It is January 2, year 313 of
the Tria calendar.
Yesterday, January 1, Beatrice
came to live with us, and yesterday she moved in.
Even though she was moving,
she was basically an adventurer living in an inn, so she did not have that much
luggage. However, she had been staying at the same inn for more than 10 years,
so she had more than she could carry on her own.
With the help of the three of
us, the luggage had been moved in by the afternoon of New Year’s Day.
All that remained was to buy
some dishes and other things for me, but for the time being, I intended to have
them use the ones for visitors.
One good thing about living
together is that we can easily schedule our visits into the forest. The inn
where Beatrice was staying was close to the Adventurers’ Guild and more than a
kilometer away from our house. Therefore, when the weather was uncertain, with
the possibility of rain, we had to go there to contact them.
If we lived together, we could
make that adjustment over breakfast, so there was no hassle.
And today, we were to go into
the forest in the morning.
It is now January, but we have
had many sunny days recently, and there is no snow on the ground. Compared to
the village of Rathmore, this area is not as cold, and according to Beatrice,
who has lived here for 15 years, snow only piles up from mid-January to
mid-February, so there are no problems with entering the forest. However, the
situation changes when you go through the forest to the Caelum Mountains.
Strong cold winds blowing down from the mountains are mixed with snow,
requiring heavy cold-weather gear.
Today’s target is the Black Panther.
This time, we received an
urgent request from the guild to take down the Black Panther.
This Black Panther has the
same name as the black panther on earth, but it is a different animal.
It has the same jet-black fur
and supple body from the cat family, but its size and attack power are
completely different.
The Black Panther here is
about three meters long without the tail, which is about twice the size of a
tiger on earth. Its long, sharp claws are said to be strong enough to tear
through metal armor, and it is also adept at cutting off any sign of life.
Despite their huge size, they are good at surprise attacks from the trees and
grass, and even a party of five or six can be easily wiped out if they are not
careful. For this reason, it is considered a fourth-rank monster.
The reason for the guild’s
urgent request was that the Black Panther, which should normally be in the
mountains, had appeared near the town. It entered the northern district
yesterday, New Year’s Day, and although no one was killed, two residents were
seriously injured.
As it was an urgent request,
adventurers of the sixth rank and above who showed up at the guild were head hunted.
Since it was the second day of the new year and not many sixth rank and above
were caught, the third-rank and above adventurers in town were contacted. And
our party, with Beatrice in it, was also approached.
This time, six other parties
were to join us, and more than 30 adventurers were to work together.
Gerald, a second-rank adventurer,
would be in command of the whole group, and his party would be the main group.
However, since they were dealing with a Black Panther that was very good at cutting
off its presence, each party would disperse and hunt, and Gerald and his party,
the main group, would rush to the scene.
Gerald is a veteran swordsman
of about 40 years old and uses the same bastard sword as I do.
He has a large scar on his
well-tanned face, which gives him a swarthy air, but when I talk to him, he has
a charming smile that people like to see. He is not a very big man, but
Beatrice tells me that he is a swordsman with a good balance of speed and power.
In terms of type, he is probably closer to my grandfather, Govan Lockhart.
His party is a well-balanced
party of five people with a swordsman, a spearman, an archer and a magician who
also doubles as a healer, with the rest of his party being third-rank adventurers.
I had never spoken to Gerald
directly, but I was quite excited to hear that we would be taking on a
commission together this time.
When Gerald spotted Beatrice,
he came toward us.
“Beatrice’s party is coming
with us. You have three mages at your party, so we’re counting on you for
long-range support.” (Gerald)
He didn’t say anything when he
saw me and Sharon and treated us as one of his own.
I was surprised and asked,
“Are you sure you want kids like us with you?”
“You are a sixth rank,
aren’t you? Then you are full-fledged adventurers. And I heard that your magic
skills are approved by the academy. Show me what you can do, having risen to
the sixth rank in a month, ‘Little Dark Magic Swordsman’.” (Gerald)
When I made a blatantly
appalled face at being called by that title, Gerald burst out cackling.
“Hahaha, sorry! I didn’t
expect you to look so appalled. Well, whatever the case, I’m looking forward to
working with you. ‘Tigress Rider’ Kukuku…” (Gerald)
I’m stunned by the vulgar
title.
I thought it was just a joke
from those who liked Beatrice, but I couldn’t help but throw it out my mind.
(…Hey, what do you mean “rider”?
I haven’t done any riding yet, which includes being ridden…) (Zack)
Gerald had no motive and had a
refreshing personality, so even if I was teased, I didn’t feel any malice.
However, Beatrice bites into the title.
“What do you mean by
that, Gerald? You can’t just laugh it off, you know?” (Beatrice)
Beatrice glares at Gerard with
murderous eyes and thrusts a spear at his throat. Gerald laughs and raises his
hands in surrender.
“I’m just paying my
respects to the hero who ‘tamed’ you. Just think of it as the jealousy of an
unpopular man.” (Gerald)
Beatrice was about to say
something else, but I opened my mouth first.
“I don’t care what you say about
me, but I won’t let your insults about Beatrice slide. Please, apologize to her.”
(Zack)
As I say this, I gather the
power of the spirits. Then, a magician from his party behind him hurriedly
intervenes.
Moving between me and Gerald,
“Boy, don’t try to cast
magic in a place like this… Gerald, this boy is serious. Honestly, you always
talk too much. Apologize quickly… Boy, stop collecting magic!”
(Magician)
I ignore the magician’s words
and chant the spell.
“O Ignis, God of Fire, commander
of the world’s fires…” (Zack)
Then Gerald said, “All
right, all right. I’m sorry. I apologize,” bowing his head.
I stopped chanting the spell
and released the power of the spirits I had gathered.
“Even so, unlike his
appearance, the first time I saw him, I thought he was going to be a very
dangerous boy. I had no idea he was planning to unleash magic in a place like
this. If Rufus hadn’t noticed, you might have been scorched to a crisp.” (Gerald’s
Party Member)
The magician called Rufus
said, “You really are a man who spews words recklessly. This child is a
genius with all attributes. Think a little more before you do things…”
he continued to nag.
I bowed my head and said,
“I’m sorry. Blood just rushed into my head.”
Of course, I didn’t have blood
rush into my head, nor did I really want to shoot magic. I was just making the
first move because Beatrice was really angry. Beatrice was lowering her spear
with a baleful look on her face, just as I had planned.
Gerard scratched his head,
“No, I said too much.
Beatrice, I’m sorry. I think I got a little carried away.” (Gerald)
Beatrice turned away and said,
“That’s all right,” but her face was a little red, looking like she
was embarrassed.
“Even so, boy, no, Zack. You’re
surprisingly shrewd, too. You made the first move before Beatrice exploded,
didn’t you?” (Rufus)
“No, I meant it. I was going
to shoot the [Spear of Hellfire – Hellfire Lance], whether or not it would work
on the second rank Mr. Gerald.” (Zack)
I said that with a serious
expression, before chuckling,
“Even though we’re going to
take the commission together now, I just don’t want to make things awkward.”
(Zack)
Gerald’s eyes widen for a
moment at the mention of the [Hellfire Lance], but he laughs as well when I
laugh.
Then he pats me on the
shoulder,
“You’re an interesting guy.
I finally see why Beatrice wants to party with you.” (Gerald)
Saying that, he smiled at
Beatrice.
I was relieved that the air somehow
softened and that I could work with Gerald’s party.
Around 9:00 a.m., we departed
from in front of the Adventurers’ Guild and headed for the northern area.
Based on eyewitness accounts,
we estimated the likely hiding place and headed into the woods toward it.
Gerald’s party walked in front
of us, followed by me, Sharon, Liddy, and Beatrice. Even though it is a winter
forest, there are so many bushes and thick trees that visibility is not good.
However, the leaves of the deciduous trees had fallen, and the sunlight was
brighter than in summer or autumn.
We walk through the forest,
keeping a wary eye on our surroundings.
The other five parties are
also in the vicinity, but they are moving at different speeds depending on the
conditions in the forest, and we do not know where they are. We, the main
group, should be at the center of the search network.
All parties were lent whistles
as a means of communication. The party that found the Black Panther would sound
the whistle to signal and buy time. The other parties were to rush toward the
sound of the whistle.
The cold wind was blowing
through the forest, but after an hour’s walk, we began to sweat. We take a
break to check the rough map, as well as the search area.
Gerald says, “I don’t see
any footprints. Well, we’re roughly where we’re supposed to be, but what do we do
now?” Just then, we heard a high-pitched whistle sound.