Chapter 312: Competing

Chapter 312 - Competing

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!"

We came across a pack of ferocious fire dragons.

Spitting fire from above, they set the forest ablaze, wielding their sharp claws and fangs in a rampage.

Large and agile, they are truly formidable... that's what I would have thought in the past.

"Their power is incomparable to Mr. Aka's, their speed is slower than mine, and their fighting style is all monotonous... the power of their flame is weaker than Fu's...... more than anything else, after seeing Vasalar... I see...... this is a fire dragon..."

But now it's like this.

"[Fluffy Panic]! Alright, that's the third one!"

"[Northern Cross Shooting Star]! I'm on my third one too!"

Now that's how it is... I feel sorry for the fire dragons...

"[Great Demon Sonic Smash]!"

『Well, after all, tis a wild fire dragon. With low intelligence and not much in terms of level... they make unworthy opponents for you, Espie, and Slayer now.』

And I also knocked a dragon down with a single shockwave of my fist.

The only dragon I've ever met was Vasalar, the Dragon King of Hades, so compared to him... well, it's nothing compared to him.

"Hehe, come to think of it... Fu and Rebal were attacked by a group of fire dragons while studying abroad, and they looked so smug because they subdued them... well, if I wanted to do it, it would be like this."

"Three! I won!"

"I defeated three of them too!"

As we were advancing through the deep forests and mountains toward Shiznautmy, it seemed like we came across a fire dragon's nest, and the fire dragons took notice and attacked us all at once.

But, as Tre'ainar said, perhaps because of their low intelligence, they didn't seem to understand the opponent's strength, so me, Espie, and Slayer fought back.

"Yes, yes, you two. Good boy, good girl."

"Mm~"

"Mmm~"

I mean, I only beat one of them.

For the past few days, Espie and Slayer have been competing with each other in everything, and I'm having a hard time dealing with it.

You guys are going to get married in the future, so I think you should get along...

"And you two... you didn't kill them, right? We were the ones who tried to cross their nest in the first place."

"Un, I just knocked them out."

"I won't do anything to harm the ecosystem. It's the basics of being a Hunter. But then again... if you defeat this many fire dragons, you'll get a considerable reward at a cash exchange office in the city or something, is that okay?"

"Oh, I don't have a problem with money... I made a killing off the horses..."

"That's right. Big brother, you got a lot of money from horses. When Slayer wasn't around!"

"Hmm..."

In this way, she follows my orders other than "get along", so I guess I'll just have to put up with the fact that they don't really get along.

"Anyway, yay we did good, right? Come on, touch!"

"Yay!"

"Y... yay."

As the three of us high-fived each other and rejoiced, our journey continued.

"But, it's been a few days since we crossed the plains and crossed the mountains from Ghenkan... it's still a long way to Shiznautmy~"

While pacifying the little kid, who was about to start a fight when I took my eyes off him for a moment, I looked at the vast forest visible from the top of the mountain and realized that we were still far from our destination.

In other words, this journey will continue for a little while longer.

"Uh-huh, that's right. To get to Shiznautmy... here, look at my map. This is where we are now, and in another 2~3 days, there will be a slightly larger city, Ikkanai City, and we will have to go through that."

"In other words, we're just a few more camps away..."

"Uh-huh. But with this much forest, there's plenty of edible beasts, fruits, and wild grasses, so it won't be a problem. Um...you can still make that curry, right?"

"Yeah, sure."

Slayer took out a map from his luggage and unfolded it. Even though he's a kid, he's the true Hunter around here.

I didn't have a map either, so it helps.

"Slayer, have you ever been to Ikkanai City?"

"A few times. There are quite a lot of different jobs coming in there. Monster slaying, ecological research, and the mafia... things related to elves... just ask me anything."

"Oh, that's great."

Saying that, I suddenly lightly patted Slayer's head again.

Honestly, until a few days ago, this guy was like, "Can you please stop that?", but now he accepts it as normal.

On the contrary...

"...... hehe"

"Mwah!?"

Something like that, he even smiled triumphantly at Espie.

"...... Big brother. My Fluffy Flight will get you there faster."

"No, no, I'm not in that much of a hurry..."

Espie also followed along, feeling a sense of rivalry.

Flight...... that's certainly possible...

『That would not contribute to your training... besides, these mountains and forests are perfect for camping.』

Since it also serves as camp training, I decided to refrain from cheating a bit, as per my master's advice.

But, it is a little that much more worrisome that I'll have to deal with the little kids who don't get along...

"Uh~...... Big brother, are you tired? Let me give you a shoulder rub, okay?"

"Oh, flirty! Brother, aren't you tired? I'll give you a massage."

"...... Mmm, I'll do it! Don't copy me!"

"I'm stronger, so I'm better at it!"

"Bu~"

"Mm~......"

No, they don't get along, or maybe this is because they are just so alike.

Above all, this situation has happened many times before...

"Yes, until then. No fighting. Besides, I can see the river over there, so let's camp there today. It's Curry."

"Ah, yeah! Curry! Alright~, I'll look for dessert!"

"Oh, Curry... un, I understand, Big brother. I'll make the fire today!"

Yes, no matter how many times they fought, in the end, these guys forgot about it with Curry.

Awesome Curry.

Oh, these guys are too addicted to Curry.

Well, I can't help but think back on the way they changed when Curry got involved when I met them in the present era.

『Hmph. Meaning the original Curry that I devised is outstanding.』

Tre'ainar also looks somewhat happy, or rather, he was proudly going, "Fufu" with a smug look on his face. Well, I like it too.

「Well, it will take a few days, but from the looks of it, it won't be that difficult a journey to Shiznautmy.」

『Hmm? Well, tis certainly so. I believe Ikkanai City was under the umbrella of the Bockmati family, but after all, it was a secondary ~ tertiary group class... if you do not cause any trouble, there will be no problem, and the child today would have nothing to be wary of.』

「Oh, Bockmati... that takes me back.」

Tre'ainar didn't deny my words as I watched Espie and Slayer run to compete with each other, saying they couldn't wait for Curry.

『What you need to be wary of is the area around Shiznautmy. By this period, the Demon King Army and the Allied Forces will be in close proximity. We will need to sneak under the watchful eyes of both armies and reach the deepest part of the ruins...』

「If we reach there... I can return to the present era...」

Return to modern times. That's the purpose of this journey.

But, on the other hand, the fact that I'm going home means...

"Big brother, hurry up!"

"What are you waiting for, brother!"

These two... that's the only thing that will tear my heart out... but until then... and when that time comes...