Hunt Festival
In the Great Sin City Nation of Greed, there’s a unique festival. Unlike the Sun Festival led by the temple to pray to the Sun God and spirits,
the Hunt Festival started as kind of game played by adventurers who seemed to have no connection with culture.
Adventurers began competing to see who could defeat the most difficult and bountied monsters in the labyrinth first.
Fellow adventurers and townsfolk would bet on the winner. Merchants began selling rare gear to provoke the adventurers, and even the priests joined in, turning it into a city-wide event.
“It’s just a big, rowdy celebration, not a holy event.”
Gaina, a seasoned copper rank adventurer and regular customer, explained calmly. Ur frowned in confusion.
“So, the Gem golem might be the target of the festival?”
“Since it’s in the upper floors, the results will be quick. It’s a perfect bet.”
The bounty target would be prohibited from being defeated until the festival day. It might seem contradictory, but it was to ensure the festival wasn’t wasted.
“Does that mean more participants?”
“That’s the idea. Raise the bounty and attention to attract stronger adventurers.”
“The guild points awarded are high too, so many parties will join.”
“Hmm…”
Shizuku, sitting next to Ur, also looked troubled. Naturally, as beginners aiming for a bounty target was unusual, and the regulars all understood this.
With the festival, the situation would only get more complicated. Staying calm would be hard.
But the regulars couldn’t help them directly. They had their own challenges and bets to worry about. Favoritism wasn’t an option.
“I think the announcement should be coming soon. Keep an eye on the guild’s board.”
“Yeah, thanks.”
That was all Gaina could say. Ur nodded at the advice and began talking with Shizuku with a serious expression. Meanwhile, Gaina returned to his chair. Back at the table, his party members were grinning at him.
“Playing caretaker, huh?”
“You were the same not long ago.”
“Shut up, just drink your ale.”
Gaina gulped down his ale to brush off the comments. He knew they weren’t teasing him seriously. Everyone in the tavern, including Gaina, had taken a liking to the new adventurers, Ur and Shizuku.
“They’re a bit reckless, aren’t they?”
Without showing off any special circumstances they might have, they earnestly and seriously delved into the Labyrinth, returning battered and bruised to eat heartily here. They listened intently to the advice of the veteran adventurers, then went back to the training ground to be beaten up by their instructor.
It’s impossible not to worry or care about them.
“I’m always worried they’ll die before they even face a bounty target.”
“I’m worried Glenn might kill them…”
“He wouldn’t lose control like that. That’s what makes it worse.”
Despite their different feelings—some sympathetic, some supportive—they all cared. Well, except for one…
“Shizuku is cute, after all!”
Some of them have a little ulterior motive.
Danji, with a ridiculously pathetic look, stared at the silver-haired beauty, making everyone around sigh. True, her stunning looks were far beyond what one would expect of an adventurer, and it was understandable to be captivated by her. But he was being too obvious. Besides,
“You idiot, it’s clear she’s with Ur.”
“Is she? Ur said they’re not like that.”
“Look.”
He looks towards Ur and Shizuku again. Shizuku was smiling gently and kindly at Ur as they talked. It was a breathtakingly beautiful smile, filled with affection, and it was directed solely at Ur.
“Has she ever smiled at you like that?”
“Well, when I fell and got hurt while drunk, she took care of me very kindly!”
“She pitied you. And don’t make a new adventurer waste her precious magic on you…”
“That’s why you’re not popular.”
Danji, being mocked from all sides, started to cry. Though, they knew he would bounce back soon. Gaina turned his gaze back to Shizuku.
“Well, I don’t really understand her either…”
Her overwhelmingly beautiful appearance would make anyone turn their head. Her kind and merciful attitude matched her looks. And she had exceptional talent as a magician.
It’s hard not to be curious about why someone like her is an adventurer. But prying into others’ affairs is forbidden. Gaina took another swig of his drink to divert his gaze.
“Hey! Don’t spill it! You’re wasting good ale!”
“Shut up! I’ll just order more!”
“You guys are too drunk. Haha!”
Suddenly, loud voices erupted from one corner of the tavern.
“What’s with those guys?”
The regulars frowned and glared over. Some drunks were making a ruckus in the middle of the day.
“Apparently, they’re thugs who won big at some gambling den.”
“If they keep it up, the boss will get mad. Are they okay?”
They were celebrating too hard, having come into some money. Usually, they’d just be kicked out if they went too far. But this time—
“Hey, look at that! There’s a gorgeous girl over there!”
“Wow, no kidding! What’s a beauty like her doing in a dump like this? Is she the poster girl?”
—unfortunately, they started harassing Ur and Shizuku.
The regulars watched attentively. Ur and Shizuku, now more skilled than any ordinary bronze-ranked adventurer, wouldn’t lose to some thugs. But they were still kids. The regulars felt an obligation to protect their adorable juniors.
“You okay? You seem pretty drunk.”
“Shut up! Do you know who I am?”
“Not really.”
“Hahaha! He doesn’t know! What an idiot!”
Ur wasn’t scared and handled the situation calmly. There didn’t seem to be any immediate danger, but as the regulars exchanged glances to step in, it happened.
“Hey, kid, that’s a nice weapon you’ve got there.”
One of the thugs grabbed Ur’s Dragon Fang Spear without permission. Instantly, the regulars stood up.
“Don’t touch someone else’s weapon…”
It’s a taboo to touch an adventurer’s weapon without permission. It’s something they entrust their lives to in the Labyrinth. Even among friends, you don’t hand it over lightly. Let alone touching it without asking is beyond rude. Everyone stood up and approached the thugs.
“Whoa, hey.”
Some of the thugs were startled, but the one holding the spear didn’t notice. Then,
“Watch this, I’ll show you how it’s done—”
He swung the spear awkwardly and—
“Oops.”
Snap! The spear broke in half at the base of the blade.
“………”
In that moment, the adventurers were all furious… no, they weren’t. The thugs, the surrounding adventurers, and even Ur, who had his business tool destroyed, all fell silent.
Normally, the Dragon Fang Spear is not the kind of thing that would break from just a casual swing. They had said it had fought against a gemstone golem earlier, so that might have been the reason. That’s why everyone was bewildered.
No, this is just too much,
no matter how you look at it.
At least it didn’t break in the middle of a Labyrinth.
but…
Shouldn’t they still be angry at the thugs for breaking it?
and…
These thoughts swirled around in their minds.
To make matters worse, Ur, the victim, didn’t look angry or sad. He just stared at the broken spear like it was someone else’s problem, making the confusion even worse.
Everyone was looking for the right reaction. Then,
“How could you… That was Ur-sama’s father’s keepsake…”
Shizuku began to cry, and that reset everyone’s minds.
“That’s right! Shizuku’s right! How could you do something so terrible!”
“Didn’t you just say ‘that’s right’?”
“Yeah, this is unforgivable! Ruining Ur’s… beloved weapon like that!”
“Did you just call it junk?!”
“They need to compensate for this. Ur, how much did it cost?”
“Three gold coins.”
“What a rip… I mean, how could you destroy such an expensive weapon! Unforgivable!”
“Did you just call it a rip-off?! Look at me!”
After much back and forth, they managed to get three silver coins, the minimum price for the spear’s blade, from the thugs.
The next day, an announcement was posted at the adventurer guild.
- Announcement of the Hunting Festival
- The event will take place in two weeks
- The target is the Gem golem roaming the upper levels
- Only bronze-ranked adventurers and below can participate
- Until the event, attacking the Gem golem is prohibited
This news spread quickly, filling the city-state of Greed with excitement and energy.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.PAGES.DEV
The “Golden Phoenix” branch in Greed had been caught in a storm for a while.
The reason was clear: the recent downfall of Lugola, a dwarf who had been managing Greed, and his faction. Their arrest by the knights severely damaged the loan business known as the “Golden Phoenix.” It had already been in a precarious state, deviating from the Plowdia headquarters’ policy of “loans for adventurers.” This flaw had shown itself in the worst possible way.
Everyone thought this branch was done for. And they were probably right.
“Alright, this should do it. You’ve covered for Lugola’s absence well.”
If it weren’t for Diz Grand Phoenix, it would have happened for real.
“No… It’s all thanks to Diz-sama’s help.”
Ganen, who had newly become the head of the Greed Branch, lowered his head, expressing his honest gratitude rather than mere flattery.
When she first arrived, not only Ganen but also the other employees underestimated her. Despite being the head’s daughter, they thought she was just a pretty little girl who would only stir up more trouble at work.
──You might have a lot to say, but for now, just follow my instructions.
However, once she took the helm, she showed her true capability. She kept the functional parts and cut away the rotten ones. She didn’t discard people easily but separated those with dark sides from the rest. In no time, she restored the Greed Branch to health. No wonder he had to bow his head.
“I’m really grateful. Thanks to you, we barely managed to keep it together.”
Visit the request page If there’s a Japanese Light Novel (LN) or Web Novel (WN) you’d like me to translate
When the donation goal progress bar above hit 100% one novel will be chosen for translation
| Table of Contents | Next* |
Support the Author by Buying the Original Books!
