Chapter 115: Silence Territory
Next, I visited the Oldam Maso Academy Men’s Dormitory to recruit Hunters, but Hiroki and the others weren’t there.
Apparently, just like me, they’d earned ten times the evaluation points and graduated.
According to Mr. Owen, a monster activity period had arrived in the Silence Territory, and Hiroki had gotten enthusiastic about it and headed there.
The war is over, so Mr. Owen probably headed there too.
“Hmm… I’m a little concerned about this.”
“Will it be alright…? I’m a bit worried.”
“Indeed. I’d like to say there’s nothing to worry about, but the main force of the formidable Silence army is, by calculation, still absent… If it’s not an abnormal activity period like the last one in Oldam, it should be fine, though.”
Riana-san, our source of information, also said it sounded risky, so I asked Yuri, “Shall we go check it out secretly?”
“Secretly? Can we do that?”
“We can!”
“That sounds quite suspicious.”
“Yes… I think it would be difficult…”
Hey, come on now!
Even Yukina-san, who has barely joined our conversations lately…
I only use as much of my basic power as necessary, when it’s necessary, you know?
Though it’s a different story when Yuri is in a pinch.
And so, Yuri and I flew from Oldam, passed over the Royal Capital, and set foot in the Silence Territory, located northeast of Lestall.
We’re forbidden from contacting Lestall nobles, so for now, I figured we’d just observe, as long as the number of monsters isn’t abnormal.
With that in mind, we flew over the town of Silence and headed towards a forest surrounded by mountains.
This place seemed to be just outside the Dungeon’s range, and apparently, monsters frequently spawned even at the foot of the mountains.
The forest was overflowing with monsters, so much so that it was visible even from above.
“This is… quite a sight.”
“Ah, yeah. It’s definitely not small-scale.”
Even though a considerable number were scattering from the forest, the density within the forest itself was also high.
“They look weak, so shall we go down and fight a bit?”
“Yes. From the looks of it, a Knight could probably handle several of them. An advanced Knight could likely fight normally even if surrounded.”
Oh… If she can analyze their strength to that extent just by looking from above, maybe we don’t need to fight.
That’s what I thought, but she looked eager.
Well, since no one’s around, we can go all out, and reducing their numbers would be a good thing.
“Alright, let’s do this,” I said as we landed and faced the monsters.
Their types were varied. There were at least four different kinds just within sight.
Orc-types, two kinds of plant-types, and also something like a giant weasel…
“Well, if I use this, it won’t matter,” I thought, taking out my Laser Gun, but Yuri-chan was looking at me with her lips slightly pursed.
“Wh-what’s wrong?”
“Why don’t we fight like this until it gets troublesome? Using only that is a bit dull…”
She said, creating a Maso Sword.
“Oh, you’re right. We only came to see if things were dangerous this time, so shall we have some fun?”
“Yes!”
Yuri’s voice was so cheerful it almost had musical notes attached. Just hearing that made me glad we came, and I too donned my Maso and extended my sword.
By then, Yuri had already started charging into the monster horde.
Normally, in our usual coordination, I’d provide magic support here, but for now, I read the mood and followed her as a vanguard.
“Haaah!!”
“Soiyaa!!”
Following Yuri, who let out a spirited cry, I also shouted as I fully extended my sword and swung it sideways with all my might.
It was an open area, but I extended it too far and ended up cutting down several trees.
Whoa, I’ve gotten strong enough to easily chop down a bunch of trees.
I was feeling quite impressed with myself, but for some reason, Yuri looked at me and chuckled.
Huh? What was that? That smile… it was adorable, but it seemed to have some hidden meaning.
Noticing my gaze, Yuri spoke while still fighting.
“Your kiai hasn’t changed, has it?”
“O-oh. Should I change it?”
“No. It’s fine for Rui to stay as Rui, you know?”
I didn’t quite understand the reason, so I felt a little unconvinced, but I was happy she wanted me to stay as I am, so I simply agreed.
Just then, a new type of monster appeared, and I saw it conjuring a magic circle. I moved diagonally to Yuri and expanded a barrier with my Maso.
However, the barrier proved meaningless as poisonous-looking vines suddenly shot up from below and attacked.
“Rui!!” Yuri cried out, likely worried because of their venomous appearance.
But even though they were attacking, they were slow, and as long as I didn’t touch them, they were just vines.
I could probably cut them down easily just by manipulating my Maso.
No, wait, if I used a sword, there are so many, it might be tough.
“I want that unusual magic. Hey, can I try to get it?”
“R-Rui? Judging by the color, that’s poison, you know?”
“Yeah. It’s fine, I know. I’m confident I absolutely won’t get hit, and if anything happens, I’ll drink an Elixir.”
“Oh… I guess it can’t be helped. I’ll take care of everything around us, so please handle it carefully, okay?”
Whoa, she’ll even cover for me. As expected of my wife.
That said, handling all these numbers would be tough, so I scattered a fifty-shot Light Magic to reduce the enemies before making my request.
“Muu, if Rui is next to me, it’s not good training.”
“Huh? No, come on, it’s fine to thin them out a bit in this situation, right?”
I mean, I’m selfishly leaving the surroundings to her.
While having this exchange, I restrained the plant-type monster, trying to make it use its magic again, and we were in a staring contest.
“I understand. It’s a luxurious problem to have, wanting to be entrusted with more but my husband being too overprotective.”
H-Husband?!
Uwaah, I want to see Yuri’s face right now. She definitely looks adorable.
But I can’t take my eyes off this thing that uses poison magic.
Damn it, you weed bastard!
Use your magic already!!
That’s what I thought, but it was just struggling desperately to escape my restraints.
Because I hadn’t replied to Yuri for a while, her slightly anxious voice echoed from behind, “R-Rui?”
“No, I’m not being overprotective, okay? I was just thinking that since I’m leaving all the work to you, this much is only natural.”
“Oh, was that it? I thought maybe I got carried away and you were put off…”
“No, no, you weren’t getting carried away at all! You’re going to be my bride, you know!?”
“Rui’s bride. Ehehe, that has a happy ring to it…”
Muuu. Why are we in the middle of a battle when the mood is this good?
Please, let’s have these moments in our room. Seriously.
Just as I was making that wish, the plant-type monster used its magic again.
It was a considerably complex magic circle. It might even be more difficult than Light Magic.
It’s just magic that grows poisonous plants and makes them attack, right?
No, on second thought, that involves quite a few steps. Considering its effect, it seems appropriate.
Hmm. Could it be that for monsters, magic difficulty isn’t related to their strength?
While continuing to think, I nullified the magic and also attempted to copy it, but as expected, it was difficult to do in one go.
“Yuri, as expected, I couldn’t do it in one try. Can I wait for it to cast magic two or three more times?”
“No problem. Rui, please focus on that.”
And so, just when I had completed the imitation to a point where I could say it was almost perfect, my enhanced hearing barely picked up shouts in the distance.
It didn’t sound tragic, so it was probably what you’d call battle cries.
“Rui! Did you notice!?”
“Yeah, I’m done here, so let’s go check it out.”
So, I slashed at it with my Laser Gun, but the monster didn’t die. It was enduring it like an Orc King.
Immediately after, while thrashing about, the injured part regenerated.
It felt more like it regrew it rather than using Healing Magic.
Either way, unlike the small fry around here, this was a pretty strong type of monster.
Is this thing a Boss-class after all?
For that, its strength was weak enough to be held down by Maso… As I was thinking that, the plant-type monster scattered poison magic circles over a wide area.
A considerable number of magic circles were being created over an area wider than my full power could cover.
Huh?!
Whoa, this is bad.
I can manage with my Maso, but Yuri is in danger.
I ran to Yuri’s side, enveloped her with my Maso, forming a sphere with space inside.
Then, I created a balloon on top of the sphere and ascended into the sky.
After that, I made the Maso transparent and looked down, and the entire area had turned a poisonous color.
Apparently, it also affected animal-type monsters, and a scene of them being indiscriminately attacked and slowly dying unfolded.
“Uwaah… I see. So it was a Boss specialized in that magic…”
So it was toying with us too, huh.
“It seems it can continuously keep growing those. Considering the case where just touching them is harmful, it might have been dangerous if it dragged on.”
“Thank you,” she said with a somewhat dejected look. I pulled her close and smiled, saying, “As a man, I’m proud I could protect Yuri.” Her expression, though slightly troubled, broke into a grin.
“Well then, if we burn everything, we won’t get any materials, so shall we just snipe its Magic Stone from afar and finish it quickly?”
She tilted her head and asked, “Can you see the Magic Stone?” I figured if I cleared away all the leaves at once, I should be able to see it, so I blasted it with Light Magic for a moment, and there was a large Magic Stone attached to a somewhat buff, muscular-looking stem.
Since we’re in a safe zone anyway, shall I try out the new equipment?
I’ve only tested it in a small version, but it should be fine. I moved away and landed on the shore, created the new weapon, and firmly fixed it to the ground.
Its size is about five meters. Compared to a cannon, it’s not that big.
“What is that? It looks like a Gun, but the barrel is strange…”
“Yeah. It’s a new weapon. This is its first unveiling, but I’ve tested it a few times in a smaller version, and it seems to work.”
She’s watching with great interest, saying “Ooh,” but Monsters are approaching, so I want to hurry.
I’m also a little curious about those guys fighting in the distance.
“Well then, shall we get straight to the Railgun’s debut!”
Yuri swiftly annihilated the approaching small fry with her Laser Gun, and during that time, I continued to aim carefully.
“I can fire this anytime, so once you’re stable, fall back. I’ll fire while falling back too.”
“Is it dangerous?”
“No, just in case. Well, it is a very dangerous weapon, after all.”
There’s a chance fragments might fly off due to structural strength issues, so just in case, I should stay diagonally opposite Yuri.
It’s my Maso, so there’s no danger to me.
And so, Yuri got ready, and as she leaped far back with a big backstep, I activated the lightning magic.
An explosion occurred along with an effect of crackling lightning, and a small cloud of dust rose.
When I checked with my telescope to see if it hit as aimed, the Monster was lying prone on the ground.
“Alright, looks like I defeated it.”
“Amazing! As expected of Rui! Well then, once we’ve collected it, shall we go towards where we heard that voice earlier?”
“It sounded like they were just normally fighting, but I’m certainly curious,” I said. Agreeing to that, we first headed to retrieve the Monster’s remains, and there, a cracked Magic Stone on par with an Ogre King’s was lying there.
“No way, to think it was really at this level… No, considering that magic, it could be said to be appropriate, though…”
“I thought so too. It means that even with low physical abilities, one can be this strong in some cases.”
And so, while Yuri and I were learning our lessons, I had Yuri absorb the Magic Stone, I stored the materials, and we ran towards where the voice came from.