Chapter 136 Rapid Development
――It's been several days since I had an unexpected encounter with Julius, a close friend character from "Last Brave".
And now, the thing I feared has finally happened.
"...The toxin is getting much stronger."
"Wh-what?!"
At Basilio-san's muttering, I, Arnold, and Iris rushed into the synthesis room.
He was pale, and turned to face us.
"It's more than double what it was yesterday"
"That's...!"
The report left us speechless.
Standing next to me, Arnold, who was usually quick to react, asked Iris in a hurried tone.
"Is there a limit to the amount of toxin a monster can produce? Can it increase the amount of toxin it produces, like it did yesterday, by more than double?"
Iris, who was taken aback by Arnold's question, replied in her usual tone, though her voice was shaking slightly.
"Of course, there's a limit! Maybe it's been holding back until now, and we just didn't notice? If it suddenly produces a large amount of toxin, the leaves will wither, and we'll see a visible change"
"If there's a change, someone will notice the anomaly. So, the monster is probably trying to avoid that by doing it gradually, right?"
Basilio-san's speculation was based on Iris's answer. If it weren't for this situation, I would have been impressed by the combination of these 2 juniors, but now, I didn't have the luxury to do so.
Arnold clicked his tongue and sighed.
"That's clever. Maybe the demon king has noticed us"
It was a very plausible story.
Was it because of Julius's incident, or was it because the forest monsters had discovered our detoxification efforts and reported back? Another possible reason was...
"Or maybe Lukas and the others are getting close to Likerland's residence"
I looked up at Arnold and muttered. He met my gaze and nodded.
"Either way, the enemy is likely to be in a state of panic. Which means, there's a possibility that they'll send monsters our way"
Arnold's words made the air in the synthesis room tense up all at once. Someone gulped down their saliva, and the sound echoed.
――This is the moment of truth. We have to get out of this somehow.
The first one to speak up was Basilio-san.
"We'll synthesize the antidote, no matter what. We'll ask the city's alchemists for help, too."
Basilio-san's words made Iris look at him with a start, and then she nodded vigorously and grasped Basilio-san's hand.
Arnold nodded at the 2 of them, saying "Count on it,"
"I'll ask the Savila Knight Order for help."
He said it with a resolute tone.
The city's alchemists, the Savila Knight Order's help... and as for what I can do...
I clenched my fist tightly and looked up at Arnold, saying.
"Then I'll be by Fontapuune-sama's great tree, where I can synthesize the antidote with the simple equipment I have. It's better to keep an eye on things there, too."
For an instant, a deep wrinkle formed on Arnold's brow. Then his mouth opened slightly, but he shut it again.
There was a silence of a few seconds, and then Arnold opened his mouth again.
"...Got it. Marta, and Julius will come with you."
The 2 reliable bodyguards. I nodded with a smile.
Arnold, still with a stern expression, said in a low, growling voice.
"The great tree will likely be the monsters' final destination. Be careful, no matter what."
I nodded, still feeling a bit uneasy, and replied, "Yes."
With the toxins in the soil increasing, it's not impossible that Fontapuune-sama's barrier could break at any moment. Even with Marta and Julius, the 2 bodyguards, I have to stay vigilant.
"Now is the time to hold on. Please."
Arnold's words made everyone look at each other, and we all nodded without a word.
――We're heading in a bad direction. If we lose here, it'll be tough for the Hero to get the holy sword. We can't let that happen.
We all went our separate ways for our own goals. Basilio-san and Iris headed to the Flaria branch chief's place, while Arnold rushed to the Savila Knight Order's Flaria base.
I prepared healing potions, antidotes, and a simple synthesis tool that I could carry, and I had to hurry to Fontapuune-sama's great tree. I still needed water and food too――
And then I remembered the spirit stone I got from Lukas.
(That's right, I should bring the spirit stone too.)
It might not be useful, but if I need it in a pinch, it'd be a waste of time to go back to the city.
I packed as much as I could into a big backpack and ran to Marta's place to ask for help.
* * *
――After that, with Arnold's help, Marta, Julius, and I arrived at Fontapuune-sama's great tree.
At first glance, the tree's branches didn't seem to be withering, and the leaves weren't dry either. There were no visible changes.
Feeling a bit relieved, I quickly set up the simple synthesis tool. Next to me, Marta showed me a big cloth. ――No, it was a tent before assembly.
"Hey! Look, a tent! Isn't it cute? I used it when I was traveling alone. It's really comfortable I think it's big enough for 2 people to sleep in!"
I couldn't help but smile at Marta, who was proudly showing off her chest. She's still good at lightening the heavy atmosphere.
Marta spread out the tent with both arms and smiled at me, and Julius asked her.
"What about me?"
Marta looked at Julius with a bothered expression. "You?" In the "Last Brave," they were the mood-makers who made a ruckus together, but in this world, they didn't have much of a relationship yet.
Marta threw the rolled-up tent at Julius from her big bag.
"Hey, it's a bit old, but it's enough for one person to sleep in, right?"
Julius received the thrown tent and tried to set it up. As Marta said, it looked a bit old, but it seemed big enough.
Julius said "thank you" and bowed properly before giving Marta a sharp stare.
"What's with the rough treatment, huh?"
"You're the one who followed us on your own, right?"
"No, I was asked by Arnold-san..."
It felt strange to hear Julius mention Arnold's name.
As I felt a mysterious sensation, Marta quickly ended her conversation with Julius and approached the large tree of Fontapuune-sama. Then, she gazed at the leaves and branches.
"The leaves aren't withering or anything. There's no visible change yet, but..."
Marta muttered softly, standing next to me. Then, I looked at the leaf she was touching.
"If visible changes appear, it'll be too late. We need to do something before that."
Marta looked at me. I also looked up at her. Then, she smiled reassuringly and nodded, saying "Let's do our best."
――It's reassuring.
Just as I let out a sigh of relief, Julius called out from behind me.
"I'll stay here and prepare for the monster's attack, right? "
"Yeah, do your best, and be careful."
Marta turned to face Julius. Then, he stood up straight and smiled, holding up his thumb.
"Leave it to me. I was careless last time, but I'll do it this time."
"Really?"
Julius responded to Marta's words, slightly raising his voice, saying "I'm telling the truth!" It seemed like the 2 of them might not get along――and I felt a bit uneasy, but I quickly started synthesizing.
I asked Julius to keep an eye on our surroundings, Marta to observe Fontapuune-sama's tree, and I focused on synthesizing. It was a tense few hours where none of us could let our guard down.
Someone let out a sigh, and at that moment, the trees creaked with a rustling sound. The 3 of us turned our attention to that direction――
"Ampère"
As I realized it was Arnold who had appeared, making the trees sway, I let out a sigh of relief along with everyone else.
While Julius was making a sour face, muttering "What a pain," I rushed over to Arnold.
"Arnold-san"
"Today's share"
He put down the bag he had been carrying on his shoulder. When I looked inside, I saw an enormous amount of antidotes, more than usual. I'm sure Arnold, Basilio-san, Iris, and the city's alchemists who had cooperated with us had worked really hard.
I took one of the antidotes from the bag and looked up at Arnold.
"Thank you so much"
I hadn't expected Arnold to go out of his way to bring these, but it was a huge relief that we didn't have to make a round trip to the city.
I was about to stand up and head towards Fontapuune-sama's great tree when I was called out.
"I brought food too"
Arnold took out 3 bags from his other bag. When I looked, I saw that he had prepared 3 menus: sandwiches, bagels, and meat with bones.
The first one to dig in was Julius.
"Ah! I want the sandwich!"
As Julius rushed over, Arnold let out a deep sigh, saying "Haa." He didn't respond to Julius's words and instead handed me a sandwich.
I couldn't help but look at Arnold and Julius's faces.
Julius had said he wanted the sandwich, so I thought Arnold would give it to him, but instead, he handed it to me without a word. I took it, and Arnold handed the remaining 2 to Julius.
"This is Ampère's share. Choose the one you like"
――Maybe Arnold knew that sandwiches were my favorite?
Arnold didn't say a word. It might have been just a coincidence, but I felt a little happy.
Julius, who had received his dinner, asked Marta "Which one is better?" as he walked away from us. It seemed like they were arguing over the meat.
As I watched them with a smile, Arnold hesitantly opened his mouth.
"The Savila Knight Order has entered a state of emergency. We've even sent out a request for reinforcements to the royal capital. ...Whether the big shots in the royal capital will take action is unknown, though."
Arnold says with a troubled tone, mixed with a sigh. As someone with a certain position, he's stuck between a rock and a hard place, and it seems like he's having a tough time.
――But this isn't a laughing matter. With the demon king's revival approaching, every place is lacking in military strength. I don't have high hopes for how many soldiers Flaria will spare, considering the possibility of monsters attacking us.
Gritting my teeth, I clench my fist. I've decided to do what I can to help the Heroes and the world, but at times like this, I can't help but wish I had the power to fight monsters.
"I'll come back again tomorrow morning. We can't afford to waste any time, either."
I look up at Arnold's words, and for a moment, our eyes meet. He's not smiling, but his expression is slightly softer, without a single wrinkle on his forehead.
He turns his back and slowly walks away. I call out to him without thinking.
"Goodnight."
Arnold stops in his tracks and turns around.
"Get some rest."
You're the one who should, I almost say, but stop myself. Arnold probably wouldn't agree to rest, anyway.
After Arnold's back disappears from view, I remember the sandwich he brought for me. I take a big bite.
"Ah, delicious..."
The sandwich Arnold brought was made with my favorite mountain vegetables.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Donate me
Support Me with USDC
(ERC20)
Support Me with XLM
(Stellar Lumens)