Published at 22nd of January 2024 4:50 pm

Chapter 361 Part 1

This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml

Standing approximately 17 meters tall, it is on the smaller side for a B-class Knight. It doesn’t carry a sword and the only weapon it seems to carry is a cane slung diagonally on its back, which is unusual for a Knight

The emblem of 『A Goddess Riding a scale』 carved on its shoulder indicated that the Knight belonged to the Kingdom merchant guild.

「Yes, yes, please be careful on the road.」

I raised one hand in the cockpit which made the Old Lady also raise its hand. It was to wave back at the driver of a caravan passing who waved his hand to greet me.

I have turned off the external sound system, so I was just talking to myself.

(From the looks of it, it doesn’t look like there are any more magic beasts up ahead.)

Sometimes delivering potions, sometimes subjugating magic beasts in Old Lady, and going to brothels on an almost daily basis. Today is the day of the 『merchant guild’s Knight pilot』 in this routine of my life.

I come to the main highway in the northwestern part of the Kingdom. My job is to patrol the roads on a regular basis.

(I guess I’ll try going to that mountain over there.)

Finding a spot with a good view, I climbed the mountain in Old Lady and lay down on my stomach at the top. Then I continue my look around the surroundings to look for magic beasts among the trees.

The area along the road had been cleared so there was only grass, but there was a forest a short distance away.

(Hm?)

As I gazed at the scenery, I felt something strange as if a part of the scenery had moved. I turned my focus to that area and waited for a while.

(Found one.)

It was a little further down the road. In a shallow part of the forest, I found a round back with dense white spines on a black background.

Judging from its size, it was probably a medium-sized magic beast. There don’t seem to be others of the same kind around, so it must be alone.

(A hedgehog-shaped magic beast huh? It would probably be better to take it down.)

They are not the type that likes to attack, but they are very territorial and have no mercy on those who intrude into their territory.

It won’t be a problem if they live deep in the forest, but if they make a nest near the highway, it will be troublesome.

(Tei!)

I pulled the rifle out of Old Lady’s back and shoot while in a prone position. With a single shot, I managed to blow its face off.

The hedgehog, however, didn’t die instantly but instead flailed around on the spot before it stopped moving.

(I don’t see any movement that indicates it can flee. And there’s no presence coming toward my location either.)

I didn’t get up right away and kept my guard up as I analyzed my surroundings, and when I’m sure it was safe, I breathed out. It is my standard to hit a headshot.

(Sure, the torso might be a bigger target, but that way, it will take longer for it to die.)

Not a few magic beasts continue to run for tens of minutes through the forest and highway even after their internal organs are blown out.

『After being hit by a caravan golem carriage, it leaps into a village and crushes the houses there along with the inhabitants.』

It would be a terrible accident if that were to happen. Incidentally, 『fired a warning shot to drive them away』 is not an option.

The power of the human race extends only to the area around the villages and the roads connecting them. The rest is the territory controlled by the magic beasts and trying to assert superiority over them is impossible.

『Unleashing an attack that results in instant death from an undetected position, out of reach from counterattacks.』

I’m extremely bad at close-quarters combat, so I’m playing it thoroughly safe.

(I found a hedgehog here in the northwestern part of the Kingdom, which is not a place you’d normally encounter one. I’d better report it.)

They are supposed to be a sedentary species and only stay around their habitat.

The chain migration of magic beasts that started because of the battle in the Spirit Forest. This is probably will still be happening.

(Alright, that’s one job finished.)

I and the Old Lady descend from the mountain and resume our highway patrol.

(That was quick. it’s here already, huh?)

A little further ahead, I spotted a large bird flying in from the sky. It was descending toward the area where the dead hedgehog was.

Circling high in the sky, the bird must have been looking for prey with its excellent eyesight.

(I’ve been seeing these guys around a lot lately, so maybe they’ve marked the place around this as their territory.)

The habit of this giant, gliding, bird-shaped magical beast is to feed on corpses. They don’t attack humans, perhaps because they are too small to be their prey.

『They don’t attack people and before other magic beasts can gather around the corpse, they snatch it with their claws and take it to their nest deep in the forest.』

From my perspective, they are a beneficial existence, and perhaps I am also a beneficial existence from their perspective. Since if they stay close to the Old Lady, there is a good chance that they’ll be able to snatch prey.

That’s what I was thinking as I watched the bird move away with the hedgehog hanging in the air.

***

There were nothing noteworthy happened after that and I finished my job there. After returning to the royal capital at dusk, I headed for the merchant guild to make a report.

When I entered the office on the third floor, I found a small old man resembling a goblin in a high-backed leather chair and a fat, long-bearded Santa Claus on the sofa in the lounge suite.

「It’s going to be a while before the magic beasts finish their migration.」

The guild master, sitting in his leather chair, strokes his chin and exhales on the matter of the hedgehog magic beast I encountered today.

The world of magic beasts is currently in a state where the great migration of their race is combined with the age of war, and the Empire and the Northern countries near the Spirit Forest are in a state of great strife because of it.

It seems that the national Knights are very busy ensuring that there will be no damage to the residents in the aftermath of this strife.

「I’m sure everything will settle down once they have established a territory and settled there, but looking at the situation, it will be a while before that happens.」

The one who said it in a deep, firm voice was the vice guild master who was sinking the sofa with his weight.

Between the Kingdom and the Spirit Forest are the Empire and the Northern countries. The Kingdom’s territory is still in good shape for now, since the two countries are acting as some sort of defensive wall.

As for me, I just hope that this wall won’t break and that the waves won’t come over the wall.

「Thanks for your hard work today. Let me know if you notice anything else.」

With a single word from the guild master, the reporting business is over. He then smiles and asks, 『You seem to be doing something interesting』.

There is no doubt that he is talking about Panty-less Troupe. He must have found out about my involvement in Jayanne’s first preferential campaign, which started suddenly.

『Having Cool-san, dressed the same way as Panty-less Troupe members and handed out campaign flyers to make the missionary activities of the group appear to be nothing but an advertisement for a brothel.』

After I explained what I’ve been doing, Santa Claus opens his mouth.

「They are devout monotheists. The moment they knew of the imposter’s existence, they would come knocking.」

“And that’s exactly what you’re aiming for, I presume?” He asked and I affirmed.

「That’s where you round them up, huh? Although, the problem is how to lure them to the location of the ambush.」

It is as Goblin Jii-chan said, that is the difficult part.

「My plan, for now, is to leak when and where the fake will show up, as inside information on Jayanne.」

That’s what I said, but 『I can’t figure out how to tell the opponent when they don’t know where to find me』. When I honestly told him this, Goblin Jii-chan nodded his head several times.

「I guess I can lend you a hand if it is only that much.」

To my surprise, the merchant guild has located Panty-less Troupe’s location and even dispatched some people around them.

They say that they move from one inn to another every few days, but they have already figured it all out. The reason is that the innkeepers are members of the merchant guild.

(They’re completely dancing on his palm this whole time.)

He may not be willing to make a move, but he still keeps an eye on them and will take action if a problem arise. I felt sorry for the members of the Panty-less Group, who were probably trying their best to hide their whereabouts.

They will have no choice but to give up this time since the opponent is a bad match for them.

After replying, I looked the guild master straight in the eye and continued.

「I am sorry if this sounds like I’m pushing on your kindness, but I wonder if you could also lend me a hand as an individual?」

With an interested look on his face, Goblin Jii-chan urged me to go on with his chin. To which I continued with 『I Want you to join the ambush team』.

(According to the report, there are four members of the Panty-less Troupe.)

They are not the very best, but they all seem to be skilled. I would need more than just my own rod to bring them to their knees without letting them get away.

Cool-san, who is well-known as a famous Flower Arrangement player, would probably be able to deal with women. But she is not so keen on the idea.

『Let men deal with the women. I leave the climax to you and your companions, boss.』

That’s what she said. I thought that she was going to take it into her own hands to defeat the insurgents who were raiding her territory, which was honestly surprising.

However, if my subordinates rely on their leader or ask him to take the credit, then I should accept their request.

「Alright, I’m in. So, who else are you thinking of?」

At Goblin Jii-chan’s instant answer, I replied, 『I haven’t talked to them about it yet, but…』 and put up my finger.

Share