Chapter 2 - The Wandering Mercenary

I woke up the next morning to the sounds of people bustling about as they walked

along the thoroughfare.

I'd come back to the inn again, spending another night on the creaky wooden bed with

my back against the wall. After loosening up my stiff joints, I picked up my bags and

went downstairs.

The counter was unmanned, just like yesterday. After exiting the inn, I merged into the

crowd of people on the thoroughfare and made my way toward the east gate.

Today, I was heading to the village of Rata—about a half day's journey by horse—to

carry out the job I'd taken from the mercenary guild office.

I passed through the morning market and refilled my water skin at the aqueduct in

front of the east gate. Nearby, a group of armored men stood gathered together,

watching me out of the corners of their eyes. The town's mercenary troupe, perhaps?

At the gate, I showed my travel pass and was waved on through, just like the day

before. After crossing the stone bridge, I walked along a raised dirt path that ran

between the wheat fields and the moat, following along the town wall as I made my

way north.

Every time I ran across a farmer, they would bow their head and step out of my way.

They probably assumed I was a royal knight from some far-flung region, so I made

sure to nod my head and acknowledge them as I passed.

Once I reached Luvierte's northern boundary, the dirt path grew into a much larger

road that stretched off into the distance. I continued following it, and, once I was out

of the fields and could no longer be seen, I began using Dimensional Step to quickly

traverse the picturesque landscape.

After traveling north for a bit, I hit my first juncture in the road—the landmark I was

looking for. The bear had told me yesterday to take a left and follow the road into the

village. Looking ahead, I could see one of the paths had massive stakes running along

both sides. In the other direction, a dirt path covered in undergrowth stretched off

into the northwest. It was more of an animal trail than a road, though in my world,

neither of these options would have passed for roads.

I continued teleporting along the animal-trail-like path until I saw a field surrounded

by a wooden fence and an empty ditch. Beyond the field lay a village surrounded by a

moat, and inside that, a large mound of dirt with logs bound together and stacked on

top formed a wall. The gate consisted of several massive logs strapped together and

suspended over the entrance by a sturdy-looking rope. The villagers would probably

cut the rope to drop the gate whenever they were under attack.

Outside the gate, two old men with poorly made spears talked animatedly. One of the

men noticed my approach and notified the other. They both began babbling and

gesticulating wildly as they watched me.

Eventually, one of them made his way over to me, tottering along with his bent back

and using the spear as a cane. To be honest, these men didn't seem like the best choices

for gate guards.

"Sir Knight! May I ask what business you have with our simple village?" the old guard

spoke in a stilted, high-pitched voice. He must have been nervous.

"Please don't misunderstand. I am a simple mercenary. I came here to perform a job

at the request of a Miss Marca."

"Marca? Seona's eldest daughter, right?" The old man blinked several times, the look

of surprise at my unexpected response apparent on his face.

"Could you please show me the way to Miss Marca's home?"

"R-right away! Follow me." The old man replied excitedly and led me toward the gate,

gesturing to the other guard as we passed to let him know everything was fine. I finally

entered Rata.

All eyes were on me in an instant. Not only was it likely rare to have an outsider come

visit, but they were probably put even further on edge by my armor. The reaction was

consistent everywhere I went.

In contrast with the wooden houses I'd seen back in town, the dwellings in the village

looked more like mountain cabins. The old man walked up to one of these dwellings

and knocked on the large wooden door before announcing our presence.

"Seona, you in there? You've got a visitor!"

I heard a woman reply and, a moment later, saw the door open a crack. However, there

was no one there.

I lowered my eyes a bit and noticed a girl of around ten staring up at us. She wore her

blonde hair in a bob and regarded the old man and me with large, brown eyes.

"Hello, Herina. Where's your mother? This knight here has some business with her."

"Umm…"

The young girl—Herina, according to the old man—shook her head slightly and

frowned. She stepped back, as if to hide in the darkness behind the door.

"Oh, right. She's probably working in the fields." The old man scratched his head and

made a face, as if deep in thought.

I could hear the sound of someone approaching. Then the door flew wide open.

"Mother is in the fields right now. Whaddya want?"

The new girl who'd appeared was older, around thirteen or fourteen. She was probably

150 centimeters tall and had light brown hair tied into shoulder-length pigtails. With

her tanned skin and well-worn clothes, she certainly looked the part of a farm girl. She

stared up at the guard with large, clear blue eyes.

As her gaze shifted from the old man to me, her eyes grew even larger. "Whoa! Are you

the one who took my job, Mister Knight?"

Her eyes lit up when she realized what I was there for, though as she looked me over,

she began tilting her head to the side, growing more uncertain. I imagined my armor

didn't really fit the image of a mercenary; she'd even referred to me as a knight.

"My name is Arc. I am no knight, just a simple mercenary. Are you Miss Marca?" I tried

to put her at ease by asking her name.

She hurriedly bowed her head and took a step back inside before replying. "Yes, that's

me! P-please, come in!"

The gate guard bowed once and turned back toward the gate.

"Thank you."

Once inside, I could see that the house was quite small. Immediately next to the

entrance was a cooking area, consisting of a stone-lined hole surrounded by

compacted earth with a pot suspended above it. Several wooden utensils were

organized neatly in a simple cupboard. Farther inside, the floor was flat and lined with

stones, on top of which rested a sparse few pieces of wooden furniture, including a

table, four chairs, and two beds in the back.

"Herina, Mister Knight and I have some business to discuss. Go play for a bit, okay?"

The young girl—likely Marca's younger sister—hid behind Marca as her large, brown

eyes looked me over with great interest.

"Please sit down, Mister Knight." Marca motioned toward one of the chairs in front of

the table. I thanked her and did so.

Marca sat in the chair across from me, looking up at me as she spoke. "Didja really

agree to take my job? The guild told me they weren't sure anyone would want to. I

could only put up what little money I had in my allowance."

The girl still seemed uncertain about what she was seeing. If our roles had been

reversed, I would also have a hard time believing a person like myself would work for

such an amount.

"Please, call me Arc. I'm simply interested in the art of picking medicinal herbs."

Upon hearing my reason for taking her request, the girl looked surprised. Then a smile

spread across her face, her cheeks flushing a light pink. She bowed her head again, her

pigtails moving with the gesture.

"Thank you! So, um, Mister Arc… Are you ready to go? I just need to grab a few things."

I nodded, which sent the girl off running. She grabbed a large cloth hanging from the

wall and wrapped it around her neck like a scarf, then picked up a basket near the

door. Finally, she took Herina's hands, looking her straight in the eyes as she spoke.

"Herina, Sissy's heading to the forest. Can you keep an eye on the house for me?"

"No problem!"

Herina puffed out her chest and gave a sharp nod in response. Marca smiled and

patted Herina's head, running her fingers through the little girl's hair.

"Mama will be back soon. Tell her I hired a bodyguard to take me out into the forest,

so there's no need to worry."

"Okay!" Herina replied again with a firm nod.

I followed Marca out of the house while Herina watched us from the door, waving the

whole time. Marca waved back to her sister then led the way toward the -village gate.

"Did you not tell your mother about this?" I looked down at the young girl, her basket

firmly on her back.

She responded by turning around to look at me, a slight frown on her face. "I mean,

there's no way she'd let me go if I told her."

Marca ducked out of the village gate, her face set in a slight scowl. The two old men

guarding the gate from before bowed and watched as we left.

"People have been seeing large monsters in the fields near the village lately. But that

was only after I made this request and paid the guild."

"And your father?"

Marca's pace slowed slightly as she walked north along the village wall.

"Papa was real sick. He died last year. Mama, my sister, and I work in the fields, but

things are pretty tough." Marca's face clouded over, and she averted her eyes, though

her ever-present smile remained.

"I apologize for my thoughtless question."

She responded by breaking into a slow run. When she finally turned around, her sad

expression had been replaced with the same cheerful look from before.

"It's okay! 'Sides, I wanna surprise Mama and help her out!"

I could tell she was just a normal, happy young girl, no different from anyone else her

age. She also had a beautiful smile.

"The herbs are used for making medicine. I can sell them for a pretty good price in

town, which will really help Mama. I used to go out with Papa to pick herbs, then we'd

go into town to sell them."

The look of nostalgia on her face made me want to do whatever I could to help her out.

At the same time, she also reminded me of what I was like at her age, much to my

chagrin. I laughed quietly under my helmet.

I've gotta help this girl and her family, I thought as I adjusted my outlook. This was no

longer a simple pleasure jaunt.

"Well then, we'll just have to collect a ton of herbs to make things easier for your mother."

"Definitely!" The girl exuded excitement, her mind focused entirely on her family.

"Are we heading somewhere dangerous?"

"The forest up ahead stretches way out to the southwest, along the base of the Furyu

Mountains. Deeper in the forest, I heard there are wyverns, dragons, and other

dangerous monsters. But Papa said it's safe as long as you don't go too deep into the

forest."

Still, it seemed like there were more monsters than usual in this forest, so it'd be best

not to overstay our welcome.

I continued walking behind Marca as she explained where we were. Apparently, the

steep, snowcapped peaks I could see to the northeast were part of the Furyu mountain

range.

The empty plain soon gave way to the occasional tree, the vegetation growing denser

and denser as we walked on toward the forest. I decided that if we encountered any

monsters I couldn't handle, I'd escape with Marca using Dimensional Step. I continued

following in her footsteps with my head on a constant pivot, scanning for any

dangerous monsters in the area.

***

On the western side of Rata, a woman stooped in one corner of the vast fields outside

the village, tending to vegetables.

Her long, curly blonde hair was tied into a ponytail that draped past her shoulders,

and her bright blue eyes and freckles gave her face a gentle look. She stood around

170 centimeters tall and wore a patch-covered dress. The woman stopped her work

to wipe the sweat from her brow before looking up at the sun; she was certain she'd

heard someone call her name. She scanned the tree line to the north.

"Did you hear something?"

She looked over at the muscular woman working next to her. The second woman

stopped her work as well.

"I didn't hear a thing. What was it, Seona?"

The first woman, Seona, listened closely as she once again scanned the surrounding

fields. Just then, she saw two men—hunters, judging by their garb—rushing, panicstricken, from the forest to the north. She could see several villagers emerge from the

fields to surround the hunters, but she was too far away to hear what they were saying.

"I wonder what happened." Seona's voice betrayed her concern as she looked back to

the woman next to her.

"Maybe it was one of the fang boars that came by before. Why don't we go see?"

The brawny woman also looked worried jogging toward the hunters and villagers.

Seona took off after the woman, feeling a sense of unease deep in her own chest.

"I'll go tell the village chief!" One of the villagers who had been talking to the hunters

sprinted back toward the village.

The rest of the villagers drew closer to the hunters, who were now sitting on the ground

catching their breath.

"What happened?"

One of the hunters looked up at Seona's question, his voice a mixture of fear and

excitement.

"A monster! It was a huge monster!"

Hearing this, the woman who had come with her looked back skeptically, cocking her

head to the side. "You mean the fang boars?"

The other hunter responded this time. His face was pale and white, though he was just

as worked up as his comrade. "Not even close! This one was real huge, nearly eight

meters long! I never seen nothin' that size before!"

The nearby villagers' expressions changed to looks of shock and concern.

"You mean you saw that massive thing this close to the village?"

"Maybe that's what's been chasing the fang boars out this way?"

"If we report this incident to the viscount, I wonder if he'll send his troops out."

The other villagers looked concerned as they chattered among themselves. The burly

woman glanced at Seona, a worried expression on her face.

"It's just your girls at home, right, Seona? You should go make sure they're safe."

"You're right. I'm going to head home right now!"

The other woman's words had no sooner left her mouth than Seona was running back

to her spot in the field. She threw her tools into her basket and hoisted it up onto her

back. Then she took off along the dirt path toward the village.

The guards at the gate looked confused as Seona approached, but she ignored them

and ran straight to her home. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see a young man

on a horse galloping out of the village. The chief had probably sent a messenger to

notify the viscount of their impending emergency.

Seona threw the door to her house open and rushed inside. Seona found Herina sitting

on a chair at the table, kicking her legs about. Herina looked surprised at first, but her

face lit up as soon as she recognized her mother. She dashed to the door and threw her

arms around Seona.

"Mama!"

Seona pulled the girl in close and picked Herina up, her eyes scanning the house for

her other daughter.

"Herina, do you know where Marca went?" She brushed Herina's cheek with one hand

as she held her daughter.

Herina tilted her head to the side. "Sissy went to the forest. But she said it's okay, 'cause

she has a bodyguard!"

Herina looked proud of herself at having been able to pass along her sister's message.

Seona, however, felt dizzy, and her legs grew weak. She put Herina down and began

interrogating her daughter. "Did she say why she was going to the forest? And who is

this bodyguard?!"

Herina looked confused by all of this and began pouting. Seona tried hard to control

her emotions and asked her daughter once again in a gentler manner this time.

"Did Marca say why she went to the forest?"

"Nope…" Herina shook her head.

"All right then. Do you know who the bodyguard was?"

"He was a knight, wearing huuuge armor, who came to our house. He left with Sissy."

The girl stretched out her arms as she spoke, trying to convey how massive the armor

was.

Seona had a pretty good guess as to why Marca had gone off into the forest. Around

this time every year, Marca used to go out with her father to collect medicinal herbs.

Marca had once told Seona about a certain species of fragrant flowers that only grew

deep within the forest.

"Oh no. She went to the mountains to pick herbs! Listen, Herina, Mama needs to leave

the house again, and I need you to stay here. Don't leave the house for any reason,

okay?"

Seeing the anger in her mother's eyes, Herina's face stiffened as she nodded.

Seona rushed back out of the house, making her way toward the village gate. The old

men who stood guard before were now accompanied by a group of young men with

spears. As soon as they saw Seona rushing toward them, the men moved quickly to

stand in her path.

"Where are you going?"

"My daughter, Marca, she went out to the forest! I need to go find her!" Annoyed at the

men blocking her path, Seona tried explaining the situation as best she could.

However, the men just exchanged glances, uncertain expressions on their faces.

"The village chief said not to let anyone leave."

As he spoke, the old man put his hand on Seona's shoulder to stop her. She shrugged

him off in a desperate attempt to leave the village, but the other men stepped forward

to hold her back.

"No, there's a dangerous monster out there! We can't let you go into the forest!"

"Let me go, please! Just let me go!"

"And what about your little Herina at home?! What will she do if something happens

to you?"

Already on the edge of hysterics, Seona dropped to her knees.

"Marca has a magnificently armored knight with her. She'll be fine." Seeing what the

desperate mother was going through, one of the old guards attempted to comfort her.

Unfortunately, the words had little effect.

***

"This way, Mister Arc!"

Marca had been leading the way through the forest when she found something and

took off in a half-run -toward a slight depression in the earth scattered with rocks.

Between the rocks, small, rooted plants spread across the ground like a green carpet.

Marca entered the depression and began gathering the plants, throwing them into her

basket. Each of them had numerous lotus--like petals branching off.

"These are called cocora. They help cure wounds and skin conditions." The girl's

pigtails bobbed about as she explained the herb's medicinal effects, all the while

continuing to pick the cocora plants from the ground.

I looked around, but there didn't seem to be any danger nearby, so I dropped down

into the depression to help her. Marca gave me a peculiar look and laughed. It must

have been a pretty funny sight: a hulking suit of armor nearly two meters tall sitting

on the ground pulling weeds.

About an hour later, Marca's basket was half full of cocora. There were still plenty of

plants in the pit, but Marca said we should look for another location. The villagers

used these herbs for ointments, so she wanted to leave some for anyone hurt by the

recent increase in monsters. The next place we'd be heading was apparently our main

objective.

As we moved deeper into the woods, the undergrowth began taking over the path, and

the leaves on the trees grew ever denser, almost claustrophobic. Most animals that

made it this far in would certainly have picked up on the oppressive feeling and turned

around by now. However, we still hadn't run into any of the monsters I'd been so

worried about.

Marca led us into a clearing filled with gentle, sloping hills that were dotted with trees.

The branches were blanketed with white flowers, almost as if they were covered with

fluff. The wind carried with it a delightful scent as it passed through the trees and

across the flowers.

"Great! They're in full bloom! Can you believe how white the kobumi trees are?" I could

hear the happiness in the young girl's voice as she ran gleefully toward the trees. But

something felt off. I narrowed my gaze and began looking around. There was a rocklike lump on the other side of the flowering kobumi trees, but it didn't look like any

normal mountain rock. It seemed to be moving, almost imperceptibly, as if it were

alive.

I called out to Marca to get her to stop. "Wait, Miss Marca! There's something hiding

over there!"

"Huh?"

Possibly responding to Marca's appearance, or maybe even my yelling, the thing that

had been hiding behind the kobumi trees slowly stood, trembling, as if it were

loosening up its muscles.

It was a massive, lizard-like creature, a little over eight meters in length from its head

to the tip of its tail. It stood on six thick, muscular legs, and was covered in green and

gray scales. The monster looked like a -chameleon, its huge eyes casting about in every

direction before finally locking onto us. It had a green, crown-shaped crest on top of

its head and thorny scales running down its back, all the way to the tip of its tail.

The monster opened its mouth wide, showing off rows and rows of sharp teeth as it

let loose an unnerving growl from deep in its throat.

"Grooooooaaaaaal!"

The massive lizard continued its low growl as its forked tongue darted out of its

mouth, moving about as if it were a snake. Its massive eyes then settled on me.

"Eep!" Marca let out a short scream.

I remembered seeing this chameleon-like creature back in the game. This was the

giant basilisk, a Level 150-170 monster. With its low defense and attack stats, it wasn't

so bad to deal with once you were used to it, though it could be quite a challenge for

newly minted, mid-tier players. Between its petrifying stare, poison fog, and

paralyzing claws, it could unleash a status-effect combo and easily wear a player down

until it killed them.

I could see how this monster would be a real challenge for normal villagers to deal

with. But I had to wonder, was this one of the magical monsters I kept hearing about?

After seeing the basilisk appear in front of her, Marca stopped her dash toward the

kobumi trees and turned to run back. The giant basilisk took off after her, shuffling

along the ground on its six massive legs. However, before it reached her, it suddenly

stopped moving, as if it had given up the chase. It began moving its head up and down,

its crest turning red.

This was just like in the game!

It was going to do its petrifying stare, an area-of-effect status attack; though, the name

was a misnomer as it was hardly a stare. The attack unleashed damage on anyone

standing in a wide, wedge-shaped area in front of the monster, followed by multiple

shockwaves. I didn't know whether the attack would also turn its victims to stone, like

in the game, but I wasn't eager to find out.

Marca got her foot tangled in something and tumbled to the ground with a loud crash.

This was bad; she was just in range of the monster's petrifying attack.

I tossed my bags to the side, pulled the Holy Shield of Teutates off my back, and ran

toward her. She was holding her right ankle and looked about ready to cry. Igrabbed

the girl and pulled her behind my shield, then turned to face the giant basilisk.

The higher your level, the greater the resistance mythical-class items like my shield

offered against status effects. If my level was higher than my enemy's, then the shield

would block most of their attacks outright.

I lifted the shield and took a defensive stance. The next moment, the air vibrated with

a low droning noise as the shield began shaking. I glanced down to see Marca curled

up behind the shield with her eyes shut tight and her hands over her ears. She seemed

to be fine. It looked like we'd made it through the petrifying stare safe and sound.

In the game, it took a while before the giant basilisk could use this attack again, but I

wasn't sure if that was the case here. I also wasn't too excited about the idea of pushing

the monster's limits just to figure out its attack patterns.

"Graooooooaaal!" The giant basilisk seemed annoyed at having its petrifying attack

blocked. It rushed toward us, closing the short distance in a matter of moments.

I stepped forward, keeping Marca protected behind my back, and slammed my shield

into the massive lizard.

"Graoooaaaaaaoool!" The monster howled as it was hit, the shield resonating with a

dull thud. The giant lizard, all eight meters of it, tumbled end over end as it flew

through the air.

The basilisk's eyes wandered about as it raised its head and tried to refocus. It started

turning crimson as it glared my way. The hit seemed to have really annoyed it.

I pulled my sword out from its sheath at my back with one hand and raised it above

my head. With Marca -behind me, I figured my best bet would be to use a long-range

strike. If I hit its weak point with a concentrated attack, I should be able to defeat it. I

wasn't going to go down easy.

"Sword of Judgment!"

This was a Sacred Knight skill that let you attack a single enemy from a distance. Since

it was technically classified as a magical attack, it was fairly effective against enemies

with high resistance to physical attacks.

Giant basilisks in the game weren't resistant to physical attacks, but since this one's

body was covered in scales, I decided to go with this skill, just in case.

My sword took on a phosphorescent glow as I swung it around. Once this glow was

nearly blinding, I swung the sword down.

A magic circle appeared beneath the -giant basilisk before a blade of light erupted

from the ground, tearing through the beast as it shot up into the sky.

"Graaoaooooooooooooal!"

The blade pierced the giant beast's stomach effortlessly. It continued growing six

meters up into the air, then made a noise similar to a tuning fork being struck against

metal before shattering like glass into thousands of fragments.

The clearing fell quiet, the only sound that of the giant basilisk's body trembling as it

slumped to the ground. I watched for a few moments with my sword still drawn, but

the monster didn't make a move. I looked back down at the sword in my hand, eyes

wide with surprise.

That skill shouldn't have been strong enough to fell a giant basilisk on its own…

Now that I thought about it, the light sword created by the Sword of Judgment was

much larger than it should have been as well.

I knew that my skills relied on the strength I put into them, so maybe that was what

had powered it up? I mean, in real life, the more strength you put into a skill, the

greater its effect. If that were the case, then even mid-tier Sacred Knight skills could

become high-powered techniques.

Marca peeked out from behind me to see the fallen basilisk. She shouted with

excitement as she looked up at me, like I was some sort of shining hero.

She was beginning to make me feel embarrassed, so I decided to change the subject.

"How's your leg, Miss Marca?"

Marca's expression quickly changed, as if she'd just remembered something. She

stooped down and started holding her right ankle again. I gently pried her hand back.

Her skin was red and beginning to swell up.

"I'll be fine, it's no big deal." Her brow furrowed, but she somehow managed to force a

smile. But it was obvious her ankle wasn't okay. I thought through all the class skills

I'd learned as I examined it. The question was, could recovery magic actually heal

injuries?

My sub-class, Priest, was largely a support class and the highest tier of the Monk line.

It covered a wide -variety of spells, from recovery to lifting curses. But before I tried

using the high-powered recovery magic from the Priest class, I should see what sort

of effect the low-level Monk recovery spells may have.

I hadn't been injured since coming here, nor had I needed to use my healing spells. All

I'd used was the Mage attack spell, Fire.

"Hold still. I'm going to use some magic."

I held my hand over Marca's hurt ankle and chanted quietly to call upon the Mending

Heal spell. A gentle glow began emanating from my hand, the light surrounding her

ankle before dissipating.

"How's that, Miss Marca? Does it still hurt?"

The red swelling was already beginning to die down as I watched. Marca's eyes went

wide, and she began rubbing her ankle and moving it around to make sure it was all

healed. She looked up at me with a smile.

"This is amazing! You can even heal people, just like a real cleric!"

The girl was so overjoyed that she began hopping up and down right there, a big grin

on her face.

"It's been some time since I used the spell. I wasn't certain it would work. However,

I'm glad you're healed."

It's been some time was an understatement—this was the first time I'd ever used a

healing spell in this world. But I figured I'd play it off like it was nothing.

Judging by the girl's reaction, there were at least some people who were able to use

healing magic. But there must not have been all that many, given that she referred to

them as "clerics."

I put my musings on the particulars of healing magic to the side for the time being and

turned my attention back to the massive corpse sprawled next to me. "Say, Miss Marca.

Was this thing the monster you said had recently appeared near the village?"

"Naw, I'd never seen anything this big before." Marca's braids swung around behind

her as she shook her head. "The ones that've been coming to the village were fang

boars. They've got big, nasty tusks." She pointed both her index and middle fingers

straight up and put them at the edges of her mouth, imitating a fang boar.

"I see. Then perhaps we'd best not mention this encounter to anyone else."

Marca watched me as I stood up, a quizzical expression on her face. "Why not?"

"Your mother would only worry if she heard about the attack."

Even if we hadn't been attacked, no parent would be comfortable with the idea that

their child had snuck out of the village while fang boars were running rampant nearby,

regardless of whether they'd hired a mercenary.

I shook my head. It had been careless of me to take a child out of the village without

getting her mother's permission. Hopefully it'd be all right if I at least got her home

before sundown.

I'd have to worry about that later. For now, I decided to check the surroundings to

ensure nothing else was lying in wait. After I was sure that the coast was clear, we

went back to picking herbs—the whole reason we were there in the first place.

"Miss Marca, are you here to collect the kobumi?"

My question seemed to bring her back to her senses, as Marca ran straight to the base

of the kobumi tree and began plucking the white flowers off the lower branches,

putting them into her basket.

I glanced back at the corpse of the giant basilisk. The eight-meter-long monster was

sprawled out on the earth, blood from the hole in its stomach staining the dirt red. I

wondered if it had a rune stone inside it.

The problem was that I didn't know where to find its heart. Considering how massive

it was, it may be like searching for a needle in a haystack. In the end, I decided to just

go for it.

I shoved the giant corpse with all my might, rolling it onto its back. I was impressed at

my physical strength, as it was relatively easy to move the hulking mass. If the basilisk

was anything like an alligator, its heart would be in its underbelly, near the front legs.

I didn't think the short sword in my bag was up to the task, so I used the Holy Thunder

Sword of Caladbolg to stab into the hole in its belly and cut up to where I figured the

heart should be.

It felt greatly similar like dissecting a giant frog—not exactly a pleasant sensation.

Upon pulling open the basilisk's belly, I discovered that I'd found its heart on my first

try. At the base of this massive, muscular organ was a stone about the size of a baby's

fist. I pulled it out and held it up to the sunlight, letting out an excited gasp as it took

on a semi--transparent, violet hue. My first rune stone.

I looked over the basilisk's corpse once more but figured there was no way it could

possibly be edible like the orcs. Orcs were at least tangentially related to pigs, whereas

this was just an oversized, grotesque chameleon. I couldn't imagine it would taste any

good. It'd also be a hassle to drag it back to town, so I decided to leave it where it lay,

to decompose and give something back to the forest.

"Hey, Mister Arc, can you get those flowers up on top?" Marca interrupted my thoughts

to ask for help.

I put the rune stone into my bag and made my way over to where she was standing,

near a kobumi tree.

The kobumi were small, five-petal flowers that grew all across the tree's branches. An

enticing scent emanated from them, filling the air with their aroma. Marca was busy

picking all the flowers off the lower branches.

"What are these used for?"

"Hmm, Papa never told me. He just said they were only used by adults, and that they

could be sold for a lot of money if you dried them out and crushed them into powder.

They're medicinal herbs, so I figure they must be for some sort of sickness. Do you

know of any adult sicknesses, Mister Arc?" Marca didn't miss a beat picking flowers as

she asked me the question, her head tilted to the side.

Adult sicknesses… like some sort of stress disorder?

But that didn't make sense. Those were usually brought on by day-to-day life; and

besides, kids could suffer from those too. Nothing else really came to mind.

"I'm afraid I don't know."

"Huh, I guess I'll just have to ask someone who does. People may try to take advantage

of me if I don't know about the product I'm selling!" She ended her sentence with a

giggle.

Working together, we were able to finish filling her basket in no time at all. We put the

rest of the kobumi flowers into my large bounty sack. Marca's face beamed as she

hefted the sack up.

"We got a whole bunch of 'em!"

I nodded in agreement and hefted the bag over my shoulder as I prepared to leave.

Marca led the way home. There was no way I could have made it out on my own. Since

I'd never been in this forest before, everything looked the same to me. But Marca

seemed to know her way from various landmarks and the general lay of the land.

A short time later, the trees grew thin, and I could tell that we were nearly to the fields

on the outskirts of the village.

That's when I saw it—a large, black boar, its massive body moving from side to side as

it used its front legs to dig into the soft earth around it.

"A fang boar! That's the one that attacked the fields! But that's strange… He wasn't

here when we left."

I couldn't tell if he'd heard Marca's voice or maybe just sensed our presence, but the

fang boar stopped digging, slowly raised its head, and let out a cry.

This thing was on a completely different level from the bull boars I'd encountered

before. Over two meters long and nearly as tall as Marca, it reminded me of a small

mountain. Four tusks shot straight up out of its lower jaw.

The beast poised itself on its hind legs and let out another cry before rushing toward

us in a mad dash. By the time I dropped my bag and turned to face it, the fang boar

was nearly upon us.

Fortunately, even at full speed, the fang boar wasn't exactly fast. I braced myself,

grabbed its tusks in both hands, and used my sheer strength to shove its jaw into the

ground. I yanked out my sword and stabbed it in the stomach, further enraging the

beast. It put all its strength into its legs as it tried forcing its way back up, but I was

able to easily keep its head down.

"A-are you okay?"

Marca watched with concern as I wrestled with the fang boar. I punched it twice in the

head, which seemed to slow its movements.

"Mm, this is hardly a challenge for me. By the way, are these edible, Miss Marca?"

I continued holding the massive boar's head down as the blood flowed out of the

wound in its stomach. Marca slowly made her way over toward me.

"Y-yeah, they are. I've never eaten one, but the adults in the village say they taste real

good."

"Hmm, in that case, why don't we bring this one back with us?"

I lifted the boar up by its tusks and threw it over my shoulders. The weight itself wasn't

an issue, but I figured it'd be hard to carry something this massive over one arm.

Marca's eyes went wide as she watched.

"I'm sorry to ask this of you, but could you carry my bag, Miss Marca?"

"Of course!"

The girl ran over to my bounty sack and hefted it up, hurriedly returning to me.

"Much appreciated."

We continued toward the village, the fang boar hanging over my shoulders. Marca

stole the occasional glance at me as she walked alongside.

When we finally made it back to Rata's gate, we were greeted by a large gathering of

the village's young men, all armed with spears. The atmosphere was thick with

tension. One of the young men yelled out, pointing in our direction, "Marca's back!"

prompting the other men to respond in unison, turning to look our way.

"Someone hurry and tell Seona!"

I watched as one of the young men rushed into the village. Judging by the men's

reactions, it was clear they'd been worried about Marca. I turned my attention back to

her, the grimace on her face suggesting that Seona was her mother's name.

It looked like Marca and I both had some apologies to make.

While I thought this over, an older man with a bow under his arm came running up to

us. He looked dumbfounded.

"S-Sir Knight, is that a fang boar you're holding there?"

All the men who'd been watching Marca turned their attention to the object on my

back. The fang boar was no longer bleeding, the blood having drained out during our

walk back, so I hefted it off my shoulders and dropped it in front of the gate. The

villagers let out a collective gasp of astonishment.

"We ran into it just outside the village. I figured I'd bring it back."

While I explained the situation to the villagers, a woman came rushing out through

the crowd.

"Marca!"

She ran over to us and scooped the girl up into her arms.

The woman had long, curly blonde hair tied back in a ponytail. Her eyes were the same

shade of blue as Marca's, but the surrounding skin was red and puffy. I assumed this

was Seona, Marca's mother.

"Where did you go?!"

Marca tensed up as looking into Seona's tear-filled eyes. Seona stretched out her hand

and brushed Marca's cheek, as if to make sure her daughter really was safe and sound.

Held tight in her embrace, Marca let out a sob.

"I'm so sorry, Mama…"

"Don't ever go out to the forest again without telling me, okay?"

After Marca acknowledged her with a nod, Seona finally relaxed, the hint of a gentle

smile beginning to form. She turned to me and bowed her head, her face betraying the

turmoil she was feeling.

It wasn't exactly what I'd call a look of gratitude.

My appearance probably gave me the air of someone important, making her hesitant

to criticize me outright. No matter how unfair a class society might be, those on the

bottom had no choice but to accept it.

Even through her daughter had gone behind her back and hired someone who'd taken

the girl out of the village without her knowledge, Seona chose to accept this in silence.

Or, at least, so I assumed.

"I apologize for my lack of consideration. It was incredibly reckless of me to take Miss

Marca out into the woods without informing you first. I deeply regret my actions."

I bowed my head. It was true; it was incredibly thoughtless on my part, and I would've

been reported to the police immediately if this had happened in my own world. I

considered taking off my helmet to bow, but I figured that would only make the

situation more complicated.

Seona looked taken aback by this. She averted her gaze for a moment.

"Mister Arc didn't do anything wrong! I was the one who sent out the job request."

Marca stepped between us and tugged on her mother's sleeve, trying to mediate.

Seona smiled down at her and stroked her cheek before looking back at me.

"I'm sorry that my daughter dragged you into this. But thank you for accompanying

her."

Seona lowered her head in a slight bow. Marca and the rest of the villagers let out a

collective sigh of relief.

A burly woman stepped out of the crowd and slapped Seona on the back, a wide smile

on her face. "Don't worry 'bout it! When I first heard there was a big monster on the

outskirts of the village, I knew it'd all work out one way or another!"

The rest of the villagers nodded in agreement and told Seona how glad they were to

have Marca back safe and sound.

It was then I remembered the fang boar at my feet. "Is this the giant monster you were

talking about?"

A man—a hunter—stepped out of the crowd. "That's not 'im. The one I be seein' was

'uge! Even its eyes were 'uge, and it 'ad six legs. Never seen nothin' like it before!"

Hearing his description, Marca and I exchanged looks. She seemed to want to speak

up, but I shook my head. She quietly nodded before turning to look up at her mother.

This wasn't the right time to talk about the giant basilisk. It would only make Seona

worry more, and further fan the flames of her anger toward me and Marca. The young

girl and I reached an unspoken agreement to avoid all that.

"We sent a villager to notify the viscount. With any luck, he's dispatching a force to

hunt for the beast as we speak."

While Marca and I continued our unspoken conversation, the villagers discussed how

they'd deal with the monster.

Though I'd already taken care of the giant basilisk, so it'd be a waste of time if the

viscount put together an army.

On the other hand, there was no way to know for sure that the monster I'd killed was

the same one the hunters saw. If a force went into the forest and rid it of any other

monsters, that would be great news for the village.

The hunter interrupted my thoughts, inspecting the beast by my feet while he spoke.

"What do ya plan on doing with that 'un there, Sir Knight? Its 'ide can be used for all

sorts o' things, and the tusks are worth quite a bit of coin. The meat's pretty good, too.

If yer gonna take it all the way to town, could I ask ya to hire some villagers to help

you?"

"Hm, this is a monster, yes? I'd like you to tan the hide and give it to Miss Seona as a

gift. You may take the tusks and magic rune as payment."

"Wha?! Ya sure 'bout that?" The hunter stared at me in surprise.

I simply nodded in response, then turned to look at Seona. She wore a confused

expression on her face.

"I apologize for all the trouble I've caused you, Miss Seona. Please accept this hide as

a token of my apology."

"Wow, you're giving us its hide, Mister Arc?" Marca responded before her mother even

had a chance. She looked excitedly between the fang boar on the ground and her

mother.

Seeing the enthusiasm on her daughter's face, Seona looked torn for a moment before

bowing her head and accepting the gift. "Thank you, sir. I appreciate it."

I had no idea if a fang boar hide was suitable for this type of apology, but I could think

of no other use for it at the moment, and it was all I had to give.

"And divide the meat up among the villagers."

The townsfolk responded with a resounding cheer, each one thanking me in turn.

Apparently, the village had been in trouble recently, what with the increase in monster

appearances in the fields. They'd been discussing whether to send out hunting parties

or pool their money to hire the mercenary guild.

I wondered if the giant basilisk had been the one pushing the fang boars out of the

forest and closer to the village.

The fang boar I'd killed was taken to the meat shop, next to the hunter's house. As the

villagers rolled the -giant beast over on a cart, others who'd heard the news took turns

stealing peeks at the catch. Even the village chief came to express his gratitude.

When all was said and done, the sun had begun to set.

With my tasks finished, I left the tanning and division of meat up to the hunters and

villagers and followed Marca and her mother back to their house. I needed to drop off

the kobumi flowers, which were still in my bag.

"We're back, Herina."

The moment Seona opened the door, Herina came running through the house and

dove into her mother's arms. Seona picked the girl up and apologized for leaving her

alone.

As this all unfolded, I turned back to Marca.

"Miss Marca, if my duties are now fulfilled, could you provide me with the completion

tag?"

The mercenary guild office had told me the job wouldn't be considered complete, and

I wouldn't receive payment, if I didn't obtain a tag from the requester.

"Oh, right!"

Marca reached down into her pocket and retrieved a wooden tag, about the size of a

business card, and handed it to me. It had the request number and other information

written on it.

"Thank you for everything, Mister Arc."

Marca dipped her head in an adorable bow. Her mother followed suit.

"I am sincerely sorry for the trouble I caused. Alas, it's time for me to take my leave." I

offered a deep nod in appreciation.

I put Marca's wooden tag into my bag, threw the bag over my shoulder, and left the

house. Marca ran to the doorway to wave goodbye, to which I waved back, then turned

around and began walking.

I could hear jovial chatter coming from the hunter's house. They were probably still

butchering the fang boar. Looking up at the orange-painted sky, I could see birds

flocking together as they flew off toward the forest.

If I didn't get back to Luvierte soon, the gates would be closed. Of course, I could use

Dimensional Step to teleport past the wall and into town, but I was saving that as a

last resort.

I passed villagers returning home from a day in the fields as I made my way back to

the road. Once past the fields, I was alone again, the only sounds those of the -rustling

grass and trees.

I decided to give the Transport Gate skill another try. The last time I'd used it, I could

only teleport a few -meters, perhaps because the spell only allowed me to travel to a

location I had clearly in my mind.

This time around, I focused my thoughts on the hill overlooking Luvierte's east gate.

Not only did I have a clear image of it, I figured few people ventured out there. If I was

successful, the ability to instantly transport to locations I'd already visited would

prove incredibly useful. However, it'd also probably be useless for places where

everything looked pretty much the same, like forests and open fields.

Just in case, I decided to memorize the sight of Rata and its surroundings.

I turned back to look at the village. In the distance, I could see smoke billowing from

chimneys as families prepared their evening meals.

Then, putting my back to Rata once again, I focused my mind on my destination

outside Luvierte.

"Transport Gate!"

As soon as I summoned the spell, a three-meter-wide, pale blue column of light began

rising up from underneath my feet. The world around me went dark, and I felt as if I

was floating. The next thing I knew, I was standing atop the hill where I'd caught my

first glimpse of Luvierte. Behind me, Rata was nowhere to be seen.

It seemed like Transport Gate was a success. So long as I kept memorizing locations,

traveling would be much easier. It was a pretty amazing transportation spell.

While grinning like a fool, I saw four horses take off in a gallop from Luvierte's west

gate. The horses ran in perfect formation, making their way north toward Rata, the

place I'd just left behind.

I wondered if that was the advance squad, or maybe a scouting party, dispatched by

the viscount after receiving the report of the giant basilisk. Hopefully, their presence

would help the villagers sleep easy tonight.

I made my way down the hill, through Luvierte's east gate, and toward the mercenary

guild office. Behind me tolled the bell signaling that the gates would be closed. I'd

made it back just in time.

When I entered the guild office, I was met by the now-familiar bear-like man, wearing

a sinister-looking grin in his cage. I was surprised that Marca had been able to come

here and submit her request to him.

"Mission complete. Here's the proof."

I pulled my request and completion tags out of my bag and put them down on the

counter. After checking them, the bear handed over my silver coin. With that, my job

was finished.

I made my way back to my usual inn and thought about what I would do the next day.

***

Off in a corner of the Luvierte mansion was a room that looked as if a tornado had

gone through it. Inside this room stood a man, busily rummaging through the items

that had survived the initial onslaught. The older gentleman sported an impressive

mustache and a muscular body that his expensive clothing strained to contain. It

looked as if he was deep in thought. This disorganized man was Horcos Farren, the

commander of the estate's knight regiment.

He was puzzling over a problem as he rummaged through the mountain of books and

papers strewn about the room.

Just then, a servant girl arrived. She put her hand to her temple as she faced the man.

Though her mouth turned up in a smile, her eyes betrayed her anger.

"Father, why are you tearing apart this room? I just cleaned it!"

The twenty-year-old woman wore her curly red hair short, cut off at the nape of her

neck. Her shoulders tensed as she fixed her determined green eyes on the knight

commander.

"Oh, Rita! Have you seen my copy of Carcy Held's Monster Bestiary? I put it somewhere

around here…" The man ignored his daughter's angry objections as he glanced around

the room.

Rita, for her part, let out a sigh and looked at her father as one would at a man in need

of help. This was a common occurrence.

"Hmph! I put it back on the bookshelf, which is exactly where important books are

supposed to be. It's right here, see?"

Rita pulled a thick, leather-bound book from a nearby shelf and shoved it in front of

Horcos's face.

"Ah, so that's where it was!"

Horcos took the book from Rita and began paging through it. Seeing the serious look

on her father's face, Rita began cleaning up the mess, her shoulders slumping.

"Why were you looking for that?" she asked as she busied herself picking up the

discarded books. His eyes remained fixed on the page in front of him as he replied.

"A gigantic monster has apparently appeared in a nearby village. If I'm remembering

right, it's a pretty troublesome monster to deal with."

As the commander of the estate's knights, Horcos was a formidable fighter. For him to

think of something as troublesome, it must have been rather serious.

Taking notice of the unease in his daughter's eyes, Horcos looked up from the book

and gave her a wide smile.

"It's fine. Just a bit of a hassle, nothing more. No need to worry."

"I wasn't worried!"

Rita's cheeks flushed at her father's smile. She looked away, setting her face in a

determined scowl.

"I see. Well, I must go visit with Master Buckle. Today and tomorrow will be quite

busy."

Horcos put the book under his arm and patted his daughter's head on his way out the

door.

Early the next morning, a contingent of the Luvierte army brought together to

exterminate the giant basilisk began their march toward Rata. The contingent stood

at 140 men, though only around one hundred of them would take part in the actual

fighting. The rear of the procession included men in charge of other logistics, such as

transporting equipment and food provisions.

Since the battle would take place in a forest, the only horses with them were those

used by the carriages and the knights, leaving most of the men to march on foot. With

Rata about a half day's journey by horse, the estate's army was expected to arrive by

the afternoon if they continued at their current pace.

Ten soldiers had been sent ahead the previous day to work out the stationing of the

troops and other matters with the village chief. This would allow the army to begin

their garrison preparations in the village square and dispatch patrols to the forest to

look for the monster as soon as they arrived.

At the center of the procession, atop a magnificent horse, rode a man who stood out

among them all. That man was Horcos, commander of the knights. In stark contrast to

the previous night, he now looked regal, outfitted in a beautifully made suit of armor.

Horcos held his horse's reins in one hand and rummaged around in the bag behind

him with the other to retrieve a piece of bread. After a few bites, he took a swig from

his leather water skin.

A young knight brought his horse in close and called out to Horcos. "Commander

Horcos, eating atop your horse is not exactly becoming of a knight."

The commander smiled back cheerfully in response. "Rural knights like us need not

concern themselves with manners! We were so busy this morning, I didn't have time

to eat. I could hardly keep my stomach quiet with the tempting smell of my daughter's

freshly baked bread wafting from my bag."

"Miss Rita made that?" The young knight looked longingly at the bread in his

commander's hand.

"Get your own, Giovanni. If you want my daughter to make you bread, you'd best marry

her first!"

"No, I mean… I should establish myself as a knight first, before I…" The young knight

mumbled a response to Horcos's rebuke before hanging his head.

Giovanni had soft, blond hair and a good-looking face, marked by a strong nose. His

features were thin and delicate, more like that of a noble or a thespian than a knight,

making him look rather unreliable. But this good--looking young man was one of the

best swordsmen in all of Luvierte.

"She turned twenty this year. If you keep procrastinating, I'll have to introduce her to

some other man!"

Giovanni's face went pale at the commander's threat, his voice squeaking as he replied.

"No, wait! We'll be wed as soon as this mission is finished. This time for sure!"

He could feel the other men's eyes on him and hear their barely concealed chuckles as

they watched the exchange.

The procession of soldiers arrived in Rata early that afternoon.

After Commander Horcos exchanged greetings with the village chief, the army busied

itself setting up their tents in the middle of the village square as the villagers had

already prepared the large, open space for the army to station themselves. Amidst the

large influx of people, scouting patrols began assembling to track down the monster.

There were three patrols, broken into groups of three soldiers each, with an additional

person from the village—hunters and other people who had seen the monster—

assigned to them as guides. They decided to head toward the forest immediately, while

the sun was still high in the sky.

After seeing the scouting patrols off as they entered the woods, Giovanni turned to

Horcos, who was watching the trees sway gently in the breeze. "Is there really a giant

basilisk in these woods?"

"Who can say? But it's hard to imagine the hunters would confuse such a distinct

monster with something else. Even if we hadn't heard similar reports before, it's not

like we know about every single creature lurking in the forest."

Horcos stroked his beard, as if pondering the meaning of his own words.

Later that evening, the scouting patrols returned with a surprising report.

"First Squad encountered the monster, the giant basilisk, in the woods. It was large,

around nine meters in length."

"Second Squad did not encounter any monsters and has nothing to report."

"Third Squad uncovered the body of an eight-meter, giant basilisk, its stomach cut

open. It appeared to have died recently."

After listening to the reports from each of the squad leaders, Horcos crossed his arms

and furrowed his brow, a thoughtful expression on his face. The knights charged with

exterminating the monsters had assembled in a large tent in Rata's village square, with

all of them wearing the same look of concern as their commander.

Giovanni stood at Horcos's side, his eyes narrowed, a serious expression on his face as

he spoke. "Two giant basilisks? Now that's hard to believe."

Horcos looked up, directing his gaze at the leaders of the three squad leaders.

"There were two, but the squad members reported that one was already dead. So,

what killed it? Could this be the work of another monster? One capable of killing a

giant basilisk?"

The leader of Third Squad stood firm under Horcos's gaze and offered up his

observations without a moment's hesitation. "It looked to be the work of a human. The

killing blow was a clean strike that pierced straight through its stomach and out its

back, and the cut down its belly appeared to be from someone taking the creature's

rune stone, which was missing from its body."

The other knights exchanged disbelieving glances with each other. Horcos shared

their sentiment, but he couldn't let his own feelings show. Instead, he turned his gaze

to Giovanni.

Giovanni assumed the commander was seeking his opinion, but he couldn't believe

that a human alone could so easily fell a giant basilisk. There was only one possibility.

"Could this be the work of elves? Their soldiers are incredibly skilled in combat. I've

heard they use earth magic to pierce their enemies, and the wind itself to cut them

apart."

Several knights nodded along with Giovanni's assessment, seemingly convinced.

There were several clans of elves on the continent. They were renowned for devoting

their long lives to improving their martial skills, as well as for their ability to wield

powerful magic. The Rhoden Kingdom had a long history of getting into, and

subsequently losing at great costs, brutal conflicts with the elves when they

encroached on the forests where the elves resided.

One of the knights offered a counterpoint to Gio-vanni's suggestion. "I heard the elves

live much farther to the east. Would they really come all the way out here?"

Several other knights nodded in agreement.

Horcos frowned as he looked at each one of the men standing in the tent. "For now, we

should be happy that one of the monsters has already been exterminated and focus on

how to take care of the remaining one."

The leader of the third squad spoke up. "Is there some open space where we can

approach the giant basilisk and launch our attack?"

"We found it in a wide-open area. It should be fairly easy to assemble and dispatch a

regiment."

"Then, tomorrow, we'll head out into the woods and exterminate it?"

Horcos gave a wry smile as he shook his head in response to Giovanni's suggestion.

"Dealing with a giant basilisk isn't so easy. If we aren't careful, we will surely incur

massive losses. Tomorrow, we will enter the forest to inspect the area and begin

preparations while our patrols continue to follow its movements."

No objections were voiced to the commander's decision. All the knights nodded in

agreement and returned to their respective stations.

The normally quiet village square was filled with the roar of bonfires and the nervous

bustling of soldiers waiting for the morning to come.

The next day, over half of the Luvierte army contingent in Rata made its way into the

forest, to the top of a gentle, sloping hill. The hillside was lined with unevenly spaced

trees, their branches covered entirely in white, fluff-like blossoms. The wind carried

with it the delightful scent of the flowers.

Since the army's sheer force of numbers would be near useless when battling in the

forest, they had decided to confront the giant basilisk in the open plain they had heard

about in the previous day's report.

Giovanni looked out across the hill. "This looks like a good spot."

Horcos crossed his arms and nodded firmly. "We best get started with our preparations."

After their commander gave the orders, the various military elements went off to their

respective stations to begin preparations.

To ensure that they could swiftly change their battle formations, the soldiers cut down

the grass and rid the area of stones and other objects that would interfere with their

movement. Their preparations were manifold, and even included erecting short

fences to slow the monster's movements.

Most of the work wasn't finished until well past noon.

"Have the survey patrol cease their activities by nightfall. The rest of you, go back to

the village and build up your strength. I don't want you tired tomorrow. And send ten

men to collect the fallen basilisk. I want it brought back to the village."

Horcos gazed down at the eight-meter-long body lying at the base of the hill. He had

inspected it himself, but it was just as the squad leader had said: there were two cuts,

both of which appeared to have been made by a human. The basilisk was otherwise in

good condition, with no obvious additional injuries, suggesting the huge monster had

been killed with a single strike.

"The question is, what sort of god or devil did this? I'm afraid to even consider which

it might be." Horcos spoke in a low voice as he stroked his beard, making sure no one

could hear him.

On the second morning after being dispatched to Rata, nearly one hundred soldiers

positioned themselves in the forest clearing and waited for the basilisk.

Giovanni looked slightly nervous as he stared up at the sun, high in the sky.

"The squad should be here any minute now, no?"

"Judging by the smoke signal we saw beyond the hill a short while ago, they're almost

here. Don't let your guard down, men!"

The men let out an excited roar in response to their commander's speech. The

atmosphere grew tense, and the idle chatter faded into silence. The flower-scented

wind rustled the grass as it blew across the hill, giving the whole scene a rather idyllic

appearance. However, the wind carried another sound with it as well, which added a

sense of foreboding to the otherwise beautiful scene.

A faint, eerie cry could be heard from beyond the hill, causing the men to mutter

among themselves. Several soldiers in light armor crested the hill and immediately

began running at full speed down the other side.

"It's here! Whatever you do, don't lower your shields!"

"Raaah!" The soldiers in the front line of the formation yelled in unison in response to

Horcos' command, their meter-tall, silver, rectangular shields gleaming in the sunlight.

The incoming squad had only made it halfway down the hill when the giant basilisk

appeared near the top.

Its massive body was covered in green scales, with a gray pattern running along its

entire length. A crown-shaped crest sprouted from its head, and its six lizard-like legs

propelled it down the hill. Several arrows were sticking out its back, its huge eyes

burning with rage.

The voice of one of the soldiers carried across the clearing like a bell. "It's gotta be at

least ten meters!"

It was previously reported to be around nine meters; however, face to face, it looked

even bigger.

"Groooaaaaaaooooooll!"

The eerie, lizard-like monster let out a roar, its split tongue flicking about. The soldiers

hesitated as its cry echoed across the hillside.

"Toughen up, boys! Let down your guard and you'll be leaving here in a casket!" The

commander's words brought the soldiers out of their temporary shock, refocusing

them on the task at hand.

The squad leader reassembled his men after their run down the hill, saluted Horcos,

and rejoined the formation. Horcos nodded back before launching into orders to his

various captains.

"Archers, ready yourselves!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, the soldiers at the back of the formation drew

arrows from the quivers at their waists and awaited their next order.

The giant basilisk's large eyes fixed on the army at the bottom of the hill. After giving

a low, throaty groan, it began running down the hill toward the men. The first wooden

fence stalled it momentarily as it searched for a way around.

"Archers, draw your bows!"

"Release!"

Once the order was given, the archers moved in unison and let loose a tremendous

volley of arrows, raining them down on the giant basilisk as it continued struggling

with the fence. Several arrows managed to pierce its scales, causing the monster to

screech in anger, throwing its massive body against the fence. After only a few blows,

the simply constructed barrier was nothing but a pile of wood.

"Don't let up!"

As Horcos implored his archers to continue firing, arrows blanketed the hillside like a

heavy spring rain, continuing to stick into the giant basilisk. One arrow pierced the

monster's eye, causing it to thrash about wildly. A swing of its great tail catapulted the

pile of wood toward the army, though the men on the front lines caught it all on their

shields, sending up a thunderous racket.

Now thoroughly enraged, the giant basilisk ran straight toward the front line, tearing

through fence after fence with its enormous body as it went.

"Shield element, prepare yourselves! Archers, stand down!"

In sync with Horcos's orders, the archers ceased their barrage while the men in front

set their feet into position and put their shoulders against the backs of their giant

shields. A moment later, the basilisk slammed into the front line with a hideous roar,

slowly pushing back the entire formation. Horcos immediately issued his next

command.

"Spear element, thrust!"

As the giant basilisk was held fast by the wall of shields in its path, countless spears

came stabbing out of the gaps between the shields, leaving several gaping wounds in

its scale-covered hide.

The monster responded with a howl of pain, swinging its tail like a club. Plumes of

blood shot into the sky as several men were launched back. But the openings in the

line were quickly filled by nearby shield-bearing men.

Spears continued thrusting out through the gaps to pierce the lizard. The increasingly

enraged monster tried to slice through the shields with its razor-sharp claws, but the

mithril-plated surfaces held strong, resulting in nothing but high-pitched screeching

noises.

Stepping back from the shield wall, the giant basilisk began waving its head back and

forth. Its crown-shaped crest slowly turned red as it filled with blood.

"Shield element, brace yourselves! Everyone else, duck behind the shields!"

Recognizing what the giant basilisk was about to do, Horcos yelled out this command

before stepping behind his own massive shield. The next moment, a dull thrum

seemed to vibrate the very air itself, shoving the entire army formation back. Horcos

yelled at his men to push through the shockwave and get back into position. This time,

he split the formation into two groups, intending to pincer the giant basilisk from both

sides.

Between having its attack blocked and not being able to move due to all the injuries it

had sustained, the giant basilisk simply glared at the splitting formation. Surrounded

by soldiers, the monster waved its limbs about in an attempt to knock down the shield

wall, even as men continued stabbing it. The formation, however, anticipated this and

moved constantly, causing the lizard to miss its strikes and become even further

infuriated.

The basilisk finally managed to clamp down on the edge of a shield and, with a shake

of its mighty head, sent the soldier holding it flying into the air. Before the nowshieldless man could hit the ground, the monster caught him with its mouth and

chomped down, spraying blood in every direction. The men froze. Taking advantage

of its opening, the giant basilisk found its next target and stretched its neck out.

Giovanni had been waiting for just this moment. He stabbed down into the outstretched

neck with all his might.

But the basilisk effortlessly caught Giovanni's mighty blow with its teeth and swung

the man around by his spear like a ragdoll. Giovanni let go of his weapon and was

spared from being thrown up into the air, though he still landed outside the protection

of the shields. As he rolled along the ground, Giovanni reached for his sword.

Unfortunately, his opponent had the drop on him. The giant basilisk stretched its neck

toward its prey, its tooth-lined mouth filling his vision.

Giovanni could smell the scent of freshly baked bread, could see the smiling face of the

woman he loved.

"Giovanni! Say something, will ya?"

A familiar voice beckoned Giovanni back to reality. The giant basilisk was right in front

of him, the hilt of a sword sticking out of its eye. The monster's head lolled on the

ground. He could hear the soldiers calling to him, but the commander's voice rang out

above the rest. The formation parted for Horcos as he approached.

"My apologies, commander. I let my guard down…" Giovanni pushed himself into a

sitting position, head hanging in shame.

"You know, if you play hotshot like that when you're young, you'll never grow old

enough to be anything, kid. And look! Because of you, this sword is ruined."

Horcos yanked the sword out of the giant basilisk's eyeball and showed it to the

younger man. Due to the force of the blow, the tip of the blade had bent where it hit

the skull.

"I am truly sorry, commander. My rash actions forced you to the front line to save me."

"If that's really how you feel, then I guess it means you'll finally marry my little girl,

huh?"

Giovanni had been preparing to launch into a heartfelt apology, but Horcos simply shot

him a wide smile and slapped him on the shoulder.

"Three men died in the conflict, and eleven more suffered injuries."

Horcos nodded in response to this report, then closed his eyes and let his shoulders

drop. "Considering what we were fighting against, I suppose that's a respectable

count."

"If you hadn't read about this rare beast, we wouldn't have stood a chance."

Horcos muttered a response to Giovanni's praise as he surveyed the fallen basilisk. In

front of him, men had already begun chopping its body up and loading it onto carts.

"Looks like we've got our offering to the central government."

"The central government?"

"The nobles on the country's borders are required to give offerings. The basilisk

should fetch a high price on the open market. I may even be able to ask Master Buckle

for a weapon stipend."

Giovanni turned his gaze back to the giant basilisk.

While it was true the monster's poison was highly prized, especially for its value in

hunting other monsters, he wasn't entirely convinced that the central government

would be excited to receive it as an offering.

***

I spent yet another night at the inn, waking up the morning in my usual pose after my

day in Rata.

After staring off into space for a moment, I got my bags together, walked past the stillvacant counter, and left the inn.

I felt like there was something different about the town, though nothing seemed out

of the ordinary.

I made my way to the mercenary guild office. There were several mercenaries inside,

looking through postings on the job board. It was the first time I'd actually seen other

mercenaries at the guild.

They glanced toward me as I approached, their faces turning to surprise before they

moved silently out of my way. Taking advantage of the unobstructed view, I read

through the postings on the board, but they were all small, one-man jobs that wouldn't

earn me any more than five silver coins at the most.

Unable to find anything of interest, I decided to head off on my own to spend the day

hunting and scouting around the outskirts of the town. I could probably sell whatever

I caught at the merchant guild office.

I made my way south, toward the forest on the far side of the Xpitol River.

Dimensional Step brought me to the opposite shore in a flash. With no bridges in the

vicinity, I was soon surrounded by silent trees, completely devoid of any signs of

human life.

Entering this no man's land all on my own elicited the same excitement I'd felt when

exploring a new map in the game.

I spent the day searching around the forest. Or, more accurately, I spent the latter half

of the day desperately searching for the way back out.

I ran into a small group of orcs, but after I killed the first one with a single swipe, the

rest went running. They were cowardly monsters, it seemed. That one orc was my only

real catch for the day.

The rest of my time was spent wandering about the forest with the fallen orc over my

shoulders.

There were quite a few animals and monsters in the forest. I was familiar with some,

but not others. And unlike in the game, I was hesitant to mercilessly kill everything I

saw. After all, it wasn't like I would receive any experience or item drops from

slaughtering monsters here.

When I finally stepped out of the woods, the sun was already setting. I slipped through

Luvierte's west gate, cut across the carriage parking in front of the merchant guild

office, and made my way to the desk at the vault in back.

The man at the counter was the same one who'd helped me last time. I asked him if he

was interested in purchasing the orc still draped over my shoulders, and the sale

netted me six silver and five copper coins—the same as a meter-long bull boar. The

rune stone inside the orc was apparently worth one silver coin, meaning that, pound

for pound, the bull boar was worth much more. I wondered if this was because orcs

were slower and easier to kill.

Regardless, this didn't bother me, since I wasn't looking for the most efficient method

for earning a living. After I accepted the man's offer, he stepped away to get my money.

While I waited for his return, I could hear two merchants talking near the purchase

counter. When you know nothing about the world you're in, eavesdropping can be

incredibly useful.

"I been hearin' a lotta stories lately about powerful monsters appearin' on the border.

Caravans travelin' around eastern Revlon are takin' a lotta casualties."

"That's pretty normal, isn't it, since we're so close to the Furyu Forest? We've always

had tons of monsters."

"You stupid or somethin'? It's not like the roads or villages around here often get

attacked."

"Well, maybe the dragons are stirring up some trouble up in the Furyu Mountains?"

Hearing these two men so casually talking about fantasy tropes amazed me.

The man behind the purchase counter finally showed up with my money, bringing me

back from the images of dragons now flying through my mind. After counting the

money, I put it into my pouch and left the building.

I walked through the town for a bit, figuring I'd spend another night at the usual inn.

My thoughts wandered as I contemplated what to do with myself. I wanted to set up a

place of my own someday, a place to come back to after adventures. So long as I was

near civilization, I was stuck wearing my armor for fear of people seeing me without

it.

Thanks to my Transport Gate, I could still easily come back to town from wherever I

set myself up, be it in the middle of a forest or… anywhere, really. If I found someplace

nice, maybe I'd build myself a house.

For now, though, I figured I should continue earning money and learning what I could

about where I was. Thus I made a plan for the upcoming week.

The next few days passed rather uneventfully, as I left Luvierte to hunt, check out the

surrounding area, and gather information.

Then a day came when I woke up much later than usual. Despite the hour, the inn's

counter was still empty, so I walked out without a word and went straight to the

mercenary guild office to check the job board. After that, I turned toward the west gate

to spend the day earning some pocket money and getting further acquainted with the

area.

However, something felt different about the town. There were far more people than

usual walking toward the west gate, and they seemed to be excited about something.

I found myself walking behind two men and decided to listen in on their conversation.

"Word is the army killed two giant basilisks in the forest outside a nearby town.

Apparently, they're on display in the square!"

"No way! I never thought we'd have anything like a basilisk in these parts. I haven't

even heard of someone seeing one before!"

"These stories are more and more common lately, ya know. Signs of something to

come, maybe?"

Apparently, the viscount had sent out his army to exterminate the giant basilisks. But

if they'd managed to kill two, did that mean there had been three in the forest? Or

were they counting the one I'd stopped as their own kill? With how rare these

monsters were, I figured the latter was more likely.

My interest piqued, I headed for the square near the west gate.

The paths running along both sides of the square were already jammed full of people.

From my vantage point at the edge of the road, I could see a procession of knights and

soldiers walking slowly past. Behind them were a line of horse-drawn carts that held

the giant basilisks, chopped up into large chunks. It made sense seeing it as such, since

there would've been no way to transport such massive creatures in one piece.

I looked over at the large man next to me, who was also fixated on the procession, and

asked him a question.

"Is it always such a big ordeal when these basilisks come around?"

The man gasped when he saw me, though he quickly regained his composure.

"When a giant basilisk comes near a settlement, you either have to hire a renowned

mercenary troupe or dispatch the viscount's army to deal with it."

"Huh. Sounds like they're a pretty big deal then."

"I'd say so! A single basilisk could wipe out an entire village. But if you were able to

kill one, I hear it'd fetch a pretty hefty sum. By drying out and pulverizing the poison

in its body, you can make monster-killing arrows and all sorts of other things."

It sounded like I could've gotten myself a lot of money if I'd brought the one I'd killed

back with me. I nodded along to the man's explanation, feeling a little sorry for myself.

But, on the other hand, there was no way I could have brought the basilisk's body back

on my own, and certainly not without drawing attention to myself.

I kept an eye on the troops as they marched past. I couldn't tell if the giant basilisk I'd

killed was one of the two in the procession, but if it was, the soldiers would surely be

looking for whoever had killed it.

I wanted to avoid interacting with any influential people if I could, so I decided it was

best to move along before anything came of it. I turned around and made my way for

the east gate.

During my research over the past few days, I'd learned of a town named called Corna,

located down the road to the east. Beyond that was a place called Diento, the largest

town in the region. It was a three- to four-day trip by horse.

Since I already had all my worldly possessions with me, I decided to make my way

toward Diento.

***

The town of Diento was located to the west of a sprawling forest.

Off in the distance, the morning sun began cresting the horizon and shining its light

on the town's walls, slowly waking its slumbering inhabitants. The town had been

built around the impressive fortress of Marquis du Diento, and inside one of its rooms

sat a plump man with long white hair and a bushy white mustache, holding his head

in his hands.

The man's name was Marquis Tryton du Diento.

"How did they do it? We released two giant basilisks into the Luvierte domain, did we

not? They should have been reduced to panic in the face of such a threat!"

The cause of Tryton's misery was a report received earlier that morning from an

informant in the Luvierte domain.

According to the informant, the giant basilisks he'd unleashed upon Luvierte had

hardly caused any casualties, inflicting only minimal losses unto the viscount's army.

"Well, the east's envoy said we shouldn't expect much from the monsters. They were

mere experiments, difficult to control over great distances. But even so, with two of

them loose in the region, there should have been twice as many casualties in the battle

against them." The thin, nervous-looking man sitting across from Tryton ended his

speech with a heavy sigh before reaching up to brush his thinning hair back into place.

Celsika Dourman, consul to the Diento domain, ran his eyes over the report in his

hand.

Tryton's eyes narrowed. "If you had succeeded in the attack on his daughter, the

viscount would have certainly been more shaken up by this…"

"Their thirty mithril shields were probably also a factor. I suspect they lowered the

number of casualties from what we'd been expecting."

The marquis's eyes shot daggers at his consul. Though Celsika didn't seem to notice

and continued speaking.

"According to the report here, we're about to run out of stock of the phantasms we've

been using as bait for the elves. Shall I place an order with the usual place for more?"

The expression on Tryton's face contorted even further at Celsika's report. He turned

his gaze away from the fidgeting man in front of him and let out a sigh of annoyance.

"Dammit! Not only did you fail in your road-side ambush, you follow it up by

demanding money? You're no different from the rest of those useless scum!"

"It's no easy feat to capture a phantasm unless you have the proper skills, so we don't

have many other choices. Besides, the procurement costs for trap bait are a mere

pittance in the accounting books."

It looked as though steam was about to begin rising from Tryton's head. "You think I

don't know that?! The problem is how this whole situation feels!"

Tryton adjusted his plump belly and reclined far back in his chair, crossing his arms

and filling the air with a palpable tension. Celsika sighed quietly before slipping out of

the room.