Chapter 65

A few days have passed since we started calling the Second Princess Melty.

Since we are heading in the opposite direction of Siltvelt, our progress has been significantly aided by Filo.

Putting that aside,

Recently, we have encountered a large number of wild Filorials.

At night, even in the middle of the night, their howls can be heard from afar, making it quite noisy.

Is this area a Filorial habitat?

While harboring such thoughts, we were camping in the wild.

As the night deepened and we were about to go to sleep, something happened.

"Roar!"

"Filo, stop making noise."

"It's not Filo."

I felt like it was coming from quite close, but is there something else that can make such a sound besides Filo?

Are the wild Filorials causing a commotion from afar again?

"Um... Master Naofumi? I can hear a lot of Filorial howls."

I realized that the howls, which were distant at first, were now quite close.

"Come to think of it, Filo, can you tell how many are nearby?"

"I don't know."

"Are they far away then?"

"No, there are a lot."

"What?"

We looked at Filo with tense faces.

"Be on guard!"

"Because they keep saying they're all coming to Filo's place."

"Are these howls talking to you?"

"Yeah."

She nodded. A cold sweat trickled down my back at the sound of so many Filorials.

The bushes on all sides rustled, and in the darkness, silhouettes that smelled like Filorials were moving.

"What's going on here!"

"Wow... so many Filorials!"

Melty's eyes were shining as she looked at the Filorials.

"Hey, Melty. I have something important to tell you, so listen carefully."

"What is it?"

"Filorials are omnivores. Filo and I might be okay, but Raphatalia and you might get eaten if you're attacked."

"What are you talking about, Naofumi? Filorials are gentle monsters. They wouldn't do that."

Her innocent side is working against us here.

"Damn... We need to go to the neighboring country to meet the queen, but getting attacked by wild monsters is a ridiculous turn of events."

The Filorials, who no longer even tried to hide, surrounded us. Their total number was immeasurable.

The glowing eyes of the Filorials in the darkness were so numerous that I didn't even want to count them.

As far as the eye could see, it was a swarm of Filorials.

What's going on here?

One possibility is a Filorial territory dispute.

However, Filo is a domesticated Filorial that doesn't understand the concept of territory.

Perhaps she is recognized as a higher-level individual due to her extreme growth and is seen as a threat... that's why they came here?

But since they were signaling to Filo with their howls, it seems different.

So... are they here to recruit Filo as the territory's leader?

This is a very plausible possibility.

Alright, let's go with this.

"Filo, lead these guys to happiness."

"What are you saying all of a sudden, Master Naofumi!"

"Filo is leaving!?"

"There's no other choice. They came to fetch Filo."

"Really!?"

"Separating from Master? No!"

Filo finally understood the situation.

But it's too late now. If we don't offer Filo, we'll be overwhelmed by the swarm of Filorials.

"For our sake, and for their sake, do your best, Filo."

When the situation is resolved, I'll buy a new Filorial. Hopefully, it won't be as noisy.

"No!"

Just as we were having this conversation,

"Roar!"

The swarm of Filorials split into two, like a scene from the Ten Commandments.

What's happening?

"Roar!"

At the front, a single Filorial walked towards us calmly, pulling a luxurious carriage behind it.

...There's a gem embedded on the carriage.

I've seen this gem before... where was it?

Then, I looked at my shield.

The gem on the carriage was the same shape as the one on my shield.

"Roar!"

The swarm of Filorials bowed their heads in salute to the Filorial pulling the carriage.

The Filorial pulling the carriage stopped in front of us, making a rumbling sound.

"Wow... so cool. I'm so jealous."

Filo was looking at the carriage with sparkling eyes.

I don't like it. I don't want to ride in such a flashy carriage.

If I ride in something like that, I don't know what people will say.

"Roar!"

The rope that was tied to the Filorial pulling the carriage came loose on its own and moved forward.

Another Filorial pushed the carriage back.

"What's happening? What's going on?"

"Roar!"

The Filorial pulling the carriage let out a loud howl, and the surrounding plants glowed green, and the wind started to blow.

"Oh... a barrier is being set up!?"

"Barrier?"

Melty exclaimed in surprise.

"Yeah. It's a bit brighter now, so Naofumi can probably see it too. There's a fog-like mist in the distance, right?"

I looked in the direction of the Filorial swarm.

The mist was so thick that I couldn't see what was beyond it.

"That's a very high-level sacred domain type of confusion."

"What's that?"

"There's a legendary forest called the Forest of Confusion, where it's said that ancient weapons and armor are sleeping. But there's a magical mist that prevents people from getting close."

"You know a lot about it."

"My mother loves legends and has been to the Forest of Confusion. The mist is exactly the same as what she saw. I'm surprised."

So, is this it? If we try to escape, we can't get away?

"If you enter that mist, you end up back where you started... We must have stepped into the Filorial's sacred domain."

Melty looked entranced.

Come to think of it, she loves Filorials. This must feel like a dream come true for her.

"This isn't the time for that!"

The plants were glowing, making it as bright as daytime.

What's happening?

Looking at the Filorial pulling the carriage, it turned into a black silhouette and started to swell.

It's huge...

The swelling silhouette. It must be transforming, but the change is much larger than Filo's transformation.

At first, it looked like a normal Filorial, but now it's about six meters tall.

And... it stopped growing at about nine meters. Its appearance is almost identical to Filo's monster form, the Filorial Queen (tentative name).

"Wow... so big."

Melty whispered, unable to hide her excitement.

Compared to the white and pink Filo, this Filorial Queen is white and sky blue.

The biggest difference is the crown-like decorative feathers on its head, which Filo doesn't have.

"Roar!"

The howl alone made the air vibrate and resonated through my bones.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it."

Filo nodded several times and turned to us.

"Um, to the human visitors, I apologize, but..."

Filo translated the other party's words for us. It makes sense that they can communicate since they are of the same species.

"I can't easily speak human language due to my authority and ancient oaths. Please understand, but..."

"Okay, that's fine. What do you want from us?"

"Roar!"

"Let's start with introductions. I am the queen of the Filorials. My ancient name is Phytria, but..."

"Phytria!? That's the name of the legendary Filorial."

Melty exclaimed in shock.

"Are the Shield Hero and his party here?"

"Y-Yes..."

"I apologize for the sudden visit. I have a request, so I came here. But..."

"What is it?"

Looking up at the huge Filorial, my neck started to hurt.

"Roar!"

"No way..."

Filo made a clearly displeased face. What are they talking about?

"Roar!"

"Really!? Okay, I get it."

"What were they talking about?"

"Um, they came to test Filo's strength and want to fight her."

"Just Filo?"

Fytria nodded in response to my question.

"And if we fight, they'll give us something good."

"Is it a fight to the death?"

Fytria nodded again. At this busy time when we need to meet the queen... it feels like we've met another queen.

"Is it okay?"

"Roar!"

"I appreciate the Shield Hero's willingness to listen to my request."

What a troublesome conversation. If they could talk, they should have done so from the beginning.

When Fytria spread her wings, the surrounding Filorials retreated, forming a large circle.

"Roar!"

"Please step back, Shield Hero and party. But..."

"Alright, alright."

I led Raphatalia and Melty to the edge of the Filorial circle.

"Roar!"

"Let's go!"

Filo transformed back into her monster form and charged towards Fytria.