The Otherworld Conquest Method of a Reincarnated Porter Chapter 59 Part 2
According to them, there is a creek ahead and an open meadow a short distance after crossing it. There is a place where you can gather medicinal herbs there, but apparently, they were attacked by several rabbit monsters. When I ask them if they didn’t bring any potions, it seems that they have already used up all the potions they have on hand. It appears that if you drink potions continuously, there will be a backlash in which your body can no longer accept them, and even if you force yourself to drink one, it will have little effect, so it seems that they are going to rest at this place for a while.
After hearing this information, I move toward the creek cautiously. The three adventurers were by no means weak, being around level 20, but they suffered one-sided attacks, so they are monsters you can never let guard down against. Speaking of rabbit monsters, there is the horned rabbit I saw in the Magt forest, but the monsters here seem to be moving at high speed and boast enough attack power to cut off your legs. They must be completely different monsters.
Arriving at the creek, I search for presences in the surrounding area. There are monsters that come to the creek to drink some water, so I cannot afford to stay still. After crossing the creek and walking for a while, I find myself in an open area. When I crouch down and search for presences, I find three rabbits. There may be more of them still. So I cannot let my guard down.
The rabbits have long and slender bodies and stand on two legs, and as they sense my presence, they take an alert posture. It seems that it is impossible to launch a preemptive attack. Their claws are pretty long and given that some of them are stained reddish black, the adventurers I met just a moment ago must have been had by those claws. I have to be careful with their speed, which is so fast that the adventurers couldn’t deal with it.
As I activate body enhancement and infuse magical energy into my sword, the three rabbits leap at me at once. They are fast, but given that I have gotten information about it in advance, it is not on the level that I cannot react to it. It is not on the level worthy of being called coordinated, but as the three rabbits move at high speed, they attack me with their claws one after another.
At any rate, I have no choice but to deal with them one by one as I move. Not only do the rabbits have the nature of pouncing on you, the moment you dodge their attack, they become defenseless in the air. I swing my sword down with all my might at the neck of one of the rabbits. I thought that would send its head flying, but I was unable to cut it off. They are monsters that can withstand even a magical energy-infused mithril alloy sword swung down by someone strengthened with body enhancement, so it seems that their rank is pretty high. I chose to fight because I thought they were just some rabbits, but maybe I should have been more careful.
The movements of the rabbit that has suffered an attack on its neck grow dull. Looks like it has inflicted a pretty deep wound. I ignore this one and concentrate on the other two. Since I was a child, I have practiced swordsmanship with the assumption of going into battle against high-level knights, so I have confidence in my ability to use sword while moving.
I am fighting against the rabbits while focusing on evasion, but it seems that the rabbits are persistently aiming at my legs. It is as if they know human’s weakness. However, if you know they are coming for your legs, it is easier to deal with them. Like when I took down the fox earlier, I move my body using instant movement right before their attacks hit me and swing my sword down on their defenseless bodies. The rabbits don’t seem to change their tactics in battle. They come at me with the same attacks over and over again.
Apparently, the rabbits’ intelligence is not very high. Sure enough, if you make even a single mistake, you will end up being at the mercy of their swift movements, but they don’t do any coordinated attacks. Their positioning is poor. If the three rabbits were to spread to my front, back, left and right, and attack me ceaselessly, I would have no choice but to run away, but all they do is persistently come at me with their claws aimed at my legs. They don’t seem to know the concept of taking my rear, so it is easy to fight them.
I fight from a position where I can always see all of the three rabbits and make sure to finish them off one by one. As we fight, I also grow accustomed to the speed of the rabbits. It takes some time, but I am able to safely take down all three of them. Alright, even as I do enemy search, I detect no presence of any other monsters in the surrounding area. Appraisal.
Foot-cutting Rabbit, Rank 16
If their rank is 16, their magic stones will be of eight-grade. I should be able to sell the fur and meat at a high price, too. I guess I will take the meat home. If I dismantle the rabbits here, it will end up attracting other monsters, so I temporarily return to the creek and dismantle them there. After that, I resume my medicinal herbs gathering.
Around the area where I encountered the foot-cutting rabbits, Kaina grass and Iruna grass are growing in clusters. I also found some Manpuku grass and Hakuwa flower, which means I have gathered the bare minimum ingredients for strength as well as magical energy restoration medicines. If possible, I would have liked to get my hands on some black ginger and golden ginseng, but since I have a somewhat bad feeling about the deeper part of the meadow, I don’t want to go near it. I look through the area near the creek until evening, but cannot find any more medicinal herbs, so I decide to return to the town.
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When I return to town and drop by the union, I find that there is a summon from the warrior order. It seems that the expedition that Cronin had mentioned last week has been decided. Without delay, I visit the warrior order office and meet with Cronin.
「Sei-kun, I want you to come with us on a ten-day expedition starting the day after tomorrow. There is also the possibility that it may last longer than that.」
「I understand. It is not to the labyrinth, is it?」
「Well, I bet you’ll find out sooner or later, so let’s just tell you about it. You’re not allowed to disclose it, okay? High Highness the Prince of Estorias will be visiting us to inspect the border with Beast Kingdom to the north. Our warrior order is arranged to guide him and serve as his escort.」
Geh, this is bad. Which of the princes will be coming? If it is the fourth prince, Curtis Magzard, he probably remembers my face clearly, and I have also seen the other princes a couple of times.
「I, I see. Umm, for reference, may I ask which of the princes will be coming to visit us?」
「Hmm? It is His Highness Leonius Magzard, the third prince.」
Good, if it is Leonius, although I have seen a couple of times at court balls, the other party doesn’t know my face, so there should be no problem.
「I understand. Also, given that High Highness the Prince will be visiting us to inspect the border, does that mean war is imminent?」
「Ah, no, no, that’s not it. Be at ease. It is not like we have a bad relationship with the Beast Kingdom. It’s simply that the Beast Kingdom’s territory is very vast. Not only Neurath territory, many other territories in the Kingdom of Estorias also share a border with the Beast Kingdom, and skirmishes occur everywhere. Which means, since their domain is too vast, the beastmen in the countryside don’t listen to the words of the king, who is in the center of the kingdom.」
「That means it will not turn into a battle, right?」
「No, it won’t. There seems to be some territories that are engaging in a fierce battle against them, but that’s not the case with Neurath territory, like at all. There are no pioneering villages in the north side of Neurath, so there is nothing they can snatch away from us, after all. There are only forts that stretch along the border.」
「In that case, why is His Highness the Prince coming to inspect it?」
「Well, about that, you see… How should I put it, it must be because it’s safe.」
「… Ah, I see.」
In other words, they most likely want to show the precious His Highness the prince the safest border with the beast kingdom and let him feel like he is doing his job. As far as the subordinates are concerned, they would be troubled if something were to happen to His Highness the prince, and His Highness himself must be intending to proceed to the front line, which is a danger zone. Talk about a pre-established harmony.
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Otherworld Conquest Method of a Reincarnated Porter
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