181 Episode 181 "When I was investigating the river, an unexpected person was hiding.".txt

The next day, in the woods, a short distance from the sanctuary of Mischlila.

After interviewing the village, Rita, Leticia and Cutlass were heading upstream to the river.

To sum up what the villagers said, the water level in the river has decreased only temporarily. The problem seems to be the flow of unknowable demon corpses from the river. ......

At the tail end of the line, Letitia said.

'Some of the demons the villagers showed us ...... that weren't made up, were they?　Mr. Rita.

Yeah. Those horns both smelled like tide.

Rita nodded at Letitia's question.

''It was definitely part of a demon. If a demon with horns like that flowed in from upstream, everyone would be surprised.

If the demon body was still intact, we'd know what kind of creature it was... ......

The villagers had a weird feeling about it and set it on fire.

Cutlass took over Letitia's words.

'According to my knowledge, it's a medium-sized demon horn,' he said, 'and if I can smell the tide, it must be from the sea. If you can smell the tide, it must be from the sea. I think it's a 'Horned Serpent' that's in this region.

You're in the know. Miss Cutlass.

The test for knighthood requires knowledge of demons.

But the Horned Serpent isn't in the river, is it?

That is true. That's because it's a sea monster that migrates through the sea and is said to come to the coast at this time of year.

Cutlass put a finger to his lips, as if he were remembering something.

It is said that the horn is good for medicine if you make it into powder. The meat is grilled open and eaten with a sweet and spicy sauce, a local specialty, because ...... the meat goes bad very quickly. I can understand why the villagers would destroy it.

But do demons like that ever appear anywhere near the forest?

I've heard it's possible to live in fresh water as well ...... but that's usually not possible. I'm sure you'll be able to find a great deal more to say about it than you would if this area were connected to the ocean. What do you think about that, Rita?

...... doesn't smell like tide.

Rita replied, looking at the ground.

'From the people around me, and from this demon (・・・・), you know.'

That 'killer bear' is a mountain demon.

That doesn't sound like he has anything to do with this case, does it?

Cutlass and Letitia nodded.

Both of them had drawn their swords long ago. But they didn't have time to use them.

Because the 'Killer Bear' lying in front of them had already been knocked over when Rita kicked him in the back of the head. The giant bear, which is nearly twice the height of an adult male, no longer moves with a twitch.

''Surprisingly, there are powerful demons around here as well.

Those villagers were right to send you on your way.

'They weren't used to fighting, I'm sure. They were surprised when 'Little Bear' came out.

Rita, Leticia and Cutlass remembered what happened after they left the village.

It was the village where they had asked the Adventurer's Guild for a quest, and there was a villager with a strong sense of responsibility...

Recollections: the village that sent me on my quest.

I can't just let you adventurers work!

With that, three of the villagers followed Leticia and the others.

'We're not very good at fighting, though! 'I'm familiar with the demons of the forest, so I think I can be of some help!

...... You don't have to do it, okay?

"'I won't slow you down!

Shaking their heads at Leticia's words, the villagers raised their fists to the sky.

Then, after Rita and the villagers entered the forest...

"GAOOOOOOOO!

It's a bunch of 'little bears'! 'Small in size, but powerful in claws and body contact!　When attacking, get around the flanks! By the way, we have the most powerful bear in the forest, Killer Bear!　If you encounter them, please run away!

""I get it!"

'Let's talk about it first!　Hello!　It's Letitia-Milfe!

Letitia says hello!

'Little Bear' returned the greeting!

'Oops. I bumped into him with my shield at the ready!　...... "Gou, Interrupted Shield Shooting [Canceling Shield Charge] (Boso)

Cutlass lands a body shot!

Little Bear's turn has been skipped!

'Little Bear' is twitchy!

'Fookiee!　Whoa!　Looks like you hit the nail on the head!

Rita lands three straight spinning kicks that hit 'Little Bear' in the back of the head!

Little Bear has been wiped out!

"'I'm sorry!　We've been really slowed down!　I'm sorry, I'm leaving!

The Murabob is back!

End of recollection.

'You didn't have to have a guide. There's only one path.

The villagers were very frightened. The demon.

'We're lucky (...) we're going to beat it (...) (・・・・・・・・), so there's nothing to be afraid of.'

I've decided to make this quest a whole lot better (・・・・・) and a whole lot better (・・・・), so...

"...... Why did you leave (is that right?)?

............ I've found myself getting so used to your 'cheesiness' lately. I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that I'm not the only one. I'll be thinking hard about it too: ......

Rita and Cutlass nodded their heads curiously and Letitia looked difficult.

'Regardless, we're almost to the water source, right?'

Rita listened closely to the beast.

The river flowed right next to the three of them, hidden by rocks. The current is quite fast. The ground has gone from dirt to rock before long.

Villagers say that it takes about five minutes after the ground is rocky to reach the water source.

''There's no change in the sound of ...... water. No sign of the demon. It looks like that 'Killer Bear' was the last one.

The purpose of the quest was to check out the conditions near the water source. That was the end of it, wasn't it?

Yeah. And beyond that, there's no way to find out.

Yes. There's usually no way to find out, isn't there?

As they talked, the forest broke and the three of them came out into the open.

There was a flat, rocky area around the forest, with a sheer rocky hill beyond.

The source of the river was at the base of the rocky hill. There was a cave just below the rocky hill, from which the water flowed out.

For now, let's just measure the depth of the river.

Leticia took the rope out of her luggage.

The villagers left it with me. They have asked me to measure the depth of water near the source with this.

They're going to compare it with the old records that remain in the village to see if there are any changes.

Cutlass picks up a suitable stone and ties it to the end of the rope.

Rita takes it and walks towards the riverbank. She then concentrates her 'sacred power' on the soles of her feet and goes to the surface of the water. When she reaches the center of the river, she lets the rope hang in the water.

Rita manages to stop at the spot, walking to avoid being swept away by the water current.

She makes sure the rope reaches the river bottom and marks (sign) the part of the rope that is out of the water.

Once I get back to the riverbank, my quest is complete.

There were five kinds of demons that appeared, including 'Killer Bear' and 'Little Bear'. You are to tell the people in the village about this as well, aren't you?

Not much of a mystery, is it? Well, it's an investigative quest.

'Keep your cool, me. "Be calm, me, and don't think this is 'normal'. Normal people can't walk on water, they can't make a big bear jerk or take it down with a kick. ...... If you forget that, you won't be able to live a normal life, I ......

''Leticia-sama. Since it's your time, I'd like to investigate the depths of the water source with the beastman's treasure, the Squire's Bell. What do you think?

Dah-rah!

Letitia couldn't help but scream.

For now, she held her head and took a deep breath, regained her composure and──.

...... The 'Squire's Bell' emits a sound that only Rita can hear, right?

Yeah. We can use the echoes to study our surroundings. From here, you can hear beyond the water's source, even in the caves.　Since it's so important, I thought I'd give it a try.

Even if you find an anomaly in that item, you can't tell the villagers, can you?

I know.

Rita looked at Letitia with a troubled look on her face.

'But you know, if it was Nagi, I think she would say, 'Okay, try it.'

You do seem to like it, don't you, Nagi?

Letitia shrugged.

'Fine. Do your thing. I'll follow up with you if something goes wrong.

Yes, sir!

Rita pulled a silver bell from her pocket.

The bell, about the size of an egg, had been given to her before Nagi and the others returned to the port city of Ilgafa. When Nagi received it, he said, "You can use it as you see fit. Report back to me later on how it feels to use it.

The image of Nagi's face at that moment came to mind, and Rita naturally smiled.

I love the look of curiosity on her face when she gets a mystery item in her hands. I think it's not fair to look like a child sometimes, when I'm usually thinking about difficult things. I don't want you to fill your mind with your master any more than you already have. I don't know what I'll do if it starts to overflow.

I'm not going to be able to say that I'm not going to be able to do anything about it.

I'm going to be able to see Letitia and Cutlass next to me, and they're holding their mouths and noses so as not to disturb Rita. It's okay if it's just the sound of breathing, but the less noise the better.

''In the name of the 'Lord of the Beast that Runs through the Forest' - his followers.

Rita tied the bell to the collar hardware.

The collar is proof of the bond between you and your master. If this is the 'squire's bell', this is the most appropriate position.

"With the sound of the bond between you and your master, a token of your loyalty, show me what you have hidden from me!

Rita closed her eyes and rang the bell.

────.

The bell made a clear sound.

The sound could not be heard by Letitia or by Cutlass.

But a cool tone reached Rita's beastly ears.

The sound gradually spread out.

The ripples of sound spread as if a stone had been dropped on the surface of the water.

It bounced back.

Rita's ears, her skin, and all her senses catch it.

Eventually, Rita slowly opened her eyes.

"──Deep of the cave──something──is there──?

The bell translates the echoing sound into a form that Rita can understand.

The shape of an invisible place appears in the mind of Rita, who is equipped with it.

A choice is made - the depths of the cave.

Beyond the water source. The place where the sound just barely reaches you.

What was there. The image that came to Rita's mind was something with wings and - a human shadow.

──── tasquete

And in Rita's ears, she heard a faint voice.

'Letitia-sama, Cutlass!　There's someone out there!　A human-like shape and ...... winged something seems to be caught on the rocky ground inside. I can hear voices!

Rita jumps towards the river. She stands on the surface of the water again with 'water walking' and runs towards the cave.

'This is absurd!　Mr. Rita!

I...

At the sound of Letitia's voice, Rita stopped in a hurry.

The entrance to the cave is narrow. It's barely possible to crawl through the water. It's impossible to enter the depths of the cave, against the current, while maintaining the 'water walking' by sacred power in that state. If he lost concentration for even a moment, he would fall into the water and be swept away.

''No matter how much of a 'chit-chat' you are, there is a limit to what you can do!　You know what you can and can't do!

'Yes, sir!　This is where Fynn, who can fly, comes in!

All my worries were instantly irrelevant!

We are here to help people. We can't afford to lose our way, sir!

Cutlass puts his hand on the armor of Balal on his chest and declares, "Another me.

The other me. It's time to go!　Feen!

Do I have to get dressed?

Of course it is!

"...... I can't help it. Alright.

With a light call, a girl with gray hair like Cutlass, Fynn, appeared.

I have been informed of the situation. I - I - Fynn will fly through the air and pull the one who needs help at the back of the cave, right?

Yes, please.

Letitia handed the rope to Fynn.

We can remeasure the depth of the water later. Our priority right now is to save lives.

''Yes, sir. Sir.'

Fynn floated up in the air with a rope in his hand, fluffily.

The artifact 'Armor of Balal' is able to create a body with magical power. Now, he transferred another personality of Cutlass, 'Fyn', to it. Fyn can fly, so it's good for investigating small places like this.

Fynn, who headed straight for the river, turned around in the air and...

"By the way, I wonder if you like to be wet through and through.

I'll ask him later, sir!

"...... cutlass. I think you should learn to be a little more s*xy.

With that, Fynn flew through the water in a slumped position and disappeared into the depths of the cave.

A few minutes later

Alright, ready for rescue. Please pull the rope!

Hearing Fynn's voice, Rita, Leticia and Cutlass stood on the riverbank and began to pull on the stretched rope.

It was responsive. Indeed, someone's body was tied to the end of the rope. Probably Fynn is holding it up to prevent it from sinking, the body of two people - Fynn's body made of magic power is light, so it's precisely the equivalent of one and a half people.

Feeling that much weight, Rita and the others desperately pulled the rope closer.

'Rita-san. Can you still hear my voice?

I can't hear it. But I can hear something flapping around at ....... Is this ......?

Every time the three of them pull the rope, something is getting closer and closer.

Finally, it emerges from the cave and...

'Oh, thank God!　After all, the thing to have is a friend!

""Saint Delilira!"

It was a bird-shaped golem that contained the soul of "Saint Delilah".

''Huh?　Why?　Why is the saint here!

'I thought I'd practice on a nearby trip before I set out on a journey to find ...... "City of the Demon Race". Then, deep in the river, I got trapped on a rocky beach.''

The saint-infused golem scratched his head on the tip of his wing.

''It's not something I'm not used to doing. Delilira-san still has a lot of training to do.''

'It wasn't. What I found was supposed to be in the shape of a human being: ......

Rita touched the 'Squire's Bell'.

'Could it be my misunderstanding?　Huh?　Huh?

"It's not a mistake. That's the one at the end of the rope. She'll be along with Fynn in a few minutes.

The saintly golem pointed to the entrance to the cave with the tip of its wings.

Rita, Leticia and Cutlass continued to pull on the rope.

After just a few seconds, it revealed itself.

'That's why Delilira-san was trapped in the water. I heard her scream and that's why I jumped into the cave.

''Of course, if they didn't come back after a while, Golem-kun and the others were supposed to come looking for them,'' - Saint Delilah added.

However, Rita and the others didn't hear that.

It was because all three of them were blinded by what Fynn had been holding in her arms.

'He's unconscious, but he's definitely alive.

Fynn said as he untied the rope wrapped around the child's torso.

Rita and Letitia reach out to the child. They hold it in their arms and look at Saint Delilira, unsure whether or not to bring it ashore. ''It's okay if it's a little. The two of them picked up the child in their arms and laid him down on top of the cloak that Cutlass had laid out.

'Saint Delilira-sama,'

"Yes, Rita?

We heard about the Horn Serpent's body being washed ashore in this river, and we're here to investigate.

"Sea monster. But he's a gentle race. He's not going to release a demon into the river.

That's not something a little, cute girl would do, even at .......

Does Your Highness know anything about her?

At Leticia's question, the saintly golem shook her head.

''I was already unconscious when Delilira-san went to help me. It's been about a day since then, but I'm still asleep. So I don't know anything about it. I don't know why a subhuman child of the sea is in a place like this.

She is a beautiful girl, isn't she, and it's a wonder.

Cutlass and Fynn looked at the girl.

The girl's body was smaller than Iris'. If she were human, she would be about five or six years old. Her long, light blue hair was spread out over her cloak, and she was breathing painfully. He wore an underclothes made of what looked like seaweed on his upper body. She wrapped it around her chest. The lower half of his body is - in the water. For now, Rita and Cutlass have piled up stones in the water, inserted their shields, and are immersed in the slowed down current.

Because the sleeping girl was a mermaid (mermaid).

'...... I'm troubled. What shall I do?

Letitia folded her arms and nodded her head.

'The questers have no choice but to report what they find with their normal skills, so we should keep this girl under wraps at .......

The 'Squire's Bell' is a secret, right?

So let's call her a 'saintly girl' case.

Yes. And I agree with Lady Letitia.

I do too, sir, and so does Fynn.

What is it?　"Delilira's case"? Delilirah-san is like the root of all evil!

So what does Your Highness think we should do with this child?

"...... Can you all carry me to the 'Delilira Maze' - ......?

The saint-infused bird-shaped golem looked away awkwardly.

''I was actually planning to wait for Delilira-san's 'Golem-kun' and the others to come to the rescue. As planned, Delilira-san will take care of her with a bang!

If you're going to send her back to the sea, I'll be happy to help.

Letitia said, stroking the sleeping mermaid girl's hair.

'That much, Nagi-san wouldn't object.

"I'm sure Nagi-kun, that 'Insufferable Master', would have.

Leticia and the bird-shaped golem looked at each other and nodded at each other.

Then they all decide on their roles.

Letitia, Cutlass and Fynn return to the village to report on the completion of their investigation.

Rita and Saint Delilira (a golem in the shape of a bird) were to head to the Delilira Maze.

''Please take care of that child. Rita-san.

I'm on it. I'll join you as soon as I drop you off.

'I would ask you to send me a good send off, especially the saint. Miss Rita.

I will. I'll bring you back to the Delililah Maze without a second's notice, I promise.

"Hey, isn't that funny?　Why does it seem more difficult to send Delilira!　Hey, hey!

You have to keep the saint from flapping her wings over Rita's head and, well, trying to calm her down...

Rita, Leticia, Cutlass, and Fynn decided (after re-measuring the river's depth) to head to their respective destinations.