Chapter 4
The next morning.
Having finished preparations, I met up with Yui and the others in front of the inn.
"Morning, everyone!"
Yui yawned sleepily.
It seemed the journey to Markus’s farm would take a few days on foot, and considering camping spots, we had to depart early in the morning. Since we were up late last night, Yui was probably still tired. I was used to this and didn’t feel particularly sleepy, but Daggus and the others looked just as drowsy as Yui.
"Here, take care of this."
Yui handed me a large backpack filled with supplies.
I stored it away using storage magic.
The pack was quite heavy and bulky, containing supplies for several days, but with storage magic, that didn’t matter. I used storage magic to store the other members’ belongings one by one as well.
"This magic is seriously convenient. What were those heroes thinking, kicking Lloyd out?"
Yui muttered as she watched me store the luggage with storage magic.
"It’s not exactly rare…"
Storage magic was something anyone could learn, regardless of their class, as long as they got the hang of it. With a bit of practice, even Yui and the others could pick it up quickly.
"Want me to teach you sometime?"
"Huh? We could learn it too!?"
"Yeah… especially for Cross, it’d be pretty useful. Though expanding the capacity might take time, just learning the basics could probably be done in an hour."
"True… if I could carry tons of arrows, and maybe even…"
Cross looked intrigued as he watched me use storage magic. This spell was one of the most convenient I knew. Not only was it effective, but it consumed no mana except when retrieving items. There was no downside to learning it.
If we could keep working together after this quest, I’d definitely want to teach them.
After storing everyone’s luggage, I headed with Yui and the others toward Markus’s farm.
◇
A few hours later.
We arrived at the camping spot slightly ahead of schedule. The sun was starting to dip, but there was still time before it got dark.
"Lloyd, the luggage…"
"Got it."
I activated storage magic and began retrieving the camping essentials.
"Tents, food, cooking tools… that should be about it."
I checked the items to make sure I hadn’t forgotten anything.
"Man, having you around is a lifesaver, Lloyd. This much stuff would’ve been heavy."
"Yeah, not having to carry it made moving a lot easier."
True, this amount of gear would’ve been quite a burden, especially since we brought supplies for several days.
"Don’t people around here use it?"
"Well, I’d heard of storage magic, but you’re the first person I’ve seen actually using it…"
It wasn’t that difficult a spell, in my opinion.
"Even if we wanted to learn, there was no one to teach us, so we couldn’t ask anyone."
I see. If no one uses it, there’s no one to learn from, and without knowing how it works, it’s basically impossible to pick up. Especially if they’d never even seen it in action.
"Like I said this morning, I can teach you if we get the time."
"Yes, please!"
Silica replied eagerly.
"Hey, Lloyd, Silica, chatting’s fine, but let’s finish setting up first. Talk later."
Daggus’s warning prompted us to focus and quietly proceed with preparations.
A few dozen minutes later…
"Alright, done!"
We managed to finish setting up the tents before the sun fully set and darkness took over.
"Now we just need branches or something to burn…"
"Oh, Daggus! Can I ask you something?"
"What?"
"I saw a river over there earlier. Is it okay if I go take a quick dip? With Silica."
"M-Me too!?"
"Of course!"
"Well, I don’t mind, but… leaving Lloyd here alone might be risky."
As a White Mage, I was a support class, not a combat one. I could fight if needed, but it wasn’t my strength.
"Then I’ll stay here."
"Right. In that case, keep watch, but don’t push yourself. If you spot a monster, signal us."
Daggus glanced at me, signaling what to retrieve. I used storage magic to pull out a flare and handed it to Cross.
"Just shoot this up, right?"
"Yeah. And absolutely don’t fight alone."
"Got it."
With that, Yui and Silica headed to the river, while Daggus and I went to gather burnable materials.
◇
Burnable materials… well, around here, that mostly meant branches.
I wandered through the forest, collecting anything that could serve as fuel.
"This should burn well…"
I picked up a thick branch and stored it, repeating the process. Truth be told, I’d already gathered the amount Daggus requested. What I was collecting now was for tomorrow or in case something unexpected happened.
Many monsters disliked fire, so keeping it burning through the night was necessary, and you never knew what might occur. There was a limit to storage magic’s capacity, but I still had plenty of room, so gathering extra wasn’t an issue.
With that in mind, I continued picking up branches as long as time allowed.
Pick, store, walk through the forest.
After about ten minutes of walking, I reached a cliff-like area slightly elevated from the surroundings. The reason? I spotted a familiar fruit.
The tree was fairly tall, and falling might cause injury, but the river below should cushion any fall.
I climbed the tree to get a closer look and plucked a fruit.
"Yup, just like the ones near Master’s house."
The appearance and smell were the same. It should be safe to eat.
I took a small bite to test it.
"Hm…"
The fruit was sweet and highly nutritious.
"Might as well take a few back…"
With that thought, I reached up to grab more.
That’s when it happened.
The branch I was on started creaking ominously.
Then, with a loud snap, it broke.
"Damn it…"
I tried to jump down and land, but I slipped and fell off the cliff.
I screwed up…
I plummeted straight into the river with a tremendous splash.
"Phew…"
I surfaced, catching my breath.
"Ugh… my clothes are soaked. Gotta dry them later."
I retrieved the fruit that had fallen with me and swam toward the shore.
The moment I climbed out of the water…
"L-L-Lloyd… what are you… doing?"
A familiar voice made me turn. There was Yui, face bright red, glaring at me. She wasn’t wearing any clothes, covering only the critical areas with her hands.
Behind her was Silica, reacting similarly.
This… was a bad situation.
“...Look, I’m sorry. I fell from the cliff…”
“You… pervert!”
A sharp impact struck my cheek.
And then, I lost consciousness…
◇
“Ugh…”
My awareness slowly returned.
Did I fall asleep at some point?
My cheek hurt…
I dragged my heavy body upright and looked around.
“Oh, you’re finally awake…”
“Yui…”
Behind her was Silica, too.
For some reason, both of them were glaring at me, visibly angry.
“Hey… what happened to me…?”
“Well, well, Mr. Peeping Tom, care to explain why you were there? I’ll hear you out if you’ve got an excuse… so, do you?”
An excuse? For what…?
Oh, right…
“I… fell off the cliff.”
Yui’s words jogged my memory of trying to pick the fruit and falling. At the same time, I realized why Yui and Silica were so upset.
“Look, I’m sorry… I saw a familiar fruit and tried to grab it, then I just fell.”
“Hmm…”
It didn’t seem like they fully believed me.
Now, what to do…
“Lloyd doesn’t seem like that kind of person, but… do you have that fruit?”
“Oh, yeah…”
Hoping to at least prove something, I retrieved the fruit from storage magic and placed it before them.
“Can you eat this?”
They must not have seen this fruit before.
They picked it up, examining it closely.
Come to think of it, I hadn’t seen it in Ishtar either…
“It should be edible. I tried a bite, and it’s almost identical to the one I know.”
“Huh.”
Yui, still wary, took a bite of the fruit.
“It’s sweet…”
She must’ve been really hungry.
Yui ended up eating the entire fruit.
“It does seem like you were telling the truth about picking fruit… Alright, I’ll believe you this time, Lloyd. But there won’t be a next time.”
“G-Got it…”
So, they believed me, more or less?
Afterward, I somehow managed to get Silica’s forgiveness as well, and we agreed to put the incident behind us.
◇
When we returned to the campsite with Yui and the others, Daggus and the rest were already preparing.
The fire hadn’t been lit yet, it seemed.
“Yo, Lloyd. You’re late, aren’t you? And with Yui and the others…”
“Sorry, sorry. I ran into Lloyd on the way back, and we got to talking, so it took a while.”
What a natural lie.
Though, since I was the cause, Yui wasn’t at fault at all…
I owed her one again.
“Well, that’s fine then. I was worried you’d run into some troublesome monster… So, did you gather enough burnable stuff?”
“Yeah…”
I used storage magic to retrieve a bit more than the amount Daggus had asked for.
“Will this do?”
“That’s plenty. Silica, light it up.”
“Got it.”
Silica used magic to ignite the pile of thick branches.
“Alright… now, about tonight’s watch…”
From the earlier explanation, Daggus had said the watch would be done in pairs. There was a clear reason for this—it was a rule the party had set. A single person would struggle to handle a surprise attack, and having two allowed one to fight while the other woke the rest. That’s why the watch was always done in pairs.
The watch, huh…
“Hey, Lloyd, if it’s okay with you, want to take the watch together tonight?”
As I was hesitating, Yui invited me.
“Sure… if you’re okay with me.”
There was no reason to refuse, so I accepted Yui’s offer.
Or rather, I felt like I couldn’t refuse.
It was just a hunch, but Yui probably hadn’t fully forgiven me. Her goal was likely to keep an eye on me while everyone else slept, to make sure I didn’t do anything.
The moment I realized that, refusing was no longer an option.
“Th-Thanks…”
“Alright, it’s settled then.”
“Right. Lloyd, Yui, we’re counting on you tonight.”
And so, Yui and I were set to take the watch together.
◇
As the surroundings grew completely dark and a quiet stillness settled in, Yui and I stood guard near the tents where our companions slept. We kept our eyes sharp, scanning for any sign of monsters.
“Hmm, no monsters around…”
“Yeah… seems that way.”
I calmly surveyed the area, exuding a sense of ease.
Seeing this, Yui could tell I was accustomed to situations like this.
What puzzled her was how I could grasp the surroundings without moving an inch. Given my serious nature, it was unlikely I was slacking on the watch.
“Yui… something wrong?”
Noticing her gaze, I asked.
“No, it’s nothing.”
“Alright? Well, about the watch…”
“Oh, thanks for joining me for the night watch.”
“Y-Yeah…”
Yui had actually planned to invite me to take the watch together even before I brought it up. She’d been thinking about how to ask naturally. When she noticed me about to volunteer, she saw her chance.
There was something she absolutely needed to tell Lloyd.
Something she had to say…
“Hey… I’m sorry for dragging you into this quest.”
“Well, I was out of work and in a bind, so…”
Right. Yui realized it must’ve been tough for me, having just been expelled from the Hero’s Party and still reeling emotionally. She felt a pang of regret for selfishly pulling me, still heartbroken, into her plans.
I glanced at Yui, who was giving off a dejected vibe.
“By the way, why are you so fixated on this quest?”
I decided to ask something that had been on my mind.
“Haha… does it seem that way?”
“Yeah… Daggus told me a bit about your personality, but even so, you seem almost desperate.”
It seemed Yui’s urgency hadn’t gone unnoticed by me.
“Sorry… it just feels so similar to what happened in my hometown…”
A few years ago, a horde of monsters attacked Yui’s village when she was young. The villagers, except for Yui, were all killed—her friends, her parents, everyone. Yui was saved by an adventurer party that arrived partway through, but she was too dazed to remember their faces.
“I see…”
I didn’t press further.
He’s so kind… Yui thought.
Even when she invited me, I didn’t flat-out refuse. I could’ve said it wasn’t my problem, but I came along anyway.
“This time it’s a farm, but when I hear about a monster horde, I can’t just ignore it… Plus, if food runs out, Ishtar might manage, but smaller towns and villages will suffer.”
Markus’s farm was large, and its vegetables were sold beyond Ishtar. Big cities could source from other farms, but small villages relied heavily on Markus’s produce. If his farm stopped supplying, many villages would be in trouble.
“Oh, by the way, what were you about to say earlier?”
Yui remembered I’d been about to say something.
“Well, I thought you still suspected me of being a peeping Tom and volunteered for the watch to keep an eye on me…”
So that’s why I agreed to the watch. Yui nodded in understanding.
It seemed I was really hung up on the peeping incident.
“That’s all fine now. It was an accident, right?”
“Well, yeah…”
“I’m not worried about it anymore, so it’s okay. I trust you, Lloyd, and I wanted to tell you that. That’s the only reason I suggested we take the watch together—not to monitor you.”
Having said what she needed to, Yui started to step away to focus on the watch.
That’s when it happened.
I suddenly raised my staff, staring into the depths of the forest.
Caught off guard after sharing her thoughts, Yui drew her sword a moment later.
A few seconds after that, several giant spider-like monsters emerged from the darkness.
“Those are… Paulaarks.”
Spiders with massive two-meter bodies, six large, pitch-black eyes, and eight long, eerie legs. To anyone with a fear of insects, they were nightmare fuel.
“Tch… troublesome monsters. Too tough for just the two of us.”
I muttered, eyeing the Paulaarks.
“Lloyd, can you wake Daggus and the others? I’ll hold them off in the meantime!”
As a combat class, Yui figured she should take the front line to buy time.
I seemed to agree, giving her a small nod.
“Yeah, leave it to—!?”
But then, the Paulaarks did something unexpected.
They completely ignored Yui and me, passing right by us.
As if we weren’t even worth their attention.
The Paulaarks vanished into the deep darkness of the forest.
Did they flee? No, that couldn’t be.
Thinking this, Yui turned toward the direction they disappeared, gripping her sword tightly. She wondered if there might be an even stronger monster—something the Paulaarks feared.
But, in contrast, I lowered my staff for some reason.
“Yui, it’s alright now.”
“Huh? But those spiders might come back…”
“No… at least, there’s nothing around anymore.”
“Lloyd, can you tell what those things are doing?”
“No, I can’t tell right now… but I know they’re not nearby anymore.”
He answered with clear confidence.
If Lloyd was that certain, the Paulaarks were likely gone. Seeing Lloyd lower his guard, Yui also relaxed and sheathed her sword.
(Hmm, maybe Lloyd’s got really sharp eyes?) Yui thought to herself.
(Well, if Lloyd says they’re gone, it’s probably fine.)
The Paulaarks’ behavior was odd, but Yui decided it wasn’t worth dwelling on. Instead, she focused on staying vigilant for other monsters, working with Lloyd to keep watch around the tents until morning.
However, during that time, Lloyd alone seemed troubled, his expression suggesting something was bothering him as he sank deep into thought.
◇
Several days had passed since we left Ishtar.
We pressed forward through the forest, staying alert to our surroundings.
“…There’s something off about this forest,” Yui muttered, scanning the area.
“Yeah, you’re right…”
Something was wrong.
We’d been in the forest for days, yet not a single monster had appeared. Even on the way here, we hadn’t encountered any.
True, we’d taken a relatively safe route recommended by the Adventurer’s Guild. But this was still a forest. To go days without seeing a single monster was unnatural.
At first, it felt like luck, but now it was starting to feel unsettling. The forest itself began to seem eerie.
“Hey, Lloyd, are you doing something?” Yui asked, eyeing me suspiciously.
“No, nothing in particular…”
“Really?”
“Yeah… really.”
I’d occasionally used detection magic to check the area, but that shouldn’t have anything to do with the lack of monsters. Detection magic only senses living creatures or mana signatures—it doesn’t repel monsters.
“O-Okay… then what’s going on with this situation…?”
I activated detection magic again.
As expected, there were no signs of monsters nearby.
Maybe I should expand the range…
With that thought, I extended the detection magic’s range from five kilometers to ten.
Then, at roughly ten kilometers away, I sensed the presence of monsters.
“This is…”
“Lloyd, what’s wrong?”
“…Up ahead, a huge number of monsters are gathered in one spot.”
And not just ten or twenty. Far more, forming a massive horde.
“Huh…? We can’t see anything.”
Yui stretched up on her toes, straining to spot the monsters.
But there was no way she could see them. They weren’t close enough to be visible to the naked eye.
“Lloyd… are there really monsters up ahead?”
“Yeah… I used detection magic and picked up a massive number of them about ten kilometers from here.”
“Huh…?”
Yui’s mouth fell open in shock.
“That direction and distance… it’s right around where we’re headed…”
“W-Wait a second! No way, are you serious!?”
Yui suddenly shouted.
I didn’t know why, but since she said that, I stopped walking.
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s not ‘what’s wrong’… You just said ten kilometers, right?”
“Yeah, I did.”
I’d definitely said that, and it was true.
I didn’t want to push it further since mana consumption would get intense, but if I didn’t care about that, I could expand the range even more.
“Are you saying… you can detect things that far away?” Yui asked cautiously.
Daggus and the others beside her were also staring at me with serious expressions.
“Yeah… Did I say something bad?”
Not understanding the point of Yui’s question, I tilted my head.
Why were they all looking at me so seriously? I racked my brain but couldn’t think of anything unusual I’d done.
“Hey, Yui… did I—”
Before I could finish, Daggus, ignoring Yui’s shocked expression, stepped forward.
“Can you pinpoint the exact direction?”
“Yeah, that’s…”
“Wait a second! Lloyd’s one thing, but why aren’t you shocked, Daggus!?”
“I’m plenty shocked… But that’s not the priority right now. The quest comes first.”
I had no idea what was going on, but Yui and Daggus were talking it out.
Shocked? About what…?
“So, Lloyd, you know the direction, right? Lead the way.”
“Y-Yeah…”
I guided Yui and the others toward the location where I’d sensed the massive cluster of monsters.
When we saw the scene, we were all left speechless.
“What… is this?”
Yui muttered, staring at what was presumably Markus’s farm.
We were standing a fair distance from the farm, so the High Wolves wouldn’t spot us. Even from here, though, the abnormality was clear.
“You’re right, this is abnormal…”
Hundreds of meters ahead, the farm was overrun with an unnatural number of High Wolves. There had to be at least a thousand. It made sense why the quest described an “unusual number.” The farm, which should have been lush with greenery, was now a sea of gray, swarmed by the High Wolf horde.
It was bizarre.
“That’s strange…”
“Yeah, this many monsters…”
“No, that’s not it.”
“““Huh?”””
That wasn’t the main issue.
From their reactions, it seemed Yui and the others were shocked by the sheer number of monsters. Sure, that was surprising in itself.
But the most shocking part—the real mystery—wasn’t the numbers.
It was that this horde consisted of High Wolves, not some other monster.
“Within the range of my detection magic, this was the only place with any monster signatures…”
“And what about that?”
“That’s what’s strange… Where did all the other monsters go?”
Yui and the others seemed to catch on.
“Y-You’re right…”
High Wolves weren’t particularly strong. This forest should have plenty of monsters that even a group of High Wolves couldn’t defeat—like the Paulaarks we saw earlier, which were far stronger. Even in numbers, High Wolves could only take down a few at best.
So, it was unthinkable that High Wolves had wiped out the forest’s other monsters. Besides, High Wolves didn’t typically form hordes this large, and if a battle had occurred, there would’ve been some trace of it. Yet, we hadn’t seen any signs of conflict on our way here.
In other words, the other monsters had vanished without a fight.
The High Wolves’ behavior…
The disappearance of other monsters…
Something abnormal was definitely happening in this forest.
“Yui, where’s the owner of this farm?”
“Huh? Markus? I heard he got injured because of this and is staying at his son’s house…”
“…I see.”
There might’ve been some kind of precursor to this situation. If I could figure that out, it might shed some light… That’s what I thought. I’d hoped to at least talk to the owner, but if he wasn’t here, I’d have to find answers myself.
I scanned the farm’s surroundings for any clues.
“Hey, what’s that!?” Cross said, pointing into the distance.
He’d spotted something. Yui and the others turned to stare in the direction he indicated.
“Hmm, what… what is it?”
“There, that! That creepy black stone!”
Yui and the others squinted at the spot Cross was pointing to but couldn’t see anything.
I looked too, but I didn’t see anything either.
That said, Cross didn’t seem to be lying. He clearly saw something, and it didn’t feel like a mistake.
Was it simply a matter of eyesight?
We were a bit far from the farm, but it wasn’t an impossible distance to see with the naked eye. If Cross had sharper vision than most, it’d explain why he could see something we couldn’t.
“Let’s try something…”
I retrieved my staff from storage magic and cast an original reinforcement spell on myself—a custom spell based on physical enhancement, designed solely to boost eyesight.
After confirming my vision had sharpened, I looked again at the spot Cross was pointing to.
There it was—a black stone.
That had to be the “creepy stone” Cross mentioned. On closer inspection, a black, misty aura was emanating from it. The stone was about a meter tall.
“Yeah, that’s definitely strange…”
It didn’t look like something natural.
“Huh!? You can see it too, Lloyd?”
“Yeah, thanks to the reinforcement magic.”
“Can you cast that on us too?”
“Of course.”
I cast the same reinforcement spell on Yui and the others that I’d used on myself.
Now they should be able to see that black stone too.
“Hmm, Cross was right—it’s a weird stone… especially that misty stuff coming off it. What is that?” Yui said, tilting her head.
“Probably mana,” I replied.
Detection magic. I’d mentioned sensing the presence of living creatures earlier, but to be more precise, it detects the mana they emit, allowing me to pinpoint their location. Amid the High Wolves, I hadn’t noticed it at first, but that black stone was radiating mana.
This wasn’t human mana. It was likely beastman mana. It seemed the black stone had been imbued with a beastman’s mana.
Had a beastman left a mana-infused stone on the farm?
But if so, why…?
As I pondered this, I suddenly recalled something my master once told me.
“Could it be…?”
“Lloyd, what’s up?” Yui asked, tilting her head again.
“I’m sensing beastman mana from that stone.”
“Beastman mana? But why…?”
I’d once heard from my master that some beastmen could use rare magic to control monsters. I didn’t know if it was true. But the mana from that stone was undeniably beastman in origin.
A bad feeling crept into my mind.
If that black stone was imbued with magic… and if magic to control monsters truly existed… then this situation was being caused deliberately.
Was someone using magic to gather the High Wolves here?
If so, for what purpose?
I racked my brain for answers.
That’s when it happened.
My detection magic, still active, picked up the presence of monsters. Not just one or two, but a horde—larger than the High Wolves—approaching us.
What was going on?
There hadn’t been any monster signatures earlier.
It was almost as if…
“This is bad…”
I didn’t know the reason, but one thing was clear.
The High Wolf horde…
And now this sudden appearance of another monster horde.
“No way…”
There was only one plausible explanation.
It seemed we’d been set up by someone.
“What’s wrong?” Daggus asked, having overheard me.
Daggus and the others hadn’t noticed the approaching horde. The monsters were still about ten kilometers away—a distance impossible to detect without detection magic or something similar.
“…It looks like we’ve been set up.”
I told Yui and the others exactly what I was thinking.
“Set up!? Us!?” Cross exclaimed.
“Yeah… A horde of monsters is approaching from the direction we came from.”
“No way… Seriously? Why…?”
A horde of High Wolves ahead, and now another horde of monsters closing in from behind.
“Damn it… What kind of horde is it now? Where were they hiding!?”
“Sorry, I don’t know that either…”
The distance was too great to identify the types of monsters. However, from subtle differences in their movement speed and behavior, I could tell it wasn’t just one type. There were at least a dozen different kinds.
This was clearly intentional.
Sending a mixed horde of different monster types meant whoever set us up wasn’t bothering to hide their intentions anymore.
But why…?
“Yui, have you done anything to make enemies?”
“N-No way!” she protested.
As expected.
She might’ve rubbed some people the wrong way, but it was hard to imagine her earning the kind of grudge that would warrant this.
“Just checking.”
“Ugh… So, what about the horde?”
“It’s a mixed group of various monster types coming from behind. The numbers… easily over a few thousand.”
“What…!? No way!” Yui’s face went pale.
If my guess was correct, someone was trying to eliminate us… or perhaps lure us away from Ishtar?
Either way, there was a reason they’d gathered the High Wolves here. They’d likely orchestrated the situation to prompt the farm’s owner to issue a quest, drawing S-Rank adventurers like us to this location. They’d even calibrated the quest’s difficulty to stay at A-Rank, avoiding S-Rank classification.
Keeping it at A-Rank might’ve been meant to make us let our guard down. If it had been labeled S-Rank, I would’ve prepared more thoroughly.
Information about Ishtar’s adventurers is easy to come by in the city. A quick investigation would reveal that no one but Yui’s party could take on an A-Rank quest like this.
But what was the purpose of all this?
“For now, shouldn’t we retreat? With Lloyd’s detection magic, we could probably avoid them…” Cross suggested.
“No, that won’t work,” I said.
“Huh? Why not…?”
Yui’s suggestion to flee had crossed my mind too. The best course would be to hurry back to Ishtar and report this. If it were possible, that’s what we should do.
But if the enemy had someone capable of using detection magic or something similar… No, given the timing of this monster movement, they almost certainly did.
If that were the case, we risked leading the horde back to the city. Fighting near Ishtar could endanger civilians.
“Even with detection magic, I’m not sure we could escape cleanly. If the enemy detects us, the monsters might follow, and that could cause damage to the city.”
“You’re right…” Yui agreed.
Leading a monster horde back to the city was something we had to avoid at all costs.
That left only one option.
“Yui, we fight.”
“Huh? Yeah, I guess we have no choice… Wait, what!? We’re fighting!?”
“Yeah. There’s no other way to get through this.”
“Ugh, I mean, sure, but… this number is just…”
Even for S-Rank adventurers, facing this many enemies would be tough. Especially for Yui’s party, with only one offensive magic user, taking on both hordes head-on and defeating them all was impossible.
The odds of winning were practically zero.
But that was only if we tried to take on both hordes at once.
We didn’t need to fight both simultaneously.
“Cross, can you hit that stone?”
“Huh? The black stone?”
“Yeah.”
Cross paused, considering my words.
“…Probably not impossible. I think I can hit it.”
“Good. You can hit it, then?”
“Yeah, that’s doable. Destroying it, though… that’s iffy.”
True, no matter how skilled an archer, a normal arrow couldn’t destroy that stone from this distance. Even someone like Lulu from the Hero’s Party would struggle.
The farther the shot, the weaker the impact—a simple fact.
In that case, all I needed to do was support Cross as a support class.
“Cross, mind lending me your bow and an arrow?”
“Uh, sure, I guess…”
I took the bow and a single arrow from Cross.
Then, I cast a reinforcement spell on them—a slightly different kind from the one used on people.
“Alright, done.”
I handed the enhanced bow and arrow back to Cross.
This should ensure enough power to destroy the black stone, even from this distance.
“Cross, aim for that stone.”
“Y-Yeah… got it.”
Cross slowly drew the bow and fired.
The arrow, cutting through air resistance, flew at incredible speed toward the black stone.
The moment it struck, the stone shattered into pieces.
“Hell yeah!” Cross pumped his fist.
Hitting it from this distance with one shot… As expected of an S-Rank adventurer. He might even rival or surpass Lulu in skill.
“Hey, Lloyd, what’d you do to my bow and arrow? It felt… way stronger than usual,” Cross asked, inspecting his bow.
“Just cast reinforcement magic on the bow, the arrow, and you.”
“No way… You can enhance weapons and people at the same time?”
“That’s pretty standard. I just did what any White Mage would. Nothing special.”
“No, I’m pretty sure that’s not normal…” Cross replied, looking dissatisfied with my answer.
“Hey, Cross! Look at that!” Yui pointed toward the farm.
There, the High Wolves were turning on each other, biting and clawing.
Exactly as I’d predicted.
With the black stone destroyed, the magic controlling them must’ve dissipated. High Wolves, which typically only form small packs, had been forcibly controlled by some kind of magic.
What happens when that magic is broken?
They start fighting among themselves.
This should significantly reduce their numbers.
“Lloyd, you knew this would happen…?”
“Pretty much. They won’t wipe each other out completely, but their numbers will drop a lot. And in this state, they won’t pay attention to us. Now we can focus on the other horde.”
“That’s incredible… You thought that far ahead?”
So far, everything had gone according to plan.
But the next part wouldn’t be so easy.
This time, we were dealing with a single type of monster—one that fights among itself—and the black stone, presumably imbued with magic, had been left exposed for Cross to spot. That’s why destroying it worked.
The horde approaching from behind, however, didn’t fit any of those conditions. It could even be under someone’s direct control.
“Now… what to do?”
With detection magic still active, I could sense the horde gradually closing in. As they got closer, their mana signatures grew stronger, and I started to identify the types of monsters.
The horde included weaker ones like slimes and goblins, but also trickier ones like cockatrices.
“What a strange mix…”
Faced with a combination that shouldn’t naturally occur, I couldn’t help but mutter.
“Hey, what do we do?” Yui asked, looking at me anxiously.
Fortunately, there didn’t seem to be any particularly powerful monsters in the horde. Or perhaps the controller couldn’t command stronger ones.
The monsters in the horde were all types that S-Rank adventurers could handle without much trouble. But with these numbers, it wouldn’t be easy.
“You’re right… I’d like to take them out somehow, but this number is tough.”
“Ugh, what are we supposed to do?”
“I do have an idea…”
I’d already roughed out a strategy.
The key to this strategy is Silica, our offensive magic user.
The plan hinges on the attributes of the magic she can wield.
“Hey, Silica, what magic attributes can you use?”
“…I can use the four basic attributes,” she replied.
“I see. The four basic attributes…”
The four basic attributes are fire, water, earth, and wind. There are others, like ice or lightning, but we don’t need those for this plan, so it’s fine if she can’t use them.
“Cross, how many arrows do you have left?”
“Let’s see… counting the ones I gave you, probably about a hundred. Thanks to your storage magic, I was able to bring more than usual this time.”
Good. That’s enough to execute my plan.
“Yui, Daggus, Silica, Cross… I’ve got an idea. Will you hear me out?”
At my words, they all nodded.
◇
Several dozen minutes later.
A massive horde of monsters came into view, charging from the direction we’d come from.
Through detection magic, their numbers hadn’t seemed too daunting, but seeing them swarm toward us now stirred a visceral fear. The gaps between the trees were completely filled with monsters. While not as numerous, there were also a significant number of flying monsters in the sky.
“That’s… an insane number. How many are there?” Yui muttered, gazing at the horde from a slightly elevated position.
The monsters were closing in with terrifying speed.
Fear urged us to act.
But not yet.
Just a little longer…
“Hey, Lloyd! Isn’t it time!?”
“A little more…”
The horde drew closer and closer.
Almost…
“Silica, now!”
“Y-Yes!”
At my signal, Silica raised her staff.
“Firestorm!”
Shouting the incantation, she aimed her staff at the monster horde.
A massive dome of flames appeared in the forest, engulfing monsters and trees alike.
“Incredible…” Yui whispered, staring at the fiery dome.
“Hey, Lloyd, what did you do to Silica? That was, like, several times stronger than usual…”
“I just cast two reinforcement spells on her: one to boost magic power and another to reduce mana consumption.”
“That’s it…?” Yui gave me a dumbfounded look.
Maybe my support magic still has room for improvement.
But we can’t afford to burn through too much mana here.
“Silica, can you keep going?”
“Yes… I can manage about five more shots…”
Five more Firestorms. Considering what’s next, three is probably the limit.
“After three more shots, switch to wind magic to fan the flames. Any spell that generates wind will do.”
“G-Got it.”
After giving Silica her instructions, I moved to the next step, heading toward Cross.
I reached Cross, who was stationed at a higher vantage point than Yui and Silica. Using storage magic, I retrieved all the remaining arrows and began casting reinforcement spells on them one by one.
Ideally, I’d enchant them all at once, but to conserve mana, I had to do it individually. It took time, but that was within my calculations.
“Almost time…”
Having finished enchanting all the arrows, I turned my gaze toward the forest.
Silica had already finished her Firestorm barrage and was now using wind magic to intensify the flames. The forest was ablaze, sending up plumes of smoke across a wide area.
This should severely limit the visibility of the flying monsters.
“Cross, let’s do this.”
“Right, I’m ready.”
I placed my right hand near Cross’s head and activated thought-sharing, transmitting the monster locations I’d gathered through detection magic.
This way, even if the monsters were hidden by smoke, Cross should be able to pinpoint their positions.
“Can you see them?”
“Yeah, no problem!”
Cross began picking off monsters one by one with his arrows.
Perfect. Everything’s going smoothly so far.
Controlling that many monsters individually would be impossible. The horde is likely operating under simple commands.
“About time…”
Most of the ground-based monsters should be down by now. There are still some survivors, but a small number isn’t a problem.
I headed back to Silica, who was still fanning the flames with wind magic.
“Silica, that’s enough wind magic. We’re moving to the next phase.”
“Yes… but I’m almost out of mana…”
She looked exhausted, her mana clearly depleted.
“I know. I’m going to transfer my mana to you now. Use it.”
I used mana transfer to give Silica ninety percent of my remaining mana.
“Ugh…”
A wave of dizziness hit me, and I collapsed onto my rear.
It was the toll of excessive mana consumption.
I hadn’t pushed myself this hard in a while.
It was rough.
I should’ve bought a mana potion. I let my guard down, thinking this was just an A-Rank quest.
“A-Are you okay!?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. Hurry and do it.”
“Yes…”
Silica nodded, turned back toward the forest, and took a deep breath.
“Jubia!”
At her command, clouds formed in the sky.
A torrent of rain poured down, extinguishing the forest fires one by one.
This should prevent a wildfire.
“I-I can’t… anymore…”
Silica’s body swayed, and she nearly collapsed.
Daggus caught her with both arms.
“Well done. Leave the rest to us.”
“Silica, rest up. We’ll take care of the stragglers in a flash!” Yui added.
“…Please don’t overdo it…” Silica murmured.
“Coming from you, Silica, that’s rich…” Yui teased.
After confirming their conversation was over, Daggus gently laid Silica on the ground.
“Seriously, though… that was incredible. Coming up with a plan like this,” Yui said, looking at me.
“It’s nothing special. I just did what a support class is supposed to do.”
Issuing commands and casting magic from the rear while keeping an eye on the situation is part of a support role’s job.
“Ugh… you’re still saying that?” Yui let out a huge sigh.
“Fine, whatever. Lloyd, leave the rest to us and take a break.”
“Yeah, I’ll do that.”
But first…
With my remaining mana, I cast reinforcement spells on Yui and Daggus.
Checking with detection magic, there were only a few dozen monsters left in the area. Most of the survivors were somewhat stronger, but Yui and Daggus should have no trouble.
“Ha… Getting tired from this? I’ve still got a long way to go.”
I sat on the high ground, watching Yui and the others fight the remaining monsters.
◆
At the same time.
In a wooden shack on the outskirts of Ishtar, seven hooded figures sat around a table in a large underground room, discussing their plans.
“Looks like the plan is proceeding smoothly,” one said, a gleeful smile spreading across their face.
“Indeed. Even S-Rank adventurers can’t stand against those numbers.”
“Thousands of monsters? Even the Hero of that city wouldn’t be able to handle them.”
“Still… I’d heard the Hero and their party were quite skilled.”
“To think they couldn’t even handle slightly enhanced golems… Compared to other Heroes, aren’t they a bit too weak?”
“Indeed. That shield-user girl lost her hand to a mere wolf I controlled directly.”
“Haha, that was pathetic.”
“The Saintess’s rumored ability to heal any wound? Total nonsense. That pathetic Hero and their party… Our plan is guaranteed to succeed.”
“All thanks to the boss—and this woman.”
The hooded figures turned their gaze to a corner of the room.
There, a woman was chained up. Her body was emaciated, her clothes tattered, and her skin covered in bruises and wounds.
“What convenient magic… We’ll have this beastwoman serve us for a long time.”
“Indeed. We’ll work her to death.”
“Exactly. With this, we can control monsters freely.”
One of the hooded men looked at a staff topped with a black stone, a sinister smile on his face. Smaller than the stone left at the farm, it emitted a dark mist and glowed eerily.
“Enough chatter. You all remember what the boss said, right? This is essential for their revival. Failure is not an option. This plan must succeed—for the boss, and for the Demon King!”
The man spoke with a grave expression, and everyone in the room stood in unison.
They swore in unison: “For the Demon King!”
◆
“Phew… It’s over,” Yui said as she and the others returned from defeating the monsters.
From the looks of it, none of them had sustained major injuries. They were practically unscathed.
As expected of S-Rank adventurers.
I activated detection magic to confirm, but there were no monster signatures in range.
Relieved that we’d defeated the horde without losing anyone, I let out a sigh.
But it was too early to relax.
I slowly stood, my heavy body protesting, and glanced at Silica, who was sitting nearby.
“Silica, you okay?”
“Yes… I’ve rested a bit, so I’m fine.”
Silica slowly got to her feet.
Her complexion looked better than before, likely because her mana had recovered.
She should be able to move now.
“Now then…”
As I stood, my gaze naturally turned toward Ishtar’s direction.
I had a bad feeling.
“Yui, we need to head back to the city—fast.”
“Sure, but… Lloyd, don’t you need to rest a bit more?”
Yui looked at me with concern, probably worried about my condition.
Honestly, I’d love to rest.
But that didn’t seem like an option.
If my hunch was correct…
“The ones behind this are likely targeting Ishtar.”
“What!?” Yui and the others’ faces twisted in shock.
It was a natural reaction.
Being told out of nowhere that Ishtar was the target would be hard to believe.
But it was the explanation that made the most sense.
I decided to share my theory with them.
“The quest itself was a trap from the start. It was designed to lure S-Rank adventurers away from Ishtar without raising suspicion—and to eliminate them.”
I had no proof.
But I didn’t believe that horde was the entirety of the controlled monsters. If someone was controlling all the monsters in this forest, that number was far too small.
There had to be more monsters somewhere.
“N-No way… But why would they do that?”
“That’s… what I don’t know.”
Ishtar was a prosperous city, but there were other similar cities in the kingdom. It had stationed knights, and its security wasn’t lax. Plus, it was home to one of the four Heroes on the continent.
If the goal was to damage the kingdom’s economy, they’d target a less fortified city…
“Then why…?”
I couldn’t figure out the motive of whoever attacked us.
“Hey, Lloyd… That city’s got knights and a Hero, right? It’s not the kind of place that’d fall easily,” Cross said.
He was right.
Ishtar wasn’t a city that could be taken down so easily.
“True, but…”
Ishtar is home to Allen and his party.
No matter how many monsters attack, they wouldn’t go down easily.
But even Allen’s group isn’t perfect.
They can make mistakes.
They could even lose.
“Just to be safe, let’s hurry back.”
“Yeah, you’re right…”
We prepared to depart and ran toward Ishtar.
◇
“Man, Lloyd’s reinforcement magic is something else…” Cross said.
“Seriously… Not only are we running several times faster than usual, but I’m not even out of breath,” Yui added, glancing at me.
“Well, I mean…” I shrugged.
I wasn’t doing anything extraordinary. I’d just refined the physical enhancement aspect of reinforcement magic, cutting out unnecessary boosts to focus on making running easier. Modifying magic like that isn’t particularly difficult.
“Hey, Lloyd… I heard from a friend that maintaining reinforcement magic for a long time consumes a ton of mana,” Yui said.
“I heard the same thing. So how are you so unfazed, Lloyd?” Silica chimed in, both of them looking at me with concern.
They weren’t wrong. For someone inexperienced or a novice White Mage, sustaining reinforcement magic would be exhausting.
But once you get the hang of it, you can reduce mana consumption, and modifications become possible. Even if you don’t master the technique, using reinforcement magic repeatedly will eventually make you accustomed to it.
Yui and Silica’s friend was probably just not used to it yet. Give it a few years, and they’d barely notice the strain.
Back when I was training under my master, she’d often leave me in the forest for a week with nothing but minimal weapons and food. Naturally, it was nearly impossible for a White Mage to defeat monsters alone, and against stronger ones, fighting was out of the question.
All I could do was escape.
But simply running wouldn’t keep me ahead of them.
So, I had to rely on various reinforcement spells to survive—using them repeatedly, refining them, and sometimes even creating new ones.
Through that ordeal, I naturally learned to sustain reinforcement magic for long periods and modify it as needed.
Looking back now…
“Good training… no, absolute hell,” I muttered.
Yeah, definitely hell.
There was no sugarcoating that memory.
Even now, I could recall those days vividly.
“Hey, Lloyd… what kind of training was that?” Yui asked.
What kind…?
All I could say was that it was hell. But it was probably standard. My master always scolded me, saying, “If a White Mage can’t handle this much, what good are you?” So, it must be a rite of passage for any White Mage.
“Probably just typical training, I guess…”
At that, Yui and Silica exchanged glances.
“Lloyd… I’m pretty sure your training wasn’t normal,” Yui said.
“…Yeah, definitely not,” Silica agreed in unison.
I see…
They’re saying that kind of training isn’t even standard—it’s below average. As expected of S-Rank adventurers. They’re on another level.
But if I’m going to keep up with this party, I need to match their skill.
“You’re right. My training was clearly lacking.”
“Silica… I think he’s misunderstanding us again. He’s totally not getting it,” Yui whispered.
“Yeah, seems like it,” Silica replied.
They looked at me with exasperated expressions.
“I get it. I’m so pathetic it’s disappointing…”
“Lloyd, enough of that talk,” Daggus interrupted. “More importantly, at this speed, how long will it take to reach Ishtar?”
He was right. This wasn’t the time for such discussions.
Using my memory of the journey here, I estimated the distance to Ishtar and calculated how long it’d take at our current speed. It wasn’t exact, but I had a rough idea.
“Probably… at least a day.”
“A day, huh? Well, that’s still a lot faster than it took us to get here…” Daggus said.
Indeed, it had taken them several days to reach this point. Getting back in a day was a win.
Or so I thought.
But Daggus’s expression betrayed anxiety. He’d probably hoped to return even faster.
“Sorry… this is the best I can do.”
“Huh? No, I didn’t mean—”
Clearly, my reinforcement magic still wasn’t good enough. From Daggus’s reaction, Klum’s reinforcement magic must be leagues beyond mine.
I need to train harder…
“Hey, Lloyd, I’m not saying you’re lacking or anything!” Daggus protested.
“Yeah, I need to train more…”
“Listen to me—”
◇
Exactly twenty-four hours later.
We’d been running through the forest without sleep and were now much closer to Ishtar, though still outside my detection magic’s range. We’d likely arrive in a few hours.
“Yui, Daggus, Cross, Silica, we’re almost at the city. I’ll return your weapons so you’re ready to fight.”
I retrieved their weapons from storage magic and handed them over.
That’s when it happened.
Something pinged at the edge of my detection magic.
“What the…?”
It was too far to identify, but I sensed several presences—likely living beings. Not many, though.
They could just be unmanipulated monsters that remained in the area. If so, it wasn’t worth worrying about.
But… why did I have such a bad feeling?
One of those presences felt strangely familiar, like I’d encountered it before.
I knew we shouldn’t stop here, but my gut told me I’d regret ignoring this.
“Guess I’ll check it out…”
I stopped in my tracks, intending to head there alone.
Noticing, Yui and the others stopped too.
“Lloyd, what’s wrong?”
“Sorry… You guys go ahead.”
“Huh? Why…?”
“Just now, my detection magic picked up something. I’ve got a bad feeling about it. I’ll check it out and catch up.”
This mana… this feeling…
Could it be…?
“Then I’m coming with you!” Yui declared.
“No, I’ll go alone—”
“But we don’t know what’s out there! You can’t fight on your own, right?”
Yui fixed me with a serious look.
She was right—I couldn’t fight alone. And if my hunch was correct, there was a good chance this could turn into a battle.
It’d be a hassle for her, but having Yui come along would be safer.
“Alright… sorry. Mind coming with me?”
“Of course!”
“Daggus, I’m borrowing Yui. We’ll be back as soon as we can, so go ahead—”
“No way. We’re coming too. I’d be worried leaving just you and Yui,” Daggus said, glancing back at Silica and Cross.
“Yeah, I’m with Daggus. I’m sticking with you, Lloyd,” Cross added.
“I’m coming too!” Silica said.
Looks like Cross and Silica were joining us as well.
With four S-Rank adventurers, I felt much more secure.
“Got it. Follow me, then. I’ll lead you to the spot.”
With that, I sprinted full speed toward the source of the presence.
As we got closer, the identities of the presences became clearer.
Eight in total.
But they weren’t monsters or humans.
“Demons and a beastman?”
Seven demons and one beastman.
An unusual—no, an impossible—combination.
A beastman’s presence wasn’t an issue. They were rare in Ishtar but not shocking.
Demons, however, were another story.
There’s a nation called the Demon Kingdom where demons reside, but it’s currently hostile to the Führen Kingdom, which includes Ishtar. I learned about this a year ago when I joined the Hero’s Party. Apparently, the Demon Kingdom is at odds with three major powers: the Führen Kingdom, the Fores Empire, and the Holy Theocracy.
Long ago, during the era when the infamous Demon King ruled the Demon Kingdom, they waged massive wars against these three nations for territorial and continental dominance. While the Demon King is said to be gone now, and demon activity has quieted, their entry into these three nations is still strictly prohibited.
At least, that’s what I’d heard.
According to the knights, security was so tight that demons couldn’t even set foot in the kingdom’s territory.
“…And yet, they’ve infiltrated.”
The kingdom’s security must have been breached.
That meant there was a high chance more demons had slipped in.
We’d need to inform the knights later…
But first, we had to deal with this situation.
With demons involved, it’s hard to believe they’re unconnected to this incident. They’re likely deliberately involved—very likely.
And from the beastman near the demons, I sensed the exact same mana as the black stone.
This could be the key to unraveling the monster disappearances and the hordes.
“Everyone… there are demons up ahead.”
“Got it, demons—wait, what!? Demons!? Those demons!?” Yui exclaimed.
“Yeah… seven of them, all grouped together.”
“Whoa, Lloyd, hold on…” Daggus interjected, and I stopped.
“Demons aren’t supposed to be able to enter the kingdom, right? Why are they here…?”
“I don’t know. But I sensed the same mana as the black stone near them. They’re probably connected to the horde.”
“No way… seriously?” Cross muttered.
“Sorry, Cross, but it’s real…”
I’m sure none of them wanted to believe demons had infiltrated.
Cross’s face paled slightly at the news.
“Hey… Lloyd, do we have to go there?” Yui asked cautiously.
She clearly didn’t want to.
But…
“Here’s my guess: they’re still planning something. If their target is Ishtar, then we have every reason to go.”
The disappearance of monsters…
The mysterious magic controlling them…
And their presence so close to Ishtar—it didn’t feel like this was over.
It made the most sense to assume the demons were lingering here, plotting something more.
I had no proof or certainty, but…
“What do you think? I’ll leave the decision to you guys.”
“No, let’s go!” Yui answered firmly.
“Yui…” Silica looked at her with concern.
“I mean, they might be targeting Ishtar, right? Maybe not… but we can’t just ignore demons. Let’s deal with them!”
Yui rallied the others.
Daggus and the rest hesitated, weighing her words.
“Well… yeah. Lloyd said this could be a lead to solving this whole mess, right?” Daggus said reluctantly.
After some deliberation, Silica and Cross agreed as well.
I was ready to follow their lead, so with that, we were all in.
We switched our physical enhancement spells to combat mode and headed toward the demons’ location.
◇
A few minutes of walking later…
A wooden shack came into view.
It was dilapidated, looking like it could collapse any moment—hardly a place anyone would live in.
At first glance, it seemed like a crumbling ruin…
But despite appearances, it was surprisingly sturdy, subtly reinforced to prevent collapse, likely the demons’ doing.
“In there… no, below,” I muttered, stopping.
It seemed the demons and the beastman were beneath us, in an underground space. The shack must be the entrance.
Also likely the demons’ work.
“So, what’s the plan?” Yui asked.
“Let’s see…”
We couldn’t kill the demons or the beastman yet.
Especially not the beastman.
We’d need to keep at least one demon alive too.
“They haven’t noticed us yet…”
“Should we ambush them?” Daggus suggested.
He was right—taking them out before they realized we were here would be ideal.
But their strength, combat style, and abilities were unknown.
And we couldn’t rule out the possibility that their monster-control magic worked on humans. If it was a mind-control or brainwashing spell, it could affect us.
I didn’t want to rush into a fight.
“The demons are below…” Daggus muttered, looking at the ground.
“Yeah… the question is how to get in…”
“Right. Sneaking in undetected and pulling off an ambush…” Silica trailed off.
Wait.
If they’re underground…
“Maybe we go in loud…” I muttered.
Yui and the others tilted their heads at my words.
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