Chapter 54

Dianeia, after finishing cleaning up the wild boar meat, was relaxing in a chair in my garden.

She was drinking the tea that Sakura had brought.

"Good work, Dianeia."

"Yes, thank you, Lord Sakura."

Since she had come by a few times, we had become familiar with each other to some extent.

"Thank you, Lord Daichi. I'll bring the payment next time."

"Alright, but why did you come here, Dianeia?"

Didn't you come for something?

"Ah, that's right! There was something I needed to inform you."

"Inform me?"

"Yes, I think you've heard from Lord Anne that the monsters in the forest are becoming more active, but it seems that the same thing is happening around the town."

Hmm, that's serious. Is something happening underground in the town too?

"Yes. It might not be dangerous for you, but just to be safe, I think it's best not to get too close."

"Did you come here just to tell me that?"

Dianeia nodded.

Well, you're thorough, but you could have just sent a message through Anne.

"Yes. I couldn't determine the timing, so it ended up being a bit late. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize. Well, that's fine. I don't want to go to dangerous places anyway, so I'll keep it in mind."

I should also let Hestia and Sakura know.

But, is it okay if the number of monsters around the town increases?

"It's not ideal, but we've increased the personnel for defense, so I think it will be fine. We plan to deploy them around the entire town soon."

"Huh? They're not already deployed around the entire town?"

"Yes, only the border with the Demon Forest is currently unoccupied. That's why I'm hunting there."

You're doing that too? Being a princess is tough.

"I am a princess, but I am also a Great Mage, so I have the duty to protect the town. This is only natural. Besides, this time it's relatively easy since the defense is in place."

No, it's not in place. The Demon Forest area is wide open, right?

"No, no, it's fine. In another day, reinforcements will arrive, and the defense will be perfect."

"Ah, I see."

If she thinks it's perfect, then it's fine.

In any case, it's not really my concern.

"Try not to overdo it, Dianeia."

"Yes, then I will be going—"

Just as her usual farewell was about to be heard,

—BOOM

A loud explosion came from the direction of the forest.

"What was that... sound?"

"How should I know?"

But it looks like smoke is rising from the direction of the forest.

"Could it be... the monsters have started to appear?"

Dianeia's face turned pale for a moment, then became serious.

"Yes. They won't wait for our convenience... I'm sorry, Lord Daichi! I must take my leave here! —Teleport!"

With that, she left the garden.

●

"Really, she's so busy."

"Well, it seems there are circumstances for Dianeia too."

The activation of the monsters is a serious matter.

I'll stay away from it.

And I should let Hestia know too.

"Hey, Hestia!"

Just as I was about to go to Hestia's hut, I noticed something.

"What? Huh?"

At the edge of the garden and the forest, there was a small bipedal creature.

It was completely black, with spiky horns and wings.

It looked demonic.

"Is it a monster?"

"It seems so."

The monster held a ball of black flames in its hands and

—

casually threw it at me.

"Hostile... Golem."

I summoned a golem as a shield for safety.

The tree golem caught the black flames, scorched, and moved toward the monster.

It tried to punch the monster, but

—

the monster moved quickly like a monkey and avoided it.

Well, the golem's autonomous movement can't handle such fine movements, so it's understandable.

"Pretty quick. —Then, Wood Armor."

I'll aim myself.

I put on Wood Armor and prepared the arm with a firing mechanism.

I used a solid, hard wooden projectile.

"Fire!"

"!?"

The projectile, fired at high speed, hit the target.

The monster's torso shattered,

"Kye..."

and it groaned, falling to the ground.

Then, it immediately disappeared, leaving behind a black stone.

"Excellent, Master!"

"Yeah, but something fell."

"It looks like a magic stone... but it's quite murky. It seems this stone's magic was used to materialize its body."

"Wow, what a strange creature."

As I picked up and examined the black stone,

"Hey, it's noisy. Did something happen?"

Hestia came out of her hut.

"Yeah, I just took down a strange monster, and this fell."

When I showed her the black stone, Hestia frowned.

"That's a Dungeon Demon magic stone. From its size, it's probably a Servant Demon. But why is it here?"

"Is that unusual?"

"Um... there was no dungeon around here. Yet, this is something only dungeon monsters drop. So, maybe dungeon monsters are breeding in the forest."

I see. So the forest's ecosystem is changing too.

"Will it affect my house?"

"Hmm, no, but... dungeon monsters are aggressive and cunning. So, they're a hassle. Look, there's one over there."

Hestia pointed. There was a Servant Demon watching us from a distance.

"Wow, I can feel its hostility."

It held the same black fireball.

So, this is what aggressive means.

"They throw fireballs if you try to leave a certain distance or turn your back."

"What kind of annoying monster is that?"

"Moreover, the fireballs are quite strong. Your golem only got scorched, but normally, they would burn."

Once you spot them, they keep up their subtle attacks indefinitely.

I tried to turn my back once, and it threw a fireball.

Honestly, it was incredibly frustrating.

"...They're a nuisance. I'll take care of them, Hestia."

"Okay, should I help?"

"Yes, if you can take care of the ones around the house, that would be a big help. I'll handle the ones deeper in the forest."

"Understood."

Hestia ran in the opposite direction.

This should make the area around the house safe.

All that's left is to deal with the troublesome ones.

With Sakura and the armor still fused, I entered the forest and targeted them.

The wooden projectile hit.

The Servant Demon turned into a magic stone and fell to the ground.

"Phew, that's the last one..."

I thought, but there were still two more deeper in the forest.

Our eyes met.

They started to hold fireballs.

"Ah, this is annoying..."

"Where are they coming from?"

"I don't know, but it's a hassle to be provoked. Let's take care of all the ones we can see."

"Understood."

So, Sakura and I advanced deeper into the forest, taking down the Servant Demons one by one.