Chapter 94

We proceeded as planned. I finished the commission first thing in the morning and left the town promptly. The carefully sorted herbs were all lumped together. How careless. I won't be responsible if their efficacy drops.

I veered a little off the road heading north, as I had heard from those traveling merchants that I could get some fruit there. Koushin likes meat, Rada likes fruit, apparently. I wonder what I like. I do have things I dislike or am not good at, though.

The horse trotted up the slope. It must be a well-traveled path, as there was a proper road even off the main street.

Blanca's ears perked up, showing signs of alertness. I signaled to the two people behind me to be on guard. Soon, the sound of multiple footsteps rustling through the grass reached my ears. I stopped the horse in the middle of the road and dismounted. Koushin drew his sword.

"! Kobolds! There are... so many!"

What emerged from the grass were monsters that looked like medium-sized dogs walking on two legs. However, they bared their teeth, drooled, and had bloodshot, bulging eyes, making them far from cute. Some of them held clubs.

"I didn't hear about this kind of thing!!"

The moment they spotted us, they lunged at us. Or rather, they ran on all fours. As a result, the ones with clubs were lagging behind.

Koushin swung his sword in a wide arc. The white blade attacked the kobolds.

"Raito!"

Turning at Rada's scream-like voice, I saw that they were also coming from the opposite side.

"Damn! Koushin, I'll leave that side to you!"

Honestly, kobolds aren't that much of a threat. They look scary, but they're not strong, and they can only attack head-on. The problem is that their numbers are large.

"Take this!"

I fired stones at them indiscriminately. "Gyain!" cries of pain echoed around.

"Rada! Blind them! Pay attention to the wind direction!"

"O-Okay!"

Rada reached into her bag and swung her arm back.

"Dei!"

Pofun!

The red smoke didn't hit any kobolds, but it landed right where they were gathering. A painful "Gyihin!" cry spread in concentric circles. Rada must have thrown two.

"Koushin, switch places with me. Protect the horses from the wind!"

I changed positions with Koushin. We had already taken down about 80%. Koushin is amazing. He took them down one by one with his finger guns. The wind danced behind me. Rada was throwing something, saying "Eieie."

"This side is done!"

"Mine too, mostly. Just the ones on the ground now."

I confirmed there was nothing moving and turned to Koushin. My eyes were a bit irritated, but the effect was tremendous. There were kobolds twitching and convulsing around us.

"I saw a few escape."

"Yeah. It's not a bounty, so it's fine. Are you both hurt?"

"I'm fine."

"Me too. The horses seem to be fine too."

"Okay. I'll finish up while keeping an eye out. Just take the magic stones from the kobolds. Koushin, let Rada do the last ones."

"Got it."

"U-Un!"

In a world without levels, I don't know if there's such a thing as experience points. Still, getting used to the act of 'killing' has its meaning. Like me, Rada is a backliner, so she rarely gets to feel the sensation of thrusting a blade.

"...Twenty-six. Twenty-six of them. They keep showing up."

We dug a hole quickly, and Koushin and Rada stuffed the kobolds from whom they had taken the magic stones into it. After confirming there were no other presences around, we set it on fire. Smoke rose. I must be getting used to this world if I start thinking about eating barbecue.

"What do you think? Should we keep going?"

Koushin, who was sitting beside me, asked. He was cleaning his sword.

"I think this is fine. Camping here would be tough. Let's go quickly, gather what we need, and get back to the road by dusk."

"Understood."

He nodded. Koushin still seemed to have plenty of energy.

"Is Rada okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. If you give me instructions."

Good to hear. Getting used to how to move is important.

Just to be safe, I took a swig of a basic healing potion before mounting the horses. The horses, being well-behaved, didn't panic even when surrounded by kobolds. I'll take care of them after dinner.

"By the way, Rada, what did you throw earlier?"

Remembering, I asked, and she showed me what she had taken from her bag. It was a small stone with something attached to it.

"I made it based on the explosive powder Raito showed me."

"Wow, that's impressive. How was the effect?"

"Hmm, not great. It didn't explode as much as I thought it would."

What she calls explosive powder doesn't contain gunpowder. A certain tree sap explodes on impact, and she used it to create something similar to a blinding effect. However, when used with a bow, it scatters small iron fragments. Rada had taken inspiration from this and made something that would cause the small stones to explode.

"Is it safe to keep in your bag?"

"It's fine. Like Trimochi, it won't explode unless magic power is channeled into it."

Rada is starting to become a walking hazard. Well, I have some too. It's for self-defense, so it's okay, right?

A little further ahead, I could see the fruit I had heard about. Apparently, this fruit tree is a remnant of a village that used to be here long ago. They were indeed growing in clusters. Since no one is managing them, it's apparently fine to pick them.

*Purunco

A fruit similar to sweet grapes. The darker the color, the more concentrated and delicious it is. Contains alcohol, so be careful not to eat too much.

Can be eaten raw, made into jam, or wine.*

Purple clusters of about five small fruits, similar in size to plums, hung from the broadleaf tree. The lower branches had already been eaten by animals, so I had to climb the tree. With so many branches, it was an easy tree to climb. All I had to do was put them in my magic bag. I secretly took a bite of one.

"Mmm"

The alcohol that wafted up my nose was irresistible. Juicy flesh and sweet juice. I couldn't help but eat it. The scent must have reached the ground, as the two of them looked up at me with a glare. Sorry. Here, you two can have some too. I dropped one for each of them.

"~Mmm~"

I hadn't mentioned that it contains alcohol. But it should be fine. They're not weak, and both of them.

I filled my bag with ripe ones and descended confidently.

"Raito, Raito! Let's pick from that tree too!"

Rada seemed to like it. She pointed to the next tree.

"Too many is no good. Besides, they don't seem to keep well."

"Aww, just one more. Just this tree! Please!"

Alright, fine. It can be made into jam, apparently. Koushin didn't object, so it must have been delicious. I climbed the tree again and picked the ripe ones. On the way, three kobolds appeared, probably left behind from earlier, but Koushin dealt with them without any trouble.

We quickly returned to the road. The kobolds might have gathered for the Purunco. The scent was strong, so other monsters might come too. In a way, it was good that they were kobolds. If a large monster had come, it would have been dangerous.

We continued north and reached a wider campsite. No one was there, but there was still some time before sunset. We took a spot at the edge in case someone came.

"Ah, I'm so hungry."

Rada's stomach growled as she started tending to the horses. I was hungry too. We skipped lunch to get back to the road quickly. I had been nibbling on dried meat on the horse, but it wasn't enough.

"Alright, we're having premium dried meat today!"

...I was met with a cold stare. It was a little joke. Since we didn't have time to hunt, bread and vegetable soup should be fine. Oh, should I go hunting? Then I'll wait by the fire.

For dessert, we'll have Purunco. One each, as it will make you tipsy. We need to keep watch, after all. I also gave some to the horses as a treat. They only ate the shoots.

Even as it got dark, no one came to the campsite.