Chapter 23 - Myriad Clans (1/2)

After their most recent encounters, they were attacked by packs of monsters at least 3 more times, defeating all of them without danger and advancing steadily. Since the only enemies on this level were birds, midway through their journey, Tsutomu suggested flying the rest of the way to more easily deal with them. Missil chose to stay at ground level to chase after the gems that went rolling down the mountain.

Tsutomu himself seemed to be impressed by Missil, studying him as they continued on. He began to enthusiastically ask him for various information about the valley.

“Were you also snatched easily by the birds at first?”

As they descended further, Tsutomu began to see the exit of the forest secretly camouflaged. Missil appeared to be a little anxious at the question, before breaking it off with a laugh.

“Haha, the valley became so popular when the mid-tier clans like mine began to make it in, so I died a lot here. How about you, Tsutomu?”

Tsutomu and Missil began to strike up a conversation as they journeyed on, relating and sympathizing with each other until Missil moved towards Camille.

“You guys are mostly fine, right? This terrain favors birds anyways.”

“Not really. I’ve been injured countless times since we’ve arrived here.”

The red bird woman seemed quite relieved thanks to Tsutomu’s healing spells and was now spreading her wings wider. Tsutomu was still being subjected to complaints about Missil, but after they had run out of things to whine about Tsutomu brought up something of interest to him.

“By the way, the Feather Dance skill. Isn’t it going to disappear?”

“No. Although it looks like you’re making the feathers fly, you’re not actually doing it. It’s that kind of skill. It won’t change that quickly.”

“Really? Then does it differ with the real Feather Dance in any way?”

“Oh, you think you know so much since you’re human? We’ve had a lot of practice, that’s all.”

He knew about Feather Dance from his experience in the game. It was a skill that cut off the enemy’s sightline with feathers and lowered their accuracy and was usually used as an attack skill.

“Oh, hey, Mr. Garm. I heard that you’ve helped countless of my friends. Thank you so much.”

“It’s just what I do, no need to thank me.”

“Would you mind shaking my hand if that’s fine?”

“I would but not right now. We must stay alert for monsters.”

“Oh, right.”

The girl with blue wings was quite embarrassed, turning her face red. Garm stayed attentive and continued the conversation.

“When we get back to the guild, we’ll receive our shares of the bounty from Missil. Until then, it’s important to stay on guard.”

“Oh, yes, sure, sure!”

“Let’s do good here.”

The blue bird girl danced in front of Garm as they continued their journey. Garm did not neglect his vigilance of the surroundings, even in such a situation.

They eventually reached the area specified by Missil without encountering any monsters. As the two birdwomen lowered their altitude, the Black Door began to appear.

Exhaling deeply, Missil pushed the gates open before turning around and facing Tsutomu, bowing generously.

“Thank you for helping me keep my gear safe. This thank you comes from the entire Silver Beast clan, and I’ll make sure to reward you more at the guild.”

“Thank you, but I’m sure you would have done the same.”

“No. I know most other parties would have abandoned us without any second thoughts.”

“That’s just how I was taught. I had a great teacher who always emphasized the importance of my values, right Garm?”

Garm turned silent, his ears folded halfway and his tail drooping. Seeing the awkwardness in the situation, Missil tried to break the silence.

“Garm you’re a great guy. Don’t tire yourself out too much, okay?”