Chapter 71
"Hah... hah...!"
I desperately force my legs to keep moving as I flee from the pack of Wind Wolves chasing me from behind. If I stop even for an instant, I'll become their prey.
"Ugh! I messed up...!"
My name is Margaret. I'm an ordinary village girl who lives in a nearby village. So why am I in this monster-infested forest? I'm searching for ingredients for medicine to cure my mother's illness.
My mother normally never even catches a cold, but she came down with a rare illness that can't be cured without a specific remedy. Unfortunately, the village doctor had none in stock. Apparently, they could place an order on the next trading day and buy it on the trading day after that.
Fortunately, it doesn't seem to be a fatal illness, but my mother was suffering terribly from her cough, and I couldn't stand watching her like that. So I ventured deep into the forest, despite being forbidden to enter it, to search for medicinal herbs.
Everything was fine until I found the herbs. But while I was absorbed in harvesting them, the pack of Wind Wolves discovered me.
"Woof, woof!"
"Awooooo!"
"Kyaaaaaaa!"
The Wind Wolves' howls made me scream involuntarily. I'm so scared. They must be enjoying themselves by tormenting me. Otherwise, there's no way an ordinary village girl like me would still be alive after coming this far.
And once they got bored, they'd probably kill and eat me without a second thought. The thought frightens me, but it also makes me incredibly frustrated and ashamed.
We know that there are monsters we can communicate with. At the same time, we also know how strong and terrifying they are.
So why did I act so recklessly? Was it wrong to want to cure my mother's illness even a little sooner? Is this my punishment for underestimating the forest and its monsters?
"Huff... huff...!"
I can't keep this up much longer. My legs feel as if they've turned into lumps of lead, and my head isn't working properly anymore.
"Aah!?"
It looks like the end has finally come. I tripped over a tree root and fell. I was already struggling just to move my legs, and now the pain and exhaustion coursing through my whole body have left me unable even to stand.
"Ah... ah...!"
The Wind Wolves slowly draw closer. There are seven of them, and just one look from the largest one's eyes has left me frozen as if paralyzed. It seems their playtime is over, too.
I'm scared. I'm so scared, so scared, so scared! I don't want to die! I don't want to die!
"Somebody, help..."
"GRAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!"
"!?"
Just as I called out for a miracle in my hoarse voice, a roar far more terrifying than the Wind Wolves' howls rang out. Has help arrived?
No, that's impossible. Of all the monsters living in this forest, the one capable of making such a terrifying sound would have to be a Cyclops. They are a kind of ogre that never forms packs, is ferocious, and kills and devours every living thing that enters its sight. In a way, they are far more frightening than Wind Wolves.
The Wind Wolves hesitated over what to do. Should they abandon the prey they'd cornered—me—and run, or should they use their numbers and teamwork to defeat the Cyclops and feast on even more meat? It was probably something like that.
"Shh!"
"Raaah!"
"Gya!?"
But they weren't given time to think about it. A black shadow flew down from the air too fast for the eye to follow and sliced off a Wind Wolf's head, while a red shadow charged in from the direction of the roar and sent another one flying.
"It's dangerous, so get back!"
"Huh? A slime?"
A crystal-clear, beautiful slime had somehow appeared behind me. It gently scooped me up and carried me away from the Wind Wolves. Once they noticed, they hurriedly tried to come after us.
"I won't let you!"
"Grrr!"
But a large rock fell between us and the Wind Wolves, accompanied by a girl's voice. All I could do was stare wide-eyed, while the Wind Wolves threatened the new enemy that had appeared.
"Are you all right!?"
At first, I thought someone was riding on the rock, but that wasn't it. Unbelievably, the rock itself had spoken. Tentacle-like things were even stretching out from its hollows and cracks. What in the world was happening?
"Kyukyu!"
"GRAAAAH!"
At the edge of my vision, I saw a dragon child grappling with one of the Wind Wolves. I don't know much about dragons, but that child was probably a True Dragon. Why was a dragon destined to become a great figure hundreds of years from now in a place like this?
"Genzuro, handle the Green Wind Wolf! Jigorou and I will deal with the others! Iris and Ruby, keep guarding the girl! Cal! Don't overdo it!"
The last to arrive, casting black magic as he came, was a monster bearing a mesmerizing staff and wearing a jet-black robe that looked as though it had been cut from the night itself. His face was covered by a silver mask shaped like a skull.
How did I know he was a monster even though his face was hidden behind a silver skull-shaped mask? Because he had four arms made of bone.
He had a staff, a strange floating book, and an old great scythe that made me uneasy just to look at. With the skeleton mask as well, I couldn't help imagining that he might be the Demon King from a story.
"Shaaa! You're weak as hell, mutt!"
"Ho ho ho! Quite the fighter!"
"Stop wasting your breath! Remote activation of the Magic Circle: Earth Hole! Astral Magic Array activation: Thunder Arrow!"
Yes. I had enough leeway to think about such silly things. The red-skinned, blond ogre was pummeling the Wind Wolves with an annoyed look on his face, while the insect-like swordsman was fighting the Wind Wolf leader and seemed to be enjoying himself.
The skeleton-masked mage was fighting seriously, but I don't think he was having any trouble. He simply didn't let his guard down.
"How about this!?"
"Nice assist, Iris!"
The rock in front of me and the slime that had been behind me until a moment ago were fighting while protecting me. That might sound like a disadvantage, but it wasn't.
The rock was impervious to fangs and claws. Instead, the moment a Wind Wolf came close, it caught the monster with its tentacles and constricted it. Once the Wind Wolf stopped moving, the slime gouged out its vitals at a speed too fast for the eye to follow.
I couldn't actually see what was happening. I only inferred it from their conversation. Still, why could they speak human language despite being monsters? Could they perhaps be acquainted with the skeleton-masked mage?
"I've had my fill!"
"Gah...!"
The swordsman's slightly unusual greatsword delivered the finishing blow to the Wind Wolf leader. The terrifying pack that had attacked me had apparently been defeated with ease.
I'm alive. But I still don't know whether I'm safe. The skeleton-masked figure who seemed to be their leader approaches me. I instinctively brace myself.
"Excuse me, miss. I didn't mean to frighten you."
The skeleton-masked figure sounded genuinely apologetic. The three-eyed mask was frightening, but perhaps the one inside was surprisingly gentlemanly.
"As you have probably realized, we are monsters. However, we have no intention of harming you. If you will grant us one favor, we will escort you home."
The skeleton mask's proposal sounded appealing to me. I had desperately fled from the Wind Wolves, but I was still a long way from the edge of the forest. Alone and completely exhausted, I would probably die before I made it home.
But what exactly was their favor? Depending on what it was, I couldn't let them approach the village. I couldn't put my mother and everyone in the village in danger because of my foolish actions.
"A favor...?"
"We are players—the people you call Windfarers—and we are looking for a safe base to return to."
Windfarers. I was startled to hear that word. They were the people summoned by the goddess who had begun appearing in the world three or four months ago.
I had heard that they possessed bodies in various other worlds and traveled back and forth between them. This was my first time seeing a Windfarer, but surely it was unusual for one to have the body of a monster.
"So, I would like you to tell us who might be able to provide us with a base."
"That's all...?"
That seemed far too little in exchange for saving my life and guaranteeing my safety along the way. I couldn't help looking at them suspiciously.
"Ha ha ha. It may be difficult for a resident of this world like you to understand, but a safe base is our highest priority—more important than anything else."
I suppose so...? I had never heard of a Windfarer setting foot on this land since they appeared on the lower continent. So I had no idea what their circumstances were.
Ah, thinking about it too much is only confusing me. I decided to trust my intuition and the fact that they had saved me.
"I understand... I'll guide you to my village. So..."
"Of course. We'll keep you safe along the way."
And so, I was rescued by a strange group of monsters.
◆◇◆◇◆◇
――――――――――
Your Race level has increased. You acquired 1 SP.
Your Job level has increased. You acquired 1 SP.
Your tamed monster's Race level has increased.
Your tamed monster's Job level has increased.
【Staff】 level has increased.
【Scythe Arts】 level has increased.
【Intelligence Enhancement】 level has increased.
【Mental Enhancement】 level has increased.
【Vitality Recovery Rate Increase】 level has increased.
【Magic Recovery Rate Increase】 level has increased.
【Precise Magic Control】 level has increased.
【Holy Magic】 level has increased.
【Space-Time Magic】 level has increased.
――――――――――
The one who screamed was a Human girl named Margaret who lived in a nearby village. I was surprised to find Humans on Vetus Floating Island, but I decided on my own that they were probably descendants of the ancients who had installed the teleportation device here.
As for why she was in such a dangerous place, she said she had come to gather medicinal herbs that could be used to make a specific remedy for her mother's illness. What a dutiful daughter. Though, since it nearly got her killed, she had almost become an unfilial one instead.
She seemed extremely wary of us, but she accepted the condition I proposed, as if she had no other choice. No, securing a base really is important.
With a tent, we could indeed log out safely inside. However, if we died afterward, we would be sent all the way back to the Lizardman village. It would be hard to imagine anything more troublesome.
I really wanted to use her village as our base, but that would have been far too presumptuous, so I limited my request to having her introduce us to someone. The fact that this had the opposite effect was entirely my fault, though.
"Hee hee! That tickles!"
"Kyukyu!"
Margaret is playing with Cal right now. Apparently, the people of this continent revere dragons on a par with the goddess, so at first she was too awed even to touch Cal.
However, she couldn't resist Cal's adorable, innocent playfulness, and now she's completely smitten. Well, it can't be helped. Cal is undeniably cute!
At present, we are escorting Margaret, but monsters naturally keep attacking us. Fortunately, the only ones appearing are Cyclopes and Wind Wolves, so we've already grown accustomed to dealing with them.
I was also surprised when Iris grabbed tree trunks and other things with her tentacles and pulled herself along at high speed. According to her, it was difficult to find opportunities to use because whatever she grabbed had to be sturdy enough to support her weight. Even so, I thought it would be useful for catching enemies off guard. I'll add it to our tactics from now on.
Margaret seemed relieved to see us defeating the monsters so reliably. However, when Jigorou asked, "Ain't there any stronger ones?" her face stiffened.
Incidentally, apparently there are stronger monsters. We are currently heading north from the spring where we teleported in, but if we went south instead, we would eventually see the southern edge of the floating island. That area is supposedly the territory of the master of this forest.
Apparently, it does nothing as long as we don't approach it, so no villagers would deliberately go there to get themselves killed, and the details are unknown. Still, the battle-crazed members of my group are grinning after hearing that. Our first adventure after securing a base is already decided.
"Oh! I can see the edge of the forest!"
Just as Jigorou said, it seems we've finally made it out of the dark forest. There is neither a road nor anything else around the forest's edge, but I can faintly see some man-made structures near the horizon.
"That's our village, Sile."
Our destination is finally in sight. This will be the first human settlement I've visited since starting the game. We probably won't be welcomed, but I'd like to look around a little.