Decided on a Target to Defeat for a While
“Dribs Golems?”
A few days into winter, Alizée came to talk to me about a monster that we should consider as a target for subjugation for the time being.
The name was Dribs Golem, a name I was not familiar with.
I wonder if Keuko and the others know about it?
“Um, do the members of Wildcat Claws know about it?”
“No, it’s an unfamiliar monster.”
“I’ve never heard of that name.”
Huh?
Even the Red-ranked adventurers of Wildcat Claws don’t know about this monster?
Is it an exceptionally minor creature?
I wonder where she got that information.
“Well, it’s understandable not to know. This monster only appears from the end of autumn to the beginning of winter, and it’s rare for it to come down to human settlements.”
“Is that so?”
“I confirmed it with Melanie, and it seems to be the case. She said it’s a Golem that originates deep in the forest, formed from dead branches and leaves. It doesn’t venture outside the forest, so there are no sightings unless someone enters the forest. Also, due to its aggressiveness, it’s considered a monster that shouldn’t be provoked unnecessarily.”
What does it mean for a monster not to be provoked unnecessarily?
Alizée seemed to have researched that aspect as well and explained it to us.
“Despite being a Golem, physical strikes are almost ineffective against this monster. Neither slashing nor piercing attacks are effective. Moreover, if you cast fire attribute magic on it, it will burn violently and try to cling to you, eventually exploding.”
What’s with that?
It’s too vicious.
Apparently, this monster, the Dribs Golem, is like a conglomerate of territorial and self-defense consciousness.
It won’t attack unless approached.
Instead, if you get close, it initially throws parts of its body to restrain you, but eventually resorts to a self-destruct attack by setting its body on fire.
While there’s usually some damage every year, it’s generally a safe monster as it only appears deep in the mountains and won’t be a target for subjugation as long as you don’t provoke it.
So, why are we talking about this monster now?
It seems that there are unusual circumstances this year.
The reason is that this year, the Dribs Golems, which should normally only appear deep in the forest, were showing up in relatively shallow areas of the forest.
Moreover, they were actively attacking from there.
This phenomenon has only been observed in a specific forest, and the Adventurers’ Guild was currently gathering information.
“So, the phenomenon is happening only in this forest…”
“… The forest between Vardmoi and the Royal Capital?”
“Yes. There haven’t been significant effects reported on the side facing the Capital yet. However, considering the current situation, the Dribs Golems will likely start appearing near the Capital soon as well.”
Hmm, it seems more urgent than I thought.
But how do they expect us to deal with this?
“As for dealing with the Dribs Golems, if you hit them with lightning attribute magic, they will explode on the spot. Additionally, freezing them with ice attribute magic will make physical attacks more effective. I don’t want to actively involve you in combat, Lady Lily, but I would like you to participate as a magician this time.”
Ah, Alizée must know that I’m a skilled magician from the material gathering journey we had together.
In that case, Tomoa can detonate distant Golems with lightning magic, and I can freeze nearby ones with ice magic.
Upon further inquiry, it seems that sightings of the Dribs Golems have already been confirmed in a forest about half a day’s walk from Vardmoi.
Alizée has arranged a magic carriage from the Trade Guild for transportation, and she’ll be driving it, so we don’t need to worry about going back and forth.
Anyway, the preparations were ready on the Trade Guild’s side, so she wanted us to start reducing their numbers from tomorrow.
The danger level is still unknown, but it’s a request from our prosperous Trade Guild, so I guess we’ll lend a hand.