Author: Yume Neiji

-Pero’s POV-

(Early in the morning of the day after meeting with the client.)

We were heading to the area where the troll is said to be lurking. I wore black goggles over my eyes and I’m holding a ski pole in both of my hands.

“It’s much colder today even though the sun is still there.”

Exhaling white air, I see the morning sun out of the corner of my eye, turning the sky red. Every time I walked, my feet sank into the snow, and it was hard just to walk 10 meters.

When I looked back, I saw Freya-san and Liz-san lying in the snow.

“Pero-sama…… Don’t leave me……”

“I can’t do it anymore.”

It’s already been three hours of walking. In addition, the unfamiliar snowy mountain is also mentally exhausting. I think it’s time to take a break here. We decided to warm up in a cave that happened to be nearby.

“Why is Pero-sama so energetic?”

Freya-san is shaking as she hits the bonfire. Liz-san on the other hand, is probably sleepy rather than cold. She yawns repeatedly.

“Well, I have a lot of fur you see. Also, I guess it’s because I got ice element.”

“I see. Pero-sama is a race that is resistant to cold huh. Compared to that, I’m trembling and pathetic…… Oh, what a warm fluffy fur.”

Freya-san touches my chest hair as she says that. Then, she buried her face and began to snuggle on my fluffy fur in earnest. Her face was so loose and sloppy that it was hard to believe that she was shivering from the cold.

“Leave my fur for now. We are at work you see.”

“Pero-sama, please! Only for an hour! Let me snuggle in your fluff for an hour!”

“No. You always touch it for about five hours.”

“Pero-sama!”

I run away from Freya-san, who tries to hug me. Really, this person is addicted to fur. I’m worried that she’ll have withdrawal symptoms someday. Suddenly, a question crossed my mind.

“Come to think of it, Liz-san, you were able to move around on top of the dark cloud, why were you walking?”

“…………”

Her eyes slowly widened at my question.

Oh-, she probably forgot about this.

“Because you guys were walking…. I just followed what you are doing.”

“Then you won’t use dark clouds huh.”

“I didn’t say that.”

Liz-san quickly gets on the dark cloud right away. She also took out an eye mask and a pillow from her backpack and started to sleep. This person is also at her own pace, just like Freya-san. I feel like I understand a little bit of Father’s struggle to arrange them.

“But it looks like it’s going to be tough to fight trolls.”

“Why?”

“It’s such a struggle just to walk you see. I can see that it will be even tougher when it comes to fighting.”

I was relieved when Freya-san pointed it out. I had missed something important. The troll is said to be a humanoid magical beast of about five meters. Considering the size difference, we should have to fight while running away. However, the snow cover is as thick as 70~90 cm. It was clearly a disadvantageous situation to us.

“I think we need to come up with a good plan. It’s definitely dangerous to take on the troll head-on like this.”

“Yes. I think we should first create an environment where me and Pero-sama can have the upper hand.”

Liz-san is fine because she doesn’t depend on the scaffolding, but me and Freya-san can’t. We need to create a place where we can demonstrate our abilities.

I then made a proposal to Freya-san.

“Freya-san could use telekinesis, right?”

“Yes. Ten meters is the limit at most.”

“Can you move a lot of snow at once?”

She smiled, as if she understood the meaning of my question. Well, if we don’t have one, we could build it. We want to create an environment where we can compete.

◇◇◇

“I should have done it this way from the beginning.”

“Exactly! I’m a failure of the name Sacred Beast Moe Servant Knight.”

“Stop! It’s breaking my heart.”

With Freya-san in the lead, we steadily moved forward.

The snow up to five meters away was blown off by telekinesis, and the speed of our movement was greatly increased. Another big reason is that the slope has become gentler since we reached the middle of the mountain. We were about to reach the troll’s lurking point.

“Kanegi-san said that there is an entrance to the mine on the side of this mountain.”

“Mmmm. I’m sure it should be around here.”

“Zzz- Zzzzz-”

Liz-san, who is flying blindly behind us, is sleeping soundly. I’ve always wondered how she operates it while sleeping. It’s hard to tell if it’s a racial trait or it’s Liz-san’s special skill.

“Gugaaaa”

We heard a growl from not far away. The ground also shook slightly, and the snow on the trees fell due to the vibrations.

“Freya-san, Liz-san! Get ready!”

“Got it!”

“Mmm, I’m awake.”

Gradually, the footsteps grew louder and closer, until the owner of the voice is withing our sight. With its huge physique, it knocks down trees and sends the snow beneath its feet flying up with tremendous momentum.

It has a nose that takes up most of its face partnered with large green eyes. Its open mouth is lined with sharp fangs, and its tongue was constantly drooling. It is about 10 meters tall and has gray hair all over the body. In addition, the look on its eyes was full of greed that made me feel even more disgust to it.

I use Holy Roar to keep it in check.

“Awwoooooooo!”

I howled. That alone makes the troll stop moving and flinch. Holy Roar, a holy elemental magic, is extremely effective against hostile opponents. It’s a powerful spell that can make some opponents lose their will to fight. However, it didn’t seem to work for long on this troll. It started running towards us again.

“Let’s run away for the time being!”

We’re going back the way we’ve come. The Holy Roar didn’t work, probably because it was driven by appetite, not hostility. I guess this troll is eager to eat us.

“It’s faster than I thought. Pero-sama, if we keep going like this, it will caught up!”

The troll is running furiously from behind as we continue to run forward. With such a huge body, it seems that even the thick snow will not stop it in its tracks.

“Grab on both of you!”

Liz-san flies in the sky and reaches out to us. I grabbed her hand and my body floated in the air for about a meter. Just like that, we move to the destination while flying.

“I’m tired.”

At a certain point, Liz-san lets go of our hand. When I landed on the ground, I raised my fist to the troll who is still chasing after us.

“Alright. I think I can fight with this.”

“Right. I’ll show that thing the combination of me and Pero-sama.”

This is a snow arena with a diameter of 30 meters. It’s a place that was created in advance by Freya-san’s telekinesis. The bare ground is a little muddy, but it is not a problem for fighting. The troll looks at the arena curiously, but when he realizes that it is still in his favor, he stomps on the ground with a cry of delight.

“Be careful. I don’t know what skills it have.”

“Then, I’ll attack first!”

Freya-san ejects two spears controlled with telekinesis at high speed. The Mithril spears pierced the troll’s chest. Immediately after that, I leap and slammed a mid-air roundhouse kick into the giant’s face, causing him to fall into a wall of snow.

“It’s not moving…… Did we do it?”

“I don’t think so. It’s not the kind of magical beast that can be killed like that. And in some way, it’s different from the troll I know of.”

“You mean… it’s not a normal troll?”

“Yes, probably. The average troll doesn’t have that kind of body hair. Also, it seems to be twice as tall, so I think it is most likely a mutant specie.”

Just after Freya-san said that, the troll gets up. It pulled out the spear stuck in its chest and threw it to the ground. It then let out a roar that could be called a sound barrier at us. The air vibrates and my eardrums are about to burst.

It is definitely mad. When it jumps to us, we scattered almost instinctively. As it landed with a thud, the ground shook and my body lifted up slightly.

“Meteor thrust!”

Freya-san, who flew higher than the troll’s head, spun the magic steel spear in her hand at high speed and aimed for a one-hit kill. However, the troll dodged the attack by bending its body.

“Oops―, gah!”

Freya-san, who was defenseless in mid-air, was directly hit by the troll’s powerful slap. She is knocked off and plunges into a wall of snow.

“An opening!”

Liz-san throws a number of weapons called shurikens on it. They curved and pierced the back of the troll. An explosion occurred immediately afterwards. Apparently, it is a set of shuriken with gunpowder.

Next up is my attack. I activated the Acceleration skill and I sprint to it.

“Gale Storm!”

I jumped into its chest and unleashed a move. The wind-charged fist digs into its flesh and damages the inside of its body. After receiving 30 consecutive blows, the troll fell to the ground on his back.

“I’ll finish it.”

Liz-san jumps on the beast and raises her dagger. She’s aiming for its neck.

This is the end of this job. After this, I’ll spend another night or so and draw a picture of the city. That’s what I was thinking when it happened.

―Yes, I was careless.

“Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!”

“Liz-san!?”

The troll’s big hand catches Liz-san. It sat up and looked at me. Its eyes seemed to say, “Your comrade has been caught, surrender quietly.”

I was careless. I should have taken the responsibility of dealing the final blow.

“A-a-…… aaagh!?”

The magical beast slowly tightens the hand that grips Liz-san. If I don’t help her quickly, she will die. But its eyes were fixed on me. It seems to be saying that if I make a move, it will kill Liz-san.

The troll stomps on me as I can’t attack. Then another stomp, and again then again and again. Right now, I’m managing to protect my body with my arms, but I don’t know how long I can last.

“Ho….. ld……on…. Help……co…”

Liz is saying something.

Hold on? Help is coming?

In this situation….relying on help is…..

At that moment, a burning hot air blew from behind me. The troll moves back, away from me. When I turned around, I saw Freya-san standing there with the spear of the water god.

“I’m sorry. The magic steel spear broke so it took me a long time to get back.”

“That’s…… Freya-san you-…”

“Un. I was able to hold it when I grabbed it and shouted with all my might.”

Eh!? Shout!? Can you use the great treasure if you just shout?

I wasn’t the only one who couldn’t accept the situation. The troll was also confused when Freya-san, who was supposed to have been defeated by it, appeared again. Its gaze wanders between her and me, and it seems not sure which one to be wary of.

“Wait, I’ll finish it soon.”

“But Liz-san.”

“Don’t worry. Right now, I’m not even an opponent of such a despicable beast.”

When she said that, hot steam erupted from the Spear of the Water God. The water magic jewel shone as if in response to her.

“Secret technique, White Snake!”

White steam began to wrap around the troll’s right hand like a snake and slowly began to roast its fur and flesh. Two more white snakes extend from the spear, entwining around its neck and left arm.

“Gugaaaaaa!?”

The troll appeared to be resistant to cold, but weak to heat. It let Liz-san go, and it was struggling to escape. Now is the biggest opportunity.

I circulate magic in the water element gauntlet I am equipped with. The gauntlet, which trembled with magical power, changed color from marine blue to sky blue. It’s a mixture of my ice attribute and the water attribute of the gauntlet.

“Mysterious technique, Ice Fang!”

The thrust I unleashed on the spot instantly froze the surrounding ground and created a single gigantic thorn. The icicle pierces the troll’s heart, and bright red blood drips onto the ice. The magical beast gave a long final cry and soon stopped moving.

“You did a great job Pero-sama! The final attack was worthy of the strongest Sacred Beast!”

Freya-san hugs me and snuggles on my fur nonstop.

I’m not aiming to be the strongest sacred beast, but I’m relieved that I was able to accomplish the request safely for the time being. Now I can report this to Father proudly.

“It’s all thanks to me. You should be grateful.”

Liz-san, who came down the dark cloud, said that. I tilted my head, not knowing what it means.

“Pero-sama, it was actually Liz-san who woke me up with her skill when I was unconscious. If I hadn’t responded to the call at that time, I would have collapsed.”

I finally understood Liz-san’s meaningful words. While I was being caught by the troll, she was calling Freya-san with her telepathy skill. I would like to express my gratitude to Liz-san.

“Oh no! My body!”

Freya-san’s body is now vaguely enveloped in light. This is a harbinger of evolution.

“Congratulations Freya-san, you have finally made an evolution.”

“I’m happy about the evolution, but I don’t know what it will be!”

“Huh? Did it start all of a sudden? I wonder if Father chose to evolve you on his own.”

Liz-san then talks to Freya-san, who is now flustered.

“I just contacted Oniichan. He said he chose it because that’s the option.”

“He can’t just choose my evolution arbitrarily!”

“Oniichan says that there was only one evolution destination.”

“Uh-, it can’t be helped then.”

I was almost stunned by the speed of Freya-san’s emotional change. Erna-oneechan is quite positive, but Freya-san is quite a positive thinker as well huh.

“Now then, let’s go back to the nearby cave and watch my progress there.”

“Yes, no matter what form you take, Freya-san is still Freya-san.”

“Thank you, Pero-sama!”

Having fulfilled the request, we start walking towards the cave.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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-Pero’s POV-

We are in a city in the north of the kingdom of Logas. The city is called Snowb. It is the second largest city in Logas Kingdom. At this time of year, it is very cold in the north, and something called snow falls. As someone who doesn’t know anything about snow, I was really looking forward to this request.

“Wow! So amazing! It’s pure white!”

I cheered at the entrance to the city.

In a city that is not inferior to the Royal Capital, fluffy, cold, white things are piled up, creating a fantastic white world. It was the very picture I wanted to paint.

“Pero-sama, it’s too cold here, let’s warm up somewhere.”

“Sleepy……”

Freya-san, who is riding a black unicorn, suggested. Similarly, Liz-san, who is riding a horse in the same way, had a calm expression on her face and told me with her eyes that I should do so.

“Alright, let’s have a meal at a restaurant somewhere. We should be able to warm up then.”

We decided to take a walk around the city to get some food. On my father’s advice, I’m wearing a thick coat, but it’s too hot for me as I have my own fur. On the other hand, Freya-san and Liz-san looked cold even though they were wearing coats. I wonder if the attribute I have got something to do with it.

When we found a good store, we decided to leave the unicorn in a nearby stable before entering.

“Haah-, it’s warm here. It’s not as fluffy as Pero-sama, but it’s a very cozy room temperature.”

“It makes me more sleepy.…”

We took off our coats and sat down on an empty table. The interior is large enough to seat 30 people, and the main attraction is the large brick fireplace. The blazing flames warmed the room and many guests were smiling as they enjoyed the food.

After observing the surroundings, I found out that the recommendation here seems to be meat dishes. When I opened the menu, the words, “lamb steak”, caught my eye.

“I’m going to have lamb steak. What about you two?”

“I’d like to have the same thing as Pero-sama. I’ll also have some alcohol to warm my body.”

“Salmon TKG Set Meal and Hot Milk.”

“Uh-, they don’t have a set meal. Then for Liz-san, let’s order you a stew.”

I quickly ordered from the waiter. After about ten minutes, the food was brought to the table.

“Lamb meat is so tender. I’ve never eaten it before.”

“Snowb’s mutton is famous in the Royal Capital. This liquor is also commonly drunk in this region.”

The bottle of liquor that Freya-san was drinking had the words “Dwarf Killer” written on it. As the name suggests, the alcohol seems to be strong, and the smell of alcohol lingers around the table, making me feel like I’m getting drunk. We have work to do now so I’m worried that Freya-san would get drunk.

“Alcohol reeks. I should have followed Oniisan.”

“I also like to be alone with Pero-sama. Muu~, Tanaka-dono is mean.”

“Uh-, come on Liz-san, Freya-san too. Please cheer up. I think Father had some idea so he got us together.”

I casually followed up. Well, I think I know what Father really meant. I think he was worried about Freya-san, who tends to get out of control when she’s with me. That must be why he made Liz-san go with me as a support role. It’s also reassuring to be able to contact Father through her.

“So, after this, we are going to meet the client, right? What kind of person is he by the way?”

“Well, I think he is called Kanegi-san of Snowb Company.  He seems to be very rich.”

When I said that, Liz, who was eating the stew, reacted with a jerk.

“Let’s assassinate him. I’m sure we’ll get some valuable things.”

“Don’t grin and say that! We’re just here to work you know!?”

I retract my previous statement.

Father wanted me to be their watchman. Liz-san is even willing to kill the client instead of supporting him. My stomach hurts from anxiety……

“But I wonder what Tanaka-dono is asking me to do by giving me something like this.”

Freya-san unties the strings tied on a certain thing wrapped in cloth. What came out was a splendid spear with a blue jewel in it.

“It’s the spear of the Water God. You still can’t touch it huh.”

“Yes. I can’t hold it unless it’s wrapped in cloth like this. Sigh. I’m glad I received a great treasure, but if I can’t handle it, the treasure would be in vain.”

“But Freya-san is going to evolve soon. Father said so.”

“If it is as Tanaka-dono predicted, it will indeed happen. However, I still don’t think I will be recognized by the Jewel because of that. Besides, I, a former knight, to be on a par with the Beast King…. that’s impossible if you think about it normally.”

She seems humble, but I don’t think she should be. Freya-san is so skilled in using spear that she could already be dubbed as master of the spear. I think she is as talented as the Beast King of the Naji Kingdom. Even Father must have given it to her thinking that it was the right weapon for her.

“It’s still going to happen. I’m sure Freya-san will still get stronger.”

“Pero-sama……”

Freya-san face lit up, perhaps because she’s delighted. Then it turned into a face full of determination.

“In order to become a fine servant knight, I will definitely show you how to use this! I will not embarrass you my Lord!”

“Eh? W-what? Servant knight? My Lord?”

“I, Sacred Beast Moe Servant Knight Freya Label, will master the great treasure!”

“Uh-…. Okay, okay, don’t talk anymore!”

Customers inside the store gave me cold stares. I feel so embarrassed. I almost want to disappear.

“Sacred Beast Moe”

“Stop it! Don’t add more you know!”

Liz grinned as she sipped the hot milk.

Sigh. I want to finish work early and go home…….

　◇◇◇

We had come to the entrance of Snowb’s Chamber of Commerce. I was overwhelmed by the stone buildings that can be mistaken for castles. Next to the Chamber of Commerce building is a wooden warehouse, where carts loaded with black stone were brought in one after another.

“What are those black stones?”

“That should be coal. Snowb’s main industry is coal mining and iron ore you see. About sixty percent of the coal and iron in the kingdom is mined in this city.”

“Then if the mine here closes, the kingdom will be devastated for sure.”

“That’s right. As expected of Pero-sama.”

After we walked inside the chamber of commerce, we talked to the receptionist. Then we are immediately ushered into the back of the building and instructed to wait in a room that looks like a waiting room.

A few minutes later, a man entered the room.

“Are you guys the adventurers who accepted the nomination request? You look unreliable though. I thought I had asked the guild to assign it properly.”

The man who sat heavily in his chair with a thud said so as soon as he saw us. His head is thin and bald, and he has a little mustache under his nose. A thick double chin and a sagging belly. His form is round and cute, but the eyes are squinted and looked sharp. He should be the client, Kanegi-san.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Pero from Homeless party. Though we are still young, I think we have the ability to fulfill Kanegi-san’s request.”

“Hmmm, whether I’m satisfied or not will be determined by the result. But I’ll get to the point—w-wait a minute…. Did you just say Homeless?”

“Yes. That’s what I said.”

“Now that I look at you closely…… are you the rumored Sacred Beast?”

Kanegi-san looked at me seriously and then began to get flustered. He noticed it late huh. Normally, people react as soon as they see my face. Or maybe that’s because of my fur color. They may have thought that I was covered in snow. But in this region, everywhere you look is completely white. That maybe why he just noticed it now.

He took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

“My apologies. I didn’t expect the Sacred Beast to come you see. Well, I’ve always heard rumors about Homeless party. Some of them are close friends with the Royal families of various kingdoms.  It’s a world that I can’t even imagine as an upstart. Uhahaha.”

“No, no. Everything was done by Father. I didn’t do much.”

“What are you talking about? It’s because of your help that they became so famous. Without the sacred beast, Homeless is just an adventurer party you know! Oops-, please excuse me. It seems like I just got carried away.”

I admire his social skills. As expected of a person who has amassed such fortune. He uses different attitudes while observing the opponent. In particular, the way he humbles himself from his previous arrogant attitude makes me feel comfortable. In a sense, I think he is the complete opposite of Father.

“Irene! Serve tea and sweets for the guests!”

Kanegi-san called out loudly, and a woman dressed as a maid brought tea and sweets into the room on a trolley. Seeing this, Liz stands up vigorously.

“Oneechan?”

“…… Liz?”

Oneechan? Could she be Liz-san’s sister?

Freya-san and I couldn’t figure out the situation so we tilted our necks in confusion. The woman called Irene had long blue hair and a beautiful appearance that appeared to be Liz-san’s adult version. Liz-san ran up to Irene-san and spoke further.

“W-why are you here?”

“For work. I have to earn money to live you see.”

“I make sure to send money to the house. Wasn’t that enough?”

“That’s enough to support a family of four.”

“Then why……?”

Irene shakes her head.

“While Liz, the third daughter of the family is doing her best, it’s quite embarrassing for me, the eldest daughter, to be spoiled at home you see.”

“No. I was sick and cause trouble to the family. It is fine with me to feed you guys!”

“……So that’s what you were concerned about huh. The downfall of the Schmidt family was not due to the cost of Liz’s treatment you know. It was because Father used it for art without telling the family. So don’t worry about home anymore and live your life.”

Liz-san’s eyes widened. Irene-san continues,

“Liz, you spend more than half of your life just staying inside the mansion so you should be free. Leave the family to me and the second sister.”

“But a dingy pig could do this and that thing… My sister could be in danger…”

“Kanegi-san looks like that but he’s a very kind person. He also promised to support the Schmidt family.”

Kanegi-san couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable because he could hear their entire conversation. As he wipes his forehead with a handkerchief, he clears his throat several times, tacitly asking them to finish their conversation quickly. Noticing this, Irene-san put the tea and sweets on the table and left the room quickly.

“Ahem. Well, I didn’t know that Irene’s sister was among you. Hahaha”

“If you make my Oneechan cry, you will be assassinated.”

“Liz-san please be quiet.”

While soothing the murderous Liz-san, I asked Kanegi-san for an explanation of his request. We’re here for work after all. We didn’t come to see Irene-san.

“Then let me once again explain the request. What I want to ask you to do is to kill a troll.”

“Please tell me more about it.”

“Actually, there have been reports of frequent sightings for six months now, but at that time, I left it alone as it did not cause any harm. But recently, it started attacking people. And now, whenever someone passes by that road, they are always attacked.”

“Do you really have to use that road?”

“Yes. It’s the only way to the iron mine that I own, and because of that, the workers can’t get into the mountain and the work is suspended. If this continues, we, the people of Snowb, will ebb away.”

It seems that the request was a bigger responsibility than I expected. That’s why it has high reward huh.

“I understand. We’ll make sure to get rid of the troll.”

“O-oo-ooh! I know you would say that! As expected of Sacred Beast-sama! Thank you very much!”

He holds my right hand with both hands and thanks me greatly. Then Freya-san, who had been silent until now, exclaimed.

“Don’t touch Pero-sama’s fluff casually!”

Eeeh!? D-did Freya-san just said that!?

Kanegi-san, who retracted his hand, murmured in a small voice, “P-pardon me……”.

I had mixed feelings as I kept my right hand stretched out.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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Fortunately, the enemy has not yet noticed us. Hiding behind the rock, me and Erna decided to make a plan while keeping an eye on the cockatrice.

“It has two skills, Petrification Eye (Improved) and Paralyzing Eye. If we go out carelessly, we will be exploited and turned into stone in no time.”

“Then, what are you going to do? Snake can see us in the dark, right?”

“That’s probably right. A surprise attack taking advantage of the darkness would be difficult.”

The two of us folded our arms and ponder. According to the information Bud had told us beforehand, it was the bird’s eye that can petrify. The snake tail is mainly responsible for guarding its surroundings, and it can be ignored as long as we pay attention to its fangs. However, since it is highly venomous, he said that if we were bitten, we’ll be out of the picture.

“Let’s attack from two directions then. I’ll attack the snake. Erna, do something about the chicken.”

“Eh? I’ll deal with the main body?”

“If you don’t mind being bitten, we can change roles.”

Poison doesn’t work on me. Even if I am bitten by any chance, there is a good chance that I will be saved. Moreover, Erna can perform ranged attacks with magic. She should be able to deal with the cockatrice from a position where petrification can’t reach.

“I will stealthily approach the tail and cut off its head. After that, it will be a barrage of your magic.”

“I’m the key to this operation then. Alright, I’ll do my best.”

She’s motivated enough. The strategy I came up with is also perfect. Cockatrice is a big chicken after all. After I defeat it, I’ll make some fried chicken. Kukukuku.

Leaving Erna on the rocky ground, I begin to move with my stealth skill. I crept behind the cockatrice and drew the Bull King’s sword. The cracks in the sword have already been repaired with my Restoration Space magic so there is no problem in using it now.

When I got close enough, I slashed the sword at the snake.

“Huh!? It was able to dodge that!?”

The serpent dodged the sword with a quick movement. Its gaze wandered around where I was, and although it was not clear, it seemed to notice that there is someone here.

I was surprised. It can sense presence after all. I did saw it when I saw its status. I didn’t expect that there was a skill that could break the stealth skill though.

“Surururu!”

The snake approaches me while making such unique sound. The main body, the chicken, is still asleep and does not seem to start moving. Well, perhaps it’s because it doesn’t recognize me as someone dangerous.

“Flame Burst!”

At that moment, the cockatrice was engulfed in flames. I was not injured thanks to the power of my cloak, but my vision was dyed red.

Erna, this girl really…. She attacked ahead of time!

“!!”

The cockatrice spread its wings and blew out the flames in an instant. Strong wind blows in the valley, raising the dust everywhere.

“I-impossible…. It did not work!?”

“Koke!”

Just as Erna hides her face, a beam is released from the bird’s eye and hits the rock.

It’s a hair’s breadth! Goodness! A stone statue of an elf was on the verge of being built!

The main body is now focused on Erna and doesn’t seem to notice me yet. I should cut off the tail now. I activated the nerve strengthening skill and then I kicked the ground hard.

“Hup!”

The snake on its tail was easily severed and it flew up into the air. I quickly undone my stealth and waves my hands to attract its attention.

“Oiii! I’ll turn you into a fried chicken and eat you later!”

“Kokekokoko!”

The giant hen turns around and threatens me with a familiar cry. Probably because it possessed strengthened vocal cords, the loud sound it emitted made my eardrums ring. If I heard a voice like this early in the morning, I’d wake up right away for sure.

The cockatrice leaps high and tramples the ground with its weight. I took a backstep and fled backwards. In the place where I was earlier, the ground caved in and my feet shook. It’s big and the blow is heavy. I managed to avoid the pursuing petrification ray by rolling on the ground.

As expected, that petrification eye (improved) skill is in the way. I can’t get close to it.

“The first thing to do is to stop its movement. In that case…., Thread bomb!”

I shot a ball of thread from my fingertips. The white ball exploded just before it touched the cockatrice’s body , releasing a large number of threads. The sticky thread tangled around its body and tied it to the spot.

“Erna! Final blow!”

“Flare Zone!!”

The Flare Zone, a special class of magic, is activated.

A red dome-shaped space obscures the cockatrice, and the temperature is high enough to melt the rock. The threads that tied it were burned and its white feathers turned into charcoal. When the magic wore off, the cockatrice fell to the ground with a loud thud. Its eyes turned white and white smoke wafted from its blackened body.

However, there was still a weak breath.

“So tenacious! Can’t be helped then. I’ll give you guidance.”

I raised my sword and aimed it at its neck. Just as I was about to slash, the body of the magical beast glowed dazzlingly.

“Koke! Kokeke-”

The wound healed in an instant, and the missing feathers and tail were also restored. Not only that, but its whole body has also changed to sulfur yellow, and the crown and snake tail has become bellflower color. A monster about 20 meters tall and about 25 meters long was looking down on me.

【Analysis Result: Basilisk cockatrice: The evolution of the Heresy cockatrice. It has gained the ability to fly, which allows it to fly for up to 20 hours. Rarity: S, Overall Ability: A】

【Status】 Name: Basilisk Cockatrice Race: Basilisk Cockatrice Magic Attribute: Earth Magic: Rock Bullet, Rock Armor Skills: Fang King Technique (Special), Claw King Technique (Special), Vocal Cord Enhancement (Special), Presence Detection(Advanced), Steel Stomach (Intermediate), Flight (Beginner), Intimidation (Intermediate), Paralyzing Eye (Intermediate), Petrification Eye (Improved) (Intermediate), 2UP Evolution: Conditions are not met < Requirements: Emperor Fang Technique (Beginner), Emperor Claw Technique (Elementary), Ultrasonic Wave (Special), High-Speed Flight (Elementary) >

It got me. Did it evolve at the last minute?

Moreover, it seems that it has even acquired the ability to fly. This is very bad. Up until now, it has only nested on the road, but if it can travel long distances, Bowl will be the first to be attacked for sure. If that happens, the city will surely be destroyed. We have to defeat it here somehow.

The cockatrice spread and flapped its wings. It is trying to escape into the sky.

“Erna, don’t let it escape!”

“I know! You don’t have to tell me that! Multiple Lightning Thunder!”

Countless purple lightning struck the cockatrices that started to fly. The current cockatrice’s defense power has also increased.  Even Lightning Thunder can’t burn it. However, it succeeded in inhibiting its flight. It let out a scream and lands on the ground.

“I’ll fight you as many times as you want until I kill you. I wont lose to a chicken!”

I let out a short deep breath and then accelerated rapidly. First, I made a left uppercut into the opponent’s chest. That alone made the cockatrice’s body rise. I then roundhouse kicked it into the rock wall as it fell.

“Ko-, Koke……”

Although a bit unsteady, it stood up and turned its hostility on me. A dark green liquid spewed out of the snake’s mouth. I reflexively avoided it, and the liquid dissolved the rock it hit, giving off a strange smell. It’s a strong acidic poison. If it hits me, even I, might die.

“Tsu-! Uh-! Tei-!”

I distance myself from the cockatrice while avoiding the poison that is spewed one after another. As expected, it seems to be aware of its greatest weapon. It’s a very tough opponent.

Just as I dodged the poison for the fifth time, a petrification ray shot from both of its eyes and aimed at my body. I hurriedly ran to the shade of a rock and immediately checked the situation. By using my left arm as a shield, I was spared from the petrification of my whole body. However, my left arm up to the elbow was turned to stone.

“If things continue like this, we’ll be in trouble. It would be nice if Erna could create an opening for me…”

“Mind Break!”

With Erna’s cry, the cockatrice staggered. I looked around to see where she was, and she was shooting magic from above straight down.

“How dare you do that to Shinichi!!! I won’t forgive you! Multiple laser! Multiple Lightning Thunder! Multiple Flame Bursts! Multiple Spear Rain! Multiple Break Tornado!”

“F-Fool! Stop! Don’t shoot so much!”

My screams are in vain, magical storm rains down that changes the terrain. And then, there’s an explosion. The flash and shock wave destroyed the rock walls and created large craters in the valley. Its diameter is about 50 meters.

I was blown away and got caught on a tree branch growing on a cliff.

“I remember Dhal saying that mixing multiple spells would cause an explosion.”

My mage might be more dangerous than the cockatrice.

And as expected, part of the valley has disappeared spectacularly. I’m not sure how to explain this to Krypton. In the center of the crater, a black mass is wriggling slightly.

I put my wings out of my back and got closer to it.

“Ko…… ko-ko……”

The cockatrice is chirping in a weak voice. It was its bad luck for making Erna angry. This time, I cut off the cockatrice’s head, thrusts my sword into the ground and lowers my back.

“S-Shinichi! Shinichi!”

Erna landed nearby and hugged me tremblingly. Tears are flowing from her eyes, and she hugged me tightly.

“It was overkill you know. You didn’t have to go this far.”

“That’s because Shinichi’s left arm is turned into stone!”

“Ah-, this?”

I draw my sword and quickly amputated my left arm. The petrified arm shattered as it fell to the ground, leaving only the black bangles. From the cut, bones and nerves begin to regenerate, and the flesh surrounds them. In just about five seconds, my left arm was fully regenerated.

“………Give me back my tears.”

“Nope, not my fault. It’s your fault for forgetting that I got self-regeneration.”

I picked up the bangles and puts it on my left arm again. Well, I’m grateful that I was able to kill it thanks to Erna. It would have been dangerous for one person alone. I then acquired the skills from the cockatrice’s corpse. I got the Prescence detection, Steel stomach, Petrification eye (Improved) and 2UP.

I’ve already decided how to use 2UP.

I opened my status and then I increased the rank of the desired skill. In this battle, I had risen through the ranks of martial arts, universal thread, high-speed flight, and self-regeneration.

Skills that have evolved are displayed one after another in the field of view.

【Now that you have met certain conditions, your skills will evolve.】 【Skill Evolution: Analysis → Analysis+】 【Skill Evolution: Life or Death Technique → Heaven and Earth Meridian Hole 】 【Skill Evolution: Stealth → Stealth+】 【Skill Evolution: Division → Full Division】 【Skill Evolution: Enemy Search → Enemy Search+】 【Skill Evolution: King Dragon Breath→ Emperor Dragon Breath】 【Skill Evolution: Dragon Wave Slash → Dragon Slash Flash】 【Skill Evolution: Familiar Strengthening → Familiar Strengthening (Improved)】 【Conditions are met. Skills will be integrated and then evolved.】 【Integrated Evolution: Paralyzing Eye + Petrification Eye (Improved) = Eye of Stone(Improved)】

This time, it feels like growth has come all at once. It seems that the King Dragon Breath skill using 2UP has also evolved brilliantly.

By the way, the races High Elf, High Dwarf, High Beastman, and High Winged Man were all absorbed by Primordial Human after the battle with King Logas.

In the end, my status looked like this.

[Status] Name: Shinichi Tanaka Age: 17 years old (56 years old) Race: Homeless (Emperor) <Primordial Human, Human (Hero Species), Emperor Dragoneut, Vampire> Occupation: Adventurer Magic Attribute: None Magic: Restoration Space, Isolation Space Skills: Familiar Creation, Familiar Summoning, Dragon Transformation, Skill Picking, Race Picking, Indomitable Spirit, King’s Vessel, Emperor’s Vessel, Hero’s Vessel, Path to Relentless Evolution, Full Division(New), Heaven and Earth Meridian Hole(New), Analysis+ (New) ▹Special: Stealth, Enemy Search, Digestion Enhancement, Shock Absorption, Hardening, Leadership, Intimidation, Division, Sand Walking, Separation, Dragon Beheading Slash, Master of War(↑), Self-regeneration(↑) ▹Advanced: Theft, Limit Breakthrough, Danger Detection, Flight, Hardening, Nerve Strengthening, Limit Breakthrough, Self-recovery, Dictatorship, Plant manipulation(Improved), Universal Thread(↑), Presence Detection, High-speed Flight(↑) ▹Intermediate: Awakening, Impact Nullification, Underwater Adaptation, Metal Manipulation, Compression, Explosive Sword Dance ▹Beginner: Slash Nullification, Stealth+ (New), Enemy Search+ (New), Eye of Stone (Improved) (New), Familiar Strengthening (Improved)(New), Emperor Dragon Breath (New), Dragon Slash Flash(New)

I was able to level up and the request was also accomplished. After things settled down, I decided to ask Erna the question I had from the battle earlier.

“What kind of magic is Mind Break? The cockatrice looked frightened.”

“Ah-, that’s a special dark magic. The effect is mental fatigue. It doesn’t work that well on humans, but it does a lot of damage to magical beasts.”

“I see. That’s interesting.”

Lasers, which are special magic of light, are also powerful, but special magic of darkness could also be a great weapon depending on how you use it. I’m looking forward to seeing her grow further.

“May I ask one more question?”

“What?”

“I’ve been wondering since I saw the cockatrice, is it a bird or a snake?”

Erna looked at me as if saying, “Don’t ask me the obvious”. She then answers with a confident expression,

“It’s definitely a snake.”

“…………I see.”

I decided to go back to Bowl City with Erna.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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Vast grasslands stretched to the horizon. The clear sky is pleasantly sky blue. The unicorn continued to move along the leveled path.

“It’s been a long time since we’ve had an adventure. Why did you choose the southern frontier anyway?”

“It’s because the rewards are good. You were also enthusiastic when Bud told about it, right?”

“Yes, but I never thought it’s too far away. It’s already been two days since we left Mana.”

Erna is grumbling. Currently, me and Erna are the ones who received the request introduced by Bud. The client is a man named Krypton, who lives in the southern frontier town called “Bowl”. The request is to defeat the cockatrice. It’s such a simple job of killing a monster.

By the way, the cockatrice is a large magical beast resembling a chicken with serpent tail. It is said that it has the power to petrify anyone who makes eye contact to it. It is unclear whether it is a skill or a racial trait though.

“Don’t say that. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to relax and kill monster once in a while.”

“I’m glad it’s just the two of us, but I’m tired of seeing the scenery. Even if you look over there, it’s grassland. If you look here, it’s grassland. There’s nothing but grassland here.”

It seems like she’s angry at the length of the journey. In fact, we can fly on our own and we have the ability to reach the destination in just a few hours. However, the reason why I dared to ride a unicorn is to solve the lack of exercise by doing horseback riding. Perhaps because I hadn’t ridden much, I was starting to gain fat on my body. This is why I had decided to travel with the unicorns. It made our travel time longer though.

“I’ve been thinking about it for a while now, I think Pegasus is good too.”

“When you say Pegasus, do you mean a horse with wings?”

“That’s right. It’s a magical beast that lives north of Sanargia. It has a nice silver coat and it can fly.”

“If it’s that convenient, I think it’s going to be popular as a ride. I’ve never heard of it though.”

“Pegasus is rarer and more difficult to handle compared to unicorns. It has a lot of pride so it’s extremely difficult to tame. Shinichi can handle that by turning it into your familiar though.”

It’s not like I wouldn’t consider it if she really wanted a Pegasus, but Erna overlooked one important thing. That’s right. All the magical beasts that become my familiars turned black in color. If she’s expecting a shiny silver fur, I have no choice but to say that it’s not possible.

“I can get you a black Pegasus.”

“……Ugh. Right.”

Realizing this, Erna seemed to have given up on Pegasus. The unicorns seemed relieved.

“I wonder if Pero and the others are doing well.”

“It’s Shinichi who told them to act separately. Besides, if it’s those three, there will be no problem.”

Me and Erna are on a request for the southern frontier. Pero, Freya and Liz had taken on another request and were sent to the northern frontier of the kingdom.

“They said it’s snowing in the north. They may be struggling with an unfamiliar environment.”

“There’s no point in worrying about it here you know. Why don’t you trust your comrades more?”

Erna is right. I should know the abilities of the three of them well. There was no need to be anxious.

“Well, the city is in sight, let’s hurry up.”

Seeing a building that looked like a city on the horizon, me and Erna made the horses run faster.

　◇◇◇

“Here’s Bowl huh. It’s smaller than Mana.”

We entered Bowl, the city in the southern frontier. While looking at the rows of houses, we muttered our impressions of the city. Although Mana is in a remote area, it is one of the largest cities in the kingdom due to the large dungeon. Compared to that, Bowl is still small in scale. However, I felt that time here passed at a leisurely pace which is unique to the countryside. I don’t dislike this atmosphere.

As we walk along the quaint cobblestone streets, cats pass by without hesitation. Elderly people with bent backs were having fun chatting with each other and children were running barefoot out of the front door.

“It’s a nice city. It’s quiet and I kind of feel relieved.”

“Right. It makes me feel strangely nostalgic.”

When we asked a resident about Krypton, who was the client, he pointed us to the manor in the center of the city.

“Is this the client’s house?”

“I think so. Krypton seems to be the lord of Bowl City.”

In front of the gate, me and Erna looked up at the lord’s manor. It was a small manor in a small lot. It was hard to believe that he is a noble. It’s like the image of a poor aristocrat is instilled in me even before I meet him.

We entered the premises for the time being and knocked on the door of the manor.

“Yes. Who is it?”

The front door is slightly opened, and a young man answers through the gap. We informed him that we accepted his request, and the door quickly swung open.

“Thank you for coming! Well, come in, come in. I want to talk to you about the details so let’s go inside!”

A black man in men’s clothing invites us inside the manor with a smile. The interior of the manor had a calmer atmosphere than it looked from the outside. The floor and ceiling gave a retro impression as if it had been built for a long time. It’s not flashy, but it looks comfortable to live in. We were led to the waiting room and we sat down on the sofa.

“Nice to meet you. My name is Krypton, the Lord of Bowl City.”

“My name is Shinichi Tanaka. I’m the leader of a party in Mana called Homeless.”

“Oh!, that Homeless party huh. I’ve been hearing rumors about you guys for a long time! Oops, I’m sorry, let me get you some tea!”

Krypton got up from his seat and took two cups and a pot from a desk in the corner of the room. And he, the lord of the manor, pours the tea into the cup.

Me and Erna looked at each other.

“I’m sorry I surprised you. In fact, the Krypton family can’t afford to hire a maid right now. I guess I was just as poor as I looked.”

The color of the tea offered to me was pale as I could see. I guess he is reusing tea leaves. It’s mostly hot water, I guess.

“You seem young, but is there a reason why you are a lord at that age?”

“My father passed away two years ago so I took over. Even I, never thought I’d be the Lord at the age of 20.”

He put his mouth on his teacup with a wry smile. It seems to be quite a struggle.

“Now let’s move on to the request. What I want to ask you to do is to kill the cockatrice that is blocking the way.”

“We’ve already heard about the cockatrice but, what do you mean by blocking the way?”

“Let me tell you from the start. First of all, this city is said to be the largest cotton producer in the kingdom. After all, it accounts for 50% of the total domestic product. The harvested cotton is transported to a city on the eastern frontier where it is made into cloth by the artisans who live there. Then it is transported throughout the kingdom. But five years ago, the cockatrice began to settle on the road to the east so we were unable to deliver cotton from then on.”

“Huh? That’s strange. Since this is the southern frontier, why not go east via the royal capital? Is there any reason to go to the trouble of eliminating the cockatrice?”

“Please look at this.”

Krypton said, bringing a piece of paper from the cupboard in his room. As soon as it was spread out on the table, I knew it was a map. A map of the kingdom to be precise.

“The kingdom centered on the royal capital has a high mountain range to the east, and the eastern frontier is on the other side of the mountain range. It is difficult to reach it even if you go through the royal capital. In other words, we can’t go to the eastern frontier unless we get rid of the cockatrice.”

As he said, on the east side of the royal capital, a long mountain range stands tall like a wall. There are only two ways to get from the royal capital to the eastern frontier: from the north or from the south.

In reality, there is a route from the north, but it is out of the question because as business man, taking that option takes too much time and money. The conclusion drawn by the citizens of Bowl was that the only route was from the south.

But why did they leave it unattended for five years? The cockatrice could have been defeated by other adventurer.

“My father hired a number of adventurers to help eliminate the cockatrice. However, no matter how many times he sent them out, they never returned. In the end, my father who accompanied them to find out the truth, never returned as well.”

“If no one is coming back, how did you know it was caused by a cockatrice?”

“There is one resident who was lucky enough to escape, and it seems that miraculously, he was not found because it was late at night. I have heard from his testimony that it was quite large.”

Night huh. I guess it’s because of the bird’s eye problem since it’s still a chicken. However, with a serpent tail, it can still probably see even in the dark. Because it is equipped with an infrared sensing organ, it can know the body temperature of its target.

“We will be paid, right? We are not doing charity you see.”

“Of course. If you defeat it, I’ll pay you properly.”

“Alright. We’ll leave at night then.”

Me and Erna decided to wait for the night at the lord’s mansion.

　◇◇◇

An hour unicorn’s ride away from Bowl.

We came to a valley flanked by sheer cliffs. The road continues like a snake. We proceed to our destination while slowing down our movements. Ten minutes after entering the valley, we saw something huge standing in the way. Me and Erna dismounted from the unicorns and get into a fighting stance.

“That’s a cockatrice huh…… It’s bigger than I expected.”

It has white feathers and a bright red chicken crown growing from the head. A red snake tail was moving in the buttocks, and with its tongue sticking out, it looks wary of its surroundings. It’s indeed a humongous chicken. It’s about 15 meters tall and about 20 meters long. It is currently sleeping in the nest. When I scanned around the target, I can see human-shaped rocks lying everywhere. It seems that it really petrified those who see it. We decided to hide in the rocks and observe it first.

“Isn’t it bigger than we thought?”

“I thought so too. Bud said it was about five meters at most.”

“Let’s check it out with Shinichi’s analysis skill first. We’ll fight after that.”

For the time being, I took a look at the abilities of the cockatrice with my analysis skill.

【Analysis Result: Heresy cockatrice: It is a variant of a cockatrice. It exceeds the standard cockatrice in both size and ability. It uses the rays of light emitted from both eyes to lure and petrify its target. Rarity: A, Overall Ability: C】

【Status】 Name: Heresy Cockatrice Specie: Heresy Cockatrice Magic Attribute: Earth Magic: Rock Bullet, Rock Armor Skills: Fang King Technique (Special), Claw King Technique(Advanced), Vocal Cord Enhancement (Advanced), Presence Detection(Advanced), Steel Stomach (Intermediate), Intimidation (Intermediate), Paralyzing Eye (Intermediate), Petrification Eye (Improved)(Intermediate), 2UP Evolution: Conditions are not met < Evolution Conditions: Fang King Technique(Special Grade), Claw King Technique(Special Grade), Vocal Cord Enhancement (Special Grade) >

There are many points that bothers me, but this is all I can say,

There’s 2UP! What a delicious enemy!

I breathed heavily as I got excited.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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