Episode 63: Mock Battle
“Quite a number of Dreg Magic Stones. And the Brown Fang’s fur and horn for purchase. What about the meat?”
“We’ll eat it ourselves since we butchered it.”
“I see, the meat fetches the highest price, but… well, alright. That’ll be eight silver coins. Please sign here to acknowledge receipt.”
“Yes.”
I successfully registered as an Adventurer, with Barbatos as the main figurehead, but Asahi and I are the ones primarily active.
The Dreg Magic Stones are being released little by little, obtained from defeating the Green Tribe. As for the prey, we deliver one or two that we manage to hunt.
Barbatos is in the so-called mentor position, always smiling.
Of course, I could handle those Monsters alone without any issues. It’s more like Asahi’s training is the main focus.
“Taking down prey cleanly is difficult.”
“Ho, ho, ho! You should hone your observational skills more.”
“Observational skills?”
Asahi is a candidate for the Onmitsu, but she’s not officially a member. During the Earth Beast attack, almost all the adults who could operate in the Forest were injured.
Among the younger ones, not many could move freely in the Forest, and the warriors had to focus on guarding the Village.
So, Asahi, who was still in training, was forced to operate in the Forest before completing her original training.
Normally, she would learn hunting and other skills under the guidance of adults, but she was sent into the Forest alone before that stage.
The Village managed to survive on the prey brought back by Asahi and some of the warriors. The elders seemed to swallow their dissatisfaction so as not to dampen Asahi’s motivation.
“I was taught that the basics of Forest hunting are to not get close. Aim for a fatal wound from a distance,” I said.
That’s the hunter’s way of fighting. Inflict an injury with an arrow, track the prey, and wait for it to collapse. Or set a trap, lure it there, immobilize it, and then take it down in one go.
That’s the first way of fighting I was taught. By the way, next is how to operate in the Black Forest, so… well, it’s reckless.
“Quickly defeat and finish it off.”
That’s how Asahi independently learned to fight in the Forest. If the battle drags on, other Monsters will gather in the Black Forest. Quickly defeat any Monster that can be eaten, even if it’s sloppy, and bring it back as soon as possible. Safety first. Well, she’s not wrong.
“You don’t have to rush that much in the Forests around here.”
“That’s right around the base too. Besides, there are people here now, so it’s better to learn from scratch.”
She can practice in Forests with lower difficulty than around the base. She’s more fortunate than the previous members of the Village.
“I’ll do my best, mas.”
If you’re looking at Monsters as hunting prey, then how to defeat them becomes important.
You shouldn’t unnecessarily damage the fur or meat, or damage the organs that can be used for medicine. In the case of poisonous Monsters, if you defeat them the wrong way, they become inedible, and you can’t collect the poison. The same goes for butchering.
You can only learn these things by facing the same Monster many times. That’s how it was for me too.
“I want to take her to our Village.”
“Village? The King-sama’s home?”
“Yeah. I think she’d be doted on.”
Asahi has talent and is serious. She’d probably be popular with the hunter sisters.
“Well, there are plenty of people who can teach her, so it should be fine.”
There’s Barbatos, the Onmitsu members of the Village, and the elders.
Beatrice? She’s in the middle of her studies, just like Asahi. Unlike Barbatos, she has little combat experience with Monsters. She’s working as a woodcutter while studying.
“Long time no see, Barbatos-sama! I heard the rumors and came to pay a visit!”
“Hm? I-is that so?”
Barbatos is overwhelmed by the young man’s aura. The one who came to visit him is Krimlock, the young Adventurer we rescued from the Thief’s hideout before.
“I heard you’re training disciples! That’s not fair! I asked you for a sparring match!”
“Ho, ho, ho! Now that you mention it, you did.”
He seemed to think he was rejected. His laughter is a little strange.
“Did you forget about me?”
“Weren’t you just ignored?”
The two companions who came with him are saying such things, but the woman is right.
“I see, so since you came all this way… a mock battle, is it? Shall we go outside the city?”
“Is that alright with you?”
“Yes, I don’t mind…”
If I don’t entertain him, he doesn’t seem like he’ll leave.
“Are those kids your disciples? I haven’t seen the cat child before.”
“Hello.”
Oh, Asahi greeted them properly. Ah, she stepped back.
“O, h-he… never mind.”
“She’s such a cute child…”
I think so too.
“Then, go on ahead.”
“What about you? You should try a magic battle.”
“Huh?”
This is a pain. But they are people who have climbed to the fourth rank in the Adventurer’s Guild in the capital. It might be good to see their skills.
“Then, shall we go? Asahi, you stay here.”
“Yes.”
“Ho, ho, ho! Shall I bring a wooden sword? And can I leave the healing to you?”
“Yes. That’s why I came along. Please beat them to a pulp.”
The slightly burly male companion. He seems to be able to use healing magic. It’s rarer than elemental magic. I’m jealous.
Barbatos carries a Saber and a wooden sword, and I put on a robe and took out ES-A11-B.
“Oh, a staff.”
“If it’s a magic battle.”
Without this, my only attack magic is Shock. Shock is invisible, so it doesn’t feel like a magic battle.
Krimlock seems to be quite attached to Barbatos and is talking to him about various things. Barbatos is responding as if he’s being admired by a junior. That’s probably due to his long experience in the Knights Order. The other members of the Village wouldn’t be like this.
While watching the two of them from behind, we move outside the town. It’s not a big city, so there’s no toll to enter or exit.
“Then, shall we start?”
“I don’t mind.”
I don’t know what level they are, but I’ll be cautious to avoid injuries.
“Don’t interfere, okay?”
I warned Houryuu, who is in the shadows, in a low voice. He probably heard me.
“I’m Cecilia. Please, take the first move.”
“I’m Cladfield. Then, I won’t hold back. Ice Bullet.”
I create and fire about three fist-sized ice projectiles. The Magic Core contained in ‘ES-A11-B’ has the attribute of ice. It’s versatile and suitable for catching prey, so it’s very convenient.
“Ice attribute!? That’s rare! Rise up! Flame! Fire Tornado!”
She saw the ice magic and chose fire to intercept it.
“Go!”
The ice projectiles charge into the fire vortex. All three are swallowed by the vortex and melt.
“Blow away my enemies! Fireball!”
“Barrier.”
Now it’s their attack. A fireball spell. It’s orthodox, but it’s a versatile and convenient spell.
I create a Barrier from a distance and block the magic.
“Ice Bind.”
I strike the ground with the staff, and ice meanders along the ground.
“While creating a wall?! Rise up! Flame! Fire Tornado!”
“Too bad.”
The ice bypasses the fire vortex she created. Vortex-type magic has a wider range the farther it is from the ground, so the area near the ground has a narrow effective range.
“Tch, Earth! Devour the threat approaching me! Stone Hound!”
“Oh.”
As if a mouth appeared on the ground, it opened and devoured my magic.
“Two attributes, fire and earth, huh?”
Moreover, both spells are fast to cast and have solid power. But earth is troublesome. I’ll create a Barrier parallel to the ground and ride on top of it.
“Levitation…? No, is he riding on something?”
“It’s the wall magic I showed you earlier. I can’t have the ground manipulated.”
“It seems like showing the earth magic was too early.”
It seems they had some magic to damage me. If the caster is skilled, earth attribute magic can affect the very ground beneath your feet.
Barbatos is also an earth magic user, but she doesn’t have that much influence. However, she’s troublesome because she also manipulates the earth while launching close-range attacks.
“Ice Bullet.”
“That’s the same as before! Eh?”
“Can you stop it? If you can’t, I’ll stop here.”
My ice projectiles are created to surround Cecilia-san. There are twenty of them. You can’t defend against it unless you have magic that can defend in all directions.
“…I give up, I surrender.”
“Yes, thank you.”
“Haa, a complete defeat. You were strong.”
I’ve been doing magic battles since before I was born. Well, magic battles in the Unified Space Force era had solid defense and healing, so they were more violent.
“Wonderful, as expected of Barbatos-sama’s disciple.”
“Ho, ho, ho!”
“It seems we don’t need healing either.”
“I’m fine.”
“I’m alright.”
So, that’s the end of our turn, and now it’s Barbatos and Krimlock’s mock battle turn.
As they clash with their wooden swords, Barbatos naturally takes the defensive, and Krimlock takes the offensive.
In terms of swordsmanship alone, I’m better than Mr. Volks, the Young Lady’s guard leader. Well, even so, I’m still no match for Barbatos. Oh, she’s started using Body Enhancement Magic too.
Even so, Barbatos seems to be enjoying herself.
…Ah, come to think of it, there aren’t many people around here who can handle a sword properly. My sword is different from a Knight’s; it’s a sword for killing Monsters, and Beatrice-san doesn’t have the talent for swords, so she’s swinging a halberd, or so I’ve heard.
They’ve been exchanging blows for a surprisingly long time for a sword fight, and in the end, Barbatos won.
She’s got such a cool face. She’s like that even in a Mock Battle with me, you know?