Chapter 220 - 219: Falling Leaves Town
"Alright, you’re all registered."
Eira handed the stamped commission back to Zelir, a sweet smile on her face.
"I wish you the best of luck and a triumphant return!"
"Thank you, Eira."
Zelir accepted the commission.
"Speaking of which... you’ve helped me out like this twice now. I don’t even know how I can help you in return."
Zelir felt a little embarrassed to always be on the receiving end of her kindness, even if he hadn’t asked for it.
Hearing his words, the smile on Eira’s face grew wider.
"It’s nothing, really."
"I’m just matching the Association’s finest Adventurer Squads with suitable missions. It’s part of my duty. And it always makes me happy to see you return successful."
"Is that so..."
"If you really feel like you owe me, then I’ll be more than satisfied if you just tell me all about your adventures when you get back from your next mission."
Eira winked playfully.
"Then it’s a deal," Zelir smiled.
...
A gust of autumn wind rustled by, tearing golden leaves from their branches.
They spun through the air, wobbling as they drifted down.
The fields on either side of the road had long lost the full, golden splendor of the harvest.
Rows of cut stubble stood in neat lines, and a thin layer of white frost coated the bare ground.
Now and then, a few fearless, gray-furred rabbits could be seen hopping along the field ridges, searching for forgotten grains of wheat.
On the main road leading to other towns, a four-wheeled carriage traveled at a steady pace.
The wheels made a RUSTLING sound as they rolled over the fallen leaves.
Valles lowered the carriage flap, shutting out the autumn wind, and turned his gaze back inside.
"Hey, wake up. We’ll be there soon."
Valles shook Gray, who had been nodding off beside him, awake.
"Ah...? Oh..."
Gray rubbed his drowsy eyes.
He stared blankly for a moment before lifting the flap and letting the cold wind on his face fully wake him.
Gray looked at Zelir across from him. The man was like an old monk in deep meditation; he hadn’t moved a muscle since getting in the carriage.
"Wake up, Zelir," Gray said.
"I wasn’t asleep." Zelir opened his eyes.
He had been practicing and refining his Meditation techniques.
On the other side of the carriage, Marcus was engrossed in the materials from the Association about their current commission.
"How’s it going, Marcus? Figured it out yet?" Zelir asked.
"Mmm..."
Marcus nodded.
"This commission was issued by the Wenmier Clan."
"Centuries ago, their ancestors served the King by quelling a bandit rebellion. As a reward, the King granted them a fiefdom, and they became a prominent and renowned noble family."
"Unfortunately, the descendants of the Wenmier Clan failed to inherit their ancestors’ ability and ambition."
"Each successive generation of heirs was worse than the last, knowing only how to indulge in pleasure and squander the family’s accumulated fortune."
"Until now..."
Marcus flipped to the next page. "The Wenmier Clan’s influence and wealth have been mostly exhausted. They’re a shadow of their former selves."
"However..."
Marcus’s tone shifted.
"This generation’s heir, Vance Wenmir—the one who issued our commission—seems intent on restoring his clan’s former glory."
"After he became patriarch, it’s said he abandoned the decadent ways of his predecessors and began to rule with a firm hand. He’s not only consolidated their businesses to increase income but has also managed to get the floundering Wenmier Clan back on track."
"The Rose Castle we’re heading to investigate is the former site of the Wenmier Clan’s estate."
"Why the former site?" Maki asked.
"Like I just said."
Marcus continued to explain.
"The patriarchs before Vance Wenmir were a sorry lot. About thirty-odd years ago, the family could no longer afford the massive upkeep for Rose Castle."
"So they moved out and let it fall into ruin."
"Now that Patriarch Vance wants to restore the Wenmier Clan’s honor, renovating Rose Castle—the very symbol of their clan’s origins and glory—is the first logical step."
"Sounds pretty inspiring."
Gray yawned. "The struggle of a fallen noble. Minstrels love these kinds of stories."
"Anyway, that’s the gist of it."
Marcus put away the documents.
"An ambitious noble wants to restore his ancestral home, discovers it might be haunted, and hires us to take care of it. Shouldn’t be too difficult a mission."
The carriage slowly decelerated as it passed through the gates of Falling Leaves Town.
Falling Leaves Town, home of the Wenmier Clan, is situated slightly to the south.
Though Falling Leaves Town and Black Stone Town are both technically towns, their scale and prosperity are completely different.
The area around Falling Leaves Town is flat and featureless.
It has neither a natural area like Gray Wood Forest, which provides abundant timber and game, nor does it possess rich mineral resources.
Therefore, its economy basically exists as a dependency of Black Stone Town, serving as a way station for Black Stone Town’s merchants heading south.
Zelir lifted the carriage flap, and the desolate scenery outside confirmed it.
There were no houses built of sturdy stone like in Black Stone Town; most of the buildings here were low-lying wooden or brick structures.
The streets weren’t wide, and while there were some shops on either side, they all looked old and plain in terms of scale and decoration.
The pedestrians on the road were far from the bustling, vibrant crowds of Black Stone Town.
The entire town was shrouded in a lazy, lifeless atmosphere.
The carriage finally slowed to a stop before their destination: the Wenmier Clan’s current residence.
Zelir and his party stepped out of the carriage and sized up the scene before them.
It was an imposing mansion with its own garden, far grander than any other residence in town.
But if judged by the standards of true Nobility...
...then its size, materials, and design could only be described by a single word: dilapidated.
The garden was untended and looked rather messy, and some of the carvings on the walls showed signs of weathering.
"Was your family’s old mansion this big?" Maki nudged Gray with his elbow.
"Much bigger," Gray snorted disdainfully.
After they presented their Adventurer’s Badges and the commission, the gatekeeper opened the main gate and allowed the party to enter.
As soon as they stepped into the courtyard, a middle-aged man with salt-and-pepper hair and a crisp uniform hurried over to greet them.
"Welcome, brave Adventurers, to Wenmier Mansion. I am Sangmik, the butler here."
Butler Sangmik bowed slightly. "The Patriarch has been waiting. Please, follow me."