The Peerless Kobold - Chapter 247
In the competition to capture the small magical beast, Azurite was allowed to take the three attendants and guards who accompanied him as Adelia believed that family background and wealth were also a part of one’s ability.
Muriel, who was preoccupied with a lot of things, sat at the breakfast table with her mother and absently bit onto a piece of bread that she held with both hands like a small animal as she looked towards the window where sunlight poured into the dining room.
Just a while ago, both the silver haired archer who was accompanied by the fox cub and the Dykebell group had already set out into the city to capture the Lesser Buncle.
“Something on your mind, Muriel?”
“Hnn~ Well, you see…”
Adelia nodded and sipped her turnip and carrot soup as she recalled the official guild record of the subjugation battle against the Valley Ants that had been sent to her by Mirea through the usual return pigeon.
In the document she received there was also a brief mention of Sir Archer, whom her daughter had brought with her.
(He took down several Valley Ants, including two Imperial types…)
In light of the fact that the information was verified, it would be beneficial for the noble family to take him in as he could be assigned to the front lines in case of an abnormal monster outbreak, a bandit subjugation, or territorial conflict.
And so, at present, Adelia was beginning to think it was alright if either the heir of the Dykebell family or the brave and courageous archer caught the Lesser Buncle.
(It wouldn’t be such a bad deal no matter how it turns out…)
In contrast with her mother’s conclusion, Muriel was of the opinion that if Archer failed to win the competition by capturing the said magical beast, it would pave the way to her engagement to Azurite and lead to marriage right away.
(Urgh, it’s stressing me out so much that I couldn’t even taste my food)
While she was stressing over things, Archer on the other hand…
…was seated on one of the tables in front of a store in the open air market. He was using a special fork to feed his sister Velheim’s specialty which is sausages and herbs sautéed in butter.
“Kuruuoau, vooruaaoon♪” (It smells so nice and it’s crispy♪)
“It’s delicious. As expected of a livestock town…”
I also ordered the same thing, and I found that the herbs, which were not too overpowering, tickled my appetite. Meanwhile, the meat juices which were infused during the sautéing process and combined with the richness of the butter made a remarkably tasty sauce.
It appears that it was worthwhile to spend some time satisfying my hunger first.
Well, since there was no time to eat slowly, I finished my meal quickly and licked my lips as I left the simple outdoor seat.
“Gau, gurufuauooonh” (Come on, let’s get back to searching)
“Kyuuh!!” (Okay!!)
With a cheerful cry, the little fox cub alighted onto the cobblestone pavement and used her nose to sniff the miscellaneous scents that were mixed in the air as she started to toddle down the street in search of the small magical beast.
We wandered the streets for a while, stopping frequently at street corners where various scents mingled. Focusing her awareness, my sister’s gaze was drawn to a gap in a building across the wide street.
“Ukyu?”
“Kukuu?”
As she tilted her head, a puppy-sized, squirrel-like creature peeked out from the narrow space and mirrored my sister’s stance as it wagged its fox-like tail and let out a charming squeak.
“Blow it away, Wind Bullet!!”
Although there was a momentary delay in my reaction due to the adorable scene before me, I immediately realized that the creature was the capture target so I thrust out my right arm, concentrated some magic in it, and shot out a Wind Bullet with the minimum power necessary since we were in the middle of the city.
“Kuuuh!?”
Due perhaps to its wild instincts, the Lesser Buncle reacted to the mass of highly compressed air approaching it and quickly ducked its head down, instantly turning its heel to flee as far as it could.
“Uonh!!” (Leave it to me!!)
“Wauruguau uaruoauh” (Don’t get too close or you’ll get bitten)
Although I had already explained to my sister what Plaster disease was, I warned her just in case while she was busy chasing her prey through small crevices and side alleys.
Once I got out into the main street again, I caught sight of the two animals running through the crowd. While I too was speeding up through the whirlwinds surrounding my legs, I gradually closed the distance between us…
At the same time, the members of the Dykebell household were employing an anti-magic beast search method in which Azurite, who was also a mage, deployed a weak magical net with a range of 30 to 40 meters radius to scrutinize magical reactions, focusing on locations where there had been sightings of the Lesser Buncle.
The plan was to capture the Lesser Buncle with the invisible detection net and corral it in by having the servants surround it, but… The burden placed upon him by the spell was quite too much.
“That was quite exhausting…”
“My apologies, Lord Azurite. If only I could use magic…”
The female attendant, whose violet hair ran to her shoulders, cried in frustration, but her master simply responded with a soft smile.
“You don’t have to be too formal around me, Rain.”
“Nnngh, then what shall I do?”
“Just act normal.”
“Alright, I’ll do as you say,”
Rain responded while nodding in a serious manner. Her father is a butler employed by the Dykebell family, and the young woman, whom he has known since childhood, was like a little sister to Azurite.
(She’s still a bit stiff though…)
He secretly chuckled. Just as he began to walk away while telling everyone that there was no reaction detected from the magical beast, one of the guards caught sight of two small shadows running from across the street.
