Helios Orb Chronicle – Chapter 479

Side: Meena

Today, my father-in-law and mother-in-law had their hearts set on visiting the Mylight Mountains, so we came here.

I expect the number of Orcs has decreased since the large-scale hunt in autumn, but there’s no denying the possibility that they have increased over the winter.

So, we were planning to scout the Mylight area ourselves, but my father-in-law and mother-in-law decided to accompany us.

“The forest is certainly deep.”

“It looked impressive even from a distance.”

“But it’s broken up in places, and there are quite large open spaces too.”

“That’s where Orcs often make their settlements.”

Mako and Yamato are explaining the characteristics of the Mylight.

It’s not uncommon for clearings to suddenly appear in the Mylight, and those are often the sites of Orc settlements. Feather Drakes can also be found swarming in such areas.

Although rare, Goblin settlements can also form.

“This kind of thing happens, huh?”

“It’s quite unusual, though.”

Right before us is that unusual Goblin settlement.

What’s more, it seems to be a troublesome one, as there appears to be a Goblin King as well.

“My guess is that they formed a settlement over the winter and evolved there.”

“Since the foothills are covered in deep snow during winter, we can’t scout them. However, the mountainsides rarely get snow, and it’s even relatively warm. This means monsters are hardly affected and can get through winter. As a result, many monsters evolve during winter, and hunters who visit in spring can suffer casualties, is that it?”

“Yes. While it becomes easier for hunters to move around in spring, it’s also the time we need to be most cautious.”

Mana sama is accompanying us this time, and she was patiently explaining this to my father-in-law.

The Goblin King is a Catastrophe Species, so it’s undoubtedly a troublesome monster. However, with a Monster Rank of G-C, it’s not a particular problem for Mana sama, an Ancient Elf.

I didn’t expect to encounter one, but it’s also a suitable monster for Mana sama’s current condition, so she seems highly motivated while explaining to my father-in-law.

“Mana-chan’s sword, isn’t it called a Multi-jointed Sword?”

“Yes. As a sword alone, it lacks strength, but that’s compensated for by using Mana Ring.”

“That’s amazing too. It can be used on armor and the like, so we don’t get scratches from branches on mountain paths like this.”

“More than that, I heard you can even repair minor scratches with your own magic. I wonder what the principle behind that is.”

“It’s a bit of a long story, so I’ll explain when we get back. For now, we need to defeat these Goblins.”

“That’s true.”

With Magic Power enhancement, anyone can strengthen their arms and armor, or repair minor tears and scuffs.

For Hunters, in particular, it’s a matter of life and death, so the magic-strengthening spell Mana Ring is essential.

“The Goblin King, you want to defeat it yourself now, don’t you, Mana-chan?”

“Yes. It’s been two months since I gave birth, but I haven’t been hunting much, so I want to regain some of my skills.”

Mana sama, who gave birth to Saki-chan two months ago, has been on hunts several times.

However, she’s been holding back from full-scale hunts, and has only targeted monsters up to B-rank at most. She wants to hunt some S-rank monsters around here.

Honestly, I don’t think the Goblin King is quite within her current capabilities.

“Two months might be too soon to push yourself too hard, don’t you think?”

“I think so too, but it seems not being able to hunt is more stressful for a Hunter than you might think. Once you evolve to High Class, you’re less prone to illness, and injuries can be healed with magic. Aside from pregnancy, work is pretty much the only thing that can cause issues.”

Yamato is answering my father-in-law’s question, and he’s right – at the High Class stage, you become less susceptible to illness, and at the Ancient Class, you’re practically immune. While overexertion can lead to illness, you won’t contract fatal diseases.

The only thing to be careful about is monster poison. However, weak poisons are ineffective, and even the poisons of high-rank monsters can be withstood unless they are extremely lethal.

But that’s all thanks to having immense Magic Power.

There’s a theory that even Ancient Classes might fall ill if their Magic Power is depleted.

“Not getting sick sounds nice.”

“Right? So, besides the Goblin King, can I handle the rest?”

“That’s fine, but leave the corpses, okay?”

“Understood.”

I thought my father-in-law would be the one fighting, but it seems my mother-in-law will be. She raised the Engraving Divine Artifact, the Sacred Bow Failnaught, and imbued it with magic.

“Failnaught, it’s only *that* one, remember?”

“Understood.”

Engraving Divine Artifacts, a type of Engraving Tool, astonishingly possess will, can speak, and can even drink sake.

I was genuinely surprised the first time I saw one. Yamato and Mako also confirmed they were Engraving Divine Artifacts, but it seemed too nonsensical.

“I think I’ll use this today.”

“Don’t overdo it.”

“I know, I know.”

With that, my mother-in-law used Silverio Cosmo Nation, an S-rank, non-elemental, non-specific術式 (jutsu-shiki – technique). This is an S-rank Engraving Magic (Martial Art) she developed about 30 years ago.

The Goblin settlement was suddenly engulfed in darkness, and then silver stars appeared in the sky.

As the stars fell, they ignited in flames. The Goblins, immobilized by the simultaneous formation of an extremely frigid world, had no choice but to receive the silver meteor showers into their bodies and turn into silver statues.

The sight was both beautiful and terrifying. Furthermore, not a single star fell upon the Goblin King, making it impossible to guess the level of skill and experience required to achieve such a feat.

“There, all done.”

“It’s been a while, but it’s as incredible as ever.”

“Truly. But you only turned them into silver statues, so you did hold back.”

“Huh? That was holding back?”

Ludia exclaimed, and I felt the same way.

“The original Silverio Cosmo Nation shatters those silver statues as well, from the inside.”

“It’s been refined over and over. Mako’s Calamity Hexagram was inspired by this.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. That’s precisely why it became such a formidable technique.”

I never imagined Mako’s Calamity Hexagram was inspired by my mother-in-law’s Silverio Cosmo Nation. Unique Magic spells are often inspired by what others use, so I suppose Engraving Magic is the same.

“Mana-chan, aren’t you going to do it?”

“Ah, excuse me. Here I go!”

Mana sama, who had been stunned and mesmerized by my mother-in-law’s incredible Engraving Magic, snapped back to attention after being called by her.

She then channeled magic into her Lapis Whip Sword, gathered the magic of her summoned beast, created a Sterling Divider, and slammed it down onto the Goblin King.

“It’s amazing that you can use your summoned beast’s magic too.”

“Thank you. However, after my mother-in-law’s Engraving Magic, I feel it’s a little lacking.”

The Goblin King, split in half from its left shoulder, looked far from satisfied to Mana sama.

Indeed, after my mother-in-law’s Engraving Magic, it’s understandable for her to feel dissatisfied, even if the result would normally be considered satisfactory.

“Unique Magic is like S-rank, where you think of it yourself, right? So, don’t rush, and take your time to think.”

“Rushing it won’t result in any good magic, after all.”

“Yes, thank you.”

My father-in-law and mother-in-law’s advice resonated with us.

“Yamato, are you still going to scout around?”

“No, I didn’t expect a King to be here, so we’ll wrap up for today. We need to report to the Hunter’s Guild and inform Yuri as well.”

We didn’t anticipate the emergence of a Goblin King. While a G-C rank monster like this can be dealt with by a few High Class individuals with alloy weapons, it’s still a Catastrophe Species. Therefore, even though it’s been defeated, reporting to the Lord and the Hunter’s Guild is of the utmost priority.

“Yamato, my sister and I are heading to Valentia next. Can I leave the report to you?”

“That’s fine, but what are you going to Valentia for?”

“Information gathering, mainly. We heard rumors of a Kobold Princess sighted in the south, so my sister and I were called upon.”

A Kobold Princess has appeared?

However, Valentia has M-rank Hunter Ribart, and I’ve heard that High Hunters there are also equipped with alloy weapons. So, I would think they could defeat it without needing to call on Lydia and Ludia.

More importantly, where did Lydia and Ludia get this information?

“Lydia, who did you hear that from?”

“Father. We came to Float with Mother and the others to stay as Associate Dragoner’s Masters, but just before departing Dragunia, a report came in about a Kobold Princess sighting.”

It was from Lord Freyus?

I did hear yesterday that Lord Freyus entered the General Headquarters of the Dragoner’s Guild with his wife, and Lydia and Ludia went to see them. They must have heard about the Kobold Princess then, but why didn’t they tell us?

“The Kobold Princess was sighted, but there hasn’t been any particular damage.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. After speaking with Father, I went to the Hunter’s Guild in Dragunia and spoke with Remy. Apparently, the pack with the Kobold Princess lives on a solitary island in a lake in the southern region.”

I see, so because it’s on a solitary island, the Kobold Princess can’t move from there, and that’s why there’s no damage.

But it’s still an Abnormal Species, and once its existence is confirmed, shouldn’t it be hunted?

“So, they asked Ribart to scout it. Ribart’s wife is a Dragonian, and she recently evolved into a Hydragonian. So, she can reach the solitary island from the sky without a boat.”

So, Ribart already received a special request. And with both of his wives having evolved into Hydragonians, the risk should be low with aerial reconnaissance. Even if a W-rank monster were present, escape would be possible.

“I see. So, depending on the reconnaissance results, they might want Lydia and Ludia to participate.”

“Yes. Ribart was scheduled to depart this morning, so we should have the results tomorrow at the earliest, or within a few days at the latest.”

Not only the reconnaissance results but also the timing of their findings makes it difficult for us to make plans. That’s why Lydia and Ludia remained tight-lipped until then.

“In that case, it seems I won’t be needed, right?”

“It’s highly unlikely that they’ll need your strength, Yamato.”

“Besides, you’ve lost your sword now. And even if a Catastrophe Species were to appear, we could handle it.”

Indeed, Kobolds are monsters of the same rank as Orcs. Abnormal Species are G-I rank, and even Catastrophe Species are P-C rank. Both Lydia and Ludia have experience defeating Amazoness, a higher-tier demi-human than Kobolds or Orcs, and even an M-C rank Amazoness Queen. Therefore, even if a Kobold Catastrophe Species were to appear, they could likely defeat it.

“Isn’t that a flag?”

“Mother, did you say something?”

“Nothin’. So, are we going back to Alka today?”

“After reporting to Yuri and the Hunter’s Guild.”

It seems Mother said something, but no one could hear it. Well, Mako is frowning deeply, so it seems she heard it. I’m curious about what she said, but there’s nothing I can do about it now. Let’s return to Feel and report to Sir Yuri and Linus.