150 - - Episode 148 Battle in the Wetlands

We had dinner with Marie yesterday and she gave us some information about the tasty demons that appear in the marshland. It will be a great encouragement for Sarah and the others in their training.

"Well, I won't be back for a few days, but I'll be on my way.

"Have a safe trip."

After calling out to Mr. Sebas, we depart for the labyrinth. The sun has just risen, and Sebas comes to see me off, dressed in his finest clothes ......, not a moment too soon, and I feel a little sorry for him.

Bell and the others are a little excited to see the labyrinth for the first time in a long time. It's a training for Sarah and the others, but I think it's better to give Belle and the others a chance to play an active part in the training.

By the way, yesterday, when we came back to the room after dinner, Belle and her friends were excited to see the food and ingredients they had never eaten before. They were holding up their favorite treats. I thought the Giant Dire was delicious, but it seemed to suit their palates as well.

...... doesn't look like it's going to settle down anytime soon. The bells are hopping around with giggles and laughter. They're cute, but I have a feeling that today is going to be a tough day. Marie wanted some materials, so I'll ask her to do her best when she collects them. I'm sure we'll be more enthusiastic in our search if we're going to take down our favorite giant deers.

Deanne and Dolly are back in charge of the fountain house, but it would have been better to have them help Bell and the others until they get settled.

At the entrance to the labyrinth, we show our guild cards to the soldiers and enter. He seems to know who I am and looks at me with interest. I bow to him and quickly enter the labyrinth.

"Master, may we go first?"

Hmm?　Hmmm, I don't know. They won't be able to take on the lower level demons either, so it would be more efficient to move all the way up to the twenty-sixth layer at once. Let's have Sara and the others fight the bosses of the 20th layer and focus on leveling up this time.

"No, I'll hurry up to the 26th layer, so Sarah and the others should follow me.

Okay, okay, okay, I'll do my best.

Kikka has more stamina than Mel, so I'm sure she'll be fine, but I'm sure she's the weakest, so we'll keep a close eye on her.

"Okay, then, Belle and the others will lead us the shortest way while we destroy the traps. If there are other adventurers, I'll take out the demons, but if not, you can take them out. Sylphie, take care of me when it's dangerous.

They know we defeated the fire dragon, so I think it's okay to show off to some extent, but I don't think it's good for them to see Belle and the others shooting magic all over the place on autopilot.

"I'll do my best!" "Coo-coo!" "Such and such!" "Coo-coo!"

Bells raise their right hands in the air and proclaim. Yeah, everybody's fine. Hopefully this move will calm them down a bit. Sylphy nods lightly, so I guess it's not a problem.

Let's go!

Belle and Raine lead the way with a "whimper". Tulu seems to be in charge of the near area. Tamamo can't fight in the cave yet, so she's off. Following Tulu, we proceeded through the cave at a fast pace. We have reached the twenty-sixth level, and if we go the shortest distance, we will be there by the evening.

** **

We arrived at the marsh surprisingly quickly. It's amazing how much you level up.

"Well, we still have some time left, so after taking a rest, let's have a light fight with the demons, shall we?　If you're tired from the move, we can take the rest of the day off, but which do you prefer?"

I ask Sarah and the others while taking a rest after leaving the mobile base. Belle and her friends are flying around full of energy, so they should be fine. I thought they have calmed down a little after kicking off the demons and pushing forward, but they are still in high spirits.

I thought about building a new house, but I don't like the idea of building a new house in the marsh. I'll wait until I get back to the land of the dead before I start building a new house.

"I'm fine, Kikka?"

I'm okay, how's Kikka?

Sarah and Marco are also worried about Kikka. By nature, Sara and Marco are at an age where they should be worried too.

"Relax and you'll be fine!　I've got Mame-chan!"

Kikka gulps down the juice she was drinking and says emphatically. I'm a little impressed that Kikka, who immediately hid behind Marco, is able to express her opinion so clearly.

"I see... I'm fine. Then let's rest well and try to fight the demons."

"Yes!""" Yes!"" I'll do my best!"

The three respond in high spirits. Everything seems to be all right.

After a well-deserved rest, we stow our mobile base and move through the marsh.

"Let's go after the Marshland Lizard first. We'll search and kill it ourselves from here. And you know what the Marshland Lizard is, right?"

"Yes, it is a large green-gray lizard just like Master's armor. It is about the size of a rough-bird and hides in the swamps of the marsh and suddenly attacks.

"Correct!　Also, be careful of its very hard skin, as you can see from the fact that it is used for armor. They are lower in rank than trolls, but don't be too careful.

Sara and the others nodded their heads firmly and began to give instructions to Fukuchan and the others. They usually have a lot of plans in mind, so they are very smooth.

"Yuta, where are your friends?

The energetic belles are itching to hear what you have to say. But we'll have to ask them to be patient.

"Everyone stay around Sarah and the others and help them if they look dangerous. After Sarah and the others finish their training, I'll collect the materials Marie asked me to collect.

"Okay..." "Coo-coo..." "I'll do my best..." "Coo-coo..."

He looked disappointed for a moment at the waiting area, but when he found out that he would have a turn after that, he responded with full of energy. He's just excited, right?　You're not turning into a fighting maniac, are you?

As Bell and the others stood by to escort Sarah and the others around, I told Sarah and the others to get into action.

"Fuku-chan, please!" "Mame-chan, please find a big lizard!"

Sarah and Kikka ask Fuchu and Mame to search for the enemy. Uri, you guard the others in the perimeter. Same pattern as usual.

Huku comes back after finding the prey. Kikka summons Mame back and they proceed through the marshland.

......Sarah and her friends may be geniuses. They ask Uri to pave the marshland so that it is easy to walk through. When I was searching for rice in the marshland, I was moving around with my physical strength while muttering stupid things like ...... yeah, level up is great. Ingenuity ...... is an important word.

As I was feeling a little down, Sarah and the others changed their movements. It seems that there is a Marshland Lizard in the place where Fuk-chan is circling in the sky. Sara and the others can only sense the spirit's presence, so Fuk-chan is making her movements bigger to let them know.

While we were observing what they were going to do, Uri, on Marco's signal, covered the Marshland Lizard hiding in the swamp with soil. After that, Fuku-chan and Mame-chan are shooting magic into it.

After defeating the Marshland Lizard, I found out that they had ordered to cover everything but the neck. It seems that the hard skin could not withstand the repeated blows of the wind blades.

The trolls were able to break through that level of restraints with their strength, but the Marshland Lizard seems to be unable to do it, and this demon is nothing more than a prey now.

It worked!　I see Sarah and the others making a fuss and thinking, "What's going on? Isn't the way they fight so egregious?　Safety first is not wrong, and maybe as a result of my education policy, I've developed a preference for this kind of warfare. ...... Is this the way it's going to be?　Well, it's hard to say it's wrong.

"Master, we have defeated them."

Sarah and the others happily report back to me. It's hard to tell these girls that your way of fighting is not good.

"Yeah, we all thought it through. "Yeah, you guys thought it through. You kept them safe. It was perfect."

Sarah and the others were so happy to see me praising them and taking each other's hands. They are such good and honest children. We stow the Marshland Lizard and head for our next prey, Poison Toad.

This monster is a poisonous frog the size of a large dog, but it doesn't matter to Sarah and the others who can shoot magic at long range, and it ends up being a surprise attack.

Well, as was the case with the Marshland Lizard, it would be better to show how the demon moves and what kind of attacks it has. It's not wrong to defeat them without letting them do anything, but it could be fatal if we don't know how the demons will move when something unexpected happens. We should start training in this aspect from tomorrow.

"Next is the Giant Toad. This monster is big, so be careful.

Well, you know what I mean, since you saw me on the move. Giant toads, about the size of a two-story house, are the most grotesque looking frogs you've ever seen.

Big inorganic eyes, slick texture, not my favorite. I think small tree frogs are surprisingly cute, but the bigger they are, the creepier they are.

"Yes, they're big, but they don't have much defense, do they?"

"Yes, I heard that their slimy body surface makes it difficult for slashes to pass through, but their defense itself is not that strong. But they have the muscle strength to support their huge bodies, so be on your guard.

Sarah and the others are finalizing their plan based on what I have told them. I can't wait to see how they do it. The giant toad will be easy to spot because of its size. I watch Sarah and the others who are attacking with nervous anticipation.

Hmm?　Fuchu, Uri, and Mame are standing in front of Giant Toad's face and not moving. Sara and the others are watching them closely.

After watching them for a while, the moment the Giant Toad opened his mouth, he slammed the magic into his mouth at once. The Giant Toad crumbles to the ground with a resounding crash. Sara and the others are pleased with the plan and praise Fukuchan and the others. It's not wrong, and it's efficient, but what they do is terrible. I wonder if they remembered what I taught them about going for the eyes and mouth when they were trolls.　

"The main demons in the marsh seem to be OK. Tomorrow we'll focus on hunting the demons we fought today.

Yes. - Okay.

Perhaps sensing a positive response, Sarah and the others responded cheerfully. There seems to be no problem. Now it's time for the ...... bells and whistles.　It's time to hunt with the spirits that are itching to get out and hunt.

Belle and her friends happily fly around the field, aiming at the demons. They were overjoyed when they found the giant dears, which they loved because they were so tasty. They are supposed to be rare demons, but their appetites may have defeated their appetite sensors.

A giant deer with huge antlers, just like its name "Giant" suggests. Not wanting to let it get away, Tulu clamps both feet in the dirt and Belle takes off its head.

I didn't know what kind of attack it would make because I took it down so easily. The next time I find it, it will let me fight it. I want to fight as many different types of demons as possible.