Elfaria Chapter 54

054. Slight Discomfort

　Early morning. At a stop near the north gate, under the direction of the commander of the unit, Luia. A total of 32 troop members each boarded a beast vehicle. We were to depart for our destination, the "Southwestern Forest Area of Lake Hanaria," but...

「Uuuhhh ...... I'm sleepy and still a bit――well, you know. I feel uncomfortable in my that place......」

　It was Nora, with whom I had made love intensely last night, who said so.

「I have muscle pain all over my body for some reason ― and why are you two fine?」

　She asked on top of the rattling carriage, but all I could say about that was that "I was used to it". However.

「If you're not feeling well, why don't you take some medicine?」

　Osada-kun suggested.

　After all, we had not even arrived at the site yet.

　As a fixer, you have to be physically and mentally prepared to deal with anything that may happen at any time. However,

「Don't need. No need to worry. In fact, I'm feeling pretty good.」

「Hmm? Nora, too. Actually, it's the same for me.」

　So said Lilyza, who was dressed in a battle cloth and had her hair in a ponytail.

　The outfit she wore when she was a prostitute was nice, but this one suits her too,......, or rather, I can honestly say that it makes her feel "Cool♪", which is a real eye-opener for me as well.

「By the way, how long does it take to get there?」

「If nothing goes wrong, it won't take more than two hours. The problem is "after we enter the forest".」

　I had heard beforehand that this time, unlike the time in Karguri, we would be going through an almost untouched forest, using the few open spaces and animal trails that were available.

「Of course, it's not a primeval forest, so there's no need to be overly concerned - but we should expect more of a "guerrilla war".」

　Even just the act of fighting a demonic beast itself is a risk to one's life, and we have to take it down with overwhelming odds against us - needless to say, it's highly dangerous, and that's why Luia has made the most detailed plans and preparations possible.

「Haaaahhh!」

「Yaaahhh!」

「...... [Energy Bolt]!」

　It had been about five hours since we left Hanaria.

　We arrived at our destination a little past noon and immediately set up camp utilizing Osada-kun's abilities.

　Not only the mountain of supplies but also the large tent and barbed wire mesh, which were more than halfway assembled, were easily completed in about half the time originally anticipated.

(Well, considering Osada-kun's [S-Dimensional Stomach], it was only natural.)

　The participants, who were unaware of the situation, could not hide their surprise at the large number of supplies, which looked as if they had been prepared in advance, but that was about it. When I ask Luia, 

「Details cannot be answered as they fall under military secrecy.」

　He said, As promised, he took care not to let others know about Osada-kun's abilities.

　After a quick bite to eat, I decided to take a quick walk around to see what was going on around us.

(There were "Killer Monkeys," "Treants," "Acid Slimes," and even "Blue Goblins!)

　Clearly, the appearance of these vicious beasts, which were on a different level from the previous ones, was a surprise and puzzlement to me, but I could not help but feel that we had to do something about it.

「It's tough, but it seems like we must do something」

　Lilyza sipped from the water bottle that Osada-kun offered her, and murmured her impressions.

「Yes. Thanks to Yuuto's [sensing], we were able to prevent the enemy's surprise attack, and since our roles are divided up properly, I think it's a great thing that we can deal with them with ease.」

　Nora mentioned something similar, and in fact, I said to myself worried, "Am I going to be wielding a halberd, a long-handled weapon, in the middle of a forest like this?" But since I was able to change the way I held it and pay attention to my surroundings, no problems occurred.

(But――)

「It's certainly dangerous, and it's not a situation where you can let your guard down, but - isn't the enemy kind of weak?」

　Lilyza made a remark that could be taken as conceit or carelessness, but no one could object to it.

「I heard from Captain Luia beforehand that the average level of this year's group (participants) is 18――what about Yuuto? By the way, I'm 16, though?」

「......17」

「I'm 14.」

「I'm a secret♪」

　Except for Osada-san, who shows his mischievous side, the team is below average, but we have not suffered any injuries that seem like injuries, nor have we struggled in any way that seems like struggles.

　So, are the other participants also all right?―With this in mind, we returned to the camp and found that two people had already died and seven others were seriously wounded.

「As for the wounded, the Felician healers we had brought with us should be able to take care of them. However.」

　In the tent, Luia's expression of anguish was on his face.

「Even though we've only just arrived, and already there are casualties――this place must be even more dangerous than the rumors say.」

「Yeah. After all, "in the forest" is one of the best environments for demonic beasts. The party that took victims also said that they were hit by a surprise attack by "Treant" and "Blue Goblins"」

「In fact, we didn't know what would have happened to us if we didn't have Yuuto's [Sensing].」

「The "Treant" in particular looks exactly the same as ordinary trees, and they are not easy to defeat. On level ground, [Fire] would work to some extent, but in the forest, it would be suicide to use it, and even cutting it down would require a great deal of skill. How did you guys deal with it?」

「As for that, thanks to Lilyza's [Hakkei (Fa jin)] and Nora's main weapon "Axe Hammer", we were able to deal with them.」

　Unlike in manga and anime, "cutting down a tree" is much more difficult than one would think.

　Even in modern Japan, it is impossible to cut down a tree without using heavy machinery or chainsaws, and the sap and moisture in the tree make it difficult to catch fire. The air is moist, too.

　I can barely cope with it thanks to my "Halberd".

「...... Hey, Luia. Isn't it about time you told us your 'real purpose'?」

　After confirming that there were no suspicious signs around me, I decided to take the plunge. Then, 

「Hmmm, as expected from you♪ Though, why did you think so?」

　Luia asked me with a nasty smile on his face.

「I guess it's true that the main objective is to 'defeat the demonic beasts in the neighborhood,' but the scale is too small for that. If we were going to do it, it would be more convenient to do it on a grander scale with "hundreds of people".」

　There's no reason to be picky, and the risks are great.

「In addition, this kind of thing should be led by the military, which is the one that is originally conducting the "combat training". Of course, there are "Busters" like me among the Fixers, but they have not received professional training or education. It's just a term of convenience.」

　Nevertheless, the reason why we dared to call it a "joint operation" is――

「On-the-job training for each of us, raising our level of competence, screening ― but the fact that General Jean went to the trouble of naming us means.....」

「That's right. Actually, I want you guys to do some "investigation" apart from defeating the demonic beasts」

「Investigation?」

　I asked in return.

「Luia-san! From there on, could you please include me in that conversation!?」

　Suddenly, without a word, someone stepped into the tent.

　A person who suddenly arrived without any sign of her at all ― she must have been about 15 or 16 years old.

　A young girl with soft ash blonde hair in twin tails and ice blue eyes, dressed in the clothes of a Felician healer.

(Huh? I think I've met her somewhere ...... Besides..)

　Somehow, she reminded me of the "Little Nurse," the girl depicted in the Japanese medicine "Men○ruu○mu (メン○レー○ム)"

「Barbara. We're in the middle of an important discussion. Besides, I don't think it's a good idea to show up out of the blue, do you?」

「Wawawa! I-I'm sorry. It's just my usual habit......wait, that's not the point!」

　The girl called Barbara cleared her throat, then turned her head to us and said,

「Although I'd seen you around every so often before I came here―This is the first time I'm saying hello to you, isn't it? My name is Barbara! I'm a mid-level Felician healer and aspiring idol! Nice to meet you♪」

　I was taken aback by the girl who jumped up lightly and posed peculiarly, introducing herself in a way that even sounded onomatopoeic, like "Sparkling☆".

(――No matter how you look at it, it's going to be nothing but trouble.)

　I let out a sigh of despair in my heart, feeling that I had fallen into the "usual pattern" even before I heard what she had to say.

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