126-Episode 107: Go to the forest, the strongest onmyoji





 The inn we were introduced to was a very nice property.
 We had a bit of a row over room assignments, but in the end it was settled that I would use one room and the three ladies would get a slightly larger room.
 Mabel and Eifa had insisted on one large room for all of us, or two people per room, but we wanted to give them a break, so we disagreed. Yuki is there, and there are some tasks I don't want to be seen doing, and before that, I'd be very careful at any price.

 The next day, after looking around the city and buying all the necessary items, the promised three days later came in a flash.

'This is a dungeon called the Wandering Forest.

 Next to me, Lloyd explained.

 We had been advancing through the forest with Lloyd's party since early in the morning.
 Lloyd's party consisted of four people, two in the vanguard and two in the rear guard. Now there are eight of us, with Amu and Mabel in the vanguard and me and Eifa in the rear guard.
 Lloyd himself has joined the rear guard as a recuperator and is walking next to me. It seems that he is an all-round wizard who can do both the vanguard and the rear guard and assist.

 This is a forest for novice adventurers, and today he was supposed to teach us things while helping us avoid accidents.

 I ask him, "What is a dungeon?

I thought dungeons only meant things that were underground.
'Normally, yes. But most adventurers also call it the forest where the monsters appear. To distinguish them from the unprofitable forests that don't show any monsters at all.

 Lloyd continues cheerfully.

'This wandering forest is a dungeon that belongs to the southern mountains in terms of classification. It's close to the city and has a low level of difficulty, so it's suitable for beginners, but it doesn't earn much money because there aren't many monsters.''
What do you mean by belonging to the southern mountains...?
The dungeons in the vicinity of Lacana can be divided into three main areas: the North Mountain, the South Mountain and the East Mountain. The dungeons around Lacana are divided into three main areas: the northern mountains, the southern mountains and the eastern mountains. There are forests and underground dungeons with monsters in each of these three areas.
Well.....
You should keep in mind that you'll be going to many dungeons in the future. Each one is a little different in color, you know. Yeah, it's just ... stay away from the dungeons that belong to the mountains to the north for now.
Why? Is it because it's so difficult?
No, it's the other way around. For about ten days now, the monsters have hardly appeared at all.
....

 Lloyd says, somewhat dispiritedly.

'I've never seen anything like this before. Since we don't know what's going to happen, except for a high grade party, it's forbidden to enter right now. Thanks to the fact that the northern mountains were originally only inefficient dungeons, the adventurers' earnings aren't affected that much, but...............................it's a problem.
''........I see. Speaking of which, Mayor Silas said that the difficulty of some of the dungeons has increased.......
''Yeah. It's strange to say that the dungeons in the south and east mountains are replacing them, but there seems to be a change in the type and number of monsters that appear. The guild is also calling for adventurers to be more careful.
...I see.

 To tell you the truth, I had no idea what was going on.
 But there's no point in saying anything now, so I move on in silence.

 Lloyd continues to explain.

I'm going to return to the subject," he said, "the monsters that appear in this forest are mainly of the Living Mail variety.

 Lloyd pointed beyond the trees. There, there were two moving shadows.

 They appeared to be old, knightly full-body armor.
 They walked through the forest with an unremarkable gait, shuffling through the shining metal.
 The fact that it wasn't human was immediately apparent from the fact that one of the helmets was missing a whole head inside.

'Wandering armour, also known as wandering armour. Hence the name of this dungeon.

 It was then that the two living males seemed to notice us.
 They were still on their wobbly feet, approaching us at a surprisingly fast pace. I was surprised they didn't fall.

 Lloyd continued to speak, his face not changing at all.

'The Living Mail is as hard as it looks. Especially, the sword isn't a good match for it. But.........

 The two vanguards, members of Lloyd's party, stepped forward then.
 The muscular female heavy warrior swung her hammer down and crushed one of the living mailers to the ground.
 The other one raised its sword, and the kick of the monk soldier (monk) snapped the sword. It is also a very good idea to have a good idea of what you are looking for.

I'm not a fan of this type of attack. If it's magic, the earth attribute would be better.''

 Lloyd explains matter-of-factly.
 The two vanguards are also exchanging banter as if they can afford it. They must be competent people who wouldn't really come to such a low-level dungeon.

 I muttered to myself.

I see. I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about that.

 It's not surprising when you think about it.
 Come to think of it, I used poison or something myself.

''But it's an odd party to have two vanguards who are both striking types. Or is that not unusual for adventurers?
No, it's very unusual.

 Lloyd says with a wry smile.

'Adventurers are more likely to use swords, after all. And there are monsters that are hard to hit, so it's not a good balance. It's just ... I thought this Living Mail Forest would be a good place to go first, so I called you two out for the day.
For today...?

 I nod my head.

Isn't this your normal party?
Ummm ... sort of.

 Lloyd gives him a troubled look.

'They're all members of my party, no doubt about it. But I've never seen this combination before. Especially since I myself rarely dive into dungeons anymore. I just can't help but get busy with my chores... although I'd actually prefer to be physically active.

 Adventurers busy with their chores...?

 'I'm wondering,' says Lloyd, looking up.

''Oh yeah. Of course, there are even monsters other than Living Mail in this forest. Slimes, mandrakes, and...''

 At that moment, the archer at Lloyd's side drew his bow.
 The arrow that was released pierced the ape-shaped monster that was on the tree with precision and shot off.
 It seemed to be a pretty strong bow, and the arrowhead had passed through the green monkey's back.

''It's this kind of killer ape. There aren't too many of them, but they are so swift and dangerous that you should be careful in other forests.

 The archer looks boring and doesn't seem proud of his skills, and Lloyd doesn't particularly admire them either.
 I think he's quite good, but I guess this level of skill is normal for them.

 And that's where Lloyd takes out his leather gloves and knife.

'Killer Ape will be made of fur and long claws, but to be honest, they won't sell for much. Today, let's just collect the magic stone.

 Lloyd said, and with a heavy hand, he split the green monkey's belly with his knife.
 He plucked a red stone from near the heart with a leather glove, and the corpse rapidly dried up.

 I wiped the blood-soaked stone with a cloth and Lloyd showed it to me.

This is the magical stone. Some monsters have this kind of stone in their bodies. I think most of the monsters are beast shaped. Monsters such as astral and skeletal monsters rarely have them. That same killer ape may not be present in some individuals, or it may be small.
Is this different from the mineral magic stone?
It's just another thing. But it's used for making magic tools and as a catalyst for rituals, so it's pretty much the same thing. That's why we call them magical stones as well. If you ask the experts, there may be minor differences.
I see.

 Think of it as something similar to pearls from bivalves or drooling incense from whales.
 I'd heard a little about them in a school lecture, but this was the first time I'd seen them collected in this way.

 Lloyd put the killer ape magic stone away in the leather bag and then stood up and said

''Now, I'll have you guys, the rear guard, help me carry the materials.

 When I looked forward with my gaze, I saw a female heavy warrior and a monk soldier (monk) disassembling the armor of a living mail that had stopped working and putting it together with a string. Mabel is listening to their explanation with interest. But perhaps it's just a rudimentary thing, Amu seems rather bored.

''The Living Mail's armor is the material for making hardware. The quality of the low-level stuff that comes out of this forest isn't very good, but it still sells for a lot more than a killer ape's claw. Do you think you can carry it on your back?

 Me and Yifa carry the two armors brought by the female heavy warrior.
 I've been doing laundry and cleaning in the house since I was a child, and Yifa seemed to have no problems.

'It looks fine. I'm sure the two vanguard kids are probably more powerful than you, but we don't want to hinder their movements.
''But these two rearguards are limited to two pieces of armor........ Will these two pieces of armor pay for one adventure?
Just barely enough to feed a party of four for one day.

 Lloyd says something disappointing.
 When you consider the cost of lodging and other things, we were completely in the red.

That's why we'll need to do something to collect the magic stones first, or go early in the morning many times. The best thing to do is to hire an item box carrier (porter) if you have any. That's usually what the party that can afford it does when hunting living mail.
Item box? And what is a hauler (porter)?
A porter is literally an adventurer who specializes in carrying materials. There are many who do not belong to a party and take on freelance work. The item box is a spell that allows you to store items in a different space that is not here. It's different from ordinary magic and requires a special talent, but a carrier (porter) with this ability can carry more materials than an ordinary party can carry. However, such people are often useless in terms of strength, though.
"Ho!

 I was a little curious.
 I wondered if there was some kind of phase-opening magic in this world.

 In my past life, most spellcasting systems had this technique, but I never heard of it after I came here, and I never learned about it in school. However, from the way he spoke, I can only assume so.
 I'm a little concerned about the fact that it requires a special talent, but.......

 And then.
 Two living mails appeared again in front of the party as they walked forward.

''Just as well. Would you two vanguards like to take on them?
... "Yeah, that's right. Mabel, Amu.
Okay.
Huh?

 In contrast to Mabel, who nods honestly, Amu sighs annoyingly.

''It might be a little incompatible with the axe and sword, but it's a slow mover, so don't worry too much.
No, I'm not worried about it.

 A thumping roar echoed through the forest. Birds flew away from the trees.
 When I looked, I saw that the living mail had been cut in half at the end of the battle axe that Mabel had swung down.

 Mabel, who had re-carried the battle-axe, nodded her head and said.

''It wasn't too hard.''

 In front of Lloyd's stunned party, Amu says in a dumbfounded manner.

You. It's not only harder to carry if you have two bodies, but also the purchase price will go down. These things are supposed to be taken down more neatly.
Mm.... then you try it, Amu.

 Amu silently stepped into the remaining one and flashed his mithril staff sword in a flash.
 The living mail with the tip of the sword plunged through the gap in the body crumbled apart as if a thread had been broken with that alone.

 Amu waved the staff sword, which was faintly lit up.

'This guy, even though it looks like this, is an undead type monster. That's why it's easy to defeat it with a support magic (buff) or something that gives it a light attribute.
I can't use the light attribute.
You can do your martial arts thing, so why don't you just punch me in the face next time?

 Lloyd, who was watching their exchange, says in a daze.

''No great........could it be that you've been an adventurer in a different place?''
'Amu is, yes. Mabel is, well, sort of like that.

 Then I looked up at the top of the tree.
 The same green monkey appeared on the thick leafy branches.

"Oh, by the way, there's another killer ape, do you want to do that one here too?
Can you beat it? Then you can try. If it doesn't work, I'll help you.
Well then Yifa.
Uh-huh.

 Yifa swung her gaze slightly from side to side.
 It was as if he turned his attention to something floating there.

 In the next moment, a rock that looked like it could hold up to one was shot out of the air.
 The rock struck the killer ape. It snapped a number of thick branches in its path and flew into the sky.
 A few moments later, I heard the crunching sound of a rock falling through the trees in the distance.

 In the forest, where the branches have fallen off and the light has become slightly brighter, Yifa gasps, "Oh, I'm sorry!

''Oh, I'm sorry. We can't recover the materials in this way........

 As silence descends on the party, Lloyd says in a shocked manner.

''Was that.......no way, is that elven spirit magic? But from the looks of it, he's not even a half-elf...

 I'm not sure if it's because there are many sub-humans in Lacana, but Lloyd seemed to know a lot about elven magic.

 I'm not going to be able to explain, so I give an outward smile to the stunned crowd.

I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about it. I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't ask too many questions. Was that the manner in Lacana?