SHINKA NO MI

Chapter 169: Seiichi and the Others Who Never Change

“Even so …… it’s farther than I expected.”

“Nn?”

About three days after we left Terviel, I suddenly said so.

Then, Saria who seemed to feel the same way as me, nodded.

“Come to think of it, we’ve certainly walked quite a bit!”

“That’s right……”

“But, isn’t that because there’s no people or monsters around us?”

“Ah, indeed……”

As Saria says, from our encounter with that Rakudaruma, we haven’t met any monsters.

Far from a living thing, not even a single plant is growing here.

It has no particular effect on me, but when I look at the sweat flowing from Al and Saria, after all, it can be seen that this place is hot. No, isn’t it because of my equipment that I don’t feel the heat? Al is taking off hers because it’s hot as I look at her, right? But it’s not so hot, thus, I can’t do anything about it. Basically, I’ve already quitted being human.

Even though I’m walking under the shining sun, I wasn’t sweating.

As I think about it more, it’ll do no good for my mental health, so I’ll leave it as it is, but as Saria said, one of the main reasons why the time feels so long was because there’s nothing around us.

Then Al, who was listening to the conversation between me and Saria, says while being stunned.

“I heard that we’ve walked quite a bit, but not so in terms of progress within the day. As Saria said, there’s nothing around us, so it feels like we’ve been experiencing this for a long time.”

“Is that so? But so far, such a long period of time moving, I only remember it at the time we went to Barbador Magic Academy ……”

“…… You’re always soaring too much, so I forgot it, but Seiichi has no experience in long-term expedition itself.”

“I’m always soaring!?”

As Al said, I’m soaring in terms of combat power, but I’m just an amateur when it comes to other experiences. When I think about it again, I’m quite a mismatch.

Al turned her eyes to me, who was stunned by Al’s words.

“You must be surprised as you think back on your actions.”

“Aren’t I normal?”

“You’re not normal!”

Weird. Even though there’s no such thing as average person representative so far.

“Well, it doesn’t matter if you’re normal or not ……”

“I,it doesn’t matter……”

“Remember one thing. Firstly, when you go on an expedition like this, you stay overnight on the spot. So, what did we do?”

“Etto…… we went back to Terviel with transition magic, slept in the inn’s bed, and we start from yesterday’s spot, right?” (TN: *Facepalm)

“You can see that it’s already not normal at this point.”

Why is that.

When I chose comfort, it seems that I became out of ordinary before I knew it. I have no intention of doing that at all……

But certainly, I didn’t think that we would spend a long time outside like this, so I haven’t made any preparations to stay in a camp.

Al, on the other hand, always has a set for camping in her item box.

This is the difference between a human who has been an adventurer for many years and an utterly ordinary man.

Still, I didn’t expect that we were going to be camping, so we just returned using my transition magic, and the next day, when I told her that we should start again from the same spot we left, Al’s face had reached a point of nothingness, and I’ll never forget it in the future.

Because it’s better to be comfortable. If you can sleep in bed, then that’s better. I’ll do that.

Well, Luthia and the others which left earlier, I wonder if they’re preparing a camp like Al said. Zora, who grew up in the dungeon, doesn’t have that knowledge, and Rurune is out of the question…… I’m doubtful of Luthia because it feels like she’s a sheltered girl, but if they were with the Demon King’s army halfway through, then the Demon King’s army would have taught them that, and above all, they have Olga-chan who seems to be the most accustomed to traveling alone, so they’re going to be okay around that area.

“Anyway …… isn’t the ground, full of holes around here?”

“That’s right. If you’re not careful, you’re going to fall down.”

“That’s right. Besides, I don’t see any creatures here, but I can see the evidence that they were here.”

At first, it was only the dry land, but the place where we are right now is full of dents as if our feet were being pierced by something, and as Al said, bones of some creatures have fallen, and it can be seen that there was a living thing in this place as well.

When I was walking while having such a conversation, suddenly, a huge plant-like creature jumped into our eyes.

“Nn? What is that?”

“Hmm?”

“…… Well, I haven’t seen any plants so far, but it’s so obvious …… Moreover, if there’s a huge plant here, everyone will be wary.”

As Al said, if we haven’t seen a single plant so far and it suddenly appeared in front of us, then it’s natural to be wary of it.

Moreover, as it approached, I could see the whole physique of the plant, the part that corresponds to the flower of the plant was, shaped like a cannon, and it looks like it’s going to shoot something. (TN: Pea shooter from plant vs zombies)

“Ah …… I think that you’re thinking the same thing as me, but that’s, we should avoid that.”

“That’s right.”

Al nods as I say so while twitching her cheeks.

No, no matter how I think about it, it’s the one who made these holes at our foot. That guy is the cause.

When I tried to leave the place in a hurry, the giant plant suddenly turned its flower towards us ――――

“!? Avoid that!”

In Al’s word, when we hurriedly rushed out of the spot, where we used to stand, something penetrated at a tremendous speed.

Looking at the terrifyingly perforated position, something that looks like a human head is buried while raising smoke.

“I,I was surprised.”

“Ah …… anyway, let’s avoid that plant ――――”

The moment I started to say that, the seed buried in the ground cracked, it grows up in front of us who are stunned, and finally, the exact same plant that shot the cannonball-like seed earlier, was newly grown.

“Su,such an ant……”

Al is twitching her cheeks like that, but I think so too.

Then, including the newly grown plant, they’ve fired cannonball-like seeds at us again!

“Uoooooo!?”

“Thi,this, what should we do!?”

Al was desperately avoiding it and shouted so.

Every time we avoid a seed shell, one grows anew, and the number of attacks is increasing steadily!

“This …… ei!”

To the seed that looks like a cannonball, Saria turned her face into a gorilla, and in accordance to the shell that flew, she released her fire magic.

Then, the seed that received the flame popped, and fine seeds attacked us again from its inside!

“Wawawa!”

“Saria!?”

“I’m all right!”

Sarria was attacked by the seeds at close range, but apparently, she evaded it well.

That said, this plant is too much of a pain in the ass!

When a seed-like cannonball flies, if you try to burn it, fine seeds will shoot like a shotgun ……

Then, Al said while flicking the seeds with the ax she had in her hand.

“This kind will pop if you burn it, but you can prevent it by attacking with ordinary weapons!”

“U,understood!”

Or rather, did Rurune and the others really passed through this place where there are such dangerous plants? If they were able to pass, they must be fine, right? …… There’s no punch line that Olga-chan and the others are that fallen bones, right? They’re okay, right!?

I imagine that it wouldn’t be somewhat the pun, and shook my head. Let’s stop thinking that it’s a bad omen ……

In the first place, what is this plant?

As I activate 『Advanced Appraisal』 while avoiding its attacks ――――.

『???Lv: ???』

“I don’t understand anything!”

Both its level and name are 『? 』?

Is this, also an enemy that can appear along the way? No matter how you look at it, it looks like a Last Boss, right?

I can’t get close to it using my skills because of the storm of shells, and if I avoid it, its number will increase and the number of bombardments will also increase.

Well, I guess it’s okay to hit it, but…… I don’t want to think about if it’s really okay hit it because I felt that I’ll be farther away from being human!

“God dammit, if we don’t get close, we can’t fight back!”

Seeing that Al was flicking the shells, I decided to try something that came to my mind.

That is ――――

“Take this!”

“Seiichi!?”

I hit back the flying shell with the sword part of the 『Fine Sword of Swirling Hatred (Black) 』 like I’m batting.

Then, like returning it to the pitcher, I accurately hit the flower part of the plant that shot it.

What’s more, being accompanied by my actions? The plants weren’t expecting that they would be killed, and I don’t know if plants have feelings, but the other plants stop moving in bewilderment.

While ignoring the state of such plants, I saw off the seed flying farther than I thought, with my hand like a visor, and I’m impressed.

“Ah, I’ll give it a try.”

“…… When you’re here, it’s useless to worry about this kind of thing.”

Al sighed as if to say that she was tired. Eh, that is a praise, right?

When I was swinging the 『Fine Sword of Swirling Hatred (Black) 』 while wondering if it would fly the seeds again, Saria, who was making a hand visor and seeing off the seeds like me, said as if she had noticed something.

“Oh …… A’re? Seiichi.”

“Nn?”

“You’ve been flying the seed to somewhere, is that okay?”

“Eh?”

“Because when that kind of thing is struck into the ground, a new monster will be born, right? It’s starting to come out, you know?”

“Ah.”

I didn’t arrive at that possibility until Saria told me.

A,a’re? Is it my fault?

Then, the plants that had stopped moving, started to move as if it remembered suddenly, and it aimed at us again and resumed its attacks.

Moreover, their attack is more powerful than the beginning, and they look angry.

“Look, Seiichi! They got angry because you beat them in a strange way!”

“They got angry for that reason!?”

Besides, calling it strange is rude.

Or rather, I’m angry because my companions may have been defeated.

More than that, I was a little worried, that even though the plant that I hit back a little while ago disappeared as particles of light as usual, it didn’t leave any items.

Last time, I heard that drop items aren’t always obtainable in Zora’s dungeon, but even so, the monsters I’ve defeated have always left drop items.

Perhaps, this plant isn’t a monster? As I think about it, there was even an UMA at the monster store where Rurune was.

I want to think calmly, but the plants don’t loosen their handful of attacks, so first of all, I will annihilate the plants here.

“Hey, Al.”

“Ah!? What is it! This here…… I’m desperately, avoiding, as well……!”

“I,I’m sorry. That’s, there’s no human habitation around here, right?”

“Does it look like there is!? We haven’t even seen a decent creature, let alone a human village, until we get here!”

“Certainly.”

Then, it’s fine for me to have defeated it earlier huh.

I wonder if I can grill it with fire magic, but if I don’t burn it out properly, the seeds will pop and it’ll be disastrous, and above all, from Al and Saria’s point of view, this place is hot. I don’t have to go out of my way to increase the heat. (TN: So, you don’t feel hot?)

Moreover, if there’s no people around, it’s okay for them grow up on their own in another place, not here. You see, it’s such a dry land, and it’s better if its green, right?

“That’s why, batter Seiichi, coming up.”

“Take this seriously!”

“Yes.”

Even though I was scolded, I strike back the seeds that fly to me one after another, and eventually, I wiped out the surrounding plants.