I took a sneak peek at the titles of the future chapters just to see where this story is going, which, some of you were wondering about too. What first caught my eye was the Escort Commission in arc 4, which was a whopping 9 chapters long. Saw something about bathrooms on 2 chapters and one about making weapons on arc 3 that we're currently one. So arc 1 is about cave, arc 2 is about the town, and arc 3 is about getting settled in the town.
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"Um... yes. My familiar did it."
"I didn't know she could use magic... that's amazing."
"Really?"
"Yup. But, could that type of monster really use magic?"
Oh no, that's not good. It's true that Prenna was originally a monster that's unable to use magic. What should I do?
"Oh, um.......um, she mutated."
Un, that was a really bad excuse.
『In a way, you are right, though』
Is that really true?
『She is your kin, your family. More or less, she is a creature that mutated or evolved from her original race.』
I- I see. So what's her race now?
『Because she is Marina-sama's kin, it is not clear』
Ha？!
『Since it is unclear what your own race is.』
...... That's right. This must have influenced Prenna.
"A mutation, huh... she does look a bit different. I guess this just happens sometimes."
Ho. She's somehow convinced.
"Oh, the slimes..."
"We've already reduced their number a lot, so let's leave some."
The request was to subjugate some slimes, not exterminate them. In fact, it's better not to exterminate them because there is a risk of changing the ecosystem. That's why she want to keep a few and if the number of slimes decrease, the ones that have gathered will naturally disperse, so there is no problem.
"That's pretty much it. Ooi, help me collect the magic stones!"
Gil-san, who had plunged into the slime swarm, waved his hand and shouted.
"Let's go then."
"Okay!"
Me and Lina-san went to the direction Gil-san was in to collect the magic stones.
"We've scattered them quite a bit. It's going to be hard to collect."
"You're right, but just get this done already."
I joined Gil-san and the others who had already started and began to collect them.\nCollecting magic stones is a way to earn money, in addition to preventing other monsters from spawning. That's why it's better not to just leave them there.
But slime magic stones are about the size of a pinky finger and hid in the grass, which made things more difficult.
"Aaahh! They're so hard to find!!"
I saw Bucket-san screaming and scratching his head. I could understand the feeling, but it wasn't enough for me to scream.\n
"Ooi, it's time to go home, we've got to go home."
When Gil-san told me this, I looked at the sky and saw that the sun was already setting. He said that it's dangerous at night because demons become more active when it gets dark. And since we wouldn't be able to find the magic stones after dark, we had to finish up and go home.
"Did we miss any?"
"I don't know. I don't remember how many we killed."
That's right, there's so many that it's impossible to count.
"Well, let's go home for now. And Marina..."
"Ah, I'll run by myself since it's not too far."
I didn't have time to say no in the beginning, but it was a blessing in disguise since I didn't know how fast they would run. Now that I know, I should be able to adjust my speed to match theirs.
"But......"
"It's okaay, Marina-chan is from the Abyssal Forest after all."
When Bucket-san said that Gil-san muttered a "Oh yeah, that's right..." But why would that be a reason for me to run?
"You were able to fight the demons of that forest, so you're definitely strong."
Oh, so that's the basis.
"Let's go then"
At Gil-san's command, we went back into the Forest of Fog. Speaking of which, should I let Prenna out? It's not convenient at this hour, so I guess tomorrow would be fine.
With that thought in mind, we safely exited the Forest of Fog.\nAfter Gil-san confirmed that all of us were present, I applied physical enhancements to myself.
"Marina, are you going to be okay?"
"I'll be fine!"
"Okay, let's go."
After saying that, he broke into a run.
.........un. They're slow. I could catch up even without enhancements.
『You are Marina-sama after all』
That's right... haah. It's a bit hard to match their pace. It's possible to do that, right? But, how should I say this......... it's like walking to look like you're running to someone who's running?
...something like that. Well, my speed is the same as Gil-san's now.\n \n"Marina, you're so relaxed."
"What? No, no, not at all."
Lina-san is very sharp.......\n\n
After that, we kept running without taking a break and managed to arrive at the gate at around sunset.
"Huff... huff... W- we're here."
Gil-san and the others were out of breath. Gokurousamadesu.*
*it's a form of thanks when the other party did work of some sort. Usually from a superior to a lower person.
"Marina-chan... why are you... so..."
"You'll get even more tired if you talk too much. Yes, please take a deep breath."
While Gil-san and the others were taking deep breaths and regaining their composure, I was watching them from the side, thinking it was a very strange scene. I wasn't tired at all. There wasn't a way for me to, right?
"Hmm... I think I understand a little more about how great you really are, Marina-chan."
How was that great.
"Let's go in now."
I presented my guild card to the gatekeeper, touched the crystal, and went into the city.
"We'll report to the guild..."
Just then, Gil-san's stomach rumbled.
"...... food, huh?"
We hadn't eaten since noon. It's a good thing I'm not the only one with an empty stomach. I can't wait to report our accomplishments and eat!
We were unanimous and quickly headed to the guild.