The group of 'Red Oath' had separated from the merchants and camped elsewhere, and the next morning, they woke up quite early to set off, so as not to be caught by the merchants.
Whether it was because they had started late or had moved slowly while searching for us, we managed to avoid being caught by the merchants and by noon, we had entered a small path that branched off from the main road leading to a rocky mountain. Mile and the others were finally able to take a breather. Liena's mood had improved by the night before and she had returned to her usual self.
After that, Mile entertained everyone by telling a story from his 'Japanese Difficult Tales' series, "Gon the Goblin," and was scolded by Liena again, who said, "Why did you tell such a story before hunting...?"
While this was happening, we arrived at the base of the rocky mountain, but as it was getting close to sunset, we decided to camp as planned. It would have been nice to hunt some small animals for dinner, but hunting in an unfamiliar place as the sun was setting would be dangerous, and we didn't want to attract high-level monsters with the smell of grilled meat. It was common sense for hunters to endure with preserved food.
The meal of preserved food was quickly finished. It was especially quick for 'Red Oath' since they could instantly prepare hot water.
There was no need to discuss the next day's hunting plans, as they had talked about it many times on the way.
It was still too early to sleep, and there was nothing to do.
And at such times, it was always this.
"From the 'Fairy Tales of a Certain World' series, 'The Three Little Ogres,' and from the 'Moguri Fairy Tales' series, 'The Goblin in Drawers'!"
"Stop it!"
Liena, with a vein popping on her forehead, shouted angrily. Mile tilted his head, wondering if her mood hadn't improved yet.
"Hey, Mile, I've been wondering, where did you hear all these stories?"
"Yeah, I've been curious too. They're all stories I've never heard before, and they're really interesting... If you sold them to bards, they'd probably fetch a good price."
In response to Mavis and Pauline's questions, Mile answered with a smug look.
"It's a secret book from my family!"
The next morning, the four of them had a simple breakfast of hard bread and soup (just soup mix in hot water) and started hunting before it was fully light. They planned to continue hunting without a lunch break today.
The success of the hunt would determine whether they would return tomorrow or the day after. Time was precious, and they could eat and prepare meals leisurely after the sun set and they couldn't hunt anymore.
The habitat of the rock lizards was a bit higher up, so Mile and the others climbed the rocky mountain while keeping a lookout. Along the way, Liena and Pauline hunted rock rabbits for practice, and Mile pretended to store them in his inventory, actually putting them in his item box.
Of course, he was conserving his strength for the real hunt. He used weak magic momentarily to avoid consuming mana, and it would recover quickly.
"Mavis, to the left front, a rock wolf!"
"I've got it!"
A rock wolf, which usually hunts in packs, appeared alone and attacked. In response to Mile's shout, Mavis's sword cleaved it in two.
"Ah..."
The three of them looked at Mavis with a deadpan expression.
"Mavis, I told you the fur of rock wolves sells for a good price! If you cut it like that, the price will drop drastically!"
"Sorry..."
Pauline, who became assertive when money was involved, complained, and Mavis apologized sincerely.
"But, that sword's edge is really amazing... It's like watching my older brother's demonstration..."
Mavis, with a slightly flushed face, muttered, which had a somewhat suspicious allure.
Yes, the kind of allure that makes young girls swoon...
"No, Mavis! That's just to make up for your current lack of strength. You can't rely on that and mistake it for your own power!"
Mavis, who was slightly captivated, was quickly advised by Mile.
"Without this sword, you'd be weak. As a knight, that's meaningless. I understand that I need to gain my own strength. Don't worry, I won't go astray."
Mile was relieved. Mavis was, after all, Mavis.
"Liena, can I ask you something?"
"What?"
"Why are the names of rock rabbits, rock wolves, and rock snakes so straightforward?"
"I don't know!"
Mile thought Liena seemed to be shouting a lot lately.
"...There it is."
Mavis, the tallest and leading the group, was the first to spot the prey. Everyone looked in the direction Mavis pointed, and there was a rock lizard sitting comfortably. It was still early in the morning, and the temperature was low, so it was probably warming its body in the sunlight, lying down comfortably.
"About three meters... It's a bit small, but one is one. If we hunt this, we won't have to worry about failing the quest. Let's do it."
The three of them nodded in agreement.
Even though it was small, three meters was twice Mile's height. In terms of weight, it was probably ten times as much, and it wasn't something that could be carried without a cart or wagon. Even with storage, it would be a challenge to carry one.
However, one wouldn't be enough to make the job worthwhile considering the number of people and the number of days required. Without someone with a storage capacity like Mile, this job wouldn't be profitable. That's why this quest was still on the board.
Rock lizards, despite their name, were more like land crocodiles.
They had thick skin and a large mouth with sharp teeth. They ran slightly slower than a sprinting human, but their bite and tail attacks were quite agile in combat.
If bitten and spun around, even a strong adult would be helpless. A powerful tail strike could break bones even with leather armor.
Furthermore, the quest was for material collection.
Rock lizards lived in rocky areas, so they were rarely hunted. Most quests were for material collection, like this one.
The meat was for food, the liver for medicine or tonics, the claws and teeth for weapons or crafts, and the skin for armor or bags.
In other words, they couldn't damage the body too much, and they couldn't use magic from a distance to destroy it.
"Mavis, it's up to you."
"Got it!"
Mavis, who had been anxious about being left behind by the magic users, was now excited to use her new sword, which wouldn't break, bend, or chip, in her moment to shine.
"Freeze!"
Pauline, who had been chanting quickly, cast her spell. The rock lizard didn't seem to notice the attack, but it started to shiver as the temperature dropped.
"Ice Javelin!"
Liena, who had also been chanting, cast her attack. Although she wasn't good at ice magic, she had no choice. Fire would lower the value of the skin and meat.
She aimed for the neck, where damage wouldn't significantly lower the value, but the ice spear was deflected by the thick skin.
"What..."
Even though she wasn't good at it, Liena could use ice magic reasonably well and thought her power and accuracy would cause significant damage. She was a bit shaken but realized it was natural. The skin, which was used for armor, wouldn't be easily pierced. Liena immediately started the next spell, and Pauline was already chanting her second freeze spell.
"Let's go!"
"Okay!"
Mavis's voice spurred Mile to leap forward. This time, Mile would attack as a swordsman.
The majority had decided that Mile's magic might damage the materials. The majority, in this case, meant everyone except Mile.
The rock lizard, which had been basking in the sun, noticed the enemy after being hit by the ice spear and entered combat mode. It noticed Mavis and Mile approaching with swords and moved, but its movements were slow and awkward.
Rock lizards weren't particularly agile except when attacking, but even so, their movements were unusually slow.
(Mile's plan is working?)
Mavis thought as she approached the rock lizard.
(Not direct damage, but slowing it down by cooling it... How did Mile come up with that?)
Liena and Pauline, focused on their spellcasting, didn't have time to think deeply, but they had similar thoughts in the back of their minds.
The target was the neck.
To avoid lowering the value, they needed to avoid damaging the body.
Cutting the neck, limbs, or tail would be acceptable, but cutting anything other than the neck wouldn't kill it immediately and would only make it more dangerous. Thus, the only option was to aim for the neck.
Mavis approached and raised her sword to strike the neck, but an unexpectedly quick tail strike hit her.
"Whoa!"
Mavis tried to block with her sword, but the powerful tail strike sent her flying.
Now wasn't the time to call out Mavis's name or worry about her. That could wait until after the enemy was defeated.
"Hey!"
Mile aimed for the rock lizard's neck but was also hit by a tail strike.
(This is nothing...)
Thinking that half the power of an ancient dragon would be enough to handle a rock lizard, Mile tried to block the tail with one hand and was sent flying through the air.
"......Huh?"
"Mile!!"
Liena screamed as Mile was slammed into a rock about ten meters away. Unlike Mavis, who had been knocked back a short distance, this seemed like a serious injury.
Liena ran towards the rock lizard, not Mile.
Pauline, who had already rushed out to heal Mavis, quickly ran to Mile.
(I don't want this! I don't want to lose another companion! No, no, no, no, no!!)
Tears streaming down her face, Liena chanted a spell.
"Blaze, hellfire! Burn it to the bone!!"
Crimson flames erupted, engulfing the rock lizard.
"Mile!"
Ignoring the rock lizard thrashing in the flames, Liena ran to Mile and saw him smiling sheepishly and Pauline standing there in shock.