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TL: ALT
Chapter 149 – Day 41 of the Strategy Life
From early morning on, everyone in the demonic land began preparing to receive the trainees.
The vegetation near the entrance to the training ground remained largely unchanged. Razor grass, bendgrass, and cam fruits were plentiful. However, ordinary weeds that can be found anywhere were growing everywhere, making it look gloomy.
Of course, these aren’t ordinary weeds. Jennifer and Lipa researched them and found that many are edible. Some were even in the wild herb soup we had this morning.
“If we observe them carefully and experiment with them, I don’t think anyone will die.”
“Hel-san said that some plants can be used as stomach medicine.”
This is the consensus of testers who have repeated patch tests. However, thanks to Jennifer and the others, our diet has improved considerably, so I believe them.
“Even if the worst happens and they can’t hunt monsters, they won’t starve to death.”
“Humans don’t die from not eating, so I think they’ll be fine.”
For some reason, Lipa’s words are convincing. Maybe it’s because of his experience in Cliff Garuda.
“This is their first time, so I think we should take turns watching them to make sure none of the trainees die. Is that okay?”
As she said that, Chel handed me a piece of paper that looked like a shift schedule.
“Oh, that’s good. I was going to do that, but… Huh?”
My name wasn’t on the schedule.
“Does that mean I have to watch the whole time?”
“N-No, that’s not what we meant. We just thought Makyo should do Makyo’s job.”
“You’re going to the elf kingdom to bring back the dwarf engineer, right?”
Sylvia and Hel approached, clearing the overgrown weeds.
“That’s right.”
“Once we’re done raising the monsters, we’re going to the dungeon in the botanical garden in the center, right? Can you take me and Lipa with you?”
“If the plants in the dungeon are invading the demonic land, we might be able to find vegetables that are easy to grow there.”
Surprisingly, everyone is thinking ahead. Wasn’t this supposed to be a time for magic training? While I was doing whatever I wanted, everyone else was laying the groundwork. I’d better go along with them.
“That’s true.”
“First, let’s bring the dwarf engineers here. They can get used to the demonic land with the trainees. Then, in the second half, we can tour the central dungeon.”
Chel made the decision and snatched the shift schedule from me.
“Oh, is that so?”
“Yes, so take Sylvia and Hel with you.”
“Huh? Where?”
“To the elf kingdom.”
“What?”
I couldn’t help but stutter.
“I-I-I wanted to take a quick look at the Lord of East Kenya on the way…”
“We need to warn them not to meddle in the demonic land. Otherwise, the elves might try something again.”
“Going home? You should be able to protect yourselves. I have to bring the dwarf engineers here.”
“B-But I’m a resident of the demonic land!”
“My crossbow is faster than magic, so it’s not a problem.”
“Then, fine.”
Sylvia is the daughter of a former lord who escaped East Kenya. Hel is supposedly dead in the Elf Kingdom. If she says she’s going anyway, she must be prepared for anything.
Gyahhhhh!
The cries of imps echoed.
Parting the grass, a mother and child Green Tiger rushed over. I hugged the child and stroked the adult Green Tiger’s jaw and forehead.
The sound of bells could be heard from the entrance.
“They’re here.”
As we headed toward the stream, we saw twelve trainees and two elves on the other side looking at us. The elite soldiers who had gone to the elf kingdom, as well as Sasha, were nowhere to be seen.
The trainees all had an unusual air about them. None of them seemed to care about their appearance, and none of them were wearing perfume. The men had beards, and many of the women had tattoos on their necks or cheeks. They must be outcasts, even within the army.
The captain must have gathered them at my request.
“Sasha and the others aren’t here?”
“Yes, they failed the test.”
A lightly armed female warrior replied. She was carrying a large, curved sword.
“What about you two elves?”
“I’ll go ahead on my own for the first half.”
“I’ll stay behind and follow later.”
They said they would take turns guarding the camp.
“These are the inhabitants of the demonic land. You don’t need to ask what kind of race they are. Ka-Ryu is a golem, but she knows the most about Yggdrasil, so show her respect.”
All of the trainees were surprised.
“All right, go in. Watch out for the slimes.”
As I said this, the warriors drew their weapons and took a step toward the stream.
The next moment, countless slimes burst out of the stream and attacked the trainees all at once. Some also leaped toward me, but I kicked them away.
Meanwhile, Chel pierced them with her flaming spear, Jennifer knocked them away with her slime wall, Hel shot their cores with her crossbow, Sylvia smashed them with her large bone club, and Lipa stabbed them with his wooden sword, skillfully making them spit out their cores.
Ka-Ryu was the only one who changed her body shape and dodged them.
Half of the trainees had exhausted their magic, while the other half had theirs drained. They barely made it to our shore. Many of their weapons were broken or rendered useless. Only the elf gatekeeper was energetic enough to walk around; he had anticipated what would come flying out.
“Whether you’re conscious or not, listen carefully. If you don’t survive, you’ll die. Welcome to the demonic land.”
Gah!
The unconscious warrior vomited water.
Grrrrrrr…
The Green Tiger growled, threatening the trainees. Come to think of it, monsters from the demonic land are supposed to be larger than usual.
“Now, trainees, this way! Don’t stray from me, and don’t do anything unnecessary. Otherwise, I won’t be responsible if you die!”
Jennifer called out, leading them to the training ground. She was good at putting on a front, so she was the right person for the job.
She led the way, carrying the unconscious trainees on her back, along with Chel and Ka-Ryu. Lipa followed behind.
“Well, sorry, but I’ll leave the rest to you.
Hel, Sylvia, and I will head to the elf kingdom as planned.
“Got it! Have a safe trip!”
After Lipa saw us off, we jumped over the stream.
I hadn’t prepared anything special, thinking we’d leave the demonic land casually. However, Sylvia and Hel had apparently prepared thoroughly. They were carrying heavy-looking bags on their backs.
“What’s in that bag?”
“W-Weapons.”
“Poison.”
This isn’t just a simple trip home.
“Come to think of it, did you two bring any money?”
“N-No.”
“We’ll manage somehow.”
Sleeping outdoors. It wouldn’t be so bad if it were just the three of us.
“We’ll have to see if we can convince the dwarves.”
“Th-The demonic land is basically a campsite, so they’ll have to get used to it.”
“We’d better show them the reality of the situation early on.”
“Let’s do that.”
For now, let’s go to the military training facility and meet with the captain.
“Don’t worry. I’ll arrange lodging, so just go there and bring them back.”
Since the captain offered, we decided to take him up on it.
We boarded a carriage at the facility and headed for East Kenya, which borders the elf kingdom.
The unpaved road caused the carriage to shake violently.
“Sorry, I’m going to run ahead.”
“M-Me too!”
“Ugh, I guess I’ll keep them company.”
In the end, the three of us got off the carriage and started running.
We moved slowly, matching the pace of the horses.
“Margrave! Don’t leave us behind!”
Sasha and the cavalry came chasing after us on horseback.
Just as they got close, the scent of perfume wafted by. It was like inviting monsters to attack you in the demonic land.
“Sasha, maybe you should take a quick dip in the water. We might get attacked by monsters.”
“What!? Can you smell something? I haven’t used soap in two days…”
“Well, maybe you should just smear yourself in horse dung.”
Sylvia said something harsh and pointed ahead.
On a mountain pass, bandits were being attacked by a group of creatures called small harpies, which are part bird and part human.
Hel aimed her crossbow at a harpy and shot it down. I charged forward, using my magic to close the distance and knock down all the harpies in flight.
Sylvia crushed the harpies with her bone club and closed in on the bandits.
“L-L-Leave your belongings behind!”
Blood dripped from the harpies that had been crushed by Sylvia’s club.
The bandits began to urinate, drop their weapons, and remove their armor. I stopped them.
“Now we can’t tell who the bandits are.”
“I-I-I thought it might help with travel expenses.”
“It’s not even good exercise.”
Hel put away her crossbow and stretched. Compared to the demonic land, their movement speed was extremely slow.
“D-Do you know the way?”
“I’ll go ahead.”
“Th-There’s a village.”
“Then I’ll wait there.”
Sasha and the cavalry finally reached the pass.
“Margrave, are you all right?”
“As you can see, we’re fine. We were wondering whether to strip the bandits of their belongings. For now, interrogate and arrest them.”
“W-We’ll wait for you at the village called Blood Moon up ahead.”
We left Sasha and the cavalry behind and went down the mountain.
We arrived in East Kenya after dusk.
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