Chapter 49
The four of them arrived at a slightly open area that was created in front of a small cave.
There was a reason why they did not enter that cave.
「Whoa, Ainz. Don’t go in that cave, okay?」
「Eh? Why shouldn’t we get into the cave…? Is there a dangerous monster inside?」
「Look at the gravel at the entrance. Do you see that purple tint?」
「…Aah, now that you’ve mentioned it, you’re right」
「This is what a cave that generates miasma looks like. It’s a troublesome place to be in, with old magic and monster corpses mixed in it. It’s poisonous to people and to monsters that don’t live in that cave, even if you don’t breathe anything in. We’ll be fine around the entrance, so we shouldn’t go any deeper」
「…I see I’ll be more careful then」
Where there was a monster, there were always poisons. For example, it was not uncommon for the cave itself to emit a poisonous substance, as in this case. Seeing it for the first time with his own eyes, Ainz stared at it curiously.
「Is there a monster inside?」
「Of course, there are. But I don’t think they’re too dangerous. There are only poisonous insects here. By the way, the miasma affects the Raven b.u.t.terflies so they’d never get close into this place」
「Well, that’s a relief」
「Both of you, stop talking already… Come on, help me prepare the camp」
「Sorry, Rolland. Well then Ainz, let’s help him」
「Okay」
「Hey wait, b.u.t.ts! Are you sure it’s safe for you to be in there!?」
「It doesn’t seem to be a problem. And I’m not that close to the entrance, right?」
「That’s fine then…」
Leonard seemed to be convinced too, and they all then began to prepare the camp. To keep us out of danger while they were sleeping, Leonard set up a barrier around us.
They won’t have a problem with water because they have drawn enough water from the river, but their food was mainly fruits they picked up along the way, which made them feel a little lacking.
「…Well, at least we have something to eat」
「Honestly, although it’s not enough for me, I can understand why Ainz says so」
「Don’t say something like that, b.u.t.ts. It doesn’t taste that bad, right?」
「Yes, he’s right, it is fresh and delicious, isn’t it?」
Their mood was still as lively as always, and they were still in good spirits.
「Hey, Roland. Sorry to interrupt you, but I was wondering you could really make me a magic tool?」
「What’s with the suddenness… Well, I could make it but what do you want me to make?」
「Well, if you could, I’d like you to make one for me…」
He was also worried about Dill.
But right now, there was nothing he could do unless they survived.
Thinking so, his determination to make it back alive became even stronger.
However, after they fell asleep, what b.u.t.ts had feared happened.
From outside the barrier, a few Raven b.u.t.terflies were watching them. But they were bad at moving in cramped s.p.a.ces, and the fog was quite thin around here. So, they waited for their prey to leave the barrier.
And the next morning, before the sun was even visible, they began to prepare for departure.
Everyone rested in shifts, and although much of the fatigue was still there, they were able to regain more strength than yesterday.
After carefully preparing themselves, they left just before the sun rose.
「Hey, do you know when I was on watch, Ainz-sama suddenly stood up and walked towards the entrance of that cave and… went straight inside」
「Ainz, what are you doing?… I told you it was dangerous, right?」
「I just wanted to go to the bathroom, and I did it just behind the entrance!」
「Well, it’s fine then if it’s just near the entrance… but, Your Highness… Please don’t do anything dangerous」
「I know, I’m sorry. I won’t do something like that again!」
They took turns in pairs on watch, and last night was Ainz’s and Roland’s turn.
During his turns, Ainz had suddenly stood up and gone into the cave. Roland, who saw that, wondered what he wanted to do and was late to react to the suddenness.
A few minutes later, Ainz came back as if nothing had happened, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
「Let’s go guys. We have to hurry to get back alive and report about Dill」
「Yeah!」
「Understood!」
「Today too, let’s do our best!」
On the third day, today was supposed to be the last day of this training. But they thought that it would be difficult for them to reach the goal by the end of the day.
But their determination to make it back alive hadn’t faded in the slightest. No matter how many days it would take.
***
Today’s trip felt more peaceful than yesterday’s. They were sure that they were near the goal as their route was more peaceful.
「…It’s been a tough few days. But it looks like we’re finally close to our goal」
「Yeah. Good grief, I don’t want to do this kind of training ever again」
「b.u.t.ts is right. I just hope that there’s no second time」
「You’re right… But if we make it back alive, I’m going to work out a little bit next time」
「Me too, Roland. I’ve realized that I’m not strong enough」
「That’s a good thing, isn’t it? I’ll go along with you」
「…But please be gentle with us」
As the group continued on their way, the mood was a little more relaxed. They hadn’t encountered any Raven b.u.t.terflies yet today, which was somewhat suspicious, but it was better for them to not encounter them.
「So, are you guys going to register on the guild at some point?」
「What’s with the suddenness… But I’m not going to register. I’ve learned that dealing with monsters is not a job I can do」
「As for me, I think I’ll register, but I’m probably gonna be the one to make requests though since materials from monsters are essential for developing magic tools」
「I’m going register too」
Ainz said so, but everyone then stared at Ainz with a surprise on their faces.
「Hey, Ainz… But you won’t be allowed to register, right?」
「Yes. His Majesty probably won’t allow you to do it…」
「I always wanted to be an adventurer, you know? So, I think they’ll let me register」
「I think that’s going to be very difficult…」
「But Your Highness. If it was about your wish to go to many places on this continent, that wish will probably be fulfilled in a few years」
「Eh? Why?」
「As the Crown Prince, you have to travel to many places to perform your official duties. So, you can go to many places far away from the Royal Capital」
Hearing that, Ainz couldn’t help but smile widely.
「That’s good to know. I’m looking forward to it then」
「Good grief, our Crown Prince, Ainz, is such a shrewd guy」
「Well, it’s best for the country if he doesn’t become a shut-in, right?」
Registering at the guild, visiting many places as an adventurer, and seeing many things, was something that Ainz was looking forward to. Considering his status as the Crown Prince, he knew that it would not be easy, but he won’t just let go of that dream.
But then, Ainz and b.u.t.ts stopped at the same time.
「…b.u.t.ts」
「Yeah. The fog is a little thicker than before. They must have been aiming for this place」
「Hey, you two, what’s wrong?」
「Roland, Leonard! Follow me!」
They then began to hear a chirping sound from a distance. It was the sound of the Raven b.u.t.terfly targeting Ainz’s group, ready to attack.
「B-but where are we going to run…?」
「We need to run towards an open place! Let’s go!」
A large swarm of Raven b.u.t.terflies began to chase the group. They first needed to run to a place where they could fight them easily.
The chase against the Raven b.u.t.terflies began abruptly, just like yesterday.
「Leonard!」
「…What is it, Your Highness?」
「Can your barriers block poison!?」
「Po-poison!? It can only block it for a few minutes! What the h.e.l.l are you…!」
「That’s good then! Hurry up!」
Leonard couldn’t understand why he was asked about his barrier against poison, but he didn’t have time to think about it. So, Leonard and Roland followed Ainz and b.u.t.ts in the direction they were running, desperately trying to keep up.
Then after a few minutes of running, they arrived at a place that was open but had large trees that they thought could be used as shields.
As soon as they arrived, Ainz then gave instructions to Leonard
「Leonard!」
「Ye-yes!」
「Hurry up and set up the barrier! I’ll leave it to you!」
「Wait, Ainz! We’ll only be attacked when it’s deactivated if we set up the barrier here」
「I know that, b.u.t.ts! But please, Leonard!」
「…Understood!」
Leonard then sat down and began to prepare himself to widen the barrier. From a distance, they could see numerous Raven b.u.t.terflies flying towards them. With Roland and Leonard behind him, Ainz and b.u.t.ts prepared to intercept them.
「Leonard, hurry up! We can’t hold them for too long!」
「I know, b.u.t.ts!」
Leonard hurriedly but steadily proceeded with the construction of the barrier. Beside him, Roland watched over Ainz and b.u.t.ts who were protecting them with a nervous look on his face. A few Raven b.u.t.terflies that were flying in front of them then flew to Ainz and b.u.t.ts’ side.
「Ainz!」
「Yeah!」
With Ainz as the vanguard, and b.u.t.ts to support him, it was manageable as there were only a few of them. And the Raven b.u.t.terflies, which unleashed a numbing attack, was manageable as long as they didn’t get hit by that numbing attack.
And so, one by one, the Raven b.u.t.terflies were killed, but then a huge wave arrived. It consisted of dozens upon dozens of Raven b.u.t.terflies.
Ainz and b.u.t.ts managed to defeat them with two against one tactic, but there were still too many of them.
As they continued to fight like that, several minutes of defense had pa.s.sed, but the thing that b.u.t.ts feared had finally happened to him.
「Guh… Sh-it…」
「b.u.t.ts」
He was. .h.i.t by the Raven b.u.t.terfly’s numbing attack on his body. Ainz was the only one who could fight, and then at the moment when it looked like it was going to be over…
「…Barrier, activate!」
The area then was enveloped in light and Leonard’s barrier was activated. The barrier that spread out around them drove the flock of Raven b.u.t.terflies out of the area, and they managed to escape from their desperate situation.
「Haah… Haah… I’m sorry for being late, b.u.t.ts」
「A, aarh… You’ve saved us, Leonard!」
「b.u.t.ts! Are you okay!」
Ainz rushed over to b.u.t.ts, who was paralyzed. Fortunately, the Raven b.u.t.terfly’s numbing attack was not highly toxic, just numbing. That was a lucky thing for him.
「Yeah, I’m okay, Ainz, it’s just that I can’t move my body. 」
「Just lie down and rest a little」
「That’s all I can do for now」
「But, Ainz-sama, What are you planning to do by asking Leonard to set up the barrier?」
「It’s all or nothing」
「Ainz-sama? I was confused too when you ask me to make a barrier so suddenly, so… what on earth are you planning to do?」
「I’ll explain about it, but first, let me take a break… I’m really tired」
Ainz had an idea. If his idea was right, it was a move that could hopefully wipe out the swarm of Raven b.u.t.terflies. But he wanted to take a break as he was almost out of energy from swinging his sword against so many Raven b.u.t.terflies for a few minutes.
「Here, get some water. I’m glad I’d gotten so much water yesterday」
「Thanks, Rolland… Fuuh, I could have enjoyed this delicious forest water if it wasn’t for a time like this」
「Yes, yes. Good grief, you could still say something like that in this situation」
Ainz drank the water that was given to him and took a rest. After a little more rest, he decided to go ahead with his plan.
「…I’m going to use the disposable magic tools that Roland made for me yesterday」
「Roland. What did you give His Highness?」
「Don’t look at me with such a scary face… It’s a simple magic tool that stores air. I just increased the range a bit. It should be able to spread to a 20-meter radius in an instant」
「…From what you said, there doesn’t seem to be anything offensive about it though」
「Leonard is right. Ainz, what are you going to do with that?」
「It’s a secret. But don’t worry, because I’m sure it will be effective. As long as you’re using it to deal with a living thing」
Ainz didn’t explain the details, and the three of them could only wonder what he was planning. But Ainz’s face looked very somber, and they understood that he was serious.
「Is there anything we can do to help?」
「I know Leonard doesn’t have much magic left, but I need you to maintain the barrier. Roland, please take care of b.u.t.ts」
「I-is that all?」
「Hey, Ainz. Doesn’t that leave just you alone then?」
「That’s right. This plan can only work if I’m alone. So, I’ll do it alone this time」
「Ainz, I can’t let you do something so dangerous like that」
「I’ll be fine, b.u.t.ts. You’re the one who told me yesterday that it will work, remember?」
「I, told you…?」
In the end, Ainz didn’t say what he was going to do. When he was told by Ainz that he had told something like that to him yesterday, b.u.t.ts tried to recall through his memories of yesterday, but nothing like that came to mind. He grunted and wondered which one it was.
「Uwaah… There are a lot of them perched up in the trees」
When Ainz looked up at the large tree near them, he saw a flock of Raven b.u.t.terflies perched on the tree, waiting for their prey to come out of the barrier.
「Uwaah… They look so creepy」
「…This is not a sight I’d like to see much of」
「Alright, I’ll go then」
Ainz said so to Roland and Leonard next to him.
「A-Ainz-sama…? What are you gonna do…?」
「Isn’t it obvious? I’m going to defeat them…!」
Then, with renewed vigor, he ran from the barrier and got out of the area. A barrier could be exited from within, but it could not be influenced from the outside. Taking advantage of this property, Ainz jumped out of the barrier with great speed.
「Yo-Your Highness!?」
「Ainz, you, what are you gonna do… Oi!」
Ainz could hear the voices of his friends coming from the barrier, but he ignored them and kept running.
When the flock of Raven b.u.t.terflies saw Ainz, they began to fly from the trees to chase after him.
「Uwaah… They are really creepy… Come here you monsters, follow me!」
As his body had recovered from the fatigue, Ainz ran hard to get away from the barrier. He then moved around the tree he had found, guiding the flock to be separated in smaller numbers.
He then looked towards the barrier, which was at least a hundred meters away already, and saw the three of them looking at Ainz with gloomy expressions. They were probably thinking that Ainz was going to sacrifice his life to defeat the flock.
But Ainz won’t even think about doing something like that. After all, he wanted to go home as soon as possible to meet Olivia again. That was all he could think about right now.
「Hey, don’t you guys think it’s terrifying that this thing does not affect the people who used it?」
He then pulled out a circular magic tool from his pocket. It was the simple, disposable, air-trapping magic tool that Roland had made for him last night.
「But it affects you guys, right? Then suck on this and fall to the ground!」
He then slammed the magic tool on the ground, causing the air sealed inside it to be released all over the area. As Roland had said, the air stored inside it then began to spread around in an instant, and the impact was not weak, but Ainz managed to hold on.
The air released by the magic tool gave off a grayish, slightly purple smoke. It was the miasma that Ainz had quietly collected in the cave last night.
As b.u.t.ts had mentioned before, that the miasma in the cave affected the Raven b.u.t.terflies. So Ainz, who believed it, used that miasma air as a weapon.
Taking advantage of his Toxin-Decomposition EX skill, Ainz deliberately threw himself into the miasma-covered s.p.a.ce and collected the thick miasma from deep within.
「…After all, this is not a strategy that others can do if they’re not resistant to poison. This thing is really terrifying…」
The result was a great success. The swarm of Raven b.u.t.terflies that had been exposed to the poison immediately fell to the ground. Ainz then finally realized the horror of the miasma right in front of his eyes.
***
A few minutes later, Roland and the others came to Ainz’s side after confirming that the miasma had disappeared. b.u.t.ts, who was still being paralyzed, was taken to the spot by Leonard and Roland.
“Don’t make us worry!” Everyone was angry with Ainz, but his plan was a great success. Although it turned out to be the best result, he was asked to at least explain about his plan. He didn’t tell them anything because he thought they would stop him before he could do it, but he was sure that he worried them. He then honestly apologized for that.
After that, Ainz received many thanks from everyone, especially from b.u.t.ts, who gave him many compliments with his shining eyes.
They were not in a completely safe place yet, but the biggest threat was gone now. For the first time in a long time, they were able to feel calm.
After that, they waited for the paralyzing effect to leave b.u.t.ts’ body. After a few hours later, he was moving again and started walking towards the goal again as it seemed to be already so close.
「But Ainz, how did you do that? That’s not something a human can endure, right?」
「Yeah, I haven’t told you guys, but I was born with a Toxin Resistance skill, so I’m resistant to things like miasma」
He explained his skill as a poison resistance skill as he couldn’t tell it was a Toxin-Decomposition EX skill.
「I-I see… But, Your Highness, that was the first time I’d seen such a frightening experience in my life, you know?」
「I’m sorry. But I’ve succeeded, right? So please forgive me」
「…I had something I wanted to say too, but it’s okay. Ainz had indeed saved our lives. But I’m surprised he used it like that. It’s like a suicide attack, but he’s unharmed, which is absurd」
「Roland is right. You’re just like a man-shaped weapon, you know!?」
b.u.t.ts looked at Ainz with his shining eyes again.
「b.u.t.ts had told me that the miasma affects the Raven b.u.t.terflies. That’s why I used it」
「…Aaah! So that’s what I told you yesterday, huh!?」
b.u.t.ts finally remembered what he had told him yesterday.
「But, Ainz-sama, are you sure? Can I really take this magic stone with me?」
「Yeah. I don’t really have any use for it, and I’ve already had my magic tools made. Why don’t you two have some too?」
「No, it’s fine. It can also be said that Roland was the second most active person after Ainz-sama today」
「Me too. So, make another good magic tool with it, Roland!」
They decided to give all the magic stones from the Raven b.u.t.terflies to Roland. But actually, Ainz had secretly absorbed one of them out, but it tasted so bitter that he couldn’t bring himself to absorb any more. So, he decided to give it all to Roland, who had made the magic tool to store the air yesterday.
「Thank you! It would cost a lot of money if I was gonna buy it with my pocket money… I’ll gratefully take it then!」
While they were talking, the fog had somehow cleared up and they could see the place where they thought their goal would be. The four of them thought they were finally there, but then they found a surprising sight.
「Ainz-sama, I’ve been waiting for you. Your quick thinking and skill in defeating the flock were very impressive. The three of you worked well together and made it this far without much injury. I am glad you have such promising people by your side, Ainz-sama」
「D-Dill…! H-how did you get here…?」
「My apologies… It seems that I need to tell you the truth」
***
The time went back to before this training started, and the location was a room in the Royal Castle.
「Yo-Yo-Your Majesty! What are you going to do with my son? Did he do something wrong to His Highness!?」
「I’m sorry, Your Majesty. I would also like to know about it… I know that Leonard, my son, has always been well taken care of by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. But don’t tell me, did Leonard do something bad…?」
「I-I wonder why a normal craftsman like me was called to the castle…」
Several adults were seated in the place. First was Sylvird, and beside him was Warren.
And three people sitting across from them were the wife of Baron Krim and the mother of b.u.t.ts. Next to her was Leonard’s father, the head of the Dukedom of Forss and head of the Legal Department. Lastly, there was Roland’s father, who worked as a craftsman in the downtown area.
The three of them were led by a knight of the Kings guard to the Royal Castle. It was the first time that Roland’s father had set foot in the castle, and the second time for the Baroness to set foot in the castle.
「Your Majesty. May I give them an explanation first?」
「Yeah, I don’t mind」
「Now, if you’ll excuse me then… Thank you very much for coming here today. First of all, I would like to thank you all for your continued support of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince」
As Warren began to speak, the three of them kept their mouths shut and just bowed their heads.
「This time, I heard that your sons were going to be in the same group as the Crown Prince for the beast field training, and that is why I called you here. I will now hand out the doc.u.ments」
Warren then handed each of them a few sheets of paper. After a few minutes, the three of them who had read its contents looked up.
「I see that you have read it. I would like to take this opportunity to give His Royal Highness the Crown Prince a challenge. As what was written in the doc.u.ment」
Here’s a summary of what was written. “Dill will be a.s.signed as an escort, and he will then leave them in the middle of the training. After that, the knights want to use the crisis as an ordeal and have him overcome it by luring the monsters they have prepared”.
“But we’ll guarantee their safety. We’ll place several of Warren’s covert agents around the area, and have Chris, the Vice Commander of the King’s Guard, also be nearby. No matter what happens, I promise in the King’s name that I won’t let anything happen that would cause serious injury to them”.
「…May I have a word, Prime Minister?」
「Yes, go ahead, Duke of Forss」
「In other words, the Crown Prince will have to go through an ordeal, and you want to ask for permission for our children to be with him at that time?」
「Yes, just like what you said, but…」
「That’s enough, Warren. I’ll be the one to tell you more about it」
The three of them bowed their heads as Sylvird opened his mouth.
「I’m the one who is making the request this time, so raise your head」
With his permission, the three parents raised their heads and looked at Sylvird.
「I, Sylvird, as the King of Ishtalica, I promise you that they will be safe. However, I ask that you tolerate any injuries that may occur during the training. Would you allow it?」
「Yo-Your Majesty… I will be scolded by my ancestors if I objected your order」
「Yes, Your Majesty. I have no objection if you say so. I’m sure my husband would agree and appreciate it too. We should be grateful to you for giving our son a chance to get such a good experience with the a.s.surance of his safety」
「I… I don’t know the details. But since Your Majesty has said so, then I have no reason to object」
「Thank you for your consideration. I really appreciate it」
The three parents then agreed to what Sylvird and the others wanted.
***
「Well, that’s the rough explanation, but it was one of His Majesty’s orders」
When the four of them heard those words, they fell to their knees at the same time and grappled at that fact.
「E, eeh… Then, that’s why Dill suddenly left us, huh?」
「You just left us when the time was right, huh?」
「After that, the Raven b.u.t.terflies that swarmed us were…」
「So they released the captured flock to attack us?」
「Maybe, our training course this time too…」
「Yes. Warren-sama and his team have chosen a strict training course for all of you」
When the three of them heard Ainz and Dill talking to each other, they were just amazed, but gradually, b.u.t.ts began to smile.
「Hahaha… Geez. My mother must have agreed to this too」
「My dad too. Good grief… I had no idea he was doing this behind the scenes」
「My dad too, ugh… When I get home, he’ll be laughing and I’m sure he’ll say “How was it?”」
「My grandfather gives us trials very suddenly, doesn’t he…?」
It was probably the most intense training experience they had ever had and would remain etched in their minds as a strong memory.
「But well, that was quite fun right, guys?」
「As His Highness said, it was indeed a quite fun experience… But I won’t do something like this a second time」
「I had a lot of fun too. It’s not every day we can get a camping trip like that」
「It was fun, just like camping, and I’d like to do it again. But I also realized that I’m not strong enough, so I think I’ll work out a little more」
Everyone burst into laughter loudly at Roland’s words. It was a set-up, but the result was a great success.
And that was how Ainz’s team beast field training had come to an end.