Arriving at Lucentyr Town a week after his departure, Reynes heads to the Adventurers Guild to seek out a request. On the receptionist, a catgirl Guild Receptionist is expecting his arrival.
"Welcome, Mr. Lexington. We have been waiting for you."
"You know me?"
"Yes. We've heard of your achievement in taking down Leader-class Monsters around Shills."
"Oh, is that so."
"What can we do for you today?"
"I would like to gather information about Lucentyr."
The receptionist fell silent for a while as the adventurers were gossiping about it. After calming herself down, she began to speak.
"I've heard there was a Lucentyr hunt inside the forest. Only two of twenty adventurers recently survived, and no veterans survived the attack. The elves inside the forest also work together with the wolves to stop the hunt. But, there is a statement from rookie adventurers who comes out from the forest unharmed that as long as they did not come to hunt the wolves, they won't hurt them."
"Is that true?"
"Yes. The wolf has high mobility. It's worth being listed as A Ranked commission. Furthermore, it can detect each of our intentions."
"Who gives the commission?"
"The mayor himself. But, following the failed campaign, the mayor changed the condition."
"And what the condition would be?"
"The wolf's fate would be at those who manage to either capture or kill it. If you bring it alive, it would be your decision. But, if it was a dead body, then the rewards must be negotiated. Three small gold coins for the dead, and one small gold coin for the head."
"Why were the rewards so small if it was the head?"
"Well… That's because… How am I going to say it… They want to verify it, and it's better to capture it alive. Bringing only the head is not going to bode well…."
"All right. I'll see what I can do. However, I may have to capture it alive if possible. I may get more information once I get there."
"Due to the hunt frequency, those who want to participate can only visit here every week. At least thirty people have to attend this, regardless it was solo or with a party. Since there was high applicant from non-adventurers, we've often mixed up with bounty hunters and mercenaries."
"All right. I'll see what I can do."
Reynes' first challenge on his journey is to capture the wolf alive. But, when he heard about the casualties, the methods could be either harmful or maybe goes on the offensive. He needs to find a way to subjugate it without using a sword, and dealing with the elf is another challenge. The elf residing in the forest could be working as a ranger from the start."
Reynes decide to participate in the hunt. "All right. I'll take part in the hunt."
"I've noted your participation. Please gather three days later in front of the Lucentyr Forest. They can only be seen at night since we can't detect their whereabouts in daylight."
"Thank you. Do you have any inn for me?"
"If you want to be on the safe side, I recommend the Moon Sapphire inn. The price is quite high, but it is suitable for your rank and has good facilities."
"Thank you."
Arriving at Moon Sapphire inn, Reynes was greeted by a fox beastwoman.
"Hello! How can I help you?"
"How much for one night?"
"One Medium Silver Coin for one night. A discount of one night if you would stay for one night. One Medium and Five Small Silver Coin if you want to include breakfast."
"All right. I'll reserve for a month. Please keep the change."
Reynes gave her one small gold coin, and she nodded.
"Thank you for your patronage. Here is the key."
Reynes place his luggage once he settles in a room. Relaxing for a bit, he chooses to stroll around the town as he would scout the forest tonight. As he strolls around the town, he senses someone is disguising themselves to blend in with the people.
"I sense Lucentyr inside the town. Perhaps they were disguising as someone in the town."
Knowing that there were no activities in the Lucentyr Forest in the morning. Reynes' suspiciousness goes to the daily activity.
"If I remember…. The receptionist says that there was no trace of activity in the morning."
Reynes has two speculations about it. The first is that the elves and Lucentyr did reside in this town and blend in during daylight. The second one is a mirage barrier that prevented anyone aside from elves and Lucentyr in daylight.
Reynes leans towards the first speculation since he senses some of the Townsfolk of Lucentyr were Lucentyr and Elves in disguise. But, he also may not opt-out that the forest could be inaccessible in daylight.
Reynes decides to tail one of them, as he wants to know where they are going. Tailing them to an alley far from the crowd, the disguised human begins to talk.
"I've heard there would be more to hunt us down."
"Does the Mayor always keep his promises? I've heard the hunters would come to the forest tonight."
"He keeps his promises. But, the hunters seem to want to do whatever it takes to capture us."
"I think we have to be careful these days. I've heard Eliot's deserters enter this town and attempt to kidnap us as a slave."
"No wonder the Mayor can't keep up with the sudden surge of incoming outsiders. I think someone tipped us off, too."
"The adventurers…. I would say they're outsiders as well."
"How come?"
"Their origin of card creation, it's not from Lucentyr. I've asked the Guild Receptionist about it."
"So they have little knowledge about us. Instead, they fell to that rumor."
One of them notices something is wrong as he looks around.
"Someone is spying on us."
"Who?"
"I don't know, but definitely very trained."
"Spies?"
"No. It doesn't look that way. It operates alone."
As soon as the hooded man checked on the last position, it was already gone. No traces were left behind.
"It got away."
Reynes already fled and erased his trace once they noticed him. It seems that he could investigate the forest by night to confirm several things that have been on his mind.
As Reynes sets out to the forest, he sees the entrance to the Lucentyr Forest.
"That's thick…."
That was his first impression of the forest, seeing trees were close to each other, much like a jungle.
Reynes saw several of the hunters assembled in front of the woods. It looks like they were not part of the Guild. Looking at their behavior and clothes, it would seem that they were hunters enlisted outside Adventurers Guild.
As night falls, the hunters begin to move in. Reynes keeps an eye on them as the hunters bring monster repellant, dry woods, and necessary items to ward off wolves.
"Let's see where they were going."
Reynes follows them but not close enough to get their attention. He leaps from one tree branch to another, keeping his presence as low as possible. He heard their chatting using [Hearing Enhancement].
"Why don't we take part with the Adventurers tomorrow?"
"Nah. Don't be ridiculous. The one that hires us has more paycheck than the Guild commission."
"But, there were already dozens of casualties."
"Screw it. That Lucentyr has a weakness. Like other wolves, they are afraid of fire."
"I don't think it's a good idea to burn the forest down."
"No, we're not. We only burn it when these wolves don't budge. We also have monster repellant to draw the elves out."
"Wouldn't that attract the authorities if we chose to burn the forest?"
"It will, but it's the last ditch effort to lure them out."
As Reynes continues tailing them, he senses that the elves and wolves are also following them. Increasing his concealment presence, Reynes continues to investigate from a distance, using [Enhanced Vision] and [Night Vision] to see the hunters in the dark.
"Ssshhh, quiet! You hear that?"
They heard rustles as they looked around. Some began to light a fire on the stick and distribute it to their team.
"We're getting close."
Reynes ready his shield but keeps his sword on the sheath. He intended to gather information, not to engage the Lucentyr.
"I heard it."
As he looks in the direction of where the Lucentyr comes from, two of the hunters disappear.
"Fast!"
Surprised to see two of their friends disappear, the hunters can only hear the scream.
"That wolf is fast!"
"Set up the repellant!"
Just as they were about to lit up some smoke to ward off the attack, some arrows hit them.
"Uagh!"
"Ambush!"
The hunters draw their weapons, and some use magic to create an earth wall. They can hear the howl from a distance.
"Where are you! Show yourself!"
As the hunters treat some of the group's injuries, they lit the monster's repellant smoke, giving an unpleasant smell to those who inhale it.
"*Cough**Cough* It's too thick. Can't see anything."
"C-curses! I'm out of here!"
"I'm not paid enough for this!"
Just as some hunters were about to flee, one of them was caught by the Lucentyr, and it dashed away. Reynes knows that the hunters may deserve it, but he wants to give them a second chance. As soon as another hunter is about to be struck by the Lucentyr, Reynes dives and blocks the attack with his shield.
CLANG!
"Ngh!"
Reynes can feel the speed of the attack, but luckily his shield can absorb the damage.
"Hey! W-who are you!?"
"You focus on getting out of here. I try to keep you alive."
The Lucentyr growls at Reynes, but he stands guard to ensure the hunter escapes. He didn't raise his sword. Instead, he kept it on its sheath.
"You can't win against them! You have to retreat!"
"Who the fuck are you? Don't you dare to order us! We've come this far to get that gem!"
One of the hunters is about to attack Reynes with a dagger, but Reynes deflects it and disarms the hunter.
"Get out of here. You're not fast enough to deal with them."
"You!"
Others try to help, but Reynes quickly disarms them as the Lucentyr stares at him with a growl.
"You better get out of here before those Lucentyrs and elves would take your head. I won't cover for those who didn't want to retreat."
Reynes wants them to live for another day, hoping for them to earn redemption. Some hunters decided to retreat, but some were reluctant. After some of the hunter escape, Reynes decide to withdraw as well, leaving them to the wolves that would decide their fate. Reynes uses [Body Double] to fool them while he continues to scout the forest.
But, as he advances further into the forest, he can feel that something urges him to get out of the forest immediately, which goes to his second speculation. When he thought the settlement was sealed off during daylight, it turns out the effect remains active when night time comes.
"Turns out the settlement could be more hidden than I could expect."
Scouting the numbers, Reynes also saw something on some Lucentyrs. It's as if the elves were riding it with a saddle. But, what makes him curious is a small hill near the settlement.
"It seems the house of Lucentyr was there. I could sense some—Oh, crap."
Reynes realize that something is glaring at him. He already uses [Concealment] to where the Elf and Lucentyr can't find him, but he didn't expect someone has a high caliber for using [Presence Detection].
"I better get back. It will cause me a problem if I stay here any longer."
Reynes decides to make a quick withdrawal and erase his tracks as he retreats from the forest.
"Is something wrong?"
One of the Elf looks at the Lucentyr, which is bigger than the other Lucentyr, glaring at the forest.
"Someone has found this settlement."
"Do we need to move out?"
"No. He reminds us of a certain someone two years ago."
Next Day
Reynes went to the Town Hall, requesting a meeting with the Mayor.
"I would like to meet the Mayor, please."
"State your name and purpose."
"Baronet Reynes Lexington. I've come to talk about Lucentyr."
"The Master Valedictorian? Hold on. Let me get you through."
After a while, the Town Hall staff guides him to a heavy double door, knocking on the door.
"Mayor Hodges. I've brought Baronet Lexington."
"Come in!"
As Reynes comes into the office, he sees a man in his early 40s who has a Peruke hairstyle, akin to a judge. The clothing signifies his status as a mayor of the city.
"Greetings, Master Valedictorian, or I should say, one of the members of the Trio Meteor Child. How can I assist you?"
"I would like to ask about Lucentyr and why we have to capture it."
Straight to the point, just as he would expect. He sighs as he remembered something two years ago.
"You're similar to someone I know that asks straight to the point."
"Who?"
"I don't remember…. But, I think it's Mage's Journey or something."
"You mean my sister, Klendiana?"
"Ah, yes. I remember her. Oh? You're her younger brother?"
"Yes."
"I see…. I see…. Any news on her?"
"Letter comes monthly, so my family got nothing to worry about."
"I see…."
Reynes keep Klendiana's disappearance a secret since she's one of the most valuable assets aside from Frabela and Reynes on Arminia.
Taking some documents, Hodges shows the documents about it.
"The Town of Lucentyr was created because it is based on the legend of the wolf that has eyes like Sapphire when moonlight comes; hence we call them Lucentyr. That creature remains in the forest, and the hunters begin to attack the forest due to the valuable jewel.
The hunters are aware of capturing Lucentyr, and after repeated failures, they begin to spread a rumor that Lucentyr is the creature that does not have Blue Sapphire on its eyes and forehead. The rumor intensified a year ago, and they switched their targets from adults to a cub due to the threat."
"So they choose the cubs because it's easier to tame them, wasn't it? Aren't you worried that the elves may hunt them down."
"Yes. Some of them were tamer, and I think you understand why I've put a request to bring it alive with greater reward. However, I'm quite reluctant if they bring a dead body. I would rather avoid worsening the relationship since the elves provide great benefits for us. So far, the hunters haven't related the elf and Lucentyr."
"I see…. Well, I found their settlement. But, to get there, you know you have to earn their trust."
"Alright. Maybe I could open negotiations if you bring any of them here. I want to see them at least once. Within my authority as city's mayor, I'll do what I can to those who can light up the legend once again."
"I'll do what I can. But, please heighten the security if I bring them to the city. Some of them may want to have it for themselves."
"I'll inform the guards to stay on alert. If I remember, the guild will commence the capture in two days."
"Yes. It would be in two days."
"I'll see what I can do to bring it back. It would be better if I could negotiate with them."
Leaving the office, Reynes begins making his preparations.