Chapter 734 - Chapter 3: The Demon Lord's Resurrecting Cave in the Demon Realm ⑤ (Morandine) Outpost
The finishing blow, just like with the first one, was delivered by Bonnie.
I look around, but nothing happens. There's no sign of the Orcs. As expected, they had set out. The ones on the edge of the forest must be them.
We temporarily dismantle the bowl and everyone gets off. The Harpy, because its throat has been gouged out, is lying in a pool of dark blood.
Eleanor-sama dug a hole beside the corpse with Clump Sand. After a prayer for the funeral, she dropped it into the hole and buried it.
"They're coming soon."
It's Henry-sama. While pretending to firm up the mound of earth serving as a grave with his hands, he casually takes a half-kneeling position. I also firm up the earth by patting the mound beside him. The grave is near a grove a bit away from the pond. Looking from there, the pond is to the south. And beyond that is the high ground where the Harpy should be.
After defeating the Harpy, I was told not to look toward the southern high ground. Because they are surely monitoring us. It's apparently more advantageous to make them think we haven't grasped their situation.
Eleanor-sama and Bonnie are crouching on the other side of the grave, pretending to firm up the earth of the grave. In other words, they are crouching with their backs to the pond side.
Henry-sama's hands stopped.
"Jeanne!"
"Yes. Light!"
I chant a Light wall with minimum luminescence. Immediately, Eleanor-sama turned around and released a Wind Barrier with both hands to reinforce it.
Gooo! A sound rang out, and the surrounding trees creaked. Thick trees had their branches snapped, thin trees were broken from the trunk, and small trees were even blown away with their roots. Moreover, the trunks of the remaining thick trees are covered in wounds. Stones on the ground flew, and even stones the size of a human head floated up. Even rocks might roll. Dust swirled, and for a moment, it became as dark as a stormy day. It's Tempest. If you were hit directly by such a wind and blown away, you wouldn't survive.
I spread the Light wall wide. Eleanor-sama's Wind Barrier, judging by the finished product, is shaped like the bow of a ship turned upside down. It has a ceiling. Due to the pressure of Testament, the Light wall stuck to Eleanor-sama's Wind Barrier in a good way. Because of the Light wall, the effect of the magic itself should have been attenuated to some extent. However, we receive the wind pressure itself head-on. It was Eleanor-sama who had it tough; Bonnie from the side and Henry-sama from behind are each supporting her, but at her feet, the earth is gouged into a groove from being pushed and stepping back.
"You're quite good."
Eleanor-sama says so pleasantly for some reason, showing her teeth.
Just a little after that, as if for the finishing blow, several Wind Cutters were released. However, these can all be repelled with Light.
"Everyone, are you safe?"
Each of us replies. The rest is wide open, but wind magic lacks variation in movement. It flies almost in the direction it was released. We evaded the first strike. The problem is the next one. The opponent is fast, and we are on the ground.
Eleanor-sama deployed a second Wind Barrier to protect the back. We'll be under siege here.
"It's come."
A little after Henry-sama said that, a flapping sound came from the sky. It sounds like it's on top of a tree. How can he even tell? Is his hearing also good?
Two more Wind Cutters were released, but we repelled them. Then a wind that seemed to be Favorable Wind blew. Only dust rose, and there was no damage.
It was flapping, but suddenly, a 'gowan' sound echoed. It seems it dropped a stone. We repelled it without any particular effect, and it rolled away and fell into the pond with a splash.
Several things other than stones fell, but eventually, even the sound of wings ceased.
"What happened?"
"Maybe it got bored?"
"Bored..."
When I asked Henry-sama, a terrible answer came back.
Just when I thought the sound of wings had disappeared, it landed right in front of us with a 'ston.' It's holding a wooden stick in its hand integrated with its wings.
"As expected of a chicken-head. It's extremely defenseless. It must not be thinking of anything."
Eleanor-sama is also harsh.
"What shall we do?"
"Let's watch for a bit."
As we watch, the chicken-head raised the wooden stick over its head and began banging on the bowl. Since it's holding the stick with both hands, its weak points, the chest and belly, are wide open. Since the slight light from the Light must be interfering, it might not see that we are inside, but it's certainly defenseless.
"Shall we do it?"
If Eleanor-sama makes a hole in the bowl and I cancel the Light wall, we can fire Holy from point-blank range.
"No, wait a bit."
I was stopped by Henry-sama. He's surprisingly passive this time.
As we continued to watch, after banging it several times, it suddenly turned its back and took a crouching position. When I wondered if it was going to take off, it dropped something from between its legs... this thing! Of all things, it turned its butt toward a priest and defecated right in front of me!
Since it has tail-like wings, I didn't see the decisive moment, but what an obscenity! And it calls itself a woman! No, just because its face looks like one doesn't mean it's a woman. It might be a man. But in any case, it's unforgivable!
"Let's do it!"
An eight-volley three-連 with all my might, with an additional shot from the mouth!
"W-wait, Jeanne. Calm down!"
"But! ...Wait, eh?"
It just flew away.
"It's gone."
"Hmm. It's gone."
Just staying cooped up and watching is not like the usual delinquent old man. What happened! We should have just finished off that bird.
"We're following it."
Eleanor-sama canceled the Wind Barrier. I hurriedly cancel the Light as well. I was pulled by the arm by Eleanor-sama and we ran into the shade of the trees. A new bowl is immediately made. Bonnie took out scrolls of Camouflage and Mute.
After applying the finishing Magic Reflection and vanishing, we depart immediately.
Once we come out over the pond, we ascend all at once.
"There it is. Straight ahead."
Bonnie already found it. I mean, it's really defenseless. It's flying weakly.
"I'm going to speed up. Hold on."
We can go high speed for a short time. We ascended all at once.
"Could it be, from the beginning?"
Did he intend to track it?
"Well, yeah. Because that's a bird. I thought the chicken-head would be restless and would soon cut short the investigation and return to its nest."
"Is that so? I'm sorry."
"No need to apologize. Even I would have charged in if I were young."
He apparently used to charge in easily when provoked by monsters. Every time, he was reportedly scolded by Eleanor-sama.
"In continental legends, it's said they are almost birds, with only parts of their appearance being human. If the ratio of human to animal in the beastmen Jeanne knows is about seven to three, Harpies would be about one to nine. It's said they defecate before flying because it's better for the body to be light."
Even so, that's too restless.
The Harpy flies toward the central part. It looks back occasionally, but it doesn't seem to have found us, and it flies without changing its expression.
The undulations gradually grew larger, and finally, we came to the area that should be the highest in elevation.
It stopped flapping and shifted to horizontal flight. it began to draw a large arc. It must also be checking the surroundings; it glided for about a circle and a half, then entered the forest at a place corresponding to the peak of the undulation. This behavior is the same as the Black Dragon child.
"This will be the back side of the cave where the Demon Lord revives."
The cave where the Demon Lord revives is on the other side of the mountain, or rather, the undulation.
"Is there a back entrance?"
The cave where the Demon Lord revives in Sertoria also had a back entrance. Moreover, it was a large-scale one that penetrated the Central Mountain Range.
The Harpy is moving through the forest as if hopping. Ahead of it is the tip of a peak. There's nothing particularly conspicuous compared to the surroundings. No large trees, no cliffs.
"Let's get a bit closer."
Eleanor-sama said so and lowered the altitude. We enter the gap between peaks.
If we get too close to the trees, the wind blowing from the bowl causes the leaves to rustle unnaturally. To avoid entering the field of vision of the Harpy, which occasionally looks up at the sky, we follow it so that we are positioned diagonally below and to the right. Since the elevation of the peak itself is low, we are close to the bottom of the gap.
"Can you go ahead a bit?"
"Understood."
Henry-sama made a request to Eleanor-sama, and we overtook the Harpy while keeping it to our side. Now we see it diagonally behind us. We continue to widen the distance steadily.
"Stop. What is that?"
While Bonnie is watching the Harpy, Henry-sama is checking the surroundings. Looking in the direction he's pointing, between the trees, a white stone showing its face on the slope can be seen. It's in the direction the Harpy is aiming for.
"Let's get closer."
When Eleanor-sama ascended the bowl and reached the top of the stone, there was soil on top of the stone, or grass was growing. Moreover, because the tree branches are in the way, it's hard to see. Reconnaissance from above is impossible. You wouldn't even know there's a stone. Since shrubs are also growing in front of the stone, you wouldn't see the stone from below. The only place it could be seen was where Henry-sama found it. It's winter now. There are few leaves on the trees. If it were summer, it might not have been visible at all.
"Ah, the Harpy has come."
We lower the bowl. It's almost right beside the stone. Positioned here, it's clearly visible. Only at the same height can the stone finally be seen. Only those who can fly in the sky can find it.
The Harpy, while hopping as if evading tree roots, approached the stone and disappeared beyond the shrubs in front of the stone.
"That's the place."
"Hmm. Shall we go?"
We finally found it. There should be a fifth Harpy, or something controlling the Harpies.
The entrance to the hole is really narrow. The width is okay. There's no problem for one person to enter at a time. There's no height. You can't enter without going on all fours. There might be house centipedes.
When Henry-sama and Bonnie peered in, it seemed to be rising upward. Bonnie entered by crawling on her belly, but she came back immediately.
"Um, you know. If you go a bit further, there's a step and it gets wider, but you have to do some cliff climbing from there."
It seems to be a cliff about the height of a two-story building. A bird could easily go up, but it's impossible for me. It might be okay if Eleanor-sama makes her plate long and thin. That said, it's surely a nest, so a sudden infiltration is...
I use Sense Living at the entrance of the hole. The hole doesn't seem that large, and there was a reaction relatively close by. The distance is about ten steps or so. Since it's diagonally upward, the horizontal distance would be a bit shorter. Three monsters. Judging by the size of the reaction, they are undoubtedly B-rank.
"There are three of them."
"Are they all the same?"
"They're a bit different. There's one slightly weaker one in a separate place. But I think all three are B-rank."
If the slightly weaker one is a Harpy, the remaining two might be of the Demon Race.
"Ah, we might have been detected by magic. Two of them are moving, and one of them is coming here quickly."
We scattered to the left and right of the hole and waited in ambush.
We wait with bated breath.
Eleanor-sama is beside me, and Henry-sama and Bonnie are on the other side.
Goo!
Suddenly, a fierce wind blew from the hole. Shrubs are blown away from the roots.
"Uwaaaaaaaa!"
Bonnie's scream rings out!
"Aaaaaaahhhhhh..."
The scream gradually grew smaller, and eventually, it could no longer be heard... It seems she was blown away by the Tempest...
A Harpy came out of the hole. It's clutching its belly and laughing its head off.
"Kwan!"
A good sound rang out, and the Harpy collapsed.
Because it's hiding its presence, I can't see it at all, but Bonnie must have hit it on the back of the head with the pot she always carries on her back.
The chicken-head, who was so easily deceived by a scout, was tied up with the monster-restraining rope I brought and became a bagworm on a tree branch. We also gagged it, and since Eleanor-sama cast Sleep with all her might, it should be sleeping for a while.
There's a high possibility that one of the opponents is of the Demon Race. It's likely a low-level demon. After all, it detected Sense Living. I purposely stuck my hand out from the range where I could hide my presence and released it, but it took the bait.
Now, let the infiltration begin.
When we climbed up, it was certainly reasonably wide. Somehow four people could fit.
Eleanor-sama makes a plate for rising with a Wind Barrier. The four of us board and ascend.
It's okay if we crouch, but when we stand up, we ascended to the point where our bodies from the chest up come out.
The distance is less than ten steps, right there.
(Three, two, one, do it!)
"Light!"
At Henry-sama's signal, after throwing in a single Firefly with its output narrowed down by just sticking my hand out, I illuminate the entire surroundings with all my might.
"Kwa!"
There it is!
"Take this!"
Bonnie, who is half-crouching, throws in what she's holding.
Bom!
When I immediately crouched down and covered both ears with my hands, the gunpowder exploded. Pebbles flew over my head and embedded themselves in the rock. It's something developed for use against the Demon Race. The explosive power isn't much, but it scatters a large amount of silver pebbles. It might not be an instant kill, but the damage to monsters when it explodes at point-blank range is reportedly considerable. I haven't heard the results of the experiments conducted in the Northeastern Forest because I'm scared. However, normally thinking, since the unit price is high, there aren't many of them.
A painful-sounding breath can be heard. Even if it's the Demon Race. We must not let it suffer too much. Eleanor-sama raises the plate.
Just when I thought I saw the figure of the demon, a black knife flew! I close my eyes reflexively.
Gakin!
There is a defensive air wall in front. It's stuck right in front of my eyes in that defensive wall. When Eleanor-sama canceled a part of it, it fell to the floor with a clatter.
The demon's right hand, which it had been extending toward us, fell.
There must be a hole for light. The inside of the nest is surprisingly bright. Unlike most monster nests, the entrance faces east. It might be chicken-eyed after all. The surface of the nest was beautifully hollowed out of the rock. Can Harpies use not only wind magic but also earth... at least, Curve?
When I looked at the demon again, it was covered in blood. I can't even distinguish its face. It's too cruel.
It must already be at its end. Even when we show ourselves, there's no reaction.
"It cannot be helped. I will deliver the finishing blow immediately."
Normally we would demand identification. If possible, we would interrogate. However, Henry-sama, perhaps unable to bear the sight, jumped over the wall, ran up, and took its head with a single swing of his silver sword.