“So you’re on to me ……!”

I saw Makina, Fath-san, and Basleigh-sensei go around in front of the noisy Qliphoth and stop her, and ask her something.

The next moment, I could see that she was about to wave down on Dasha, and I swooped down. Immediately afterward, I felt as if her eyes met mine even though it was dark, and I guessed that she had noticed me all along.

“Ahahahaha! Since the main person is not here, I’m on the lookout here too! Groan in despair!”

“Don’t think we acted without thinking either! !”

Aiatsubus threw a black haze at me with his free right hand, which should be [Unstable]. It is certainly effective in the dark, but if I move with transfer magic, it is no longer a threat.

Then, with a light floating sensation, the body disappeared, and a moment later, the face of Aiatubus appeared in front of me.

“Transfer magic!? So you can already move with such precision! It looks like you didn’t just destroy our plans for nothing.”

“Keep talking, you’re done here!”

“Lars!”

At the same time as I grabbed the arm with the black blade and twisted it, Makina and the others arrived at the feet of Qliphoth. In order to help Dasha-chan, who was entangled in the tree trunk, I grabbed Aiatsubus and flew up into the air.

“It’s a bit aggressive for a night date, isn’t it? Take that!”

“It’s not like it’s going to hit anyone if they know what you’re going to do! !”

“It’s [Unstable]. Oh, so that kid got recovered.”

Since I’m still holding her left arm, we exchange attacks at zero distance from each other, but I don’t know if she can’t use other magic because [Unstable] is the only magic she shoots at me, so I can avoid it without difficulty. But my magic is also being canceled, so it’s a bit of a back-and-forth. 

“All that’s left is to defeat you.”

“Kuku …… It’s true that my hostage got taken back, but I can still bring you down to despair, you know?”

“It doesn’t look like you’re bluffing, but I just have to take you down before you can do it ……!”

I swung the left hand that I’m grasping around and threw Aiatubus to the ground. I looked down from above and held up my hand.

“I’ve got some questions for you, but first, I’m going to neutralize you! .”

As soon as the magic was shot, Aiatubus smirked and opened her mouth to laugh, bending her mouth into a crescent shape.

“It’s not a bad move! In the air, it will be difficult for the others to interfere, but we can both show our capabilities. If your opponent wasn’t me, this would have been the end–“

The next moment, a black haze covers the Aiatsubus and swallows up her body. Although the Dragonic Blaze hit directly, Aiatsubus was not under the mist, then I heard Makina’s scream.

“D-Dasha-chan is!?”

“Kuh, for me to miss such a thing ……!”

“Ahahahahaha! Then, this is the end of her! Now it’s your turn!”

“Damn you, where the hell did you come from?”

“Ornob, be careful!”

I swooped down in a panic, when Ornob-san was slashing at her and Fath-san was kicking away at Aiatsubus. However, the black blade deep in Dasha-chan’s chest that Basleigh-sensei is holding is …… just in time!?

Just as I was thinking this, Basleigh-sensei spoke up.

“…… No, it looks like that didn’t happen!”

“What? It can’t be, when it’s stuck that deep. Let’s be realistic, beautiful!”

“No, look at this!”

“Ahhhh!?”

“Kuoon♪!”

As Basleigh-sensei reached into Dasha-chan’s clothes and pulled something out, Ash, riding on Radia’s back, raised her hands in delight.

And there it is–

“Goruu ……”

“What!? Rock Turtle ……!? W-What is doing there!?”

–The child Rock Turtle with a black blade stuck in its shell was shown!

“I guess I should say she got lucky. Ash, the Rock Turtle, and Dasha were playing together, so it might have grabbed on to her when she was snatched by the Qliphoth.”

Basleigh-sensei, who had been babysitting them during the day, laughed. It really was a coincidence, judging by the cold sweat she was breaking out in.

“Guh …… So that kind of thing is ……! But you only got the hostage back …… Worrying about the girl is fine, but the old lady there, is her leg okay?”

“……!”

“Master!?”

“Leave me alone! Lars, heal the Rock Turtle!”

The black miasma entangled in Fath-san’s legs crawled over her body, blocking her movement. Makina attacks the black haze, but it doesn’t come off.

“You saved her, thank you.”

“Goru!”

Perhaps it was intended only for a simple kill, but the Rock Turtle immediately perked up as soon as I healed its wounds, moving to the top of Basleigh-sensei’s head and raising one hand.

“Well, I’d really like to take you on, but I’m getting a little tired myself. I’m sorry to have to say goodbye, but I’m going to have to leave you here.”

“You can’t get away! .”

“Tch, you’ve really mastered how to use it. But it must be difficult to use that magic repeatedly, as it consumes a lot of magic power!”

“I’m not going to let you ……”

When I approached her with my transfer magic, she seemed to have anticipated it and extended her right hand to the spot where I would appear. I pulled out my sword as quickly as I could and stabbed her in the wrist from below. 

“Gah!?”

Unlike before, it’s clearly a look of anguish on the face of Aiatsubus. I thought that now would be a good time since she can’t use her right hand, and when I was about to shoot a spell, something happened to Aiatsubus.

“Ah, gah …… You’ve-, really done it now ……!! I can’t maintain …… the bod–“

“Uwah!? !”

The moment she looked at me with resentment, a ridiculous amount of miasma erupts from her wrist. A haze was closing in on me, trying to cover me, so I used my transfer magic to get back to Makina and the others. 

“You ……! Damn it …… I never thought I’d have to run away for real …… If I go to the castle, there should be a large number of people …… I’ll go there to replenish …….”

“!”

“It’s [Unstable] …… Guh …… any more than this is ……!”

After the magic dispersed, Aiatsubus flew through the sky …… with miasma coming out of her mouths and wrists. It’s as if she has no weight at all. And then she left this place at breakneck speed.

“…… There’s no way I’m letting you get away ……! But how can I defeat her ……? Let’s go after her for now. Get to the carriage!”

“Master, hold on!”

“I’m sorry ……!”

I got into the carriage with Fath-san on her knees, followed by Basleigh-sensei, who took Dasha-chan to the carriage. As I sat down on the driver’s seat, Ornob-san called out to me.

“Lars-dono, I’ll be the coachman! It’s frustrating, but I don’t feel like I could do anything against that woman …… Please focus on recovering!”

“Thank you, I’ll leave it to you then.”

Ornob-san gritted his teeth as he realized that although he had come to help Dasha-chan, he had done very little to help her. I don’t mind if you go home like this, but–

“You can’t leave without the carriage. I’ll protect Dasha. We can’t let that thing run wild!”

He told me that I should prioritize stopping the Aiatsubus.

The meaning of the word “replenish” is eerie, but we have to defeat her somehow.

It’s the day of the release, but my head hurts ……!?

Thank you for reading!

[Afterword Theater]

“Congrats on the book release!”

Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!

“The author already opens a celebration!”

Why are you telling them!?

Anyway, please buy the book! There’s also a lot of new writing!