Chapter 56
It was Allen's first day off since he'd confessed to the butler that he hunted outside the city. He left the mansion before sunrise again and ran toward the gate, where the same guard was waiting. He thought it must be hard work standing out in the cold from early morning.
"Heading outside again today, young master?"
"Yes."
They passed the time with their usual small talk until the six o'clock bell rang. He'd shown the guard his crest every time, but the guard had recently told him he didn't need to show it anymore. So it stayed in Storage. Security wasn't nearly as strict as at a train station or airport in the real world.
All right, time to go. Allen ran farther and farther from the city. The season had brought the first snow, and it was now past the middle of December. The everyday clothes he'd been given weren't all that thick, but Allen was constantly running around outside the city, so he didn't feel particularly cold.
He continued putting more and more distance between himself and the city.
(This should be far enough. Come out, Hawks.)
All six of his Bird E Summons appeared at once. Of course, he summoned them dozens of meters up in the air. At his command to find goblins, they scattered in different directions to search for a group.
He'd tried taking down several D-rank monsters, but goblins were the most efficient source of EXP. Goblins were the only monsters guaranteed to give him more than a thousand EXP in a single battle. There were D-rank monsters worth more EXP per individual than goblins, but they appeared in smaller numbers.
Whether there were simply a lot of goblins or few other monsters, the fact that goblins were the quickest to find was another reason he targeted them.
He'd become a full-fledged Goblin Killer.
(First, I'll take down a hundred goblins. Then I'll hunt Horned Rabbits for pocket money and Magic Stones. Five should be enough.)
He decided on a quota for the day's hunt and waited for his Summons to return.
The encounter rate for monsters wasn't very high. Without his Summons, he'd probably only be able to hunt three times a day at most. Their excellent scouting made Allen's hunting far more efficient.
As he was thinking about his quota, one of his Bird E Summons returned. The hunt was about to begin.
About three hours passed.
Allen was eating dried sweet potatoes and Morumo fruit for lunch. Since he was running around, replenishing his energy was important. Morumo fruit also helped him stay hydrated. It was very efficient—and delicious.
Then one of the Hawks landed on a branch right beside him.
"Oh, hang on. I'll be done eating in a second."
'Pii!'
(Hm? What's going on?)
One of his Bird E Summons was acting strangely. He looked up at the sky. Three Bird E Summons that had already found prey were flying overhead. They weren't landing in the trees; they were staying in the air.
(Huh?)
'Pii!!!'
The Bird E Summon cried even louder, as if it were trying to tell him something.
"Hm? Is something wrong?"
The Bird E Summon was behaving strangely. Allen put the half-eaten sweet potato into Storage. Seeing that, the Bird E Summon took off from its branch and started moving slowly. It looked back at Allen, and once it saw he was following, it steadily picked up speed.
(Whoa, that's fast.)
Bird-type Summons had high Agility and Intelligence. Since he'd enhanced it, it was even faster. Allen stepped up his pace, too. His Agility had increased as he'd leveled up, and he could move pretty quickly now.
(Seriously? That's quite a distance. What's going on?)
He ran for about fifteen minutes. Then he heard a voice in the distance. It sounded like someone shouting.
"Milsy, run!"
"B-but I can't leave Rita and Raven behind..."
"Just go!!!"
(Hm? Are they fighting? Raven?)
A woman wielding daggers was fighting a group of goblins. Behind her was a wounded man lying on the ground and a woman holding a staff, cradling him. Their clothes made them look like adventurers.
Rita, the dagger-wielding woman, was desperately fighting four goblins. Two more already lay dead behind them. One of her arms had been injured; she couldn't lift it. It hung limply at her side, blood dripping from it, as she fought with her other arm. "I won't let you through!" she shouted. The goblins grinned as they closed in around her.
They were already several dozen meters away. Allen took an iron ball from Storage and threw it with all his strength.
(So this is going to be my first pitch, huh?)
Gogya!
'Gugya?'
The iron ball crushed one goblin's face. It sank into the goblin's face, and the creature dropped to its knees.
"I'll provide support!"
"Huh? Who are you?"
(Hey, watch where you're looking! You're in the middle of a fight!)
Allen threw another iron ball. It struck a second goblin in the face, making it stagger.
(An iron ball isn't enough to kill them, either.)
"My iron balls won't finish them off! Be careful!"
"O-okay..."
The sudden arrival of reinforcements had thrown the adventurers off, but Allen paid no mind and threw his last iron ball. Two goblins had already been hit, so the goblins were watching him carefully. One of them blocked the incoming iron ball with its arm, but the impact shattered it.
However, it seemed to have more strength left than the two goblins that had taken hits to the face. It gripped a club with its uninjured hand.
(Two goblins can still move. Guess I have no choice.)
He drew his dagger and sprang into the fight. He couldn't summon in front of other people. He'd already turned all his Bird E Summons back into cards.
"I'll take the one that's uninjured! You handle the one with the broken arm!"
"Got it..."
He closed in on a goblin wielding a rusty, battered longsword. When fighting D-rank Alba Herons, he usually had his Insect F Summons use their special ability, Suck, to drain their strength before finishing them off.
This time, he wasn't using any Summons. The fight began without any special abilities.
He dodged every wide swing of the goblin's sword. He didn't block with his dagger; it might damage the blade. He wouldn't let his weapons wear out needlessly.
He'd already reached level twelve, and thanks to his Blessing, his Attack and Agility were both around 300. He closed in and slashed the goblin's vital neck in an instant, then retreated before blood sprayed everywhere. It was an overwhelming victory.
The reason he usually had his Summons do the fighting was that he didn't want to get the valuable everyday clothes he'd borrowed dirty. He'd managed to fight without getting his clothes dirty so far.
The goblin crumpled to its knees. Allen looked toward Rita, the adventurer with the daggers. She was just finishing off her own goblin. She seemed able to handle the wounded one, and she went on to finish off the two goblins that had been hit in the face by the iron balls.
"Raven!"
"Ugh..."
Raven, the adventurer, was gravely wounded and on the verge of death. Allen recognized him from somewhere. He was the adventurer who'd taught Allen all sorts of things about monsters. His companions called out to him desperately, but all he could manage was a faint groan. He looked as though he might die at any moment.
Allen approached them. The two adventurers eyed the black-haired boy who'd suddenly appeared with some suspicion, even though he'd saved them. He might not even be ten years old.
(Hmm, Milsy looks like she's the healer, but has she run out of Magic? Is that why she can't heal him? I guess I'll have to use Life Grass.)
"Excuse me, I have some medicinal herbs. Would you like to use them?"
"R-really?!"
Both of their expressions changed at once.
"I'll pay you whatever you want, just save Raven!"
His manner wasn't particularly polite, but Allen didn't mind. Pretending to take it from behind his back, he pulled out Life Grass made using the special ability of his Grass E Summon.
(Oh no. This is the first time I'm testing how it works, and the person I'm trying it on is nearly dead.)
He hadn't finished testing it, but based on its name, he figured it was probably a healing medicine. He held the broad leaf and approached Raven. Not knowing how to use it, he tried pressing it against the large wound in Raven's abdomen.
Raven's two worried companions watched Allen closely, their eyes fixed on his movements as if clinging to their last hope.
(D-don't look at me with such hopeful eyes. I don't know how much it'll heal him—or even if it's a healing medicine at all.)
The Life Grass touched the adventurer's body.
The leaf glowed where it touched the wound and vanished like a bubble. Then Raven's abdomen, where his internal organs had nearly been visible, began healing at an incredible speed. Blood covered his stomach, making it hard to tell, but the wound seemed to have healed completely.
Raven regained consciousness and slowly opened his eyes. He rubbed his abdomen and checked the wound.
"Whoa!"
Raven stared in shock at his healed wound. His companions, Rita and Milsy, cried out in amazement as well.
"Raven!"
"W-what happened to me?"
He didn't seem to understand why he was all right. He asked Milsy, who was holding a staff, if she'd healed him. She shook her head.
"I'm glad you're all right. Your name is Rita, right? I'll heal your arm, too."
Allen took out another leaf of Life Grass, pretending to pull it from behind his back, and touched it to her injured, bleeding arm. He kept it clenched in his hand so the others wouldn't get a good look at it.
The three adventurers watched as the wound disappeared at an incredible speed, as if time were being turned back. It healed completely in the blink of an eye. Rita raised her arm, which seemed to have gone limp from a broken bone, up to her chest. In amazement, she repeatedly clenched and unclenched the hand that had regained its strength.
"The Mullase Flower!!!"
All three of them cried out the name of the medicinal herb that had saved Rodan's life.