The day after Yuria’s coming-of-age ceremony.
Lloyd visited the dungeon with Martin and Vector for the first time in a while.
“T-The seventh floor is nearly finished now.”
“Are we defeating the seventh-floor boss today?”
Perhaps because he knew bosses dropped good items, Martin was more motivated than usual.
But Lloyd’s answer dampened that motivation.
“For the time being, we will not hunt the boss.”
“What? Why? We came fully prepared.”
“There is still much to obtain from this dungeon. There is no need to hasten the dungeon’s disappearance by hunting the boss.”
Only after hearing Lloyd’s words did Martin nod.
“That is true.”
Once the boss was defeated, the ordinary monsters on that floor would no longer respawn.
The seventh floor yielded many essential items needed for Cores and item crafting, so there was no need to defeat the boss.
“That does not mean you should let your guard down. As you know, the monsters on the seventh floor are no ordinary creatures.”
“O-Of course!”
“Yes!”
With those answers, Lloyd’s party began exploring the dungeon in earnest.
***
After several days of dungeon exploration, Lloyd returned to his room, washed, and rested.
‘I did not obtain any particularly useful items this time.’
It was not as though he had no regrets, but he had confirmed that the amount of time he could use his abilities had increased.
‘There are two years left until I become an adult. That should be more than enough to regain my former combat strength.’
The Karolos Empire was a thoroughly meritocratic society.
The greater the abilities he displayed, the more options he would have in the future.
‘I have received a knighthood and gathered a considerable amount of money. It might not be bad to travel the continent and enjoy my freedom.’
Just as he was about to eat the bread Anna had left for him to have after training, along with a glass of warm milk that still retained its heat, he heard a sound.
Tap, tap.
A small noise came from the window.
When he turned toward the sound, he saw a bird vigorously pecking at the window with its beak.
The bird was a Dove, the messenger bird used by the Hertina Guild as a means of communication.
‘Did Iriana discover something?’
Lloyd immediately got up, opened the window, took the letter from the bag the Dove carried, and began reading.
The letter contained three main pieces of information.
The first concerned the mage who had created the Chimera and the identification token he possessed.
The mage’s name was Jerold Sure.
He had once been a talented mage affiliated with the Mage Tower, but had been expelled after being caught conducting horrific experiments on animals and monsters.
As for the identification token he had carried, the letter said that it appeared ordinary, but seemed to contain some hidden device. They were still investigating it.
‘Hmm, it seems they have not uncovered any significant information yet.’
The Hertina Guild was considered the best of the countless Information Guilds in the Karolos Empire. If even they were struggling, their opponent did not seem easy to deal with.
Lloyd continued reading the letter.
The second piece of information was something Lloyd already knew.
‘There is no way the Hertina Guild would not know that a Chimera appeared in the Seid Duchy as well.’
Finally, the letter stated that they had found the merchant Merte whom they had discussed before.
Merte had opened a respectable-looking shop in Eldium recently with the money he had earned by scamming people in various places.
‘What an absurd bastard.’
It was not enough that he had gone around scamming people. Now he even planned to settle down here.
Lloyd could not decide whether Merte was brazen or bold.
‘In any case, I will deal with that bastard Merte later…….’
For now, his priority was to deliver the letter containing information about the mage and the identification token to Count Bled.
As Lloyd packed the letter and was about to leave his room, a cry that seemed to call for him made him stop and turn toward the Dove.
“KRAAAWK!”
With crumbs all over its beak, the Dove was pointing toward the basket that had held the bread only moments ago.
“KRAAAWK, KRAAWK.”
It seemed that, while Lloyd had been reading the letter, the Dove had devoured all the bread and was still not satisfied.
Lloyd waved his hand, trying to chase it away, but the Dove did not budge.
Far from fleeing, it looked at Lloyd through narrowed eyes and let out a dissatisfied cry.
“KRAK, KRAAWK.”
“Do not tell me that was not enough? Hmm, there is nothing else to eat…….”
Then Lloyd remembered the Supply Energy Bars piled up in his Inventory.
They contained a balanced mix of various nutrients and could be eaten easily in the dungeon, but their drawback was their terrible taste.
Lloyd took a Supply Energy Bar from his Inventory, broke it into small pieces, and gave it to the Dove.
‘If it tastes bad, it will give up and return.’
But perhaps the Dove could not taste it. Or perhaps it actually found it delicious.
The Dove devoured the Energy Bar Lloyd gave it in an instant, then urged him to give it more.
“KRAAWK, KRAAWK!!”
It was more excited than ever.
Apparently, it liked the Energy Bars far more than Lloyd had expected.
‘Since I do not eat them anyway, it may be fine to use them as feed.’
Just as he thought that and took out another Energy Bar from his Inventory, Martin entered.
“What is that bird?”
“It is a messenger bird from the Hertina Guild. But every time it comes, it keeps asking for food, so it is a little annoy—”
Before Lloyd could finish speaking, Martin’s eyes widened in shock.
“Wait, that is a Dove! Young Master, have you been feeding that thing this entire time?!”
“Is that a problem?”
When Lloyd asked as though he did not see what was wrong, Martin looked astonished again and replied.
“Do you not know the traits of Doves?”
“Traits? Do they have such things?”
“Yes. Once you feed a Dove, it will keep coming back and demanding food. People even use that trait to train messenger birds.”
“Hmm.”
Lloyd remembered what had happened when he had first called a messenger bird.
The Dove had looked at the cookies so pitifully that he had given it some without thinking. He had not expected that to become a problem.
“No wonder it kept looking for food every time it came.”
“Well, you can simply stop feeding it now. That is, before it sits on your shoulder or rubs against you with its beak.”
At that very moment.
Before Martin had even finished speaking, the Dove fluttered up as though it had been waiting and landed on Lloyd’s shoulder!
“Ah…….”
Martin let out a low exclamation before continuing.
“You have tamed it in the end. And it is a messenger bird from the Hertina Guild, no less.”
“What happens if it is tamed?”
“From now on, that Dove will consider this place its home. In other words, it will become Young Master’s personal messenger bird.”
“Surely that cannot happen just because I fed it a few times…….”
Lloyd shook his head with an expression of disbelief, but Martin could say so with certainty.
With a serious expression, Martin spoke.
“I do not know the exact price of a messenger bird, but I have heard that they are quite expensive. In particular, a well-trained messenger bird can cost more than a horse.”
The Dove currently sitting on Lloyd’s shoulder and dozing off was a messenger bird belonging to the Hertina Guild, which handled information. It was likely worth far more than ordinary messenger birds.
“Furthermore, it is practically the same as taking the Hertina Guild’s messenger bird. I do not know how the guild will respond…….”
“Hmm.”
Only after hearing Martin’s explanation did Lloyd realize that this was not something to be taken lightly.
Of course, Iriana would not get angry over something like this, but that did not mean he could simply let it pass.
Lloyd immediately picked up a pen and wrote a letter to Iriana.
He apologized, explaining that things had turned out this way.
Iriana would surely laugh and say that one bird was not a problem, but Lloyd still took two A-Rank Magic Stones from his Inventory.
‘I do not know how much a messenger bird costs, but this should not be insufficient.’
Lloyd woke the Dove, which had settled onto the desk and was now sleeping in earnest.
“It is work. Wake up.”
“KRAAAWK…….”
The Dove got up with an annoyed cry.
It was full, sleepy, and irritated, but it seemed that it would still do its job properly.
Once Lloyd placed the letter and the two A-Rank Magic Stones into the small bag the Dove always carried, it flew out the window.
Watching it go, Lloyd grumbled quietly.
“I hope it does not come back.”
“Try to think of it positively. Doves are animals that repay favors. Though the cost of its feed will be no joke.”
“I see. By the way, what brings you here without resting?”
At Lloyd’s question, Martin seemed to remember the reason he had come.
“Ah, right. Count Bled is looking for you, Young Master.”
“For what reason?”
“How would I know? But it seemed important.”
“Hmm, understood.”
Lloyd could not guess why Count Bled had called for him, but he had been planning to visit the study anyway.
Lloyd took the letter Iriana had sent and headed for Count Bled’s study.
***
Upon arriving at the study, Lloyd offered a brief greeting and immediately asked why he had been summoned.
“Why did you call for me?”
“Do you know that there is a Swordsmanship Exchange around this time every year?”
The Swordsmanship Exchange.
It was an important event where the children of families that practiced swordsmanship gathered to hold simple sparring matches and socialize.
“I know, but why do you ask……?”
It was only natural for Lloyd to be puzzled.
The Swordsmanship Exchange was an event that had nothing to do with an illegitimate child like him.
However, unexpected words came from Count Bled.
“Since you are learning the sword now as well, participate in the exchange from this year onward.”
At Count Bled’s unexpected words, Lloyd looked surprised.
Being told to participate in an important exchange that had continued among the houses for so long meant Count Bled recognized him as a member of the house.
‘Does this mean he intends to accept me as a member of the house after all?’
First he had readily given him a personal training ground, and now this Swordsmanship Exchange.
Neither could have happened without accepting Lloyd as a member of the house.
Honestly, he did not care whether he became a member of the house or not, but this could be a good opportunity to establish connections with other nobles.
“Understood. I will participate in the exchange.”
“Good. I will let you know once the schedule is decided. You may leave now.”
“Understood. And I have something to show you.”
Lloyd took the letter Iriana had sent from his clothes and handed it to Count Bled.
“It is a letter from the Hertina Guild.”
Count Bled accepted the letter and began reading it.
Lloyd’s business there was finished.
Count Bled would handle the rest himself.
“Then I will take my leave.”
Lloyd left the study behind, with Count Bled absorbed in reading the letter.
The moment he exited the study, Lloyd encountered Countess Bled.
Just as Lloyd was about to greet her, she spoke first for some reason.
“Why are you coming out of here?”
She had never been warm toward him, but her voice was particularly cold today.
Lloyd answered as though it were nothing important.
“Count Bled summoned me.”
“I mean, why did he summon you!”
Her hysterical tone could have been unpleasant, but Lloyd answered without changing his expression.
“He summoned me regarding the Swordsmanship Exchange. Ask Count Bled directly for the details. Then……”
As though he no longer wished to deal with her, Lloyd gave a small nod and walked away.
Ignoring the icy gaze he felt behind him.