The next day, thinking it might be safe enough, we started walking along the road around noon. Looking at Kimijima, I could see the red chick peeking its face out from the top of her bag as it swayed.
“Sensei. I was thinking of naming this little one. Do you have any good ideas?”
“It thinks you’re its mother, right? So you should come up with a good name for it.”
“Hmm…”
Names, huh. They can be quite difficult to come up with.
“How about Piyo-chan?”
“It only goes ‘piyo piyo’ when it’s a chick, right? Its mother was bigger than me, you know?”
“Oh… That’s right. It was quite a large egg after all. Hmm.”
In the end, because the egg had hatched in the burning fire, she named it “Mera.”
Soon, a sight we didn’t really want to see came into view along the road. It was the bodies of those big men’s companions who had run away yesterday. Beside them, two wolf-like monsters were engrossed in their meal.
Given that there were also monster corpses lying around, they must have put up a good fight.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes…”
Sensing the presence of monsters ahead, we checked the scene from along the bushes, but Kimijima’s face had turned pale with shock. From inside the bag, Mera also looked up at its owner with concern.
I consider waiting for them to finish their meal and leave… But the other day, they seemed to sense our scent before we noticed them. Fortunately, the smell of the three people’s blood might be masking our presence now, but depending on the wind direction, who knows what could happen. …I’ll go.
“Kimijima, stay here. It’s tough to just watch people being eaten right in front of you.”
“Yes… be careful.”
“I will.”
Gripping the sword at my waist with my left hand, I emerge from the bushes. The monsters immediately notice me. They wrinkle their noses and let out a growling snarl. I’ve killed them before. I can’t say I’m not scared, but I have a bit of composure in my heart.
Two of them enter a combat stance, growling to intimidate me as I approach. I keep my pace steady, slowly getting closer.
…Here.
Whether by instinct or not, I sense the monsters’ striking distance. They’ll probably pounce on me in one leap if I cross this line. I lower my stance just before that line and grip the handle with my right hand. Playing with the feel of the hilt wrap with my pinky and ring finger, I open the koi-guchi.
The monsters seemed confused for a moment when I stopped just before their striking distance. They take a step towards me, looking displeased. The instant I step into their range, the two of them leap at me.
The giant wolf, as big as a lion, opens its jaws, but that’s all it can do. It doesn’t use both hands like a human or compete with technique. Slowly and surely. I slide my blade along the predictable trajectory, just as I read it. While avoiding the monsters’ bodies lunging forward with their momentum, I cut down both of them in one breath.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.PAGES.DEV
— Doodle Valley
“I heard that Takato and some incredibly strong people with high ranks came to level up, and they’ve been thinning out the monsters quite a bit.”
“Yeah, I’ve heard about that. But they sound like pretty dangerous guys, don’t they?”
“But if we follow the path those people took, wouldn’t the monsters be gone?”
“Hmm… we should consult with Mr. Yarzak about that.”
Yarzak is the man in charge of the front lines here in Doodle Valley. While many of the state soldiers are rough and warrior-like, he gives off the impression of a humble civilian official.
The two had safely raised their rank by two levels, reaching the third rank. These two levels are important in this world. Even those who don’t take on combat professions like adventurers usually aim to reach the third rank so they can handle lower-level monsters in case of emergencies.
For safety reasons, they conducted combat training in Vardzur, where the monsters are weaker, until they raised their rank by two levels. However, it took longer than expected. Especially when Sakuragi’s rank increased, they had to rest for almost a day, wasting quite a bit of time.
— At this rate, when will we be able to…
Nishina was feeling a sense of being at an impasse.
When they went to the state army’s station to hear about the high-ranking people who had come to level up, it was unusually noisy inside. Something seemed to have happened in Yarzak’s room, with state soldiers gathering around the room trying to eavesdrop on the conversation inside.
“I wonder what happened…”
“Maybe something occurred. Should we ask?”
“H-hey!”
Sakuragi approaches a soldier who’s trying to listen in.
“Excuse me, what’s going on?”
“Huh? Oh, the boss lady is here.”
“Boss lady?”
“Ah, I mean General Camilla.”
“Camilla is here? …What could it be?”
“Something about Carton getting taken out or something.”
“Huh? You mean that high-ranking person?”
“Yeah, but I can’t hear too well.”
Sakuragi fearlessly talks to the intimidating-looking soldier. The soldier, though surprised by the sudden question, answers. Just then, the door bursts open.
“Shut up, you bastards!”
Camilla appears from the door that was kicked open with force, yelling.
“Hm? If it isn’t Takato and Miki. Perfect timing, come in.”
“Us?”
“Yeah, I have something I want to ask you.”
Following Camilla’s words, they enter the room where Yarzak smilingly gestures for them to sit. Yarzak’s room is set up for small meetings with a table and wooden benches without backs arranged around it. The two quietly sit down in front of Camilla.
“Shigeto kuSunoki. Do you know that name?”
“Huh? Yes, I know it… Wait, has he been found?”
Nishina leans forward involuntarily at the mention of the Sensei’s name from Camilla’s mouth.
“No. We haven’t found him. But we know he’s alive.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“You know about the rankings, right? Those rankings aren’t just about ability scores. If you defeat someone higher in the ranking, you can replace their position and move up.”
“Y-yes…”
“You’ve heard about a guy named Carton who came to level up in this area recently, right?”
“Yes, I heard he was a high-ranking person…”
“His position in the rankings has been replaced. By Shigeto Kusunoki.”
“What?”
Nishina and Sakuragi exchange glances involuntarily.
In fact, Nishina had believed in Sensei Kusunoki as well. But the sudden turn of events was hard to keep up with.
“We don’t know the full situation, but we plan to gather as many forces as possible and advance along the main road.”
“Can we go with you?”
“I can’t guarantee how much we can protect you if strong monsters appear, you know?”
“…Yes, even so. Sakuragi, what about you?”
“I’m going! Please let us go!”
“…Well, that’s why you came to us in the first place, right? Alright. We leave in an hour. Get ready.”
Rank 87
Kusunoki Shigeto
[Guardian] Orient
[Level] Five
[Otherworld Skill] Kikusuikeikoryu [Okuden] Concentration
“Huh? Sensei is ranked 87th?”
“Oh, yeah. That’s right. Remember what that guy said earlier? We heard that if you defeat strong opponents, your ranking goes up… but I never expected it to rise to that guy’s ranking.”
“That’s amazing, right? What was that honorific for people in the top 100 again…?”
“…Celestial? ‘Heavenly rank’? Something like that. Sounds too pompous for my taste.”
“Hehehe, but Sensei, you were totally composed back then.”
“I wasn’t composed at all. I was panicking quite a bit at that time, you know?”
“…Y-yes, that’s true.”
Remembering how I panicked afterward… Kimijima, probably recalling various things from that time, blushes slightly and trails off. I can’t help but avert my gaze as well.
Three days have passed since then. I thought we’d arrive soon, but we haven’t reached any place that looks promising. However, the monsters clearly seem to be getting weaker. Although our ranks haven’t increased, today Kimijima even managed to take down some monsters with her spear. After I raised my rank for the fourth time the other day, Kimijima, saying she wanted to become stronger too, started to take the lead in battles more actively.
“The monster levels seem to be dropping a bit, don’t they?”
“Yes, even I can pierce through them now.”
“It might mean we’re getting closer to a settlement. Shall we pick up the pace? Our food supplies are running low too.”
“You’re right… Mera needs to eat as well…”
“Piyo!”
(That’s not a ‘piyo’…) I don’t say it out loud. But we really need to think about the food situation.
The altitude must have decreased quite a bit; it feels like it’s getting a bit hotter.
“It’s getting warmer, isn’t it? From here on, I’ll take on the monsters with gusto!”
“Are you sure you’ll be okay?”
“If it gets dangerous, Sensei will help me!”
“O-oh, right.”
…Hm?
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