Black Iron Magician

Chapter 12 First Battle

After forcibly taking a request to defeat the Ash Kobold at the guild, we returned home from the Castle Town Diana for a moment.

「Gramps Gior was trying to stop it with a terrible look….」

「At that age, Haru’s age is just right to be a grandchild. He must be worried enough to be overprotective. Well, don’t worry about it.」

Curse you, Gramps Gior! He even made me pay the penalty fee in advance even though there are precedents of clearing this request even if level 1. They might have formed a party, though.

「It’s already past noon, is it okay going back now?」

「Yeah, the mine site where we’re going is down the mountain in the opposite direction after all. Besides, I have to give your equipment.」

「Equipment?」

There is one floorboard in Haru’s room that has a slightly different color. This floorboard actually can come off. And inside it is….

「――――It’s a treasure chest.」

「I told you that this room was used by a freeloader before, right? In this box is the equipment that was left behind. Haru, you can have this.」

I took out the clothes ‘Combat Robe’ from the box and gave it to Haru. It’s a type that’s easy to move and has a bright coloring with orange as the main. It would be a perfect piece for Haru, both in terms of fighting and image.

「Ehh!? I-I can’t receive it. It’s that person’s property, right?」

「It’s okay. It was used when that person is still an apprentice. It has optimization magic, so it should automatically adjust to your size when you wear it. I’m sure this robe will be happy rather than not have anyone to wear it.」

「Umm, I guess it’s fine if that’s the case?」

「I’ll be waiting in the living room, so show me when you wear it.」

「Oka~y.」

With Haru’s reply behind me, I left the room and spend the time waiting in the living room while organizing the items.

I put the recovery medicines and other necessary supplies that I purchased on my way back from the guild in the bag with a storage function. And then, take out other unnecessary items that might get in the way. Oh, I have to take out Haru’s clothes too.

「Shishou, I wore it―――― hey, the living room is a mess!?」

「No, I was just sorting it….」

Now that she mentions it, the living room is full of things I took out of the bag. Oh crap, I did it out of habit.

「Please put yourself in my shoes who have to clean it!」

「Let’s just say I’m sorry. Ooh, you look good with that robe.」

「I’m not happy even if you praised me at this timing.」

Haru, clad in combat robes, looks a little embarrassed.

Alright, the chest part, which was the most different from the predecessor, is also optimized. Although this equipment is classified as a robe, it has been designed to make it easier to move even in melee combat, you even can release a kick. Specifically, it comes with spats. With this, even a martial arts magician who can punch and kick is safe from being seen.

「Now now, we’ll clean up later…. Without delay, let’s go to ash kobold’s nest.」

「I’ll be the one to clean up later, though. But for now, let’s take care of that first, yeah!」

Just how badly do you want to go….

「I didn’t meaninglessly mess up here. Inside this bag, I put necessary items for exploration like HP and MP potion, torch, rope, pickaxe, etc.」

「A pickaxe too?」

「Yes, a pickaxe too. About the request we took from the guild, I’ll add another objective. Go fetch this ore.」

I take out a fragment of black ore from the bag and show it to Haru.

「You can get this from the deepest part of the mine site we’re heading to. We will use this ore to make a weapon for you, so gather as much as you can and put it in this bag.」

「It’s blacker than charcoal―― i-it’s heavy!?」

Haru casually received the fragment and reflexively supported the ore with both hands.

It’s no wonder that she’s surprised. This fragment, which is about the size of a baseball, is as heavy as a bowling ball. If you accidentally drop it on your foot, it won’t end with just feeling pain.

「Err, we are going to make equipment for a magician, right?」

「Yes, we are going to make equipment for a magician.」

That’s obvious.

「When you’ve defeated the ash kobold, cut off its tail and put that in the bag as proof. Even with just scrapping off the ore is not an easy task, so make sure you do it after you kill all the monsters. It’s dangerous after all. Also, I’m guessing that your job level will rise during this training. When you come back safely, let’s think about the new skills together. Until then, put levels and skill slots out of your mind and focus on training! Got it?」

「Understood!」

「Okay, let’s go! …… But first, let’s have a meal.」

「I’m going to get ready now, so please wait for a while.」

Putting the apron on the robe, Haru went to the kitchen.

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After finishing lunch, Deris and Haruna descended in the opposite direction to the town and headed for the mine site. The path that can’t be called a road filled with trees is one that induces fatigue. However, there is not a hint of tiredness on their faces. On the contrary, their steps were like a father and daughter just before heading to an amusement park.

「Haru, monsters start to come out around here. I’m going to stay here in the shade of this tree and wait while I read, so you are going to go alone from here. Will you be fine?」

「You told me the location, so I think I’ll be fine.」

「This is your first real battle. Well, just enjoy yourself without overdoing it.」

「Yes!」

Haru attached the waist pouch shaped bag to her wais and started running along with a cheerful reply. It seems that she had saved her speed until now. She lightly slipped through the trees, grabbed the branches of large trees, and taking shortcuts on the mountain path. And now she was nowhere to be seen by Deris.

「… Was she grew on the mountain?」

Stunned or impressed, Deris let out a sigh that couldn’t be described either way.

On the other hand, Haruna, who continues to advance at her fastest speed, immediately had her eyes on the monster. It’s a small-build humanoid with a gray hair and holding a dirty club. In terms of size, it is smaller than Haru. However, the face on its head is not that of a human, but the face of a wolf or a dog. It frequently moves its nose as if looking for something.

(That’s a monster…….)

Hiding on the branches of a tall tree, Haruna observes the ash kobold.

The ash kobold is a subspecies of the brown-furred kobold that is more cautious of humans and they are violent. The scariest thing about them is that they act in groups, which can lead to a chaotic battle. Even when alone, they have a tendency to scream and call out their friends in the vicinity, making it troublesome even for an experienced adventurer. It said that when fighting one-to-one, you need to be a level 2 combatant, and a level 3 party if fighting several of them.

(From what I’ve seen, there’s only that one ash kobold in the vicinity. But if I spend too much time with it, it might call its friends. If that’s the case――)

Haruna jumped down from the tree branches with great vigor, kicked the ground the moment she landed on it and started to move forward. She pierced through like a bullet, ran on the shortest path, and took advantage of the blind spots in the trees to avoid being found by the ash kobold as much as possible. Then, she jumped out behind the ash kobold.

(――I just need to defeat it in an instant.)

She did a foot sweep from behind. The ask kobold, who’s completely floating in the air, has its consciousness toward the sky. What comes into its view is the clear blue sky and white clouds. And the next thing that appeared is a black shadow.

「Yep. As expected, it’s easy to kill if there’s no rule.」

She pulled out her fist that distorted the ash kobold’s face and said so with an unchanging smile.