Banished from the herd, I was actually a member of a very rare species. ~With the unique skills that only I can use, I can grow and evolve quickly. I will become an unrivaled monster~ - Episode 62: Crisis and Geography

Episode 62: Crisis and Geography

“Ah, they’ve arrived.”

While eating a fruit with a sharp spiciness, I sensed the rise of |Mana|. This is a sign of a [Space Hole]. It has been four days since then, so it must be Paula who is coming.

Or so I thought, but the first to appear from the opened hole was not her.

“Oh, it’s been a while, Katsu-san. You’ve really become a Sovereign Beast, haven’t you…”

“Yeah, long time no see. Is it since you came to check on Hydra’s |Status|?”

A slightly plump young man appeared. Since I often receive items through Paula, it’s rare for him to show up.

“Good morning, Katsu-kun.”

“Morning.”

Then Paula also appeared. I believe yesterday was her matchmaking day, but asking her about it now would be lacking in delicacy. More importantly…

“So, Ergo, what’s going on today?”

I asked the nervous-looking young man. He swallowed hard and then spoke.

“Well, it’s still in the realm of possibilities, but… it seems the nobles are coming to defeat you, Katsu-san.”

“What!?”

I let out a voice of surprise. I had asked Ergo to inform me if anyone was targeting me, but I never expected them to show up so soon.

“…But how did they find out? My being alive was supposed to be a secret, wasn’t it?”

“It’s likely they investigated the market. Given that Jewel Slime materials are difficult to sell discreetly, and with no traces of it being sold, they probably assumed the Jewel Slime is still alive.”

“Materials, huh? By the way, can my body be used for weapons or something?”

“Hmm…? I haven’t heard of slimes being used as weapons, especially Jewel Slimes. However, Jewel Slime is said to be good for beauty, so it seems to be traded at high prices.”

So I’m considered a beauty product. Well, I do have a clean, beautiful color without stains. It seems like it could be good for the body if applied.

“Just to be sure, is it possible that the coming attack is a misunderstanding?”

“I can’t make any guarantees, but it’s almost certain. Recently, a servant of the nobles came to the guild…”

After asking for details, it seems Ergo learned about the noble’s invasion from that servant. The servant had been inquiring about Jewel Slimes at the guild. When asked, Ergo responded like other adventurers, “It seems it has already been defeated.” But the servant continued to inquire without concern and was later guided to the Guild Master’s office on the second floor.

“The servant seemed quite certain of your survival, and meeting with the guild master was likely to confirm the information. Since a servant of the noble family personally came to inquire, it’s unlikely they would just leave the matter or delegate it to local adventurers.”

“I see…”

I growled, realizing it’s almost certain the nobles will come.

“…No, wait. The Guild Master spread the rumor of my death, so maybe they’ll cover it up this time too?”

“That’s unlikely. Falsifying the death of a magical beast carries too much risk for the guild. That’s why they spread the rumor of your death through rumors instead.”

“That makes sense…”

For now, it seems covering up is impossible. Next, I need to think about how to handle this. …Actually, there’s no need to think much.

The answer was decided from the start. No need to worry.

I wanted to avoid it, but… since it’s come to this, it can’t be helped. I need to make up my mind.

“(Alright, let’s escape.)”

Escaping is the specialty of experience-point monsters. I’ll escape to the ends of the earth! 

I was planning to leave eventually to exterminate those Chaos Beasts, so moving up the schedule a bit isn’t a big deal.

…But, it’s a bit troublesome if it has to be right now.

“When do you think they’ll arrive?”

“At the very least, I don’t think it’ll be within today or tomorrow. Whether the nobles come in person, adventurers are commissioned, or their hired warriors are sent, it should still be at least two weeks away. It takes a few days by carriage to travel between the town and the capital.”

“I see. Then it’s not a problem. I have plenty of time…”

“Plenty of time, you say…?”

“Yeah, with that much time, I can defeat the Forest Turtle and leave the forest.”

I want to avoid conflict with people. But if they form an extermination squad of hero-level adventurers, it would be unbearable. 

Deciding to escape is a certainty. But before leaving the forest, I want to defeat the Forest Turtle.

I could certainly hunt other Sovereign Beasts elsewhere for experience points. 

However, the Forest Turtle has always been my target. The image of its majestic form still burns in my memory, and that’s why I want to surpass it before moving on to new lands.

“Is that so, Katsu-kun, you’re leaving, huh…”

“Yeah, sorry Paula, I won’t be able to stay with you until the end of your magic training.”

“No, don’t worry about it. Now that we’ve come this far, the rest is up to me. But it’s going to be lonely…”

“Well, it’s not like I’m leaving immediately. Let’s do our best together for the remaining time.”

“Yeah!”

I then turned my attention to Ergo. He had spread a large piece of paper on a flat rock nearby.

“Is that a map?”

“Yes. I thought it might be useful, so I copied one from home.”

“Thoughtful of you, thanks.”

“Wow, Ergo-kun’s house has all sorts of things.”

“For a merchant, knowing the world is important.”

The map depicted a shape that was close to a horizontal diamond. It seemed to represent the country—no, the continent.

“Is it the Esperas Magic Empire? There are no other countries, right?”

“Yes. There used to be others. But over a hundred years ago, His Majesty the Demon King unified the realm.”

The Demon King is the ruler of this country. Apparently, he is the king of magic and a genuine human, unrelated to the magical beasts.

“So the lines that separate these areas are…”

“Yes, they are provinces. Besides the Demon King’s domain, there are five provinces ruled by five Grand Dukes. We are in the northwestern province of Wenost.”

He pointed to the top left of the map. It seems that the cardinal directions are the same as on Earth. His finger then moved smoothly to the southern part of the Wenost province.

“And to the south of the province is the Dwozof Forest. It is part of the Schwain territory.”

“Schwain… Is that the name of the noble who rules this area?”

Ergo nodded. Although the great dukes govern the provinces, each province consists of several territories managed by nobles. There are various ranks of nobility, but let’s skip that for now.

“I want to head east to the continent’s eastern region, which is the stronghold of the Chaos Beasts. What route do you think I should take? If possible, I’d like to fight some Sovereign Beasts along the way.”

The shortest route can vary depending on the map’s scale. Additionally, if he can tell me about densely populated or difficult-to-travel areas, I can avoid them. I asked with that expectation.

“Well… As for Sovereign Beasts, if you’re in undeveloped areas with little human presence, you’ll usually encounter at least one. You should be able to find them without problems as long as you avoid densely populated areas like the capital.”

“I see.”

“As for the route, I think it would be best to head northeast first, and once you reach the sea, change your direction to southeast. …Do you know what the sea is?”

“Oh, that’s no problem.”

I wondered if knowing about the sea as a slime might be suspicious, but it was passed over without issue. It seems Ergo thinks I was kept as a pet by humans in the past, so he overlooks minor oddities.

“However, one thing to be cautious about before reaching the sea is to absolutely avoid the northern towns.”

“Hmm? I didn’t plan to get close to human towns anyway, but why should I be particularly careful about the north?”

“The northern territory is governed by the strongest noble—one of the four Margrave. He is responsible for defeating the ferocious magical beasts from other continents and is said to be stronger than Hero-rank adventurers. I strongly recommend avoiding that area.”

I’m interested in strong opponents. But if they’re human, that’s a different story. I’ll make sure to stay far from human towns in the north.

With that, I continued to ask Ergo about travel precautions and how to read the map.