NOVEL NEXT C22
C22: Kutone
It had been four days since we left Ledar town and the trip was going well. We walked incessantly, prepared for camping before nightfall, had dinner, washed up if there was a river nearby, and went to bed early to relieve our fatigue.
This is how we keep going. Or rather, I need a means of transportation. I would have asked for a ride if a carriage or something like that was available, but for the past four days, I haven’t even seen a person.
I thought I might pass a merchant’s carriage or a group of adventurers, but……I was naive.
Well, we have plenty of food, and even if there are monsters, it will be easy for Brunnhilde. The only thing to worry about is my existence. I have no fighting skills, and the sword worth 10 gold coins is almost a decoration.
I decided to set up camp before dusk again today. I found a river a little off the road and set up my tent near it. We built a fireplace out of rocks, picked up some firewood to start a fire, and filled a pot with water from the river to boil. Incidentally, Brunnhilde had tested the water quality of the river, so I felt safe.
While we were boiling the water, Brunnhilde caught some river fish.
“Sensei, I caught some fishes.”
“Oh, that’s Brünnhilde, thank you.”
“I am honored to be of service.”
Brunnhilde prepares the fishes she has caught, chops them up and puts them in the pot. The rest of the vegetables bought in Ledar were chopped and thrown into the pot, and seasoned simply with salt. Today’s menu consisted of salted river fish and vegetable soup and grilled river fish.
“All right, let’s eat, Brünnhilde.”
“Yes, sensei.”
I try to feed Brünnhilde as much as I can. She doesn’t need food since she absorbs solar energy, but she needs to eat in order to live like a human being. Therefore, she absorbs solar energy in moderation and also eats.
“Good taste, Brünnhilde.”
“I’m sorry, but while I am equipped with the ability to eat and drink, I am not equipped with sensors that can sense “taste” information. It is virtually impossible for a machine to reproduce the five human senses.”
“Oh……that’s too bad.”
I’d love for her to get a taste of what I’ve cooked, but……seems to be difficult indeed. I’m not sure what I can do about that.
I finished my meal, cleaned up, and took a break. As I sipped a hot drink of white water with fruit juice, I opened the map.
“Hmmm, so the Magicalize Kingdom is still a long way off…….”
According to my information, the Magicalize Kingdom is a nation ruled by one of the demon kings, “Nachtigal, Queen of the Night.” It is said that forty percent of the magicians on the Astro Continent are from the Magicalize Kingdom, so they are well versed in magic. When I was in the Ostrode Kingdom, all I did was develop cheats and train my body, and I didn’t learn any magic at all.
“Sensei, do you want to learn magic?”
“Hmm, well. I’m getting by with you now, but there may come a time when I have to fight too, right?”
“I will protect you.”
“I know, but it’s important to be prepared for the unexpected.”
“I understand.”
“Brünnhilde, teach me how to use a sword!”
“I’m sorry, I don’t have the ability to teach you how to sword fight.”
“…………”
I was denied at once. No, well, I guess that’s true…….Hmmm.
“So, what about magic, then?”
“Unfortunately, magic is not available to me. Even in the time when I was operating, the special ability of magic was only available to androids.”
“Is that so? I’m curious……if it was used by humans, but was it a power on the android side?”
“Yes. Human technicians have been researching ways to mimic magic, but the memories stored in me do not indicate how they ended up allowing humans to use magic in the modern age.”
“Hmmm………which means I should be able to use it.”
All of the “cheats” had mastered a certain amount of magic. Of course, the professional magician students had mastered a number of high-level magic. I’d like to learn magic if I have the chance in the Magicalize Kingdom. Of course, gathering information is my top priority.
“Okay, I’m going to bed…….Brunnhilde, please excuse me.”
“Yes, sensei.”
Brünnhilde never sleeps, so I can leave her to guard me without worry. I changed into my nightgown, hid in the tent and pulled the covers over my head.
“Good night.”
“Good night, Sensei.”
I whispered, but Brunnhilde, outside the tent, replied.
◇◇◇◇◇◇
Encounters come out of nowhere. The next morning, we ate breakfast, cleaned up the tent quickly, and walked along the road leading to the Magicalize Kingdom, when Brunnhilde said,
“Sensei, I have detected a monster presence. I will intercept.”
“Monster?”
“Yes. There are two reactions coming this way, one human, the other a monster.”
“What? Human?”
“Yes. It seems that the monster is chasing the human. I will intercept the monster.”
Both sides of the road are wooded, and one never knows where the monsters will appear. Brunnhilde stared at the woods to her left and put her hand on the Metal Sword on her hip.
“Oooohhhhhh!”
“Boogaaaaahhhhh!”
A girl jumped out from the direction Brunnhilde was staring at, and a gorilla about two meters tall was chasing her…I’m pretty sure it’s a monster called Green Kong!
“Eliminate.”
Brünnhilde made a powerful leap that gouged the ground, and then Green Kong’s head disappeared. It seems that she jumped up in a single bound and easily severed the Green Kong’s head.
“Huh……?”
“Well, that was fast…….”
Ignoring me and the girl’s surprise, Brunnhilde put away her sword and came back.
“Elimination complete. Sensei, let’s move on.”
“Ah. Hold on.”
Brünnhilde didn’t save the girl, she just killed the monster……..I want her to learn what it feels like to help people…….Anyway, I have to help the girl.
I went to the side of the girl who was lying on her butt.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah, that……thing, is that it?”
“Oh, yeah. Any more injuries?”
“Um, I’m fine. Thank you!”
The girl stands up and bows her head to me and Brunnhilde.
At first, I observed the girl. She has long green hair that is braided into many strands, and she wears round glasses. Her face is young, perhaps still in her early teens. She was wearing a loose-fitting robe and hat, and had a wooden staff in her hand that looked like something a hermit would have. Hmmm……she looks like a sorcerer.
“I was actually in the forest gathering herbs when I wandered into a Green Kong den. I lost my luggage, my herbs were blown away, and I was trampled all over.”
“Ha, ha, ha.”
“………”
It’s hard to comment on that. She was talking cheerfully, but the tone at the end was too dark. I could only laugh dryly, and Brunnhilde was expressionless and mute.
“Excuse me. I’m a first year student at Magicalize Royal Academy of Magic, and my name is Kutone. It’s nice to meet you, brother and sister.”
“I’m Sage, an adventurer and this is Brunnhilde, also an adventurer.”
“Nice to meet you, I’m Brunnhilde.”
“……Oh, so Sage is a ring bearer.”
The girl who introduced herself as Kutone flashed her glasses and focused on the ring on my finger.
“Mmmmmmmmmm, actually I have a ring too. I’m glad to meet a fellow ring bearer.”
“Oh, really. Haha, what a coincidence.”
Kutone raises the fingers of her right hand and shows me the ring. Come to think of it, it’s rare to have a ring. Or rather, wait a minute, this girl.
“Um, what’s the Magicalize Royal Academy of Magic?”
“Oh, you don’t know? It’s the largest magic research institute and magic academy in the Magicalize Kingdom. It’s a school that everyone who wants to become a magician yearns to enter.”
“Magic……”
“Mmm, Sage, are you interested in magic?”
“……Well, I wish I could use it.”
“If so, let’s go to the Magicalize Kingdom together! I’m sure you’ll be able to figure out how to use it.”
Magicalize Kingdom, the kingdom of magic, it’s also my destination, and if Kutone can teach me magic I will be grateful.
“I see. The purpose is to protect you along the way, right?”
“I’m so excited! Ah, ha ha!……I mean, my luggage is gone, and it’s hard for me to go back to the Magicalize Kingdom by myself.”
“Hahaha……I know, I know. I’m not going to let a girl return home alone. Besides, our destination is also the Magicalize Kingdom.”
“Oh! That’s nice, Sage!”
Anyway, Kutone, who is from the Magicalize Kingdom, might know something about the Demon Lord. So I decided to take the magician girl Kutone with me to the Magicalize Kingdom.