-- The next morning, we decided to head out to preview the raid route as planned.

　The roadside guide introduced by Fraxinus was a beastly demon with wolf-like physical features.

　He had the appearance of a hunter in a leather jacket and carried a bow that looked like it could only be drawn with considerable force.

　Apart from his wolf-like face and demonic appearance, such as hands with fur and claws, he looks much the same as a human on the ground.

You are Luke White Wolf. I'm not sure what kind of person you are, since you call yourself a white wolf, but it's a bit different than I expected.
Did you imagine someone as strong as Travis?
No, he's hairy with white hair and a white beard.

　The guide demon tribe said this in a joking manner and held out a bare hand that looked like it was fitted with a furry glove and asked for a handshake.

　It's doubtful that demonkind like him have a custom of shaking hands, but I'm sure he is greeting us in accordance with the customs of the human side.

'You can call me Grey. My real name is a word that means 'gray' in our tribal language, but I'm sure it's hard to remember, so I don't mind using the earthly language.
Okay, please.

　After a quick greeting, I decided to go there immediately.

　The plan is to leave in the morning and return at night, a day-long expedition.

　We had an excellent guide, a hunter who knew his way around, so if we had decided to go there by ourselves, it would have been doubtful that we would have been able to find a proper and safe route.

The place you guys want to go is near one of our regular hunting grounds," he said. It's a pretty good hunting ground with a big lake and a lot of land and water demons. ......

　Gray, who was constantly chatting in a laconic manner as he walked ahead of the lush, green, unsettled land, suddenly stammered and twisted his eyes in a way that made it hard to hear.

'...... Is it true what you guys are saying?　If Master Fraxinus says so, I'm sure he's not wrong: ......
What you're saying ...... and say?
The story goes that there's a third level access route to the lake. I've been going to that area since I was a kid and I've never heard of it. My granddad was wondering the same thing.

　The information provided to us by the Demon King Gandalf was apparently not a well-known fact to the second level demon race.

''That's because, well, the dark elves who have been alive since long ago are the source of the information. It's not surprising that they know something that hasn't been transmitted to the present day, is it?
Oh, the elves. I've been told that their lifespan is no more than a hundred times longer than ours. I don't know what kind of creature would live as long as a dryad like Fraxinus.

　Gray laughed at such a thing without hesitation, probably because he thought there were no elves here.

　In fact, as a member of the White Wolf Knights, the Northern Elf Hild had joined the group, but that Hild only laughed at the back and didn't try to argue with him in particular.

　The atmosphere was amicable for a while, but suddenly Gray stopped with a frown and gestured for us not to make a noise.

　Then he sniffed with his fangs and flicked his nose, moving both ears nervously and issuing a warning in a hushed voice.

'Swamp (swamp) orcs. This one is nasty.
He was a very powerful demon with regenerative powers.
Yeah, no matter how many arrows I put in there, it's not going to be fatal.

　Garnett tried to put his hand on his sword, but I silently controlled him.

　Just slicing through it would be a muddle that would only take a pointless amount of time.

　It would be easy to defeat it with the power of the Demonic Beast Skol, but there was no way I could unleash that scorching mass in the middle of a forest like this.

''If I cut off its head in an instant, it will die.
It's deadly, but their blood is poisonous. I don't want to sow it in the hunting grounds where others can pass. Are there any wizards among you?　That's somewhat more than taking on the challenge by physical means: ......
I'll take care of it.

　Travis stepped forward and fitted the mithril-coated gauntlet on his right arm.

'Wait a minute, you're going to do this with your bare hands?

　Travis chuckled at the flustered Grey.

'We've encountered the Swamp Orcs many times in our quest so far. Each time we've tried a few different things, and apparently the simplest means is the best.

　Travis approached the swamp oak head-on with no particular sign of distraction.

　I put my hand on Leila's anxious shoulder and whispered to her not to worry.

　He's definitely an opponent that can win.
　Since we're going to have to go through all this trouble, it's better to have the presence of mind to witness the activities.

　The swamp orc noticed Travis' approach and brandished a club that was simply a broken thin piece of wood held in place.

　The difference in size is such that the large Travis looks small - even if you look at his height alone, it's probably a 30 percent increase.

　The club is swung down with force.

　However, Mithril's basket hand easily prevents it and crushes it in the opposite direction.

　Travis seized the moment when the swamp orc was upset and dived into his pocket with a terrific speed step.

''Phew!''

　A divine speed uppercut that is slammed in from just below the chin.

　The Swamp Oak's massive body flew lightly through the air, flipping effortlessly in the air and falling headfirst.

　Travis quickly spun around to the landing spot and slammed a kick right into its head on the verge of crashing.

　The swamp oak falls with a splash of water.

　There was no way for his boasted regenerative power to come to fruition from the powerful blows that directly shook his brain, and he was completely comatose without leaking a drop of blood.

　Travis, who had finished his job in just a few seconds, smiled at me, showing his white teeth, not even sweat on his forehead.