Ch.47The Price of Environmental Destruction (2)

The engineer and I drew our axes.

The weakness of a tree is its base. The same applies to humanoid trees. If we strike their legs and knock them down, we can easily subdue them.

[“Can you handle it?”]

[“Their reach seems quite long.”]

The problem was their hands. Their fingers, extending like branches, were bothersome. Even ghouls didn’t have limbs that long.

[“It’ll be difficult to create an opening with these short hand axes.”]

[“We desperately need ranged options.”]

[“What about throwing magic stones to distract them?”]

[“They seem quite intelligent. I doubt they’ll fall for it easily.”]

I came to a conclusion.

[“Our best strategy is to fight moderately and retreat if things look bad.”]

BOOM!

The wisteria trees attacked first.

It was a simple body slam. Fatal if it hit, but not particularly fast. Slow enough that we could dodge by sight.

The engineer and I split in opposite directions. CRASH! The monster struck the ground. A small crater formed where we had been standing.

[“How stupid!”]

[“That was just a feint!”]

WHOOSH!

The wisteria monsters twisted their bodies. Their leaves rotated clockwise. Thud, thud—fruits fell to the ground. Upon touching the earth, the fruits burrowed into the soil.

Sprouts emerged. They grew rapidly. Seedlings resembling mandrakes broke through the ground.

SCREECH!

The seedlings screamed. It was deafeningly loud, enough to make our ears burst. My concentration nearly shattered.

But hesitating at something like this would be unworthy of a first-class mage.

I steadied myself.

Took one big step forward.

[“Ignite.”]

Whoosh—the mana in the Fire Sea Stone responded.

I lowered my waist and pulled back my shoulder.

The charging wisteria trees all slammed on their brakes at once. Too late. The magic stone had already left my hand.

The fireball cleanly pierced through the first tree. The stone flew onward, barely losing any energy. Two, three, four—the fire spread.

Sea Fire is flame that circulates like the ocean.

In other words, it contains rotating properties.

The azure flames began devouring everything except ash. The trees screamed through their hollow mouths.

After dispatching the wisteria trees, I chopped the seedlings one by one with my axe. The seedlings that had their heads cut off before fully emerging from the soil died with terrible shrieks. Even their death cries were loud.

[“That man… he’s quite skilled, isn’t he?”]

[“I want to taste him even more now.”]

[“It’s not just the man. Look at the fox.”]

The engineer was also steadily eliminating monsters. She showed much improvement since the first day.

[“A mage and a beastkin who uses divine power.”]

[“Even so, it’s just power received from the Goddess of Creation. Without someone blessed by the Goddess of Battle, Lady Alraune can handle them.”]

[“But doesn’t something seem strange about that beastkin?”]

The dryads whispered among themselves.

[“Earlier, just for a moment, I sensed both divine power and magical power from her.”]

[“Huh? I didn’t feel anything like that.”]

[“You probably confused her with the mage.”]

Divine power and magical traces from the engineer? That’s impossible.

I’ve never heard of someone blessed by a goddess who could also wield magical power.

[“Perhaps there are two souls in that one body?”]

[“Hmm, should we capture her too then?”]

[“Let’s bring her to Lady Alraune. She’s researching that field, so she’ll surely be pleased.”]

[“Good, good.”]

Alraune.

That seems to be the name of the leader on this island.

Looking around, I noticed the monsters had increased in number since earlier. If we stayed here any longer, we’d be surrounded.

I threw a Fire Sea Stone at the group of dryads and fled with the engineer.

[“Aah, it burns!”]

[“Where do you think you’re going!”]

[“We’ve already deployed a minor barrier! No matter how much you run, you’re like mice in a trap!”]

Ahahahaha!

Leaving the monsters’ laughter behind, we ventured deeper into the forest.

***

Animal instincts are advantageous for survival. Although Riyo hadn’t formally learned hand-to-hand combat, being born a beastkin meant she could read the flow of battle.

Outnumbered.

Now was the time to flee.

There was no other choice.

“Haa, haa!”

Riyo and Erich ran and ran. They kept running until the dryads’ laughter faded into the distance.

Before they knew it, the wisteria forest had disappeared, and they entered a forest dense with birch trees.

But something was strange.

While birch trees are white, their leaves aren’t normally white. The birch trees here had leaves as white as snow.

Moreover, birch trees typically grow in cold climates. In warm areas, they usually wither and die.

And this archipelago had a tropical climate, or at least a temperate one.

“Ugh, it’s cold.”

The cool sensation against their skin told the whole story. It was chilly.

“Is this really a tropical island?”

“It’s the mana. Concentrated mana is causing a cooling reaction.”

The mage muttered something. Riyo tilted her head, confused. Rather, it was the other presence occupying her mind that understood.

[‘That’s right. That makes sense.’]

Another entity occupying Riyo’s mind.

[‘Sephiron causes a heating reaction when in excess. Mana is the opposite. Its physical properties are completely different—the more concentrated it is, the more it lowers the surrounding temperature.’]

The voice was unmistakably that of her sister who had died at the tender age of eleven.

But it couldn’t possibly be her real sister’s voice.

Yes. This was a mental illness Riyo had suffered from for a long time. The trauma from that day had clearly caused psychological damage.

She could probably get treatment at a hospital, but she hadn’t wanted to. At least, at least in her heart, she wanted her sister to continue living.

Riyo caught her breath. She looked back. Their pursuers had disappeared into the distance.

Instead, it started to rain. The already cold weather became even chillier.

“Let’s take shelter from the rain first, then move again.”

Erich pointed ahead. There was a hollow space under a rock. Too small to be called a cave, but somehow large enough for two people to fit.

And it was tighter than expected.

“What should we do…”

They couldn’t even sit side by side. One person would have to embrace the other to leave any space.

It was getting too rainy to look for another shelter. If they wandered around any longer, they’d surely catch a cold.

A decision was needed.

Erich went in first, and Riyo sat facing him.

“Ow, male scent.”

Riyo giggled.

“If it were mating season, this could have been trouble.”

Beastkin typically have separate mating seasons.

“Of course, I’d never marry you anyway. Hehehe.”

Riyo forced a smile. Rainy days like this always reminded her of that incident, making her feel depressed. She had to joke around just to cope.

“Whew, it’s cold!”

“This is enough to give someone hypothermia.”

Both Riyo and the mage wore summer uniforms. Naturally. Who would be crazy enough to wear thick uniforms after being shipwrecked in the tropical Tatangkur Waters?

“…”

The Holy Maiden would be fine here.

“This is too uncomfortable. Can I turn around?”

Riyo used all possible gestures to make the mage understand. The mage hesitated briefly but eventually nodded.

“Heave-ho.”

Turning 180 degrees made it somewhat easier to find a comfortable position.

“Ah, don’t touch my tail, okay? You’ll really regret it.”

“I won’t touch it.”

“Hmm, good manners.”

The mage raised both hands. Riyo smiled contentedly and took materials out of her pocket.

A Y-shaped wooden stick, caoutchouc vines that could substitute for rubber bands, and a piece of tanned leather.

Riyo quickly combined the materials to make a slingshot.

***

I now found myself in an extremely awkward situation.

To escape the rain, I sat with the engineer under a narrow rock overhang. The space was so limited that I had no choice but to hold her almost like an embrace.

It was somewhat manageable when we were facing each other.

When she gestured asking if she could make something, I nodded. But then she suddenly turned around!

If she were just another person, it wouldn’t have been a big deal.

The problem was that she was a fox beastkin with not one, but two tails.

They’re warm.

They’re fluffy.

After warning me so sternly not to touch her tails, she’s now tickling my face with them. I barely managed to hold back a sneeze.

[‘Oh my goodness, how can there be such a dog—no, fox-like woman? Has she gone mad as her mating season approaches?’]

[‘How indecent! Erich, as a mage, you must endure. This is a trial sent by Jeriem!’]

Being touched by tails.

It doesn’t feel as bad as I thought.

“…”

Have I finally lost my mind?

“Make it, make it! All done!”

The engineer turned her head to look at me. She held something out.

“…A slingshot?”

“When you fight monsters, you throw stones while using magic. I’ve been carefully observing how you fight. I’ve been thinking about making this for you sometime.”

I awkwardly accepted the slingshot. The engineer smiled brightly and continued.

“This is a gift that can be given in a casual relationship. As you know, we each have our positions, right? I’m sorry, but Riyo can’t offer any more goodwill than this to you, a mage.”

And then, in the next moment.

The engineer’s gaze transformed.

Her irises began to glow red as they fixed on me. It was the first time the consistently innocent engineer had ever displayed such an alluring aura. Her lips parted.

“But you know, if by chance you could show more sincerity here, Miyo might want to form a deeper relationship with you. I see potential in you.”

Her tone was heavy. It was as if someone else was speaking through the engineer.

“So… don’t disappoint me, okay?”

One of the engineer’s two tails caressed my cheek.

I unconsciously swallowed.

[“Perhaps there are two souls in that one body?”]

The dryads’ earlier words began to bother me.