CH 144

Our client, the pretty elf, came with us as well. As a guide. She said she had a good idea where her friend ought to be.

“But, I’m not really that good at offensive magic… I’m poor at archery, too. So I was always a burden in the elven forest. So I thought I could at least be of use, if only for making things, but just making things didn’t achieve acknowledgement from my comrades…”

Her parents, the only ones who acknowledged her, passed away, and in their will they told her that it’d be better for her to widen her outlook in the outside world rather than staying in the elven forest as it’d certainly help her in finding friends, and thus she departed her home.

…Or rather, they probably thought her future would be bleak if she stayed in the forest. Was it such a terrible place for her?

“Ah, I totally get it. It was the same for me as well,” Sword casually agreed with her.

For real? Oh, wait a sec.

“Wasn’t it something similar for me as well?”

I thought I’d have no future at the earl’s mansion, so I left that place!

“Okay! If it’s like that, we’ll warmly welcome you! However, just as I’ve told you, I’ll have you first help out with the creation of magic tools for the things I’ve been handling with magic thus far. Afterwards I’ll request stuff from you if I hit upon an idea. In the first place, I expect that the magic tool creation will take quite a bit of time. If you finish it, the brewing team will probably rejoice. After all, they’ll be able to make almost everything with their own hands at that point.”

I mean, they’re so passionate about the whole endeavor that they’ve even gone as far as starting from growing the raw materials themselves.

＊

Plana is gentle and has a nice personality. Sword seems to worry about her as well, resulting in him frequently helping her out in a casual manner.

Hmm? How about her as Sword’s partner?

I considered for an instant, but she was an elf. If they had sex, they’d die.

“How very regrettable…”

They pulled puzzled expressions when I muttered that.

“What’s up? Ah, you thought ’bout somethin’ weird ‘gain, didn’t you?”

He ground my temples. How unreasonable!

＊

Mr. Boyfriend…ah, I guess not. He’s a dwarf, I heard, so they’d die if they have sex. So, her friend seems to be a mason, a craftsman or something like that. She’s been evasive about it.

He apparently came here to get some clay. He could have dug it up anywhere, but as far as I understand, it can’t be used for magic unless it’s collected from bare ground with nothing growing in it.

Hmm? Clay? In other words, he’s an earthenware crafter? I didn’t see anyone like that in the town, though… Is he going to make accessories out of earthenware? Well, it’s not like it’s impossible to use earthenware for it, but I think metals are mostly used for accessories.

＊

As I thought about this and that, we arrived at the destination.

…The area had been turned into a real mess. The ground was gouged out, rocks were smashed, and somehow I felt a presence as if something terrifying had gone ballistic here.

Plana became white as a sheet.

“Sahad…”

“No blood can be seen. So he’s not injured at least.”

No matter how much I looked around, I couldn’t spot a single drop of blood.

“Rather, what showed up here? This is definitely a case for the guild, no? Or do dwarves only consist of skilled folks who can easily dodge somethin’ like this?”

Well, we’re a team who can easily dodge most stuff, even by ourselves, however.

“Let’s search the area for starters,” I suggested, just for a howling to reach us from the distance.

＊

In an instant I carried Plana like a drowned person, dashing. Sword and the Ryokus also sprinted along.

“Do you have any memory of such a howling?” I asked Sword.

“It’s what you wished for – a cyclops.”

Wohoo!

“Yahooo! My excitement is going through the roof!”

“Oof, your really a lunatic,” Sword guffawed.

“Is it true that a cyclop’s eyeball is valuable?”

“Yeah. Well, you just gotta lop off the head as usual while makin’ sure to not damage the head.”

“Got it!”

If a neck chop had been out, I’d have attacked with a vacuum pack, but it’d be troublesome if it thrashed around, hurting its own eye in an off-chance.

＊

“There it is!” Sword yelled.

Whoa, it’s huge! A bipedal monster with a height of a two-storied building? No, three-storied, I’d say. Everything is in plain sight since it’s completely naked, but it’s got no gender. It’s completely smooth all over.

It was going berserk, swinging a large tree it had uprooted. Good gracious, it was sending blood flying all the way to our current location.

Just where is Plana’s boyfriend?

“…Plana!”

Once I looked in the direction of the voice, I saw a shocked, young dwarf staring our way.

“Sahad! You were safe! What a relief!”

Oohh, it’s a beautiful friendship scene!

“We’re the S-Rank adventurers 【Allrounders】! Get away so that you won’t get dragged into our battle!”

As soon as Sword shouted, all the dwarves over there started to run in order to take refuge.

Ah, one couldn’t run since his leg was apparently injured. The cyclops homed in on him, trying to punch him.

“…Tsk!”

Sword accelerated explosively, lifting up the injured dwarf and running away. The cyclops’ fist only hit the ground, but it caused an earthen tremor. Immediately following, the cyclops chased after Sword.

Sword, on the other hand, couldn’t gain much speed as rocks and the terrain’s shape hindered him.

“Ryoku! Protect the princess! Deploy the magic element barrier! But, don’t shoot!”

“Ayessir!”

I tossed Plana in Ryoku’s direction and headed over to reinforce Sword.

＊

I kicked the cyclops’ wrist just as it tried to grab Sword, breaking it in the process.

Ooops! Damn it! I intended to hold back, but…no, it’s still okay! If it’s just broken, it’s alright! Not like it’s been torn off or anything!

The cyclops howled while holding its wrist. All the while in a position as if offering its neck on a golden platter. Using that perfect opportunity, I jumped upon its neck.

Once the cyclops noticed my presence, it tried to raise its body in a hurry, but…

“Too late.”

One flash with my wooden sword. I somehow managed to grab its head mid-jump. The headless torso collapsed, accompanied by a shower of blood gushing out of the cut end.

“Heave…ho! Alright, the head is safe! What should we do about the torso, hmm? I seriously don’t want Ryoku to carry something so filthy. I guess I’ll just leave it here.”

“Don’t leave it here. You’ve cut through it easily, but usually a cyclops’ skin is famous for not lettin’ blades pass readily.”

Yep, it’s because my wooden sword has no blade!! And since it has no blade to begin with, the question whether a blade can pass its skin is moot!

“Eehh? Buuut! I don’t wanna my lovely Ryoku to carry something so filthy!”

“Wash it with water n’ dry it afterwards. This much is a piece of cake for you, right?”

*grumpy* Sure I can do that, but don’t you have anything to wrap it up with?