Chapter 10: The Twilight Clan – 06
The second night of our journey passed without incident.
Camping out was as comfortable as usual, and it seemed that Mariane was quite surprised by that aspect.
As for the Grand Viper incident, it appears that adventurers who can store as much in their Item Box as I can are quite rare. Since the storage capacity depends on Strength and Stamina skills, there may indeed be few adventurers who meet those conditions.
Of course, the presence of Freinir’s Barrier and Sfenia’s Elemental Magic also played a significant role.
“With this, we can spend the night anywhere as if we were in an inn, thanks to Soul’s Guidance. This will be extremely advantageous for large-scale dungeon raids or long-term missions,” she assured me. Recently, I had managed to gather a decent amount of income, so it seems my choice of quality bedding was also appreciated.
However, trouble arose on the third day.
As we walked along the gently sloping road, we noticed about twenty travelers stopped at the top of a hill. Three wagons were visible, but the horses tied to them appeared frightened, suggesting that something lay beyond the hill.
From a distance, we could hear the sounds of clashing swords and what seemed to be growls. Mariane turned to me and said, “It seems that adventurers are fighting a monster beyond that hill. There had been a monster extermination request in this area, so it’s possible that the creature has come onto the road.”
“In that case, should the adventurers passing by offer assistance?” I asked.
“Generally, it’s best not to intervene unless they request help. There can be disputes over the distribution of rewards,” she replied.
“I see. Either way, let’s head over there and take a look.”
We hurried up the hill, and on the other side, we found a gentle descent.
At the bottom of that slope, we indeed saw adventurers facing off against a monster. It was a party of four, and from a distance, it appeared to consist of one man and three women.
The monster, on the other hand, was a massive six-legged lizard. Its tail was short and stout, but its overall length was about fifteen meters. Its body was covered in red scales, giving it an unmistakable aura of a fire-breathing creature.
“Indeed, it’s the Salamander that was mentioned in the extermination request. However, it’s considerably larger than the information suggested. If that party accepted the request based on the original details, they might be in a bit of trouble,” Mariane expressed her concern.
As she feared, it seemed that the swords and naginata wielded by the front-line fighters were not inflicting sufficient damage. The ice javelins cast by the back-line mage appeared to be of C-class caliber, but even if ten of them hit, they only managed to scrape the creature’s scales.
The adventurer party’s movements were coordinated and showed a decent level of skill. However, as Mariane pointed out, the monster was clearly stronger than expected.
Suddenly, flames erupted from the Salamander’s entire body. The massive lizard, engulfed in fire, charged straight toward the party. Despite its size, it moved with surprising speed, likely due to its six legs.
As we watched, the party began to run away in our direction. Naturally, the Salamander pursued them, causing panic among the many civilians nearby.
“Wait, are they idiots?” Larni exclaimed, her words as blunt as ever, but I couldn’t help but agree.
However, noticing the civilians, one of the female adventurers in the front line shouted something and stopped to brace herself against the Salamander. It was clear that this was a reckless decision.
“Sfenia, use magic and arrows to hold it back. Freinir, prepare to heal. Larni, if I miss, I’ll need you to hold it off,” I instructed.
“Understood, Ice Javelin!” Sfenia responded.
“Yes, Soushi-sama,” Freinir affirmed.
“Okay!” Larni chimed in.
As I dashed forward, ten ice javelins struck the Salamander. They were clearly more powerful than the previous mage’s spells, causing the Salamander to screech in pain and halt its charge.
As I ran, I passed by the fleeing adventurers, three of whom looked like young boys and girls. They were so focused on escaping that they didn’t seem to hear my warning to stay away.
Turning my attention back to the Salamander, I saw the remaining female adventurer attacking with her naginata. She landed a blow to its head, but was sent flying by a fiery counterattack.
The Salamander turned its head toward the fallen adventurer, clearly intent on devouring her. But just then, an arrow struck its head, momentarily halting its movements. In that brief moment, I finally reached the Salamander’s front.
The massive lizard turned its blazing eyes toward me. With all my strength, I brought my weapon down upon its forehead.