Jigoro and the others had gathered in the meeting hall with the Great Tengu. They were seated around the hearth in the center with a tea kettle hanging over the fire. The Great Tengu personally served tea to everyone using the kettle. The tea not only had a strong flavor but also came with a buff that temporarily increased intelligence and dexterity stats. It appeared the Tengu was using quite high-quality tea leaves.
Without taking a moment to savor the tea, Jigoro guzzled it down heartily. Despite the tea being freshly brewed and piping hot, it posed no issue for him, thanks to his [Fire Resistance]. After taking a breather and calming down, Jigoro crossed his arms and asked the Great Tengu with narrowed eyes.
“So, what do you want us to do? I bet it’s nothing worthwhile.”
“Hoho, as impatient as ever, young man. But it’s not something trivial. It’s of great importance to us… Explain.”
“Yes. First, take a look at this.”
A bespectacled Tengu aide sitting next to the Great Tengu pulled what looked like a crystal ball from his robe. As he channeled magical power into it, a three-dimensional image of farmland materialized in the air above them.
The image showed Tengu and Oni diligently tilling the fields and tending to livestock. Jigoro and the others understood that this must be the cultivated land in the “Heavenly Spirit City”.
Just as they were looking at the peaceful fields and wondering what the meaning was, something strange happened in the footage. From the woods near the fields, an immense troop of monkeys appeared.
The monkeys were unusually coordinated, with most of them attacking the farmers while the smaller ones efficiently stole the crops. By the time the wave of monkeys had passed, the fields had been completely stripped of their yield.
“This record is from about a week ago. It has been roughly a month since we started experiencing attacks by these monkey yokais.”
“I see. So this is why I sometimes detect hostility in the way people look at Sei.”
Indeed, since their arrival in the “Heavenly Spirit City” the gazes directed at Sei have been anything but friendly. It seemed that the reason was the recent increase of wildlife disturbances caused by the monkey yokai.
For Sei, the situation was completely unfair, but not completely incomprehensible. As the saying goes, “If you hate the priest, you come to hate his robe too”. For the residents who suffered from the monkeys’ plundering, Sei had become an object of hate as well, since he had a similar appearance to monkeys.
“Th-that’s completely unfair!”
“Indeed, you are caught in the crossfire, so to speak. However, the fact remains that the people are suffering because of these monkeys. Would you be willing to lend us your strength?”
The moment the Great Tengu posed his question, a notification sound rang in everyone’s ears, and a window popped up in their field of vision, asking whether they wished to accept the quest titled “The Monkey Yokai Anomaly”. Essentially, the request was to put an end to the damages caused by the monkeys. After exchanging glances, Genjuro, who had assumed the role of the party leader, decided to accept the quest.
“Alright, old man. After we take down those monkeys, I’ll come back and give you a good punch,” Jigoro said
“Hohoho! I’m looking forward to it!”
“Give him a punch…? That’s fine and all, but do you even know what kind of Yokai these monkeys are?”
Ignoring Jigoro’s immediate readiness for battle, Seventh Armor inquired about the enemy. This was an important step to gather information for the successful completion of the quest. It was clear that they were dealing with monkeys, but that was the extent of their knowledge. Seventh Armor wanted to understand exactly what kind of Yokai they were up against.
“These creatures are known as Baboon Yokais. They possess sharp claws and fangs, tough bristles, and strength that belies their small stature. And they’re very fast. Beyond their tendency to act in groups, there’s nothing particularly noteworthy about them.”
“Hmm? If that’s all there is to know, couldn’t you handle this without us? They don’t seem all that strong.”
Seventh Armor was perplexed by the amount of information already known about the enemy. The intelligence gathered was extensive, and according to the Tengu aide, these enemies lacked any special skills. They hardly seemed like formidable opponents. Given the capabilities of the Tengu and the Oni, it sounded as though they could easily eradicate them.
“That might have been the case under normal circumstances. However, the situation is not so simple.”
“And why is that?”
“Mainly because Baboons are inherently cowardly and it’s unheard of for them to attack during the day.”
Baboons were extremely timid by nature and were essentially nocturnal Yokai. They lived in groups in the forest and had a tendency to band together and beat up any intruder into their territory. Occasionally, they would venture outside their territory to search for food, but these activities always took place at night. Therefore, it was a clear aberration for them to actively attack enemies and raid outside their territory during the day.
“There’s also another strange aspect to this.”
“There’s more?”
“Jigoro, do you remember that woman I mentioned before, that fox?”
“Ah, that one you told us about before.”
The Great Tengu was effectively the actual head of the “Heavenly Spirit City” and was recognized as such even in the flower country of the Aquaria Islands. However, on the Heavenly Spirit Island, there existed a Yokai who dared to claim sovereignty over the island. This Yokai, referred to as “The Female Fox” by the Great Tengu, was someone about whom Jigoro and the others had not been taught either the name or the race. However, it was clear that she possessed the strength to rival that of the Great Tengu.
The Yokai in question controlled the areas below the eighth station of Heavenly Mountain and the flatlands of the island. Therefore, while the size of her territory was vast, the quality of her Yokai subjects and their leadership was far inferior. This was because the Yokai operated on the principle that “As long as you pay tribute to me, you can expand your territory as you like.”
As a result, the Yokai would not settle disputes between subordinates whose territories bordered each other. In fact, if the amount of tribute decreased due to a subordinate losing a territorial dispute, the Yokai would sometimes purge those who failed to make their contributions out of displeasure. To add insult to injury, even if her subordinates cooperated in battle, she was so strong that they would never be able to win, so they could not fight against her.
Although she was completely unfit to rule, she possessed immense power. She was the epitome of the worst kind of tyrant.
“Umu, that is right. The Baboons, being naturally cowardly, were submissive to the fox woman. However, it seems they are now actively encroaching on other territories, something that has never happened before.”
“An internal conflict, huh? This is utter chaos.”
Every action defied the norms previously understood. This quest wouldn’t simply conclude with the subjugation of the Baboons. Without identifying the cause, the situation would not be resolved. Seventh Armor thought to himself that this quest seemed to be more complicated than expected.
“The group you encountered was part of our patrol. Given the current circumstances, we’ve expanded our patrol areas.”
“Fumu… Well then, we might as well join the patrol for now.” Genjuro said.
“That’s right. Being outsiders, we might notice things that others do not.” Sei said.
“With that decided, let’s get going immediately!” Jigoro added.
Thus, the party that had come to the Heavenly Spiri Island for training embarked on their quest, carried along by the Great Tengu.
◆◇◆◇◆◇
“Argh… Another dead end?”
“It’s completely blocked off…”
“We have no choice but to go back.”
Unaware that Jigoro and the others had taken up a quest, I was exploring the underground of the “Ancient Ruined City” with Eiji and the others, searching for junk parts. However, our efforts were not bearing fruit as we initially hoped. This was mainly due to the excessive number of collapsed areas.
Unlike the “Dragon Sanctuary”, the “Ancient Ruined City” was not maintained by humans. Both the buildings and the underground tunnels suffered from collapses here and there. In addition, due to a storm the day before, the underground passages were flooded, making exploration extremely difficult.
Clearing the rubble might have cleared a path, but it was fraught with danger. A careless move could easily result in being trapped under a collapse. In addition, moving wet debris from the rain was fraught with the potential for accidents, making it a dangerous proposition. As a result, the only feasible course of action was to collect the scattered pieces of scrap metal.
“If I were still in my smaller form, I could have entered the cavities behind the rubble…”
Using [Ultrasound], Moth-san was able to investigate what was happening on the other side of the rubble. Although the details were unclear, the ability to detect the presence of cavities was valuable. The challenge was to fit into those spaces, but since Moth-san was now a giant bat that was called the Four-Winged Blood Fighter Bat, trying to squeeze in could result in him getting stuck.
“Ruby might have managed it, but she’s not here.”
“There’s no use lamenting that. We’ve done a fair bit of scouting; let’s call it a day.”
“Oh! Can we stop by Birdy Perch on the way back? I’m running low on portable food supplies.”
While I didn’t need to eat, avatars like Eiji’s large frame required substantial meals. He often snacked during our explorations, but it seemed his supplies were dwindling. Considering the cost of food, maintaining a muscular giant avatar was no small feat.
“I don’t mind. How about you two?”
“I’m fine with it. I could use the chance to shop as well.”
“No problem here.”
Once everyone agreed, we decided to make our escape and go straight to Birdy Perch. Eiji would be carried by Karl, just like when we arrived.
Karl, who had evolved, now had a penchant for carrying heavy loads, which suited us perfectly. He seemed to be thrilled with his increased strength and was eager to show it off. Really, what a cute guy!
◆◇◆◇◆◇
Without encountering any battles, we left the “Ancient Ruined City” behind and made our way to Birdy Perch. As we approached, the bustle of the city grew louder. Having just come from a desolate city, the noise of this bustling city was strangely comforting.
“Ah, if it isn’t Sir Isam! It’s been a while.”
“And you must be Sir Dahl who works for Sir Haze, right? Pleased to meet you.”
Upon landing at the base of the Mother Tree in Birdy Perch, we were greeted by a familiar Birdian merchant who had come outside with his companions. He was an underling of Sir Haze, the intellectual gangster-like Birdian we had known for some time.
Sir Haze has been a great help to us. He was the one who introduced us to the property for our base and provided us with paper. In return, we provided him with rare items and metals at low prices, establishing a win-win relationship. However, avoiding his attempts to make us feel indebted to him was a bit of a challenge.
“It’s an honor that you remember my name.”
“There’s no need for such formalities. By the way, are you headed somewhere?”
“Yes, we are on our way to Saile Village for trading.”
It seemed they were on their way to trade with their caravan, accompanied by the bird monsters that served as their familiars. Saile Village was the place where we had first encountered Margaret, the first islander we met when we arrived at the Vetus floating island.
Since that time, our appearance, strength, and even our numbers have changed. I wondered how the girl who ventured into the forest seeking medicine for her mother’s illness was doing now.
“Actually, Sir Isam, would you consider escorting us? While dangerous monsters don’t appear often, the day after a storm can bring out hungry, aggressive ones. Meeting you here must be some kind of fate. We will pay you a fair reward.”
“An escort quest… What should we do?”
A virtual window appeared before me, prompting me to choose whether or not to accept the quest titled “Escort of the Birdian Caravan”. Considering the distance to the village, I thought it would be feasible to stay logged in and complete this quest in time. But what about the three of them?
“Let’s accept it! I’d love to see a human village!”
“It sounds like a good opportunity to earn some pocket money.”
“So, is it decided?”
“That settles it then. Let’s take it on.”
“Ooh, thank you very much.”
I pressed yes on the window to accept the quest. Sir Dahl smiled broadly and bowed his head. Unlike his boss, he had a carefree smile. I wonder how that bodes for him as a merchant.
Regardless, we immediately began our escort duties. Moth-san led the way, flying ahead while I kept watch from a slightly elevated position above the caravan. Usaji took care of the ground and rode on the back of one of the loaded bird monsters and Karl, who carried Eiji, was our rearguard.
Ideally, Shio would have been the best fit for my position, but since she wasn’t here, I took on the role. I needed to be prepared to use magic at any moment.
…. I was a bit nervous, but we ended up approaching Saile Village without engaging in a single battle. It was merely a flight through the sky. If we were to be paid for this, it would be the easiest job imaginable.
“Everyone! There seems to be some commotion in the direction of the village! Please be cautious!”
However, it appeared that things would not go so smoothly. Something seemed to be happening in Saile Village. Our quest was to escort and ensure the success of their trade until we returned. With such disturbances, conducting business in the village would likely be impossible.
I hope we can solve it well. With that in mind, we hurried to Saile Village while remaining vigilant.
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