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After reporting to
the Knights, I was invited by Laius to a meeting for tomorrow.
Laius and his party,
Chariot, own their own carriage, albeit a small one.
In Ibouro, they are
often asked to take down monsters such as orcs, and it is said that they need
it to bring back their prey.
Inside the wagon are
crates containing weapons, equipment, and camp supplies, which are used as
chairs or tables.
Surrounding Chariot’s
wagon were members of Jill’s party, the Bored Men, another party, Raging, and Kirtland.
It seems that Chariot
thinks that they are lacking to take down the Bronze Wolf alone, so they
decided to form a joint front.
When I was wondering
where to join the people who were in a circle, I was beckoned by Serge.
“Here is the support role, the rear guards.” (Serge)
Kirtland sits next to
Serge.
When they were
attacked by the Bronze Wolf, he was so flustered that he couldn’t even fire a
shot, but it looks like he uses a bow.
After confirming that
I had joined the group, Jill began the conversation.
“Tomorrow, we will have Laius and the others join us in pursuit of
the Bronze Wolf. Based on its movements so far, it’s more likely it’ll go
around to the west of the village. Nyango, wasn’t it? What are the mountains to
the west like?” (Jill)
“The trees around the village are basically of the same species, but the
mountains to the west are more developed and have better visibility than the
rest of the village because it’s the area of our charcoal production. Also, the
slopes are relatively gentle in many places there.” (Nyango)
“I see. It seems easier to fight there than in other places.”
(Jill)
“Yes, and the wind blows from the west most days this time of year, so
when you climb from the foot, you will be on the downwind side.” (Nyango)
“That’s convenient.” (Jill)
Jill seems satisfied
with my answer.
“What’s the strategy, Laius?” (Jill)
“Nyango will be our guide tomorrow, and we will search the mountain to
the west, but as you can see, it is a big mountain. We will divide the team
into three, spread out but enough, that we can see each other, and climb up
from the foot.” (Laius)
The teams were to be
divided into three groups: the Chariot trio and me in the center, the Bored Men
with Kirtland on the right, and Raising on the left.
“The key to the operation is Gad and the shield-users. You have to stop
the first rush.” (Laius)
“I don’t need to be told. I’ll take care of it.” (Gad)
As Gad slapped his
thick breastplate, the Bored Men and the Raging shield-users slapped their
breastplates and clenched their fists as well.
I thought that Gad’s
physical strength would be tremendous because he could stop that Bronze Wolf’s
blow, but Serge told me the reason.
“Gad and the other shield-users are of the earth attribute and are a
group of strong people. They use earth magic to anchor themselves on the earth
and hold off the enemy’s attacks.” (Serge)
Because they use
earth magic, they can stand their ground even in places where the foothold is
unstable, and as a result, they can defend against powerful blows.
But no matter how
well you can stand your ground, it’s no good if your strength is weak.
A catkin like me
would have been mowed down leaving my hardened legs.
I deployed a shield
made of void magic in front of its nose to stop it from rushing forward, but I
doubt that it would have prevented a claw strike.
“The shield Gad uses is specially made, not only hard but also flexible.
It’s hard to tell with our punching and kicking, but when hit by the Bronze
Wolf’s attack, you can definitely see the flexing. If not, he won’t be able to take
it.” (Serge)
“I see… flexible.” (Nyango)
The first thing Serge
said reminded me of something I’d forgotten.
If it is simply hard,
it will become brittle, but if you increase its flexibility, it will become
harder to break.
If a thick
rubber-like material is placed on the surface of a hard shield, it would be
possible to make an unbreakable shield.
Even if it were to
break, the power would be greatly reduced.
Having finished
instructing the shield users, Laius turned to the attackers.
“The attackers will take advantage of the opening and aim for
Bronze Wolf’s back. As you know, the fur of the Bronze Wolf is hard, and
attacks perpendicular to the fur line are almost impenetrable. The only way to
attack effectively is to go past the fur and let the tip of the blade go under
the fur.” (Laius)
If the attack is made
from diagonally backward or from the underside, the skin under the fur is not
as tough as those above.
However, the bronze
wolf also knows its weak point, so it is difficult for one to enter from the
rear or underside.
“And no matter how hard its fur is, it is not immune to fire. Fire-attribute
attack magic is effective. However, there is a danger of causing wildfires with
attacks such as flame bombs. The attacker must be very careful.” (Laius)
I know I’m being a
bit pretentious in my thoughts, but to summarize the strategy, it’s simple:
find it, surround it, and beat it to a pulp.
It feels like it
could use a little more planning.
“That’s all for the strategy, but do you have any questions?”
(Laius)
I boldly raised my
hand and asked.
“Um…Isn’t it better to kill monsters like orcs and use them as bait to
lure it in?” (Nyango)
“Oh, it would be easier if we could use that method, but Bronze Wolves
only eat live prey. If it’s live prey, it’s possible, but there are plenty of
live prey here, aren’t there?” (Laius)
“Oh… I see.” (Nyango)
The search for the Bronze
Wolf seems to have the intention of searching for it and at the same time
luring it with us as bait.
Heck, if there was
such a danger, I should have paid more as the guide.
“Nyango, I plan to leave tomorrow at about the same time as today, so
please be prepared for that.” (Laius)
“I understand. The meeting place is here, is that correct?”
(Nyango)
“Yes, that’s right. Is there anyone who has any other questions? If not, we’ll have dinner too. Oh,
shoot…” (Laius)
“What’s wrong, Laius?” (Nyango)
Laius put his hand on
his forehead, and Jill asked worriedly.
“I’ve used Nyango as our guide, so there will be no grilled Forest Mouse
today…” (Laius)
A burst of laughter
erupted from the group.
Some of them knew
that I had been grilling and selling Forest Mouse and fish until yesterday.
“I should have killed a bird or two while we were out scouting…” (Serge)
With Serge’s skill,
it would have been easy to shoot down a bird in flight.
I was thinking of
going back to the house to eat, but I was invited to eat here.
The three-party
dinner was a kind of stew made in two large pots.
One pot is salty and
the other is tomato-flavored, and the ingredients brought in are sorted according
to which one tastes better.
For example, dried
meat is cooked in a pot with salt, while dried sausage, similar to salami, is
cooked in a pot with tomatoes.
This, along with hard
black bread and sake, is the typical dinner for adventurers.
I was given a
tomato-flavored stew and a thick slice of black bread.
“Yummeow, it’s hot but yummeow!” (Nyango)
“The bread is hard, so soak it in the soup and eat it.”
(Laius)
“I see… it’s hot, but it’s very delicious!” (Nyango)
The sourness of the
tomatoes matched the sweetness of the fat from the dried sausages, and the stew
was even better than I had expected.
“Here, eat this too, you can eat this one too.” (Serge)
“Thank you.” (Nyango)
As I struggled with
the heat of the stew, Serge brought me some chunks of cheese and roasted
potatoes as well.
“What, are you full already?” (Serge)
“Well. Why are you serving me so much…?” (Nyango)
“I’ve already decided, Nyango, because you showed me something. You
may still be inexperienced yet, but you have the makings of a good adventurer.”
(Serge)
“What……?” (Nyango)
“Yes, I’m sure of it. I saw you burn the crotch of the Bronze Wolf,
and I was convinced.” (Serge)
“It was accidental. I was looking for the weakest spot on the spur
of the moment…” (Nyango)
“Maybe it was a coincidence, but you found the weakest spot in that
situation and attacked it precisely. That Bronze Wolf screamed and ran away,
you should be more confident.” (Serge)
The adventurers
sitting around the table gathered their gazes as they heard Serge’s words.
“Mr. Serge, is Nyanko really that useful?” (Adventurer)
“It’s not Nyanko, it’s Nyango. Oops, Teodoro, it’s no good trying
to get him into Raging. It depends on how well you do from tomorrow onwards,
but Chariot scouted him first.” (Serge)
“Heh, that much…” (Adventurer => Teodoro)
Teodoro, who spoke to
Serge, is a leopardkin adventurer and the leader of the Raging.
“We are short on firepower, so we need as many young, passionate guys as
we can get. Besides, it’s up to them to choose where they want to join. Nyango,
if you’re going to be an adventurer in Ibouro, you should consider joining
Raging.” (Teodoro)
“Teodoro, scouting for newcomers is fine, but make sure you take
good care of the young guys at your place.” (Jill)
“Of course. Our family is still growing.” (Teodoro)
Teodoro was called
away by Jill, and Serge gave a small click of his tongue.
“Adventurers are more or less ambitious… Nyango, but if you’re
going to be an adventurer in Ibouro, watch out for Teodoro and the others.”
(Serge)
“Why?” (Nyango)
“Because their ways are a bit pushy, and they have a lot of enemies.
Jill is very caring, so he’s taking care of Teodoro and the others…” (Serge)
Serge wrinkles his
brow as he follows Teodoro with his eyes.
I’m getting a little
worried about whether the joint operation starting tomorrow will go well.
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