stepping stone, leaped into the air and delivered a powerful blow, adding the force of her fall to the impact.

The spear pierced the snake's face with perfect aim and pinned it to the ground.

However, the snake's vitality was not to be underestimated even with its head impaled.

"–Ginias!!"

"Leave it to me!!"

At the same time, the voices of Nod, Elsa, and Shino overlapped, and Ginias responded with a shout.

"–Haaa!!"

With a shout, Ginias's blow cut through the snake's neck as if it were slicing through air, cleanly separating its head from its body.

Ginias, maintaining his stance, observed the snake's body while still holding his sword.

The body, which had been convulsing violently, gradually weakened and eventually stopped moving.

Seeing this, Ginias finally wiped the blood from his sword and sheathed it.

"Finally, it's over!"

Shino exclaimed in joy. "Let's start skinning it!" he continued.

The group, having finished the battle, gathered around the giant snake.

"Man, I thought we were in trouble when we were caught off guard."

The one who delivered the final blow, Ginias, reflected on the start of the battle in front of the snake's corpse.

Indeed, after quickly completing the swamp mission, Nod and his group advanced deeper into the swamp to obtain the crystal flowers, their first goal.

There, they saw the cluster of crystal flowers in bloom. The group was momentarily captivated by the pink crystal flowers spread out around them.

Perhaps because everything had gone too smoothly, or perhaps they were struck by an incredible misfortune, at that moment, a giant snake hiding in the surrounding reeds attacked them.

Shino was the first to notice it.

"Something's there!"

Thanks to his warning, Nod and the others barely managed to react, but the enemy was a giant snake, almost twice the size of a normal one, and the ambush led to a tough battle.

After regaining their composure and forming a formation to coordinate their attacks, the battle proceeded as described at the beginning.

"Phew... We would have been in trouble if any one of us was missing."

"Yeah, really," "Sorry for not noticing the ambush," "No, that was actually quick."

"Great teamwork," "Your skills have improved," "Ours too."

While chatting and reflecting on the battle, they worked on the task at hand.

Before they knew it, the giant snake was disassembled, and the materials from the undamaged parts were collected.

Ginias and his group had not adventured together for a while, but it seemed they had greatly improved their skills during that time. Ginias's sword skills were even sharper, and Shino had not only improved his scouting skills but also learned dissection skills.

Many of the materials obtained from the giant snake, which were disassembled one after another, were things that Nod and Elsa alone could not have obtained.

"Alright, that's it for the dissection."

"Then it's time for the main event."

After putting the giant snake's materials into their backpacks, which were now full, and making them easier to carry, it was finally time to achieve their main goal for coming to the swamp.

In front of them were the crystal flowers, their pink petals blooming beautifully in the autumn season.

"Ginias"

"...Yeah, thanks."

When Nod prompted Ginias, Ginias knelt down and carefully picked the crystal flower at his feet.

§

On the way back, the group smiled as they saw the mission items and materials from the giant snake piled high in the carriage.

At the campsite, they were served giant snake dishes prepared by Shino's skilled hands, and they returned to the capital, both mentally and physically satisfied.

In the capital, after obtaining the necessary materials, Nod, Shino, and Ginias received their rewards and disbanded.

Ginias had another adventure waiting for him, but no one was foolish enough to get involved.

Later, when they saw Ginias's group at the guild, the distance between the leader and the healer was closer than before.