Chapter 6: Escort Request and Undead Extermination 02
After walking for about fifteen minutes, I sensed a reaction from my Presence Detection. There were seven of them ahead in the forest, and they seemed to be heading our way. While the number was quite significant, it was likely due to Larni’s skill.
“There are a lot of them. Freinir, prepare your Divine Light.”
“Understood.”
Freinir entered a state of Mental Concentration. Lady Hofena stood beside her, and I positioned myself to protect them both. Larni would act as our skirmisher.
The rustling sound of movement filtered through the trees, gradually growing louder as the creatures approached.
“I can use magic.”
“Not yet… not yet… now!”
The forest was enveloped in light, and a deep groan echoed from various directions. The Unicorn Rabbits must have realized they were being weakened. Nevertheless, they did not cease their advance. Rabbits, about the size of medium-sized dogs, with long horns protruding from their foreheads, leaped out from the underbrush one after another.
“This is what they call a feeding frenzy!”
Larni activated Swift Run, expertly severing the heads of the rabbits. Thanks to the effect of her Vital Strike skill, she dispatched them all in a single blow.
Two of the creatures charged at me. I swung my mace, but instead of smashing them, I caught them by their horns with both hands. Thanks to my Grasp skill, no matter how much they thrashed, the horns remained firmly in my grip. I slammed their bodies against the tree trunk, silencing them for good.
“Wow, to think I could collect seven horns at once!”
Lady Hofena was practically dancing with excitement. Despite the dangerous situation, she seemed unfazed.
“Hmm? Soushi, I think there are more.”
Larni twitched her nose again. According to Lady Hofena, such a large number shouldn’t have appeared… Just as I was pondering this, I sensed another reaction from my Presence Detection.
This time, there were six creatures, but one of them had a notably strong presence. A boss, perhaps, or a rare variant.
“Freinir, can you unleash another Divine Light?”
“I can. Leave it to me.”
The rustling grew closer. Five of them were in front, while the special one lingered at the back.
“Larni, there’s one different creature at the rear. It might be a strong variant. Stay alert.”
“Got it. Can I leave it to you, Soushi?”
“Yeah, I’ll handle it.”
“I can use magic.”
Freinir’s words coincided with the first creature leaping out.
“Go!”
The surroundings were enveloped in light. The first creature that jumped out was already decapitated by Larni.
The remaining four charged forward, but their movements were sluggish due to the weakening. Once they were all dealt with, Larni moved behind me to guard Lady Hofena. Her movements were impressive.
The special creature emerged from between the trees. It was a large rabbit, about the size of a large dog, with two horns on its forehead.
“Bicorn Rabbit! A rare species! Secure its horns!”
Lady Hofena shouted with delight. Was she simply brave, or was she just eager for medicinal materials?
The Bicorn Rabbit fixed its red eyes on me and charged with incredible speed. If it was this strong even while weakened, it must have been a formidable foe in its prime.
I firmly grasped both horns with my hands as it charged at me. The force nearly drove the horns into me, but my Steel Body skill prevented any injury.
“Hmph!”
I twisted the horns sideways. The Bicorn Rabbit had some strength, but it was no match for my brute force, and it flipped over completely.
In that instant, I twisted the horns in the opposite direction, and with a sickening crack, the bones in the Bicorn Rabbit’s neck broke. Its body twitched once before falling still.
“I did it! Soushi, you’re amazing! We can make so many potions now, and even from the Bicorn… I can’t believe this is happening!”
Lady Hofena took Freinir’s hand and began dancing with joy. Freinir blinked in surprise, exclaiming, “Huh!? Huh!?” The dance continued until Larni, with a wry smile, intervened to stop it.
“Thank you so much for today. I’ve never had such a wonderful day before. Please let me request your services again!”
After completing the request at the guild, Lady Hofena took my hands in hers, brimming with excitement.
“Ah… I think today was just a series of fortunate coincidences…”
While I said that, I suspected that this incident was likely a combination of my Bad Luck skill and Larni’s God of Plague skill. If another request came in the future, perhaps it would become clearer.
“Thank you, Freinir and Larni. You both were incredible. I believe this party will become famous. Keep up the good work!”
With those words, Lady Hofena left, carrying her spoils (twelve horns plus two rare ones). I couldn’t help but worry if she’d be able to return to the Apothecary Guild in such a high-spirited state.
“Soushi, I’ve completed the paperwork here as well. The escort request is now officially concluded.”
Mariane’s voice came from behind me.
“Ah, thank you. It was a valuable experience.”
“Also, the appraisal of the Skill Orb has been completed. It is indeed the Jump skill.”
In fact, we had obtained a Skill Orb from the Bicorn Rabbit. For this request, Lady Hofena had agreed to buy all the horns, but we were free to do as we pleased with everything else.
“Understood. We’ll use it.”
“You really have incredible luck, Soushi. I’ve never seen a party acquire two Skill Orbs in such a short time.”
“Yeah, I feel like we tend to encounter rare monsters.”
After receiving the Skill Orb, I called out to Freinir and Larni, and we left the guild.
“Now, the question is who will use this Skill Orb…”
Once we returned to the inn, I gathered the two of them in my room to discuss.
“You said it was called Jump. What kind of skill is it?”
Larni asked, her eyes sparkling as she gazed at the Skill Orb in my hand.
“It seems to be a skill that allows you to jump higher. However, if you jump too high, you might take damage upon landing.”
“Hmm. But it would definitely be useful. It would allow us to attack monsters at higher elevations.”
“Exactly. Considering our combat styles, I think it would be best for Larni to use it. What do you think?”
“I agree with what Soushi says.”
Freinir responded immediately, but I hoped she wasn’t just blindly agreeing with me…
Larni perked up her ears and looked at me.
“Wait, is that okay!? You defeated it!”
“It’s only natural to enhance our party’s strength. This skill doesn’t suit my combat style, and I believe it would be much more effective when combined with Swift Run. It’s optimal for you to use it.”
“In that case, I want to use it!”
Larni wagged her tail excitedly and took the Skill Orb from my hand.
“How do I use it?”
“It seems you just need to hold the orb and wish for the skill.”
Larni grasped the Skill Orb and closed her eyes. Her body trembled slightly, indicating she had successfully acquired the skill.
“Oh, the skill is coming in! …Yes, with this, I can fight in various ways. Thank you, Soushi!”
Larni’s tail was wagging vigorously from side to side. It was clear she was thrilled to gain a rare skill, as she sought power.
“I’ll make sure Freinir gets a good skill too, so please wait until then.”
“Yes. Thank you, Soushi.”
I made sure to keep an eye on Freinir. She seemed to be quite sensitive, and I didn’t want her to feel overlooked.
As Freinir’s expression relaxed, Larni poked her shoulder playfully.
“Freinir, didn’t you have something you wanted to ask Soushi?”
“Huh? No, not really…”
“Really? You wanted to ask about Lady Hofena, didn’t you?”
“…!? Well, that’s… um…”
Freinir looked down, fidgeting nervously. Larni was grinning at her reaction.
“Is there something you want to ask? Don’t hesitate to say it.”
“…Well, I was just wondering if Soushi-sama likes someone like Lady Hofena…”
“Lady Hofena?”
“I thought… maybe you liked her. You were watching her closely when she was gathering herbs…”
“Huh…?”
Ah, so that gaze was interpreted that way. I suppose young girls are sensitive to such things. It makes sense that they’d feel uneasy if the party leader was infatuated with a beautiful elf.
“I was just observing how she gathered the herbs. I wasn’t interested in her personally.”
“Is that so…?”
“While I do think she’s beautiful, that doesn’t mean I have feelings for her or anything like that.”
“Well, that’s good to hear, Freinir.”
“That’s a relief…”
Freinir visibly relaxed, her expression one of genuine relief.
“The most important people to me right now are the two members of my party, so I won’t let my feelings stray elsewhere.”
With that said, I hoped she wouldn’t worry about anything else from now on.
“Most important… I’m so happy to hear that.”
“Hmm, that wasn’t too bad… I think?”
I couldn’t quite gauge their reactions, but I hoped that our party’s bond had strengthened just a little.