GalaxyTL
“Alright, leave it to me, you guys!”
“Your voice is too loud, Juma-nii.”
We’re currently—me, Ronny, and Juma-nii—heading for the forest outside the city. Why did this happen? Well, it just kind of… happened.
“You’re going to the forest outside the city? Just the two of you? Hmm… There are monsters and magical beasts in the forest, it’s a bit dangerous for just two people…”
Shou-chan had told us that the flower spirit was outside the city. We can’t just go there without telling anyone, so we went to consult with Saura-san. And she started groaning, saying everyone was out on quests, and there was no one available. S-Sorry.
I wanted to suggest going another day, but spirit contracts are strange. Once you feel it’s the right time, you have to go immediately, or the opportunity will slip away. So we want to go now, for Ronny’s sake.
“I’m hoooome! A huge haul agaiiiin!”
And then, the one who came back, flinging open the guild doors… was Juma-kun.
“Juma… Juma… hmmmmm…”
Saura-san then had the most conflicted expression I’d ever seen on her face. Is it really that bad?
“Th-There’s no choice… We can’t let anything happen to Meg-chan and Ronaldo, even if it’s an accident…”
Desperate times call for desperate measures, and that’s exactly what this is! Saura-san, who seemed a bit exhausted just from making this decision, called out to Juma-kun weakly.
“Absolutely no funny business! You’re to silently watch over them from behind! Got it!?”
“Got it, got it! Leave it to me! Come on, let’s go!”
“I said from behind! Haa, this is hopeless…”
We had no choice but to follow Juma-kun, who was leading the way. Juma-kun never listens… I knew that…
And so, with Juma-kun in the lead, we arrived at the forest. I was a bit uneasy, but I realized that Juma-kun was actually a pretty good escort.
“Tell me which way you’re headed.”
“Um, deeper in. Northwest.”
“Okay, got it. Stay behind me. And tell me if I stray from the path!”
He wouldn’t let anyone else lead, so I asked him why. And he said,
“I can mostly tell where the monsters and magical beasts are. You’re still a Demon King kid who hasn’t fully awakened, right, Meg? You can’t repel monsters, and magical beasts will attack regardless. Because they’re beasts. It’s best to just avoid dangerous stuff.”
He’s right! I’m so surprised, Juma-kun’s actually being sensible! No, sorry, that was rude, but… Juma-kun’s usually so naive, but he’s a pro when it comes to fighting or work.
“Juma-nii, so reliable!”
“That’s right, that’s right! Your nii-chan’s amazing, Meg!”
Juma-kun, grinning, flashing his canines, was a bit of a show-off, but cute.
“Um, Juma-san. We want to go west a bit. And… something feels a bit strange…?”
We’d been walking for about 10 minutes. Ronny relayed what our spirit guides, Shou-chan and Fuu-chan, had told us, about how we’d strayed from the path. And it felt like all our spirits were getting scared, so he told him that too.
“Oh, you noticed, huh? There’s a fairly large magical beast that way. But you need to go that way?”
“Yeah. A magical beast… I’ve never seen one before.”
What, there’s a magical beast? I haven’t actually properly seen one either. The last time was that lion-like magical beast that was the boss in the dungeon.
“Oh, so this is your first hunt! Then watch me hunt carefully, okay? I’ll go slow for you guys.”
Apparently, because that magical beast is the strongest in this forest, there aren’t any other magical beasts around. So he told us to relax and follow a bit further behind. It’s a contradiction to be told to relax as we head towards a strong magical beast. Well, I can tell by Juma-kun’s behavior that it’s not a problem for him, but…
It’s a bit scary, but we have no choice but to do as he says, so Ronny and I followed, a little distance from Juma-kun. He told us to suppress our presence as much as possible, so we used this as training.
Our spirits, scared, seemed to have evacuated into their magic stones. They’ve taken a liking to the magic stones ever since we went to the human continent. They could go anywhere else, because they can come to me right away if I call them. When I told Shou-chan that, it got angry, telling me, “That’s not an adventure!” I-I see?
After walking for a while, we could see the large magical beast Juma-kun had mentioned, eating. It’s probably eating some other beast. It’s hard to see from a distance, but I’m glad we can’t see it clearly. It’s not a scene I’m used to, after all. But I can tell it’s bloody…! It can’t be helped, the strong prey on the weak!
“A chimera, huh… Well, whatever. I’ll take it down while explaining, so watch carefully.”
“Explain… but we won’t be able to hear you.”
“Meg has her spirit, right? Now learn well!”
It’s true that Shou-chan can project its voice, but to just dump it all on us! What’s more, even though you say you’re demonstrating to us, you look like you can’t help but be excited to defeat it. His “oni” expression is quite intimidating!
“Wow, amazing.”
Ronny muttered this, watching Juma-kun, who was suddenly running through the air. It’s like even the sky’s part of the ground for him. Like there are invisible walls everywhere.
I don’t have the words to describe it, but Juma-kun’s fighting style, moving so freely, is amazing.
Juma-kun got close without alerting the magical beast, and then raised a sword, larger than himself, which I’m assuming he took out of his storage magic tool, with a single hand. I don’t know how he can even wield something like that with a single hand.
“Honestly, I want to take down all magical beasts with a single blow, but that won’t teach you anything! So first, the vital point! The eyes!”
Shou-chan’s projecting Juma-kun’s voice in real-time. He’s probably moving incredibly slowly because we’re watching. Oh, so Juma-kun’s being considerate of us!
He lightly poked the magical beast with his sword, and then when it turned to face us, Juma-kun instantly stabbed the magical beast in the eyes with the hilt of his sword.
“BUOOOOHHHH!!!!”
“So, as you can see, it actually makes them go wild and a bit dangerous. So it’s better not to aim for the eyes.”
The magical beast, which looked like a boar, was thrashing around after being hit in the eyes. It’s going wild…!
It’s true, if it’s going to rampage like that, it’ll be dangerous to get close, and long-range attacks will also be hard to land.
The magical beast, its excitement seemingly subsiding, started locking on to Juma-kun with an incredible expression. It has these big fangs, and an intimidating face to begin with, but it was more like… intensity? I could feel the magical beast’s anger, like it was thinking, “You’re my enemy!” It’s angryyy! I instinctively clung to Ronny’s arm.
“You okay?”
“Y-Yeah! B-But I wouldn’t mind if you… lent me an arm, Ronny…!”
“Sure, as much as you want.”
Ronny doesn’t seem that scared. He’s incredibly composed, for someone who’s never seen a magical beast. He did say he was surprised, but it doesn’t look that way, Ronny?
And so Juma-kun’s practical guidance continued. It’s surprisingly informative, so we can’t let our fear get to us! We have to watch carefully!