Translator: âHakouâ Editor: âWeasalopesâ
I had gotten into the cockpit of the Old Lady, and was walking along the highway from the royal capital heading northwest.
The reason I wasnât hovering was because there were houses, though sparsely populated. They would probably complain to the merchants guild if I let the dust roll up.
I was heading for the valley ahead. It is to defeat a certain demon beast.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
A huge bird-like demon beast is reportedly sitting at the top of a rocky mountain, attacking the merchants passing by on the road below.
(That was also probably this guyâs fault)
As I walked forward, I pondered.
Recently, in the northwestern city near the royal capital, there was an incident where small demon beasts swarmed into the city. I immediately went out with the Old Lady and defeated them, but while I was doing so, another bunch of them appeared right after.
(Is there a nest around here or something?)
I guessed and headed northwest, to the direction the small demon beasts had come from.
What I saw there were several medium-sized demon beasts. They were walking around in the forest, looking like they owned the place.
(Theyâre not the kind you usually see around here)
I had defeated them several times before, but I always encountered them further north. Reaching that thought, a certain word popped into my head.
ãSpecies Migrationã
This is just a guess, but something stronger might have appeared further inside.
The frightened medium-sized demon beasts left the area and overwhelmed the smaller demon beasts in their escape destination. Forcing the smaller demon beasts to move south.
Just as I was about to return to the merchantsâ guild to report the incident, I heard about this huge demon beast.
(Hm?)
My destination is near. As I was thinking this, about ten animals appeared on the other side of the road.
They were running hard towards me.
They must have been wary of the Old Lady. They split into two groups halfway and jumped into the bushes and forest on the side of the road.
(â¦Those were pigs no matter how you look at it, right?)
That pinkish coloring was definitely not a boar. They were clean and spotless, so I thought they might be livestock.
A possibility crossed my mind, and I proceeded cautiously to find the scene I had imagined.
(They were attacked by demon beasts huh)
In the middle of the paved highway. A big carriage had been overturned, and the two golem horses that must have been pulling it had collapsed.
Broken wooden fences were strewn about, suggesting that they had been carrying pigs.
(â¦There seems to be no one around)
I looked up at the sky and looked around, but there was no sign of the demon beast. After that, I inspected the golem carriage, but I couldnât find any corpses.
If they hadnât been taken away like Sinbad, they must have escaped.
It seemed that my guess was correct as an old man and a boy emerged from the shadow of a giant rock on the side of the highway. They were relieved to see the Knight of the merchant guild.
ãCan you tell me what happened here?ã
I kneeled down in the middle of the highway and asked them over the external sound system. The two men, a grandfather and his grandson, told me the details of the incident.
They said that they were transporting pigs to the city to sell when they were attacked by two demon beasts.
The wagon was hit by a sideways glide and fell over. The pigs were thrown out onto the highway and ran around in a state of panic.
ãAnd then two pigs were taken away into the sky, is it?ã
The two birds that returned caught them in their talons and flew north.
ãIf you had come a little earlier, the pigs would have been safeã
The old man says, but he doesnât seem to have any intention of blaming me. He turns to the Old Lady and bows his head lightly.
ãIn the past, I couldnât even think of going to sell it myself. I know I couldnât have done this if it not for the merchant guildã
He then let out one big sigh.
ãThis is just a selfish complaint of an old man who lost the pig he raised. Iâm sorryã
Iâm glad heâs a good person.
By the way, the boy is staring at the Old Lady with sparkling eyes from the very beginning.
ãPlease! Avenge Bacon and the othersã
That must have been the name he gave to one of the pigs. Iâm sure he wasnât referring to the state after they were processed.
ãPlease wait a momentã
I made the Old Lady stand up and raise the overturned wagon and golem horse. Fortunately it can still move after I check it with the Old Lady.
ãAh! Minchi!ã
The boy shouted as he looked up and saw a pig coming out of the grass, squealing. It seemed to have returned to its owner.
A few more pigs trotted over. We waited for a while after that, but it seems that this is everyone.
ãItâs over. Letâs go homeã
The old man told the reluctant boy and headed to their village, accompanied by the Old Lady.
ãI will definitely avenge them!ã
When we parted, I promised the boy that I would defeat the demon beasts. After that, I went back to the place where the pig was kidnapped and headed north along the street again.
Finally, I found the landmark that the herbivore mechanic had mentioned.
(That rocky mountain huh. Certainly, thereâs something there)
I ducked behind a giant rock and saw through the telescope of the Old Ladyâs eyes.
As I poured magic power into her eyes, a magic circle unfolded in front of one of her eyes. Then it began to rotate slowly.
(â¦Birds. Moreover, parent and child huh)
Two birds are sticking their heads into the belly of a pig lying on the top. It seems they are the demon beasts that had attacked the wagon.
The one watching behind them was probably the parent. They were many times larger than the two that were eating.
Looking at the size comparison with the pigs, they are probably bigger than a Knight when they spread their wings.
(Letâs wait until itâs a bit dark and eliminate them in one blow)
Itâs hard to shoot down a flying bird with my skills. If I wanted to shoot them, I must aim at them while they are standing still, like now.
The only reason I didnât shoot them right away was because there was a possibility that there might be others.
(Even though they are demon beasts, they are still birds. So Iâm sure they will go back to their nest at night)
For now, thereâs no doubt that thatâs their nest. Iâd like to wipe them all in one fell swoop if I could.
(Bird-types are always aims at your eyes after all)
I groaned while holding my own eyes with one hand. Me and the Old Lady are in sync, which means we share the same pain perception, and just thinking about it is terrifying.
I could try to barrage them with anti-aircraft fire, but I want to avoid getting attacked by entire herds.
(Now then)
It was almost dusk, and the sun would be going down before too long.
I noticed thereâs a movement on their nest when I looked at it. One by one, the parent bird and the young bird returned.
(It was right to wait for them)
I looked at the sky, but didnât spot any other birds in the sky. The sun had already disappeared over the western horizon, and itâs gradually getting darker.
Old Lady propped herself up on the giant rock and aimed the nest with the rifle.
(Pouring in D-rank magic in full power, without converging it to magic missiles)
This is the maximum power that the current Old Lady can unleash. It has a track record of slaughtering even the A-class Knights of the Empire with a single blow.
But I wonât compress it as much as I did then. I choose to make the magic missile wider, even though it will reduce the firepower.
There are multiple opponents. So Iâm going to widen the diameter and wipe them out with a single blow.
(Flying creatures should have lower defense)
If an airplane had armor that was as thick as a tank, then the tank would have no place in a battlefield anymore. The giant turtle and heavy lancers shouldâve been more durable than bird type demon beasts like them.
(Then this should work)
The cane rifle trembles with a whirring sound. It sounds like when a circuit breaker is turned on and a large current flows into heavy electrical equipment.
Not long after, the fallen leaves and broken twigs around the Old Lady began to float in the air.
(Target confirmed)
A thin bolt of lightning appeared around the rifle, but they still havenât noticed me yet.
(Fire!)
It turned out as I expected, the bird-type demon beasts couldnât withstand the attack. What I saw at the time of impact was the scene of an overripe persimmon slammed into the ground.
Now there was nothing, even the pigs, remaining on the rock.
(Letâs wait here until morning, just in case. If by that time none of them shows up anymore, then itâs mission completed)
I leaned back and exhaled heavily. After a while, letâs bake the bacon we got from the village and have it for dinner.
I spun my neck and shoulders as I thought about this.