Afterwards, we left the Mage Association and looked at the three request forms.

Goblins, ogres, and chimeras: ....... I know at least some information about them from rumors and picture books, but I've never seen one in person. ......

　The two looked at each other in surprise for a moment.

"Oh, really?　I've heard that the number of hexenbiests has been increasing recently. ...... I think I've actually seen a lot of them. ......?

"Yeah, I've heard that rumor a lot too. ......

　I've heard that rumor a lot.

　Then Rose tilted her head and asked, "Do you think that Allen might be the one?

"Are you of noble birth, Allen?

　Maybe she thought so because I said I've never seen a hexenbiest before.

　Unfortunately, I didn't grow up in a greenhouse, I grew up in the open air.

No, no, no, I'm from the countryside, the countryside of Goza Village.

"Goza Village ......?　Sorry, I'm not sure.

I'm sorry, I'm not sure.

　I chuckled.

　Goza Village is a very small village with a population of less than a hundred.
　The only people who know about it are the villagers, the merchants who trade with the village, and the local officials.

　It is a village with such a small presence and economic scale.
　It's no wonder Rose doesn't know about it.

　I cleared my throat and went back to the story that was about to digress.

So, what do we do now?　I'm sure you'll be able to find something that works for you.

　Defeating five goblins.
　This is the most expensive of the three requests, but each goblin's combat power is not very high.

　This is probably the easiest request of the three.

Yes, it is. ....... I think the safest route would be to warm up with the weakest goblin first, then the ogre.

I think that's a good idea. The Chimera is definitely last.

　The three of us agreed on this.

"All three appear in the Zoll Forest or ........ Maybe they've taken care of that.

"Maybe Bonzo is a ...... kind person, right?

Yes. His eyes are the answer.

He may look scary, but he's a good guy. He seems like he's known Dr. Leia for a long time.

　In any case, I'm grateful that all three requests were made from the same location.
　It saves me the trouble of having to travel all the way.

Let's get going then.

"Oh!

　And so we headed for the Zoll Forest, a short distance from Orest.

We were on our way.

　It took us about an hour to get there.

　When we arrived at the Zoll Forest, we were looking for our first target, the goblins.

　Naturally, the forest is inhabited by dangerous magical beasts other than goblins.
　Therefore, we acted quietly so as not to make any unintentional noise.

　Then.

"Look, Allen, ......!

　Leah whispered, pointing to a hoofprint on the ground.

"Are those ...... goblin tracks?

Yes, I'm sure of it.

They're still fresh. It's still fresh. ...... is close.

Okay, we'll be more careful from here.

　Leah and Rose nodded, and we set off in search of the goblin.

　Two minutes later.

...... was there.

　We found seven goblins in front of us.

　Green in color.
　About a hundred centimeters tall, bipedal.
　Muscular bodies.
　A wooden club hangs from their waist.

(I've never seen them before, but they're just like I've heard ...... about.)

　Fortunately, the goblins don't seem to have noticed us.

　Fortunately, the goblins didn't seem to notice us. Seven of them were gathered in one place, gobbling nuts.

I'd love to kill them all at once, but ...... that's not really an option, is it?

Yes, because the purpose of this is training.

Yes, let's fight them head on.

　This time, the goal is not just to hunt goblins.

　The purpose of this training is not just to hunt goblins, but to gain experience in fighting them.

　If we surprise them and hunt them all, the training will be meaningless.

"Leah, Rose. Are you ready?

Yeah.

Yeah.

　After confirming that they nodded, I intentionally shook a nearby bush with my sword.

　There was a clattering sound, and the goblins turned to look at me in response.

"Gegah!



"Gugyogah!

"Gugyogya!

　The next moment, seven of them came at me at the same time, shouting something in hushed voices.

　I'm not sure what to do, but I'm sure I'm not the only one.

"The first sword--Hikage!

　It's been a few days since I've seen Hikage.

"What?

　It was three times as powerful and fast as usual.

Boo-hoo!

Boo-hoo-hoo!

"Guhyah!

　As a result, all seven goblins were cut in half in an instant.

"Eh, eh, .......

　Honestly, this is no training at all.

　I turned around and there was

"Oh, Allen, ......?

"......?

　The two of them, bewildered by the unexpected situation, were frozen with their mouths hanging open.

"Well, uh, ...... sorry, we're done .......

　I chuckled, but decided to apologize.

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. ...... What was that?　I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that.

"Is that a new technique ......?

　The two of them came up to me, looking curious.

"No, no, it's the same old Tobikage .......

　But no matter how you look at it, that strike was three times the size of a normal flying shadow.

　I'm not sure what to make of it.

(What's going on? ......?)

　I looked down at my right hand, stunned.

　Then.

Let's get out of here.

　Leah looked at the seven goblins that had stopped moving and suggested that we move.

"Well, yeah, let's move for now.

　Eventually, the scent of blood would attract more vermin and monsters than the goblins.

　We should be careful not to run into each other and get out of here as quickly as possible.

　And so, as we begin to move.

"Wait a minute ......, let's go.

　Rose quickly retrieved the horns of the seven goblins with a practiced hand.

It's ......?

It's the part that proves you killed the goblins. It's the part that proves you killed the goblin.

"Oh, really?

　Rose, as expected of a former mage, knows her stuff.

Shall we go then?

Yeah.

Yeah.

　Then we quickly left the place and talked about our next target.

"Next, the ogre. ......

　Defeating three ogres.

　There were fewer of them than the goblins, but they were definitely more difficult.

　The ogre is a larger version of the goblin.

　Their intelligence is much lower than that of goblins, but their pure size makes them a threat.

　There are individual differences, but even the smallest ones are the size of Paula.
　--that is, very large.

　Rumor has it that some mutants are over ten meters tall.

If you're looking for an ogre, you should go to ...... where there's water.

Right.

　I nodded my head in agreement with Leah.

　She's right, augers are almost always found in the vicinity of bodies of water.

　This is because they are too unintelligent to remember the terrain.

　In other words, if they leave a watering hole even once, they will not know how to get back to it. If they are unlucky enough to find another watering hole, they will die from lack of water.

　This is why they instinctively do not - and cannot - leave a water hole once they have found it.

If I remember correctly, there was a small river in the west of ......, right?

　If I remember correctly, there was a small river running north-south.

Yeah, that's what I remember, too.

Oh, I didn't know that.

All right, well, let's find the river first, and then we can start looking for the Ogre.

Yeah!

Okay.

　We continued westward, and soon found a beautiful stream.

　We walked upstream, keeping a watchful eye on our surroundings.

　And then.

"Oh. Oh. O.o.......

"Woooooooo ......

"Ggggggg.

　We found three ogres.

　They were walking along the stream, moaning and whistling.

　They were probably looking for prey.



And it's huge. ......

　I've heard rumors about it, but it's really big.

(I'm just eyeballing it, but it's almost three meters tall. ......)

　All three are similar in size, with a large club in their right hands.

　If you were to take a hit from one of these behemoths, ...... you'd be in for a world of hurt.

　If we are not careful, we might be killed by one blow.

　While we were overwhelmed by the huge body, we began to discuss in small voices.

"I think we should go head on, right?

It's a little scary, but considering the fact that it's training, it's ...... a good idea.

It's okay. The Ogre is dumb. If you feint, you'll fall apart.

　Apparently, Rose was confident in her ability to defeat the ogre.

　It is true that her agile movements and Sakuraga Itto Ryu are a good match for the Ogre.

I think I'm going to try a little ...... power struggle.

I've been thinking the same thing. I was thinking the same thing.

　I was thinking the same thing." Leah giggled happily.

　To be honest, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scared.

　Even so, as a swordsman, I wanted to know how far I could go with my strength against a powerful ogre.

"If you think you can't win with your strength, cut me back immediately, okay?

I know, I won't be reckless.

I'm just testing you. Don't worry.

　We prepared ourselves well and hit the Ogre with a nearby pebble.

　And then.

"Ubo......?

　One of them turned around after being hit in the back of the head, and the other two turned around as well.

　The ogre, recognizing our presence, twisted its face as if to say, "I've found my prey.

"It's coming!

Yeah!

I got it!

　As we each took our stance.

"Oooh, oooh, oooh!

"Ooh-ooh-ooh ......!



　The ogres were coming towards us at once.

　In spite of their huge bodies, they move quickly.

　The body is not made up of fat, it is made up of muscle.

It's a contest of strength. ...... Come on!

　I kept my eyes open and waited for him to step into the gap.

　And then.

"Ubaaaaaah!

"Say!

　At the moment my sword collided with the Ogre's club.

"UBOH!

　The Ogre was blown away by the overwhelming difference in power.

"What about ......?

　I stared at the ogre, my eyes black and white, as it rolled away into the distance.

　Then.

"Haou-ryu: Gougeki!

"Sakurahana Itto Ryu - Sakura Sen!

　Leah used the power of her soul armor to push the Ogre to a draw in a simple contest of strength.

　Rose, on the other hand, used her elegant swordsmanship to finish off the ogre in a brilliant move.

　When we had finished killing all the ogres, I called out to Leah and Rose.

Good night, both of you.

Thank you ......, but I have mixed feelings.

Allen, when did you start working out so hard?

No, I've been asleep in the hospital for the past few days, so my body should be slowing down. ......

　The ogre was too weak.

　This is a great way to make sure that you don't end up in a situation where you're not the only one.

　Thus, the extermination of the hexenbiest proceeded unexpectedly smoothly.

　It was true that Mr. Bones was right in choosing hexenbiest extermination over vermin extermination.

　Then we headed for the last of the three requests, the defeat of the Chimera.

　Unlike the previous two requests, the location of the Chimera's nest was clearly indicated in the request form.

　We headed for the Chimera's nest carefully, avoiding any contact with other troublesome magical beasts or vermin.

　We crossed a river, passed a small pond, and followed a path to find his lair.

There he is, .......

　In the middle of a slightly raised plateau was the Chimera.

　The Chimera was a lion, a goat, and a snake all rolled into one.

　It had the face of a lion, the large face of a goat on its back, and the long tail of a snake.

　The snake is particularly agile, and its fangs have a powerful paralyzing venom.

　Each of the three animals has its own independent thoughts, making it a very formidable opponent.

　The chimera in front of me was sleeping face down on a homemade bed made of branches and grass.

I'm not sure if it's because I'm a bit of an idiot.

"...... No, look closely. The snake on the tail has one eye open.

　Rose pointed to the Chimera's tail.

　Rose pointed to the Chimera's tail. She was right, a purple snake had one eye open and was watching its surroundings.

The Chimera is different from the others. Keep your guard up.



　That's when Rose called our attention to her.

You've fought before, by any chance?

"Yes, a long time ago.

　Then Rose told us about her experience.

They were tough. The lion on the front, the goat on the back, the snake on the tail - each one used its own judgment to attack or defend. It's hard to attack them.

That's a ...... real pain in the ass.

Yes, but the most annoying thing is its outer skin. The skin of the Chimera is very hard. You have to go in very deep to cut it.

I see. ....... In order to do damage, you need to get in close range. But it's difficult to get that close with three of them in the way,.......

　Rose nodded her head.

(This is a strong enemy. ......)

　Hexenbiests are not stupid.
　They know exactly how far they can go to get into trouble.

　In other words, if you try to close the distance between them, the lion, the goat, and the snake will all stand in your way at the same time. Indeed, just listening to him, I could tell that he was a formidable opponent.

　We then discussed and decided on a strategy.

　First, Leah and I, the two who could land the heaviest blows in close combat, would hold off the powerful lion and goat.

　In the meantime, Rose took out the troublesome snake with a quick Sakuraga Itto Ryu.

　After that, while maintaining the advantage of three to two, they slowly attack down without pushing too hard.

　Don't aim for a one-hit kill or a blow to the vital point--a solid strategy.

Leah, are you ready?

Yes, let's go for the three count. And Rose, you're gonna have to hold that snake right there.

Okay.

　And so Leah began her slow count.

"Three ...... two ...... one .......

　The three of them tensed.

"Zero ......!

　At that moment, we all rushed out at once.

(......?)

　But then I realized that I had already closed the distance to the body of the Chimera.

　The body was empty in front of me.

　Leah and Rose are still far behind.

"Kish!

"Gurl!

Meeeeeee!

　The lion and the goat heard the snake's threatening sound and jumped up.

　But it's too late.

　I'm already deep in their pockets, right in time for the kill.

(...... can do it!)

　I'm not sure if it's a one-hit kill, but at this distance, I can do a lot of damage!

　I swung down the sword that I had already raised in one fell swoop.

"Eight swords--Yatagarasu!

　At that moment, eight sharp slashes hit the Chimera.

　And it was different from the previous Yatagarasu.

　Not only were there eight slashes, but each one of them was terribly sharp, as if it was a single sword that had been fired with all the nerves concentrated.

　And then, as if slicing tofu, the eight slashes instantly tore the chimera into eight pieces.

"...... What?

"What ...... is this?

"Oh, no. ......

　It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.

　And so the first three requests were accomplished almost entirely by me alone.