Chapter 69: Harpy Queen
The greatest weapon of the Harpies is their lightning-fast speed and the attacks unleashed from it's clawed appendages. And so――
"Raging Winds!"
Freugel's wind magic restricts the Harpies from flying freely.
"Wind Arrow!"
"Fire Arrow!"
The Harpies outside the cave are easily defeated by Silphy and Sara. I absorb their souls.
"Everyone, let's enter the cave. Be careful and fight, as it would be troublesome if the eggs were to break."
"Understood."
"I understand."
"I got it."
"Very well."
"We leave it to you."
"Got it."
"Understood."
***
"Your Majesty, it's dire! Intruders have entered!"
One of the Harpies below flies in, her face pale. Completely overdramatic. In this hollow fortress where two hundred brethren reside, it's safe unless even a Griffin were to come.
"Can you not stay calm, you fool? Then we should simply eliminate them, should we not?"
"W-Well, you see, it's the Griffin and some incredibly powerful humans. We can't seem to hold them off at all."
A Griffin... why is it here? And how could it possibly be with humans? I can't fathom this.
Unfortunately, another exit hasn't been completed yet. In other words... there's nowhere to run.
Then, let's――
"Everyone, forgive me. It's all because of my lack of strength. Let us at least try to strike back!"
With her beautifully radiant hair shimmering in a gradient of colors, the Queen has made her decision. Her peerless beauty and potent charisma are what make her a Queen. The remaining Harpies also rally to show their last bit of determination.
However, even the Harpy Queen, a powerful creature of upper B-rank, has no chance against the A-rank Griffin. Furthermore, in this confined cave where her favored speed and wind attributes are hindered, her odds are dismal.
Though they launch an all-out assault against the revealed Griffin, one after another, her fellow Harpies fall.
(Is this to be my place of death...)
Her final, full-powered strike is blocked, and the next moment, her consciousness fades away.
(Ah... Have I died? Hehe, it feels so refreshing as if I've been released from everything... Where did that intense malice and hatred disappear to? If this is what death is like, it's not too bad...)
Oh? Someone is calling me. It's a gentle and dear voice that makes my body and soul tremble with joy.
"From now on, take care, Tsubasa."
A human with black eyes and black hair is calling my name. It seems my name is Tsubasa. Well, it's not a bad feeling at all. Having a name really makes a difference...
And I understand. I see, this person saved my soul... In that case, I shall respond with my pride.
"For me as well, I entrust you. My beloved king."
---
With the cooperation of Harpy Queen Tsubasa, the collection of eggs is swiftly completed. There are a total of 1078 eggs, enough to become a small fortune. If I use these to make dishes and sweets, they will surely be delicious! I'm looking forward to going back and cooking right now.
By the way, all the Harpy eggs are unfertilized eggs, used as food for the Harpies born from the Queen.
In the end, exactly one hundred Harpies were contracted.
Though I can't definitely say that I chose my favorite Harpies with complete focus while everyone else was fighting.
In this cave, we decided to leave twenty Harpies as a transfer point to the western base. It's close to Fisteria, and it would be troublesome if other creatures inhabited the vacant cave.
The other purpose is to have them lay eggs here every day. Harpies lay 3 to 5 eggs each day. Since summoned beasts can also lay eggs, I now have access to nearly a hundred fresh eggs every day.
"Lord Onii-sama, I'm looking forward to egg dishes!"
Chloe is already impatient. She's drooling.
As a precaution, I checked with Tsubasa, but it seems there are no other Harpies around here.
"Alright, with this, the request is complete. Let's head back to Fisteria and inform them quickly."
---
That night, the city of Fisteria was filled with jubilation. The roads that had been unusable for a while were now open again. Even the merchants from the Barbalos territory, who had been stuck, resumed stocking up to prepare for their return. The city was coming back to life.
"Hey, is it true that the roads are usable again?"
"Yeah, unfortunately, it's a mixed blessing. Whoever did this is causing unnecessary trouble!"
Men whisper in the dark alleyways.
They are members of a human trafficking group. Using the Harpy incident as a cover, they've been indiscriminately snatching potential high-value targets.
Normally, their actions would raise suspicion, but right now, they can easily attribute it to the Harpies.
"Well, that's enough of that. Knowing when to stop is crucial. Tonight, we're moving to the Border Count's territory."
"Got it, Leader. This is our last big haul, huh? Hehehe..."
The members plan to forcefully abduct their last target and escape.
---
"No, you really did a great job! On behalf of the city, I thank you. Here's your reward, one platinum coin."
Guildmaster Beltran hands over the reward with a cheerful smile. Earning ten million in a day is enough to make one's sense of money go haywire.
"No, we've gained a lot from this too, so we're grateful for being given this request."
After discussing the matter of using the Harpy's cave, the Guildmaster finally asks Kakeru.
"So, what are you going to do next, Kakeru?"
"Well, since we have the day off tomorrow, we thought we'd go around to different shops tonight and stay over. But before that, we might take on one more job."
"Are you planning something else?"
"Yes, depending on the situation, we might need to borrow the Guildmaster's power."
"Understood, feel free to tell me anything. You're the benefactors who saved the city, after all."
"Thank you. By the way, where's Alisa?"
"Ah, Alisa has been working nonstop lately, so she went home early today. Tomorrow is her day off."
"...I see."
---
(Ah, it's been a while since I've gone home, especially since I've been sleeping at the guild recently...)
Today, I was able to finish work a bit earlier than usual. It's because Kakel and the others took on the request. It's amazing that they assumed it would be resolved already, but seeing that kind of ability, it's not surprising.
(Since I got a day off tomorrow, maybe I'll eat something delicious on my way home.)
As I head towards my favorite restaurant, a few shady-looking men block my way, smirking at me.
Having a bad feeling about it, I change direction and turn the corner.
"Huh?"
At the corner, different men were lying in wait.
I was about to scream, but a cloth soaked in some kind of substance was pressed against my mouth, and I lost consciousness.
"Hehehe, Alisa, the most popular receptionist at the guild. Finally got our hands on her. She's bound to fetch a good price..."
With their comrades watching menacingly, there were no witnesses to the scene.
Efficiently, they concealed Alisa within their belongings and returned to their hideout, wearing innocent expressions.