“This is the Yokai Extermination Magistrate’s Office.”
Karen led us to a certain building.
“Yokai? Aren’t they monsters?”
“Yes. Well, in this country, monsters are also called yokai.”
Karen answered Anje’s question.
“This Yokai Extermination Magistrate’s office is a magistrate’s office that specializes in exterminating yokai.”
Apparently, the administrative body in Edou country is called a magistrate’s office. There doesn’t seem to be a private organization like the Adventurer’s Guild, but this magistrate’s office seems to be doing something similar.
“They collect information on yokai sightings and publish them in the bulletin. Then they will reward those who defeat them. We can also look at it from time to time to see if there is any good information.”
However, yokai with high rewards are quickly defeated.
It was said that a nearby swordsmanship dojo keeps an eye out on the bulletin as a form of training, and as soon as a yokai sighting was published, they head out to the given location to defeat them.
By the way, anyone who brings in a yokai corpse can receive a reward.
Inside the magistrate’s office, there are illustrations of monsters posted. This was extremely helpful for foreigners like us.
“What’s that? Kappa, Tengu, Nurikabe, Nue, Kamaitachi…… There are a lot of monsters that we don’t see in the west.”
“But that little yokai looks just like a goblin.”
“So, they live here too huh….”
Goblins have a high reproductive rate. There are other monsters that look similar in the west like the giant spiders and snow trolls.
“As expected, the monsters with high rewards have been hunted down…… All that’s left is not worth it.”
It seems that there are many monsters that are not worth it, such as the distance of the location, the limited time of hunting, or are difficult to defeat compared to the given reward.
No doubt. This place is the same as the Adventurer’s Guild.
“This Nue guy looks strong.”
According to the illustration, it was a chimera-like monster composed of monkey, tiger, snake and raccoon.
“Nue is a formidable enemy. It has a special ability to hide in the darkness, making it a monster that appears and disappears at will. It is also very agile and can run away quickly. Because of this, few people are willing to try to defeat it, considering the reward.”
“Hmm, on the contrary, it’s a good target.”
“You’re right, Fana-oneechan. Just defeating one is worth a million yen.”
The reward for defeating a Nue is 1,000,000 yen. Compared to the rewards of other yokai, it was unbeatable.
“You seem to have a great deal of confidence..… In that case, I have no objection. I will follow you guys.”
So just like that, we came to the place where there was a sighting of a Nue. It is a dimly lit mountain pass even in the daytime.
“How do we find the Nue?”
“Enemy Search”
I used my search magic to find out what was going on around me. Then, a few hundred meters away from the pass, I could feel a strong mass of magical power.
“Probably this way.”
“……Don’t tell me you can tell where the Nue is? To think that you have that kind of ability… The latest karakuri is truly amazing…”
Karen still seems to think that I’m a karakuri.
“Does Lill feel anything?”
“Well, it smells a little stinky, like a mixture of animal odors.”
Lill’s keen sense of smell also has a high search performance. We deviated from the pass and entered the forest.
“Oh? Did it notice that we are approaching?”
“It’s very likely. There’s a slight tension in its scent.”
The response of my search magic weakened.
Nue was said to have the ability to hide in the dark. It may have been wary of us, so it hid its presence a little. However, it has not completely disappeared from existence.
Although it was dark in the dense forest, it was still daytime with the sun high above.
“Over there. You can see that vague shadow, right?”
“Hn, now that you mentioned it…”
“If it’s night, we can never tell.”
Perhaps realizing that it was useless to hide, the figure of the Nue emerged from the darkness.
“There’s no doubt about it, it’s a Nue! I can’t believe we found it so easily…”
It looks exactly like the illustration in the magistrate’s office. The face is a monkey, the body is a raccoon, the limbs are a tiger, and the tail is a snake, and the total length is five or six meters.
By the way, raccoon is an animal that can only be found in the East.
“Kiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!”
The Nue let out such a strange roar and rushed to us at a breakneck speed.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
The carriage arrived at the territory capital before evening, so we headed straight to the Adventurer’s Guild.
“Oh, you guys are back. How was the expedition?”
“It was pretty tough but it was a good experience.”
“I see. That’s good.”
Since there are many adventurers who complete the procedure in the evening, Liliana-san, the deputy guild master, was also in the reception booth.
“Did you have fun, Fran-chan and Horn-chan?”
“Yes. I killed a lot of wild boars!”
“Mm, lots of them.”
“Huh? You killed a lot of wild boars? Shun-san, can you tell me about it?”
“Oh, yes, sure.”
Liliana-san seemed to feel something was off after listening to what Fran and Horn had said. That’s why we decided to move to an individual booth next to the reception booth.
“Then, Fran-chan and Horn-chan, how many wild boars did you catch?”
“Hmm, I hundred I guess.”
“About two hundred?”
“Over two hundred!”
“Oh, and we caught little deers too!”
“It’s about a hundred too!”
“Really?”
““Yes, it’s true!””
Fran and Horn are trying their best to explain to Liliana-san, but Liliana-san was surprised by the number of wild boars that Fran and Horn have killed.
Her expression…. Is there something wrong?
“Shun-san, is the number of heads killed by Fran-chan and Horn-chan really true?”
“It’s true. There were also a number of them sold to the village, but it was roughly around that number.”
“Hmm, that’s bad then.”
Oh?
Liliana-san seemed to think more deeply after hearing what I had said.
“Killing about 20 wild boars is equivalent to E or F rank, and if you kill more than 200 boars, it is equivalent to B or C rank. In that case, there is a suspicion that the village has made a false application.”
“““Ah!?”””
Liliana-san’s remarks surprised not only me, but also Sue, Maya-san and Sera-san.
I could have put Maya-san and Sera-san in danger then.
“L-Liliana-san, the truth is…. Something like that happened in the village.”
I told Liliana about the church incident that happened in the village.
Then, Liliana-san clasp her hands together and spoke to me.
“Then the timing is just right. The deputy captain is at the guild master’s office today. I’ll take you there.”
By coincidence, the deputy captain happened to be in the guild master’s office.
This is a godsend, so with Liliana-san’s lead we head to the guild master’s office.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
We are at the fourth level. It was still on the shallow side of the Alvis dungeon’s combat layer, and I am getting used to the dungeon by defeating baby rock worms and subspecies goblins.
As to be expected, there hasn’t been a big one like an adult rock worm for a while. The battle for me to get used to the new dungeon was just as our team had envisioned at the beginning.
“……It’s a big one, it’s getting closer.”
But now the approaching sound is clearly on a different level.
It’s four-legged, and there are two of them.
In my magic detection, a strong red light is reflected at a distance of about 50 meters. It was supposed to be a powerful enemy, but the vibration of the ground was faint. That means that the enemies have a habit of hiding their proximity.
I think it’s the same magical beast type as the warg.
“……An enemy?”
The hood I wore shook as I nodded in reply.
Mia-san also stopped, perhaps sensing something as well. Felix-san also holds up his wand and is ready to use his magic.
“It’s fast. It’s a four-legged beast, much bigger than a horse.”
At my words, Mia-san put the hood of her fireproof cloak back on. She licked her lips and squinted her eyes.
“Oi oi. Don’t tell me….…”
At that moment, a bright red light burst out from the corner.
“!”
Hot.
There were two shots in a row. I reflexively jumped to the side to avoid it. A huge flaming bullet came through the position where I was.
“Garm……!”
Felix-san groaned.
I recalled the information we had gathered earlier. Like the adult rock worm, it is a powerful enemy that appears in the deepest part of this dungeon. The reason why Alvis dungeon has a high recommended level of 25 is because of the appearance of this monster.
Well, it’s other name is—
“Alvis’ guard dog ……!”
The two Garm opened their mouths wide. Flames were building up in their bright red mouths. Even though they were far away, the tips of their noses were smoking. That’s how intense the heat was.
Although they had high mobility, it was this monster called Garm that gave off the highest heat in this dungeon.
“Rion, we’re fighting too!”
Mia-san holds up her chain axe. Holding back my trembling, I pulled my chin back. I don’t want to show my pathetic side in front of everyone.
“Yes.”
I reactivate the “Golden Flame” that had been used up.
Chains rushed through the air.
“Gaah!”
Mia-san’s chain axe slammed into the side face of the howling enemy. One of the flames was interrupted, and what follows is Felix-san’s magic.
“Ice Blade!”
A white line appeared on the ground. It stretches out from Felix-san’s feet and crosses the Garm’s front legs. The heated air froze. Immediately afterwards, a blade of ice occurs along the line.
“Gaah!”
One of its front legs was torn off.
Not wasting the opportunity, I kick the ground. I jump under the chin of the guard dog. Then I quickly thrust my short sword in its throat. Flames from the dog’s spit leaked out of the wound, and my hands felt hot even through the gauntlet. It was a relief that the fireproof hood was protecting my face.
“Haa.”
I took a short deep breath and swung the blade. I slit its throat in a straight line.
“Ga, goo…gu….!”
Only one left.
As I jumped back from the fallen Garm. I noticed that the other one was about to fire the buildup flames in its mouth. Though it received a blow from the chain axe, it still seems to have enough will to fight.
The aim is—
『Rion!』
Me?
However, just when I was about to react, the gauntlet on my left hand glittered.
“Wake up.”
This time, I used “alarm” in the red crystal.
What came out of the left gauntlet was a small lizard wrapped in bright red flames —it’s a fire spirit called a “Salamander.” This fiery spirit is stored in the red crystal of my left gauntlet by the dwarf blacksmith.
“Pyi!”
The spirit unfolds a barrier between me and the Garm that looks like a series of scales.
It’s the “Flame Nullifier” barrier in my armor. That was another trick Safi added to my defense.
“Gaa!”
The Garm fired a fire bullet. But the scale-shaped barrier completely prevented the flames. If the garm had an expression, I guess it would have stared at me with dumbfounded look.
“Pyi, Pyi……”
Rubbing its stomach contentedly, the Salamander returned to the crystal.
If I could block the flames, it’s my victory then.
“Yaa!”
I kicked the ground and closed my distance to the garm. It seems that the fire bullets require the garm to open its mouth to store flames. In other words, there’s no need to be scared once you get close.
Just like the first one, I killed it by slashing its neck.
The monster falls with a thud. The trembling paws made me feel that they were living beings after all. Even if it is sealed in this dungeon, the body will always be alive.
“Well done, you won.”
Turning around, I saw Felix-san’s smile.
Safi sticks her head out of her backpack and stares at the monster on the ground.
“……The monster just now is a Garm, isn’t it?”
“Yes, but….…”
“Are all adventurers as strong as you?”
Uh-huh…….
When I use the blessing of the Gods, my power rises tremendously. That’s part of my strength, but I’m only level 20 and I still have a lot to experience as an adventurer. I don’t think I can easily call myself “strong.”
“Even so….”
Safi looked around the dungeon.
“I can’t believe that the place where Alfheim used to be is now full of monsters.”
Her mouth was hidden inside the backpack, so I couldn’t see it. But I felt like she was smiling sadly.
“The end, the sealing, it’s starting to feel real to me.”
Solana’s voice comes from the gold coin.
『…… It’s also because we lost. Safi, do you recognize this dungeon? 』
“Ah……”
Safi hesitated.
“Yes… I guess so. I think it’s the palace.”
My eyes widened.
“P-palace?”
“Yes. But…… the terrain is so different, and to be honest, I’m not sure. I think I’ll be able to say more when I got definite proof.”
According to Safi, in the palace of Alfheim, the land of the dwarfs, there was a forge, a treasury, and magical tools that respond to “Mirror of the World Tree Yggdrasil”. But that’s far inside. In terms of the dungeon, it seems to be the lowest level.
“Hmm? Now that I think of it, don’t they usually put important things on the top of palaces?”
Mia-san asked, scratching her head.
“Not everybody likes tall buildings.”
Safi shakes her head with a stunned look.
“The dwarves’ palace was made by hollowing out a mountain. The main gate was halfway up, and the throne and forge were located on the lower level. There was a back gate at the foot of the mountain, and there was a magnificent building on the ground above the main gate, but…”
The dwarf blacksmith lowered her dark eyes.
“Perhaps, the top of the mountain has collapsed. When we entered here, we went through a great stone arch, didn’t we? It looked exactly like the main gate a long time ago.”
“The mountain has collapsed?”
Mia-san exclaimed.
“Then, was there a big earthquake?”
“No, I don’t know that much. I was asleep and when I woke up…… it was all over.”
At that time, not much was known about Alfheim. There were white dwarves and black dwarves, and there is no doubt that they were hostile to monsters in the same way as the gods. The story that some of the black dwarves have turned into goblins and other monsters seems to be true.
Safi is a black dwarf. It seems that the races were a little wary at the time—but that’s about all the big information.
Solana spoke from the gold coin.
『Hmm…… Do we have to go deeper?』
At that moment, the voice of God sounded in my head.
You leveled up. Your now level 21.
I was surprised.
Well, today, I defeated quite a few monsters, and I also defeated a strong enemy such as Garm.
But to gain one more level….
“Did I absorb a lot of magic in the fight with the golem?”
In the battle that brought me to level 20, I defeated quite a few golems together with the Gods. Maybe I still had some of the magical power I gained then.
I think about that as I pick up the Garm’s magic stone.
After defeating a few monsters for a while, the first day’s training was over.
『…… Hmm?』
On the way back, Solana calls out.
『Rion, isn’t that also the remains of a golem?』
“That’s true…..”
There is another remnant of a golem near the wall. This is the second time we have found one today.
Felix-san shakes his wand.
“Strengthen the Golem with the ashes of a titan—if there is such a magician, it seems that he frequently conducts experiments in this dungeon.”
I nodded, but the creepiness only increased.
There are slave traders, but what is the purpose of the person who created this golem?
『Even here, the presence of the Titan remains, albeit faintly. 』
When I used alarm, Solana flew around near the golem core.
“And as expected, the further down we go, the stronger the presence of the titan becomes. But…”
The goddess hesitated.
“The more I explore—the stronger, the more unpleasant, and more burning it feels. This is……”
“What’s wrong?”
“Hmm……”
Solana’s expression was gloomy. It felt like she was covered in a dark shadow, like the sun on a cloudy day.
“Do you remember when we talked about the Flame Titan?”
“Yes…… They tried to burn the whole world to the ground.”
“Right. And that Flame Titan also had a ‘king.’”
Certainly, the titan’s ashes were made from the body of the titan who tried to burn down the world.
“……Do they look similar?”
“I think so. There is a golem in Alvis, and it has some of the ashes of titans mixed in with it. And if the ashes of the titans were born of Alvis…”
My throat moved slightly.
Does that mean that the one sleeping in Alvis is an especially strong flame titan…?
We left the dungeon.
A sound like wind echoed from the depths. For some reason, it sounded like the groans of a giant. I felt like something was going to wake up in the depths of the dungeon.
I had to hurry up.
A sense of impatience is burning in my chest.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
—That’s the only way to describe it. A wind with a sharpness that is different from just a gust of wind flew towards the rock worm.
“Shaaaa!”
When Safi swayed and escaped with the backpack, the rock worm pursued her. And like that, the dwarf and the monster stared at each other, their mouths opened in the same way.
“Kikiki!”
“Nooooooo!”
One has bright red eyes and the other has teary eyes.
The body of the monster stretched out from the ground. That’s when a wind blade passed through the middle. The rock worm then stood still. Safi, with teary eyes, has also stopped screaming.
“……Eh?”
Safi blinked her dark eyes.
The body of the rock worm shifted up and down. The severed top half falls to the ground, turned into ashes and disappeared.
There was silence.
This is the power of Sylph―the awakened spirit, I guess.
“J-just now….…”
In my head, Uru’s voice echoed.
『Haha! That was amazing! 』
(Eh……?)
『I’ve never seen a spirit get this motivated. 』
His unreserved praise continued. I stared blankly at the blade that had unleashed the slash.
『The spirit may have wanted to support you. It may also be because of the wind magic runes carved by the dwarf, but still, that wouldn’t have happened if the spirit hadn’t been motivated. 』
I looked down at the blue crystal short sword and the glow that resided within it.
Wan!
I think I heard the proud voice of the spirit sylph.
Felix-san also crossed his arms.
“……It looked like intermediate level magic or higher.”
The gold coin trembles again.
It was Loki. He seems to have withdrawn from his usual antics and is genuinely impressed.
『The spirit must have read Rion’s thoughts. It reproduced them, and a complex effect like magic appeared. 』
“M-magic…? Me?”
I’m sure I was told before that I had no talent for it. I have a decent amount of magical power, but I can only do things like start a fire with magic.
『Magic is imagination, the power of thoughts to form a picture. 』
Loki continues, 『The spirit made up for what you lacked. Probably the power part—the aggression. Still, the sylph must have really liked you. 』
With the magical powers that I thought I couldn’t obtain, I was able to save my comrade from danger. I felt relieved.
“Thank you.”
As I looked and spoke to the short sword, the crystal on it glittered with pride.
“Thank you too, Safi.”
If it was thanks to my stronger weapon, then I should also be grateful to the dwarf blacksmith.
Safi popped out of the backpack and smiled proudly.
“……Hmmm, welcome! But don’t forget the other kid.”
Of course. I checked my left hand. The crystal on my gauntlet was red. Safi had put a certain spirit into it. During our journey, we passed many carriages carrying ore from Alvis. Safi reacted to one of them, saying, “This one carries a fine spirit stone!”
It seems to be “Fire Spirit”, but …….
Mia-san dangled her chainaxe.
“It’s good that you defeated it, but isn’t this a bit of a warning?”
Scratching her red hair, Mia looks around.
I also used the <Protection of the Hunting God> to search the area. There was no sign of enemy approaching.
There was a risk that Safi’s screams would attract monsters. But since we are still at the first level of the combat layer, it didn’t seem like there were that many monsters to begin with.
“Mm, certainly.”
I picked up the magic stone that has fallen. It is the size of a fist and is even larger than those from skeletons or orcs. I think it’s dangerous that a monster that should have been found into the deeper level has appeared and it can even drop something like this.
I called out to everyone.
“I think it would be better to tell the guild that manages the dungeon.”
If a large monster appears beyond the upper levels, it will be a major problem. Adventurers who specialize in shallow levels could find themselves in unexpected danger. Just like me in the Eastern Dungeon.
Felix-san glanced at the two supporters.
“Given the purpose of the investigation, I would like to keep our identity a secret, but… I guess that’s not going to be the case this time.”
The female supporter nodded her head and walked back to the top floor. She will inform the Adventurer’s Guild about the anomaly in the dungeon.
Like Kalmar, there may be others who are looking for me. That’s why I think it’s best to leave the contact to the Warriors as much as possible. The procedures for entering the Alvis Dungeon were also being handled in secret by the warriors. Well, apparently, they have people who cooperate with the adventurer’s guilds around the country.
“…Maybe the ‘titan’s ashes’ have been scattered more than we thought.”
As I spoke, I lowered the hood of his fire-resistant cloak.
The Rock Worm’s flame bullets were highly powerful. It’s better to protect my head even if I sacrifice a little bit of vision. In addition, when fighting strong monsters, it will inevitably catch attention, and in the combat layer, there is a limit to how much you can blend in with the crowd.
I think a fireproof cloak and hood would naturally hide my identity.
『I think you have until tomorrow to get used to the dungeon……..』
This time, it was Solana who spoke from the gold coin.
『Maybe we should hurry. 』
(Yeah….…)
If there are a lot of ashes scattered in this dungeon—that means the enemy’s evil plans are progressing, or this is an important place.
“Hey, come over here.”
Mia-san beckoned to us.
A stocky humanoid figure was lying, leaning against the wall. It was about three meters in size.
“This is….…”
“A golem, right?”
Mia-san put her hands on her hips and pursed her lips.
“It hasn’t turned to ash. It’s not one that emerged from the dungeon, but one where a golem core was brought in, like in the Western Dungeon, isn’t it?”
“Excuse me.”
Felix-san went close to it and crouched on the ground.
“Hmm…. I see, I see…… I guess it’s an experiment.”
His coronet is sparkling.
“I’ve started to understand a bit about the slave trader in Alvis.”
Mia-san and I looked at each other.
Poking at the faded golem core with the tip of his wand, Felix-san explains.
“There is probably someone here who is controlling the golems. They should have been entrusted with some kind of task by the slave trader—perhaps mining ‘titans ashes’ or something similar. I can sense that level of ability from this golem. However—”
Felix-san paused and held up his finger.
“That guy also seems to be doing his own evil tricks.”
“……How do you know?”
Looking at Mia-san, Felix-san shook his head in dismay.
“The adventurer we faced in Kalmar was clearly of a lower ‘status’. The transport was supposed to be secret, but he let his guard down, and, blinded by a little money, he turned to pickpocketing —if slave traders are involved, they would never use such an adventurer.”
If so, then….
Felix-san continued,
“Perhaps the golem transport we discovered in Kalmar is a kind of side job that the golem user here do on their own—you can think of it like that.”
“S-side job……?”
My face twitched. What a dangerous job.
Felix-san shrugged.
“Slave traders must have some kind of network of contacts in different places, with those who do evil and those who supply them with power and slaves—so their interests are aligned.”
Gideon might have been targeted in this way as well.
If the Eastern Dungeon in the Royal Capital remained as it was, slaves would be sent in and…..
I shuddered.
I wonder what is going on at the bottom of this Alvis Dungeon.
“……I’m going to get stronger faster.”
I need to level up as quickly as possible and go to the unexplored areas of this dungeon.
Eventually, the warrior who had been on the surface returned.
The Adventurer’s Guild’s answer is simple. “We’ll be dealing with it” —which meant that the lord of Alvis wasn’t doing anything about it.
This became more and more similar to the Eastern Dungeon in the Royal Capital.
“Grrrr……”
As I continued to train, I eventually heard a growl in the distance.
I used the <Protection of the Hunting God>, “Wild Heart “.
The magic detection that I had become accustomed to had caught a huge four-legged monster running towards us.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
We are heading back to the town capital via the carriage that’s coming at noon today. Thus, I planned to round up the varmint control early in the morning.
“Eii!”
“That’s right. Let’s try not to take them down in one hit, but make sure we take them down properly.”
Since we have the chance, I decided to switch the positions of the front and rear guards today while doing the varmint extermination.
Sue is fighting in the vanguard while coaching Horn.
Horn can use physical enhancement, but she is inherently weak, so she hits the boar with her mace and then kills it with holy magic.
By the way, Sue catches the boar’s charge with a magic barrier and kills it with a dagger, effectively defeating the wild boar.
Thud. Thud.
“I’m not hitting it!”
“See, if you just cast spells randomly, you won’t hit anything.”
Fran, on the other hand, is a little annoyed that all the water magic she released missed her target.
I’m watching Fran today, but both Fran and Horn need a little more magical training.
As for Maya-san and Sera-san, they defeat the boars with a team work in which Sera-san catches it with a magic barrier and Maya-san stabs it. Both of them are much more efficient than when they first came to the village.
Shiro and Ao are still fighting in the vanguard, but they don’t move so flashily today. It’s more like they are watching out for Fran and Horn.
With this, the last day’s varmint extermination is over.
“We killed a lot!”
“Good work, Horn.”
Today, Horn, who defeated many wild boars in the vanguard, has a very nice smile.
“Buu.”
“Fran, when we get back, you’re going to have magic training.”
Fran, on the other hand, was quite frustrated because she couldn’t defeat the boar at all. I hope she will use that frustration as a springboard to work harder in her magic training.
Maya-san and Sera-san also ended up killing a lot of wild boars. The collaboration between the two also seems to have improved considerably.
“It was really helpful that you came. I also wrote a letter, so please give it to him.”
“I will take good care of it. I will definitely give it to the Holy Knights.”
I have the village chief sign the completed request, and then I will take the letter to the vice-commander of the holy knights after we get back.
This completes the varmint control this time.
The carriage to the capital has arrived, so we will leave after the horses have rested.
““““Bye bye””””
“Take care.”
Finally, the carriage departs, so we greeted the village chief and get into the carriage.
It was a good experience and we had a lot of fun.
Kara Kara Kara.
““““Ungh-, ungh-””””
“Oh my, they are all quite tired huh.”
“Yeah. Well, we were hunting down varmint till this morning.”
“Oh really? Thank you for your hard work.”
Perhaps it was because the swaying of the carriage was comfortable, but before I knew it, everyone except me fell asleep.
I wonder what kind of dreams are they dreaming about right now.
I looked into the faces of Fran and Horn in my arms and then looked at the view from the carriage.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
In this country, where karakuri is developing, it seems that I, as a talking baby, can easily be mistaken for an advanced karakuri doll.
『What a weird talk. Talking babies are rarer than talking karakuri, right?』
Lindwurm, a talking wand, said so.
“No, that’s not it. Master is really——”
“Aaah!” I shouted, interrupting Fana as she tried to explain the truth.
“That’s right! I’m a karakuri!”
“Mm, it’s a karakuri after all. But it looks so real to me. I’ve heard a little bit from my master, but I’m always amazed by the city’s karakuri.”
Karen spoke in amazement.
『Master, are you planning to pretend to be Karakuri?』
(Mm. They misunderstood, there’s no reason not to go along with it.)
『I don’t think that’s the case.』
I appealed to Karen with a lovely smile.
“If you could hold me as much as you want, I’d be so happy!”
『Is that what you’re aiming for, perverted scum master? 』
(Even though I am such a cute baby, people are often creeped out when I spoke. Because of that, I sometimes suffered the tragedy of being refused to be held.)
『Don’t you think it’s because your old man scent is seeping out? 』
But if they can accept me as a talking karakuri doll then,
—I can be hugged as much as you want, yaaaay!
『Such evil thought is completely of a cursed doll. But Master, this girl doesn’t seem to be much to your taste, does she? 』
(Fufufu, Linlin got bad eyes huh.)
『……Tsk! 』
At first glance, this samurai girl does not seem to have such large breasts.
But my eyes can see clearly!
The girl in front of me is forcibly suppressing her plump breasts by wrapping something like a cloth around her chest!
『……?』
“Well, Oneechan, don’t be scared, come, hug me.”
“More than that, the money please.”
More than that!?
Fana interrupted from the side. It seems that she has to collect money no matter what.
…Oh well.
Right now, Karen has wrapped her chest down, so I guess there’s no point in being held now.
“O-of course I’ll pay! But it’s difficult to pay the full amount right now… S-so please wait a little bit! One week! No, I should be able to do something about it in five days!”
Ten million is not an easy amount to prepare.
I wonder how she is planning to earn it.
“Running away?”
“N-no way! I won’t run away. I bet on the pride of a samurai and promise to pay for it!”
“I don’t trust you.”
Fana looks at Karen suspiciously.
“Fana-oneechan, I have a good idea.”
“Master?”
“We’ve just arrived in this country, and there’s a lot that we don’t know, so let’s ask this Samurai-oneechan to show us around. If she is nearby, we don’t have to worry about her running away.”
“Hmm, I see. But what about the money?”
“For the time being, we’ll take the 170,000 yen she has now. She’ll pay the rest of it by doing reasonable work. I think there is an organization like the Adventurer’s Guild in this country, we can work together to complete the request.”
Karen became excited at my suggestion.
“What an excellent karakuri doll! I will do my best to live up to your expectations!”
“Hmm, if the master says so, okay then.”
That’s how it was settled.
Now I can enjoy Karen’s breasts whenever I have chance fufufu…….
“By the way, Oneechan, what’s that cloth wrapped around your chest?”
“Huh? Ah, this? It’s Sarashi. When I wield the sword, my chest would get in the way, so my master told me to wrap it.”
What are you doing that extra for?!
I don’t care if he’s her Master or what, but he’s definitely the kind of person I’ll never get along with.
『I’m sure the other side will feel the same way.』
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
In the afternoon, we move to another forest for our extermination activity.
“Toh!”
“Yaa!”
“““Buhii!”””
There were still many spotted wild boars in the forest. The forest was really full of wild boars. At this rate, the spotted boars will no doubt not have enough food to eat.
“Buhii, buhii!”
Dokan!
“Whoa, it’s going to be hard for a beginner adventurer like me to exterminate these spotted boars.”
Spotted wild boars rushed in as soon as they get excited.
They are fast, so if you are not careful, it can cause serious injury. If you don’t have a shield or a magic barrier, you won’t be able to stop the boar’s lunge, and you won’t be able to hit it with magic. It will be a bit difficult for the young villagers to exterminate them.
“Maya-san and Sera-san, are you hurt?”
“No, we are fine.”
“Mm. But to be honest, I think it’s going to be tough without Shun and the others.”
I asked Maya-san and Sera-san during the break. They were both sweating, probably because of the continuous tension. They have to dodge the attacks of the swift boars, so they have to stay focused all the time.
“But it’s been a really good experience.”
“Varmint control is not something that a novice adventurer can experience after all.”
“Yeah, it’s the same for me. There are a lot of requests for extermination that are designated by the person in question, so it’s hard to do.”
Sue also joined in the conversation. According to Sue, most of the subjugation requests are designated to an experienced person, and beginners follow the experienced person to learn how to defeat them.
“But it’s fun to beat wild boars.”
“Dodging them is fun too.”
Shiro, Fran and Ao, who are in the vanguard, seemed to be having fun talking about avoiding the wild boar that rushed into them.
“Buu, I hate the wild boars because they can dodge my magic!”
“Horn, if you train your magic more, you’ll be able to hit the boar with magic.”
Horn can’t cast magic on the wild boars, and she’s sulking a bit. She can’t cast multiple spells like Sue and her rapid-fire speed is still not very good, so there’s nothing we can do about it.
I think this is a good opportunity for practical training, so I encouraged Horn to keep up the good work.
And with that, break-time is over, then we resumed the varmint extermination.
““Smells good!””
“There’s plenty of venison in it that the girls caught.”
At dinner, the villagers gathered and made a pot of venison. I also provided some vegetables.
“I’m really glad that you guys came.”
“I don’t usually go to the town capital, so I didn’t think the church would be like that.”
We eat hot pot with the villagers while having such conversations.
Because it’s in the countryside, it is hard for them to get the latest information. Everyone is relieved to hear about the church from the village chief.
“I will also inform the Margrave of the current situation in the village, as there may be other villages that have suffered the same damage.”
“Oh, that’s a relief. You guys are really worthy of receiving a request from the Holy Knights.”
I feel that the expressions of the villagers have brightened.
It was a good experience for me as well.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
Even after the crowd had fled, Karen was still on her knees.
“Cheer up, Oneechan. I think it was a good fight.”
“…..Declaring victory with such confidence and then suffering a disgraceful defeat…. it is the ultimate disgrace to a samurai…”
As expected, it seems difficult for a proud samurai to accept defeat so easily. Moreover, her opponent was a swordsman from the west who is about the same age as her.
“At this point, I have no choice but to commit seppuku and clear my name!”
“Eh?”
“Bushido is the way of the samurai to die!”
She shouted that and tried to stab herself in the stomach with the blade of the dagger she took out of her pocket.
“Stop!”
Fana flicked the dagger away with her own sword.
“Kuu, you won’t even let me die?! Don’t you have the mercy of a samurai?!”
“Money”
“……Huh?”
“I don’t mind if you kill yourself. But I want the promised money first.”
Uh-, to say she doesn’t mind her dying……
It seems that the only reason Fana stopped Karen from committing seppuku was to get the 10 million prize money.
“Oh, t-that’s right…… uhm……10 million…… Well, wait a minute, okay?”
All the momentum she had had as she tried to slit her own stomach was gone, and Karen suddenly started to look away and raised her voice.
Sweat dripped down her forehead, and she began to count the bills slowly.
In this country, not only coins are used, but also paper money.
“One hundred and sixty thousand… one hundred and seventy thousand…”
It was probably earned from the participation fee, but when she counted to the seventeenth one, the paper money ran out.
No way…. it’s not enough at all……
“Hmm, 10 million.”
Fana urged mercilessly.
Then Karen put her hands and knees on the ground.
“I-, I-, I’m so soorrrrrrrrry!!”
She apologized with teary eyes.
Oh, a real dogeza!
Although it was occasionally used in the West, dogeza was originally part of the Eastern culture.
“I thought I wouldn’t lose, and I didn’t really have ten million!”
“But you lost.”
It’s far more embarrassing than just a defeat.
“That’s why you tried to escape by seppuku?”
“Giiiik!?”
Karen is visibly distressed by Fana’s point. It seemed that Fana hit the nail on the head.
She had just said big things about clearing her name and bushido though….
Karen lowered her head even more, her forehead digging into the ground.
“All this is the result of my weak and feeble heart! I am no longer worthy of calling myself a samurai! This time, this time, I will commit seppuku and apologize!”
“Just give me the money. 10 million.”
Fana is still unforgiving.
As if she had finally giving up, Karen said,
“….I’m sorry, I can’t pay.”
There was sudden silence then she continued,
“I’ve been raised in a rural village since I was born, and I only recently came to this city to train as a warrior. However, my travel money was depleted…. Well, I was confident in my sword skills, so I made money like this….”
“Meaning, you’re using money to lure your opponents, even though you don’t have 10 million yen huh.”
Anje spoke in dismay, and Karen nodded obediently.
“There were too many people coming once, so I tried it, and it worked out surprisingly…… I get carried away with it and I’ve been doing it ever since.”
“But Oneechan, I can understand why you might get carried away. I mean, you were fighting Fana-oneechan on equal terms until halfway through. Did you learn swordsmanship in the countryside?”
“That’s right. My sword master is actually a skilled swordsman who once rose to the rank of swordsmanship instructor for generals. My master, who retired and returned to his hometown, taught me swordsmanship from a young age.”
The general is the king of this country.
If she was taught by such a person, he must be quite skilled.
“W-wait, the baby is talking!?”
Everyone seem to be slow to realize this.
“No, no way… it’s a karakuri right? Who would have thought that there would be such an intricately made baby karakuri in the city… and that it could even talk…”
And just as I thought, she also mistook me for a karakuri.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
Thinking about that, I prepare to hunt for spotted wild boars. By the way, I’ve been told that we can leave the tent up, but I made sure to not leave any personal belongings inside the tent just to be safe.
“Shun, what’s the food?”
“Let’s have some sandwich. We’ll leave as soon as we finish eating.”
“Yay!”
Fran asked me about breakfast. She was overjoyed when she heard that it’s sandwich. She’s still a child after all.
Shiro, Horn and Ao are also staring at me, their expression is clearly asking if the meal is ready yet. Thus, I prepared the sandwiches as soon as possible.
“Okay, this morning, we will carry out varmint control in the same forest as yesterday.”
“““Got it!”””
Shiro, Fran, Horn and Ao, who are full of energy after eating a lot of sandwiches, are raising their hands cheerfully as they replied. By the way, Sue, Maya-san and Sera-san also ate a lot of sandwiches. Seeing them eat so enthusiastically, makes me, the person who made it, happy.
Well, now that everyone is full of energy, it’s time for varmint control in the morning.
“Sniff, sniff~. Oh, there are a lot of wild boars over there!”
“We beat a lot yesterday, but there are still a lot of them huh.”
Today, Shiro uses her sense of smell to find wild boars.
At first, we encountered a group of ten. If they aren’t thinned out to some extent, they’ll multiply abnormally again, and there won’t be enough food in the forest so they’ll invade the fields.
Just like yesterday, we divide the work and killed the spotted wild boars.
“Oniichan, what’s that? A deer?”
After defeating the group of spotted wild boars, Shiro spotted a herd of small deer staring at us from a distance. Along with the appraisal, I decided to take a look at the varmint handbook purchased at the Adventurer’s Guild.
“Those deer are also a varmint. They eat young shoots in particular. We can hunt them too.”
“Oh, then I’ll beat a bunch of them!”
“““Okay!”””
Hearing that it is okay to defeat the deer, Shiro, Fran and Horn, along with Ao, quickly approached the herd of deer. The herd is still far away so the deer had their guard down, making it easier for the girls to kill them.
After that, we exterminated many varmints and the morning ended.
Because the village didn’t do varmint control properly, the food in the forest is really running low so the varmints are now invading the fields.
“Whoa, this is impressive. I didn’t expect you guys to get rid of so many varmints.”
“You girls are really excellent adventurers.”
“““Ehehe”””
The villagers complimented Shiro, Fran, and Horn and stroked their heads. They also wanted a few deer, so I took them out of the item box in front of the villagers.
The villagers only need a few deer to eat, so the remaining deer will be sold to the Adventurer’s Guild.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
The exploration layer of the Alvis’ Dungeon continues up to the second level. The ceiling is a little higher than the Eastern dungeon in the Capital, and the passage is wider. The edge of the dungeon is connected to the mine, and it seems that equipment from that time and giant weapons for the golems are still being unearthed here.
We pass carts and carriages—there are horses in the dungeon—as we descend into the battle layer.
Eventually, we reached the third level.
“Let’s start by warming yourselves up.”
Mia-san shook her red hair and pulled out her chainaxe.
“There are some small fire-wielding monsters here. You should get familiar with them.”
As we talked, I used my ability, “Wild Heart” to sense the vibrations in the ground.
Footsteps?
Hmm, no, it’s not.
Something is moving in underground.
“It’s coming from underground!”
Something like a snake jumped out of the ground. It raised its head as if it had grown out of the soil. On its head was a large single eye. Our images were distorted in its emotionless eye.
“It’s a baby rock worm.”
Mia-san told me.
By the way, Felix-san and the rest of the warriors are waiting at a slightly lower area. First of all, they want me to get used to the dungeon, so I’ll take priority in the fight.
“Be careful. It may be small, but it can still breathe flames from its mouth.”
With a slight purr, the ground shook even more. I jumped backwards instinctively. Something thrust up from directly below where I had just been.
“W-what……”
A stick? Or so I thought.
A number of “sticks” suddenly grew out of the ground. But “it” swell and turns its head to me. The same red light as before —but many times bigger—were staring down at me.
“……That’s an adult rock worm.”
Mia-san’s face twitched. The baby rock worm that had just emerged quickly fled underground.
“Oh? It’s not big!?”
“This is the kind that appears on the sixth level.”
I was stunned.
The Alvis’ Dungeon has a total of 10 levels.
Does it mean that the monster that goes out into the depths suddenly came here?
“Kikikiki”
Four adult rock worms.
Well, I’ve also heard about this monster from my father.
Their surface is rough because they have a rock-like shell as their name suggests. They can also breathe fire from their mouth. In addition, they can dive underground and regardless of walls, they will chase you even if you try to run away.
“……Mm, troublesome huh.”
The four mouths opened sharply from my left and right.
“Uh-”
Flame bullets were fired at me. I reflexively dodged to the side. Flames grazed my fireproof cloak and exploded on the wall.
『Rion!』
“I’m fine.”
I responded to Solana’s concerned voice.
Flame bullets keep coming one after another. If I concentrate on dodging them, I won’t have any problems. However, in this way, it is also difficult to make an attack.
“……It’s hot.”
Even a mere scratch burned my skin. My fear of fire made me freeze up. It’s difficult to avoid and counter at the last moment like with a blade.
“Wake up!”
I summoned the spirit sylph.
“Wan.”
A gust of wind rushed through. A few rocks that had fallen to the ground lifted up and hit one of the rock worm’s eye.
“Kikiki!”
One of them, whose eyes are smashed and turned blind, swings its body around. On the part of its belly facing towards me, I could see white patches here and there. It is clearly different in color from its rock covering.
Does that mean that part is not armored…?
The information about its weak point that I had reviewed suddenly occurred to me.
“Alright.”
I kicked the ground and move forward.
The remaining rock worms fired flame bullets at me, but I ran in a zigzag pattern to avoid them. The rune “Jinrad” carved into my short sword glowed green, and a wind swung around the blade, pushing me from behind.
Acceleration.
In one fell swoop, I got into the bosom of the rock worm!
“Take this!”
While sliding, I slashed at the opponent’s key point.
The blade sinks into the opponent’s body. I clearly felt a hit. I slid with the momentum, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw the rock worm I slashed lying motionless on the ground. It then turned into ashes.
“……Can you continue?”
I respond by raising a hand to Mia-san. My training continuous.
“Yes. I now know its weakness.”
I feel like I’ve gotten stronger. Maybe it’s because I’ve leveled up to level 20.
If my magical power has also increased, I might be able to make much more use of God’s blessing than before. “Golden Flame,” “Thunder God’s Hammer,” “Wild Heart,” or a combination of these. If my magical power has increased, then I’ll have more cards to choose from.
“Kikiki……”
There are still three opponents in total.
As I waited to see what they would do, all three retreated underground.
【Wild Heart】……Detection. With magical power consumption, effects can be further increased.
I consumed magical power to follow their traces underground. I can see it in full view with a red light.
The next place they’ll appear is right at my feet.
“Ya!”
I jumped backwards and avoided their surprise attack.
The monsters may have been stunned as they stopped moving. Well, I had read their moves completely.
The rock worms’ bodies then stretched out completely upwards.
“Kiki……!”
They made desperate flame attacks.
I easily avoided the poorly aimed attacks and corrected my balance with my left hand. I firmly planted both of my feet on the ground and this time, I attacked.
There are two rock worms that grow vertically. From the current position, both are exactly in a straight line.
【Golden Flame】……Improves physical ability. Further effects for a limited time.
『Go all out!』
“Yeah”
Solana’s voice was also answered by Thor.
『Haha! That’s generous of you. 』
At first, I was going to wait and see, but I changed my mind after defeating one of them. My level increased, my weapons have changed, and it is a new dungeon. I want to see what happens when I move with all my might.
“Fuu.”
In addition to the acceleration provided by the magic runes “Jinrad,” my physical abilities also increased. With one step, I closed the distance of five meters and sliced through the rock worm on the right, along with its shell.
Then I turned my wrist and aimed for the one on my left side.
My enhanced sensing abilities can tell me about the gap in their armor. The blade, which slipped into that gap, cut through the enemy’s body with almost no resistance, just like with water.
I looked back.
One collapsed and the other was split in half. Then both turned to ashes and disappeared.
“I’m sure there was another one……”
I detected it with “Wild Heart”.
Now that my physical abilities have been enhanced, I should be able to find it even if it ran away a little farther.
“Kyaaaaaah!”
There came a tremendous scream.
Apparently, the last one appeared in the rearguard, that is, in the position of the supporter who is carrying Safi on her back.
A small face pops out of the backpack and shouts with teary eyes.
“Why are you coming here!?”
The supporters are indeed from the warrior group. She dodged it leisurely, but the jaws of the rock worm snapped in front of Safi’s eyes with a bang!
“~~~~~!!”
……Her scream cannot be heard.
『…… It’s funny, so why don’t we leave it like this? 』
『『『『Loki!!!』』』』
Putting the mischievous God aside, who was being scolded by all the gods, we can’t afford not to rush this anymore.
Just as I was about to step forward, the crystal on my short sword flashed.
―Wan.
It was the voice of the wind spirit, the sylph.
……Does it want me to swing my short sword?
“Safi, bow your head.”
A blade of wind swept through the air.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
