Magic Warrior Chapter 24 (Patreon)

Carriage

After lunch and a short rest, we continued on the road for a while, and the forest trees that had been visible on our right gradually became less dense.

Under an endless blue sky, the gently rolling grasslands continued all the way to the west, where we were headed, but we could see the forest to the west.

Cliffs, as if the ground had been shifted over the years, were scattered in places. Sprouting grass and ivy hung down from the rock surfaces. It's called a fault line.

As we continued on, looking at the sparse trees, we came to a crossroads. There was a stone pillar to ward off monsters, and an information board hung over it.

If we proceeded north here, we would reach the town of Gardia. To the south was the border area, but it would still be a long way from here.

After going south, we took the road to the east just before the border, and found a town with a large lake.

I heard that it was a summer resort for aristocrats and wealthy people. I would like to visit there someday when I become an adventurer.

"Want to take a break?"

"...un."

Perhaps she was getting tired, but I had a feeling that Claire was not responding well to our conversation, so we decided to take a break again.

Her color was not bad, but it was not a journey that I was in a hurry to make. In fact, I might have let her walk at my pace too much.

Then I realized that I was hardly tired. It was not a matter of training or anything like that, but the effect of the data from "SeveCro".

I had thought that my overall status had increased since I had tea at Master Tellnet's place, but my production skills and other factors had also made a big difference.

I did engraving and magic granting for the gift to Claire, and practiced strengthening magic for the magic warrior, but the use of power and magic manipulation had become much smoother.

When I made the wooden sword, I was so clumsy that even I felt uncomfortable, but I think that has also been eliminated.

I think the reason I was too clumsy was because my awareness of how to use power was not in balance with Minagi Kainagi's awareness of how to use power.

Minagi Kainagi's consciousness pushed with a force of about 2, but Mina's muscular strength pushed with a force of about 3.

Since Tellnet-sama also said "settled," I hypothesize that the influence of Mina's body and data has settled.

However, I believe that the level was reset because I did not feel that I could use any skills other than those in the low level range.

...Sewing? I tried it for the first time in a long time and my mom took the needle away from me in 3 minutes...what's wrong?

Claire and I sat on a large stone that looks like a bench and drank water.

It was nice to have a magic bag to carry things like water that would be a burden to carry for a long time. There must be many travelers who take a rest around here, and there were many stones lying around that were easy to sit on.

"You have a lot of stamina, sister. I've been practicing with you a little, too."

"Well, maybe it's important to keep practicing every day."

"I see. Maybe I should work a little harder."

I couldn't say that it must be the influence of the game, so I said something random, but it was taken seriously.

Claire has plenty of energy, too.

I should have noticed that she needed to take more breaks. I have to reflect on that.

◇

After taking a long break, Claire stood up.

"It's all right now, big sis."

"Let's go then."

My father had told us that we would be able to see the town if we walked "one job" from the street.

The "one job" used in the village is about two or three hours, according to my sense. I should note that this is just for reference, and the range varies from person to person.

My father said that "one bell" is almost the same as "one minute" in the town, but I don't know. I would like to know more about this while we are in town.

After walking so far that I could no longer see the stone pillar I had rested on, I began to see a large river on my left, meandering in the direction of the town.

This large river, which flows into the neighboring country from the north, was called the Canarelle River. Beyond the river, a forest could be seen.

The western part of the river from the Canarelle River seems to be inhabited by many demons, and no bridges have been built to prevent them from crossing over.

The only way to cross to the other side of the river was to swim or go through the town of Gardia. The former would only be for those who are in a great hurry or criminals such as smugglers who are not allowed to enter the town.

The road from here onward is planted with coniferous trees at intervals, perhaps to protect the road from the sun. It was autumn according to the calendar, but the leaves were lush and green. They may be evergreen trees.

I saw a covered wagon parked by the roadside.

Claire and I were walking leisurely, but I did not remember being passed by a horse-drawn carriage. I wondered if the wagon had been parked there for a long time, and then I heard the menacing cry of a beast.

The carriage was surrounded by several wolves. It seems that they have not noticed us yet.

The only part of the wagon that we can see is the back of the wagon. The back side of the wagon seems to be covered with a cloth, so we cannot see inside.

The wagon was surrounded by wolves, but there was no reaction from the wagon. Even if there was only cargo in the back, there must be at least one driver, but I wonder if he had barely escaped and was stuck there.

"Big sis!"

Claire noticed Wolf's presence and shook my hand.

I could see that she was sweating, as if she were in a hurry. The area was open and gentle, and the fault line was not long, so there were few places to hide.

There was a stone pillar to ward off monsters, so it was unlikely that we would see any on the road.

"It's okay if it's just a wolf."

"It's bigger than the ones we see in the village, and it's a different color."

"It's a Bloody Wolf, I think."

Claire was right, the wolves surrounding the wagon were two times larger than the normal wolves seen in the village, and their fur was as red and black as blood. Ordinary wolves were monsters that a fledgling adventurer could just about defeat, but these guys were different.

The Bloody Wolves, as the name implies, looked as if they had been bathed in blood, and they were ferocious and cruel.

It was said that once it bites you, it would not let you go even if you were dead. They were one of vampire's dependents, and were rarely seen in the game unless there was an event involving vampires.

They were stronger than ordinary wolves, but not much stronger than living statues.

They were more of the type of demons that attack in numbers.

I remembered that they were often used by low-level vampires.

The actuality of this world may be commonplace, but now that I have become more proficient, I should be able to easily defeat a few of them.

"Claire, can you hide behind a tree in that area, or stay out of my sword's reach, but not too far away?"

"Are you going to fight, big sis?"

"We won't be able to get to town without them finding us in this open area anyway. It would be dark if we had to go back to the village from here."

"Yeah, that's true. Are you sure you're okay?

"Yes."

I pulled the iron sword my father had given me out of its scabbard.

Claire didn't have a weapon, and she wasn't an adventurer yet, so I didn't want her to do anything dangerous. She decided to hide for now and went into the shade of a nearby tree.

Even though she was hiding, she was in full view if anyone approached her, and I was most afraid that they would try to get Claire.

Bloody Wolf seems to be concerned about the inside of the carriage, and if it doesn't come near us even at this distance, I wondered if it would be all right.

"I'm off then!"

I declared a little cheerfully so that Claire wouldn't worry.

"[Atzere], [Muscolo]."

I cast an enhancement spell on myself. I enhance my speed and muscular strength and charge on up to the carriage.

When I get close to the half distance remaining, Bloody Wolf and the others turn around as if they have noticed us.

It was too late.

By the time I turned around, the Bloody Wolf was right in front of me.

I swung my sword down at the neck of the nearest Bloody Wolf.

With a single sword stroke, he cut off the head, and blood splattered all over.

Turning around the right side of the carriage, I slashed up at my next prey with the sword still swinging down.

Bloody Wolf dodges with a back step, but it seems to have been hit shallowly in the jaw, causing it to bleed.

--Back.

"[Volte]"

It was a magic that forced you to rotate in the direction of your choice on the spot.

In the game, this magic was useless, but now that it has become a reality, there were uses for it.

Letting the magic's rotational power do the work for me, I hit the Bloody Wolf that jumped at me from behind with a flash, and with one more [Volte], I spin halfway around.

[Volte] had almost no impact on the body, but if you used it continuously, you would feel dizzy. The Bloody Wolf, cut in the jaw, had not yet moved.

"[Vent Rama]"

I pointed my left hand towards the Bloody Wolf, who was furious at the unexpected injury, and fired a spell.

It was one of the basic magic to send a blade of wind flying, but it was hard to use because I was afraid of how powerful it would be to shoot it at random in the village.

This might be a good opportunity to try it out.

As soon as I released the magic, Bloody Wolf jumped to the right. I couldn't see it myself, but it seemed that a blade of wind flew, slicing through the Bloody Wolf's leg and knocking it out of its stance.

"[Gatch Argo]"

I changed the magic I was going to shoot, thinking that I should have used a magic that was easier to see.

Three icicles, large enough to be called needles and about the length of my elbow, appeared in the air and flew toward Bloody Wolf.

The icicles penetrate the head of the Bloody Wolf.

◇

I circled the carriage to make sure the rest of the Bloody Wolf was gone. I saw Claire emerge from behind a tree where she had been hiding and come towards me.

The coach was also covered with cracked wooden planks. The horse that was supposed to be pulling it was also not there. I thought there were people inside because the Blood Wolves were surrounding it, but I couldn't hear anything.

There must be some way to get inside, right?

If it wasn't in front, it must be behind. I went around to the back again and turned up the cloth.

There was a door with bars on it.

Inside, about three people were sitting in a group at the front, all of them wearing one piece of cloth called a kantougi, tied around the waist with a string, and metal collars were attached to them.

"Um?"

The three people, who seemed to have noticed when they were approached, turned their heads towards me simultaneously.

Inside were one male and one female in their 20s. A girl of about 12 years old was a few steps away.

"Miss, where's Wolf?"

"I beat them."

The man looked at the face of a woman about the same age and then spoke to me.

The two girls seemed to know each other. The girl was staring at me but did not say anything. She must have been very scared.

"Really? I thought it was over, since the one who was in charge of the horse escaped right away...."

"It was like they knew this was going to happen."

"Well, I guess he took the key to the door, didn't he?"

"No, the guy threw it in through the gap between the boards. But I couldn't open it, so..."

Well, I guess that works. They wouldn't try to open the lock when they were surrounded by monsters. But if it goes on for a long time, they might try to save someone at the expense of someone else. If the man and the woman knew each other, there was a good chance that the girl next to them, whom they didn't seem to know, would be sacrificed.

I took the key the man mentioned and unlocked the door from the outside.

"Big sis!"

Claire, who had caught up with me, called out to me from behind with a look of wanting to say something or other.

If it was just Claire, I wouldn't mind explaining my abilities, but there were other people there. I told her that the people on board were safe and sound, and Claire smiled with a relieved expression on her face.

I think Claire might not care about my ability as much as I think she does.

Rather than that, I needed to take care of the problem at hand. This carriage was a carriage carrying slaves, wasn't it? Would it be okay to take them to the town as they were?

I didn't know the rules of this world, so it's out of my hands....

I won't end up looking like a criminal who stole a slave, would I?

--I wondered what I should do now.