Chapter 32

Since it was Friday, I'm doing a second update for the hardworking salarymen, the diligent animators, and the students! (Regular service)

However, it seems it will soon become just once.

The next day, Nod, who had been staying at the Aubiere mansion, set out early in the morning and arrived in the forest with Neut.

This forest, located northeast of Alba Village, spreads from the eastern foot of the great mountain range in the north of the kingdom, and is rich in herbs and mushrooms.

The forest is very vast, and the deeper you go, the denser the trees become, making the forest deeper.

The residents of Alba make use of this forest to live.

Of course, they cut down trees for fuel, gather herbs and food, and export the cut wood to nearby cities.

This forest is under the management of the Alba domain, and the wealth derived from it becomes the property of the Aubiere family.

Nod was walking through this forest.

He had left his carriage in Alba Village and was walking deeper into the forest on foot.

A hunter who knew the forest best was to guide him, and Nod was listening to the middle-aged hunter as they walked.

"Can you tell me about the prey and monsters you often see in this forest?"

"Sure, of course. But they're not much to speak of. Goblins, giant bats, spear deer, and occasionally forest wolves, but we haven't seen them recently."

The monsters described by the hunter were all weak monsters that even low-level adventurers could hunt.

"There was once a time when killer bees built a nest in the forest and caused a commotion, but at that time, there were adventurers like you."

From his tone, it seemed the hunter did not know that Nod was Johan's younger brother, and thus a noble. He seemed to think Nod was just an adventurer who had come for a commission. Indeed, that was not a mistake, and Nod found it much easier not to be treated with unnecessary respect, so he did not bother to correct him.

"I hear the forest extends deep into the interior. Is that true here as well?"

"No, we don't venture that deep... just halfway. However, the monsters in the deeper areas rarely come out to the shallower parts."

The hunter added, "Herb bears sometimes come out to the outer areas."

Herb bears, which were crystal-class monsters in strength, did not attack humans due to their gentle nature. However, because they liked to eat herbs and their green fur on their backs, which was rich in medicinal properties, was used as an ingredient in magic potions, requests for their capture were sometimes made.

As they talked, they had come quite far from the entrance of the forest.

"Sir, this is as far as I can go..."

"Ah, thank you. It was very helpful."

Compared to the entrance, the forest was denser.

The trees were thicker and closer together. Looking up, the sunlight filtering through the treetops was less, and the forest had taken on a darker, more overgrown atmosphere.

The area around the entrance was managed by humans, but it seemed that beyond this point, there was little human intervention.

Nod thought he did not want to enter the part of the forest where knight spiders appeared, so he parted ways with the hunter after walking for about half a day from the entrance.

The hunter returned towards the entrance.

"From here on, I'll need to be more cautious."

"Kyuu!"

In response to Nod's words, Neut, who was walking beside him with scales the same color as the forest, let out a light cry.

§

The deeper Nod went into the Alba Forest, the worse the path became.

Nod walked skillfully through the uncharted path, observing the forest's conditions.

Hanging vines, moss-covered rocks, fallen trees, and mushrooms.

Gradually, the forest took on the appearance of a primeval forest, devoid of human presence.

"Kyaou!!"

Occasionally, he began to encounter monsters.

They were low-threat monsters, as the hunter had described, and were no match for Nod and Neut.

At that moment, they had just finished battling a monster, with Neut taking down the last one.

"Good job."

"Kyu~"

Praising Neut, who had easily dispatched the monster, Neut let out a happy cry.

Nod disassembled the monsters, collected the edible parts, and decided to make them for dinner.

The location where the knight spider, a stone-class adventurer's sighting, had left traces was quite far from the forest entrance.

Even if they walked in a straight line, it would take a full day.

Nod and Neut, who had set out early in the morning, could have reached there by today if they pushed, but that would mean it would be night by the time they arrived.

While diurnal monsters were one thing, knight spiders were active even at night.

Attempting a night battle after a full day's walk would not be a good strategy.

"Alright, we'll camp here."

Nod declared, finding a suitable place for camping.

Neut must have understood that Nod would not move further today, as he stopped flying and landed heavily on the ground.

Nod gathered branches and dry wood for firewood before it got dark, built a hearth with stones, and concealed it so that the light would not be noticeable at night.

Monsters were not afraid of fire.

While some species were wary and did not approach, more aggressive monsters were actually attracted to the light.

Therefore, when choosing a campsite, it was necessary to select a place where light would not easily leak out. There were many other precautions, and inexperienced adventurers often made mistakes and were attacked by monsters.

Nod, being a crystal-class adventurer, was well aware of these things, and the place he chose completely addressed all these points.

The sound of the firewood crackling faintly echoed.

The fire burned red in the hearth, which was arranged in a C-shape, roasting the bottom of the outdoor cooking utensil placed on top.

In front of the hearth, skewers made from processed branches were stuck, with meat and mushrooms skewered on them.

Heated by the fire, the fat oozed from the surface of the meat and began to boil.

The savory smell rose, stimulating the nostrils.

"Kyuuu..."

Neut, crouching on the ground, was staring intently at the skewers.

Unable to resist the smell of the feast in front of him, he was drooling and making a rumbling sound.

Neut had already been given raw monster meat, but it seemed he was hungry again at the sight of the delicious-looking food.

The young dragon, in his growth phase, was particularly interested in the skewers, which would taste different from the raw meat he had just eaten.

Nod, who had spent the long vacation training Neut, had prepared skewers for Neut in addition to his own meal.

"Alright, they're done."

"!"

Nod, judging the cooking time, pulled the skewers out of the ground.

He gave one to Neut.

Neut, as if he had been waiting for it, stood up with his tail straight and skillfully grabbed the base of the skewer with his front limbs, eating the cooked meat.

Nod also bit into his share, and the meat juice oozed out, filling his mouth. The salt he had rubbed in as seasoning was well-seasoned, and it was delicious. The edible mushrooms he had found in the forest were also quite good.

After finishing the first skewer, he checked the cooking utensil.

Grasping the handle and opening the lid, steam rose. The condensation on the inside of the lid flowed down like a waterfall into the cooking utensil.

Inside the cooking utensil, the broth was boiling.

To check the condition, he took it off the fire, scooped it up with a spoon made from a carved piece of wood, and tasted it.

The flavor had well-infused from the ingredients, and it was delicious.

The meat, mushrooms, and wild herbs in the broth brought a different taste to Nod's tongue compared to the skewers.

Suddenly, he felt a gaze.

Neut, who had finished eating the meat on the skewer, was now staring at the pot.

It seemed he wanted to eat that as well.

Nod muttered, "Can't help it," and served some into a bowl he had made from a carved piece of wood.

Intended as his own dish, it had become a feeding bowl. Pouring the broth into it and offering it to Neut, Neut began to lap it up with his tongue.

Nod also ate his share while it was still hot.

The evening meal continued for a while.

From the campsite, where the firelight was concealed, the smoke from the campfire slowly rose. It drifted towards the starry sky visible through the trees and disappeared in the summer night breeze.

§

"Is that it?"

After spending the night at the campsite, Nod set out at dawn.

The forest was still dim, but it was bright enough to start moving.

He had a simple breakfast with the leftovers from the previous day and quickly packed up the camping gear. After breaking down the stones of the hearth and confirming that the fire was completely out, he set off.

After walking for a few hours, the sun gradually rose higher, and the forest began to be illuminated.

At that time, Nod found it in the forest bathed in the morning light.

A large spider web, wet with morning dew.

The white web, stretched like a curtain between the trees, had a large, coiled object stuck to it.

Wrapped in spider silk, the contents were no longer visible, but it was probably a pitiful prey.

Knight spiders had the habit of storing captured prey as preserved food. There was no doubt about it.

Knight spiders were large monsters that directly attacked their prey, wrapping them in silk to capture them. The stored prey was kept fresh as live bait, serving as the knight spider's preserved food.

The storage area, called a "warehouse," was a different spider web from the "home" where the knight spider lived.

The name "knight" spider came from the fact that they captured prey without immediately killing it, similar to how knights took captives.

The presence of a storage area meant that the spider's home was nearby.

Knight spiders centered their activity around their home, so there was a high possibility that one was close.

Nod switched his mind to be ready for battle at any moment.

Neut, sensing this, also had a serious expression, like a hunter.

The two of them cautiously advanced deeper into the forest.

Nod, muffling his footsteps, carefully moved deeper into the forest.

Knight spiders, despite their name, were hunters and assassins that roamed the forest.

They found and attacked their prey from the slightest traces.

Spiders did not have ears like animals, but the body hair covering their entire body detected vibrations in the air, allowing them to pinpoint the location of their prey.

To avoid being detected by the sound of flapping wings, Neut had stopped flying and was walking on all fours, moving slowly and carefully.

(...Found it)

After searching for a while, Nod, based on the preferred locations of knight spiders he had researched, found a place where a nest might be.

He could have waited in ambush near the storage area, but since he did not know when it would come, he decided to search for it himself.

It seemed to be another storage area, and the knight spider was in the process of attaching prey to the web.

Even from a distance, the thick body and eight legs supporting the massive body were visible.

The spider's mouthparts were wriggling, and it was spitting out white silk.

The prey, which had been sprayed with the silk, was being skillfully kneaded with the front two legs.

The knight spider was focused on storing the prey and had not noticed Nod and Neut.

Looking at Neut beside him, he nodded his head covered in green scales, seeming to understand Nod's intention.

§

The knight spider, sensing the vibrations from the body hair covering its entire body, turned its eyes in that direction.

The eight single eyes, black and glossy, caught sight of a green presence flying in the forest.

It was bird-like in shape, but it was a prey the knight spider had never encountered before.

—Capture it

The knight spider thought and tried to capture the green monster.

However,

"Kyaou!"

"!"

The attack with the raised front legs missed.

The green monster, flying in the air, slipped through and avoided it with a flutter of its wings.

The green monster's movement was not sluggish but quick, easily evading the swift attack.

Feeling the toughness of the green monster, the knight spider decided to abandon the storage work and fight with all its might.

The knight spider leaped.

The jumping power generated by its many legs accelerated the massive body from a stationary state, turning it into a high-speed projectile.

"Kyaou!?"

The attack was faster than expected, and the green monster let out a cry like a scream as it barely avoided it.

The knight spider's attacks did not stop.

Raising its legs, if one missed, it would accelerate and close the distance with another. It would spit silk from its mouth, slash with its front legs, charge and ram, pounce and bite, launching various attacks.

The green monster, frantically trying to avoid, was gradually cornered and moved to a place the knight spider wanted.

Behind the monster was a web.

The next attack would ensure that even if it avoided, it would get caught in the web.

This is the end.

Thinking so, the knight spider tried to spit out spider silk from its mouth,

But it was suddenly blown away by a pain and strong impact from the side.

§

Nod, using Neut as a decoy to look for an opening, struck from the side at the perfect moment.

When Neut was cornered in front of the web and the knight spider was confident of victory, Nod delivered a powerful blow.

The jade steel sword deeply pierced and gouged the knight spider's body.

Simultaneously, he struck with his shield and pulled out the sword.

The massive body of the knight spider was blown sideways, and the sword was pulled out.

A blue liquid, different from the red blood of animals, dripped from the sword.

"Kyu! Kyu!"

"Neut, good job."

Neut, who had been saved at the last moment, let out a cry.

Although cornered, Neut had fulfilled his role as a decoy.

From the movements, it was clear that the knight spider was fighting with all its might. Unfortunately, it was difficult for Neut to counterattack while avoiding, but with growth, that would be possible. It was a good harvest to see that Neut could handle a crystal-class large monster.

"Well then..."

"Gii... Gii..."

The side attack from Nod just now had a strong impact.

The knight spider, trying to stand up by supporting its weight with its legs, failed.

From its mouth, something white, like bubbles blown by a crab, was being spat out.

The knight spider, having received a fatal blow, was rapidly losing its life force.

(All that's left is to finish it off)

The knight spider's life was about to end. It would die even if left alone, but Nod had no taste for letting it suffer needlessly.

As Nod wiped the spider's blood from his sword and approached to finish it off,

"!"

"Kishaaa!!"

Breaking branches with a crack, he dodged a strike from another knight spider that had flown in from behind.

(It's another individual!?)

The battle was not over yet.

An endless summer!

The reader kept reading the same eight chapters over and over.

Pressing the update button repeatedly... and finally despairing at the lack of a third update, they just pressed the bookmark and point evaluation... That's the story (not really).

When it comes to summer! Camping! Barbecue!

That's the story. Incidentally, my knowledge of mushroom foraging has increased.

I don't think I wrote the battle scenes very well... but it's fine!

To be able to update tomorrow, I'll start writing... why am I doing something like overtime when I'm a NEET (philosophy)