Isekai Nonbiri Sozai Saishu Seikatsu - Chapter 191

“One of the ingredients requested by Father has been secured!”

Franryule said with a satisfied expression.

Unlike the previous strictly guarded harvesting, she must be truly happy to be able to move freely like this.

Just watching her straightforward spirit is heartwarming and makes me want to cheer her on.

I can see why the guards were so fond of her.

“Which ingredient is the closest next?”

The remaining ingredients are Explosive Corn, Byron meat, Sky Fish, and Giant Tree Sap.

“From here, the closest is Explosive Corn.”

“Then, shall we head there?”

“Yes!”

Franryule seems to know the general habitat of the Explosive Corn, so I follow her.

As we head north, away from the Bubbly Spring, the forest becomes denser.

Large trees grow, with roots and vines rising all over the place.

This area must have a very strong plant vitality.

When the environment changes, the type of monsters often changes drastically too.

Unexpected monsters can appear and launch surprise attacks, so our vigilance increases.

While carefully scouting with a magic stone detection, I noticed monsters approaching.

The direction is ahead, but they’re approaching from above.

They are likely moving using the branches and vines extending from tree to tree.

“Franryule, monsters are approaching.”

“Oh! What kind of monsters are they?”

“It’s a monkey with unusually developed arms.”

From the silhouette visible in the distance, it definitely looks like a monkey.

Its hairy body and long arms, almost touching the ground, are distinctive features.

“It’s probably a demon monkey!”

“Shall we avoid contact?”

We could neutralize it with a stun needle, but it’s best to avoid unnecessary combat within the reserve.

“No! Demon monkeys are harmful creatures that disrupt the reserve’s ecosystem! If possible, we should exterminate it!”

Although it was a considerate suggestion, Franryule’s response was surprisingly aggressive.

“Is it really that harmful?”

“Yes! They steal cultivated ingredients, devour rare fruits, and they eat anything they want with reckless abandon!”

It was rare for the usually calm Franryule to show such indignation, puffing her cheeks in anger.

From her level of anger, it seems she has suffered numerous times in the past.

“Why is such a creature in the reserve?”

In this place where ingredients are protected and managed, such a creature seems to be a significant nuisance.

“They originally inhabited this forest. We’ve driven them out several times, but they seem to have a high reproductive rate, and the ones that escape quickly increase in number…”

They’re like goblins or cockroaches.

Now that the area has become so vast, exterminating them must be quite a task.

“In that case, shall we eliminate them?”

“That would be very helpful!”

So, we decided not to avoid combat with the demon monkeys but to fight them instead.

As we proceed straight ahead, the demon monkeys gradually approach.

They probably don’t realize that we have already detected their presence.

Through our line of sight, we can see the bright red silhouettes moving through the treetops, but we must refrain from tracking them with our eyes to avoid revealing that we’ve noticed them.

Franryule walks casually, but she is fully prepared.

If I give the signal, she can cast a spell at any time.

We let them get as close as possible to lure them into a false sense of security.

The demon monkeys try to flank us, spreading out as they glance at each other.

At the moment their attention is completely diverted from us, I signal Franryule with my finger to indicate where to cast her spell.

“Thunder Arrow!”

At that moment, a bolt of lightning shot from Franryule’s staff.

The high-power, high-speed magic struck at the perfect timing, leaving the demon monkeys no chance to evade.

Two demon monkeys fell from above.

They were charred black, their long tongues hanging limply.

In the Ladeo Volcano, this spell couldn’t take down a Lizardman in one shot, but it seemed more than sufficient for the demon monkeys.

I wasn’t just watching either. As I gave the signal, I launched Ice Pillars at the demon monkeys on the right, taking down three of them.

“Five in total. We’ve finished off the approaching demon monkeys.”

“Hehehe, taking down such nimble demon monkeys so easily! It’s splendid!”

Franryule’s smile was a bit dark.

I could tell she had suffered considerable trouble from them in the past, but I chose not to comment on it.

While ensuring no other monsters were approaching, I dismembered the demon monkeys and only collected the usable meat.

“Shuu-san? Demon monkey meat is not edible, you know?”

“Yes, I know. But I’ve heard that if you smoke it with demon wood, it becomes quite delicious.”

“I think it would be better to smoke other edible meat instead of demon monkey meat.”

“Aren’t you curious about how tasty meat that’s said to be bad can become?”

Franryule’s point is valid. It’s better to make something already delicious even tastier than to improve something that’s not.

But first, wouldn’t you want to experience how much an unappetizing item can be improved?

I was collecting out of curiosity, but Franryule seemed to find it hard to understand this feeling and made a slightly puzzled face. Well, it’s more of a hobby or curiosity.

We quickly finished collecting the meat, as we only needed a little to smoke with magic wood.

The carcasses were left behind, as they would become food for the forest monsters and nutrients for the plants.

However, just taking down five demon monkeys wouldn’t solve the problem fundamentally.

Nevertheless, halting ingredient collection to exterminate demon monkeys wouldn’t be fun.

As a compromise, I used my search and investigation skill on the demon monkeys.

Sending out a wide-ranging wave of magical energy, I detected demon monkeys in various locations.

The ones clustered together were likely their nests.

“Franryule, could you show me the general map of the reserve?”

“Yes.”

With that, Franryule took out a map from her pocket and showed it to me.

“There are probably demon monkey nests in the big tree to the north, the cave to the west, and underground to the east.”

“You can tell all that!?”

“My skill is pretty handy. Please share this information with the guards later.”

“Thank you. I’ll talk to my father later and get your reward increased.”

“Since it’s not confirmed yet, it’s fine to wait until we’ve properly exterminated them.”

It would be scary to receive money and then find out they weren’t there after all.

“Hehe, now we can exterminate them!”

Franryule laughed as she marked the map.

It’s a dark smile.

I felt a bit sorry for the demon monkeys that would be attacked later, but since they’ve been doing whatever they pleased, it’s their own fault.