Chapter 30 – Petrified Forest

Chapter 30 – Petrified Forest

— Leon Greyrat —

“Sho good~!”

Indeed, as Aisha had said, the food really was good.

While I had tasted things that were much better in Asura, compared to what we had been eating for the past week, this stuff tasted like the greatest thing in the world.

But still...

“I didn’t know you hated my cooking that much, dear sister,” I teased.

“Hwah!?” she quickly shook her head. “T-That’s not-! I mean, you didn’t have-! Uuu~”

Ah. Seems like I went too far.

“I’m just kidding, calm down,” I patted her head. “I think it’s good, too.”

While our meals had gotten significantly better after leaving the Migurd village, where we got a few spices and even hunted a Great Tortoise for its tasty meat, nothing beat a restaurant-cooked meal, even if it was in the Demon Continent.

But damn... even with the difference in currency, this stuff was quite cheap.

It just went to show how rich of a country the Kingdom of Asura was.

“Hmm... To think the place had changed since back then,” Ruijerd mumbled, looking over at the massive castle at the centre.

“Did you come here often?” I asked.

From his adventurer card, I saw that he was over 500 years old, dispelling all doubts that he was part of the Laplace War.

From Roxy’s lessons, and my own research, I knew that there were demons that lived that long, but what surprised me was the fact that the receptionist didn’t even bat an eye to that.

That much time... if one focused on honing their skills, and had enough talent to take them far, they could truly become a terrifying opponent.

I would have to be careful to not make any dangerous enemies on this continent.

Now, while I said that, I still stand by my decision to make such an entrance to the Adventure Guild.

After all, while I wanted to make sure no one did anything unscrupulous with my sisters around, the bigger purpose behind the display was to show everyone not to mess with us.

We wouldn’t be in this city for long, but it was important to make sure everything went smoothly, especially with Norn and Aisha around, as they could be easily exploited.

“Not often, no. It used to serve as the home base of the Demon Empress’ forces during the Great Human Demon War, but with Laplace, it was only a city he needed to conquer to unite the Demon Continent,” he said, clenching his fist. “I should have known such underhanded methods could be turned against us.”

Yeah, while the man held a lot of hate towards his old leader for betraying the Superd race... he held even more hatred towards himself.

Perhaps that was the reason for his quest to better the opinion of his people, not as a means to actually shed light on the truth of his race, but rather a way to atone for his sins.

Well, he was also extremely lonely, so maybe during our journey together he would lose some of that guilt, or at least transform it into more determination for his goal.

But again, as much as I wanted to help the poor guy... we had our hands full already with getting back home safely.

“I see... well, let’s find somewhere to sleep, and then check out the quests we can do,” I said, getting up. “I want us to be out of the city by the end of the month as a C-rank party. Does that sound good?”

Ruijerd and Eris nodded their heads, though Eris was much more animated.

“It’ll be tough, but if we take a bunch of searching and hunting quests, we should be good,” I continued.

With Ruijerd’s ‘third eye’, and the three of our collective martial might, I was confident we could do those jobs with ease.

It was just a shame that one of Eris and I will need to stay back with Norn and Aisha the whole time.

“A real bed sounds nice, doesn’t it?” I said absently to myself.

Well, I guess there was no time to waste.

Time to find an inn.

— Information on the Six-Faced World —

Adventurers Guild

The Adventurers Guild is one of the largest organizations in the world and can be found in all major cities across the various continents. The main headquarters of the Adventurers Guild is located in Millishion, the capital of the Holy Kingdom of Millis.

Adventurer ranks vary from F to S, with adventurers being able to take on quests up to one rank above or below their current rank. Upon completing a set number of jobs, the adventurer, and their party can be promoted, and upon failing a set number of jobs, they can be demoted as well.

— Leon Greyrat —

It’s been a week since our arrival in Rikarisu, and with the three of us doing consecutive E-rank quests, which amounted to nothing but simple household chores, we were now an E-rank party.

With this new rank, we were now able to take on D-rank quests, which amounted to guarding duties and harvesting quests, the latter of which we were doing right now.

We would have to do ten of these D-rank quests before gaining promotion to C-rank, and once we did, we would begin moving south and making more progress towards home.

So we just had to bear with it, even if it was a bit boring.

“‘Moongrass herb’... do you know anything about this, Ruijerd?” I asked.

“Yes, it’s a plant used for cleaning small cuts,” he explained.

“I see... we’re in the right area, right?”

“Yes.”

Always a wonderful conversationalist, Ruijerd was.

Well, since our lunch was done, I guess we should get collecting.

“Aisha? Norn? Could one of you pack up the utensils?” I asked.

As this was a simple collection quest, and one where we wouldn’t be going anywhere dangerous, I decided to bring the two along.

One reason was so that they wouldn’t get too accustomed to the comfy city lifestyle they had been living for the past week, but also for the extra manpower, as both Eris and I could come along.

And they could help out too, I guess.

Plus, such activity was good for them... probably.

“I getted it!” Norn exclaimed.

Aisha frowned. “It’s ‘got it’, not ‘getted it’.”

“Same thing!” Norn pouted.

Hmm... while it was a little petty, correcting such mistakes was how one grew.

But that was a job for the parent, or in our case, the older brother.

It would suck to have a sibling your age correct you like that, after all.

More importantly... recently, Aisha has seemed a little... angry at Norn.

Ever since we had left the Migurd village, now that I think about it.

But... why?

An argument?

“Thank you, Norn, that would be helpful,” I said before getting up. “Aisha? Can you come with me for a second?”

Raising her eyebrow, Aisha then hopped off the rock she had been sitting on, following me away from the others.

Taking a seat on the ground, I then patted my leg a few times. “Here. Come sit.”

“Okay... but why?” she said.

“Just sit please.”

While curious, she still complied with my request, taking a seat on my lap as I rested my chin on her head.

“So...” I said. “Do you want to tell me why you’re angry at Norn? Or will I have to try to guess?”

She tilted her head down, fiddling with her fingers in silence.

“So I have to guess, huh? Let’s see...”

Now, do I try to go serious? Or should I be lighthearted about it?

I know it’s weirdly easier to talk about serious topics after lightening the mood, but I didn’t want her to treat this whole thing as a joke either.

Hmm... being the responsible one was kind of tough, huh?

Maybe I was a bit too hard on Paul.

...Wait. I’m a kid, right?

And I was actually thinking about these things... so maybe I was just right in my judgment of the man.

“It’s just...” Aisha said. “It’s unfair, is all.”

“What’s unfair?” I asked gently.

“Just... no, it’s stupid,” she shook her head.

“Just tell me, Aisha.”

Her body curling in on itself a bit, she eventually told me the reason, “Just... why does Norn get to keep her stuffy?”

...Huh? It was that?

So she was... jealous?

I didn’t think she cared that much about the owl I got her, especially as she was more mentally advanced than Norn.

But... I don’t think it was about the stuffy, now, was it?

Rather... she was probably jealous of Norn having something to remind her of home.

Unwrapping my arms from around her, I slowly unravelled my red scarf from my neck.

“I see. Well, while it might not be the same, how about you have this?”

I then placed the scarf across her shoulders.

Hesitantly grabbing the fabric, which had become somewhat tattered with age, she looked up at me. “B-But why would you give me this? Don’t you love it?”

“Yeah. And that’s why I want you to have it,” I explained. “You know, your mother gave me this for my fifth birthday, right? So... let’s just consider this as passing it on.”

I wrapped the scarf around her neck as she slowly took in my words.

“But... why?”

“Just treat it as your version of Norn’s bunny. Plus, with you keeping it on, I won’t have to worry about getting monster blood on it.”

‘Any more’ monster blood, that is.

Luckily, while the soap in Rikarisu didn’t smell great, it was good at getting bad scents and stains out of stuff.Visitt novelbin(.)co/m for the latest updates

Aisha tucked her head into the red fabric as her eyes began to water.

“Sorry, Big Brother. That was stupid and childish of me.”

Now that just wouldn’t do.

“Hey, I know you’re mature for your age, but you deserve to be childish. Always... At least to me,” I turned her around to face me, making sure our eyes were level as I placed my hand on her head. “You're my baby sister, after all.”

That seemed to clear up some of her doubts, as her eyes widened before she smiled and jumped towards me, wrapping her arms around me in a hug.

Now that’s better.

“Thank you! I love you, Big Brother!” she cheered.

Ha... yeah, a lot better.

— Eris Boreas Greyrat —

After returning to the city and passing in the herbs we had gathered, we then made our way back to the inn, but even though the sun had long passed the crest of the crater’s walls, and the sky had turned dark... the city was still illuminated.

This wasn’t due to any lanterns or torches like back home, no... instead, the inner walls of the crater were shining a bright blue that lit up the city.

It was really amazing.

According to Ruijerd, those pretty lights were called the ‘illuminators’, a type of magic stone that shined in the dark and were put in place by an old Demon Empress that used to rule this city.

I wished it would shine for the entire night, but unfortunately, after a few hours, the city would be blanketed in complete darkness, so we couldn’t stand around to sight see.

“Hmm... we have a few more quests to go, and since harvesting usually takes a day to complete... we should be leaving in a little under two weeks,” Leon said with a smile.

Adventuring, as I found out, was much more boring than the stories I had been told, but according to Leon, the fun stuff, like hunting monsters and exploring ruins, would come after we reached D-rank.

But I was still a bit confused...

“Leon? Why are we waiting until then to leave? Can’t we just do quests as we go?” I asked.

“Hm? Ah, well, with B-rank quests, we can start taking on extermination quests away from the city, and the thing about those is that they can be collected at other branches, so we can make money as we go,” he explained. “Ah, and they also give us good money.”

But, befitting a B-rank monster, it reacted quickly, sending its tail to intercept.

A normal person would attempt to dodge, or even try to block it with a well-timed parry... but that didn’t exactly fit Eris’ style, and she was anything but a normal girl.

With a shout, she brought down her sword in a heavy swing, carving into the monster’s tail as she used the momentum to flip over it, landing with a crouch.

Well... she seemed to be doing fine, so I guess it was my turn to fight.

“Morning, sleepyheads,” I said, pulling out my sword.

As I grew stronger and taller, my unnamed spellsword became much easier to wield, and while most lower-rank swordsman would find the thinner blade lacking in power, for me who could coat it in touki, that didn’t really matter.

Despite my cheerful greeting, the only thing I got in response was a pair of angry hisses.

How rude.

Wait... ‘How rude’?

Was I... really taking this so casually?

Yeah, no... I definitely was.

After all, Eris was strong enough to take care of herself, and I was always here to heal her, and most importantly, I didn’t have to worry about Aisha and Norn behind me.

So, for the first time in a while, fighting monsters felt... calm.

Fun even.

Was that a proper mindset one should have when fighting a pair of B-ranked monsters?

No, probably not, but... I couldn’t say I hated it.

The two snakes, now awake, converged on me, both baring their impressive set of fangs as they launched their simultaneous attack.

Casting wind magic around my feet, I jumped up to dodge, letting my hair flutter as I twisted my body, forming a fireball in my free hand as I reached the apex of my leap.

Casting a glance to the side, I saw that Eris had made another pass by the monster she was fighting, leaving a large gash in her wake as she glared at the wounded snake.

So she was still doing well.

Good.

Positioning my feet above me, I sent the fireball forward, willing it to explode in a flash of light just as I summoned a burst of wind to send me shooting downward, my sword held at my side all the while.

Blinded and confused, my sword cleaved effortlessly through the first one’s neck, and letting my blade surf through the air, the tip descended through the second one’s eye with smooth, practised ease.

In one swift strike, they were both dead.

“Ss-ss...”

Well, almost dead.

Summoning a fireball at the tip of my blade, I released a small explosion inside the monster’s head, killing the snake that was on its last legs.

Wait... they didn’t have legs... so, on its last scales?

Hmm... no, that wasn’t important.

Dislodging my blade, I ignited it in flames to clean off the blood as I looked over at Eris, who had just finished off her own opponent, her blade cleaving through the monster’s open mouth as its body fell limply to the ground.

“Haa! Haa! I-I did it!” she shouted with a smile.

Seeing her happy expression, I couldn’t help but feel my own lips curl upwards.

“That you did. Did you get hurt anywhere?” I asked.

“No,” she shook her head. “My feet are a bit sore though. I think I need new shoes.”

“We’ll get those later then. These things should fetch a good amount of money,” I returned, kicking the corpse.

Unfortunately, these guys were way too big to take back as bodies, but from what I remembered, a few of their scales and fangs were enough for proof of a kill, and the fangs were worth a bit on their own too.

“W-Whoa!”

Hearing a voice from the woods, my head instantly snapped towards it as I set myself in a stance.

“That was amazing!”

Emerging from behind a tree, three figures made themselves known.

Three boys, more specifically.

One had scaly red skin and a matching horn, another was a bit taller with four muscled arms, and the last one was... a chicken.

Well, from what I could tell, they weren’t too skilled, so even if their amicable front was a lie, I doubt they would be able to harm us.

“Who are you?” I asked.

“We came here to get some herbs but happened to hear your fight, it was really cool!” the red-skinned one said.

“That wasn’t my question...” I frowned.

“Ah, right!”

Lining up, the three boys then struck a pose, with the red-skinned boy, who seemed to be the leader, standing at the centre.

“We’re the Tokurabu Village Toughs! A D-rank party that will soon make a name for themselves on the Demon Continent!”

...The heck?

“And what are you doing in such a dangerous place?” I asked.

While this forest wasn’t too much for me and Eris, that wasn’t the same for these three, unless they were somehow hiding their strength.

“Ah! Well, you see, we decided to take as many C-rank quests as possible to rank up, so here we are! I’m Kurt, by the way!”

Ah, so they were idiots.

That was good to know.

“A-Anyway! Since there’s only two of you, what do you say about joining-”

As the red-skinned one, Kurt, continued to ramble on, I noticed movement from behind the three, prompting me to leap forward, arriving just in time to stop the swing from an axe from cleaving through the three boys.

“Hwa!?”

A little late there, Kurt.

Staring at the humanoid suit of armour, I instantly recognized that this was an Executioner, one of the most common monsters found around the world that was formed through the remains of killed adventurers.

“Hiya!”

Hearing Eris’ shout, I felt a sword whizzed past my ear before it embedded itself in the monster’s chest in front of me.

With my sword keeping the Executioner’s axe to the side, I used my free hand to grab Eris’ thrown sword, before slicing across its body and through its impressive set of armour, killing the monster.

The armour and axe dissolving into thin air, I looked back at the young adventurers, only to be met by three sets of shining eyes.

“S-So cool!”

...You almost died just now, you know... why are you three so cheery?

Shaking my head, I headed back to Eris, handing her back her sword with a smile.

“That was a nice throw. You’re probably at the Intermediate rank for the North God style, if I had to guess,” I praised.

She averted her eyes. “W-Well, it’s only natural, right? But... thanks.”

She then looked over my shoulder. “Anyway, who are those guys?”

“Ah, they’re...”

What were they called again?

“...Adventurers. Apparently, they had a collection quest or something near here, so they aren’t enemies.”

“I see,” she nodded. “Aren’t they a bit stupid, though?”

Should you really be the one saying that?

“Hm?” she turned to me. “Did you say something, Leon?”

“...No.”

While she wasn’t traditionally smart, she did have a weird sense of intuition.

To be honest, it was a little scary at times.

I would have to remember to keep my internal mouth shut around her as well.

— Leon Greyrat —

It had been a week since we had completed our first C-rank quest, and after preparing some final things, and completing a few more quests, we were now a C-rank party, which meant that it was now time to start our journey south toward Wind Port, where we would then travel the Millis Continent.

I don’t know what felt worse, the fact that we would probably have to travel the Demon Continent for an entire year, or that after doing so, we would only be a third of the way back home.

But there was no need to despair.

I was strong, Ruijerd was stronger, and Eris was pretty good herself.

Plus, with Ruijerd’s sensing abilities, and the barrier necklaces I had made, Aisha and Norn should be safe from any trouble as well.

“Leon... isn’t this a bit too big for me?” Eris complained from my side.

“It’s supposed to be,” I answered. “And make sure you keep it on, even if it’s annoying. We don’t want you getting sunburned.”

“Hmph,” she reluctantly pulled up her hood. “But can’t you just heal it for me?”

“...I just don’t want you getting sunburned, okay?”

After all, I had never encountered ‘cancer’ despite all my studying in healing magic, and while I wanted to figure out if I could heal it, I didn’t want to do so on my loved ones.

...Loved ones?

Was Eris like that to me?

“Fine. I guess I’ll wear it, since you got it for me,” Eris huffed, pulling over her hood.

Despite her reluctance, I could tell she was pretty happy with her new cloak, as since it was meant for beastfolk or a demon race that was similar, it had two pockets for ears, and Eris being a member of the Boreas Greyrat family, was quite endeared to such things.

Well, it looked cute on her, so I guess it was a win for both of us in that sense.

“Thanks,” I then turned to Norn and Aisha. “And you two have to wear yours as well, got it?”

“Got it, Brother!” Aisha saluted.

“Y-Yeah... I like it anyway,” Norn smiled.

Following my words, the two of them pulled up the hoods of their cloaks, the structure matched Eris’, though it was coloured brown instead of white.

To my pleasant surprise, ever since I gave Aisha my scarf, the tension that was present between the two seemed to have dissipated into thin air, so that was one less thing I would have to worry about.

Since I doubt we would be picking up another kid anytime soon, they would have to get along with each other, as they were the only ones their age that they would be around for a while.

“Good,” I nodded. “Then it’s time we head out then. Now come on, up you go!”

I then took a girl in each arm before lifting them onto the giant lizard we would be using for transportation.

The lizard in question was called a ‘Transport Lizard’ or a ‘Merchant Lizard’, and was the substitute for horses in the Demon Continent.

Having bought it a couple of days ago from a lizard merchant, we were luckily able to get it for a good price due to its unruly nature that was quickly tamed by Ruijerd.

Apparently, the man had quite a bit of experience with the animals.

But then again, I think even the fiercest of foes would tuck their tails and run if the Superd cast a hardened glare their way.

Hopping onto the lizard next to them, I then put out my hand for Eris. “You too.”

Narrowing her eyes, she hesitantly took my hand while mumbling under her breath, “I can get up on my own, you know.”

Sure you can.

Anyway, with her sitting behind me, and my little sisters both sitting in front of me, it was time for us to head out.

“Ruijerd? Are you coming?” I asked the man.

“No,” he shook his head. “I will walk beside you and deal with any threats.”

“I see... but, I don’t know how to lead one of these things yet.”

His eyes widened in realization. “Ah... yes. I suppose not... then, excuse me.”

And so, with hip hopping next to me, we were ready.

I just hoped this journey would go smoothly.