Chapter 277
Julius and the Knight Commander defeated several other monsters as well.
A pack of ferocious wolf monsters. A large, heavy bear monster. Even a swarm of mosquito monsters that tried to suck their blood with sharp beaks.
Strangely enough, the monsters that usually appear only occasionally were repeatedly showing up in front of the two.
As if someone were driving the monsters toward them.
Among the monsters that appeared like that, they beheaded the ferocious ones and lightly threatened those that weren’t very aggressive to drive them away.
Even though they managed to pick and choose, they had to behead several of them.
When the magic stones extracted from the monsters filled a small leather pouch, it was around that time they had to regretfully throw away the leather and meat.
“Let’s head back now.”
“Hmm….”
“There’s something strange. I’ve never heard of so many monsters appearing.”
“Seems that way….”
The emperor took a quiet breath. At first, he thought the adventurers faced such hardships while hunting. Yet, no matter how much he considered it, he found it odd that it was this tough.
If adventuring was this difficult, only a handful of adventurers would have survived.
“Let’s go back for now.”
“Yes. It’s a pity to lose the materials from the other monsters, but it’s not worth more than our lives.”
They did gather all the magic stones, but the meat and leather were simply too much for two people to carry.
A single deer monster’s meat and hide would only be what remained.
“I wanted to see how other adventurers hunt monsters, but… I guess it’s unavoidable. We’ll head back.”
“Yes. I’ll guide you.”
Although the Knight Commander still had enough strength left, they faced a situation where even the slightest risk needed to be avoided. Not only did he lack adequate armor and equipment, but he was also in a situation where he had to protect someone more important than his own life… Safety came first.
Thus, the Knight Commander and Julius began to make their way through the forest toward the capital, Sirius.
Rumble!
Their steps halted at a loud noise that shook the ground.
“What is this…?”
“It’s the sound of footsteps. It seems there’s a large monster up ahead. Just in case the monster’s attention gets drawn this way, let’s change our route a bit. Yur.”
“Hmm. Understood.”
The two, who were heading toward Sirius, slightly adjusted their direction and started to turn back.
Thud!
“We’re getting closer. This isn’t good…”
“Considering the situation, how about we try to catch it?”
“While it may be possible with smaller monsters, larger ones often have hard shells or hides, and it’s hard to inflict serious wounds with a sword. If we had a heavy weapon like an axe, it might be doable…”
“So you’re saying it’s difficult with our current swords? Got it. Let’s dodge.”
“Yes.”
The two moved away from the source of the footsteps.
Thud!!
“Huh. Are big monsters really chasing after people?”
“That’s unlikely… Nevertheless, I can’t shake this strange feeling. I don’t know what kind of monster it is, but it could be quite cunning. Your Majesty. If it appears, head straight to Sirius. I’ll buy you time.”
“No… Ahem. Understood. If it comes to that… Please, don’t die.”
The Knight Commander smiled bitterly at Julius’s words.
“Even though I might find it hard to catch it without a heavy weapon like an axe, I’m not weak enough to fall to an ordinary monster. Don’t worry, I’ll just stall and escape.”
Julius nodded at the Knight Commander’s words. The comparison to the former emperor cast a shadow, but he was still a formidable warrior who couldn’t be easily matched by ordinary humans.
It wouldn’t be difficult to protect his own life.
Like that.
Thud!!
“Graaaar!!!”
A giant monster suddenly appeared before them.
Its body soared high like an ancient tree.
Its skin, dry and hard like an aged wood.
Feet that anchored firmly to the ground, resembling tree stumps.
And countless branches extending outward.
As described, a gigantic treant revealed itself.
“Tsk. A treant…!”
“Is that the treant I’ve only heard about? Moves quite well for its size.”
“Of course it does; it’s a monster. Once it transforms, it becomes something that can’t be judged by our regular thinking. So, Yur. Run toward Sirius. Luckily, it has slow legs, so it won’t be able to chase you down.”
Saying this, the Knight Commander cast aside the pile of deer skin and meat he was carrying and drew his sword.
“If its legs are slow, why can’t you just run away too?”
“True, but there’s a feeling of unease with so many monsters appearing. That treant is deliberately coming after us, so I think we might learn something if we manage to catch it.”
“But you said you didn’t even have an axe!”
“If I use the blade like an axe and slice it repeatedly, it will definitely fall!!! Now go! Be careful; someone may be after you!”
With that resolute shout, the Knight Commander charged at the treant, and as Yur turned back to look at the Knight Commander’s retreating figure, he headed toward Sirius.
“Guuuuuuuu!!!”
With a rough, booming male cry.
Crash!
Came the sound of something solid being hit by a heavy object.
“Ugh, this annoying guy! Just keeps running away!!!”
“Kuuuuuuu!”
“Shut up! Go become firewood!!!”
A burly man burst out from the bushes, relentlessly battering the treant’s heels with an axe.
The Knight Commander, rushing toward the sudden appearance of the adventurer, and Julius, about to flee, both froze for a moment.
“Graaahhh!!!”
“Gotcha! Right foot cut!! Oops, my bad. This guy took off in a weird direction.”
“Oh, no. Need any help?”
“No, it’s fine. I’ve taken down treants a few times before.”
Calmly asserting this, the axe-wielding adventurer deftly dodged the treant’s attacks and swiftly removed its remaining left foot, leaving the treant to collapse onto the ground.
“Wow… To handle such a massive creature with such skill…”
“Your tree-trimming skills are something else. You must be a lumberjack by trade.”
Julius halted his flight, watching the axe-wielding adventurer skillfully trim the fallen treant.
Such mastery! It was as if he was meant to carve up treants.
Before long, the treant was reduced to a well-formed log and a tidy pile of firewood.
“Oh, my apologies. My prey ran this way, causing trouble for you two.”
“No, that’s not the case. In fact, I’m quite happy to have seen such a spectacle.”
It wasn’t something everyone could do, yet this man had smoothly accomplished it with just a big axe.
That alone was a sight worth witnessing.
“Well, that’s a relief. I’ll take my leave now…”
“Oh, are you heading back to Sirius?”
“Yes. Now that I’ve got such a hefty catch. Oh, and if you two are also returning to Sirius… would you like to tag along?”
At the axe-wielding adventurer’s invitation, Julius and the Knight Commander exchanged brief glances before nodding.
For some mysterious reason, monsters kept appearing. In this situation, it would be beneficial to have at least one more capable person around.
“Okay, let’s head back together. You go fetch the leather and meat I threw aside earlier.”
“Understood.”
So, the three adventurers set off toward Sirius.
On this journey back, several monsters continued to show up, and adventurers chasing after those beasts joined them, only for more monsters to appear again, with yet other adventurers chasing them joining in…
The number of adventurers returning to Sirius began to climb above fourteen.
“This many adventurers gathering is something I haven’t seen outside of a tavern.”
“Right. Usually, I hunt alone.”
The adventurer with the bow spoke in a low voice.
“Today just feels like something out of the ordinary. Is the divine playing tricks?”
“Oh dear, if a priest from the church hears that, they might lose it! Mind your tongue!”
“Cough. I can’t go against the church’s whims. If I get hurt, they’re the only ones who can patch me up.”
Thus, Julius, who returned to Sirius with the twelve adventurers, began to converse quietly with the Knight Commander.
“Looking at it this way, they don’t seem like such bad folks after all.”
“Everyone’s in a situation where we all need to band together.”
“Hm… If we create an atmosphere where adventurers can work side by side, won’t we be able to reign in their wildness?”
“That does seem plausible. From what I see, their raucous behavior likely stems from the tension of solo hunting… If they have comrades to watch their backs, they might become a bit tamer.”
“Hmm. Good thinking. For now, let’s head to the tavern acting as their base.”
With that, Julius and the Knight Commander, accompanied by several adventurers, headed toward the tavern, the adventurers’ place of gathering.
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