040 – Water Lily Forest (1)
A more luxurious dinner spot than usual.
Lenny showed her cooking skills to the fullest this time.
Because today is Tigris’ birthday.
Charlotte was startled by the tender steak that melted in her mouth.
In addition, the bittersweet wine sauce gently wraps the steak, adding flavor to the meat that might otherwise be bland.
“Wow, is this really delicious?”
“Ahem! I showed my skills today!”
“I think it’s much better than the Ketia restaurant downstairs.”
“thank you. Oh, this onion soup was made by Karen. Have a drink.”
Karen, Linia’s exclusive user, looked at Linia’s expression with anxious eyes.
Linia was surprised when she took a bite of the onion soup.
“Wow. this is very tasty Did Karen really do this?”
“yes. are you okay?”
“yes. Very tasty. I never knew onions could be so delicious.”
“thank you.”
Karen’s face turned slightly red as if she was happy with Linia’s compliment.
Recently, Lenny taught Karen when she learned to cook at the culinary academy, and Karen’s cooking skills have improved as well.
Linia looked carefully and took out a gift box from under the table.
“Happy birthday brother.”
Afterwards, Charlotte and Irene also brought out presents.
“Happy birthday, Instructor Tigris.”
“congratulations.”
It was the first time in Tigris’ life that he had received so many gifts.
I didn’t know that Charlotte and Irene had prepared a birthday present too.
“···Thank you.”
After accepting Charlotte and Irene, Tigris learned a lot that she didn’t know before returning.
The fact that there is always someone waiting for him when he comes home from work and the act of bringing delicious food and sharing it with each other made Tigris’ expression colorful.
It was tears of regret when I first stepped into the heart of the dry desert of Tigris, but after those tears of regret passed, feelings of happiness and joy bloomed like green sprouts.
It seemed that it was only today that he realized that it is failure and regret to mature a human being, but happiness and joy to enrich a human being.
tooth
Charlotte immediately read Tigris’ expression.
“uh! Are you ashamed of this?!”
“not.”
“not really?! Is that face the first time I’ve seen it? Instructor Tigris would be ashamed…”
“Charlotte, you have special training tomorrow morning.”
“Aaaah! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”
“Let’s skip breakfast. I might vomit.”
“Ahh!”
After a noisy meal, we had tea.
Tigris said looking at Charlotte and Irene with the cookies in their mouths.
“I have an appointment for next Monday.”
“What is your schedule? What is your schedule?”
“It is the maintenance of the water lily forest.”
water lily forest.
It is a training ground jointly managed by the Imperial University and the Remion Swordsmanship Academy under the Imperial University.
Because it was a training ground designed to give young knights and wizards the lack of practical experience, the monsters actually lived there.
Of course, most of them were monsters of level 7-9, such as goblins, gnolls, and white-haired monkeys, but it was an important educational course for young students who had little chance to hunt monsters.
“By the way, didn’t martial law fall in Victoria? Can I go to the water lily forest?”
Due to the current Chimera Lab incident, no one can enter or leave Victory.
This is because the criminals involved in the Chimera Lab incident have not yet been caught.
In particular, Viscount Kayle and his immediate family, who were directly involved in the construction of the Chimera Lab, had not been caught, so no one could enter or leave Victoria for the time being.
“It was specially authorized by His Majesty the Emperor. And martial law will not last very long.”
“yes? why?”
“Because the goods produced in the factories have to go out. Martial law will not last for more than two months, as factories are suffering huge losses just by locking the gates.”
And the purpose of this martial law is to catch criminals hiding in the current ecliptic.
Thanks to the hard work of the Inquisitors, most of the characters directly related to the Chimera Lab were captured, so if Viscount Kayle and his immediate family are all caught, martial law will be lifted automatically.
Before the return, martial law did not go away for more than three months after the Chimera Lab incident broke out.
“Then you’re saying that the sequence wars are proceeding normally?”
“okay. It is highly likely that That’s why we’re doing the maintenance of the water lily forest.”
Tigris volunteered when recruiting personnel for training forest maintenance.
The reason I dared to do it was because there was a sacred relic of ‘Lovers’ in the Water Lily Forest.
‘The original relic was also discovered by Rakan around this time.’
Rakan strangely found these holy relics, ancient relics, artifacts, and elixir.
If possible, they were going to let Rakan discover them, but the relics were still dangerous to Rakan.
The relic itself is not cursed, but the moment you touch the relic, the ‘Trial of the Constellation’ will take place.
Since Rakan could not yet overcome the trials of the constellation, Tigris was going to break the trials of the constellation and retrieve the relics.
“So Irene, Charlotte. Make sure you prepare yourself.”
“uh? Are we going too?”
“You are the instructor’s assistant. Imagine going with me wherever I go.”
And he was going to teach the two of them how to hunt monsters while they were on their way.
Because war and monster hunting are not simply about wielding a sword well.
* * *
Tigris, Irene and Charlotte got off the carriage.
The water lily forest was located about 12 hours away by carriage from Victoria, the zodiac.
Charlotte patted her on the back.
“Uh… the carriage really doesn’t seem right for me. Irene, are you okay?”
Irene said while carrying the great sword as if carrying a cross bag.
“yes. senior.”
“But do you really have to carry that great sword? If you march with it, you might get tired quickly.”
“it’s okay.”
In the past, Irene’s body was out of balance and when she walked or ran for a long time, her back or legs hurt a lot.
However, after leaving the bayonet for over two weeks and recovering the body with the ‘cell growth technique’ taught by Tigris, the body’s balance returned to some extent.
Of course, it is not fully recovered, so if you swing the great sword for a long time, your body will be out of balance again.
“…well, if you’re okay with it, there’s nothing I can do about it.”
Tchrist got off the chariot.
Tigris wore a thin coat, not her usual uniform, and shoes that were comfortable to walk for a long time.
It was an adventurous style rather than the usual cold soldier-like feeling, but it suited me very well.
-Wow… That must be Instructor Tigris.
– You said that you also received the Order of the Golden Cross from His Majesty this time? It is said that if you receive it, you can establish a new family as a medal of honor.
– He was really handsome. Shall we cuddle one more time?
-Is that the famous Tigris fashion? I think you can see why it’s called Tigris Fashion.
Most people said good things, but some instructors spit and mumbled a little.
– What’s so handsome about that? It’s just normal.
-I heard that mutant is very weak? Rumor has it that he was deliberately doing a show in the Empire to make a hero.
Some even pretended to take pictures of the scenery, pressing the camera shutters towards Tigris.
Charlotte and Irene looked at Tigris.
It was clear that Tchrist had heard gossip, but there was no change in his expression.
It was because before the return, I had received much more jealousy and hatred than this.
Talking behind the scenes and taking pictures in secret was at the level of aegyo.
If I reacted sensitively to each and every useless thing like that, I would only get tired.
“Then go.”
“Yes. Instructor.”
Charlotte went into the forest of water lilies, slightly glaring at those who were talking behind the scenes.
Tigris’ mission was to exterminate level 6 or higher monsters in the Training Forest and investigate the monster nests.
There were three instructors, including Tigris, who received the same task, and it was planned to proceed in such a way that the information was cross-verified after conducting a full investigation regardless of the area in charge.
Therefore, the time given to Tigris was a whopping five days.
If you do your research while teaching Charlotte and Irene, you will be able to finish it by the deadline.
At that time, two men came to Tigris.
“Are you sure it’s Instructor Tigris?”
Tigris checked the faces of the men.
One man had a brown mustache, and the other man was holding a sword and a sword like a cane.
Both were unknown.
“That’s right.”
“Oh, it’s such an honor to see you like this. I am Instructor Zekri, Instructor of Elemental Magic at Imperial University. It’s not that different… Maybe we can talk about it separately…”
Both Charlotte and Irene could notice the smell of burning their backs.
“If you can’t say something here, don’t do it.”
“···ah. that is···.”
The men glanced at Irene and Charlotte, and finally opened their mouths.
“I will tell you now. Other than that, I personally really respect Instructor Tigris. Being the youngest 4-star knight is not enough…”
“Tell me the gist. We don’t have that much time, do we?”
“…so, it is really regrettable that Instructor Tigris, the hero of Victory, is doing such a tough job. So, Instructor Tigris, ride the wagon we prepared and rest comfortably at a nearby resort…”
Zekri’s mouth froze for a moment.
The thick flesh he felt from Tigris had hardened his body.
“Are you forcing me to sabotage?”
“Tae… it’s not Tae-up. That’s not…”
Tigris hated this kind of garbage the most.
Humans like worms that corrode the Empire.
Because of these guys, the foundation of the empire was shaken, and the empire fell to Lota and Arphem.
“Give me a warning.”
Tigris glared at the two men.
“I will search this water lily forest meticulously. I will report in detail how many monster nests there are, how many individuals there are, and what is the faction composition, where there are level 6 or higher monsters, and how they are dealt with.”
The men trembled with their lips.
“If you are meticulous, it can take more than five days. No, it could take more than a week. But time doesn’t matter to me. What is important to me is the completion of the mission.”
Tigris took one step closer to them.
Unknowingly, they took a step back.
“If there is a marked difference in the quality and quantity of the report I wrote and yours, I will ask the two of them about their qualifications as instructors. Do you know what I mean?”
“···that. Yes···. Yes. All right.”
“Then you won’t have time to hold onto me, so go. By the way···”
Tigris checked their clothes.
The two were wearing thin cotton shirts, high-quality formal trousers, and even expensive leather shoes.
“You have to put on your clothes again.”
Tigris left the two men staring blankly behind Tigris and went into the forest.
Irene and Charlotte also followed Tigris after briefly shooting the two instructors.
* * *
Charlotte furrowed her eyebrows as if she was still less angry.
“Aren’t those people really stupid? What time is now… I don’t know if I’m qualified to be an instructor.”
“There are monsters. From now on, let’s just talk about what’s necessary.”
“···I know.”
Tigris opened the map first.
“This is where we are now. We will first move along this river.”
In general, the river was a place where a lot of monsters gathered. In particular, there were a lot of small monsters living in groups like goblins, white-haired monkeys, and gnolls.
“Do you know why we investigate small swarm monsters in the first place?”
“···uh.”
Charlotte and Irene pondered for a moment at the sudden question.
It was Irene who spoke first.
“I think it might be because by examining the ecology of swarm-type small monsters first, we can check whether there are predators that hunt them.”
“That’s right.”
Tigris had no intention of simply teaching Charlotte and Irene how to kill monsters.
How to hunt, and how to avoid the threat of monsters I was going to tell you.
“If we are at war, the most important thing is supply and positioning of the command post. Normally, they do not feel threatened because they live within the safe walls, but the field battles are different. You have to select a command post and place supplies in the wild area where monsters live.”
The most terrifying thing in the field is the nearby monster, which is a very popular word among commanders.
If there are goblins nearby, they rob them of supplies, if there are swarms of orcs, they attack the command post from time to time, and if there are griffons, they hunt humans.
“Whether a war between humans or monsters, we need to check what monsters live near the command post and supply routes. If dangerous monsters live, avoid them, and if not, completely destroy them.”
“Well···.”
Charlotte and Irene listened to Tigris with interesting expressions.
I heard it in monster studies and military science classes, but when I went outside and listened to it, it seemed to stick in my ears.
“If there are a lot of small monsters such as goblins, gnolls, and white-haired monkeys living nearby, it doesn’t really matter. That means there aren’t any dangerous predators like panfish or saber tigers that prey on them. However, no matter how much you search, you have to be careful if you do not see small monsters within 1km.”
“It means that there must be dangerous monsters.”
“Yes.”
Tigris moved and moved along the riverbank.
Footprints were everywhere.
“These footprints are those of gnolls. It must have been here at least a day or two ago, as the mud is completely dry.”
“Does that mean there are no dangerous monsters around here?”
“I can’t say for sure, but it’s very likely. First, let’s go in the direction the gnolls moved.”
Tigris also taught Irene and Charlotte how to pursue the gnolls.
Gnolls’ noses are three times that of humans, so they always had to chase the wind head-on.
Tigris strengthened his hearing with an aura.
-Creung!あ!
– Kung! Goo Gung!
I could hear the gnolls talking.
Charlotte and Irene also lowered their bodies to see if they could hear the voices of the gnolls.
“Looks like there are gnolls nearby. Just check the nest size and go back. Let the two of you stay here.”
Tigris slowly approached the place where the voices of the gnolls could be heard.
Charlotte and Irene were surprised that Tigris’ footsteps were not heard at all.
The footwork that Tigris was spreading was clearly the ‘silent footsteps’, a common Auror operation technique for the Empire.
Silent footsteps were an advanced Auror operation skill, so Charlotte and Irene had yet to use them.
Tigris confirmed the number of gnolls.
There were about 12.
The number of males and females is the same, and there was a deer left from eating near the fire as if it had recently hunted a deer.
That said, those 12 were the end.
Gnolls are lazy people who don’t hunt unnecessary things.
Tigris returned after confirming the current location, detailing the number of gnolls, whether they had baby gnomes, and what weapons they were using.
“It has been There are no monsters up to 3km from here.”
“yes? Why?”
“The area of gnolls that form small clusters is up to 3 km. Nol is not a hunting person, but he is a warlike monster that always fights when monsters settle around him. So there will be no nests of goblins or other gnolls around.”
Charlotte and Irene were amazed.
I thought Tigris could only handle swords well, but he also had extensive knowledge about monsters.
“How the hell do you know all this?”
“Read the book.”
“I read a lot.”
“Read more.”
It was partly because Tigris read a lot, but partly because of the experience he had in practice.
“The sword does not exist simply to wield. It is wielded to protect people from harmful monsters. Therefore, it would be better to not only focus on swordsmanship, but to acquire a wide range of knowledge related to monsters and various tactics.”
Tigris then moved to the river.
We also checked several goblin nests nearby, as well as those of white-haired monkeys.
I also watched the scene where the monsters were fighting over the territory.
It was the first time seeing monsters fighting each other, so Charlotte and Irene looked at each other with curious eyes.
“Are goblins and goblins fighting?”
“Goblin is a monster with a lot of greed and a monster with behavior patterns most similar to humans. There is always one leader in a group, and if that leader is not good, he rebels and kills him. They even enslave the same goblins.”
“···Wow. It’s really exciting.”
“And while play or white-haired monkeys do not come close to them because they are afraid of humans, goblins are greedy and risk their lives for human supplies. So, if you see a goblin nest nearby, there are commanders who take care of it unconditionally.”
That was Tigris.
Before returning, during an all-out war with Lota and Arphem, the goblins attacked them, robbing them of all their food, and they had to retreat.
So, he was always more wary of goblins than other monsters.
“But it’s a little strange.”
A group of goblins were acting strangely.
He didn’t care whether he died or not, he just rushed at the goblin on the other side at random.
And they were killing with stones, fists, or teeth, not the stingers or bone bats that goblins mainly use.
‘Avoid using tools and not afraid of death…’
There was only one such case.
“There is a goblin shaman nearby.”
“Are you a goblin shaman?”
Charlotte tilted her head at the name of the monster she had never heard of.
“He’s a goblin who uses magic. He is a level 5 monster.”
“You say goblins are level 5? why?”
“It’s because of the magic he uses. It would have been dangerous if I hadn’t found it.”
The spells used by goblins also affect humans.
If the spell was wrong, it could cause permanent physical and mental damage.
Tigris said to both of them.
“Get ready. We must hunt the shaman.”