Semi-retired Adventurer Lives Leisurely

Chapter 111: The Winter Adventurers

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[GAAAAHHHHーーーー!]

 

Cyril: “EEK?!”

 

Cyril lets out a cry as she deflects the claws of the Wild Bear she faces.

 

Henry: “Hey! Stop flinching every time! You have the newest [Mr.
Barrier], right?!”

 

As Cyril cowers away from the bear, I let out a scolding roar from a little distance away.

 

The [Mr.
Barrier (Extreme Defense)] is something Cyril recently bought to help protect her.
As far as durability goes, it should give her the same defensive stats as an average vanguard.
Even if she connected directly with a Wild Bear’s attack, no matter how bad, the worst she would suffer is a broken bone.
I wish she would be more bold.
Or….at least, putting aside any reckless courage, going in too weak-heartedly is much more dangerous.

 

Cyril: “～～! Okay, I get, it!”

 

The words struck a chord in Cyril, and she faced off squarely with the Wild Bear, and poured her overflowing Magic Power into her staff as she swung to hit it.

 

[ーーGAH!!]

 

………only…..she definitely put in more Magic Power than she needed to, but she wasn’t able to utilize it into strengthening the attack.
She poured 10 times as much Magic Power as I would, and only got 1/10 of what my attack would have done.
She will have to focus on improving this inefficiency going forward.

 

Jend: “But man.
Look at Cyril now.
She’s finally able to do some close combat.”

 

Henry: “……with that?”

Jend: “When she first became an Adventurer, it was real bad.
Since we began doing expeditions with you, there weren’t any incidents where she had to do close range combat, so it might be hard for you to picture.”

 

Jend was watching alongside me and nostalgically recalled the not-so-long-ago past.

 

We were in the Flowtier Forest ー not far from where we entered.

 

We were on an expedition, but since we cannot enter Altohern during the winter season, we are working on new techniques or practicing to overcome our weaknesses in our own respective areas.

 

That’s why Cyril is facing off with a Wild Bear one on one ー this is part of her training.
We don’t plan to make our rearguard susceptible or vulnerable to attacks, but there is always that “what-if” you have to consider.
When that happens, if she can at least do the minimal basics, her chances of survival will exponentially increase.

 

Cyril: “Take that!”

 

Her battle roar came out as a pathetic squeak, as she slammed her staff against the side of the Wild Bear’s head.
She must have connected with something critical in that area because the Wild Bear wavered slightly on its feet.

 

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……….the way she just dodged a huge swing from the Wild Bear and countered was okay.
I’ll need to remember to compliment her on that later.

 

Cyril: “Oh, good! ………Yah!” (sfx yell)

 

Once the Wild Bear fell to the ground, Cyril hesitated for a second but then brought down the final blow.

 

And the way she didn’t hesitate much on finishing off the bear was good too.
Unlike Magecraft and Magic, although it is a Demonic Creature, there are many who resist killing creatures with their own hands.

 

Overlooking the initial bumbling of the fight, she got a passing score on this battle.

 

But……

 

Teo: “Mr.
Henry, I’ll shoot at it first.
It’ll be bad if it goes berserk, so please cover Miss Cyril.” Henry: “Got it.
Let’s go.” I nodded to Teo who placed an arrow in her bow and began running forward.

 

We headed straight for what was behind Cyril.
There was another Wild Bear who was sneaking up on her through the trees and brushes.

 

Henry: (CYRIL! BEHIND YOU!)

 

Cyril: (Huh? ACK?!)

 

Through Cyril’s [Link Ring], I deliver a warning to her mind directly.
……and at the same time, I grit my teeth as the bones and muscles in my legs groan from the strain and dash forward.

 

Today, I drank two speed enhancing potions.
So for speed and reflex, I was able to move at the same speed as when Yuu would cast her {Physical Enhancement} on me.

 

One moment later, Teo’s arrow comes from behind.
If I wanted to, I could almost reach out and grab that arrow who’s slowly overtaking me with my hand.

 

But drinking multiple potions of the same ability enhancement is actually a very dangerous and risky act.
If it’s a speed enhancing potion, one misstep, and you can wreck the muscles and nerves in your legs and become immobile.

 

The reason why I can casually test this is because of our amazing Healer, Ferris.

 

[GEE?! GAHH?!]

 

The arrow pierced its chest as the Wild Bear howled in pain.

 

One moment later, I arrive in between the Wild Bear and Cyril, and ready my spear to guard her.

 

Teo did not pour any Magic Power into the arrow.
Because of that, the arrow only pierced a little of its thick fur and muscles and didn’t do any damage.
It swung energetically once and then twice as I block the attacks without countering.

 

[GUUUUUUーーー?!]

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Finally, the Wild Bear’s movements began slowing and soon, it drunkenly fell against a tree and remained there.

 

Cyril: “HーHenry, what just happened?”

 

Henry: “Oh, the experiment was a success.”

 

ーーit was poison.

 

We used a paralyzing poison based on Teo’s proper knowledge of the Cloud Plains Style (what Ageha uses is her own twisted, original concoctions).

 

Teo had knowledge around these kinds of poisons but never tested it.
So we were currently testing out the effectiveness of each.

 

……..though they are Demonic Creatures, it is a little cruel, but if we don’t know how effective it is, it would be way too dangerous to try this out on the fly on Altohern.

 

We are focused on immediate effectiveness and the paralyzing effect was thought to be not as powerful, but this is better than we hoped for.

 

The Wild Bear’s arms and legs twitched as it continued to glare daggers at us.

 

Henry: “Sorry.” We were able to confirm the effectiveness of the poison.
I struck the heart of the Wild Bear to finish it off.

 

Henry: “Teo, the effectiveness of the poison was pretty good.
If it can do this much to a tough Wild Bear in the Lower-Tiers, I think it’ll be effective against Mid-Tiers too.”

 

As I was fighting it, Teo had come up pretty close to be able to study the effectiveness of the poison up close.

 

Teo: “Yes, I was watching too.
This round, I used the 4th combination, but the effect was much higher than we imagined……I’ll make note of its composition.”

 

And this time, Teo had meticulously recorded each of her test poison’s compositions and was gradually increasing its potency.
She had bottles labeled from 1 through 10 today and had notes on each one.

 

……….a smidgen of doubt crosses my mind.
Though it’s a dangerous and cruel process, as an Adventurer, this is normal……..right? I think so…….? I shut away the thoughts protesting putting a girl that hasn’t reached adulthood through such actions.

 

Cyril: “WーWow….how scary…..Teo, please don’t spill that poison anywhere.”

 

Teo: “Of course.
I’m taking extreme cautions storing and maintaining these.
Otherwise, my certifications will be revoked.”

 

Teo had the same Handling of 2 Types of Hazardous Chemicals Certification as me.
Without knowing how to properly store and take care of these chemicals, you could not pass their test.

 

Teo: “Well, I am adjusting these to be effective against Demonic Creatures, so even if a human was exposed…….I wouldn’t say that it would be harmless, but it wouldn’t be fatal either.
I think.” Cyril: “You think?”

Teo: “I wouldn’t be able to confirm it by testing.” I think about Teo’s cousin who has developed poison resistance……no, wait.
We can’t do that.
Don’t think about it, Henry.
It’s like when they say speak of the devil.
I began to faintly hear a voice in my head say, “Heyー I was bored so I dropped by!”

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Cyril: “Oh, before that! How was my elegant staff skills, Henry?! Wasn’t I something else?”

 

And as Cyril recalled her previous battle, she immediately began pressing me for compliments.
I could read her need for compliments right off her face.

 

I let out a deep sigh.

 

Henry: “The fact that you were too focused on the opponent in front of you and did not recognize the other one hiding is an automatic F, you idiot.” And I jab at Cyril’s face that was coming closer with one finger.

 

………..and well, if it was just the two of us, I would overlook such mistakes and compliment her, but unfortunately for her, I don’t carry over romantic relationships during expeditions.

 

Cyril: “GRRRーー”

 

Henry: “Pouting won’t get you anywhere.”

 

Cyril also understands this, and even before we started going out, she was like this too.

 

I scratch my head with a “ughー”.

 

…….yeah, what I said wasn’t wrong, but you can give or rob motivation to your Party members with just logic alone, so in that sense, my wording was poor.

 

Henry: “Yes, yes.
You’ve done well to improve to the point where you can face off a Wild Bear one on one.
Keep up the good work.” Cyril: “Oh, yes, I will!”

 

As soon as she gets one compliment, she immediately clutches her fists in victory.

 

……..and well, if you just consider the results, she did accomplish something big.
Being able to take down a Wild Bear one on one would symbolize the graduation from a rookie as a vanguard.

 

Jend: “Hey, good work.” Ferris: “Good work everyone.
……Mr.
Henry, any side-effects from the potions?” Jend and Ferris joined us too.

 

Henry: “Yeah.
…….I think it’ll be about 10 more minutes before the effects wear off, and I think I can hold up until then.
Looks like I’m more compatible with the speed booster potions in general.” Ferris: “You know what you’re doing is irresponsible, right? Remember what happened with the strength enhancing potions? You completely tore your muscles while the potion was still active.”

 

………..yeah……

 

These kinds of potions are expensive too, so it’s really hitting me financially, but it is really helpful to know my true limits for when things get really dicey.
I know she can’t overlook this kind of behavior as a medical professional, butーー

 

Jend: “Alright! I’m up next.
Magecraft Spells during combat……I’ll make it succeed this time.”

 

Jend is getting himself pumped up.

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This guy is in the middle of his Magecraft Spell Training too.
He has been watching me use my Spells, and seeing how useful and flexible my Spells are, he has been diligently studying the Kroseid Style.
Just the other day, he finally obtained the Kroseid Style 6th Rank.

 

………and honestly, my gut feeling says that Jend will probably not thrive in the Magecraft area, but at least giving it a good go won’t hurt his future.
If he’s studied Magecraft, he will be able to better coordinate with Mages in the future too.

 

Cyril: “Well besides that, Jend.
I’ve been thinking about this a lot, but aren’t those things way too big and in the way?” Henry: “Hey, don’t be like that.
A Spell Call Stone like the one Henry has is super expensive.” Jend responds sullenly to Cyril’s critique.

 

………and I understand what Cyril’s trying to tell him.
Jend is currently carrying around a square metal plate that’s 30 cm (～1 ft) wide and tall.
The Spell Call Stone in the shape of a small dice has 6 Spells engraved on it, but Jend has one Spell per plate.
In addition, the material it’s made from is cheap iron.

 

Yeah, it’s equipment meant for practicing and training.
If you want Spells engraved on smaller objects, you will get charged high technical fees, but with this, an apprentice can make one as practice, so you’re barely charged more than the material fees.

 

So there’s 3 more of those blunt, heavy objects in Teo’s bag.

 

Henry: “[Cannon] {Telma}, huh….
It’s a decent Spell that you can blast pretty quickly and simply but….”

 

Jend: “I know your [Launch] {Velos} is much more compatible with other Spells, but I can fire this one off alone, and it’s pretty strong….”

 

Jend is running into incredible difficulty combining different kinds of Kroseid Spells together.

 

With only 2 Spell combinations, he’s failing at least once every 3 times or so.
That’s why he’s selecting a Spell that has relatively high effect without combining it with others.

 

The Kroseid Style Spell System is based upon 3 pillars ー

1.
How much Magic Power you can store.

2.
How many other Spells you can combine it with.
And

3.
The effects of the Spell used alone.

 

For instance, [Strengthen] {Hazac} has very simple effects, but you can pour more Magic Power into it.

 

In comparison, the [Cannon] {Telma} has a limit of being able to combine up to 2 other Spells.
But, it’s quite useful to use alone.

 

…….but according to the creator of the Style, those who state that these are the limitations of the style are because they don’t understand the true essence underneath.

 

Ferris: “I’d like to train with my sword more.
Maybe the next Wild Bear or……maybe I’ll go look for a Griffin.”

 

With Ferris’ words, we began searching.

 

………and like this…..

 

We continued our Adventurer activities during the winter season too.