CH 80

“Merylou-kun, I’ll take care of that before we go.”

“…… Oh, I forgot. Souya, can I count on you?”

Merylou followed Souya’s gaze and nodded approvingly.

“Yes. I’ll do it. –Order. Gather all the small demon imps to this spot.”

Souya ordered the two rock golems to gather the bodies of the eight small demon imps in one place, spread oil, and quickly cremate them. This was because if the bodies were left unattended, they would decompose and become the source of a plague.

The large hole created by Merylou’s spirit magic had been closed up as usual with the passage of time, but there was no trace of the Bronze Demon that had exploded inside the hole due to the Fire Spirit Disintegration [Final Strike]. It must have been scattered by the wind along with the pillar of fire that erupted from the explosion. You can say that this one did not need to be cremated.

“Aisha-kun. I’m sorry to ask this while you’re still tired, but it would be great if you could keep the lighting on. Is your magic power still okay?”

“I can afford it …… Please let me do it. I’ll do the lighting at the lodge too.”

“Then I’ll leave that task to you.”

The lighting that Aisha had created for the battle was under her control, drifting above the wagon as it moved. She must be feeling guilty about slowing down by the movement and the battle. Souya thought it would be a good idea to assign her a job to make up for it.

The rain clouds have made it impossible to expect moonlight, and with the rain and wind gradually intensifying, the lanterns are not in good condition, so magic lights that are not affected by the environment are very useful in these situations. The most widely used technique by magicians is definitely this lighting magic.

“…… Hmm. It seems that the process is over, let’s leave then, everyone ……The rain is getting heavier and heavier. And the wind is cold.”

The client, Peryton, shivered and took out a brown cloak and put it on over his head.

The wagon began to move slowly, driven by Rams, with Merylou once again in the lead, followed by Tat and Aisha on either side of the wagon, and Peryton behind them, in the same formation as before.

At the end of the line, where Mia was about to move with the formation, Souya stopped, holding a red shard in his hand and staring at it.

“…… Souya-san, what’s wrong?”

Mia had a curious look on her face.

“–Oh, it’s nothing. Mia-kun. Let’s go.”

It was a fragment of a dark red sword that had been shattered by the Fire Spirit Disintegration [Final strike]. Souya stored the fragment in the dimension box.

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About twenty minutes after our re-start, we walked along a forked road for another five minutes and found the lodge that Peryton had mentioned.

By the time we reached the lodge, the rain had changed to what I would call a distinctly heavy downpour, and the cloaks that everyone was wearing were completely soaked. It was fortunate, however, that we arrived so soon after it began to rain heavily that the road surface on which the wagons were driving did not turn to mud.

The lodge was a shabby old wooden house with no lights and no sign of human presence.

Souya went to the entrance of the lodge and knocked a little harder on the wooden door.

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“…… Looks like no one’s home. I think we might have the whole place to ourselves today.”

Aisha manipulated the magical lights of the lighting and projected them into the room.

In the back of the doorway was a space about eight tatami mats in size, and the room was plain and unfurnished, but it seemed to function well enough to keep out the wind and rain. Next to it, there was a stable with a low roof where horses could stay. Rams maneuvered to the stable, parked the wagon, and locked the wheels.

After that, everyone went into the lodge and unloaded their belongings into their rooms, and they could finally catch their breath.

Perhaps because of the battles and weather incidents, everyone was showing some signs of fatigue. It is fortunate that we are not outdoors, but in a facility where we can rest from the wind and rain. Aisha, in particular, seemed to be suffering from the physical exhaustion of moving, and after unloading her luggage, she slumped down against the wall.

“Everyone, thank you for your hard work. Take your time and get some rest …… I’d like to say that, but I wonder if anyone would like to join Rams in guarding the horses in the stable?　You can take turns among yourselves.”

“…… I’ll go with you then. Rams-san, please take care of me.”

Tat immediately raised his hand in response to Peryton’s suggestion.

“Are you sure about this, Tat?”

“Souya-niisan, I’ve heard that magic power doesn’t recover unless you rest. It seems that everyone except me, who can’t use magic, was using magic earlier.”

Tat pointed out that all of the escorts, except for himself, had used magic in the battle.

He was carefree, just like the Grass Elf Grasswalker he is, but Souya was impressed that he was watching the condition of his companions so closely.

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“…… I’ll take your word for it. If something happens, please don’t hesitate to call everyone. We also have to deal with the Bronze Demon, after all.”

“…… Yeah. Okay. I’m off then.”

Tat opened the front door and headed for the stable next door.

As he did so, the cool air outside blew in. And the sound of strong rain.

Depending on how tonight’s weather went, tomorrow’s trip might be a bit of a pain in the ass.

“…… Hey, Tat. Don’t hesitate to call me, okay? I still have a lot of magic power left in me.”

Merylou, while saying this, yawned loudly and her eyes were almost closed. She was at the lead, so preparing for the assault and performing a great technique of spirit summoning. She was also the leader of the escort party, and no doubt she was the one with the biggest burden.

“Merylou-kun used Wind spirit summoning, [Summon Sylph] and [Pitfall], after all.  If anything goes wrong, I’ll go. If things get out of hand, we’ll all deal with it together.”

“…… Souya, that’s nothing to worry about. The wood elves, you know, have more magic power than humans.”

Merylou muttered proudly and stubbornly. If the dwarves were known for their strength and the grass elf Grasswalkers for their agility, the forest elf wood elves were known for their magic power.

It’s not a lie to say that they still have plenty of room to maneuver even with the heavy burden of spirit magic.

“Merylou-san, don’t overdo it …… Are you tired?”

Mia spoke softly to the stubborn Merylou. 

“…… Well, I guess I am a little tired. Mia.”

“Yes, that’s fine. Come here, please.”

Merylou happily laid her head on Mia’s lap pillow and covered her with a blanket. 

When Mia stroked her head in that position, Merylou was in ecstasy.

(…… A special way, huh. Indeed.)

Souya remembered Mia’s words that she had a way to fix Merylou’s mood. This would have an extraordinary effect.