Big Hexenbiest.
　A demonic beast is a living thing.
　A hexenbiest is the one he seemed to be dragging around when he first met Shero-san. That was a big boar - but anyway, it's a creature with flesh and blood(...).

　If you go out of the mansion and gently nose-dive, you can be sure that it's there.

　At the base of the lone tree growing behind Mr. Shero's house, there is a huge beast (or is one more appropriate?) sleeping and snoring.
　It appears to be a brown bear-like animal with dark brown fur, though I can't quite make out its overall form as it is crouched down. When it stands up, it looks like it's about 2 or 3 meters long.

　I looked at its huge body and instantly discarded the option of fighting it.

　A magical map that glowed red.
　The name of the quest, "The Crouching Beast and the Sky-Blue Pearls".
　A monster alarm sounded and a demonic beast suddenly arose.

Even the detailed information on the map I saw in the Mirror of Truth.

[They say the fruit comes from a tree that stands on a hill by the forest west of Luklaella!　Rumor has it that the magic fruit is a monster's favorite food. Just be prepared to fight!]

　And there was.

　If the conditions were so consistent, there was no doubt about it.

　It's true that this is a hill by the forest west of Luklaera and there are even trees growing here. I didn't know if fruit grew on that tree or not, but .......

　When I looked again at the tree, I saw that there was one magnificent fruit (hardly a fig in size) the size of a durian growing on its branches.
　It was sky blue, or rather light blue in color, and emitted a pale light, as if to say, "It's a magical fruit.
　Here it is!

...... Okay, let's run away!　If we escape to our mansion, we'll have a ward and he won't be able to follow us. Now is the time to get out of bed.

　I thought I could manage at least a D-ranked quest, but it's impossible to do a stiff meat fight with a brown bear-class aggressive wild animal.
　If you can get a hunting license and bring a shotgun, it's a different story, but fighting a flesh-and-blood combatant with a sword is reckless. You.
　The flesh hooks that the naked eye can't catch would just make your head fly off.
　It's seriously impossible to catch a sword.
　It's just like fighting a car!

　Shame!　This quest has failed!

Yeah. We won't be able to escape, but I think it would be better for Jirou and the others to escape. You don't know how strong these monsters are, and it could happen just in case.

　Rebecca says that kind of thing curtly.

'Yeah!　Let's get out of here. It's a bear!　Bear!　Old man of the mountains!　I'm sure he'll wake up and eat a light blue durian and then go back to the woods.

　Yes. That beast is most likely an event monster. I mean, it's definitely that. It's an unworldly thing. In a way, it would be like the undead that usually spring up. It looks like a bear, though.
　This is my prediction, but this quest is about taking (or trying to take) fruit from a tree, the bear wakes up, the bear gets taken and fights the angry bear, wins it, gives the fruit to the girl, and clears it!　I guess that's what it is.
　Then, if you don't take the fruit and leave it unattended, the magical beast will eventually disappear. It should.
　I'm not going to go all the way down to the human village. ...... I'm sure.
　It's a theory I'm not so sure about, but .......

I'm not too sure about that, but I'm not sure about ....... I don't know why a magical beast would suddenly appear in a place like that, but that doesn't mean we can't leave it there.

　Easily dismissed.
　But it's natural to think so. There's also the duty of someone who makes a living exterminating monsters, and there's also the simple fact that Shero-san and Rebecca-san are the strongest forces around here.
　But this time, duty has nothing to do with it. It should be.

''Oh, um. Ale, it's probably because of this. This.

　I show Rebecca a magical map that glows a light red.

'What is this?'
''So, it's the same kind of map that Efta-san showed me before. Let's call it ......, the magical request form. This is a miscalculation, or maybe it's just a coincidence, but the location on the map seems to be exactly where it is, and it seems to be here.
'...... Sure the map looks like the terrain around here, but ....... But there's no such thing as fruit!

　Rebecca didn't seem to notice the huge fruit growing on the tree, so I tell her.
　The tree itself had been growing here since the first day they lived in the house, Rebecca told me. However, it has never produced a fruit like that before.

So you're saying that the monster is a monster?
'I guess. I'm not sure, but the monster alarm actually went off, and Deanna responded to it, too. At least it's not a normal animal, I suspect.
But a ...... monster would definitely attack a human being, wouldn't it?　If you're more of a monster, you need to take it down here. Now's your chance to get some sleep.

　And.
　Okay! (Chaki)
　And take the weapon.

　Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
　At least let my girl go.
　You don't need to wake up a sleeping girl.
　I mean, even Deanna is ranting about how "I don't think we should stop, I have a bad feeling about this" or something!

　As I was stopping Rebecca, I suddenly realized what happened to Ms. Shero ......?

　When I walked out of the door in anxiety, Shero-san was staring at the monster beast that was asleep in a goose-step with his beloved ultra-thick large sword (claymore) smashed into the ground.
　...... I wonder if he's watching me so that I can deal with the thing whenever it happens.
　Good. If it was Shero-san, she could have gone out to defeat it on her own. ......

　It's a good thing that you're able to get a good idea of what you're looking for.

'Oh, Jiro. You can handle this one. Just in time, go ahead and do it.

　Geeeeeeee!　Unexpected!　Nothing is just right!

It's okay. When you're my age, you can tell how strong your opponent is just by looking at him at first sight. This is a C-rated monster.

　Oh, my God. He has a special ability like that? You don't need a mirror of truth.
　I'm not sure if it's because of the fact that it's the same strength as the other guy or if it's the same strength as the other guy. I wonder if it's safe to trust them to a certain extent .......
　But even if it's "not even a practice opponent" for Shero-san, I think it's more likely that it's "looks very, very strong(otoh)" for me. Are you sure you're okay with this ......?
　It's a bear. It's this guy.

　However, hearing that, Marina, who was beside me, suddenly became very motivated.

In that case, I want you to let Marina do it!　Will you be able to fight in Marina?

　Seriously.
　If possible, I'd like Marina to escape to the mansion with Orica and Elepippi. I don't know if I can get them to escape by themselves.
　What do you say we leave it to Deanna?　But I'm not sure about riding three horses: ....... Marina would be fine, but I'm a bit worried about Deanna's arms.

　That Deanna has a blue face and says, "Master, there is no need to force a fight. I have a feeling that that's not as gentle as it looks: ......" It's unusually limpid. Don't scare me too much .......

'It's fine.　I've only done combat training for demonic beasts with weaker ones, and a C-class isn't just a good opponent.

　But even Rebecca would say something like that.
　Hmmm. The C class is a class that even we can manage .......

So, let's try to fight me and Marina ....... If it doesn't look good, we'll push Mr. Shero and run away.
Wahahaha, I'll take care of it.

　I'm actually scared, but Shero-san is right, it certainly might be a good opportunity.
　I'd like to fight a demonic beast, but it wouldn't be like right now, when we have all the preparations and people ready to fight, and even more so at our own timing.
　Fighting a hexenbiest is like, "A wild saber-toothed tiger just jumped out! It's probably a normal situation like that. If that was the first time you saw it, you'd die for sure. People aren't so capable of acting on the spur of the moment, you know.

　Deanna was worried to the end, but there are times when a man has to do it. The quest itself was originally going to be a challenge, you know.

　We set up our gear and me and Marina jiggle closer to the demonic beast.

　Marina is wearing her usual mithril armor and halberd.
　I'm wearing my usual clothes and my magic sword.
　We might need some kind of armor soon. If you get even a single attack from this, you will certainly be seriously injured. We often say "If it doesn't hurt, we won't remember", but that doesn't mean we are that serious.
　I have to believe that the defensive training with Shero was effective.

　After all, we didn't let Orica and Elepippi escape either.
　As for Elepippi, Rebecca-san suggested that since she joined the knightly corps, we should keep an eye on her, and also because if Orica was the only one, if we all did a retreat battle, she would surely escape.

　To be honest, I'm a little - I'm a little worried about it.

　It's a different level than failing in business or having your identity exposed on a message board. If you fail, people die.

　I'd really like to have more of a safety margin. But no matter how much of a safety margin you have in a fight, in the end, it's only the difference between small and large. No, of course, the better the armor, the better the armor, or the better the weapons, of course, but .......

　Still, there is no such thing as a "never".

　No matter how much risk management you do, that risk will not be reduced to zero.
　So it's a matter of how you accept that.
　In that respect, the sense of awareness between Shero-san and Rebecca-san, who are both former mercenaries, and us (especially me) will be completely different.

　It's hard to judge whether our senses about death - whether they are dull or acute - are different from those of me, a peace-loving Japanese.

　But I was actually planning to prepare better armor and gear before going on this quest, and it's a shame that I ended up feeling like I had to play it by ear.
　Get ready, unravel the map like a treasure hunt, beat the monsters with it, and get the fruit!　And that's why I wanted to play like that.
　Well, let's lower our spirits this time by saying that this will be a training session for me and Marina.

　I don't know if you know how I feel or not.

Lord, I would like to have Marina do it if possible. I want to see how well I can fight.

　And Marina is very motivated.

　How could she muster the will to fight against a bear like that?
　Maybe it's because he's a knight in shining armor. That's brave.

　I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make the most out of your time in the city.
　I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to get caught up in the swing of it or if I'm going to be too worried about me to fight to my heart's content.

You'll need to switch. You're going to be the one who fights and then takes over for me. After that, we can be flexible with our field decisions.

　I can't just let Marina do it, you know. I'm inclined to do a little bit of it myself.
　Besides, Shero said it's okay, and it should be weaker than a real bear. ...... I'm sure.
　If not, I hope it's at least a Bobsap-ish bear. Then you can still win by a weapon's difference.
　If it's a bear on par with the Red Kabuto, we can only hope for Shero's Zetsu/Tengyu Battou Fang: ......!

Then it is time to go!

　Marina charges at me.
　I follow her, holding my sword at the ready.
　I'm also concerned about the fruit, but if I don't do something about that beast, it will be difficult to retrieve it anyway.

　Marina stops in time and observes the bear without a care in the world.
　Even after all this time, the bear still sleeps goose-stepping.

...... If you can chomp your head off while it's asleep, you'll win. This. Do you want to give it a try?
Are you sure it's a neck chompers?
You know, at the halberd's axe.

　But that was a no-no from Mr. Shero.
　It's just training, so you have to wake him up first before you can fight. She said.

I don't know. Marina, will you wake him up? I don't want you to wake her up, just poke her in the eye. Just give her a long poke, and then let her poke you.
It is to wake him up. It is to call out to him.

　What? You're going to talk to him?　Before he could ask, Marina spoke to the demon beast. No, she swore an oath.

'My name is Marina!　Artemis is the second knight, Marina!　I challenge you to an ordinary fight!

　He wants to challenge a hexenbiest to a fight!　What is this, is this normal?
　We have no idea what's going on in this world!

Rebecca, what is this all about?
A duel of knights.

　That's the professor!　I can rely on you~.
　Not, why do you take it as normal? What are you going to do in a duel against a beast? .......

Normally, it's a human opponent, but she's a bit different. He often says he admires dueling.

　Oh, I'm still a little weird, thank God. I'm glad Marina is just a weirdo!　And that's not good.

　The demon beast was not expected to wake up after hearing Marina's oath, but it stopped snoring, however, and opened both of its eyes in a scowl.
　Then it looked around and opened its mouth.

'...... This fruit is mine.'






　◇◆◆◆◆◆!





If you want this fruit, you'll have to prove yourself to me.

　The bear spoke fluently.
　And he is a martial artist. And yet her appearance gives off a mysterious intelligence.
　Is a talking monster monster a default?　I thought you said animals.
　But even a cat girl like Etowah speaks fluently, so isn't there anything wrong with that?　It's a fantasy world.
　Etowah is one of them, but for some reason the animal types seem to be the smart ones. The creature master?　I guess that's just a hobby of mine.

　According to Rebecca, talking monsters sometimes exist. There are some, but most of them don't have much to do with the human world, so it's rare that they get to fight them like this.
　However, although they are rare, they may not be so rare a creature as to be unseen, and both Shero-san and Rebecca-san have cool faces.
　Hmmm ....... What a world ....... Killing each other with an animal that speaks a language like that, or doing it with a normal animal, would be very different .......

　The bears are watching what's going on, or maybe they're not attacking you all at once.
　Rather, they don't seem to have any real intention of fighting. It's like, "I'll lend you my heart, so come at me. I don't really understand the event.

　The figure that stood up was still about 3 meters long, and frankly speaking, it was quite intimidating. That alone would have swallowed me up (・・・・), but I had to believe that I could do it and fight. And I guess that's part of the training.
　But to kill such a large animal by cutting it down with a sword, well,...... it's a bit of a stretch.
　I'm not sure I'm going to be able to say that if they were planning to kill you, you wouldn't be able to take it so easily.

It is.

　In the meantime, Marina lunged at me.
　Her eyes shine with a rancor and she swings her halberd.
　That guy is amazing, isn't that ...... scary?

　It's a good thing that you're able to get the best out of it.
　One blow, two blows, three blows.
　It's not stagnant as it dances, and the attack continues to be carried out with the spiritedness of a cleaver using the weight of the halberd.

''Guhaha!　Good attack!

　The demonic beasts are attacking Marina from time to time, while not defending themselves much.
　Marina also seems to be fighting well, skillfully dodging her opponent's attacks, but--

"...... Rebecca, that guy doesn't bleed. It looks like it's hitting the attacker moronically.
...... Right. I thought so too. That feeling ......, it's like the one that springs up in the Hitotsutsuzuki. It feels like the attacks are hitting you, but they don't respond at all .......
'I guess that means it's a non-undead type of monster. Unlike skeletons, it has a decent amount of weight, and its attacks seem to follow the laws of physics. ...... No, it's a bear by the looks of it to begin with, though.
"Could be ....... I'm sorry. I'll try that one myself. ...... I hope it's okay, girl.
If it comes down to it, we'll all do it together.

　In response to Marina's continuous attacks, the bear only occasionally imitates cat punches with slow movements.
　I see, C-class.
　No matter how you look at it, it looks like she's holding back and fighting, but this is my first time fighting a monster beast, so I don't really understand it. Is this how it is?

''Nu!　This is The Perdition!　You have a rare enchantment!　But it won't work on me!

　The bears show exaggerated surprise. Come to think of it, I don't know if Marina's halberd is enchanted like that. It doesn't make sense if it doesn't work, though.

　Oh no, but it's still .......

'...... senior, beautiful .......'

　Elepippi muttered when she saw Marina's dancing fighting style.

　That's right. It is beautiful.
　The body that dances. The sweat that splatters while shining. The breath that bounces. A bouncing chest.
　The appearance of her amazing lightness, spinning around like a top, spreading her cloak at the waist and toying with the demonic beast is like an Arabian dancer combined with her natural brown color.
　That figure was worthy of being called a fairy.
　The fairy that blossomed underneath me .......

I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make it work. What is it about the fairy that blossomed under my roof ......

　I returned to myself and decided to switch places with Marina.
　The bears apparently aren't strong, but they don't really fight me, and even I shouldn't have a problem with them. No, I have a better chance of winning in combat training with Marina, right?　It's possible that Marina is holding back, though!

Okay, Marina!　Take over!
Yes, sir!　Lord, I don't feel the attack is working, sir, watch out!
Oh.

　The bear looks at me while I switch places with Marina, but it doesn't chase me. I don't see an end to the event.
　It's a good thing that you're able to get the best out of it.

　I've been thinking about this while holding up my magic sword.
　I'm not going to be able to turn around and fight like Murovushi, just like Marina does.
　I'm not going to be able to get it right.

　I've been thinking about this as I enter into a pause, but the bear that has been watching me noticed something and its expression quickly changed and it let out a roar that shook the earth.

　You!　That sword, that hateful, hateful red demon sword!　A demon sword that plunges my countrymen into a sea of blood and red hell!　But - not that guy ......?　Then you're the bearer of the next generation - is that it? Kuhuhu, if it's a little kid who's learning how to take it easy, but if it's a 'Demonic Beast Killer' (number 4)!　This Arctic Star (Polaris) Arcus, I will not relent!