Magic Gems Gourmet

Chapter 48

「Hey, Ainz」

「Hmm?」

「It’s so dark in here. I feel like something’s about to pop out」

The long-awaited day of the Beast field training had arrived, they called out to Butts in the middle of their second year, and he readily agreed to join their team. Although he was a bit stiff at first, he was now able to talk to Ainz like a friend. Butts was his only friend who called Ainz by his nickname, it was only in the academy though.

「Butts, it’s not something’s about to come out, but they’re already coming out, right? We’ve hunted a few of them before, you remember?」

「Butts, we’ve already encountered a few of them, you know?」

Leonard and Roland replied with a tsukkomi at Butts’ words. They were already inside the dark forest, and it would not be surprising if a beast appeared.

「As long as you don’t provoke them, you won’t get any serious injuries. But still, we need to stay focused」

It was Dill who said that. Although Dill had already graduated, he was allowed to participate as a special escort for Ainz. It was the result of the academy’s decision that Dill and not Chris, would be fine to participate.

「Dill-senpai. But we’re still counted as a team of four, aren’t we...?」

「Yes, that’s right. I’m just following you as an escort today, and I’m not going to help you unless it gets really dangerous」

Ainz’s team was not the only one participating. But on the day of the event, some boys from the second group announced that they would not participate and never showed up at the meeting place, the White Rose Station. It seemed some students were too scared to participate and, in the end, they were given the punishment of being downgraded.

「Don’t worry, Roland. There’s nothing to be afraid of with our current group’s member」

Butts seemed to be reliable at times like this. But Butts was right, with the beasts in this area, it wouldn’t be a problem for Ainz and the others.

「Let’s get some firewood first, it’ll be hard to do that when it’s dark」

「Leonard is right. The rabbits we hunted along the way should be fine as our food, and then we’ll need to find some drinking water」

「Aah, it’s fine as long as the water isn’t too dirty. We can just use my magic tool to purify it after all」

「But Roland-kun. Bringing magic tools was prohibited wasn’t it...?」

Ainz thought the same too, but Dill pointed it out to him first.

「Don’t worry, Dill-senpai. I’m just going to use the magic stones from the beast we’ve hunted so far to make it, making a small water purifier was not prohibited after all」

「I-it’s fine then if that’s the case」

Roland had continued to improve his skills year after year. He has become so capable that he was now able to make simple magic tools everywhere.

「I’ll prepare the barrier then, Your Highness. It’s the only skill I can use for this situation」

Leonard was a literate guy, but he possessed the rather rare skill of barrier.

It was not a high-level barrier that he could use, but it was still useful enough for them to avoid the beast around.

With Ainz and Butts as the main vanguard. Ainz’s team was made up of people that excelled in one subject each.

As it was getting dark, they decided to set up the camp for the day.

The beast field training would take place over three full days. Over the course of three days and two nights, they would make their way through forests and mountains to their destination.

Even if they were lucky and no beasts appeared, it would be a difficult journey that would require a lot of physical and mental strength.

They then split into pairs and went in search of what they thought they would need. This forest had no shortage of such things, and they were soon able to gather them.

They then started the fire and began to prepare the meal.

「Hey, look at this. I think I found something good」

「What’s that? It’s purple and looks weird」

Butts was paired with Roland to go collect some stuff. When they came back, Butts seemed to have found something. He then showed it to both Ainz and Leonard.

「It may not look like it, but it’s a fruit, Your Highness. But Butts, even though they look the same, but I’m sure some of them are poisonous... Do you know about it?」

「Dunno, I brought this to see if Leonard would recognize it」

「I-I don’t know how to tell the difference, though」

「Dill, do you know about it?」

「Yes, I know. But I shouldn’t give you that kind of advice right now...」

Dill seemed to know about it, but he shouldn’t help them for now... But then Ainz remembered about one thing.

「Hey Butts, can you give that to me for a second?」

「Ah, it’s okay, but it may be poisonous, so be careful」

「I know... Hmm, it’s surprisingly softer than I thought」

He then used his absorption and toxin decomposition without being known. But since there seemed to be no change on it, he decided that it wouldn’t be a problem to eat it.

「This one is okay, it’s not poisonous」

「Ainz-sama, you know how to tell them apart?」

「It’s just a coincidence though. Butts did a good job on gathering these, so let’s be grateful to him」

Fortunately, they would be getting an addition to their menu tonight. Getting something to eat was a luxury in the woods. Some teams probably don’t have any food at all. So, they felt blessed to have it.

Using a log as a chair, they sat down on it and finally began to rest.

It didn’t take long to get dark and they couldn’t see what was going on around them. Thinking about it, Ainz thought that it might have been better to prepare the camp a little earlier, and decided to do so tomorrow.

「Doing something like this just feels like we’re on a trip」

「Certainly. I don’t hate this kind of thing though」

A cool breeze blew through the forest, echoing the sound of the swaying trees. The flames of the bonfire swayed in the breeze, creating a unique atmosphere. The aroma of rabbit meat being fried near them whetted their appetites.

Sitting on a log around the bonfire seemed to calm them down somehow. They had gathered early in the morning to take the train to a place far from the Royal Capital. After that, they walked all the time, using up most of their energy.

「Hey Leonard. Is it true that your fiancée has been decided?」

「Wh-why did you ask something like that out of nowhere... Don’t say the weird things, Butts」

「What!? I never heard about that before! Is that true, Leonard!?」

「Oi, even you too huh, Roland!?」

Leonard was the heir to a high-ranking noble, which was why it was normal for someone at his age to get engaged.

He doesn’t know where he heard about it, but Butts’ statement had drawn their attention.

「Hey Leonard, I haven’t heard about this either」

「Y-your Highness! Please don’t show such a sad face!」

「Aaah. Leonard made Ainz cry...」

「I thought we were friends, Leonard. You’re so terrible」

「...Ugh! Argh enough of this! Okay! Okay!... I will tell you about it, Your Highness! So please listen!」

「Hmm, who is it then? What kind of person is she?」

Ainz then turned his head toward Leonard with a cheerful look on his face.

「Ugh... I’ve been outwitted...」

Just as the conversation was getting lively, Roland started to serve the grilled meat.

「Let’s listen to Leonard’s story while we eat. Here you go」

「That’s very thoughtful of you. Thanks, Roland!」

「Yeah... I’ll have some of it」

「Hey Leonard, cheer up. We’re just getting started you know?」

「Dill-senpai, come join us too」

Roland then handed the food to Dill as well.

「Hmm? Oh, no thanks, I have portable food with me, so I’ll be fine」

「Dill, it’ll be bad to leave leftovers, and we can’t afford to turn it into dried meat, for now, so eat it」

After being told so by Ainz, Dill then received it from Roland.

「In that case, I’ll give you mine too」

Then he took out a bag of tea leaves from his pocket.

「Th-That would indeed be unfair, wouldn’t it...?」

「Leonard was right, but this is an annual event. The other teams must have brought their own too. The Royal Kingsland Academy doesn’t have many events after all, so they allow us to have a little fun at times like this. It’s an unspoken agreement」

With that said, Dill began to prepare tea for the dishes he had brought with him.

「Does that mean we’re the only ones who’ve been foolishly abiding by the rules then...?」

「Butts. There’s nothing to be ashamed of..., right?」

「Roland is right. But... well, at least only for a time like this. They won’t punish someone for having a little fun」

Their meal was further enriched by the unexpected gift of tea. As a little mischief was a privilege for students.

As they enjoyed the meal, the conversation turned to Leonard.

But that was as far as the conversation went, and everyone went to sleep early to prepare for tomorrow.

***

「This fog is so awful」

「Hey, you two, don’t stray too far from me and Ainz」

「I know. I’m sorry for being slow and causing you so much trouble」

「I should have worked out a little more...」

On the second day, the path led them through the forest and between the mountains. Perhaps because of the particular climate, the fog seemed to be getting thicker.

「Butts, can you see any landmarks?」

「I can’t see anything when the fog is this bad. I’ve been leaving some footprints on the ground to mark our way as a relief」

「Why don’t we just stay here and wait for the fog to clear up?」

「Roland. The fog probably won’t subside much in this area, won’t it, Butts?」

「That’s right. It looks like we’ve taken a rather troublesome route... Jeez, what bad luck」

The paths taken by the six teams were all set in different ways. All of them were decided by lottery to follow a certain path. The difficulty level was not exactly the same, and as in this case, there may be some unfortunate team too.

「There is no choice but to move forward. There’s not much point in trying to think about it though. But we can at least be a little careful not to get sidetracked, so don’t fall apart」

Butts was in the lead, followed by Ainz. Leonard and Roland followed behind them. Dill, their escort, was observing from behind.

「Will our destination be difficult to reach?」

「...It’s hard to say. It all depends on how we get through this fog」

Leonard was worried about whether they would be able to reach the distance they had set out for.

He hadn’t expected the fog would be so thick, as it had somewhat affected his plans.

「Hey, Roland. Can you make a magic tool that can clear up the fog?」

「What are you talking about, Ainz-sama...」

「Of course not, huh?」

「I might be able to make it though. But I don’t know if I can make it with what I have on me now...」

「You can make it!?」

「It’s not that difficult to make, I’ll show you something similar next time」

Roland was truly a genius. The way he simply said that he could make it if he had the materials made him seem simply radiant.

「Hey Dill, Roland was really... Huh? Dill?」

「What’s wrong, Ainz?」

「Dill! Answer me!」

When Ainz noticed that Dill did not respond, he shouted and called out for Dill.

But still, there was no reply.

「Hey Ainz! Stop it!」

「But why!? Where’s Dill!?」

「Tsk... Just lower your voice, they might notice us... No, it’s already too late huh? Both of you, stay between me and Ainz! Stay together!」

「E, Eeh? Wha-what happened?」

「Roland, calm down, just get over here quickly!」

Pulled by Leonard, Roland was sandwiched between Ainz and Butts.

And soon... The sound of something cracking began to echo in their surroundings.

「Oioi... I never heard that that thing had appeared here before! Hey Ainz!」

「Ugh what!?」

「It’s a Raven Butterfly! It’s a troublesome beast that will paralyze people to lay their eggs in them! That thing shouldn’t have appeared here! Be careful!」

Ainz braced himself after being told that. He’s worried that they got separated from Dill, but they’re the ones who were about to be attacked now.

「Uwawawa!? What was that!?」

「If it’s a big, black butterfly, it’s the enemy! Tell me when it gets closer!」

「Wh-what do you mean by telling you... Oi, Butts!?」

「What is it!?」

「I’ll recommend we start running」

「You can’t just say something like that so suddenly!」

Butts was quick to deny what Leonard said. It would be foolish to do such a thing when we don’t know the situation. Leonard must have known that, but he said it anyway.

「Butts! Butts! It’s no good, let’s run away! There’s so many of them!」

「Many of them!?... You’ve gotta be kidding me!?」

A swarm of dozens of Raven Butterflies appeared. Such a group was coming from one side to attack them.

「Butts! Let’s run!」

「Yeah! Hey, both of you! Follow us!」

A few of them would have been manageable. But in this situation, and with dozens of them, they didn’t think they could handle them. In the face of such danger, they started running to get out of here.

***

They didn’t remember how long they had run for. They may have been running for at least a few dozen minutes. After reaching the limit of their strength, they then found a small hole in the ground nearby. The four of them then hide in there.

「We somehow made it, huh... Ainz! Shouting in that kind of place was just like asking to be killed!」

「...I’m sorry, that was my fault. I just became so emotional that I raised my voice. I’m sorry」

「Oi Butts! You don’t have to say something like that...」

「It’s okay, Leonard. It was obviously my fault, but... Where did Dill go...?」

As they walked through the thick fog, Dill and the four of them got separated. He couldn’t help but worry about that, but Dill was strong, so there wouldn’t be much to worry about, but still, if he were attacked by a pack of dozens of them as they just had, something bad might happen to him.

「Haah... Haah...」

「Are you okay, Roland?」

「Ah, yeah. Sorry, Leonard. I’m just tired, that’s all... Fuuh...」

「But this situation was so strange...」

After calming down a bit, Butts began to explain to everyone that the situation was strange.

「Those beasts are not the kind that usually appears in places like this. They’re beasts that live in areas where there are a lot of cunning beasts, like where the Black Horn and the likes are. It’s strange because they shouldn’t appear in here」

「...So, you are saying there’s an anomaly?」

「As Ainz said, it’s an abnormal occurrence, and I’ve come up with two options for us, one is to wait for rescue. The other is to keep going, simple, right? But it’s not practical to wait for rescue when there are so many of them, because they’ll probably find this place eventually」

「I’m also worried about Dill-senpai too...」

「It’s true that we are worried. But we can’t do anything about it now... Your Highness, is it possible that Chris and the others are coming as a hidden escort?」

「No. Chris-san has been on her way to Magna since yesterday, escorting my mother. So, I don’t think there’s any chance of Chris-san being somewhere nearby」

Leonard thought about relying on Chris, in case she was following them in secret. It was a hard decision to make because of the unusual situation and the emergency that separated them from Dill.

「So I guess we have to keep going then... It would be foolish to not do anything when there is no guarantee that we will survive」

「I agree with Butts. I’m sure the danger will just keep coming at us if we don’t do something」

「I won’t object if Your Highness is agreed with it...」

「Likewise. I mean, I’m useless in a fight, but I’ll do my best to support you in any way I can...」

Everyone agreed with it. Moving was certainly dangerous, but having so many Raven Butterflies nearby was even more dangerous.

There was no way to know which the right answer was until they tried. That was why they chose to act.

***

They continued to walk for the next few hours. A thick fog still enveloped them, blocking their way.

From the direction of the sun, they could guess their approximate direction, so it was unlikely that they were turning back.

They could hear the sound of Raven Butterflies many times already, and each time they had, they stopped to take precautions.

They were never spotted, but the situation was always the same, with the Raven Butterflies flying around nearby.

They then found a small stream and decided to take a break and drink some water. Ainz and Butts were getting tired after walking for so long.

「Roland. I’ll leave you to carry the water」

「Roger. Make sure you guys drink some too」

「Leonard, you don’t have to make a barrier here」

「Why is it, Butts?」

「It’s not uncommon for them to notice the barrier and then attack us when it’s lifted」

Leonard, who was about to set up a barrier, was told by Butts to stop.

Some cunning beast could detect the presence of a barrier and attack as soon as it was lifted.

The Raven Butterfly was one of those cunning beasts. That was why he didn’t want him to put up a barrier.

「Butts really knows a lot, huh? Is that because of your dad’s influence?」

「Yeah, it’s because my father was always fighting those kinds of beasts in dangerous places, so he has taught me a lot about them」

Butts answered Ainz’s question with a somewhat proud smile. The area where Butts’ father worked was dangerous, and Butts grew up being taught by his father the ways to deal with a lot of things and what not to do. He was a very dependable man in situations like this.

After that, they took a short break and listened to Butts’ advice.

The Raven Butterfly’s weakness was fire. The second was sunlight. They say that they were fine in the mist, but if they were exposed to direct sunlight, they would fall.

However, they were in a deep fog now. And no one among them could use Fire Magic.

「How are we going to rest tonight, Butts? Leonard and Roland will reach their limits without taking a break」

「We’ll take turns for tonight. We’ll leave just before the sun rises. I hope we can manage to get through the fog while the sun is still rising」

「Okay. Then we’ll have to find a place to rest first」

「I’ve stocked some water, we’re now ready to go」

At Roland’s words, we finished our rest and started walking toward the goal again. Having rested, we were able to regain some of our energy, and we vowed that we would all make it back safely, so we set our feet in motion.