Volume 4 Chapter 16 It's Superb Skills, But...
As I was silently criticizing Gram in my head, Aina shouted,
"I'm ready! Mikage-san, please step back!"
In response to Aina's voice, Mikage quickly moved away from the group of Recklizards. The monsters turned their heads around aimlessly due to the swift movement. I also stepped aside so as not to get in Aina's way.
In front of us were only the group of monsters. Aina, holding a staff emitting a strong light, unleashed her magic.
"Ice Storm!"
A storm filled with chilling coldness swept through. A localized frigid storm engulfed the Recklizards entirely.
Exposed to the extreme cold, the skin of the Recklizards froze. But that wasn't all - the wind contained numerous ice fragments that struck the monsters.
"Now, follow up with attacks!"
As the extreme cold began to subside, Aina shouted again. The Recklizards seemed sluggish, perhaps affected by the magic casted upon them.
Without hesitation, Mikage leaped forward, slashing at the Recklizard's neck. Its movements had slowed, making it an easier target.
"Yukina-san, please go too!"
"Huh, is it safe?"
"Reptilian monsters like the Recklizard are weak to cold, just like wild lizards. They won't be able to move much for a while due to the cold!"
'Aina's right! The Recklizards won't be swooping down now! And if Aina and Kyunei are in danger, I'll let you know!'
Encouraged by Aina's words and Gram's telepathic channel, I nodded and charged into the swarm of monsters with Mikage.
"Yukina-sama!"
"I'll finish this all at once!"
"Understood!"
After that, we managed to defeat all the Recklizards that appeared in this area without sustaining many injuries.
--After the battle ended, Gram praised Aina wholeheartedly.
'Many inexperienced magicians often go for maximum power, but Aina got it right. Despite the somewhat spacious area, there were limited movement spaces for you, partner. If she used magic with excessive destructive power, there would have been a risk of collapse. Aina took that possibility into consideration and used ice attribute magic with the minimum power to achieve the maximum effect. Good grief, impressive for someone so young.'
If he's saying something like that, it must be quite something.
'She's got charisma as a former princess. Even in battle, she can analyze the situation calmly and come up with answers as a skilled magician. Right now, her overall ability is on par with a 2nd rank mercenary.'
She's better than me. She's overtaking me all of a sudden.
'Well, it's just "on par." She's still got a long way to go to be an actual mercenary, but if things go smoothly, she'll definitely reach 2nd rank. Well, if you don't want to show your uncool side to your lover, you better work hard to rank up. Show some manliness, partner.'
I was planning on doing that anyway.
Now, I start to strip usable parts from the Recklizard's corpse that seem to be in good condition. Even though it was an unexpected encounter, leaving the corpse untouched goes against the pride of a mercenary. The rule is to make the most of the lives taken whenever possible.
However, there's a limit to how much we can carry. We gather the remaining corpses and burn them to ashes with Aina's magic.
After that, we turned back on the road as planned.
There was a hidden passage intentionally concealed at the place with magic circles for summoning. From there extended an artificial passage. There were many elements that cannot be ignored, but it was strictly forbidden for mercenaries to be greedy without proper equipment. In the current situation where our equipment was not ready, we had no choice but to retreat.
Just in case, when we returned to the space with the magic circles, Aina used her magic to seal off the entrance to the passage. Although the passage is narrow, creatures as big as a Recklizard could easily pass through. This was to prevent new monsters from connecting and invading on our side.
By the time we finished up and left the cave, the sun was already beginning to set.
When we returned to the village, we first reported the situation to the village head. While they no longer had to worry about goblins attacking en masse again, we informed them that a different problem had arisen instead.
We asked the village head about the passage made in the depths of the cave, but he seemed to know nothing about it. We talked to everyone in the village that day, but no one knew about that passage.
And during dinner...
The four of us talked again about what to do next.
"So, Yukina-kun, what are we going to do in the end?"
Kyunei asked, and I spoke carefully, choosing my words in my head.
"At first, I thought we'd investigate a bit impulsively, but honestly, I think this is beyond our jurisdiction."
I said, unintentionally ending my sentence politely.
Re-investigating the cave after the goblins appeared is to avoid potential harm if left unattended.
However, the side passage we discovered and the other cave connected to it... This investigation is definitely beyond what we can handle.
"There's a chance we could run into a huge mountain of trouble with the demon attack incident. Considering that, it's absurd for just a 4th rank like me to go on a business trip."
That's a job for 3rd or 2nd rank adventurers. It's not my place to step in.
"So, what's your honest opinion?"
"It's a real pain."
"Oh dear, such honesty."
Kyunei chuckled at my straightforward answer. But it really is a hassle, so it can't be helped.
"But, as Yukina-sama said, it's true that it's beyond our capabilities at the moment. Even if we were to conduct a thorough investigation, there's a limit to the resources available in this village. Regardless of how it's done, we should report to the guild in the royal capital."
"And if it's issued as a formal request, there will be a reward."
After Mikage's calm opinion, Aina added some strong words. Despite looking and acting pure, she's not naive. It's impressive how she can weigh the pros and cons.
"Nevertheless, this involves demons. Perhaps the country will investigate instead of the guild."
"That's fine. It'd be more reliable to have investigation experts rather than people like us."
Anyway, our part is done for now.
The village's reconstruction and deadlines are approaching. We'll pack up in a few days and head back to the royal capital.
--And so, with a little event at the end, we safely returned to the royal capital.
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