Chapter 50

"Yeah! I got a Hercules!"

Arisa's enthusiastic shout reverberated through the lush, dew-soaked forest. We had arrived early for our scheduled hunt with the elves before they arrived. Sara, Arisa and Lulu, who were usually not keen on such activities, came to witness the breathtaking scenery surrounding the hunting grounds.

Satou and I had several Practical Magic spells up our sleeves, like Magic Hand and Enchant: Physical Protection; this would ensure we could protect ourselves if any unexpected events occurred. Enchant: Physical Protection was particularly useful in this situation, enabling us to move through the forest with light clothing and prevent our skin from being irritated from the sap or scratched by thorns.

I was taken aback when Satou voiced his thoughts last night, suggesting that the mythical chain-mail bikini could soon be a reality because of that spells. It was almost unbelievable that Arisa had agreed to be its model, leaving me in fear that Satou might bring his idea to fruition. If he does, I swear to myself that I will not hesitate to hit him.

Today, we were all dressed in matching safari expedition garb. Satou was the exception, still wearing his magical robes. Our boots had enchantments to ease the hiking, while our shorts and T-shirts were as resilient as leather armour, despite their unremarkable outward appearance. Lastly, we had the essential hats, tying together the entire outfit.

Arisa was thrilled as she used the Space Magic spell Short-Range Teleportation to ascend and descend the trees until she finally captured something to show Satou. Eventually, she laid her eyes on a colossal beetle of about one foot in size. Despite her distaste for spiders, she found herself captivated by the presence of this giant beetle. Upon further inspection, I recognised the beetle as a Hercules Beetle, also known as a Bolenan Spearhorn Beetle. One of the elves at Mia's welcome home party showed off his collection of local bugs, so I could recognise it.

Sara, Lulu, and Nana, who had been harvesting honeywort alongside Satou and myself, glanced up at Arisa, but when they realised what she was holding was just an insect, they quickly lost interest and returned to their foraging.

"What do you think? Pretty amazing, right?"

Before Satou could comment, Arisa swiftly moved to show off her catch to Pochi and Tama.

"Huge!"

"It's amazing, sir! Pochi wants to find one, too, sir!"

Tama was no stranger to tree climbing, as I had seen them nap in the branches many times before. However, the apparent excitement was enough to inspire Pochi to try their hand at it as well; in an instant, both of them had started up the trees.

"Gotcha?"

Tama showed off a stag beetle of a similar size to Arisa's by performing a spin in the air before touching down on the ground.

"A cat doing a twirl in mid-air... Maybe I should start calling you Nyanko-sensei?" Arisa murmured.

"Grrr, Tama's so fast, sir!"

Pochi scanned the branches overhead with unease, looking for something. Soon her gaze locked onto a target, and she sprung onto the next limb of the tree, eagerly attempting to peer into a hole. The wag of her tail indicated she must have sensed a potential meal.

"I have you now, sir!" Pochi emerged from the hole and was quickly sent airborne, shooting away from the branch. "Waaah! Sir?"

At Pochi's terrified cry, Satou used his Magic Hand spell to snatch her out of the air, carefully gathering her into his embrace.

"Be careful, all right?"

"Sorry, sir," Pochi slouched, her ears lying flat against her head.

"What did you catch, Pochi?" Arisa's inquiry invigorated her pooch, making its ears rise in anticipation.

"This, sir!"

"Geh! Th... that sure is something..." Arisa backed away slowly.

Just then, the main party arrived. Liza and Pearl arrived in front, then the elves, with Mia trailing behind them all.

"Delicacy,"

"Gift,"

"It's quite unusual to catch these at this time of year. I'm told humans don't often eat them, but they're delicious if you steam them before cooking. Scooping out the sticky insides with a spoon is the best part,"

Upon seeing the prey Pochi had caught, there were clear signs of approval from the elves. It was definitely a surprise to hear such praise for a pup-size caterpillar. Nonetheless, the hunt was ready to begin now that the elves were here.

<0>

"Meow, meeeooooow!"

"Awooooooo, sir!"

The shouts of Tama and Pochi could be heard reverberating through the trees as they swung Tarzan-style from one branch to another, aided by the low-hanging ivy.

"Hero Kura, it is my turn next, I report,"

Nana clutched a piece of ivy and gazed at me without emotion. Although possibly unnoticeable to others, I could see the same level of excitement on her face as Tama and Pochi.

"U... um, I think I'd like you to carry me instead, ma..."

Arisa was against swinging on the ivy, but Nana quickly strapped her to the back of herself using the Foundation technique Body Strengthening. Without allowing her a chance to object, Nana quickly took off before she had time to finish protesting.

"Ah!!!"

Arisa's shriek reverberated through the air, causing the nearby trees to be devoid of dew.

"M... master..."

Lulu went pale and started to shake when she saw her sister shrieking in terror while riding on Nana's back.

"Don't worry. I can just lift you with magic and carry you across,"

Using his magic, Satou levitated Lulu slightly before scooping her up in his arms. With a skill called 'Skyrunning,' they began to soar through the sky.

"Waaah! Th... this is so sudden..."

Lulu's face quickly shifted from its usual paleness to a flush of bright red. Although she grew more comfortable with him, unexpected circumstances like this still caught her off-guard. She was a lot like her older sister Arisa in that sense.

"Like this,"

Pearl had just explained to Sara how to swing on the vine properly and took off after the others to demonstrate. But Sara still looks nervous.

"Is this safe?"

Sara looks at me nervously as she gets ready to swing.

"It will be fine," I assure her. "I'll be right behind you if anything goes wrong."

"Kura, hurry,"

With Mia on my back, I give Sara a second head start before I follow after her. The initial jump gave me the sensation of a roller coaster's sudden drop, changing speeds and a burst of wind pressure that sent my hair and clothes flapping back. It was an exhilarating experience for me, and Mia appeared to be having a good time. Unfortunately, all I can hear is Sara's screams coming from the front. Perhaps it would have been better if I had carried Sara instead of Mia.

"Ah, praise be to solid ground!"

Arisa was practically kissing the grass by the time we arrived. On the other hand, Tama, Pochi, and Nana were smiling brightly, clearly thrilled from the ride. I knew I'd have to be extra careful to ensure they didn't become too overjoyed and make a mistake.

"Are you all right, Lulu?"

Though they had safely reached the ground, Lulu clung to Satou, pressed close to him in fear. Such a scary experience must have taken a toll on her.

"Y... yes. My heart is still pounding a little, but I'm f... fine. L... let's just stay like this a bit longer, please..."

"Oh-ho-hooo? What's this, now?" Arisa's gaze fixed on Lulu from the ground, and a slow smirk slowly appeared. She then began to playfully hit Lulu's back. I barely heard her whisper, even with my 'Keen Hearing' skill. "Oh, dear sister? Are you sure it's because of fear that your heart's pounding? Hmm?"

"A... Arisa, stop!"

Lulu blushed bright red and ran away from Satou as if she were being repelled by a magnet. She then embraced Arisa and blocked her mouth with her small hand. I was delighted to witness the affection between the two sisters remain so intense. It was also endearing to watch Lulu become so flustered.

"Geeeh!"

Arisa appeared to be having some difficulty breathing, yet she had the option of using a chant-free Short-Range Teleportation if required, so I decided to let her be for the time being.

"Kura,"

Mia jumped from my back, took hold of my hand and started leading me towards where the group was gathering. We arrived at a plateau next to a tranquil lake, where beautiful flowers lined the shore, and countless kinds of butterflies fluttered through the air with wings that matched the flowers' beauty. Herds of buffalo grazed on the plateau, creating a serene atmosphere.

"Pretty butterflies?"

Tama gracefully arched her back like an actual feline, giving her behind a wiggling few shakes before pouncing on the little insects. She ferociously swiped at the butterflies with her hands, being mindful not to actually contact them and harm their fragile wings so no one was there to reprimand her. Typically, Pochi would accompany Tama closely, but today she was staying back, appearing hesitant.

"You're not going to join her, Pochi?"

"I can't, sir. If I get too close to the flowers, I won't be able to smell prey anymore, sir,"

That made sense since we were planning on hunting today.

"Safe,"

"Break,"

Some of the elves spoke only a few words at a time. Trying to comprehend what these generally quiet elves meant was a feat in itself.

"Guya, Gia, you must speak properly today and say what you mean. These kind people haven't lived with you long enough to understand you, remember?"

"Explain,"

"Trust,"

Hishirotoya, nicknamed Hiya, was one of the more articulate elf boys. He attempted to reprimand the pair, but they didn't seem keen on explaining, so they allowed him to speak.

"Oh, all right, then..." Hiya gave a resigned shrug. "This is a safe area. There are no poisonous creatures here and nothing dangerous in the lake, either."

I surveyed the area, and as Hiya suggested, I couldn't spot any hostile or violent creatures nearby. But something caught my attention, and I was immediately drawn to something. Evidently, Satou had noticed it too, as he indicated to a tree in the middle of the lake, now denuded of its foliage.

"What about that Elder Treant?"

"Oh, that's nothing to worry about. I'm impressed that you recognised it, though. Most people would assume that was just a tree... But they don't tend to move much, so you've nothing to fear,"

Upon further inspection of the Elder Treant, I noticed knots and hollows forming an old man's face from the perfect angle! Initially, I believed this tree might have been magical in some way, yet I was surprised to realise it was actually a living creature.

"Wow!"

"Look at that!"

Upon seeing the Treant, all of our comrades exclaimed in surprise, as none of them had noticed it before.

"Won't we anger it if we light a fire on the shore here?"

"No, that's fine. If you were to, say, pour oil into the lake and set fire to it, of course, it'd get angry, but noticing a little campfire on the shore would be too much effort for it,"

Hiya warned me that Treants lived mostly like ordinary trees but talked much slower than giants, so I didn't want to ever have to communicate with one. With that line of question out of the way, I picked up my bow and quiver from the ground and got ready to join the elves.

"Let's go, then..." Satou started to say, but he couldn't get to finish his sentence.

"Wait,"

"Water Stone,"

"...Call Water Sui Yobi,"

Gia and Guya, two single-word elves, stopped in front of us. Gia uttered a sharp incantation resembling Spirit Magic, and the ripples she had created stirred the lake. A blue, glowing lump known as a 'Water Stone' arose from the lake's depths. Guya then pointed out what it was. Through a spiritual gaze, I observed water spirits cradling the Water Stone as they ferried it toward the shore.

"Need,"

"Dismantling,"

Gia obtained the Water Stone when it came, imbued us with magic, and demonstrated how it created water. She seemed to indicate that they employed it for butchering their prey.

"All right, we'll be back,"

"Make sure you bring home a big one, 'kay?' Whoever nets the biggest catch wins a flower crown and a kiss from the adorable Arisa!"

Arisa attempted a peculiar stance by the small encampment they had made close to the flower garden, though her body type didn't make the pose successful. If she had some more curves, I'm sure she would have caused a number of heads to turn.

"Good luck out there,"

"It's a little chilly around here, so I'll prepare some nice warm soup, too,"

"Hero Kura, I shall make garlands for your exclusive use, I vow,"

Sara and Lulu gave us a warm smile and wave as they saw us off, but Nana… I kept quiet about Nana's reward since she seemed to be enjoying herself. I don't know what I would ever use the garlands for, but she looked happy as she started to work on them. Mia, Satou, myself, and the beastfolk girls trailed the elves away from the camp as we waved back at the group staying behind.

<0>

"Master, that is a fine herd of horned buffalo,"

"Lots of beef?"

"I couldn't eat all that, sir,"

The Great Bolenan Buffalo, similar to American bison, were grazing on the plateau about three hundred feet away. The beastfolk girls watched them with glittering eyes, gazing at a range just out of reach from a short bow. An elf used Wind Magic to create a sound barrier so the herd couldn't hear our strategy discussion.

"Thin out,"

"Ten,"

I didn't comprehend what the curt elves were implying. Thus I asked one of the more verbose elves for an explanation.

"This area is particularly scarce on carnivorous predators, even for the Bolenan Forest. Without any natural enemies, the buffalo population can grow too large and consume all the vegetation if left to their own devices. Thus, our hunting goal today is to thin out the population to a certain amount. We will startle the herd into fleeing and cull ten of the slower buffalo,"

"Mia!"

As we were getting ready to begin the hunt after ascertaining the amount of our quarry, a familiar-looking elf boy sprinted towards us. It was none other than Mia's childhood friend and my recent stalker, Goya.

"Goya?"

Mia was presented with the boy's bow and, with a nod from him, he then fixed me with a glare and announced, 'Contest!' If only he had taken the time to learn from the sentence-composing elves some more.

"Are you saying you want to have a hunting competition with me?"

"Yeah,"

I wish he wouldn't look at me as if I'm an idiot. Nobody can understand the entirety of what you want to say when you only use one word, you know.

"How will we decide who wins?"

"Size,"

The largest animal within the herd would naturally be the leader. However, this would take away from our mission today. Hence, my best tactic would be to target the biggest of the ten stragglers that are the farthest behind.

"All right. You got it,"

"Let's go, then. Guya, you use Guiding Wind on everyone's bows; Gia, you use noise to scare the

herd,"

"Mm,"

"Uh-huh,"

"No Guiding,"

"Does that mean you don't want hit correction magic on your and Miss Kura's bows, Goya?"

"Mm. Right,"

The longer-spoken elf seemed unsure as she gazed at me, so I gave a nod of assurance. If Goya was unsuccessful in his pursuit, Mia and I, both sentence-uttering elves, would be ready to seize the target.

Mia, who was only 130 years old, was an extraordinary marksman, so I had a certainty that the elven veteran with more than a thousand years of practice could shoot down a buffalo without any difficulty.

We advised the girls accompanying us not to be taken aback by the loud noise the magic would generate and enlightened them concerning the strategy. Liza, Pochi, and Tama will tail the herd and subdue any buffalo that cannot continue, while Pearl will collaborate with us in the shooting. Because Liza, Pochi, and Tama were planning to assault the buffalo head-on, they changed from their safari clothes into whale leather armour.

"Start..."

Guya started to chant, which was shortly followed by Gia. Mia, Pearl, Satou, and I all loaded arrows onto our shorter bows, whereas Goya and the other elves had longbows. Every elf's bow was designed gracefully with striking etchings and strings. Mia uses a short bow today instead of the magical bow she received from the giants. I was using a short hunting bow I'd made myself. It didn't have any special effects, but that was hardly necessary for a distance of around three hundred feet.

"...Guiding Wind Michibiki no Kaze,"

Once Guyas's enchantment was finished, a gust of wind swelled around Mia and the elven speaker, blowing towards the herd.

"...Now!"

"...Noise Souon,"

At the request of the loquacious elf, Gia used her powers to cause a loud booming noise throughout the grassland. This caused an uproar among the startled buffalo, causing them to gallop away with their chief in the lead.

"Let's go, you two,"

"Tallyhooo!"

"Pochi is on the move, sir!"

Pochi raced to the front of the group of beastfolk girls who suddenly emerged from the bushes, their speed rivalling that of a rabbit. Though their task was not to pursue the buffalo, they were there to eliminate any buffalo that survived the shot of our arrows. Despite tripping over her own feet and resulting in a somersault, Pochi remained undeterred and continued her run with amazing athletic skill. Her recovery abilities were nothing short of astonishing.

"Fast,"

"Agile,"

As the elves cast their spells, I kept a watchful eye on the beastfolk girls. They drew arrows from their quivers, and the other elves loosed their first shots. Though I had faith in their accuracy, I grew worried when Goya drew his bowstring back with too much power. Undoubtedly, he would be accurate, yet I feared his shot might do more than just injure the target.

I anticipated the trajectory of one buffalo that none of the elves had singled out, and I shot my arrow ahead of it. I had to consider the direction of the air current at that range, but it was an easy feat. After the first arrow, I fired off four more, then glanced around to see if there were any that had not hit their marks.

"Mrrr,"

"Skilled,"

The two elves, gifted in the art of spell-casting, had both readied their bows with arrows, but when the moment arrived to shoot, they both lowered their bows. They had the ability to see where my arrows would have gone, and that was enough to give them pause.

I noticed some of the buffalo had survived. However, the agile beastfolk girls swiftly dealt with them by cutting their throats with knives or short swords. This may seem brutally cruel, but it was a far more humane approach than leaving them to linger on in pain and sorrow until their ultimate death; additionally, it kept the meat from being ruined.

"Pochi!"

"Waaah, sir!"

Mia's buffalo, which had been seemingly vanquished before, suddenly rose and charged Pochi with its horns. The small Pochi was lifted off the ground like a feather and thrown into the sky. Using my 'Warp' skill, I act quickly without thinking. I catch Pochi in one arm just as the buffalo starts to charge towards us. I grab its horn with my other hand and hurl it into the air, placing Pochi down safely. Taking aim, I shoot an arrow that punctures the buffalo's heart, even though I could have used magic instead. But I wanted to win the contest, and this large buffalo seemed like the perfect way to get there.

"Rest in peace, sir?"

"R.I.P,"

Pochi and Tama said a little prayer for the buffalo after it slammed into the ground beside us.

"Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine, sir,"

Liza quickly arrived, followed by Satou, Pearl and the rest of the elves.

"Very impressive, Mr Satou, Miss Kura. It's rare to see anyone with such skills, even among us elves,"

"No magic," Mia latched onto my arm and made a victory sign.

"Indeed. I've never seen anyone shoot so quickly and accurately without any magical assistance,"

Mia nuzzled my arm triumphantly, pleased with the sentence-using elf's praise.