The Ultimate Sage Who Faked Incompetence and Was Disinherited Just Wants to Enjoy His New Life! - Episode 54: The Abnormal Individual

Episode 54: The Abnormal Individual 

Before searching for the culprit behind the standing dead trees, we decided to take a break and organize our findings. While helping Ardan make coffee, I took some sweets from my magic bag and arranged them on a plate. 

Lilia had already set up a table and benches for us. Once the food and drinks were ready, we took a moment to relax. The surroundings were bleak. But a sense of warmth slowly spread through our group. 

“So far, Lilia’s Fire Turtle theory seems the most likely.” 

“Could there be an unusually large one?” 

“Or maybe there’s a whole bunch of Fire Turtles gathered here?” 

We crossed our arms in thought. Either way, something abnormal was happening. Would eliminating the creature solve the problem? 

“Judging by the scent, it’s just one. I only smell a single presence.” 

“That means there’s a Big Fire Turtle.” 

Elise reached that conclusion. Still, Jill’s sense of smell was ridiculously sharp. To be able to differentiate similar scents with such accuracy… No doubt Ardan and the others had survived this long thanks to Jill’s abilities. 

After our break, we resumed our investigation. From this point on, we were relying on Jill’s nose. He led the way, and we followed cautiously. 

Just as I was getting tired of seeing endless withered trees, we finally encountered the creature. 

“That thing’s huge! I’ve never seen anything like it.” 

“So that’s the Big Fire Turtle… It looks like a moving boulder.” 

“A boulder that breathes fire, no less. But something’s strange—it’s exactly like a regular Fire Turtle, just bigger.” 

Lilia folded her arms and tilted her head, deep in thought. She seemed particularly fixated on the differences between Fire Turtles and this oversized version. 

“Lilia, can we get close to the Big Fire Turtle?” 

“That’s not a problem. If I use Freeze Barrier, I can nullify the heat. But… was there ever a monster called Big Fire Turtle? Could it be an abnormal Fire Turtle? No way…” 

It seemed that was what had been bothering her all along. A monster even Lilia didn’t know about… Maybe it was a new species that had appeared while she was sealed away. 

“If we can get close, that means we can attack. The question is, what kind of attacks does it have?” 

We had very little information on this creature. One option was to return to the Elf Kingdom and gather more intelligence before engaging… 

“Ardan, I think we should head back first and prepare.” 

“Yeah… Let’s retreat for now.” 

“Wait, what?! Why? From what we just discussed, we should be able to get close and take it down!” 

“We need to be cautious. This area is sacred to the elves. What if that thing is a guardian deity or something? It’s clearly an abnormal specimen.” 

We couldn’t be sure, but Ardan had a point. Our mission was to investigate the Elven Forest, not to hunt monsters. As far as our request was concerned, we had already gathered more than enough information. 

Reporting the presence of the Big Fire Turtle and confirming that the standing dead trees were caused by extreme dryness should be sufficient. 

“Won’t we get in trouble for trespassing in the sacred land?” 

“The Hunting Guild will handle that. That’s probably why they hired foreign adventurers in the first place.” 

“Oh, I see. If they hired elves, they’d never dare step into a sacred site.” 

“Exactly. They needed reckless adventurers like us to get the job done.” 

And so, we decided to return to the Elf Kingdom for now. The journey back was easier than our way in—Elise used a fatigue recovery spell on us, and we sprinted all the way home. 

—

Three days after submitting our report, we were still staying at an inn provided by the Hunting Guild. They had asked us to delay our return to the royal capital. Considering how long it was taking, there was probably some political dispute over our findings. 

During this time, we weren’t allowed to wander freely. Instead, we took turns—one person always stayed behind at the inn while the others went hunting or explored the Elf Kingdom. 

I had expected to see Fairies in the Elf Kingdom. But we never encountered a single one. 

“No Fairies, huh?” 

“What’s that supposed to mean, Fel? Am I not good enough for you?” 

“No, no! I just thought you’d be happy if you had some Fairy friends, Lilia.”

“Well…” 

Ah, she’s making a complicated expression. Could it be that Fairies don’t get along very well with each other? Now that I think about it, I’ve never heard Lilia talk about her companions. 

Thinking that it’s probably best not to bring up this topic, I returned to the inn. 

“I’m back!” 

“I’m back!” 

“Oh, you two are back. A request came in from the Hunting Guild.” 

With that, Ardan showed us the request form. The words “Big Fire Turtle Subjugation Request” were written on it. It seemed that even in the Elf Kingdom, the presence of the Big Fire Turtle had been confirmed. 

“They sent a team to take it down. But it looks like they failed. There’s no mention of damage. But if they’re asking us, it must be a pretty powerful monster.” 

“I think so too. Let’s come up with a plan once Jill and Elise get back.” 

While waiting for them, we compared the map included in the request with the data we gathered using Auto-Mapping. As a result, we were able to roughly determine the enemy’s location. 

Before long, the two returned. 

“If I knew this was coming, I would’ve hurried back sooner.” 

“Jill, even if you came back early, we’re not heading out until tomorrow.” 

“Yeah, we can’t go unprepared.” 

Now that everyone was together, we reviewed the request again. This time, we had some idea of the Big Fire Turtle’s behavior patterns. 

“It breathes fire from its mouth? What is it, a Dragon? It’s a turtle, for crying out loud.” 

Jill made a disgusted face. He must be worried about the breath attack, thinking he wouldn’t be able to get close easily. 

“Its burning shell seems to be really tough. Blades couldn’t cut through it.” 

“Doesn’t the Big Fire Turtle feel the heat itself?” 

“That’s just how this kind of monster is. It probably doesn’t feel heat at all.” 

Monsters have truly baffling ecosystems. What do they even eat? Wouldn’t everything around them just burn up? 

“It says ice magic melted before it could reach. Approaching without proper countermeasures would be dangerous. But in our case, we have Fel and Lilia’s Freeze Barrier. That should make close combat possible.” 

“Just how hot is this turtle?” 

Elise was exasperated. It seemed that ice magic, which should have been its weakness, wasn’t very effective. That meant we needed to consider alternative magical attacks. Water and ice magic might just evaporate or melt away. 

If that’s the case, fire magic, earth magic, or wind magic might be our best options. But would they be effective? 

“What other magic was used?” 

“Apparently, they also tried earth and wind magic. But they just bounced off its hard shell.” 

“So it has high magic resistance too… What should we do?” 

Lilia furrowed her brows in thought. If it’s protected by a tough shell, our only option might be to destroy it from the inside. Should we try throwing Burst-type magic into its mouth? That would be tricky to pull off. 

“Hey, its neck wasn’t covered by the shell, right?” 

It seemed Elise had thought of a good idea. A smirk formed on her lips. Everyone tapped their fingers on their foreheads, trying to recall. If I remember correctly, there was no shell there. 

“I don’t think there was.” 

“I agree with Fel. There wasn’t a shell or even scales on its neck.” 

“Then how about Jill targets that spot?” 

“I see, cutting off its head, huh? That could work. What do you think, Jill?” 

Ardan also agreed. Everyone’s gaze turned to Jill. His sword skills could cleanly sever the neck, bypassing the hard shell entirely. 

“Wait, Jill, don’t tell me you can’t do it?” 

Lilia spoke in a taunting tone. Jill’s face reddened at the provocation. He seemed like the type to easily rise to a challenge. 

“O-Of course I can!” 

That settled it. We would create an opening, and Jill would land the decisive blow. 

We needed to adjust the Freeze Barrier so that it kept Jill from getting burned while ensuring it didn’t interfere with his attack. That would be tricky to balance. 

“Alright, it’s decided. Let’s start preparing. We have a rough idea of the location. We should be able to find it by the day after tomorrow.” 

“I’ll go buy supplies. Our food stock is running low.” 

“I’ll go with you,”

Ardan said. As the one in charge of meals, food selection was a matter of survival for him. He wouldn’t leave it entirely to Elise. 

“We’ll discuss magic adjustments with Jill. We need to make sure he can fight in the best possible conditions.” 

With that, Ardan and Elise went shopping. While Lilia, Jill, and I started planning our magic strategy.