Chapter 32:
Once More in the Forest
“Our lord really isn’t such a bad person. Well, I suppose he is as prideful and self-important as any other noble, but he does value the safety of his people.”
As Mile listened to the guild master, she thought, What you’re saying is, he’s really just caring for his prized livestock. So they’ll grow up fat and healthy, and give him lots of milk.
Of course, she would never say such a thing out loud.
“For the sake of the management and development of these lands, as well as his own luxury, he is rather stin… gree… ambitious when it comes to money.”
The four girls were starting to suspect the guild master wasn’t so fond of the man.
“Anyway, you were personally requested for this job. You know where the beastmen are, you’ve already infiltrated and escaped the place, and even if you’re attacked, you have the strength to make it home alive.”
Receiving a personal job request from a lord was one of the highest honors a hunter could receive. It was a recognition of their abilities and a mark of confidence in their success. Only a personal request from the king or another member of the royal family would be a higher honor.
Had they been normal hunters, they would have been over the moon and accepted the job without a second thought.
However, they were not normal hunters.
“So, what does he want us to do?” Reina asked coldly.
“He wants you to confirm the status of the beastmen, confirm what they’re excavating, and, if possible, reclaim it.”
“…”
The four said nothing. Mile eventually broke the silence.
“Um, may I ask you something?”
“Sure,” the guild master replied.
“I think that counts as looting. Wouldn’t that make us thieves?”
“Uh…” The guild master stared dumbly. “Well, n-no, that land is part of our country’s territory, so…”
“But that doesn’t mean we control it, does it? It’s just part of the forest. And, generally, whatever someone harvests or hunts out there belongs to them, doesn’t it? In that case, whatever the beastmen find is theirs , and not ours, right?
“Obviously, kidnapping hunters is a criminal act, but until we get a missive from the capital, we can’t protest it or request that the parties at fault turn themselves over, can we? And other beastpeople doing some gathering isn’t a problem, is it? Wouldn’t pillaging their site be a criminal act on our part?”
“…”
Stealing underground resources of another country on your own country’s orders would be an enormous problem, perhaps even a diplomatic conflict. However, there was little issue with a group of private citizens doing a bit of small-scale gathering or treasure hunting on their own in foreign lands. If such a thing were forbidden, then hunters—whose activities already blurred national lines—would never be able to make a career.
While the beastmen had in fact started some kind of large-scale operation, they were “digging in order to find something,” and that didn’t count as a large-scale mining operation for resources. Therefore, if they were to seize whatever (probably minuscule) materials the beastpeople ended up uncovering, then who was the real villain here?
“I-I suppose that’s true…” Having this pointed out, the guild master’s words suddenly left a bad taste in his mouth.
“Mind if we discuss this amongst ourselves?” asked Mile.
The guild master gave his consent, and the four girls moved to the adjoining conference room.
Several minutes later, they returned, once again taking their seats in the guild master’s office.
“We discussed it, and we’ve decided to take the job,” said Mile.
The guild master looked relieved. Turning down a personal request from a lord was unheard of. This branch would become the laughing stock of the hunter’s guild, never mind the blow to the lord’s reputation and temper. Rumors about the “incompetent and unreliable branch that couldn’t even convince a group of rookie hunters to take on a lord’s personal request” would begin to spread far and wide, from the capital to the farthest reaches of the land.
“However, as long as there is no sufficient reason to do so, we will not reclaim the item. The original request was phrased ‘should the possibility arise,’ so I don’t believe that will be an issue.”
What counted as “sufficient reason,” the four had decided, was if the object turned out to be something dangerous or something they couldn’t allow to be handed over to the beastmen or their allies.
Mile, of course, had read plenty of fantasy novels and had already taken into consideration that such tropes as that they might be digging in the hopes of “reviving a demon king” or “breaking the seal on the prison of an evil god.” Of course, so had Mavis, Reina, and Pauline, since they had listened to Mile’s strange tales for nearly a year.
Part of the reason they decided to take the job was the points a personal request from a lord would net them. It was too tempting for their eventual B-rank promotion and would be a huge boost to their reputation, besides. But mostly, they were worried. If they refused the job, it would be given to some other party, and that party might go missing again or come to blows with the beastmen. Which could easily blow up into a huge incident.
Plus, they were keen to retrieve the other hunters’ confiscated gear and return it to them.
Were they being too kind? Or were they underestimating the job?
Well, that was just the way the Crimson Vow was.
“Y-yeah, of course, that’s not a problem. I mean, I’m sure our lord didn’t really think four little girl rookie hunters would be capable of stealing back any treasure in the first place. That’s probably why it came with the provision of, ‘should the opportunity arise.’”
The guild master was relieved the negotiations were settled, but he suddenly realized he had neglected one last important detail.
“Oh, by the way, Dr. Clairia will be accompanying you, so I’ll also have to ask you to put your all into guarding her.”
“Wh-what the heck?! You didn’t say anything about that!” Reina raged.
Her three companions were completely calm. They had already figured that out. Why else would Dr. Clairia not return to the capital and in fact be sitting in the room right now? Unfortunately, Reina was the only one who had yet to figure it out.
There was nothing strange about a scholar accompanying them to investigate a dig site and an artifact, after all. It was, however, perhaps not the best idea to expose Dr. Clairia—an elf, a scholar, and more than likely a person of note—to such danger. Given that she had been part of the initial investigation team, though, she was probably more concerned with investigation and research than with the dangers that might accompany them.
“The lord will also be sending out some reinforcements, though it seems like that’s still in the works. They’ll probably be heading out after you’ve already left.”
There was no way of knowing if these men were actual reinforcements or observers, making sure the Crimson Vow didn’t make off with any treasure. The words “barrier troops” floated through their minds.
“I guess that might be useful. So, how many troops is he sending out?” asked Reina.
The guild master answered, sourly, “One.”
“What?!”
“You heard me. Just one.”
That settled it. This person would be there as a watchman. They might get in the way, but they probably wouldn’t be very useful.
If anything happened to the Crimson Vow, they probably wouldn’t even step in to help, merely reporting what had happened to the lord. The girls would far prefer if they weren’t around.
The four of them thought the same thing at once: Let’s lose ’em.
Afterwards, they tossed a few ideas around and finally settled on leaving immediately. They had hoped to take a day to relax, but now, time was of the essence.
By now, thanks to the mage, several of the beastmen were probably recovered enough for combat, even if they weren’t yet fully healed. They most certainly had sent word back to the dig site. The dig site, meanwhile, was probably shorthanded and vulnerable. Perhaps they were panicking, since they had learned their allies were crippled out in the woods. They might be hurrying to form a rescue team. The Crimson Vow weren’t foolish enough to overlook such important factors, especially when planning an infiltration.
Dr. Clairia had anticipated this as well and finished her preparations the night before.
The Crimson Vow, of course, were always ready to leave at a moment’s notice, thanks to Mile and her “storage.” Since they had intended to head straight to the capital anyway, they were already checked out of the inn.
“Well then, let’s get going!” Reina cried.
“All right!!!” the three companions answered.
Dr. Clairia was just a second behind. “All right!”
“Mavis, here.”
A short while after they left town, Mile gently stretched her hand out to Mavis.
“Are these…?”
“Supplements to the other ones. Just in case. If you use them, I can resupply you with more, so please don’t hesitate. If you don’t try it at least once, you’ll be going in blind when the time comes.”
“Got it. I’m glad to do so, thank you.”
Mavis pulled three of the mysterious little capsules out of the container and placed them in her pocket. She now had five in total.
If she didn’t hurry up and try them out soon, Mile would keep offering her more. Soon, her pockets would be bulging. The premonition hung clearly in Mavis’s mind.
***
As was now the norm, Mile and the others skipped over the village on the outskirts of the forest. Thanks to the guidance of Dr. Clairia, who was skilled at moving through the woods, they kept up a brisk pace, traveling much quicker than they had during their escape.
Evening came quickly, the light growing dim within the forest. Once more, Mile attached wood blocks, painted with her humble “magical luminescent material” to each of their backs.
They moved in single file, what in another life Mile would have called a “Jet Stream Attack.” Of course, no one would be vaulting off anyone else’s head.
Mile, with her sharp night vision, was at the head of the line. Reina, Dr. Clairia, Pauline, and Mavis followed, in that order. Naturally, Clairia, their VIP , was dead center with Pauline, who had the most limited close-range abilities as well as ever-important healing magic. Mavis, of course, was at the tail, prepared to take on anything that might come from the rear. Mages were weak against surprise attacks, after all.
“If they were quick, the messenger will have arrived at the dig site right around now,” Mile calculated. “Or not, if they left only a little while ago…”
Considering the physical capabilities and forest-dwelling experience of beastmen, if a messenger moved at top speeds, he could make it to the excavation site within a day. But really, it all came down to that mage’s magical recovery speed, his healing capabilities, and whether the leader would favor sending word over the well-being of the team.
“Let’s take a detour,” Mile said. “If we keep heading straight toward the excavation site, we might run into that team or even a rescue unit. I’d rather avoid that. And there’s one other place I would very much like to avoid…”
The Crimson Vow didn’t know what other place Mile referred to, but because it was Mile who was saying so, they consented without much question.
“…Erk!”
It had only been a day since they entered the forest. They were very near the dig site, when suddenly, Dr. Clairia stopped in place. She covered her nose and mouth.
“What’s wrong? Oh no, elves have a sharper sense of smell than humans, don’t they? Everyone, change course immediately! This is ‘the forbidden place!’”
“I suspected something like this,” Reina said wearily. “When you had us take that early break so close to that pile of dung, and the beastmen chasing us ended up being much slower than expected…”
Pauline and Mavis nodded in agreement.
Even though they had already changed course quite a bit, the smell ranged so far that they had to detour even further. Mile had had in mind that the place might become something of a safe zone—somewhere no monsters or wild animals might wander into—but it had already become so toxic no one could possibly take refuge in it.
The beastmen would most likely detour around the opposite side of the area. Given the sensitivity of their noses, the team with the broken bones would probably take an even bigger detour than the girls. There was no sign of them passing through, such as broken branches, bent grass, or footprints. So they were very certain they would pass through on the other side.
Now a day and a half since leaving the capital—and a full day since entering the forest proper—the Crimson Vow and Dr. Clairia made it safely to the excavation site. There wasn’t a beastman in sight.
“We’ve been powering through for a day and a half with only a short break. Let’s take it easy and get some rest tonight,” Reina said.
With nothing pinged through Mile’s detection magic, they all nodded. It was already growing dark around them.
Mile picked a level patch of grass and pulled a tent from her inventory. Not a folded tent, but an already assembled one. It was an idea that had occurred to her two nights ago. Why waste time assembling and dissembling the tent when she could stash it fully assembled? So the morning before last, when they were packing to go, she put the tent away without folding it, when the others weren’t looking.
The sight stopped Dr. Clairia in her tracks. “Wh…?”
The other three paid it no mind, going about their tasks of staking the tent’s four corners and digging a drainage ditch around their camp site as though nothing had happened. Even if the weather deteriorated quickly, it was unlikely they would be rained on very hard, given the thick canopy, but it was better to be prepared. That was the secret to a long and healthy life.
“Wh-why wasn’t it folded up?!” Dr. Clairia demanded.
“Hm? I mean, it’s annoying to have to fold it down and pitch it every single time. It’s a waste of time, don’t you think?”
Dr. Clairia was dumbfounded.
Typically, the storage capacity of a mage’s storage magic was limited by weight and volume. No matter how light an object was, if it had a large volume then the storage space would reach capacity much quicker. If an object was compact but dense, storage would be pushed to its limits all the same. The limit was decided by a combination of these factors, not separately.
It was standard practice to store only objects that were as small and light as possible in storage. Even when within the limits, the more a mage stored, the more magical energy and mental stamina it took to maintain the magic.
And yet, this little girl had decided to skimp on the paltry amount of time it would take to fold and set up a tent—which would reduce its volume greatly—and simply stored it as is .
Just how much magical power did she have?! What intense levels of unconscious control went on in that tiny skull?!
Granted, the items she produced during their escape, such as fruit and vegetables that appeared to be fresh from the market and orc meat that appeared recently butchered, were already quite peculiar.
And there was the matter of the wooden weapons she had suddenly offered the group, the fact she could see in the dark, and her shining wood blocks. She also had the physical strength to ward off a dozen beastmen as though they were nothing…
Clairia’s elven intuition gave her the sense Mile was also an elf, just like her. Even if told otherwise, Clairia couldn’t help but feel she was unarguably elf-like.
Part of the reason the scholar had come along with the Crimson Vow was that she had a scholarly interest in finding out what the beastmen were up to and seeing for herself what they might excavate. However, since their escape, the professor had found herself inexorably drawn to the girl, transfixed by her mysterious appeal. Thus, she had taken on this dangerous job for the sole purpose of solving the mystery that was Mile.
It was against the hunter’s code to ask about the past and abilities of another hunter. Dr. Clairia was aware of this, so she restrained herself from asking directly.
However, it still concerned her. It bothered her. Oh , how it bothered her. She was about ready to burst!
“Aaaaaaarrrgh!!!”
“Wh-whatever is the matter, Doctor?!” Mile rushed over at Clairia’s sudden scream.
“N-nothing at all!”
She feigned serenity, glaring at Mile all the while.
Mile stretched a cord around the outside of the tent and then fastened pieces of metal and wood to each section in pairs of two. These were “alarm clappers.”
Until now, whenever they slept outdoors together, Mile had erected a barrier or used her surveillance magic. However, if she became negligent, or moved away from the others, then things could go south. Realizing this, Mile concocted an alarm system that would be effective even without her.
Plus, they had Dr. Clairia with them. She couldn’t use such alarming magic in front of the professor, Mile concluded.
Because they had had nothing to eat but preserved rations nibbled during their short breaks, dinner that evening was a proper meal with a number of peculiarly fresh ingredients from Mile’s inventory.
Dr. Clairia was concerned as to whether it was safe to cook so close to the beastpeople’s site, but Mile reassured her.
“I take care to draw in and contain smoke and scent particles with magic, so it should be fine. Look, this is what they look like all gathered up.”
“…”
Mile pointed towards a strange, blackish blob, as Clairia stared in awed silence.
“Time for tonight’s Japanese Folktale!”
Just as it always was on the days when they needed to sleep early.
“…And so, the thief, having felled the evil count, left the princess, the old man, and the faithful dog behind. Afterwards, a guard came rushing to the scene of the crime and said to the princess, ‘That rascal has stolen something inconceivable… Your underwear!’”
Pfft!
The other girls of the Crimson Vow listened gleefully, but Dr. Clairia sprayed the soup she had been sipping from her nose and mouth. Nostrils stinging terribly, she collapsed in a heap.
***
Because they had turned in early the night before, they awoke bright and early the next morning.
It was still not quite light when they roused. They ate a quick breakfast of dried foods, completed their morning preparations, stowed their blankets inside the tent, and then merrily went on their way.
“There’s a bit of a rise over there, so we should be able to see out over the whole dig…”
“ Oh. ”A quiet word from Mavis interrupted Mile’s proposal.
“What’s the matter?” Mile asked.
“M-my foot just broke through something…” Mavis replied, her face twitching.
Hearing this, Mile made a break for the small incline, quickly falling to a crouch and looking out over the dig site. As she did, she saw beastmen flooding from one of the huts, kicking up some sort of ruckus.
“It seems like they’ve got some kind of warning system set up, too…”
“I-I’m sorry! This is all my fault…” Mavis said apologetically.
However, it was not as though she’d intended to trip the wire. None of them had thought there would be an alarm, so it would probably just have been a matter of time.
Mile said as much, assuring Mavis not to worry, but over-earnest Mavis did not seem to be comforted.
But was that pit there the last time…?
Mile’s eyes fixed on a hole about seven or eight meters in diameter near the center of the dig site. She didn’t remember it. However, when she had observed the site before, it was evening and rather dark. Thinking she had probably overlooked it, she now paid it no mind. Now was not the time to be thinking about such things, after all.
“Let’s move! If we fight beastmen in terrain with low visibility or a lot of trees, we’ll be at a disadvantage!”
Just as Mile suggested, fighting in heavily wooded areas was a problem when your opponents were nimble beastmen, who were skilled in close-range combat. Using powerful fire magic would be difficult, too.
They wanted to leave their opponents relatively unscathed, and therefore hoped to avoid using fire magic. But if they found themselves outnumbered, it would be back on the table. As long as they didn’t kill the beastmen, they could be fixed back up with healing magic. They would just have to put up with the pain until they were healed.
Of course, if this went poorly, they would be “assaulting some beastfolk in the middle of scavenging.” To connect this to the previous incident and have the situation read as, “We went to reclaim the gear stolen by bandits and were attacked again, so we rightfully defended ourselves,” they had to ensure their attacks were only reactionary, should the situation come to blows.
Over and over, Mile pressed this upon them. Reina was exasperated at her insistence, but Dr. Clairia was deeply moved.
“I know you said we were relocating, but where ?!”
Reina’s complaint was well founded. They were cutting straight through the forest. There were only trees behind them. Because they were still at something of an elevation, however, the trees were beginning to thin.
Even so, they could still easily be cornered. Even if they retreated at full speed, they would never move quicker than beastmen through the woods. Save for Mile.
If they kept up, they were sure to be attacked when they were exhausted and negligent. It would be safer to pick a preemptive fight somewhere that would be advantageous for them and then run once they had crushed their opponents.
Plus, if they just ran away like this, it would count as a “failed request” on their record.
“We’re going to keep up this way and run down the other side of this hill all the way to there. This is reconnaissance-in-force,” Mile said, pointing to the dig site.
Dr. Clairia interjected. “You know, Miss Mile. A reconnaissance-in-force maneuver typically involves slightly reckless action to seek out information about an enemy whose location you’re already aware of or making a move that they can’t ignore in order to stir them up and gauge their general disposition. At the very least, it doesn’t usually mean storming the enemy stronghold and gathering information after everyone has been defeated. Are you sure you aren’t thinking of a disruption -in-force?”
“I-I know that much! I watched a video about the ‘craft of war,’” Mile snapped back, perturbed.
“‘Vee-dee-oh’? ‘Orc raft?’”
Dr. Clairia clearly couldn’t follow her Terran terminology. Then again, even if she had used words from this world to explain it, such as “combat tactics” or “digital film record,” the point still wouldn’t have gotten across.
In any case, there was no time. There was no telling how soon they would end up surrounded, so they didn’t have the luxury of a leisurely debate.
“No use. I don’t think it’s a good plan, but since I can’t think of a better one, process of elimination means Mile’s plan is the best. Let’s just try to make sure non-combatants get a chance to escape unharmed.”
With Reina’s approval, their course of action was cemented.
“All right, let’s do it!”
“All right!!!” the other three cheered.
“…All right!” As always, Dr. Clairia was just one beat behind.
They rushed the enemy camp but without shout or battle cry.
Until they were discovered, they would remain in the shadows, forging forward in silence. Then they would lie in wait just before one of the open areas. Their scent would eventually give them away, but there was no sense in hastening the inevitable.
Naturally, the beastpeople must know where their alarm system had been triggered, so they could expect them to surround and approach, trying to block their escape route. They probably didn’t expect a small group to be coming their way, so when they got to where they expected the girls to be, only to find no one there, they would probably panic and start gaining on them.
For Mile and the others, this would mean they had been chased down by an attacking enemy, and driven into their camp, and not that they had infiltrated the camp of their own volition. By extension, any mayhem, injuries, or property and artifact damage would be because the beastmen came at them, absolving the party of even a modicum of blame.
Then, they could gather more information during the confusion or proceed once they had driven the beastmen away. There was a chance that whatever they were searching for might be destroyed or lost in the fray, but that wasn’t the girls’ problem. In fact, it might just be better if the item went “missing” during the battle.
“You’re always such an airhead, how is this the one area where you’ve got a bit of sense?!” Reina gave an exasperated shout as Mile explained the plan.
Several minutes later, just as planned, the beastmen had rushed to the point where they thought the intruders were. Seeing no one, nor any signs of them heading back, they were now proceeding back toward the dig site in order to surround the intruders from behind. Since they would likely be following their scents, it was only a matter of time before the girls were discovered.
And then, finally…
“There they are! Surround those intruders and capture them!” shouted one of the beastmen, pointing at the group.
“Oh no ! The enemy has surrounded us and ordered our capture! We’d better run! I guess we’re being forced right into this open space!”
Mile stood up and began bolting directly towards the center of the dig site.
“Wah! While running away from the bandits attacking us, we ended up running right into some strange place! Is this the bandits’ secret hideout?!” she shouted in a loud and stilted voice.
There were now only ten beastpeople blocking the way ahead of them—all adult males. All of the women and youths had taken refuge in the huts, which, as far as Mile and company were concerned, was a favorable circumstance.
“Intruders shouldn’t be sayin’ such disrespectful things!”
“And bandits shouldn’t be acting so haughty!”
“Wh…”
As long as they didn’t know the truth of the matter, the men were as good as bandits. Even if that turned out to not be the case later, they were bandits for now and would be handled accordingly. Honestly, if this incident ended up being of international significance, they would be better off being considered as such.
“What?” Reina interjected. “Are you saying that’s wrong? Then what are you all doing here? And why did you capture those hunters and steal their things? Are you going to explain why you’re acting exactly like bandits?!”
“Er…”
The beastmen, lost for words, didn’t reply. Some of them looked like ones who had been present for the previous incident.
“Ugh, shut up! Oi, you lot, capture those girls already! …What’s wrong?”
For beastmen—who had a very strict respect for hierarchy—failure to obey a superior’s orders would normally be unthinkable. Mile thought it very suspicious the men didn’t act, until she looked more closely at them. Yes, they were very familiar…
“Oh! These men are the ones who attacked us!” At Mile’s shout, eight men twitched and stiffened.
“What?” the leader shouted. “Are you telling me these girls are the lady hunters you said you scared off? Didn’t you say there were just four… wait! Isn’t that one there one of the prisoners who escaped?! Were they hanging around here this whole time?! The humans still don’t know what’s going on, then! Wait!! Where are the other seventeen?!”
The girls were under no obligation to answer. The humans had made it back safely, and they could still take precautions to limit the beastpeople’s actions, even without new information.
“Damn it, say something! What are you all so afraid of?”
As the leader stared in wonder at his subordinates, who still failed to move, an inconceivable thought crossed his mind.
It was just the other day that his men had returned with their report of the girls.
When they had come seeking healing services, and he had asked why they had so many injuries, they said that in order to ward the intruders off without harming them, they had taken attacks from a mage. But…it couldn’t be…
Suspicion bubbled up in his heart, but he couldn’t press them in front of the enemy.
However, just in case, he would have to prepare himself. Because, soon, probably very soon… Gwah!
Fwooooosh…
“Gwah!”
“Guh-ha!”
A bizarre smell began drifting through the area.
The Crimson Vow’s faces contorted as well—just slightly after the beastmen’s.
“Th-this smell…”
“Hwahaha! Did you really think someone as brilliant as me was going to go along with your story?! The reserve forces I sent out to lie in wait have finally returned! Now, face our overwhelming battle prowess, and be… Huuuurk! ”
Apparently, their “battle prowess” had been significantly lowered.
There were fourteen men in front of them, who were huddled up puking. There were twenty at their rear, gaunt and wobbling—and still reeking.
Only the first fourteen still appeared to be in top shape. So, no one could say their battle strength was improved with the additional numbers.
The ones who had fallen for the stink trap had probably washed themselves hard, but the smell still hadn’t come all the way out. There were even some pitiful forms among them who had shaved their fur, hoping to rid themselves of every trace of the stench.
“M-Mile, what in the world is that…?” Reina asked.
Mavis gasped. “Are you saying Mile did this?”
“P-please forgive me…”
Though their noses were nowhere near as sharp as the beastmen’s, Reina, Pauline, and Mavis were all on the brink of fainting. As was Mile, whose nose was sharper than the average human’s.
Dr. Clairia, of course, was on the ground, vomiting.
A shout, from Mile, resounded through the area.
“Waaaaaah!!! Smell, go awaaaay! Destroy all the sources of this smell here and throughout the whole foreeeest!!!”
***
“ Huff, huff, huff … Th-thank you so much…”
Though they were enemies, the leader of the beastmen offered Mile his thanks for ridding them of the smell.
“ Hrff, hrff, hrff … N-no worries, it was my pleasure.”
Neither side could be considered in their best form, but there was no time to sit around and chatter; the battle was about to begin.
Before it did, however, Mavis pulled something from her pocket. It was a small, capsule-like vessel: the gift Mile had given her. Because there were so many enemies, she had already decided it was time to use it. She gripped the capsule in her hand and uttered:
“Let’s see what you’ve got, Micross!”
Mile had once described the contents of this object to Mavis. “Inside this capsule is a very, very tiny object that can restore the power of your ‘spirit.’ When the going gets tough, please don’t hesitate to use it.”
Because this world didn’t yet have a word equivalent to “nano,” Mile had elected to call it something equivalent to “micro.” It was a soup full of microscopic things. “Microsoup,” or “Micross” for short. The word that Mavis used was obviously not pronounced the same, but it carried the same meaning.
With this prayer offered to the capsule, Mavis unscrewed the cap and gulped down the liquid.
“True Godspeed Blade EX!”
With Mavis’s cry, the battle was underway.
Naturally, Reina and Pauline had already prepared their spells before the fighting even began. This wasn’t cowardly; it was no different, actually, than a swordsman gripping the hilt before the fight began.
They let those spells fly before the beastmen could draw nearer. There was no mage in any world who would wait for an enemy skilled in close-range combat to approach them.
“Ultra Super Deluxe Hot Tornado!”
“Gyaaaaaah!!!”
Following Pauline’s special non-lethal (if you didn’t count souls) hot magic spell, Reina fired her own spell.
“Ultrasonic!”
“Eeeeeeek!!!”
After discussing it with Mavis, who was well aware of Reina’s frightening philosophy that “as long as it’s non-lethal, friendly fire isn’t a problem,” Mile had come up with a sort of magic perfect for fighting beastpeople—one that affected only beastpeople and not their allies. She had taught it to Reina before they set out.
Naturally, the ones who had the highest probability of being caught in Reina’s attack spells were the frontline fighters. For Mavis and Mile, it was a literal matter of life and death.
What flew out from Reina’s spell, though, was an incredibly unpleasant burst of sound, inaudible to humans but perfectly audible to beastmen, who could hear a much wider range of frequencies.
The beastmen clapped their hands over their ears in pain, while the Crimson Vow, who were humans, stood calmly. Almost.
“Gweeehhh…” Mile could feel the bile rising. “St-stop! Stop that speeeeell!”
Her range of hearing was even broader than the beastmen’s.
Wh-why? I was perfectly fine when we practiced this .
Mile was utterly perplexed. During their practice sessions, Reina had only been concentrating on projecting the spell forward. Now, though, it was reverberating through the entire area. Plus, she had only timidly attempted this spell when practicing; now, she hurled it at full strength, without limits.
Following the first damaging wave of Reina’s spell, Mavis rushed into the twenty men of the original search party who hadn’t been struck by Pauline’s attack.
I feel so light, Mavis marveled. My body and my sword feel as light as air!
In her previous life, Mile would have been able to perfectly name the euphoric feeling Mavis had: doping.
Thanks to the microsoup, chock full of nanomachines, the concentration of nanomachines in Mavis’s body was now leagues higher than what she would normally possess or even knowingly ingest. And so, if she used her normal “True Godspeed Blade” in her current state…
Once more, Mavis raised her battle cry. “True Godspeed Blade EX!”
That was the most important part, after all.
Mile was lagging behind.
The damage she had taken from Reina’s spell was massive. However, as the beastmen had been hurt not only by Reina’s spell but also Pauline’s, they wouldn’t be a problem. Before the beastmen had a chance to get to Reina and Pauline, Mile struck.
No match for Mile’s true speed or power, the beastmen fell to the ground, one after another.
Why had she gotten serious now?
Well, there was no telling how many more “non-lethal attack spells” Reina and Pauline would be inclined to use if the battle dragged on.
“It’s not like it’ll kill anyone, so it’s okay if your allies get caught in the fire!” Pauline had once said.
The two of them were of the same mind.
They would, without hesitation, rain down utter annihilation, even upon dear friends. That was Reina and Pauline’s way.
They would never be dissuaded or deterred.
Have I surpassed the limits of human ability? Mavis wondered, fighting at full strength just the same.
Like this, she could even best her father or eldest brother in the blink of an eye. She knew that for certain.
No , this isn’t really my own strength. The True Godspeed Blade I can summon with my personal spiritual power is, but this power from that special medicine is only temporary. Even so, I will accept it and fight with my full potential! Besides—
Mavis quickly glanced behind her.
—if we don’t hurry up and end this, I could end up caught in one of their spells!!
With the same thought weighing on their minds, Mile and Mavis fought for their lives. However desperate, they still refused to strike with full strength. All their nervous reactions were concentrated into controlling their speed and power so as not to cause grave injury.
But then, just as it seemed they were about to achieve victory—and without facing a second wave of spells from Reina and Pauline— it appeared.
“Grruurrrrrrrrr…”
Near the center of the dig site was a hole about seven or eight meters in diameter. From within it, something huge clambered out.
“A-an earth dragon?” Though shocked, Reina immediately began incanting a spell.
She had initially prepared a non-lethal spell for the beastmen, but such a thing would be of no use against a dragon. She immediately discarded it and began another. Pauline did the same.
Mile and Mavis quickly struck down the remaining beastmen and turned their swords to face the dragon.
“Firebomb!”
“Ultra Hot!”
The two mages fired their spells in tandem, but while Reina’s struck the dragon in the gut, it appeared to have no effect. Pauline’s spell dissipated before it reached the dragon’s head.
“No way…”
“H-how?”
Even for a dragon, taking a direct hit from a firebomb spell—particularly a powerful one—without any damage, or even flinching , was unthinkable. And Pauline’s spell had simply vanished. Inconceivable!
Seeing the dragon unharmed and continuing to approach them, and that Reina and Pauline were too stunned to prepare more spells, Mile decided to step in herself. This was perhaps the first time she ever needed to use a serious attack spell.
“Exploding Magic, Fire!”
Pow!
“Wh…”
The powerful spell, fired in earnest to fell the dragon, was deflected.
As Mile stood, taken aback, the dragon, who had been slowly thudding towards them all the while, moved with a quick and accurate strike, lashing its tail at Mile.
“Gyaaaaaah!!”
Helpless, Mile flew toward the stone ruins ten meters away. Her body crashed into the half-collapsed rubble.
“ Miiiiiiile!!! ” Reina, Mavis, and Pauline all shouted. Before they could help her, though, they had to do something about the dragon.
The three tried their hardest to convince themselves it was just like the time with the rock lizard, that she would be fine; it was Mile, after all. Even so, they knew the chances of that prayer being answered were slim.
“Gaaaaaaaah…”
An immense and unbelievable pain coursed all through Mile’s body.
Ow ow ow ow owww! What’s with this?! That blow wasn’t any different from the rock lizard’s…
She had never felt such pain, not in her previous life and certainly not since her reincarnation. It was as though every bone in her body were broken… No, they probably were broken. Shattered into pieces and now piercing her muscles and internal organs. The pain was all she could think about.
Why? I thought I was supposed to have half the sturdiness of an elder dragon… Why didn’t their magic go through…?
The dragon turned to face her. She couldn’t move a muscle, nor utter a sound from the horrendous pain, but the dragon continued to approach. It opened its enormous mouth, and…
“Oh? I struck you, and yet you live… Just what are you?”
“I-It spoke?!” Pauline cried, but Reina and Mavis, now realizing what they were truly up against, bit their lips in fear.
“A-an elder dragon…”
Yes. Not an earth dragon but an elder dragon, whose power, intelligence, magic, and strength was the greatest in all the world—and of which Mile possessed but half its power…
No Comments Yet
Post a new comment
Register or Login