Dawn Traveler - Chapter 23

The Beginning of Experience (Part 2)

Rendall was observing the changes in the situation of the Gras Empire through the information guild in Ellim, the city nearest to the Elven Forest.

As the Imperial princes’ battle became more and more intense, cities burned and the castles of the nobility were shattered.

Everywhere there were refugees wandering, looting was being carried out, and the area was teeming with bandits.

Even the Great Nobles of the Gras Empire have actively participated in the intervention, and the civil war has not shown any signs of being resolved in these few years.

“So, there’s talk of a magician’s dungeon a day away…….”
“Yes. It is the Earl Parker’s family, a gray fog hangs over the whole area and strange sounds have begun to be heard.”
“If so, the chances of it being a dungeon is high.”

Rendall and Laeli were pleased to hear that they had a job after a long time.
Magicians have various magical devices to protect the entrance of their laboratory.

Most of the magic was time limited in its maintenance, and before the magic dissipated in accord with the providence of nature, many bizarre phenomena occurred.

“Anywhere is good, as long as I can get out of the Elven Forest.”

Nedhand was bored so he was overflowing with energy about the job.

He produced farming tools for picking fruit on the top of trees to kill time.

Dwarves risk their lives even when they made small tools, and it was a big problem for the prideful dwarf to have trouble picking the fruit from the trees due to his small stature.

Of course, the really well-made farm equipment after several uses was now leaning against the wall and never looked at again, but it was a work that gleamed.

“Earl Parker’s family developed their commerce in magic raw materials, so a lot of trade has occurred there. I cannot wait to go.”

Herz’s body was also flushed with anticipation.

He had not been able to do the research that he wanted to do because he was lacking magic books and magic materials after climbing to the 6th circle.

Although it was difficult to research and procure materials because he was in the Elven Forest, it would be the same if he were to go out with the war sweeping through the world like it was now.

That was because magicians were taken and used in battle whether they wanted to or not.

“If the dungeon protection circle is about to be released, it is at least a hundred years old. If I can save the magic books of the past, I can get valuable knowledge.”

Laeli spread out the map and marked the castle and villages of the Earl Parker’s family in black.

“However, Parker’s castle and the big villages have now been devastated by the civil war. There are barely any residents left.”

Nedhand frowned.

“That’s terrible. Was it the Phraison tribe’s doing?”

Just thinking of the Phraison tribe would ruin the taste of beer.

“Yes. It’s unfortunate for them, but there will probably not be any troops coming so I do not think we’ll be interrupted.”

Rendall summed up the situation.

“It’s hard to predict which magician might have disappeared since a lot of time has passed, and it would be difficult to gather information with the war going on. First of all, do you agree with going there and judging the situation?”

Nedhand and Herz nodded vigorously.

“I agree.”
“Let’s have a look.”

Their attitude was if their body was aching from not moving for too long.
Grona was packing for the trip right away. The problem was Jess.

“You must stay in the forest and continue training. You should not neglect even one day.”
“I want to go with you.”
“It may be dangerous.”
“I’ve been to a lot of dungeons since I was a kid.”
“Things are different from then. Now that the world is in a chaotic state, it might be unsafe. Did you not see that last time?”

If Jess was left alone in the forest, then of course he was planning to play with Alrium every day. However, it was too bad to miss an opportunity to go out and enjoy an adventure in the world again.

Compared to the days when he was a baby, or when he could just walk a little, he was pretty grown up now, and he can use 2nd circle magic.

His swordsmanship was enough to play around with goblins, and his most outstanding skill was with the bow.

The archery he learned intensively with Lisianthus did not compare to Rendall’s or Nedhand’s skill.

“Honey. Let’s bring Jess.”
“But…….”
“If you think it’s dangerous, we don’t need to explore it. Herz has also ascended to the 6th circle, and it is rare for anyone to catch up to Jess if he runs.”

He was fast enough to chase Grona, the dark elf, in the woods. Of course, there was a limit to his endurance.

“I promise you that he will not fall into traps that are of passable construction.”
“If it’s Jess, he will not do anything rash.”

Jess was able to take part in the adventure due to Nedhand and Herz vouching for him.

-:¦:–:¦:–:¦:–:¦:–:¦:–:¦:-

With light steps Jess headed towards the cabin where Lisianthus and Alrium were located.

Lisianthus had just been mending arrows.

“It looks like something pleasant has occurred judging by your expression.”
“Yes. I get to go out into the world.”

Jess explained that he planned to go on a dungeon exploration.

“Hmm. The dungeon of a magician……that sounds interesting.”

Lisianthus seemed to be in a quiet mood. The time spent in the forest teaching the elves without going to the human world had been quite long.

“We’re not going to wander around and will only be visiting the dungeon. We’ll be back soon.”
“Right. Since I have to go to a human city, I will have to go with you next time.”

Jess knowing exactly what kind of situation occurred every time Lisianthus came out into the world was unlikely to let him go with him.

Though he had received helped from him before, a massive number of magic machines were made inoperable.

At that time, it became such a big topic that soldiers and the Phraison tribe spread all over the place where the incident happened.

If it was not for the civil war of the Gras Empire, the central knights would have dug up the facts of the case thoroughly.

Alrium looked at Jess with clear eyes.

“Do you really have to go?”
“Yeah.”

When he thought that Alrium would come with him, he had intended to pretend to stop her.

“Come back safely.”
“……yeah.”

Like an elf Alrium was straightforward and did not stop him.

After coming back I’ll play “doctor and patient” and “newlyweds” with her as much as I want.

Lisianthus took out a bow that was slightly smaller than usual from the cabin.

“I have something to give you. It was finally completed a while ago. It should be better than the one you’ve been using for practice.”
“Thank you. I’ll use it well in the future.”

Jess received the bow with both hands, without any courtesy words of refusal.

The elves were significantly less proficient than the dwarves in the field of production. But as far as the bow was concerned, they were unmatched.

After Jess held the bow, it felt heavier than usual.

“It doesn’t seem to be wood, but what is the material?”
“It’s the horn of a fellow who was considerably unruly in the forest a while ago.”
“A morgis?”

A morgis was a monster that resembled a rhinoceros.

“I was going to wait a little longer before giving it to you, but it would be better to take it now as you are leaving for the outside world. The string is also made from the Morgis’s tendon, and its superior elasticity will allow you to shoot farther.”
“Oh, I see.”
“Be careful. You’ll only be able to deal with at most five or six grey wolves with your skills.”
“Yes.”

Grey wolves were powerful monsters that even experienced mercenaries could not guarantee a victory.

It was a remark that could only be spoken by Lisianthus who was sufficiently qualified to be arrogant.

The bow brought an enormous amount of combat power to a plain where there was an open field of view.

The large frame of the grey wolves could be shot at with arrows given a sufficient amount of distance, and with an elf’s fleet steps you could retreat backwards as a way to open up that distance.

It was rare to see a grey wolf in a dungeon, so he wasn’t worried.

The wolves hate dark places and need to be fed a lot of food so it was not worth using them for dungeons.

However, if the magician’s position was extremely high, they could have hell creatures or chimeras as guards, but these types of dungeons were rarely seen.

Most of the magicians of the empire, kingdoms, and magic tower that reach the highest rank were treated well due to their skills and received disciples.

The problem was that most of those that enter first after the magician died were the disciples they had instructed.

They destroyed all the facilities in the dungeon and monopolized the research materials.

At that time, the disputes among the disciples were said to be so great that even murder can happen easily.

Their teacher would dislike this sort of situation, so they’re last laboratory that became a final resting place was often hidden, but they were mostly found anyway.

The magicians’ greed for knowledge was so great that there was a saying that the teacher waited only for death when he was older.