Chapter 230 – 224 – What I’ve Been Putting Off Until Now
“15 days? You two are going to hang out for 15 days? They told us to wait at the party camp?”
“···Eshen, Eshen came 15 days earlier than the promised date.”
Monica responded with her sigh.
Monica was right. She decided to take out her frustration on her brother instead.
A fist with a large trajectory grazed the top of Garam’s head. Garam was taken aback when the light dance suddenly became more intense.
“W-what! Why are you taking out your anger on me!”
“Suddenly I remembered the doll that was stolen when I was five years old. It’s revenge!”
“A teddy bear? Your sister gave you that!”
“You killed me by blowing it up while you were sleeping, dude!”
The adventurers from the special monster slaying party stopped walking and watched the Taiga sisters fight with admiration.
She looked so fierce that Monica was unable to leave her spot. If one of her jaws breaks, she’ll need a healer.
“In defense of our party leader and Tan, Eshen.”
“Don’t do it!”
“Do you think it’s shameful that they’ll spend another 15 days alone after lounging around together for a year? But that’s not true.”
“Then what is it?”
“The two of them were said to have been pushed somewhere in the universe for the past year, unable to sleep or eat all day, and just fighting over and over again. To put it in a metaphor, they were like spiritual machines that existed only to kill monsters.”
Eshen tackled Garam. Then she quickly broke her brother’s sprawling fingers and kicked him away, then climbed on her brother’s back and tried to strangle her.
Garam suddenly became very angry at his older sister’s angry outburst. From now on there were no rules or agreements. Monica continued as she watched Eshen fall from the headbutt.
“It was as if I had become a white blood cell that removed the evil cancer cells rising from An-Anu. There would have been no time to have fun and have fun like Eshen thought. There was a sense of responsibility that I should not fail, and the amount of work was also large…”
“But I guess I slept at least once!”
“They say it didn’t even have a proper body. Like a golem, only the parts needed to fight monsters remained. It was just pretending to kiss and make a fuss.”
For some reason, Garam became increasingly angry as he listened to Monica’s words. And because of that, she ended up giving her back to her older sister.
When her neck was grabbed and her body was broken, Eshen only burst out in anger, ignoring his brother’s urgent declaration of surrender.
“Do you believe that? Don’t make me laugh! I’ve been fucking like a dog all year!”
“···Who can contact Goddess Ishtar directly for prayer inquiries?”
“Sister!”
“Then who knows better?”
“···Sister.”
Eshen grunted and let Garam go. As if the purpose of the venting punching bag has just ended.
Garam could not possibly forgive that attitude. Eshen, who was caught off guard and gave up his arm, screamed and tapped.
Garam asked Monica with his eyes. Monica responded by turning away from her. Garam, convinced that even if his bones were broken, they could be healed, he twisted his body mercilessly.
Eshen’s shouting for someone to stop him soon turned into a scream as his arm fell off with a crunching sound.
“Uggyaaaaah! I really broke it!”
“Did you fake it, you bitch who’s not even like me!”
Now Bimou has become an evil bastard who has lost the purpose of exchange. Their face-saving bites and nods were very exciting for the combatants, but for Monica, the healer, it just seemed like an increasing number of chores.
Erina whispered to Monica, who was watching her sisters fight with a bored expression.
“Aren’t you curious?”
“What is it?”
“How do you two play together?”
“I want to respect her privacy. She is like my daughter.”
“Unfortunately, for me, as much as Thena may be the perfect friend that I want to find fault with and make fun of, she is not the kind of daughter I had with my heart. In fact, she would be like that to most of us.”
Monica looked behind her. Erina, Leni, Villena and others were looking at Monica with a smile.
Nidrogar transformed into a dragon and was sitting on the landing pad, tapping the container. He said, “Go ahead and get on it.”
“Let me say one more thing.”
“What is it?”
“We’re going to go take a peek anyway, so whoever doesn’t watch is at a loss.”
Monica was convinced by the strange logic. She scolded herself the whole time she climbed into Nidroga’s container. But her curiosity eventually won out.
The elites of the extermination party who had just returned left the camp again for a while. The destination is of course…
————
In many ways, Borvais’ fight against Nutrock was like a warm-up.
She is different from her old days when she experienced scary things.
Even before entering the World Temple, they were not opponents of our level. Even more so, we fought the evil rising from the demon god for a whole year, and in the end, we completely exterminated An-Anu.
It’s a game that fits the mood of a spring outing.
“Burn, torch!”
Thena shouted as she threw the sulfur flask into the cave. I ran after Thena and threw the torch into her den.
The trees in the forest rumble and shake. Hundreds of Newtrocks, shivering and crouching in their lairs with their spears out, have just lost their homes and precious lives.
“Tan, hook!”
There are some guys who laugh when they see their neighbors getting screwed. It’s a group of Newtrock living on the opposite cliff.
I hung the grappling hook on the branch of the tree that seemed the strongest. Then, he jumped off the cliff, grabbed Thena’s hand, and threw it acrobatically to the other cliff.
We landed on the cliff on the other side, rolled over nicely, and stood up. Tena swung a nicely shaped tree branch she had picked up at the foot of the mountain.
“Det?”
One Newtrock’s head was cut off cleanly, as if it had been cut by a real sword. The mice’s laughter faded in an instant.
“De, de, dejaaaaat-!”
The group of Newtrock, drenched in despair, screams and scatters.
And among them, one particularly large one heads towards the front of the evacuation procession, pushing the others away as if they were shields.
Tena didn’t bother to chase after him. She stretched out her hand towards me.
“Shot, javelin!”
The porter provides abundant supplies for party members. It doesn’t just mean satisfying hunger or giving you a change of clothes.
With just one porter, combatants can respond to numerous variables. I quickly pulled out a javelin from my backpack and handed it to Tena.
Of course, you can solve this problem by throwing Despair. Thena has the power to lightly throw a heavy sword, and Despair Gadum has the ability to return to her master’s hand.
But in general, the warrior’s sword is too valuable an item to be treated like that. Tena also thought that throwing Despair into petty monsters was disrespectful to one’s comrades.
I secretly scoffed at Tena, who was carefully aiming her javelin.
“If you can’t get it right, I’ll pay for your stay today.”
“Suddenly? You’ve never seen me throw a spear before?”
“If you can’t get it right, I’ll pay for your stay today.”
“Oh, seriously?”
“Why are you scared?”
“Walk until breakfast tomorrow.”
“Oh, it’s getting farther away. I’ll never be able to hit it right now.”
Thena giggled as I tickled her sides. Thena, barely able to maintain her balance, pulled her spear back with a straight face and concentration. I slowly fell away from Tena.
The flashing spear tip quickly draws a parabola. The leader of the New Rock tunnel, who was running away for dear life, was hit in the back of the head by a spear and fell down, just as I thought.
The object that he kept slowing down because he was carrying so much stuff on his back fell down the valley. Is it a great treasure? That can’t be possible. These are looted pots and miscellaneous items taken from villagers or dead adventurers.
Another case has ended like this. Another waste that traps people has been reduced.
And when it comes to Newtrock hunting, catching the alpha male has more meaning.
They are unusual monsters that control each other’s reproduction with pheromones. The lower ones that pick up the scraps and eat them become unable to reproduce, and only the highest-ranking ones can spread the seeds.
They’ve been hunting the higher-ranked entities fiercely for several days, so they won’t be able to increase their numbers for a while.
“Tan, sandwich!”
Tena shouted solemnly. I opened the sandwich wrapper and placed it in her mouth.
Tena smiled and chewed a mouthful before bumping her fist with mine.
“How many Newtrocks did you catch? I think just counting the tunnel leaders would be enough.”
“I caught 10 tunnel leaders just today. If you add up the numbers over the past few days, I think it’s about 50.”
“The seeds must be dry. I feel like I’m venting my anger as a child.”
Thena shook off her hands and puffed out her breasts in a showy manner. I smiled as I drew another line in her notebook.
And I glanced at the tunnel leader’s sack, the contents of which were still falling out one by one and rolling down the cliff.
“But it’s a bit strange. It may be a pointless thought.”
“Hmm?”
“These guys are strangely good at running away. It’s like they decided to get out of the cave in the first place.”
“Have you not understood that if you hide in a tunnel, we will throw sulfur and blow it up?”
“No. There were quite a few of them wandering around outside even before that. It’s as if we had a natural enemy before us and were ready to abandon this land and run away.”
“A natural enemy. An adventurer? Or a stronger monster?”
“Whatever it is, they usually respond by digging burrows as deep as possible and hiding. That’s not how they prepare for moving.”
The contents of the Newtrock Tunnel Leader’s bag came out to the very last bit. This time, it was a tattered frying pan, probably used as a substitute for a shovel.
The things he took seem closer to daily necessities than personal treasures. The suspicion that they were preparing for evacuation is becoming stronger.
“In that case, there is a high possibility that it is a creature that shares the territory in the tunnel. A bear, or a human-faced spider, or…”
“···A super large hydra?”
When I turned around to hear Tena’s words, I saw her scratching the floor with a tree branch.
The lifted tip of the tree melts in the strong acid and emits smoke with a hiss. Thena managed to find a trace left in the dirt and turned her head to follow the path left by her venom.
A pair of yellow eyes were watching us in the bushes all the time. The moment he realized he had been caught, he unfolded his huge body.
A bizarre reptile with four legs and nine heads has appeared.
“···Oh my god.”
At the sudden appearance of the highest level monster, I took a step backwards. I don’t know how he was able to hide in the bushes with such weight class.
Hydra is a predator that constantly grows as long as it lives. Considering its size, which appears to be about 2 tons, it is a population that is probably over a hundred years old. It can’t even be compared to the young cub I caught with Adamantone the other day.
“There was a time when I hoped you would show up and chew me out someday. But that’s not the case now.”
“What are you talking about, Tan?”
“It’s no big deal. Let’s back away slowly.”
“You’re not trying to run away, are you?”
“That can’t be right. The idea is to lure them to a wide area where it’s easy to avoid and fight. No matter how strong you are, it’s dangerous if you get hit with poison head-on…”
The guy’s eyes sparkle. They seem to have realized our intention to deal with them in an advantageous location.
In an instant, it puffed up its neck and sprayed its poison with the three heads in its middle.
And our sum came together in an instant.
Thena pulled out a despair trap and blocked one ray with her sheath. And the other ray was thrown away with the sword of Despair.
And the last one, I threw my bag and brushed it away. A year of fighting against the dregs of the demon god was not in vain.
Of course, I still don’t have the skills to be proud of as a combatant, but at least I have the courage to react to this level.
… And in return, we lost our entire change of clothes and even our lunch.
I’m glad I left most of my luggage, including Marten, at the inn. If a marten saw a person throwing a backpack into a pile, it might get scared and not want to enter the cage again.
Tena, who was staring at the strawberry pound cake melting along with the fabric of his backpack, swung his sword once, his eyes burning with revenge.
“What should I do, Tan? Is it both sides? Or else.”
“Cleanly dismantled.”
I took out a healthy sword, a grappling hook, and several bottles of potions from my side bag.
Then he looked back at Thena and grinned. It seems I am not the only one who feels that I am not afraid at all because of you.
“If you harvest the harvest properly, you will have a million gold. Even after changing all the party members’ boots to high-quality ones, you will still have enough to buy different types of strawberry snacks.”
“That sounds really attractive.”
The adventure that began a year ago when the hydra’s bones were shredded to pieces has once again returned to the hydra’s maw. Just as Thena’s wanderings began when she was stabbed in the side by Newt Rock, and she lost me, she returned today to kill Newt Rock with me.
I guess today is a day to vent our frustrations.
When Hydra panicked because his special move didn’t work, we ran side by side like we did when we were kids.
Letting out a battle cry that was much more realistic than before.
—————
Carrying the bones of a hydra and transporting them safely by walking 120 km is not something that usually requires physical strength or skill.
If you do it wrong, the extremely poisonous bones may collide and melt together, or even the backpack and the porter may melt together.
Still, this time it was lighter than before. Not only did I leave most of my food and travel supplies at the inn exclusively for adventurers… But my backpack was all melted.
The innkeeper in Borvais looked as if he would be astonished when he saw me carrying hydra bones and internal organs neatly piled up in an improvised container.
“What is this? No, that was a stupid question. You can guess it just by looking at his facial features.”
I smiled weakly at the inn branch manager who was answering questions to himself. My whole body tingles because I’m covered in slightly acidic hydra mucus. I desperately need soap because I couldn’t wash it all away with running water.
Tena, who looked no different from me, giggled as she pulled my wet, limp hair.
Weird. You must look funny, but you are so beautiful in the sunset.
“Is there a hydra that lived around here? It gives me goosebumps! But they caught it? It was just the two of us?”
···They say you will know it when you see it.
“First, is there a place I can put this down? I’d like to borrow the inn’s loot storage room.”
“Now, wait a minute. Not there, the warehouse! There’s an empty warehouse, so follow me!”
Transporting a hydra is a truly brutal task. If I lose my balance and the bones fall on my head, I’m headed to the netherworld.
In the old days, when there was no law of dismembering the body and stacking up the bones to move it, there were times when a whole body was moved without any knowledge, and the melted intestines spilled out from inside the meat, causing the entire party to be wiped out.
I know how to transport it properly and safely, but even if it’s something I’m confident in, my nerves are bound to burn out.
Tena asked carefully from behind her, probably worried about my stumbling steps due to exhaustion.
“Are you okay, Tan?”
“I think I’ll be fine if I wash up well, fill my stomach after skipping lunch, and give you a kiss on the cheek.”
When I responded jokingly, Tena smiled as if relieved.
“Wasn’t it fun?”
I tried to smile back, but flinched when I saw the inn branch manager’s expression.
He was looking at me like I was crazy as I chatted with hydra bones stacked acrobatically on my back.
“It was a lot of fun. Let’s leave it and finish talking. I’m taking a break. I’ll be right back.”
“Come back!”
Tena smiled brightly and moved her gaze to the inn’s menu. The inn’s waiter ran to Tena and took her order.
A warm smile rises at the sight of Tena looking happy as she chooses the dinner menu.
And when she returned, Thena came down from our room, squinting her eyes.
Wearing the pajamas provided by the inn, she covered her wet hair with a towel.
“I washed first. Go in.”
Those are every day, ordinary words. However, the outcome varies depending on who speaks and how it is received.
First, I couldn’t apply calmly. I looked back. Fortunately, there were only us and one waiter in the quiet inn.
The waiter, who also froze when he saw my frozen expression, pretended not to have heard anything and washed the dishes with all his might.
I looked back at Thena.
“···What?”
“Huh? I went in first because I washed up. That’s just what I said. Why are you suddenly looking like you’ve been struck by lightning?”
Tena innocently tilted her head. The waiter at the inn began scrubbing the dishes with all his might. I feel like I might set the sink on fire.
I nodded slowly and agreed. Okay. If Tena washed up first while I was there, it’s my turn now. She was covered in a lot of mildly acidic mucus, and it was impossible to get through it without washing it off.
···Where do I wash?
“Did you get a room?”
“Room 201.”
Tena smiles and gives her keys.
“I’m going up. I’m going up with the strawberry beer I ordered.”
“You really like strawberries.”
I smiled and went up. And as soon as I opened the door to room 201, I froze again.
Steam leaks out from the bathroom with the door slightly open. While I was standing at a distance, curling my lips, unable to even take off my shoes, Tena opened the door, appeared, and pushed my back.
“What’s wrong, go and wash up.”
“Did you get a room?”
“It’s not like we’re looking for two rooms.”
Thena sat down on her wide bed, resting her chin and curling her toes as she smiled.
For some reason, her ankles feel embarrassed under her pajamas.
“It’s not inconvenient, is it?”
I should have thought in advance that this might happen. It was fun to be walking around together again, and I let my guard down because I was focused on the hydra bones.
I washed up feeling uncomfortable in the world. The Party League seems to have been spending a bit of money these days, so the bathtub was really nice, and the hot water was running smoothly.
It was just because my heart felt like it was going to explode. The sound of my pounding heart seems to leak out and be heard by Thena.
Maybe I really heard it. When I came out after changing into the gown she had brought with me, I saw Tena crossing her legs and turning her head shyly.
I bit my lip for a moment and then sat side by side on the bed. This awkward atmosphere might be good.
Tena lowered her head and, looking at me helpless, I poked her in the side.
“You know, Tan.”
“···Huh?”
“Actually, it may sound strange to say this, but… I heard the story.”
“What did you hear from whom?”
“Just, well, this and that.”
Thena shrugged her shoulders and turned her head again with a little blush on her cheeks.
“It’s like a religious experience or something. Words like that.”
···Who on earth made such a useless comment? At this moment, the fact that the line of suspicion is wide feels devastating.
I stroked my face and moaned. Thena is quietly looking at her ceiling, as if expecting something from her.
“···Meal is coming soon.”
“What’s the menu?”
“Scrambled eggs and garlic bread. And various drinks.”
“What are some things to drink?”
“It’s best to not eat heavy meals, and you definitely need to replenish water.”
I don’t know who I consulted with in advance, but thanks to that, I’m so shy that I can’t raise my face.
This wasn’t the original plan.
“···You know, Tena.”
“Hmm?”
“Should we just sleep today?”
Tena’s face becomes a little blurry. I quickly answered the question that appeared on my face.
“If I were to give you, that is, the first gift. It will definitely happen within these 15 days, but then…”
“Don’t be shy and tell me. I don’t understand.”
Tena can’t hold back her laughter, and I stamp her foot. I don’t know which of us is the first.
“A better place, that is, a better place than the party alliance inn where you can adventure and stay, eat a much more reasonable meal, and in a much better place…”
“Anywhere I am with you is my paradise. A better and more realistic place is always here.”
Thena hugged my chest. And she was pulled into bed.
I can feel her face turning red. Tena smiled and kissed her once on the cheek.
“But if you want to give a once-in-a-lifetime gift well-wrapped, it’s not polite to refuse.”
Her breath is released in a gasp. Tena asked with a coy smile.
“You said it would be okay if I just kissed you on the cheek. Why do you still look like you’re about to explode?”
“Uh, uh.”
“Let’s eat and sleep today.”
I hear the sound of a courier coming up. As she got up, leaving me spread out on her bed and unable to move, Thena patted my chest with the back of her hand.
“It’s a gift, I don’t know when it will come, but I look forward to it.”
I postponed once more what I had been putting off until now under agreement. Because I want to give a first experience like a gift.
… And failed to keep the agreement. I opened my eyes in the middle of the night.
I saw your back.
