Chapter 44

The inside of the rift was a forest. A sense of unease crept into the tranquil atmosphere. I hurriedly scanned for the creature’s location. I wasn’t sure when it had moved so far away. Thankfully, it seemed uninjured, standing upright.

I hovered and flew lightly above the ground. Flying high might be convenient since the trees wouldn’t obstruct the path, but in this situation, I had to stay hidden. Though to be honest, I actually dislike flying at high altitudes because it’s scary, but I’m not a fan of heights anyway.

The forest was sparse, with trees spaced far apart, so if I got too close, I might be spotted. I hid behind a distant tree.

“We can catch it! Definitely possible, but didn’t they explicitly say it was a puppy? Is this a puppy?”

Ignoring the disgruntled muttering of a fire mage who was covered in dirt, I turned my attention to Doyugeon, who was stretching. Unlike his previous state, his clothes were only slightly disheveled, with no signs of filth, indicating that he had a smoother hunt than expected. Fortunately, even though it’s surprising how quickly he hunted, it seems like too much time was spent lingering by the rift. Ideally, I should have arrived earlier to watch from the beginning.

The fight’s aftermath was evident; a few trees showed the ravaged marks of a beast’s claws, and the ground bore signs of deep scratches. For a creature of this type, which animal could it be in this eerie forest? Hmm, a werewolf?

“It is of the canine family, though.”

“Wow, owning a pet wolf at home would be amazing!”

I briefly widened my range to sense the monsters. There was a wolf, lumbering on four legs. It was large, but it was still a wolf. Just an ordinary giant wolf. Not a werewolf. Phew, that’s a relief. …Wait, is it a relief? My sense of danger feels a bit dulled. Is it truly a relief?

Doyugeon chuckled.

“Nonetheless, thrilling and fun.”

Being thrilled is good for him, but I’m not really into thrills.

From the corner of my eye, I noticed the Necromancer digging into the ground with a gardening spade, perhaps taking a short break. It seems we should catch the wolf now since the thought of this type of creature doesn’t quite evoke the right response. If a Goblin were to appear with a gun, it’d instantly trigger an overwhelming sense of danger.

The wolf was some distance away, but its massive size meant that getting too close would require me to look upwards to meet its gaze. Even for someone as short as me, it was undeniably colossal.

Still, despite its enormity, it was grazing on grass, which made it seem less intimidating. Just as I often forget the existence of the magic book floating nearby, I grasped it now. The element of surprise would serve me well in landing the first strike. I needed to test its strength over time, but it was important to start safely with a one-hit approach…

As I began to gather magic power, the grazing wolf suddenly glanced at me. Its body swelled, and its fangs were exposed, showing its ferocious nature. Its sheer size radiated menace. A low growl rippled through the forest, sending shivers down my spine — a primal sense of fear. While my thought process momentarily slowed, the wolf lunged. It was upon me in the blink of an eye. Uh-oh! Instinctively, I flailed my magic book, directing the magic power erratically. Suddenly, lightning enveloped the book. A thunderous roar echoed through the forest as the wolf was hurled sideways into a tree.

Phew… My heart raced as I slowly floated backwards to compose myself. The wolf had disappeared, converting into experience points. Well, that was weaker than I expected, though it was still a relief.

My adrenaline faded, and I finally noticed the surrounding chaos — patches of grass smoldering from the lightning, the sharp echo of the thunder. First things first, I whacked the burning grass with my magic book to extinguish the flames. Thankfully, it worked. Even though some grass was singed, that’s normal in a fantasy world. Lightning occasionally strikes clear skies.

As I rationalized this, the tree where the wolf had collided began to groan and collapsed with a dull thud. The crash echoed through the forest. This was clearly unnatural. Ugh, I caused some trouble.

Expanding my senses, I noticed Doyugeon heading this way. He was likely investigating the source of the commotion and might have figured out my presence. What should I do…?

A sudden idea struck me. Tidying up trouble can be approached in two ways: straightforward and unconventional.

The straightforward method involves restoring the situation before the incident ever occurred. Obviously, this isn’t always possible, and it isn’t an option now.

The unconventional method involves changing the criteria for what defines an accident. If it’s an accident, you simply deny that it was one. This could also be called ‘creative destruction’ — although it’s a term usually used elsewhere, in this context, let’s label it as such.

I hurled a fireball. The tree it struck exploded into splinters, and the surrounding area caught fire. I compressed the magic power into explosions and, after several attempts, managed to materialize and launch a lightning blade. With that, the area around me was devastated.

Once my head was slightly dizzy from the magical exertion, I paused. Limitless magic use is fun but tiring. How far along am I? It seems they’re almost here.

Observing Doyugeon’s party, they were quietly creeping from a medium distance. Their cautious approach implies they’re approaching in response to the abrupt mayhem. No need to immediately hide then.

I looked around for a hiding spot. The forest, transformed into an open clearing, was littered with burning tree debris and irregular gouged pits. I hadn’t considered that fire drastically reduces cover options. Rather, it might be better to hide near the entrance since they’re unlikely to notice nearby details amidst such an overwhelming scene.

I reclined against a nearby rock, idly pondering about grabbing a cup of coffee, when footsteps became audible. Here they come.

The Fire Mage peeked through the bushes at the clearing and, realizing no creature was present, tensed his face in worry.

“I didn’t hear anything about such occurrences…”

Of course not, since this was mine.

“If anyone knew this and didn’t inform us, that would be beyond simple mischief. Call it an accident, sure, but it’s too dangerous to continue.”

“Agreed. No matter what it is, it’s beyond our current capacity; let’s retreat.”

As the Fire Mage and the Necromancer conversed, Doyugeon remained silent, lost in thought. This made me feel uneasy. What is he thinking about? He should keep it simple.

“Let’s go back. Staying longer increases the danger.”

That’s right.

“Which way would be safest?”

“Retracing our steps might be safest, but staying here for too long isn’t great either. Let’s cut straight through in the middle.”

Fantastic, problem solved.

With Doyugeon heading home, I’ll have time before the next event to think it through. If only low-level foes, like the wolf, continue to appear, perhaps it wouldn’t be necessary to intervene aggressively. Maybe I would adjust the equipment or even accompany him next time. Although, I’ll need to consider more possibilities.

Feeling content, I trailed behind while scanning the area for other dangers. The way back looked clear, but as I oriented toward the exit, something caught my attention.

A treasure box, with a sleeping wolf.

What are you?

The sleeping wolf’s reddish fur shimmered in the sunlight with every breath. It appeared larger than the one I defeated earlier and had a distinct look. The treasure box was hidden behind but concealed by the massive wolf. Game-wise, this had ‘boss monster’ written all over it.

Initially, I thought Doyugeon might take on the rift challenge, but this changes the situation. With such variables, it’s better to intervene. I usually respect his choices, but this time, following Yumina’s advice, it’s better to deter and support. It’s his first time, so it’s understandable that unexpected dangers keep popping up.

The red wolf abruptly woke, locking eyes with me. This is strange; I didn’t take any action. Flames gathered in the wolf’s mouth, and fire spread through its fur rapidly.

I fired a lightning blade in response, but the wolf retaliated with a fiery breath attack. Fire clashed with lightning, swirling and releasing scorching heat. Using this disturbance as cover, the wolf leapt toward me. Prepared, I pushed the surrounding magic power into a wave, propelling it toward the wolf. The wave struck the ground, stirring up a dirt storm that swallowed the wolf, engulfed by flames.

Wow…

Dazed from excessive magic use, realizing the wolf remained unscathed, it dawned on me that fleeing to an appropriate distance was the best course of action. If I attack from the sky, perhaps the wolf would succumb. It couldn’t possibly grow wings, could it?

While fleeing, I noticed something odd. There was no sound of pursuit. Checking carefully but detecting no wolf, I even surveyed the treasure box area. Strange. Does this wolf have some kind of stealth ability? Annoying. I cautiously raised my altitude.

As I stayed vigilant, experience points drifted toward me from afar — near the treasure box. What’s going on here? Cautiously returning, just as I sensed, the wolf was gone.

Wow… This is bizarre. Just like the Orc Shaman before, this wolf seems all bark and no bite despite its imposing appearance.

Overwhelmed with disappointment, I stirred the wind to clear the dust and salvaged the treasure box wedged in a corner. It was empty. Did I miss something? Scouring the area, now reduced to a mud pit from the chaos, I found a buried piece of armor. Upon closer inspection, it was crushed and clearly a faulty product. Likely, it was always a defective item… With a dismissive flick, I sent it flying away.

Alright, all dangers have been eliminated. Glancing at Doyugeon’s group, they were going around elsewhere instead of heading toward my direction. Likely hearing the ruckus.

Then, an intense surge of magic was felt. What’s this? Looking up, the sky was splitting and fragmenting. Wait, this feels like the entire space is breaking… Hmm, it seems like a signal that the mission is complete and we should exit. Except, this wasn’t intentional.

The sky started collapsing.

Whew, oh my…

*

Suddenly disoriented, it felt like I rolled and tumbled. Coming to my senses, I realized I was sprawled on a street. It was a side alley. Yuminas is there. So is some other unknown magical girl. Behind me, there’s the rift.

A chill ran down my spine. This is a real mess. My mind went blank. I need to find a hiding spot fast.

“Why are you acting like this? Are you hurt?”

Yumina approached worriedly.

“Where can I hide?”

“Why are you asking me?”

This isn’t the time for that.

“Kyaaah!”

With another scream, I turned to the rift to see Doyugeon and two others tumbling on the street. Too fast!

I instinctively hid behind Yumina. Great. Calm down. I hid. Let’s think and deal with this. Panic won’t help. This is a genuine accident but manageable. Uh… No, hiding behind Yumina doesn’t qualify as hiding, does it? So thinking isn’t helping, then.

“Current Sky?”

Doyugeon called out. Yumina shrugged before pulling me forward. Betrayed!

I hastily composed myself and faced Doyugeon.

“Hi. I wasn’t sure where you were heading, but thanks to Yumina’s quick contact, I just arrived. Are you heading in now?”

Nice save.

“You saw me emerge.”

Oh…

I smiled awkwardly.

Doyugeon stared at me for a moment before walking off to answer the Fire Mage’s call. Unsure how much he knew, it seems he’s letting it go, as always. Lucky…

I glared at Yumina.

“You’ll pay dearly for this betrayal.”

“Then, would you like some Ice Cream?”

“Sure.”

Perfect timing—it’s warm outside anyway. After peeling the wrapper, Yumina casually started a conversation.

“So, how was it? Do you still think preventing Doyugeon from venturing into the rift is unnecessary?”

“Yeah. It was weaker than I thought, and um… even the boss monster seems manageable with preparation, but it’s still best to intervene.”

“Wouldn’t persuasion work?”

“Not this time. I’ll manage without persuasion.”

“Force works sometimes though…”

I pointed to the squabbling magical girl with ice cream.

“She’s a bad adult.”

“Then?”

“Recite the Article 64, Clause 1 of the Labor Standards Act.”

“I’m not in the legal field!”

“But you know it.”

“Because people lack consideration… According to Article 64 Clause 1 of the Labor Standards Act, children under the age of 15 aren’t allowed to work part-time, with certain exceptions.”

“The content is correct, but your tone isn’t.”

“I stopped memorizing legal provisions back in elementary school.”

“You’ve got poor memory then. Anyway, about that…”

We argued over the ice cream, momentarily distracted by the complexities of legal jargon and moral dilemmas.

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