224 - - The Order of Merit, which is handed down from generation to generation.

The horrifying face was far up ahead.

Numerous pillars of mud protruded from the top of its head, hanging down in arcs like hair.

The part of the face that met the eyes was hollow and half covered by hanging mud hair.

Below the eyes was a long protruding nose and a gaping maw.

The mud torso was distorted and bent forward, supported by long, twisted legs.

The arms are similarly long and slender, almost reaching down to the knees.

In one hand, a large, withered tree was held like a walking stick.

It looked as if it had been made by a child for fun.

Perhaps it reminded him of an old woman with a rounded back, or a witch.

Slowly, the giant creature stepped toward the log floor, wading through the mud.

At the same time, its head moved awkwardly and tilted at a strange angle.

A gap appeared in its hair, which had been hanging down in a messy manner, and a black cave on one side peeked out clearly from behind it.

Immediately, the young men of the Thundercrow Gang let go of the spears in their hands one after another.

Their whole bodies began to tremble, with foam dripping from their mouths.

Their violet eyes were painted with blackness.

The evil eye of intimidation.

Those staring directly into the witch's eyes lose their senses in fear.

"We must retreat! Hurry!

Fortunately, the distance between the two cities was still far enough away that some people were able to escape the impact.

At the sharp call of the solilgam, the second-in-command jumped to his standing companions with a panicked look on his face.

The other adventurers, aided by their immobilized comrades, rush to the rear of the group.

Against the flow, a figure moves forward.

Dodging gracefully through the waves of people, the figure quietly removes his hood.

Revealing his long ears and translucent white skin, Yuril looks directly at the owner of the evil eye.

The witch, on the other hand, takes another step forward.

Like a broken doll, her head moves slowly in the opposite direction, tilting her head to an angle nearly horizontal.

Through the muddy hair, two black caverns now peek out.

The horrifying black gaze fell on the ash-eared woman who remained alone on the stage.

But despite the horror that would drive a normal person insane in an instant, Yuril shows no sign of change.

The silver-haired beauty, with her small ears shaking, smiled her usual gentle smile.

On the crown that holds her hair in place, a blue jewel shines silently.

The jewel of the blue jade ant.

Its ability to completely prevent anomalies seems to have worked on the beings of lore.

Easily lifting up his staff, Yuril recites a prayer in a humming voice.

"Bloom with your foes--".

The next moment, the witch's foot was enveloped in a huge icicle.

Even though it was a mid-branch skill, the people around who were watching were stunned by the unbelievable power of the attack.

Even so, it seemed to have only the slightest effect of stopping the witch.

Swaying unsteadily once again, the huge body moves forward with its staff.

The legs that had been left behind instantly grew back.

A bed of ice is placed at his feet without a moment's delay.

The foot is easily crushed, but this seems to have bought a little time.

Yuril nodded, stepped back, and raised his staff.

Without a moment to catch his breath, he unleashed a spell, and a tremendous cold air froze the mud without a pause.

A single magician stands alone against a gigantic monster.

The black mud in the background makes the silvery-white figure stand out even more, creating an overly vivid contrast.

It was a scene that could be described as part of a story.

"........................ is beautiful."

Lurking beneath the mud-caked snakeskin, Chiru exhaled deeply at the view.

At first glance, the leader of the Arashibo Alliance seems to be a man of strong sentiments, but inside he is not so simple.

Chiru's family of birth, the Tokiwa family, has strong ties to a trading temple belonging to a border town in the southwestern part of the central country, and a certain amount of information comes to their ears even if they leave it unattended.

Therefore, they are aware of the fact that the twins of the "white gold flame" cannot use the relics and that the "bearers of the burning flame" are being unreasonably demanded to do so by the home country.

Chiru's way of hunting was to aim for a chance to win in secret, without showing it to anyone.

One such man who showed special interest was Ulil, who belonged to the Temple of Quest.

The temple is said to be indispensable in every town, but in fact it has not been very active in sealing the miasma.

As a result, information on the relics has not been revealed to the public for the most part.

Chiru thought that Thor and his group would be the most likely competitors in the future.

Among them, the only one who could be involved in the sealing process is that ash-eared woman.

After investigating her background, Chiru grunted in surprise at the lack of information.

First of all, she has no past.

Despite her skill tree and good looks, there was no record of her having been an adventurer.

There was also a record of a person who seemed to have the same name, but it was more than 40 years ago.

At the time when Thor began to make great strides, a user of ice magic appeared out of nowhere.

It would be unreasonable not to be interested in him.

And when he talked to him directly, his interest was piqued even more.

His calm manner and way of thinking for such a young man.

A reservedness and a glimpse of consideration.

He is also a strong drinker.

She was so different from the women he had met in the past that he almost forgot his original purpose.

He wants to see more of her, to get to know her.

This is what Chiru cannot conceal from himself.

She is perfect. I can only say that she is too strong and beautiful to be perfect.

"...... Hey, it's about time."

"...... brace yourself, Tokiwa family."

A wild voice from the side made Chiru frown exaggeratedly.

"You know, that's why the Midorigins are like this..." he said. Read the air at least a little bit. This is where the party is going to be at its peak.

"...... then we can't afford to fail."

"...... our duty is serious."

Chiru pushed the snakeskin away from his body and sat up, clucking his tongue in reply to a valid argument.

Tapa and Tali, who had been hiding with him, got up to join him.

They were on a narrow raft.

They were on a narrow raft, to the left behind the witch.

They waited patiently here for the giant to pass by.

As Chiru pointed out, the one-on-one battle between the witch and the beautiful woman was coming to an end on the log floor.

No matter how many effective magic tricks she fires, the difference in size between a man and a mouse is too great to overcome.

The witch had already packed her huge body to the very front of the log floor.

She slowly raised her huge wooden staff, looking down with hollow, hollow eyes at Yuril, who had boldly stood up to her.

A serious hit would have turned the tiny human body into a stain of blood.

With bated breath, the three of them watched as the pitch-black dead tree was swung down without mercy.