Author's Note
I am very sorry. I originally wrote that there were four adventurers, but I have revised it to two. I will write more details in the later part. I hope you will read this from the perspective of two adventurers. The previous version has been corrected.
Kumanano
I checked with the detection skill. There was no response. It looked like we'd finally managed to defeat the giant Snake. Other than being two-headed and poisonous, it's just a giant serpent. If I had fought with two heads from the start, it might have been a bit troublesome, but to me, who had fought a giant serpent, it was no match for me.
"Yuna!" (Marne)
Marne-san came running over with Kumayuru.
"Thank you, Marne-san. You saved me. And Kumayuru also threw a nice pitch." (Yuna)
"Kyuu~n" (Kumayuru)
Kumayuru cried happily. While I was praising Kumayuru, Kumakyu came over looking sad. Maybe he's sulking because he wasn't able to perform well.
"Thank you, Kumakyu, for protecting both of us." (Yuna)
I knew that Kumakyu was in a position to keep an eye on the two of them being chased by Snake. If Snake attacked them, I'd be able to go and help them. If I was in danger, they could come and help me. That was the position they were in. So I was able to fight with peace of mind. I thanked both Kumayuru and Kumakyu and patted them on the head.
"Yuna, you're fine. Is the poison affecting you?" (Marne)
I checked my body. It's not that I felt bad or dizzy or anything like that.
"I'm okay" (Yuna)
"Thank goodness. We don't know the type of poison, so if you were affected by it, it would have been dangerous." (Marne)
"Even Marne-san has some things you don't understand, huh?" (Yuna)
"Of course. I have prepared several types of antidotes, so if you experience any abnormalities in your body, please let me know immediately." (Marne)
As expected of Marne-san, she even prepared an antidote.
"Still, I never expected the two-headed Snake to show up." (Marne)
"Is it really that rare?" (Yuna)
"Large Snake are rare, and a two-headed Snake is something you only hear about in old rumors. A normal adventurer would never encounter one in their lifetime." (Marne)
Certainly, it would be a problem if there were many of these.
"Well, I'm glad we were able to defeat it safely." (Yuna)
As we were talking we heard footsteps approaching. The two of them were being chased by Snake. Kumayuru and Kumakyu come before us.
"Wait. I don't mean you any harm."
The man responded to Kumayuru and Kumakyu's actions.
"Kumayuru, Kumakyu, thank you. It's okay, so please stand back. Stay with Marne-san." (Yuna)
Kumayuru and Kumakyu stepped back and stood on either side of Marne-san.
"I'm Zect. This is my sister, Lydia." (Zect)
The man who introduced himself as Zect was around 25 years old and dressed like a swordsman. He had scruffy beard so he might be a little younger. The woman introduced as Lydia was about 20 years old and dressed like a hunter.
"I'm Yuna" (Yuna)
After introducing myself, I glanced back briefly.
"I am Marne." (Marne)
We only introduced ourselves to each other by our first name.
"Thank you for your help. It helped."
"I thought it was all over. Thank you."
The man who introduced himself as Zect and the woman introduced as Lydia expressed their gratitude. The tension seemed to have eased as the two of them sat down. They seemed tired from running.
"First, there's something I want to confirm, is that okay?" (Zect)
"The reason we are here?" (Yuna)
"Well, that's a concern, but there's something else that bothers me more than that..." (Zect)
The two of them looked at each other. What could be more intriguing than a girl deep in the woods with a bear?
"Why are you dressed like that, girl?"
The two of them turned their gazes towards me. I looked at my appearance. Marne-san also looked at me.
"…………"
"…………"
"…………"
"…………"
There was silence between the four of us. It was Marne-san who broke the silence.
"The child likes bears, so don't worry about her appearance." (Marne)
"I, I see." (Zect)
"And it suits you so well." (Lydia)
They were looking at me as if I was a poor child. The way it's explained, there's no denying it. If I denied my love for bears, Kumayuru and Kumakyu would be sad. So my only response was, "Yes, it is, so don't worry about it."
"So, just to confirm, why are you girls in a forest like this?" (Zect)
"This isn't the kind of place for two girls." (Lydia)
"Before you ask about us, I think it would be polite for you who have been help to speak first. Besides, there are two of you." (Marne)
Marne-san asked back like an elder. The adventurers looked surprised because she looked like a child.
"That's right. We are adventurers from the city of Tula, which is a little ways away."
Tula? Maybe it's the name of a town beyond the royal capital?
"Why are you adventurers in a forest like this?" (Marne)
The adventurers exchanged looks at each other in response to Marne-san's question.
"We came here to collect certain medicinal herbs." (Zect)
"Medicinal herbs?!" (Marne)
Marne-san reacted to the word medicinal herb.
"What herbs are you looking for? Have you found any? Can you show me?" (Marne)
"What is it?" (Marne)
Zect was surprised by Marne-san's sudden reaction.
"Unfortunately, we haven't been able to collect any." (Lydia)
Lydia-san answered in place of Zect.
"We came here to pick flowers that grow wild at this time of year."
"However, there was a monster near where the flowers were blooming, so I couldn't pick them."
"So, we gave up on collecting them and decided to just wait and see, but that Snake noticed us and started clinging to us."
"We've been on the run for the past two days."
Were you chased by that Snake for two days?
"I thought it was rolled."
"I returned to the cave and was attacked. To make matters worse, the only place I could escape was inside the cave."
It seemed that they encountered us while they were fleeing.
"Once again, thank you." (Zect)
Zect-san bowed his head slightly.
"But, isn't it dangerous to go into this forest just the two of you?"
"If we're going to subjugate monsters, it might be dangerous for two people. But if we're just gathering, it's better to have fewer people. We can move forward without being noticed by the monsters."
Certainly, I had played games like invading enemy territory, and it's easier to get found if there were a lot of people. If 100 people were to break in, they would be discovered immediately. Therefore, if the purpose wasn't to subjugate monsters, it made sense to have a small number of people. However, if you ended up fighting monsters, there's no one to help you, so the risk was high. If I hadn't defeated the giant Snake, who knows what would have happened.
"What is the name of the flower you are picking?" (Marne)
"...Sorry. I can't tell you."
"Maybe, is it a poisonous plant?" (Marne)
"No. It's not a poisonous plant."
"Then you can say it." (Marne)
"If other people find out, there will be a scramble for it."
If it's a valuable herb, there would be a fight over it. So even in the royal capital, Adventurer's Guild, there was no documentation about the forest.
"Even though we saved your life?" (Marne)
"That is…………"
The two of them looked at each other after hearing Marne-san's words.
"I was just kidding. If you talk like that so easily, you're a failure as an adventurer. But as an adventurer, you only say thank you when someone helps you." (Marne)
Marne-san acted like a grown-up and started making a deal.
"For now, please give me some information about what's to come." (Marne)
"Well, if that's all."
That might be the compromise. There's a chance that the herbs the adventurers were looking for were the same ones we're looking for. However, when it came to valuable medicinal herbs, it's not something you could talk about so easily.
"Before that, let's get this thing out of the way. Since we defeated it, we can have it, right?" (Marne)
Marne-san asked the two of them to confirm.
"Ah, no problem."
"Yuna, would you put it inside your item bag?" (Marne)
Marne-san asked, having been given permission. She knew that the bear house fits in the item bag, so she seemed to be checking to see if it would fit.
"It's okay" (Yuna)
I approached the giant Snake and placed it in the Bear Box. The two of them were surprised when they saw it.
"Something that big"
There's no need to explain the Bear Box so I wouldn't worry about it. Then, I covered the poison that Snake spat out with soil to prevent it from coming into contact with anything. This should keep it from floating in the air. Once had finished processing the Snake, Marne-san approached Zect and Lydia-san.
"You guys, hang this on your legs or something." (Marne)
Marne-san held out a bottle of liquid.
"What's this?"
"Maybe, was it something you threw at Snake?"
Lydia-san looked at the bottle.
"Yes, it's a liquid with a smell that Snake hates. It would be troublesome if you were attacked, right?" (Marne)
"Something like that. Could you sell it to me? It will make it easier for us to get through this cave."
"Sorry, but we don't sell them here. If you want it, you'll have to order them through the Ministry." (Marne)
"The Ministry?"
"I work for the Ministry of Magic, so I can't buy or sell privately." (Marne)
They both looked at Marne-san as if they couldn't believe what she's saying. Well, she looked like a child.
"You can't buy or sell it privately." (Zect)
"I am conducting research using government money. There is no way I can sell it privately. If it is discovered, I will be fired." (Marne)
If she said so, then yes. You could not personally sell something that you had researched and developed using company money. Moreover, even I, with no work experience, could tell that making something with materials bought with government money and selling it as an individual was not okay.
"For now, I can't sell it. But I won't need any money for the part you're using this time." (Marne)
"Thank you."
They both said thank you and placed it on their feet and clothes. Now, Snake shouldn't come near them. Personally, I'd be happy if there was a medicine that would protect me from bat attacks.
Author's Note
As I wrote in the introduction, the reason I have two adventurers is because
The plot includes "meeting adventurers" and "searching for medicinal herbs."
And the reason why they are looking for medicinal herbs. If I write about this (in the next post), the reasoning will be weak if there are four people, and people will wonder why. So I decided to have two siblings.
I apologize for causing confusion to all readers.
*Sorry. For the time being, I will only post on Sundays.
[Book release schedule]
Book volume 20.5 was released on May 2, 2024. (The next volume, volume 21, is planned and in the works.)
The 12th volume of the comic was released on August 3, 2024. (The release date for the next volume, 13, has not yet been decided.)
The second volume of the comic spin-off was released on March 5, 2024.
The paperback version, volume 10, was released on May 2, 2024. (The next volume, volume 11, is scheduled for release on October 4.)
Thank you to everyone who reports typos.
Some of the kanji have been corrected to match the book, so please understand that there are some parts that have not been corrected.