Chapter 33

Each time the deer-shaped spirit stamped a hoof, each time it swung its antlers, the surrounding trees shuddered in unison.

Giant leaves and twigs rained down at our feet, and unexpected thunder ripped through the moonlit sky, creating a chaotic din.

Yet, despite the fury of the lightning summoned by the spirit, it refused to ignite the surrounding trees. I watched the spectacle with a curious expression, while Lir beside me, his hat pulled tightly over his eyes, curled himself into a pill bug, missing this peculiar phenomenon entirely.

…Crouching down when lightning strikes is common sense, but he still looked a little unsightly, I couldn’t help but think.

“…Uhm, Spirit. If you could possibly tell us, just why you are so… incensed…”

I cautiously approached the spirit, who was still unleashing thunder and lightning upon the heavens, attempting a calm conversation.

“Demons! Those demon b*stards defiled my home, stole away all my neighbors! They even dared to settle in my forest, polluting my home with their filthy flesh! Where are those wretched scum now, tell me?!”

“Um… perhaps you should calm down first and listen to what I have to say.”

“Calm down, my ass! Damn it, could you stay calm if all your neighbors were kidnapped, and those kidnappers brazenly set up shop in your home, and then smeared shit all over the walls?”

Hmm… I thought spirits were supposed to be refined, noble-minded beings, but hearing that earthy language, I guess not always.

“That does sound rather difficult to stomach… Still, would you please calm down and hear our story? We drove the demons out of this forest…”

“Lead me to where those demons are! I’ll burn them all to a crisp right this instant!”

Seriously, you crazy b*stard, just listen for once.

I stamped my hooves, repeating the same words over and over, trying to pacify the spirit whose voice, filled with rage, reverberated through the surroundings.

How many times did I have to repeat ‘calm down,’ maybe ten times?

Finally, the spirit managed to regain some composure and began to listen to me.

“We, we… Mr., I mean! We’ve driven all the demons away! Yes? Do you understand?”

Somehow my tone had turned into that of a civil servant dealing with a stubborn, malignant complainer.

Judging from his tone and demeanor, this spirit wasn’t exactly one to put a high value on etiquette.

“Hooo… Hss, hooo….”

The deer-like spirit, having apparently vented his rage to his heart’s content, was now taking deep breaths, trying to restore his mental and physical equilibrium.

Why a spirit needed to breathe in the first place was a mystery, but… there was no time to waste on useless questions.

I needed to find a campsite soon.

The sun had already set.

Even with a skilled elven ranger by my side, I didn’t want to wander through a treacherous forest, where the location of traps was anyone’s guess, relying only on the light of a lantern.

Right now, I wasn’t really feeling it because I was talking to this flashing lightning deer, but the medieval night, with no streetlights, is darker and more sinister than you’d think.

“You could call it humanity’s dark ages… of physics.”

“Yes, yes… good, good to hear it was handled that way. A fine thing, driving out those wastes and killing them all. Damn, it chafes that I couldn’t handle it myself…”

The Lightning Stag, seemingly calmed somewhat, slowly approached, offering praise.

“Though the demonkin are all burned… damn, still the stench of rot hangs thick in this forest. Cleanse this forest of their foul, stinking magic.”

“…Excuse me?”

I could only furrow my brow, gazing up at the Lightning Stag, magnificent, raising his immense antlers high.

“The landmines, I mean! Damn it, take those wastes reeking of decay and either bury them elsewhere or burn them all!”

If you’re going to ask for something… shouldn’t you start with a touch more courtesy?

That elf archer, too, why are there so many of these manners-less b*stards?

…Is it just the medieval setting?

“If you fulfill my request, I will bestow a blessing upon you as reward.”

“Huh?”

…Is this a quest?

“What, does the condition displease you? I wouldn’t call it a bad offer. Not often you find a mortal blessed by me, no matter where you search in the timelines.”

Ah. It’s a quest.

A wave of dizziness washed over me, a situation I’d never encountered beyond the screen, and I rubbed the furrow between my brows with my fingers.

After playing this game for 4000 hours, not once has the Lightning Spirit ever given out a quest.

It was always just placing your palm on the rune stone, a few lines of text appearing, and then ending with some flashy effect and the message [‘Acquired Spirit’s Blessing!’]…

“…I’ve really stumbled into something this time.”

Yeah, if anything ever went right in my life, that’d be the strange thing.

I’ve come to accept all of this with a kind of detached calm. After all, I’m the one who bet 10,000 on luck… Who am I to complain?

…Besides, it’s not like I can refuse. That blessing the spirit grants is far too crucial to my build.

“Alright…yes, I’ll do it, for now.”

“Spare nothing! Eradicate the magic of those demonic fiends infesting this forest! Only then shall I allow you to approach the core of lightning!”

Unlike my listless reply, the Lightning Spirit’s voice boomed, echoing through the woods.

I wondered if it was okay to shout like that in the middle of the night, but then again, we were probably the only living things around, so it shouldn’t matter.

“…Yes, yes, I understand. Now, uh, why don’t you go back into your stone and get some sleep? I’ll start working on it first thing tomorrow morning.”

“Good! That’s my child!”

Hoo-boy, one moment he’s furious, the next he’s overjoyed, the guy is plain bipolar.

If something called a ‘psychiatric clinic’ ever gets invented, you’re gonna be patient number one.

“…Well, we’ll be taking our leave now. Got to start early tomorrow.”

I bowed to the Lightning Spirit, shaped like a stag, offering a final greeting. The Lightning Spirit seemed pleased, nodding its massive, antlered head.

“I was too riled up to notice earlier, but, you are burdened with quite the tangled web of constraints.”

“…Pardon?”

“Born with both remarkable talent and crushing restrictions. Surprised you’ve survived this long with a body like that! What kind of life have you lived?”

…Is this guy seriously grabbing the guy who’s about to leave and spouting nonsense all of a sudden?

“Just, you know, eventful…”

It was getting dark with each passing moment, and I didn’t want to waste time on pointless chatter. I kept my life in that world and my summary as concise as possible.

Not sure I could even call that a description, honestly.

“Hmm.”

The lightning spirit stared directly into my face, saying nothing. Gazing back at that brightly illuminated deer’s face, I felt as though my entire being was becoming transparent.

It was a strange and peculiar sensation. As if those blazing eyes were scrutinizing the deepest corners of my heart… a truly bizarre feeling.

“Ha! Astella, that crazy b*tch…!”

The lightning spirit, who had been piercing me with its gaze, suddenly invoked the name of the goddess, whom 90 percent of the continent’s inhabitants believed in.

A dangerous pronouncement, one that might have provoked a fierce reaction had there been a priest or a devout believer among us.

“Interesting. I’ll grant you a special gift upon your return.”

A ‘special gift’?

Intrigued by the tempting offer, I opened my mouth to ask what this special gift might be.

But in that instant, the lightning deer, which had been shining so brightly before my eyes, vanished without a trace.

“…Well, it just says its piece and disappears.”

At the same time, the light that had been illuminating everything faded, and a pitch-black darkness descended.

We stood there, waiting for our eyes to adjust to the darkness. It wouldn’t do to move haphazardly in this situation and end up getting scraped by some plant with poisonous thorns.

‘…What could that special gift be? It sounds like something extra, on top of the spirit’s blessing.’

I continued to mull over the spirit’s loaded words, waiting until the darkness became somewhat bearable. It seemed the rewards had increased along with the addition of the quest… the problem was whether the rewards would be worth the difficulty of the quest itself.

The forest region was so vast and the terrain so treacherous that, no matter how I looked at it, this wouldn’t be a job that could be finished in a day or two.

…Looks like I’ll have to get moving bright and early.

* * *

We didn’t bother with a night watch. Since all life had been annihilated by the demonic forces, there was simply no need.

With lamps and weapons leading the way, we soon arrived at a place with a flat rock large enough for three people to lie down on.

“Good heavens, to have met the lightning spirit… I must tell Master at once. This is a monumental discovery that will turn our entire school upside down…”

Lille seemed utterly overwhelmed by the fact that he had witnessed a spirit of lightning with his own two eyes. It was an event a common human mage would never experience in their lifetime, and even elves, who lived long lives, often died without ever catching a glimpse of them. His reaction was only natural.

“How did you know? I truly didn’t realize anything until right before…”

“Sleep.”

Lille seemed ready to pepper me with questions, his voice buzzing with excitement, but I closed my eyes and answered curtly.

I had a mountain of backbreaking labor waiting for me come morning. Why was he so thrilled?

Starting at sunrise, working until sundown without even stopping for water, I couldn’t even fathom how many days it would take to complete the task.

To comb through nearly fifty square meters of dense forest, removing every single mana mine…

I only regretted that this damned medieval era had no labor laws.

“If we’re going to remove all the mana mines that the demonic forces planted throughout this forest, we elves are going to have to suffer quite a bit. And the mages, too…”

The Sergeant, having settled onto the flat stone, lying straight as an arrow as if he’d fall asleep instantly, added his two cents.

“Why don’t you delegate some command authority to me? I’ll lead the archer elves and mages, dispersing them across the area.”

“…The archer company clearly has a lieutenant, why would I transfer command to you?”

“I’m somewhat familiar with the terrain of this uncharted territory. I had a good look around from the cliffs today.”

“That’s not the issue. Giving you command would be ignoring the archer lieutenant. Think of the lieutenant’s face.”

“The archer lieutenant is an elf just like me, they wouldn’t pay much attention to such trifling matters. What’s important to us is efficiently protecting the future of sentient beings like elves and humans, not petty ranks or fleeting face that might disappear in 100, 200 years and be meaningless anyway, right?”

…What is he even saying? In the military, rank is important, you dolt!

“Besides, that guy is 400 years younger than me.”

Ah, so that’s what had been bothering him.

Our boomer, 1200-year-old elf, was clearly displeased at the thought of taking orders from a lieutenant who was a mere 800 years old.

…This is either chaos or a joke of a military.

“The army’s in a right state. Just bloody great.”