164-Episode 164: Assault! Flying oak

'Orcs are flying in the sky and attacking us!

The reports of the adventurers who rushed into the Adventurer's Guild in a ragged form were unbelievable.

''Uh, Lex-san?　Have you ever heard of flying orcs?

'No, I don't know either. What about you, Liliera?

I've never heard of it.

I tell Liliella, who has been listening in a small voice, that I don't know what I remember from my previous life and my previous life.

Orcs are just as pig demons as I've seen them, and I've never seen an orc flying with flying magic.

Maybe they attacked me on a flying demon, but considering the habits of orcs, I think they'd rather eat it than keep it.

Above all, orcs are heavy, so it's impossible for a half-hearted demon to fly on them.

'Calm down, there's no way an orc can fly.

The adventurers, who seem to have thought the same thing as I did, try to calm the delirious adventurers who are complaining.

''It's true!　There really was an orc flying through the air and attacking us!　I don't know why we were freaked out, but we were freaked out, too. But we were actually attacked!

Desperate, very untrue, the ragged adventurers sue in a way that doesn't seem to be a lie.

''.........''

But everyone was skeptical of the term flying orc and only looked at it from a distance, wondering how they reacted.

That's right, no matter how much flying, I don't think the adventurers would be as unawares as a mere orc.

''Please calm down. Where in the world did you get attacked by that........flying orc?

And then Elma interrupted him.

'Regardless of the credibility of the testimony, the fact is that these people were attacked. If that's the case, the first priority would be to share the information.''

'Oh, yeah...'

Yeah, I guess so.

'You, go to the church and bring me a restorative magic user!

Yes!

When Elma calls someone from the staff, she tells them to call someone from the church.

Oh, I'll take care of it!

Norbu-san, who came to himself at Elma-san's words, cast a recovery spell on the injured adventurer.

''........Thank God. The pain is gone now.

You're welcome.

'Thank you, Mr. Norbu. Now, would you like to tell us the story of the time when you were attacked by the orcs?

Oh, yeah. We were attacked on a plain about an hour west of here.

An hour?　That close?

Elma-san rolls her eyes at the unexpectedly close location of the attack.

Yeah, we didn't expect to be attacked in such a place either. And that's from the sky with no trees or high ground around it.

'So, did you tell that story to the guards at the entrance to the town?

'Yes, of course. I fled to town covered in blood, and they asked me what happened right away. They said they were going to gather some people and take them out immediately. My companion was badly wounded and is being treated at the guard garrison. I was the least wounded of the party, so I came to report to the guild.

''........I suppose. In the worst case scenario, travelers and merchants walking along the streets could be attacked, so the guards must have been surprised.

Elma showed a sign of thinking about something and then turned to the adventurer again.

''Let me confirm, you were attacked by orcs from above on the plains an hour to the west.

Yeah, yeah. Yeah, that's right. It happened so fast, we don't really know how it happened. But that pig's face and that squeal was definitely orcish.

'I understand. I'm going to report this to the guild leader. Gentlemen, as you have heard, there are Orcs roaming the western plains attacking us in unknown ways. The guards are also on their way, so in order to avoid any trouble, please do not go to the western plains unless you have something to do.

Okay.

Well, I don't want the guards, but I don't want the Knights to be staring at me.

The adventurers respond unwillingly to the instructions from Elma-san.

Then, as Elma-san disappears into the back of the guild, the adventurers all stand up at once and head to the request board.

''Whoa!　What's that all of a sudden?

''Eh?　Huh?

The adventurers suddenly started to move, and Gyro-kun and the others rolled their eyes.

Or rather, I'm surprised too. What the hell is going on?

We're all going west to the plains.

The one who answered our questions was Liliella.

''Eh?　But I don't want you to go to the western plains now...

Yeah, you said it. Unless you're on an errand. I mean, if you're on a mission, you're free to go.

"[sighs]

'But there's a dangerous demon out there, and you said you didn't want to get into trouble with the guards, right?　If that's the case, why bother getting a request to go to the Western Plains?　If anything happens, I'm sure that's exactly the kind of thing that will get you a stern warning.

Jairo-kun and the others nodded in agreement with Norbu-san's question. To be honest, I have my doubts too.

''Haha, you're a stupidly honest boy.

And then an adventurer with a request form in his hand joins the conversation.

"Oh, that's a secret code from Elma-chan to us, telling us to be careful not to get into trouble with the guards and to go gather information.

""The secret code!"

It's not uncommon for troublesome requests to come to the Adventurer's Guild at important times when the lord or country is moving. In order to prevent us from being used for our own good against the recklessness of a high ranking person who doesn't know what's going on in the field, we need information that can be used as a bargaining chip. It's for the guild and for us adventurers.

" " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " "

I see, that's what you meant.

'Besides, adventurers are entirely responsible for their own actions. The guild has no right to interfere with the actions of adventurers.　Well, except for those areas that are forbidden by the state to enter.

''That's how it works. By the way, if I report the information I got from this case to the guild, I won't get any particular additional rewards, but I'm told that the rate of the purchase price of the materials might happen to have increased, or it might affect the assessment of the rank increase.

When you say "maybe," you mean it actually affects the assessment.

Well, for high ranking adventurers, the contribution to the guild is also a factor in the assessment. It's a good idea to make sure that you have a good idea of what you're doing. That's a plan that would normally last a lifetime.

Oh, I see. I guess that makes sense, now that you mention it.

'I see... Normally, you would have been able to build up your rank through a series of humble achievements like this.

Now I know why you all stood up en masse.

Yeah, I love the chance to contribute for sure.

And then Gyros and his friends look at me.

"So...

We're trying to move up in the ranks, too.

"The work of the Western Plains.

I'll take it!

Oh, yeah, it's good, I guess.

....

They're all ready to go for the ranks.

That's how we ended up searching for the mysterious flying orcs in the western plains.

So let's go find that rumored orc.

We received a request in the western grasslands just like the other adventurers, and we immediately left the town and headed to the place where there was a sighting of a demon.

It's a good thing that we're not the only ones who have seen this. We were flying through the air.

Jairo-kun was chagrined that the other adventurers had already arrived.

''It can't be helped. We were late in the reception line at the window.

'Those people have horses. I think they moved on as soon as they heard what the receptionist said.

In that respect, we're a step below our more seasoned predecessors.

Mr. Megri and Mr. Norbu honestly admire the deftness of those who had already arrived here.

Indeed, those people's ability to act, or rather the speed of their decisions, is amazing.

''But you don't have to worry about them, do you?

But Liliella didn't seem to mind at all.

What could that mean?　I think we're already pretty far behind the curve, don't you?

'You know, we've flown so far in the sky, haven't we?　It's usually faster to fly than to come on horseback.

Saying that, Liliera-san points to the adventurers that appear around her.

''So there's not as much difference between us and them as everyone thinks.

'If you ask me, it's true...'

And you know what...

Liliella says as she looks at me.

''With Lex-san's exploration magic, which allows us to examine a bullshit expanse, I think we can figure out the location of the flying orcs in no time at all.

"...if you ask me!

So would you mind, Mr. Lex?

If that's the case.

I'll use my probe magic to check the reactions of the surrounding demons.

And then.....

'Oh, there's a group of demons reacting in the southwest direction about thirty minutes away.

" " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " "

'And there's been some human reaction to it. Maybe the adventurers have already made contact with them.

'I knew it, but it's really quite a large range of Lex's exploration magic...'

"Gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

'Mina, the problem is comparing you to Lex. Mina is awesome enough.

Thanks.

A frustrated Mina is being comforted by Megri, but I'm sure that with a little more training, Mina will soon be able to explore in a few kilometers.

These things are just a matter of getting the hang of it.

Yo!　So let's get on with it!

We took to the skies and headed to the spot where the flying orc and the dumb demon had reacted.

'Oh, that!'

Then Megri immediately pointed in the distance as if she had discovered something.

There are several flying creatures. It doesn't look like a bird from the silhouette, is it natural?

'As Lex said, there are people on the ground ... yes, obviously fighting!

I'd better go cover you soon!

We rush to the rescue of the people being attacked.

Wait, guys!　Maybe they're not struggling. In that case, even if we had good intentions, the other side might think they've intercepted our prey. That's why the rule is to get a word of confirmation before attacking the enemy!

Oops, that was it.

It's not easy when you're fighting for your prey.

'I understand, Liliera!

'Oh!　I get it!　In the meantime, I'll cover you before you attack - is that all right?

Yeah, that's fine!

As I approached the scene, I could see the situation.

'Is that armour from the Guards?'

The people who were being attacked by the demons were the guards guarding the entrance to the town of Togai.

'Looks like it wasn't the adventurers who were ahead of us.

Okay, that won't be a fight for the prey!

'Excuse me!　Do you need help...?

We immediately went to cover up, but then I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw something so strange.

"What is that?

It was definitely an orc that was attacking the guards.

"Ah, that's........an orc.......is it?

However, it was a strange looking orc with large, angelic wings sprouting from its back.

It filled the sky like a flock of birds.

A feathered orc?

What are those?　I've never seen or heard of such an orc in my life!

'Bmoohhhh!'

The feathered orcs are flapping their wings and attacking the guards directly below them.

Their wings are clearly flapping and they are really flying on those wings!

They remind me of the celestial beings we met on Floating Island, but unlike their fake wings, these orcs' wings look real.

I didn't know such orcs existed.

It was true what those adventurers said!

"Hey, we've got to get those guys out of here sooner rather than later, don't we?

Gyro-kun calmly interrupted us and said, "We've got to save those people, don't we?

And that's it!　There are wounded people out there, and we need to get them out of there fast!

Yeah, right!　Let's take out that feathered orc first!

However, if we suddenly joined the fight, as Elma-san said, we could get into trouble with the guards.

We have to give a proper shout out here.

''We'll cover you!

While raising my voice once again, I use my body-enhancing magic to kick away the orcs that attacked the guards.

''Oh, oh?

''I'm an adventurer from the Adventurer's Guild!　I happened to get a request near here, and when I saw you all being attacked, I came to the rescue!　Was that unnecessary?

No, you've been very helpful!　Thanks for the help!

Good, they don't seem to be in trouble for now.

'There are too many!　I'm going to send them to the ground first!

I'm going to instruct everyone to crash a flying orc.

The first thing you have to do is drop a flying enemy on the ground!

"Gravityfall!

I activate my gravity magic and knock the flying orcs to the ground.

Suddenly their bodies became heavy, and they were unable to fly and fell to the ground.

What the hell is that?　It's obviously range magic, but the guards that are in range aren't doing anything about it!

As Mina said, the orcs that crashed to the ground are still affected by gravity magic, but the guards are not affected by it.

It's a good idea to make sure that you have a good idea of what you're looking for. So, if you specify in the air and drop it, the guards on the ground will not be affected.

"Obviously a complex spell, explained in a nutshell?

It's not that complicated a spell.

Let's go!

"I'll hunt you down!

Squeak!

The gyros that were waiting for me on the ground attacked the orcs as if they were waiting for me.

Bu-mooh-oh!

'Haha!　You're just orcs when you fall to the ground!

No, it's nothing.

Coo.

'Bumoooooooo!

There was about one orc with its wings gnawed off by the Fluffy Fluff, but it was reducing the number of enemies, so that's good.

It's a very good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you're looking for.

''Area Heal!''

Oh, you're hurt!

I'm sorry. Thanks for the help...

While we were dealing with the orcs, Norbu was treating the soldiers.

And by the time everyone was healed, the orcs had been defeated.

''Good job everyone.''

Well, he wasn't much to look at, was he?

'Yes, the looks surprised me, but once you saw it in action, that's all there was to it.

Squeak!

Mofumov is on top of the flying orcs, nibbling on their wings, hoping that it wasn't a big deal.

That's for submission, but well, it's at least as good as what Mofumov hunted himself.

And there are plenty of flying orc carcasses.

I'm sure you're not the only one who has seen this. You encountered a demon that you've never seen before, and yet he suggested what you should do without getting upset at all.

I admire Gyro's calm judgment.

Then Jairo smiled shyly and said, "No, not really," he said.

I don't know that much. It's just that I didn't know about the demons I didn't know about, but I figured my brother would know about them because he's so knowledgeable. So it is better to think about it after fighting and defeating it than to be surprised by what you don't know.

Oh, that's what it's all about...

He wasn't surprised by the situation, he just decided that he didn't need to know.

That makes me worry about Jairo's future, but he has Mina and the others.

Maybe that's what a party is all about, letting other people take over the roles like that.

'You guys,'

And then the guards come in.

"Are you hurt?

Yeah. Thanks to you guys.

That's good to hear.

It seems that thanks to Norbu's treatment, all of the guardsmen are safe.

But you're amazing. Those strange and troublesome flying orcs are so easily...

''It was strange to look at, but other than being able to fly, it was just an orc. If you dropped it on the ground, it was a normal opponent to take down.

'That doesn't sound like it's going to be easy, but whatever it is, it's saved us. You guys saved my life.

It tickles me to hear you say that.

'Thanks to you, we didn't waste the captain's dying wish of risking his life to get us out of here.

Huh?　What does that mean?　Is someone still being attacked by a demon?

What do you mean, captain?

Yeah, we came here to see if there are any remnants of the orc empire left, and we were suddenly attacked by a monster orc we've never seen before.

What did you say?　We've got to get help right now!

As much as I wish I could, I have to bring back the information on this monster orc. We must also report on that flying orc. Besides, the captain won't be able to live with that monster anymore...

No, it's not!　The captain is a former A-ranked adventurer!

'Yes!　Besides, that man has the armor of a dragon. With that thing, I can handle it even against that monster!

One of the guards muttered in frustration, and the other guards said that wasn't true, and shouted that the captain who was left as a decoy was still alive.

What does that mean?　That feature sounds vaguely familiar to me...

'Formerly graded A?　And dragon armor?

''Yeah, the captain was an adventurer, but after achieving feats like obtaining armor made from dragon materials and single-handedly defeating a B-ranked demon in a grueling adventure, he was finally recruited as a knight by the lord personally!

'Um ... what's his name ...'

What if.....

""Captain Ogre!"

""I knew it!"

It's about Mr. Aug!