Chapter 11 - Volume 1

I was listening to a detailed story about the magic tool that the bandits had.

「What exactly do you mean by the City will cease to function?」

「The magic power and nutrients will be sucked away from the surrounding lands and converted into the golems. Right now, it just sleeps at the bandits’ lair, but at this rate, there is a danger that this area will completely dry up.」

「Hm? The bandit’s lair is close to the City of Stars?」

「Yes, it’s in the woodlands near the city. There are farms around the area, so the crops will be affected.」

「Aah, that is… Bad.」

I live in this city because in addition to being developed and having the Temple of Job Change in the vicinity, it also has delicious food and ingredients of fine quality.

「If they were to destroy the delicious food which is one of the good points about this the City, I’d be quite troubled.」

「Yeah! One shouldn’t reduce the quality of the food. It’s a grave sin!」

「How come the bandits had such a dangerous summoning item?」

「One of them was performing illegal research in the Capital. I destroyed the laboratory and disposed of deliverables and research materials but he was able to blend in with the bandits and then continued his research at the bandit’s lair, and so we went to destroy their lair—」

「——But they had already created a dangerous thing.」

Fang nodded to my words. Furthermore—

「And some golems were already made. As a result, some of the farmers seem to be suffering. Drained of the magic power and nutrition some of the lands became barren and shipping has stopped.」

「Are you serious…」

「Eeh, even though I like the taste of vegetables from this area…!」

That’s some bandits.

They did something rather outrageous.

「By the way, you can’t break that magic tool, right?」

「Yes. As you know I’m not very good at magic, and almost all of my skills are physical. As the appraiser from the mages guild has said, this magic tool can be destroyed only by magic or heat. According to preliminary calculations if one hundred《Advanced Magicians》cooperated and used 《Advanced Fire Magic》they might be able to destroy it somehow. 」

「That’s… Incredibly sturdy.」

「Yes. However, the City of Winds, of course, doesn’t have enough personnel for that and neither does Mages Guild. Even if you gather them, there will only be sixty people at most.」

To reach the rank of an advanced magician a considerable effort and talent are required.

Even in this country, the City of Stars and City of Winds are pretty developed, and since both cities combined didn’t have 60 of them, it seems that becoming an advanced magician is difficult.

「And, what are you going to do since you don’t have enough firepower?」

「The mages guild of this town has experimental magic multiplier device, destruction may be possible if it was employed. Therefore I requested for transportation.」

I see. The reason is well understood.

「Actually… If this was a job that could be done by you alone, then it wouldn’t be my place to show up, I don’t want to stick my neck out for no good reason. So I planned to refuse with some random excuse…」

I don’t like pointless work. I don’t feel like undertaking any work except for work that I want to do.

If it was simple destruction of a magic tool then it would be best to leave it to Fang and the mages guild.

But if our delicious meals are at stake then the story is different.

「——It can’t be helped. I’m in. I will cooperate with the destruction. It would be a waste if our delicious vegetables were turned into golems.」

「Yeah, me too! Payback for food is terrifying!」

「Thank you very much! I have high-speed magic horses prepared outside of the city, let’s head to the location of the magic tool.」

●

The travel to the bandits’ lair took only a few minutes.

While thinking that they were residing really close to us, I looked towards the lair.

「That’s some incredibly nice lair.」

The bandits’ nest was a large-scale hut.

Made by cutting down the trees in the area, leaving only a few in surroundings, they even made a sturdy looking outer wall from boulders.

In addition, the ground was bedded with stone making it easier to access with carriages.

「Looks like they even made a road to bring in the stolen supplies. But since it was far away from the main road it was hard to discover.」

「I see. And, where is the magic tool?」

「It stands conspicuously inside.」

Being told so, I entered inside the large hut. And what was inside there—

「…The heck is this huge tree.」

Sprouting from the bare ground, big enough to break through the roof and radiating with white light, an enormous tree was growing in the middle of the hut.

「This is a magic tool that sucks up the surrounding magic. Look, it’s already producing golems.

Fang pointed to the side of the giant tree.

There was a doll made of dozens of large branches entangling with each other.

And it also was coming towards us while raising up its fists.

「Is this a rampaging golem?」

「Yes, since it’s in an attack mode already, I will defeat it.」

As soon as he said that, Fang pulled a sword from his waist and split the two-meter golem in half.

That attack not only cut through the golem but also tore the sturdy stone outer wall to pieces.

「Well done.」

「Well, I’m already used to it. When I discovered this place, there were about one hundred of those things around here. And so I had to cut them all down.」

「Ah, so that’s why the outer wall is all tattered, it’s because you cut a hundred of them in here. Even though you have been fighting continuously since yesterday, you are still just as strong at solo-battles as before.」

「Because continuous battles and physical attacks are my only redeeming features. Tossing all of it to you would be rude, so I had to at least do a cleanup.」

And after letting out a laugh with hints of self-torture he stiffened his expression.

「Anyway, this is the golem generator. Can you carry it away?」

「Hmm, what about the root of this tree, or rather, what is going on under the ground?」

「I tried to dig a little a short while ago, and its roots are spread for about one meter.」

「Taking the tree itself into account it’s not like it’s a size that wouldn’t fit into the transportation bag but…」

But how do I put it in there?

Digging it out and carrying it is a bit troublesome.

I’m fine with carrying it, but I have no intention of doing something so troublesome.

「…Listen, Fang. In the end, it’s all about breaking it, right?」

「Sure. That’s right. Ultimately we are transporting this in order to destroy it.」

「Then, can we try our attacks?」

「Attacks…?　Eh, yeah, I don’t mind, but what are you going to do?　Physical attacks won’t go through, you know?」

「Well, a lot of things that I didn’t really fancy back when I was 《Dragon Knight》.」

Having said that I went outside with Berzelia and Fang.

And first of all, said the following to Berzelia.

「Berzelia, can you use your full strength and put that hut ablaze?」」

「My full strength? Are you sure?」

「Yes, I don’t mind. I will allow it.」

「Yes, Master. Then——【Inferno Breath]」

The moment Berzelia proclaimed so with her hand extended towards the hut.

*—Bang*

With that sound, the brightly shining flame erupted from her hand and struck the hut.

The flame emission lasts for a few seconds, rapidly burning the terrain.

Not even a shred of hut’s exterior remained, the slightly melted ground and flames envelop the large golem producing tree.

「That’s not enough I guess.」

When I uttered seeing that—

「Ehm, Axel-san? What is this flame?」

Right next to me Fang was standing with a wide-open mouth.

「Huh? Is it your first time seeing this? Berzelia can emit flames. The magical skill of《Monarch Dragon》.」

「No, I know that… But when Axel-san was riding her as a dragon knight I have never seen such a powerful flame…」

「I’m a monarch dragon after all. As I spent more time in the care of my master, I grew stronger.」

In response to Fang’s reaction, the person who was emitting the flames, Berzelia herself, answered with a laugh.

「Well, in truth when Master was a dragon knight he kept using attacks with a wider range and higher impact, so I was able to slack off and focus on being his legs. And breathing such flames in mid-air during the battle makes attitude control difficult so the whole thing can be quite dangerous.」

Speaking of that, I remember the old days.

As a dragon knight, I only used the skills with an extremely wide area of effect and extreme firepower. Somehow it already feels like the thing of the past.

「I saw you fighting on the ground quite a bit, but just how strong you were in the sky…」

「Well, it’s an old story. Right now we have other things to concern ourselves with. What matters is what happened to the golem generator.」

Looking at it, the large tree that was inside the hut was now exposing itself.

Berzelia had burned more than half of it black.

「A flame with the destructive power to half destroy something that would take 100 advanced mages to annihilate? I realize anew, that Berzelia-san is a monster as well…!」

Seeing that, Fang revealed his astonishment. However—

「Well, if it were to stop halfway then there wouldn’t any point to it. Look, it’s regenerating.」

「Ah, you’re right. If you stop emitting flames for a moment it starts regrowing.」

Berzelia says, when she stops emitting the flame, the part that was carbonizing seemed to return to the color of an arbor.

Apparently, the firepower was not sufficient.

「S-so it would take a more powerful flame to destroy it… I’m starting to get anxious about whether 100 advanced mages really can destroy it or not.」

This reality made Fang quite negative, but I, on the contrary, felt like there might be a chance. Because—

…In short, there just have to be two flames of this level.

The moment I thought so, an idea suddenly came to mind.

I hesitated whether I should try it or not. If it won’t work we can simply dig it up and carry it away, so why not, therefore—

「…Berzelia, can you emit the flames this way?」

After taking out all the contents of the shipping bag I asked while holding the bag wide open.

「Eh? Into the Master’s transportation bag? Will it be okay? Won’t it burn?」

「Probably. You’ll never know until you try, do it.」

「Uh, Okay. Then, I will try…【Inferno Breath]…!」

Timidly yet surely aiming for the bag, Berzelia produced the scorching flame. Then—

「Huh?! I-it’s going inside!」

「Yes, as expected, looks like I can store flames as well….Good, Berzelia. That will be fine.」

「Y-yes.」

Then I slowly touched the transport bag filled with several seconds of flame.

「E-ehm, Axel-san?　Isn’t it hot?」

Asked Fang while looking at the transportation bag in shock, but—

「No, it’s all right.」

I don’t feel the heat of the emitted flames, or rather, not even the slightest heat could be felt.

Naturally, there is almost no weight as well.

It seems that the inside is completely separated from the outside.

…This transportation bag has an amazing design after all.

While thinking this, I stand next to the golem generator.

Slightly away from Berzelia’s position. I put the transportation bag on the ground and point its opening towards the golem generator.

…As I remember, it was saying that now this bag preserves all energy stored inside…

From the moment I saw that explanation I was thinking. If energy can be stored—

「Then it should be possible to transport an attack as well… —Get out,【Inferno Breath]！」

At the same time as I spoke my words—

*—BOOM!*

And from the transport bag that I was holding down with leg, a dragon’s flame was released.

A slight recoil hits my leg but only slightly. At this level, it can be easily checked with one leg.

「Good, good. We did it! ——Berzelia, shoot from your side as well.」

「Y-yes.G-got it.【Inferno Breath]!」

While answering to me in a bit of a panic, Berzelia shot a flame.

A second later, the flames from my shipping bag and the flames from Berzelia concentrated at one point. And—

*Dogon*

A big explosion occurred.

However, my transportation bag and Berzelia continued to emit flames as if to burn down even that explosion, and gradually, the magic tool was being consumed by the flames that formed a cross.

「It’s like there are two dragons now…」

And by the time the flame in my transport bag run out, the tree-shaped magic tool in the bandit’s lair was completely burned and ruined.

●

「Wasn’t that power amazing, Master?」

「Crossing the flames gave more impact than I expected.」

After the emission of the flames ended, the surrounding ground was melted into a muddy state, and the area itself turned extremely hot. The woodland in this part has turned into a scorched ground.

「We destroyed nature tremendously, but… Well, this marks the end of the matter. Right, Fang?」

When I asked Fang, he was in a state with his mouth open, seemingly unable to close it, yet he forced himself to give a nod.

「Ah, y-yes.Thank you, very much. B-but. Axel-san….Are you fine?」

「What exactly?」

「Well, burns and such…」

「Aah, I haven’t got any. I only held down the transportation bag with one leg, and in the first place the bag was not hot at all, and thanks to the abnormal status resistance my skin has become harder.」

Also, as this experiment showed, the stored flame will come out just the way it was.

Thus there is a high possibility of being able to store fires and chill or even magic.

In that case, even inorganic material can be stored, if a monster used magic to attack, one will be able to fight back with a transportation bag alone.

「Yes, I came up with a nice use for it.」

「How should I say it, Master, you became stronger again…」

「Well, this firepower is only possible thanks to your flames, Berzelia. It won’t go like that with other magic, so thank you.」

After I said that, Berzelia smiled a little timidly but happily.

「Ehehe. I’m glad I finally could show Master how I can play an active role.」

Observing my exchange with Berzelia Fang was trembling, covered in a cold sweat.

「How should I put it, Axel-san and Berzelia-san, you are really similar, what a terrific duo…I feel like it would be better if you made a new job, like《Dragon Carrier》for example.」

Anyway, in such a fashion. I don’t know if that counts as a work of a carrier, but I completed another request from the hero without any incidents.

At the same time, I found a new use for the transport bag.