Chapter 5 – Training and Hot Springs

Part 1

“A-ah…”

When Lexia and the others rushed to the forest entrance, the beastmen on guard stood stunned.

“Quickly, run away! We’ll hold off the horde of monsters here!”

“I-impossible… that kind of thing…”

“I saw it from the top of a tree, and it was like hell… There’s no way we can escape it, let alone stop it…”

The beastmen, who had apparently witnessed the swarms of monsters, all turned pale and lost their will to fight.

“We’ll deal with the monsters; just get out of here──”

Tito’s ears twitched halfway through Luna’s words.

“They’re coming…!”

From deep within the forest, a terrifying roar rang out, accompanied by a rumbling of the ground.

A black wave surged toward them, sending up a cloud of snow.

“Gruaaaaaaaa!”

“Wha…!”

It was a huge swarm of various monsters.

The villagers who had rushed after Lexia and the others retreated.

“T-that’s Frost Deer and Ice Tail!”

“Not only that, but there’s also the Hail Panther! What’s going on?”

A terrifying horde of monsters of all kinds was marching toward the village.

Noel’s throat tightened at the sight of the unusual scene.

“No way, a huge flood…!?”

Normally, monsters of different species do not swarm together.

However, for some reason, the excited monsters of any species can swarm together and attack a village or town, and this terrible phenomenon is known as a flood.

After the flood swept through, it is said that everything was trampled and devoured without a trace.

“How could the effects of this cursed blizzard cause such a great flood…!”

Luna’s groans were drowned out by a raucous cry of calamity.

“Gruaaaaaa!”

A swarm of monsters, resembling a cloud-like haze, howled and raged in search of their prey.

“O-oh… we’re doomed…”

“There’s no way we can compete with that horde… They’ll eat us all up…”

“O-oh… no…”

In the midst of the despairing villagers, Emma staggered──Tito supported her body.

With her golden eyes, she looked straight into Emma.

“It’s going to be okay, Emma. I will protect this village and everyone in it.”

“Tito…”

Lexia, Noel, and Luna nodded.

“Yes, it’s too early to give up! After all, we are here!”

“It’s time for the new magic tool.”

“As long as we are here, I promise you that not a single one of them will pass through the village.”

Tito stared straight at the horde of monsters and readied her claws.

“We will not let a single person in this village get hurt!”

In the midst of a raging blizzard, the group faced off against the fearsome horde of monsters.

＊＊＊

“Kiki, kikikiki!”

Ahead of Tito’s glare, dozens of small animals kicked up snow and rushed forward.

The villagers screamed.

“It’s the Ice Tail…!”

It was a small fox-like creature with a large tail.

It has a cunning that doesn’t match its cute appearance, and what makes it even more troublesome is its agility. Using its small body to evade all attacks and traps, it would invade villages and towns and devour everything in its path.

“Even the most skilled adventurers fail to catch it and are beaten back by it…”

“Tito, run!”

Emma cried out, but Tito held her claws at the ready and shouted.

“Not a single rat will get through here!”

“Kikikiki!”

A swarm of Ice Tails swooped down on Tito in a single bound.

“Kiki, kikikiki…!”

Then, as if to mock Tito, they scattered.

They weaved their way through the forest trees and scattered, heading for the village.

“Wha!?”

“Oh, God, we’re screwed…! People and livestock, they’re all going to be devoured…!”

The villagers’ voices are tinged with despair.

But.

“I knew you would come! [Claw Flash]!”

Tito turned herself around in an instant and zigzagged through the forest.

White flashes of light traced a constellation-like path──

“Kiki──!”

The Ice Tails were all destroyed as a deafening scream burst through the air on the path that Tito ran through.

“Wha…”

“S-such a fast monster… and that many of them were destroyed in an instant…!”

Tito looked back to make sure that Ice Tail had been completely destroyed and let out a white breath.

“A-amazing, Tito! I can’t believe you were able to defeat all those fast monsters…”

Just as Emma was about to run up to Tito.

“Gaaaahhhh!”

A huge wolf-like monster jumped out from behind a tree and attacked Emma.

Tito’s eyes widened.

“Silver Wolf…!”

It was the same monster that once attacked the young Emma and caused Tito to be chased out of the village.

“Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

“Kyaaaaaaaaa!”

The Silver Wolf opened its bright red palate and closed in on Emma.

Before its fangs could reach her.

“Don’t worry; I’m not the same as I was back then──this time, I’ll protect you properly!”

Tito stepped in hard and turned into a flash.

As Tito and the wolf crossed paths──

“[Claw Concert]!”

Tito’s clawed blow had decapitated the giant wolf.

The giant monster vanished, leaving not even a death cry.

Tito looked back at Emma and smiled.

“Are you hurt? Emma.”

“T…thanks, Tito…!”

Tito held Emma in her arms as she jumped onto her, sobbing.

＊＊＊

“Good grief, after all that cooking warmed me up, I’m totally cold now. …But, well, it’s good for some after-dinner exercise.”

A snow leopard-like monster bares its fangs at Luna, who has sheltered the villagers behind her back.

“Grrrrrrrrr…!”

“Hyii, it’s the Hail Panther…!”

“It’s the monster that destroyed a frontier town with just one of them…! And now there are three of them…!”

“It’s not good, Ojou-chan; you must run away! It will kill you! Even a group of skilled soldiers are no match for it!”

The villagers shouted in unison, and children and women embraced each other while trembling.

“Hyii…!”

“It’s scary, Onee-chan…!”

“It’s okay; it’s okay…!”

The Hail Panthers leapt at Luna as if to mock her.

“Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!”

“Aaah!”

“Kyaaaaaaa!”

Heartbreaking screams swirled through the forest.

But.

“[Fetters]!”

The three monsters stopped as Luna held out her hand, still in a leaping position.

“Gru, a-ah…!”

“Eh…? The Hail Panther stopped moving? W-why…?”

“L-look at that! Is that… a string?”

The villagers are astonished to see a thin string entangled in the monster.

Luna prepared herself low as she looked at the snarling monster.

“Unfortunately, I can’t let you through here.”

“Guuuuu, gururuaaaaaaaa!”

The Hail Panther struggled to escape from the strings, but Luna held her hand as if grasping it in mid-air.

“I won’t give you pain. At least let me let you rest in peace.”

Then the strings holding the Hail Panther tightened, instantly twisting its torso.

“Guuu, aahh…!?”

The villagers were stunned into disbelief as they watched the monster turn into particles of light and disappear.

“N-no way… You can kill a Hail Panther so easily…?”

“T-too strong…! And what the heck is that string…!”

To the agitated villagers, Luna held up a finger in front of her lips.

“Shh.”

“Eh…?”

The villagers were wondering while Luna quietly sharpened her awareness──

“There it is.”

Without even a glance, she released a string into the sky.

“Gugyaa!?”

Several semi-transparent serpents fall to the ground, pierced by the strings.

“Kyaaa…!”

“I-Ice Snakes…! When did they get so close…!”

“Looks like they were aiming at you guys from up in the trees.”

“A-amazing… Ice Snakes are so good at killing their presence that even the most seasoned adventurers can’t see them…!”

The string was instantly back in hand, and Luna exhaled lightly.

“Phew. That wasn’t even a good exercise to help with digestion.”

The villagers were mesmerized by Luna’s brilliant and light attack.

“U-um, thank you very much…!”

“Luna-oneechan, you’re so cool…!”

“I’ll follow you for the rest of my life…!”

“…Hmm?”

Luna was confused by the women with blushed cheeks and the children with sparkling eyes.

＊＊＊

“Kuooooo!”

“Mm, a large-sized body and transparent horns… This is the first time I’ve seen this monster. What kind of materials does it drop?”

Noel, on the other hand, was confronted by a herd of deer with ice horns.

The villagers backed away.

“Hyii! Frost Deer!”

“There are countless adventurers who have fallen prey to this thing…!”

“Hurry up and get out of here, or you’ll be frozen…!”

“Kuooooooo!”

Frost Deer swung its horns, and a torrent of cold air burst forth from between the horns.

“Oops!”

Noel quickly dodged, and the trees that were exposed to the cold air froze.

“I see; it seems to be a species that uses ice magic. Then I have the perfect magic tool for it; let’s give it a try!”

“Kuooooooo!”

The Frost Deers, perhaps ignited by their fighting spirit after their magic was evaded, rushed at Noel at once.

Using the trees to escape the cold air attack, Noel pulls out a huge tube.

“Now, let’s see who will win, your magic or my ‘Burn the Whole Area Down-chan No. 1’──let’s go head to head!”

Noel turned around with the tube──a gun barrel──and aimed it at the deer in the lead.

“Kuooooooooooooo!”

A pack of Frost Deer rushed forward, and a gust of wind filled with cold air approached Noel.

“Noel-sama, it’s dangerous!”

“Please run!”

But Noel held the gun barrel and pulled the trigger.

“Fire!”

Burst!

“Kuaaaaaaaaa!”

A violent burst of fire erupts from the barrel, drowning out the ice magic.

The five creatures in the lead were engulfed by the swirling flames and vanished.

“K-kuooooooo!”

“W-what the heck is that tool?”

“It’s more powerful than a magician!”

But Noel tilted her head and pushed up her glasses.

“Hmm, I thought it would reach further back, but after all, the wider the range, the shorter it gets. Next time, I’ll increase the output──Mmm?”

When she noticed, the gun barrel was emitting a puff of smoke.

“Oya, this is not good.”

Noel didn’t hesitate to throw the ‘Burn the Whole Area Down-chan No. 1’ toward the crowd of monsters.

Immediately afterward, the ‘Area-wide Burn-off Chan No. 1’ exploded! Making a thunderous sound.

“Kuoooooooooooo!”

“W-what? It exploded!”

Despite the villagers’ dismay, Noel nonchalantly pushed up her glasses.

“Hmm, it exploded after all. The magic ore cannot be controlled with such finesse, so there is room for improvement.”

The remaining Frost Deers turned their horns toward Noel, who was muttering to herself.

“Kuooooooooo!”

“! Noel-sama, it’s dangerous…!”

Before the villagers could scream.

“Now for the finishing touches! ‘Frozen Hell-kun No. 2’!”

Noel took out a palm-sized sphere and threw it at the Frost Deers.

As soon as the sphere hits the Frost Deer, cold air and ice burst out, engulfing the trees in the area and icing the remaining Frost Deer.

“Kuooo, oo…”

“U-unbelievable! The Frost Deers were frozen?”

“T-that can’t be… What is that ridiculous magic tool?”

The villagers rolled their eyes, apparently not expecting Frost Deer, who specializes in ice magic, to be frozen.

Noel glinted her glasses at the frozen Frost Deers.

“I hope you won’t underestimate the power of the chief of the Magic Development Institute. “

“Oooooooh! Amazing, you’re not just someone who causes explosions!”

“The magic tool was really cool! I want to use it too!”

“Hurray for Noel-sama! As expected of the chief of the Magic Development Institute! The favorite child of the new era!”

Passionate shouts of encouragement echoed through the blizzard forest.