CH 48

“Noooooooooo!”

My screams reverberate throughout the forest.

“Bumoooooooo!”

In pursuit of me, a massive boar with crimson teeth lunges at me, spewing red dust and destroying the trees in the process.

“Seriously, why the hell is this happening to me!”

I couldn’t help but raise my voice, but the only one who answers me is the boar, and the pair who entered this country with me are not near me right now due to circumstances.

“But I have come all this way! Take that!”

I turn over on the spot and activate my skill ≪Firebolt≫ against the boar.

And just as ≪Firebolt≫ strikes the boar…

Dong!

“Nooooooooooooo!!?”

An enormous explosion erupts, causing me to be blown away. Apparently, the dust strewed by that boar is highly combustible.

And then, when I am knocked to the ground, the boar can be seen charging at me with smoke billowing out of it. That boar’s fur is evidently highly resistant to fire and explosions. Nevertheless, the boar’s assault never reaches me. After all,

“Thanks for taking on the role of a decoy. Leave the rest to us.”

“(Nod.)”

First, from the shadow of a tree, Izumi leaps out and activates her ≪Bio Weapon Creation Axe≫, conjuring an axe made of bone, which she uses to sever the boar’s thick leg.

“Bumoooooooo!?”

Ichiko then continues to assault the wounded and thrashing boar by activating ≪Decapitation≫ from ≪Short-range Teleportation≫, thus putting an end to the boar.

Even after being beheaded, the pig twitches convulsively for a brief period of time before ceasing to move.

“Phew. We somehow managed to pull it off.”

“Haa, it was just in the nick of time…”

“(Thank you for your work.)”

The three of us assemble around the boar, and while removing the boar’s skin, we appreciate each other’s exertions.

Now, it’s time to explain how we ended up hunting the boar. The story traces back to a week ago.

“Even though this is a city, there are no people.”

“(There’s not a soul here.)”

“It wouldn’t be out of place if there was at least a coast guard.”

When we entered this country, which is connected to the continent across the sea, the first thing we did was to search for residents in order to grasp the current state of affairs here. Since this country is supposed to be a developed country as far as language is concerned, we assumed that in a developed country, English would be the language of communication.

Then, after wandering around for a while, we came across a kin of the Demon King of this country.

“Who the hell are you guys!”

Yeah, of course we escaped. And the moment he entered the shadows, I eliminated him.

And this was where things started to heat up.

“There are a great number of them, indeed.”

“What’s more, what’s with that skill…”

“(My eyes hurtー!)”

Apparently, the name of the Demon King of this country is “Crimson Scattering Spicy King” and his kin are “Karajin,” possessing the skill of ≪Crimson Dust≫ which allows them to be wrapped in lachrymal crimson dust like our ≪Fog Cloak≫. That being said, it seems that there is no problem if it is only a fleeting moment. Well, this was the information we found out about the country from the communication through Kurokiri.

Now, you may be wondering why masses of Karajin have been attacking us since earlier.

The reason for the attack was self-evident. It was the fact that we were the intruders who have defeated one of the Karajin.

What I don’t comprehend is how this quantity of Karajin was prepared.

“I have a theory about that, but…”

“Is that right?”

While taking a brief rest lest the enemy discovered us, Mugi-san put on a contemplative expression.

“Yeah. It makes sense if you consider that the number of humans they capture are being transformed into a kin, regardless of their skills or status.”

“But then, how did they reach this place…?”

“‘Long-distance Transportation’.”

“! So that’s what’s going on.”

After hearing that, I had a clear picture of what was going on. In other words, if it is a tricky enemy, they will mobilize all their allies to crush them once they spot them without fail?

Indeed, there aren’t many individuals who are capable of crossing the ocean at the present time.

“However, if the other side can use ‘Long-distance Transportation’ then…”

“Well, it is essential to contact your master, isn’t it? I mean, I’ve already informed the Fox Princess-sama.”

“(I’ve passed the message to Kurokiri.)”

“I see.”

Both of you are faithful to your master. Especially Izumi, who can report to Kurokiri even though she doesn’t know his true nature.

While I was amazed at these two, we fled into the forest near the city so that the Karajin wouldn’t detect us.

And there we met… a boar with huge red tusks. Its entire body also emitted a powder that seemed to be identical to that of the Karajin.

“…”

I was momentarily stunned but pondered how to defeat the boar. And the conclusion was,

“Mugi-san, please do something about that powder with your skill. After using your strengthening skill and self-enhancement, Izumi, follow Mugi-san and deliver a surprise attack to the leg.”

“What about you?”

“I’m going to follow Izumi and finish it off. Well then, best of luck to you.”

“(Good luck.)”

“Eh, w-wait!”

After saying that, Izumi and I went into hiding.

Then, out of desperation, I fired a single shot of ≪Fox Fire≫, forcing the boar to hound me down, leading to the situation depicted at the start of this story.

“Now, what are we going to do next?”

I ask them.

“First, we need to locate the other party. Whether we enter the dungeon to fight or head deeper into the continent, it will be too risky if we don’t have a clue where they are.

“(I agree.)”

I see.

“In that case, I suggest we move on swiftly.”

Little by little, the surrounding forest becomes noisier and noisier. It is likely that the information that the boar was killed has been transmitted to the other side, attracting the Karajin’s attention.

“I guess so. Let’s hurry.”

And then, the rest of us drift off into the depths of the forest.

T/N:

On further contemplation, I have decided to revise the names of the demon king of the demon’s fortress along with his dungeon’s name and the Snow King as well as ≪Misty Arrow≫ skill as I have realized they’re not aligned with certain aspects of the novel for the past and upcoming chapters. Sorry for the inconvenience caused