Chapter 98

Passing through the narrow path of the evening forest, they suddenly came to an open area.

Immediately, the presence of numerous monsters gathering from all directions was felt. An Evil Willow near the path in the back, a Rock Bear from the shadows of the bushes, and many more from the depths of the forest, including an Angry Marsh.

--There are quite a few big catches. If it were BFO, this would be the level of a so-called monster room. That said, everyone is quite composed.

"I'll take the Angry Marsh in front."

As soon as she said this, a magical circle's glow appeared in Ashley's hand. Countless water spheres were born in the air, leaping from one to another, and sometimes kicking off the air, Raviene approached in a three-dimensional manner.

The water spheres and the air are not her own abilities. They are due to the magic of water walking and shielding stored in a necklace-type magical device. With the reflexes unique to wild animals, she is freely flying around using the water spheres created in the air as footholds. As a familiar, her high intelligence, which can easily handle magical devices, is indeed impressive.

Raviene, having completely lost sight of the Angry Marsh, pounced from a blind spot, bit into the back of its head, and swung it around with all her might. The water spheres created by Ashley flew towards the direction she swung. The water spheres rapidly solidified into sharp icicles, skewering the Angry Marsh. It was hard to tell where Ashley's magic ended and Raviene's abilities began. Even with the sensory link, they showed excellent coordination.

"Ashley and Raviene, well done."

"We can't fall behind."

Shiela and Ilmhirte headed for the Evil Willow, a willow monster. Shiela used her dagger to knock down the blade-like leaves it threw and approached straight ahead. Just as the Willow tried to intercept with its branches, she used Levitation to instantly kill her inertia and rapidly moved in a different direction. The branches that tried to swipe her cut through the air in vain.

At that moment, the front was wide open.

From the back, Ilmhirte released an arrow with an explosive sound. It was a large arrow that could be mistaken for a spear. It ruthlessly pierced the Willow's face.

Ilmhirte, using her upper body and tail to draw the bow, could finally release the giant bow. Of course, it was a custom-made item. The arrows were also custom-made, so they should be used for important moments, but if she was too stingy, she would never get used to handling them. Therefore, she decided to use them once in a while when big catches like the Willow appeared.

Speaking of big catches, there was another one this time. A Rock Bear was also there, and it was being handled by Marlene's summoned creature.

When Marlene closed her eyes and raised her rapier to the sky, a magic circle appeared at the tip, and something unusual happened.

A rough horse's neigh. The sound of horseshoes.

The sound could be heard, but the horse itself was nowhere to be seen. The sound alone advanced through the evening forest, and green flames flickered in the space.

A headless knight rapidly materialized, appearing in a translucent form, and with the momentum of the horse's charge, he swung a great sword. The Rock Bear's head flew into the air, leaving only the trail of the sword's flash in the sky.

Now, since the big catches were left to them, my role and Grace's was to support everyone. Of course, Shiela and Ilmhirte are strong, and Ashley is also quite powerful. Watching them, they don't seem to be in any danger.

So my job mainly involves creating golems to guard Marlene's back. The reinforcements that rely on numbers, like the Kira Plants that spawn from the depths of the forest, are being held back by Grace. By doing so, everyone can more easily defeat the monsters one by one.

Well... if you ask if we can't handle a melee, that's not the case.

The response to unfavorable situations is something we practice thoroughly with golem aerial combat training. In actual combat, it's better to avoid melee situations, so we try to prevent them from happening.

Now that the big catches are taken care of and everyone is free, it's my turn to join the fray.

"Marlene, how was it today?"

When I asked her after returning to the temple, she nodded with a bright smile. It seemed to go well overall.

Her summoned creatures have increased in number since then, but she hasn't been able to summon anything as directly combat-oriented as a Dullahan yet.

However, the other summoned creatures are quite excellent in support roles, so it's good in that sense. The trend seems to be that they are mostly related to the night or the moon.

Regarding taking Marlene into the dungeon—when I inquired, the permission was surprisingly granted easily. It seems that showing the Dullahan helped. King Melvin, with a smile, said that in peacetime, he would like her to take on the role of guiding knights and magicians, but that's beside the point.

The Dullahan might have been the deciding factor for the permission, but in any case, since Marlene can't call for help, it's better for her to be able to defend herself in emergencies. It's also important for her to build up her strength in the dungeon to get used to the environment.

"Marlene, are you tired?"

Ashley asked if she should cast a spell to recover her stamina, but Marlene shook her head, indicating she was fine.

"That's because the training is more intense."

Shiela said.

"Isn't it more reassuring if the training is tougher than the actual combat?"

"That's true."

"On the contrary, we need to be careful not to get complacent in actual combat."

That's a good point, as Ilmhirte said. Getting too used to the same place might not be good. Considering Marlene's abilities, we might explore other areas as well. Of course, that's after the winter seal door is dealt with.

"Are you going to see Lady Penelope after this?"

"Yeah. We need to go over the plans for the day."

It's a meeting about the day of the spirit temple assault. Marlene also looks happy at the prospect of seeing Penelope.

When we arrived at the temple, we were immediately led to the altar where the head priestess was waiting. Marlene ran up to Penelope when she saw her.

"Welcome. Everyone, please come to the inner room."

Marlene was gently caught by Penelope, who smiled.

In the inner room, everyone gathered around the table for a discussion.

"Today, we will discuss the plans for the day of the spirit temple assault."

"Yes. More precisely, the plans from the day before. We plan to enter the dungeon just before the date changes and wait for the door to open."

It's best to enter with a bit of leeway and wait for the door to open.

At that time, we must consider the possibility of a battle with demons in front of the door... but it's uncertain how that will play out.

Given that someone like Linette was advancing her research, we must also consider the possibility of intruders bypassing the entrance and entering the dungeon directly.

If a battle breaks out on the surface, Mercadia will come to the evening forest to inform us. Since demons cannot enter the upper part of the temple, it's said that Oswald and Mildred will be stationed there on the day, so we can assume that countermeasures against attacks by familiars are in place. The defense of the priests and priestesses should not be a problem.

"Then, on the day before, it would be best to wait at the temple. We will do our best to assist you."

"Thank you."

"On the day, we will send prayers from the temple. Please leave the preparations against miasma to us."

The temple will send blessings in a collective effort. While I'm fine, it's a big relief to have no worries about everyone's defense against miasma.

"Then, on the day, Lady Marlene—"

When the conversation turned to Marlene, she made a gesture as if lightly tapping her chest.

"…pray together?"

When asked, Marlene nodded seriously. Even though she is still a trainee, her abilities as a priestess are solid. Given that she is not yet ready for close combat against demons, she is scheduled to wait at the temple on the day.

"Understood. Then, Lady Marlene, on the day, let's pray together for everyone's success and victory."

Marlene and Penelope smiled at each other. They seemed to have a mother-daughter-like relationship. Marlene's mother was originally a trainee priestess, so it's understandable that Penelope has a special attachment to her.

After discussing the finer details with Penelope, we headed to the guild to distribute the spoils. Then, we all returned home. As we headed to the stables to board the carriage, a white object was seen falling in front of us.

"…snow, huh."

I took out the scarf I received for my birthday from inside the carriage and wrapped it around my neck. When I smiled at the two of them, they returned my smile with a shy grin.

It's made of ordinary material and is a precious item, so I can't take it into the dungeon, but it's warm and feels good. I'll probably be using it a lot this season.