The Rookies Part 2

"It's morning. Time to get up."

"Mh...?"

I opened my eyes to find Mew-san gently tapping my shoulders. After passing

off the watch to Surges-san and Abert, I immediately laid down. It still took me

a while to get to sleep, so I did not really feel all that well-rested.

I woke myself up by splashing river water in my face. The sky was already

fairly bright.

Abert checked everyone was in the area before speaking.

"Alright, team! We need to find that weed before nightfall."

"We should pay attention to our surroundings as we carry on. We'll have no

idea where to expect the weed."

The spinfire weed was found in mountainous areas, so we were honestly

pretty close to places where it could be found.

We needed to keep our eyes peeled because we did not want to accidentally

walk past any.

We carried on along the mountain path, keeping our eyes wide open as we

went. After about a three-hour walk, the forested area parted and the path

ahead became considerably rockier. We had a much higher chance of finding

the spinfire weed in a place like this.

There were a few plants here and there, but it was not what we were after.

There were boulders taller than Garron all over the place, so it was kind of hard

to see. It was proving quite the hassle.

"What should we do, gang? Split up and search for clues?"

"Oh aye, an' end up Fire Lizzie chow? Not on my nelly we ain't."

"If we keep going as a group we'll waste time. We'll cover more ground apart.

We're not gonna make the quest deadline at this rate!"

Surges-san and Dom-san gave different answers to Abert's proposition. It was

true that we might end up wasting time, but still...

"I'll go find it myself! You idiots! Are gonna waste all our time by arguing?!"

Garron grunted before heading off on his own. He did raise a reasonable

point, though.

"What a selfish guy..."

"True, but he's still not wrong. The longer we stand worrying, the less time we

have."

Surges-san split off from the group and began looking on his own as well. The

rest of the group all shrugged and sighed before separating.

I headed up to the tallest rock in the area and started scanning the area with

my mystic eye. Then, I stopped because I had actually forgotten to get

permission. Finding the weed was part of the quest, so I did not know if I was

actually allowed to help them find it or not.

I had no idea, so I decided to ask the boss-lady.

Beep

▼Boss, can i find the grass 2 or iz that bad?

After a few moments, I got a reply.

Beep

▽Weed is good. Continue mission.

Guess it is fine, then! Time to look around!

I could not find it at all...

I had spent hours searching, but it yielded nothing. I began to wonder if there

actually was any spinfire weed at all.

Maybe the spinfire weed is the friendship we forged along the way... Maybe

they just wanted to see how we would act in pursuit of spinfire weed... No way,

that cannot be it at all. I bet the grand duke came to the island earlier and

picked all the spinfire weed in the easy-to-find places. That sounds exactly what

he would do...

I did not think he would be so evil as to make us hunt for something that was

not there... It was probably just in a really hard-to-find area.

"Oof... My back kinda hurts... I bent down too much."

I stood up straight and stretched a bit. My back was sore, which was not too

surprising. I rested my hands against my waist and bent backward.

The world turned upside-down. I had a pretty flexible body, so bending

backward and looking behind me was not that big of a deal. Suddenly, I froze

up. Something was standing behind me.

A large, scale-covered body, a rusty copper color... Thick tail, sharp claws...

Slit-like eyes that stared at me unblinking.

We made eye contact.

I quickly righted my body's position as the Fire Lizard jumped at me.

"Eeek!" I dodged its attack with a hard turn to the side. I took out a few boshurikens and launched them at the creature, but they just pinged off its body.

It was tougher than I thought! The Fire Lizard roared out in anger after being

attacked, and flames erupted all over the surface of its body.

"...Just my luck."

I pulled out my ninjato and held it in a combative stance. I had no idea what

to do. If I pulled out the poison like earlier, it would just melt in the heat. I

doubted I could even pierce those scales to begin with.

Man, if only Shizuku was here... She can use water-based ninjutsu really well,

so those flames would not stand a chance... I specialize in fire ninjutsu, so what

am I supposed to do?!

"Not like I can run, though... I guess nobody else is around, so this should be

fine..."

I moved upwind of the Fire Lizard, reached into my sleeve, and released a

small bag of powder. The powder had been harvested from another magical

beast, Noir Butterflies.

"Greuugh?!"

The powder hit the Fire Lizard in the face, blinding it instantly. Even if it was a

Fire Lizard, it was not as if it could shoot fire from its eyes. That was why I knew

it would be a weak spot.

It could no longer see, so I did not want to squander my opportunity.

I started picking up heavy rocks in the area and pelting them at the Fire Lizard.

Blunt attacks were the way to go against powerful foes, after all.

"Greh! Gryeeeh!"

I had thrown a few hefty stones at its head, so it was definitely a lot more

dazed than before. I did not like to boast about it, but I was fairly physically

strong. I could easily lob rocks bigger than a human head. Some people once

tried to tell me that it was not a very womanly trait, but I definitely did not care

about things like that.

"Greuuurgggyyyeeeh!"

"Ack! That was a close one!"

The Fire Lizard vomited flames from its mouth in a fashion similar to that of

the Blood Liger.

"Bastard!"

"Greugh!"

I picked up a few larger rocks and started hurling those as well.

Eventually, after a few more choice smacks to the noggin, it stopped moving.

The fire on its body also went out. It shuddered and breathed its last atop a

stony surface.

Woohoo! Victory is mine! I do not even care if that was completely unninjalike at all! Victory is all that counts, damn it! I poked a bit at the dead Fire

Lizard. It was not hot, surprisingly. It was actually kind of cold, which was sorta

gross.

I had no idea what kind of raw materials were best harvested from Fire

Lizards. Hopefully not the skin, given how hard I had bruised it with the rocks.

Mew-san or Rose would probably know best. I briefly considered going back

to ask them, but finding the spinfire weed was more important.

The presence of a Fire Lizard probably meant that the weed I was searching

for was nearby.

Just as I was about to continue my search, a burst of light illuminated the sky.

It was not lightning, either. It was quite a sunny day. The rapid flashing was

coming from someplace to the north.

It was likely [Flash], a Light spell. That meant Surges-san was the source.

Is that meant to be a signal? Maybe he found the grass, or... I gulped in fear as

my eyes scanned over the dead Fire Lizard. I immediately started running

toward the light.

I reached the location, a small canyon between rocky outcroppings, and found

Surges-san, Garron, and Dom-san all surrounded by a group of Fire Lizards. They

had clearly been chased into the canyon area and trapped by a pincer

formation.

Garron and Dom-san were bearing the brunt of the Fire Lizard's intense heat,

while Surges-san cast magic from the back lines.

Surges-san suddenly cast [Light Arrow] from behind Garron's shield, sending

a few projectiles out.

The beams pelted into three Fire Lizards, but aside from causing them to

stagger a little, no real damage was actually done.

The strength of a spell was determined by a user's experience, and the

amount of magic they poured into it. I felt a bit bad saying it, but Surges-san did

not seem like that good of a spellcaster.

Well, if he poured all of his magic into his spell, it was likely that he would be

able to kill a good amount of them, but then he would just collapse from mana

exhaustion.

I threw a couple of bo-shurikens at the Fire Lizards near Dom-san. The

shurikens could not hurt them, but it distracted them long enough for Dom-san

to take advantage of their openings and slash them with his battleax.

He swung his weapon to the side and held up his shield before getting into a

better defensive position.

After a while, Mew-san, Rose, and Abert appeared. It was now all seven of us

versus the Fire Lizards, but the three down in the canyon area were still

trapped...

I knew how to deal with it, but I was told not to stand out too clearly. I just

sighed, shook my head, and decided I had to help them.

"Dom-san! Raise your shield and brace yourself!"

Dom-san did not really understand why I yelled that, but he held his shield up

anyway. I took out a few devices from a pouch tied at my waist and lobbed

them at the Fire Lizards near Dom-san.

In a matter of seconds, a loud explosion rang out. The Fire Lizards were blown

sky-high, as well as chunks of rock. Dom-san held his shield up, preventing him

and the others from being pelted with debris.

The Fire Lizards were confused by the sudden explosive attack, but so were

Dom-san, Garron, Surges-san.

"Get over here, you three!"

"Mm? A-Ah, yeah!"

Garron and the others ran past the fallen Fire Lizards and regrouped with the

rest of us. We quickly decided to move to the exit of the canyon area, so we

would not be caught in a pincer attack again.

"Hey, short stuff! You got more of those?!"

"Do not call me that! And yes, I do, but..."

"Then toss them already!"

"No way, idiot! Do you know how expensive those grenades were?! You gotta

enchant them to get them made! It cost me like three silver coins for just one,

do you get it?! That is three nice, fancy meals per one grenade! Meathead!

Idiot!"

I started yelling at Garron because I was stressed, which prompted Rose to

place a hand on my shoulder.

"Easy there! I get they're expensive, but this could be life or death. When we

get our reward we'll reimburse you, okay?"

...Oh, you will? You better not go back on that promise. It is not as if regular

knights get them as standard issue or anything! I paid for them with my

allowance. The grand duke would not just hand them out!

After everyone agreed to reimburse me, I took out my koga grenades from

my pouch. I had three left. It would not be enough to simply kill the Fire Lizards

alone, but we would be able to weaken them, disorient them, and then finish

them off.

"Take this!"

I tossed the grenades at various areas where the Fire Lizards had gathered.

Boom! Kaboom! Shakoom! Three loud blasts rang out, sending more Fire

Lizards hurtling into the air. They came crashing back to the ground with

considerable injuries.

"Go! Start with the weakest ones and work your way up!"

We all followed Garron's lead and started killing the immobilized ones first.

We decided to prioritize killing them over preserving parts we could harvest.

None of the Fire Lizards were capable of fighting at this point. They were

either too disoriented from the blast to fight, or already running away. I leaped

from one to the next, stabbing the blade of my ninjato into their soft bellies, or

slitting their throats.

Finally, Dom-san tore the last Fire Lizard in half, and we could finally relax.

"...Now that was dangerous."

"Aye, sure was. Without the wee lassie's blasters, we mighta been deed."

Abert and Dom-san breathed heavily as they spoke. I kind of resented being

considered a little girl, though...

"Thanks, you really saved us."

"No worries, honestly..." I gave a dismissive wave to Mew-san's compliments.

Honestly this is pretty bad... I took an active role when I should not have... I

hope this is okay, I would not want them to make us take the test again because

of this or something... I stood up, quietly praying that the boss-lady would not

reprimand me for what I did.

There were various Fire Lizard corpses around the area.

"Can we profit off these at all?"

"The Fire Lizards? A little bit, I guess. The skin's the most valuable thing about

them, but there are monsters out there with better quality, tougher hides. It's

cheap, for the most part."

I was a bit disappointed with Rose's response. We'd done a whole lot of work

for a whole lot of nothing.

"Why were there so many Fire Lizards, anyway? Did you guys screw up?"

"No! We found a buncha Fire Lizards and started fighting them, then more

and more kept showing up!"

They ended up surrounded before they even knew it. That was definitely a

screw-up that no experienced adventurer would have made... Minus points...

I sighed as Abert and Garron started squabbling again, but then Mew-san

started sniffing the air.

"Oh!"

Mew-san started walking toward the small canyon area. W-Wait! Is that not

dangerous? There might be more Fire Lizards...

I followed after Mew-san, and the others came up from behind me too. We

headed through the small canyon and came out the other end, only to find a

whole field of spinfire weed. It was spread out ahead of us like a vast red

carpet.

"Wow..."

"This is amazing..."

Abert and Garron stared in disbelief, while Surges-san reached down and cut

off some of the plants at the stem.

"Mhm... This is spinfire weed."

"Ahaha... Woo! We did it!"

"Yep. We did."

Rose hugged Mew-san, and the two smiled broadly.

The whole area was surrounded by massive boulders, so there was no way my

mystic eye could have seen through it. It was like a hidden garden in the middle

of a rocky danger zone.

"Mm... Well, this explains the number've beasties."

Dom-san was probably right. This hidden oasis was likely their feeding

grounds. It was also a place they would want to fiercely defend.

"Alright, team. Let's all take a few bundles of the weed each."

Everyone agreed with Abert, picking up the spinfire weed and pocketing it.

The quest had only demanded a little bit, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

Plus, there was always the chance of the weed being valuable on the market.

It seemed like everyone else was thinking that too, since they took as much as

they could carry.

Everyone breathed out a sigh of relief and started chattering, probably

because the main objective had been secured.

"This honestly ended up being easier than I expected."

"Easy, eh? Weren't you the one in danger during the Blood Liger fight?"

"Well, let's just be thankful that we can get two whole platinum coins from

this."

"Yeah, it's just... There's something that doesn't feel quite right here..."

"...Mm. You too, lassie?"

"Getting two platinum coins for such little relative effort... Was this really all

there was to it?"

As the six of them talked to each other, I suddenly spotted something strange

at the top of a nearby mound of rocks.

I jumped up there to get a closer look. For some reason, the top of this rocky

outcropping had straw, grass, and other plants laid out atop it. The top of the

rock had also been carved out like a bowl as if something had created a safe

resting area.

H-Hold on... This kind of resembles a nest... But... Oh no... Wait... Why is there

so much spinfire weed, anyway...? Why did the Fire Lizards not eat most of it...?

Wait... Maybe there is a reason they did not eat it, even if they wanted to... Oh.

Oh no. I get it... Whatever nests here... The Fire Lizards can only come in and eat

a little bit while it is away... Because if they were found out, then they would be

in some serious danger...

"Everyone! We have to get out of h—"

"GRAAAAAARRRGH!!!"

A creature appeared above us, letting out a piercing roar. This was the owner

of the nest I had stumbled upon.

Sharp fangs, and scales that faintly pulsed with light... A long neck, and a

malicious-looking barbed tail... Its forearms were long and twisted, fused with

its wings.

It was a Wyvern.

Two deep crimson eyes glared down at us as if the beast was sneering.

◇ ◇ ◇

This was bad. This was really, really, really bad. A Wyvern was way too much

for us to handle... I did not have my knight order gear, and I had wasted all my

grenades on the Fire Lizards! I definitely was not capable of bringing down a

whole gosh-darned Wyvern on my own! Maybe if it was not airborne, but it did

not seem all that eager to have a ground-based battle.

It flapped its wings, staying aloft and glaring at us. I leaped down from the

nest area and joined the others, taking care not to spook the flying creature

above.

"Wh-What the hell... Why is there a Wyvern here?"

"Wyverns are red targets... What are we supposed to do?!"

Rose and Surges-san stood frozen in fear, like prey being sized up by a

predator.

When the grand duke was just a normal adventurer, he had killed a Black

Dragon by himself and earned the Dragonslayer title. But obviously, he was no

ordinary man. We could not do what he did.

Plus, while Black Dragons were red targets like Wyverns, there was a

difference between the two. Black Dragons were considered true Dragons, but

Wyverns were not. Even if we beat the Wyvern here, none of us would get the

title the grand duke received.

Though, that was fine by me. If an actual Dragon showed up we would've

been dead already.

If you thought about it in terms like that, it was probably better that we were

only facing a Wyvern.

"Everyone, listen... We need to back off slowly. If we move slow and show the

Wyvern we have no hostile intentions, then we might be able to leave without

upsetting it. So long as we stay very quiet and move very slowly, we—"

My words were cut off by a very loud, very metallic clang.

WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!

I turned to find Garron, who had dropped his shield against a rock by mistake.

OH COME ON...

"I-I'm sorry! My handle snapped off, and..."

"GRARRRGH!"

The Wyvern roared furiously before spewing several fireballs in our general

direction.

"Run!"

We all scattered, avoiding the fireballs. The blasts from the monster instantly

seared the ground and charred the rocks where we had been standing. If that

had hit any of us, we would have been cooked alive.

What do we do?! Fight it?! B-Boss-lady and the others should know something

is up, right?! Do we really have to buy time until then? Can we even buy time

until then?!

"H-Hey, what do we do?!"

"Don't ask me! You're the one who upset it!"

"Shut up, idiots! We do not have time to argue!"

You dumbasses... Gah... There really is not another way here. I wanted to stick

to the mission, but someone could seriously die here... I have no real choice at

this point.

"Listen, guys. I need you all to run. I will draw it away from us."

"W-Wait a sec. You mean to be the bait?!"

"I am the fastest of us, am I not?"

I grinned toward Rose.

"I refuse... I'll stay too."

"Mew-san... I'm thankful for your feelings, but it'll be easier on my own. To be

honest, if I have to worry about you, it'll be harder for me to escape."

I didn't want her to find my words cruel, but I also didn't want us both getting

in needless danger.

"But we can't just leave you alone!"

"You can, and you will. Now get going!"

Abert was about to speak up, but I cut him off and ran full-pelt toward the

Wyvern.

I took out a few bo-shurikens and lobbed them toward the Wyvern's eyes.

Frustratingly, it dodged them with little effort.

I ran even further from the rest of the group and continued throwing different

items up at the Wyvern.

I looked back at the others and found they were hesitating. Run, you idiots!

I tossed up the vial of poison that I had used against the Blood Liger and

waited until it was in the air above the Wyvern.

Then, I expertly launched a bo-shuriken at the bottle, shattering it in the air.

The liquid glimmered in the sunlight as it rained down onto the Wyvern's body.

"GIGYAAAH!"

The poison would not actually do much if it did not enter the Wyvern's

bloodstream, but it would still tingle, burn, and sting on contact.

I never intended to kill the Wyvern with the poison. I just wanted to hurt it

enough to grab its attention. It worked.

"GRAAARRRGHAAAH!"

"Whoa!"

The Wyvern continued to chase me, spitting fireball after fireball in my

direction.

I looked back again and found that the others had fled from their spot. Thank

goodness they had. I would have been mad if they were still there.

I continued to run in the opposite direction to everyone else, leaping over a

bunch of rocks and getting away from the small canyon area.

What now... What now...? How do I escape this thing? It will likely take the

boss a while to get here, and if I flee too far the Wyvern might lose interest and

go after the others. I definitely should have saved those grenades... I was a fool.

I could have used them to bring that big dumb thing down!

Karina-sama hunted one of these, right? She aimed for the tendons, did she

not? Gh... No way... No way... There is just no way I can handle that.

I guess I could just get up close and personal, and hack at its wings with my

ninjato? No, wait... that will just end with me crashing alongside it!

"GIGYAAAH!"

"...Crud!"

I was not paying attention, so the Wyvern had circled in front of me and cut

me off. I quickly changed my route and ran into the nearby forested area. I

leaped from branch to branch, much like a monkey.

Is everyone safe now? They better be... I just need to keep focusing... I got too

lost in thought. A massive fireball whizzed past me and obliterated the tree I

was in the middle of leaping toward.

Oh nuts! I curled into a ball in mid-air, defending myself against the barrage of

splinters I was flying into. I hit the ground hard, rolling forward in an attempt to

dull the impact.

"Agh!"

The barb-tipped tail, which I was fairly sure had poison on it, jabbed right

toward me. I dodged it by jumping to the side, but pain coursed through my leg.

I had twisted my ankle in the fall. Escape was going to be a lot harder.

As I began freaking out on the ground, the Wyvern vomited up another

fireball to launch at me. But for some reason, it coughed and sputtered, only

releasing a small flame. Oh! Did it run out of magic?!

Most monsters and magical beasts absorbed magic from the atmosphere

around them to cast spells. Thunder Bears used lightning magic in this way,

same with Killer Mantises and their Wind Slicers. It seemed like Wyverns

needed a similar process for their fireballs.

Serves you right, jerk. You should not have used it so much!

"I guess that I am not out of the woods yet, though..."

It would not be long before it had enough magic to hurl a fireball again. I was

squandering my only chance to do anything to it.

But I had nothing that I could use to kill the Wyvern... Well, I did have one

idea... I just doubted it would work.

"GRAAARGH!"

The Wyvern landed down on the ground and snapped at me with its teeth.

Too close!

I leaped backward and hurled some shurikens into its open mouth.

"GYIIIIGYYYAAAH?!" Even if it had a tough hide, its mouth still contained soft

tissue.

The Wyvern sputtered before coughing up the shurikens. Unfortunately, I did

not do much in the way of damage, but I had clearly hurt it.

It attempted to slam its tail at me again, adding more weight behind its strike

with the rest of its body.

I just barely avoided the attack and saw the mighty tail reduce several large

trees to splintered wood.

I was in a whole heap of trouble. My dodging was getting slower and slower.

My ankle was killing me... Where the heck was Tsubaki?!

Just as my pain reached its peak, I heard someone yell out [Woodbind]

loudly! My call for Tsubaki was answered by several twisting tree roots that dug

themselves out of the ground and wrapped around the Wyvern's feet.

Wait... I looked up and saw Mew-san and the others running to my aid. At the

back of the group was Surges-san, the man who had just cast the spell.

"Whaaat?!"

The barbed tail came swinging toward Mew-san, but Dom-san and Abert

jumped in with their shields. Unfortunately, the force was a little much, and the

trio was blasted back a bit.

The Wyvern struggled free of its wooden confines and soared into the sky.

"You okay?! Where are you hurt?!"

Rose was by my side in the blink of an eye, calling out to me.

"I-I am fine... Why did you all come back? Now there was no point in me being

a decoy!"

"...We were all running, but... at some point, Garron turned around and

started running back to you. We just followed him."

"What?!"

Garron was waving his sword up at the airborne Wyvern. He did not seem as

scared as he did earlier.

"...Are you an idiot?!"

"Shut up, kid! If you died because of my screw-up, then I'd never be able to

live with that! You think I'd want people saying that I let a kid die on my first

real mission?!"

Your screw-up? Oh... The shield thing. I guess that was kind of a screw-up...

Mew-san and the others came back. It seemed like they were okay, even

though they had been blasted back.

"GRARRRGRAAAGH!"

The Wyvern screeched again. If it was an Elder Dragon, then its roar alone

would be enough to cause psychological or even physical damage, but regular

Wyverns were not quite as intimidating.

But it was still an enemy far beyond us in terms of strength. We were

outmatched, and every one of us was still relatively new to the whole

adventuring thing.

The Wyvern suddenly swooped down, extending its claws as it aimed for

Abert and Dom-san. All they could do was defend. If they attempted to raise

their weapons, then they would just be ripped to shreds.

"Haaaaaah!"

Garron saw his chance and charged in from behind the Wyvern. He brought

his broadsword down upon the creature's long tail, which was dangling behind

it. I looked on in anticipation as the sword cut into the Wyvern.

"GRARRRGUGH!"

It was no good. Garron's sword did pierce the skin, but not nearly deep

enough to lop it off. It only caused a light cut. The injured tail reflexively

snapped back at Garron, sending him flying backward. Oof!

"Gaaah!"

Surges-san immediately ran after Garron, Healing magic at the ready.

The Wyvern went after Garron in retaliation, but Abert saw his chance to

slash against the beast's wing. But unfortunately, he was not strong enough to

make a serious injury either, only cutting it lightly.

"GROGRAAAGH!"

The Wyvern was clearly irritated, and I was not in the least bit surprised. It

opened up its mouth before staring down Dom-san and Abert.

The two of them were immediately engulfed in flames. It wasn't the fireball

attack it used before. Instead, it was just a regular old flame breath.

"Gaaah!"

"Hngh!"

The two of them managed to raise their shields, but they were still attacked

at relatively close-range. They collapsed after a few seconds of exposure.

The Wyvern's flaming breath spread across the trees, and we quickly found

ourselves in a burning hellscape. The Wyvern did not seem to care at all. It

turned its attention toward Surges-san, who was standing near the heavily-

wounded Garron.

Surges-san managed to direct the attack away from Garron, but the two of

them were still caught in a major blast. They had been rendered incapacitated

in seconds. The Wyvern landed and began shooting out more fireballs, so I

leaped onto its back. If the two of them took another hit, they would die.

I plunged my ninjato into its back with all my might... but I only managed to

very slightly pierce through its tough scales.

Damn it, why is it so tough-skinned?! I should have brought a mithril ninjato

with me... I am so stupid! Damn it... This is what relying on that crystal knight

sword gets me... I am way too rusty at this!

"Gragraaargh!"

"Uwaaah!"

The Wyvern writhed, throwing me off. I landed on the ground with a harsh

thud. It hurt really bad. I squirmed in pain and tried to stand up, just in time to

see Mew-san and Rose charge toward the Wyvern. It smacked them head-on

with its tail and sent them rolling backward.

None of the party members were in a position to get up at this point, but I still

staggered to my feet.

"Ugh, whatever! I guess I have no other choice here!"

Being a ninja was not really a job that meant much in the way of direct

combat. We were meant to gather intelligence and escape unnoticed. Most of

our skills were developed with that in mind. Our elemental ninjutsu were

mostly designed to help us escape from things, same with our poisons.

But I was bad at those ninjutsu techniques. I excelled in close combat. I loved

employing that stuff in my training with the knight order... And there was a

technique I learned during my training that could work against the Wyvern.

Still, it was impossible for me in my wounded state to do anything to the

enemy before me, so you would probably wonder what it is I could even try.

The solution was a simple one. Inflict damage on the beast from within its

body... That was not actually simple at all, but whatever.

"Uh... Let me see here... I need to gather up magic in my fist and then smack

it... I guess? Elze-sama's lessons were a little odd to grasp..."

I closed my eyes and gathered all my energy in my center. I felt my magic

swirl inside me and then focused it all on my fist. A master of this technique

would be able to strike far-off enemies without physically touching them.

I knew that first-hand. Elze-sama had used the technique to smack me from

long-range. It hurt like hell!

Linze-sama told me that I had more magic inside me than my peers, since

apparently, most mystic eye bearers shared that trait. If I had the right

aptitudes, I would have been able to use magic pretty well, even.

I quietly focused, concentrating my magic power and physical power all into

my right fist.

"I have done it only once before... I do not know if I can do it now, but I have

to try..."

I glared up at the Wyvern standing before me. It was no longer trying to fly,

possibly because Abert had nicked its wing. I had a good chance on my hands,

and I had to take it! I darted toward the Wyvern with everything I had,

launching my body like a projectile. It opened its mouth and blasted a fireball

my way, but I altered my trajectory and just barely missed it. Then, I drove

myself toward its chest.

"HAAAAAAAAAH!"

My fist, imbued with all the magical and physical might I could muster,

slammed into the softest area of the Wyvern's chest. The moment I made

contact with the Wyvern, I released the magic contained inside my hand and

launched it a tiny bit forward.

The physical sensation was like slamming my fist into a rubbery wall.

Obviously, the punch alone was not going to do a thing to the Wyvern. The

punch was just the delivery method to get the magic inside its body.

I stumbled backward and landed flat on the ground. I tried to clamber back

up, but my body refused to respond properly. My knees were weak, my palms

were sweaty. I felt like I was going to vomit. This was the side effect of putting

everything I had into that attack.

"Gruh..."

The Wyvern made a weird noise. I looked at it as it began to stumble

backward, shakily swaying its head from side to side.

"Gruuurgh..."

The Wyvern began vomiting and convulsing before it fell forward into its own

puke.

"...Did I do it?"

The Wyvern was not moving at all. I was also unable to move.

"Ahahaha... I... Bleh... That stinks, gah!"

I flickered between happiness, disgust, and pain. The thrill of victory washed

over me, but it was mingled with the smell of vomit and the stinging pain of my

right hand. I was unable to move, either... so I was stuck smelling that gross

stuff. It made me feel queasy.

"Gruuuh..."

"What?"

My heart skipped a beat. The Wyvern was groaning. I looked up and saw the

beast was shakily rising back up. It had its long neck craned upward into the air.

"No... How..."

"GRAAAAAARGH!"

The Wyvern's roar brought the harrowing reality of the situation crashing

down upon me.

I thought I had killed it... But I was wrong. I could do nothing but stare on in

horror as it began to breathe fire. A wretched, creeping flame that got closer

and closer to my prone body. It looked like it was traveling in slow motion, and I

knew there was no way I could dodge it.

I... I might actually die here, huh? I wish I had eaten more tasty snacks in life...

Shizuku... Nagi... Please live good lives... Wait, hold on.

Hold on here, something feels off. Tsubaki could not have been slacking, right?

Why are they so late? Boss-lady and the others definitely should have made it

here by now... Oh.

Now I get it.

Hah... You were by my side all along... You were just instructed not to

interfere, huh?

That certainly sounds like the grand duke's way of doing things. He does not

like to act until the last possible moment... Which is kind of annoying, since it

just means he will end up saving my sorry butt...

He might seem strict, but he has a pretty just heart. That is why I know I

cannot possibly die here.

"[Prison]."

There it is... Salvation...

◇ ◇ ◇

The flames unleashed by the Wyvern failed to harm even a single hair on my

head. The monster found itself encased in a barrier, along with its fire.

There was only one person in the world capable of something like that.

"Took you long enough..."

"...I've been here the whole time. I just held off cause you were doing so

well."

Sorry I couldn't finish the job, geez! I glared at the grand duke as he

descended from above. I wish the sadistic bastard had just kept his mouth shut.

He was still using his illusory magic, but I could tell it was him from the way he

was laughing. It was way too obvious.

"Target Lock. [Mega Heal]."

He cast a recovery spell, causing Mew-san and the others to heal up on the

spot.

I found that my bloodied hand cleaned itself up instantly, and the pain in my

ankle was also gone.

My head was still woozy, though... Probably due to the blood loss and my

physical exhaustion. I sat back down and clutched at my head.

"You exhausted your magical supply, which is why you're almost unconscious.

Who the hell taught you something so damn reckless, anyway? [Transfer]."

I will have you know it was one of your fiancees who taught me that, mister

high-and-mighty!

I felt my head clear as he transferred his magic into my body. I leaped up to

my feet and moved my arms around a bit. Woo! I am back to peak power!

"You should all be feeling better now. So yeah, the test is basically done at

this point. You can opt to continue the test if you like, but I won't be helping

you with that. If you guys think you can take this thing out, then, by all means,

go ahead."

The Wyvern angrily stomped around inside the barrier. I could not hear any

noise, but it did not take a genius to tell how angry the creature was.

"I'm done here. Not about to waste my life on a stupid gamble."

Surges-san stood up and raised his hand. The poor guy's robes were shredded

to bits. Mew-san and Rose raised their hands shortly afterward.

"I'd be lying if I said I didn't want the rewards, but I can hardly spend it if I'm

dead. I'm out."

"Same here."

Abert and Dom-san followed suit by raising their hands.

"I'm finished too. I learned a lot today..."

"Aye... Count me doon fer the count an' all."

The two men chuckled, then looked over to Garron.

"...Yeah... Me too. It sucks, but we're definitely not strong enough to take out

a Wyvern."

Garron grumbled quietly, his hand still tight around his weapon's hilt. He was

probably upset at how weak he was. Though it was good for him to be able to

admit that to himself.

The grand duke then turned to face me.

Oh right, I gotta say it too.

"Yep, I am done here! I give up! Oh dearie me!"

"If you're sure, then."

The grand duke grinned a bit. It was not exactly like I could complain or

anything... After that, he snapped his fingers.

"Graaaaaargh!"

The Wyvern was released from its confines, and its roars were audible once

more.

Everyone except the grand duke and I braced ourselves for battle, but before

anything else could happen an old man appeared. He was wielding a sword.

Wait... is that not the former king of Lestia?! When did he get here?! I never

noticed?! W-Wait, is that Karin-sama standing next to the grand duke? What is

with these people?! How come I failed to sense them?

"Been a while since I fought a Wyvern... Shall I teach you kids how it's done?"

The old man spoke up, then vanished in a flash. Before any of us could even

blink, he had circled around behind the Wyvern. The Wyvern's tail was lopped

off and fell to the ground in one strike.

"GRAUUUGH!"

"First thing's first. You have to stop it flying. Usually, you'd consider impeding

the wings, but what you should aim for is the tail. It needs the tail to keep itself

balanced in the air, you see?"

The Wyvern tried to take off, but immediately wobbled and crashed its head

into the ground. That made sense, but it was still pretty hard to hack off the

tail! After that, the old man sliced off the Wyvern's toes.

"This is actually the best spot, though. The skin is a lot thinner and more

brittle along the toes, and cutting them off can prevent them from slashing you.

And then, all you have to do is this..."

The old man jumped upward and flicked his wrist. The blade cleaved through

the Wyvern's neck and decapitated it in seconds. What the hell?!

I saw two sudden flashes of light, faster than a blink, and then the Wyvern's

wings fell off. Its body was then split down the middle.

In a matter of moments, the terrifying and terrorizing Wyvern had been

reduced to several neatly-diced chunks.

...This was the power of a gold adventurer.

"And I guess that's how to do it without going overboard."

We all stared in disbelief, our jaws dropping and eyes wide. Are you saying

that you were not going overboard there?!

"When you consider how many materials you can harvest, you should kill it in

one go. I'd personally suggest destroying the brain or heart. That'd take a goodquality weapon, though."

No kidding... Wait a second, that sword you have there is a crystal one... Yeah,

that one is made out of phrasium! No wonder you cut up the Wyvern so easily...

Did you have the grand duke make it for you?

Even if I had a sword as good as his, I doubted that I would be able to kill the

Wyvern as efficiently as he had. I would have probably slashed the thing up

crudely and damaged the materials.

The grand duke slowly turned toward us and clasped his hands together.

"I'm sorry to tell you all this, but you'll only be reaching green today."

"Because we failed the quest?"

Abert frowned at the grand duke's words.

"Well, mostly. But there were some other things we'd been keeping an eye on

too, including everything you guys did from the moment we gave you the quest.

For starters, none of you went into the guild to read up on what you'd be

encountering. That definitely lost you guys some points. With a tiny bit of

research, you would have been more prepared against the Fire Lizards and

known more about the spinfire weed."

Oh yeah... I forgot the guild had something like that... I guess preparing

intellectually is pretty important too.

"Also, you guys really didn't work together that well... I know you all just met

each other and all, but you should've been more mindful."

He was likely referring to the Blood Liger incident. Everyone was too selfabsorbed during that fight, which meant there was little to no coordination.

"And you guys didn't bother looking over your equipment when you made

camp. You don't want your gear falling apart during vital moments, do you?"

"Guh..."

Garron's shoulders slumped at that. His shield was damaged during the Blood

Liger fight, and the whole Wyvern situation exploded because he was not aware

of that. I also spent a great deal of time chatting to others, and I did not pay

attention to my gear either. They were not the only ones who needed to reflect

on their actions...

"Also, about the Wyvern at the end... You might think it was bad fortune that

you encountered it, but actually... you should've been more attentive to your

surroundings. Why didn't you consider anything about why the Fire Lizards

hadn't eaten the spinfire weed? Why were they moving in such an abnormally

large herd? Really, that comes back to you guys not reading up back at the

guild. You should have known better."

Hey, I noticed! I just noticed too late.

Boss-lady always tells me to think before acting, so I guess I need to improve

that as well...

"There are a few other issues here and there too... But ultimately, we've

decided none of you are worthy of blue. Sorry, but that's how it is."

"That's okay... I think it's fair. If this wasn't a test, we'd have all been eaten

alive at this point. If anything I'm glad this has given me some proper

perspective on what it takes to be an adventurer."

Abert humbly nodded his head. Everyone else was quiet, but they probably

felt the same.

"It isn't exactly the best consolation prize, but you guys can do whatever you

want with the Wyvern carcass."

"Huh?!"

We all stared in shock at the old man's words.

Wait, really? We get the Wyvern? Seriously?!

"Is that really okay?"

The grand duke suddenly butted in.

Quiet down, man! I want it!

"It's fine by me. Their equipment got scuffed up pretty bad during the test.

It's not like it's a real Dragon or anything, and I already cut it up a fair bit. Its

value will have dropped a lot compared to an intact one. I don't really think it'll

be worth all that much, honestly."

"I still think it's worth about five platinum, though..."

Five whole platinum coins?! That is around a third of our original reward

amount... We would have gotten fourteen, but now it is five...

That was still a considerable amount of money. But when you factored in how

much we would need to spend on new gear, it did not come out to a huge

amount. Everyone seemed pleased, though. The results were unfortunate, but I

figured this quest was still a valuable experience for everyone involved.

We began skinning and harvesting the Wyvern as a team. Karina-sama taught

us how to properly handle it, and we went at it as best we could.

Dom-san headed back to find the Blood Liger pelt and skin we had buried the

day before, too. That was a little extra pocket change.

There was a lot of stuff, though... We could not exactly carry it all off to the

guild that easily, but I knew a man in the area who could handle that for us.

Staaaaaaaaare...

"...I get it already. Quit looking at me like that."

Good job, Grand Duke. What a kind man you are.

He used his storing magic to stash our raw materials in an instant, which

caused the others to reel in surprise and confusion. After that, he used his

teleportation magic to bring us back to the guild, so they were even more

shaken.

I understood what they meant, though. Our grand duke was the strangest

man in the world.

Once all our materials were inspected at the guild desk, we were paid seven

gold coins each, with one gold coin spare.

We were going to split the coin between us, but then Abert suggested

spending it on a lavish meal. We all agreed and headed toward the tavern. The

tavern was right next door to the guild, so it took about a minute to get there.

I was not old enough to drink alcohol, so I settled on some fruit juice instead. I

made up for that by eating up as much food as I wanted. This was a rare

opportunity for me, after all.

"What now?"

"What do you mean?"

Rose spoke up to me as I was tearing into a chicken drumstick. Mew-san sat

by her with curious eyes.

"I guess it might have been fate that we took this test together, you know?

We were talking, and we all agreed that we want to continue as a party for a

while... I wanted to know if you were gonna join us."

Oh... I get it. You guys were planning on that, huh?

I looked over at the nearby table and saw Dom-san and Garron trying to drink

each other under the table. Abert was watching them, laughing and clapping,

while Surges-san quietly drank off to the side.

"Are you going too, Mew-san?"

"I am. Rose invited me, and all."

Mm... That does sound nice, but... I cannot do that.

"Sorry, but I will have to decline."

"What?! But we'd be safer in a group!"

"Well... if I must be honest, the adventurer thing has always been a part-time

thing for me. I have no plans to become a fully-fledged adventurer. I hope you

can understand."

"I see... Well, we won't force you. It's a tough job where your life is at risk,

after all."

"That's a shame."

Rose and Mew-san let out sad sighs, but gave up. Sorry, guys... but I have

friends here in Brunhild's knight order. I cannot leave them behind. I might try

my hand at some adventuring now and then, though.

"I will be staying here in Brunhild. If you see me around, please say hi. If you

ever have any troubles, please count on me. I might look this way, but I am

actually pretty well-known in these parts."

"We'll hold you to that, then."

"Yeah."

We all laughed in unison, clinking our drinking glasses together. The real

reward really was the friends I made along the way. I could probably introduce

them to Shizuku and Nagi at some point, too.

"Oh right, you guys still owe me for those grenades!"

"You little..."

"Don't be so miserly!"

Do not call me miserly! It is a known fact that he who laughs while throwing

away copper coins will eventually weep while scrounging for them! You need to

pay me what I am owed!

I turned my eyes to the drunken men at the other table, grinned, and planned

on how best to part them with their money.

■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

"And that is it for my report."

"Mm. I'm glad they're still committed to being adventurers. I didn't exactly

expect the Wyvern to show up or anything."

I sighed in relief once Tsubaki finished talking. I was surprised enough that

there had been a Wyvern flying in the sky around the island. I didn't expect that

it would make its nest there.

I was worried that more of them might show up, so I decided to ask Karina to

hunt around the islands a little more frequently.

"This mission would have been valuable for young Homura as well. She has an

issue where she does not really think things through properly."

"Well, to be honest, she infiltrated the group in the best way... She could

perfectly match up with them, after all. I wish she was a little more patient,

though."

"I will be giving her some harsh discipline starting tomorrow."

Discipline...? Don't do that, she isn't a dog.

"Honestly, I think you should hold off. That's part of what makes Homura

herself at the end of the day. It doesn't have anything to do with the way she's

been taught. She may well learn to use her nature to her advantage."

I was actually pretty impressed by how well she was able to make friends with

the other adventurers. She's pretty damn good at blending in.

"O-Oh right, one other thing... Tell her she's not allowed to use that move she

used against the Wyvern! Without the proper gear, she'll wreck her fist if she

keeps using it, and it's useless to use if she just collapses after."

"Very well."

Tsubaki replied, and then I couldn't sense her anymore. Frankly, I found her

whole 'hiding in the ceiling' schtick a little silly, but I figured it was just part of

her style.

"Are you finished with your talking now?"

"Yeah, sorry to keep you waiting on me."

Old man Galen, who was seated on the sofa opposite me, let out a small

chuckle as he sipped his tea. He was holding a mass-produced smartphone that

I had given him as thanks for his help.

The knight king of Lestia, Reinhard, had a smartphone already, but Galen told

me he wanted to talk to Hilde now and then, so I figured it would be okay if he

had one too. Though, there was a condition.

"Let me just repeat myself here. No sketchy photographs, no upskirts, no

peeping."

"...My, your suspicion of me certainly runs deep. Do I look like the kind of man

who could do such a thing?"

"Yes. Yes, you do."

I did want to believe him, though. He swore on his honor as a knight.

"If I get their consent, is that fine?"

"I mean... I guess, but..."

"Oh yeah... Do you have more of that stuff you showed me one time, with the

slender young ladies? I certainly enjoyed those photos!"

Oh come on... I mean, I do have some, but...

I sighed quietly, reasoning it was better to give him some lewd stuff than have

him embark on a life of criminal activity. I downloaded some racy shots of girls

in swimsuits from the internet, then forwarded them to Galen's phone.

"Ohoho! Yes, this is good! How voluptuous and sweet their curves are!"

Galen grinned madly, a filthy expression on his face as his perverse eyes

scanned the smartphone screen up and down. I quietly acknowledged that

aspiring adventurers must never, ever see a gold adventurer with a face like

this. It would surely destroy all their aspirations.

"Ah, Touya! Touya! Hilde told me about this thing called a movie, right?!

Moving pictures, yes? Is there perhaps such a movie with girls like this in it?"

...Aren't old people supposed to be bad with tech?! Wait, maybe this is just his

perverse logic coming to the forefront? Galen pleaded and begged for a few

minutes after that, and I finally gave in... I downloaded a few choice videos from

the internet and sent them over to him.

"Hoho... Hohoho... Ohhh... Amazing... Amazing...! They're jiggling, ohoho!"

With that, the old beast had been quelled... However, the audio was pretty

loud, and would surely get me in trouble.

I used [Storage] to take out a pair of wireless earphones that Doctor Babylon

had made, then passed them to Galen.

A few days later, the pervy old bastard had sent me photos of various butts

and chests. Thankfully, they were clothed, but the angles were certainly

concerning.

I just hoped that the guy asked for their consent...

I was going to delete them, but I decided to hold onto them... Just in case

they came in handy. That was all, just in case.