Right.
Philo Cut-Tail.
There was somebody like that.
In the ancient times, thered been many clans who used to worship the spear.
However, among them, only the empire of today and the dragonkin people still survived.
The dragonkin were indeed descendants of the dragons, but they were more commonly called lizardmen because of how thin their bloodline was.
They would one day be destroyed by the hands of the empire, which was carrying out a plan to annihilate all nonhuman races on the continent.
Even though they were fellow worshippers of the spear, even though the empire had used their power for its own gain in the past, in the end, their fate was to be abandoned and exterminated.
Because a strange doctrine had taken root in the empire that considered all nonhuman beings as worthless.
Humans and dragonkin had always had a fraught relationship, which didnt help.
Come to think of it, now is about the time.
The dragonkin people were to be annihilated.
The empire had spent a lot of ultimately fruitless effort on its attack on Carpe and had taken a lot of damage, so it was now planning to strengthen its internal stability by subjugating the troublesome people within its borders.
This didnt deserve any particular attention, from Callius point of view.
Even though hes a bit useless, his spear is top notch. Its a pity to just let him die. Besides weve been together for a while.
Aldo kept talking.
Please lend us your strength so we can save him.
That was the essence of what he wanted from Callius.
However
Why should I?
There was no reason why Callius should help Philo Cut-Tail.
It was possible that Philo might grow into some kind of virtuous paragon if he were to be saved.
Although Callius had no idea about his temperament nor his skills, the possibility existed.
But what mattered in the end was
Hes a spearman.
A servant of Lactus.
Of course, that was just a superficial reason, and Callius couldnt be sure on which side Philo might end up.
Since Philo was a character destined to die.
What was the potential of Philomatours life?
Callius didnt know.
That was why he was hesitant to get involved.
Of course, hed be able to make friends with these people if he helped, but he didnt want to put himself at risk.
The opponent of the tribe of dragonkin was the empire.
There was a high probability that the imperial prince or the princess was in charge, and the latter was more likely.
Theres no benefit in getting involved with the princess.
Because she had a disposition that was considered unnecessarily violent even within the warlike empire.
What if she caught sight of his black hair and gray eyes, and found out who he really was?
He didnt want to walk down that thorny road.
Of course, we wont ask for your help without offering anything in return.
Aldo looked at Serena, who nodded, pulled something out from her sleeve and placed it on the table.
A small casket.
Whats she doing?
Serena was furtively looking around.
But there was no sign of the people whod been happily drinking at the bar, because theyd all run away in fear already.
The three of them were the only guests left in the tavern.
Noticing that fact, Serena lifted the lid of the box very slightly.
And this is?
A fae-stone[1].
Callius froze as he was grabbing his winecup.
Fae-stone.
He hadnt expected this.
How surprising. In many ways.
There were fairies in this world.
Their powers were varied.
But they all had one thing in common. They were bound by contracts, and contracts defined their way of life.
A race of beings with a unique ability to become one with nature, who grew stronger by making and fulfilling promises with their contractors.
Theres one in Jervain.
Nochtel, the butler serving the Jervain family, was a fine example.
Their lifespans were several times that of humans.
And their magical powers that governed the very forces of nature had few rivals.
So when Callius was in the North
Even while provoking Nochtel, hed taken care not to cross the line.
Contracting with a fairy is a matter of chance.
They werent easy to meet, and signing a contract was even rarer.
But there was only one thing
One thing, the legends went, that could change that chance to a certainty.
A fae-stone.
As long as you had a fae-stone in your possession.
Even in the elven forest, where fairies were relatively more common, fae-stones werent a common sight.
If Helena had seen this stone, she mightve agreed to exchange a portion of the ownership rights of her merchant group for it.
Because fairies were not only powerful, they were bound by contracts and willing to work as labour.
You might not know how valuable this stone is.
No, how could I not know?
However, there was one problem if the reward for the task was something like this.
Because it was too much.
If you compared the value of Philo with the stone, the latter could be called a hundredfold more valuable. Or even a thousandfold. Because anybody would happily agree to such a price.
So Callius asked bluntly.
I cant help but be suspicious. Is Philo really worth such a precious stone that can be exchanged for a fiefdom in the empire?
Serenas voice became a little cold in response.
Do you only see value when you look at people?
A trace of contempt now coloured her voice.
Was an elf raising the banner of justice and humanity?
Did the sun rise from the west today?
Is this her original personality?
Elves were a strong race in this world.
They were superior to humans in their longevity and physical ability.
A race that had established its own territory by leveraging the range advantage provided by the bow.
So most elves were quite overbearing.
They had an insular disposition buttressed by a feeling of racial supremacy.
How can an elf be like this?
It was a little absurd, but perhaps that was why she could one day be called a hero.
To be honest, Callius wasnt overly familiar with these two.
Because he hadnt been the one to create them.
So he couldnt help but be a little curious.
Serena and Aldo arent perfected yet.
They were still pilgrims.
Even if they would become heroes one day.
So
His thoughts idly moved to an inevitable idea.
What if he killed them right now?
What kind of swords will be born?
Callius was very curious.
!
It was the natural desire of any pilgrim, so he merely daydreamed for a moment, but the response was instant.
What do you!
Hey, thats too much.
Because of that unconscious flare of killing intent
Serena jumped up, and Aldos wheedling voice became low and serious.
Serenas hands had been hidden inside the robe, so they were hard to see; however now the shape of the bow they held was clearly visible. By her side, Aldo was looking at Callius with sunken eyes.
A standoff where one side might attack the other at any moment.
But as the silence continued to build, in the end, Callius was the one to deescalate.
Please excuse me. But I couldnt help but be suspicious since the reward is a fae-stone. I hope you can understand my position.
Although hed been openly rude, since he was now taking a step back on his own
Itd only make him seem even more honest and trustworthy.
This stone feels precious to the two us, but I want you to understand that its not that big a deal for Serena. And it also means that helping our colleague is that dangerous.
Aldo began explaining in a slightly softened voice.
On the other hand, Serena remained as she was, her eyes still sharp under her hood.
Theres news that the two princesses from the empire and the principality have come to subdue the dragonkin people.
Two princesses.
Both of them belonged to the category Callius most wished to avoid, so he was already feeling reluctant.
But
He quickly grabbed the box containing the stone.
I see.
To be honest, the fae-stone made any amount of hassle worth it.
Serena, how do I use it?
You burn the stone inside the forest where a fairy may be hiding.
Then, the curious fairy would be drawn to the aura of the fae-stone.
The bewitching energy[2] it exuded would bewitch them and lower their vigilance, and that was the moment youd aim for to sign a contract.
So thats it.
It wasnt much different from what he already knew.
But there was a missing part.
A fae-stone doesnt guarantee that youll meet a fairy, and the same goes for making a contract.
It was just a medium to summons fairies.
Contracts were another story.
Fairies were naturally fickle.
So one had to depend on luck.
However
For others that may be the case, but Im a different story.
For a stone as precious as jade
It was only about the size of a small gravel.
Callius thought
Its the perfect size to swallow.
That for him, this was a bargain.
Aldo and Serena.
Returning to their room, they quickly took off their hoods as soon as the door closed, revealing their faces.
The woman, Serena, had pale blonde hair tied in a ponytail and ears twice the length of a human.
Her eyes looked like jewels embossed in gold, so beautiful that they brought a sense of unreality.
However, Aldos gaze looking at such beauty was still sombre.
Aldo! Do you really think we can believe that guy?
As soon as she shook off her hood, Serena complained at Aldo.
Her gripe was naturally about Callius.
Aldo grinned at her sharp look and stroked his beard.
In fact, I prefer those who look suspicious at first glance. He mustve gone through all sorts of trouble since birth, no? That hes survived to this day speaks for his skills.
The man had openly demonstrated greed and killing intent.
Those had been real, not fake.
The fact that such a straightforward person had reached this point was proof that his skills were better than expected.
I dont think so.
However, Serena denied it.
It seemed she didnt like the man.
Whats wrong?
I wonder if its really alright to give the stone to an untrustworthy guy.
Fae-stone.
Even for elves, it was an uncommon treasure.
A stone that only formed occasionally by chance in rare places dense with the power of nature.
Serena thought it was fair to questions whether they shouldve handed it over to a stranger theyd met today for the first time.
What if he took it and ran?
We have to show trust first. Were asking him to get us involved in our own business.
But the fae-stone
Its not that valuable to you, right? Wouldnt it be worthwhile if it could save a colleagues life?
The stone was indeed vanishingly rare.
However, that wasnt wholly true for Serena.
She still had two more besides the one shed given to Callius.
But even so, that didnt make the stone itself any less valuable.
Rather, it wouldve been be better to sell it off and hire a good mercenary with the money.
Even the Mercenary King would come to help them for such an extravagant reward.
But theres no time.
They lacked time.
Right. But I still cant trust him.
Time will remedy that. But I think hes a pretty good guy.
How come?
Did you see what Callis did to that gatekeeper?
Well
Anyone with functioning eyes couldve seen how the gatekeeper had put down two silvers on the table, back at the tavern.
Hed obviously cheated the mysterious pilgrim.
The gatekeeper had deceived a pilgrim. There was enough justification to even kill him then and there. I wouldnt have thought much of it if he lost a hand or his tongue. But what happened in the end?
Callis told him to clean up.
For the criminal to get away with such a meagre punishment
That was to say
Yeah. He isnt a bad guy, I guess.
Since he wasnt a villain by nature, Serena agreed to stop worrying about him for now.
Besides, Aldo continued
While gathering information, I heard some crazy news about a new wanted order.
Wanted order? Issued by the empire?
Thats right. Some princess or other put out a warrant for a man. They say hes a lecher who goes around harassing women. The victims so far already number in the hundreds, apparently.
What a rotten scoundrel!
Its probably Callis.
What?!
Then why on earth should they team up with somebody like that?
Serena remembered that his gaze had been a little weird.
Had that guy been picturing her like that throughout their meeting?
Serena couldnt help but hug herself.
Goosebumps were rising all over her body.
Aldo! Are you telling me right now you want me to use my beauty to seduce him? You think hell fall for me so hard hell never betray me? Is that what you want?!
Serena, completely misreading the situation, couldnt help but roar.
Aldo frowned at her nonsense.
Youre really prone to misunderstandings. Honestly, what goes on inside your head?
You just told me hes a perverted scoundrel! Im the elf called the Incarnation of Beauty. Theres no way a scumbag like that will ignore me, right?
I told you that I heard all sorts of crazy things. Does it make sense that a pilgrim, neither from the empire nor the principality, harassed hundreds of women in a single week? And thats not the point to focus on.
Then?
All hed said so far was about how crazy the news was.
So what did he want to focus on?
Serena was trying hard to understand.
After the wanted order was issued, a group of soldiers found and surrounded him, but they say he killed them all without lifting a finger. Do you know whats the most interesting part?
What?
They say he controls a magic beast.
Magic beast?
A demonic beast controller? This truly was important information.
Yeah. He could be a servant of the whip.
Of the Whip God, Auste!
I heard the whip has already disappeared?
A God doesnt disappear that easily.
Indeed.
They still didnt know which God Callis served.
Aldo had originally thought he served the sword, but perhaps not.
From his eyes when he let out that flash of killing intent, the sword is likely
Aldo shook his head, recalling the story about the pilgrims of Valtherus.
Among all pilgrims, the only madmen who fought and killed their own brothers in faith were the pilgrims of the sword.
Anyway, he isnt a citizen of the empire or the principality. Rather, hes being chased by the locals. That makes him trustworthy.
But hes a sex maniac.
You Stop worrying about that. He didnt even care about you, right?
You!
That was then.
Suddenly, Serenas long ears perked up and trembled.
Is it an enemy?
No, its him. Hes left his room.
Hes probably going to try and use the stone. Are you going to follow him?
You might think so, but I dont. What if hes running away? Ill follow him and make sure. You can just go to sleep, dwarf.
Heh, alright.
It was up to her to decide whether to trust the stranger or not.
Aldos words did have their own basis, but that alone wasnt enough to convince her.
Step, hop.
Serena climbed out of the window and jumped in a graceful motion, her feet silent as they touched the ground.
With her hood up and her ears perked up for listening, she began to run as soon as she saw her target.
Clad in a white robe
It was Callis.
Rustle.
As Callis left the town and entered the surrounding forest, Serena carefully trailed after him.
And after a while
!
Serenas golden eyes widened in shock, and her mouth gaped.
Editors Notes:
[1] (), monster/demon stone. Translating as fae-stone since demons are already a different faction in this story.
[2] () (yao qi), monster energy. Translating as bewitching energy or natural energy, taking some artistic license.
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