Atelier Tanaka

Book 5: Chapter 2 (1)

Dark Continent (2nd)

The number in my party just drastically increased.

It’s good that I’m a part of such a large party.

We continued on through the forest at a steady pace. I was never given an opportunity to speak to any of the girls. On the other hand, the Chara Boys intensified their attacks from either side of me.

The only salvation I got from them was the sight of the Dark Elf walking ahead of us. Her ripe peach that swayed to the left and right as she walked was salvation for my virgin heart. The sight of her thick butt bouncing ahead of me gave me all the strength I needed to keep going.

We had been walking for close to half an hour before another scream stopped us.

“Uwaaaaaaaaaa!”

Just ahead of us, on the other side of some bushes.

“T-Tanaka-san. I just heard something!” “There must be something dangerous ahead!” “That’s right! It must be dangerous!” “It really must be dangerous….” “There’s someone screaming so it has to be dangerous!”

I get it. They don’t need to tell me over and over again.

Honestly, their screaming is likely to bring the danger to us. They must have been terrified just walking through the forest before they joined me. It’s likely the encounter with the Evil Ropers caused them some form of trauma. The girls of the party are actually holding up much better. They’re just silently following behind while these two cling to my arms.

“Oi.”

The Dark Elf stopped in her tracks and turned to us.

I knew what she meant.

“…we’ll do the same as before.”

“I understand.”

I’m happy that we’re able to communicate so well with little words.

I’d be happy to do a few other things with her that doesn’t require many words.

This is starting to feel like a proper adventure now.

I walked forward and swapped places with the Dark Elf. I told the rest of our party to hide and wait for us. If those two were to come with, my hand might slip and a fireball would put an end to the Chara Bros. How tragic.

I advanced forward about a dozen metres on my own.

Then a familiar scene came into view.

“Don’t die on me, Cecil! Please, don’t diiieee!”

“You have to save yourself, Justin….”

This scene took place not far from the bush I was hiding in.

A man, who I assume is named Justin, was kneeling on the ground, cradling the body of another man (Cecil) in his arms. The former looked like he was on the verge of death while the latter was in even worse shape. Justin had a large gash on his head and a crimson mask was slowly forming on his face.

Both were incredibly handsome.

Especially the wounded man kneeling. The wound itself formed a cross on his face. It added to his beauty while simultaneously subtracting from it in otherways. At the very least, he can tell stories of how he got it protecting his friend on the Dark Continent.

“Lily, use your healing magic on Cecil!”

“B-But, I only know support magic from the school of Shaba Daba Do!” [TN:Your guess is as good as mine]

“Ku, if this keeps up….”

I feel like I’ve seen this before.

Moreover, I recognize Cecil. He is the Hero of the East who was constantly arguing with the Hero of the West in Suzanne’s. The man with the cross scar on his cheek is named Justin and the others that are fighting the monsters must be part of his party.

I feel like the number of unique personas I’ve come across has increased dramatically since arriving on the Dark Continent. 

This place must bring in people from all across the globe. It would be a good place to exchange business cards. If I was put in charge of a large project for a company, it would take me weeks before I would be able to come in contact with this many people from related companies.

Thanks to this, there are a lot of new names to remember. Cecil, Lily, I doubt I’ll remember them tomorrow. Especially when you only communicate by email or phone. You no longer have to associate a name with a face. That’s why I always dreaded doing in-person meetings with people I never saw in person.

I don’t know how other people do it, but I’ve always had trouble remembering people’s names. I’ve even forgotten the name of the project lead or company CEO before. I would always find myself glancing down in the hopes of catching a glimpse of the name on their ID.

That isn’t applicable here. So, for now, I’ll just refer to the parties as an individual unit. Chara Bros party, Hero of the East’s party. This makes it easier to remember. It’s similar to referring to a business partner by the company they work for.

“Now it’s Flare Ghosts?”

The Dark Elf had at some point crouched down beside me.

This position resembling boyfriend and girlfriend is nice.

Breasts seen from the front are meaningless. Breasts that are covered up from the front are the best. Breasts that can only be seen from your position by her side are the best. Private breasts that the public can’t see.

It has been decided.

“How should I handle this…?”

“So even you think this is too dangerous for you?”

I can’t really answer that without checking their status.

This thing’s stats are quite unbalanced.

It reminds me of someone.

“Physical attacks have no effect on them and attribute magic is just as useless. I’ve heard that these are some of the most troublesome creatures in the area. This is most likely why the Hero of the East’s party is struggling.”

“I see.”

So my Fireball won’t work. I don’t know exactly what ‘attribute magic’ is, but I assume she means fire and water or something similar. However, my adventurous spirit makes me want to try fighting something new.

“Are you going to give up?”

“No, I think I can handle it.”

“…you’re really going to try?”

“If it looks like I’m in trouble, save them while I distract the creatures.”

“S-Sure.”

After giving the Dark Elf a nod, I made my entrance.

Just like before, I leapt out from the bush and into the middle of the battlefield. There was a river that split into two nearby and the actual battle was taking place along the riverbank which was covered in loose gravel. The water was crystal clear and would probably be a pretty nice place to relax if it wasn’t on the Dark Continent.

It was only a few metres wide and not deep at all. Perhaps the Hero of the East and his party were taking a break when these creatures took them by surprise. If that’s the case, then it’s important that I help.

Only when you have enough people to stand guard can the rest of the party truly relax. I think at least a dozen people is necessary so we can sleep in a three-shift system.

But, for now, it’s magic time.

“Eat this, Fireball!”

A dozen or so fireballs emerged around my target.

But I can’t just launch them all at it. There are several members of the Hero’s party that are close to the ghost. They’ll be caught up in the explosion.

“Those of you in front, get down!”

I barked out my order from the rear.

The Hero’s party quickly understood my plan and put some distance between them and the ghost.

Proper teamwork. Cool.

Once they were far enough away, I sent the Fireballs all hurtling toward the centre of my target.

They hit one after another. Each emitted a low-pitched boom followed by a small concussive force. This repeated close to a dozen times and with each hit, the gas-like body of the ghost fluctuated.

At the same time, I didn’t forget about my recovery magic.

“Heal!”

I focused it on the wounded Hero of the East, Cecil, and the other man, Justin.

I hope that the wound on Justin’s cheek doesn’t heal.

“M-My body…the toxin from the Flare Ghost is leaving my body and I’m healing….” “H-How is this possible!?” “He healed the Flare Ghost’s toxin in one shot….” “He was able to do it without chanting too!” “That’s not possible! It simply isn’t!”

It looks like I managed to heal all of the injured.

But what about the monster?

The Dark Elf wasn’t lying about magic being ineffective.

I wonder what the ‘attribute magic’ the Dark Elf was talking about actually is. The Evil Ropers had over 20,000 HP and I managed to kill them in a single blow. This one took a dozen fireballs and is still alive.

That’s not to say it did no damage at all. I managed to take about 70% of its HP down in that attack. I was also focused on healing while I attacked it. If I focused all of my power on that attack, I might have been able to kill it.

Let’s try again.

“Fireball!”

Just like before, several fireballs emerged around the ghost.

Without any pause this time, the fireballs rushed forward and exploded with a low boom.

[OooooooOO]

A sound reminiscent of strong wind blowing through the leaves of a tree.

Is that the sound a ghost makes when it screams?

Just as the last fireball exploded, the monster’s form scattered to the winds, just like a candle being extinguished. Unlike the Ropers and Dragons I’ve defeated, this monster left no body behind. It’s end was quite beautiful. 

“He k-killed….a Flare Ghost with a Fireball….”

The first one to speak was the Hero of the East.

I’m sure my recovery magic worked on him but I should check on him anyway.

I walked over to the Hero and knelt down beside him.

“Are you okay?”

“Uh….”

His eyes widened once our eyes met.

Now that I think about it, I did try to join his party.

And, of course, I was refused.

“Is your injury better?’

“…o-oh, yeah, it’s fine. The poison is also gone.”

“I’m glad to hear it.”

“….”

The Hero of the East had the same look in his eyes as the leader of the harem party when I rescued her. Perhaps he was also thinking back to what happened at Suzanne’s.

“Is something wrong?”

“N-No, it’s nothing.”

What happened in the past doesn’t matter.

The only thing that I care about is getting the Green Sylph wing in order to make the Elixir of Youth.

Once the monster was completely defeated, the Dark Elf and the Chara Boys party came running out from the bushes towards me. They were visibly surprised when they saw the Hero of the East, but this only distracted them for a moment.

“As expected of Tanaka-san!” “That was so cool! I could feel your fiery passion in the flames of those fireballs!” “Definitely! Your burning passion almost brought tears to my eyes!” “Me too!”

As always, the two Chara Bros praised me in unison while the harem members remained silent. I feel like a few of them have been looking at me more, but I’ve yet to have an opportunity to speak with any of them except for the leader.

The Dark Elf also called out to me.

“Oi, Tanaka….”

“Yes, I know.”

She already wanted to leave.

She must really hate socializing for her to look so nervous. It’s rare to see her like this. With the Chara Bros right next to me, it would be awkward if I started getting excited. It would be best if we just left.

“Well, if you’ll excuse us….”

“W-Wait a moment!”

“Yes, what is it?”

“…I’m sorry if I’m causing you trouble, but would it be possible to talk for a little while?”

As I tried to turn away, the Hero grabbed onto my arm.

What is it going to be this time?

I feel like I can predict the future, but I’ll go along with him anyway.

“What is it?”

“Are those people behind you, umm…. Are you all working together?”

“Yeah, well, we formed a party in a roundabout way.”

“…I see.”

“Yep.”

I gave a quick reply and nodded.

The Hero of the East hesitated for a moment before continuing.

“…umm, i-if it’s okay with you, would you allow us to join as well?”

“But, we’re just ordinary people. Nothing like you who’s someone skilled enough to be called a hero.”

“I’m begging you! I can’t allow my friends to be put in danger any longer! I know it’s a sudden request, but, please, allow us to come with you! If that’s too much to ask, then, at least take my friends with you!”

The Hero of the East gave me a deep bow while pleading his case.

“What happened between us at Suzanne’s was purely down to my own ignorance. Please, don’t punish them for my mistakes!”

I feel like I’ve heard this before.

If what the Dark Elf said is true, the Hero’s sudden encounter with this tough enemy has ruined his confidence. Everyone has something they’re weak against. Still, it is commendable that he’s prioritizing his friends’ safety.

After everything I’ve heard, I’d be the bad guy if I refused.

“Well, I don’t have a problem with all of you joining.”

“R-Really?”

“I don’t have any reason to refuse.”

And there’s also a cute girl in his party.

“That’s…. That would be a great help. Thank you.”

“No problem.”

My party size has increased again.

***