Near Rothschild, at a certain tavern.
"Question—do you know how many [Legendary Weapons] the Kingdom of Michel has?"
Enrique put down his teacup, examining one of the limited-time quest rewards with amusement.
The game doesn't have class divisions, but the durability settings for weapons and armor are similar to other games. However, [Legendary Weapons] are the exception—not only do they not lose durability, they also don't respond to skills like theft, and they grow alongside their bound players.
That said, it's basically impossible for low-level players to obtain legendary weapons.
"Including those held by the king and dukes, the total is..."
"Only counting adventurers."
"Among adventurer groups active in the Kingdom of Michel, the total is eleven pieces. The Rhodes Mercenary Group has the most, holding two pieces. The remaining nine are held by other organizations, though the authenticity of Anna's Support Group's leader holding one is uncertain—if that's false information, then there are only ten legendary weapons."
The knight behind Enrique answered truthfully.
How long has the game been running? For active player guilds in the Kingdom of Michel to hold only eleven legendary weapons shows just how rare they are.
Enrique displayed the quest panel to the knight, who immediately cried out in surprise.
"This is...?!"
"Incredible, isn't it? Duke Borgia has promised to forge a legendary weapon for the player who completes the quest... Setting aside the other rewards, this alone is enough to make adventurers work like dogs."
Though there's no time to log out and check the forums now, when busybodies post this news to the forums it will surely cause a sensation. If not for the [Barrier] blocking them, the duchy would absolutely be overrun by adventurers from all corners of the world.
What interests Enrique is the duke's target—a little girl? Is she worth the duke mobilizing such forces?
Enrique is also a player, and it's natural for players to be moved by generous quest rewards. Even if weapons are useless to a merchant, having one in hand would make any mercenary group willing to show him respect.
"Report!"
Just as Enrique was pondering how to get his hands on it, a player assigned to monitor Anna rushed in urgently.
"Oh? Has Anna been driven out?"
"No!"
The player swallowed hard.
"Anna... she's disappeared!"
...
Outside Rothschild, at the player camp.
"Baron! Complete the limited-time quest and you can get a baron title!"
"Amaryllis! Amaryllis, I'm coming!"
"Status, wealth, equipment—the duke has put everything on Amaryllis!"
After receiving the limited-time quest, every player's blood began to boil.
Despite many questions about why the duke would target a girl with no combat ability, the generous rewards were enough to push all concerns aside.
There was only one answer—swear allegiance to Duke Borgia!
Among the players who received the quest was Sir Ivanhoe of Smylie.
But he paid no attention to the quest rewards, instead mounting his beloved horse and stroking his treasured sword.
"I have a premonition... the lady I protect needs my help...!"
...
Naturally, Duke Borgia's limited-time quest dropped like a bombshell among the player community.
Players outside the Kingdom of Michel beat their chests in frustration—since it was a limited-time quest issued within Duke Borgia's territory in the Kingdom of Michel, they couldn't possibly make it in time. Conversely, the emotions of all adventurers throughout the Kingdom of Michel were instantly whipped to a fanatical peak.
The reward was limited to one person, first come first served, and the NPC issuing the quest was Duke Borgia, the Hero of the Kingdom of Michel—no need to worry about lies or deception in the quest.
At one guild:
"Everyone gather at Duke Borgia's territory!"
"Guild leader! Duke Borgia has activated a barrier—we can't get in!"
"It's not a completely sealed barrier. There are guard-controlled entry points with restricted access. You need to rack your brains to squeeze in!"
At another guild:
"Invincible Flame Head? You there? Is your account in Duke Borgia's territory?"
"Guild leader? Yeah."
"Get your ass back here quickly! Quest! Now!"
"Guild leader, I'm in a hotel room with my girlfriend..."
"Are you an idiot?! Are women more fun than games? Finish up in ten seconds!"
Players everywhere were mobilizing.
"Good news! The Rhodes Mercenary Group took on a big quest and can't spare anyone!"
"Notify the NPCs you have the best relationships with—tell them if they see Amaryllis, don't contact other adventurers!"
"Leave a few people in Rothschild to monitor Anna's movements! Everyone else, follow me!"
"You're authorized to use teleportation crystals in Duke Borgia's territory—the guild will cover the costs!"
"The entire duchy has become a complete mess... I almost thought Li Yunlong was attacking Ping'an County..."
...
Rothschild, in the forest.
"Meow?! The rewards are so generous? I'm a bit tempted... No way, meow! This child is..."
Carol Cat mainly plays games casually, but seeing the stakes the duke offered, she had to admit she wavered for a moment.
But doing so would be equivalent to never being able to become friends with Miss Anna again, so absolutely not.
Using the unique scent tracking ability of the beastkin race, Carol Cat ran at full speed, weaving through the dense forest. Although cat people don't have the strongest sense of smell, tracking Miss Anna should be fine since Miss Anna smells so pleasant—once you smell it, you won't forget it.
Heading west...
"?!"
The beastkin's instinctive reaction made Carol Cat sense danger, and she rolled sideways without regard for anything else.
The moment Carol Cat leaped away, a gust of wind struck from behind. If Carol Cat hadn't dodged in time, it wouldn't have been as simple as losing a few hairs.
Wind element magic projection isn't uncommon... but the power to leave a scar over twenty centimeters deep in the ground...
"Whoa—"
Someone had caught up.
"Beastkin really are fast runners... If I didn't specialize in wind element magic, you would have lost me long ago."
"You're... Trafalmya!"
"Trafalgar! Don't randomly change people's IDs!"
Unexpectedly, the player who came galloping on horseback wasn't a stranger.
"Shouldn't you be staying in Rothschild watching the house?"
"I'm not interested in that house—I bought it on someone else's behalf. Never mind that—you're not with them."
Trafalgar dismounted, his gaze as sharp as a hunter who had spotted prey and wouldn't give up until death.
"Where are they? You're in such a hurry—what are you going to do?"
"............"
"—You know where Anastasia is, don't you?"