24 Hearts

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Requiem, the boss of the black wolf

Tia welcomed Judah warmly once he returned from the many days of his absence. Perhaps because she knew he was leaving soon, she tried to stay attached to him all the time.

Judah took out the Bastard Sword given to him by the Lord. The Flying Fighter did a significant amount of damage to it, but the Blacksmith of Serenia Castle was excellent, and if he left it with him, he would be able to restore it to its original state.

However, the attack power of the spear he obtained from the Flying Fighter was slightly higher. He intended to leave his bastard sword as it got its repairs, but not before taking away its codes that he had kept in his -bag-. He retrieved two of its assigned prefixes and suffix codes and then gave the spear the -Sharpness of- code.

Afterwards, he stopped by the smith to leave him the Bastard Sword, purchased two new daggers identical to his current ones, and headed to the Adventurers Guild on the North Boulevard to register as an adventurer.

Being known for hunting the black wolves, his registration process went more easily than expected, and he even received a bronze medal for it. After registering, Judah and Tia ate somewhere nearby and visited the Lord’s castle for the appointment he scheduled a day prior.

But unexpectedly, Lord Peerchen was already waiting for the young hero and would be happy to meet him. Judah and Tia received his sentiments from the guards, who immediately guided them to the reception room.

The two of them sat in the guest room, taken aback by the privilege of meeting the Lord much earlier. The butler brought snacks and drinks along with the news that the Lord was to come shortly after dealing with a bit of work. While eating the confectionaries as they chatted in hushed voices, the door opened, and the Lord came in. Judah and Tia got up from their seats to greet him.

“Ah! No need for greetings. Please, sit down.”

He tried to smile, but its crook felt strained. The Lord gestured them back down to their seats as he took his at the other side of the table. A maid came in quickly, placed a new teacup in front of the Lord, and poured him tea.

“I’m sorry for coming late. Did you wait for long?” He said with a pretty dull face.

Did they? They did, having sat there to wait for 20 minutes. As much as Judah wanted to say it, he didn’t dare to talk back. Before Judah could answer no, Tia spoke up before him.

“I waited about 20 minutes, so I guess I did, Lord Peerchen.”

“Tia!”

“Hm, why? That’s the truth.”

Judah sighed, but her honesty made the Lord burst into laughter.

“Haha, I’m sorry, Lady Gentia. Your honesty, I like it very much.”

“I hope you don’t take it personally. I am not one to talk around matters.” Tia replied.

“That’s fine. Being honest is not a sin.”

Tia bowed her head to thank him for his patience. Although the Lord received her honesty well, few people can say such a thing to a Wielder of the Sword. Anyone who is a Wielder of the Sword will only say good things to make their audience feel good, and her honesty was a sure win to gain his favor. After the rousey pleasantries, their conversation turned to the young hero and his plans.

“Now, our young hero—No, now that you are an adult, should we just call you a hero?”

“It’s okay. You can call me whatever you like.”

“Then, I’ll call you Judah like Sir Kaseun. I was envious of the friendliness in the way he referred to you. As I was saying, I thought you’d visit right after your coming-of-age ceremony, but it has been a while. I take it that you are leaving now?”

Judah nodded, “Yes, I wanted to say hello before I go.”

The young hero smiled in reply. Serenia Castle was a free country accepting of all, even commoners. Those with money can leave anytime. If one obtained the status of an adventurer or mercenary, they were allowed to roam freely. However, most of them have been living here for a long time and have felt a sense of belonging, and they knew it was challenging to find a good place to live, so no one left. However, not everyone could come up to the Lord and meet him directly. Even if they could, to meet him as a young hero wouldn’t give them the same access to leisure as Judah could.

“Even if you didn’t come within this week, I was going to go find you myself. But here, you’ve come.”

“Yeah?” Judah asked. He knew what the Lord meant. After all, he came to collect his reward, but he tried to suppress his anticipation humbly. Judah swung his eyes to check his quest window.

「 Lord’s Request」

[The number of black wolves currently hunted]

[Normal Wolf: 698]

[Leader Wolf: 5]

His hunt count seemed to be a considerable amount. Judah hoped to receive enough rewards, and if he could choose, he wanted gold coins. The Lord rose from his seat, chuckling at Judah’s feigned innocence.

“You seem to know what it is. Wait here a little bit longer, we’ll bring the reward for our hero’s hard work.”

As if he was going to bring it himself, he left the reception room. And he did get it himself; walking with his hands hidden behind his back, the Lord laid down the reward in front of Judah. The bag swelled with, undoubtedly, money. To Judah’s delight, it was undoubtedly a fair amount too!

“I’ve been thinking about what to give. It seems like there’s nothing like money. If you need anything while traveling, this is very much useful. You’re an excellent hero, and surely you won’t be robbed even if you carry such a large amount of money?”

Judah opened the bag with a brief smile. Even in the low light of the room, the gold coins inside glistened like a river of colors. His glance counted 20 gold coins, and after finding it sufficient for him, Judah bowed his head in gratitude.

“Thank you, Lord Peerchen.”

“There is no need to thank us for rewarding you after such a service. Oh, but I have one thing I would like to say.”

“What is it?”

“Have I told you I tried visiting you a while ago?”

“…Yes, you have”, Judah replied with a wary look in his eyes.

“Did you stop hunting black wolves these past few months?”

“Yes, I did.”

“Oh, I see. I’m not trying to ask or criticize your reason for that. Don’t fret. But Judah, it’s because of your absence that the black wolves have shown up again. Hunters have seen them lurking, and some, unfortunately, did not live to tell the tale.”

Hunters had been dying? The feeling of anxiety in Serenia Castle was gone; however, the Lord was direct, and Judah felt no lies in his words. The mention of the castle’s loss ignited the fury within the Lord, and his powers rushed through his body with just the mere thought of the Black Wolves. His face remained soft, but the air around him was heavier than it was before.

“So I’m going to take this opportunity to get rid of these creatures once and for all.”

“You’re going to get rid of them?” Judah exclaimed.

The Lord smirked as he stroked his chin, “Yes. I’m going to subdue them. Now is as good a time as any. The number of black wolves had declined considerably over the past two years, and the fact that they keep moving down the southern woods could only mean they lost the power fight. We will be handling them, and you do not need to worry about these Black Wolves further.”

“Um, may I ask how many people are joining this?”

The Lord thought of his answer for a moment, “200 East Guard, 200 North Guard. A total of 400 soldiers and ten knights will participate, and Lord Kaseun will be one of them.”

Judah knew that they could subdue the black wolves even without his help. He believed there was no need for soldiers or knights of the Lord. As long as Kaseun, a Wielder of the Spirit Sword, joined the fight, then he could single-handedly slay all the black wolves in the forest.

This was a subjugation quest that they had no other choice but to win. In the game, however, Judah remembered the quest to happen differently. It was meant to be a bounty posted on the village bulletin board saying, “Deal with Requiem in the East Forest. 0/1”.

‘This should be fun.’

He was amused to find how this world went about differently from what he knew it to be. It had its transformations, and this one felt natural more than anything.

“How about you, Judah? Do you have any plans to join us?”

And for him, this was an opportunity—an opportunity not to be missed.

“Yes. If Grandpa Kaseun participates, I would love to. But maybe I’m just putting my spoon into this.”

“What spoon are you talking about?”

The Lord hovered around whatever Judah just said, but not long did the realization hit him as he burst into laughter.

“Haha, that’s a funny expression, but it’s not true. You won’t be intruding. If you ever join us, it is sure to boost the morale of the soldiers. That being said, I thank you for expressing your intentions to fight by our side. The subjugation shall begin at 7 am tomorrow day. You need not worry. I shall deliver someone to your home at that time.”

“Lord Peerchen.” Tia, who had been sitting at the side, finally spoke up after quite some time.

The Lord glanced at her with a gasp before he nodded in understanding, “Of course, Lady Gentia, if you also wish, you can participate. I understand Judah going alone is a concern of yours.”

Tia bowed her head, grateful for what he had said, even though she didn’t say what she wanted. Lord Peerchen then stood up from his seat to extend his hand down at the young hero. Judah willingly returned the gesture, shaking hands with him.

“Then, if you may excuse me, I have to prepare for the subjugation.”

The Lord bid them farewell before leaving the chamber. And as soon as he came out, a new quest appeared in front of Judah’s eyes.

「 Lord’s Request 2」

[The black wolf attempted to move the group to the eastern forest while being pushed against the white wolf in the southern forest.]

[However, your sword defeated them, and they have not entered the eastern woods at all in the past two years.]

[Although the monsters cannot speak, they recognized the treaty made in the one on one duel you won. These wolves respected the strong, and so they respected your victory against them.]

[However, the black wolves also faced defeat against white wolves and now have nowhere to withdraw to.]

[Requiem, the head of the injured black wolves, is about to lead the rest of the group, excluding the lost ones, into the eastern forest.]

[The Lord -Chapelin Peerchen-, who is threatened by the appearance of their leader, is preparing to defeat the black wolf.]

[You can now participate in this glorious subjugation operation alongside 400 Soldiers, 10 Knights, and 1 Spirit Sword Wielder. Participate in this glorious operation and defeat the black wolves.]

[But, be careful with one thing.]

[Their respect for the strong is the pride of the black wolves, but at this time where the survival of their pack is more important, the black wolves other than the boss will not respond to the treaty made between you and them.]

[Black Wolf Boss-Requiem 0/1]

[Black Wolf Leader 0/80]

[Black Wolf 0/800]