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BOMB (爆彈)

A weapon that utilizes the energy generated when substances like gunpowder explode rapidly to destroy targets.

This simple yet highly efficient weapon has been around since ancient times and continues to be used today.

While there may not have been C4 or nuclear bombs in the medieval era, it would only make sense for there to be conventional bombs—like the drum bombs or spherical bombs we know of, which are ignited with a fuse.

However, I had yet to see any of those since I reincarnated.

So I asked the Marquis about bringing some along for the hunt.

“Uh… I’m sorry, but we don’t have any.”

I couldn’t help but think, “Are these people out of their minds for not using such an efficient weapon?”

“Then again, it might not be strange to avoid having such things just lying around.”

If such dangerous items were carelessly scattered, there would surely be more terrorists running around.

Besides, bombs might only work on low-rank monsters; just a slight increase in rank would likely lead to more team kills than anything else.

Anyway, since there were no bombs, we set out from the Marquis’s territory, following the soldier’s guidance.

The Marquis’s territory was closer to the forest, but just a bit further down, we stumbled into a desolate desert.

“Wow… amazing…”

As soon as we stepped into the desert, both Luna and Yui gasped in awe.

The reason? Just a single step away from the forest turned it into a desert.

It felt almost artificially delineated, as if someone had drawn a boundary line between the forest and the desert.

This place didn’t exist in any novel I had read, so I couldn’t help but find it fascinating.

How on earth could such a transition happen?

“First-timers always react like this.”

The soldier, who chuckled at our awe, seemed to know a bit about the history of this territory, given his work here.

“Why is it like this?”

Yui asked the soldier, her curiosity shining like that of a child.

The innocence in her eyes reminded me of a child who firmly believes in Santa Claus bringing gifts on Christmas.

Watching her, the soldier answered as if he were talking to a niece.

“Haha, so you’re curious about the history of this place?”

It was jarring to see a soldier, who could barely be thirty, treating Yui—who clearly appeared to be over fifty—like a child.

But Yui seemed completely unfazed by it.

“Yes!”

“This place was once ravaged by a monster called the Volcano Dragon.”

“Wow… just one monster did all this?”

“That’s right. That monster is currently sealed, but before it was sealed, I wasn’t even born yet, so I can’t tell you the details.”

S-Rank Monster Tyrant – Volcano Dragon.

I knew well from reading novels about it.

At the time, the Elves and Humans, aided by the World Tree, barely managed to seal it away.

It was said to look like a massive turtle with a volcano on its back.

To have the power to turn a forest into a desert in an instant—that’s definitely S-Rank for you.

“But it’ll be unsealed later.”

Having read the novel, I felt no particular thrill, but for the people in this world, it truly might be a calamity.

Even if I wouldn’t have to encounter that monster as it originally was, the original story was already a big mess due to the involvement of two reincarnators.

I thought to myself that I might get dragged into it too.

“Luna, how much reward money would there be for an S-Rank monster?”

“Is there even a way to hunt such a monster that created this desert…?”

Well of course! Monsters are made to be hunted, right? If we can’t catch them, then what’s the point?

In fact, the only S-Rank monster being hunted in the main story is the Volcano Dragon, and the rest of the S-Rank monsters aren’t hunted at all.

Perhaps they would appear in a side story, but I reincarnated before that could happen.

“Well, if we can hunt it, I bet we’d earn enough to indulge for a lifetime, right?”

“That sure sounds tempting.”

I wanted to enjoy everything this world had to offer and live the rest of my life spending money freely, indulging in a mindless slacker lifestyle.

If that’s the case, hunting an S-Rank monster wouldn’t be a bad idea.

I was going to catch one eventually anyway.

“We’ve arrived.”

While chatting with Luna and following the soldier, we were soon brought to a stop as proclaimed by the soldier.

But there was just a desert here; what in the world had we arrived at?

“Where exactly is the monster?”

“Would you like to use this?”

The soldier handed me something that resembled a telescope.

“This is a magical tool that allows you to see distant places.”

Though it was called a magical tool, I simply treated it like a telescope as I had always known.

Far off, I could see a crater that looked somewhat like an antlion pit.

Perched atop it was a giant beehive, and near it, numerous wasps were buzzing about.

‘So the Vespa turns out to be a bee?’

But these weren’t ordinary bees; each individual was about a meter long, their tails resembling thick, spiky clubs designed for camouflage in the desert.

It looked as though there were dozens of them, which would be a challenging task for the soldier who barely reached D-Rank.

“Sigh… if I had a bomb, it would make things so much easier.”

What a pity, what a pity.

To think there were no bombs when the monsters are all gathered up like that.

The sight of those monsters popping like fireworks would have made for fantastic entertainment.

“What are you going to do?”

“Even if it’s not ideal, we’ll just have to catch them normally.”

Though I wasn’t thrilled about catching them just like that, there was really no need to plan for weak monsters.

They say a lion gives its all even when hunting a rabbit, but that’s just silly.

It’s just like when someone catches an ant; there’s really no planning involved.

Are we going to develop a plan to use a nuclear bomb just to catch a passing ant?

It’s the same logic.

Still, it felt a bit too mundane, so…

“Yui, what do you think hunting is all about?”

“U-um… four?? Is it hunting time?”

“Yeah.”

“Um… Is it… catching monsters and getting money for it?”

“Nope.”

I pulled a sword out from my inventory.

‘For vermin, an F-Killer is sufficient, but if that doesn’t do the job, I’ll just burn them out.’

I poured oil over the drawn sword and lit it on fire.

With the sword blazing, I strolled toward the swarm, the buzzing sound of their insect wings filling the air.

The Vespa recognized me as the enemy and flew towards me.

“Ribbit, dooby doo dibi doo da~”

As I swung the sword rhythmically with one hand while singing, the swarm of wasps ignited and tore apart.

‘Is it really this easy to hunt and get 2 gold coins?’

I thought 50 won’t be worth it, but now I see it isn’t necessarily so.

Even if they are labeled C-Rank, since they were defeated by sheer numbers, they didn’t compare to the Iron Golem or King Slime.

“Making money is the easiest thing in the world~”

[Level Up! Check your status!]

Leveling up was ridiculously simple.

After that, I leveled up three more times.

*

Not long after Luke left, the Crown Marquis, who had been busy with his duties while placing a cold pack on his face, was understandably startled when his aide entered his office and spoke.

“He’s back…?”

“Yes. He’s currently waiting in the reception room.”

Since he received the order to entice me, he had somewhat expected this, but to think it would all be over in less than an hour.

‘That was unexpected.’

He had intended to take a bit of a break to build up some fatigue.

Huff.

The Crown Marquis sighed.

“Alright. I’ll go see him.”

Though it was hard to believe, there was no benefit for his aide to lie to him.

The Crown Marquis placed his quill back in its holder and got up from his chair.

He then headed straight for the reception room, opened the door, and found—

“Marquis, good to see you.”

A man with black hair raised a hand.

His red eyes made him instinctively shrink back in unease.

“Did you finish already…?”

“Yup.”

“Can I see the evidence?”

“Here.”

He produced a Vespa wing from thin air.

The clearly insect-like wing was unmistakably from a Vespa.

While it was somewhat amazing to pull an item from the air without using a spatial artifact, the Marquis had a feeling there were many things in the world that he didn’t know.

“Is it really true that you annihilated them?”

“If you don’t believe me, ask the soldier who came with me; he witnessed everything from behind.”

“I see. Then please show me the request form.”

I expected he might have simply eliminated a few and brought back the wings, but that didn’t seem to be the case.

Just in case, he had wisely brought the wax and seal along.

The Marquis stamped his seal onto the request form that Luke produced.

“If you’re not busy, how about staying for a night? I can entertain you at the best inn in the territory.”

“I never say no to free stuff.”

With no hesitation, Luke accepted, and the Crown Marquis felt relieved that things were going smoothly.

“Understood. We’ll inform the inn.”

Watching Luke leave the reception room, the Crown Marquis returned to his office.

That evening, however, a ray of yellow light flickered in his office, a place that should have been empty at that hour.

It was the candle’s flame shivering in the wind.

“You have arrived,” he said, kneeling before his desk with one knee and bowing.

A woman entered through the window instead of the door.

“Well, it seems you did your job right?”

The woman had wings and a tail that resembled those of a demon.

Given her appearance, it was certain that she was not human.

From her very aspect, she was clearly a Demon, the Nightmare Lilith.

“Yes. Everything has been taken care of in separate rooms.”

“Hehe, good. I’ll handle the rest, so you can take a break now~”

Her voice was bewitching, luring men with its charm.

The Crown Marquis had to suppress the urge to look too deeply into her and replied,

“Y-yes! Thank you!”

When the Crown Marquis lifted his head, the woman had already vanished from the room.

Immediately after, a pink mist settled over the whole Marquis territory.

Thus, the night in the territory deepened.

 

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