A boy raised by a demon king and a dragon king seems to be peerless in his school life. - Volume 12 Chapter 2

Volume 12 Chapter 2   The Black Iron Snake Pavilion

“This is the place. The person we’re looking for is inside.”

Ben led Ruisha to a tavern in the royal capital.

The sign above the entrance read The Black Iron Serpent Inn.

It was a two-story wooden building—the first floor served as a tavern, while the second floor functioned as a residence and an inn.

The wood, slightly worn with age, gave the place a sense of history. Yet, its sturdy construction suggested it was still in prime condition, standing firm against the passage of time.

“Let’s go in.”

“O-Okay.”

Following behind Ben, Ruisha stepped into the tavern.

Since it was still daytime, the place wasn’t too crowded.

A few men were drinking even at this hour, and they glanced at Ruisha and Ben with mild curiosity.

Trying to avoid their gazes, Ruisha moved further inside—only to suddenly spot a familiar face.

A trio of adventurers clad in well-worn gear, the party known as Jackal.

They had once briefly traveled with Ruisha on an adventure, during which he had saved them. Since then, they had come to admire him as their big brother figure.

Even now, Ruisha remained on good terms with them, occasionally sharing meals or lending a hand with adventurer work.

Taking this as a fateful coincidence, he decided to greet them—

“Hey, Jackal—wait, huh!?”

As he approached, Ruisha suddenly let out a startled cry.

Sitting with the three members of Jackal, enjoying a meal, was a person who left him completely shocked.

Hearing Ruisha’s voice, the man turned toward him and grinned.

“Oh! If it ain’t Ruisha. You here for a meal too?”

“No, not exactly… B-But why are you here, Bat?”

Drinking with Jackal was none other than the legendary pirate Captain Bat—a man Ruisha had once clashed fists with.

Bat had been a notorious pirate over a hundred years ago.

His body was nothing but bones now—a skeleton—yet thanks to a magical artifact, he appeared entirely human to everyone around him.

Having left behind his lingering attachments to the sea, Captain Bat was now enjoying a carefree second life here in the royal capital.

“Hey, if it ain’t Big Bro Ruisha! You know Bat, too!?”

“Uh, yeah… a little. How did you meet him, Max?”

The one calling Ruisha “Big Bro” was Max, the leader of Jackal.

Ruisha hadn’t expected Max and his party to be acquainted with Bat, so he asked how they had met.

“Well, we took on a real pain-in-the-ass quest the other day and got stuck. That’s when Bat—who’s apparently a newly minted adventurer—came and saved our asses. Since then, he’s been helping us out with jobs from time to time. Today’s a little drinking party to celebrate our latest success.”

“Huh, I see.”

“Yeah! Bat’s crazy strong! Can you believe a guy like him was unknown until now? It’s nuts!”

“Haha… yeah, it sure is.”

In truth, Bat wasn’t unknown at all—he was a legendary pirate.

But Ruisha kept that to himself. If word got out, it would cause a massive uproar, and Bat probably didn’t want to be treated like some mythical figure.

Still, Ruisha was glad to see him making friends and settling into life in the capital.

“Since we ran into each other at a tavern, I’d tell you to sit down for a drink… but looks like you’ve got other business, huh?”

“Yeah, I’m actually here to meet someone.”

“Gotcha. Well, over there—”

Bat jerked his thumb toward a table in the corner.

“—there’s a guy who looks like he might have a spine. That your guy?”

“Thanks. I’ll go check.”

“Cool. If you’re free later, swing by. I’ll treat you to a drink.”

After parting ways with Bat and the Jackal trio, Ruisha followed Ben toward the corner of the tavern.

“They seem like a lively bunch,” Ben remarked.

“Yeah. I’ll introduce you later.”

Chatting as they walked, the two reached a private booth—or at least, a space separated only by a curtain.

It looked like the tavern had a few such booths in the back for people who preferred discretion.

“Wait here a sec. I’ll talk to them first.”

With that, Ben pulled the curtain aside and slipped inside alone.

A few dozen seconds later, he came back.

“You’re good to go. He’s willing to talk.”

“Thanks, Ben. I really appreciate it.”

“Don’t mention it. But hey, don’t keep him waiting. I’ll be outside.”

“Got it.”

Ruisha parted ways with Ben and slipped past the hanging curtain into the booth.

Inside, there was a round table with three chairs. Seated in one of them was a single man.

“Welcome. You’re the one who wanted to talk?”

As soon as Ruisha entered, the man greeted him in a friendly manner.

He had tanned skin and neatly trimmed blond hair. His body was wrapped in bandages, covering multiple wounds—far too severe to be from just tripping and falling. The placement of the injuries suggested he had been in a serious fight.

But more than the wounds, something else caught Ruisha’s attention.

“Y-You’re…!”

“Hmm? Do I know you from somewhere…? Ah! Wait a sec—aren’t you the kid who was with Cindy? Your name was… Ruisha, right?”

“Yes! I never expected to meet you here in the capital, Kevin!”

The man—adventurer Kevin Crusoe—grinned at Ruisha’s words.

Indeed, they had met before.

Back when Ruisha journeyed with the pirate Cindy in search of treasure, he had encountered Kevin and even invited him to join their group.

But Kevin had turned him down, explaining that he was already on a different quest. That quest, as it turned out, had led him to Argos, the hidden village of the Serpentfolk Lamia.

“So you’re the expert on the Serpentfolk Lamia, huh? That makes sense.”

“I heard some kid wanted to learn about them, so I got curious and agreed to meet. Didn’t expect it to be you, though. Cindy told me about you—said you actually made it to the Pirate King’s treasure at your age. That’s impressive. Bet you had one hell of an adventure. If I had stuck with you guys, maybe I wouldn’t have ended up like this.”

Kevin gestured at his battered body with a wry smile.

Upon closer inspection, Ruisha could see deep cuts and puncture wounds—injuries inflicted by either monsters or armed opponents.

“Did you get those wounds while searching for the Serpentfolk Lamia’s village?”

“Yeah. I actually found the legendary village Argos… but things went south real fast.”

“Wait, you found it!?”

Ruisha leaned forward, shocked.

The village of the Serpentfolk Lamia, Argos, was a legendary lost place with no recorded sightings. Kevin casually claimed to have found it. Ruisha couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of awe for Kevin, realizing that his title as an adventurer was well-earned.

“Well, I had been chasing Argos for years. By the time I found it, I had already pinpointed its general location. After parting ways with you, I set out with my companions, eager to find Argos… but we couldn’t even get inside the village.”

“So, you were attacked by the Serpentfolk Lamia?”

Ruisha asked, and Kevin nodded.

“I was confident in my skills, but it was like hitting a wall. Each Serpentfolk Lamia is a powerful warrior, and their coordination was flawless. If it had been one-on-one, I might have stood a chance, but when they attacked as a group, there was nothing we could do. I had to carry one of my comrades and run. That was the best I could manage.”

“To escape in that situation… impressive.”

Ruisha was in awe, but then he suddenly realized something.

“It was impressive that you escaped while carrying one of your comrades, but… wait a second.”

He spoke out loud as his mind began to race. It was surprising enough that Kevin had managed to escape with an injured body, but what concerned him now was something else.

“One comrade? I thought there were two others with you when we met last time… Wasn’t the other one with you?”

“No, we all went together. The other companion wasn’t attacked by the Serpentfolk Lamia, so there was no need for me to carry them.”

“Not attacked? Is there a way to avoid being attacked by the Serpentfolk Lamia?”

Ruisha asked eagerly.

If there was a way to form a friendly relationship with the Serpentfolk Lamia, he wanted to know it. His eyes were filled with expectation as he looked at Kevin… but Kevin’s expression darkened.

“…Sorry, but that method won’t work for you. I don’t know what you intend to do when you meet the Serpentfolk Lamia, but if you go, you’ll just get overwhelmed. It’s better if you don’t try.”

“What? Please, at least tell me the method! There’s a chance I might be able to do it!”

“No, it’s impossible. The reason the Serpentfolk Lamia attack is because they target males.”

“…Huh?”

Ruisha froze at the unexpected revelation.

Seeing his reaction, Kevin’s expression turned apologetic as he explained why males were attacked.

“The village of the Serpentfolk Lamia, Argos, is female-only. Only women are allowed to enter. People like you or me… we could never get inside, no matter what we do.”

“Wh-What…?”

Ruisha hung his head in disbelief at the shocking truth—that men were forbidden from entering the village.

But even with this restriction, he couldn’t give up on the quest for the hero’s information.

“I have to find a way…”

Despite the overwhelming barrier of gender standing in his way, Ruisha began to think of possible solutions.