Chapter 67 \nThe Man-Eater is a monster that we once fought against in Tiara Forest in Kastal Queendom.\n
It was a rare variant that ravaged the forest’s ecosystem. This time around, Maple added ‘Giant’ in front of its name, so there’s no doubt it’s a higher species.
A: Yes. It doesn’t have any special abilities, it’s simply a man-eater that has grown larger and stronger than regular.
Rare monster variants usually have higher levels than their regular counterparts, or gain some special abilities, but if you compare them with a higher species, they usually fall behind. They fall into this weird spot of ‘stronger than the regular monsters of the same kind’.
In other words, the Giant Man-Eater is stronger than the Man-Eater (Rare) we have fought before.
“Something wrong, master?”
Maple asked me, seeing me ponder for a moment.
“No, I just have some memories of a Man-Eater, …I was trying to recall them.”
“So, should we pass on subduing it, and go after the Golden Fox instead? Honestly, I would prefer to fight the former…”
“No, it’s not a fond memory or anything like that. It’s just that we’ve fought one before. And as for the Golden Fox, I’d actually prefer to tame it if possible.”
As a fox lover, I wouldn’t want to kill a Golden Fox if I could help it.
Of course, if it killed a lot of people, that’s a different story entirely, but for now let’s not send the monster girls after it just yet.
“I agree. It’s supposed to be a test of strength, so a fox-type monster wouldn’t be much of a challenge. What do you girls think?”
“Un, this mistress also agrees. I want a strong opponent.”
“Tira-chan also wants to fight a strong monster ♪”
It was unanimously decided that the Giant Man-Eater would be our next target. Alright…
Now that taming the Golden Fox has become a reality, I hope it’s really fluffy.
“What about you, Sakura? You think you can manage it?”
“Yes, I think I’ll be fine… as long as we don’t see it actually eat somebody…”
“I wouldn’t want to see that either.”
Sakura isn’t good with gruesome things, so she should be all right as long as something doesn’t happen in front of us.
If it’s the Man-Eater, that would probably be seeing someone getting dissolved by acid.
Well, whatever. I’m not going to let it eat somebody in front of me anyway.
“I do have one question…”
“Yes?”
Maria, who was listening to the conversation, raised her hand and asked.
“All of the monsters that Maple knows are ones that have lived for quite a long time, so how come such a dangerous monster hasn’t been subdued until now?”
“Right. The Man-Eater doesn’t really wander outside of its territory. It shouldn’t encounter many people, except for some random adventurers who happen to run into it.”
The fact that it’s still around means that none of the adventurers who have encountered it lived to tell the tale.
If any of them returned, I’m sure they would have sent a subjugation force after it by now.
“Then, shouldn’t it run out of prey, once it eats everything in the vicinity?”
“Once that happens, it buries its body and goes into hibernation to let the surroundings recover. It would basically wake up periodically and wreak havoc once it does.”
“I see, …so it’s like that.”
In that sense, it sounds like there hasn’t been much damage to people.
It spends long periods of time in hibernation, so wouldn’t it just eat the animals and monsters around it?
“Wasn’t this supposed to be an evil monster?”
“That’s right. It might not sound like that at first, but the wilderness where it resides was once a pretty big city.”
“It’s definitely evil…”
In other words, it has eaten an entire town. Malicious or not, it’s certainly harmful to people.
Moreover, the fact that no subjugation effort was made, means that not a single person escaped.
“That’s why we’re not going to show it any mercy.”
“Un.”
“I’ll do my best ♪”
The monster girls seem sufficiently motivated.
Was it so disappointing for them to lose against Tamo-san?
Currently, it’s the strongest among my monster subordinates, so I think it’s pretty normal for the newly joined members to not be able to win against it.
A: If anything, it seems to be more of a problem that Master saw them in that state.
Is that really something to worry about?
Whether it’s Maple or Chocolate, I’d already seen them in a much more sorry state when we first met. …It’s not really possible for them to look cool again after I’d seen both of them soil themselves.
“Dora, Mio, Sara, how about you three?”
I asked the rest of the group.
It’s free time, so I’m not going to force them.
Like Sakura, Mia and Sara have both been doing their own thing lately, so I invited them to come along.
“If there are no dragons, Dora will follow Master~!”
Dora seems to really hate dragons.
When I asked her about it, it seems that dragonewts and dragons are on pretty bad terms with each other. (ED: Apparently Dora is actually a dragonewt, and not a transformed dragon, like the other monster girls. They can both take human form, but they use different skill to do so)
“No more dragons for now.”
“I’ll go~! Together with Master again~!”
It was decided that Dora would accompany us.
Looks like the sole reason why she didn’t come yesterday was that we were going to fight the Flame Dragon.
Then I turned to Mio and Sara.
“Sara and I can’t go.”
“I am terribly sorry.”\n
“Oh, is there something else?”
I’m not going to force you, but I would like to know if something happens.
“Tomorrow there’s a cooking festival in Kastal, where chefs from all over the world will present their creations. Sara will be going around trying new dishes and I will cook. It was a request from Sakuya, and, seeing as it is free time, we have already agreed…”
“I see…”
Is it really that important? No, delicious food is always a win…
“Even if Sara doesn’t go, can’t we just send the maids and have them store some dishes in Inventory?”
“Master! There are things that you can only eat at a certain time and place! Even if it doesn’t deteriorate, it’s better to eat it right then and there, than store it for later!”
“That’s right!”
It seems like those two will never compromise when it comes to food.
“Hmm, like the yakisoba you eat at festivals?”
Yakisoba may be delicious when you eat it at a summer festival, but in terms of quality, it’s probably not that good.
It’s almost as if the festival acts as a kind of spice.
“It’s a pretty poor analogy, but it’s generally correct.”
“What are you talking about?”
Sara asked curiously. Since it’s a Japanese thing, no one but Sakura, Mio and I should know about it.
“It’s something from out previous world ☆ The same goes for yakisoba at the beach house ♪”
Right. Tiramisu would also know about it.
Maria was struck by Tiramisu’s remarks.
“Tiramisu-san. Please tell me all about it later.”
“Eh, is that really something noteworthy ♪?”
“Yes, I wish to know as much as I can about Jin-sama’s world.”
“Well, I don’t really mind ☆”
“This will take a while…”
Mio, who had previously experienced being questioned by Maria, chimed in. Before, she once tried to explain to her what it was like to play a video game. Looks like there will be another victim.
As for Tiramisu, you said you don’t remember much from your previous life, but that you remember. I have to question your priorities…
“Ok. So then, Mio and Sara won’t be joining us.”
“Sorry.”
“I am terribly sorry.”
“No, it’s free time, so don’t worry about it. If there’s something good, can you reproduce it for us later? Though it might not taste as good afterwards…”
“Leave it to me!”
“…If you ask the maids, we could probably replicate the festival as well.”
Sara, don’t just say whatever comes to your mind.
See? The maids are already looking at each other. Ah, a few of them have already left to start preparing…
In the end, it was decided that apart from the three monster girls: Maple, Tiramisu and Chocolate; who will fight against the Giant Man-Eater, another four of us: Sakura, Maria, Dora and I; (and a split-body of Tamo-san) will also come along.
The next day, as planned, I used Nosferatu to take to the skies and head for the Giant Man-Eater.
According to Maple, its territory is constantly changing, from a wilderness to a forest to a meadow. Of course, it goes back to a wilderness whenever it reemerges and devours everything.
Actually, I wanted to travel there more slowly in a horse-drawn carriage, but since our ‘evil monsters subjugation tour’ is more of an entertainment during our free time, I decided to just fly there instead.
Among the people in our group, only Dora, Maple, Chocolate, Tamo-san and I can fly with a <Flight> skill (Tamo-san and I are half-cheating though).
Maria can move in the air with her <Barrier Magic>, so if she combines it with ‘Warp’, it’s practically the same as <Flight>, and Sakura can somewhat levitate her own body with <Wind Magic>, but Tiramisu would probably die if she fell down.
“With just the three of us, it might be a problem if I can’t fly ☆”
Maple, Chocolate and Tiramisu are planning to keep subduing evil monsters after we leave, but it will slow them down a lot if they have to carry Tiramisu everywhere they go.
“It should be fine once Maple’s status improves.”
Currently, Maple can carry Tiramisu on her back, while in her Sea Serpent form, but Tiramisu is so heavy, she can’t ascend at all.
I’m actually carrying Tiramisu right now, while Maria and Sakura ride on Maple.
Well, if they keep defeating monsters and raise their stats, she should be able to do it as well in the end.
“Then, should we have you defeat some monsters to raise your strength before we continue on our journey?”
“That’s a good idea ☆ Ma-chan, let’s kill monsters together.”
“Ok. I was actually pretty shocked that I couldn’t lift Tiramisu…”
“This mistress will also help you.”
It wouldn’t hurt to strengthen them up a bit before we leave.
Their stats are already pretty high, but they are still within the bounds of common sense… What’s that? Common sense disagrees? Ahahaha.
“It’s been a while since I’ve last flown… And even in the dungeon I only levitated above the ground a bit.”
Sakura said, while riding on the back of Maple in her Sea Serpent form.
“Right, you didn’t really have a chance to, since that time you’ve practiced with Nosferatu back in the dungeon… If you want to use it again, I can always lend it to you.”
When we got ‘Wings of The Immortal – Nosferatu’ in the dungeon, all the members tried using the <Flight> skill, but unfortunately, since it’s a skill attached to an item, you can’t gain any skill points that way.
“No, I’m okay… You’ve seen me fly Jin-kun…”
“Ah, right…”
“Ouch~!”
“Yeah, just as Dora-chan sais…”
Sakura’s lack of motor skills seems to exceed even level 10 <Flight> skill. Even when I lent her Nosferatu it was pretty dangerous to watch.
At one point she plummeted down and would have crashed pretty hard if I hadn’t used the ‘Summon’ spell in time.
Speaking of which, I don’t think I’ve seen her fight in close quarters either, since that time I had her face against some goblins back in Eludia. (ED: Back when it was just the two of them and they were still testing out their strength)\nShe really has no motor skills to speak of…
“When I want to fly, I’ll just ask someone else for a ride…”
“Feel free to ask anytime”
“Leave it to Dora~!”
Maple and Dora were quick to offer.
Despite being a powerful elder monster, Maple doesn’t seem to have any problems carrying people. She’s pretty straightforward. As you might have noticed…
“Maple-san, can I ask something?”
“Please do.”
“Why…?”
“When I think of you riding Dora-chan, I feel super guilty…”
“Mmm, Dora can do it too~!”
Dora, who didn’t get chosen, started puting.
I would probably also feel guilty flying around on Dora. Her <Flight> skill level is high, so she could certainly do it, but still…
“Dora will fly with me, right?”
“Hooray! Flying with Master~!”
Regaining her good humour, Dora hugged me while flying. That’s dangerous, you know!
We continued our air travel with Dora still hugging me.
Unfortunately, there weren’t any interesting monsters like a Bright Falcon on the way.
A: I have found the Giant Man-Eater.
Looks like Alta located our target. She’s an excellent secretary as usual.
I could probably do something similar by setting up an alert for whenever a Giant Man-Eater appears on the mini-map or something like that, but it’s easier to just leave it to Alta, so I’ve been slacking off.
“That’s weird, it seems to be moving around, right?”
“Is that something unusual…?”
Looks like Alta informed the other members as well.
A: It’s an unusual situation. It’s clearly moving outside of its normal territory. As such, a compulsory request has been issued by the Adventurers Guild in a city it’s heading for, a little north from here.
“Are they planning on mobilizing the entire city to take it down? If so, are we still going to intervene?”
The city has been put on high alert, just like Atarime during the monster stampede back in Kastal, but if they think they can handle it, we probably shouldn’t steal their prey.
“Stealing is bad~!”
“It’s a pity, but it can’t be helped. In that case, should we go after the Golden Fox instead?”
Seems like the monster girls (except for Tiramisu) are pretty strict when it comes to territory. And no, we’re not killing the Golden Fox.
A: To begin with, the compulsory request is to ‘help evacuate’.
They aren’t going to fight it?
During the monster stampede in Atarime, the adventurers stood up to the monsters… Though they didn’t actually get to fight in the end.
ED Reminder: Jin and Maria took care of all the monsters, to save a village that was in the way of the monster stampede, because it grows rice.
A: It would appear that all the A-rank adventurers have already been routed by it, so they can’t repel it with their remaining strength.
…Could it be that the adventurers of the Atto Union are pretty weak?
A: On average, they are much weaker than in Kastal or Estia. Compared to the countries Master has visited so far Kastal>Estia>=Eludia>>Atto Union. The A rank is practically the highest rank here.
The monsters are strong and the adventurers are weak… It’s a very unbalanced country.
A: Basically, they face strong monsters with superior numbers, and if it’s not enough, they all perish.
…
“What do you want to do, Jin-sama?”
Maria, riding on Maple’s back, raised her hand and asked a question.
…It’s dangerous to let go while flying at high speed, so please stop doing that!
“Right. For now, let’s head for the city.”
“Do you have a plan…? I don’t think there’s any point in visiting a city that’s already evacuating.”
“Yep. Sakura guessed it. I just had a nice idea.”
“Go~!”
Dora cheered while raising a fist into the sky.
“I call it the ‘Mysterious Rookie Adventurers Masterpiece Strategy’.”
Head to the city, where Tiramisu, Maple and Chocolate will register as adventurers. Have them declare that they will defeat the Giant Man-Eater that’s approaching the city. (Naturally, the adventurers there will laugh at them. I’m happy to see another template appear so soon.) Rescue the captured A-rank adventurers and subdue the Giant Man-Eater in the process. Come back with the proof and become famous. Have Tiramisu and the monster girls gain a reputation of mysterious rookie adventurers, who defeated a monster that even A-rank adventures couldn’t win against.
I explained it to everyone.
“From now on, Tiramisu’s group will go around the Atto Union defeating powerful monsters, so it might be convenient to have them registered as adventurers specialized in monster extermination.”
Initially, the plan was to have them do that in secret, but hiding and sneaking around all the time can be pretty taxing mentally.
As such, we might as well have them act in the open from the start.
If they were to declare that they are specialists in monster extermination, once they defeat the Giant Man-Eater, I think there’s a good chance that people would believe it.
A: In short, monsters cannot be registered as adventurers. There are exceptions, like dragonewts (Dora), but Tiramisu, Maple, and Chocolate, who are only changing into human form using <Transformation> skill, aren’t eligible.
“Whaaa…?”
A shocking new information has been revealed. I thought that, since Dora could register as an adventurer, all humanoid monsters could as well.