Gather Divine Coins and Gacha! - Chapter 249

 "Heh! Ha! Hah!"

Crushing the leader of the wolf pack with a blinding kick from the Scarlet Bee's Sting, I continued to behead two, three more wolves before their vision could return.

Since I never let any escape, the monsters couldn’t communicate this information among themselves. They might start to be cautious if they learned my scent, associating it with the smell of death... but so far, every time, I call in people for recovery.

This method has successfully camouflaged my actions. Coupled with my own weakness, the monsters remain unwary and continue to attack, not fleeing at the initial strike.

"Hmm... So those ones are still alive, huh?"

After swinging my weapon around and gaining altitude to survey the area, I noticed that even the wolves I hadn’t struck were down. The survivors are probably those attacked by Shirojita.

Although they aren’t fully defeated, they’ve been rendered immobile.

"Alright then..."

I proceed to behead the immobilized ones and look around. There’s nothing else!

"...I could gather a bit more... but this should be enough... Flash!"

I confirmed that I had gathered enough medicinal herbs in my bag and unleashed my magic with all my might.

In the shallows of the forest near the territory capital, the town’s soldiers usually do the gathering. However, the spot I’m at now is accessed from a base under construction east of the town.

Though it’s some distance away, it doesn’t bother me. The soldiers stationed at the base take care of monster disposal, making this practically my private gathering spot.

"...No immediate response, huh."

Sometimes they don’t notice right away due to the distance...

"Oh."

As I debated whether to fire another shot, I heard the sound of a whistle. Looks like they’ll be here in about ten minutes.

◇

"Hey, Vice Commander!"

"Vice Commander Sera!"

As soon as I entered the Adventurer’s Guild, voices called out to me from all directions.

"Shut up, idiots!"

This retort of mine has become a familiar sight.

It’s mid-March in summer. It’s been about a month since I was appointed Vice Commander, and I’ve been accepted without any jealousy. This is likely due to Alex being the captain and Deputy Officer Teresa being a former member of the Imperial Guard.

"Oh, Vice Commander. Gathering herbs again... sorry for the trouble."

As I headed to the counter, the branch chief approached, possibly drawn by the commotion.

"Even you... are you free?"

"No, I need to discuss something serious. Can we talk inside?"

He pointed his thumb towards the branch chief’s room at the back and walked off without waiting for my response.

"Alright, but... what is it? Here, take these."

I handed the bag of herbs to the receptionist and followed him.

"Is it bad news?"

"It’s not exactly bad news, and it’s not a big deal, but it’s something I’d prefer not to spread. Come in."

I caught up quickly and asked what the topic was... what could it be? I wondered as I entered the room.

"It’s always a mess in here..."

"We’re still short on staff... well, they’re planning to hire more, so we’ll have to bear with it until then."

I’d been in here a few times, and each time the room was crammed with piles of books and documents. Imagining this bandit-looking guy buried in desk work always made me want to laugh.

"So, what’s up?"

After he sat down, I asked why he had called me. He spread out a map and placed markers on it. The markers were in areas a bit deeper than the shallows. Was it some kind of sighting report?

...A big one?

"That’s where a hornet’s nest was found."

...A hornet’s nest?

"When I say hornet, I mean a magic insect... a monster. They build their nests out of mud on the ground, and that’s where we found them."

"...I see. Magic insects are bigger than regular hornets... but is that a problem?"

"The nests themselves aren’t a big deal. The issue is that normally, you wouldn’t see them in these locations. Large monsters like bears or orcs usually destroy their nests, but this year, they’ve remained. Probably due to last year’s attacks, the large monsters’ habitats have shifted slightly... they should return eventually, but it might stay this way for a year or two."

"...That’s a big problem."

Habitat maps are crucial. Unexpected encounters with monsters in the forest could be deadly.

"Indeed. But this isn’t unprecedented and isn’t the main issue."

"?

So what is the problem then?