Chapter 11

After Reblan left, an ordinary daily life returned.

Sometimes I feel someone's gaze, but I don't use magic then, nor do I cook or anything. Because of the gaze, I can't use magic like presence detection or spatial awareness, so I'm spending some creepy days.

Therefore, I'm playing the role of a poor farmer's son. It's a bit troublesome, but I'm not really in trouble. On the contrary, I even feel like I'm enjoying a slow life.

About two weeks after living an ordinary life, the gaze I had been feeling all along disappeared.

"Huh... The gaze is gone? ...Yeah, it's gone. Presence detection, spatial awareness."

I searched for presence and space within a radius of about 3 kilometers. The target is an existence with a certain level of strength.

...Hmm, they're not there. Phew, they finally left. Myle's people were quite persistent, but it seems they finally gave up.

"Still, they were more persistent than I thought. Well, how about going to the forest for the first time in a while?"

...Huh? It's a monster's reaction. Isn't this direction Azalea Spirit Mountain!?

◇◇◇

Azalea Spirit Mountain is a mountain deep in the forest that extends far from the Oren Village. It is said to be a dangerous area where monsters from A to D rank live, and it is said that a dragon lives at the top, though no one has actually seen it.

◇◇◇

When I activated presence detection and spatial awareness to go to the forest, there was an unprecedented amount of presence. The number was so overwhelming that I didn't even want to count, but it was well over 3000.

"Trouble!"

At this rate, they'll reach the village in about 2 hours!

"Mom, Dad! It's bad! A large number of monsters are coming from Azalea Spirit Mountain!"

"Hahaha, what's the matter, Owl? ...Is that really true? You're not joking, right?"

"It's for sure! Over 3000 monsters are coming this way!"

"Over 3000?! ...You're not lying, are you? Got it, I'll talk to the village chief! You and your mother should run away immediately!"

"..."

"Owl, are you listening? Run away quickly!"

"Sorry, Dad, I can't do that. I want to protect this village!"

"Hey, Owl!!"

Dad, Mom, I'm sorry. I'll get scolded later, so please forgive me for now.

Still, this isn't like me. I just want to enjoy being a lazy poor farmer, but somehow I end up working hard.

I love my parents and Oren Village. Reblan is kind to me, and Mirei is a beautiful young girl with a promising future.

...I don't want to lose this, after being given a new life by the creator god.

I cast a spell at the sky, where I can't cover, causing a big explosion. It has no power, but it rises high into the sky. This way, it can be seen from far away.

Surely Myle's people will notice.

...Now that I think about it, the strong monsters that have been appearing in the forest recently might have been a sign of this. But it makes sense if you think about it.

According to Reblan, the queen of the Genocide Bees is at least C rank. That means something that can drive away a monster of that rank is in Azalea Spirit Mountain.

But do such monsters suddenly appear?

"Ah, the vanguard is showing up?"

The vanguard is at least D rank, what kind of crappy game is this? Stealth Bears are there as a matter of course, and all the monsters are excited as if they've lost their minds. However, thanks to that, I can grasp the Stealth Bears without any problems, which is a blessing in disguise.

Stealth Bear, Tree Dia, Orc Knight, Gray Fang... Ah, I shouldn't be checking leisurely!

"Come on, you bastards! I won't let you step on my homeland!"

Wind Cutter! Ice Pillar! Thunder Rain!

The spells I cast instantly turned into invisible blades, ice spears, and rain-like lightning, pouring down on the approaching monsters.

Thanks to the rapid casting of spells, the monsters instantly became silent corpses, and the area was covered in blood.

I'll store the monsters so they don't get in the way.

...Phew.

I managed to hold them off, but there are still about 50 left... This is bad.

...I might be found out, but I'll do it. This is the place with the most monsters from the mountain. The monsters coming to other places should be dealt with by Myle's people by now. I can only hope they can handle it.

I've been managing to keep killing the monsters, but it's getting very close to the limit. Not only my magic power, but also my physical strength and mental strength are reaching their limits. After all, I'm only 6 years old and my body isn't fully developed...

"What... is this presence?!"

GYAoooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!

Looking in the direction of the scream, there was a monster that looked exactly like the one I saw in a book the priest showed me long ago.

"Emperor Dinosaur..."

A disaster-level monster estimated to be S rank. It was said that once it appeared, a whole town would be destroyed.

"But I heard that monster was exterminated, so why..."

The size of the monster is about 6 meters, maybe even bigger than a small house. However, despite its size, it moves agilely. The situation is the worst.

The characteristic of the Emperor Dinosaur is the sweeping attack from its large tail.

I can barely dodge the approaching tail, but I can't avoid it many more times.

"Damn, this is bad... At least I'll thin out the other monsters."

I don't have much magic power left, but I concentrate to cast a spell with a wide range and high destructive power.

I know the general positions of the monsters from presence detection, so I can't be precise, but I activate the spell with some control.

Thunder Crash!

The Thunder Crash, which I activated with all my might, caused a storm of lightning from the sky, piercing through the Emperor Dinosaur and many other monsters. I later heard that the scene was so intense that it could be seen from the neighboring village.

I thought the power had decreased, but if I can produce this much power, it's good enough!

Most of the monsters are dead, and the surviving ones are mostly mortally wounded. I can tell the presence is gradually disappearing.

The monsters that managed to escape are fleeing back to Azalea Spirit Mountain one after another.

"You're the only one left, lizard guy!"

GRUaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!

I fire 10 Water Bullets at the lizard guy, who is approaching at an incredible speed, but the weak attacks are blocked by the tough scales and thick skin and can't penetrate.

The lightning from the Thunder Crash seems to have dealt some damage, but it's not enough to finish it off. It's worthy of being S rank.

I fully activate Body Reinforcement and keep firing Water Bullets. I can't hurt it, so the Emperor Dinosaur just gets wet.

But that's fine.

The powerful tail attack, the huge stomping attack with its massive feet, and the ferocious bite. Each of these attacks has enough power to kill me with one hit, yet for some reason, I'm smiling.

My smile might have been close to the madness of a battle maniac.

"Hey, lizard guy, your movements are getting slower, can't you even tell why?"

I had a purpose in firing Water Bullets. Even though I knew they wouldn't work directly, I insisted on using water because this monster is a reptile.

Reptiles are weak to temperature changes, right?

"This is the end! Ice Bullet x 20!"

The Emperor Dinosaur, who has absolute confidence in its defense, charges straight into the approaching Ice Bullets without trying to avoid them. Any normal monster would have taken a defensive stance.

"Your downfall is that you've never lost before."

By the time it takes all the Ice Bullets, it can no longer stand properly and lies down.

...Gruaaaaa?!

The Emperor Dinosaur, being a reptile, has its body functions decline due to the continuously lowering body temperature, and it can no longer stand.

"This is the end, lizard guy."

Railgun!!

The iron coin fired at ultra-high speed cleanly pierces the Emperor Dinosaur's head, killing it.

From the outside, it looks like it was killed in a very clean state, and it's hard to tell that it's dead at first glance.

I suppressed the power this time, so its head didn't fly off.

"Phew... This is a temporary resolution. Oh, people seem to be coming."

The presence detection and spatial awareness I activated showed that humans were approaching within 1 km.

To avoid trouble, I quickly stored the Emperor Dinosaur and the surrounding monsters in my item box and activated presence concealment and body reinforcement.

I also collected the monsters I had eliminated with Thunder Crash so they wouldn't be found by people. Then, I quickly left the scene and started running towards where I sensed my parents.

It seems my parents had fled to the village chief's house.

By the time I reached the area near the village chief's house, I could sense people where I had just fought the Emperor Dinosaur. They were probably Myle's people.

In front of the village chief's house, a male farmer was guarding with a hoe and a slightly rusty sword.

I entered the house through a window without being noticed, and in the back room, about 30 people were hiding. I sensed my parents' presence there and quietly approached them, speaking in a low voice.

"Dad, Mom, I'm back. I've taken care of most of the monsters."

I tried to say it cutely, but... yeah, it didn't work. I knew it wouldn't.

"Owl, I have a lot to say, but I'm really glad you're safe...!!"

Mom hugged me as hard as she could. It was stronger and warmer than ever before. At that moment, I finally felt from the bottom of my heart that I had protected this warmth. I realized that Mom's trembling body was not because she was afraid of the monsters, but because she was worried about me.

"Still, Owl, is the stampede really over?"

"Stampede?"

"Yeah, the large-scale monster invasion is called a stampede."

"If that's the case, it's safe. They don't show up on presence detection, and I don't think there are any strong monsters. However, the small animals and forest boars in the forest have fled somewhere, so we might not be able to get meat for a while."

"I see, but that's fine. Still, Owl, when did you get so strong...?"

"...Well, I've been training since I received the blessing, I guess?"

I was worried if I could get away with it, but it seems my worries were unfounded.

"I see, so the blessing was that powerful. I'm proud of my son. We should go to the church and thank the creator god!"

"Owl, it's good that everything worked out this time, but you can't take such risks anymore, understand?"

"Yes, Dad, Mom."

"Hehe, as long as you understand. Owl, thank you so much for protecting Oren Village."

"Then I'll go and wrap up this mess."

*By the way, all the conversations inside the village chief's house were delivered in a low voice.*

"Chief! This won't do! I'll go and check the situation! We don't know what's happening if we stay here!"

"But Ralco... Alright, but don't overdo it! Take a few people with you just in case!"

About an hour later, Ralco and his people returned and reported that it was safe.

It seems they met Myle's people, who had taken care of the situation, and the news spread to the village.

The people who had fled to the neighboring village also returned, and Oren Village returned to its usual state.

Then, about three days after I returned to my usual life, a knight claiming to be a messenger from Lord Randolf visited our house.

"Lord Randolf wants to ask Ralco and his son Owl a few questions about the recent stampede. Prepare to go to Lord Randolf's mansion immediately! A carriage has been arranged for you!"

It seems that what my father explained to the village chief was that we were gathering wild vegetables and herbs in the forest when we saw the army of monsters and told everyone to run.

This information was passed from the village chief to Myle's people, and then to Lord Randolf.

I have a feeling that this is going to be a huge hassle.

I'll update this bit by bit.

I'd be happy if you could rate and bookmark it.