“Oh, you’re here.”
I sensed a surge of 〖Mana〗 while eating a spicy fruit. This was a sign of a 〖Space Hole〗.
It’s been four days since then, so I figured Paula would be coming.
However, the first one to emerge from the opened hole wasn’t her.
“L-long time no see, Kouya-san. Y-you’ve really become a 〖Feral Beast〗…”
“Yo, it’s been a while. Since you came to check Hydra’s 〖Status〗, right?”
It was a chubby young man who appeared.
Since Paula usually delivers items to me, it’s rare for him to show his face.
“Good morning, Kouya-kun.”
“Yo, good morning.”
Paula appeared next.
Yesterday was supposed to be her matchmaking meeting, but it’d be insensitive to ask about it. More importantly, right now…
“So, Ergo, what brings you here today?”
I asked the nervous-looking young man.
He gulped and then spoke.
“W-well, it’s still just a possibility, but… it seems like nobles are coming to defeat you, Kouya-san.”
“What!?”
I let out a surprised shout.
I had asked Ergo to tell me if anyone was targeting me, thinking it might come to light someday, but I didn’t expect it to happen so soon.
“…But how did they find out? My survival was supposed to be kept secret, right?”
“Probably, they investigated the market. Jewel Slime materials are difficult to sell secretly, and if there’s no trace of them, they must have concluded that the Jewel Slime is still alive.”
“Materials, huh? So, my body can be used as a weapon or something?”
“Well…? I haven’t heard of a Jewel Slime… or rather, a Slime being used as a weapon. However, Jewel Slimes are apparently traded at high prices for their beauty benefits.”
So, I’m a beauty product?
Well, I do have a clean, beautiful color, and it does seem like it would be good for the body if you applied it.
“Just to be sure, is there any chance that them coming to attack is a misunderstanding?”
“I can’t say for sure, but it’s almost certainly not. A while ago, someone who seemed to be a noble’s servant came to the guild…”
After hearing the details, it seems that Ergo learned about the nobles’ arrival from that servant.
The servant who appeared at the guild was asking about the Jewel Slime.
Ergo was also asked, and like the other adventurers, he replied, “It seems it’s already been defeated,” but the servant didn’t seem to care and continued asking around. After a while, he was guided to the second floor where the guild master was.
“He seemed convinced that Kouya-san was still alive, and meeting with the guild master was probably to increase the accuracy of the information. Since a noble’s servant came to ask, they wouldn’t just ignore the information or pass it off to local adventurers.”
“I see…”
It seems certain that the nobles are coming, I groaned.
“…Wait a minute. The guild master spread the rumor of my death, so couldn’t he deceive them again this time?”
“I don’t think you can expect that. It’s too risky for the guild to fake the death of a Demon Beast. That’s why they spread the rumor of Kouya-san’s death through a roundabout method.”
“That’s true…”
Well, it seems like hiding is impossible.
Then, the next thing to consider is how to deal with it. …No, there’s no need to think about it.
The answer was decided from the beginning. There’s no need to hesitate.
I really wanted to avoid it, but… it can’t be helped now.
I should also make up my mind.
“(—Alright, let’s run away.)”
Escaping is the specialty of experience point monsters. I’ll run to the ends of the earth!
Originally, I was planning to set out on a journey to eradicate the Chaos Spawn anyway. It’s no big deal if it’s a little earlier.
…No, but if it’s right now, it’s a bit troublesome…
“When are they likely to come?”
“I don’t think it will be today or tomorrow at least. Whether the noble himself comes, or an adventurer is hired, or a trained warrior is dispatched, it should still be two weeks away. It takes several days by carriage to travel between the town and the capital.”
“I see. Then there’s no problem. There’s plenty of time (……..)”
“Plenty of time, you say…?”
“Yeah, if there’s that much time, I can defeat the Forest Turtle before leaving the forest.”
I don’t want to fight with people, and if I get targeted and a hero-class adventurer subjugation team is formed, I’ll be in trouble.
Running away is a done deal.
But before leaving this forest, I want to defeat the Forest Turtle.
I guess I could hunt 〖Feral Beasts〗 in other places to earn 〖Experience Points〗.
But the Forest Turtle is something I’ve always aimed for.
That day’s heroic figure is still burned into my mind, and that’s why I want to go to a new land after surpassing it.
“I see, Kouya-kun, you’re leaving…”
“Yeah, sorry Paula, I can’t stay with you for your magic training until the end.”
“No, don’t worry about it. Once you get this far, the rest is up to me. But, I’ll be lonely…”
“Well, it’s not like it’s right away, let’s do our best together for the rest of the time.”
“Yeah!”
Then, I turned my attention to Ergo.
He had spread a large piece of paper on a flat rock nearby.
“Is that a map?”
“Yes. I thought you might need it, so I copied one from my house.”
“You’re thoughtful, thanks.”
“Oh, Ergo-kun’s house has all sorts of things.”
“For a merchant, knowing the world is also important.”
The map was a long, rhombus-like shape.
This seems to be the shape of this country—no, this continent.
“It was the Esperas Magic Empire, right? There aren’t any other countries, right?”
“Yes. There used to be, but the Demon Lord unified the world more than a hundred years ago.”
The “Demon Lord” is said to be the king of this country.
He’s a true human, meaning a king of magic, and has nothing to do with Demon Beasts.
“And these lines dividing it are…”
“Yes, they are regions. Besides the Demon Lord’s territory ruled by the Demon Lord, there are five regions ruled by five Archdukes. We are in the Wenoost Region in the northwest.”
He pointed to the upper left of the map. It seems that the cardinal directions are the same as on Earth.
Then, his finger moved smoothly to the southern part of the Wenoost Region.
“And to the south of the region is the Dwasov Forest. It’s part of the Schwein Territory.”
“Schwein… is that the name of the noble who rules this area?”
Ergo nodded.
The regions are ruled by Archdukes, but the regions are made up of many territories.
Nobles manage each of those territories.
There seem to be various ranks, but let’s skip that for now.
“I want to head to the eastern part of the continent, where the Chaos Spawn’s stronghold is, but what route do you think is best? If possible, I’d like to fight 〖Feral Beasts〗 along the way.”
The shortest route changes depending on how the map is scaled.
In addition, if I know the densely populated areas and difficult-to-travel areas, I can avoid them.
I asked with that expectation.
“Well… first, about the 〖Feral Beasts〗, you don’t have to be too conscious of them. If you go to an undeveloped area where humans haven’t set foot, there’s usually at least one. If you avoid densely populated areas like the capital, you should be able to encounter them without any problems.”
Hmm, hmm.
“And as for the route, first head northeast… towards that direction, and when you reach the sea, change course to the southeast. …Do you know what the sea is?”
“Yeah, that’s not a problem.”
I wondered if it would be suspicious that a Slime knows about the sea, but it was passed over without any particular notice.
It seems that Ergo thinks I was raised by humans in the past, so he just brushes off anything a little strange.
“However, before you reach the sea, you must be careful not to approach the northern towns. Absolutely not.”
“Huh? I wasn’t planning on getting close to human towns in the first place, but why do I have to be so careful about the north?”
“The territory at the northern end is ruled by the strongest noble—one of the four Border Counts. The Border Counts are supposed to defeat the vicious Demon Beasts that come from other continents, and they are said to be stronger than hero-class adventurers. I strongly advise you not to approach them.”
I’m interested in strong people, but if they’re humans, that’s a different story.
When I get to the north, I’ll make sure not to get close to any human towns.
And so, I listened to Ergo’s travel advice and how to read the map.