The Druid Who Swallowed Mother Nature - Chapter 82



Only Noblemtl

Episode 81. I warned you.

A feather-trimmed hat, leather-trimmed armor, and a crescent-shaped curved sword.

Those who were bringing sandstorms were clearly a group of bandits who had taken over the land of the sand dunes.

“… … .”

When we found them, they were already cold corpses.

A low hill roughly made of sand was their graveyard.

One arm, extended outward, was the last to be buried in the sand dug up by the shovel.

“this.”

It wasn’t us who destroyed them.

A group of armed men were burying the bodies of the men.

They were armed like a group of bandits and had no sense of unity, but each and every one of them had the air of a seasoned veteran.

“I guess we were meant to be. Who would have thought we would meet again after so long apart?”

“That’s true.”

The leader of the group leading them was Chelsea, the adjutant of the Thorson expedition.

The atmosphere was different from when I saw it at the hunting scene of the Ulfirin tribe the other day.

This must be because her once bright blonde hair had turned dark red, as if it had been dyed with blood.

“It’s nice to see you again, Contractor Allen.”

“Well, I don’t know about you, but I don’t think your friends think that way.”

The atmosphere was ominous.

It didn’t seem like it was because they were burying a pile of corpses.

Overall, I’m on edge.

I felt like I was standing in front of a beast that was about to pounce on me if I let my guard down.

“I guess it’s because I’ve been fighting a lot of bandits lately, so I’m a bit nervous. Don’t worry about it too much.”

“The place we met last time was the same, so are you determined to drive out the bandits from this land?”

“No way. No matter how famous we are in the industry, we can’t kick out the owner of this vast land. We just need to clean up the area of ​​a few people who are causing trouble.”

“As needed.”

It was a meaningful part.

Claire tells us about the guys’ movements, their second meeting, and their overlapping routes.

In summary, we were able to infer some information.

‘As expected, I have a bad feeling about this.’

Whatever was true or false, the chances of things going well for me were slim.

“I see your group has grown since I last saw you. It seems like you were planning to join them from the beginning, right? One of them… … looks quite familiar.”

Chelsea’s facial muscles relaxed.

The wariness with which he treated me in a businesslike manner disappeared, and the empty space was filled with an emotion of unvarnished joy.

It was a natural change, like flowing water.

“My name is Chelsea, adjutant of the Thorson Expedition. It is an honor to meet you, the infamous Wanderer of the Tower.”

“Oh, you know me?”

“Of course. The Wanderer is a mysterious being who bestows grace upon those he meets, so I have been looking forward to meeting him someday.”

“Ahem, you’re putting gold on my face.”

“Oh, I guess I spoke correctly.”

“No, it’s possible for a person to do that.”

Colin looked embarrassed and humble.

The thing that was really making my nostrils twitch was a stain.

Colin may seem rough due to his rough appearance, but he is actually an easygoing person.

With just a few words of candy coating, his face, which had been as hard as a rock, began to melt away.

“Ahem!”

Colin coughed repeatedly and glanced at Sage.

It was a gesture of pride, meaning that he was such a great person.

Sage, who was quick-witted, must have noticed this, but he ignored it and kept his distance.

“I see you are the wanderer’s disciple.”

Chelsea, who had immediately taken down Colin, soon turned their attention to Sage.

“… … How did you know?”

“The flow of magical power within the body was magnificent and stable. I thought it would be like that since he had the qualities of a talented magician at a young age.”

Chelsea’s praise was a tightrope walk, judging appropriately below the line where the opponent would feel pressured.

You may wonder what’s so great about that, but it is a speaking skill that reflects seasoned experience.

‘You said you were the adjutant of the expedition team, so you were in charge of external negotiations.’

To successfully complete a project involving great vested interests such as excavation of relics, skillful coordination of opinions with businessmen, politicians, and mercenaries was necessary.

Talents like her must have played a major role in the success of the Thorson Expedition.

I left them talking and observed the others besides her.

It seemed as if the site was slowly being cleaned up and people were gathering one by one.

“But why did you come to this extreme land, wanderer?”

“It’s personal research.”

“I see. But this place isn’t exactly a good environment for magical phenomena or magical research.”

“As for that, it’s a Matap event, so there’s nothing else to say.”

“Is that so, the Magic Tower? As far as I know, the Magic Tower has been refraining from external activities recently.”

“… … .”

Chelsea poked at him sharply, her lips smiling innocently.

Colin closed his mouth for a moment because it was true.

The conversion of the Illeman School to black magic, the theft of Einsiefer’s blade knuckles, etc.

The tower was busy with internal inspections to remove the deeply rooted tumor.

“Then you mean it’s personal business, but from what I heard… … .”

“But you haven’t told me your purpose yet.”

I said as I faced them, slowly arming themselves.

“Well, the purpose of the relic exploration team would be to find the relics. Have any relics been discovered around here?”

“… … Yes, well, it’s currently under investigation.”

“What a coincidence. We’re also investigating ruins nearby.”

Let’s talk it out. Everyone was surprised, including you.

“Well, since the land of Yusa is vast, it is possible that several relics could be discovered at the same time.”

In the midst of all this, Chelsea alone remained indifferent.

Is it weak to just shake it to this extent?

“The person who knows has a long tongue. This isn’t an industry where we can share such nonsense in a friendly manner.”

“You are being harsh… … .”

Then you have to hit them on the back of the head so they have no choice but to react.

“Competitors are killed off so that they don’t get in your way. Isn’t that the virtue of your industry? From your perspective, what’s the difference between us and bandits?”

“… … !”

The tension that had been loosening up suddenly tightened.

***

“… … Yes, that’s right. You’re not wrong. I guess I had an ulterior motive.”

After a moment of silence, Chelsea sighed deeply and confessed.

“That doesn’t mean I had any intention of using drastic measures. If you want to save your life, you have to know who to deal with. The Magic Tower is a giant that we can’t deal with, so I was thinking of asking for their cooperation in any way possible. Whether it’s a joint exploration or asking for understanding in exchange for money.”

“Unfortunately, your subordinates don’t seem to be willing to accept such lukewarm measures.”

bang!

“Huh!”

I pulled the gun out of the holster and pulled the trigger.

It was a skill called rapid fire that was recreated with monstrous physical abilities.

The agent whose ear was pierced by a bullet groaned, holding his ear.

A broken small radio fell through the guy’s grasp.

“Did you think I wouldn’t notice if you pretended to chat while trying to send a radio message?”

“That’s to report on the situation and my encounter with the wanderer. Isn’t that something I should report?”

“well.”

I looked at the screen of my cell phone.

I was receiving a steady stream of text messages from numbers with restricted caller ID.

“30km northeast, 42km south, 45km west… … There are too many places where radio transmissions were sent to say they were reports to the superiors.”

“How do you… … !”

Chelsea’s mask has finally been torn apart.

Then, as if he soon realized his defeat, he bit his lips and muttered.

“… … You’re not the only one who received the request to hijack the radio waves.”

This is why we prepared the beta early.

Even when the setting wasn’t a city, the guy’s hacking skills were useful.

“I’m sorry for wasting your time chatting with you. But in the end, it was unnecessary work.”

“Not yet. Everything you said is just circumstantial evidence. I repeat, our top priority is the cooperation of the Wanderer.”

“It’s so annoying. I was wondering if I should even say this.”

Perhaps it was because he noticed that Colin and Sage were still hesitant, unlike me who had become confident.

It was a shallow tactic aimed at dividing opinions.

“Do you think I don’t know how obsessed your expedition leader is with this expedition? He’s willing to get rid of anything that gets in his way, including the magic tower.”

It is madness that pours all the capabilities of the exploration team that he has worked so hard to develop into something and even burns his own life.

I wonder if they are really trying to discriminate against each other just because they are called the magic tower.

“… … .”

Chelsea finally stopped acting when even the captain’s name was mentioned.

In his expression, which was as cold as ice, there was not even a trace of the embarrassment or trouble from before.

“I didn’t know you knew that much. You must have some talent.”

“A contractor has to have good ears. You never know what kind of situation you’ll encounter in a given assignment.”

“I guess you didn’t grow up as beautifully as you were born to be.”

“If I had earned my living wages, I wouldn’t be working as a contractor.”

“That’s true.”

Chelsea snickered.

It was a smile that exuded only a cool, life-like feeling.

“But you are really reckless. If you knew his intentions, wouldn’t it have been right to explain the situation to the client in advance and avoid it?”

They surrounded us, no longer hiding their hostility.

This was possible because we had occupied a position in advance while pretending to clean up the surroundings.

Bang! Bang!

I shot them as if to keep them at bay.

The muzzle was pointed at the floor.

They didn’t seem to be afraid, perhaps because they thought it was a warning shot.

“Musketeers, hackers, high-ranking wizards, and apprentice wizards. If you can keep the high-ranking wizards in check, the rest aren’t considered particularly difficult opponents.”

“I think you’re mistaken.”

I put the gun in the holster.

“I never introduced myself as a musketeer.”

“… … !”

“If you think about it the other way around, it means that they judged that they could deal with this number of people alone.”

“Fuck! Kill him!”

Chelsea shouted, sensing ominousness.

But it was too late.

It’s time to correct this ridiculous misconception.

“What, what is this!”

“Eww!”

The dry desert began to turn green.

***

A representative plant that grows in the desert would be the cactus.

If not that, then it would be the baobab tree from a literary masterpiece.

But in fact, many different types of plants live in the desert.

Among them, there is a plant called the Portuguese sticky spatula.

It was a rare carnivorous plant growing in the desert, and its habits were similar to the widely known sticky spatula.

And the seeds I sowed on the ground were plants created by the game company based on him.

slap!

They capture living creatures with tentacle-like leaves.

It then stabbed the creature with its dense thorns and sucked out the fluid flowing from the wound.

It was a plant that usually hunted insects or small mammals such as mice.

It means that it is not harmful to humans.

“What the… … is this… … .”

The plants that were created by propagation from the World Tree were different.

They were big and strong.

It was large enough to comfortably hold a person and was strong enough to withstand a struggle.

Choaack!

It was a foregone conclusion that the moment it was overtaken, it would suffer great damage.

This is because the thorns secrete a secretion that aggravates the wound and promotes bleeding.

Even the veteran explorers who hunted people like butchers would be shocked to see blood gushing out of my body like a fountain.

“There’s no time to even glance around.”

“Huh!”

Chelsea bit her lip until it bled, then took numerous bottles out of her pocket and smashed them.

Colorful liquids sprayed into the air and then vaporized and dispersed in an instant.

“As expected, he was a wizard.”

The magical power concentration increased to a level that could be immediately detected by the skin.

It didn’t seem like a mediocre level to be able to recite the mantra and make hand gestures skillfully.

“Was the plan to stop Colin with the help of the alchemical reagents prepared in advance?”

I don’t know what kind of magic he was trying to cast, but the wave of magical power pressing down on his shoulder was unusual.

“Then let’s just knock it down before the magic is activated.”

“Is it really possible? Your ability and shooting skills are amazing, but I have also prepared in advance.”

Chelsea were in trouble.

Her necklace floated up in the windless space.

At the same time, a blue barrier protected her in a spherical shape.

I clicked my tongue as I thought about how that harmony was achieved.

“Is it a relic?”

“It’s an artifact specialized in magical shock. Even without that, it’s so strong that even a simple bullet can’t penetrate it.”

As expected from a famous relic exploration team, they even directly operated the relics.

Since it is something I brought as a means of survival, the effect will be excellent.

I could understand her confidence.

Of course, it wasn’t a big problem.

“Then I guess I should just give it more physical damage.”

“… … ?”

“It seems like you still think I’m a wizard or a musketeer.”

“Synchronization is in progress!”

Synchronization with the Watchman Hawk.

An aura like that of a skilled warrior flowed through my body.

Chelsea’s eyes dilated to their limit upon seeing this.

“That’s ridiculous… … !”

My thigh muscles were tense and tight.

The moment I lightly touched the ground, my body shot out like an arrow.

“I warned you.”

Clang!

The shield shattered like glass, the relic’s light dimmed, and the distance between them and Chelsea became short enough for them to exchange breaths.

“Let’s make sure we never meet again.”