Chapter 16
A troll extermination request has come in.
Elena's hand stopped while she was dividing the silver coins.
"A troll?"
"A troll has appeared on the eastern forest trade route, leaving the merchants stranded."
I jerked my chin toward the peddlers filling the guild dining hall.
A single report of a troll appearing had stranded the peddlers in the city.
Peddlers generally traveled together.
Since larger groups were less likely to be attacked by monsters, if even a few peddlers delayed their departure, the entire group would be stranded.
As their numbers dwindled, the rank and size of the adventurers they could hire also decreased.
"Darko was originally supposed to handle it, but he got fired, so we had to fill the vacancy."
"A troll is a B-rank monster, so why are you telling me about it?"
"Because you have to deal with it."
Elena's eyes widened as she turned to look at the party members behind her.
"We are?"
"Apparently, the nobles are expecting something because Darko boasted that he would deal with it using novice adventurers."
Even though Darko was gone, the noble serving as the guild inspector remained.
Once a noble had given his word, he would stubbornly keep it, even at the cost of his pride.
The consequences of failing to live up to expectations a noble had staked his pride on were never merely troublesome.
Elena clenched the silver coins tightly.
From the way she gritted her teeth, I could practically tell what she was thinking.
'Even if they talk about honor, it's ultimately a matter of pride.'
I wanted to kill Darko myself, but until I knew what the noble backing him had in mind, I couldn't lay a hand on him recklessly.
Even if he were punished, it would be that noble who punished him.
The man he had appointed as a swordsmanship instructor under his own name had lost to an I-rank adventurer, sullying not only the guild but his own name as well.
If I touched him for no reason and the fallout came my way, it would become a headache.
"Why? Do you regret not killing him back then?"
"Th-that isn't... it..."
Elena bit her lip.
"...A little?"
"I understand how you feel, but if you want to kill someone connected to a noble, become more valuable than that noble first."
"Hmm..."
Elena frowned.
I shrugged.
"Anyway, Darko's the reason you've been saddled with a difficult job. Forming the party was also practice before taking on the troll with them."
"So that's why."
As Elena fell silent with a serious expression, Hans cautiously cut in.
"We're fighting the troll?"
"Why? Are you scared?"
"...."
Hans fell silent. Mira and Duke's expressions stiffened as well.
Of course they did. Orcs and trolls were two ranks apart, even by a simple comparison.
"It's already been decided. Go in prepared to die if you can't do it."
"Yes..."
The party members' faces grew dark.
It was certainly unreasonable to suddenly order F-rank adventurers to fight a B-rank monster.
"A noble's expectations are riding on this, so if you succeed, that noble may make things easier for you. I'll help as much as I can, so cheer up."
Even so, their expressions did not easily relax.
"Orc shaman."
I said this as I set down my mug.
"Pardon?"
"You know that trolls use green magic, right?"
"Green magic? You mean magic that controls plants?"
"That's right."
Trolls used green magic.
"They can control grass, vines, roots, poisonous herbs, and even carnivorous plants. When one stomps its foot, roots beneath the ground seize your ankles, and when it swings its hand, vines lash out like whips."
In a forest, anything and everything could become a troll's weapon.
"That's why a troll that settles in one place for a long time is called a sage of the forest."
I recalled what I knew about trolls.
"The denser the vegetation in a troll's forest, the more the forest becomes its fortress. But this one has only just settled in, so it will be weaker than an ordinary B-rank monster."
"Weak enough for us to beat?"
"No. At this rate, two of you will die, and two will be captured and forced to give birth to troll spawn."
A troll was a kind of miniboss.
There were patterns you had to get hit by if you didn't know them.
Since it was an adult game, getting hit even once by one of those patterns meant game over. It would be judged as a defeat and lead straight to a sex scene.
'It didn't matter back in the game.'
That was what I had started it for in the first place.
Even defeat was a kind of achievement content.
Of course, I could tell them every one of the troll's patterns, but if I did, they would focus so much on the patterns that they would lose their pace.
I reached into my material pouch and pulled out an orc molar.
"So before you fight the troll, practice by taking down an orc shaman first."
"An orc shaman?"
"Have you heard of orc shamans?"
Only Elena and Mira knew what they were.
Perhaps because both came from hunter families, they understood the dangers the forest posed.
Orc shamans were practically the natural enemies of hunters, so it was impossible for them not to know about them.
"Orc shamans use green magic too. They'll be good practice before you fight the troll. Start by taking one down."
Elena thought it over and nodded.
"Elena, give me the map."
"Yes."
Elena handed me the map.
The map showed the orc-sighting areas I had marked. Cross-referencing the game with Eck's memories, I pointed out the places where an orc shaman was likely to be.
"Start here."
"It's here?"
"There's a good chance. If it isn't, search in this order. It'll be somewhere."
Elena nodded, then led her party out of the guild.
***
"...."
I picked up my mug again.
I shook it from side to side to confirm that it was empty.
'Magic users tend to have similar repertoires.'
It was like firing a cannon. Powerful, but with a set method of operation.
With enough stamina and sharp eyes, they were easy to dodge.
Even a troll that primarily used green magic would inevitably have usage patterns similar to those of an orc shaman.
But if I had to point out a difference between the two, it would probably be the frequency with which they used certain spells.
'The troll used binding, while the orc shaman used sensitivity enhancement.'
I vividly recalled that both primarily used magic that made controlling one's movements difficult.
"Jeina."
"Yes. Here you are."
When I shook my mug, Jeina exchanged it for one filled with beer.
I tilted the mug. Lukewarm beer slid down my esophagus.
The orc shaman.
It mainly used mushrooms for its signature magic.
The effects varied depending on the type of mushroom, but they generally preferred to amplify sensitivity.
When you were caught by that pattern in the game, the screen would turn pink and Elena's animations would change.
She would rub her legs together during her idle animation or suddenly begin masturbating.
While she was unable to control herself, the orcs would capture and rape her.
Since it spread spores, anyone who had not gathered information beforehand was almost guaranteed to be poisoned.
It was a truly vicious pattern.
'Well, it won't work now.'
The ogre-leather light armor was imbued with the Red Moon's power and had excellent magic resistance.
It would effortlessly repel mediocre shamanism.
The problem was not Elena, but the rookies who followed her around.
'What choice will Elena make?'
When a party member was affected by an aphrodisiac, lost their reason, and attacked her, would she be able to carry out my advice and cut them down in one stroke?
'I can gauge how much she values my advice by the judgment she makes in that moment.'
"If you hesitate, you'll be the one who gets attacked."
This world was not kind to fools who showed kindness.
She would have to learn that.
It wouldn't matter if she did.
In that case, the means of making Elena depend on me would increase dramatically.
But I still didn't like the idea of another man taking Elena's first time.
'Should I just take her myself?'
The alcohol was slowly going to my head.
'She'd probably let me have her easily right now. Should I use Ellis as an excuse and ask her to let me?'
The faces of the countless women Eck had crushed back when I was Eck flashed through my mind, and Elena's face overlapped them.
The thought of Elena moaning with a distinctly feminine expression as she clenched her hole was arousing enough on its own.
"...."
I pressed my fingers to my temples.
"Have I had too much to drink?"
I had only drunk five glasses.
The alcohol had gone to my head unusually quickly today.
More than usual, my gaze was drawn to Jeina's buttocks.
The way her butt and hips swayed with every step drove me crazy.
"Hmm..."
I squeezed my eyes shut and set down my mug.
***
The next day.
Elena made her way through the brush, quieting her footsteps as much as possible.
With Mira leading the way, they reached the destination shown on the map.
"Miss Elena, over there."
Mira pointed toward a spot.
A totem made from animal bones and branches stood there.
It was a marker announcing the orc shaman's territory.
"Just as Mr. Eck said, there really is one here?"
"You said Uncle doesn't lie about things like this."
"Still... if that's true... that means every A-rank adventurer knows where the orc shamans are..."
Mira looked somewhat displeased by that fact.
Just then, an orc appeared in front of the totem.
It was smaller than an ordinary orc, but tattoos covered its entire body.
An animal skull had been fitted over its staff.
Orc shaman.
When it began waving its staff in front of the totem, the nearby grass shook and scattered pink spores, coloring the forest.
"Cough! Cough!"
"Achoo!!"
"Cough, cough!"
"Mmph."
Pink powder spread even to the place where Elena's party was hiding.
Unable to hold their breath, the party members began coughing repeatedly, and the orc shaman turned toward them.
Cough, cough!!
Startled by the coughing, Hans, Mira, and Duke put their hands on the ground, their combat stances falling apart.
"Gugalaak!"
The orc shaman, having noticed them, raised its staff.
Thick vines crawling along the ground sprang up like whips and targeted Elena's ankles.
Slash!
Elena swung her sword and cut the vines.
"Goaak!"
When the orc shaman raised both arms, vines tore through the ground and crawled out.
Vines covered in thorns.
Elena kicked off the ground and charged.
The vines flew toward her.
She dodged several strands of vine.
Wham!
A vine came in at an angle she could not avoid, so she took it on her light armor. There was no pain; even the impact was far lighter than she had expected.
'This equipment is amazing, isn't it?'
She had heard it was expensive, but was it really this powerful?
Once she trusted the armor's defense, Elena's sword strokes became even sharper as she aimed them at the orc shaman.
Elena closed the distance in an instant and slashed horizontally.
Slash.
The shaman's head went flying through the air.
A fountain of blood shot up, and the shaman's body collapsed with a thud.
"Phew."
She looked around for any other orcs, but thankfully, there was only the orc shaman.
After collecting the loot from the orc shaman, Elena was afraid to turn around.
"Ugh... grrk..."
"Hyaa... nyaaang..."
"Grrk..... grrk..."
The three of them lay collapsed in the grass, clutching their crotches and foaming at the mouth.
Elena bit her lower lip.
She knew how to cure them.
If she did not help, the two men would lose their lives as men.
But Uncle's face flickered before her eyes.
"...I'm sorry."
Elena forced back the hand she had extended toward Hans and Duke, then reached toward Mira.