211 - - something that lurks in a lake

As Roloff said, it was indeed a raft.

The reddish-brown logs used were about twice as long as Thor was tall.

Nearly ten of them were neatly arranged and firmly connected to each other by two trees passed alongside.

The most interesting part of the tree is the crosspiece.

If you look closely, you can see that there is a slit in it, and a log has been perfectly fitted into it.

The logs were then tightly bound with thinly torn bark, which was more ingenious than I had expected.

"I see, it's made of redwood."

"Yeah, they won't rot so easily."

It is said that here, as well as in the river of blood, iron and ordinary wood rust and rot in a few days.

However, the tree that grows by absorbing the water is the only exception.

Thor was frankly surprised that Rorolf and the others had not only noticed this, but had also managed to construct a raft without using nails or ordinary ropes.

"You guys come up with some pretty interesting ideas, don't you?"

"That's too much of a compliment, Brother Thor."

"Don't be shy now. What do you think?　Mr. Yuril."

"It's wonderful. Yes, I'm very impressed.

Yes!

"I'm glad you made it, bro!"

For some reason, the brothers' eyes light up at these words and they shake each other's hands more enthusiastically than at Thor's words.

Sora, who had been looking at the raft with interest, praised it with a bouncy voice.

"Wow!　How did you manage to build such a magnificent structure?

"Right?"

"But I don't think it's really necessary to go to the other side of the river. But I don't think we need to go to the other side of the river.

When the girl looked upstream, all three brothers nodded broadly.

Unlike the river of blood, the riverbanks here are almost deserted.

It seems that the situation is not so dire that we have to cross a dangerous stream to hunt on the other side.

This means that our destination is not the other side of the river, but a more open area.

"There are monsters around here, too. ......"

"It's faster if I show you, brother."

With these words, Ninilas, the second son, approaches the river, lifting his two-handed axe carelessly.

A small ripple is created on the surface of the slow-moving river, and suddenly something jumps straight out.

It looked like a thin, bundled stream.

Immediately the axe head moves, and the reddish-black water is cut in two and scattered as drops.

Another stream of water shoots out, but each one is dispersed by a powerful swing of the axe.

"It's a pain in the ass! Get your ass out of here!"

As Ninilas stomped his foot with a thud, the surface of the water rose up, and this time a mass the size of a child's head came flying out.

It opens its mouth wide, and challenges the warrior who provoked it.

However, the attack is easily foiled by Ninilas, who is waiting for the warrior.

The monster dangles helplessly, biting down firmly on the handles of the two-handed axes that have been lifted up.

The onlookers applauded Ninilas for finishing the monster in a few seconds.

As they looked at their prey, they commented in unison.

"Is this a shellfish?"

"It's so big!" "It's so big!

"Wow, I didn't know there were shellfish like this!"

"Sora, maybe it's because you grew up in the mountains. When I go to the ocean, I see a lot of them."

Dripping red drops were large bivalves with red stripes.

The handle of the axe was firmly held in the shell.

Ninilas, who had been holding up his two-handed axe as if to show it off for a moment, slammed it down with great force.

The ground was soft and pebbly, so it did not seem to do much damage.

Ninilas did not seem to be aiming at the axes for that purpose.

While holding the shell pressed against the ground, he dexterously twists the handle of the axe.

As a result, the shell was forced to open its mouth by an unexpected force.

Ninilas quickly inserts the fingers of both hands into the gap.

The triceps muscles bulged and at the same time a dull thud sounded, and the bivalve was opened in one piece.

"And so it goes. Thanks, these guys aren't responding well."

The monster Ninilas killed was called the jumping striped mussel.

It has a habit of lurking in shallow water, and when someone approaches it, it sends a stream of water flying and attacks.

It was easily blocked, but it is said to be powerful enough to pierce the skin of an ordinary human being.

Furthermore, it is said that an attack by pinching between two shells can easily cut off the terminal part of the shell.

The fact that Ninilas can open the shells in the opposite direction so easily shows that his arm strength is also quite strong.

"Is this edible?"

A man comes out from behind the tent with a pot in his arms and answers Sola, who is peering into the shellfish guts with a twinkle in her eye.

"Mr. Sola, you actually know what I'm asking, don't you?

"Hello, Mr. Diargo. I can already smell the good smell from a few minutes ago, I was wondering if you might be able to help me.

"You have to wash it well or it will smell bad, but it tastes pretty good."

The young shieldman takes the lid off the pot on the table that has been prepared before he knows it.

Inside the pot, a stew full of shellfish meat appeared.

Moe slobbered profusely at the rich aroma of the overflowing flavor.

"Oh! Little Moo, you're here. You're awfully quiet today. Ah, maybe it's because there are so few rocks here..."

When Ninilas pointed out his name, the child looked around deliberately on both sides of the room.

Then, he suddenly puffed out his flat chest.

Then, without saying a word, he points to the cage of insects that he carries at his waist.

The second son gasps when he sees the shiny black back of the insect.

With a sharp look in his eyes, he silently shakes his head.

Mu nodded his head silently.

"......, you're good."

"Mwah."

"What's your name?"

"...... Kurosuke."

"......Nice name."

As they hold each other's hands tightly, Roloff continues his explanation.

"I was bored with all the striped clams around here, and then I realized there was a hunting ground that no one had touched."

"Are you going to fight them on the lake?"

"No, look over there in the back, Brother Thor."

The eldest pointed to a small island in the middle of the lake.

The island was reasonably large, and it looked as if a tent could be erected there with room to spare.

However, it was not the size of the island that was remarkable.

It was the beasts standing on the shore of the islet that caught the eyes of Thor and the others.

Black manes clinging to their long necks.

They looked like a herd of horses with the lower half of their bodies submerged in water.

Aquatic horses. They must be quite a catch."

"Oh, so that's what you're after."

Roloff smiles wryly, but his expression quickly fades.

I was thinking of doing something like that, but it didn't quite work out that way. Thank God you're here, brother."

With that, the imposingly built warrior shrugged his shoulders in annoyance.

"At this hour, I should be able to see them by now. Oh, there you are. There he is.

Again, Thor and the others look where Rorolf points.

What they found there was a strange landscape.

The surface of the lake in front of the island was heaving and the waves were rolling.

Thor and the others finally realized that something was moving beneath the surface of the water as it undulated.

The length of the wave is unusual.

It seemed to be at least wider than a small island.

Suddenly, the wave cap breaks and something emerges from the water.

It is a part of a huge body covered with bright red scales.