A Humble, Scary-Looking Mid-Rank Adventurer Is Offered Their Bodies by Every Member of a Rising All-Female Party, Begging: ‘You Can Do Whatever You Want With Me, Just Please Spare My Companions.’ - 12

Chapter 12: The Erudite Mage

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The Traga Forest was known for the richness of its vegetation as one of its defining features. Abundant water sources and fertile soil shaped a unique ecosystem, and among it were many rare plants said to grow nowhere else.

“I-I found it!”

Patema, who had been running frantically through the forest as the night deepened and darkness spread, finally found what she was looking for. From a fallen ancient tree, rotted through at the base, grew a vivid red mushroom. It was an extremely rare variety, said to be capable of neutralizing poison if brewed and drunk. She had learned of this mushroom’s existence during their daytime exploration.

“With this, Sierra and the others should be saved.”

The three who had been dosed with an aphrodisiac by the scheme of an utterly vile and despicable man were clearly suffering abnormalities of the mind. Before the poison spread throughout their bodies, she had to make them drink the medicine as quickly as possible.

For the first time, Patema felt grateful for her childlike physique. Thanks to her flat body, which did not arouse sexual interest in humans, she had escaped Balg’s gaze. He likely did not know that she possessed knowledge of pharmacology. If he had, he would surely have restrained her movements first.

“Good. Now all that’s left is—”

After plucking the bright red mushroom and standing up, Patema suddenly realized something. She had no idea where she had come from or where the path back to the campsite was. She had been so absorbed in searching for the mushroom that she had not remembered the route at all.

She swallowed hard. True to her calling as a mage, she summoned a sphere of light at the tip of her staff to secure her vision, but compared to daytime, the visibility was dreadful. Trees surrounded her on all sides, blocking any clear view ahead.

“This might be bad…”

Cold sweat ran down Patema’s back. Should she shout to alert her companions? No. There was little chance her voice would reach the campsite. Worse still, it might provoke the magical beasts lurking in the forest. She recalled Balg’s warning. The Traga Forest changed its face completely between day and night. The ferocious magical beasts that slept in the shadows during the day awakened after nightfall and roamed freely.

—Rustle.

“Eek!?”

A sound came from the bushes behind her, and Patema let out a shriek. Maybe her companions had come to rescue her. Clinging to that fleeting hope, she slowly turned around.

“Grrrrrr.”

“Hiiyaaah!?”

What emerged from the depths of the brush was a squat, four-legged beast. It bared its fangs and glared at Patema. Its sharp claws smashed the fallen tree where the mushroom had been growing to pieces.

“H-hii…”

It was a magical beast she had never seen before. Its agility was surely greater than hers. She could not escape. She did not even have time to call for help. She was stuck in an overwhelming predicament. A desperate, hopeless crisis.

Patema, too intelligent for her own good, grasped the situation instantly and therefore understood that there was no hope here. Her knees trembled, and she collapsed where she stood. Her legs gave out completely. Warmth spread unpleasantly between her thighs. She could not even keep a grip on her staff. It slipped from her hand and fell into the mud. The light sphere spell collapsed, and darkness enveloped her.

“GRAAAAH!”

The instant the light vanished, the magical beast roared and leapt forward. Patema could no longer even resist. All she could do was accept the future in which she would be devoured.

“Uoooooaaaargh!”

That was when it happened.

From behind Patema, a deep, valiant roar rang out. It approached with heavy, powerful footsteps and then leapt past her. Immediately after, a violent crash echoed through the darkness.

“Patema, light—now!”

A rough male voice. Acting on instinct, Patema snatched up her staff and wove words filled with magic power.

“L-Light, guide us!”

Light flared at the tip of the staff, driving back the darkness. What appeared before her was a giant of a man, like a bear.

“Balg!?”

“Questions later. Prepare an attack spell!”

Balg wore no armor. He was dressed lightly. He had rushed in carrying only his beloved battle axe. The long haft of the axe, held sideways, blocked the magical beast’s vicious claws. He met the beast head-on, matching strength with a creature of comparable size. It was an utterly unbelievable sight.

But there was no time to be astonished. Gripping her staff tightly, Patema began weaving an attack spell just as Balg had instructed. Magic was often likened to weaving cloth called a spell formula using threads of magical power. The denser and more orderly the weave, the stronger and more powerful the spell became. However, unless one wove it calmly and carefully, it would unravel somewhere or turn out unstable.

A capable mage was one who could spin magical power swiftly, accurately, and meticulously even in dire situations. And…

“—O spear of searing flames, pierce my enemy and burn its flesh. Etch wounds that never heal, and pain that is never forgotten!”

Patema was a capable mage. What she unleashed was Fire Lance. It was a premier attack spell, boasting exceptional power at mid-range. Its force was tremendous. The swirling inferno lit up the surroundings in an instant. Its sharpened tip pierced the magical beast, which had been locked in a stalemate with Balg and exposed its flank. A scream rang out as the magical beast was blown back.

“Well done!”

It was a strike into which she had poured every ounce of her magic. And yet, it had only staggered the beast. Perhaps magic permeated each strand of its tough fur, for even her spell failed to injure it. Even so, Balg offered her words of praise. She had done more than enough. Illuminated by the light sphere, Balg moved. His movements were astonishingly agile for such a massive body.

“Seaaah!”

With a thick, bellowing war cry, he swung his battle axe. That single blow surpassed even Patema’s Fire Lance. It exploited the brief opening of the staggered beast. The blade cleaved through fur, sliced flesh, and shattered bone. With that strike, the magical beast’s right foreleg flew through the air. The beast’s scream echoed through the forest far more intensely than before. It was the cry born from true pain. But Balg showed no mercy and pressed the attack.

“Hah!”

The keenly honed axe blade grazed across the beast’s face. Fresh blood sprayed and splattered around. Even as blood spattered his own face, Balg did not falter and continued his relentless assault. The beast, however, showed its wild resolve and lunged with its remaining foreleg. Its claws tore into Balg’s shoulder this time.

“Balg!”

“Don’t worry!”

Patema cried out despite herself. Balg remained unfazed. As if he had not been wounded at all, he calmly stepped closer to the beast, aiming for its neck.

“This ends now!”

Overwhelming strength surged from arms like tree trunks. Combined with the extraordinary weight of the all-metal great axe, it became a single, decisive blow. The axe swung forth carried enough murderous intent to be called a decapitating executioner’s tool. 

It smashed through the thick neck bones without hesitation. It was a brute force incarnate. but the man possessed the power to carry it through. The death cry was cut short, and the magical beast’s massive head rolled onto the ground. The stench of blood filled the air, and silence proclaimed the end of the battle.

“Balg… you…”

“Are you all right, Patema? You’re not hurt, are you?”

Still covered in blood, Balg turned toward her. Trembling, Patema ran to him. There was a large wound, gaping open across his shoulder. An injury he would never have received if she had not rushed out of the campsite.

“Don’t worry about me. This barely counts as a wound.”

“But still… W-Wait here, I’ll make medicine right away!”

Flustered, Patema hurried to act. She pulled out the medicinal herbs she had gathered from her pack and ground them on a stone. At that moment, the red mushroom she had picked earlier tumbled out from her robe.

“Patema, that’s—”

“T-This too, eat it! It’s very effective for restoring vitality!”

“H-Hey, wait. That’s—mmggh!?”

Several herbs and the red mushroom together—she stuffed them all into Balg’s mouth. She felt like he had shouted something just before that, but she had no leeway to care. Though hastily prepared, the herbs’ effects were genuine. The taste was said to be devilishly awful, but the results appeared quickly.

“Guh… ngh… run, Patema…”

“What!?”

Balg groaned in agony. Contrary to his words, he firmly seized Patema’s slender shoulders with his large hands and pulled her close. His face was flushed, his breathing ragged. Most of all, his eyes were unfocused. The red mushroom Patema had found was a rare species listed in some botanical encyclopedias as “Kabutowari Mushroom.” Its vivid red appearance had led people to believe it poisonous, but in truth it was non-toxic… Though it had a certain powerful effect on the human body.

Long ago, it was said that a clan of fierce warriors consumed this mushroom before battle. Even a spoonful was enough to make vigorous life force overflow through the body, easily neutralizing mild poisons and numbing pain and fatigue alike. Freed from the restraints of reason, one would become a beast driven solely by destructive impulse. It was prized as a secret medicine that granted strength capable of shattering helmets, something no ordinary human could achieve. That was how it earned its name.

“Ugh… Guuuh!”

“H-hii!?”

Just a tiny fragment of that mushroom was enough to cause a violent explosion of vitality. Forced to swallow an entire mushroom, the man’s endurance had already reached its limit. Before him stood a lovely young girl. His heightened state of mind, fresh from battle, further fueled him.

He wanted her.

Run away.

That plea of reason was painted over, swallowed by instinct.

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