Chapter 24: High Orc
It seemed that most of the situation had been taken care of, so I gathered the injured and distributed potions. However, there were only a handful of Basic and Intermediate Potions available for the adventurers. I offered my own potions, but there were quite a few injured people. For the severely wounded, I gave them Advanced Potions, but it didn’t heal their injuries completely; it only improved their condition slightly. I administered the Intermediate and Advanced Potions to those with more serious wounds, but it was clear that relying solely on potions would make it difficult for them to return home.
Hyalda gathered everyone together.
“Ah, what you’re about to see, I’d prefer if you didn’t talk about it once we leave the forest. If possible, I’d like you to forget it, but since that’s unlikely, please don’t go spreading it around.”
With that, she nodded at Fiene. Fiene approached the injured, placing her hand gently on them and whispering softly, “Be healed.” The injured looked at her with puzzled expressions, but Fiene assessed their conditions and moved on to the next person. After healing eighteen severely and moderately injured individuals, she ran out of mana and collapsed, so we decided to camp for the night at the Goblin Settlement. The following day, there weren’t many seriously injured, so we finished the treatments in about an hour and set off for home.
It was amusing to see how their attitudes changed towards the Marquis’s daughter, treating her like a saint or a revered figure.
As scouts and the front line, I, Hyalda, and Fiene led the way, returning alongside the adventurers and the Marquis’s troops, but suddenly, the atmosphere shifted. The scouts were keeping an eye on the front and sides, but with us at the back, it was impossible to detect any presence behind us. A chill ran down my spine, and I hurriedly tugged at Hyalda’s sleeve to stop her.
“Hyalda, pay attention to the left side behind us.”
“Watch the diagonal left behind! Something’s coming!”
As Hyalda shouted, everyone drew their weapons and readied their spears, and in the moment of silence, we could hear something approaching. Fighting among the trees, even sparse as they were, would put us at a disadvantage, but we had no choice; if we didn’t act, we would die. We formed a defensive formation to surround the approaching sound.
It was a High Orc, and not just one—there were six of them!
As Hyalda dashed toward the scene, Fiene followed suit, and I had no choice but to run as well. In the midst of the chaos, Hyalda unleashed an Ice Lance, and without checking, she aimed another Ice Lance at the next High Orc.
Surrounded by adventurers and soldiers, the size of the High Orcs worked in our favor. The Ice Lances shot over everyone’s heads, striking the High Orcs in the chest and shoulders, slowing their movements. Adventurers and soldiers then charged in with their spears and swords. A little further away, Fire Lances were being fired at the High Orcs. The injured High Orcs, far from being mortally wounded, were met with battle cries from adventurers and soldiers as they pressed the attack.
Thanks to our swift response, five people suffered broken bones, while the rest had minor injuries, and all the injured gathered in front of Fiene. Although we hadn’t run out of potions, it was unavoidable, and with a wry smile, she whispered, “Be healed.”
The defeated High Orcs bore multiple wounds from Ice Lances and Fire Lances, but none were fatal. In such a chaotic battle with many allies, it was to be expected, and since we couldn’t use bullets, this was the best we could do. Once things calmed down, Hyalda and Fiene grimaced as they looked at the High Orcs.
High Orcs were indeed as massive as I had heard. Standing over four meters tall, they had a physique reminiscent of a gorilla, covered in dark brown coarse hair. Their arms were thicker than my torso; I certainly didn’t want to be an adventurer fighting against something like that.
“Everyone, calm down and well done. When we get back, we’ll have a feast with the meat from two High Orcs. The rest will be shared among all the adventurers.”
The adventurers and soldiers cheered, shouting things like, “Woohoo, all-you-can-eat!” and “What a generous offer!” as they celebrated. After placing the six High Orcs into Hyalda’s Magic Pouch, we returned triumphantly.
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In front of the Guild, Hyalda gathered the adventurers and soldiers, announcing before the barbecue party.
“Thank you all for your hard work. Feel free to drink all the alcohol available at the Guild. If it’s not enough, we can prepare more.”
“Those who participated in the Goblin extermination, come collect your participation fee and the gold from the High Orcs once you’ve sobered up. If you don’t want meat or alcohol, come get your gold right away.”
With the Guildmaster’s follow-up, everyone burst into laughter and headed toward the training ground for the barbecue.
Not a single person went to the Guildmaster to collect their gold.
As for me, I thought about quietly returning to the hotel for dinner, but for some reason, Hyalda and Fiene followed me to the hotel and sat at the same table, sipping on pre-dinner drinks. I took a sip from Fiene’s drink next to me. Wow, I was quite impressed; there was indeed good alcohol in this world.
“Hyalda, bring out some ice. Just one piece will do.”
I made a circle with my fingers to request ice, and when it was placed in my cup, I added it to the drink and gave it a gentle swirl. The smooth texture combined with the coldness of the ice made it even more enjoyable, and I couldn’t help but smile. Seeing this, Hyalda mimicked me and added ice to her drink, taking a sip and grinning.
After Fiene reclaimed her drink, I received a new glass and had Hyalda add ice to it. We clinked our glasses together, celebrating our safe return.
“Thank you, Kaito. If you hadn’t noticed the High Orc attack, things could have turned disastrous.”
“Right? When it comes to protection, Kaito is the best.”
“But Fiene’s Healing Magic has become well-known now.”
“Well, all we can do is hope the adventurers don’t spread it around. But since you used it perfectly, just focus on strengthening your image and gently flowing your mana to conserve it.”
“I never thought I could heal myself. Kaito, if the king finds out, I’ll just play dumb and deny it.”
The two of them left a tip of twenty gold coins for my protection services and walked away, slightly tipsy. Having found good alcohol, I asked the manager for the supplier and decided to order about five bottles.
At sixteen years old, stepping into adulthood felt like a good thing.
Having run out of potions, I headed to the Pharmacist Guild to buy ten Basic Potions, ten Intermediate Potions, and five Advanced Potions, paying twenty gold coins. When I went to the Commercial Guild, the receptionist who had previously scoffed at me was now serving as a doorman. Upon seeing my face, he quickly looked away.
Since I was dressed decently today, I approached an empty counter and was directed to a shop that dealt in fine alcohol.
When I mentioned alcohol, he glanced at my attire but said nothing and politely provided the information. Appearance really does matter.
The liquor store he directed me to had a splendid facade, and I bought two bottles each of five different types of fine alcohol for twenty-six gold coins. I sampled several good ales and bought two barrels of the ones I liked for six silver coins. Satisfied and slightly tipsy, I returned to the hotel and collapsed into bed, falling asleep until morning.
Dressed in adventurer’s clothing, I left the hotel, planning to forget about the Goblin extermination and focus on measuring my mana capacity. I avoided any unpleasant presences and took out the Camp House in a different location than usual to rest. As usual, I didn’t set up any targets; instead, I focused solely on consuming mana by using remote magic to create holes and fill them back in. When my mana ran out, I simply collapsed onto the mat and fell asleep.
After recovering from mana depletion, I woke up about three hours later. To check my Spatial Storage, I created a sphere and placed it inside, measuring it at 3.8 meters. I created a square frame of 3.8 meters to store it; 3.9 meters wouldn’t fit. I was curious about what would happen when it reached the expected limit of 4 meters—whether my mana capacity would increase beyond that.
Transfer Magic could jump 400 meters, and the Stone Lance could be fired up to 40 meters. I was interested in what would happen when Spatial Storage reached its limit of 4 meters.
After about twenty days of exhausting my mana and collapsing into sleep, my Spatial Storage finally reached 4 meters. Both the 4-meter diameter and the 4-meter square frame could be stored, but anything larger was impossible. I decided to test my current mana capacity using the Stone Lance. I aimed it at a target 40 meters away and fired.
After 49 shots with the Stone Lance, I ran out of mana, and now the real investigation into the limits of my mana capacity, which was rated at 40, was about to begin.
Having grown bored of the same routine for twenty days, I decided to focus on gathering medicinal herbs for a while. Sometimes, I leisurely enjoyed tea and gazed at the clouds, reflecting on my past life, but I couldn’t be sure if I had truly lived in a country called Japan.
However, I have knowledge from light novels, and the ways to use magic are all unknown in this world. No matter how much I think about it, my current life won’t change, so I decided to stop pondering.
Another ten days passed in a state of depleted mana. Earth Magic is quite convenient; I can dig a hole 40 meters away from the mat and fill it back in without any issues regarding mana consumption. When I think about it, I realize how foolish it is to be doing such things.
It’s a perfectly lazy lifestyle of eating and sleeping, but I have money, and my storage is filled with plenty of food, so there are no inconveniences at all.
For now, let’s focus on mastering magic. I aimed at a target 40 meters away and unleashed Stone Lance after Stone Lance. Even after firing 53 times and reaching the limit of my mana grade, I confirmed that my mana capacity was still increasing. If I can boost my mana capacity even more, the risk of dying from mana depletion will significantly decrease.
Diligently honing my skills and testing the limits of my mana capacity could be quite an interesting endeavor.