Chapter 277: Southern End Request 2
TL/Editor: raei
Schedule: 5/Week Mon-Fri
Illustrations: Posted in discord.
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Why would a hero, who even received a revelation from the Goddess, come all the way here to solve a problem between a countryside fiefdom at the southern edge and barbarian warriors?
For players, it's just a side quest with a tempting reward, and for streamers, it's a story worth showing.
But our party needed another reason.
The reason was the Lord of Antibes, who had sent a luxurious letter.
According to the K-Fantasy hierarchy, which is a mix of the Chinese five-rank system and misinterpretations of European titles, a 'viscount' wasn't considered high.
It was fourth in the order of duke, marquis, earl, and viscount, objectively on the lower side.
"But how...?"
"Through connections. Our lord has quite the wide network."
In noble society, connections are as important as one's rank.
The viscount of Antibes, known for his piety, worked hard to spread the Goddess Faith among barbarian warriors and witches in the southernmost parts, which became an opportunity to make his name known to the temple.
It's like a diligent army chaplain getting a solid backing from a high-ranking officer in the church.
Antibes was a quiet rural village at the kingdom's edge, known for mushrooms and herbs.
It had low taxes, troublesome insects, hostile barbarians, and capricious witches, but...
On the flip side, he was a man who bloomed the flower of faith in that barren town.
"He has hosted theological debates with bishops from the temple and even converted a whole village of barbarian warriors, earning baptism from a saint. This hornpipe was a token of friendship from that converted village."
"Wow..."
"Now that I think about it, I have heard the sisters at the temple mention him."
The more you hear, the more he seems like a pioneer preacher rather than a rural lord.
He's well-regarded not just by his subjects but also in social circles, not mistreating them due to religious fanaticism.
And since the third princess, or the 6 'White Feather Shield' Bradamante, is involved with the Temple, he's not disregarded among the nobles.
That's why he could ask a hero acting on the Goddess's will to come even to such a remote part of the kingdom.
Moreover, the target was a newly converted barbarian village.
If any noble opposed this, they'd have to be ready to confront not just the princess but also the Temple.
Who would politically attack them?
"Ah, um... Anyway! Yes, that's right! Yes!"
"...Yes? Oh, I see."
The receptionist, suddenly becoming aware and starting to sneak glances at us, probably thinks it's the Adventurer's Guild's fault for dragging us here without knowing the request details.
She suddenly switches back to her sharp, soldier-like demeanor after a relaxed conversation, confusing Irene.
Having heard the request and received the hornpipe as a token of friendship from the barbarians, we just need to get a guide to proceed with the quest.
But leaving it to this receptionist might just cause her to keel over from a heart attack.
"Excuse me, Miss Receptionist?"
"Yes! Did you call me!"
"So, we need someone to guide us."
"Ah! Right!"
Whether the guild member grasped the kingdom's political landscape and knew what was going on, the tension was inevitable.
After all, it was a scenario where a mere local viscount summoned a saint and a princess with the power of religion.
The entangled included the temple forces led by the saint, pro-temple kingdom nobles led by the princess, and a hero party who directly received revelations from the Goddess.
It was a terrifying tale for a quiet Adventurer's Guild, usually dealing with gathering herbs or chasing away bugs.
Fortunately, the receptionist, though flustered, didn't miss out on proceeding with what needed to be done.
"The guide will probably be provided by the lord after you meet him! Just take this hornpipe and head to the mansion!"
It was a bit of a mess, but with the quest item, background knowledge, and quest starting point all provided, it seemed we were all set.
The cute mistake of banging her knees on the counter in shock was forgivable, almost endearing.
The viewers had completely fallen for the detailed explanation and her pleasant voice.
-The quest is so clich, like it had been twisted around three times before being served.
-Damn, I've donated too much for Irene romance I can't afford the dentist.
-This smells like the work of an unidentified witch, a fake suspect, and as we investigate, suspicious circumstances emerge.
-She's really going on a witch hunt, huh? Maybe it's a religious thing?
There was someone trying to change the subject, but anyway.
"Thank you for the explanation, Miss Receptionist!"
"It's my honor, Hero!"
We headed toward the Lord of Antibes' mansion, receiving a polite farewell from the receptionist who bowed to us at the guild entrance like a subordinate to a high-ranking official heading to their car.
...The domain must be quite small, to have a lord's mansion instead of a castle.
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Raei Translations
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Given it was a small rural domain, there wasn't a castle built for the lord.
Some history buffs in the chat got so twisted up explaining the difference between a lord (Herr) and a castle lord (Chatelain) that they were kicked out after being told to pay up.
The path was just wide enough for a carriage, flanked by haphazardly built wooden buildings.
The residents, dressed lightly either due to the heat or the influence of Heroines Chronicle, were everywhere.
The lord seems well-respected here; the atmosphere in the fiefdom isn't down.
In places with typical evil lords, the faces of the walking peasants were always gloomy.
"Wow, you think you could make barbarian warrior allies in the South? There's a native 4 barbarian warrior here."
-What the hell, since when do gacha pulls have regional locks?
-So this is why the average star rating of my companions is so low
-Brown skin, silver hair, muscular, tattooed woman, oh my god
-I see barbarian warriors now and then, but no witches. Where are the busty witches with pointed hats and cats?
-Silver hair really does complement brown-tanned skin well
It seems like Han Se-ah and the viewers in the chat hadn't been down to the South given its harsh environment.
After all, only a few would come down to the southern edge, whether to become mercenaries or work in an inn.
Unless they were crazy enough to slam their character against the tower walls for climbing or streamers walking around the kingdom for content, why come all the way here?
Thus, spotting gacha characters, i.e., the southern beauties with their tan skin, they started chattering noisily.
"Wow, they must be from the forest. ...But they really don't wear much, do they?"
"That bow is huge. How do they manage it in this damp and humid place?"
"Just breathing feels oddly uncomfortable. My lips cracked in the north, but here my skin feels damp."
And it was the same for our party.
Irene was flustered by the sight of barbarian warriors in nothing but leather underwear, regardless of gender.
Grace, even in this situation, showed interest in the barbarians' huge bows.
Katie seemed too bothered by the humid heat to look around.
Walking under the sun for a bit, we could see a white mansion in the distance.
Among the wooden buildings, it stood out, shining beautifully.
"Ah, this seal... Please, come inside."
"We appreciate the guidance."
Seeing the guards and the butler recognize the letter, it was clear the lord had made quite the announcement about calling for a hero.
Passing a robust guard possibly of barbarian descent and following a mustachioed butler to the reception room, the giggling young maids stepping aside was enough to tell.
The faces of the domain's residents without a hint of shadow, barbarian warriors walking around without discrimination, young maids keeping their innocence over manners.
It was a scene from a beautiful domain, as if out of a fairy tale.
Except for the oppressive heat and humidity and the fact that a few days' journey from the domain, there were gangs of man-eating creatures the size of motorcycles roaming around like biker gangs.
"Ah, welcome! Heroes!"
"...Ah, yes. Hello, Lord."
"Heroes, you can speak casually in front of this old man! Aren't you the ones who received a divine revelation from the Goddess herself? Hahaha! Never in my life did I dream I'd witness such a miracle."
And then, there was the Lord of Antibes to consider.
I had imagined him to be closer to a gentle gentleman.
Someone with a well-groomed beard or mustache, white hair, looking sharp in a bowler hat and suitan intellectual modern gentleman.
After all, he was the man who converted an entire village of barbarian warriors with his silver tongue and faith.
I thought of him more as a missionary in a new territory than a country lord, and if he had gained political backing from the princess and recognition from the temple, surely he'd be blessed with the gacha buff and be a handsome man with stars to his name.
That's what I was thinking, but.
"If there's anything you need, just say the word, and I'll support you in any way I can!"
Bald, muscular, with a white mustache, tanned skin, a large tattoo on the shoulder visible through a loose shirt, seemingly a symbol of brotherhood, and even sunglasses to shield from the sun.
[Silver Short-Haired Tomboy with Tan Skin donated 10,000 won!]
Looks like a tanned hermit turtle.
"Right, thank you for the 10,000 won. He looks so intense, it's a bit startling."
What stood before us was definitely not a church pastor but an old gym rat who could lift 600 at the local gym.
Could that be... the reason he was recognized by the temple?
Updated from fr𝒆ewebnov𝒆l.(c)om