54 - Episode 21 Sasha to Reconnaissance

That woman disgusts me. Just because she has a nice face, she gets on my nerves. That human (inferior species) little shit looks just like Light, and it's disgusting. I wish all human beings (inferior species) would just hurry up and die. ......

Sasha dives into the forest, mumbling and complaining.

Despite her complaints, Sasha is able to move smoothly through the forest with her level 500 scouting skills, which she honed during the "Gathering of Tribes" period.

Two male adventurers, one with blond hair and the other with silver hair, follow at a slight distance from her.

Sasha himself had used this forest as his base of operations when he was a novice adventurer after being evicted from his home.

It had been a long time since he had set foot in the forest, but he had no problems in the shallow areas. His skills and level have improved considerably since then, and he continues to move deeper and deeper into the forest.

!"

He stops and signals with his hand to the elven adventurer who follows at a slight distance.

'Stay where you are and don't move silently.

Ahead of Sasha's gaze, a monster was rubbing its body against the trunk.

It was a huge quadruped that looked to be 10 meters long, and its serpentine tail, thicker than her torso, wagged and swayed.

The snake was shriveling and stretching, its bright red tongue flicking in and out in its spare time.

Sasha does not know.

Sasha does not know that this demon is a "snake hellhound" and is level 1000.

Just by looking at it from a distance, she feels a sensation of milder skin.

(Hey, what the hell!　That monster looks like something out of a fairy tale!　Ah!　I'm pretty sure I heard something about a "giant four-legged beast with a snake for a tail" that would appear if you got close to the "Giant Tower," but that's what that is!)

She spit it out in her chest as she looked at the "Snake Hellhound", stifling a sign, a breath.

(How high level is that monster when the monsters in the deep forest are around level 150-200!　Level 100 or 200 will never work!　Do we have to go through a forest overrun by such monsters to get to the "Giant Tower"?　What kind of punishment is that!　Did I commit a crime worthy of such punishment?)

My stomach throbbed from the stress of a situation that would kill me instantly if I were discovered.

After a few moments, the "Snake Hellhound" slinked off into the depths of the forest.

......pffh!"

I find myself letting out the breath I had been holding.

Understanding from Sasha's nervousness that a monster of some sort had appeared, the male adventurers, both blonde and silver-haired elves, all held their breath.

(Oh, I don't want to go any further in a forest riddled with monsters like that!　(...... but if I don't head for the "Giant Tower," I'm doomed. ......)

Sasha, are you okay?"

I quickly approached her and called out, but Sasha was too absorbed in her thoughts and too drained to respond immediately.

............"

But on the other hand, there was a silver lining.

（The monster is of a ridiculously high level, but it doesn't notice us at all, so it doesn't seem to be very good at spotting us. And those scrape marks on the trunk. It seems to be claiming its territory or something, but thanks to that, it's easy to check its range of movement and whether or not it's nearby. I should be able to get close enough to the tower to avoid the monster. ......)

Sasha?

(Worst case scenario, if we run into each other, we don't have to worry about decoys. ......)

I give a cold stare to the elf kind adventurer who calls out to me with concern.

I like his face, but I can't trade it for my life, my future happiness.

'...... sorry, it's ok, let's move on.'

Although she is afraid of the "Snake Hellhound," Sasha is convinced that the technology she has developed will allow her to approach the "Giant Tower" without any problems, and she decides to continue her exploration for her own future and happiness.

In fact, however, the Snake Hellhound was aware of Sasha's presence. In fact, Sasha and her friends are currently being watched by the stealthy monster that Aoyuki is taming.

The fact that the "Snake Hellhound" pretended not to notice, and the fact that it showed off its territory by pointlessly rubbing itself against the trunk of the tree, were all instructions from Aoyuki.

She is just aiming at the very edge of Sasha's heart breaking and not giving up on exploration, and is only putting her under stress.

She intentionally stresses her because she is the woman who tried to harm the Lord to whom Aoyuki has devoted everything of herself, her soul, consciousness, body, and even a drop of her blood.

Therefore, he is only giving her stress until the very last minute to harass her.

Sasha, with a serious expression on her face, once again takes the lead as a scout.

--A few days later.

......That's the entrance to the tower, isn't it?

The trees had been pulled out and the ground had been leveled for an area of about 50 meters from the "Giant Tower.

About 15 meters away from the forest boundary, a weary-looking Sasha, her face smeared with mud and her body covered in fallen leaves and branches, continued to observe.

The elf adventurers who acted as escorts, decoys, and sacrifices would have slowed them down if they had been with them near the "giant tower," so they were currently hiding at a great distance from the tower.

After completing their observations, they would turn around and join us.

It has consumed a great deal of time, spirit, stomach, etc., to get this far.

High level monsters roam the forest.

The "snake hellhound" occasionally crossed right in front of us without warning, and when it walked noisily at a distance of about one meter, Sasha almost screamed and held her mouth shut in panic.

Unluckily, she thought, someone who had strayed from the territorial claim she had rubbed on the trunk had passed nearby - but in fact it was just Aoyuki harassing her on purpose, understanding Sasha's presence.

Sasha herself did not know that she was only being made to swim, and continued to move frantically toward the "giant tower.

Thanks to this, she was able to finally reach a position where she could see the entrance to the "Giant Tower" while drawing a map of a route that seemed safe enough to weave through the territory of the "Snake Hellhound" monster, the types of monsters in the forest, and the danger zones where monsters gather.

After several hours of watching the entrance and exit, we finally caught movement.

(...... I knew that monster was living in the giant tower.)

Several "snake hellhounds" appear from the entrance and exit of the "Giant Tower. They walked straight into the forest.

A more shocking event also enters Sasha's sight.

（Oh, no!　What? Dragons!　Why would a dragon come out of a "giant tower?")

A red dragon, clad in red scales that reflect the brilliant sunlight, appears from the entrance of the "Giant Tower" and stretches wide.

It spreads its wings, neck, and hands.

Its size must be more than 15 meters.

It is so high level that even from a distance one can see it.

The dragon shudders, opens its mouth wide, and stretches.

Its teeth are lined up like blades, as if it could chew up anything.

The dragon folds its wings again and returns to the inside through the entrance of the tower.

Sasha breaks out in a cold sweat at the presence of the dragon.

(Four-legged beasts are bad enough, but a dragon living in a "giant tower" like this!　Don't they fight with the four-legged beasts?　(Maybe that "giant tower" is a dungeon and the monsters inside don't fight?)

The monsters inside the dungeon do not fight in vain, they do not take food and stay alive.

According to one theory, "Since they have magical power, they do not need food, and they do not fight with each other because they have received the will of the dungeon. It was thought to be a good idea.

(The wings of a dragon can fly from here to the capital in a single bound. If that dragon came to the city on a whim and went on a rampage, how much damage could it do? ......)

My head hurts just imagining it.

(What kind of human (inferior species) would have lights in a monster's den like that?　(Or was it a trap to set me up?)

He thought for a moment that it was a trap set by a woman and forces that were jealous of his engagement to the vice-commander, Mikael, but quickly denied it.

It was only after the paper was handed to him that the "Giant Tower" appeared.

The front and back were reversed.

It was impossible to put up the paper in anticipation of the appearance of the "Giant Tower," as expected.

(Anyway, we can't just leave it there when there are obviously high-level dragons living near the capital. I have to go back and report it immediately.)

If possible, I would like to check the inside of the "Giant Tower," but as expected, even Sasha is in a tough spot.

The first priority now is to bring back the information that "dragons are living in the giant tower" as soon as possible.

We don't know when the dragons will take off on a whim and attack the capital.

Sasha quietly leaves the scene, blending into the shadows and overlapping her own sound with the sound of the blowing wind.

She leaves, unaware until the last moment of the presence of the monster that is watching her every move.