The Story Of The Second Son Of The Baron Family [EN]: Chapter 9

Baron’s Family Second Son – Episode 9

< Baron's Family Second Son – Episode 09 – >

The expedition consisted of about one hundred and twenty knights and twenty mages. However, shortly after leaving the Terra Barrier, they split into ten groups, each with twelve knights and two mages. The key to this expedition was stealth, individual combat effectiveness, and a safe return.

Gathering together might seem safe at first glance, but that’s a naive assumption. Monsters are more sensitive to sound and presence than humans. One hundred and forty humans moving together couldn’t possibly go unnoticed. Ultimately, stealth would be compromised, the number of monsters that could be killed would be limited due to the excessive concentration of power, and a safe return would become difficult.

An average medium-sized monster could be handled by a single knight, but an ogre required two or three. That’s why the groups were structured as 12-2. There was no guarantee that a large monster would be alone, and there was a risk of attracting nearby monsters.

“Are you nervous?”

“I’d be lying if I said no.”

How could I not be nervous? In fact, I barely slept last night due to excessive tension. If I hadn’t engraved the room and bed with magic [a magical warding for protection and comfort], I would have responded to the summons with hollow, bloodshot eyes. This wasn’t just my experience; I wasn’t the only one without prior experience in the monster lands.

The monsters’ territory is vast, and their numbers are even greater. Whether we hunt large monsters or not, the strain on the Terra Barrier won’t change significantly.

That’s why only 1/3 of the personnel were selected instead of all members, and many were on their first expedition despite being in their second or third year. Those people were not much different from me. In fact, some seemed even more nervous.

Having been stationed here for a long time, and with experience under their belts, they knew better how threatening monsters are, and how dangerous it is to approach them without the protection of the Terra Barrier.

“Even Lord Ild, who is saying that, is nervous.”

Ild, a 6th year student on his third expedition, seemed calm, but I could feel him sharpening his senses, preparing for any unexpected situation. What about the others? There was only a difference in degree, but everyone looked tense.

“Alright, everyone, relax. You all know that if you’re too tense, you’ll break down when you really need to be sharp.”

The leader of our group was Ild. No one could match him in age or experience. In fact, knights and mages don’t usually get along well, and in severe cases, they insult each other, calling each other ignorant swordsmen or reclusive weirdos, but here, they got along well. No, they had to. Those who didn’t wouldn’t survive.

Think about it. No expert is immune to mistakes. The key is whether you can compensate for that mistake. Most mistakes here lead to death without recovery. That’s when you need the help of your comrades. In such a situation, who would readily help if you constantly criticize those who can lend a hand, calling them swordsmen or weirdos?

Wouldn’t you be more willing to help someone who shakes hands and says ‘good job’ after a fierce battle, or occasionally shares a drink with you, rather than someone who constantly argues and clashes, even if the situation is relatively less critical?

“That’s right. Relax and look around. It’s not hard to notice the enemy’s presence even if you’re not so tense. Take your time. Moderate tension increases concentration and speeds up reaction, but excessive tension is worse than useless.”

“Hoo. Hoo.”

Closing my eyes and focusing on deep breathing, my heart seemed to beat a little slower. But as soon as I opened my eyes, my heart started pounding violently again. Perhaps because the barrier that was always visible inside the Terra Barrier was now gone, I realized that I was more nervous than usual.

“You fought well inside the barrier, but you’re more chicken-hearted than I thought?”

“Lord Ild is strange. How can you be so calm, even though it’s your third time?”

“Well, of course, because I trust the legacy of our seniors.”

Why wouldn’t Ild be nervous? He had experienced expeditions once in his 2nd year and again in his 5th year. He had overcome several near-death experiences and had to return with various accessories as mementos because he couldn’t even recover his comrades’ bodies.

In some ways, he had no choice but to be more nervous. Unlike those who have vague hopes that everyone can return alive, he knew that even if he did his best, someone here would not return alive.

However, he tried to maintain his composure, because he was the leader of this group, because he was the most experienced elder. If even he showed anxiety and tension, wouldn’t the others be even more anxious? Also, his past experience had not only brought him anxiety about inevitable death.

Since the start of the autumn expedition, many efforts had been made to reduce damage as much as possible. The knights sought more efficient movements, and the mages put their heads together. More innovative results came from the mages. Mages could handle more situations than direct combat.

They researched and improved magic. If there was no necessary magic, they scraped together related materials and created new spells. In doing so, they gradually reduced unnecessary non-combat losses, allowing them to rest in a more comfortable environment, to detect enemies earlier, and to minimize combat noise.

To minimize casualties from direct combat, but also to minimize other losses. And one of the results was the magic that Ild was currently using.

He improved Invisibility. The original Invisibility was a magic that completely disappeared from the opponent’s sight, but it was a high-circle magic [powerful, advanced magic], so few mages could use it. Therefore, even if it reduced the effect, they tried to make it usable by as many mages as possible. In addition, by making the target of the magic a space rather than a person, they improved it so that their companions could also enjoy the benefits.

He also incorporated Hide Mana Force. Mana is like life force. Therefore, some higher-level monsters could smell mana. Knights and mages, who have dozens or hundreds of times more mana than ordinary people, were delicacies for such creatures, so it was necessary to hide mana for stealth.

It was by no means an easy study, but when dozens of mages put their heads together, all sorts of innovative methods poured out, and the Empire also supported it. As a result, the research was successful.

“I can’t even count how many years of time and how many sacrifices were needed. So have confidence. The sacrifices of our seniors were by no means meaningless.”

That was confidence based on experience. At the same time, it was a word to relieve the tension of the group and instill confidence. It worked. Ild’s skills were the best except for Wonder, and the fact that a veteran who had returned alive twice already had confidence made others feel confident as well.

“Alright, let’s pick up the pace a bit. Shouldn’t we find a place to stay before the sun goes down?”

#

A place with high ground where you can see the surrounding movements at a glance. A place where it is easy to obtain drinking water because there is water nearby. Or a place where it is easy to defend against enemy invasion. There were many factors to consider before building a base. However, if a mage was part of the group, most of the factors could be covered.

“This place will be good.”

Finding a suitably secluded place, we dug into the ground and went underground. We created a space deep inside, piled up the soil thickly enough so that it would not collapse even if a monster stepped on it, and made air holes in various places. A suitable base was completed in an instant. If we were going to stay for a long time, we would make it a little more elaborate, but we planned to move the location after cleaning the area, so this was enough.

“Okay, everyone, eat.”

Magic was needed not only there. He lit a fire without firewood and raised a small air shield on it. That alone became a great pot, and when he put water made of mana inside and put the food he brought in, a stew was completed in an instant.

Of course, since they were knights and mages, no one knew how to cook, so it was difficult to say that it tasted good, but the fact that warm food entered their bodies in the cold weather was enough to boost morale.

“As you know, the plan for the future is simple. For about a month, we will be traveling through the monsters’ land and hunting higher-level monsters. There is only one thing to keep in mind: only fight battles that you can win. Killing higher-level monsters is important, but it is not comparable to your lives. Do you all understand?”

“Yes!”

“I hope we can return without a single casualty… Let us all pray.”

There was no need to set up a night watch. It was an underground area where monsters could hardly invade, and an alarm magic was set up to sound an alarm if a creature larger than a human entered within a radius of 20m. However, everyone seemed unable to fall asleep easily, imagining the march of hardship that would take place from tomorrow. Fortunately, I could do something for them.

Sleep (眠)

Because of its size, it cannot be sustained for a long time, but at least it will be possible to maintain it until they fall asleep comfortably. One by one, the group falls asleep, perhaps due to the influence of the engraving. I also gave in to the approaching drowsiness without resisting, because tomorrow will be quite tiring.

#

The next day, after emerging from the underground, we began to actively search for higher species. Orcs, Lizardmen, and Owlbears were highly fertile, so killing them was of little use, and since they moved in large numbers, they could attract nearby monsters, so we avoided them as much as possible. I’m avoiding it because dealing with them is unpleasant. It’s not because I’m scared.

“Jackpot on the first day?”

“Will we be okay? As you all know, they are not easy opponents.”

“Don’t worry. It’s just one. If we get scared of this and back down, there’s no reason for us to come this far.”

A huge body, a long tail, and short, stubby four pairs of legs as big as its body. The huge jaw seemed capable of smashing anything, and it was constantly spewing poison from its nose. Even large monsters such as ogres and cyclops were nothing more than children in front of adults. A basilisk appeared in front of us, who were actively looking for prey.

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