Chapter 92: The arrival of winter
After passing through the narrow path of the forest in the evening, I suddenly found myself in an open area.
Immediately, there was a feeling that many monsters were gathering from all directions. Evil Willow near the back road. Rockbear from behind the bushes. Angry Mash and many more from deep in the forest.
--There are a lot of big names here. If it were BFO, it would be treated as a so-called monster room. That said, everyone is calm.
“I’m the one in front of Angry Mash.”
It may be too early to say, but a magic circle shines in Ashley's hands. Countless water balls are born in the air, jumping from top to bottom, and sometimes kicking in the air as Lavigne approaches with three-dimensional behavior.
The fact that she uses water polo and the air as a foothold is not her own ability. This is due to the magic of walking on water and shielding that is embedded in a collar-shaped magic tool.
With reflexes unique to wild animals, they use water balls created in the air as footholds to fly around freely. Even though it is a familiar, it can be said that it has a high level of intelligence that can easily use magic tools.
When Angry Mash completely lost sight of the enemy, Lavigne pounced on him from a blind spot, bit the back of his head, and then swung him around with all his might. As I swung it around, the water ball that Ashley had created came flying towards me.
The water sphere quickly solidified, turning into a sharp icicle that skewered Angry Mash. Where does Ashley's magic start, and where does Lavine's ability start? Even though they have a sensory link, they are showing pretty good coordination.
"Ashley and Lavigne, we'll do it."
“We can’t lose either.”
Sheila and Irmhild headed to Evil Willow. It's a willow monster. Sheila used her dagger to knock down the blade-like leaves that were flying towards them, and they were coming straight towards them.
When Willow tried to intercept it with a branch, she momentarily used Levitation to kill its inertia, and it quickly departed in an unexpected direction. The shaken branches cut the sky in vain.
that moment. The front is completely empty.
Irmhild, who was waiting in the rear, released an arrow with an explosion-like sound. It was a large arrow that could easily be mistaken for a spear. He mercilessly punched Willow in the face.
It was a gigantic bow that Irmhild could finally release by pulling the bow using her upper body as well as her tail. Of course, this is a custom-made item. The arrows are also custom-made, so they should be used only when needed, but even if you're too generous with them, you'll never get used to handling them, so you'll only have to use them once every few times when a big game like Willow appears. It has been decided that it will be used at a frequency of .
Speaking of big fish, there's another one this time. There's also Rock Bear. Marlene's summoned beast will be your opponent.
When Marlene closed her eyes and raised her thin sword in the air, a magic circle appeared at the tip of the sword--an unusual event occurred.
The wild howling of a horse. The sound of horseshoes.
I can hear the sound, but the horse is nowhere to be seen. Only the sound made its way through the dark forest, and green flames twinkled in the space.
The headless knight that appeared with the other side clearly visible quickly materialized, and the great sword was swung away by the force of the horse's charge. Rock Bear's head flies in the air, and only the trail of the sword's flash remains in the air.
Now. Since we are entrusting the big things to them, Grace and I are responsible for following everyone. Not only Sheila and Irmhild, but also Ashley has become quite strong. There's nothing dangerous about looking at it.
So, my main job is to create golems and protect Marlene from behind. This time, Grace is holding back the reinforcements that come from deep in the forest and rely on numbers like killer plants. By doing so, it will be easier to defeat everyone individually.
Well...if you ask me if I can't handle a melee, that's not the case.
When faced with an unfavorable situation, I regularly train in aerial combat with golems. In a real battle, it's better to avoid melee and other situations, so I'm just trying to prevent that from happening.
Well, now that I've cleaned up the big stuff, I have some free time. If everyone goes back to protecting Marlene, I guess I'll go wild this time.
"Marlene. How was your day?"
When she asks after returning to the temple, she nods with a bright smile. I would say it's generally good.
The number of summoned beasts she has summoned has increased since then, but so far she has not been able to summon anything as suited for direct combat as the Dullahan.
However, other summoned beasts are quite good in support roles, so when considering the division of roles, this is probably fine. As for the trend, I feel like there are a lot of things related to the night and the moon.
As for having Marlene accompany me to the labyrinth, I asked her about it, and surprisingly, permission was granted easily. Apparently it worked when she summoned a Dullahan. King Melvin laughed at me and said that in normal times, he would have wanted me to be an instructor for knights and magicians, but that's aside.
The Dullahan may have been the deciding factor in giving permission, but either way, Marlene can't ask for help out loud, so it's definitely better to be able to defend herself in an emergency. It's important to store up your strength in the labyrinth so you can get used to the place.
"Marlene-sama. Aren't you tired?"
Ashley asks if she wants to cast a spell to restore her health, but Marlene shakes her head and says it's okay.
"Look at that. Training is more difficult."
says Sheila.
“Isn’t it safer if the training is tougher than the actual battle?”
“That’s true.”
“On the other hand, you have to be careful not to let your guard down in a real battle.”
That's... Irmhild has a point. It might not be a good idea to get too used to the same place. Considering Marlene's ability, should I go and explore other sections? Well... that's all after the winter seal door is cleared.
"You're going to show up at Lady Penelope's place after this today, right?"
"Yeah. We'll have a meeting for the day."
This is a meeting about the day of entering the Spirit Hall. Marlene also seems happy to be able to meet Penelope.
As soon as he headed to the temple, he was allowed to pass to the altar where the head priestess was waiting. When Marlene recognizes Penelope, she runs away.
"Welcome. Everyone, please go to the back room."
Penelope takes Marlene lightly and smiles.
He went into a back room and they all sat down to talk.
“Today, I hear you are talking about the day you entered the Spirit Hall.”
"That's right. To be exact, the story started the day before. I'm thinking of entering the labyrinth a little before the date changes and waiting for the door to open."
It would be best to rush in with a little extra time and wait for the door to open.
At that time, we also have to consider the possibility of a fight with the demon in front of the door... I wonder what will happen here.
As long as someone like Lynette is proceeding with research, we have to consider the possibility of someone skipping the entrance and entering the labyrinth.
If a battle breaks out on the ground side, Mercedia is supposed to come to the Twilight Forest to contact you. Demons are not allowed to enter the upper part of the temple, and Oswald and Mildred are said to be in the temple on that day, so it can be assumed that they have taken measures against attacks using familiar spirits. There will be no problem with the defense of the priests and shrine maidens.
"Then the day before, I think it would be a good idea to wait at the temple. We will do our best to accommodate you."
"That helps a lot"
"On that day, we will send prayers from the temple. Please leave the preparations for the miasma to us."
Will the entire temple come together to send out prayers for protection? I'm fine to begin with, but it's great that I no longer have to worry about everyone's defenses against the miasma.
"So, on that day, Marlene-sama..."
When the topic of Marlene came up, she made a gesture of lightly tapping her chest with her palm.
"...Do you want to pray together?"
When I asked, Marlene nodded with a serious expression. Even though I'm treating her as an apprentice, her ability as a shrine maiden is certain. As expected, I still have difficulty in close quarters combat against demons, so I plan to have them wait at the temple that day.
"Understood. Well then, Marlene-sama. On that day, let's pray together for everyone's good fortune and victory."
Marlene was smiling at Penelope. Somehow, the two of them have the atmosphere of a close mother and daughter. It's said that Marlene's mother was originally an apprentice shrine maiden, and I think it's understandable that Penelope has feelings for Marlene.
Other than that, she finalized the details - after meeting with Penelope.
She headed to the guild and sorted out the spoils. Then we all head home. As she headed towards the stables to board the carriage, she saw something white falling in front of her.
"--Snow, huh?"
I take out the scarf I got for her birthday from inside the carriage and wrap it around my neck. She smiled at them, and they gave her shy smiles in return.
It's made of normal material, and it's important so I can't wear it in the labyrinth, but it feels nice and warm. I hope it will be of use to you in the coming season.
Comments
Post a Comment