Chapter 29 – Encounter with Guards (1/2)

I forgot to upload it, sorry, and this new gdrive has got many bugs, my editor edited the chapter but it didn’t update itself and he had to redo it. Even when I use it sometimes, it crashes all of a sudden.

Chapter 29 – Encounter with Guards

Danger area of rank D『Crimson Forest』.

The demons which appeared were not much different from the ones inside the labyrinth. In fact, their levels were low but they come out in large numbers, so it was annoying.

Well, it wasn’t like they always attacked even if we happened to come across them, ignoring the small demons generally more would immediately leave to some place. Even then numbers ain’t low,

we weren’t killing every one of them, but mostly we kill one of them and let others run in fright. Most run with just that.

Frankly, fighting each and every one of them would be troublesome. Once again, the numbers ain’t low.

And……there are many demons in this forest which I hesitate to kill.

Rabbit with horns『Horn Rabbit』or squirrel about the size of a puppy『Trifartel』 ……there are many demons who are cute. They would be on the level one would keep on staring them if they were to be sold in a pet shop.

If you want to laugh then laugh. Even though I’m like this, I love cute, since the previous life. Plush toys too.

However, a part of the demons were exceptions. I’m hunting them proactively.

Like the demons whose raw materials can be sold for high prices, or those who can used as a meat and were needed.

In my case, my policy was to tear the needed parts of demons, those which can be eaten would be used as food.

As an example,『Ignite Boar』is a pig-like carnivorous brutal demon. Its meat could be considered as a high-grade item, so good to eat, good for sale, that sort of monster it was.

There were also like a large sized chicken『Big Cook』and a completely bear like demon, and the name too『Bear』.

……That goes for the demons on raw materials basis, as for those with expensive fur like『Trifartel』, it was being hunted by Elk proactively, so I can’t get used to them dying.

Well I have my backpack, so after hunting the demons we put the materials into it, I don’t think we would have a problem in walking due to excess of raw materials.

But I still have to take care to not take too much.I have no intention to greedily take raw materials in large quantity, and I more enough don’t want it to become a racket if I brought raw materials in large quantities to the Guild.

Even if I『Store』it as food, the time couldn’t be stopped, by time its condition would only worsen.

And, I also hunted demons with magical power. They would become the food of Alva.

Just like the『Red Lizard』from before, we met with a『Magic Bunny』only once but it was really impressive (it was realllyyy cute).

Its appearance wasn’t much different from that of a rabbit, but making small sounds……it fired of a fireball like magic, at that time I was really surprised.

I got surprised, striked the fireball with backhand blow, in between that time Elk killed it by throwing the knife.

He had a scent of more dense magic compared to other demons, but for it to suddenly use magic. ……How enviable.

Later, Elk told me it was a rank『D』demon, and it could defeat『Bear』, something much times bigger that it itself. Hearing that, I was even more surprised.

As for that『Magic Bunny』, it had more magical power, so as expected it became the food for Alva.

Up until now, we met only one of them.

Alva ate it the moment I presented it. If it wants to it eats.

The appetite couldn’t be considered as something for someone as small as this.

The『Magic Bunny』I just now talked about was eaten completely except the bones.

It was 2 times larger than normal rabbits, and obviously lot more bigger than Alva itself……was it digesting using magic?

Then, after digestion and absorption was over, it flew to quite a distance and did it that work……after that it came back to my shoulder. Yeah, this guy has got good brain. It’s good that I don’t have to deal with aftermath.

It relaxed after eating, right now, it was sleeping on my shoulder. Was eating and sleeping the same in infants of both animals and demons?

Incidentally, This thing had been on my mind for a while,

The demons of this forest, maybe my imagination, but most are agitated……?

Perhaps, again something else came out?

「What do you mean by something?」

「Well something like『Naga』, after all all the demons are agitated and too much worked up as if wanting to secure food, maybe a strong demon came out that can destroy the balance of ecosystem」

Something like, an ancient sleeping demon woke up due to landslide.

「Give me a little break……I don’t want to meet something like that every time」

Maybe it had turned into a trauma, Elk started. Cold sweat sprouts.

No, well, I didn’t feel that they were starving or thin, so I don’t think there would be something like that……

However in that case, I have no idea what it might be……

I tried to ask Elk before, she said normally, even if the danger level rank was D, there hasn’t been a time this many demons would come across by.

Though the demons were in lot of numbers, there’s those who are coward, and careful, so upon sensing humans they would themselves disperse.

And, there were majority of them who would attack on their own, now that’s suspicious.

If it was like in the『Labyrinth』like food shortage I could understand the reason, but I couldn’t feel anything like that, so it had been in my mind even more deeply.

In other words, for some reason, they had been agitated and turned brutal, so they’re right now in high state?

Mating season……it doesn’t seem like that. According to Elk, it doesn’t occur this season.

Don’t tell me, the demons of forest have made a united front and were going to attack the human habitations……no no no, though they are demons most of them are wild animals. They wouldn’t be hostile to humans only. They aren’t some army of some demon king.

But in that case, it becomes more complicated to understand……

While thinking that we briskly walked.

In an irregular place like this, Elk could still calculate and find the way back using map and sun, she’s really excellent……

――!!　――!!

…………Hm?

I think I heard something just now……?

At that moment,

Not only me, but sleeping Alva too got startled and woke up, then raised its head up.

We both looked around here and there……in the end we stopped while looking at the same direction.

「Oh, Alva you too noticed it?」

SFX: *Piiiii!*

「? What happened, you guys?」

Elk walked some steps, noticed something and turned back……the next moment,

SFX: *Hyuuuu!* *Pashiii!!* (*whistle* *strike*)

Something – an arrow – so an arrow, came flying at me crossing through the trees, so I tried to catch it with my hand.

Not like it would hit something or someone even if it kept flying in that trajectory.

As though the momentum if came flying can be understood, the arrow hit my arm making a *Piiin* sound and wavered, seeing that Elk started then a second later she understood the whole situation.

Then, in a fluster, I looked towards the place arrow came flying in from, there was no one.

「Minato, is there something!?」

「……Well, if you ask there is something then yes there is, but……」

Most probably, Elk thought it was an attack from some demon with intelligence and can use weapons like Kobold from yesterday or Goblins from『Labyrinth』. She took out the dagger and took a fighting stance.

But that might be wrong. From what she had heard.

I tell her『It’s fine』while holding her back with my hand.

「Probably, we weren’t getting aimed at.」

「……? What do you mean?」

Ah well, it was quite far……so Elk can’t hear it.

In this forest, there were cries of demons here and there, so it had been noisy.

As for what my ear heard were……battle sounds.

The sound of something getting cut by a sword.

The sound of something attacking a metallic armor or something.

The sound of air cutting mostly because arrows are flying.

And……the sound of demons’ crying and humans’ voices.

But, the voices of humans’ wasn’t something like scream. It was more like, angry voice? commanding voice? At any rate, it wasn’t a voice that seemed to be afraid from demons……

In that case this arrow was a stray arrow. Now this is really dangerous.

「In other words, someone is getting attacked by demons?」

「It’s not one-sided, looks like they’re putting up a fight? I can’t hear screams. And it’s not necessary that there are only 1 or 2 people」

From what I heard, approximately, 10 are present. I couldn’t deduce exactly the numbers because there was a quite a distance between us.

「So, is it an adventurer party? Or is it a trader group with escorts?」

「Who know. What will you do? Wanna see?」

「……Not really, I have no interest in getting involved with other people’s problems……」

*glance* She sees the map in her hand,

「From here it is quite far. Helping them is something else, but let’s go and see what’s happening」

「Understood」

We change the route, not like we couldn’t take a detour but it would be troublesome to walk more.

And, seems like they were having hard time, so it would good to not take a detour so I could save them when needed.

☆☆☆

The stray arrows could again come flying, so for precautions, I walked in front while Elk behind me.

Sure enough, 2 or 3 came, so I broke them or catched and kept on our progress.

The arrows I catched were stored in the backpack because it seemed to be too wasteful to throw them.

Then, after passing through the trees, we finally reached the mountain road where the sounds were coming fr……Whoops! (Pashi), once again it came flying.

Then, what I saw on the other side after catching it was……

「……!? Reinforcement……no, humans, eh?」

A woman holding a bow while looking at us with a surprised expression.

And in her surroundings,

Just like I heard, there were 10 and some more people.

Everyone had weapons in hand and were fighting the demons attacking them from inside the forest.

There were some carriages too, they were fighting while covering them, it doesn’t seem like a trader group to me.

Why? Because the attire of all them was same.

And it wasn’t only normally matching. It looked like a military or naval uniform. They are wearing an armor, all have the same design. Including the woman too.

They seem more like Knights compared to adventurers?

Then, after a second, the startled woman, quickly,

「……Oi, the young man over there!」

「Eh, Yes!?」

「You’re an adventurer, right? There is danger here, quickly……!」

The woman stopped talking, took her stance with bow and nocked the arrow.

Then, aiming at our side……Wha, Wait!?

I took defensive posture for an instant, but the arrow didn’t reach us, but went by our side and pierced the temple of『Wolf』hiding in the shade of tree behind us.

Whoa, awesome. She’s fast to take stance and shoot.

That bow and arrow using woman, takes a breath then once again looks at us,

「I’m sorry for scaring you. Young man and oh, there is one more. I’m sorry to ask it immediately, but are you adventurer or something? 」

「Eh? Ah, Yes, well we are」

「I see. Sorry for the rude behaviour, but just as you see en route we……!」

While saying that she once again takes down another demon with her certain archery.

「If you haven’t lost the way, then I will recommend to get out from here quickly. The situation is quite dire. If you remain here it would dangerous for you too」

「Err, what about you all?」

「Just as you see. I’m sorry, but we can’t protect *you both in this situation」

[ET: She says Kikou (貴公), this is used by MALES to refer to equal or inferior (in age) males]

No, I don’t think I understood anything at all by looking.

Then, before she spoke her words,

Her companion fighting at a separate place shouted in panic.

「Captain! There are reinforcements near 10 o’clock! Wolf and……Bear and Red Lizard too!」

「Ku, again! The smell of blood is stimulating them and luring them, eh……It’s inevitable, everyone……!? Oi moron, behind you!」

The woman shouted, the man who just now called her『Captain』, had a wolf coming at him from behind.

But, before that『moron』man noticed it, ……the arrow I threw struck the eye of wolf. The one I catched some moments ago.

Yeah, even now I can not leave someone who is about to get hurt. No matter what.

The wolf stopped there, but it started rampaging there, so there could’ve been casualties for the Knights (?), so I stepped the ground to reach there and kicked it.

The kick sent it flying to the opposite side of bushes, no, grove of trees.

The bow and arrow using woman and others saw everything that happened in that second in mute amazement.

「Err……was meddlesome for you?」

「……No, you helped us, thank you」

The bow and arrow using woman gave the words of gratitude after being the first one to understand the situation.

「And young man, though I said to run, but can you try to meddle some more? You have some ability, frankly, we don’t have much composure right now」

「Eh, yes, if that’s the case. Elk, you fine with it?」

「Yeah, I’m fine. It’s not like I didn’t predict this. Finish it quickly, okay?」

「Understood ma’am. Ah, that’s right, Alva it will be dangerous so be with Elk」

Piiiiii!