Chapter 10: The Strongest Onmyoji Sells Materials

“You guys do too much on your own.”

In the small room where the Murderbats were instantly defeated.

We were all being lectured by Amiyu.

Of course, we had already confirmed that there were no signs of monsters around us, but that wasn’t the …… problem.

“First of all, Mabel!　You should hold off on the sword-throwing.”

“I don’t want to …… I’m like an assassin.”

“’I’m telling you axemen are heavy warriors!　Why do you insist on that ……. You know what?　You’re in the vanguard, so don’t force yourself to aim at enemies that are too far away from you. If you have to throw a sword to kill an enemy, leave it to the rear guard.”

“But sometimes you use magic too.”

“I only aim for what the vanguard can handle. Besides, a throwing sword costs money. If you throw it with your gravity magic and excess power, the blade will be damaged, and depending on the location, it may not be recoverable. If you can’t recover more material than the throwing sword, you’re losing money.　You should be more cost-conscious.”

“Suddenly, you’re talking like a merchant.”

“It’s the same thing. Instead of paying a purchase price, it’s just that weapons and armor cost money.”

“…..”

“I won’t tell you never to throw it. But if it’s an enemy you can ignore, leave it to me. Do you understand?”

“…… got it.”

Mabel nodded her head in agreement.

I was also a little impressed. She’s thinking a lot more than I thought she was.

“Next!　Ifa and Seika.”

This time, Amiyu looks at us and says,

“You guys are prohibited from attacking the same side.”

“Eh, um~? It’s okay, that’s…”

Amiyu replies to Ifa’s anxious look.

“As I said before, you have too much firepower. Unless it’s against a boss, one of you is enough. It also hurts the materials.”

“I see.”

“So, one of you should be the healer. They say accidents are less likely to happen in a party with a full-time healer.”

“In that case, Ifa should play the role of healer. I’ll take charge of the attack.”

I still thought it would be safer …… if I could participate in the battle.

Amiyu looked at me with narrowed eyes, and then said after a moment.

“Hmm… no”

“eh”

“Ifa is the attacker, Seika is the healer.”

“No, no, no, why?”

I was in the mood to go either way earlier.

“There are three reasons. First, your magic costs money.”

“Are you talking about the Hitogata? A piece of paper doesn’t cost much compared to a sword thrower.”

“Paper here is more expensive than in Rodonea, you know?　There are no paper mills nearby. Instead, we have all the metal resources we can get our hands on, so it’s probably cheaper to buy a pitchfork.”

“….”

“I think it’s best to conserve supplies for the future. And secondly, …… if you play the role of attacker, won’t we lose our jobs at the critical moment?　When the danger is real, you’re going to go all out, no matter what.”

“……You may be right, but ……what’s wrong with that?”

“After all, I’ll be relying on you for my life as an adventurer.

“I wouldn’t mind that. ……”

“We care. We don’t feel comfortable with you just taking care of us. Besides, if something happens and you’re gone, what happens to those of us who have been relying on you……?”

“. … .”

“I know you can do anything. Maybe you can conquer all the dungeons around here by yourself. But …… even if you’re not that strong, all adventurers have done it successfully before.”

“……”

“So, you’re going to have to leave something to us, too, and for the last reason.”

Amiyu says with a little laugh.

“I still feel safer having you behind me as a healer.”

When I was at a loss for words, Ifa said enthusiastically, 

“I’ll do my best, Seika-kun”

“…… got it.”

I nodded quietly.

Then, with a small smile, I said.

“Well, I’m going to watch over my apprentices to make sure they get some experience.”

“What’s with that high-handedness?”

“Seika, you sound like an old man.”

“What kind of position is that?”

I laugh.

*******

After that, the dungeon exploration proceeded without any problems.

The dungeon was originally designed for beginners, so there was no reason for any problems to arise, but thanks to Amiyu’s guidance, the flustered atmosphere that had existed in the beginning disappeared, and everyone was able to face the monsters with calmness.

My work has almost completely disappeared.

I had nothing to do as a healer, but to secure our vision with the lighted rhinoceros beetle, and to put away collected materials in the phase.

But I think that’s okay.

These girls want to do their best on their own. It is the role of elders to watch over the growth of young people.

Of course, I would take action as soon as the situation became dangerous.

When we had gathered enough materials, we decided to turn around.

The sun would still be high in the sky, but we needed time to go to the guild to sell the goods. That’s how it should be for the first time.

So we returned to Lacana without incident.

We returned safely to Lakana and headed for the Adventurers’ Guild.

“I’d like to ask you to purchase the materials.”

When I said that at the guild window, the young woman at the reception smiled.

“Welcome back. Now, please place your materials on the table there.”

I open the door to the phase and spread the collected materials on the table by the reception desk.

Magic stones, the sword that the skeleton was holding, and so on. Nothing too big, but a good amount of materials piled up on the table.

The receptionist rolls her eyes.

“Oh, my. Are you the porter of the carrier? Is that all the material you’re selling?”

“Yes. …… Oh, no, wait.”

When I close the phase and restore the invisibility of the hitogata I take out another hitogata.

Amiyu looks at it quizzically.

“What?　There’s something else?”

“Yes.”

Yes, there was one more thing to sell.

The carcass of the deer-shaped monster I had caught before my visit to Lakana.

I had completely forgotten about it. After all, there was so much going on. …… But I was sure it would fetch a good price.

I lightly recited the mantra and opened the door to the phase.

Then, with a heavy thud, the carcass fell to the guild floor.

“Wha…..!

“Kya!”

“Whoa!”

The receptionist and other adventurers around the guild were startled to see the object sitting on the floor.

I, on the other hand, was looking at …….

“Huh ……?　What is this?”

I rolled my eyes as well.

And so it should have been.

The monster carcass had been transformed into a giant rainbow-colored mineral.

Although it barely resembled a deer in silhouette, it was not a carcass at all, but a mere mineral made up of a mass of rectangular crystals.

Come to think of it, I think the magic stone that grew on its head instead of antlers was colored like this.

But …… what does this mean?

Is this what happens to that monster when it dies?

I honestly have no idea.

I looked around to see if any adventurers or guild officials might know,…….

“Is this a magic stone…?”

“Hey, isn’t this color a high-ranking magic stone!?”

“No way, all of this!?”

……It didn’t seem like there was much to expect.

The receptionist tells me with her eyes In a daze.

“Hey, wait a minute…”

After a while after withdrawing into the back, she returned with a staff member holding only a hammer and a chisel.

And she explains to me, apologetic.

“It will take a little time for the appraisal. Also, it seems that it is a magic stone, but it seems that it will be a considerable amount of money, so we will probably be able to hand over the payment at a later date. ……”

“Haa. That’s fine, but…”

I’m more curious as to why this happened.

“Is there anyone who knows more about this?”

A ringing sound resounded. A guild worker was just about to split a giant rainbow-colored ore with a chisel and a hammer. As expected, it would be impossible to appraise it as it is.

Then, when the surface of the mineral cracked――――I suddenly felt a violent flow of power.

I hurriedly called out.

“Oh, you should stop doing that too!”

“eh?”

At that moment, the guild staff looked back with a dumbfounded expression.

The cracks in the mineral spread—-everything shattered.

And what appeared from inside was…

“Wow!?”

“Mo, monster!?”

The magic stone that was used as a horn has disappeared, but there is no doubt about it.

It’s the deer-type monster that should have been sealed in the phase at that time.

The magic stone deer standing on four legs shakes its head.

“No matter how you looked at it, it was alive.”

“Monsters in this world shouldn’t be able to withstand phases.”

“Oh!”

Faster than I could turn my head — the deer’s hooves kicked the floor of the guild.

Kicking through the floorboards, he also destroyed the entrance door and jumped out.

“Wait… so, fast!?”

When I followed it outside, the magic stone deer had already turned into a small dot in the distant sky.

Judging from the hoof marks on the ground, it seems that it had a tremendous jumping power and flew over there in one jump.

The deer monster jumped again on the roof of a tall building and disappeared beyond the castle wall.

I stand stunned.

 Yuki poked her head out from above and muttered

“Well, I didn’t expect it to be alive… What a terrible monster, Seika-sama…”

“Ah, ah… this world is so big.”

I answer Yuki, whose above my head.

And then I… timidly looked back.

What caught my eye was the entrance to the guild, the door of which had been completely destroyed.

“…”

“I slowly and quietly return inside.”

The inside of the guild was silent.

Both adventurers and staff were stunned and speechless. The atmosphere seemed to be the same.

I turn pale when I see the floorboards kicked by the deer.

“This is bad, isn’t it…”

At that time, I caught sight of the magic stone shell left on the floor.

The amount was reduced considerably because the contents was the deer, but there is still quite a lot left.

“Excuse me……”

I smiled and pointed at the deer shell and said.

“Is the magic stone over there enough to pay for the compensation…?”

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