「As I thought, it’s boring only eating rations, huh.」
「Yeah, that’s why I’ve been hunting Rock Armadillos.」
When I got back to camp, Neumann, having somewhat recovered, was ordered to gather firewood. A fire was burning in the stove that Reina made with earth magic. Sitting on top of it was a pot containing delicious stew.
「Did Reina cook this?」
「No… I got it from the guild’s bar and brought the pot along with it.」
No wonder this stew looked familiar. However, this amount was probably meant to serve only two people. It definitely wasn’t enough for four.
「Well then, let’s roast this too.」
Having said that, I dismantled the Rock Armadillo and suspended it above the fire, letting it roast slowly so it would be delicious. Pepper was really expensive in this world, but salt was more affordable, so I had brought some along.
It was generally better to avoid eating a meal with such an appetizing smell in a place where monsters could appear. However, we knew that if anything came out they would be either Fire Drakes, Rock Armadillos, or Magma Slimes: all monsters we could easily defeat with Reina around. I’d been here a few times, and the guild recommended this place as a campsite.
The two unfortunates didn’t seem to have any appetite, but it couldn’t be helped since they were still nauseated from the Teleport. Still, Neumann said he would eat the Rock Armadillo, and he managed to finish his serving.
「Why are you so worked up?」
「It’s because… while I was sleeping in the tent, the healer went out and hunted a Rock Armadillo, so my pride as a swordsman has…」
I didn’t feel like it was something to worry about, but I suppose it was something Neumann kept in mind. On the other hand, it looked like Miria was still unable to keep down anything but water.
「There aren’t many mages who can use Teleport. The amount of mana you need is on a whole other level.」
「Yeah, it’s not something one experiences often.」
Reina replied smugly to my comment. I didn’t mean to praise her since it was a normal thing for us, but I guess she took it as a compliment. Well, it wasn’t all that common even among S rank adventurers either.
Suddenly, a thought occurred to me.
「By the way, aren’t Ron and Amanda S ranks too?」
「Yeah, those two are amazing.」
Amanda was called the “Mind’s Eye” while Ron was nicknamed “Hell’s Fireball”. Ron was a talented fire mage, as indicated by his nickname. I’d even heard that Ron’s max powered Fireball could even wipe a village from the face of the planet. Although Ron’s magic power was the driving force behind it, the potency was also due to his staff.
「No way! I didn’t expect him to part with ‘Sunrise’!」
「What is this… Sunrise?」
Reina asked the question on my mind. I was guessing it was probably the name of the staff.
「Well, you saw the staff with the big magic stone, right? That staff is called Sunrise. It was said to be a magic stone that he obtained when he subjugated the huge demon beast, Kaidou. Only Amanda would complain about Ron keeping it. In the past, he used to be a hot-blooded young man.」
How unexpected. Ron was a perfect gentleman when I first met him. That being said, I might have been a bit hot-blooded myself when I was a young man.
「When we were new adventurers, Ron was already the Guild Master, and Amanda was devoting her time towards nurturing younger generations. But recently, her condition has been poor.」
「Yeah, all of us adventurers from Yggdrasil are indebted to the two of them in one way or another.」
I’d heard that Amanda actively accompanied new adventurers. When they were newcomers, Neumann and Miria had worked on a request with Amanda and had learned the basics of adventuring from her back then. He said she’d saved his life that time as well.
「Come to think of it, it was around the time we found out about Amanda’s ‘curse’ that Ron started looking all worn out.」
「Yeah, there were some rumours that Ron might have been ‘cursed’ too.」
They must have been a very loving couple. True, in my original world, there were stories about widowers falling ill to follow their wives who had passed away from illnesses. I wondered if it was the same in this world as well. Incidentally, I’ve rarely ever heard of widows falling ill to follow their husbands if they passed first.
「In that case, we have to work hard tomorrow.」
「Yeah, you’re right.」
Neumann and Miria nodded determinedly. We decided to turn in early while taking turns keeping watch.
The following morning, both of them had almost completely recovered.
「Now then, time to subjugate the Magma Slimes.」
I needed about thirty slime jellies from the Magma Slimes for this time’s material collection. Reina’s Teleport was used to get here, and we needed at least two days to recover from the spell’s aftereffects, so if Reina helped with the subjugation, it’d take a total of three days. We had to be prepared to finish as efficiently as possible so we wouldn’t have to come back again.
「Erm, we’re new to fighting these Magma Slimes though…」
「It’s okay, don’t worry about it.」
「Ah, isn’t that…」
I took out a mantle. It was a necessary piece of equipment when coming to this Ttigonia Volcano, a 『Fireproof Mantle』.
「Magma Slimes’ only means of attack are spitting out magma or using their tentacles, so this mantle can prevent most of the damage from the heat.」
Reina explained. By the way, while she wasn’t wrong, she wasn’t entirely right either. The mantle prevented most of the heat, but if the magma hit you, it would still feel hot. I remembered in the past Cider was desperately trying to defend against the attacks with the mantle, and afterwards, he never wanted to come here again. Although, he was always just dragged along by Reina and Brad.
「L-let me do it!」
Sure, Neumann. You’ve just walked into her trap. I gazed somewhere far away and tried not to make eye contact with him. Well, either way, Neumann was the vanguard of this party anyway. What? Me? I was only a healer.
「Ahhhh-hottttt!!」
Neumann did his best as the vanguard despite suffering minor burns. Meanwhile, Reina continuously killed Magma Slimes with magic from the rear. Magma Slimes being twice as large as ordinary slimes with what looked like magma flowing over their bodies, were surprisingly scary. As for myself and Miria, we had to collect the slime jelly that had entered the safe zone.
Obviously, heat proof containers were required for collecting the slime jelly. Transporting them was difficult for a lone person. Thirty full containers were about to occupy half the cart, so even with Miria helping me, it was still a lot of hard work. I think it would have been difficult if Reina and I had come alone.
The attacks of the Magma Slimes really weren’t all that fast. That was why Neumann had been able to fend off their attacks alone, but he still needed continuous healing magic to cope with the minor burns. At first, Miria was the one healing, but I replaced her when her magic was about to run out.
The main attack of Magma Slimes was to spit out magma. It was similar to the poison spit by other slimes, and they also had pre-attack cues. However the vanguard, covered from the beginning by the mantle, couldn’t avoid attacks very well due to the obstruction of his vision. Also, even if you dodged the magma, there would be a pool of it covering your foothold after dodging. In the end, healing magic was required after being burned by the magma.
The Magma Slimes would begin using their tentacles to attack if you approached them. Although they were slower than the magma spit, if you were caught by one, you’d have a hard time getting out. You would also get seriously burned if you were caught on areas not covered by the mantle.
Burns were generally divided into three stages: first degree burns caused redness and swelling; second degree burns caused blistering; and third degree burns caused charring. From second degree burns onwards, the nerves are damaged, and the sensation of pain gets significantly reduced. Third degree burns were said to be painless or had minimal pain. Of course, one couldn’t expect spontaneous healing from third degree burns, and second degree burns needed a considerable amount of time to heal on its own. Healing magic worked well for first degree burns, and the amount of mana required increased significantly for second degree and above. I was using healing magic to make sure that Neumann’s burns didn’t progress to second degree burns.
「How many more?!」
「This is only the 12th, so we still need 18 more.」
「Do your best~」
「Gyaaaaaah, it’s hotttttt!!」
Neumann kept crying out until we collected all thirty slime jellies, and somehow his voice lasted the whole time.
「Thanks for your hard work.」
「D-don’t mention it…」
I passed the water bottle to Neumann, who was lying on the ground, as a show of appreciation for today’s MVP. I would’ve had to do it if it weren’t for him, so I really felt nothing but gratitude towards him.
「No really! Thanks to you, we’ve collected enough.」
Mixing the Magma Slime’s slime jelly with paint would make a perfect waterproof wall, and if processed by an alchemist, it would become a variety of medical instruments, including the tubing for IV drips. Although I might have to return to procure these regularly, at least I had obtained enough for Amanda’s surgery.
「Tomorrow, we’ll return once Reina’s magic is restored.」
「Eh? Are we going to be using Teleport again?」
Miria looked reluctant. As for Neumann, his face was a picture of despair. Well, we could assume that both of them would be visiting Hugh’s clinic tomorrow.
After we returned to Yggdrasil, we brought the Magma Slime jelly to a tool shop introduced by Ron. I was going to have my IV drips made here.
「So this way, we can transfer the fluids out of the bottle, through a flexible tube, and then through a needle which can finally inject the fluids into the body…」
「Well, this is the first time someone has come with such a complicated order.」
The woman at the tool shop who accepted our request was surprised. Well, it wasn’t like I wanted to request such a complicated order, but I didn’t have any other options because I couldn’t treat people without it.
「But I’ll make it with our reputation at stake.」
To my surprise, the tool shop woman declared this with burning passion in her eyes.
「Thank you for your help, Senri.」
「Sure thing, Guild Master.」
Ron had followed us to the tool shop, allowing me to make such an unreasonable request. The woman’s name was apparently Senri. She was somewhat petite, and didn’t seem to radiate the vibes of a craftswoman. I had wondered if the master was in the back.
In addition, I ordered a three-way stopper that could change the direction of the flow and a device for adjusting the flow rate. This way, I could administer drugs from a special bottle and control it during and after surgery. Furthermore, when I ordered the suture needle and thread, Senri said she would try to make it using magic thread. If she said it could be done, then I would place my trust in her.
The other surgical instruments needed to be ordered at the blacksmith. I wanted to avoid operating with a dismantling knife like last time. I needed an instrument for holding the needle, and a specialized, easy-to-use pair of forceps was a must-have as well. I’d drawn out a blueprint and brought it with me.
「This is going to be some pretty detailed work, isn’t it? That’s a pretty long tool, and it’s going to be hard to use.」
「The area I need to reach is deep, you see.」
「Fumu, I see.」
A craftsman who made machines and required precision needed short and easy-to-use tools. However, what was needed for the surgery was something that could reach into long and deep places. The blacksmith was puzzled as to how to make a tool with these unpopular specifications, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t make it. I had heard that the Guild Master had made a personal request to give me preferential treatment. So, I would receive it within a few days.
「Shuji, what else do we need?」
Ron must have been impatient and probably wanted to do everything he possibly could. The operating theater renovations had already started. I had already obtained my magic tools, which were also exotic. The preparations were going well, but there were still a few things that had to be done.
「Ron, I have something to ask of you.」
「What is it? What can I get you?」
「Let’s go pick some drops of the World Tree.」
It was essential for the surgery because this wasn’t a procedure that would end swiftly like the acute appendicitis case.
I needed antibiotics, and they were on top of the World Tree.
「As I thought, it’s boring only eating rations, huh.」
「Yeah, that’s why I’ve been hunting Rock Armadillos.」
When I got back to camp, Neumann, having somewhat recovered, was ordered to gather firewood. A fire was burning in the stove that Reina made with earth magic. Sitting on top of it was a pot containing delicious stew.
「Did Reina cook this?」
「No… I got it from the guild’s bar and brought the pot along with it.」
No wonder this stew looked familiar. However, this amount was probably meant to serve only two people. It definitely wasn’t enough for four.
「Well then, let’s roast this too.」
Having said that, I dismantled the Rock Armadillo and suspended it above the fire, letting it roast slowly so it would be delicious. Pepper was really expensive in this world, but salt was more affordable, so I had brought some along.
It was generally better to avoid eating a meal with such an appetizing smell in a place where monsters could appear. However, we knew that if anything came out they would be either Fire Drakes, Rock Armadillos, or Magma Slimes: all monsters we could easily defeat with Reina around. I’d been here a few times, and the guild recommended this place as a campsite.
The two unfortunates didn’t seem to have any appetite, but it couldn’t be helped since they were still nauseated from the Teleport. Still, Neumann said he would eat the Rock Armadillo, and he managed to finish his serving.
「Why are you so worked up?」
「It’s because… while I was sleeping in the tent, the healer went out and hunted a Rock Armadillo, so my pride as a swordsman has…」
I didn’t feel like it was something to worry about, but I suppose it was something Neumann kept in mind. On the other hand, it looked like Miria was still unable to keep down anything but water.
「There aren’t many mages who can use Teleport. The amount of mana you need is on a whole other level.」
「Yeah, it’s not something one experiences often.」
Reina replied smugly to my comment. I didn’t mean to praise her since it was a normal thing for us, but I guess she took it as a compliment. Well, it wasn’t all that common even among S rank adventurers either.
Suddenly, a thought occurred to me.
「By the way, aren’t Ron and Amanda S ranks too?」
「Yeah, those two are amazing.」
Amanda was called the “Mind’s Eye” while Ron was nicknamed “Hell’s Fireball”. Ron was a talented fire mage, as indicated by his nickname. I’d even heard that Ron’s max powered Fireball could even wipe a village from the face of the planet. Although Ron’s magic power was the driving force behind it, the potency was also due to his staff.
「No way! I didn’t expect him to part with ‘Sunrise’!」
「What is this… Sunrise?」
Reina asked the question on my mind. I was guessing it was probably the name of the staff.
「Well, you saw the staff with the big magic stone, right? That staff is called Sunrise. It was said to be a magic stone that he obtained when he subjugated the huge demon beast, Kaidou. Only Amanda would complain about Ron keeping it. In the past, he used to be a hot-blooded young man.」
How unexpected. Ron was a perfect gentleman when I first met him. That being said, I might have been a bit hot-blooded myself when I was a young man.
「When we were new adventurers, Ron was already the Guild Master, and Amanda was devoting her time towards nurturing younger generations. But recently, her condition has been poor.」
「Yeah, all of us adventurers from Yggdrasil are indebted to the two of them in one way or another.」
I’d heard that Amanda actively accompanied new adventurers. When they were newcomers, Neumann and Miria had worked on a request with Amanda and had learned the basics of adventuring from her back then. He said she’d saved his life that time as well.
「Come to think of it, it was around the time we found out about Amanda’s ‘curse’ that Ron started looking all worn out.」
「Yeah, there were some rumours that Ron might have been ‘cursed’ too.」
They must have been a very loving couple. True, in my original world, there were stories about widowers falling ill to follow their wives who had passed away from illnesses. I wondered if it was the same in this world as well. Incidentally, I’ve rarely ever heard of widows falling ill to follow their husbands if they passed first.
「In that case, we have to work hard tomorrow.」
「Yeah, you’re right.」
Neumann and Miria nodded determinedly. We decided to turn in early while taking turns keeping watch.
The following morning, both of them had almost completely recovered.
「Now then, time to subjugate the Magma Slimes.」
I needed about thirty slime jellies from the Magma Slimes for this time’s material collection. Reina’s Teleport was used to get here, and we needed at least two days to recover from the spell’s aftereffects, so if Reina helped with the subjugation, it’d take a total of three days. We had to be prepared to finish as efficiently as possible so we wouldn’t have to come back again.
「Erm, we’re new to fighting these Magma Slimes though…」
「It’s okay, don’t worry about it.」
「Ah, isn’t that…」
I took out a mantle. It was a necessary piece of equipment when coming to this Ttigonia Volcano, a 『Fireproof Mantle』.
「Magma Slimes’ only means of attack are spitting out magma or using their tentacles, so this mantle can prevent most of the damage from the heat.」
Reina explained. By the way, while she wasn’t wrong, she wasn’t entirely right either. The mantle prevented most of the heat, but if the magma hit you, it would still feel hot. I remembered in the past Cider was desperately trying to defend against the attacks with the mantle, and afterwards, he never wanted to come here again. Although, he was always just dragged along by Reina and Brad.
「L-let me do it!」
Sure, Neumann. You’ve just walked into her trap. I gazed somewhere far away and tried not to make eye contact with him. Well, either way, Neumann was the vanguard of this party anyway. What? Me? I was only a healer.
「Ahhhh-hottttt!!」
Neumann did his best as the vanguard despite suffering minor burns. Meanwhile, Reina continuously killed Magma Slimes with magic from the rear. Magma Slimes being twice as large as ordinary slimes with what looked like magma flowing over their bodies, were surprisingly scary. As for myself and Miria, we had to collect the slime jelly that had entered the safe zone.
Obviously, heat proof containers were required for collecting the slime jelly. Transporting them was difficult for a lone person. Thirty full containers were about to occupy half the cart, so even with Miria helping me, it was still a lot of hard work. I think it would have been difficult if Reina and I had come alone.
The attacks of the Magma Slimes really weren’t all that fast. That was why Neumann had been able to fend off their attacks alone, but he still needed continuous healing magic to cope with the minor burns. At first, Miria was the one healing, but I replaced her when her magic was about to run out.
The main attack of Magma Slimes was to spit out magma. It was similar to the poison spit by other slimes, and they also had pre-attack cues. However the vanguard, covered from the beginning by the mantle, couldn’t avoid attacks very well due to the obstruction of his vision. Also, even if you dodged the magma, there would be a pool of it covering your foothold after dodging. In the end, healing magic was required after being burned by the magma.
The Magma Slimes would begin using their tentacles to attack if you approached them. Although they were slower than the magma spit, if you were caught by one, you’d have a hard time getting out. You would also get seriously burned if you were caught on areas not covered by the mantle.
Burns were generally divided into three stages: first degree burns caused redness and swelling; second degree burns caused blistering; and third degree burns caused charring. From second degree burns onwards, the nerves are damaged, and the sensation of pain gets significantly reduced. Third degree burns were said to be painless or had minimal pain. Of course, one couldn’t expect spontaneous healing from third degree burns, and second degree burns needed a considerable amount of time to heal on its own. Healing magic worked well for first degree burns, and the amount of mana required increased significantly for second degree and above. I was using healing magic to make sure that Neumann’s burns didn’t progress to second degree burns.
「How many more?!」
「This is only the 12th, so we still need 18 more.」
「Do your best~」
「Gyaaaaaah, it’s hotttttt!!」
Neumann kept crying out until we collected all thirty slime jellies, and somehow his voice lasted the whole time.
「Thanks for your hard work.」
「D-don’t mention it…」
I passed the water bottle to Neumann, who was lying on the ground, as a show of appreciation for today’s MVP. I would’ve had to do it if it weren’t for him, so I really felt nothing but gratitude towards him.
「No really! Thanks to you, we’ve collected enough.」
Mixing the Magma Slime’s slime jelly with paint would make a perfect waterproof wall, and if processed by an alchemist, it would become a variety of medical instruments, including the tubing for IV drips. Although I might have to return to procure these regularly, at least I had obtained enough for Amanda’s surgery.
「Tomorrow, we’ll return once Reina’s magic is restored.」
「Eh? Are we going to be using Teleport again?」
Miria looked reluctant. As for Neumann, his face was a picture of despair. Well, we could assume that both of them would be visiting Hugh’s clinic tomorrow.
After we returned to Yggdrasil, we brought the Magma Slime jelly to a tool shop introduced by Ron. I was going to have my IV drips made here.
「So this way, we can transfer the fluids out of the bottle, through a flexible tube, and then through a needle which can finally inject the fluids into the body…」
「Well, this is the first time someone has come with such a complicated order.」
The woman at the tool shop who accepted our request was surprised. Well, it wasn’t like I wanted to request such a complicated order, but I didn’t have any other options because I couldn’t treat people without it.
「But I’ll make it with our reputation at stake.」
To my surprise, the tool shop woman declared this with burning passion in her eyes.
「Thank you for your help, Senri.」
「Sure thing, Guild Master.」
Ron had followed us to the tool shop, allowing me to make such an unreasonable request. The woman’s name was apparently Senri. She was somewhat petite, and didn’t seem to radiate the vibes of a craftswoman. I had wondered if the master was in the back.
In addition, I ordered a three-way stopper that could change the direction of the flow and a device for adjusting the flow rate. This way, I could administer drugs from a special bottle and control it during and after surgery. Furthermore, when I ordered the suture needle and thread, Senri said she would try to make it using magic thread. If she said it could be done, then I would place my trust in her.
The other surgical instruments needed to be ordered at the blacksmith. I wanted to avoid operating with a dismantling knife like last time. I needed an instrument for holding the needle, and a specialized, easy-to-use pair of forceps was a must-have as well. I’d drawn out a blueprint and brought it with me.
「This is going to be some pretty detailed work, isn’t it? That’s a pretty long tool, and it’s going to be hard to use.」
「The area I need to reach is deep, you see.」
「Fumu, I see.」
A craftsman who made machines and required precision needed short and easy-to-use tools. However, what was needed for the surgery was something that could reach into long and deep places. The blacksmith was puzzled as to how to make a tool with these unpopular specifications, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t make it. I had heard that the Guild Master had made a personal request to give me preferential treatment. So, I would receive it within a few days.
「Shuji, what else do we need?」
Ron must have been impatient and probably wanted to do everything he possibly could. The operating theater renovations had already started. I had already obtained my magic tools, which were also exotic. The preparations were going well, but there were still a few things that had to be done.
「Ron, I have something to ask of you.」
「What is it? What can I get you?」
「Let’s go pick some drops of the World Tree.」
It was essential for the surgery because this wasn’t a procedure that would end swiftly like the acute appendicitis case.
I needed antibiotics, and they were on top of the World Tree.
