The Strongest Onmyoji and the Shikigami With AI are Unparalleled in Another World ~ A Second Life Properly Enjoyed Using Artificial Intelligence ~ - Chapter 30

We entered the forest and began walking along the path.

“Master, how about it? Are there any monsters?”

AI-chan asks as we walk along the path.

“There are some… but whether there are more than usual, I’m not sure. I don’t really know what ‘usual’ is here.”

“Come to think of it, that’s true. So, are there any strong monsters?”

Strong ones…

“No, not really. Just goblins… and… wait, is that an orc?”

“Huh!?”

“….An orc?”

Natalia and Alice look surprised and turn to me.

“Hm? What’s wrong? Orcs aren’t any trouble for you, are they?”

“Well, no, not really. Orcs are only D-rank monsters. But it’s not about that. Orcs don’t usually come out in such shallow areas.”

“….Orcs are creatures that usually dwell deeper. They don’t appear in shallow areas like this, and they certainly don’t come close to roads.”

They don’t come close to roads?

“But they’re walking along the road…”

“Huh?”

“….Hm?”

Natalia and Alice tilt their heads.

“That’s why I’m saying, there are orcs ahead. I think you’ll see them soon. There are two of them.”

I point further down the road as I say so.

“Huh? Two? No way.”

“….Orcs don’t usually gather in groups because they’re strong.”

They both wave their hands dismissively.

“Is that so? But when I summoned the giant spider before, there were plenty of them. Those orcs were also out on the road.”

They were out on the road fighting with those soldiers.

“Isn’t that bad?”

“…It’s abnormal.”

The two exchange glances.

I’ve only been in this world for three days, so I don’t fully understand.

“Ladies and gentleman, let’s table this discussion for later. I’ve confirmed the orcs with my sensors. There are two of them. Well, they’re right in front of us…”

AI-chan says as two large, bipedal pigs stand before us.

“Alice, I’ll handle one, so you take the other.”

Koma-chan, who seems to have realized something, stands in front of Natalia protectively, leaving Alice to deal with the other orc.

“…Got it,” Alice nods, readying her staff.

The orc charges forward.

Watching from atop the cliff earlier, I didn’t realize how intimidating it could be to have such a massive creature charging at you.

Though classified as a D-rank monster, orcs are indeed a step above goblins.

However, they’re smaller and slower than the Big Boar we encountered yesterday.

“Air Cutter!”

Alice raises her staff and, surprisingly, shouts. Blades of wind materialize at the tip of her staff and fly towards the orc.

The wind blades move swiftly, easily severing one of the orcs.

“…That’s it?”

Alice, with a smug expression, easily defeats one of the orcs.

“There’s still one left!”

Natalia, preparing to flee while riding Koma-chan, seems all talk…

“Foxfire.”

Feeling sorry for Natalia, I point my finger at the remaining orc, and golden flames shoots out from my fingertip. When the golden fire hit the orc that was rushing straight into it, it burst into flames, and instantly turned black and collapsed on the spot.

“The orcs in the forest are a breeze. Their bodies are too big to dodge magic on narrow paths.”

“…Yeah.”

Well, if it’s just this, then it’s nothing to worry about.

“Now, let’s gather the magic stones.”

Natalia passes by us with a nonchalant expression and starts dissecting the orcs.

“Is she always like that?”

“….Yeah. Those kinds of tasks are important too.”

Well, it’ll be fine, probably.

It’s good to have someone like that in the party.

“Huh? Where’s AI-chan?”

Koma-chan followed Natalia, and there’s no one behind us.

“….She’s up there.”

Alice points upward, and I look up to see Crow-chan desperately flapping it’s wings, lifting AI-chan up to take refuge in the sky.

Then, as our eyes meet, AI-chan slowly descends.

“Master, you’re amazing! I’ll help Natalia-san too!”

AI-chan says so and goes to Natalia to start dissecting the orcs.

“….She’s not cut out for combat either.”

“….Let’s do our best together.”

Alice pats my back lightly.

“Yes, indeed.”

Natalia has recovery magic, and AI-chan is smart, so that’s fine.

I conclude like that and head towards the two who are dissecting the orcs.

Then, I notice a good smell coming from the orc I’ve burnt to a crisp.

“Can you eat orcs?”

I ask Natalia, who is dissecting the charred orc.

“You can. I don’t want to eat it, but orc meat tastes just like pork, and you can find it in the town’s market.”

“…I don’t want to eat it either. I used to be able to eat it before I became an adventurer, but not anymore.”

I can understand that feeling.

I don’t really feel like eating bipedal pigs either.

“Are you going to take it back and sell it?”

“I don’t think so. Orc meat is cheap because you can get a lot of meat from one orc. Plus, butchering it to sale is difficult.”

“….Just don’t wanna do it. Taking the magic stones is enough.”

It’s not worth the trouble.

“Oh, here it is. This is the magic stone.”

Natalia hands me the magic stone she collected.

The magic stone looks like a red gem about the size of a thumb and seems to emit a mysterious light.

And indeed, it is imbued with magical power.

“Smaller than I thought.”

“That’s how it is with orcs. Monsters are ranked, but the criteria for ranking are the size of the magic stones. The larger the magic stone, the more profitable it is, but also the stronger.”

So, higher magic power…

“Master, look, look! I collected one too!”

AI-chan shows me the magic stone she collected.

“Good job.”

I pat her head.

“Grandpa…”

Natalia looks exasperated.

“Do you want me to pat your head too?”

“No…”

Well, being treated like a child is annoying, I suppose.