Chapter 12: The First Prey
“Kaito, what are you doing?”
“Hey, is this old man alright?”
“Uh… I know Captain Orlan… well.”
“I know him, but what happened?”
“Uh… well, um…”
“What are you mumbling about? Hey, you! What happened? Ah, fine, I’ll ask Kaito. Kaito, speak up!”
“Those guys were demanding money from me. It was a hassle, so I tried to restrain them and hand them over to the guards, but they started saying I threatened them. That part was still manageable, but this old man wouldn’t listen to a word I said. He started shouting all by himself, insisting that I be crushed and taken away. The Viscount’s identification is useless.”
Orlan let out a wry smile, but I really dislike troublesome situations.
“Hmm, I heard your shouting from afar. Is what Kaito said true?”
“The soldier next to that old man saw the identification and told him. He was shouting without trusting it, so he’s not fit for leadership or guard duty.”
“Is Kaito’s statement accurate?”
“Uh, well, um…”
“Ah, I see. You go back to the barracks and stay there. Is the Vice Captain here?”
“Yes, that would be me.”
“You take command. I’ll contact the squad leader. Lock those guys up and throw them in.”
“Can I go home now?”
Waving his hand dismissively, I decided to return to the hotel, feeling exasperated.
While having dinner, I received a message from Hyalda that she would come to pick me up in the morning, and I asked her to let them know I would be waiting.
After breakfast, I was leisurely enjoying tea in the dining hall when the carriage arrived. It had about ten guards, which seemed a bit few.
“Good morning, Orlan. Isn’t the guard detail a bit light?”
“They said it would be fine since you’re here. Besides, both of your magic skills have improved significantly, so we shouldn’t need too many guards. Please, get in.”
“Good morning.”
“Good morning! Where are we headed?”
“Please go left after exiting the gate. It should take about two hours by carriage.”
Once we veered off the main road, we leisurely crossed the plains and soon arrived.
“There’s nothing here.”
“It’s quite desolate. Where do you stay, Kaito?”
“Right next to here.”
Saying that, I opened the door camouflaged as a rock and showed them inside.
“Please, be careful as it’s a bit cramped.”
I illuminated the interior with a light and led the way. It was just a small room, about eight tatami mats in size, with two capsule hotel-like beds. Next to the room was a narrow corridor, two meters high and one and a half meters wide, with ten bunk beds on each side. At the back, it turned L-shaped with four toilets, and there were four ventilation ducts.
When I lit the lamp in the room, the dim light revealed the layout.
“What about your luggage?”
“I’ve put it in my pouch, so I have no luggage.”
“What pouch?”
“My Magic Pouch. It’s a reproduction of your Spatial Storage by a magician.”
“Wow, so it really exists. Oh, that’s not good.”
I told the knight guards that they didn’t need to prepare for camping and invited them inside. The guards looked astonished at the two-tiered beds lined up in the corridor.
“Orlan, I’ll build a pen for the horses, so please come with me.”
After deciding where the horses would stay, I informed them I would construct a cage similar to the previous one.
“If the carriage gets attacked, just give up on it.”
Once inside the lodging and securing the entrance, I went downstairs. The knights were diligently making their beds, showcasing their skills. When discussing how to handle the knights’ meals, they assured me there was no need to worry as they had everything in their Magic Pouches. Magic Pouches again!!!
I asked Hyalda and Fiene, with Orlan joining us, why they hadn’t brought out the Magic Pouch back then. Apparently, one of the knights among the victims had a Magic Pouch. Orlan shrugged, but it suited him well.
Since I couldn’t push myself today, I decided to conserve my energy and prepare for tomorrow. The four of us—Hyalda, Fiene, Orlan, and I—had a late lunch in the eight-tatami room. Tables and chairs emerged from the Magic Pouch. When I saw the containers and dishes filled with food, I couldn’t stop laughing.
While eating, I inquired about the Magic Pouch. It seems they can now create Magic Pouches capable of storing about 12 meters in length, width, and height. Time stop is impossible, and fresh food or cooked meals spoil after about six months. It doesn’t last as long as a refrigerator, but it’s definitely usable.
I decided I must get my hands on a Magic Pouch. When I asked about the price, the largest one costs 1,500 gold coins. Roughly converted to Japanese yen, that’s about 150 million. The smaller sizes, measuring 12, 11, 10, 9, and 8 meters, are cheaper. The 8-meter class is said to be older technology and more reasonably priced. The 8-meter class costs around 700 gold coins… that’s not exactly a bargain!
For second-hand items, they go for around 500 gold coins. Such convenient items didn’t exist in my previous life in Japan, and if they were sold, they would likely be even more expensive.
By the way, there are smaller ones, priced between 300 to 500 gold coins, that nobles and wealthy merchants give to their family or children. They promised to take me to a magic tool shop when we return to the city.
I’ve been saying my Spatial Storage is just for an adventurer’s luggage, and it has now grown to about 2.8 meters in diameter, so I really want a Magic Pouch. If I have a Magic Pouch, I won’t have to hide my storage magic. I can separate food and valuables into the storage magic and use the Magic Pouch for everything else, which is quite appealing. I’m really looking forward to returning to the city.
Lost in my thoughts, I was abruptly brought back to reality by Orlan’s blunt voice.
“Creating something like this must have been quite the task.”
“It took over five days, and I ran out of mana twice a day. Thanks to that, I got plenty of sleep. I want to provide a more comfortable space, but this is the limit of my mana.”
Hyalda and Fiene exchanged glances and smiled faintly, but I silently urged them to keep quiet!
I took the two of them to the lookout point and explained the targets through the gaps. I told them there were targets at distances of 90, 80, 70, 60, 50, 40, and 30 meters from right to left and let them try shooting.
The knights and Orlan were resting on the bunk beds. I told them to show their speed tomorrow, so today they should shoot carefully at the targets.
During dinner, I sensed the presence of beasts and quietly stood up, with the two of them following me to observe together. They were at a safe distance, and since they wanted to try shooting, I let them.
I encouraged them to shoot with the mindset of just hitting the target, not killing. They shot simultaneously from about 60 meters away, and two Fang Boars jumped and convulsed.
It was a struggle to get the excited duo back to the dinner table, but I couldn’t help but smile, thinking my hypothesis was correct.
Before breakfast, I was dragged by the two of them, who insisted on seeing the prey, to check on the Fang Boars. When I asked where they aimed, they said they aimed for the head but hit the belly, and aimed for the heart but hit the waist.
We all went outside for some fresh air and to stretch our bodies. It was the most relaxed night camp I’d ever had, and everyone seemed to be at ease. I ordered one of the knights to store the two Fang Boars, and Hyalda was grinning.
When Hyalda is in such a mood, she’s usually up to something, but I decided to play dumb.
I told everyone to return underground for magic practice. I had Hyalda stay behind the 30-meter target while Fiene and I shot at the 40-meter target simultaneously. I used a basketball-sized stone for visibility.
My stone passed by the target where Hyalda was, and after a brief pause, a Fireball followed, hitting the target. We repeated this three times before switching Fiene in, and Hyalda and I shot together, but the results were the same.
“How was it? Remember the speed difference and the speed of my stone, and use that in your shooting imagery.”
“I thought Kaito’s magic was fast and tried to imitate it, but when we shot side by side, my speed was less than half of yours. I didn’t realize there was such a difference.”
“The hit on the Fang Boar last night was just luck. How do you imagine that kind of speed?”
“Well, it’s probably the difference in imagination or delusion. When you see a stone flying, if you shoot magic with the image of that stone, it’ll be the speed of the stone. However, if you shoot with the image of overtaking the stone, it’s only natural that your magic will be faster than the stone.”
“That makes sense; it’s an image faster than the original stone.”
“Stand more than 30 meters away from the target, which is set at 40 meters. This time, I’ll reduce the hardness of the sphere and hit the target. Instead of following the sphere I shoot with your eyes, try to feel the speed at which it crosses.”
I fired five shots, spacing them out deliberately. The sound of the stone spheres shattering against the target echoed loudly, and I couldn’t help but notice Fiene flinch slightly at the noise.
Once we returned to the Dome, I had her practice shooting while imagining the speed of the spheres she had just witnessed. The target was set at 60 meters, and I advised her to keep her eyes on the target while casting her magic, reminding her not to look away.