181 Episode 181 "When I was investigating the river, an unexpected person was hiding.".txt (1/2)

The next day, in the woods, a short distance from the sanctuary of Mischlila.

After interviewing the village, Rita, Leticia and Cutlass were heading upstream to the river.

To sum up what the villagers said, the water level in the river has decreased only temporarily. The problem seems to be the flow of unknowable demon corpses from the river. ......

At the tail end of the line, Letitia said.

'Some of the demons the villagers showed us ...... that weren't made up, were they?　Mr. Rita.

Yeah. Those horns both smelled like tide.

Rita nodded at Letitia's question.

''It was definitely part of a demon. If a demon with horns like that flowed in from upstream, everyone would be surprised.

If the demon body was still intact, we'd know what kind of creature it was... ......

The villagers had a weird feeling about it and set it on fire.

Cutlass took over Letitia's words.

'According to my knowledge, it's a medium-sized demon horn,' he said, 'and if I can smell the tide, it must be from the sea. If you can smell the tide, it must be from the sea. I think it's a 'Horned Serpent' that's in this region.

You're in the know. Miss Cutlass.

The test for knighthood requires knowledge of demons.

But the Horned Serpent isn't in the river, is it?

That is true. That's because it's a sea monster that migrates through the sea and is said to come to the coast at this time of year.

Cutlass put a finger to his lips, as if he were remembering something.

It is said that the horn is good for medicine if you make it into powder. The meat is grilled open and eaten with a sweet and spicy sauce, a local specialty, because ...... the meat goes bad very quickly. I can understand why the villagers would destroy it.

But do demons like that ever appear anywhere near the forest?

I've heard it's possible to live in fresh water as well ...... but that's usually not possible. I'm sure you'll be able to find a great deal more to say about it than you would if this area were connected to the ocean. What do you think about that, Rita?

...... doesn't smell like tide.

Rita replied, looking at the ground.

'From the people around me, and from this demon (・・・・), you know.'

That 'killer bear' is a mountain demon.

That doesn't sound like he has anything to do with this case, does it?

Cutlass and Letitia nodded.

Both of them had drawn their swords long ago. But they didn't have time to use them.

Because the 'Killer Bear' lying in front of them had already been knocked over when Rita kicked him in the back of the head. The giant bear, which is nearly twice the height of an adult male, no longer moves with a twitch.

''Surprisingly, there are powerful demons around here as well.

Those villagers were right to send you on your way.

'They weren't used to fighting, I'm sure. They were surprised when 'Little Bear' came out.

Rita, Leticia and Cutlass remembered what happened after they left the village.

It was the village where they had asked the Adventurer's Guild for a quest, and there was a villager with a strong sense of responsibility...

Recollections: the village that sent me on my quest.

I can't just let you adventurers work!

With that, three of the villagers followed Leticia and the others.

'We're not very good at fighting, though! 'I'm familiar with the demons of the forest, so I think I can be of some help!

...... You don't have to do it, okay?

”'I won't slow you down!

Shaking their heads at Leticia's words, the villagers raised their fists to the sky.

Then, after Rita and the villagers entered the forest...

”GAOOOOOOOO!

It's a bunch of 'little bears'! 'Small in size, but powerful in claws and body contact!　When attacking, get around the flanks! By the way, we have the most powerful bear in the forest, Killer Bear!　If you encounter them, please run away!

””I get it!”

'Let's talk about it first!　Hello!　It's Letitia-Milfe!

Letitia says hello!

'Little Bear' returned the greeting!

'Oops. I bumped into him with my shield at the ready!　...... ”Gou, Interrupted Shield Shooting [Canceling Shield Charge] (Boso)

Cutlass lands a body shot!

Little Bear's turn has been skipped!

'Little Bear' is twitchy!

'Fookiee!　Whoa!　Looks like you hit the nail on the head!

Rita lands three straight spinning kicks that hit 'Little Bear' in the back of the head!

Little Bear has been wiped out!

”'I'm sorry!　We've been really slowed down!　I'm sorry, I'm leaving!

The Murabob is back!

End of recollection.

'You didn't have to have a guide. There's only one path.

The villagers were very frightened. The demon.

'We're lucky (...) we're going to beat it (...) (・・・・・・・・), so there's nothing to be afraid of.'

I've decided to make this quest a whole lot better (・・・・・) and a whole lot better (・・・・), so...

”...... Why did you leave (is that right?)?

............ I've found myself getting so used to your 'cheesiness' lately. I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that I'm not the only one. I'll be thinking hard about it too: ......

Rita and Cutlass nodded their heads curiously and Letitia looked difficult.

'Regardless, we're almost to the water source, right?'

Rita listened closely to the beast.

The river flowed right next to the three of them, hidden by rocks. The current is quite fast. The ground has gone from dirt to rock before long.

Villagers say that it takes about five minutes after the ground is rocky to reach the water source.

''There's no change in the sound of ...... water. No sign of the demon. It looks like that 'Killer Bear' was the last one.

The purpose of the quest was to check out the conditions near the water source. That was the end of it, wasn't it?

Yeah. And beyond that, there's no way to find out.

Yes. There's usually no way to find out, isn't there?

As they talked, the forest broke and the three of them came out into the open.

There was a flat, rocky area around the forest, with a sheer rocky hill beyond.

The source of the river was at the base of the rocky hill. There was a cave just below the rocky hill, from which the water flowed out.

For now, let's just measure the depth of the river.

Leticia took the rope out of her luggage.

The villagers left it with me. They have asked me to measure the depth of water near the source with this.

They're going to compare it with the old records that remain in the village to see if there are any changes.

Cutlass picks up a suitable stone and ties it to the end of the rope.

Rita takes it and walks towards the riverbank. She then concentrates her 'sacred power' on the soles of her feet and goes to the surface of the water. When she reaches the center of the river, she lets the rope hang in the water.

Rita manages to stop at the spot, walking to avoid being swept away by the water current.

She makes sure the rope reaches the river bottom and marks (sign) the part of the rope that is out of the water.

Once I get back to the riverbank, my quest is complete.

There were five kinds of demons that appeared, including 'Killer Bear' and 'Little Bear'. You are to tell the people in the village about this as well, aren't you?

Not much of a mystery, is it? Well, it's an investigative quest.

'Keep your cool, me. ”Be calm, me, and don't think this is 'normal'. Normal people can't walk on water, they can't make a big bear jerk or take it down with a kick. ...... If you forget that, you won't be able to live a normal life, I ......

''Leticia-sama. Since it's your time, I'd like to investigate the depths of the water source with the beastman's treasure, the Squire's Bell. What do you think?

Dah-rah!

Letitia couldn't help but scream.

For now, she held her head and took a deep breath, regained her composure and──.

...... The 'Squire's Bell' emits a sound that only Rita can hear, right?

Yeah. We can use the echoes to study our surroundings. From here, you can hear beyond the water's source, even in the caves.　Since it's so important, I thought I'd give it a try.

Even if you find an anomaly in that item, you can't tell the villagers, can you?

I know.

Rita looked at Letitia with a troubled look on her face.

'But you know, if it was Nagi, I think she would say, 'Okay, try it.'

You do seem to like it, don't you, Nagi?

Letitia shrugged.

'Fine. Do your thing. I'll follow up with you if something goes wrong.

Yes, sir!

Rita pulled a silver bell from her pocket.

The bell, about the size of an egg, had been given to her before Nagi and the others returned to the port city of Ilgafa. When Nagi received it, he said, ”You can use it as you see fit. Report back to me later on how it feels to use it.

The image of Nagi's face at that moment came to mind, and Rita naturally smiled.

I love the look of curiosity on her face when she gets a mystery item in her hands. I think it's not fair to look like a child sometimes, when I'm usually thinking about difficult things. I don't want you to fill your mind with your master any more than you already have. I don't know what I'll do if it starts to overflow.

I'm not going to be able to say that I'm not going to be able to do anything about it.

I'm going to be able to see Letitia and Cutlass next to me, and they're holding their mouths and noses so as not to disturb Rita. It's okay if it's just the sound of breathing, but the less noise the better.

''In the name of the 'Lord of the Beast that Runs through the Forest' - his followers.

Rita tied the bell to the collar hardware.

The collar is proof of the bond between you and your master. If this is the 'squire's bell', this is the most appropriate position.

”With the sound of the bond between you and your master, a token of your loyalty, show me what you have hidden from me!

Rita closed her eyes and rang the bell.

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