69. Named Request
"Named request?" Aria echoed.
"That's right. From the Guild, to you all," the receptionist Karen said.
Shiro and the others had come to the Guild today to take on a job, and Karen had approached them there.
"It's about the recent sightings of a group of giant boas near the highway. The chances are growing that a herd of giant boas might be forming somewhere. So we'd like you to investigate—and if possible, eliminate them," Karen explained. She outlined the situation.
— Based on all the reported sightings, the location is likely somewhere in the northwest of Sotohaim.
— Merchant caravans traveling the road are being attacked more frequently. We've managed to hold off so far, but if this continues, it'll become extremely dangerous.
"I see. Let me discuss it with the team," Aria replied.
"Doesn't matter to me, really," Shiro said, clearly not thinking about it. Mitoka nodded without hesitation.
"I'm fine with it. It'll be a good chance to test our training," Shestia said, oddly cheerful.
"Same here," Albert said. He wasn't thinking about it either... As Aria glanced at Albert's expression, she felt it.
"...Well then. Let's take it."
The party members agreed unexpectedly easily. Aria felt a slight unease—was this really okay?—but she still confirmed acceptance to Karen, completed the paperwork, and then left the city.
"Wait, is there a street market here?" Shiro murmured, looking ahead near the north gate.
"Oh, that? It's for adventurers' lunchboxes. They set up early in the morning. You're the first to come by this time, aren't you?" Aria said.
"Shiro, that skewer stand over there is good. Let's buy some," Shestia said, tugging on Shiro's hand.
"Yeah, got it," Shiro replied, following Shestia along with Aria and Albert.
"Hey, missy. Same as usual?" the stall owner called out, eyeing Shestia.
"Yeah. Get one for everyone, please," Shestia smiled back.
Shiro glanced at the mushrooms the vendor was grilling, then asked suddenly.
"Hey, old man—what about those mushrooms?"
"Oh, these? These are the old-school kind from the mountains—called *engiri*. Tastes great. And these here? Also old-school, strong aroma—*mattake*. Cook 'em together with meat, and it’s next-level delicious," the vendor grinned, explaining.
"...Old man, you know your mushrooms?"
A familiar name rang a bell, but Shiro asked anyway.
"Huh? Well, I know my way around 'em. I’m a chef, after all," the man shrugged.
"Then you know about those giant mushrooms lately seen around?" Shiro pressed.
"Ahh, those? Don’t eat 'em, no matter what. Poisonous. Yeah, they’ve been showing up more lately. But they’ve always been around—just never got that big, I think... Oh, and watch out: those mushrooms scatter spores when wet. So stay clear in the rain or high humidity. Gets messy if they stick to your clothes," he muttered, warning Shiro with a half-smile.
"Thanks, old man," Shiro said, thanking him before buying the skewers and leaving the market square.
"Ahh," Shiro and the others crouched behind a stone, now atop a slightly higher hill, peering down at the flatland below.
Beyond the hill, in an open clearing within the forest, two hundred or so Giant Boas are visible. A spring lies at the center, serving as a watering hole—evidently why they’ve gathered here.
Closer inspection reveals some of the Giant Boas in the back behaving erratically. They’re ramming into nearby ones, then pulling away—repeating the cycle like they’ve gone mad. The surrounding Boas are attacking the afflicted individual. Yet the one in question seems to be generating something resembling a Wind Ball.
“…That’s… can they actually use magic? They’re really agitated,” Shiro mutters.
“Giant Boas shouldn’t be able to use magic,” Shestia says.
About ten individuals display abnormal behavior—small in number compared to the whole, but strikingly noticeable.
Shiro glances around the spring and suddenly spots the usual cluster of massive mushrooms growing there. And nearby, signs of the Boas having eaten them remain.
“Could it be the mushrooms? No… not all of them are acting this way, though.”
“Shiro, the miasma concentration around the spring seems unusually high. Please confirm with Miasma Sight,” Mitoka says.
Shiro activates Miasma Sight and confirms the miasma is dense around the mushrooms.
“Maybe there’s a connection between those mushrooms and the miasma concentration,” he thinks.
“Indeed. Based on our observations, that possibility is high.”
“I’ve never heard of such a connection,” Aria says.
“Me neither,” Shestia replies. “But Shiro’s right—given what we’ve seen, the link between mushrooms and miasma is strong. Could it be related to what the vendor said about spores dispersing when touched by water?”
Shiro and the others noticed the scene further inland, near the edge where the forest met the open ground.
"Tracks from a group coming from the north," Aria analyzed. "A fresh animal trail has formed in the woods—chaotic, heavily damaged."
"Shouldn't be here, normally. Running from something?" Shestia murmured.
Shiro and the others pondered what could have driven such a large number of giant boas into retreat.
"Good, observation phase complete. Should we go for it all at once with annihilation magic?"
“...All at once?” Aria looked back at Shiro.
"Ah, two hundred or so—would be a breeze..." Shiro started to say, then stopped.
“No, that won’t net us any experience points. First, Shestia and Aria take the initial hit with that wind-and-ice vortex. Then Shiro, Mitoka, and Albert charge in with swords and wipe out a decent chunk. Last remnants—we finish them off from above, just the two of us, right?” Shiro said.
"Yeah, that's fine," Albert said. Aria and Shestia nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, let's just think of this as training," Shiro added.
"Understood," they all replied.
"Invoke the spirit, become wind, answer me—there, in that place, whirl into a storm, sweep all away..." Aria chanted, and simultaneously,
“Invoke the spirit, grant my will, freeze that land…” Shestia chants as well.
And simultaneously, the two of them,
"Wind Tornado!" "Ice Freeze!"
And shouted.
A tornado erupted right where the giant boas were most densely packed, and at the same time, snow and ice howled like a blizzard.
"Wow, impressive. So this is where 'Ebony Icewind' gets its name?" Shiro watched the tornado with genuine admiration. About two-thirds of it seemed frozen solid.
"Alright, let's go!" Albert shouted, already dashing forward. Shiro and Mitoka followed, slicing through the beasts from one end with their swords.
"Looks like we're clearing things up. Good—leftover work's mine," Shiro called out.
He ascended into the air, locking onto the remaining monsters still moving.
"Multi-Homing Lightning Needle!" he shouted, and the rest of the giant boas collapsed.
Afterward, Shiro stored all the giant boas' corpses into his inventory. Aria and the others stared in disbelief. After reporting to the Adventurer Guild, the mountain of corpses caused quite a commotion—consider it a minor inconvenience.
If you found it entertaining, please consider rating, bookmarking, or leaving a comment—it really helps!