Chapter 6: The Strongest Onmyoji Goes to the Forest (Part two)

The arrow released accurately pierced the ape-shaped monster in the tree and shot it down.

It seemed to be a very strong bow, and the arrowhead passed through the green monkey’s back.

“These are the killer apes, there aren’t many of them, but they are quick and dangerous, so you should watch out for them in other forests.”

The bowman looked bored and did not seem proud of his achievement, and Lloyd did not give him any particular praise.

I think he is quite good, but I guess this level is normal for them.

Then Lloyd pulls out a pair of leather gloves and a knife.

“Killer Ape’s fur and long claws are the materials of choice, but to be honest, they don’t fetch much. Today, let’s just collect the magic stone.”

With that, Lloyd slowly split open the green monkey’s belly with his knife.

He picked up a red stone near the heart with a leather glove, and the corpse began to dry up rapidly.

Wiping the blood-soaked stone lightly with a cloth, Lloyd showed it to me.

“This is the magic stone. Some monsters may have such a stone in their body. I guess most of them are beast-type monsters. Monsters like astral and skeletons almost never have them. And the same killer ape, depending on the individual, may not have them, or they may be small.”

“Is this different from a mineral magic stone?”

“They are different things, but they have almost the same uses, such as being used as materials for magical tools and as catalysts for rituals. That’s why we call them magic stones. But experts say there are some minor differences.”

“I see.”

I guess you could think of it as similar to pearls from bivalves or dragonflower incense from whales.

I had heard a little about it in a lecture at the academy, but this was the first time I had seen it collected in this way.

Lloyd put the killer ape magic stone in a leather bag and stood up.

“Now, I’ll need you guys in the rear guard to help me carry the materials.”

When I looked forward with my gaze, the heavy female warrior and the monk were dismantling the armor of the living mail that had stopped moving and binding it with a string. Mabel listened with interest to their explanation. Maybe it’s just rudimentary, but Amiyu looks bored.

“Living Mail armor can be used to make hardware. The quality is not so good if it is of a low level like the ones found in this forest, but it still sells for a lot more than killer ape claws. Can you carry it?”

Ifa and I carried the two suits of armor that the heavy female warrior had brought with her.

Thanks to my qigong technique, I was stronger than I looked, and Ifa, who had been doing the laundry and cleaning at the mansion since she was a child, seemed to have no problem with it.

“I think I’ll be fine. Those two in the vanguard probably have more power, but we don’t want to hamper their movement.”

“But two of these are the limit for the two rear guard. …… Can you make enough money for one adventure with these two pieces of armor?”

“It’s just barely enough to feed a party of four for a day.”

Lloyd says something discouraging.

Considering the cost of lodging and various other expenses, we were completely in the red.

“So you’ll have to do something like collect the magic stone first, or go early in the morning a lot, or something. If you have the money, the best thing to do is to hire a porter who carries an item box. When hunting the living mail, a party that can afford it usually does so.”

“An item box?　And what is a porter?”

“Porters are literally adventurers who specialize in carrying materials. Many of them do not belong to a party, but take on jobs on a freelance basis. An item box is …… in a word, a magic that allows you to store items in another space that is not here. It is different from ordinary magic and requires a special talent, but a porter in the carrying profession with this can carry more materials than an ordinary party can carry. But such a person is often useless in terms of strength, though.”

“Oh!”

I was a little curious.

Perhaps there is magic to open phases in this world?

In my previous life, most magic systems had this technique, but I had never heard of it before I came here, and I had never learned it at school. However, from the way he spoke, I could only assume that this was the case.

I’m a little concerned about the fact that it requires a special talent. ……

And then, at that moment.

The party was moving forward, and two Living Mails appeared in front of them again.

“It’s just right.

“… Yes, that’s right. Mabel, Amiyu.”

“all right”

“…haa”

In contrast to Mabel, who nodded her head frankly, Amiyu sighed annoyingly.

“Axes and swords might be a little less compatible, but they move slower, so don’t worry too much.”

“No, I’m not worried.”

A roaring sound echoed through the forest. Birds flew away from the trees.

Mabel swung down her battle-axe and saw that it had cut the living mail in half.

Mabel, who had just re-equipped the battle-axe, tilted her head and said

“It wasn’t too hard.”

In front of Lloyd’s stunned party, Amiyu says dismissively.

“You are a jerk, aren’t you? If you cut the body in two, it will be difficult to transport and the purchase price will go down. You have to take them down more neatly.”

“M…… then, Amiyu try it.”

Amiyu stepped silently into the remaining one and flashed his mithril staff sword.

The living mail, with the tip of the sword thrust through the gap in its torso, crumbled apart as if its strings had been severed.

Amiyu swings the slightly glowing staff sword.

“It may look like this, but it’s an undead monster. So it can be easily defeated with a support magic buff that gives it a light attribute.”

“I can’t use the light attribute.”

“You can imitate a martial artist, so why don’t you punch it next time?”

Lloyd, who was watching the exchange between the two, said as if he was dumbfounded.

“No, that’s amazing… Could it be that you were an adventurer somewhere else?”

“Amiyu is, yes. Mabel is, well, sort of like that.”

Then I looked up at the top of the tree.

On a thick, leafy branch, I saw the same green monkey as before.

“By the way, it looks like Killer Ape is here again.”

“Do you think you can beat it?　If so, give it a try. If not, I’ll help you.

“Okay, then. …… Ifa.”

“Uh-huh.”

Ifa swung her gaze slightly from side to side.

　It was as if he was looking at something floating there.

The next moment, a rock that looked as if it could hold a whole bag of rocks shot out of the air.

The rock hit the Killer Ape directly. The rock hit the Killer Ape, snapping off several thick branches in its path and sending it hurtling in surprise.

A few moments later, we heard the sound of rocks falling among the trees in the distance.

In the forest, which had become a little brighter after the branches fell, Ifa said in a sudden burst of surprise, 

“Oh, I’m sorry. This is not a good way to collect materials. …… It’s dangerous with fire, so …… next time I’ll use water, or the wind attribute.”

As silence descends on the party, Lloyd says, aghast.

“That was …… no way, a forest elf spirit magic?　But from the looks of it, you don’t seem to be a half-forest-elf either. ……”

Perhaps because there are many subhumans in Lakana, Lloyd seemed to be familiar with the magic of the forest elves.

Since the explanation was troublesome, I turned my outward smile to the stunned faces and said,

“Well, she’s been through a lot. I would appreciate it if you don’t ask too many questions. Isn’t that the etiquette in Lakana?”

Previous chapter | TOC | Next chapter