I Have a Task Log

The Scouts who had appeared on either side asked again, "Are you Field Staff? But aren’t all Field Staff supposed to be operating in the southeast recently?"

"You’ll know once you see my ring." Colin held out the hand wearing the Seal Ring.

The two Scouts craned their necks to get a closer look.

After getting a clear view, they immediately pulled down their hoods, revealing the young, apprehensive faces of two male Half-Elves.

"Our apologies, sir," one of them said reservedly. "This is our duty."

"Don’t worry about it. Where’s the nearest village? We’re on a mission and need to get there quickly," Colin said.

One Scout answered honestly, "You’re very close. It’s only a few kilometers from here to Loslin."

"Our convoy is heading that way. If you don’t mind, you can catch a ride with us, sir," the other added.

"That would be perfect. We’ll take you up on that."

After speaking, Colin breathed a sigh of relief.

’Looks like my luck has finally turned.’

For a while now, his destination had been the village of Loslin. It was one of the larger villages southwest of the Silver Star Court and considered a very safe place.

When the convoy arrived, Colin noticed that the person sitting on the lead carriage looked a little familiar...

Wasn’t that the Half-Elf driver he’d met once before?

Seeing the two of them from a distance, the Half-Elf driver started waving and shouting, "Hey, Colin! What are you two doing here?!"

Colin waved back at him.

Once they were closer, he said, "We got separated from our group. We were running through the forest for a few days before we made it here. What a coincidence to run into you."

"Sounds like you ran into some trouble."

"Something like that. We were hoping to catch a ride."

The Half-Elf driver smiled and waved him over. "Then what are you waiting for? Hop on up."

Colin went ahead and sat up front, while Ale sat in the back of the carriage. Once they were settled, the convoy set off again.

Colin and the driver chatted as they went.

The few kilometers passed in a flash, and the village of Loslin slowly came into view ahead of the convoy.

The village was much like most others on the outskirts of the Silver Star Court, built in the spaces between several giant trees.

The convoy slowly drove up to the front of the village.

Colin saw that a ring of brick and stone walls, complete with watchtowers, had been built around the village’s edge. Verdant, thorny brambles grew over the walls, their surface shimmering with a faint Magic Radiance.

’If this were a village closer to the Silver Star Court, the defenses would probably just be those thorny brambles,’ Colin thought. ’The Elves are quite strict about the regulations for villages near their territory.’

The convoy followed the main road into the village.

Due to the Elves’ prohibitions and the great distance from the hills near Flint Village, most of the buildings in this village were constructed from red brick.

And because it was so far from the Silver Star Court, the village could be much larger than those closer to the Elven city—though even being "much larger," Colin estimated it was still only home to about two hundred households.

Looking around, the village didn’t seem all that different from a human one. The tavern, the houses, the Guards... everything had a strange sense of familiarity.

Aside from the red brick buildings and the Half-Elves walking the streets, it seemed no different from a normal human village.

The other difference was that there were far fewer Adventurers on the streets than in a typical village.

After all, the environment within the Supreme Forest was just too complex; most human Adventurers weren’t willing to work here. This was also why the Silver Star Court had requested aid from Thousand Masts City.

The Half-Elf driver sitting beside him reluctantly stopped their conversation and asked, "Where would you like to get off? The tavern?"

"Where is the village elder here? Take us there, please."

"Then we’ll drop you at the Morninglord Cathedral. Giddy-up!" The Half-Elf driver cracked his whip against the seat, and at the sound, the horses started forward again.

Colin then asked, "By the way, where can I buy some licorice root around here? I need it for Casting Materials."

"Oh, I’ve got some. Here, just take it." The Half-Elf driver dug a licorice root out of a small pouch he was carrying. It had a few bite marks on it, looking like something he’d been chewing on as a snack.

"Thanks."

Colin took out his Dagger, cut off a small piece, and stored it in his materials pouch.

With that, he now had the material for a Haste spell.

As they spoke, the carriage followed the road into the center of the village.

There was indeed a Morninglord Cathedral here. Its design was nearly identical to others Colin had seen—a building in the style of a Gothic church.

The Church was built on a small earthen mound, a location that offered a commanding view of the entire village. It was an excellent site.

Seeing this Church, Colin could somewhat understand the Elves’ aversion to humans.

This race, once the masters of the world, could now only watch as their population dwindled, allowing heretics and Alien Races to settle on their lands while they could do nothing to stop it.

"Alright, this is good." Colin led Ale off the carriage.

"I wish you the best of luck, sir. The Priest here is the one in charge of the village. You can speak with him about whatever you need." The Half-Elf driver smiled, then led the convoy toward the tavern.

After the convoy had departed, Colin turned back to Ale and said, "What are your plans now? Do you want to leave first? Or would you rather go back and say goodbye to Kase and the others?"

Ale glanced at the slowly departing carriages.

She hesitated for a moment, then said, "I think I’ll go with you to see the Priest first, Colin."

"Alright," Colin agreed.

Just then, a cold drop of water fell from the sky and landed on Colin’s nose, making him flinch.

Looking up, he could see through the leaves that the sky was gradually darkening as storm clouds gathered over the village.

"Looks like it’s about to rain. We should hurry inside." Colin wiped the drop from his nose and headed into the Church.

The two of them then walked into the Church.

Yesterday must have been the day of worship, so the Church was being cleaned today and was mostly empty.

Colin found a Cultivator sweeping the courtyard and asked for directions. He then entered the main chapel, where the old Priest of the Church was standing in a corner, polishing a candelabrum.

"Hello, are you the one in charge of this village?" Colin approached and asked.

"And you are?" The Priest glanced at the ring on Colin’s hand, then asked, "There don’t seem to be any missions to carry out around here. Did you arrive here by accident?"

"Something like that," Colin said. "We need enough supplies to get us to the Silver Star Court. Of course, it would be even better if you could contact the Silver Star Court’s Pegasus Knights from here."

The old Priest looked at his expression, then nodded and said, "I will send a Scout to the nearest location to find a Mage who can establish contact using Sending. For now, you two may stay in the guest rooms here at the Church."

Seeing that matters were settled, Colin asked out of curiosity, "What’s the current situation?"

"Several villages around the Silver Star Court have been attacked. The higher-ups are currently dealing with it. I haven’t received any reliable information on the specifics, but I trust there will be developments soon..."

Just as the old Priest was speaking, the Cultivator who had been sweeping outside suddenly burst through the main doors and rushed in.

"Priest, the Dragon Worship Cult! The Dragon Worship Cult is here!"