Chapter 217

“They’ve been eaten—the organs we left behind. It seems they carried part of them back to the nest.”

Early the next morning, we headed deep into the forest and arrived at a pond that was likely used as a watering hole by monsters or animals. Standing before the dark red stains left near the water’s edge, we listened to Sheele’s assessment.

“This watering hole gets good sunlight and has decent visibility. I was hoping they wouldn’t settle down to eat here, but would instead take it back to their nest. You can see the blood trail continuing partway into the forest—let’s follow it.”

Following her lead into the woods, we indeed found scattered, discolored dark-red bloodstains dotting the ground. The traces were sparse, but as if she could read them clearly, Sheele moved through the forest without hesitation.

“Based on the villagers’ testimony, it’s almost certain there was a conflict between monster packs. They avoided returning to the water source because they were likely waiting for things to fully settle down. Judging from the disturbed area nearby, even the winning pack must have taken considerable damage. They needed to rest and were being cautious. These are intelligent, carnivorous monsters. The most likely candidates are wolf-like monsters.”

Listening to her reasoning, Melt nodded repeatedly in admiration. Having lived in the forest for a long time herself, she likely found Sheele’s conclusions convincing.

“I think you’re probably right. You left the organs there on purpose, didn’t you, Sheele? There are monsters that prioritize eating organs first. There’s a wolf-type monster called a ‘Scavenger Wolf.’ It’s a variant of the Forest Wolf, and they don’t get along very well. In a forest this deep, with plenty of edible nuts and wild plants, big territorial conflicts usually don’t happen. But between species that already hate each other? That could happen.”

“I see. So such a monster exists. Melt—does that monster happen to dislike sunlight? Not just nocturnal, but extremely averse to sunlight?”

“Yep. They’ve got eyes that are weak to sunlight. They can’t function properly unless it’s dark.”

“Just as I thought. The path slopes gently upward, so I suspected there might be a small mountain ahead—one with caves. I figured they might be using it as their base.”

…Looks like this time I’ll really just be tagging along. I can’t keep up with the two of them—their knowledge and deductions are on another level. At the very least, I’ll contribute by helping take down the monsters.

Before long, just as Sheele predicted, we found a small mountain—almost too small to even call it a hill. From here, we could already see the entrance to a cave. Now then… how should we approach this?

This area was deep in the forest again, with little sunlight reaching it, leaving it dim—perfect conditions for the presumed monsters, the Scavenger Wolves, to be active.

So should we lure them out into the light? Or just overpower them with superior abilities?

“Sheele, how are you planning to take them down?”

“…They’re probably planning to stay as still as possible until nightfall. Judging by how dry the blood is, they must have carried the organs back during the night. Considering the possibility that they’re sleeping inside the nest…”

With that, she silently and carefully approached the cave entrance. She pressed her ear toward it, then peered into the darkness, observing as if searching for signs of presence.

Even if it was too dark to see inside, her [Observation Eye] likely allowed her to glean a fair amount of information.

Eventually, Sheele stepped back from the entrance and returned to us.

“There’s no doubt—it’s a pack nest. I can’t see them directly, but [Observation Eye] picked up strong reactions. Conservatively speaking, at least thirteen are resting inside the cave.”

“How do we take them out? Smoke them out and pick them off as they come?”

“Mmm, going inside would put us at a disadvantage, right?”

“Melt, can you seal the entrance with magic?”

“Oh, trap them inside? Are we waiting for them to starve?”

“No—I was thinking of filling it with fire and roasting them alive.”

…Wow. That’s pretty brutal. But it is the most efficient way.

With Melt’s magic, she could seal it into an enclosed space quietly and in no time at all.

“Sheele, that’s cruel! But I agree—it’s efficient! Let’s check for other exits first.”

“Yes, please. Shall we seal the entrance first?”

With Melt’s magic, the cave entrance was completely sealed. It was just a wall of earth, but thick enough that breaking through it would take a long time.

Then—

“I’ve used enchantment magic to generate frost on the earthen wall. Melt, can you manipulate this further and spread the ice?”

“Got it! You want to reinforce the wall with ice, right?”

“Yes. Freeze it solid—strong enough to withstand fire burning inside. Ice mixed with impurities like plant fibers and soil is stronger than pure ice.”

The cave entrance was now completely sealed. In that state, we walked all the way around the small mountain.

I activated my [Divine Eye] as well, checking for anything unusual—any other passages that might lead outside.

“It doesn’t seem like there are any other entrances. Melt, could you make a small hole in the entrance you sealed earlier? From there, I’ll fire a large number of fire-attributed arrows inside. Melt, can you control the flames within?”

“I think I can. It’s a bit improper, but I’m getting excited now. We’ll wipe them all out at once!”

“Looks like there won’t be much chance for me to shine.”

“Hehe. Once dungeon exploration begins, I’ll be counting on you, Shizuma.”

Savoring my big sister’s reassuring words, I watched Melt’s work.

A hole about the size of a baseball was opened in the thick, frozen earthen wall, piercing all the way into the cave.

Then Sheele stepped back a short distance from the hole—

“Then… ha!”

Rapid fire—no, continuous fire—Sheele’s movements were nothing short of masterful. She released four arrows held between her fingers in quick succession.

This technique was called ‘Quad Shoot.’

Flame-wreathed arrows flew precisely into the hole one after another, igniting fires inside the cave.

Next, Melt peered into the hole, placed her palm against the icy wall, and concentrated.

“Manipulate only the flames inside… hmm… got it! Spread—spread! Fill the entire cave!”

Only Melt, peering inside, could see what was happening, but it seemed the flames were spreading smoothly within.

Then, the next moment—

“Eep!”

Startled by something, Melt jerked away from the hole and fell backward onto the ground.

A split second later, loud thuds echoed repeatedly from the earthen wall.

The monsters inside were likely charging the wall, trying desperately to escape.

That shock must have startled her into falling.

“Melt, is the wall holding up?”

“Y-yeah! Even an owlbear’s tackle wouldn’t break it. They seem desperate to widen that hole, so I’ll seal it up too.”

“Yes, please do.”

The cave was now completely sealed. It would likely take some time, but the flames inside would eventually die out from lack of oxygen.

And that meant the oxygen would be depleted, filling the cave with carbon monoxide.

Even monsters… as living creatures, they wouldn’t survive.

“…That’s a vicious way to do it.”

“But it’s the safest and most efficient.”

“I don’t hear them crashing into the wall anymore.”

Even after the sounds stopped, we waited another ten minutes before finally removing the wall and restoring the entrance. What lay beyond was… far too horrific a sight.

Countless traces of monsters writhing about remained, their bodies sprawled across the ground, foam spilling from their mouths as they suffocated to death.

The ground and walls were covered in scratch marks, painting a vivid picture of their desperate, agonizing final struggle.

“Please don’t go inside yet. There’s still bad air trapped in there.”

“Got it. Then, um…”

“Oh, in that case, I’ll do it.”

“For the time being, thanks to the effect of [Basic All-Purpose Magic], I can use basic and intermediate attack spells as well.

That includes basic wind-attribute magic, so I kept sending gusts of wind into the cave, blowing inside and dispersing the carbon monoxide.

—

“Hmm, should be about good now. Sheele, what do we do with the bodies?”

“Let’s collect parts that can serve as proof of subjugation. In this case, I suppose the fangs.”

“Yeah. Let’s break off the largest fang from each body and submit those. As for the rest, we’ll dig a pit, burn them inside it, and then bury them. These monsters aren’t edible, after all.”

As expected, carnivorous monsters probably don’t taste very good.

And with the name ‘Scavenger’ attached, they were likely particularly foul eaters.

As usual, Melt effortlessly created a large pit in the ground. After we finished extracting the fangs, we tossed the bodies inside, burned them all, and then buried everything completely.

That should prevent other monsters from being drawn in by the corpses.

—

“Alright… thirteen Scavenger Wolves successfully subjugated. Let’s head back to the village.”

“If we come across more wild vegetables or fruit on the way, let’s gather them too. I’m sure everyone in the village will be happy.”

“Indeed. It seems this forest has many fruits similar to what Earth would call yusura-ume.”

“Oh, those are called Gias Cherries. My grandma used to make jam and syrup out of them all the time.”

“I see. Then let’s gather some for ourselves as well.”

As expected, both of them switched gears quickly.

Yeah… I guess my thinking had been a bit naïve. You use every means available to subjugate the enemy.

It might be brutal, but this was the correct answer.

Direct combat isn’t everything. Sometimes, it’s necessary to annihilate the enemy without mercy, using methods like this.

—

“Alright! I barely had any chance to shine this time, so I’m going all out picking fruit!”

“I won’t lose! All those years living in the forest weren’t for nothing!”

“Then I won’t lose either—I’m a scholar and a hunter, after all.”

—

“Welcome back, Shizuma and everyone. How did it go?”

“We subjugated thirteen Scavenger Wolves that had formed a pack deep in the forest. These are their fangs. Also, while it wasn’t part of the request, we gathered a large amount of Gias Cherries. It’s not a standing request, but would you be willing to buy them?”

“Oh my! You already took down an entire monster pack!? I’ll go fetch the branch chief right away!”

…Yes, we gathered too much.

We picked so many that my backpack basket was completely full. That’s probably about eight kilos per basket. For reference, Melt’s and Sheele’s baskets—also completely full—are already stored in my item box.

At this rate, I should probably summon Seira later and have her turn them into jam or syrup… though even then, we’d end up with a huge amount of finished product.

—

“Good work, everyone! Let me appraise the parts for you.”

With that, the receptionist returned with the branch chief.

He carefully appraised the thirteen large fangs.

Before long, having judged them authentic—

“These are indeed fangs of the Scavenger Wolf, no doubt about it. My goodness… as expected of a party with silver and copper ranks. You must have been quite active back in your homeland.”

“Well… you could say that, to an extent.”

“We’ll also be happy to purchase the fruit. In this village, we actively produce fruit wine and brewed liquors using these berries. When winter approaches, many traveling merchants come from outside. You could say it’s this village’s busiest season.”

“I see. So that’s how it is… Forest produce processing goods were the main products…”

“Exactly. Though… there’s also the issue that we have more forest than we can manage. If only we could clear more land and build large-scale breweries, but it hasn’t gone very well.”

“The trees really grow that fast, huh?”

“Yes. There are patches throughout the forest where trees struggle to grow, just enough for the village to survive, but…”

“I see…”

This too must be part of the natural disaster affecting the surrounding land due to the dungeon.

Right—does this mean we can finally challenge the dungeon now?

When I asked about it—

“Of course! With this, we can grant you permission to challenge our regional dungeon, ‘Heart-Piercing Eternal Autumn Sorrow.’”

“‘Heart-Piercing Eternal Autumn Sorrow’… That certainly sounds like a high-difficulty dungeon.”

“Indeed… to be honest, no one has ever reached the deepest level. Of course, very few people have attempted it to begin with, but even so, all explorers unanimously say, ‘The difficulty is far too high.’”

Heart-piercing, huh…

True to its name, it must be a dungeon so harsh it breaks one’s spirit.

With that, it was decided that we would begin challenging the dungeon starting tomorrow.

Now then… the Riseark Continent, the Consold Empire.

What kind of place would our very first dungeon here turn out to be—?