“!?”

A swarm of monsters headed toward us, only to be struck down by Fiora’s magic. They were blasted away, and the three of us swiftly finished them off.

Goblins, orcs, wolves, and boars… While there were no ogres this time, it was still a gathering of regulars from the shallows.

Zighart was relentless, piercing through them with beam-like magic, while Fiora blasted them away, leaving them incapacitated for us to finish off. Their unique fighting styles complemented each other in an amusing way. Since Fiora was managing the battlefield here, it was up to us to deliver the finishing blows. Thanks to that…

“Heh heh…”

I already secured one Holy Card, which I carefully placed in the wallet hanging from my neck to avoid dropping it. As I chuckled to myself, a loud crashing sound erupted from the north.

“Whoa!?”

Another crash followed immediately after, startling me enough to flail my arms wildly. If the card hadn’t been in my wallet, it might have been lost.

Though crashing sounds had occasionally reached us before, these two were significantly louder. They were probably caused by Zighart’s magic. When I looked toward the main camp, I saw Zighart raising his right arm high. Was that a victory pose? A “Got it!” gesture, perhaps?

“Did they take care of it?”

“Seems like it,” Fiora replied.

The two of them seemed to set up an obvious flag for future trouble, and it wasn’t the first time they had done something like this.

“Hmm… It looks like everything’s fine. I don’t see any monsters.”

Zighart’s confident pose suggested they had hit their mark, but just in case, I peered northward from above. Sure enough, apart from Alec and August, nothing seemed to be moving. Truly impressive, as expected.

“…But still, even though the other side seems cleared, they haven’t shown themselves yet. I can sense them, but… Sera, can’t you spot them either?”

“Nope, nothing within my range of sight. Some monsters affected by the Demon Lord’s influence are scattered around, so they’re definitely here, but this place is huge…”

Despite over an hour passing since the battle began, the boss of this area had yet to make an appearance. I couldn’t detect the Demon Lord’s aura myself, but considering the affected monsters, they had to be here. Maybe further inside?

“Huh?”

Most of the monsters in the southern half of the boss chamber were cleared out, except for a few at the far entrance. The rest were just waiting to respawn. As we debated whether to stay here or head back to the main camp, I caught sight of a shadow along the northern wall, near the top.

“Hey, what’s that?”

I squinted at it, noticing that it had moved slightly from its previous spot. It wasn’t a trick of the wall’s shadows.

Despite its considerable size, neither 【Fairy Eyes】 nor the snakes’ enhanced vision could discern it clearly. Was it weak? Or just hiding its presence? Even though it was far from the main camp, it felt like it was approaching. Leaving it unchecked might be dangerous.

I decided to ask the others for their input.

“What is it?”

“Over there.”

The two approached me cautiously, keeping an eye on our surroundings. Despite their efforts, the distance and dim lighting made it hard for them to spot anything. I pointed directly at the moving shadow.

It shifted again, farther from its earlier position. Zighart and the others didn’t react. Had they not noticed it, or was I just imagining things?

“That thing.”

As I pointed again…

“That is…!?”

Luban, upon noticing it, immediately launched a spell.

“Whoa!?”

Instead of his usual beam-like attack, it was a scattershot of small glowing orbs. Though they seemed less powerful, they were quick and spread out like buckshot. Upon contact, the area lit up as if by flares.

What emerged under the magical illumination was… a black mantis? Its carapace reflected the magical light like polished armor. Was that really a mantis? Its shiny exoskeleton resembled that of a beetle or a stag beetle more than a typical mantis. It looked tough… please don’t tell me it’s a cockroach!

“Damn it! Sera, send me flying like you did Alec and the others!”

Luban didn’t wait for a response before sprinting toward the edge of the barrier. Surprised by his abruptness, I could only watch as he leapt with a determined expression, propelled by 【Wind’s Mantle】.

Due to his lighter equipment, Luban flew farther than Alec and the others had earlier. Despite being a first attempt, he executed the acceleration and landing flawlessly, heading straight toward the main camp.

While I stared blankly at his retreating figure, Teresa wrapped an arm around my waist.

“Princess, grant me 【Floating Orb】. We must hurry.”

“Ah… Right. Please do.”

Handing over control of the 【Floating Orb】, I let Teresa carry me.

I didn’t know what that mantis-like creature was, but judging by Luban’s reaction, it was no ordinary foe. We needed to regroup quickly.

———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————–

Seria・【Hideout】 +1 【Prayer】【Mira’s Blessing】【Wind’s Robe】・【Floating Orb】 +1 【Shadow Sword】【Crimson Bee’s Stinger】【Fairy’s Eye】【Dragon’s Lungs】【Amber Sword】【Danrem’s Thread】【Serpent’s Tail】【Ankle Bracelet】【Amber Shield】【Purple Wings】・3 cards

Seriana・【Range Identification】・【】・28 cards
Elena・【】・【Green Fang】【Amber Sword】・3 cards
Alec・【Strong Strike】・【Red Shield】【Fierce Horned Trumpet】・5 cards