Volume 16 Chapter 2 The Source Of The Monster Influx
The river that flows into the lake in the holy city has monsters pouring in.
Not a single boat can be seen on the river. The road along the riverbank is also deserted, with only a few adventurers in sight, and hardly any horse-drawn carriages.
It seems the recent monster commotion in the holy city has affected this area as well.
"For now, let's just block this river, okay?"
"Yeah."
After getting off the land and confirming, Miss Miimo nodded immediately.
"Can you use your equipment to block the river and then restore it later?"
"Well, yeah."
"We'll keep an eye on the surroundings, so go ahead and do it."
"Alright."
It's hard to believe we're about to block an entire river, but oh well.
If things get tough, we can just restore the river to its original state.
Since we don't know how Mars in the holy city will react, let's prioritize blocking the river and heading back.
"So... Little Mimi, it's your turn."
"Gobbuu!"
With a cute response, Little Mimi opened its mouth wide.
And then, gob gob gob... It started spitting out countless rocks.
These were the city walls and rocks it had swallowed when the Gluttony Mimic Bag went berserk earlier. They had been stored in its bag all this time, but who knew they'd come in handy here?
Bubbly bubbly...water pillars rose from the river, and before our eyes, the river started to block up.
"Is...this okay?"
It's not completely blocked, but if monsters can't pass through, that's good enough for now. Creating a dam would cause all sorts of problems, anyway.
"Little Mimi, stop."
"...Gebuuu."
Little Mimi nodded and let out a satisfied belch.
"When I came to check on the situation...did it already end?"
Miss Miimo returned, looking surprised.
"Is it okay to leave it like this? If we need to adjust, it's easy to do...ah, should we create a shallow waterway on the side of the river that a small boat can pass through?"
"No, it's fine like this...yeah, we can just change the map like that."
"Understood."
"Well, let's prepare to withdraw...but."
Miss Miimo averted her gaze.
"It seems we have a guest, don't you think?"
"...!"
Suddenly, a beast's roar echoed through the air.
Next, the Compass Eye needle responded.
"Monster...!"
When I looked in the direction the needle was pointing――a pack of demon wolves was there.
The demon wolves, with their black, shining fur, hastily readied their weapons among the Inquisitors, darting between them like lightning.
And, they formed a circle around us――no, around Ravuri.
"Are these guys after the princess too?"
"That's what it looks like."
"...?"
Miss Miimo was smiling, her eyes gleaming with amusement.
This person...
No, right now, the demon wolves are the priority.
"...!"
I started cutting down the demon wolves closing in on Ravuri.
The enemy wasn't that strong. However, there were too many of them.
"Kyaa!"
"Ravuri!"
I quickly deployed the Slime Shield and deflected the demon wolf attacking Ravuri.
The demon wolves seemed skilled in group battles, taking advantage of our openings to attack Ravuri.
"Noo, are you okay?"
"...Don't worry about me."
But even if I said that, I couldn't handle the number of enemies alone.
It was also difficult to take down the demon wolves with the Bloodsucker Blade. The Bloodsucker Blade had a wide attack range, but if I didn't keep my eyes open while drawing it, it would enter a rampage state. In a state where I couldn't see, I couldn't deal with the scattered enemies, and the risk of attacking my allies was higher.
...In this situation, I had to resort to the final measure.
"Little Mimi, please store Ravuri away!"
"Woof."
The Gluttony Mimic Bag nodded with a gulp.
"...Eh?"
Ravuri, who was stunned, was devoured.
The demon wolves stood still for a moment, looking dumbfounded, but...
They soon began to howl at us.
"...Is it really okay? You put her in that bag...?"
"It's fine for a short time."
I nodded back at Miss Miimo.
"We lost the advantage of pinpointing the monster's attack position, but... we prioritized Ravuri's safety for now."
"Yeah, that's right... As a bodyguard, it's the correct judgment."
Miss Miimo averted her gaze and lightly raised her hand.
"Those who can't fight, escape to the ship! The Inquisitors will protect the ship!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
The Inquisitors swiftly regrouped with their trained movements.
"Seriously... Dealing with monsters is outside my expertise, though."
Miss Miimo pulled out a handgun from her sleeve.
"We don't have much time. Let's eliminate them quickly."
She loaded the gun with candy bullets and pulled the trigger.
The colorful candy bullets fired from the gun muzzle, raining down on the moving werewolves and striking their heads one by one.
It's no wonder they're all one-shot kills... That's what I'd expect from an Inquisitor leader.
I also did my part, taking down several werewolves at once.
After a while, the battle ended.
The werewolves, realizing they had no chance of winning, fled into the forest.
"Should we chase after them?"
"No, those werewolves won't attack humans. It's okay to leave them be."
"...I see."
I glanced at Miss Miimo and nodded.
"Still, I'm weak in chaotic battles... I need to work on that."
"No... It's not like you're bad at fighting, but you're struggling to react seriously."
Anyway, this is my problem to solve.
I need to find a solution quickly.
If I could use the Bloodsucker Blade effectively in battles like this...
"Master, is Ram not helping you?"
As I was deep in thought, Ram looked at me with an uneasy expression.
"N-no, it's not like that. This is my problem to deal with."
"...Lord, we should think about a finishing move."
"A finishing move, huh..."
'And then, we'll dive into the training arc!'
"No way."
I shrugged. Well, there's no use thinking about it too much.
"More importantly, we've accomplished our goal here. Let's head back to the holy city soon."
"Understood."
In any case, we've eliminated the source of the monster influx.
So, what we need to do now is to return to the Holy City as quickly as possible.
In the meantime, Mars might be wreaking havoc on the Holy City side.
"Noroa, deploy Ravuri. We'll use the same strategy as before to get back."
"Yes."
And so, we set out on our return journey.
From here on, we don't know what's waiting for us――.
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