February arrived.
Heavy snow had blanketed the area around Feel, nestled in the mountains, with accumulations exceeding two meters in higher elevations. The roads were completely buried, making travel by beast carriage quite difficult. Consequently, during this season, most visitors to Feel utilized flying mounts. Wyverns were the most common mounts, and since they couldn’t carry beast carriages, the typical approach for cold weather protection involved layering clothes and using a heat-generating Tenma Stone to warm the mount and its rider.
However, the opening of Prada Port allowed for travel by ship. The area around Prada received significantly less snowfall, meaning travel from Emosion only took a little longer than usual. Ed and the others mentioned that this had led to an increase in visitors to Feel, even during this time of year.
“Just because of that, this is unacceptable,” Ed grumbled.
“I agree,” Fiana replied.
Ed and Fiana appeared unfazed, despite being surrounded by about ten individuals who looked like washed-up hunters. Perhaps it was partly due to my presence, but Ed had evolved into a Fairy Half-Hide Dwarf and was around level 50. He could likely escape with Fiana even if he couldn’t win outright.
“I’ll say it again. That coat is too good for a mere Crafter. We’ll use it, so hand it over gratefully.”
These thug hunters had spotted the Crest Defender Coats worn by Ed, Fiana, and myself, and had approached us demanding we surrender them. I was also wearing the Azure Silver Sword – Pale Green, so they were likely after that as well.
Fiana had come to the Crafter’s Guild for her promotion test, while Ed and I had separate business. Fiana passed her test and was promoted to S-rank Crafter. After we finished our business, we decided to stop by the Hunter’s Guild, only to be met with this situation.
“Anyone who looks down on Crafters isn’t even worth giving a roadside pebble to,” Fiana retorted.
“I’d heard about this, but I didn’t realize people like this still existed,” Ed added.
“They know their likely fate, yet they operate under the inexplicable logic that they alone will be the exception.”
It was common for such individuals to multiply as their numbers grew. While it was a nuisance for us to deal with, leaving them unchecked would only negatively impact Feel. So, we decided to apprehend them quickly and hand them over to the Order’s Guild.
“Alright, alright, that’s enough. Do you have any idea who you’re messing with?”
Just as I was about to move in, a woman’s voice echoed from another direction. Could it be El?
“El! You’re in Feel too?”
“With recent events, it’s become a bit difficult to stay in Float. I’m planning to base myself in Feel for a while.”
Oh? Falcon’s Beak would be based in Feel. That was most welcome news, both for the Wing Crest and as acting Lord.
“You bastards! Ignoring me means you’re practically begging for death!”
However, the idiot who had been harassing us, angered by being ignored, drew his sword right inside the Hunter’s Guild. That was a clear path to expulsion from the Hunter’s Guild, interrogation by the Order’s Guild, and potentially execution due to his high-class mana.
“You’re the one who wants to die. You probably evolved to High Class the moment you hit level 41 and mistook yourself for someone special, acting however you pleased until now, didn’t you?” El stated.
“This is my first time seeing them, too. They’re likely transient individuals from the Valentiya region or the Libertà region. Then it’s up to you, Celestial Duke,” El added.
The moment El spoke, the thugs’ faces turned visibly pale. It was public knowledge that all three of the Celestial Dukes held succession rights to the Celestial Emperor, and among them, I was the only male. While I hadn’t publicized my evolution into an Element Human, rumors of me being the highest-ranked update for the Helios Orb were circulating among hunters. This meant they had deduced who I was from El’s statement.
“Wh-what nonsense! Why would a Celestial Duke be in a mere Hunter’s Guild! Nobles don’t come here!”
With his sword already drawn, there was no backing down. Individuals like these were bound to have a record of other crimes, so we’d drag them in and let the Order’s Guild conduct a thorough investigation.
“I have no interest in listening to the ramblings of fools. Not only did you gang up to try and steal our equipment, but drawing a sword within the Hunter’s Guild is a serious crime in itself. If you have any excuses, take them to the Order’s Guild,” I said.
With that, I layered Shock Flow onto Knight Magic: Arresting, incapacitating them and knocking them unconscious simultaneously. There seemed to be about three High Class individuals, but their levels didn’t appear to be particularly high, so it wasn’t much trouble.
“Kamina, could you please report this to the Order’s Guild?”
“Understood. I apologize for troubling you.”
“If you feel that way, you could have intervened as a mediator,” Fiana remarked.
“It’s an order from the Grand Hunter’s Master, so I apologize, but as a mere staff member, there’s nothing I can do.”
Still, please stop smiling so broadly.
It was normally a serious issue for a staff member not to intervene in a situation like this within the Hunter’s Guild. However, for us specifically, the Hunter’s Guild would not interfere unless requested, a policy publicly announced by none other than the Grand Hunter’s Master. The Wing Crest had many young hunters, and they comprised a union with numerous Ancient Classes, not just High Classes. This made problems like the current one prone to occurring. Furthermore, Mana, Yuri, and I were Celestial Dukes, Hilde was the Torencia Phantom King, Rika was a Marquis, and Prim, Meena, Flam, Lydia, Ludia, Athena, and Mako were Celestial Duke consorts. Raus was engaged to the Grand Princess of Lichtenfels, and Ed was known as the developer of the alloy, making it difficult for the Hunter’s Guild to intervene. In the first place, the thugs who bothered us invariably had prior offenses and were beyond rehabilitation. Therefore, starting with disrespect towards a Celestial Duke, a noble connected to the Celestial Emperor, the Hunter’s Guild had developed a policy of minimal intervention with the Wing Crest to investigate prior offenses and ensure punishment.
Frankly, I found that policy questionable. However, most of the staff were Normal Class and could be injured if attacked. If a High Class individual was involved, they could even lose their lives. We accepted that proposal after it was explained to us, but this had happened more than once already, and it was becoming quite tiresome.
“Nobles have it tough, don’t they?”
“El, couldn’t you get ennobled if you wanted to?”
“I refuse such troublesome things. Although, I suppose I could accept a title and leave the rest to Carl.”
“He’d cry.”
Many Ancient Hunters, not just El, could be ennobled at any time if they wished. However, nobility came with responsibilities and obligations. If appointed as a lord, one would have to manage territory, reducing the time available for hunting. Hunters were free spirits, and many disliked being constrained. For this reason, few hunters had been ennobled.
“On a separate note, is that ‘recent event’ still having an impact?”
“Indeed. We’ve had an increase in Ancient Classes due to the recent Labyrinth Flood, which is also a factor. The Black Army is apparently in a similar situation.”
The ‘recent event’ referred to their combat experience against Demise Species. While El was the only one who had directly clashed with a Demise Species, Falcon’s Beak had four Ancient Classes, leading to many solicitations from nobles. Most nobles didn’t make unreasonable demands, but some idiots in parts of the Valentiya and Libertà regions even went so far as to say, “Be grateful we’re letting you serve us.” Apparently, there were even complete morons who interfered with their requests. Similarly, the Black Army had two individuals who advanced to Ancient Class during the conquest of the Gagun Labyrinth, which occurred concurrently with the Labyrinth Flood. They were experiencing a barrage of recruitment and interference, just like Falcon’s Beak.
“We didn’t experience anything like that, so I didn’t realize everyone was having such a hard time.”
“Yamato is struggling in a different way. In a sense, it’s a side effect of evolving into an Ancient Class, but it’s not difficult to brush aside precisely because he’s an Ancient Class. Still, it’s undeniably bothersome, and it’s one of the reasons we left Float. Of course, Feel had also caught my attention, and this is the season for Snow Drops,” El explained.
Ah, I see. Snow Drops were indeed deer-like monsters that only appeared in winter, when snow was accumulating. Their rarity was undeniable, but their meat quality, despite being B-N rank, was so excellent that they fetched high prices. Their meat quality was said to rival that of G-rank Monsters. Occasionally, the rare White Deer appeared, leading to transactions valued in platinum coins when they hit the market.
“I see, so Falcon’s Beak was after Snow Drops and White Deer?”
“Thanks to mastering Traveling, we can now make day trips to the perpetual snow mountains, so we can go anytime,” El replied.
The perpetual snow mountains were peaks in a section of Mylight that were constantly covered in snow. It was believed that Snow Drops descended from these mountains for breeding purposes until the snow reached the foothills. Since they would suffer burns and their meat and hides would become unusable without snow, they were difficult monsters for hunters to hunt and nearly impossible to herd. This was why they were valuable despite their low rank, and the harsh environment of the perpetual snow mountains outside of the snow itself posed a risk even to High Class individuals.
However, mastering Traveling meant that once they went, they could return anytime, allowing them to hunt Snow Drops even in the summer. With the magic capacity of an Ancient Class, traveling via magic that ignored terrain, such as Flying or Scaffolding, was not difficult. Although they reappeared from somewhere even if overhunted, as they were monsters, overhunting them during the summer could lead to a shortage of numbers in the winter. El mentioned she had only gone once in early autumn.
“Speaking of which, I don’t see Snow Drops in labyrinths.”
“They’re not absent, though their numbers are small. However, given the ecological habits of Snow Drops, a prerequisite environment of snowfields or snowy mountains means that convenient labyrinths are rare.”
That was indeed a problem. I had entered several labyrinths but had never encountered a Snow Drop. Of course, there were labyrinths where they lived, but those labyrinths had many floors, and you wouldn’t encounter them until around the 15th floor. Furthermore, the presence of snow was a minimum requirement. Their numbers were also reportedly small, making encounters dependent on luck.
“I understand, so that’s why Snow Drops are famous in Feel during winter, and nobles came seeking them.”
“Precisely. The snow is also heavy, so visitors to Feel would be stuck for one to two months, yet Snow Drops are valuable enough for this, and they are bought for exorbitant prices every year. So, I suspect this will also fetch a considerable sum.”
As El spoke, she produced a white deer from her storage, a creature more than twice the size of the Snow Drops I had hunted several times. What? What is this?
“It’s a Cloudless Deer, an abnormal species. I encountered it by chance yesterday.”
Oh, an abnormal species of Snow Drop? I knew of the B-N rank Snow Drop, the S-U rank Hail Dias, and the G-R rank White Tear, but this was my first time seeing an abnormal species.
“The perpetual snow mountains are quite deep, and out of sight, so abnormal species are said to arise more easily. However, I never thought I’d actually be able to hunt one,” El said with a smile.
I had indeed heard similar stories. In Feel itself, they hadn’t been hunted for over 30 years. Given that rare species were traded for platinum coins, an abnormal species would likely command divine coins. Of course, we would eat some ourselves, but it would undoubtedly sell instantly. In fact, I wanted to buy it all. That would obviously be problematic, so I would have to limit myself.
“…Should I try going to the perpetual snow mountains next time?”
“While there might be some, I think it would be purely a gamble,” El replied.
El looked disappointed, but I felt a desire to go, even if it was a gamble. Since Falcon’s Beak had already defeated them, they likely wouldn’t be there normally, but the perpetual snow mountains were rarely entered by humans, so the possibility wasn’t zero. Still, there was no guarantee, and the likelihood of a wasted trip was high. As El said, it was truly a gamble.
Well, I wasn’t short on money, and El mentioned selling anything beyond what they intended to eat, so we could afford our share for the Wing Crest. I decided to be content with that for now.
