The Novice Alchemist’s Store

"Hmm, I knew there wasn't a Hell Flame Grizzly"

Changed to heat protection gear for a while.

Reaching the area where the lava lizard lived, Nordrad was vigorously investigating, observing the perimeter with one hand the notes, measuring the temperature of the mud, and measuring the air drifting around him with smelters (artifacts).

The Iris stand around it as escorts, but just like the last time they came, the lava lizards never aggressively attacked the Iris.

I guess it would have been different if it had been Hell Flame Grizzly here, but even though quite a few days had passed since Sarasa shot Salamander, at least as far as Iris' eyes could see, there had been no change in the surrounding ecosystem.

"My lord the manager said, he must have been kicked out. Because of that, the village was attacked."

"Regardless of whether a village is attacked, it seems common for other demons to lose their way, such as Hell Flame Grizzlies, by lava lizards. At the last survey site, it was a lava lizard that was around Salamander."

"Mr. Nord, don't you ever have any other demons around Salamander?

"Uh-huh, under investigation, should I say? So far, I've never seen anything other than lava lizards, because I still don't have many samples"

"It's the researchers who look into it," he said.

"Right. Rather than just looking into salamanders, it's only by looking closely at relevant objects around them that they appreciate - that is, they get a lot of rewards."

When Iris nodded as he felt 'I see' into Nordrad's words, which were a little vivid in a way, but very important, Nordrad laughed at the garlic and continued the words.

"At the last survey site, because I couldn't reach that far - so, Mr. Iris. Can you catch a little lava lizard alive?

""... Yes?

Nordrad shrugs his shoulders to Iris, who tilted his neck amicably and temporarily in silence.

"No, 'cause don't you wonder why lava lizards can live in boiling mud?

"... Isn't it because you're a demon?

"If you clean it up, you can't study demons. If possible, we need to investigate the principles, even if we can't do so, how much temperature we can withstand, and what if we burn it with fire."

"It's not just a simple ecological survey."

"Right. Writing only what you see is not greatly appreciated. Besides, even well-known information needs to be actually experimented with and ascertained for itself. Even if it turns out the same way."

What you're saying is very decent.

In a way, the researcher's book.

But what you're demanding, it's pretty lame.

Even through Kate, who shoots through the eyes of a lava lizard from a distance, the survival of a lava lizard is not an easy thing to do.

No, should I say that shooting through doesn't make sense?

What a complete force to catch alive.

If you're not a wizard like Sarasa, strength, muscle strength is what says things.

Most importantly, lava lizards burn just by touching them in normal equipment. I can't even hold them off without heat protection gear.

"... you do it? Iris."

Iris nods with a reluctant look at Kate confirming to ask.

"We'll have to do it. Get paid more than the market. We have to respond to our clients' requests"

"Right, there's no such thing as high pay for an easy job, is there? Iris, what about physical enhancement?

"If you don't think about it later, you can do about five minutes, but you can't stop moving. Realistically, two or three minutes would be the limit. What about Kate's magic?

"I can soften the ground somewhat, but to that extent."

Beside Kate and Lorea learning magic from Sarasa, Iris has also recently been coached on physical enhancement through magic.

As a result, Iris, who initially came to the village as if he had not been able to strengthen his body, was also able to use it somewhat.

The duration is short because the amount of magic is not particularly high and its efficiency of use is still immature, but as you can see from Sarasa's usual behavior, the effect of physical strengthening is very high.

On top of that, sometimes Iris' original muscle strength is more than Sarasa's, and instantaneously he can outperform a bent man like Andre and others.

I mean, it's not impossible to seize a lava lizard, either, but we're understaffed anyway.

"Basically, I think we just have to hold it down and tie it with a rope..."

"How do you take it that far, right?... traps or something?

"But even if I hold my torso down well, I have a tail. That attack is pretty powerful, too, isn't it?

"I'm not the only one...... can Mr. Nord help me too?

"If it's something I can do, of course. I'm not good at fighting, but I can lend you muscle, okay?

If you speak of it, it is power.

But the strength, muscle strength, that comes flat on the Iris, the gatherers, with all that luggage on their backs, is considerable.

It definitely helps to catch lava lizards alive.

As such, Kate presents her original demands in detail.

"... thank you. I just want you to lend me your wisdom as a researcher, if you can?

"Wisdom? Not muscle? Then that's it. I have a net that I always use when I catch them alive, so let's use that one. Because it's a special net, it should be able to handle lava lizards."

- If you have such a thing, I wanted you to tell me first.

- Weren't the researchers brainworkers?

Kate and Iris swallowed that feeling, while the three of us talked.

We decided on an approximate strategy to capture him alive.

◇ ◇ ◇

Kate released an arrow towards the lava lizard.

It hit a hard spot. It was ripped back, but that's fine.

A single lava lizard chooses to escape rather than fight back.

That's what I've already been through many times.

"Iris! He's gone!

"Ah! Go!

Iris, who was waiting, made a slight attack and adjusted the direction of his escape.

The lava lizard was driven into the muddy ground where Kate hid the nets that Nordrad had.

By the time I got here, I had a pretty difficult task: to find a lava lizard that was in such a convenient place that I was relaxed alone, I could adjust the direction of escape, and there was room to set a trap, but for now, discount.

Even as I searched for such a lava lizard, I had the difficulty of being moved while I was setting a trap, or failing without running in the direction I assumed, but there was also a discount.

After overcoming many difficulties, Iris finally drove the lava lizard into the trap, shouting with his mouth together.

"" Nord!! "

"Leave it to me!

When Nordrad pulls the rope as far as he wants, the nets that were hidden on the ground jump and become tangled up in lava lizards.

The lava lizard, which was inhibited from moving, tried to escape with a bump, but there Iris penetrated and pressed its head into the stretch.

"Damn, it's hot! Kate! Nord! Quickly, please!"

"I'm coming now!

If the lava is even somewhat withstandable Iris equipment, it will not burn at the body temperature of the lava lizard, but it will be ineffective for facial areas on the surface and so on, and in case that touches the lava lizard, the burn is certain.

While avoiding it, Iris manages to hold back the rampant lava lizard by trying to stretch it, but the weight difference is huge even if his muscle strength can be strengthened, and he gets dragged down by a squirt.

A rushed Kate tries to hang a rope on her rear leg, but the lava lizard's toenails are sharp, and even if she was just hooked to it, she won't be spared a major injury.

"And your tail, you're pretty powerful!?"

Nordrad also tries to hug and hold his tail, but the lava lizard is also desperate.

Bittan, Battan, and Momentum. The power of the tail to be beaten to the ground is so great that it crushes the rocks that are rolling.

If it were decent, it would be lightly crushed, such as bones.

"Grunt..."

I hooked my foot to the ground, and I was desperately stomping on Nordrad...

"No!

The moment his legs slipped slightly, Nordrad's body flew through the universe.