Chapter 253: Five Stars (1)
The quest of the Iron blooded sword clan Baskerville.
Even without unfolding the scroll, everyone could guess what it was about. Clearly, it was about facing the vicious monsters on the Western Front.
What else could crazy hunting dogs, living only for blood, be interested in besides staining their fangs with it? That was the perception of the world.
Nevertheless, Vikir chose it despite all that.
‘I should go home.’
Mainly cause Vikir has some business on the way back.
Even though Vikir didn’t want to go back.
He just wanted to check how well Baskerville had been organized this time.
Vikir’s interest lay in how many demon spawns were left after his fight with Andromalius,
‘Well, it won’t hurt to solve the five star quest on the way’
As for Hugo’s emblem to show he’d completed the task, he just had to ask for it.
* * *
Vikir reassured all his worried friends that monster hunting was his specialty, before going to sleep.
As Vikir consistently achieved excellent grades in the Monsterology class and had recently brought back a large amount of Gnoll leather, his friends quickly understood and accepted his decision.
The next morning, while everyone was asleep, Vikir left quietly, carefully concealing his route.
When the high-ranking members of the academy set out for the second-round league task, journalists, paparazzi, various guild headhunters, or individuals with malicious intentions often followed.
Vikir carefully examined those following him to see if there were any demon followers among them.
Of course, as Vikir was adept at hiding his movements and erasing traces, there was no chance of being tracked. In the misty dawn, Vikir booked a train ticket to his hometown where his family resided.
“…!”
Vikir spotted a familiar face when he purchased the ticket. A girl with white hair sitting quietly at the back of the train on the opposite platform, gazing out the window.
It was Sinclaire.
Vikir was currently on the opposite platform.
“Is she heading east?”
Hiding behind the steel beams protruding from the incomplete platform expansion construction, Vikir extended his head slightly to observe Sinclaire.
Unaware that Vikir was looking at her, Sinclaire quietly observed the dim dawn scenery outside the window. She was on the train heading east, and there weren’t many famous families in the east.
‘Didn’t Sinclaire choose a task related to Quovadis?’
It was clear that the main content of the task she chose was discussing effective ways for Quovadis to eliminate heretics and cultists.
Sinclaire’s current direction was completely different from Quovadis which was towards the west.
What her purpose was for getting on the eastbound train so early, only Sinclaire herself would know.
“…”
Without delving into the secrets Sinclaire was hiding, Vikir turned away.
* * *
It had been a long time since Vikir had seen Hugo, and his appearance was quite different from what Vikir remembered. Originally, Hugo had a cold gaze, a thin and sharp impression, almost like a cold-blooded creature. But now…
“Hehehehe-”The sight of Hugo before him left Vikir quite bewildered. Hugo had put on some weight, and his once thin face now looked plump. His mustache, which had grown back, was neatly tied like a pretty ribbon on a little girl’s hair.
“Do you see this? Pomeranian braided it for me. It’s so beautiful. It’s undoubtedly a unique creation that will never be seen again in Baskerville’s history. Truly a God-given talent.”
Hugo chuckled while holding Pomeranian sleeping in a pouch.
Vikir looked around silently.
“…”
Hugo’s office, which was originally a place of seriousness, had changed significantly. The black stone floor was now covered with soft and colorful puzzle-shaped mats to prevent injuries when a child falls and to allow for occasional puzzle play.
The ceiling sparkled with celestial-shaped stickers.
On the pink curtains, a scene from the latest popular fairy tale was drawn, depicting a fairy princess wielding a magic wand and defeating monsters.
On the wall, there was a large book of Imperial characters, and the shelves that were once filled with martial arts manuals and other serious books were all replaced with children’s storybooks.
But the most significant change was…
“Have you arrived, young master?”
It was the attire of Barrymore, the butler who brought the tea. He was dressed in cow-patterned pajamas with something resembling a clown nose attached to his nose, and he held a rattle in his hand.
Of course, Pomeranian wasn’t at an age to enjoy these things.
“I had to take care of all the things I should have done as a grandfather to a granddaughter, who wasn’t able to experience basic things among savages.”
Hugo spoke with a serious expression, and Vikir could only nod with a bewildered expression.
In fact, the documents he was currently handling seemed to be administrative tasks for Baskerville, but in reality, they were all related to Pomeranian.
[Pomeranian’s Growth Trends Report]
– On Month 0, Day 0, at 00:00, Pomeranian commented on the decoration of a teacup during morning tea time, saying ‘Ruby is pretty.’
↳ Emergency Measures ☞ Terminate the alliance agreement with Morg Clan, immediately invade the red castle, and seize the ruby vein.
– On Month X, Day X, at XX:XX, Pomeranian commented on the chocolate pudding served as dessert during dessert time after dinner, saying ‘Chocolate is good.’
↳ Emergency Measures ☞ Reclaim the cacao production area beyond the Red Witch’s River, urgently build a military fortress after harvesting.
– On # Month # Day ##:##, Pomeranian commented on the monster encyclopedia during eye-level learning, saying ‘Bear is cute.’
↳ Emergency Measures ☞ Organize a special forces unit to subjugate the 7th ridge of the Red and Black Mountain Range, after killing all Ox Bears as conspicuously as possible, strip off their fur.
↳ Emergency Revision 1 ☞ Report correction. Pomeranian seems to only love ‘living Bears.’
↳ Emergency Measures 1 ☞ Organize a special forces unit to subjugate the 7th ridge of Red and Black Mountain Range, capture as many Ox Bears as possible alive.
↳ Emergency Revision 2 ☞ Report correction. Pomeranian seems to only need ‘a small cute bear cub’
↳ Emergency Measures 2 ☞ Organize a special forces unit to subjugate the Red and Black Mountain Range, and capture a recently born Ox Bear alive.
Considering the seriousness of the matter, do not reduce the scale of the special forces, but maintain it as it is.
↳ Emergency Revision 3 ☞ Report correction. Pomeranian said, ‘If a baby bear comes here, the mother bear will be sad, so I’ll endure it with a bear doll!’
↳ Emergency Measures 3 ☞ No matter how I think about it, my granddaughter seems too kind and cute.
– This report is an official record of Baskerville’s official duties and is classified as a Level 1 military secret. Unauthorized access may result in punishment. –
Head of the House, Hugo Le Baskerville 🏰
Vikir glanced briefly at the contents of the documents and then turned his head.
“…What the fuck did I just see?”
Certainly, the family crest was stamped on them. At least within Baskerville, that insignia was as imposing as the Emperor’s decree. Before his regression, Vikir had spent countless nights on guard duty, fighting against enemies to protect documents bearing that seal.But to think that the documents bearing that seal contained such content…
Shivers ran down Vikir’s spine. He unconsciously shook his head from side to side.
At that moment, Vikir suddenly felt Hugo’s gaze fixed on him.
“Oh!”
He had let his guard down too much. Even though he might look foolish now, Hugo was undoubtedly a Swordmaster, the Imperial Sword Saint, and the Lord of Baskerville—king of all dogs.
Vikir tightened the reins of his tension once again and waited for Hugo to speak.
Finally, Hugo, who had been gazing at Vikir solemnly, opened his mouth.
“Indeed. It seems it’s time to assign the task of Baskerville to the academy student.”
A five-star difficulty, the hardest quest. It was about completing the special mission given by the head of the Baskerville family.
Apparently, Hugo had no intention of going easy on Vikir just because he was his son.
“Monster hunting? Enemy assassination? Territory exploration?”
Vikir judged that, regardless of what the quest might be, it would be more challenging than he initially thought.
And at last, Hugo spoke.
“Here it is… ‘Parenting.'”
Vikir doubted his ears.
“…Parenting?”
“Yes. Parenting.”
“Parenting? Do you mean Fang and things? What kind of fangs do you need…”
“What are you talking about? Parenting, taking care of a child.”
Hugo clicked his tongue and raised the family crest in front of him.
The sleeping Pomeranian in the pouch began to whimper.
With a worried expression, Hugo said, “I’m concerned because this little one has been too gloomy lately. Doesn’t laugh at all. In the past, when I showed her a braided mustache, she used to laugh so heartily, but now…”
“…”
“Just to be sure, I called all the doctors from the west and had them check for any problems with her nerves. They all said there was nothing wrong. Useless quacks. Why wouldn’t my granddaughter laugh? I was about to strangle them all, but Barrymore insisted so much that I barely held back. Can you make her laugh?”
Hugo’s words echoed in Vikir’s mind as he recalled the cover of the quest scroll.
Iron Blooded Sword Family Baskerville / Difficulty [★★★★★]
Is this really a five-star difficulty task? Was parenting truly this challenging?
Vikir sighed and stepped forward.
At that moment, Pomeranian, in perfect timing, opened her eyes.
“Hmm? Oh! Dad! It’s Dad!”
“…It’s ‘Uncle,’ not ‘Dad.'”
As Vikir reached out, Pomeranian spread her arms wide. And…
“Oh! She’s laughing! My granddaughter is laughing!”
Hugo also burst into laughter. It was because Pomeranian laughed so cutely upon seeing Vikir.
At the same time…
…Thump!
Barrymore, who was in the cow-patterned pajamas behind them, nodded happily and stamped Hugo’s seal on the quest scroll.
A confirmation indicating the completion of all tasks.
It was a moment when the five-star difficulty quest that no one in the academy dared to challenge was cleared in an instant.