Threat of hand
Well then, perhaps three days has pa.s.sed since Rishe-chan became our comrade? We took the most suited request to polish our respective field of expertise. Rishe-chan who just recently registered as an adventurer was also immediately able to advances to F rank, so we were intending to take a subjugation request of some small fry magical beast.
To be honest, with Finia-chan as the main force of our party, I think we should be able to take down an E rank magical beast.
Well, the one who’ll fight it is Finia-chan, though, considering the fact that she could instant kill the wolf shaped magical beast we encountered inside the forest, isn’t Finia-chan battle ability is quite outstanding? Magical power-wise, hers is equaling Rishe-chan’s father, after all.
And so, our current statuses are something like these.
◇Status◇
Name : Naginata Kitsune
Gender : Male Lv. 10 (↑ UP 4)
Strength : 40
Stamina : 180
Resistance : 350
Agility : 210
Magic Power : 100
t.i.tle :『Other worlder』
Skill : 『Pain Nullification Lv.2』 『Eerie Const.i.tution』 『Other World Language』 『Status Appraisal』 『Persistence』 『Overpower』 『Other worlder』 『Near Death Experience』
Innate skill : ???
PT Member : Finia (Fairy), Lulu (Beastman), Trisha (Human)
◇Status◇
Name : Finia
Gender : Female Lv. 21 (↑ UP 5)
Strength : 320
Stamina : 820
Resistance : 150
Agility : 740
Magic Power : 6000
t.i.tle :『Fairy of Unrequited Love』
Skill : 『Light Magic Lv.4』 『Magic Recovery LV.4』 『Recovery Magic Lv.3』 『Fire Magic Lv.5』 『Body Reinforcement Lv.2』
Innate skill : ???
PT Member : Naginata Kitsune (Human), Lulu (Beastman), Trisha (Human)
◇Status◇
Name : Trisha Rumiela
Gender : Female Lv. 25 (↑ UP 2)
Strength : 450
Stamina : 600
Resistance : 90
Agility : 580
Magic Power : 130
t.i.tle :『Adventurer』『Demon Eye Holder』
Skill : 『Sword Art Lv.2』 『Demon Eye of Foresight Lv.1』 『Body Reinforcement Lv.2』 『Swift』
Innate skill : 『Demon Eye of Foresight』
PT Member : Naginata Kitsune (Human), Finia (Fairy), Lulu (Beastman)
Something like those. Finia-chan’s statuses growth is indeed abnormal, but my resistance is also considerably increased. By the way, since seems like Lulu-chan is still scared to fight, her level hasn’t increased. Whether does she thought she hadn’t done anything, recently she started to take care of my belonging.
Ever since the day I gave her the short sword, she always practices swinging it, but as expected she still need a considerable courage to fight.
But, ever since Rishe-chan became our comrade, seems like Lulu-chan receives a guidance about how to swing the sword from her, and make her swordsmanship become sharper. Even if her level doesn’t increased, seems like there’s still some improvement at her.
“Good morning, Mia-chan.”
“Good morning, Kitsune-sama.”
After this and that, right now we come to the guild. First of all, after we heard that seems like the treatment of slave at Grandile Kingdom is way harsher than here, I thought about letting Lulu-chan to fight magical beast.
By the way, I keep doing the ch.o.r.es request. Since if I do it by myself I won’t be able to defeat the magical beast, after all, so I asked Rishe-chan and Finia-chan to undertake the subjugation request, when I and Lulu-chan take the ch.o.r.es request.
Because of that, people of this country are quite close to us. As expected, if we take a request which require us to make a contact with people, seems like we’ll naturally be on good terms with them. I even would always have a little chat with Milia-chan, who put up the pet search request, whenever we met at the town.
“Today, what kind of business do you have here?”
“Same as usual, but since right now we’re together with Finia-chan and Rishe-chan, I’m intending to take a subjugation request.”
I and Lulu-chan are H rank, but since we’re together with F rank adventurers so we’re able to take a subjugation request. Well, the majority of F rank adventurer won’t bother to take along some H rank adventurer, though. As for us, we have two F rank, and two H rank, and so we’re able to take it.
“I see… by the way, I hear that you had some skirmish with Vaiz the knight leader some days ago, but… what did you do?”
“He just mad because I said something along please give your daughter to me.”
“That wasn’t something funny even as a joke, after all….”
After three day pa.s.sed, seems like the matter about me and the knight leader has spread through the whole country. Even Mia-chan is also staring fixedly at me. To be stared by a beauty, since it’s suits her so it’s quite a pleasant thing, isn’t it? If I was the one who did it then I’m sure they would say don’t look at me with that h.e.l.l-like eyes of yours, or so.
“Eh, but I got his daughter, you know?”
“No way!?”
When I point at Rishe-chan, Mia-chan plainly reacts with a surprised expression. To see her makes such plain expression, it’s quite amusing.
“Well, as a comrade, though.”
“Ah… I see.”
With a relieved expression, Mia-chan returns to her usual posture. It’s that, right? She was fl.u.s.tered because I have a girlfriend like existence, wasn’t she? Could it be Mia-chan has something at me? If that’s really the case, to be liked by such beauty, aren’t I seems like a real winner here?
Well, there’s no way it would be true, isn’t it? To be honest, I don’t even have a single part of me which would make her fell for me, after all. Just look at the reality, I was the man who addressed her as b.o.o.by at our first encounter, you know? I even asked her to let me to fondle them, you know? So that is just a dream beyond dream. My eyes are sweating.
“Kitsune-san! I want to take this request!”
“Which one? Ah, as I thought I can’t read it.”
“Which one? Umm… eh, wait, this is….”
“What? What’s up Rishe-chan, what kind of request is it?”
“Ah, umm… a subjugation of an『Arachne』which lives inside the forest.”
Arachne… that spider, huh!
Indeed, the current Finia-chan should be able to defeat it, isn’t she? For us it’s something akin to our destined enemy, but to be honest I’m a bit reluctant to enter that forest.
Inside that forest… 『Red Night』was there.
Moreover, if I think about it, our encounter with it was quite close to this country. Since it has been over a week already since that day so it won’t be strange for it to has disappeared, but there’s a possibility that it’s still loitering around there.
Upon investigation, I heard that『Red Night』would devour the one it encountered without even left a single bone of it, I was the exception to be left after just taking my left eye, but the fact that I was dying wasn’t changed… to be frank I don’t want to meet it. It becomes my one and only trauma.
“Say, Finia-chan—“
“We’ll take it!”
“Yes, I’ve confirmed it.”
“….”
When I was thinking about it, Finia-chan arbitrarily took the request. Wait, you should be able to understand it by thinking about it a little, perhaps that monster is still there, you know? Do you know? Perhaps the next time it won’t be settled by just my right eye you know? How about we discus about it more.
“No problem, Kitsune-san!”
“What’s no problem?”
“Since I’ll protect Kitsune-san, after all.”
—don’t say that with that kind of smile, but, if she says so then don’t I look like a coward, here?
Good grief, it can’t be helped… got it, got it, I just need to go there, right? While wishing to not encounter that monster, for now let’s believe her sunflower-like smile.
“…I get it, but we won’t fight other than the spider, you hear?”
“Yup!”
“Well then, Mia-chan, we’re going.”
“…please be careful.”
Since I had told Mia-chan about that monster, she seems a bit worried, that’s a matter of course, right? Even I’m also scared to meet that monster again, after all.
But… Finia-chan is strong, right now let’s just believe in it.
Taking the request, we immediately go to the forest. 『Red Night』is a nocturnal, so I want to undertake this request when the sky is still bright. The time limit is two weeks, we still have very much time but to be honest I want to restrain myself from entering the forest too often. I hope we could finish it today, though.
“Say Kitsune, why do you not bring any weapon?”
“I gave it to Lulu-chan, since I can’t use it, after all.”
“To enter this forest without any weapon… well, since you’re the leader of this party so I don’t have any intention to ordering you or anything, but… I think it would be better if you bring some weapon.”
“You’re right… hmm.”
What Rishe-chan said is completely right. I might indeed look like a fool to intend fighting a magical beast without any weapon. Even if my resistance status is high, perhaps it won’t be able to withstand an attack from an existence with over 300 strength, isn’t it? So that means, I can’t withstand an attack from any adventurers above F rank. Of course, I also can’t fight other than small fry magical beasts, either.
By the way, small fry magical beast don’t have a rank. A genuine, small fry. If it’s according its power, then it’s H rank magical beast, same as me.
“I’m good with it.”
Picking a fallen tree stick around there, I lightly swing it. It’s light, and since it’s a disposable item so I won’t be troubled even if I lost it. With my strength I won’t be able to use a real weapon, and it also has no sign will increased either, after all.
“…well, whatever.”
She seems like still has something to says, but perhaps she thought that even if she says anything further it would be in vain, so Rishe-chan keeps her mouth shut.
“Kitsune-sama… th, that.”
“Hmm, what’s up Lulu-chan— ah… it’s been a long time, isn’t it.”
When I turn my eyes according to Lulu-chan’s words, the one there is the existence which once threatened my life… it was also the existence which pulled out my power.
—bee.
Around ten human’s head-sized bees are there. At its bottom, there’s a little needle which could be shot like a bullet, and its vibrating wings are emitting a very noisy sounds.
But, surprisingly I’m not scared like how I was. Whether it because I had defeated it once, or perhaps because I’ve grown stronger, I don’t know.
“What should we do, Kitsune… there’s a paralysis poison at that bee’s needles.”
“Yup, well I know it. But no problem, since we’ll ignore all magical beasts other than the spider, after all.”
“How….”
I have my share of thanks to those bees, but even so, in the end today’s objective is the spider. That’s why, I’ll have them disappear for now.
I activate my 『Eerie Const.i.tution』. And then those bees immediately disappeared from our field of view with a great speed. This skill doesn’t means for intimidating, but this skill sure is convenient. Since with this all weaklings are running away, after all.
Personally I have no intention to fight them, so I won’t chase them if they run away.
“I’ve been curious about it ever since the case with my father, but, what did you do?”
“I just overpowered them a bit.”
This skill of mine isn’t giving pressure to my opponent, since it’s just intervening with my opponent’s mind so my surrounding won’t know what I have done. Since『Overpower』 is a skill which gives pressure to its surrounding, it’s easy to understand. In that sense this skill sure is convenient.
“Well then, let’s continue.”
Saying so, we advance to the deeper part of the forest.
“Kitsune-san! Kitsune-san! Hand!”
“What do you mean?”
When we’re walking through the forest, Finia-chan is excitedly pointing out her finger to something. Her finger is pointed to the ground, when I look at it, the one there is a certain magical beast I recognized.
It’s hand.
Its appearance is just a right hand, but there’s a human mouth attached at it till around its wrist. It was the monster we encountered when we came out from the forest. If I remember it correctly, its name is 『Eater hand』, we ignored it when we encountered it before, though, since I thought it was just a slime-like monster.
When I thought so,
“E, eater hand…!? Why such magical beast is…!?”
Rishe-chan’s reaction said that that isn’t the case. Her expression is as if she sees the end of the world, what’s up? Or so I thought. Upon checking its status, it has the weakest status with all 1 point other than its strength, it even has no special looking skill either. I thought there’s nothing worth to be feared about, though.
“Ki, Kitsune… don’t ever touch it, perish the thought of fighting it.”
“Eh? Why?”
“It’s— a very dangerous magical beast of S rank (. . . .)!”
“!?”
When I hear that, I take a step back from that hand. I never thought it would be such a dangerous magical beast, since it has no special looking skill, after all. What it means?
“What do you mean? Rishe-chan….”
“Its name is 『Eater hand』, as a magical beast, it’s a dangerous monster with threat equaling demon lord. Individually it isn’t that dangerous, but the terrifying part of it is its number.”
“Number?”
“It’s a magical beast which live through this whole world, the confirmed one are counted to be around six billions.”
Six billions!? Isn’t that equivalent with all mankind at my former world, I never thought that there’s such large quant.i.ty of hand existed…!
“Since seems like all of their thought are somewhat connected to each other, so if you killed even one of it, all of its specimen will come to kill you. So that means, when you find one of it, just think you’re facing a six billions worth of threat of it…!”
Oioioi, you’re joking, right?… The hand monster before us, to attack us with six billions number is, it’s shuddering, isn’t it. Indeed, even for the demon lord, to fight against such number sure is a threat, isn’t it?
“Well, it won’t attack the one who don’t attack it, so when you encounter it you should just go pa.s.s by without attacking it.”
“Got it….”
“It’s a magical beast with threat equaling the demonkin, even if individually it’s called to be the weakest, but going by its nature, it’s called to be the strongest magical beast.”
How dangerous~, thanks G.o.d I ignored it when I encountered it before. If we attacked it then we would be had dead there, weren’t we? Even though you’re just a hand, your scale is d.a.m.ned too big, aren’t you? Even though you’re just a hand!
Be that as it may, I thought with that number we should be able to easily find it when we search for it, but I don’t see other than this one hand.
“With that number, I thought that we should be able to see more of this eater hand, but….”
“Ah, seems like they’re basically live underground, after all, the one on the surface would be just around ten thousands among its six billions.”
“Ah, I see.”
To live underground, that means when we kill one of it, it won’t be strange that a large amount of eater hand would immediately appeared from the ground, huh… how scary, that spectacle. But to be able to know that, that means there should be someone who had done it before, wasn’t it? Just what happened at that time?
“Say Rishe-chan.”
“What’s up?”
“Did there someone who ever killed an eater hand?”
“Ah… in the past it become one of the greatest tale, the tale about the Chevalier Kingdom… when they subjugated some eater hands, that kingdom was annihilated by six billions eater hands….”
Uwaah…. My condolences, to that country.
I see, so from thereon it was decided that one shouldn’t intervene or hold hostility to any eater hand, huh, if they feel like it then don’t eater hands should be able to conquer the world?
Well, the fact that they’re just such pa.s.sive magical beasts is the sole pleasant fact, though.
“…way to go, hand.”
“Way to go! Hand!”
Saying the same impression as before, we exhaled for pa.s.sing by the threat before us. Since Lulu-chan has a pale expression, I hope we won’t encounter any if it ever again.
If what Rishe-chan said is true then there’s no existence that could defeat that eater hand, isn’t it. Since even demon lord can’t defeat it, after all.
“It sure is the strongest, isn’t it, this eater hand….”
“Yes… there’s a rumor that there was a pair who survived after fighting those eater hands… well, perhaps that’s just a rumor, though.”
“What’s up with that monster like pair.”
There’s no smoke without fire, perhaps that pair is really exist. If that’s really the case then I really want to meet them. If they’re human, that’s it.
While chatting like that, we start searching for the whereabouts of the spider again.