Chapter 144: Arrival! The Rotten Earth

◆ Liliera ◆

We were heading to the Rotten Earth to gather materials for making Princess Idola‘s golems.

Since everyone can use flight magic, we decided to fly there together instead of using a slow carriage that costs money.

By the way, I was appointed to fly at the front to set the overall pace.

Rex is too fast, and Jairo would visibly get too excited and run out of magic power halfway.

Mina is better at handling magic compared to us, so it was decided that I, a warrior, would determine the pace distribution.

Also, partly because I was the one who investigated the route to the destination.

“The Rotten Earth is about two weeks south of the Royal Capital by carriage, or about half that by flight magic.”

“Heh, you’re knowledgeable, Liliera-neesan.”

Jairo says admiringly, but as a senior, I have to say a few things.

“If you apply to use the reference room at the Adventurer’s Guild reception, you can easily gather this level of information, you know?”

Yes, adventurers whose only weapon is themselves must not neglect information gathering.

If it’s a party, it’s not rare to have a companion whose job is specialized in information gathering, but the information gatherer of his party is not here today.

And since we and Jairo‘s group are different parties, it’s natural preparation as adventurers for them to gather information independently just in case something happens.

Not thinking of that shows they still lack experience.

“N-No well… I’m bad at reading books.”

“Since Meguri left the party, it makes sense for you, the leader, to gather information. It’s not like you can’t read and write, right?”

“O-Oh! I can read letters properly!”

“We taught him that part properly. If he’s going to be a leader, it would be trouble if he couldn’t do at least reading and writing.”

Mina’s words are correct.

Among adventurers where many are ruffians and outcasts, people who can’t read or write are common.

And there certainly are clients who deceive adventurers who can’t read or write.

Making excuses to make them sign unfair contracts, or having differences between verbal information and the request form regarding the subjugation target, such things are actually not rare.

Of course, clients who repeat such things get listed on the Guild’s blacklist and can no longer issue requests.

“You never know what will happen in a place you see for the first time. From now on, investigate properly by yourself. This is advice as a senior adventurer.”

“U-Understood…”

“Understood, Liliera!”

For some reason, Rex replied energetically.

“…Rex is, well… I don’t think I need to warn him much.”

“Eh? Why is that? I’m also Jairo and the others’ contemporary, and Liliera‘s junior, you know?”

No well, that’s true but…

In Rex‘s case, he seems likely to solve any unexpected trouble by force…

◆

“Oh!? Something’s coming into view!? Is that the Rotten Earth?”

Morning of the 5th day.

Proceeding while staying at towns and villages we stopped by on the way, we noticed the earth dyed purple coming into view from beyond the horizon.

“Surprisingly early. As expected, flight magic is fast because we can proceed ignoring obstacles.”

“But even so, it’s fast. It’s only the 5th day, you know?”

Being two days earlier than scheduled is indeed concerning.

“Isn’t it simply because we were too fast? We flew here, you know?”

“Hmm, but to avoid mistaking the destination, we chose a route where we could constantly check the highway while flying. So it’s not exactly the shortest distance. In the first place, even a week is fast, but 5 days is indeed too fast…”

“But we actually arrived, didn’t we? Then isn’t that fine?”

“Hmm…”

According to Guild information, it should be further ahead…

“But that poisonous color isn’t normal land. Then isn’t it the Rotten Earth in question?”

As Mina says, indeed it doesn’t look like a normal place…

“Then let’s go quickly! And gather golem materials quickly! Then Meguri won’t have to do body double work either!”

“!!”

Ah, right. For this child, that’s the more important thing.

“Understood. True, it can’t be helped that we arrived early.”

“Heheh, that’s it! Then let’s go!”

“Wait a minute!”

“Uoh!?”

Just as Jairo was about to fly out toward the Rotten Earth, a stop came from Rex.

“What is it suddenly, Big Bro!?”

“Sorry Jairo. But I want everyone to equip this before entering the Rotten Earth.”

” ” “Equip?” ” “

What Rex held out saying so were three necklaces.

“Rex, this is?”

Since it’s something Rex prepared, I don’t think it’s just a necklace…

“This is an Antidote Necklace. If you equip this, you can nullify all weak poisons.”

” ” “Antidote Necklace!?” ” “

Eh!? What’s that!? Antidote!?

“It’s the same thing I gave to Ryune in Dragonia.”

Ah-, come to think of it, I feel like he gave such a thing or not…

At that time, I was only thinking about declining the Dragon Princess seat…

“Well, but it’s not such powerful equipment, so just think of it as a Low-Grade All-Purpose Antidote you don’t drink.”

” ” “That’s already not ‘just’ anymore!?” ” “

The Low-Grade All-Purpose Antidote Potion was amazing enough, but popping out magic items with the same effect is strange, okay!?

Or rather, if we have this, we don’t need the Low-Grade All-Purpose Antidote itself!?

“Since when on earth did you make such things…”

“I prepared them on the night of the day we decided to go to the Rotten Earth.”

” “You made magic items with the feeling of making a bento!?” “

…No well, I knew Rex was outrageous, but still, the range of what he can do is too wide…

Rather, what can’t this person do!?

“Antidote magic items, how do you make them… how did you incorporate the spell formula into such a small necklace!?”

Ah-, Mina is depressed.

“Ooh! To be able to make even things like this, as expected of Big Bro! Big Bro is amazing after all!”

Jairo, who isn’t a mage, is innocently happy, but that thing you are excitedly swinging around is probably worth about 3000 gold coins, you know? No, maybe even more…

“Hey, whatever, let’s go quickly!”

While I was thinking such things, Jairo, seeming unable to wait, urged us.

“Ah-, sorry. Then shall we go?”

“Yes!”

“Right. We arrived early after all. We have to gather lots of materials!”

Putting the antidote magic items around our necks, we descend toward the Rotten Earth.

Haa, now that it’s come to this, I have no choice but to accept that useful items were prepared.

◆

“Looking at it closely, it’s an even creepier place.”

Descending near the ground, the detailed scenery of the Rotten Earth came into view.

The Rotten Earth, although called earth by name, was actually a swamp.

And a purple, clearly poison-filled swamp at that.

Large bubbles were popping on the swamp surface making poko poko sounds.

“Kinda stinks.”

As Jairo says, the air of the Rotten Earth was filled with an indescribable stench.

“…This is filled with poisonous air gushing out from the swamp.”

“Poisonous air!?”

“Yes, probably just breathing this air is bad for the body. Well, it seems to be weak poison, so we seem to be managing with just this Antidote Necklace though.”

“…Really glad you prepared magic items.”

” “Strongly agree.” “

This, wouldn’t we have died without realizing if we weren’t careful?

“The documents said long-term stay in the Rotten Earth isn’t possible, so poisonous air was the cause.”

This might be a more dangerous place than expected.

As expected of a danger zone where only capable people are allowed to enter…

“Dangerous!”

“Eh?”

It was at that moment.

Suddenly Rex shouted, and something leaped at me from inside the swamp.

“Hah!”

Rex‘s sword protects me, who froze at the sudden event.

“Are you okay, Liliera!?”

“!? Eh, yes, I’m okay! More importantly, what was that just now!?”

“That.”

Prompted by Rex, looking at the swamp, I see the true identity of what attacked me.

“That is… a monster!?”

Yes, what was there was the figure of a monster cut in two by Rex‘s sword.

The monster had a centipede-like figure, but its size was incomparably larger than a normal centipede.

“Giant Poison Centipede. It seems to make this poisonous swamp its home.”

“Such things are in the swamp!?”

I was completely off guard.

If we had advanced pushing through the swamp normally, wouldn’t my body have been cut in two by those giant jaws regardless of poison?

Even if I can strengthen defense with Body Enhancement Magic, I can’t activate it 24/7…

If attacked underwater with zero visibility when letting guard down after a battle…

Really glad I can use flight magic…

“This guy can act underwater for a long time unlike normal centipedes, so it seems it was hiding in the swamp waiting for prey to approach.”

“Hiding… exactly how many monsters are hiding in this swamp?”

“…Umm, including large and small, roughly about 2000.”

” ” “2000!?” ” “

Probably used detection magic, but even so, 2000 is too many!

“Even normal monsters being numerous is bad enough, but 2000 poisonous monsters is like coming to die!”

“Eh? But we have Antidote Necklaces.”

” ” “Ah.” ” “

That was right. We were equipping antidote magic items.

“Umm, in that case…”

“I think it’s fine if we fight moving over the swamp while flying in the air so as not to receive attacks from monsters jumping out.”

“…”

Come to think of it, we can fly in the sky.

That means, as long as we maintain altitude, poisonous monsters aren’t that scary?

“Hu-Huh? Strange. We should have come to an S-rank danger zone teeming with deadly poisonous monsters.”

“Coincidence, I remember it that way too.”

“Haa-hhahha! Eat this monsters! Burn nicely with my flame of justice!”

Looking, Jairo was provoking monsters while raising and lowering altitude, and slashing monsters lured out to jump.

Just because there’s no worry of receiving poison, he’s very lively.

“Umm, shall we do it too?”

“Ah-, yeah. Right.”

Pulling ourselves together, we also decided to participate in monster extermination.

◆

“But man, retrieving defeated monsters one by one is troublesome.”

While exterminating monsters, Jairo says such a thing.

“Eh? Why?”

“Because look, below is a swamp, so if left alone they sink, right? So if we don’t go get them immediately, we have to dive into the swamp. Even if poison doesn’t work with this, getting covered in poison is a bit…”

Ah-, I certainly understand what he wants to say.

“Then how about putting the monsters in the magic bag in midair before they fall into the swamp? Then you don’t have to worry about the poisonous swamp?”

Rex puts the monster cut in two into the magic bag in midair as if it were natural.

“No, that’s a bit too high of a hurdle, Big Bro…”

“It’s easy if you get the hang of it.”

No no, I think that’s impossible for me too. See, Mina is nodding too.

“I see, then shall we purify the swamp?”

” ” “Eh?” ” “

At Rex‘s strange remark, we instinctively asked back.

“FULL CLEAN PURIFICATION!”

” ” “Heh?” ” “

Just when I thought Rex suddenly activated magic, the surroundings are wrapped in light.

“Eh? What? What?”

I braced myself wondering what he did, but the light subsides immediately.

“Wh-What did you do, Rex…”

“AAAAAAAH!?”

The moment I tried to ask what he did, Mina’s scream echoed.

“What is it this time!?”

“Sw-Swamp! The swamp!”

“What? What about the swamp?”

Looking at the ground at Mina’s words, what was there was ordinary ground with nothing peculiar.

Really ordinary ground, what is she surprised about… huh?

Strange. We should be in the Rotten Earth now.

Yet I saw ordinary ground…?

“Huh? Where did the swamp go?”

Right, as Jairo says, there is no swamp.

The rotten swamp that should be there was gone.

“Re-Rex? What on earth did you do?”

I mobilized all calmness within me to ask Rex.

Because this situation must have some relation to Rex who activated magic.

“Yes! If materials sinking into the poisonous swamp is troublesome, I thought I should just purify the poison and turn it into ordinary soil! So I tried purifying the nearby poisonous swamp with a little wide-area purification magic and turned it into ordinary ground! The range is only this vicinity, but with this, there’s no worry of materials sinking!”

“Ooh! As expected of Big Bro! Or rather this is the magic used for cleaning ditches before, right!”

Cleaning ditches!? What magic did you use for cleaning ditches!?

“Right right, you remembered well Jairo.”

“Heheh, no way I’d forget ditch cleaning where we defeated a Dark Blob.”

Dark Blob in ditch cleaning!? What on earth happened during ditch cleaning!?

“Heheh, the ground is solidified firmly so no worry about footing, and with this no worry about poison either! Amazing, Big Bro!”

“No no, that’s too much praise, Jairo.”

Jairo sends a gaze of respect to Rex, and Rex has an expression as if saying he did a good job.

Or rather, umm… is it okay for a poisonous swamp that becomes a danger zone to be purified by magic used for cleaning ditches?

“Ah, look Jairo! Monsters hiding in the swamp are fixed in a half-buried state! It’s a chance!”

“Ooh! Seriously! …But why are they only half buried?”

“Probably they jumped out of the swamp surprised by my magic, but the swamp was purified and turned to soil before their whole bodies came out, maybe.”

“I see. This is lucky! After all, the opponents can hardly move.”

“Right!”

“Hey you two! What are you spacing out for!? It’s a chance! Let’s hunt them all at once!”

The two urge us while frolicking innocently, but we couldn’t feel like that at all.

” “…” “

“Liliera?”

“Nn? What’s wrong Mina?”

Noticing our state, the two call out in wonder.

Yeah, you don’t get it, you don’t get it huh.

“…”

“…”

Mina and I exchange glances and nod to each other.

And turning back to the two, we shouted.

” “Somehow! Everything is ruined!!” “

Isn’t this not a danger zone but a safe zone by mistake!?