The Adventure of a Boy with the Mind of a Middle-Aged Man

I turned 12.

After training several years, my Magic and MP reached S-.

Grey Millard

Status

HP: C+ (22/100%)

MP: S- (77/100%)

Strength: B- (56/100%)

Endurance: B- (13/100%)

Magic: S- (46/100%)

Magical Endurance: B- (53/100%)

Agility: B (17/100%)

Luck: C+ (36/100%)

Drop: C+ (88/100%)

Wisdom: ΛΦΨ

Growth Rate: ΛΦΨ

Right now, I'm challenging the last untrodden lands of the 『Ancient Forest』, the most southeastern portion, with Satella, Judo, and Carla.

The most southeastern portion consists of giant wetlands, and the strength of the monsters that swagger around the lands are on a whole nother level.

"Be careful. Leave the vanguard to me. Just support me with magic from the rear!"

"Okay!"

"Yep!"

"Yessir!"

A giant 5-meter tall alligator-like monster charged at us, creating tremors in the earth. Satella quickly held up her right palm and chanted, "【Water Citadel】"

The water around us rose up and formed into several blue membranes before fully shaping into a small citadel that protected us.

Once the alligator tried to touch the blue membrane, several needles sprouted out of the water castle walls and skewered it.

The giant alligator writhed in agony as red blood spurted out.

"【Seven Black Thunder Pillars】"

At Carla's chant, black thunder pillars over four meters wide descended from the heavens and evaporated the alligator, leaving nothing behind.

"Oi, Carla! Who uses lightning series magic in the wetlands?! We'd be dead if Satella didn't throw a barrier up!" Judo yelled as a vein bulged on his forehead. I let out a sigh as Carla threw out her tongue in response and hid behind Satella.

Recently, Carla and Satella have been getting along like sisters. Carla is currently 18, and Satella 14. Satella was four years younger, but she was more of an older sister.

"Carla-oneechan, we're in the wetlands so water series magic would be better," Satella said.

"I know." Carla kicked at the water, sulking as even Satella rebuked her.

Other than healing magic, Carla had a strong attachment to high-rank and above lightning spells. Especially after she obtained the special-rank magic, 【Seven Black Thunder Pillars】, she's been using it left and right.

Certainly, Satella's special rank magic, 【Water Citadel】was tested to be able to block almost anything as long as it didn't take a direct hit from lightning, but if anything went wrong and we took the lightning head on, everyone but me would be fried. As Judo pointed out, she should refrain from using it.

"We're in the middle of practice right now," I said. "If you want to fight do it after."

"S-sorry!" Judo bowed deeply. Carla stuck her tongue out at Judo, so I tapped her head with the handle of my sword.

"Carla, until I say otherwise, lightning series magic is forbidden," I said.

"Whaaaat!!" she complained.

"Do you hear me!?"

"Okaaay," she answered while pouting. Carla always listened to what I said. But turning that around, you could also say that she only listened to what I said. Jeez, speaking of which, on Earth, 18 is the age when you become an adult and get the right to vote. I might have spoiled her a bit too much.

Anyways, after lowering their MP to the single digits, I forcefully put them to sleep with magic every day, and as a result, Satella, Carla, and Judo's Magic all reached C+.

Satella

Status

HP: E- (22/100%)

MP: C+ (18/100%)

Strength: E- (2/100%)

Endurance: C- (13/100%)

Magic: C+ (3/100%)

Magical Endurance: C- (18/100%)

Agility: E+ (42/100%)

Luck: E- (6/100%)

Drop: E- (65/100%)

Wisdom: D- (41/100%)

Growth Rate: A

Title: ---'s Maid

Judo

Status

HP: E+ (35/100%)

MP: C+ (54/100%)

Strength: D- (4/100%)

Endurance: C- (16/100%)

Magic: C+ (75/100%)

Magical Endurance: E- (48/100%)

Agility: E (88/100%)

Luck: E (66/100%)

Drop: E (27/100%)

Wisdom: C- (12/100%)

Growth Rate: A

Title: ---'s Disciple

Satella

Status

HP: E (35/100%)

MP: C+ (55/100%)

Strength: C- (2/100%)

Endurance: D- (13/100%)

Magic: C+ (27/100%)

Magical Endurance: D- (18/100%)

Agility: C- (42/100%)

Luck: E (6/100%)

Drop: E (65/100%)

Wisdom: E (90/100%)

Growth Rate: A

Title: ---'s Disciple

Their statuses were ridiculously high overall, but their growth rate, especially, was overwhelmingly high.

In the first place, Judo's growth rate should have been E, but before I knew it his growth rate became A. This is just my speculation, but I think that it has something to do with their mysterious titles.

I think it has to do with whether you have that weird title or now. I've had everyone else do the same exercises as these three, but compared to Judo, Carla, and Satella's status, the others' MP and Magic only reached E+, remarkably low in comparison. Furthermore, no matter what I did, they couldn't learn top-rank magic, so I had the other 8 employees of Sagami Co. and Tote's security squad learn top-rank magic.

Naturally, the monsters in this area had C- stats and posed a danger to everyone else. They couldn't hold out for even a second against the small, quick-witted monsters that constantly attacked. So, I pinpointed any dangerous-looking monsters with Analyze Environment and quickly eliminated them with magic, leaving large monsters like that giant alligator from before for everyone else to eliminate.

"We're going deeper," I said. "I want to conquer the 『Ancient Forest』before going to the capital.

"Yessir!" they replied in unison.

Just a minute before, Judo and Carla were all gloomy, but they now showed no such emotions.

It was simple: I had decided to take Satella, Judo, and Carla with me to the capital.

They weren't slaves, nor were they serfs of any sort. The empire's laws didn't permit abandoning farmland, but to turn that around, as long as we maintained the land, we weren't forced to stay and could move about freely. In fact, many were encouraged to become adventurers or merchants to reduce food costs.

"Looks like you're the lord of this land," I said, as a giant serpent craned over and glared at us with its 16 blood-red eyes.[1]

DraHachi

Status

HP: B+ (99/100%)

MP: B- (99/100%)

Strength: B+ (99/100%)

Endurance: B+ (99/100%)

Magic: B- (99/100%)

Magical Endurance: B- (99/100%)

Agility: B- (99/100%)

Luck: E+ (1/100%)

Wisdom: D+ (1/100%)

Race: Hydra Lord

Title: Gluttonous Dragon

Its stats average B. It's strength is even B+, what a joke of a monster. In any case, based off the name and the title, it's definitely cunning.

Well, I certainly can't let down my guard against it, but this might be a good opportunity to test out the legend-rank dark series magic that I recently acquired.

Also, if this monster has its own specific magic stone, I should definitely be able to acquire god-rank magic.

I turned my palm to the sky and chanted, "【Skaði Palm】" as a black magic circle surrounded the DraHachi.

"What is this?" a terrified girl's voice echoed in my ear.

At the same time, dark clouds enshrouded the dragon and a giant hand appeared of those clouds.

【Skaði Palm】--- It was the only legend-rank magic that I could use in a fight. It was the best magic I could use, created out of the magic stone of a Sampati, a giant animal that was one of the four pillars of the 『Ancient Forest』.

Suddenly, with a shriek, the dragon transformed into a black-haired girl of about seven or eight years, who, while trembling, rolled into a ball and began crying.

"A girl......?"

Why did it become a girl? This has got to be against the rules, I mean just look at how cunning its name and title sounds.

"Grey-sama......" Satella, who easily became bewildered, gazed at the crying girl and prodded me to change my mind.

"Yeah, you're right."

Even if it were a monster, to bully or even kill a child would be stooping down to my stepmother's level.

I terminated my spell and heaved a sigh.

◇◆◇◆◇◆

There wasn't anything trickier than dealing with a child that wouldn't stop crying. It didn't help that I was the one who made her cry.

Having no other choice, I brought her though teleportation to Sagami Co's restaurant, 『The Silver Knife』, in order to calm her down.

"How is it? Delicious, right?"

"It's good!" As her eyes glistened after chomping on a mouthful of meat, my guilty conscience finally disappeared.

The Sagami Co. Restaurant, 『The Silver Knife』's special menu---The Wind Cow Hamburger. The Wind Cow inhabited the Ancient Forest and was an animal just between a Holstein, which was a type of German cow, and a Wagyu cow. As such, it shouldn't have been able to survive in a place where powerful monsters were prevalent. However, the Wind Cow inhabited an extremely wide and deep basin surrounded by raging winds. Furthermore, the winds were poisonous too. Even we had to struggle quite a bit to enter the basin, so naturally monsters couldn't enter, and a unique ecosystem developed in the basin.

As a result, we named it the『Windy Lands』and were able to obtain several products and animals to use for the restaurant.

On the products side, we obtained sugarcane, tomatoes, potatoes, and onions. And on the animals side, we got the Wind Cow and quail-like bird.

Once we had obtained the sole right to these animals and products, I went to Giresse and a recently acquainted powerful noble's farm to test grow the crops and reaped quite the profit.

"That's good to hear," I said to the girl, "chew slowly."

I had no idea what a dragon was like, but I warned her anyways.

"Okay!"

"Looks like you're in a better mood now. I'll take you back to the wetlands." I said.

"Don't wanna," the DraHachi flat out refused my request with a beaming smile.

"Please don't say that... Isn't that your habitat?"

She flung herself onto Satella and began looking at her with puppy eyes.

"Grey-sama......" Satella said.

Oh boy, it's no good now. You've been played, Satella; you're too weak to cute things. In your eyes, that girl's cuteness is probably to die for. What an annoying, cunning dragon.

"What do you guys think?" I turned to ask the others.

Judo glanced at Carla, who was flushed with excitement, before heaving a heavy sigh and shaking his head back and forth.

Well there's no point if only I object. Satella, Judo, and Carla all have special titles that allow them to borrow an incomplete version of《 Infinite Item Box 》and《 Warp Point》after all. So even if I refuse, Satella and Carla could probably enter the wetlands.

"Okay," I gave in. "You two need to take care of her then."

"Thanks! Grey-sama!"

"Yayy!!"

Satella and Carla jumped to hug the DraHachi.

And so, my exploration into the 『Ancient Forest』ended unexpectedly with a new travler to our group.

[1] Not sure what the correct term for this is. Basically it's like when a King Cobra inflates its head to make it seem more threatening to other animals.

Also, not sure what this monster is supposed to be, so for now I'll keep it as a direct romanization.

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