Chapter 21: CH 21

Many people would think that travelling below 30 kilometres in one day is not a big deal. However would they understand if there was no road, having to monitor one’s surroundings, and on top of that, having to lug around a large weight, and having to prepare for a variety of situations.

In addition one day’s movement was until 3 pm, depending on the situation, ending earlier was basic.

One of the reasons was because time was needed to make camp.

Amongst them, finding a location took the most time. Avoiding routes that animals would take, having a ground that would be fine during rain, and having protection against night attacks from nocturnal monsters. Due to this, finding a wide area to set up camp was an extremely troublesome job.

Especially while in a plains where the difficulty level rose significantly.

And so before the sun set, time was used to prepare the camp.

While it was possible to cut down wood from the forest nearby to make a temporary camp, but having little numbers would make it quite dangerous. The larger the camp was, wild animals like beasts and magical beasts would stay away, and heteromorphic races like Goblins and Kobolds would not attack. On the contrary, a small area had a risk of being attacked.

Heteromorphs and magical beasts had night vision, and so a night battle was accompanied with quite some danger. And so, the current camp was located a distance of two kilometres away from the forest, guaranteeing a slight level of safety.

“Then, stick this wood in.”

“Yes.”

Holding the wood he was given, Momon pierced them into the ground surrounding the tent. The area was about 20 metres wide. After four were placed, a thin black cotton string was tied around the four. Lastly, making a knot in the middle of the string, from there he pulled it until the front of the tent, and hung a large bell there, completing it.

This was the creation of a warning network.

It had already been three days and Momon had become used to it. Completing the clapper, Momon returned.

“Good work.”

“It was nothing.”

The ranger—-Lukeluther gave words of gratitude to Momon without looking. He was not fooling around. Since earlier he was using tools to dig holes, making traps. The magic caster—-Ninya was walking around the surroundings, and was chanting some kind of magic.

There was a warning magic called <Alarm>, but it could not cover a wide area, probably as an extra measure.

Momon chased that figure. Collecting knowledge on detection and warning magic was not Momon’s role, but he understood that he should still have some.

The motion of the magic was the same as Momon’s. Chanting or other elements were not necessary. Then what should one do to acquire magic, and could he make it his own.

Ninya noticed Momon’s gaze, and probably because he was more friendly than when they first met, he had a smile on his face as he returned.

“You are always watching, is it interesting?”

“Yes. I want to become like Ninya-san and use magic.”

“Oi oi. Magic is not a thing that you can learn in a day or two, Firstly it seems that a guy that does not have a connection to the world can’t do it, and those guys have latent geniuses hidden inside them.

Lukeluther raised his head from the trap and commented. Ninya wiped off his smile, and faced Momon with a serious face.

“Is that so?”

“Ah, Momon-san. Please do not be that disappointed. I think that Momon-san has the ability. Something that feels different from a normal person.”

“……Is that so?”

“Mah, he easily lifted that impossible baggage.”

“It’s something different. Mah, if it is a magic caster better than me he may be able to understand something. The highest magic casters are able to detect their opponent’s magic ability better.”

“……What does that mean?”

“Ah, we magic casters have something like a magic aura made by our magic power, and it surrounds our body. The better one becomes at magic, the ability to sense it also increases. That and controlling the amount of magic power.”

“……Heh”

Restraining his deepening voice, Momon replied with a not suspicious normal voice. It seemed that Momon did not have that ability. He could not feel anything of the sort from Ninya. No, was it possible to even feel it?

“And so. Using this magic power detection ability, it is not rare for magic casters to turn people with high magic power into their disciples.”

That was how I was picked up. Ninya continued.

“Is that so? Then if I want to use magic, what should I do first?”

“Let’s see. Firstly you need to find a good teacher?”

“After?”

“Afterwards? Mah, you cannot proceed without a teacher, but afterwards you should carve a contracted medium.”

“A contracted medium?”

“Eh. A special medium which you have contracted with, and engraved with special magic equations. You can use the magic from the your force of will.”

“Is Ninya holding one?”

“Eh. Mine is a grimoire.”

He pointed at the bag he was carrying.

“……Can that grimoire be used by anyone?”

“Ahaha. It’s impossible, Momon-san. The person that can extract power from the medium, is only the one who has formed a contract. And so Momon-san holding my grimoire cannot use it.”

“Is that so, a pity.”

Momon resisted the desire to click his tongue.

“Mah, there are many people that steal the magic inside the medium though.”

“Is that so?”

“Eh.”

“……If that is the case then I have no choice but to steal magic?”

“That is not true.” Ninya replied to Momon’s dangerous words with a smile on his face. “You can buy scrolls with magic inside the Guild. And you can use them to transfer mediums. And if you search, you can find adventurers that would sell them at reasonable prices. Occasionally, adventurers have a chance of holding onto rare or recently made magic rather than the Guild.”

While preserving a face that showed interest, Momon thought about what to do. The merits and demerits of killing this party and stealing the grimoire. The answer appeared immediately. There were naturally more demerits.

Anyway was it possible to gain magic in this world? Paying money for scrolls were probably the safest method. However, the problem was what to do if the price of scrolls were too high.

A pain.

If Momon had received permission to move freely from Ainz, he would have killed them and stolen it. However, he did not receive that permission.. That would be the same as ignoring an order from his Supreme One.

Momon breathed a sigh in his heart.

A troublesome problem. Not being able to use brute force to solve everything was very irritating.

“—-How many spells one can inscribe depends on one’s magical ability. I can use 35 spells. I have learnt 20 from my master and have bought 15 others.”

“……For example becoming Ninya’s disciple?”

“Yes. Of course it would be better to get someone more skilled than I am. However, there are only private schools in the Kingdom and they mostly accept only young children with flexible minds. In comparison, the Empire has some very established academies with a solid curriculum.  The Theocracy boasts  a very advanced standard of research but only in regards to Divine magic.”  

“I see. Can I enter the Empire’s magic academy to learn magic?”

“I think that would be hard. The Empire’s magic academy is considered as part of their country’s national education body. Only citizens of the Empire are allowed to study there……”

“If it is like this…..”

“Hey there, sorry to disturb your lively discussion. But the rice is almost done. Can you call out to the other two?”

“Ah, let me go.”

Momon walked towards the nearby tent, where two people were sitting on the ground while working.

The fighter, Peter, and druid, Dyne, were carefully servicing their weapons by applying oil to prevent rust forming on their swords, while checking the weapons for any signs of bending.

Today’s kill consisted of 12 monsters. Peter got six, Dyne got three, and Lukeluther got another three. But the most important was that no one got hurt. But this did not mean that their armor and swords were not damaged during the fight.

Fresh slash marks appeared on the armor, while the sword bared signs of being used to fend off goblin weapons. Measures like this were a matter of life and death. Both of them were so absorbed in their work that they were hesitant to return the greeting.

Of course, if that was from a normal person

“Looks like, it’s time for our meal,”

“Ah, it’s time already?”

It was about 4pm? The sun was slowly sinking towards the west. Probably it would be another one and a half hours before it completely disappeared over the horizon. The time for dinner was a bit early. But that sort of thinking belonged to those who were unfamiliar with travelling.

“Let’s go immediately.”

The repair must have had reached a satisfactory level. Dyne’s moved his sight away from the sword, and began to store the equipments away. After a moment, Peter began to follow suit.

“Please wait over there.”

“Ah.”

“Understood.”

Momon left the two behind while he returned to the campfire. The contents of the pot, hanging over the fire began to boil.

It was easy to build a fire.

Toss a cloth soaked in animal fat into the stove—-sometimes a torch was used instead—-and  start a fire with flint. After that, the only thing left to do is to place thin strips of wood among the thicker logs to keep the fire going until the logs catch fire.

Such was Lukeluther’s skill, that the logs always catch fire before the wood strips burn out. And with easy speed, the fire built up rapidly and soon it was burning merrily inside the stove.

Having placed the pot on the stove, the  sound of cooking stew could soon be heard and soon an appetizing aroma settled in the area.

It would be near impossible to eat foods that used water on a normal trip.

That was because of the weight of the water. A grown man needed two litres of water a day. Momon and the rest needed at least ten litres. Basically it meant that one needed to carry ten kilograms of water per day. Any more would make one unable to carry anything else, and it became difficult.

And so a normal trip would make one’s head be filled with thoughts of resupplying, but until now Momon and the rest never resupplied. Even though it had already been three days since they had left the town.

This was rented from the Guild, and they were using a magic item that could store 20 litres of water. And so there was quite an excess, and so stew could be made.

When the stew was cooked, he passed it to Peter and Dyne who had just finished cleaning.

Lukeluther added bacon stew to their personal bowls, along with the toasted bread, and various preserved fruits and nuts, that made up their dinner.

Salt was added to replenish the amount lost through sweating. To Momon, the meal was low class, but it passed when came to the purpose of replacing their nutrients.

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The members of the Axe of Cyclone laughed as they ate. Momon would occasionally join them in their mealtime conversation, but there still a divide between them. But he did not feel lonely.

And they had a good relationship. Although they were adventures that protected each other’s lives, was this normal?

Momon who was interested, asked.

“—-Every seems quite friendly with one another, were you together from your birthplace?”

“No. We met at our first promotion test.”

“Although we had heard rumors about Ninya.”

“Yup. He’s a genius. Actually, because Ninya was here, everyone could return safely.”

“I don’t think that is true. I couldn’t do it alone. Lukeluther’s early warnings against monsters helped a lot.”

“Hm? Really? For me it’s thanks to Dyne’s healing. Breathing was difficult when there was a goblin’s arrow stuck in my chest. I thought I was going to die.”

“At thank time, the one engaging the goblins was Peter. If he wasn’t here I would have been a bit late with my healing magic.”

“That was thanks to Ninya’s protection magic. My arms were really tired facing two of them. It was a big help to engage the third.”

To treat each other with such humbleness and respect. It was certainly a good party with strong bonds. Bonds were formed from entrusting each other with their own lives. Momon could not understand such emotions. It was certainly different from the relationship that the Guardians of Nazerick had with each other. The maids followed the same master and were moving towards the same goals. In essence it was not a bond of emotion but a pact of logic. If anybody moved in a different direction, they would probably wind-up killing each other.  

“Is it normal for adventurers to have such good relationships?”

“Probably. We are protecting each other’s lives after all. Not understand what others are thinking, or not knowing where one has gone are dangerous. To prevent that, at some point in time, the relationship improves.”

“That’s true,  our party doesn’t have any women. If there were then we might argue.”

“And don’t we have a proper goal as well?”

“I think so as well. Having everyone focused on one goal helps a lot.”

Peter and the others nodded their heads.

“……Is that so. I apologise for changing the subject, but where did the party name Axe of Cyclone come from?”

Currently, no one used a weapon like an axe. Peter used a long sword, Dyne used a mace, Lukeluther used a composite longbow. Ninya, well, used magic. Of course those were the main weapons, and there were substitutes, but no one used an axe.

And there was no way that they would make a disassembling axe as their party name.

At Momon’s question, the four of them looked at each other. They were surprised at the fact that Momon did not know.

“……Ah, this is that. So you haven’t heard about it, the magic weapon known as the Axe of Cyclone.”

“The name Axe of Storms might be more well known.”

Seeing that Momon did not have an expression of understanding, the four of them once again were shocked. Well of course they would be shocked, it was a weapon so famous they named their group after it.

“It’s a weapon that one of the 13 Heroes used in legends. It’s a weapon that when swung, created a storm.”

“Finding it has been our main goal. Well, there are lots of weapons that are legends, but this is one that is well known even among them. Mah, it’s not known if it still exists though.”

“Well, in the end our goal is the 12 Legendary Swords, this is a step before that.”

“But we are of a rank that doesn’t allow us to look for the Axe of Cyclone, but we intend to rise until we can’t be laughed at.”

“Ah, seconds? Momon-san.”

“It’s fine. I’m already full.”

Momon smiled. Without a doubt, he would developed any sense of camaraderie with lowly beings like humans.

The campfire was out long ago and the charred remnants of the wood were getting cold.

Even with the campfire out, the surroundings did not become pitch black.

The night was illuminated by the moon and starlight,  and was sufficient to see through the grasslands. Although there was a thin layer of clouds, it did not disrupt the light.

The world was dead silent except for the sound of the rustling grass as the winds blew through the plains.

Dyne popped a herb into his mouth and bit into it. A sharp feeling of coolness spread through his nose and his heavy eyelids suddenly popped back wide open. It was herb commonly used by adventurers to maintain alertness. It was cheap and probably half the adventurers in the field used it.  

In the field adventurers commonly took turns to stand guard in the 11 hour long period of darkness. While not having Lukeluther’s sharp senses, in the vast flat expanse of the grassland, it was impossible to miss seeing anybody approaching.

Dyne looked back calmly towards the sound of rustling grass behind him.

“Were you awake?”

“Eh.”

The person Dyne predicted—-Momon had an expression without a trace of drowsiness.

“We will walk quite a lot tomorrow. It’s best to rest properly.”

Dyne, however, wasn’t worried about Momon. Momon appeared to have extraordinary physical stamina and constitution. Since he also had incredible physical strength that belied his appearance, one could say that he was a person of amazing physical capabilities.  

There was a little something off about Momon. At first Dyne thought it was the extraordinary strength but that was not it. Momon’s knowledge was also strangely skewed. Momon claimed to have lived in a village, but appeared to be ignorant of basic knowledge that a villager should know. His table manners were not that of a villager and here and there Momon showed signs of possessing a high level of education.

Ninya also appeared to have noticed the same thing, but  would not give voice to his suspicions.

Among adventurers it was understood that asking a fellow adventurer about his past was rude. Even in this party there were members who were silent about their past.

That being said, sometimes Dyne felt Momon’s unusual calm a little unnatural. For example he maintained a calm expression even after today’s battle with the goblins. Dyne was certain that as a novice adventurer he would certainly not be able to stay calm in a battle.

Maybe it had something to do with a part of Momon’s past?

“Yes. But I’ve woken up.”

“Really……I think that it would be fine if you remove your gauntlets.”

He made a wry smile at Momon who was again wearing his boorish gauntlets.

“I can’t calm down if I don’t have them. Then I will be in the surroundings for a bit.”

“Do it within the camp.”

“Yes. I understand.”

Watching Momon’s retreating back, Dyne recalled Lukeluther’s words. Lukeluther evaluated Momon’s walking stance and said that Momon had a talent for the thief class.    

“The spirit of genius?”

Ninya mentioned that Momon had a talent for magic while Lukeluther said that he had the talent to be a thief. In addition, he also possessed the strength necessary to be a warrior. From his looks, Momon appeared to be  in his very late 20s. It was a pity to think that a man of such talents was up till now stuck in a village.  

If only he had begun adventuring earlier. By now Momon might even have become a legendary adventurer.

But Momon right now was only an ordinary man.

Momon left the tents, and lied down slowly on the plains. The pale white light danced from the sky painted the green grass white.

If one looked up at the stars that filled one’s vision, they shined so brightly that one would think that they could just reach out and grab them. One could imagine it. Filling one’s vision, the scene of countless treasure chests sparkled. Even if it was covered up, one could not look away, it gave off that sort of impression.

However, Momon was  in no way impressed by the  scenery before him. 

It was not because he was used to such a view, but because  he was preoccupied by an important task. Admiring the view ranked perhaps second or third place in importance.

Sharping his body’s focus, Momon checked his surroundings.

Even from behind him, he could not feel any suspicions. Confirming that, Momon contiued to the field and like he was sleeping, activated the <Message> magic.

On the other end was his highest master Ainz. There was a need to immediately inform him of the information he had just learnt.

He contacted Ainz, and informed him of the information Ninya gave him.

If someone saw his figure, they would think that he was a dangerous human that talked to thin air.

—-I see, I understand. It will be fine to think that the Guild contains a large amount of magic.—-

“I think that is the case.”

—-I would like some magic to compare to something. The first thing to do would be to buy it. And it is necessary to become a disciple of a magic caster. I should think of changing the plan. I will send over some additional funds, and so investigate how to buy it—-

“However, it will not be that expensive, would it be fine if we change a part of my background?”

—-Ah, that’s true, the setting of you being a simple villager. If so then leave it to Sebas. Now is it fine to end this report?—-

“Yes. This is all the information I have gained.”

—-Understood. Continue being an adventurer that does not attract suspicion. I will send over a Shadow Demon so take the additional funds. If you want to use it for other work, I do not mind no matter how much you use. I have already ordered the Shadow Demon with these instructions.”

“Yes.”

—-Thank you for your good work, I really be relying on you, Narberal—-

“Y, yes. Thank you very much!”

Ignoring the fact that there was no one in front of him, Momon unconsciously bowed his head. The voice of his absolute master disappeared, but the echoes of his voice of gratitude still reverberated within Momon’s body.

Among the other maids, there was probably no one that could talk to their master that much. That sense of superiority boiled up from the depths of Momon’s heart.

While he tried to suppress his smiling face, he did not do it well.

Unable to do anything else, Momon hugged his face with both his hands. And burned up will all his might.

If he were alone, he might have raised a cry of joy. His master—-Ainz had called out his name.

However, he did not want to fail at the responsibility that Ainz gave to him, and thinking that, controlled himself.

“Hah~”

He breathed deeply several times as if to release the heat that had built up inside of him. But he had already returned to his calm expression.

“Now.”

Momon stood up, and began walking towards the tent.

He would have to work together with them for the next three days. He could not do anything suspicious. Recalling Ainz earlier voice and kicking it into his memory, he maintained his calmness.

Returning to a space near the tent, Momon received a question from Dyne about what he was doing when he suddenly bowed his head over there, while controlling his memories which felt like they were about to revolt.

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