The Exiled Knight Takes Up Life as an Adventurer — A Former Captain's Secret Power and His Carefree Days in a Distant Land - Chapter 23

The season was early summer.

I made my way to the Adventurers’ Guild in the morning, while the sun was still low, hoping to avoid the harsh sunlight.

“Yo, Palma. Hot day, huh?”

“What are you talking about, Mardin? It’s still pretty cool today.”

“Wait, seriously…?”

Coming from a snowy country, I’d always admired warm climates—but this heat was more than I bargained for.

Still, I didn’t regret moving to this town.

“Well, time to head out for a quest.”

“You’ve been acting unusually responsible lately.”

“Hey now, I’ve always been serious about my work.”

“Yeah, sure…”

I had spent a large part of my savings on developing the new Raphil Spool.

Spending money on gear that keeps you alive is necessary. No complaints there.

But I still needed to keep some savings on hand.

So, I’d started taking on more quests than usual.

“You’re always picking low-rank quests. Why not go for something with a better reward?”

“Too dangerous.”

“Obviously. But everyone takes that risk to make good money.”

“Yeah, well… that’s for people who want to climb the ladder.”

“True, most of them want to make a name for themselves.”

“I just want to live a peaceful life.”

Adventurers usually build their reputation by completing dangerous quests and gaining recognition.

But me? I’m fine as long as I can make enough to get by.

In fact, I’d rather not stand out at all.

“Seriously, you’re the only adventurer I know who doesn’t want to get ahead.”

“Hah! I’m just a washed-up C-rank old-timer. A dropout. If I can just maintain what I’ve got, I’m satisfied.”

“You say that, but I bet you’d be a great adventurer if you actually put your mind to it.”

“Hah! You’re giving me way too much credit.”

No one here knows about my past life.

And I intend to keep it that way.

I stood in front of the quest board, scanning the postings.

“Nothing worthwhile today…”

For now, I headed over to the bar counter.

“Hmm… maybe I’ll just take a gathering quest or something.”

“Mardin, here’s your water.”

“Oh, thanks, Ferleat.”

Ferleat handed me a glass of water she’d just poured.

I drank it in one go. It felt like my throat was soaking it up as fast as dry soil takes in rain.

“Ahhh, that hits the spot.”

Tasty, but to be honest, lukewarm.

In this kind of heat, you crave cold water.

But here in the south, that’s just not possible.

Even in winter, there’s no snow. And forget about making ice.

“There’s no ice in this region, is there?”

“Nope. I’ve never seen any. I’d love to, just once. You’ve seen it before, haven’t you, Mardin?”

“Yeah, my hometown’s in the snow country. In winter, ponds and rivers freeze. Even water inside the house can freeze sometimes.”

“Rivers freezing… that’s amazing.”

“Even towels freeze, you know.”

“What? Towels? What do you mean?”

“If you hang a wet towel outside, it freezes solid in no time. Roll it into a stick, and it turns into a sword. When I was a kid, I’d use them to play knight.”

“Wow, that sounds like fun!”

“Too cold, though. Some people got frostbite. Lost their fingers. Winter can be brutal.”

“Wha—seriously? That’s terrifying. Snowy places sound dangerous…”

“Well, someday, I’ll show you snow and ice myself, Ferleat.”

“Really!? I’d love that!”

As I chatted with Ferleat, someone placed a hand on my shoulder.

“Mardin. Good morning.”

“Oh, Velnica. Morning.”

The one who greeted me was Velnica, a fellow C-rank adventurer.

She was twenty-five years old.

Petite and slender, with striking short blue hair.

With her fair skin, she hardly looked the part of an adventurer—especially in a sun-drenched town like this.

“Hmm? What’s up?”

Velnica stared at me with a serious expression.

“I need to ask you something.”

“Ask me what?”

“I want you to go on a quest with me.”

“A quest?”

“To slay the Azure-Spitting Water Dragon—Azpreshius.”

“Wait… Azpreshius? You… you mean…”

“Yes. I’m going to avenge him.”

Three months ago, Velnica’s partner—and lover—Lakle took on a quest to slay the C-rank monster Azure-Spitting Water Dragon, Azpreshius.

He had just been promoted to B-rank, the first adventurer from our town to do so in years. Everyone had high hopes for him.

Most people thought he’d complete the quest easily.

But it ended in failure.

Lakle was killed.

And the dragon, Azpreshius, disappeared.

“Azpreshius has reappeared.”

“You’re kidding!”

“I’ll be the client this time. I’ll put the quest through the guild—and I’ll take it myself.”

The client pays a fee to the guild to request a quest.

The guild then deducts handling fees, administrative costs, and taxes before passing the job on to adventurers.

In the end, the adventurer usually receives about half of the original payment.

“That means… you’re taking a huge loss, aren’t you?”

“I don’t care about the money. I just want revenge.”

Unless it’s an emergency, adventurers are not allowed to hunt monsters without permission.

Overhunting can destroy the local ecosystem.

On top of that, illegal poaching for rare and valuable materials is a serious problem.

Many adventurers also pushed themselves too far hunting without authorization—and died as a result. That’s another reason the rule exists.

“So, you want me to help with this quest?”

“Yes. Lakle used to say it all the time. Mardin’s hiding his true strength—he’s actually an incredible adventurer. His dream was to one day go on a quest with you.”

“He overestimated me.”

“Please. I have no one else to ask.”

“The Azure-Spitting Water Dragon… Azpreshius, huh…”

I recalled the entry from the Monster Encyclopedia.

———

Azure-Spitting Water Dragon, Azpreshius

Rank: C-Rank
Classification: Dragonbone-type Theropod

Length: approximately 3 medelt.

A small, bipedal theropod-type monster.

It moves on two legs, using its long tail for balance. Its legs are thick and built for walking and running, while its arms are short and largely non-functional—having evolved away from use.

A subspecies of the Spitting Water Dragon, Preshius, Azpreshius is an endemic species found only along the southwestern shores of the Inner Marusol Sea.

Compared to the standard Preshius, it is about twice the size.

It hunts by inhaling seawater, compressing it inside its body, and forcefully spitting it out to stun its prey.

Webbing between its toes allows it to swim effectively.

It preys on fish and other aquatic monsters—sometimes even attacking fishermen or anglers.

“If we miss this chance, we have no idea when it’ll show up again.”

“Yeah… I owe Lakle. Alright—I’m in.”

“Thank you! I’ll go submit the request right away!”

Velnica ran off toward the guild’s quest reception counter.