Chapter 9

Summary of the previous chapter:

(omitted)

"…And most of all… I saw the figure of senior Mizushima."

"Did you know Mizushima Mihō?"

"Yes."

For a moment, Katō lowered her gaze.

Perhaps she was remembering the deceased Mizushima Mihō.

"By the way, I feel like Lily's chest is much bigger than what I remember from senior Mizushima."

"Oh, I thought the same thing."

* From the fact that Lily can turn into a lower body slime, it's clear that she can change her form to some extent after mimicking.

9

Another week or so passed.

It was decided to entrust Katō to the exploration team, so we continued to live in the cave we had been using until now.

We spend our nights in the cave and explore the forest during the day.

This lifestyle had become established.

We encountered monsters several times.

The fact that we have managed to survive until today is due to Lily and Rose repelling them every time.

That in itself is a good thing.

However, the fact that we continue to defeat monsters means that we are constantly in battle every time we encounter them.

In other words, it means that our original purpose of exploring to increase the number of followers is not going well.

I know we have to search patiently, but my anxiety grows.

The biggest problem is probably that I don't fully understand the conditions for activating my Monster Tame ability.

When I see a monster, I can instinctively tell if it's not suitable.

There is also the argument that I didn't realize it with Rose, but that was just because I was flustered. If I stay calm, I can judge whether or not they will become a follower just by looking at them.

But I don't understand the conditions.

If I did, there would be no need to repeatedly engage in dangerous battles.

Recently, I have even begun to think that perhaps the conditions are something I cannot discern myself.

I don't want to think that…

"I'm back."

"You're back."

Lily returned to the cave, so I stopped swinging the wooden sword I was training with.

"Oh, you were training."

As Lily ran over lightly, I returned a wry smile.

"Please don't say it like that."

"Why not?"

"It makes me feel itchy. This is just a way to pass the time."

Recently, I have been doing sword swings as a daily routine during my free time.

I took kendo as an elective in high school, so I know how to do a basic swing.

Whether I am doing it correctly or not is another matter, but I can at least mimic it.

I don't really know if this has any meaning.

Well, if I keep my body moving, I might be able to move more when the time comes.

That's about it.

I don't really expect much from myself in this area.

If someone were to ask me what else I can do, I would have to remain silent…

Perhaps it was because I could do nothing that I decided to train my body during my free time.

By the way, I could have just swung a random piece of wood lying around, but I thought I might as well start with the form, so I asked Rose to make a wooden sword for practice a few days ago.

Unlike us humans, Rose doesn't need sleep, so she can use the entire night. However, she is busy making various items according to my instructions.

So I remember asking her to make it casually, saying something like, "It's fine if you make it in your spare time," "It doesn't even need to have a blade," "As long as the grip is solid and it has a certain length and weight, it's fine."

However, it seems that she was inspired by the idea of making my weapon.

The next day, when I received the item I had requested, I was taken aback.

— It is made of wood, yet the blade part has a grayish luster.

— The grip has changed to a blackish color and has a suction-like feel.

— When I swing it, it is lighter than it looks, and yet, because the center of gravity is well balanced, it doesn't feel unreliable.

— It is very sturdy and has an incredible edge.

— The wood grain pattern remains on the surface as a remnant of its wooden nature, but it even adds to the sense of practicality.

…That's strange.

I clearly told her it was for practice.

It was clearly over-spec.

Just by looking at it, I could feel Rose's soul as a craftsman, even though I am just an amateur.

She did too good a job.

Lily, referring to Mihō Mizushima's knowledge, said it looked like "Damascus steel." I don't know what that is, but it seems to be a very famous metal.

It was a sword worthy of a name that I didn't deserve to wield.

I even thought about giving it to Lily, but I couldn't say anything rash in front of Rose, who was presenting the sword to me with high expectations.

I couldn't say it.

Currently, Rose is creating additional limbs for herself, and once that is done, she plans to upgrade all her equipment.

It is certain that her skills are improving with each item she makes, so she will continue to upgrade.

However, it is unlikely that she will be able to create a weapon that surpasses this sword I have.

"Sorry, Lily. You went alone."

"Mm-hmm."

When I called out to her, Lily, who seemed to have found her spot, clung to my arm and pressed her flaxen head against my forearm, like a friendly dog.

After we finished today's exploration and were resting at our base, I had sent her to check on the mountain hut while gathering food.

Of course, this was to confirm whether the exploration team had returned.

This was a job that only Lily could do.

Because if she were to encounter the exploration team, Rose, who looks like a monster, would be at risk of being killed by them.

On the other hand, Lily, who can take on a human form, has a low chance of being attacked on sight.

Additionally, by eating the flesh of the Fire Fang, she has acquired a keen sense of smell.

While not as sharp as a wolf's, her tracking ability is still quite high. As long as she doesn't make a mistake, it is possible for her to return without being detected.

The only problem would be if Lily were to be discovered by the high-ranking students, but even in that case, the situation would not be immediately revealed. At the very least, there would be enough time for her to return and join us.

For the above reasons, and because Rose has other tasks to do, we have been relying on Lily for solo missions outside the cave, such as gathering food, which would be a hindrance if we were there.

"Did anything change?"

While stroking the front of Lily's hair, which was clinging to my arm, I asked the same question I had been asking for the past few days.

To be honest, I don't really expect much in terms of results, as I have been sending her out.

I had assumed that if the exploration team were to return, it would still be some time from now.

According to Katō, the high-ranking students knew the route of the first expedition team.

So, based on that, it was assumed that they had a plan to catch up with the exploration team here.

The first expedition team left six days after the rebellion broke out in the colony.

Within a day, Katō and I fled the colony.

It took me three days to reach this cave, and since I was walking in step with Mizushima and Katō, even the high-ranking student with cheat abilities, Kōya, would have taken a few days to reach the mountain hut.

Kōya immediately left the mountain hut to chase the exploration team, but no matter how quickly he moved, it would be impossible to catch up with someone who had left over a week ago.

Moreover, the distance between them would only continue to grow while he was chasing them.

Even if he did catch up, the exploration team would have to turn around and return here.

For these reasons, I had expected that they would not return for at least another week.

I might have been underestimating them.

"That mountain hut… or rather, the remains of the mountain hut. I saw someone there."

That's why Lily's response was contrary to my expectations.

"Is it someone from the exploration team who has returned from the expedition?"

"I don't know. I came back immediately as you instructed."

"I see. No, that's fine. …Still, it's strange. It's too early, no matter what."

"Maybe it's not the exploration team. It was just one person."

Lily suggested another possibility.

"Was it just one person?"

"Yes. If it were a student from the exploration team, it would be strange for them to be alone. You came to this cave from the colony alone, so maybe it's a student who fled the colony like you."

"Indeed, that's a possibility."

There are dangerous monsters in the forest, but the frequency of encounters is not very high. At most, you might encounter one a day or not at all.

With a highly developed sense of smell like the Fire Fang, it would be a different story, but otherwise, if you can detect a monster first, you can often avoid it.

It is possible for a human without special powers to wander the forest with good luck.

In fact, this situation was created by the exploration team over the past month since we were transferred to this world.

I was part of the group that stayed in the colony, so I don't know the details, but I assumed that the area around here was within the exploration team's range of activity when the colony existed.

This is because the high-ranking student, Kōya, knew about the existence of the mountain hut.

The exploration team was primarily focused on eliminating monsters to ensure the safety of the colony.

Therefore, most of the monsters within their range of activity had been eliminated.

Thinking about it now, there is a high possibility that some of the monsters that were hunted included those that I could have controlled.

It's a shame, but it's too late to say anything about it now.

Thinking about it, the fact that Lily was not hunted by the exploration team was the greatest fortune for me.

Because meeting her has connected my fate in this way.

"I need to confirm who the student at the mountain hut is."

I made a decision.

"If it's a student from the exploration team or a survivor from the colony, we need to determine if they are suitable to entrust Katō to."

"…That's fine, but…"

Katō, who had come closer, interjected.

Recently, she seems to be a bit more energetic.

She is still gloomy, but her speech has become clearer.

Sometimes, during meal times, she even shows a faint smile.

"What if the person is not a cheat ability user?"

This is how we have started to confirm our course of action.

This is a good trend.

It is in a completely different dimension from the fact that my level of caution towards Katō has increased.

"Indeed…"

I considered Katō's question.

"Even in that case, our approach will not change. We will gather information through observation or direct contact."

"…Why is that?"

"If the person is not a cheat ability user, there is no need for us to deliberately observe or attempt contact. There is no benefit in doing so. However, it's possible that Lily didn't notice, and there are other members of the exploration team who remained in the colony accompanying them."

"Ah, that's possible. I came back quickly, so I might have missed them."

Lily also agreed with this opinion.

I continued.

"Or, they might know something about the situation in the colony after we fled. If they have information that I don't know, there is a reason to make contact."

"Thank you."

Katō bowed her head.

There were no further questions or objections to my opinion, and we quickly prepared and left the cave.

***

We moved through the forest, checking the marks we had left on the trees.

With Lily, who can mimic the sense of smell of the Fire Fang, the sense of security is different from a week ago when we