Ascending the Ladder

According to the stories, the paralysis that set in when Sakuragi ascended the Ladder seemed quite severe. Kimishima, from what I observed, was immobilized for about half a day, around 5 to 6 hours, but Sakuragi seemed to experience it even longer. It must have been because of her guardian spirit. I, on the other hand, only felt a slight fever for less than an hour.

By the way, Nishina seemed to have a similar experience to Kimishima.

For a while, the three of us hunted monsters together. I would have liked to ascend too if I could, but I couldn't afford to waste my limited number of sword draws compared to the three of them. I wanted to conserve my magic power for when advanced monsters appeared.

Ideally, when ascending the Ladder, it would have been best to efficiently level up by facing advanced strong monsters. However, reaching such deep areas was not easy. It would probably have taken us 2 to 3 days based on the distance we walked.

Even after desperately escaping from that deep area, the thought of going back there for the sake of ascending the Ladder was unexpected. Habit can be terrifying. Well, even if we decided to ascend, it would have been better to wait leisurely until the students became stronger.

But, this time was completely different from the Galal Blue incident. Local skilled warriors accompanied us, and with a group of six, we could hunt in a location that suited us perfectly. Initially, when the students expressed their desire to ascend the Ladder, I wondered if it was necessary to do something so dangerous, but this seemed acceptable.

"Come on, you need to thrust more decisively."

"Yeah, if you hesitate, the situation will only get worse."

"Y-yes."

After defeating the monsters, it was time for dismantling.

There were many useful parts in a monster's corpse. One common factor among all monsters was the heart, an engine-like organ directly linked to the life activities of creatures in this world. It was where the monster's ‘magical power’ originated. Magical power kneaded in the heart circulated through the blood, spreading throughout the body.

The reason powerful monsters were more resistant to swords was because of this. Strong monsters had a dense magical power circulating throughout their bodies. Magical power, along with blood, reached even the capillaries under the skin. Hence, a sword with insufficient magical power could not cause much damage.

Extracting the heart from the monsters was a common practice in this world. Professionals refined and processed it, crystallizing magical power into what was called a "magic stone”. These magic stones served as batteries for magical tools and devices used in this world. Therefore, extracting the heart from monsters was an essential job for the people in this world.

The students believed that the "magic stone" existed inside their bodies. Apparently, in fantasy manga and anime set in otherworldly fantasy worlds, such a system was common.

"Ugh..."

Extracting the heart. Can you understand how strenuous this task is? Moreover, extracting the heart from a monster's corpse was technically challenging. As it was considered an important task by the local warriors, there was no room for slacking off. I, who was accompanying them for the stair ascension, also ended up doing it.

...Ugh.

After several days, I had gotten somewhat used to it. However, I could not tolerate my hands being covered in blood. It made me worry about potential dangerous bacteria, according to the sensibilities of Japan. I washed desperately if blood splashed near my eyes.

Finally, when the extraction was over, Kimishima produced water with her life magic.

"Sensei, I'll provide water."

"Oh, thank you."

Although all three of us could use water magic, Kimishima always provided water for handwashing after dismantling. Lately, it seemed that Nishina and Sakuragi consciously yielded this task to her. They probably understood Kimishima's feelings, but it was somewhat awkward.

"Sensei, your dissection is so clean."

"I-is that so?"

"Yes."

I'm not sure if I should be happy about the compliment, but I could at least handle fish during cooking... Did it have any relevance? This time, the monster was a type called Dirty Boar, resembling a boar. Therefore, it could also be used as food. I cut it into small pieces to fit in the backpack and bring it back. Mera, at Kimishima's feet, happily picked up the meat slices she received.

"...Is it tasty?"

“Piyo!”

"I-I see..."

Becoming accustomed to me, there was no longer a hostile feeling, and I could approach her. However, seeing her nibbling on the meat with a blood-stained beak was entirely reminiscent of a bird of prey.

Durham State lost a significant portion of its territory and people in the Big Monster Parade fifty years ago. The current government was treated as a provisional government. Naturally, tax revenue was low, and the situation was far from affluent. Nevertheless, they maintained a considerable state army because they earned income by gathering monster materials and selling them.

The discipline of the warriors was lax, and they didn't look like regular soldiers at all. In a way, they lived a life no different from adventurers in other countries. From an outsider's perspective, it seemed they were "energetically hunting monsters out of revenge|”, but in reality, they continued monster hunting for their own Ladder ascension and sustenance.

Nevertheless, according to the state soldiers, they were "thinning out the monsters that arrogantly dominate their homeland”.

We continued hunting for a while. Eventually, Kimishima's condition started to change.

Even when we were on the run, Kimishima occasionally fought monsters. It seemed she had reached the fourth step first. Considering the difficulty of ascending from the third step, I was a bit surprised. Personally, I had already ascended to the fifth.

"This is where Sensei is."

"Eh?"

Nishina looked meaningfully towards me. Kimishima, who seemed on the verge of collapsing and might fall asleep any moment, leaned on me.

"Please... take care of me..."

"Oh, sure..."

"Well then, that's it for today. Mister, I'm counting on you to take care of the young lady."

"Huh? Y-yes."

I ended up carrying Kimishima. She wasn't particularly heavy; in fact, she was somewhat modest. However, even so, when I carried her on my back, I felt the feminine softness with a sense of guilt.

Unlike the escape with just the two of us, I couldn't help but be conscious of other people's gazes. I sensed Nishina and Sakuragi grinning behind us... but I couldn't get angry.

When we reached the main road, perhaps because we returned a bit earlier than planned, the repairs on the road were not yet completed. We laid out cushions and changed clothes, then laid Kimishima on the carriage we were going to ride. Until it was time for everyone to go home, we observed the ongoing work.

The workers were pouring new asphalt onto the partially peeled asphalt and pounding it with something like a hammer. The air was filled with a stifling smell, reminiscent of the smell when driving with the windows open during late-night road construction with one-way alternating traffic. Such memories crossed my mind.

"If only someone with gravity magic were here, it would be easier. Hehehe."

One of the state soldiers working on the road said that while laughing. He also had a physique that seemed to have a mixture of Noin blood.

"Gravity magic, huh. There's such a thing?"

"Well, not many people have that kind of magic. The famous one is Aristia, a Great Celestial, within the top ten. Hehehe. But you can't really ask someone like that to help with road maintenance."

"Great Celestial?"

"Oh? Oh, you still don't know. We call those ranked within the top 100 'Celestials,' and those within the top 10 are called 'Great Celestials.'"

"Ah, I see..."

“By the way, there is also a name for the third place, Toki, the second place, Naun, and the first place, Tenyo.”

"Oh, I see... it's complicated."

"Hehehe. It's not really that complicated. It's just because they have names, you know?"

"Haha."

It's an unfamiliar world, and naturally, there would be customs I'm not familiar with.

After a while, when today's work was finally finished, we set out on the way back. Since there wouldn't be enough space for us to sit if Kimishima remained lying down, I gently lifted her and let her lean against my side on the carriage. Still, there was some swaying, so I supported her by holding her from the side.

….

Once again, the eyes of Nishina and Sakuragi sitting in front of me were smiling.

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