Chapter 357

357 The quest to save a village

The three coachmen looked at Vincent puzzled, but they followed his order and hooked the two horses to another carriage.

Now, the horseless carriage was making it harder for the remaining two carriages to leave.

Vincent placed his hand on the carriage and looked at the perplexed coachmen. He smiled, and the carriage suddenly glowed green. The carriage quickly dematerialized into particles, and as if they were a swarm of green fireflies attracted to Vincent, every last bit entered his hand.

“W-what happened?” One of the coachmen asked after witnessing such a grand sight.

“Huh? I am going to keep this carriage on me and place it later. I have space for one more, I think.” Vincent answered. He turned around and went inside the mansion.

The three coachmen thought Vincent was flaunting his wealth. To store a large carriage as if it was a small box and mention having more space to store a second carriage made the hired men believe the Lionheart family were rising to power.

The old butler noticed Sakura wearing a hood on her head entering the mansion. He cleared his throat and asked the coachmen if they could prepare to leave. The sooner, the better.

The old butler bowed respectfully. He informed them that the animals would be delivered in a few days and that Leonis had already asked Byron about building a small multi-purpose barn.

The old butler rode one of the carriages. Shortly, the two carriages, two extra horses, and three hired coachmen left.

.....

The residents of the Emerald Lionheart mansion split into three groups.

Vincent with Plow happily perched on his shoulder, and Sofy went to the stables.

Lenn, Renn, and Lian went to train and exercise yesterday’s bountiful food while Yula, Tula, and the little girls went to do some chores at their own pace and later prepare something to eat.

Maid Xu and the five Lionheart girls went inside, and not a trace of them could be seen afterward.

Vincent arrived in front of the stables. He summoned the carriage at the side of the stables and asked Sofy if the place was fine for her.

Sofy nodded with an excited smile on her face. She looked happy to have Vincent visit the stable she was taking care of. Sofy went to the front door of the stable and offered to show the three horses Demel Blackheart’s guards had.

Vincent and Kazumi looked inside, and they became impressed by the hygiene level of the stable. The stable was clean, with enough space for one or two more horses.

Even though both heard the stable was fixed, they never visited to see how it was from the inside. To their surprise, the stable was restored more than they thought.

The horses turned their gaze at the door the moment it opened. Vincent noticed their tails move when Sofy entered their sight. Furthermore, the horses were clean, and their hair brushed.

Sofy was taking care of the horses and doing an excellent job at that. There were barely any bad smells in the stable.

Kazumi had overheard one time from Leah how Sofy smiles after completing her stable duties after it was so called simply fixed. She would always return looking happy after taking care of the horses.

After there wasn’t anything else to do in the stable, Kazumi suggested visiting the Adventurers Guild. There wasn’t much to do for the next six days other than train or take his wives on a date.

Vincent looked at Sofy and requested, “Sofy, can you tell the others that I will go out for a bit? I want to see what new quests the Adventurers Guild has.”

Plow became excited and wagged her tails. She licked Vincent’s cheek and cutely barked.

Sofy became interested as well. “Can I come too? The horses don’t need my touch today, so I am free.” She asked.

[Well, I don’t think the others will mind if you take Sofy with you. They can interrogate Plow if they feel the need to hear the truth.]

-Why are you making me feel I am cheating if Sofy comes with me?-

[Hehe.]

“Okay, the three of us can go since you are free. ” Vincent agreed to take Sofy with him. “Let’s find someone else to tell them of our leave.”

Sofy became pleased. Her smile looked cheerful and excited instead of her usual teasing and seductive smile. It felt different, and the emotions behind it as well.

*Adventurers Guildhall*

Vincent, Plow, and Sofy entered the guildhall. Vincent and Kazumi hoped for a quest that could fill their time between the upcoming week of staying home if nothing caught their interest.

As they headed to the quest board to see what quests were available currently, many adventurers turned their heads to glance at the unusual-looking blue fox with green jewel-like tails and a maid following the owner of such an exotic fox.

Many commented on Plow, while others commented on Sofy because she was an elf, a slave, and a maid with a noble family insignia sewed on her blouse.

Vincent stopped in front of the quest board looked at the quests while Kazumi floated here and there to memorize all the quests available.

On the other hand, Plow was a young animal, and Sofy was a slave all her life. Both of them were never taught how to read. All they could do was to look at the quests with pictures and ask what it meant when a quest would catch their eyes.

[All done. Only one Quest is honeymoon worthwhile and also fits with our departure perfectly. However, the reward is terrible.]

Kazumi said after memorizing all the quests. Then she guided him to the Quest attached to the quest board.

“Hmm, a quest to subdue a recently appearing Great Gray Wolf near Okan Village west of here. ” Vincent said. He noticed Plow attentively looking at the words as if they could speak for themselves, while Sofy appeared to be interested in what caught his attention.

Vincent smiled and read out loud for the two illiterate companions to know what was written, “It says the distance is about one day on a horse and half or double the time on foot. The lord managing the village is out of town, and he can’t assist, so the villagers are offering a collective reward of ten silver coins and the body of the beast. ”

Sofy became worried because she saw a few slaves injured badly from magic beasts in her younger days. She worried it might be dangerous for Vincent, moreover, after he became a noble yesterday.

“Can’t the villagers wait? This is a dangerous quest. I am worried...”

Vincent placed his hand on her shoulder. “I appreciate your feelings, but I killed one on the first day I came here. Furthermore, I am not going alone, and I am much stronger as well. ” He smiled and acted as if it was a simple trip.

“Plow can beat bad wolf easy!” *Pho* Plow cheekily said.

Vincent went to Beatrix. She and her snake looked a bit sleepy. She didn’t speak long sentences today.

Vincent requested to take the Quest. Unfortunately, it was marked as a C Ranked quest. He couldn’t accept a quest more than his rank. However, Vincent reminded her of his Rising Star title.

Beatrix knew Vincent and enjoyed yesterday’s wedding. She went to ask the guild leader Gevan and returned. In her hand was the application to take the Quest with a different application. It had a star at all four corners.

Vincent promised as usual, and Promised Quest activated.

.

[Promised Quest: Save Okan Village from the terror of a Great Gray Wolf.]

[Complete the agreed promise by subduing the Great Gray Wolf from terrorizing the people of Okan Village.]

[Quest conditions to be met.]

*Villagers alive 70/74 (Met)

*Great Gray Wolf killed 0/1 (Not Met)

[Optional]

*Villagers dead 4/37 (Not Met)

*Villagers dead 4/74 (Not Met)

[Rewards]

*10x Silver Coin

*Reputation – Adventurers Guild +5

*Reputation – Okan Village +50

*Reputation – Bobstrider Von Milloween +70

*Strength stat +1

*Agility stat +1

*Perception stat +1

[Optional Rewards]

*Reputation – Adventurers Guild -10 (when the population reaches half and Great Gray Wolf is alive)

*Reputation – Okan Village -50 (when the population reaches half)

*Reputation – Adventurers Guild -20 (when the population reaches half and Great Gray Wolf is alive)

*Reputation – Bobstrider Von Milloween -70 (when all the population is eliminated)

.

The Promised Quest gave more info than Beatrix knew or could give. The amount of villagers residing in Okan Village, the villagers who possibly were killed by the wolf, and the noble who controls the village. Every minor detail contributed to a better understanding of the situation.

Vincent, Plow, and Sofy left the guildhall and saw an attractive coffee shop not too far from the guildhall. In front of the shop were a few tables with customers drinking. The coffee shop reminded Vincent of Earth.

Sofy looked at the people drinking coffee or a cool beverage. She stopped looking and turned her gaze at Vincent. Their eyes soon met.

“Want to drink something while we are outside? I don’t know if you were ever allowed to leave, but now it is different. You are outside and not because of work.” Vincent grabbed her hand and decided, “Let’s go. I will not take no for an answer.”

Sofy was flustered, and her heart raced. She let Vincent pull her to the shop, pull out a seat in a shaded area, help her sit like a gentleman, and later bought a cool juice for the two of them, milk for Plow.