Chapter 276: Southern End Request 1


    TL/Editor: raei


    Schedule: 5/Week Mon-Fri


    Illustrations: Posted in discord.


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    While browsing the web and savoring the charming approach of our Saint Candidate, I suddenly realized we had arrived at the southern domain of Antibes.


    Time flew as I stirred the stew, apologizing softly for the idental touch of our forearms.


    And, while standing guard at night and sharing stories about the Goddess under the night sky.


    Time flew fast, except for when she talked about the Bible.


    "Alright, heroes! I''ll be staying in this vige, so once everything is settled, pleasee to the Vine Inn!"


    "Ah, yes. Thank you, coachman."


    "It''s nothing, it''s all paid work. I hope the Goddess'' blessings be with you, heroes!"


    Finding a coachman who knows the way from the South to the central region was as difficult as it was the other way around.


    Therefore, the Guild had decided to keep him on a long-term contract, paying a generous daily wage until our request waspleted.


    The coachman, iming to have visited the South often, knew his way around without any trouble and even knew a good inn where we could park the carriage.


    After dropping us off in front of a building covered in ivy-like vines, the chatty coachman disappeared.


    ording to him, this building was the Adventurer''s Guild of Antibes, so there was no reason to hesitate.


    "Excuse me."


    "Hmm? I haven''t seen you before."


    As we entered a two-story wooden building past a vine-covered wall, we were greeted by a beautiful receptionist with short hair and striking brown skin, who was loungingzily.


    Recalling the coachman''s stories about exchanges with friendly barbarians or witches, it seemed the receptionist might be of mixed heritage.


    Her cat-like appearance was bright and rxed.


    It was a nice, sunny day, which might exin why.


    Also, adventurers usually start their journeys at dawn to secure good requests and return by evening.


    "What brings you to the remote southern region... Eek! A request!"


    "Yes, we''vee to take on a request."


    The receptionist, who had some knowledge of such matters, was surprised and quickly stood up after seeing the high-quality letterhead that Han Se-ah took out from her inventory.


    She was so startled that she identally kicked the counter, making a loud noise in the hall.


    Irene approached with a sympathetic look.


    "Ack, urgh-"


    "Ah, that must have hurt-"


    "I''m, I''m fine, heroes!"


    She then stiffened up like a soldier in front of a superior and stood at attention behind the counter.


    Her exaggerated reaction was quite memorable.


    -Falling asleep and kicking the desk when someonees is a universal thing, East or West, right?


    -I really like short hair and brown skin, wow.


    -The central region had blondes with pale eyes, but here it''s all about chocte eyes.


    -I''m starting to think I might like the South?


    -But starting here means dealing with giant cockroaches instead of goblins, right?


    -BB Games really nails female characters. Much appreciated, experts.


    Gone was the receptionist''sid-back, resting chin-on-hands posture.


    Instead, she suddenly ran out from behind the counter with a disciplined demeanor, causing viewers tough out loud.


    Oblivious to this, the receptionist politely took the letter from Han Se-ah''s hands.


    Rather than reading it, she curiously sniffed at the letter, puzzling over its scent.


    "Why are you...?"


    "Ah! The guilds in the south use a special fragrance made by swamp witches to verify authenticity. It might seem strange if you''re not familiar with it."


    I assumed it was expensive perfume, but it turns out to be witch-made.


    The receptionist checked the envelope and read the letter, then smelled it carefully before politely returning it.


    It was quite unusual and intriguing that they distinguished letters by their scent.


    She then quickly went back behind the counter, looking through documents, possibly to exin why the request had to be sent all the way to the Adventurers'' city.


    She found what she was looking for in a drawer and ced it on the counter with emphasis.


    "Here you are!"


    "...What is this?"


    She unexpectedly produced arge horn, about the size of my forearm, leaving me bewildered.


    The horn, crudely fashioned from white bone and slightly yellowed with age, was decorated with colorful leather straps at the narrow mouthpiece and the wide end from which the sound emanates.


    There were also hieroglyph-like markings on its side, clearly indicating its connection to barbarian warriors.


    Seeing our puzzled looks as she presented the horn without any prior exnation, the receptionist began to feel nervous, as if wondering what the issue might be.


    "This is the item requested?"


    "We haven''t received any details about the request yet... Could you exin?"


    "Eh? ...Oh, yes, certainly!"


    It seems she didn''t expect us to travel by carriage for days from the central regions to the southern tip without even hearing what the request was about.


    Noticing my skeptical look and quickly realizing her oversight, she hastily began her exnation.


    Indeed, the request involved barbarian warriors, as suggested by the presence of the horn.


    ---


    Raei Trantions


    ---


    In the southern territories, the Kingdom''s ordinary citizens lived their lives.


    Nearby, there were barbarian warriors who were friendly to the Kingdom.


    Further in, however, were viges of hostile barbarians, almost monstrous, living in opposition to the Kingdom.


    Witches were known to settle in the swamps, much like mages who set upbs, and they often visited Antibes in secret to purchase materials for their research.


    This particr request involved the horn, indicating a situation between Antibes and the barbarian warriors.


    To be more precise, it was about strange happenings between a vige of Kingdom-friendly barbarian warriors and the Antibes domain.


    "There have been various incidents, such as livestock disappearing from the domain or barbarian traders being attacked on their way to the domain. The problem is that the adventurers of Antibes are unable to track down the source of these issues."


    "It seems like a clear case of sabotage, but no evidence has been found yet."


    "Even if it is sabotage, figuring out who is behind it has been a problem. The hostile barbarians, being straightforward fighters, are unlikely to engage in such covert operations. This suspicion naturally turns to the witches..."


    ording to the setting of Heroines Chronicle, most barbarians are straightforward andmunicate through physical strength.


    Disagreements among them are settled through physical confrontations rather than backstabbing, preferring duels over gossip.


    The Kingdom-friendly barbarians treat the locals almost like family, while the hostile ones quickly turn to hostility at the slightest provocation.


    In essence, if the barbarians were truly responsible, they wouldn''t just steal livestock; they would have outright attacked the vigers.


    And they wouldn''t ambush fellow barbarians but would openly challenge them for goods.


    "Could the witches be the culprits?"


    "The problem with witches is that they aren''t registered like the mages of the Magic Tower. They tend to take in orphans, grow up in the swamps, and once independent, roam freely."


    "So, investigating them is not an option."


    -Lol, as if there would be CCTV in the swamps~


    -If there''s no witnesses, no information, no clues, just victims, then sh*t, isn''t it just an unsolved case lol?


    -Such an obvious story, but having to solve it directly looks like a pain in the ass.


    -So, where are the dark-skinned, six-pack, muscr beauties at?


    -Wanna see Rnd get his ass handed to him? Hit like if you do.


    This situation is one where suspicions are abound, but concrete evidence iscking.


    It''s curious why a hero party would be called for such a task, but the lord of Antibes seems to be a person of faith.


    Perhaps the issue is this deep-seated belief that chosen heroes can resolve any situation with ease.


    But at least the quest logs are avable, so we should be able to solve it.


    ...right?


    ''I wonder if Han Se-ah has uploaded any detective game-rted videos on YouTube?''


    Feeling suddenly anxious, I intended to search for gamey videos of Mafia-based games like Duck Duck Goose or Impostors.


    However, the viewers were quicker to react.


    [Duck Murderer Han donated 10,000 won!]


    If you kill the wrong witch again, I''ll donate 100,000 won.


    [Witch Hunt King Han Se-ah donated 5,000 won!]


    A real witch hunt this time?


    [Han One Barrel Three Barrels Four Barrels donated 50,000 won!]


    If she has a hooked nose, hang her.


    "No, what nonsense! This quest clearly involves the Temple and the nobility. If we screw this up, won''t the Temple Knightse after us?"


    It seems Han Se-ah''s detective skills are not highly regarded among streamers.


    I discreetly opened Han Se-ah''s YouTube channel and scrolled down to find the videos.


    [Duck Duck Goose, a perfect carry! (But the opposite)]


    [The woman who speaks 0nguages, Han Se-ah]


    [The first-ever "civilian duel" in a Mafia game]


    These video titles did not inspire much confidence.