Chapter 37

The correct reading for "nest" is "sōkutsu."

After storing a large number of spiders, I jumped up again, flying toward Eleera while observing the surroundings.

About a third of the way to the town, I could see the retreating monsters.

It seems the boss was indeed among them.

I then moved to the guild to report. From the town entrance, I had to walk. If I landed from the sky, I couldn't pass through the gate. There was a possibility of being chased for illegal entry, though this wasn't a country.

The gate wasn't under the strict security measures like when Ein was here. It felt normal.

Was the guild's response a bit slow? Or was the situation not that serious yet?

After reporting my achievements at the guild, I was directed to the branch manager's office.

Lately, I feel like I've been called to the branch manager's office a lot.

"So, you said 208 Giant Spider Crabs, is that right?"

"Yes, it's true. Should I show you the corpses?"

"No, I'm not doubting it. It's written on your guild card."

It's convenient.

"I've prepared the reward. It's a bit less than what you deserve, but we have our reasons, so please bear with it."

He handed me two large gold coins. The reward was more than double what I would get for Metal Lizards, even though I didn't struggle as much. No problem.

"What did you do with the corpses? The meat of Giant Spider Crabs is delicious, quite a high-end ingredient. I could buy one if you want."

Eat something that looks like a cross between a spider and a crab? It probably has a lot of meat, but it's a spider... Well, tarantulas are also arachnids. I guess it's doable.

There were people on Earth who would eat anything but the table.

"I've stored them all in my item box. I'll sell one. How much would you pay?"

"70,000 tel, how about that?"

"That's fine. By the way, does this kind of thing happen often? I've been seeing a lot of weak monsters being driven around lately."

Metal Lizards, swarms of spiders, and other irregular monsters. It's as if something that should happen once in ten years is happening multiple times within ten years, and even a once-in-a-century event is included... but that's not possible, right?

"Yes, it's rare, but it has been happening since over 200 years ago. Some say the frequency is gradually increasing, but it's still within the range of variation. Also, once it happens, it doesn't occur again for a while."

"Is that how it works?"

"At least so far, it hasn't happened consecutively in the same place. There's no guarantee it won't in the future, though."

"I see. I'm thinking of leaving this town soon. Do you have any recommendations?"

My weapon is complete. The negotiations are over. Catherine is here, but staying in this town isn't a reason to stay.

I just need armor. It would be convenient if I could make magic tools, but I can't wait indefinitely.

"Well, if you're confident in your skills, there's a place where you can quickly rank up. There are many short-term escort requests, and the rewards for short-term escorts are more than double those for a week-long escort."

That sounds like a dangerous request...

"Run through a dragon's nest with a load of cargo!" or something.

"What kind of city is that? It's clearly not a normal request, right?"

"Decibattle, a frontline city right in the middle of the battlefield between humans and monsters. The area between Decibattle and the fortress city of Fortren is a narrow peninsula-like region. The goal is to reduce the number of strong monsters in Decibattle and block them with Fortren. As a result, strong monsters frequently appear between Decibattle and Fortren, making escort requests quite dangerous. About 10% don't return, and about 20% abandon their cargo and retreat. That's the level of danger."

That's really dangerous. Why do I have to go there?

"That's a bit... I don't want to die yet..."

"You should be fine with an escort. The 10% who die are usually those who skimp on the escort or can't secure one, or those who are in debt and try to make a fortune by risking their lives. With three C-rank adventurers, you can usually manage to retreat."

...Usually.

But sometimes it doesn't work, right?

"Does that mean sometimes you can't retreat?"

"With three C-ranks, sure. Who can solo 200 Giant Spider Crabs? Even a C-rank can't handle one. Six B-ranks working together in a narrow valley might barely manage. Your combat power is clearly beyond A-rank, probably world-class against swarms. You shouldn't have trouble with monsters reduced in number by Decibattle."

"Right..."

I thought I was pretty strong, but world-class?

Regardless, I can probably retreat. Most attacks don't hit me, so I can fly away.

Catherine can stay in Fortren. If she's a burden, I can sell her or something.

The concept of buying and selling people is unfamiliar, but since I have a slave, it doesn't matter.

This is a different world. Japanese common sense doesn't apply. I should feed my prejudices to the Green Wolf.

"Well, I'll go and see. It might be interesting to stay for a while."

Being able to fly and escape anytime is a good thing. It gives me some leeway.

If I fail an escort request, my karma might drop, and I could become a criminal, but I'm completing requests without doing evil. My karma is probably at the maximum of 20.

Of course, if I break the law, I'll become a criminal immediately. Reality is harsh.

"I see, that's great. Actually, I recently received a message from headquarters about the worsening situation in Decibattle. They want us to gather forces, but we don't have many adventurers we can mobilize, just some who are temporarily staying for weapon procurement. I was a bit worried."

So that's it.

My question was a timely one.

"Does that mean I'll have to do something for the guild there?"

"No, not exactly. The guild generally doesn't bind adventurers unless it's a major emergency. Even just escorting cargo helps, and if you can defeat monsters along the way, that's even better. Completing high-speed slaying requests on the front lines would be the most helpful, but we don't require that."

I'll check it out.

"Understood. I'll think about the slaying requests once I get there. I don't know how strong the monsters are. By the way, how do I get there?"

"There's a good escort request. Two weeks to Fortren, with three meals a day."

So, I accepted the offer. It seemed there weren't enough people to take it, and they said it was fine even with Catherine. They would wait until my armor was ready.

I ended up being given a convenient role by the guild, but when interests align, that's what happens.

I entrusted the spiders, received and deposited money, and returned to my inn as it was getting dark.

I visited Catherine's room to check on the progress of her magic tool practice. She no longer felt like a slave.

There was no particular benefit to treating her badly, and I had enough money.

"How's the magic tool coming? Can you make it?"

"Yes, it's easier than I thought. However, I need magic stones to make a magic tool, so it's not possible right now."

Magic stones. Can I use the spiders'?

"I have the corpses of the Giant Spider Crabs. Can you use them?"

"Um... They can be used, but I think each one is worth at least 10,000 tel. Is it okay to use them? It might not even succeed."

"Ah, it's fine. I have a lot. My item box has a large capacity."

"A bit...? Well, if it's fine, that's good... What kind do you want? Disposable types are more powerful."

"What kinds are there?"

"Based on what I can make, the practical disposable types are barriers, explosions, levitation, and acceleration."

"Can you explain the performance?"

"Yes, a barrier can withstand attacks from monsters of the same rank as the material, forming a fixed barrier with a radius of about 5 meters. An explosion is triggered by magic lines and has a destructive radius of about 10 meters. Levitation allows you to hover at a height of about 10 meters for about 5 minutes. Acceleration provides wind magic-level acceleration for about an hour."

Hm, all of them seem quite useful.

I'll exclude the explosion since I don't have magic lines. I have enough firepower. I can use levitation and acceleration myself.

I could let Catherine use them, but I can't imagine her being on the front lines. Maybe for moving a ship.

By elimination, I'll go with the barrier.

It might make escorting easier, and it's not a bad thing to have.

"I'll go with the barrier. The others are fine without magic tools. Why aren't such convenient things used more often?"

"Understood. They're not used much because they're expensive. They're also difficult to handle and have short durations. You can make them reusable by lowering the performance, but they still have a short lifespan, and the lifespan decreases if a person with a lot of magic power replenishes them. They're mainly used by large merchant guilds for camping, and some guild branches stockpile explosive magic tools."

It all comes down to money. Considering each one costs about 100,000 yen in materials, it's understandable. They're not easily disposable.

Even in the military, they wouldn't casually use such things. In this world, it's the guild.

With that, I received my armor, and the day of departure arrived.