“Does this mean that the person in the forest was a wanderer just like Sir Isam?”
After discussing various matters with Nenashi and his friend, I returned alone to Sir Dahl to report the facts as they were. I didn’t tell a single lie and shared everything I knew about their race and their circumstances.
“That’s right, Sir Dahl. He said he had no intention of attacking the village. The fact that he didn’t retaliate when attacked is the best proof of that.”
“I see…”
“However, even if we say he’s not dangerous, the villagers won’t be convinced. And it’s difficult for him to camp outside…”
“So, you want to take him to Birdy Perch? This is a request from none other than Sir Isam himself. I’ll grant permission for him to accompany us back as the leader of the caravan.”
I mentally celebrated with a fist pump. It seems that the strategy of honestly explaining the situation and persuading him worked better than patching things up with clumsy lies.
This wasn’t simply because I was trusted. Sir Dahl is a businessman through and through and wouldn’t be moved by a story that doesn’t lead to profit. Therefore, I also honestly spoke about Nenashi’s race and the items he could produce.
Just like Wool could produce sheep’s wool and Shiitake could produce small needles, Nenashi had something that could be turned into an item as well. It was a dissolving liquid contained within his pouch. There were no monsters within the Birdians’ range of activity that dropped dissolving liquid so what Nenashi could make was quite a rare product.
Although it was uncertain how it could be used, there was a good chance that it would generate large profits. I anticipated that Sir Dahl would grant permission, seeing the chance for a new business opportunity and a way to do me a favor.
It seemed my prediction was correct as he agreed with a smile. His smile was carefree, but I suspected he was calculating profits faster than I could behind that facade. Oh, how scary that was. As for the “Lord” guy, he had a job that was highly valued in any town he visited. So I didn’t even need to persuade him.
“Thank you, Sir Dahl.”
“That’s how it’s going to be, village chief. I will go and meet these wanderers with Sir Isam once, but what will you do?”
“I, um… I think… I’ll leave the decision up to Sir Dahl…”
“Understood. Then, if I deem it safe, we’ll consider the request to Sir Isam complete.”
As for the quest, the only way to judge if there were no issues was to actually talk to Nenashi and his friend. But the village chief, who was overly scared of them, was hesitant to enter the forest. He escaped the situation by leaving everything to Sir Dahl. With this, there should be no complications in the discussion.
I later learned that the man from the militia who had aggressively confronted me was actually the son of the village chief. It seemed to be a common thing for visitors to this village to have a bit of a dispute before entering the village.
Anyway, we reached an agreement. Although they were a little eccentric, I was confident that the two wouldn’t cause any trouble for Sir Dahl. I then set out for the forest with Sir Dahl and Karl in tow,
◆◇◆◇◆◇
“Phew, I’m beat.”
“Seriously. Weren’t these guys supposed to be just a bunch of weaklings?”
Jigoro and the others, who had gone out to patrol the outskirts of the Great Tengu’s territory on the Heavenly Spirit Island, had been attacked by a group of baboons. Although they managed to fend off the attack, what they found out was that the baboons were far from being mere weaklings.
According to the information they had, the baboons were skilled in coordination and used their superior physical abilities to launch physical attacks. However, the way they actually fought was beyond anything Jigoro and the others had imagined. In order to defeat them, the baboons did not hesitate to use any means necessary, and among the group, there were individuals with a different fur color who astonishingly used magic or magic-like skills.
Some attacked from a distance with magic just like Isam while others were enveloped in flames just like Jigoro. Thinking the baboons were only capable of simple physical attacks, Jigoro and the others were taken aback and faced more difficulty than they expected. However, they managed to push them back with their superior skills. They inflicted considerable damage and successfully drove the baboons away.
“Big brother Jigoro, shall we chase after them?” Sei said
“Let’s not, Sei-chan. If we chase too deep, we might walk into an ambush.” Seventh Armor replied.
“Seventh Armor is right. Our priority should be to bring back materials and information.” Genjuro added.
Genjuro made such a calm judgment while skinning a higher-ranking or specially evolved baboon. Although he tended to be aggressive when people like Isam were present, he was now somewhat restraining himself since he acknowledged his role as the leader and the elder of the team.
“It was a surprisingly tough fight, full of killing intent. There was even one who blasted magic at me while harming his allies.”
“It was as if somehow they were completely disregarding their own lives for victory. Just like my summoned beasts, really.”
The four were dismayed by the baboons’ ferocious fighting style, which was hard to believe given the information that they were originally timid and non-aggressive. As Seventh Armor said, it would be more believable if they were summoned beasts controlled by someone’s [Summoning Magic]. But the fact that they dropped items when they used their skinning knives was a clear indication that they were not summoned beasts.
“So, what do we do now? Are we heading back?”
“Hmm, what to do…”
Genjuro was indecisive. Although he immediately decided against pursuing the baboons, thinking it was a bad move, choosing whether to return or proceed from there was difficult. They had struggled in the fight and sustained some damage, but it was at a level manageable with various potions. Yet he couldn’t help but worry that if they were attacked again by a force of the same size, their healing items might not suffice.
It was a vexing choice, but Genjuro thought that standing idle would also be a waste of time. After some hesitation, he made his decision.
“We should complete the patrol route as planned.”
“That’s the spirit!”
Jigoro cheered; as for him, facing strong opponents was something he looked forward to, and turning back now would have been unsatisfying. Genjuro himself still harbored a desire to fight, judging that if the enemy was of this caliber, there was no need to hold back.
Following that decision, the four of them, along with Sei’s familiars, continued their patrol through the forests of the Heavenly Spirit Island. This forest wasn’t part of the Great Tengu’s territory and was known as the “Dreadful Forest of Spirits”. While on patrol, they collected medicinal herbs sprouting from the ground and remained vigilant of their surroundings.
“Still, we’re not encountering anything other than those baboons.”
“Now that you mention it, it’s too quiet… Must be because of those monkeys.”
Seventh Armor’s offhand remark caught Jigoro’s attention. He was reminded of the times they had fought in this forest while Isam and the others were attending an event. Back then, regardless of whether the Yokais were weak or strong, they all attacked Jigoro and the other Onis.
However, today was different. Although there had been a large-scale attack by the baboons, that was the extent of it. It was a major change yet Jigoro and Genjuro did not dwell much on it. They attributed the change to the influence of the baboons as the Great Tengu had suggested.
Thus, they overlooked an important possibility. The baboons were now tirelessly expanding their territory and engaging in battles, regardless of the time of day. Therefore, the forest adjacent to the Tengu’s territory might have already become part of the baboons’ domain.
“Whoa!”
“Hmm!”
“Ouch?!”
“Yowch!”
In response to the appearance of Jigoro and the others at the border of their territory, the baboons first tried to drive them out with sheer force. Jigoro who was a type of Oni and Sei who looked a bit like them were one thing, but the rest of the group were creatures they had never seen on the island before. The once timid baboons would probably have remained passive had their territory not been so brazenly invaded, but now they had become quite aggressive. They were confident that they could win even against these unknown enemies due to their increased individual strength.
Yet they ended up suffering huge losses and were forced to retreat. The fallen were meant to be the vanguard for an assault on the “Heavenly Spirit City” and even though there were still a large number of them, losing them was a huge blow.
Jigoro and his fellow detested intruders continued their trek through the forest. Yet, the baboons saw this as an opportunity to swiftly eliminate these threatening enemies. Knowing that a direct confrontation would be useless, they patiently waited for Jigoro and the others to reach the perfect ambush spot. And then, the moment arrived.
“Is this a stone?”
“And this one is a chestnut burr.”
“Guh?! Light Armor!”
“Wuoo! Woof, Woof!”
The baboons that were hidden among the treetops launched their attack in unison. They hurled small stones and chestnut burrs they had gathered individually. Jigoro easily deflected these with his gauntlets and horns, while Genjuro’s sturdy exoskeleton was impervious to such minor assaults.
However, the smaller Seventh Armor and the less dexterous Sei struggled to fend off the barrage of various objects raining down on them. Sei was covered in thick fur so he wasn’t as badly affected, but Seventh Armor would have suffered great damage if he hadn’t cast the Light Armor spell.
Sei’s familiar, Phil, barked while using his [Intimidation] skill, but it was largely ineffective. Though frightened at first, once it became clear that there was no counterattack from their enemies, the baboons continued hurling stones and other objects at Sei and the others.
“Damn it! I’ll show you!”
Sei grew frustrated from being on the receiving end of the onslaught and he leaped up in anger. He grabbed onto a nearby tree and swiftly climbed it up.
The baboons attempted to thrash the foolhardy intruder who dared ascend into their territory in the treetops. However, Sei was just as adept at maneuvering and fighting amidst the trees. His superior physique and skillful use of his staff allowed him to sweep through the attackers. It seemed that the advantage of higher ground was less effective against another monkey-type creature.
“Hahaha! Not bad at all, Sei!”
“We should stick to our own ways, right?”
“Come on! Time for payback!”
Thanks to Sei’s valiant efforts, the onslaught from above thinned out, giving the three others room to counterattack. Genjuro unleashed a flying slash using his martial technique that cut down the branches that served as the baboons’ foothold. The fallen baboons were then set upon by Jigoro and Sei’s familiars. Seventh Armor supported everyone with his magic and just like that, the tide turned in their favor.
“Uooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!”
Although their initial surprise attack had been successful, the group felt that without a change in tactics, this battle would not differ from the first assault. Just as they were contemplating their next move, something roared from deep within the forest and charged towards them. Instead of jumping through the trees like a baboon, they heard the sound of something breaking and snapping, which made them realize that this incoming one was a very large opponent.
“Intruders, kill! Kill! Kill! Kiiiiilllll!!!”
“Is that a gorilla or what? It’s soo biig!”
What appeared was a monkey monster that was several times larger than any baboon they had encountered before, but the difference wasn’t only in its size. Its upper arms were as long as its height and as thick as logs, and it had not one but two tails. The creature’s ability to use meaningful words indicated it was far more powerful than an ordinary baboon. This was something even a monkey could understand.
It became clear that they had to deal with this powerful beast if they were to escape this predicament. The four of them braced themselves for what was to come.
Leave a Reply