In front of the ancient tree on the hill near the kingdom city.
An old man with a long white beard stepped out.
"H-Head Priest!?"
"Priest! Why are you outside…?!"
Surprise filled the eyes of the believers.
The Head Priest was someone who should deliver the god's voice from the closest position.
As such, he had never left his post except during the god's sleeping hours.
Yet today, for some reason, he emerged from the ancient tree with an overwhelmed expression.
"Are you alright?! What's happening inside?"
The old man closed his eyes and recalled what had just happened.
-*Squeak! Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!*
The god had commanded him to leave immediately in an urgent voice.
At first, he worried he might have made some mistake, but upon reflection, he thought he understood the deeper meaning.
"The god sent me out because He was concerned I might get hurt."
"Oooh! But does that mean…?"
"Yes. It means the enemy is that powerful. Powerful enough that I needed to evacuate first!"
A tense atmosphere hung around the ancient tree.
"Let us all pray together."
The Head Priest knelt down, clasped his hands together with a devout face.
"May the god achieve a holy victory!"
"May He achieve victory!"
And inside the ancient tree.
The divine beast Rantori, kneeling demurely, lifted its head.
'*Squeak…!*'
It screamed internally.
Jinhyuk had taken Rantori's throne as if it were his own.
And from that throne, he was even inhaling the fruits Rantori had been saving to eat later.
'*Squeak. Squeak.*'
Cold sweat dripped down its side along with a dry swallow.
Jinhyuk, who had disappeared as soon as the outer cathedral was completed.
Rantori had taken that chance to escape the area.
Because it never wanted to face that terrifying being again.
But what kind of cruel twist of fate was this?
Just as it was about to stretch its legs and enjoy peace, it ran into him again.
"What are you thinking?"
"Squeak!"
Rantori waved its hands as if to say it was nothing.
"This is really delicious. Got any more?"
"Squeak… Squeak."
"Really? That's a shame. You're not lying about not having more, are you?"
"Squeak! Squeaaak!!"
It raised its voice, insisting it absolutely wasn't.
"Just kidding. But you're doing pretty well for yourself. I heard you're called a god."
Rantori let out a few squeaks and scratched its head awkwardly.
"What about the blueprint?"
"Squeak!"
It vanished in a flash and returned with the blueprint in just a few seconds.
"So this is it. The one the royal mage lost."
It unfolded the old blueprint and slowly examined it.
Perhaps because the royal palace was enormous, it was incredibly complex.
"Hmm!"
After a brief look, it nodded.
It quickly acknowledged the situation and decided to give up.
Even after looking, it had no idea what was what.
It would just go to the tavern and ask Baudan to take a look.
"Rantori. I heard a lot of people came looking for this blueprint."
"Squeak. Squeak."
Rantori puffed out its chest and boasted that it had blown away every single one of them without exception.
"Was there anyone particularly special among them? Someone who felt more dangerous than the others?"
After thinking for a moment, Rantori held up two fingers.
"Two people, huh."
Rantori began describing them using its whole body.
Lightning crashing down from the sky with a rumble, the earth turning pitch black… Well, up until now, it had been guessing based on context, but when it got lengthy, it wasn't easy.
Rantori was a wanderer who could glimpse the unique world of the beings it contacted.
So what it just said was probably the unique worlds those two possessed.
It had grasped the core characteristics roughly, so that was enough.
"Do you know who those two are?"
"Squeak. Squeak."
"You only know one? Who is it?"
Rantori drew a small symbol on the ground.
It was the mark of the purification guild, Scanjers.
After hearing the description of their appearance without missing a single detail, it nodded.
Its original purpose was to steal the blueprint, but it had also obtained unexpected information.
"But Rantori, why did you steal the blueprint? You only made things more troublesome by messing with the royal mage for no reason."
Rantori shook its short finger left and right and continued speaking.
From what it gathered, it was to imprint its greatness upon the people of the kingdom.
The unlucky royal mage had simply been chosen as the sacrificial lamb for this reputation-building.
Crunch!
Jinhyuk bit into another fruit and stood up.
"Thanks for the info. Rantori, this is delicious. Can I take a little more?"
"Squeak! Squeak!"
Rantori nodded, telling him to take as much as he wanted.
Fruits or whatever, it just wanted him to disappear from its sanctuary as quickly as possible.
Rumble!
'Squeak?'
Rantori furrowed its brow.
Since when did "a little more" mean everything?
All the fruits inside the ancient tree had vanished without a trace.
"Bye."
Waving his hand casually, the thief… no, Jinhyuk, left the ancient tree.
"Squeak… Squeak."
The divine beast Rantori realized once again.
That human was anything but ordinary in so many ways.
Rantori clasped its tiny hands together and prayed.
Please, let this persistent misfortune end here!!
* * *
The bustling market street of Metia, filled with energy and crowds.
Twitch!
The Yordle Ranger Kancho looked around.
He had taken his eyes off for just a moment, and Moya had already disappeared.
"Hey, Niyaji! Wake up! It's an emergency! The piggy has escaped!"
When there was no answer, he turned around.
"Huh? Where did my bamboo fishing rod go?"
It was obvious without even looking.
That thieving Moya had swiped it.
And along with it, Nia, who had been dangling from it, as a bonus.
"Oh my, what a cute little Yordle friend. What are you doing here all alone?"
A woman who spotted Kancho bent down.
Her hand moved by reflex.
How could she leave those twitching ears alone?
She had to pet them immediately.
Whoosh.
"...?"
Kancho smoothly evaded her touch.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.
She tried reaching out again afterward, but it was futile.
He dodged every single one with perfect grace.
"Huff… huff. You're really quick."
"Of course I am! You can't be a Yordle Ranger without being quick!"
"But why are you alone? Did you get lost?"
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.
"A Yordle Ranger never gets lost! The one who got lost is Moseji!"
"What's Moseji?"
Whoosh, whoosh.
"A friend who's so plump he looks like a champion sausage!"
"Oh my, that friend sounds cute too."
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.
The woman stubbornly kept reaching out, while Kancho effortlessly dodged every attempt as if it were laughable.
Passersby swallowed dryly at their intense battle.
"Hack… hack… hack. I give up."
"Giving up is a word you use when counting apples! Don't give up!"
Cold sweat dripped down the woman's side.
He was the one dodging everything, and yet!
"I need to find Moya. Would it be alright if I climbed onto your shoulder for a moment?"
The Yordle Ranger Kancho's only difficulty in searching was Momo.
His presence was as faint as oxygen, making it impossible to sense his aura.
And in a crowded place like this, tracking by scent had its limits.
"Sure. Though I'm not very tall."
The woman who answered subtly reached out.
Twitch!
This time, Kancho didn't dodge.
He waited until she had thoroughly rubbed his head, then skillfully climbed up her leg and back to her shoulder.
"Oh my, oh my."
The woman covered her mouth as Kancho pulled out a tiny telescope.
He was unbelievably cute.
"I've spotted the piggy!"
Momo was hidden by the crowd.
But behind him, the bamboo fishing rod and Nia were visible, dangling along.
Kancho leaped down, landing perfectly.
"Goodbye for now! Mission continues!"
As Kancho dashed away, a smile formed on the woman's lips.
It was brief, but she was happy!
Swoosh, swish, slide, slip.
Kancho weaved through the countless crowd, moving forward.
Then, a carriage appeared from a side street.
'A carriage in this crowded place? What is this, nonsense?!'
He shouted internally as he hopped onto the carriage.
Since he was up here, he might as well secure his视野 again.
The Yordle telescope, long-range… Grip!
"Huh?"
He looked up at the hands gripping both his armpits.
Short-cropped white hair, multiple piercings embedded in his ears.
He seemed around the same age as his master's younger sibling, but his fashion and hair color were incredibly flashy.
Anyway.
Gulp!
He swallowed dryly.
Until now, across all worlds and dimensions, the only ones who had ever caught the Yordle Ranger Kancho were his master Yoo Jinhyuk, Seira, Renya, Dark, and Moya.
'Huh?! That's more than I thought!'
As he twitched at this newfound realization.
The man holding Kancho spoke.
"What are you?"
"Don't you know it's basic manners to state your own name before asking for someone else's?!"
"Is it fine for you to climb onto someone else's carriage without permission?"
"Huh? You're the owner of this carriage? Then that's different. I'm Kancho, Deputy Captain of the Yordle Rangers."
"Kashim, Chief Royal Mage."
"Chief? Like a stone made of water? In this kingdom, do you put a pebble in front of your name?"
Kashim furrowed his brow.
What was with this guy?
He decided to let it slide.
Because that wasn't what mattered.
"Strictly speaking, I'm not the owner of the carriage. I'm the one who protects the owner of the carriage. And you, an unidentified individual, climbed onto that carriage."
"Is that so? Now that I see it, we're comrades. I also have a top priority mission to protect the Grand Captain! But lately, there's no need to protect him anymore."
"Why?"
"Because he's way stronger than me."
"Hmm."
Kashim rubbed his chin and snapped his fingers.
"Then you're neglecting your duty. You should have gotten stronger faster than your master. So you could keep protecting him."
"Is that so? I'll strive to improve."
Having said that much, Kancho raised his short hand.
"Well then, farewell. I have to go find the missing Moya."
Whir!
A rope appeared from thin air and instantly bound Kancho.
"Huh?!"
"Sorry, but you'll have to come with me. Trespassing on Her Highness the Princess's carriage is not something I can just overlook. Come quietly. This knot is incredibly complex, so you'll never undo it."
Kashim grabbed the end of the rope and spun around.
Slip.
In less than a second, Kancho neatly untied the rope binding him.
Escaping from kidnapping situations was one of the basic skills of a Yordle Ranger.
Actually, even if he couldn't undo it, he could just dispel his manifestation.
"Oh, just in case you're wondering."
Kashim continued speaking, unaware that the rope had been undone.
"I'm not taking you anywhere strange. We'll do a simple investigation at the palace, and if there's nothing suspicious, I'll let you go."
Twitch!
The palace. That was the place the Grand Captain had said he needed to go.
Kancho quickly picked up the rope again and tied himself up.
Then he followed Kashim's steps.
"Since I can't escape this rope, I have no choice. I'll surrender to this kidnapping."
Kashim looked down at him.
'What a weird guy.'
He thought about telling him it wasn't a kidnapping, but decided against it since it would only give him a headache.
"Let's go down."
"Understood."
Kancho's twitching ears moved rapidly.
Yordle Ranger Deputy Captain Kancho!
Continuing the reconnaissance mission!
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T/N:
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