--The huge body of the demonic beast Dagon disintegrated.

　　The fist that was driven into the center of its chest easily pierced its thick flesh, deciding the match with a single blow.

　As the upper body collapsed, the lower body, composed of countless giant serpents, also stopped functioning and sank to the bottom of the lake with the collapsing abdomen as collateral damage.

''Seriously, what kind of skills does one ...... use to do that kind of ......?''
''That was just a [magic shot]. It's a good example of how substandard it becomes once you master the basics.
...... There are limits to what you can do, man.

　While answering the stunned Garnett, I confirmed with my right eye that the half-fish of my family members had disappeared into the lake.

　They didn't seem to disappear in tandem, but since they were no longer created to increase in number, the adventurers will now be able to defeat them and clean up after them whenever they encounter them.

''Hahaha!　He really did it in one fell swoop!　You're halfway there!

　While everyone on board was speechless with surprise, Chandler was the only one laughing with glee.

'Hey, hey, General!　Are all A-ranked adventurers like that all the time!
No way. I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this. The effect of mithril coating seems to have raised its power a bit more than usual. How would it have been with normal equipment?

　He said this so that Chandler wouldn't want to fight excessively, but in reality, there was a good chance that he could have defeated Dagon even with his bare hands.

　It's true that Travis, equipped with a mithril-coated gauntlet, struck down Dagon with his all-out [magic fire], but that doesn't mean 'even with this equipment, the limit of defeating Dagon is the limit of defeating Dagon'.

　The blow just now is clearly overkill.

　The destructive power that was still too much after beating down the demonic beast Dagon had penetrated through his back and dissipated into the void.

　Even if it was a monster beast with a stronger body - or even a divine beast - Travis's fist could be an effective strike, and even if you take into account the decrease in power from his bare hands, he should still be able to maintain enough performance to pass Dagon.

　Of course, if you think about what would happen to a person who shot the 【Magic Power Strike】 with all of his or her strength, it must be a trump card that can't be used lightly.

''Ulysses. Bring the ship back immediately. We need to retrieve Travis.










　We proceeded to the battlefield, where Dagon had disappeared and the calm had been restored.

　Sure enough, Travis floats on the surface of the lake without a single wave in the way of a standing swim, waving at us with a troubled look on his face.

'Oi!　This way, this way!
I knew it. Ulysses, roll up, please. Garnett, pull the rope down for him.

　I gave instructions to everyone and pulled Travis up to the ship.

　Travis sat down on the deck and looked up at the ceiling, looking truly refreshed.

It's a good feeling to shake your fist as hard as you can for the first time in a while.
You can't afford to lose your magic power and not be able to swim. The only thing that matters is that you didn't sink your muscles.
I don't think we need to worry about not being recovered when we have such a good ship.

　First of all, we'll have a light talk with each other and make sure that the recovered Travis isn't injured, and then we'll quickly get back to the subject at hand.

　However, there are a lot of things we want to confirm, so let's prioritize the things that could affect human lives first.

By the way, I can't find our Ambrose, did you happen to be over there or something?
You're right, you did notice. They were coming to visit us, as you might expect.
'I knew it. I knew it couldn't have been blown up.
'You said you'd help clean up the miscellaneous fish, then collect the medallions and get a step ahead of us to our real destination.

　I let out a short huff, combining my dismay at the unreported action with my relief that I was safe.

''It can't be helped. We'll join you soon. Ulysses, please.
Okay, then. I'm in a hurry.

　Immediately after the Ulysses ship had steered to its true destination, Hild advised with reservations.

''Uh, Commander Luke, I think we should go back to the shore for now. Wouldn't it be better to go back to the shore for now?　Mr. Travis seems to be severely depleted of his magic, and it's not too late to let the standby team know he's okay and get some rest.

　It's not that I didn't think about joining up with the waiting group.

　It's not that I didn't think about joining up with the standby team, it's just that I thought we should prioritize achieving our goal quickly after considering all the circumstances.

"That magical beast is probably a defense system planted by Agart Ram. They're the only ones who have a perfect medallion," he said. We don't know the conditions under which they reacted to us, but ...... Anyway, I'm pretty sure that their purpose was to intercept any enemies who tried to attack the third level from this route.

　The demonic beast Skol that stole the light from the second level.

　The Demonic Beast Muspel that was deployed as a trump card for the assassination of Administrator Fraxinus.

　In the past, Agart Ram has made strategic use of the medallion's demonic beasts.

　The route we're going to use for diversionary tactics is a waterway that was unblockable because of its role in supplying water resources to the third level, and Agart Ram's side also assumes that it will be used as an entry route.

　If that's the case, it would be a natural idea to plant the Demon Beast Dagon at some point in the past and try to eliminate the external enemy at the second level.

''But it's not always the case that the defense system is only one Demonic Beast. It's also possible that while the intruders are busy getting rid of Dagon, another system could be preparing for the operation. If the hypothetical enemy is the Demon King's army, it's hard to believe that one Demon Beast will be enough to get rid of it.
'Nah ...... I see. Perhaps Lord Ambrose thought so too, so he went ahead of you to your destination ......?
'Maybe. I understand what you're trying to do, and I'd like to have it explained to me properly.

　Is this because I am a researcher (magician) who is based on secrecy?

　I feel that our values are fundamentally different from those of adventurers who share information through the guild.

Anyway, let's get on with it. If I'm overthinking things, that's fine. The intrusion route that they wanted to protect until they threw in that big piece of equipment ...... has to be secured for the sake of a diversionary tactic, and then we have to get home.