Chapter 572 – The Puppets’ First Battle
Tauro and his party were making their way at their usual pace toward the village at the foot of the Antas Mountain Range.
Partway there, Tauro, who was walking at the front, suddenly reacted.
“Seth and the others have arrived at the village. I’ll keep them far enough away to observe the place without alarming the villagers.”
Since Tauro was sharing vision with the child-type autonomous-thinking puppet Seth, he looked as though he were simply staring blankly into the sky as he spoke.
“That was fast. So what’s the damage like?” Ankh asked.
“Hmm… The whole village seems to be surrounded by a fence, but… parts of it are broken. Wait a second—let me switch to Adam and Eve’s vision.”
Muttering things like “Oh! That’s convenient!” and “Seth moved them? Nice call!” Tauro began speaking animatedly to himself.
Apparently, Seth had independently sent Adam and Eve to different positions so they could observe the village from multiple angles.
“Lord Tauro, what does it look like?” Zion asked about the state of the village that only Tauro could see.
“Oh, sorry. Seth’s observing the village from outside right now… Hm? Two monsters I don’t recognize are approaching? Which ones? Ah… those. They look like wolf-type monsters at first glance… but I’ve never seen fur like that. A black wolf with red streaks along its back… I’ve never heard of one like that.”
As he answered Zion, Tauro gradually became absorbed in communicating with Seth, making him look as though he were enthusiastically talking to himself.
“…Tauro, this ability makes you look really strange. Don’t use it around people other than us,” Aeris sighed as she watched Tauro gesture at empty air and talk to himself.
“We’re heading there right away, but I’ll leave it to your judgment for now, Seth. —Hm? Aeris, did you say something?”
Tauro seemed to have cut off the mental link, as he now responded properly.
“Never mind. A monster’s appeared in the village, right? Let’s hurry.” Aeris had pieced the situation together from Tauro’s muttering.
“Right. Everyone, Seth and the others have encountered monsters. Let’s move!”
Tauro held out his hand.
“…We’re not doing that again, are we?” Ankh grimaced.
“Please tell me you’re joking, Tauro…” Aeris added wearily.
“…How about we just enhance our agility with magic and run?” Ragune suggested.
“Y-yes! Lord Tauro, I can boost everyone’s speed with my magic!” Zion chimed in.
“Guys… you really think I’m going to use [Teleportation] the flying-and-falling way again? This time, I’m using Seth’s shared vision of the village as an image reference. It’ll be safe.”
He smiled wryly at their desperate expressions.
By sending Seth ahead and sharing his vision, Tauro could form a clear image of an unfamiliar destination, making [Teleportation] far easier and safer.
“For real?” Aeris asked again.
“Seriously?” Ankh pressed.
Ragune and Zion nodded in agreement.
“Enough already—grab hands! Seth and the others are engaging in combat!”
Tauro hurried everyone into a circle. Once they joined hands, he used [Teleportation] to rush them to the village.
“…Nice, Seth.”
They arrived in the forest just outside the fenced village—the last location Tauro had shared with Seth.
Before them lay the aftermath of battle.
At the feet of Seth, Adam, and Eve were two large wolf-type monsters, each pierced through the throat by swords.
“Before we hear the details, let me appraise them with [True Eye]… Hm. Bloodsucking Wolves? ‘A forcibly created new species of monster that feeds on blood and flesh’… Another new species, then. So, how did it go, Seth?”
Seth could also share his thoughts with Tauro, so the two began a mental exchange.
Seth’s animated gestures as he explained were oddly adorable.
“They used illusion magic on the villagers? I see… According to Seth, these two Bloodsucking Wolves entered the village, cast illusion magic to prevent the villagers from escaping, and were about to attack. Seth, Adam, and Eve intervened to save them. When the wolves realized they couldn’t win and tried to flee, Adam and Eve—who had been waiting outside—finished them off here. Is that right?”
Seth nodded vigorously.
“Seth, that’s amazing!” Aeris exclaimed, hugging him.
“For a first battle, that’s an outstanding result,” Ankh said, ruffling Seth’s head.
“At this rate, we won’t have any work left. Hahaha!” Ragune laughed in admiration.
“I won’t lose either!” Zion declared, oddly competitive.
“If they use illusion magic, that explains why all the Adventurers’ Guild reports were inconsistent.”
Tauro had already suspected illusion magic when reviewing the Guild’s reports, since none of them had anything in common.
“So they’re the illusion-type monsters Ragune struggles with, huh?” Ankh teased.
“I told you I’ve already overcome that weakness!” Ragune snapped.
Ragune had once struggled with illusion magic, but during their training in the Dragon’s Den, she had been the first to overcome it.
“Ankh, stop it. That’s in the past,” Aeris cut in, defending Ragune; she herself had once been injured because of illusion magic.
“Alright, alright. Still, since Seth’s a puppet, status-effect magic has no effect on him. That’s a huge advantage.”
Ankh apologized, thinking he might’ve taken the joke too far, and returned to praising Seth.
Seth puffed out his chest proudly.
“Haha! Alright, everyone—let’s cure the villagers affected by the illusion magic and finish this quest.”
With that, Tauro led the group toward the village.