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The Otherworld Conquest Method of a Reincarnated Porter Chapter 162 Part 2

With Artemia and Garuben in the lead and the other members surrounding me and the lightly armed man in a vertical formation, we proceed ahead. From the fact that he’s being protected along with me, as expected, this guy must be a magician or a mage.

We continue walking for a while, encountering monsters from time to time, but Artemia detects the enemies before anyone else and slaughters them with a single blow.

Artemia has a number of swords in her large-capacity magic bag, two divine steel swords, one of which is enchanted with lightning magic. Even though it’s called divine steel, the purity is not that high, and it seems to be made of an alloy of mithril and iron.

「Hey! Don’t move around without permission!」

Damn it, I moved to dismantle the monster that Artemia defeated, but ended up getting scolded by a member of the Dragon Vein. True enough, if I, the person they’re protecting, move around as I please, it will be difficult for them to carry out their mission. I’m not really in any financial trouble, so I decide to leave the defeated monsters alone.

Still, for some reason, since a while ago, we haven’t encountered any high-ranked monsters, and we’re steadily getting closer and closer to the demonic dragon mountain range. By any chance, I wonder if there’s such a thing as a safe route? This is good. I might be able to complete the request quite easily.

In the end, before I can learn how strong the Dragon Vein members are, we have traveled quite deep into the forest.

The mountain range that spreads out before us has a steep slope, and it looks like it will be really difficult to climb up from here. Even though it’s early summer, there are places that still have snow remaining, and the wind that blows down from time to time is cold.

「I’ll go up for a bit, so you guys wait here.」

「You’re going to the demonic dragon mountain range by yourself?! Are you out of you mind?」

「At any rate, you guys protect the porter here. Got it?」

Saying that, Artemia runs off by herself, nimbly climbing the steep mountainside.

Due to its high altitude, unlike the areas around the town that are filled with vegetation, the area around here has nothing but shrubs, making it easier for monsters to find us. Conversely, it also makes it easier to find the monsters, but we decided to crouch down and wait.

「…..」

Yikes, what an indescribable atmosphere this is. I feel completely away from home and uncomfortable. A lot of time has passed, but that Artemia, I wonder if she can’t find the demonic dragon…

At that moment, the sky flickers and the sound of an explosion echoes through the air. It seems that Artemia has begun fighting the demonic dragon she was looking for. Damn it, it’s a shame that I won’t be able to see her fight, but, well, I guess it’s fine. Once I make her my woman, I’ll have her show it to me to my heart’s content.

「This is bad, it seems to be a lightning dragon. Alright, retreat!」

「Huh, wait a second, are you leaving Mia behind?」

「Shut up, porter. Our mission is to protect you, and we couldn’t care less about that woman. Let’s go.」

Surrounded by members of the Dragon Vein, my body is forcefully pushed away from the demonic dragon mountain range.

Damn it, I know what they’re trying to say. However, I have to put the demonic dragon that Artemia defeated into my storage. It’s not good to get too far away. What should I do?

At that moment, wolves conveniently appear to block our way. This is good, it’s a good chance to see their true abilities. Appraisal!

 

Black Iron High Mountain Wolf, Rank 37

 

The wolves, with their faces and claws covered in black iron, are four, no, five in number. I’m really glad that I have guards. If I had been by myself, perhaps I’d have had myself killed.

Garuben calmly takes command, and five people with shields at the ready step forward and act as shields. This coordination, they must have gotten used to it. The lightly armed man takes out a wand from his magic bag and begins to circulate his magical energy. On either side of me, two adventurers are serving as my guards while searching for the enemy. From the looks of it, they will probably be able to defeat the wolves in no time. The question is whether or not it will lure in high-ranked monsters that hear the commotion. This place is quite deep, just before the demonic dragon mountain range. We can’t let our guard down.

「Haaah!」

Using body enhancement, Garuben uses instant step to move behind the demonic wolves. After surrounding the wolves with the adventurers acting as shields, they start to unleash attacks. When the magician produces earth spears from the ground and stops their movements, Garuben immediately slashes their legs, rendering them incapable of fighting. It seems they’re going to leave the finishing blow for later.

After a while, the battle is pretty much settled. It seems they’re going to leave behind the wolves that are still barely alive, and move away from this place at once. Well, for them, the experience points and materials from the wolves probably aren’t that important.

「Sei! Come here!」

Artemia calls out to me from the mountain range. Are you serious? She’s already taken down the demonic dragon? Well, whatever. Let’s quickly put the body in the storage and head back to the town.

「Ah, hey!」

I ignore Garuben’s call and run up the mountainside. It seems the members of the Dragon Vein are also following me.

I run up the slope and head to a place with good visibility. With almost no vegetation left, it’s a high mountain area covered in rocks and sand. It’s an amazing view. Spreading out before my eyes is a mountain range that stretches for tens, no, hundreds of kilometers.

Elvescoot is in this direction, huh. There’s nothing but mountain ranges covered in perpetual snow. As expected, it looks like it’s impossible to get to the elven country from the above ground.

「Sei, it’s this one. Wait a sec, I’ll take out the heart.」

Artemia begins to take out the heart of the demonic dragon she has taken down. Appraisal!

 

Sword-Horned Ash Earth Dragon, Rank 71

 

It’s a rhino-like dragon with a sharp horn. It has no wings. With its head charred black and its neck cut halfway through by a sword, it’s breathed its last. The skin is to be made into armor by a magic blacksmith, so she defeated it while making sure not to damage it, huh. I wonder what will the heart be used for.

「Phew, with this, we’re good, Dry.」

After taking out the heart, Artemia uses wind and fire magic to dry the dragon’s heart. Perhaps the alchemist will make use of it, she seems to be processing it in advance.

The members of the Dragon Vein come over from behind me. At any rate, once we put the dragon in my storage and return to the town, the mission is complete.

「Are you saying that you defeated the demonic dragon by yourself?! Moreover, it’s not a lightning dragon, but an earth dragon?! Then the one who used that lightning magic was…」

「…..」

Garuben and the others are suspicious, but I think there’s no need to give them unnecessary information. This is the end of our relationship. No, maybe there will be times when we need to ask them to protect me again. At any rate, I want to end this mission peacefully. I expand the entrance of my storage with magical energy manipulation and put the demonic dragon inside.

「Y, you’re able to put that demonic dragon into your storage?! You two, what on earth… I see, I thought there was some daredevil who said they wanted to go to the demonic dragon mountain range, but it looks like you were after the demonic dragon from the beginning. A woman, subjugating a demonic dragon by herself, lightning magic. I see, so that’s how it is. You must be Artemia Magzard.」

It seems that Garuben has seen through Artemia’s true identity. Well, she’s probably the only one in the world who can do this kind of thing, so I guess it’s only natural. Still, I’m concerned about the fact that the members of the Dragon Vein are radiating killing intent.

「Hmph, how dare you show your face here, Artemia. Well, it looks like you, who have lived an elegant life in the royal capital, know nothing about the circumstances of the nobles in this remote area, though.」

「…..」

Not good, starting with Garuben, the members of the Dragon Vein are starting to release killing intent. What on earth is going on?!

「In the war against the Empire, my elder brother, uncle, and many others from the Haleford family served in the army. The members of the Dragon Vein here are also those who saw off many of their families and relatives. Telling them to render distinguished war service and return safely. But what about it? My elder brother and the others lost their lives in a labyrinth in who knows where, didn’t they? Moreover, all of that was because they were ordered to look for potions by you.」

「…..」

It’s not like I can’t understand their feelings, but I can’t sympathize with them at all. The reason why they died in the labyrinth was, to put it bluntly, they were weak. In preparation for war, stocking up on potions is part of logistics, and can be considered essential war preparation. As a commander, I think it’s a natural order. To me, it sounds like an unjustified resentment, but I wonder what Artemia thinks of it.

Hmm, I sense a terrifying amount of magical energy from behind me, is it a demonic dragon?! At the end of my gaze is a giant man carrying a huge battle axe on his shoulder, and a lightly armed man. Are they adventurers? For them to come to the demonic dragon mountain range with only two people, who on earth are they? Still, the giant man’s overflowing magical energy and presence. The man beside him, on the contrary, has a weak presence and gives off an eerie vibe.

「Kukuku, I’ve been looking for you, Artemia.」

「Bakumada…」

What?!