MTO C69

Chapter 69

Kaidan pulled a book from the shelf and opened it on the central table. In his hands it had seemed ordinary, but set on the surface it was so large it covered more than half the tabletop. On the left page was a finely detailed illustration of a monster; on the right, a description of its traits. It was a bestiary.

He turned to a page and pointed at the illustration. Michel had seen this monster before.

“Naga. The one that showed up in the woods near the orphanage. One of the monsters commonly found on the Northern Continent.”

At the words “Northern Continent,” Michel recalled the map of this world from the children’s storybooks. People here believed the world was made of three continents. The kingdom of Formene lay on the northernmost land, hence “Northern Continent.” There, many large and small kingdoms and city‑states clustered together, among which the most expansive and influential was the Kingdom of Formene.

The thought that the same serpent monster he’d met before prowled the land he now lived on did not sit well.

“As you know from seeing it yourself, a naga is a serpent monster with three heads. It usually constricts prey with its body to suffocate it, or shoots paralytic venom from its tail, then eats it after it dies. If stung by a naga’s tail, the body soon hardens like stone and death follows.”

As Kaidan continued the explanation, Michel shuddered. He had nearly died from naga venom; it was a memory he never wanted to relive.

“Luckily, I survived.”

“Because the antidote was given in time. But the antidote itself has severe side effects. A raging fever grips the whole body for days. So someone must watch by the patient’s side until they wake and help draw the venom out.”

“How do you draw it out?”

Michel asked, bright‑eyed. Kaidan flinched. He opened his mouth as if to answer, then shut it. For a split second his gaze brushed Michel’s lips. Before Michel could register that subtle shift, Kaidan had already glanced away.

“…If you’re fortunate, most of it leaves naturally.”

Only after a long pause did he answer, voice lowered. Michel decided the library must be dusty today.

“Guess I was fortunate.”

“…You were. The side effects leave some people blind.”

Michel sucked in a breath. Looking back, it was a blessing the naga had stung him, not Heart. A child that small would have struggled even more with the antidote’s side effects.

“Then how should one fight a naga?”

Kaidan tapped the middle head of the naga.

“Cut here and it dies instantly. The left and right heads or the body will regenerate after a while no matter how much you cut. If you find a naga, sever the central head immediately, or cut the tail to remove its attack, then take all the heads.”

“Is there any other way besides cutting?”

“You can crush the head, or burn it to death. The key is to stop the central head.”

Michel studied the illustration with a grave face.

Could a downward smash pulp it? When he’d kicked it, the body had been extremely tough.

He was not yet comfortable with a sword and pondered whether taekwondo offered a way to deal with a naga. Bare‑handed against a monster seemed unwise, but in a pinch, it might be worth trying.

If worst comes to worst, pick up a boulder and throw it.

“Don’t worry too much. Any knight in the Eglence corps can dispatch a naga easily. As long as you have an escort, a monster won’t get you.”

Seeing Michel deep in thought, Kaidan, perhaps misunderstanding, soothed him. Michel smiled and nodded. Kaidan overprotected the Saint; there was no need to confess he’d been thinking up ways to kill a monster with his own hands.

Once naga was covered, Kaidan turned the page. The next monster resembled a gorilla, but its body hair was white, and shark‑like teeth jutted past its lips.

“Yeti. Even the smallest is bigger than three grown men combined. It’s said to live deep in snowy mountains, but sometimes comes down to rob traveling merchants. Its weak points are…”

He pointed: eyes, throat, groin. With a humanlike body plan, its vulnerabilities were similar.

“But if you ever meet a yeti, don’t provoke it—hide nearby. If you leave its sight, it gives up the hunt; lazy thing. Try to fight, and it will pulp you with arms like iron.”

Michel imagined himself gripped in a yeti’s hands, popping like a balloon. Not a pleasant thought.

This is hard.

Unlike the naga, which seemed manageable, the yeti felt impossible even knowing its weak points. If it was bigger than three men, how could one reach those targets?

Then a story came to mind; he looked at Kaidan.

“Is it true David can take down ten yeti alone?”

Kaidan frowned as if to say “What are you talking about?” then gave a short verdict.

“Well… for David, perhaps.”

“Woooow!”

Michel was unguardedly impressed. He had thought the “ten yeti” claim was one of David’s tall tales as usual. If true, it cast David in a new light. He’d seemed friendly only because he played with the orphans—but he was, after all, a knight worthy of serving as deputy captain of Eglence’s corps.

“David’s amazing! Next time I see him I’ll ask how he did it.”

“…You don’t use an honorific for David.”

At that stray remark, Michel tilted his head. It felt oddly out of the blue. Then, realizing Kaidan might be correcting his manners, he hurried to explain.

“He said I could call him by name. He told me it was fine to keep it casual if he gave permission.”

“I see.”

Kaidan fell quiet, staring at the illustration. Michel was puzzled—did yeti stir a bad memory?

“When it’s just us, you can call me by my name too.”

After a while, he spoke softly. The opposite of his usual stance, and Michel didn’t take it at face value. Why the sudden change? Was this a test of etiquette?

“I speak casually to you too.”

That made sense; being the only one addressed with honorifics must have felt awkward. He’d even startled Michel by using formal speech when they were alone at the orphanage. Suspicion eased, Michel grinned.

“Then I will, Kaidan.”

“Good.”

“How many yeti can you take?”

“Let’s see… fifty, perhaps…”

Kaidan’s eyes focused on the air. Michel’s jaw dropped at the offhand answer.

“R‑really?”

“…Maybe more.”

“Wow, a true Sword Master!”

When Michel clapped and fussed, Kaidan coughed low. Perhaps from the chill, the edges of his ears flushed red. When Michel suggested adding wood if he was cold, Kaidan himself stoked the fireplace.

If there’s ever a yeti hunt, I’ll ask to go watch.

While Kaidan tended the fire, Michel vowed. Meeting monsters was dangerous, but with the Eglence corps, there was nothing to fear. Studying them in books was good; watching knights dispatch them would be an even better lesson.

Who knows? One day he might take down a yeti himself.

No—dream big. With hard training, ten might be within reach.

For someone who had sworn never to face monsters again, he found himself grinning at the image of himself flattening yeti.

Kaidan’s monster lesson continued. He proved a surprisingly kind, thorough teacher. He focused more on safe escape than on fighting, but answered every question diligently.

Even Michel, who disliked sitting at a desk, found Kaidan’s talk so fascinating time slipped away. If “monsterology” had been taught at school instead of math and English, he might have been top of the class.

A bell pealed outside, making him jump up in a flurry. Eglence rang six times daily to mark the hours. Michel taught the children taekwondo between the morning and noon bells.

“Oh wow, it’s late already. Can we continue next time? I’m scheduled to watch the kids now.”

“You’re teaching a martial arts class?”

“Yes, taekwondo.”

He answered reflexively, then checked Kaidan’s face, worried he’d be scolded for exerting himself. But Kaidan closed the book instead of frowning.

“I’d like to see what kind of lesson it is.”

“Huh? Want to come now?”

“I’ll see to it..”

He stood at once, as if he’d been waiting. He’d been so busy lately Michel rarely saw him; oddly, today he was free.

Must be a little bored.

Michel hid a smile and led the way. The thought of a long‑awaited observation day made his heart beat pleasantly fast.