I am still running away from the giant jagaimu. Of course, this doesn’t mean I can’t win. My goal is to separate No.0 from its soldiers by attracting its attention. In return, my comrades will wipe out the horde of jagaimus.
“The problem is this guy. I’m still thinking how to get rid of it.”
To be honest, I didn’t expect it to be that hard. I’m starting to doubt if it’s really a vegetable, but it would be foolish to compare Earth’s common sense here in another world.
“Don’trun. Fightme. Stopbeing acoward.”
It is the giant potato running after me that speaks to me in a voice that resonates from the belly. In fact, it has been repeating provocations like this for some time now. It’s unclear where it is speaking. However, knowing that it had the intelligence of a junior high school student, it was clear that it understood human language. Thanks to that, I got a few surprises.
“Areyou scaredof aJagaimu likeme?”
It seemed to be enjoying that I just run. It may have thought that I can’t beat it. For a vegetable, it talks a lot. And it’s all arrogant. If it was a normal size, I’ll turn it into a paste and throw it into the curry. No, croquettes are also good. Like the opening song of “Kite⋆⋆tsu Daihyakka”, I forget about the cabbage and put it on a plate.
However, it is also convenient for me that it went after me. I want to pull it away from Mana as far as possible. As it didn’t notice my goal, I continue to walk as fast as possible.
“Why are targeting the city? If you hate me, you should only target me!”
“Ihatehuman, I’ll destroyhuman. Thatcity isthe first step.”
Jagaimu No.0 seems to have had a strong hatred towards humanity, including me. French fries, potato chips and buttered potato. My clone must have eaten them in front of No. 0’s eyes.
Sigh. What could be more cruel for a jagaimu? It is not surprising that humanity is perceived as someone harmful to the jagaimus. But even if that was the case, I couldn’t afford to be killed like this. I stopped in my tracks and raised my fist at Jagaimu-kun.
“Oh? Stoprunning already?”
“I’ve gained enough distance. And let me tell you, your army is no more.”
“Whatareyou— d-don’t tellme!?”
When Jagaimu No. 0 turns around, it saw that its comrades have become miserable. It’s too late by now. It’s a big mistake because it didn’t know how cunning humans were.
“Howdareyou trickme! Despicablehuman!”
“It’s the result of being too caught up in what’s right in front of you. Now, let’s start the second battle.”
“Iwon’t forgiveyou!”
Its right foot is coming from directly above. It looks like it is planning to trample me down.
I quickly activated my Superhuman Skill and Dragon Transformation Skill. I caught the falling foot that looked like a thick wall with both of my hands. As a deep thump resounded, my feet sank into the ground due to the weight that falls on me.
“Teryaaaaa!!”
With my enhanced power, I effortlessly threw the humanoid potato that’s a hundred meters tall. No.0 slammed into the ground face-first and the earth caved in in a circular shape. But this is not the end. I sprinted to it, grab its legs and swing it up in the opposite direction. Then I slammed it to the ground again. After repeating about ten times, I throw it away.
“Guu…… yourpower, is stronger thanI expected..…”
With a wobbly body, it stood up. I guess it thought that it could win with its colossal body. This is the result of its poor judgment. Instead of this, they should have hidden quietly after escaping from the dungeon. That would have allowed them to live longer.
“Why didn’t you just run away as it is? You shouldn’t have thought about revenge.”
“Wehavetofight, ifnot, humanswill continuetoeat jagaimu. Thatshould bestopped. Iwant the littleones tobe safeand livemore.”
“Do you want to say that you are so obsessed with revenge for the sake of your comrades?”
“Thatis right. Idon’t want moreofthem tobekilled.”
I got an indescribable mixed feeling. In a sense, it accurately predicted the future. Mana is currently growing jagaimus, which will soon be distributed as a common ingredient. When that happens, the time it is talking about will come.
“I understand what you’re thinking. It’s all my responsibility for giving you wisdom.”
“There’s nopoint admitting yourmistakes now. You humans alreadydid somethingterrible.”
“I’m not going to apologize, because people will continue to eat jagaimu in the future.”
“Howdareyou!”
An angry gaze is directed at me. Its raised fist is like a hammer trying to crush the ground. On the other hand, I also shifted my body to the limit and I placed all my strength into my right fist. I’ll probably never be able to understand it.
Why? Because I love potato chips.
“Ouuooo!”
“Wooooo!”
Fists collided with each other. The shock wave spreads in a hemispherical shape, blowing away the clouds floating in the sky. The area beneath my feet caved in deeply, cracks formed in the shape of a spider web. The pressure of our fists is competing, and the energies are clashing between the fists in search of escape.
Its spirit is genuine. It seems that it won’t back down against me.
“Toryaaaaa!”
I swung my fist with even more force. The competitive situation was broken, and Jagaimu No. 0’s body was launched far into the sky. For the final blow, it’s Emperor’s Dragon Breath. From there, there should be no impact on the ground. I took a deep breath and tried to breathe out.
“Sagittarius!”
Just as I was about to breathe out, I heard Erna’s voice. A flash of light shot through the Jagaimu’s torso. Or rather, it was a very thick laser. In an instant, No. 0 was burned, it fell to the ground with a fragrant smell.
“It’sashame…… but, I’msure thenextjagaimu willappear again.”
With that said, Jagaimu No.0 died. Erna, who rushed in, frolics when she saw the corpse of the enemy.
“Did you see that!? It’s my new magic! It uses the attributes of wind and light to fire with the Sacred Tree’s bow!”
“Yeah, it was a great attack that I can’t complain about.”
“I know, right!? If it’s Archmage Erna-sama, they would be losing easily.”
She’s in a good mood knowing the power of her new magic. She stole the finishing blow and I wasn’t able to finish it off myself though. More than that, No. 0’s last words bothered me a bit.
What does the next jagaimu mean?
As I was thinking about this, the bug in my stomach suddenly squealed. The delicious smell of potato tickled my nostrils.
I approached the jagaimu, leaving Erna who continued to boast.
“T-This is……!”
White steam rises, and when I peel off the thick light brown skin, the cooked flesh emerges from underneath. Have I ever seen such a potato with vivid colors before? It is evenly cooked and has a striking yellow color. Yet the faintly sweet scent grabs my heart.
I put my hand on the corpse of Jagaimu-kun. I must never forget it.
I humbly receive your life.
Even if it’s a potato. I uttered my thanks and bit into the potato.
“Deliciouuus!”
My voice sounded like a goat. The flesh is surprisingly soft with the peculiar crunchiness of potatoes. The sweetness, which was not too assertive, was as light as a traveling man saying goodbye to a woman in the harbor.
I took a butter out of the bangle and put it on top, you can taste the best buttered potato. Humanity cannot graduate from potatoes after all. The tears that wet my cheeks were proof of that.
“This jagaimu is really delicious. It looked disgusting but it tastes first-class.”
Before I knew it, Erna was munching and eating potato with me. She even has a glass of salt in hand.
“This is a lot though. We can’t eat it all by ourselves.”
“Then let’s take it to the city. Since it’s so good, everyone will eat it.”
That’s an option too. It would be a shame to let it rot like this. I then put the giant potato in the bangle and decided to move it closer to Mana.
◇◇◇
Hundreds of torches shone brightly on the meadow where the sun had set. Lying there is a giant jagaimu. People scrape themselves from the body and return to their seats. There were more than fifty long tables set up here, and many of them were having a good time with jagaimu and sake.
“It’s a big party, everyone is drinking all the time.”
“You can eat jagaimu for free, anyone will come.”
After drinking down the sake in one gulp, I throw the potato into my mouth. No matter how many times I eat it, it is still delicious. Liz, Pero, and Freya, who are sitting next to each other, also seem to be enjoying the potato.
Tonight, Mana had a jagaimu festival. That said, it’s not that someone planned the festival. It all happened naturally. It all started with the free release of cooked jagaimu. When I told everyone that I would share the jagaimu that we couldn’t finish eating, people gathered from all over the city.
Before I knew it, tables and chairs were set up and the stalls were open. It’s already nine o’clock in the evening but there are still people coming from the city to get potatoes.
It’s ironic that the jagaimu, who hated humans, is very popular to humans.
At the stall, a large number of sweet potatoes are served in curry or soup. And it’s super cheap. The cost of ingredients is free, so the price is almost just for cooking. I also tried the curry, and it was quite delicious.
“Archmage Erna! Banzai!”
When I turned my gaze in the direction of the voice, I saw Erna being applauded by the crowd. She is being celebrated as the hero who saved the city. Regardless of the course of events, she was undeniably the one who killed No. 0. It is something to be praised.
The only thing that worries me is that hopefully she doesn’t get too carried away. Perhaps because they all started to say that a legendary arch mage could be named again, her pace of drinking is unusually fast.
Standing on a desk and sipping sake, she is no longer just tipsy.
“Hora~, call me Archmage. I saved this city!”
“Archmage Erna-sama! Banzai!”
“That’s right, I defeated that jagaimu brilliantly with my sophisticated magic!”
“Archmage Erna-sama! Banzai!”
“Hahaha! Right! I’m overflowing with magic and talent! This beauty that captivates everyone—Ade!?”
I knocked my knuckles on Erna and pulls her back to her seat. It’s good to rejoice, but she got over excited. Good grief.
“That’s mean! I’m the star of the show today. Let me have more fun.”
“Don’t bother others, the reputation of Homeless who has finally risen will fall again.”
Rubbing her head with teary eyes, she groaned, “Mmummmumu.”
If possible, I would like her to express her joy a little more humbly. It could lead to unnecessarily resentment from other adventurers after all.
“Pero-sama, have you seen my bravery?”
“Yes. Your divine power and the meteor shower burst were amazing, I want to have powerful skills too.”
“What are you talking about? With this much fluffy fur, you don’t need any other skills at all. All you have to do is make the enemies succumb to your fluffy fur. They’ll all weaken.”
“I-, I’m a little scared of your immense trust in my fur.”
Freya touched Pero’s chest hair as she held his head. Liz observes their interaction closely. As if she suddenly realized something, she faced me and uttered the words,
“Oniichan, don’t you want to be fluffy too?”
“I politely decline.”
“But it feels good when my son is fluffy.”
“Don’t say it in such a strange way! You’ll be misunderstood. Besides, I don’t usually have chest hair like that.”
“Oh-, that’s right.”
I took a sip of sake while watching the jagaimu festival which is a great success. Everyone seemed to recognize Jagaimu No.0 as a new kind of magical beast that appeared out of nowhere. For that reason alone, I feel very sorry for it. It wasn’t intentional, but it ended up being a match pump.
We made a name for ourselves by exterminating the monster I created myself, well it was my clone who did it, but I still feel guilty. However, I was in no mood to say anything right now. When I heard the residents’ words of gratitude towards my comrades, I had no choice but to swallow the truth that came out of my throat.
Maybe it’s better to keep it a secret until I die. I sighed heavily as I drank my sake. Thus ended the Jagaimu Riot.
◇◇◇
However, at a later date, outrageous information arrives.
It’s a sighting of a surviving jagaimu. Apparently, No.0 didn’t take all the jagaimu into its army. It left a few in advance in order to leave offspring. Thanks to this, the jagaimu repeatedly reproduced without being culled, and after a few years, their habitat expanded to the entire continent.
Needless to say, it left its mark in the picture book as a new kind of magical beast.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
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