VS Rampaging Bison Part 1
"Hey, Makoto, want to take a quest together with us?" (Jean)
Jean asks this.
At his side there's the priest Emily.
"Huh? What are you saying? Are you guys daydreaming? Choo choo!" (Lucy)
A drunk Lucy acts tough.
Or more like, you are refusing on your own, Lucy-san.
"Why is Lucy the one refusing?!" (Emily)
Emily complains.
You two, stop the fighting.
"Why go out of your way to invite us?" (Makoto)
Let's at least ask.
"Actually, we are planning on taking on the subjugation of a Rampaging Bison." (Jean)
"Hooh." (Makoto)
Rampaging Bison.
A giant bison monster basically.
Its size is 3 times that of a normal bison.
It is normally docile, but once it gets angered, it turns ferocious. It gets excited when it sees something red.
It is that kind of monster.
It is herbivorous and doesn't attack people, but it apparently charges onto carriages, and troubles travellers.
A quest that's just right in difficulty for a bronze rank party.
The reward is normal, but the rampaging bison's meat is apparently an extreme delicacy, so it is bought at a high price.
A popular quest to earn some small change.
Regardless…
"Pass." (Makoto)
"Eh? Why?!" (Jean)
"Rampaging bisons are monsters that make grassy plains their territory. The plains around Makkaren don't have much watersides. I am a mage apprentice that can't do anything without water, so I won't be of use." (Makoto)
I finish the remaining half of the cocktail.
"But you are good at things like detection, right?" (Jean)
"Why would you need Detection?" (Makoto)
Something like a giant bison in a plain can be seen from afar even without detection.
"Looks like I won't be of use." (Makoto)
I munch on my sandwich and try to finish this talk.
"Wait, please! I don't mind if your side gets the larger split of the reward! So, won't you come with us?" (Jean)
"Why do you want us to go together with you?" (Makoto)
"As an apology for last time, right?" (Lucy)
Lucy answers.
Hoh, is that so?
When I look at Jean and Emily, it seems like they were feeling awkward about it.
"It is also as an apology, but we are all newcomer adventurers here, so we want to get along from now on." (Emily)
Emily says.
Get along, huh.
What to do…
"Huh? There's no way we can get along after all that." (Lucy)
"Why do you like to pick fights so much?!" (Emily)
*Kishaaa!!* Emily and Lucy were glaring at each other like cats fighting.
You two should really learn to get along a bit better.
"Hey, Jean, if it is about adventuring together, wouldn't hunting goblins work too?" (Makoto)
"Yeah, I thought that too, but goblins are in the Great Forest, right? I heard that Lucy has been forbidden the use of fire magic in the Great Forest." (Jean)
"Ah, right." (Makoto)
Lucy can't use fire magic in the Great Forest until she can control her magic.
The only usable attack method of Lucy is fire magic.
And so, lately, it has been a repeat of training everyday.
"If it is in the plains, Lucy can go all out on her fire magic, right?" (Jean)
"Well, that's true. What do you think, Lucy?" (Makoto)
"Eeh, we are going together with these guys?" (Lucy)
Lucy doesn't seem to like the idea.
But I am getting tired of all the training lately, and our party has a bad balance of 2 mages.
If the vanguard Jean and the healer and support Emily were to join, the balance would be good.
The only worrying point is…
"There's nothing I can do, you know?" (Makoto)
In a plain where there's no water, I really won't be of use.
My Detection and Stealth would be pointless, too.
"W-Well, if you can at least hinder it a little…" (Emily)
Emily seemed to have trouble saying that.
So, bait, huh.
I have Escape and Evade, so I think I will be able to manage.
"Okay. We will be getting the bigger split, right?" (Makoto)
"Yeah, we will split it 7:3." (Jean)
Jean's face brightens.
We haven't been able to earn money lately, so I suppose this is good.
"Lucy, they are going out of their way to invite us, so let's go together." (Makoto)
"Well, if Makoto says so, I am fine with it." (Lucy)
Lucy begrudgingly accepted.
◇◇
The next day.
I woke up in the adventurer guild's resting area, and washed my face in the water well close by. After that, I held the Goddess's dagger in both hands and offered a prayer.
"I will do my best today as well, Goddess-sama." (Makoto)
(Yup yup, safety first, Makoto.) (Noah)
After finishing my daily prayer, I head to the meeting point of Jean and the others.
The place is in front of the eastern gate.
After that, we go to the plains.
We have good weather. Not a single cloud.
For a water mage like me, it is bad weather.
Even light rain would have been nice.
I conversed with Jean as we headed to the objective's location.
"Hooh, so you and Emily are childhood friends." (Makoto)
"We were always together at an orphanage in the Sun Country. I aimed to become a Knight, and Emily a High Priest, but we are thinking about selling our name as adventurers first." (Jean)
"Those are reasonable goals." (Makoto)
After becoming famous as adventurers, change to a stable job.
In this world, it is the usual career plan.
But the adventurer trade has a lot of dangers, so there's a lot who die in the way.
Also, Jean and Emily are apparently not in a relationship.
Lucy said a lot of things the other time, but it seems those were just staple fighting words.
But…to have a beautiful childhood friend. I am jealous.
"What are you aiming for, Makoto?" (Jean)
"Uhm, I am planning on leveling up for now, and then go to high difficulty dungeons I suppose." (Makoto)
I kept the part about aiming for the highest difficulty dungeon, the Deep Sea Temple.
It didn't get a good reaction from Lucy after all.
"Hoh, so you are staying an adventurer." (Jean)
"It is just that I have no other choice but to." (Makoto)
Being hired by some country like my classmates and having an elegant lifestyle in the royal castle is impossible with my stats.
"So you will be aiming for Laberintos?" (Jean)
"The biggest dungeon of the continent, huh… I would like to go one day." (Makoto)
A huge dungeon that extends all the way to 3 countries: the Wood County, Fire Country, and Water Country.
It is so big that it is said there's still many places that haven't been explored.
Because of that, there's a lot of adventurers that challenge it.
"I would need to be Iron Rank for that." (Makoto)
"Right." (Jean)
The recommended rank for Laberintos is Iron Rank.
It is still too much for us.
A bit further away from us, there's Lucy and Emily.
Are they getting along?
I got worried and tried using [Eavesdrop].
"Hey hey, how far have you guys gone?" (Lucy)
Lucy is bothering Emily.
Oi oi, what are you saying?
"You like Jean, right? Have you made any progress?" (Lucy)
"Listen here, we are only childhood friends." (Emily)
"What are you saying? Even though you saw me as if I was a rival of yours." (Lucy)
"Wa, no! In the first place, you always have clothes with high exposure, and that troubled Jean, you know? You are wearing them today, too." (Emily)
"It is hot, so I can't help it. Also, that's just Jean lacking in training. Makoto doesn't mind at all, you know?" (Lucy)
"That's impressive in itself… Hey, does he not have any interest in women?" (Emily)
What a rude thing to say.
I do.
"What should I do if Makoto likes men…" (Lucy)
Lucy is having an unnecessary worry.
Are you an idiot?
"And what about you? How's it going with Makoto-kun?" (Emily)
Emily counterattacks.
"Huh? As if there would be anything. We have only been in a party for a few weeks, you know?" (Lucy)
"And yet, you are pretty close with each other, aren't you? I've heard that you two have been training till late in the night. It has become the gossip lately, you know?" (Emily)
"Eh? Really?" (Lucy)
Eh? Really?
"There's talk going around that the witch Lucy has sunk her fangs, and that her victim is the otherworldler mage, Makoto-kun." (Emily)
"I am gonna hit you." (Lucy)
"You were the first one to say weird stuff." (Emily)
I should stop listening any further.
They should be okay for now.
It has been a while since we departed.
"Isn't it that?" (Lucy)
Lucy points at the objective.