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TL: ALT
Chapter 155 – Jennifer’s Scout Caravan Day 1, Morning
Last night, I camped in the forest.
In the morning, I butchered the bloodless Gibier Deer that I had hung from a tree. A wild bear and a large bee monster called Vespa Hornet came sniffing around, but I repelled them with a slime wall.
“This deer meat isn’t for you to eat—it’s a souvenir.”
I buried the deer’s innards and head in a hole, then covered the fire pit with soil. Camping in the demonic land has become second nature to me.
Today, I’ll head to the military training facility to exchange information as an envoy from the demonic land. In the afternoon, I’ll move to the town.
Since soldiers from all over the country are gathered there, I can gather information on where and what kind of monsters are breeding. There will likely be high demand for the demonic land manual in areas where monsters are breeding.
The job isn’t particularly difficult, as it mainly involves traveling and selling manuals.
I only recruit new members when I find someone suitable. I’ve learned that it’s impossible to survive in the demonic land if you force someone to come with you.
When I greeted the soldiers working in the fields at the training facility, the captain came out immediately.
“Oh, it’s you, the priestess.”
“Good morning. Here’s a souvenir.”
“A souvenir? Not a negotiation?”
He asked in surprise when I handed him a large barrel of venison.
“Yes, I’m sorry the support for the trainees was insufficient the other day.”
“Ah! You’re the instructor, aren’t you? No, no. It’s survival training, so minimal support is all that’s needed. In fact, I’m grateful that everyone returned alive.”
“But weren’t there some trainees who lost heart?”
“Indeed, those who returned were all dejected. But they said they could sense things better or that their hearing had improved… They were the ones who told me you were coming.”
“I see. I’m glad they improved even a little.”
As an instructor, I’m relieved to hear that they recovered.
“Did you come here just to apologize?”
“No, I came here today as an envoy from the demonic land. Thanks to the trainees, we were able to create a survival manual for the demonic land.”
“A manual?”
“I’m thinking of selling it to adventurer guilds across the country. Would you like to exchange information?”
“Sure, let’s do it! But I don’t think we have any information that would be useful for the demonic land, do you?”
“No. I think the soldiers are gathered from all over the country. I’d like to know what monsters are breeding at this time of year.”
“Oh, I see. Please come this way.”
The captain led me to a spacious dining hall.
It was past lunchtime, and I could hear dishes being washed in the kitchen.
After waiting a while, trainees who had heard that I, an instructor from the demonic land, had visited the training facility gathered around me.
Other soldiers from the facility crowded into the dining hall as well, eager to catch a glimpse of me. After all, I had adapted to the demonic land in just a few months.
“Is it always like this when Makyo-san comes?”
“No, the soldiers usually don’t get close to Makyo-kun.”
“I’ll tell him to be friendlier.”
“It’s not that. He’s just too fast for them to keep up with.”
“Oh, I see.”
Indeed, it would be difficult for ordinary people to keep up with Makyo-san’s speed.
“By the way, how did a priestess expelled from an adventurer’s party a few months ago manage to become an instructor in the demonic land?”
Come to think of it, the people at this training facility took care of me after I left the White Lightning. At that time, I had gone to the demonic land in search of a place to die. Thinking about it now, I’m embarrassed.
“Thank you for your help back then. There aren’t many people living in the demonic land, so it’s natural to become like that.”
I drank the tea the soldier offered, swallowing my past shame along with it. The captain left to fetch a map of the Kingdom of Estinia. In his place, the trainees who had participated in the survival training in the demonic land gathered around.
“How can anyone live in a place like that?”
One of the bearded trainees sitting at the table muttered. His cheeks were now smooth.
“You shaved your beard, didn’t you?”
“Yes. I realized I needed to change, so I decided to change my appearance and mindset. By the way, the old wound on the top of my foot from the demonic land has healed.”
“Chel-san must have healed it.”
“That demon instructor? Who is that person? She’s saved me multiple times.”
A female soldier with many tattoos, sitting next to the bearded man, asked seriously.
“She’s the baker in the demonic land.”
“That can’t be! Not even a priestess from the church could heal my broken bones!”
“She healed the wounds from the monsters’ bites completely!”
Another soldier pulled up his shirt to reveal a clean abdomen.
“I see. She’s better at healing magic than I am, even though I’m a priestess. Well, not just healing magic, but magic in general…”
If you’re surprised by Chel-san’s magic, maybe you shouldn’t join the training. It might just cause more confusion.”
“Why is she a baker?”
“Because she likes it. What you’re good at and what you like are different things. At least Chel-san is the best baker in the demonic land.”
When I said that, everyone fell silent, looking stunned.
“Think about it, everyone. Baking bread in the demonic land is not a sane thing to do.”
For some reason, everyone seemed to agree with the words of the trainee who showed his stomach. Perhaps it seems strange to them to leisurely bake bread while monsters and plants attack.
“It may seem that way now.”
“Instructor, what should we have done?”
The trainee, who always frowned, asked with a relaxed expression as if a weight had been lifted from him.
“I’ve made a manual. The main thing you trainees lacked was observation and situational judgment.”
I took out the manual and opened it on the table. It contained diagrams and practice questions.
“For example, how would you deal with a wild bear three times your height with claws as hard as steel and a bite as powerful as a crocodile’s? That’s question one.”
“You’d run away, right?”
“But it’s a wild bear. Wouldn’t you try to trap it and take it down somehow?”
The trainees each voiced their own hunting plans.
“Wait a minute. Question 2 is crazy.”
The clean-shaven trainee pointed to the booklet.
“Question 2 asks how you would handle it if the bear could fly and had needles on its rear end like a Vespa Hornet.”
“I’ve never seen a monster like that. It’s impossible.”
The trainees, still bound by conventional wisdom, snorted in derision.
“Exactly. That’s why it’s called the demonic land.”
“Are you saying that the inhabitants of the demonic land can handle it?”
“I think anyone can. You just have to keep your distance, observe the situation, and figure out how to defeat it. The worst thing you can do is stop thinking. In the demonic land, that means death.”
“Even so… How are we supposed to deal with a monster like that?”
“For example, does it have wings for flight? What is the structure of its arm joints? What could stop its movement? Knocking it to the ground and limiting its movement would make a difference.”
“So, are you saying that the inhabitants of the demonic land can handle such monsters with ease?”
“It’s not that difficult. The time it takes to handle each one may vary, but…”
There’s no need to make a manual if the monsters that attack are just strong. All you have to do is deal with them on a daily basis. Anyone can stop a monster’s movements and deliver the final blow.
The demonic land is home not only to monsters such as Haze Turtles and Rock Crocodiles but also to small plants and swarms of insects. Environmental hazards, such as natural disasters, the giant magical beast, and dungeons, are just some of the problems that must be dealt with one after another.
Furthermore, the demonic land is home to beings like Makyo-san and Chel-san, who attack in unimaginable ways and grow at unpredictable speeds. Hel-san and Sylvia-san have begun walking their own paths. Lipa-kun has become faster than I am in terms of judgment alone. Ka-Ryu-san is a golem in every sense of the word, overwhelming everything else with her presence alone.
This manual might as well have been made for me. The methods for surviving harsh conditions alongside monsters that surpass even monsters are the same as those needed in the demonic land.
“However, as those of you who have visited the demonic land know, a manual is just a manual. How well it works in practice depends on your awareness.”
“””Yes.”””
The trainees nodded vigorously.
“Hey, sorry to keep you waiting.”
The captain returned with a map of the Kingdom of Estinia and spread it out on the table.
“Are the evaluations finished?”
In the now silent dining hall, the captain asked with concern.
“No, there’s no need for such formalities. I came here today because I have something I want to tell you all.”
“Us?”
“Summer will soon be over, and the young monsters born in spring will have learned to hunt.”
When autumn comes, herbivores will store food for the winter. Monsters will target them.
“Could you tell me which areas will be the most dangerous in the autumn?”
“What about White Ox in the north?”
The trainees leaned forward and pointed to the map.
“Around the western royal capital, Finrills are said to come down from the mountains in early autumn.”
“In the southern sea, Sahagins chase sea monsters…”
“In the central plains and swamps, goblins and lizardmen attack carriages traveling on the roads.”
“It looks like it’ll end up being a tour around the entire kingdom.”
It seems that all areas are suffering from monster attacks. This is also a busy time for adventurers, so I want to distribute the manual as soon as possible. Where should I start?
“I was thinking of starting with the areas that have suffered the most damage…”
When I said that, the trainees looked at a female soldier with many tattoos for some reason.
She slowly rolled up her sleeve to reveal a large snake tattoo on her shoulder.
“I’m hiding it with a tattoo now, but it used to be a slave mark.”
If she was a slave and then became a soldier and got the tattoo to hide the mark of slavery, she must have gone through a lot of hardship.
“Where are you from?”
“There are several old mines near White Ox, and I’m from a nearby village. There should be monsters nesting in the abandoned mines…”
At that point, she fell silent and looked down.
“If there’s something you don’t want to remember, you don’t have to say it. Wasn’t there a dungeon in White Ox?”
“Yeah, it’s run by the Ox Demon clan. There’s less discrimination against demi-humans and beastmen there, and the area has developed. But the areas around developed dungeons are also dark.”
The captain explained, arms crossed. Adventurers and merchants probably head to White Ox for the dungeon, but they might not bother exploring the surrounding area.
“When monsters from the abandoned mine appear on the mountain path, the area is closed off.”
The tattooed woman, who had been looking down, moistened her lips with tea and began to speak.
“Until the adventurers defeat the monsters on the mountain path, right?”
“No, adventurers don’t come. The risk of slipping or landslides is high, yet the reward is low. Until the slave traders come in the spring, we can’t leave the village. The only options are to become a slave or a bandit.”
“I see…”
There are regions where one’s fate is sealed at birth. I understand this well because my parents almost forced me to marry an elderly man. In a closed village, one has no choice but to obey one’s parents.
Perhaps the manual I created could be an option for people in mountain villages.
“I see. This manual might be useful.”
“Yes, please spread it around. I beg you.”
I will never forget the tattoo on her neck as she bowed deeply.
I decided to head to the White Ox Dungeon area first.
Since it was a long distance, I stretched my legs to loosen up and checked the flow of my magic.
The captain said, “This is all we can do,” and handed me a pouch bearing the royal crest, along with a certificate stating that I was the “Messenger of the Demonic Land.” With these items, I can rely on the soldiers if I get into trouble.
“Thank you for your help!”
I thanked him and began running down the road.
The sound of swords clashing echoed from the training facility.
The faint scent of greenery, the feel of the cobblestones under my feet, and the subtle chirping of summer insects were all pleasant.
“So that’s how it was…”
Upon exiting the demonic land, I noticed how much wider my field of vision had become.
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