Magic Warrior Chapter 71 (Patreon)

First Request

The next morning, after finishing breakfast and buying lunch, I headed to the guild.

It was morning, and there seemed to be many people looking for requests, so many adventurers were gathered in front of the bulletin board.

Since we were only allowed to accept requests up to our rank, we were almost certain to choose from the ever-present requests. There was no need to rush, and even though there were many people gathered, it seemed that the party was discussing and deciding what to do, so we could wait a little while and it would be open.

As the three of us waited at the table, we saw a girl who had come alone to yesterday's class. She seemed to be with three strangers.

I don't know what they are talking about, but the other three seem to be explaining to the girl from yesterday in a familiar manner, so maybe she was the one they originally planned to party with.

"Well, what shall we do?"

The front of the bulletin board was now empty, so once again we had to decide on the request we would take today.

"If it's about gathering medicinal herbs or defeating wolves, I think I can do it as soon as I go out of the east gate and into the forest. It's not the same as when we were in the village, though."

"Rilfana-chan, how about this ‘cotton picking’?"

Cotton is a material that can be obtained from cotton grass, which has fluffy white fibrous flowers like dandelions. Cotton grass is a plant unique to the Virtuari world and often grows near water, such as rivers and ponds. It is similar to the cotton grass I know on earth, but there is a difference in the location of the cotton plant and the fact that it grows in cold regions where it snows. There is no difference in the cotton itself that is collected.

"Well, you just came out of the west gate, right?"

"Then this one, ‘Defeat the Long-Legged Crab’ is in the same area."

The request form I was looking at was also in the direction of the west gate.

The long-legged crab, about the size of my knee to waist, is characterized by its very long legs. It is not likely to attack people unless they get close to it, but it tastes good when eaten, so I guess the request was to take it down as a foodstuff.

Since it is E Rank, it does not seem to be that difficult. The approximate location is also written clearly.

The reward seems to change depending on the results, and only the minimum guaranteed amount is listed. The guaranteed amount is about one small silver coin.

If you do well, you will be able to fulfill the requirements for promotion for both the request to kill and the request to collect, and even if you don't find one of them, you will be able to accomplish one of them.

Since both requests seem to be standing orders, it appears that we should just head to the west gate.

"Shall we aim for these two?"

"Yes!"

◇

The West Gate was similar to the South Gate, except that it had fewer windows.

When we went out of the gate, we could see large fields around the road and a few houses here and there. The fields are surrounded by a simple fence to avoid vermin and to divide the area.

"So the farmhouses are spread out on the west gate side."

"The map I bought at the guild didn't say that much."

The map the guild had was a simplified one, showing only the approximate locations of villages, forests, and rivers in and around Gardia. Still, it seemed sufficient for a request in this area.

"Sis, it looks different from the village, even if it's just a field along a big road."

"Yes, and unlike the village, there appears to be a wider range of the same vegetables and fruits planted."

Unlike the village, where each house planted whatever they liked at random, the fields seemed to be firmly plotted according to what they were growing.

There were also many stone pillars set up to ward off monsters, perhaps because people live outside the town.

After walking for about an hour, I came across a wide river with a stone bridge. There was a small restaurant near the bridge, perhaps for travelers.

It seemed that the water was being drawn from the river and the fields still continued beyond the bridge.

This river flows from the misty mountains of Nevia Montagna in the north all the way south to the neighboring Valle Collina. The river was visible on our left when we came from the village, and we guessed that it would turn east once after going a little south from here.

"If you go north along the river here, it looks like there is a cotton grass colony. The habitat of the long-legged crab, the long-leg crab, is also around this river."

"Sis, is this the area where the dressmaker said he hunted crocodiles?"

"The crocodile is a strong monster there, so I think he went somewhere else or further north or south. If it were that dangerous, it wouldn't have written the location in the E Rank request form."

"I see. So it's okay then?"

"I think we should be careful."

"Okay!"

We start walking north without crossing the stone bridge.

Rilfana, who knows the signs of monsters, leads the way from here.

"I don't think we can cross it even if we find it on the other side, sister."

The river is more than 30 meters wide, and the current is very fast, so it would be difficult to cross to the other side, just as Clare said.

"I don't know which side it's on, so I don't blame you."

The landscape changes to rolling grasslands as the fields that used to cover the entire area disappear.

I walk along, alternating between the meadow on my right and the riverbank on my left, but the sun seems to be directly overhead without finding any cotton grass or crabs. It must be almost noon.

"The request form only said along the river, but I still haven't found any."

"It's been about 4 hours since we left town...not 4 hours, but a little more than a bell...I heard the E Rank request was enough for a day trip, so I guess we should have something by now..."

"I'm hungry, let's have lunch, sis."

Come to think of it, Clare's belly clock appears to be almost always right. It's useful to know when we're underground.

We find a flat grassy spot and sit down, and once again, each of us takes a break while eating our lunch of choice.

"It's so peaceful..."

The carpet of grass with no stones lying around was surprisingly comfortable to sit on.

The light satiety and gentle breeze were also pleasant. I feel like lying down, but I can't do that in a place where monsters might appear.

◇

"Oh, there it is!"

We came to a place where the river became like a ford. From here, we could cross to the other side of the river.

And there was a large area of cotton grass, which we were looking for.

"Hey, isn't that a crab?"

We found a crab with very long legs perched on the gravel in the shallows, in the shade of a rock. I was surprised at how unbalanced the crab was when I saw it.

Because of its long legs, the Long-Legged Crab, seems to prefer to live in shallow water or rocky areas with poor footholds.

Observing the area, I saw several long-legged crabs sitting in the shade of other rocks.

"Let's take down the crabs first for now. They might get away."

"How do we take them down?"

I think they are looking for food, so I don't think we should burn them or raze them to the ground. I would use a sword, ice needle Gatch Argo, or wind blade Vento Rama.

In SeveChro, this is a monster that you deal with early on. It would be easy enough to defeat them, but a bit cumbersome considering their quality.

"Then I guess I shouldn't use magic."

Rilfana's Trickster ability, "Saints and Demons," requires that any magic she uses must be shot with a set of anti-attributes; in SeveChro, it would be water and fire, wind and earth, light and darkness.

If it becomes a reality, these disadvantages will increase.

"Clare, let's practice Ice Needle."

"Eh! ...Yeah, well, that's okay."

"If I can't beat you, I'll shoot you too."

"Okay, I'll try."

When I told her that I would assist her, Clare's nervousness eased as she was suddenly asked to speak.

Clare readies her two-handed staff and gathers her magic power.

Recently, I've become relatively familiar with the flow of magical power, but I don't really understand what she's doing, since I'm a sensory person when it comes to magic.

"Ice Needle!"

Three icicle icicles created by Clare were sucked straight into the long-legged crab.

The crab was in a prone position with its legs spread apart. I watched it for a while, but it showed no sign of moving.

"It's not moving, is it?"

"Did we beat it?"

Rilfana approached the crab on the rocky shore and poked it with a wooden stick she had picked up, but it did not move.

"It looks like you got it."

"Yes!"

Hmmm. I remember the level of the crab was quite low, but to be honest, I didn't think I could defeat it with a single blow of Clare's magic. Maybe it was a critical hit in a vital spot, though.

"It looks like we can bring back one of the E Rank requests, but let's take down a few more."

Even if we were to dismantle them and take them with us in a Magic Bag, about three would be enough. Like plants, hunting too many monsters shouldn't be good for the environment. If the monsters were dangerous, I would kill them if I saw them near a human village.

Clare was able to kill the next one with a single blow, but not the third one, so I finished it off with my ice needle Gatch Argo.

I dismantled the three crabs and put them in my Magic Bag.

I decided to collect cotton from the cotton grass.

The leaves of the cotton grass grow horizontally, and the cotton is formed in the center of the leaves, so it is not very tall. If only the cotton part is picked, it seems to produce cotton again after some time.

The amount of cotton to be collected, as written in the request form, was about the amount that would fit in both open hands.

According to Reda-san, this amount of cotton might be enough to practice the skills of an adventurer, but even taking this into consideration, it was still too generous.

Rilfana was very fast at collecting cotton. Rilfana and I were about the same size, but Rilfana had collected almost twice as much cotton as me.

"We've gathered a lot of cotton, haven't we?"

"Rilfana was collecting more and more."

"I feel like you have a natural knack for collecting them."

It doesn't seem to be a matter of familiarity or anything like that, so it seems to be an effect of her sewing skills. I also know how to cook food, and it probably has an effect on my gathering as well.

I stuffed enough cotton into my Magic Bag to make a futon and stood up.

I had been bending down for so long during the gathering that it felt good to stretch out.

"Well, let's go home. I think we'll be back by about 2:00 PM."

"Yes, sir."

"Okay."

I've heard that the reward for the E Rank request depends on the amount of the material collected, but I wonder how much it will be?