“I bought the medicinal herbs you asked for.”
Though he remained wary, he was doing errands quite well. Perhaps he was doing so precisely because he was wary.
I took the pouch he handed me. While I checked the contents, Garwen glanced at the sword at my waist.
“Is the sword you are wearing for self-defense, Mr. Dane? It does not look to be in very good condition.”
As he said, it was a low-quality sword. After all, I had taken it from the men who attacked the Brothel and had been using it ever since.
“Yes. I am using a suitable sword for now.”
“Do you have no intention of getting a new one? I could make one for you.”
“This is fine.”
Garwen was still looking at my sword. In the meantime, I sorted through the medicinal herbs. However, one of the ingredients was missing.
“Is there no tree moss?”
“The shop owner was injured, so he said he could not go gather it. He also said there was no one to replace him.”
Tree moss was indeed a difficult medicinal herb to obtain. Since it grew on tree branches more than thirty meters high, no one short of a proper veteran would even dare try.
I remembered how my companion had often driven me into the mountains to gather tree moss. To think I would come to miss those days.
“Then I will go and gather some myself.”
I should be able to return before sunset.
When I went outside, the three of them were huddled together in front of the smithy.
“No, I am the emperor, so you have to obey my orders, old man!”
“Then I will be the emperor’s grandfather’s father! Cesare, I sentence you to hanging for falsely claiming to be emperor.”
“Old man, you are actually sane, are you not?”
Cesare had said playing with Zeke was childish, but now he seemed to be enjoying it instead. I approached Zeke.
“Mr. Zeke, it is time for your tea.”
“This tastes bad……. But Dane Hyung is giving it to me, so!”
Zeke obediently drank the tea. I spoke to my Disciples, who were adorned with flower rings and flower crowns.
“We are out of tree moss, so I think I have to go gather some. Xenia, come with me.”
“Yes!”
Since Xenia was good at handling her Tentacles, she would likely be helpful in gathering medicinal herbs. Cesare spoke with a sullen air.
“So I am the only one who has to watch the child? To begin with, old man Zeke likes Xenia more than me…….”
At that moment, Zeke sprang to his feet. He was sudden as usual, but this time his expression was different.
His face had gone strangely stiff. Like someone waking from a dream. He looked at me and frowned.
“……Dane?”
My name flowed from his mouth. Had he come to his senses?
At that moment, Cesare’s eyes flashed. He grabbed Zeke at once.
“Old man, did your mind come back? Do you remember Dane Balanus?”
“I remember. He dealt with the Clayborne that appeared in the mine. So…….”
As Zeke muttered, he squeezed his eyes shut. And when he opened them again, his face looked as though he knew nothing at all.
“Wow, a butterfly!”
Zeke’s attention was stolen by a butterfly passing beside him. Unable to contain his frustration, Cesare shouted.
“No, why did you go crazy again? Come to your senses!”
As Cesare’s shout rang out thunderously, Xenia tugged at my sleeve and asked, “Master, what is a Clayborne?”
“It is a Magic Beast similar to a golem. It is a giant-shaped Magic Beast made of earth, but unlike a golem, it occurs naturally.”
It had been quite a long time since I defeated the Clayborne, but he remembered it. If his mind returned properly, it seemed we could receive the sword easily.
I had to keep feeding him herbal tea so the medicine’s effect would not fade. If we hurried, we should be able to return in time for the evening dose.
“Cesare, then I will be going. Watch Mr. Zeke well.”
“Well, honestly, pay me a babysitter’s wages.”
Leaving behind the still-gloomy Cesare, I headed toward the mountain. The terrain was rather rugged, but Xenia’s steps were merely light.
“Master, I am curious about the story of how you defeated the Clayborne. I want to know the details.”
“There was nothing special about it. It ended when I destroyed the source in the mine. After that, we closed it down as a precaution.”
“What is a source?”
“It is something like a mass of Mana that continuously generates Magic Beasts.”
The people of this village did not know about the existence of sources. That was why they had been unable to figure out why Claybornes kept appearing.
Xenia thought deeply about my story, then said, “If we keep one of those at home, Magic Beasts will keep coming out. Then we would not have to go to a Dungeon. I should tell Brother to go look for one.”
I thought Cesare would have a hard time. Sources were not exactly common, after all.
As we talked, we moved toward the cliff. That was because tree moss usually grew near cliffs.
“Master, we have to go up there, right? Then I will go first!”
Xenia extended her Tentacles and grabbed a tree growing from the cliff like a nimble monkey.
As Xenia dangled in the air, she wrapped another Tentacle around my waist.
Then she began climbing the cliff without hesitation. Xenia spoke as though proud.
“This is comfortable, is it not?”
“Yes, it is comfortable.”
I did feel slightly like baggage, but Xenia’s method was indeed more efficient.
After climbing the cliff so easily, we came to a rather flat area. Only then did Xenia set me down and look around.
“Tree moss, tree moss……. Is that it?”
A tree stretched out at the edge of the cliff Xenia was pointing to. Something like moss clung to its dry branches.
“Yes, that is tree moss.”
“Then I will hurry and bring it……. Huh?”
At that moment, something black began pouring out into the air from inside the cliff.
They were enormous eagles, each the size of a person. Seeing nests all over the cliff, it seemed we had entered the eagles’ territory.
Dark blood was caked on the eagles’ beaks and talons. The way they looked at us was ravenous.
They were man-eating eagles that fed chiefly on cows, pigs, and even humans.
―SCREEECH!
The creatures immediately rushed at us. At the same time, Tentacles wriggled out from between the folds of Xenia’s clothes.
“We are busy.”
―CRUNCH!
The Tentacles pierced the eagles’ chests. Like fierce spears. With sharp screams, the eagles began to fall.
At a glance, the attack resembled Cesare’s Spearmanship. It seemed Xenia was learning many things from her Brother too.
Just as Xenia was slaughtering the eagles without pause, a cry that seemed to tear through the ears rang out.
―SCREEECH!
The sharp sound struck my ears directly. My vision blurred from the pain that seemed to stir my brain, and the Mana inside me surged chaotically.
When I hurriedly looked around, there was an especially large eagle far away.
Beyond its black wings, I could see blue energy rippling. It was clearly the leader of these eagles.
It roared once more. Pain flared as though needles were piercing into my ears.
Xenia also clapped her hands over her ears as though she was in pain. Because of that, even her Tentacles stiffened.
“Ugh, what is this? Is that thing a Magic Beast?”
“Something similar. When an ordinary beast awakens to Mana, it becomes a kind of Magic Beast.”
It was not easy to keep my head clear under the leader’s screams. At the same time, I could feel the Mana inside me rippling chaotically.
Did that sound have the effect of disrupting Mana?
During that time, the eagles charged at us. Xenia had not yet regained her senses.
I hurriedly pulled Xenia with me and took shelter behind a rock.
After covering Xenia’s ears with both hands, I sent Mana flowing through them. At that moment, pain like my flesh was being cut apart ran through my entire body.
Xenia must have felt this kind of pain when she passed Mana to Gainak.
As Mana flowed into Xenia, the organs inside my body screamed. I ignored that scream and continued pouring Mana into her. Only with difficulty did Xenia’s expression soften.
“Thank you, Master. I feel a little better now, but…….”
The eagles were still looking for an opening to attack us, and the leader was too far away.
“Xenia, can you extend your Tentacles all the way to where the leader is?”
“That far is impossible.”
None of us had a long-range attack. Still, there was a way to resolve this. I examined the situation and told Xenia the plan.
“Can you do it, Xenia?”
At my words, Xenia’s eyes flashed, and she spoke with certainty.
“Yes, I can do it! This sounds fun!”
“Good. Then come when I give you the signal.”
I rushed straight out from behind the rock. I had only run a few steps before the cliff was right before my eyes.
The flock of eagles was deployed in every direction. The moment I leaped, they rushed at me as though they had been waiting. Somehow, it seemed there were even more of them than before.
All the better.
―CRUNCH!
I stepped directly on an eagle. Since its body was large, it served as a good foothold.
These eagles filling the sky were my stepping stones. I stepped on them and approached the leader.
―SCREEECH!
The leader screamed once again, but it was a different kind from before.
The eagles between the leader and me began to scatter. Now there was nowhere to place my foot between the leader and myself.
But it was already enough.
“Xenia!”
I extended my hand toward my Disciple. As though she had been waiting, Xenia’s Tentacle wrapped around my arm.
I pulled Xenia with all my strength. She flew into the air. Before I knew it, Xenia was floating above my head, and she twisted her body to glare at the leader.
“Now I can reach……!”
―CRUNCH!
Her Tentacle pierced the leader’s chest. Blood poured out in an instant, and the creature let out a Death Cry.
This had been the plan from the beginning. I had never intended to kill the leader myself in the first place.
To become Xenia’s stepping stone. To become her foothold.
That was my goal.
When the leader died, its subordinates ran away in a rout. The eagle that had become my foothold could no longer bear the weight and was falling. Xenia lifted me up in her Tentacles.
“Let us go now too, Master.”
She extended her Tentacles and grabbed a tree on the cliff, then landed directly on the ground. Xenia, who was holding me, tilted her head.
“Master, you seem a little light. You feel about half as heavy as Brother Cesare.”
“That must be your imagination.”
“No, it is not. Brother is as heavy as a pig. You are a baby pig, Master.”
I was about average. It seemed she felt that way because she had grown stronger. Somehow, I felt like an aging parent.
“Shall we eat pork for dinner?”
“Let us gather the tree moss first and go back.”
After gathering plenty of tree moss, we descended the mountain. Before we knew it, the sun was sinking toward the horizon.
When we entered the smithy, the atmosphere felt strange. It was too quiet. Xenia looked around and said,
“Hm? Grandpa and Brother are not here.”
Just as she said, they were not. Usually, they would have been playing in front of the smithy. Radi and Garwen were nowhere to be seen either. I headed to the shop next door.
“Excuse me. Have you perhaps seen Mr. Zeke? Mr. Zeke, and the red-haired man who was with him…….”
“Ah, that wicked fellow?”
The shop owner let out a dry laugh as he spoke. Somehow, I had an uneasy feeling. Had Cesare caused trouble again?
“People from the Guard Post came earlier and took him away. From what I heard, he was caught trying to steal something.”