Quest.
A familiar word for those who enjoy games, often used to describe tasks or missions undertaken by players.
However, this modern usage is a transformation—the word was used quite differently in the past.
A mission to rescue a princess.
A mission to defeat the Dark Lord.
Heroic missions, in other words.
In the past, a great journey worthy of being recorded in history was called a quest.
A representative example is the “Quest for the Holy Grail” from Arthurian legend.
“So, Sir Leon, you’re striving to leave your name in history.”
“I never dreamed of such grand ambitions.”
“How can you say that?
The moment you search for the Grail, it becomes a historical act.”
It was late morning. I shook my head in the inn’s hall.
Leon was fine in every way, but you had to tell him something twice for him to understand.
“The Holy Grail is said to be made from the bones of the Incarnation who journeyed with the first emperor, right?”
“That’s correct.”
“And you really thought you could find something like that and not have your name recorded in history?”
“…I understand that my name will be remembered, but that’s not my goal.”
“Oh?
So becoming a Paladin and avenging all the humiliations you’ve suffered until now wasn’t your intention?”
“No, I wouldn’t pursue such worldly—”
“I’m joking.”
Even without him saying it, it was obvious that this naïve apprentice knight had no such ambitions.
If I had to pinpoint when I first realized it…
Ah, yes.
“I knew it from the moment a mercenary got behind you.”
“He didn’t get behind me! You saved me before that happened.”
“Actually, I’ve mastered a unique time magic.
My memories from before I turned back time got mixed up, so I was briefly confused.
My apologies.”
“Haha, that’s…
Wait, you’re joking, right?”
I gave a cryptic smile.
And then I said:
“Who knows?”
“Why won’t you just clarify that it’s a joke?”
“Because that’s what completes the joke.”
“Here are your two honey meads and two servings of smoked meat.”
As we laughed and chatted, our food arrived.
The server placed the honey mead and smoked meat on the table, then followed up with meat stew and milk.
“And here’s your meat stew and milk as well.”
“Thank you.”
Leon carefully ate his meal, savoring the meat stew and milk.
It was a pleasing sight.
“Look at you, ordering your own food instead of eyeing someone else’s.
You’ve grown.”
“I’m sorry, but I still think you were the odd one, not me.”
“Isn’t it strange to take someone else’s food?”
“Who would have guessed that you ordered four servings of bread and cheese just for yourself?
I naturally assumed you ordered mine as well.”
When we first arrived at the inn yesterday, I had ordered four servings of white bread and cheese.
I needed at least that much to feel full. But this ungrateful knight had casually eaten my food.
Because of him, I had to place another order.
“Can you even imagine my sorrow when my honey mead grew lukewarm as I wept for my missing side dish?”
“Didn’t more food arrive before you even finished what was already served?”
“Exactly.
So I got to eat it warm.
Next time, I’ll split my order into two rounds.”
Gulp.
As I took a swig of honey mead, a shiver ran down my spine.
This refreshing, perfectly balanced sweetness—unbelievable that such a drink existed in this so-called “Happy Medieval Land.”
“Other drinks aren’t like this. Why is honey mead so particularly good? Magic, perhaps?”
“Who knows? I’m not well-versed in such matters.”
“Hmm.”
I downed the rest of my honey mead and popped a piece of smoked meat into my mouth.
Now I feel alive.
I raised my hand and called out:
“Another two honey meads and two more servings of smoked meat, please!”
“You’re really drinking four glasses of alcohol in broad daylight…”
Leon muttered under his breath.
He must have been reconsidering whether he truly wanted to serve under a master who drank this much before noon.
Oh dear.
Exceptional people can be such a headache.
Clack.
Leon set his spoon down, having finished his meal.
As he sipped his milk, I spoke slowly.
“Shall we talk about the mission now?”
“Yes.”
Leon was seeking the Holy Grail—to become a Paladin.
And I planned to help him, in exchange for receiving full-body restoration treatment for free or at a heavy discount.
Of course, I already had enough money to pay for it outright.
But that money was what Kelton had left behind.
I didn’t want to use it so carelessly.
Kelton used to say, “I earned this money, so why does it matter how I spend it?”
But unfortunately for him, the moment I inherited it, that money became mine.
I had every right to use it as I pleased.
I wanted to save it for something more meaningful.
Besides, the religious order of this “Happy Medieval Land” was rotten to the core.
Even if only half of the rumors were true, there was a good chance I could end up losing my entire fortune in the process.
Normally, I would have scoffed:
“Give my money to a bunch of frauds?
No thanks.
Who needs healing?
Let’s just blast through the fourth tier and go for another glorious fire shower instead!”
But I had made a promise.
And I intended to keep it.
I ran my fingers over the back of my left hand and bit down on my pipe.
Sizzle.
As the tobacco lit, a smoky haze billowed out.
Looking up, I saw a youthful face and brown hair.
How old was he?
Probably older than my current age.
Though younger than my previous life’s.
Would this apprentice knight, chosen for the sake of keeping a promise, prove himself worthy of the role?
I was deeply curious.
Leon spoke in a calm voice.
“Where should we begin?”
“Let’s start with the information you’ve gathered, Leon.”
Sharing information always came first, no matter the situation.
At my words, Leon leaned forward and began speaking.
“Do you know the characteristics of our target?”
“Eternal life, healing, abundance, purification, wisdom… something like that?”
“I focused on the power of abundance.”
“Why?
Isn’t eternal life the usual focus?”
“If the target is buried somewhere, then it’s likely the power of abundance would be in effect.”
In other words, Leon was betting on the assumption that no one currently possessed the Holy Grail.
“Hmm.”
“What’s the matter?”
“Nothing.”
I could guess his reasoning, but I let it slide.
Focusing on the power of abundance as a search method made sense.
“So, which village do you plan to investigate?”
“There are quite a few, but for now, this one.”
Leon wrote a name on the table. He was oddly meticulous about certain things.
I read the letters he wrote.
[West Shade Grafton]
A grape village located west of the Shade County.
I knew where that was.
It was the site of an upcoming grape festival.
“That makes sense. The harvest there never fails. It’s suspicious.”
“Exactly.”
“If there’s a grape festival, there must be plenty of wine.
Now I’m looking forward to this.”
“Ruina, if you say things like that out loud, there’s no point in keeping the location secret.
Be careful.
If someone overhears and gets the wrong idea, it could be dangerous.”
“Ah, if only you had been this cautious before I turned back time.”
Clink.
I placed a lantern on the table.
Inside the lantern, a flame flickered—one with a mouth.
The flame greedily devoured something unseen.
“That is…?”
“It’s eating the sounds that leak out.
You can talk freely now.”
“…You could have told me that earlier.”
“I forgot.”
Honestly, I had stayed quiet because it was amusing how he suddenly started acting like we were in a spy film.
Shade County, huh?
I calculated the distance from here to Shade County.
It was quite far.
“You timed the trip to coincide with the festival, right?”
“People will let their guards down during the festival.
It’ll make investigating easier.”
“Considering travel time, we’ll barely make it in time.
Why cut it so close?”
Not understanding, I asked, and Leon scratched his cheek awkwardly before answering.
“Originally, I would have arrived earlier, but I ran out of travel funds and had to work along the way, which delayed me.”
“I doubt you miscalculated your funds.
Did you lose your money?
Were you pickpocketed?”
“Not exactly…”
“Are you, by any chance, a noble’s illegitimate child?”
“I’m not.”
“Then why are you experiencing every single hardship that noble heirs face when they leave their family estates alone?”
“I just… don’t know much about the outside world.”
If he didn’t know, there wasn’t much he could do.
“You must have spent all your time training in the Order.”
“I swung my sword for ten years.”
“And yet, you got taken down by mercenaries so easily.
Do you lack talent?
For reference, I have none.”
“My swordsmanship is excellent. As for holy power…
I have yet to be called.”
He hadn’t been “called”—meaning he had no divine power.
That explained why he had succumbed to the paralysis poison.
If he had divine power, the holy energy in his body would have purified anything harmful.
From what I knew, just having divine power was enough to qualify one as an official Paladin or Priest.
It was a rare and valuable ability.
Lacking divine power was unfortunate, but if his sword skills were truly great, he would still be useful in most situations.
Now that we had a destination and I had a general understanding of my companion’s skills, there was only one thing left to do.
“Looking at the schedule, we need to move quickly.”
“Huh?
I did cut the schedule close, but we don’t need to leave immediately. We can rest for a few days before—”
“If we delay, we’ll be late.”
“…What do you mean?”
Leon looked confused, a metaphorical hook hovering over his head.
I kindly explained.
“Since we’ll be earning money along the way, we need to move quickly.”
“Wait a minute.
You plan to make money while traveling to Shade County?”
“Yes.”
Did he really think we’d just travel in silence the whole way?
Leon hesitated for a moment.
“But if we do that, we’ll run out of time.”
“If we run out of time, we’ll just sleep less.”
My top priority was money.
That hadn’t changed.
“If you’re not okay with that, we’ll have to part ways here.”
“…Understood.”
“That’s more like it, Leon.
You’re good at understanding things after all.”
I had misunderstood him.
He actually did understand things in one go.
I picked up my honey mead and said:
“Let’s drink this, and then we set off.”