Ep 138. I Did? (6)
“Chief.”
“…”
Peska ted a grand total of 3 seds as he watched Urgus rolling about the cold stone floors of his . Despite having a perfectly funal bed inches away, the chief warrior was on the floor for some reason, fast asleep.
A small sigh escaped Peska’s lips. From all the years he’d spent at Urgus’ side, he’d developed a golden rule about waking up his superior.
‘One calling is enough.’
After the 3 seds had passed, Peska proceeded to take the deepest breath he could muster. He simultaneously pulled back his arm in an arc, his hand gripped into a tight fist.
Then, in one swift motion, the warrior struck down at the sleeping figure’s lower stomach.
A series of coughing sounds filled the as Urgus jolted awake, furiously rubbing his sore belly. Meanwhile, Peska softly blew on his fist, nodding in satisfa of the strike’s result.
“Chief, I told you drinking st night was a bad idea. Do you even know what you missed?”
“Cough, cough…ugh, what is it? Did Brother Orkaaurn?”
“No. The rear gates have been broken. There was a motack.”
“A motack? How many? Was anyone hurt?”
“…Only one, but…”
Peska trailed off his words as he pondered on how to best expiuation at hand. But in the end, the warrior opehe door, being his chief outside.
“…Better you see it yourself. e.”
? ? ?
As soon as Aymeia had arrived, Chell’s warriors had been quick to fix up a temporary throne for their guardiay. But wheook notice of the creature she was sharing the throh, none of them dared approach her too close – and ironically, Aymeia was finally able to gain some sembnce of personal space.
The wriggling b in her hand was keeping away any vilger that dared approach her.
Though, Karas still remained retively close at her side – as well as Ilias and Light, who were watg the creature with a mix of curiosity and disgust.
“Ew, look at all that teeth…this thing was ihe bear?”
“…From what I saw, yeah. I don’t know what it is though…professor, do you know?”
“It’s certainly not a species we find in Way, but I’m afraid I ’t say much otherwise. Peska’s told us that he’d be back shortly, I’m sure he tell us more soon.”
“…”
Upon Peska’s request, Aymeia had agreed to keep the wriggling creature alive while he went to go fetch Urgus. Although he’d skipped over expining why or what the creature was, judging from the locals’ rea, it wasn’t difficult to tell that the creature wasn’t something a person would normally want to be near.
The answer soon became clear as Urgus approached the group with Peska in tow, his eyes wide with surprise.
“Stars above…is that a parworm?”
Aymeia’s puzzled gaze darted between the chief warrior and the wriggling worm in her hand.
“…A parworm?”
Urgus and approached closer for a better view. Meanwhile, Peska k doologetically before the guardiay.
“Lady Aymeia, my apologies for asking you to hold such a foul creature. I thought the chief should see it beforehand.”
“It’s alright. More importantly…is ‘parworm’ this creature’s sounds rather familiar…”
“Why, I would assume so. You were the one who bestowed them their name.”
“I did?”
“Indeed. I believe you’ve also taught our aors the dahey pose, as well as how to best cull their headt.”
“…I did???”
While Aymeia desperately tried to recall such events, Urgus wore a heavy frown as he finished iing the worm. The chief warrior shook his head in dismay, kig his tongue in distaste.
“Tsk…I was afraid something like this would happen when we missed this year’s Frosthunt. If one’s mao grow this rge, there’s bound to be more.”
“Chief, with the empire’s threat no more, perhaps we should resume this year’s hunt as usual. It’s a little te, but it’d be better than leaving it to just Orkaan.”
“…Hm.”
While Urgus and Peska versed, the others looked at each other in fusion – especially towards Karas. But whehe professor failed to provide an expnation to what the warriors were talking about, Light volunteered to interrupt their versation midway.
“…I’m sorry, what’s a Frosthunt?”
“Hm?”
Both warriowards the half girl. They then looked at each other, then towards Aymeia.
Finally, Urgus began to answer with a fident smile, his hands proudly gesturing towards his guardiay.
“I’m surprised you don’t know. I thought Lady Aymeia’s retainers would know her teags.”
“Her teags?”
“Ihe Frosthunt is aradition borne of uardian’s prized teags. Every year before winter’s arrival, warriors of Asarda set out to cull the mohat pgue our nd – though this year, we were only able to spare a small party for the task due to the empire’s presehe parworm you see here is one such creature that we hunt during this season. The Frosthunt allows the people to survive through winter’s chill in safety.”
“Wait, I get that it’s a tradition here, but…you hunt ’monsters’? So this parworm’s a monster?”
A solemn nod soon followed frus.
“It is. Unlike regur worms, the parworm finds shelter in another living creature’s body. While their vessels gain enormous strength, the parworms tio feed off of the host’s bodily energy. The worm robs the host of their will, aually, their life.”
“…So that’s why it was ihat bear…”
“Precisely. Now, acc to Lady Aymeia’s teags, parworms are proo extreme heat – hence why they dare not make someone like Lady Aymeia their host. A parworm is easily expelled when exposed to ample amounts of fire.”
Hearing the chief warrior’s expnation, Karas studied the b with newfound i. He mentally he warrior’s description, as well as the fn monster’s traits.
“Iing. A parasitister…that’s quite unusual.”
“Mm, ihe parworms are an odd bunch, even here in Asarda – but they are monsters heless. As proof…”
Following suit, Urgus politely gestured towards Aymeia for the worm in her hand. As she released the monster into the chief warrior’s palm, Urgus gripped both ends of the parworm with his hands, tearing it into two pieces.
And, sure enough, the parworm’s carcass ly faded away, dissipating into bits of mana. Only a crystallized mana fragment dropped to the snow beh.
Satisfied by the disappearance, Urgus then picked up the crystal and casually tossed it into a nearby fire.
“I suppose that’s one saving grace about the parworms: they only leave behind little stones, if that. Not many would be excited to their disgusting carcass -“
“Wait, that’s a mana crystal!”
Both Karas and Light immediately raced towards the fire, with Light managing to pluck out the stone before it was destroyed. She then blew on the surface several times, iing the crystal to firm it was whole.
This time, it was Urgus’ turn to be fused.
“…? Do you collect those stones?”
“…You don’t know what these are?”
“Why, of course I know what those are. They’re stohat melt. Monsters leave them behind on occasion.”
“…”
For perhaps the tweime, Light gnced around the small settlement they were in to study the…cultural difference.
Most buildings were wooden s, and the few that weren’t were still made of wood heless. A rge bear was capable of breaking through the settlement’s gates, and the people lived off of leather clothes and numerous campfires. The most advanced on she’d found here were metal-tipped arrows.
Simply put, in the half girl’s eyes, Asarda’s level of civilization was severely – SEVERELY – g.
‘I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. I don’t think most people even know what mana is here…’
Sighing, Light forced herself to smile back at the chief warrior. She slowly nodded her head, ign the burning desire to expin the worth of what Urgus was throwing away.
“Ahaha…yeah, stohat melt! That’s…exactly what these are. I just…like colleg these…”
“I see…?”
Meanwhile, Ilias leaned in towards Karas, her whispering voice just loud enough for the professor – and Aymeia – to hear.
“Hey, professor? How much would that go for?”
“Here? Apparently nothing.”
“In Partivine, I mean.”
“…sidering that the crystal’s from a species we don’t even find in Way…at least a thousand gold, purely from an academic perspective.”
“…”
“Depending on other qualities, it could be more. You never know a mana crystal’s worth until it’s in the hands of an alchemist.”
…And no one would ever know their worth if they’re stantly being thrown away.
‘Hm? Wait a minute…’
Karas frowned as a new, dreadful curiosity struck his mind. He warily eyed the chief warrior before hesitantly opening his beak.
“Say…Urgus, was it? You said your people hold a yearly hunt as tradition?”
“Yes. What of it?”
“How many of these ‘stones’ do you tend to find in your hunts?”
“Hm. We don’t particurly t them, but…perhaps a hundred?”
At Urgus’ rough estimate, Peska chimed in from the side.
“Several hundred. I’ve ted before.”
The professor’s frown deepe the warriors’ answers. He then looked towards Peska, his voice audibly shaking as he asked his question.
“And what do you…do with them?”
“We toss ‘em into the fire. They’re tile to be used for our crafts, but we’ve found that they burn quite well, surprisingly.”
“…You’ve said this year’s hunt hasn’t happened yet, yes?”
“Not in any proper form, no. Why do you ask?”
“Well…”
Karas’ goal had remained ever the same since he’d volunteered to help restore Aymeia’s memories. Asardans throwing away items of enormous academid alchemic value was none of his .
But with that thought in mind, Karas looked towards the former deity behind him.
“Lady Aymeia. Perhaps it’d do well for us to…I mean, for you to participate in this year’s hunt.”
“Huh?...Me?”
“Why, yes. You’d be doing your people a great service, I’d imagine. Your presence alone would provide immense support for Asarda’s warriors.”
Before Aymeia even gave her answer, both Urgus and Peska the professor’s remark with hope-glinted eyes.
“Legends do tell of a time when Lady Aymeia led the Frosthunt herself.”
“Ah, yes. A legeold! I only imagine Brother Orkaan’s rea.”
“…”
Despite the warriors’ joined ents, Aymeia failed to recall such events ever happening. Only vague memories floated within her mind, and she couldn’t tell if participating in this hunt would even yield her any crity.
…But with her followers’ expet gazes upohere really weren’t many feasible answers Asarda’s guardian could deliver to her people.
In fact, within a certaihered figure’s head, the versation’s oute was likely decided from the start.
Praybird
