Chapter 32

After spending a night in the Demon Forest, the next morning, I woke up the five who had been talking late into the night and got them to prepare for departure.

"Hey, hey, if you don't wake up soon, I really will leave without you. If you dawdle, you'll end up sleeping in the tent again tonight. If you want to sleep in a proper bed, get up quickly!"

Thanks to the continuous late-night training sessions, I don't find it hard to wake up, even after staying up late. However, the other five still look very sleepy.

"Hey... Kuni, just five more minutes..."

"Yagi, if you want to sleep in, go ahead, but the next time I wake you up might be an orc."

"Don't be so cold, just a little more..."

"Ha... Let me tell you, there's absolutely no room for taking it easy."

It's not that I've forgotten the danger, but it seems they're already starting to forget the terror of being attacked by orcs yesterday. So, I told the five about the recent large-scale appearance of rock orcs, the possibility that the Demon Forest has become more active, and the fact that even Reinhardt and the others might not be able to protect us if there are too many monsters.

"In the worst case, I can escape to the Shadow World, so I'm fine, but where will Yagi run to?"

"Well, that's..."

"Is it even necessary to say which is more dangerous, day or night? Yagi, can you run and escape in the dark Demon Forest without any light?"

"No... I can't..."

"Everyone, we're still in danger. We need to get to Volzard today, okay?"

"Understood..."

Their faces, which had relaxed a bit, now look tense again, but how long will it last...

After that, I hurried the five to get ready, finished a simple breakfast, and set off for Volzard. It's late autumn, so the temperature is just right for walking. If no monsters appear, walking on the path with the scent of greenery is really pleasant.

Once we start walking, the old and new duo and the mismatched sisters, who are athletic, walk at a fast pace. The problem is still the glasses-wearing slacker. He keeps complaining about being tired, having sore feet, and being hungry, and it really makes me angry. Even after lunch, he keeps asking for extended breaks and won't get up.

"Just ten more minutes... Please, I'll start walking after ten minutes..."

Everything is going this way, and not just me, but the other four also seem exasperated.

"By the way, weren't they rock orcs? Two hundred is a bit exaggerated, right? It's probably only twenty, right?"

"No matter how much I tell the truth, it won't be believed."

"Kuni, let's just leave this guy behind, okay? I'll apologize to Yui for you."

"Hey, Jai, you..."

"Shut up, you're just complaining and complaining. Think about Kuni who prepared for you."

"I'm not like you, I have my limits. Don't act all high and mighty just because you can walk a little."

"Hmph, then you can be eaten by a monster and die. We don't want to be dragged down with you."

Because of the glasses-wearing slacker, the atmosphere has become tense. I really want to yell at him to hurry up since we only have half a day left.

"Master Kent, there's something troublesome..."

"Huh... That's why I wanted to hurry... What's that?"

Reinhardt's telepathic message made everyone look around. In the distance, on the road leading to Volzard, the figures of wolf-like monsters can be seen.

"That's a Gigawolf, aggressive, agile, intelligent, and tenacious... They're troublesome."

"Gigawolf... They seem really big..."

"Yes, in their four-legged form, they are about as tall as an orc."

"Wow... As tall as an orc in their four-legged form, that's huge, isn't it?"

The Gigawolf, as its name suggests, is so large that it distorts the sense of distance. When the five realized its size, their faces turned pale.

"Look, glasses-wearing slacker, it's because you were dawdling..."

"Shut up, even if I had walked, we would have been surrounded anyway, don't blame me!"

"What is that, it's too big..."

"Kuni, are you okay?"

"Um... It's a bit troublesome..."

"Ah... I don't want to... I'm scared..."

Reinhardt and the others are already in a defensive position. We are gathered in the center of the three, and the other five are on the verge of panic.

The Gigawolf is approaching us, stopping to observe us, and then moving a little closer. This one seems to be trying to draw our attention, and when I look around, it seems they are trying to surround us, just like the orcs yesterday.

"How many are there?"

"Within sight, about five or six... There are probably a few more."

"Master Kent... There are nine in total..."

"Nine? Then, just like yesterday, please..."

"No, today is your turn, Master Kent."

"Huh? My turn?"

"Indeed, the fur of a Gigawolf is highly valued, and the less damage it has, the better... In other words..."

"Ah... I see, I should use my attack magic to take them down quickly, right?"

"That's right, Master Kent, I'm counting on you."

"Understood... But from here, it might be hard to aim... I'll go a bit closer, so please guard me."

"Master Kent, the one in front is the leader of the pack, take it down first."

"Got it..."

The five, who can't hear Reinhardt's telepathic messages, are trying to understand the situation from my words. Kobayashi asked me.

"Wait, Kuni is going to fight?"

"Yeah, that's right."

"But how? You don't have any weapons."

"I'll explain later... Just wait a moment..."

"Wait, wait..."

I think I can take them down from my original position, but if I attack from the front, it might leave strange marks. So, I'll use shadow movement and light attribute attack magic to take them down from the shadows. I moved to the feet of the boss, which was slowly approaching, and shot from under its jaw to its head, taking it down without a sound. Since I was already in a crouching position, the remaining eight thought I was just waiting for orders. Some of them also crouched, making it very easy to take them down. It really felt like a cheat; it took me less than a minute to take down all nine Gigawolves.

"I'm back, Basten, I'll put the Gigawolves in the shadow storage, can you help me?"

"Of course, I'll come."

Although the fur can be sold for a high price, we don't have time to skin them now, so we decided to carry them whole. The fur is fluffy and feels really good. When I put nine Gigawolves in the shadow storage, the volume is overwhelming. It's like a mountain of fluff, a mountain of fluff.

"Master Kent, this can be sold for a high price."

"Really? How much?"

"Given the excellent condition, it could sell for several times the price of rock orc magic stones."

"Wow... It can sell for that much?"

"Magic stones also sell for a good price, so one Gigawolf could be worth about 100,000 helts."

"Hmm... I can't really grasp that... Anyway, when we get back to Volzard, I'll consult with Donovan."

"Yes, given the excellent condition of the Gigawolves, it would be best to leave the skinning to a professional."

"Right, I can't do it myself, so I'll have to ask for help."

With the Gigawolves taken care of, let's head to Volzard.

"Okay, everyone, let's go."

"Wait, Kuni, what about those big wolf-like things?"

"I'll explain while we walk."

I explained that I used shadow movement and light attribute attack magic to take them down, and demonstrated the attack magic. Everyone has a mixed expression.

"Well, it's good that we weren't attacked by such a big monster, but Kuni is really overpowered, isn't he?"

Yagi and Kobayashi's words are echoed by the others. I also think I'm overpowered.

"Hey, why can you use magic without incantations?"

"Why... I just did it, so I can't help it."

"No, no, just doing it isn't an excuse. Normally, it shouldn't be possible, right?"

"I don't know... I haven't learned how to use magic from anyone."

"We can't do it either. We tried shortened incantations and no incantations when we found out we could use magic, but it didn't work at all."

"Hmm... I don't know why I can do it."

The first time I used magic, it was unconscious, and no one taught me how to incant. I just imagine it. To shorten the activation time, I just make the image more vivid, but I don't know why it works, and I can't explain it.

While walking to Volzard, Yagi and the mismatched sisters tried to activate the mage's magic without incantations, and the old and new duo tried to activate the body enhancement magic without incantations, but they couldn't do it. Maybe it's because they were initially taught that magic requires incantations. In the end, they followed Reinhardt's advice to use incantations to ensure activation.

After walking for about two days, when the sun started to tilt westward, we finally saw the walls of Volzard through the trees.

"There it is, that's the wall of Volzard."

"Wow, it's huge, it's connected all the way."

"They're still building new walls outside to expand the city."

"What's it like inside?"

"Well... It's very otherworldly, with people of various hair colors and beast people living normally."

"Beast people? Really? Are there cute beast girls with animal ears?"

"Hehe, that's a surprise... You'll see."

"Wow!"

When we meet the cat-eared angel Muelle, the old and new duo and Yagi will be very excited.

"That's why men are... By the way, animal ears aren't limited to girls. There are dog-eared boys too."

"Really? Are there handsome boys or cute boys?"

"Hehe, that's also a surprise..."

Kobayashi seems very interested in animal-eared boys, so maybe I'll introduce her to Gerrick. It would be interesting to see his face when a girl approaches him.

As we approach the edge of the Demon Forest, we can see people moving busily at the gate of Volzard. The first time I came here, I pretended to be a survivor of a merchant caravan to get in. This time, with Reinhardt in the lead, they might be preparing for a monster attack.

"Reinhardt, Fred, Basten, can you guard from the shadows?"

"Understood."

Reinhardt and the others disappeared into the shadows, so I walked at the front. When we got about 20 meters close, a voice called out from the top of the gate.

"Alright, everyone, stop there and put away your weapons."

"Everyone, take off your swords and knives."

I made the five take off their swords and knives in their sheaths.

"Put the weapons at your feet and then move forward slowly."

"Everyone, let's go..."

As I led the five forward, a sturdy door on the side