A series of unexpected events
◇
A week had passed since we conquered the Labyrinth of Keglis.
Recently, we completed the conquest of another labyrinth in a different town, and now we were heading at full speed—well, riding horses—towards the third target, the Labyrinth located in the village of Sabona.
The reason for this rush was that the labyrinth currently under siege was flooding.
Thanks to Haruto-san’s [Bird’s Eye View], we had quickly learned of the situation and were now hurrying towards the village.
"Damn it, why does everything always go off the rails like this?"
Haruto-san grumbled as we galloped toward Sabona Village, frustration evident in his voice.
It was rare for things to go exactly as planned. Plans were just guidelines. In reality, we had to adapt and respond to the situation as it unfolded. Well, Haruto-san surely understood this, but it didn’t stop him from venting.
"There’s no point in whining about it. We need to focus on solving the immediate problem. So, what’s the situation in the village?"
"The explorers in the village are doing their best, but there aren’t enough of them. By the time we arrive, the barricades surrounding the village will probably be breached."
When a flood of monsters occurs, the humans are always on the defensive. The village had already been warned by the Explorer’s Guild about the possibility of a flood, so measures like barricades and early mobilization of the village’s explorers had been put in place. Without those preparations, the monsters would have already infiltrated the village by now.
Still, the situation was critical, even if it wasn't as dire as it could have been.
"...I’ll go ahead and defend the village. Haruto-san, you pick out the strong monsters from the flood, and relay that information to Fuuka. Fuuka will prioritize hunting those monsters. After that, Haruto-san, you focus on reducing their numbers in areas with large clusters of monsters."
"Understood."
"Got it. Fuuka, let’s go!"
With both of them agreeing to my plan, I confirmed that they had changed direction toward the monsters' horde, then dismounted.
I moved the horse to a safe spot, preparing my spell as I reduced the gravity around me.
"[Reflective Barrier]!"
A translucent gray barrier appeared beneath me and above me. Using these barriers, I adjusted the direction of the gravity affecting me so I could move horizontally towards the village.
This method of movement was faster than riding a horse, although it put a strain on my body.
In no time, I reached the airspace above the village. I once again adjusted the gravity and returned to my usual state. I then stood on a magical platform I created in the air and began constructing several spells.
(I made it, just in time!)
Looking around from above, I saw that the barricades were about to be breached, but I had arrived before any harm could come to the villagers. I felt a sense of relief.
I then updated the surrounding situation with the latest information from Haruto-san, based on what I had heard earlier.
Even though I had a similar ability to see things from this perspective, Haruto-san’s ability to scan such a wide area was amazing. I could appreciate how invaluable his presence was on the battlefield because of that.
"...[Seal Release]."
After finishing my assessment of the situation, I removed the restraints holding me and, at the same time, the barricades defending the village were destroyed, and the monsters began to invade.
"The monsters are coming in!"
"We’re done for!"
"Do something, at least protect the women and children!"
Fear spread among all the villagers, and the entire village was on the brink of panic.
"—[Spatial Jump], [Heaven’s Thunder Hammer: Mjolnir]!"
I transferred those fighting to protect the village into the village itself and unleashed a massive lightning strike on the invading monsters.
While observing the villagers, bewildered by the sudden events, I brought the amplification magic tool to my mouth and shouted.
"I’m Orn, the explorer entrusted by the kingdom to conquer the labyrinth in Sabona Village! The monsters that came out of the labyrinth will be dealt with by us. Villagers, please gather at the center of the village. Do not approach the outer areas!"
I don’t usually carry an amplification magic tool, but for the various labyrinth conquests across the region, I’ve brought several magic tools I don’t usually use. The amplification tool is one of them.
"Hey, there’s someone up in the sky!"
As I called out to the villagers, one of them noticed me high above and everyone looked up at me.
"Alright then, to reassure the villagers, let’s make this flashy. — [Six Element Multi-Lance]!"
Six magic circles appeared around me. From these circles, spears wrapped in the elements of earth, water, fire, wind, ice, and lightning were fired in massive volleys, beginning to annihilate the monsters approaching the village.
I gave it a fancy name, but in essence, it was just a simultaneous firing of advanced javelin-type magic from each element using parallel construction. There was nothing special about it, but the visual impact was huge.
Although the village was about to be attacked by monsters, the villagers watching my magic cheered in response.
Seems like this is a pretty lively village.
Fuuka and Haruto-san also reached the monsters, so I think the village is safe for now.
Relieved that we avoided the worst-case scenario, I remained vigilant, continuing to hunt down all the monsters that emerged onto the ground.
◇
"Good work, Fuuka, Haruto-san."
After finishing off the monsters, I landed near the two of them by the village entrance and offered them some words of appreciation.
The explorers who had been in the village earlier seemed to have gone to rebuild the barricades, so they weren’t present at the scene.
"Hey, good job, Orn! That was some flashy magic!"
"Well, I thought something like that would be the quickest way to reassure the villagers."
As Haruto-san and I were talking, people from the village started to gather toward us.
"Are you the explorers dispatched by the kingdom?"
An elderly man, likely close to sixty, approached and asked us this question on behalf of the villagers.
Given that he spoke up at this moment, it was probably safe to assume he was the village chief.
"Yes, that’s correct. My name is Orn, an explorer."
"I’m Haruto-san."
"…Fuuka."
"Ah! I knew it! I’m the village chief here, Jeyras. Orn-dono, Haruto-dono, Fuuka-dono, thank you so much for saving this village."
"No, there’s no need for thanks. I’m just glad we made it in time."
As I was speaking with the village chief, I began to hear whispers coming from behind him, where the villagers had gathered.
Listening carefully, I caught fragments of their conversation. "I feel like I’ve heard the name 'Orn' before," "Yeah, me too. Where did we hear it?"
"Hey, I know that mark on his chest! It’s the crest of 'Night Sky Silver Rabbit,' a really famous clan, right?"
A boy at the front suddenly raised his voice.
"The 'Night Sky Silver Rabbit' Orn...?"
"Yeah! The other day, a traveling bard was singing about 'Orn, the Kingdom’s Hero!'"
"Wait, what!? The explorer who saved Tutril from the rampaging hero and the labyrinth flood!?"
The boy’s voice sparked excitement among the villagers, and soon, the entire crowd was murmuring with enthusiasm.
As the villagers were discussing, it became clear that they recognized me. Last year, during the Harvest Festival, I had stopped Oliver’s rampage and simultaneously quelled the labyrinth flood, which had led to me being referred to as the "Kingdom’s Hero" in the newspapers.
However, I wasn’t a hero.
I had nothing to do with dealing with the labyrinth flood itself, and that article was highly exaggerated.
However, none of the readers knew that, and since then, I’ve been called the "Kingdom’s Hero" more than once.
I never imagined that the bard’s song would spread to such a rural village, much less reach me here.
"Are you truly the 'Kingdom’s Hero'?"
The village chief asked, his eyes full of hope.
"Y-yeah. It’s true that some people call me that."
When I confirmed the village chief’s question, the villagers’ cheers grew louder.
"To think that the Hero himself would save our village... We must thank the heavens! Everyone, prepare for a feast! We will welcome these three guests with all our hearts!"
Even the village chief, who had been calm just moments ago, became highly excited upon learning that I was called the "Kingdom’s Hero," and ordered the villagers to prepare a feast.
Hearing those orders, I broke into a cold sweat.
It’s nice that they want to welcome us, but...
I wasn’t the only one who felt uneasy. Haruto-san also had a stiff expression.
What we were worried about was that Fuuka might put a strain on the village’s supplies.
It was late January.
The cold season would last for some time yet.
If the villagers ended up having trouble later because they’d given us a feast now, that was something we really wanted to avoid.
As for Fuuka herself, she was glowing with excitement, looking forward to the feast.
In the past week, I’d become able to notice even the slightest changes in her expression.
"Um, we really appreciate the offer, but we have a tight schedule..."
"I-I see... That’s unfortunate..."
When I gave my polite refusal, the village chief clearly slumped in disappointment.
It pained me to see him like that, but I had to steel myself in order to protect the village from Fuuka’s insatiable appetite.
—However, the enemy was right beside me.
"Didn’t we agree to stay in this village for the night? And besides, it’d be rude to reject their kind offer."
Fuuka, who usually never interrupts our conversations, jumped in this time.
(She’s really greedy when it comes to food!)
"If that’s the case, please do stay the night! We’ll prepare a room right away."
The village chief, looking like a fish back in water, eagerly suggested that we stay in the village again.
“(Alright, Orn, what are you going to do? I really don’t want Fuuka eating all the village’s food and having the villagers resent us later…)”
Haruto-san whispered in my ear as he approached.
“(I don’t want that to happen either! ...Just to confirm, how upset do you think Fuuka will get if we insist on rejecting the offer?)”
I asked Haruto-san quietly, trying to estimate how things would unfold.
“(...Well, um... Ahaha...)”
At my question, Haruto-san looked away and laughed, clearly avoiding a direct answer.
(He’s trying to laugh it off, huh!)
"Is something the matter?"
The village chief, who had been watching us, asked with a hint of suspicion.
"N-no, it’s nothing! ...Well, Fuuka is right. Since it’s such a kind offer, I suppose we’ll accept. We look forward to your hospitality tonight."
When I replied like that, the village chief let out a sigh of relief and immediately began giving orders to the villagers again.
“(Hey, are you sure about this?)”
Haruto-san asked with a complicated expression.
“(What choice do we have? It’s already hard to refuse again after everything, and I can’t predict what Fuuka would do if we did.)”
As Haruto-san and I continued talking in whispers, the village chief, having finished giving instructions to the villagers, returned.
"Well then, as I said earlier, we’ll be holding a feast tonight, so please, do join us."
"Ah, um... We really appreciate it, but please, keep it a modest affair."
I asked the village chief, even though I knew it probably wouldn't work, to make the feast a small one.
After that, I asked Haruto-san to stay behind in the village while Fuuka and I headed out to tackle the labyrinth.
Since the flood had just occurred, the number of monsters inside the labyrinth was low, so we were able to clear it with little difficulty.
There was no one inside the labyrinth, so it’s unclear whether the flood was a natural occurrence or something man-made. Given the timing, it seems more likely to have been intentional.
On our way back, I desperately begged Fuuka to limit her eating. I told her she could eat as much as she wanted in a relatively large town on our next stop, but to hold back here so we wouldn’t deplete the village’s supplies.
Thanks to that plea, Fuuka didn’t eat enough to significantly strain the village’s reserves. Although, she still ate more than me and Haruto-san…
Tags:
Jack WN