第２６４堀：友の恋は応援しましょう (Part2)

第２６４堀：友の恋は応援しましょう (Part2)

Well, I suppose it can't be helped. This white snake, No-chan. Right now, she’s a tiny thing, barely thirty centimeters long, but her true form is a massive serpent exceeding twenty meters in length.

She doesn't just take down wyverns; she can constrict and finish off even Flying Dragon-types and Red Dragons. Considering a Red Dragon is only about fifteen meters long, you can probably grasp just how massive No-chan truly is.

And then there’s the other one, the little boar, Shi-chan. Naturally, she is actually a Giant Boar.

At ten meters, she looks small compared to No-chan, but No-chan is a long, slender snake with a torso thickness of maybe three meters at most. Shi-chan, however, is a ten-meter-wide lump of solid meat. Yes, the destructive power of a ten-meter object charging at high speed possesses a different kind of strength compared to No-chan.

"Huh? Where are Ro-chan and Dan-chan?"

"Right here, Lady Eris."

"Yo. Lady Eris."

As I searched for the remaining two, a Jorogumo and a pillbug emerged from beneath my feet.

These were the final two of the Ten Demon Beasts.

Since they aren't animals, Yuki-san had quipped, "Aren't they not beasts then?" and was met with fierce protests from the pair, so I made sure not to say anything of the sort.

Now, the Jorogumo is, of course, a spider monster.

Among the Ten Demon Beasts, she is the only one whose true form—a woman’s upper body with a spider’s lower body—is quite far removed from her original appearance. She seems similar to a legendary creature called an Arachne, but Yuki-san called her a "Jorogumo."

I’m not entirely sure about the difference in characters, but apparently, she’s a Japanese monster—a yokai, perhaps?

As for her abilities, she possesses spider-like traits, excelling in combat by manipulating her opponents with threads she spins herself. She is also a versatile child who can construct territories and set traps.

The last one, the pillbug, is one of the modified pillbugs created by Zargis. Aslin often fed it "magic rice," and before we knew it, it had become her direct subordinate. The other modified pillbugs are working with Kaya in the agricultural district and on development projects.

So, why did the two of them appear from right under my feet?

"What were you doing?"

"Naturally, I was weaving threads of magic to ensure those foolish Holy Sword Users cannot escape."

"I was checking to make sure there weren't any traps underground."

"I see. But won't you get stepped on if you're that small?"

I was a little worried, as they were currently the size of a regular spider and a pillbug. Well, I don't think they would actually die from being stepped on, though.

"No, if anything, I would be delighted if Lady Aslin or Lady Firia were to step on me."

"I’m usually underground, so I don't get stepped on."

...Dan-chan aside, Ro-chan is as much of a masochist as ever.

"In that case, it seems the surveillance of the Holy Sword Users is under control."

"Yes. Even if they try to deceive Lady Aslin, we will report it faithfully, and we will ensure reports reach Lady Labyris, Lady Shera, and Lady Eris."

Hmm.

There is no way to do anything to the Holy Sword Users here anymore. We will save the interrogation for when we have a perfect system in place.

That leaves the problem of Amanda.

Amanda’s status is now that of a legendary Dragon Knight, and she received an excessive welcome upon arriving at this courtyard. It wasn't an excessive welcome in a bad way, but a good one.

It seems the Duke intentionally told the townspeople that a legendary Dragon Knight had returned in order to suppress the chaos caused by the wyvern. Because of that, no major disturbances have occurred, but nobles, merchants, and children who heard the rumors about Amanda are constantly knocking on the Duke’s gate, begging for an audience.

For the time being, the Duke has not permitted anyone to meet with Amanda until things settle down.

That is only natural. The Duke has yet to hear about the Great Demon Outbreak or the marriage talks between Yuki-san and Samantha. By any measure, those are matters that take priority over Amanda.

Even so, I cannot allow others to greet her before the Duke has had his chance, for various reasons.

Thanks to that, we have been saved as well. Her fame and the wyvern as a means of transportation are perfect excuses for our future actions.

We can push all of our combat capabilities and vehicle-related troubles onto Amanda. When we entered Gartz in the Marauder, even I, who was doing administrative work in Weed, was bombarded with questions and requests to hand it over.