The Strongest Onmyoji and the Shikigami With AI are Unparalleled in Another World ~ A Second Life Properly Enjoyed Using Artificial Intelligence ~ - Chapter 29

I summoned a new guardian dog shikigami and walked forward.

After walking for a while, we arrived at the edge of the forest where we defeated the Big Boar yesterday.

“That forest is the best place to investigate, right?”

“Yeah.”

When I confirmed, Natalia nodded.

“A forest… Come to think of it, are we okay in this light gear?”

I feel like there’s a lot of preparation needed to enter a forest.

I once talked to a mountaineer, and he said it’s dangerous for amateurs to go into the mountains or forests.

Well, I rarely ever go into mountains or forests anyway.

“Even though it’s a forest, there’s a proper path. I think it’s dangerous to deviate from it, but there are signposts set up here and there as markers.”

There’s a path…

Come to think of it, I encountered them with these guys while walking along the forest path.

“As long as it’s safe… Even if we get lost, Crow-chan is there, we won’t lose our way.”

Such a convenient shikigami in times like these.

“Master, shall I draw a map?”

As I looked up at Crow-chan flying overhead, AI-chan asked.

“Please.”

“Understood.”

AI-chan took out paper and a pen.

“Well then, shall we go?”

“Yeah. Follow me.”

We were guided by Natalia and turned towards where the path was. Sure enough, there was a road several meters wide, with forests on both sides, just like the road where I met Natalia and Alice.

“This is the place…”

“…Just a heads up, sometimes monsters and beasts attack from both sides, so be careful.”

Well, that’s scary.

“Hey, what’s the difference between monsters and beasts? Is it the presence of magic?”

“…You can think of it that way. As a general definition, monsters are creatures with magic stones inside their bodies.”

Magic stones?

“What are magic stones?”

“…Exactly what it sounds like. Stones imbued with magic. It’s unclear whether these magic stones turn beasts into monsters or if monsters inherently possess magic stones, but monsters tend to have magic stones within them and are generally stronger than ordinary beasts. Some monsters even use magic.”

Hmm…

Thinking about it like that, the spirits in the world I came from aren’t monsters.

I’ve never seen or heard of creatures with magic stones inside them.

Probably not even in my mother’s body.

“I see…”

“Oh, Yuuma, since magic stones can be sold, try to focus on collecting them if possible,” Natalia said, as if remembering something.

“They can be sold?”

“Yeah. Yuuma, as someone from another world, you might not know, but in this world, magic stones are used in various ways. Remember how when you turned the faucet in your room’s bathroom, water came out? That’s the power of a magic stone.”

“Oh, I see…”

I’ve been using it normally since AI-chan taught me how, but I didn’t realize it worked like that.

I thought it was convenient not to have to draw water from a well, but this world seems much more developed than the one I came from.

“I might have been reincarnated into a pretty good world… But still, there are beasts here aside from monsters… Like wild boars or wolves?”

“Yeah. They’re not as strong as monsters, but they’re still a threat. We can easily hunt them. They’re weak.”

A mage without magic is just an ordinary person…

But it’s common for beasts to be considered a threat.

Even in the world I came from, people were often attacked by bears or wolves.

“Can you guys scout ahead?”

“Not really. Lilly can. So, when it’s just the two of us, we have to be cautious while moving forward.”

These two?

That’s dangerous…

“What about when you met me? What about at night?”

“We were still together at that time. Well, at night, we put up a barrier, so it’s okay.”

“…It’s not very effective, though.”

Are these two really okay?

“No, you might die, you know?”

“We know. But we have to earn a living. We know being an adventurer is dangerous, and we’re prepared for it.”

Brave words, but it’s hard to believe they’re from the same girl who was crying out in fear during yesterday’s encounter with the Big Boar.

“Do you ever think about just working a regular job?”

“We don’t have an education. We have nothing to inherit, and even if we did, women can’t inherit.”

“Why don’t you find someone to marry? With your looks, I’m sure you could marry into a good family.”

Both of them are kind and have attractive faces.

“Even if we get married, it’s the same. Poor families like ours marry people from other poor families. Best-case scenario, we become mistresses of wealthy merchants? I’d rather earn my own living. Luckily, I have some magical ability.”

Is that how it works?

With different backgrounds, social status, and even worlds and cultures, it’s hard to understand.

Still, trying to carve out a future with your own strength is admirable and a good thing.

“What about you?”

I ask Alice too, just in case.

“…Yeah. My family situation is pretty much the same as Natalia’s. We’ve always talked about becoming adventurers. We didn’t have any special skills, so this was the quickest way for us to make money. Being a prostitute is out of the question.”

“Quickest” might be an overstatement, considering they couldn’t use magic at first.

But they must have struggled a lot to get this far.

“You two have had it tough, huh?”

“Not at all. This is normal, and we’re actually better off. We have magical ability, and we have a clan.”

“We were also lucky with our party. We had Harrison as our vanguard and Lily for scouting. Well, neither of them is here now.”

Harrison retired, and Lily went back home.

“By the way, did you ever consider marrying Harrison? He mentioned inheriting the family estate, and isn’t his family well-off?”

“Harrison is just… ”

“… He’s not a bad person or anything. It’s just… ”

Well, you wouldn’t marry someone just for their family background.

“Well, lets work hard enough to make you two wealthy …AI-chan, I’m counting on you for scouting out the regular beasts. I can’t sense something unless there’s magic energy.”

“Leave it to my sensors.”

AI-chan nodded as she skillfully drew the map.