Chapter 68: Forest Wave Second②: The Queen
We sat on the sofa in the inn’s entrance hall.
Hoss and Nabel were borrowing the kitchen to prepare food.
They were probably being considerate of us.
After preparing tea and such, we finally settled into a calm state.
There, Pakira quietly told us her story.
In a forest enveloped by an alien presence.
Surrounded by spider women, and for some reason unable to use Relics.
While somehow fighting and fleeing in that state, it appeared.
“It was abnormal. Neither a ‘Wounded One’ nor a spider. It was an abnormal monster.”
“…What do you mean?”
“I don’t know. I was shaken at the time and couldn’t see clearly.”
Since Relics suddenly became unusable.
There’s no way to deal with it calmly.
Still, I’m curious. That monster.
“Either way. Without Relics, we had no chance of winning. Though even with them, it’s questionable whether we would have had a chance.”
“That strong of an opponent?”
“We need a hunting plan based on Constraint Relics.”
“…”
“But we found a man who had collapsed along the way. Severely injured but alive. We couldn’t abandon him. But we had no leeway in our current situation. We… had to make a decision. Whether to make a heartless choice—when I was about to take the blame, Liv volunteered. She told us to run with the man… Liv was the only one who could fight properly without Relics. Because her Relic still worked for some reason.”
Because it’s not a Relic.
“So that’s what happened. Same as Wof-kun.”
“What?”
“Ah… in my case, probably. The gauntlet helped me.”
“Hmm. That sounds like a fine gauntlet.”
“Yes.”
Thanks to the witch.
It’s a very good gauntlet, but…
I don’t know. I feel like it’s about as dangerous as octopus tentacles.
“…So I entrusted her with it. I had no choice but to entrust her. And if it was Liv, it would be fine. She may look like that, but she’s cool-headed. She knows when to pull back. She wouldn’t do anything reckless. We fled without looking back, carrying the man. Shortly after, an earthquake struck the Heizen Great Forest. After that, it was all I could do to keep going. When I came to, we were at this Finger Rock, rented an inn, put the man to bed… his condition suddenly worsened and he was dying, so I gave him that thing I got from Wof.”
“The witch’s water.”
“Ah, ah, yes. The witch’s water. Thanks to its effects, his wounds completely healed, but perhaps due to severe mental fatigue, he continues to sleep.”
“And what about Liv?”
“What happened to her?”
Pakira shook her head slightly at our questions.
She showed a bitter expression for just a moment.
“…I don’t know. We must search for her, but…”
“Let’s search immediately.”
“Of course! Let’s go right away!”
Bid and I stood up.
“Wait. Wait. Calm down. Don’t move.”
Pakira hurriedly stopped us.
“Eh, why?”
“What do you mean?!”
Why stop us? Pakira looked straight at us.
Her ears and mismatched tail weren’t moving.
“Calm down. Even if we search right away, it won’t help.”
“What do you mean, aren’t you worried, Pakira?!”
“Of course I am. Worried. But that doesn’t mean we should act recklessly.”
“Then why didn’t you search for her right away?! If we’re party members, if we’re comrades, we search immediately! That’s only natural. Isn’t it? Yet here you are resting, what is this? Abandoning Liv—”
“I would never abandon her!! You fool!!”
Pakira shouted and grabbed Bid by the chest.
Her ears and mismatched tail bristled as she glared at him.
“Pa… Pakira.”
“Why are you so short-sighted?! If you head into the forest blindly, your Relics will become unusable, and you might be attacked by that. Even if not, those mysterious spider women are wandering the forest. Do you intend to increase the number of victims before finding Liv?! I too, if I could find Liv without a plan, would go into the forest right now. Lupinas feels the same. But what is the situation? Does anyone understand what is happening? What about you, do you grasp this situation?”
“I-I don’t…”
“No one does.”
Indeed, there is no one who understands this situation.
I want to understand the situation. I really want to.
To complain, ever since coming to Heizen, I’ve only encountered events where I didn’t understand the situation at all.
I fought against that mastermind Laada without understanding the situation at all.
“…”
“I understand how you feel. That’s precisely why we must calm down, think, and act.”
“Sorry…”
Pakira gently released her hand.
Bid hung her head.
“It’s fine. You were especially close to Liv.”
After speaking gently, Pakira looked at me.
I held my breath at her sharp cat-like gaze.
“As I said, Wof. Don’t panic.”
“…Yes.”
I nodded.
A heavy atmosphere flowed.
What should I do.
“Everyone, he has awakened!”
Lupinas hurriedly came down from the second floor.
That saved us. Our atmosphere eased slightly.
The one sleeping in the room on the second floor was Araya.
The captain of the Gouro subjugation team, an elf man.
“You saved me. Thank you very much.”
“If you want to thank someone, thank these ladies.”
“Thank you very much.”
Araya bowed his head.
“More importantly, what happened?”
“…I remember little. We discovered a ‘Wounded One’ in its territory and were fighting. The ‘Wounded One’ was strong, and casualties kept mounting, when a giant spider appeared. The spider only fought the ‘Wounded One’ and did not harm us. As it was a monster, we couldn’t consider it an ally. But whether it was a complete enemy was also unclear. Such things happen in this Heizen Great Forest. We had heavy losses and many wounded. So we decided to observe the situation. However, Coon Hunt… attacked the giant spider instead of the ‘Wounded One.’ The spider called its kin, and Coon Hunt was annihilated. But the kin spiders judged us as enemies as well and attacked, forcing us into a three-way battle… and we too were annihilated. But what I saw then—was the ‘Wounded One’ and the giant spider destroying each other.”
“Destroyed each other…?”
“Yes, destroyed each other. But… I lost consciousness once, and when I woke… I saw something unbelievable.”
“What did you see?”
“…A monster that seemed like a fusion of the ‘Wounded One’ and the giant spider. No. I can clearly assert. That was a monster formed from the fusion of the ‘Wounded One’ and the giant spider.”
“Then—”
“That’s right.”
Pakira and Lupinas spoke in unison.
So what Torquetum encountered was a fused monster.
“After that, I don’t remember. When I came to, I was in bed.”
“You’ve had a hard time. Araya. Rest as you are.”
“I will do so. But to have no wounds at all…”
“It’s the effect of the witch’s water.”
“That witch’s… as expected… a witch.”
Somehow he was impressed and convinced.
“Still, this has become troublesome.”
“…A fusion?”
“Ah, ah, that’s right. I remembered one thing.”
“What?”
“It was called ‘the Queen,’ that monster.”
“The Queen…”
“The Queen.”
It had a kingdom with Relics too, so it fits perfectly.
“Hmm. The Queen. Certainly, it had that kind of dignity.”
“Well, this kind of naming is important. The Queen it is.”
The Queen. That is our new enemy.
There was a knock at the door.
“You guys. Food’s ready.”
“Ah, I see. Understood. We’ll be right there.”
“We’re coming.”
“We’ll wait.”
“I’ll rest here for now.”
Araya. He looked exhausted.
Not physically. I could tell he was mentally drained.
“Then we’ll bring some up for you later.”
“Thank you. Sorry. I’ll sleep.”
“Yes, rest.”
Leaving the sleeping Araya behind, we went to the tavern next door on the first floor.
We explained to Hoss and Nabel while eating.
“The enemy may have changed, but what we do doesn’t change.”
“I wonder if the spider-cutter effect works on the Queen.”
“It had spider legs.”
“It feels disgusting though…”
What kind of monster is it? I’m anxious.
The discussion continues. I listen while eating.
Still, the Queen, huh.
With the curse breaking and Liv’s situation, events that can’t be resolved simply keep happening.
Could this be an EVENT too?
I wish EVENTs would stay inside games.
The sun set, and night exploration was deemed too dangerous, so we gave up.
Starting tomorrow, the search for Liv and the Queen subjugation will begin.
Liv. Please be safe.
I couldn’t help but wish so.