5-8. Shadow Stalker (1/2)
5-8. Shadow Stalker
Satou's here. It's nice to have handy tools, but relying too much on it made you unable to notice the oddness with your own eyes, thus unthinkable mistake happens.
This happens in daily life, work and even in another world.
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Just before Liza and Arisa's night watch duty is over, I see enemies on the map.
There are three monsters called Shadow Stalkers. Since I've never heard of it, I check their details. Level 12, it has [Physical Damage Halved], [Stamina Drain] as race specific skills, if I don't have any means to counter it they might become formidable enemies. It doesn't like they're undeads. Their speeds aren't that fast, but they would probably get here in 1 hour. The enemies probably have ran out of flying type monsters.
I'm arranging various things related to battle to be displayed from the menu.
And then I turn my view to my chest. I had thought that something has been pressuring my chest for a while but as it turn out, it's Pochi and Tama who climbed on my chest and stomach while letting out ,”Gude~”, sounds, sleeping there lying on their bellies.
I place them on the sheet while being careful not to wake them, and get up.
”Ara? Master, are you doing yobai?”
”Are you having trouble sleeping? Master?”
Arisa, whose somehow being held on Liza's arms called me out. Liza is probably already sleepy, her voice is weak without power. I should let her sleep a little before the enemies get here.
”I'll change with you, so it's fine for you two to sleep.”
”Is it okay? Isn't the next turn going to be Pochi and Tama?”
”I'll make the two do the watch duty together with Lulu in early morning.”
Arisa ,whose free from Liza's hold is coming while saying, ”Let me sleep on your laps~.”, but I lift and roll her to beside Lulu. Arisa is probably tired too, without complaining she goes to sleep while using Lulu as a body pillow. Lulu's painful expression from being clung by Arisa is cute too. I'm almost taken over with wicked thought but I manage to forcibly shake it off.
I continue watching the map while adding twigs to the bonfire. It's still 50 minutes before the monsters arrive. Since back then, the monsters doesn't increase in number.
”...I'm thirsty.”
Mia who has woken up hands me a water bottle. After I receive it she sits beside me while I'm drinking the water.
”Why?”
A small voice comes out of Mia. It doesn't seem to be a monologue.
”Why am I protecting you from the magician?”
”Yes.”
”As you can see, there's nothing deep to it.”
Likely not satisfied with my answer, she falls silent.
”It's dangerous.”
”Looks like it, a lot of monsters did come out back in the afternoon.”
”Mize and even the others... died.”
Come to think of it, what's the relation between elves and the rat-men?
Connecting the story from the few words of Mia, it seems that the red-helmet was saved by Mia's parent when he was dying and surrounded by goblins outside the forest 10 years ago. The red-helmet then stayed in Mia's parent house for a while while being taught together with Mia various things by Mia's parent, so they became acquainted.
It seems that the red helmet he was wearing was a mithril product given by Mia's parent. So it exists, mithril huh.
The reason the red-helmet called Mia princess, was probably because of this.
”Did you get attacked by the magician when you're visiting Mize-san's hometown together with him?”
”No.”
After asking her in several angles, I understood the rough situation. Seems that Mia was abducted from her hometown on the forest by the magician, and held captive in a maze in a mountain. The magician then forcibly made her to be the ”Master of Mazes” with a forced contract ceremony. Even if she's called master, she was nothing more than the proxy of the magician, she was forced to sit in the master room for half a day.
According to Mia, the maze's movement is weak, so she's probably some sort of a key or a catalyst.
”Did Mize-san come to help you on the maze?”
”A coincidence.”
Mia denies while shaking her head. When I inquire for more details, it seems that she executed an emergency escape command on the Maze Core when there was a chance at the time the magician went back to his room. When I said ”You know well”, she said, ”It's in elf language.” Perhaps, she pushed something like a button written in elf language.
And then she escaped to the Rat-men village and reunited with the red-helmet there.
”The village was burnt because of my fault.”
Mia painfully said so. I hold her shoulder and say, ”It's not your fault.” to console her. In times like this anyone would want to be comforted even if it's just merely words of consolation.
The subordinates of the magician who came to look for Mia seemed to have burned down the village as a lesson. Those subordinates got disposed by the red helmet and his friends in a counterattack, but there were some villagers who fell victims. Hence, it was hard for her to stay in the village, so the red helmet with his subordinates were going to escort Mia to meet the elf in Seryuu city.
And then, when they were going down the mountain--
”We were attacked.”
”By the flying ants right?”
”Yes.”
From then on, it's probably the same as we have seen.
◇
Meanwhile, the shadow stalkers are stopping at the site where the flying ants were decimated by Arisa's uniques skills in the afternoon.
I should wake everyone soon.
I call Pochi while sending magic power to the Light Hot Plate.
”Pochi.”
Pochi who's sleeping with Tama curling up like a ball is reacting with her ears twitching. Pochi is getting up while rubbing her eyes and looking so sleepy.