“What is the situation?”
Asks Argo after Chris wakes him up.
Everyone woke up suddenly, but everyone is wide awake.
“They’re close. Are they observing us?”
Guilford frowns, like he’s detected their presences.
“Yes, they’re even closer than before.”
“Are they scouts?”
Guilford says what we were thinking, after hearing Rurika.
If they are… Actually, if they stopped there, does that mean they already know we’re here?”
“Should we take them down here?”
“…What about the others?”
“They’re not really moving.”
I respond to Argo while looking at Map. They’re all in the pond, except for three.
“There are only three close to us.”
Rurika and Hikari nod to Guilford.
“It’s tricky. I want to take them down, but if they’re scouts and they don’t return, the others might become wary. But I don’t like being stalked like this.”
“Would they think about it that far?”
“They could be monsters that use their heads. Not all monsters are idiots.”
“And we can’t discount the possibility of there being superior species.”
Say Argo and Guilford in response to me.
I’ve seen them take command during battles, but never making preparations beforehand.
Actually…
There were monsters in the Zuirya dungeon that baited adventurers to corner them. That’s a kind of preparation.
“Should a few of us go around them then?”
Asks Guilford with a smile.
“Are we doing that?”
Clift frowns, and Rick sighs.
“Oh?”
“Feigning defeat. Attack them and retreat, leading them to lower their guard. It’s something we only use when there are too many enemies, and we want to have them get carried away and lead them to a trap.”
“Fu, after all, most enemies will go down with me around.”
Says a proud Argo, but most means it’s not all.
“That means we can leave it to me, Harold… And Argo.”
“What was that pause?”
“Sometimes Argo gets carried away and forgets.”
Harold and Clift nod to Rick.
I think Rick and Clift would normally go, but they decided that it would be hard for Rick to use an axe and Clift to use a spear in the forest.
“Hn, Hikari will help too.”
“Me too. I don’t know how they fight, so I want to see.”
“…Okay. Just don’t get carried away. Or take them down.”
Guilford isn’t really talking to them, that was for Argo.
I’m sure a lot happened in the past.
Guilford also asks Hikari not to use Projectile Slash, so it can be saved as a trump card.
He probably didn’t say anything to Rurika because he’s assuming she won’t use Gale in a forest. She could end up crashing against a tree.
Hikari erases her presence, and Rurika turns to enter the forest.
Argo, Guilford, and Harold then enter the forest from the front, and the rest of us stay put.
Mia and I are ready to move out at a moment’s notice, mainly to heal.
“O-oh…”
Three minutes later, the fighting starts. I hear a big cry, and a tree going down.
“We should move back a little.”
Rick stands in front of us after putting away his axe to hold his shield.
I also get my shield, and stand next to him. Sera and Clift then stand behind Chris and Mia, meaning they’re positioned between us.
The cries continue, along with cracking sounds.
I don’t think Argo and the others are destroying trees, so it must be the sea devils.
The trees have pretty thick trunks, so are they actually pretty strong?
That said, no reactions disappear. All we can do is wait.
Not being able to see makes me more anxious. It’s easier to be on the side that’s swinging a sword.
I want to jump into the forest, but bear with it.
Instead, I pay more attention to our surroundings.
There are no reactions approaching, but out of everyone that stayed here, I’m the only one that’s really good at detecting presences.
Sera, Rick, and Clift can detect them when they’re within a certain distance, but that’s close enough for long range attacks.
I’m holding my shield and bracing for sneak attacks just in case.
Ten more minutes pass, and it gradually gets quiet.
I see reactions moving to the pond, and two of ours not chasing.
“Ah, Hikari! Are you okay?”
“Yeah, that was brutal.”
Hikari returns, followed by Harold.
“How was it?”
“As planned. But that enemy isn’t simple. The worst is that they block vision with darkness magic. The spell stops working once you leave their range, but it’s like the more you stay inside, the longer it lasts.”
Says Harold in response to Rick’s question.”
“And they’re strong. They mow down trees with their legs that are like suction cups!”
Then Hikari speaks, and she’s a little excited.
Ah, this is what Hikari is like when she fights something strong. Mia and Sera both smile awkwardly.
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