◈Episode 116 To a distant land (10)
【…Is that true?】
【Yes. Fortunately, thanks to the barrier, I can’t seem to find the location of this place, but… I think they probably followed the traces of the delegation.】 【
…Uselessly sharp guys.】
【The hunters erased most of the traces, so they won’t find it anytime soon. .】
A quest smell is a smell, and if you don’t understand the situation, you can’t do it. Looking at the Archmage’s serious face, it seems like even if something exploded, it exploded firmly.
【Is it impossible to send out warriors to deal with it?】
【There are a lot of them. If your goal is annihilation rather than expulsion, you will need to send out most of the village’s warriors.】
【…The guest here now is the chieftain of Bigabol. If you take out most of the warriors, you will definitely notice. We must make sure that he does not know about this.】
【What should we do…】
【Does the chief know about this?】
【Since you are chatting with guests, I am reporting this to the priest first.】
【I see. I will deliver it to the Chief. You gather all the hunters in the village. Even warriors sing only in a way that customers won’t notice.】
【Yes!】
Oh, I don’t know, hehe. I’ll explain it to you at the end of the conversation anyway, so you should be happy right now.
I sipped my tea calmly. Does it smell good or does it taste good? Anyway, it’s delicious. If you tell me you’re giving this away, I’d like to get some.
“Jatabra. “It looks like things are going well.”
When the second cup of tea was almost empty, the Archmage whispered softly. Of course, I came up with a proper noun that I didn’t know because it didn’t seem to be a verb.
“The Jatav are a tribe as powerful as the Bigabol. It is also the tribe that has elected the most warchiefs. “As far as I know, it’s because of them that the residents of the Great Forest tend to be closed-minded.”
It’s really fortunate that the Archmage provides an explanation every time. I couldn’t bring myself to refill it and just absentmindedly drilled the basic knowledge into my brain.
“But they were discovered near the village at this time. “Whether it is to reduce their power or to disrupt the alliance, they must have been conscious of Katina.”
So, whether you notice it or not, you’re using force to disrupt it, right? The power struggle is fierce.
“As expected, I should have left the village earlier.”
I also agree with that opinion. There is no limit to saving people, but cleaning up after them is too much of a hassle. It’s not that they aren’t pitiful, but they also have no desire to get involved in other people’s power struggles.
“But the biggest problem is….”
“…?”
Without knowing why, I looked at the Archmage who was staring at me blankly.
What why what? What did I do? Don’t count people out for saving people. Don’t count people out for saving people!
“Drink more.”
Oh thanks.
I was worried, so I drank some extra tea, which I couldn’t bear to drink. it’s good.
“People from abroad.”
At that time, the priest who had been talking to someone outside for a while turned to look at us. The quest has arrived. Because this was something I had experienced so often, I waited for her to say something with a calm feeling.
“Please help me.”
An earnest but not servile request flowed out along with the priest’s bent waist.
“I understand how you feel, but that’s impossible.”
“I know it’s a shameless request. “The warrior who killed the Green River, your power is desperately needed.”
“We are outsiders. “What would you hear if a foreigner intervened in Katina?”
Fortunately, the Archmage defended everything. The priest’s lips were chewed between his white teeth. I believe it’s not because we’re annoyed, but because we’re nervous.
“That’s…”
【Priest Jatav guys have mobilized Jahukaya!】
“…!”
Another person burst in and shouted. The priest’s yellow skin became as pale as snow.
“A snake that eats light…?”
The Archmage’s expression also became subtle. It wasn’t the face that heard something dangerous, but the face that said ‘what is that?’ I guess there’s something that guy doesn’t know either.
“Let’s go first. Please forget my request and rest comfortably here. 【Makaca, you will remain here and serve the guests.】”
The priest quickly retreated with the hunters. The girl who was assisting the priest was tossing around the tea cups spread out in front of us and the bundle of tea leaves in the corner.
“Would you like some more of that tea?”
Did you know how to say this too?
“What is Jahukaya?”
The Archmage asked a question while I was getting more tea that had halved. The girl opened her eyes wide and scratched her head with her free hand.
“I’m not used to this language.”
【This language is also good.】
【Then let me tell you. Jahukaya is a snake as its name suggests. I eat light.】
[Light? Are you talking about living by doing something like photosynthesis?】
【No, not that light…】
The girl spread her free hand wide and laid her palm down so that it was level with the ground. Soon a halo of light appeared on the palm of his hand.
【This kind of light, or magic power, is consumed.】
The Archmage stood up suddenly.
“We have to catch the demon knight!”
What do you say about a topic that only they know? That guy seems to think I’m a multilingual person like him. It’s not.
* * *
From what I heard, the Jatavs are said to be breeding snakes that eat magical energy.
It’s not that old, it’s been a few months. I don’t know how they ended up breeding snakes like that, but from our perspective, it’s like catching a snake.
Because I’ve found a replacement for the snake I killed.
“Catch only one fish, not five.”
hey. Aren’t there usually two after one? Can you inflate it by five times?
While I was thinking that, I wondered if this was right.
Is it right to secretly catch a magic snake even though you said you wouldn’t be involved in a power struggle? And you’re asking me, who specializes in head-on attacks, not Dev, who specializes in sneak attacks and theft?
“It is said that Jatav cares for the Jahukayas very much. If we miss this opportunity, we may have to go to Jatav’s base.”
However, it’s not like I don’t know why the Archmage acts like that.
It’s easier to fill in with your body rather than participate in a conversation.
I eventually took off my coat and put on the leather poncho and hood given to me by Makaka – the girl the priest had left behind.
Even though racial differences due to the number of arms were bound to be noticed, there was no need to show the faces.
I put down all my weapons for fear of being identified. The machete you gave me here will be my only weapon. I wonder if I’ll ever use this because I’m not familiar with it.
“These are my priest’s clothes, so please spare them as much as possible…”
Makaka, who had given me the clothes, asked with a face on the verge of tears. In fact, the priest willingly handed it over even though he said he would only dispose of the snake.
Since I am serving you, I guess there are a lot of things to worry about.
“Please.”
If your child asks you to save him, you have to save him.
I passed the warriors waiting near the outer wall.
As their movements can determine the location of the village, they are preparing for the worst situation within the barrier that blocks the village.
Hunters? I heard that the hunters were leaving through the back road. Are you going to lure me in?
This also runs the risk of revealing their location, but it can’t be helped. It is foolish to only consider the future and miss the present.
【If you go out there, there will be a barrier!】
But that’s their situation. I thought endlessly about what I could do and then made a decision.
And when I was about 10 meters away from the boundary line, I braced my feet.
Magic power gathered in my legs.
【What are you trying to do—!】
Boom!
The earth cried slightly and my body floated into the air. A dark-colored poncho spread from side to side like a falcon’s wings.
【…!】
For reference, although this was a story from a few days ago, the Inquisitor was not the only one who got the idea for a special lecture on the differences between the Archmage’s divine power and magical power.
I also got quite an idea. Even those who realized why the original technology came out in that form rather than how to use it.
But that doesn’t mean it’s meaningless. Once I was clearly aware of it, I was able to make it more easily.
【Black…trajectory in the air….】
Thanks to this, I was able to try something like this.
For example, not just spreading magical energy on the body, but spreading magical energy in a spiral around the surroundings?
【Hey, don’t you think the sound is coming from somewhere?】
【Then Serhan’s base is really around here─】
【What is that!】 I
don’t know if this is a good way to use it. I don’t think that’s the case.
Even though it has become easier, this scale still requires headache-inducing calculations, and since the magic power is expressed externally, it does not affect actual physical abilities. In other words, if you want to increase your physical abilities, you need to use more magical power.
It didn’t even produce the same amount of attack power as the magic power used. This can be roughly explained if the magic consumption is at the level of Bombard, but the power is not much different from that of the Stinger.
But… it’s still okay. Since the body was strengthened with magical power, there was a way to surround it on the outside of the body as well.
I haven’t tested the defense performance yet, but I’ve made something that looks like a shield. It can also be used in an offensive manner.
I tried it once in the past, but it didn’t work out—at the time, I didn’t know that making noodles was difficult, so I tried it in the form of noodles—but it’s much better than throwing it away.
As long as you create something, there is room for development.
【It’s a pear snake!】
More than anything, just looking at this is cool.
The jet-black energy covering the rushing body is shaped like a spiral, pointed at the front and long at the back. What wouldn’t be cool? Even his face and entire body are covered by magical power.
【Save me!】
【Aaaah!】
Oh, there was no need to change clothes at this point, right? Umm. I guess it doesn’t really matter. But when it comes to clothes, I feel like I forgot something!
I forgot to mention the sealing sphere. I’ll have to say it again when I get back later. Don’t forget this time!
However, Seongin-gu can only speak when his work is finally done. I shot among the warriors located less than 100 meters away from the village.
They were easy to tell because they were covered in red mud. As soon as I appeared, they started screaming and jumping around in all directions.
I don’t know where that damn snake called ‘Jahukaya’ is.
【Come back, whoosh! Whoosh!]
But I was able to find Jahukaya surprisingly quickly. Even if you don’t know Jahukaya’s appearance, it was easy for the snake trainer to distinguish it.
Moreover, they too are rushing to retrieve the snake in an attempt to escape. I easily recognized their location and rushed there.
【Ouch!】
As I said before, the attack power of this technique is miserable compared to the magic power used.
In the case of a direct hit, grass or thin tree branches will be torn to shreds, but even if it is a tree trunk or a human body, only a scratch will be made. Of course, the scratches are a bit deeper and more numerous, but whatever.
In fact, it seems that the knockback, or pushing back force, is stronger than that type of attack power. The trainer was thrown aside.
The snake almost jumped out, but somehow I caught it. The kid’s skin is a little… tattered, but he’s still alive, so it’s okay, right? Haha.
I ran around in all directions, holding my head tightly to prevent the snake from biting me. I was very fortunate that my hands were relatively large in proportion to my height. Two snakes were caught in one hand.
【Retreat! Retreat!】
【The black is a black snake. It’s a black snake…! It’s a snake that flies like the wind!】
At this point, I had caught a total of four snakes and had less than 1/5 of my magic power left.
I ran to a deserted place to avoid the dispersed Jatav warriors—I was worried that they might have noticed that I deliberately drove them to the other side of the village.
After strengthening my body once, my body jumped several meters and landed tens of meters away in a parabola.
The remnants of the magical energy that surrounded me remained like a long tail in the air and then disappeared.
bang!
Of course, that wasn’t all.
Is it because I intentionally used a ground crash when landing? The earth roared and cried loudly.
A nearby tree was slightly broken, a bush was torn, the ground was cracked, or something like that.
For reference, this trail was intentionally set a bit far away from where Serhang’s main base was located. So, even if the Jatav warriors come and investigate later, there won’t be any damage over there…?
First of all, I was careful not to leave any traces at the departure point.
You won’t go, right?
Well, it’s already over. I wonder if I may have caused more damage, but the warriors were all kicked out without any bloodshed. I returned with that thought in mind.
The path was a bit confusing because there was forest on both the front, back, and sides, but I felt like I had a vague idea of the direction based on the traces of my running.
【My benefactor…!】
Some of the village hunters and the priest came running out in person.
I threw the snakes at the Archmage sitting on one side.
Although they managed to avoid fainting, the snakes stumbled in a state of death or dizziness. There are hunters around, so you won’t miss it.
【Just now…】
Ah, if I had known it would end up like this, I would have just left without putting on any clothes. Just a joke for no reason.
【What on earth just happened…】
I unbuttoned the poncho hood with one hand. It would have been difficult to take it off if there had been a hole in the fabric without a button, but I was very fortunate to be able to undo it with a button.
Swish.
Thanks to you, I can get rid of it like this.
I returned the hood I borrowed from the priest and picked up the mateche that I hadn’t even taken out. It too flew by and landed in the hand of a hunter who was lined up somewhere else.
The hunter, who had been dazed, was startled and grabbed the machete. If he hadn’t thrown it with the sheath, I think he would have cut his hand.
Anyway, here I make eye contact with the Archmage for the last time and ask.
“Is it not enough?”
“No, it’s okay.”
Okay, the ending was perfect.