Kays Translations

Chapter 21: The Platinum Feather

“I am looking for a Platinum Feather.”

The material glittered like polished silver and had captivated countless women with its beauty. It was principally a valuable trade item; turning it into equipment granted no special power.

The wolfman’s eyes widened.

“A Platinum Feather? One of the rare feathers occasionally grown by a White Hawk?”

“Please do not say it so loudly. For personal reasons, I am trying to search for one quietly.”

“My apologies. But that is not something a person can obtain merely through effort.”

Not every White Hawk grew a Platinum Feather.

It appeared only on the occasional individual born with unusually abundant mana. Such a bird was not necessarily a Unique Monster. The difference was closer to one creature being naturally larger or smaller than another of the same species.

“You know how much luck it takes to find one, I assume.”

Ren did.

If a White Hawk bearing a Platinum Feather was killed, the feather instantly became ordinary. Its mana drained away with the monster’s life.

The same thing happened if the White Hawk detected danger. It expended mana to escape, causing the special feather to lose its brilliance.

For that reason, the means of deliberately obtaining a Platinum Feather was considered unknown.

At least, it was unknown to the public.

(I already know the solution.)

First, the White Hawk had to be completely full. Then it had to be rendered unconscious without ever noticing the attacker. Before it awakened, the feather could be plucked while the bird remained alive.

There was no need to kill it.

In the game, players had thrown food near an undisturbed White Hawk, waited for it to eat, and then incapacitated it. Magic could induce unconsciousness, or a sufficiently precise physical strike to the head could do the same.

The bird needed a full stomach because its internal mana became more stable after feeding.

Those strict conditions, combined with the general difficulty of hunting White Hawks, explained why the method had never become common knowledge. Almost nobody even attempted to investigate it.

Every Platinum Feather sold on the market had therefore been discovered by chance, probably after falling naturally from a bird.

“But why do you need one?” the wolfman asked.

“I want to use it for a present. I looked for a shop that might already have one, but I found nothing.”

“Could you write to a merchant association in the Imperial Capital? The Steel-Eating Gargoyles must have earned you considerable money. You could probably afford one even at a high price.”

“That would take too long.”

Fewer than one month remained before Licia’s birthday. Correspondence with the Imperial Capital alone might consume most of that time.

Ren regretted not beginning sooner.

“A present for the young lady?”

“Something like that.”

He answered the wolfman’s kindly smile with an embarrassed one of his own.

Perhaps it was inconsistent to seek such a rare gift for someone he had once believed he should avoid. That contradiction, however, never entered his thoughts.

He had decided to give Licia something, so he wanted it to delight her. She was also the daughter of the lord who had devoted enormous effort to rebuilding Ren’s village. Giving her something careless or inferior would have felt wrong.

The real problem was finding a White Hawk at all.

“You look rather confident,” the wolfman said. “Do you already have a lead?”

“None whatsoever.”

Ren answered with such composure that the man stared at him.

“I have not even decided how to find a flock. Calling the plan difficult would be an understatement.”

“I see. Your willingness to act never changes.”

The wolfman hesitated, then said, “I do know a place where White Hawk flocks pass, though I cannot promise one will bear the feather.”

Those were exactly the words Ren had hoped to hear.

“Truly?”

“Yes. Let me show you on the map.”

The wolfman started toward the map beside the guild’s noticeboard, then remembered that Ren was still eating and suggested waiting.

Ren was far too eager. He immediately abandoned his meal and hurried to the map.

According to the wolfman, the flock passed through the Eastern Forest before noon. The location lay several hours beyond the fissure Ren had recently visited, so he would need to leave Clausel much earlier than usual.

“I would offer to help with the hunt,” the wolfman said, “but I must leave town for a commission almost immediately.”

“The information is more than enough. Will you be gone long?”

“For a while. You have heard that the Baldor Mountains are colder than usual this year, have you not?”

Ren nodded.

“Baron Clausel commissioned the guild to carry firewood, magic tools, and other supplies to villages throughout the territory.”

“Everyone says this winter may be severe.”

“My experience as an adventurer tells me the same. Baron Clausel was wise to begin preparations during summer.”

Since the man was leaving on a mission intended to protect the territory from the cold, Ren refused to impose on him any further.

He thanked the wolfman and bowed.

(I will start tomorrow.)

As Ren considered his next steps, the wolfman silently studied his eyes as though searching for something hidden within them.

Then he rose.

“I am sorry, but I must go.”

“I apologize for taking your time immediately before your departure. Please travel safely.”

“Hah. I told you, did I not? We help one another.”

He left the guild and joined the adventurers waiting outside to review their evening route.

Before departing, the wolfman looked back toward Clausel. A faint, unsettling smile touched his lips.

“Kindness that foolish is almost comical.”

He spoke too quietly for Ren to hear.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

Ren left the old manor several hours earlier than usual the next morning.

He reached the gate before sunrise, greeted the knight on duty, and rode out along the highway. Dawn gradually illuminated the landscape around him.

“Let us do our best.”

Io answered with a neigh.

The mare had once belonged to Yelquq. Ren named her after a character in a novel from this world, and she already responded whenever he called her. He took that as evidence that she approved.

“We have to hurry. Once I find the feather, the owner of the shop where I bought the dress still needs time to turn it into a hair ornament.”

Io lowered her head and began eating grass at the roadside.

“Please do not ignore me just because you do not understand.”

She continued grazing despite being well fed at the mansion.

Ren sighed. Once she was satisfied, she resumed walking without complaint.

He looked into the forest beyond the road, then raised his eyes toward the sky and prayed to Main God Elfen for success.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

Several hours later, Ren entered the area where the White Hawk flocks were expected to pass.

Tall trees bore clusters of bright red fruit resembling grapes. The wolfman had said the fruit was one of the monsters’ favorite foods and that flocks came to eat it in the morning.

That was convenient. Ren would not have to feed the birds himself.

He used the Wooden Magic Sword to conceal himself among leaves and vines on a thick branch. A scent-masking perfume purchased from the guild hid his human odor.

(Now I only need one with a Platinum Feather to appear.)

Before long, something like a white cloud moved across the nearby sky.

A flock of White Hawks flew directly toward him.

Ren concealed himself more thoroughly and held his breath. The birds landed on the surrounding branches and began eating the red fruit.

He examined them one by one.

In the game, players might encounter hundreds before seeing even a single Platinum Feather. The bird also had to remain completely unaware when the attempt began, making the item’s practical acquisition rate absurdly low.

Failure was the expected outcome.

If repeated searches produced nothing, Ren would have to abandon the plan and prepare another present.

The birds continually changed places. Ren tried counting them, but gave up when the first flock departed after only a few minutes and another replaced it.

Dozens passed before him. Then more than one hundred.

No Platinum Feather appeared.

Ren began to smile bitterly at the recklessness of his plan.

Then a sharp glint of reflected sunlight struck his eyes.

(Hm?)

Nothing nearby should have reflected light that brightly. He turned toward its source.

His breath caught.

One White Hawk eating fruit on a distant branch possessed magnificent, glittering tail feathers.

There it was.

Ren’s heart pounded. Sweat gathered beneath the hand gripping the branch.

(I found one!)

He could not tear his eyes from it.

He had to render the bird unconscious before it flew away. Ren took one of the stones he had brought and aimed for its head.

At that instant, the first birds finished eating and took flight. One after another followed them.

The White Hawk with the Platinum Feathers spread its wings and left the branch as well.

Ren was not an expert thrower. His aim disappeared the moment the target entered the air. If he forced the attempt and missed, the bird would detect him and the feathers would become ordinary.

Then he thought of another method.

Ren summoned the Thief’s Magic Sword around one finger and kicked away from the branch with all his strength.

The sound caught the White Hawk’s attention. It began turning toward him.

Before it could finish, Ren swept his hand past the bird.

(This is my only chance!)

The flock erupted in alarm and scattered from the suddenly appearing boy.

Ren fell through the air beneath them. He had no fear of the ground. Swinging the Wooden Magic Sword downward, he created roots and vines that stretched with enough give to catch his body safely.

Only then did he notice something in his hand.

Please let it be the right item.

He knew he had stolen something, but for several long seconds, fear of disappointment kept him from looking.

At last, Ren raised his hand before his face and opened his fingers.

Several feathers fluttered gently onto his chest, each shining with a platinum brilliance.

A dry laugh escaped his parched throat.

“Perhaps I have used all the luck allotted to my entire life.”

Finding the rare bird had already been extraordinary. Successfully stealing the correct item with the Thief’s Magic Sword’s random effect was a miracle layered upon a miracle.

Ren stared at the gleaming feathers and trembled with a joy unlike anything he had ever felt before.

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