Chapter 12

Leaving town early in the morning, on foot, though a hassle.

I had selected several candidate locations based on the surrounding climate and terrain, as inferred from the map. The areas where the magical essence (magi) is strong tend to have powerful monsters, making them inaccessible to people. These locations appear as blank spaces on the map, so you can’t know what they’re really like until you go there.

Due to the influence of magical essence concentrations and the powerful monsters nearby, both the terrain and climate might differ drastically from the surrounding areas. In extreme cases, you could step only 10 meters and go from a snowy landscape to a scorching one.

Using a magical tool that conceals my presence and form from monsters, I veered off the main road and entered the woods. Even near town, weak monsters still roam. Although there are no paths, the terrain is fairly walkable at first, but it gradually changes to something more forbidding, as if rejecting human passage.

Are there any monsters around that would give me a ride? There’s a large rabbit, but it looks like the ride would be awful. I’ll pass on anything that resembles a goblin too.

Hey, you there! Wolf! You’re a monster, right? How about giving me a lift?

After moving far enough from town to avoid being seen, I captured a large wolf I found nearby. I placed a magic collar on it—often called a “Familiar Collar”—but mine was a cloth version.

“…!?”

Sorry about that, I know this is sudden. If I showed myself and asked nicely, you’d definitely resist.

Now that the wolf has become my familiar, it can see me. It’s a bit panicked, but I need it to accept the situation.

Though the wolf seems quite displeased, I ride it. It may not be happy about it, but it’s incredibly fast. Are you a famous magical beast by any chance? Sorry, I’m not very knowledgeable.

The magical tool I made isn’t top-tier due to the materials used, but I can suppress the wolf’s strength through brute force by continuing to channel magic. Still, the tool might physically break if this keeps up, so I need to move quickly.

So, I ride the big wolf around the vicinity of the targeted location.

At the first candidate site near the magical essence concentration: It’s surrounded by toxic mists and swamps, making it a no-go. It’s not just seasonal; the whole place is covered in thick toxic fog all the time, with no visibility. Not worth getting close to.

Next.

Areas inhabited by humans with weak magical essence look familiar in terms of terrain and vegetation, but places with strong magical essence are significantly altered. There are bizarre rock formations, landscapes that resemble ink paintings, scattered marshes, lakes hidden in the fog, and for some reason, fields of wheat.

I have a suspicion that these locations are somehow influenced by my knowledge or images of the holy maiden while I sleep.

Anyway, I still don’t know what’s going on in areas with high concentrations of magical essence. Where is there normal, good farmland?

I give up on my original candidate sites and start inspecting areas with high magical essence one by one. From appearances alone, most places are unsuitable, so I just pass through them quickly.

Wolf, avoid any place that looks like it’s home to something dangerous. You’re a wolf, part of the canine family, so you should have a good nose, right?

Actually, the monsters seem to be avoiding us. Are you a strong monster, Wolf? Why were you so close to the human living area? Did I accidentally prevent you from attacking the town?

The next place looks like a barren, orange rock desert. Pass.

A place with tentacle-like vegetation that some might enjoy. Pass, but I collect some samples.

A damp, gloomy area. Pass, but I gather some of the water-soaked black soil and moss.

A simple rocky mountain. Pass, but I collect building materials.

An area of decayed soil—like rotting leaf litter. Pass, but I pick up a half-buried, collapsed tanuki I found lying unconscious.

What’s a tanuki doing here? It’s probably a monster, but you’re so pointlessly round. Fine, I’ll help you because of your roundness.

The tanuki is covered in fur and, at first glance, doesn’t appear injured, but upon closer inspection, I notice some fur matted with blood. ‘Healing Potion’—while effective on monsters, it also inflicts damage. So first, I put the same Familiar Collar on it as I did with the wolf to ensure that beneficial effects don’t harm it.

Well, now that I’ve used my last Familiar Collar, I’ve officially lost my ride home. Oh well. I guess I’ll just stay by the magical essence concentration for a while and produce some more supplies. I’m sure the tanuki can at least gather medicinal herbs. Probably.

The wolf gives me a look like, “Seriously…?” but the tanuki recovers, and it’ll serve as a labor force for me, so it’s a win-win. Unless, of course, the tanuki wants to die.

You’re not going to chew on everything like a regular tanuki, right? And no marking your territory, please. I’ve heard you can’t discipline a tanuki because they act like they’ve been abused when scolded. If the tanuki can’t work, at least it can let me squish its belly or rump occasionally.

For now, I pour the ‘Healing Potion’ on its wounds, wrap it in a towel, and tuck it into my bag, which contains a sleeping robe. Its face and tail are sticking out, but that should help it breathe. It looks pretty amusing, but oh well.

I found a river along the way, so I gathered some water, used a magical tool for water purification—it looks suspiciously like a pump—and washed the tanuki.

After towel-drying the drooping tanuki—wait, as a mage, I use fire and darkness. Could I dry it with fire magic?

No, I should use enchantment magic. Hmm, it’s not quite working. Hey, this healing potion isn’t very effective. Are you still bleeding?

Could it be that the wound isn’t healing because it was caused by a weapon with some special enchantment?

For now, I cast a weak healing spell of the saint class.