Chapter 147: Search For A New Quest

POV Eliza

That evening, Ezekiel brought me up to date, but only after giving me a dressing-down. He was angry that I hadn't waited at the camp as he had ordered me to. However, I was able to calm him down somewhat by convincing him that I couldn't learn anything new if I just stayed at the camp. However, I had the feeling that he now wanted to keep a closer eye on me. My time as Stevt seemed to be coming to an end. Perhaps I should preempt a possible expulsion and withdraw on my own. Then I could possibly continue to benefit from the heroes' support and rejoin them later.

“Ezekiel, may I say something else on the subject?” <Eliza>

“What is it, Stevt?” <Ezekiel>

“I get the impression that you no longer have complete confidence in me. Am I right?” <Eliza>

"Sharp as always. That's right. You didn't follow my orders, and that's what we expect from recruits. If the heroes find out about this, they'll withdraw their support and you'll lose all your advantages." <Ezekiel>

“Then my impression was correct. I'm sorry I caused you trouble.” <Eliza>

"I'm sorry too. I had high hopes for you and wanted to make you my right-hand man. You're on probation and need to be careful from now on. I would regret it if you were kicked out." <Ezekiel>

“All I did was help my comrade and then look for you. I'll try to present it in such a way that you won't be affected. Then you should be out of the woods.” <Eliza>

“Now I feel like I have to thank you for disobeying my orders. You're good with words, but the situation is what it is. It's better if you lay low for now, then maybe you can earn her trust again.” <Ezekiel>

“I will. Thanks for understanding. I'll go pack my things.” <Eliza>

The order to leave came shortly after my conversation with Ezekiel. I was surprised that I wasn't called to report to the heroes, but that must mean they didn't notice my misconduct. Therefore, I should be able to get out of this relatively unscathed. Winter is approaching, and I wanted to part ways with the heroes this year anyway.

The return journey was uneventful. The only noteworthy event was the discovery of the owl, which was once again attempting to consume its previous victim. This time, however, it was spotted in time and neutralized with a targeted spell. Those of us who were interested then had the opportunity to examine the animal more closely. Its beak was very impressive. No wonder it was able to tear pieces of flesh from living humans with it.

Several days later, the silhouette of the capital appeared before us. Our trip to my third dungeon was coming to an end. I had had enough time to reflect on the experiences. I had mixed feelings. On the one hand, it was a refreshing change from the other two dungeons, which were very monotonous and boring in terms of theme and monsters. On the other hand, the dungeon was very inconveniently located in the mountains and the weather was constantly bad. I knew I would have to come back here again, but I put that off until the future. I didn't have to worry about it right now.

The next day, our expedition to the Lightning Dungeon came to an end, and to conclude, the heroes called a final meeting outside the city. All the recruits who had taken part in the expedition were summoned. We were called to the largest tent. Inside was a large folding table, behind which the four heroes sat.

"I'll be brief. You all did well. Except for one or two minor incidents, you showed that you have improved. As soon as we enter the city, you are temporarily dismissed. You can report back next year. Then you will find out if we can use your fighting skills again. In the meantime, you are free to use the training facilities in the capital. You should also continue to level up. Don't neglect that. Dismissed." <Cornelius>

We then left the tent. So we were free again. That meant I could plan how I wanted to spend the winter. By now, I had three options that I was seriously considering. I could stay in Lightburgh and visit Tamina and Master Freyna. I enjoyed spending time with them, but there were two places I wanted to go even more. I had spent the last two winters in Tyros with Lirella and Weyn. I decided to visit them in the coming weeks. That would also give me the opportunity to find out if Lynn and the other young wolves were in Tyros. I hadn't had any contact with them for a long time, far too long.

But my real goal was to see Mama and the community. I had promised them I would come back for the winter, and I would keep that promise. We had a lot of catching up to do after being separated since my escape.

I also said goodbye to Ezekiel and the others, with whom I had established a friendly relationship. The first thing I did afterwards was to transform into Eliza in a quiet corner. I breathed a sigh of relief. This body felt much better than the male body I had had to spend the last few weeks in. Even after all this time, the thing between my legs still felt like a foreign object. I still didn't understand why men were so proud of it. Especially in the morning when I woke up, the thing developed a life of its own, which I really disliked.

Feeling liberated and in a good mood, I strolled through the city toward the tavern where I usually stopped. There I left a letter for Master Freyna to let her know that I was doing well. I told her that I wanted to visit them at the beginning of next year. Then I made my way to the adventurers' guild. I wanted to see if there was an interesting quest I could do.

The adventurers' guild was as busy as ever. The guild in the capital had fewer adventurers than Tyros, even though the city itself had significantly more inhabitants. The reason for this was the dungeon near Tyros. This was the main occupation and source of income for adventurers. Of the monsters that could be slain in the dungeon, the goblins and orcs were completely worthless. Even the butterflies, caterpillars, and trees had nothing that could be reasonably turned into money. Unfortunately, some of the materials from the remaining monsters were difficult to obtain because they only gained value on the higher floors. These included beetle shells, certain vine fibers, and wolf and bear pelts. The easiest way to make money was with the remains of slimes, which had various uses in alchemy. Unfortunately, this required bringing glass bottles into the dungeon and filling them with the slime's liquid. This was difficult to accomplish, so only a few adventurers did it.

Finally, there was the poison of the spiders, which was also valuable. Demand was high because few people collected the poison. This was because few people wanted to fight the spiders. Therefore, supplies were low. Much easier and more profitable was the hunt for magic cores. These could be obtained from any monster and were the main source of income for most adventurers.

However, for a change, I wanted to do a different quest. In the capital, there were many quests that were commissioned from the surrounding area. I wanted a quest that would take me away from the city. Therefore, a certain quest immediately caught my eye.

“Urgent procurement quest for rank C: Certain monster parts are wanted. 1x wyvern scale, 1x blood cobra fangs and poison, and 1x alligator blood. More information is available at the reception desk.”

The parts sought belonged to monsters or animals that could not be hunted in the two nearby dungeons. To my knowledge, wyverns were found in the mountains, presumably also in the north. On our way to the Lightning Dungeon, I might have even seen some, but I wasn't sure. Alligators were found in swampy areas, but also in the Lightning Dungeon. That would be a common destination. But I didn't know where to find blood cobras. Nevertheless, I turned to the counter. My gut told me I had to follow up on this, and my gut hadn't let me down so far.

I joined the queue. With my rank D, I was also allowed to complete rank C quests. When I reached the front, the receptionist smiled at me.

“Hello. Welcome to the guild. How can I help you today?” <Receptionist>

“Hello. I saw the notice about the procurement quest for the three monster parts that can only be found outside Lightburgh. It also said that more information is available here.” <Eliza>

"That's right. The quest can also be completed in parts. Each of the monster parts you're looking for can be handed in separately and you'll receive 1/3 of the advertised reward for each one. Anyone who wants to complete the quest should meet with the client first. He is located at the Tannbush Inn in the merchant district of the city. The client would like to get an impression of you beforehand." <Receptionist>

This was a first for me. Usually, it didn't matter who accepted and completed a quest. Apparently, there was more going on behind the scenes than it seemed.

“Does this happen often? I don't want to get involved with a criminal.” <Eliza>

“Don't worry. The client is also a well-known adventurer. But it does happen quite often. Most of the time, it's merchants or even nobles who act as clients. They want to make sure that their orders are carried out seriously.” <Receptionist>

“Thanks, that helps me understand the situation better. If the job can be completed in parts, can several people take on the quest at the same time? Then I'd like to accept the job.” <Eliza>

“Yes, anyone can take on this job. But only the first person to succeed will receive the reward. Please give me your license, and I'll register the quest for you.” <Receptionist>

I handed her my license and then made my way to the east of the city. The closer I got, the more a feeling of concern crept over me. I had a very bad feeling about this. The reason became clear to me immediately when I entered the inn and recognized who the client for the quest was. It was Aslan.