Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 65: The Great Big Boar
We left the village the following morning.
There was no certainty that we would encounter the Great Big Boar. The report hadn’t said it was moving towards the royal capital. If it had gone in the opposite direction, our paths would never cross.
Several merchants who had been debating whether to remain in the village chose to accompany us. Their wagons carried large quantities of perishable food, and every delay increased their losses. They had decided to continue despite the risk.
I suspected they were relying on our strength. Then one of them discreetly offered us money, and I suddenly felt like a corrupt official.
“Lionel, what am I supposed to do with this?”
“As members of House Heine, we can’t accept a formal commission to act as their guards while conducting our own journey,” he said. “However, you already intend to protect them if danger appears, do you not?”
“Yes.”
“Then accept the money. Otherwise, the merchant may feel he has no right to keep his wagons within our formation.”
The merchants had hired guards of their own, but our party included numerous armoured knights who trained every day. Our combat strength was clearly superior. It was natural that they wanted to travel near us.
I reluctantly accepted the payment. More importantly, we couldn’t afford another delay. I had to reach the royal capital.
Once there, I would give the Panacea to Grandmother, explain everything, and ask her to help obtain more ingredients. If I could make additional bottles, perhaps both of them—and others—could be saved.
Holding on to that hope, I let the carriage continue.
The sky was lightly overcast. Autumn had deepened, and without sunlight the air felt bitterly cold. Closing the carriage window helped a little.
“I might be able to make a smaller hot-and-cold air blower for use inside a carriage.”
“Can you really make it smaller, Big brother?”
“If it were installed where no one could touch it directly, it wouldn’t need a thick wooden casing. We might be able to place it beneath the seat.”
It could warm the seat as well. Still, modifying a carriage without the maker’s permission might cause trouble.
Horse sales had risen since the races began, and I had heard that demand for carriages was increasing too. A carriage equipped with a magic tool that controlled the interior temperature might sell extremely well.
While I was imagining such a product, Search detected something.
A massive response, like a moving boulder.
The Great Big Boar.
Why had I jinxed myself?
“Lionel, it’s coming from the left side of the road.”
“What? Stop the carriage! Prepare to intercept!”
The knights moved at once. A warning was also sent to the merchant convoy behind us.
“Big brother, will everything be all right?”
“Yes. Rosalia, remain quietly inside the carriage.”
She nodded while clutching her favourite stuffed animal. Leaving my tearful little sister hurt, but if I participated personally, I could prevent casualties. Never repeat the same mistake twice—that was an iron rule for any gamer.
As soon as I stepped down, Lionel approached.
“We’ll be ready shortly. The monster may have been attracted by the food in the merchants’ wagons.”
“By the smell?”
“Most likely. Monsters also need to gather food before winter.”
Was it planning to carry the provisions back to a den? No, something else felt wrong.
“Lionel, there are smaller monsters with it.”
“More than one? That’s certainly possible… but how do you know, Lord Julius?”
His gaze sharpened. I preferred to keep my skills secret, so I needed a distraction.
“Get into position. There are six Big Boars.”
“Six? At once!”
Lionel ran off. That had worked.
Six Big Boars weren’t especially dangerous. They were much weaker than their leader and should be easy to defeat.
I joined the knights preparing for battle. The merchants’ guards formed a perimeter around the convoy. Telling them that no enemies approached from the other directions would only raise questions. The Heine knights could take such an unusual formation only because they trusted me—perhaps blindly.
“I see it! The Great Big Boar is in front, and it’s enormous!” called a scout from a tree.
Heavy impacts sounded in the distance and rapidly grew louder.
“Six Big Boars behind it!”
The knights, already warned, didn’t waver. The convoy guards panicked and rushed around the wagons.
Our archers loosed arrows to slow the monsters, though the shots were unlikely to injure the Great Big Boar seriously.
It burst through the trees, knocking trunks aside.
The first time I had faced one in the game, its power had been terrifying. After hunting many of them, however, players quickly learned how manageable they were.
“Wind Blade!”
The Great Big Boar split apart and vanished, leaving a large magic stone.
Its six followers continued charging, unaware that their leader had already fallen.
“Earth Needle!”
Multiple spikes of hardened stone erupted from the ground. In an instant, the Big Boars were impaled and disappeared, leaving their magic stones behind.
“That should settle it. Please collect the stones. I may be able to use them in future magic tools.”