TL Note: Special Thanks to Anonymous for donating!

First off, I fixed the layout a bit. I hope you guys like the pink ;) the menu b.u.t.tons, and the chat. haha. Also added previous and next chapter links on each chapter if you've noticed.

And now a bit of explanation on how the author actually names the critters in this story. Not all of them but some, ok? The author pretty much just names the critter with their English version instead of the j.a.panese names and so there’s one line in this chapter which I changed up. Original version just pretty much says oh it’s a rat (English) from the word rat (j.a.panese). That. Yeah…

If anyone can help me with a direct translation of this line… I’m not really good with that form:

ラインハルトさんと奧様は2人で、ラインバッハ様に至っては1人で別の坑道に入るという

Volume 1 Chapter 19

Today we went to the mine three hours away on carriage. Right now we're standing in front of the entrance to a tunnel. We had guards come with us but aside from Jamil and the rest, everyone else went to a different tunnel to hunt magical beasts.

"Let's do our best! Ryouma-san!"

Elia is really fired up today. Normally she wears a simple but high cla.s.s ladylike dress, but today she's wearing an easy to move in shirt and a pair of pants. And on top of that she's wearing an armor made out of the hide of a magical beast.

The ones who entered the tunnel in front of me were Elia, Jill-san, Camil-san, Zeff-san, Hyuzu-san, and myself.

Rheinhart-san, the Madam, and Rheinbach-sama also came to the mine but Rheinhart-san and madam were apparently going together, and Rheinbach-sama was apparently somehow going to a different tunnel by himself.

When I asked Jill-san and the others if it's ok, they said this

"Don't worry, in the past they travelled together as adventurers. And what’s more is that Rheinbach-sama even managed to get an achievement in a skirmish with a neighboring country in the past. So you don’t have to worry as they won’t even get so much as a scratch from something like the likes of magical beasts that just live in a nearby mine."

Rheinhart-san laughed and said

"The truth is we don't really need guards. We, three, like to go as we please, and if we go out with guards we’ll just get attention, so just having Sebasu-san go with us is more than enough. Haven’t you noticed we really didn’t have guards follow us in the town?”

“The Jamil Household is different from the other n.o.bles and dislikes pompous things. They’ll even hire people like me who isn’t well mannered as long as they have the skill. And they’ll even talk to people like me normally as long as it isn’t in public or in front of the other n.o.bles.”

Well that’s true. These three do look like skilled experts at sword and magic.

As I listened to that story I suddenly noticed that the Madam was waving at me and Elia from the entrance of a separated nearby tunnel. Elia and I waved back, at which the madam waved an even bigger one, one more time, and then she entered the tunnel with Rheinhart-san.

After sending the two off to a different tunnel, we also entered a tunnel. The one leading us is Zeff-san, followed by Jill-san and Hyuzu-san. Who are then followed by me and Elia, and then at the rear most part was Camil-san.

Before going, Zeff-san looked at us and warned us

“Ojousama, and you little boy, ‘tis a lil’ dark here so please watch your steps. People used ‘ta work in this tunnel so there ain’t any here, but there may be some traps in ‘tha dungeon. Finding those little b.u.g.g.e.rs is the job of a scout like me. We may be here for lil’ bit of trainin’ but I’d like ‘ta remind ya not ‘ta go out ahead of us.”

“Yes!”

“Understood.”

After walking for a while we saw something ahead of us and Zeff-san stopped. He also made us stop, and after taking a good look at it…

“Bug?”

For some reason there was a lone bug there that looked like a praying mantis, only, it was around my size.

“You see ‘tha b.u.g.g.e.r over there little boy? Hehe, just as I’d expect from you, that thing’ over there is a Cave Mantis. ‘Tis a bug cla.s.s magical beast, it uses its scythe-like hands ‘ta dig holes and lives at ‘ta caves and tunnels it finds.”

“Che! This is gonna be a bit troublesome…”

Hearing that, I couldn’t help but ask

“Is it strong?”

“It’s not strong. The scythes aren’t sharp and its carapace is soft, so when miners find these little critters they usually get subjugated easily.

The problem is that these things reproduce fast, and from time to time a higher cla.s.s race, Blade Mantis, will come. What makes them doubly annoying is that those guys look like the Cave Mantis, so it’s hard to distinguish between the two.”

“Because the scythe of the Blade Mantis is sharper than the Cave Mantis’ you can’t be careless when dealing with a Cave Mantis. If it turns out to actually be a Blade Mantis, you’ll get hurt. Be careful.”

Elia nodded at those words and said

“Ok.”

“How do we distinguish them?”

“You see… ‘tha blade mantis is just a tiny weeny little ‘bit bigger. But ‘tha thing is that it’s really not that big of a difference so you need that ‘lil somethin we call experience to distinguish them b.u.g.g.e.rs. That thing over there is a Cave Mantis. I’ll lure the b.u.g.g.e.r, and help you ‘lil ones get a closer look, ok?”

After Zeff-san said that, he went near the Cave Mantis by himself until he got its attention, and then he came back. After he reached a place where Elia and I could see clearly, he received the attack of the Cave Mantis with a shield.

“That is a Cave Mantis. Its scythe is a little fast, so please be careful when dealing with it.”

“Ojou, take it down with your magic while Zeff is receiving its blows. And do take care not to hit Zeff.”

“Don’t use Fire Magic, ok? Since here in the cave there’s no place for the smoke to go.”

“I understand.”

“Anytime is fine, Ojousama!”

“Then… ‘Ice Arrow’! tch! ‘Ice Arrow’!”

The cave mantis dodged the first shot, but Elia fired a second shot almost immediately, and was able to take it down.

“The speed of invocation is a pa.s.s but please try to aim better.”

“I understand.”

After that we walked for around 2 minutes until we found another Cave Mantis again. This time, there were 4.

“What will we do? A while ago Ojou did one, so I thought Ryouma would do this one but… 4 all of the sudden may be a bit too much?”

When I heard that I replied to him that I’ll try.

“Be careful.”

I nodded at those words, took out two of my short swords, and invocated the neutral magic, ‘Harden’.

I then ran up to the cave mantis. Noticing, me it turned towards me and then raised its scythe. Before the cave mantis brought its scythe down I took down the right foreleg supporting its body with a kick from my left leg and broke it. The cave mantis lost its balance and fell. I bring my right leg up and put my strength into it as I stomp against the head of the cave mantis, crushing it, then almost immediately turning to face the other two mantis that have already started rushing towards me.

Focusing on the timing of the second bugs’ scythes, raising up and striking down. I rotate my body 80 degrees counterclockwise at the perfect timing, just barely dodging the scythe. Continuing the movement of that rotation, I swing the short sword in my right hand, cutting its joint as the short sword in my left hand flashes by, decapitating the bug.

At that moment, the third cave mantis came at me from behind. I quickly change my backhand grip to a forehand grip as I rotate my body counterclockwise. I receive its blow with my right sword and parry it, as I do so the sword in my left hand mercilessly flashes by as it severs its head from its body.

Immediately right after, the fourth cave mantis came sweeping with its left scythe. As I dodge the approaching scythe, I receive it with my right sword and then I cut off its joint with my left. The cave mantis didn’t back off and came sweeping with its right scythe, this time, I block it with my left and then sever its joint with my right sword. Having lost both its scythes, the mantis was left with no weapons to fight with and had its head lopped off by me.

Having ended the battle, I headed back to where Elia and the rest were.

“Good job, looks like you don’t have any problems even with close combat. Ojou, bug type magical beasts are tough so please don’t be careless  until you're able to separate its head or crush it like Ryouma did, ok?”

“I understand.”

“It’s good that you took extra measures and even used the hardening magic. With that, even if you were hit there would’ve been no problems.”

Elia gave me a glance of admiration and said

“As expected of Ryouma-san.”

Really, it’s because I’ve already gotten used to the green caterpillars back in the Forest of Gauna. Those things were weak, but they were a kind of magical beast that had high vitality.

We started walking again and after 30 minutes of walking, the only monsters to come out were the cave mantises. So, rather than training, it turned out to be a dull extermination job. As we kept doing that, we eventually reached the deepest part of the tunnel.

“Looks like this is the end.”

“It was quite long but it was a straight road, so I guess this is the end?”

“There are no more roads left so there should be no more monsters.”

“So are we ending here?”

“This place is basically a trench so although it’s long there aren’t any complicated roads. Doesn’t seem like we have any other choice other than to go back.”

“It’s unfortunate though, that only one kind of monster came out. I thought a bit more of a variety would come out but…”

“The cave bats and the small mice were most likely eaten by the cave mantises.”

So basically a bunch of mice and bats, huh?

(TL Note: this is the line I was talking about)

“There’s no point in talking about something like that here. Let’s go back.”

With everyone agreeing with Hyuzu-san, we went out the tunnel. While we went out the tunnel, I took my slimes out of the Dimension Home and had them eat the cave mantises on the ground. When we got out, Rheinhart-san and the Madam were waiting for us.

The madam was the first to greet us.

“Welcome home~”

“How was it?”

Elia, br.i.m.m.i.n.g with pride, puffed out her chest and said

“Mother, father, I managed, to take down over 10 cave mantises!”

“That’s pretty good for a first battle.”

“But from midway onwards, Ryouma took the lead and took down over 20!”

Said Elia, looking like she was br.i.m.m.i.n.g with even more pride now.

“Did you get protected by Ryouma-kun?”

“Were there that many cave mantises there?”

Asked the Madam and Rheinhart-san respectively.

“Well from the looks of things, it would seem that the cave we entered was a nest of cave mantises. There wasn’t a single magical beast aside from the cave mantises.”

“Then in that case let’s try entering a different tunnel this afternoon.”

“Before that, though, let’s have some meal since it’s about time the others came back too.”

Being told that, I put my slimes back into the Dimension Home, and was led to an open place where everyone gathered and was having their meal.

That place was the surface of the mine from where the surrounding area could be seen well. The surface of the mine had an unusual pattern of black and reddish brown but there were some areas where heaps of reddish clay could be seen piled up. When I tried asking about it, it turned out to be the a.s.signed area where they would throw away all the dirt they’ve excavated.

“What a waste…”

Although this mine has had a mining rate of mostly zero. That only means that there are no ores right? But it doesn’t mean that the soil doesn’t have iron content. Red soil, that’s the color of rust, right? Since it’s like that, if I were to use Alchemy I would probably be able to create some iron but… since this is already an abandoned mine even if it were to produce a lot of iron it would still be of low quality… and also it seems that Alchemy has a bad reputation so…

As I was thinking something like that, the preparation for our meal was completed and Elia called me over to eat.