Chapter 15
The next morning, Zeros left the tent, basking in the sun shining on the grasslands while feeling refreshed .
He’s, originally, up early in the morning because he’s used to farming . That’s why he goes to bed earlier than the others, but it’s proof that he has a healthy lifestyle .
The problem is that there are no fields to cultivate here . It was good until he got up, but he was infinitely free .
“I’m free so, What should I do?”
There was nothing to do .
In his former world, this is the time when eggs were collected from the henhouse and the fields were weeded out . Breakfast was the leftovers from the previous day and he would spent his time leisurely watching TV and playing online games in the afternoon . Even though he was unemployed, he wasn’t troubled with his living expenses because of the rent from the house his parents left him . In a sense, he was in a privileged environment .
He’s now a vagrant without a place to stay . Even if somehow he managed to get a home and a plot of land, he was still unemployed . He’s a tutor, but in a month he’ll just return to being out of work . He can sell the materials from the monsters he defeats but he’d rather refrain because it seems to be a dangerous way of living . He doesn’t want to work for the country either, he just wants to freely live a normal life .
“That’s not going to happen isn’t it?…”
In all honesty, he didn’t want to get a job with many responsibilities attached . That is even more true if someone else’s life is involved .
It should be a refreshing morning but his mood gets progressively worse .
“Ohh… he’s out!! Oooooooooohhh!!!”
“It’s a white devil! The one that took my pants off!”
“Calm down! Is everyone alright?”
“I don’t believe it! It ran away!!”
The watchman after the night shift seems to have encountered the Crazy Ape . The knights… no, the men have no choice but to think the Crazy Ape is a demon .
Even though she had a spear, Celestina attacked the knights without looking .
Seven knights got their pants removed, and two of them got not only their pants removed but their manly parts between their legs caressed . The dread is unimaginable .
In a way, it might be better to come across a dragon, the Crazy Ape was dangerous in another way, leaving enormous mental trauma on the knights .
“I can hear his voice ♡!”
Well they don’t seem to be suffering anymore…
It seems they had a traumatic enough experience to start hearing voices .
A sorrowful cry reverberates through the morning plains . Zeros feels heavier in a different sense and for some reason his tears don’t stop flowing…
“Why is the breakfast’s mood so gloomy?…”
“You’re okay because you’re a woman, only men know true fear…”
In response to Celestina, who gave her honest impressions, Zweit grumbles at her . Breakfast is on a day-to-night condition(*T . N: no idea what’s supposed to mean) . Honestly, nobody can savor the taste of the meal .
They silently give up, just quietly chewing their breakfast .
It wasn’t just gloomy, it was a despair equal to everything in this world, and it was wrapped in such an atmosphere as if all dreams and hopes were lost .
There are two female knights in this squad, but the Crazy Apes spared them not even a glance so only the male knights became their prey .
Zeros’ spirit was already driven to a corner before so there wasn’t any more fear in him .
“This is just a question, but if the males attack other males… then what about the females?”
That was a question that should never be considered because it can lead to further misfortune . But once you start wondering about it… It’s something difficult to omit .
“After all… wouldn’t it just attack a female?”
“Wait, so would it attack a female if it pretends to be a male?”
“Maybe it does both…”
“I don’t want to think about it!!”
“Wait, hypothetically as to aim only for the females… Do you want to see such things?”
“I don’t want to see it… not pretty to imagine . ”
“” You guys are perverts!!””
If you think about it, they’re killing monsters because they are harmful beasts but they don’t know anything about their ecology . There is certainly a breeding season as with animals but no one has confirmed the authenticity of that . It is likely that some of the people that have investigated in the past have died because there’s not much knowledge about it in the present . Ecological investigation of monsters is difficult due to being full of dangers .
It is, therefore, obscure and full of mysteries, but whether anyone wants to investigate the Crazy Ape’s ecology is a great question . In another sense, the risk is too high .
“So what about today’s schedule? We’re your escorts, so it’ll depend on your actions . ”
“Well it’s not like I have to do it . Let’s hunt the monsters after collecting their magic stones? They’ll be extra revenue”
“””Don’t want to!!!”””
“”………””
The Crazy Ape had too much of an impact . The wounds carved by it are quite deep . In the end, they all get along well an go to the depths of the forest . That’s the knights’ job and role .
If you accept any job, you have to take responsibility until the end . It’s the same in every world .
Far-flung’s large, deep woodlands is a forest that boasts a vast an area as its name suggests . More than half of the continent is covered by this forest, and only about a third of the area is where people can live . (*T . N: Yes, “Far-flung” is the name of the forest . There were much cooler options but the reference wouldn’t make sense if it didn’t have the word “far” in it . )
The countries are scattered in a narrow territory, and at the time of the Evil God War, it was enough for a unified state to be formed for a while . The great nation eventually declined and, once again, returned to a situation where small countries were trying to conquer each other .
It may be difficult to make the ideal a reality, because the rise and fall of great empires is the norm of the world, and the downfall of the Unified State was in less than a hundred years .
This vast forest is a place that will never change as we continue to watch the situation of this world .
The environment in which many monsters live, in the providence of carnage and rejection of civilization, is pretty much hell, and it’d take being an elf to live in such a harsh forest .
Such elves try to not get too involved with humans, and don’t show themselves in front of anyone except certain people .
The reason lies in the Unified State after the Evil God War, at that time it flourished as a country with a philanthropic spirit beyond tribes but it ended up corrupting and splitting up before human desires . The ideal is expensive and difficult to materialize .
The elves were so taken aback by the foolishness of the people that they went into this harsh forest to create their own country, and then secluded themselves . Because they lived for a long time, they looked too far ahead and despaired .
It’s now unclear where the country is located, and many are trying to find it an obtain it .
Because of their excellence in magic, greedy individuals are trying to enslave them and incorporate them into their own armies . You can only say there’s no salvation .
There are times you can see elves, but most of them are the descendants of those who have lived with humans without hiding themselves .
Nonetheless, the large and deep greenbelt of Far-flung is a harsh environment, although at the same time, is a rich forest . There are many medicinal herbs and minerals in this vast forest, so there are many people who set foot in it in search for them . The profits are higher than what you can make by farming alone, double the value of medicinal herbs, and ten times the value of special herbs such as mandrakes . If you can make an elixir or secret medicine, its value will continue to rise .
“This forest… has an unusual concentration of magic, that’s why the monsters are so strong . ”
“The trees are massive, too . They seem healthful and growing quite fast . ”
“I don’t care, It is not here, is it? I don’t wanna see it in a place like this . ”
The knights all nodded .
“I’m interested in females…”
“””Please don’t say horrible things!!!!”””
The cry of the soul of every knight .
No one wants to encounter a monster with a metamorphic habit . Celestina, who knows that there’s no harm to herself is calm in her heart .
It’s nothing other than fear for the men in this place and they’re getting more vigilant than usual because of it .
“”” !? “””
Whether it is happiness or misfortune, they have sensed the presence of monsters immediately .
――― Gruooorruurururur…
The monster has the body of a lion, the head of a goat, the tail of a scorpion and bat wings on its back . It’s a chimera, famous for being a high-ranked monster .
Chimeras don’t have an identical appearance with one another . Their appearances range from things that might be similar to completely different figures . Furthermore, they have special abilities that differ from individual to individual, and even if they are defeated there’s the added difficulty of having to change your strategy for every single Chimera to be able to defeat them .
Thus, it was one of the monsters you didn’t want to encounter in this vast forest .
Chimera Ｌｖ１２４
ＨＰ ２８４６/２８４６
“It’s a Chimera, level 124 . It’s a bit weaker than the previous one I defeated . ”
“”” Level 124??!!! Impossible!! We can’t possibly win!!”””
The level is about four times the average of the knights, but much higher in terms of strength . If they are attacked, they would be overwhelmed enough to be killed instantly… except for one person .
“It’s alright! 『Chain of Darkness』”
A jet-black chain entangles from the shadow of the Chimera, sealing its movement in an instant .
“””What are you doing!?”””
“Are you going to kill it? Please attack quickly, this magic consumes magic power so it’ll drain mine eventually . ”
It sounded like a joke, but Zeros was completely serious .
“Isn’t it an attack? You have two swords, right? Didn’t you use magic too?!”
“It’s a little bit of magic, but it’s the other characteristic of this magic that makes it tenable, if you do your best you can defeat it . ”
“”・・・・・・・・・・・・・・””
“By the way, the power is great but the restraining time is short, It’ll attack if you don’t do it right now?”
“””What’s wrong with youuu!!!”””
They cry and cry… No, they’re pulling out their swords while actually weeping and charge towards the Chimera . There was nothing but fear, and the knights wielded their swords to live .
They don’t know when the Chimera will be free of its restrains so the knights wield their swords in fear because they want to live, and they’ll surely do some damage .
It’s no longer a controlled, precise technique, it just looks like they’re slamming their swords blindly .
If you look from the side, it looks like a group lynching, but the Chimera is a formidable enemy and if you don’t defeat it they will soon pursuit you .
If you do poorly, they could come after you in your country . There exist the bad example where, in the past, some nobles entered the forest and unsuccessfully tried to kill a Chimera . Later, the monster appeared in the territory of the foolish nobles and many people were sacrificed . The level of that chimera was around 200 .
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The average level of the world’s strongest humans is around 250 . Even Creston is level 243 so it’s no wonder they can’t manage Wyverns who are around level 300 .
They have the potential to be strong, but in reality, they’ve stopped growing . The people of this world should be able to go up to level 500 at the highest .
After a while, the Chimera stops moving .
Is it about forty minutes now? They continue to wield their swords, but they’re mentally fatigued .
Even if each of them are weak, if they attack in group they’ll eventually manage to accumulate damage to the chimera . Moreover, a Chimera that has been deprived of movement and magic is just a target, and they should be able to defeat it without much difficulty .
“Hahaha… I’m level 43 . It was 24 until a while ago…”
“Me too… I’m not happy at all . ”
“My body hurts… is it the side effect of rising your levels?”
“The skill level has gone up… hahaha…”
“My level is 68…?”
“I will be 50 soon…”
But none of them were happy with the victory . More than that, fear has bound them .
Zeros who had been watching on the sidelines, examined the HP reduction of the Chimera and estimated that the damage points the knights dealt was about ２～１５ .
Apparently, this Chimera is likely a defense-specific type, it seems to have had more defense than what its level implied . Though the defensive power was reduced by the magic’s effect, even if its magic power is further deprived, it seems to have some kind of resistance skill so there was a strong tendency for the effect to be resisted .
In addition, it seemed to have HP resilience as a special ability, but it was meaningless before the sheer number of the group attacking it . It would be difficult to break through Zeros’ magic, but the probability isn’t nil so you can’t judge whether you have good or bad luck .
“Let’s dismantle it, Can someone help me?”
“”Wait, koorrraaaaahhh!!!””
The knights’ angry voices contrasts Zeros who tries to start dismantling as if nothing even happened .
Fear turns into anger and that anger has already reached its limits . If there’s no good reason, the brunt of that anger will be directed at Zeros
“How do you fight it, What would have happened if we died?!!”
“”It almost killed us!!””
“Who died?”
“That’s not it! That’s what would’ve happened if the restraining magic ran out!”
“Did it run out? The restraining magic?”
“””……… Ohh?”””
Zeros said the restraining magic would break sooner rather than later . However, the magic actually lasted until the chimera died so there was a sense of incongruity there .
“Z-Zeros-dono? No way, did you lie to us?”
“I thought it was bad, but you’re too weak and there’s no way of escaping when there’s a powerful monster in front of you . However, if you raise your level, your chances of survival will increase . ”
“Why did you do that? If you say something like that…”
“You can’t fight strong monsters off-guard . I’m not always by your side and I can’t talk about fighting unless I’m prepared to face a stronger opponent . This vast forest is inhabited by a myriad of horrendous monsters after all . ”
Out of this group, Zeros is the strongest, however, his presence is a guarantee of safety for the knights, but he’s not going to seriously fight at the risk of his own life . It gives them a sense of security, the presence of a strong man being besides them and in their hearts, they unconsciously assumed to be safe so there’s the possibility that it will eventually lead to failure . It’d be too late to make such a fatal mistake by then .
“I think we’ve got a lot of training to do…”
“You can raise your combat skills later, but now you need to raise your level as higher as possible . You can’t be caught off guard in this forest… in many ways…”
“Do you mean the peace of mind that Zeros-dono’s presence gives us makes us weak?
These knights are currently in the hands of Zeros(T . N: meaning that they depend on him for everything, I guess) . The only way to reverse that is to force all of them to be strong . In addition, in order to improve their abilities, Zeros only restrained the monster’s movement .
The inner thoughts of Zeros at this time…
(They’re weak… It’s the truth . I have no choice but to artificially rise their levels, but it feels weird to make them leech off of me, and if you think about the future, it’s better to get strong on your own .
This forest’s monsters’ levels are slightly over 500 at most, isn’t it? They can’t survive!! What kind of impossible game is that!?
I don’t wanna see people die, and I have to raise their levels even if I make it hard . But, it’s troublesome to manage this number of people… or should I say, impossible!!)
…It was like that .
The Orcs were stuck at a relatively low level, but monsters with levels over 100 suddenly appear .
What’s more, he said “I’m going to let you level up, so isn’t it fine if the number of people increase a little bit? If it works, you guys might be able to manage some of the monsters around here, is what I’m thinking . ”…
In short, the knights can’t even guard them properly . Raising their levels would help but it’s like saying “just protect yourself” .
No matter how strong Zeros is, depending of the strategy and circumstances, there’s a high probability that it will be different for them . In the meantime, if they encounter some heinous monster, they knights will be wiped out without any way to counter-attack .
For the time being, they’re fighting for themselves, but it’s still troublesome when there are many people to protect .
On the other hand, Arlev…
(No way… Thinking about us… I’ve been thinking since I first met him, he’s definitely not an ordinary person .
It’s true that knights are the elite who protect the people, but in this world there are so many of them as to sweep and overthrow the strong . What is a knight who doesn’t challenge the strong . We must be brave!
Who can say that in a battle there’s always an opponent who’s weaker than you . Zeros-dono’s way of thinking is reasonable, and most of all, he thought about us and dared to take strict measures to help us grow .
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I will accept this favor now, if there comes a time when this person needs our strength, we must be strong enough to return this favor…)
The stocks were soaring without Zeros’ knowledge .
Because the knights have strict discipline they were tough… well no, more like all brawn and no brains . More than that, they were active professionals, no matter how refreshing they look, they are a group of hot-blooded people . It’s the reason why they have a bad relationship with the science/magic division .
“Everyone listen! We were certainly spoiled by Zeros-dono . That’s evident considering yesterday’s bout with the Orcs . But, is that really good?
We are knights who protect the people!! What can the knights protect if they are afraid of the strong!?
From now on, we will raise our levels according to Zeros-dono’s instructions in order to increase our own strength! You will become the shield of the people in case of any emergency and you will become a knight the people of this country can be proud of!!”
“”” Ohhhhhhh!!!! “””
They were really energetic, without losing motivation, they also became some sort of war demons…
The monsters they encountered took the initiative to attack and so, the killing continued bathing itself with blood to become stronger .
Two hours later…
“Shit! Watch out, left!! It’s moving!!”
“Defend with a shield, intercept!!”
“ I’ll cover you! 『Fireball』!”
“Spearmen! Behind you! What are you doing, hurry up!!”
They’re against a Green Giant . It’s a giant Troll with short legs and unusually long arms, and there are three of them .
A big blow knocks down some trees, but the knights are smaller than the Trolls so they’re naturally more nimble . Taking advantage of that they were fighting well .
“We’re gonna finish one soon! Knights be careful… take this! 『Bolganic』“
Zweit’s magic attack connects . The flames that erupted from the ground envelop the whole body of the Troll .
―――Guooooaaaaaaahhhhh!!
After being burned by the high temperature flames, the Troll collapses to its knees screaming, and the knights who’ve been fighting it turn their swords toward their next prey .
The remaining two Trolls are slow but their blows are heavy and hard to deal with .
This Troll monster was a relatively high-ranked one in terms of pure power and endurance .
“Trolls… the skin is their best material right?”
“That’s right! Don’t challenge it from the front, attack from the sides and the rear!!”
“It makes an excellent leather armor but it’s weak against fire magic . ”
“That’s the problem, if it didn’t have that flaw we, the knights, could use it…”
“Why? Isn’t it okay given that fire magic is weak?
“It’s the nobles magicians who are the problem . There are decent people among them, but they can’t go against their own factions . ”
Zeros could tell that there were indeed decent magicians out there, but their factions is like a black company centered on the representative .
The representatives on the top try to make connections by asking for power without doing anything, leaving researching and so on to the magicians on the bottom, and if any useful magic is created, they try to gain more authority by taking credit for it .
If you look from the perspective of the low-ranked magicians, the higher ones are constantly messing with them but they can’t go against them because they are nobles from famous genealogies . What’s more, their researches’ results are taken away from them .
Too bad… the representatives are quite the magic casters .
It’s a headache for the knights maintaining the country’s order .
“I see, you’re using a lot of flashy and powerful fire spells, right? … Oh, it was about time it was settled . ”
“Well, even though they’re not doing well, they’re threatening it with magic . For the remaining trolls, I’ll go too . ”
“I don’t want to be associated with the bigwigs . Good luck, this is a service 『Blessings of the Great Gods』”
“Now… Don’t let it get away! I know you’re tired but this is the right moment!”
Arlev unsheathed his longsword and ran towards the trolls . He scrapes the rampant Troll’s arm, watching his steps and glancing at its feet at the same time as he wields his sword again . His aim is the Troll’s achilles tendon .
The knights are like raptors attacking herbivorous dinosaurs…
(I don’t care but I’d like you to stop doing small talk and tactical command at the same time…)
The slash enhanced by Zeros’ body strengthening magic 『Blessings of the Great Gods』 cut the Troll’s tendon and the body over 7 meters came crashing towards the ground . ”
Celestina’s magic and Zweit’s attack are concentrated there . The former, using lightning magic, whereas the latter, fire magic .
Fire and lightning strike the Troll, and in its agony Arlev precisely slices its neck as it turns around .
With its neck severed, the Giant’s head fell to the ground while a large amount of blood scattered all around .
“Yoshi! My level has risen . But my body hurts…”
“That’s right… Sensei, I have reached level 50 already!”
Celestina happily frolics around . She could be taught one of Zeros’ original magics if she had a level over 50 and one skill at level over 30 . As he was feeling suspicious about Celestina’s bliss, Zweit started listening about the situation from her and sure enough, started feeling very displeased and envious .
“How cunning! Shishou’s original magic?!?!”
“After that, it’s the skill level but I think I’ll be able to achieve it in a little bit more . ”
“What kind of magic, tell me!!”
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“Hmm, I don’t know . Sensei said he was looking forward to it . ”
After getting under the guidance of Zeros, their relationship seems to get gradually better .
The two of them had quite a bad relationship, being the cause their respective mothers, the two duchesses, and Zweit has only now changed his mind about Celestina .
He bullied her since they were young due to his one-sided resentment as a result of his parents’ influence and Celestina’s lack of talent . But he has an honest side to him, he knows if he made a mistake he has to correct it immediately .
Although their relationship wasn’t damaged by that alone, they were able to repair it in a considerable short amount of time due to their combat training with the golems .
It’s uncertain whether he apologized or not, but it’s clear that he’s softening his stance against her .
The number of words was more than the number of battles… well, it’s a lot more complicated for Luceris…
Such a Zweit-kun comes up to Zeros…
“I’m going to be like Celestina! Don’t be stingy, come on, give me some magic too!!”
“You can use your family’s original magic, right? Celestina doesn’t have any . ”
“… Then I’ll teach her the family’s heirloom magic, so give me something!!”
“… Well, it doesn’t matter if it’s the same magic… but only after you meet the conditions . ”
“Yoshi!! My motivation is going through the roof!”
Celestina, who listened to their conversation, puffs up her cheeks and sulks .
The knights are dismantling the Trolls but is difficult given the large number of them .
Since, from the beginning, they weren’t mercenaries, they don’t have the knack for dismantling . Given that they’re working as a group the dismantling is proceeding at an efficient pace but it’s not careful enough for the parts to be used as suitable materials .
Even so, the knights are happy to continue doing this work given the extraordinary profits they can make .
The escort mission also serves as an exercise, part of the monsters defeated in the forest will go into their pockets while the knights cash in the rest . It will mainly be used for the maintenance of their weapons and armors though .
Whenever the knights are mobilized, it costs money .
While they were desperately working, Zeros muttered “I want to drink beer… I don’t have anything to say if I can have chicken wings” .
(I love more the canned beer than the wine of this world…)
After all, when they returned to the base, it was already past sunset . They defeated Orcs, Goblins, Poison Snakes, and eventually, used all of their remaining strength in their last fight against the Trolls .
Their hunger and fatigue made it hard to go back to the plains, but when they saw the base, they were at a loss of words .
Their tents were destroyed and most of their belongings were ransacked . Food was the most damaging, almost all they brought was devoured .
“This… This is… What the hell?…”
“Did a monster attack? But, the base should’ve been protected by Zeros-dono’s magic” .
“That’s right . Just what entered here?”
The area around the base was covered with earth walls made by magic, and when they left to the forests they broke down part of it and then closed it again .
The carriage used when coming to this place had already left to wait in a nearby village, leaving only one wagon to store the luggage . Four days later, until then, they’ll have to resupply the food they brought in . But their basic supplies were ravaged .
Zeros examines the place and discovers the hair of an animal there . And… its color was white .
“This hair… I really don’t want to think…”
“White hair… You’re kidding…”
“It’s a coincidence… it can’t be . ”
“If the culprit is the owner of this hair…”
It was enough for the men’s faces to quickly pale .
“Oi… dick… something, there…?”
The knights look in that direction all at once . There was certainly a murky shadow hiding in the back of the wagon instead of the stored luggage and the sound of chewing as if eating something echoes faintly .
――― Paki
A quiet sound could be heard in their ears as if someone stepped on a dead branch . Of course, there’s also a presence behind the barrel .
It raises its head and slowly looks back here . The answer was the Crazy Ape although everyone denied it in their hearts . Moreover, it was apparently a female, the size of its body was twice as large as those of the males .
“Uhh… a female, I still can’t rest assured, but maybe…”
“Ah… there’s hope unless you’re a male” .
While everyone was staring at it, the female Crazy Ape looked around licking the men with its gaze and made an “uhh-oh♡” sound .
“”That’s right…… . !!””
Female Crazy Apes also loved males . Just like a hungry beast, it recognizes them as opponents to attack… Of course in a different sense .
That habit seemed to be no different from the Orcs .