Chapter 73-74

Chapter 73 – We were saved by nature!

The fire that the Mappa Golem unleashed smashed into the cloud of Devil Hoppers. And the explosion echoed around us.

At the same time, I shouted.

"Everyone! Commence attack!"

And like that, they prepared to fight.

The Devil Hoppers were still a decent distance away from us.

And so I didn't need to cast Shield around us just yet.

In that case, I should concentrate on unleashing my strongest magic…

And so I stretched out my hand towards the blackened sky, and took aim.

However, I wasn't sure where to hit.

The target was so huge and covered the sky.

No, this was no time for hesitation. I needed to get in as many attacks as possible.

And so I unleashed fire magic into the horde.

The explosive flames blazed as they spread out in every direction, shooting into the cloud.

It shocked even me. For a moment, my vision was completely filled with fire.

And then it turned into a bright flash that covered the sky.

After a short delay, the whole island rumbled and we were assaulted by a strong wind.

"You did it! That was amazing, Chief!"

Erevan shouted through the gust of wind.

However, when the smoke and dust settled, the sky was still covered with Devil Hoppers.

"Is it possible!? Even that was not enough!?"

Erevan held his head as he watched with a stunned expression.

I didn't know how many I had killed.

But there were clearly so many, that more drastic measures were necessary…

"I'm going to attack one more time, and then cast Shield over all of you! Make sure you don't move away from the tower!"

I also told the monsters that were stationed outside with their bows and crossbows.

Just then, Rienna opened her mouth.

"Lord Heal. I have a suggestion."

"What is it, Rienna?"

"You and I, Lord Heal. We can use water magic to make it rain on the Devil Hoppers! And then Baris can hit them with thunder magic."

Baris reacted immediately to this suggestion.

"I see. A similar strategy to what we do when fishing."

"Yes. In the water, the power of thunder magic is increased…"

I said with a nod.

It was a good idea. The problem was if we could really make it rain enough…

I could try manipulating the sea water and surrounding them in it? No, that would be even harder…

Well, we had to test what we could.

"…Alright. We'll try that once. Rienna. Let's go."

"Yes!"

Rienna stood next to me and we raised our hands to the sky together.

"…Now!"

And like that, we aimed for the highest point in the sky and unleashed the water.

I took the right side of the Devil Hoppers, and Rienna took the left side.

It was like an extreme version of watering plants.

However, the water magic could not fly a great distance. The Devil Hoppers got a little wet, but it was a far cry from making it rain.

How was Rienna doing then…? I looked to my side, and saw that she was struggling as well.

Her water magic was not even reaching them.

She looked angry but continued to desperately unleash her magic.

Was it really no use then… Huh?

Suddenly, the sky seemed to darken even more.

It had already been quite dark, but now it was even darker.

At the same time, the air seemed to be filled with more moisture.

"What… Could it be…rain?"

Eventually, the darkness enveloped the horde of Devil Hoppers, and a rain that was so hard that we could see it, began to fall.

However, it wasn't raining where we stood. There was a clear line between us.

"Ohh! To think that it would rain at a time like this! Surely god must be on our side! Now, Baris!"

"Aye!"

Baris nodded at Erevan and slammed the Devil Hoppers with a furious assault of thunder.

And then, just like a wall that was crumbling away, Devil Hopper corpses began to fall into the sea.

"Yes, this is good! Rienna! You must use thunder magic too!"

"Ye-yes!"

And so Rienna joined him in unleashing thunder magic into the horde.

Blue light cracked inside the clouds of insects, and they fell. One after another.

At the same time, the sky began to brighten until it was like an ordinary, rainy day.

"I guess we don't need water anymore…"

And so I switched to thunder magic and unleashed it with all the power that I had.

From these attacks, the Devil Hopper horde were dropping like flies.

While the sky was getting brighter, the sea was filling up with their bodies, and high waves began to crash from the impact.

"Yes!! What amazing luck!"

Erevan shouted with joy.

Not only that, but the dark clouds began to part as well.

The rain had only been temporary.

The timing was so perfect. Baris began to pray, as if thanking his god.

Next to me, Rienna's eyes lit up as she said,

"You did it! Lord Heal!"

"Huh? Uh, no. I just used magic normally. We only succeeded because it conveniently rained…"

This would not have been the outcome if it hadn't rained.

Yes, without the rain… But, why had it rained suddenly?

I had only been here for about two months, but I had seen what the weather was like on this island.

It had never rained suddenly like this before. And it had also stopped just as abruptly…

With this kind of phenomenon, it was easy to believe that it was the work of the gods.

Or some kind of miracle.

Rienna bowed.

"No, it is because of you magic, Lord Heal. On the other hand…I was of no use, in spite of making the suggestion."

"No, you did really well, Rienna."

But Rienna still looked embarrassed.

Perhaps she felt responsible for saying that she would make it rain, and failing miserably at doing just that.

But it was a plan well worth trying, and I had also been too weak.

What was more interesting to me, was that it had rained from the direction that Rienna had been moving her hands.

Could it be…that it was Rienna who made it rain?

No, surely it wasn't possible to make it rain over suce a large area. In the first place, there was no magic that actually let you control the weather like that.

There was no one back in the kingdom who could do such a thing… Of course, that didn't stop people from saying that they could.

"Still, what brought those things here? Along with the Scissor Crabs, strange and dangerous things seem to keep attacking us."

Erevan said with a note of suspicion.

And then Baris answered.

"Hmm… Well, there is no land anywhere near us, so perhaps they would be attracted to this island. We are only growing richer by the day in terms of nature."

Baris wasn't wrong.

However, it was not normal for Devil Hoppers to migrate in such numbers… And I had never heard of them crossing the sea.

And…

A Devil Hopper that had survived suddenly came flying towards us.

But it was shot down by the goblin archers who were at the bottom of the tower.

"…Is it just me, or do they seem bigger than usual?"

I muttered as I watched it fall.

They were supposed to be the size of a human head.

However, the one that was shot down looked bigger.

"Ah, so some of them survived. Ashton, Haines. Let's go get them."

"Aye."

And so Erevan and the others descended the tower in order to deal with the last of the Devil Hoppers.

The Devil Hoppers seemed to be after something. And judging by the direction they had been flying, it was likely the World Tree.

That in itself was not strange. It was nature, after all…

But the Leviathan and Scissor Crabs… And the giant fish that were caught at our shores. It seemed like these occurrences were becoming more common.

I didn't know why they were gathering here… But if this continued, who knew what other monstrous thing would come next…

I was anxious about my father and other humans, but the threat of nature was even bigger.

In any case, our defenses would have to be strengthened more than ever.

But, what more could we do…

I had already thought that the Mappa Golem was a little excessive. And yet it had not been much use.

It wasn't just about having a lot of power. You had to be able to think.

Baris was smart. But perhaps this island needed someone like a strategist who knew a lot about warfare.

As these thoughts entered my mind, I noticed that Rienna was looking at me with a worried expression.

"Lord Heal. Are you alright?"

"…Yes, I'm fine. Wait, your hand…"

She was holding a burnt Devil Hopper.

"Yes, it's a roasted Devil Hopper. It is every bit as delicious as a Killer Bird!"

Rienna was holding it by the leg as she thrust the thing towards me.

"Y-you're going to eat this!?"

"Yes! It's very nutritious. We used to eat them in our old home! How lucky are we to secure even more food?"

"I-I see… Uh, I think I'll pass for now."

Rienna looked overjoyed. However, I doubted that I could eat it.

But the monsters on this island considered them to be delicious, and they were gathering the bodies that had washed up onto the beach.

Even Mappa had grabbed a dead Devil Hopper and had begun to munch on it.

Raw.

After that, we froze them for storage.

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Chapter 74 – The baby asked me!!

As I swung my pickaxe, I heard the bell ringing from behind me.

It was the bell that the Mithril Golem held, and it was to ring it when it was midday.

And so Fule, Taran, and I stopped mining for now.

"Good work, you two. That was quick. I feel like I only just got started."

"It really does something to your perception of time, doesn't it? Because we're just repeating the same thing over and over again."

"Yeah… We haven't found anything new ever since the training grounds."

Even the ore was all the same.

Two days had passed since the attack of the Devil Hoppers.

We had had to expand our freezer too, but I had still dug for half a day now.

Surely we should discover something soon…

"Anyway, we should go and eat."

And so we rode the iron carriage and returned to the surface.

However, I noticed an unfamiliar hole on the way.

"…Who dug in a place like this? Stop the carriage."

I called, and the goblin driver stopped the iron carriage.

I climbed out and peered into the hole, but could not see anything. But I could hear the faint sound of hammering echo from within.

"Hmm? Is someone digging?"

As evidence of this, I saw slimes carrying rocks moving out of the hole.

They were carrying them so that I could gather the materials.

"But, who is it? We're still deep down. No one but us is supposed to be able to dig down here…"

Fule was right. For reasons of safety, we had restricted where the others could dig until we found the control device.

Specifically, they were only allowed to dig above the training ground.

But we were currently below it. So they should not be digging here.

In other words, someone was breaking the rules.

"Indeed… I think I should go and have a look. Maybe they have a good reason for it. You can all head back."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I'll just ask the reason and leave. Shiel can come with me, in case I need someone to send a message."

"Understood. But, don't go too easy on them, okay? Rules are rules."

And so Fule, Taran, and Mappa all went to the surface without me.

"Alright, shall we go, Shiel?"

Shiel nodded.

And so we started to move through the hole.

The fact that the slimes were carrying all of the rock meant that the person who was digging was a resident of the island.

And when I used Magic Detection, I immediately saw that the miners did not have much power at all.

Judging by the shape…there was an adult…and two children? No, they were too small for children…were they…

When I got closer, their identities were revealed.

It was Ril and Mel.

And the humanoid Golem who was standing there, protecting them, now turned to look at us.

I had used a Magic Stone in this Golem so that it could use Shield. It seemed to be protecting them.

"Number 31…I think. Thank you. …Ril, Mel. Didn't I tell you two that you can't dig here without me?"

Upon hearing this, Ril and Mel put their pickaxes down and turned to face me.

I didn't even know that Mel could use a pickaxe… But it seemed to be able to use its wings to hold it.

Just like Ril's, it was very small and made of Mithril. Mappa must have made it.

They quickly bowed their heads.

"Well, there's nothing wrong with digging if you want to… But you have to do it in a higher place."

I hadn't told them which places were forbidden.

And I hadn't told the Golem either, and so it had not stopped them.

Besides, I didn't sense any magic in the direction that they were digging. And so the Golem had likely decided that there couldn't be any harm in them being here.

"In any case, we should all go and eat lunch."

However, Ril barked, 'Ruff!' and then pointed to the spot she had been digging.

"Huh? Is there something buried there?"

"Ruff! Ruff!"

Ril nodded eagerly.

"Ril… You really got into digging too, huh…? That makes me happy. But you have to eat first.

If we didn't go soon, Rienna would be angry at me.

However, Ril's eyes became very big and teary as she looked up at me.

"Oh, well… But why do you want to dig here?"

Ril pointed at herself and then Mel, and then me.

But I didn't understand what she meant… It seemed like she wanted to do something to us.

Now that I thought about it, the place that we found the eggs… The place with all of the bird bones. It had been Ril who found it.

She had suddenly stopped as if smelling something. And then she had pointed me in the direction of the bones.

So it was quite possible that she had found something again.

However, I couldn't sense any magic. And I couldn't smell anything either. So I had no idea what it could be.

Well, if Ril insisted, I suppose…

"…Can you dig it out quickly?"

"Ruff!"

Ril replied immediately.

I looked to Shiel, just in case.

Perhaps she knew something…

Shiel's body shook for a while as if undecided, and then she nodded.

Apparently, this meant that it was okay to dig.

"Alright, let's dig then."

And so I raised my pickaxe and hit the rock wall that Ril had pointed at.

And then a blinding light poured in from the cracks.

When the rocks fell away, the sight that spread out before us was…

"…What is this?"

It was a great, circular chamber… And the walls were lined with shelves that were full of books.