Chapter 25: The Soaring Bounty

Three days had passed, and Naya, even after being possessed by the light, had shown no further anomalies. Everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief.

Early that morning, the Adventurer’s Guild in Dawn City was already teeming with adventurers from all walks of life.

Rumor had it that the Butcher’s bounty had tripled in just three days, driving adventurers exploring the outskirts of Eirlandt into a frenzy!

“Aside from the Second Prince, who else would splurge money like this?” Leon remarked, his gaze fixed on the bounty board.

“The client is the Druid Church, a group of people who worship the power of nature,” Ael responded.

“What kind of god is the ‘power of nature’?”

“It probably refers to the will of this continent! The Druids preach the path of balance, claiming that the catastrophe ten years ago was the result of the power of nature balancing the ecosystem.”

“Huh? The followers of Mercury say the same thing,” Leon stated.

“Indeed.” Ael voiced her considerable reservations. “So, someday, will a God of Poetry emerge and declare that mages will cough up blood and die from listening to a song?”

“Ael, you’re hilarious.” Leon turned to Liuli. “Liuli, who do you think is truly behind this?”

‘The Last Mage,’ Liuli hesitated for a moment. “Liuli believes Aio is the most likely culprit.”

No sooner had she spoken than Ael wrapped an arm around Liuli, giving her a thumbs-up. “You are simply too adorable!”

Today, Liuli was clad in a short-sleeved uniform resembling a sailor suit, paired with a black pleated skirt. She favored black, supposedly for its understated elegance.

Though Liuli possessed no combat skills, only capable of summoning a blank magic book, three seasoned players escorting a novice presented no challenge.

Moreover, with remnants of the Angelic Church still active, leaving her alone at home was simply out of the question.

“Leon, look over there,” Naya said, hooking her arm through his.

The crowd parted automatically, revealing the Grand Druid approaching them, accompanied by four disciples.

The man’s beard was like a mop, green like a pile of grass. ‘His true age couldn’t be that old, could it? Perhaps he just never shaves.’

Leon watched as the Grand Druid paused by the bounty board. One of his disciples stepped forward, covering the original Butcher wanted poster with a new one. It depicted—

The Butcher! The bounty had shockingly soared to 10,000 silver coins!

“Good heavens!”

A collective gasp rippled through the crowd. The Grand Druid raised a hand, signaling for silence, and declared,

“For generations, we Druids have strived to maintain the balance of nature.

Now, the overwhelming numbers of goblins severely threaten this balance, and this mutated goblin, known as the Butcher, is a target that absolutely must be eliminated! Therefore—”

As he spoke, a cheer erupted from the crowd. “Mobilize! Call upon your companions! Sweep clean the outer regions of Eirlandt! Defeat the Butcher! Claim your bounty!!”

“Oh oh oh––––!!!”

Leon observed the adventurers, who were now flocking towards the board in droves. “This is going to be a bloodbath.”

“After all, the bounty is incredibly enticing,” Naya commented.

“Ael, why aren’t you offering your opinion?”

“It’s merely a way to motivate everyone to clear the Eirlandt outskirts quickly. The kingdom can reclaim its lost territory sooner, and I can get closer to the Remnants of Light. There’s nothing bad about it,” Ael explained.

“True.” Leon scrutinized the Butcher’s wanted poster, which depicted something resembling a snarling, hairless dog. “There are goblins that look like this?”

“Because it’s a mutant, after all…” Ael replied.

“Hi~~~~~~~~~” Suddenly, a young woman greeted Leon and Naya. It was the huntress they had cooperated with to challenge the Cockatrice. “You two are here too? Are you planning to challenge the Butcher?” she asked.

“We’ll decide after Leon makes up his mind… Speaking of which, don’t hunters have tracking skills? With so many hunters at the Adventurer’s Guild, why hasn’t anyone found the Butcher after all these days?” Naya asked, perplexed.

“That goblin must have been cursed by magic,” the huntress replied. “Tracking skills don’t work on it; sometimes they lead to completely irrelevant places.”

“Oh…?”

“Excuse me, is tracking a hunter’s skill? It sounds quite mystical, being able to track a target,” Ael inquired.

“It’s an ability granted to us by the hunters’ god. The Wolf God Alphenis is a white wolf, you know.”

A white wolf… ‘Well, at least she didn’t say the Wolf God’s howl caused a catastrophe and scared all the mages to death.’

“In any case, we won’t lose to you this time,” the huntress declared finally.

“Let’s go too.” Leon gripped the hilt of his sword. “I want to test the Butcher’s strength myself. Let’s see why it’s worth a ten-thousand-silver bounty.”