Meaning of the Message
Entering the Westland mansion in the royal capital, I feel a sense of relief.
I thought the Duke might ask me about the library, but he didn’t. He’s probably busy with the new business project.
I already told Brother Chris and Father in the carriage—when it was just the three of us—that I have something to discuss when they have time, so I’m sure they’ll make time for me today.
After dinner, the three of us gather in Father’s study.
“Let’s hear Hardt’s matter first,” Father said.
I explained everything in one go: that the library blessing leveled up in the Duke’s library yesterday; that the perk for the rank-up allows me to read books written in foreign languages;
that the next rank-up perk allows me to designate an additional "linked library" per rank-up, which must have more than 10,000 books to qualify;
and that while normally there is no notice of the next perk, this time, it was revealed because I read a book about the Saintess in the Duke's library.
Wondering if that message held any deeper meaning, I reread the book about the Saintess. One line stood out to me:
“The Saintess descended to purify a land corrupted by a curse and ravaged by frenzied monsters.”
“That means what you’re concerned about, Hardt, is the possibility that the Beastkin Nation is in the same condition as 150 years ago,” Brother Chris said.
“Brother Chris, I heard that the area where Raul and the others used to live was one of the most dangerous parts of the forest, with many violent monsters.”
“We’ll need to confirm with Raul and the others whether those violent monsters have always been around, and whether there’s a cursed land in the Beastkin Nation.”
“Father, if the problem is something caused by the dragon settling in the forest, wouldn’t that point to the Westland side, not the Beastkin Nation?”
“Then why would the Saintess descend to the Beastkin Nation? If it were the Westland side, it would make more sense for her to appear in the Kingdom of Aranfes.”
“That’s because you are here, Hardt. You have three divine blessings, and judging from the previous messages from the gods, it all makes sense. I do think there’s a problem in the Beastkin Nation that’s worrying the gods, though.”
“… Let’s ask Raul and the others first.”
It seemed a bit much to call Raul and the others over right now, so we decided to talk to them tomorrow.
Me, taking the Saintess’s place? Honestly, I really hope not.
I want to believe it’s something else…
Father then moved on to talk about the joint business project with the Duke Clondale.
We won’t say that the spices came from the beastkin. Instead, it will be that they were developed from seeds and notes discovered in a dungeon boss room.
We’ll say we’re testing whether the plants can grow with beastkin blessings as well.
As for the curry powder made by the beastkin, it can be sold without going through the Clondale family. However, the selling price must be set the same.
I see. That way, it wouldn’t be strange for the beastkin to be growing spices, and the low profit margins would lower noble interest in them.
Still, it’s been pointed out that perceptive nobles won’t be fooled. After all, the fact that the two members of the Clondale family have been coming to Westland for other business, and that Chris and I have been entering and exiting the herb and fruit dungeons, would become clear if investigated.
Sigh… what a pain. I’d rather leave all the tedious stuff to Father and the others and just take it easy.
The next day, when we asked Raul and the others, they said they’ve lived there originally.
The nearby monsters were always strong, but in recent years they’ve become violent, making extermination much harder.
If they didn’t deal with them, their village would be in danger, and they used monster materials for trade, such as for food.
As for cursed land, they said they didn’t know.
“Did you ever find out the cause of the frenzy? And how does it compare to the forest near Helios Village?”
They don’t know the cause of the frenzy. It didn’t happen suddenly but increased gradually.
As for the forest, they say things are much better now. The place they used to live in mostly only had valuable materials like magic stones, but it was filled with strong monsters.
“Are there others like your group, who were forced to live in specific places?” Brother Chris asked.
Apparently, there are several such groups, each for different reasons.
Raul added that, unlike others, they had someone supporting them from the shadows, so they were relatively fortunate.
Hearing Raul’s story, it seems something unusual is happening in this forest—on both the Beastkin Nation side and the Kingdom of Aranfes side—with the frenzy of magical beasts beginning in both areas.
Only these two countries border the forest. The other nations are separated by mountain ranges, so they’re unrelated.
Looks like we really do need to go meet the dragon who’s taken up residence in the Westland side of the forest.
What do you think about this chapter?
