「んー……うん. 取りあえず大丈夫だろ」
「グルゥ」

　夜中、少し眠れないからと、セトと一緒に生誕の塔を出て来たレイは、トレントの森の中央までやってきていた.
　……当然その移動はセトに乗ってのものだったのだが、セトの五感が鋭いというのは冒険者達の間でも知られており、だからこそレイがセトを連れていくと言った時は見張りをしていた冒険者から不満の視線を向けられた.
　それでも生誕の塔の護衛を任されるだけあって、多くの冒険者は見張りも当然のように出来る.
　セトがいればある程度は気が抜けるというだけでしかない.
　だからこそ、セトを連れて行くレイに不満の視線を向けたが、セトがいないのならいないで自分達で見張りは出来るのだ.
　そんな状況で、こうしてレイはセトと共にトレントの森の中央部分にやって来ていた.
　何か問題が起きてないのかと、そんな思いから.
　マリーナの精霊魔法によって地下空間に続く道は見えなくなっている.
　そうである以上、心配する必要もないのだが……それでも、やはりウィスプのことを考えると、一応確認しておきたかったのだ.
　実際にこうして見に来た限りでは、特に何も問題はなかったのだが.

「研究者が派遣されて、冒険者……いや、騎士がしっかりとここを守るようになれば、こうしてわざわざ見に来る必要もなくなるんだろうけど」

　冒険者ではなく騎士としたのは、単純に冒険者よりも騎士の方がダスカーに深い忠誠を誓っている為だ.
　ダスカーにとって、ここを守る人物として重要なのは、実力もそうだが忠誠心はもっと必須だった.
　ウィスプは、それだけ重要な存在なのだから.

(I am sure that Mr. Dusker will come to see us, but I wonder when it will be.)

　The same goes for the lake in that Dusker came to see it.
　But this underground space with Whisp is undoubtedly a very important place for Dusker.
　It's more important than the lake, so you can't come in a carriage like you did when you went to see the lake.
　This place needs to be kept as secret as possible.

(Then, a set basket? No, a set basket stands out in the set basket.)

　When flying in the sky, a set basket is not conspicuous by its ability.
　However, as they descend to the ground, their ability to blend into the surrounding scene is no longer available, and they inevitably stand out.
　Given the circumstances, you can't bring in a dusker in a set basket.
　Then a way was conceived of, again, riding a horse or something without a bodyguard...or only Ray and others who knew of Whisp would travel with him as bodyguards, and come to this forest of Trent.
　However, that's the only thing Ray can come up with at the moment, but it's also true that it's difficult when asked if he can actually do it.

"Glu?"
"No, it's nothing. I was just wondering how to get Mr. Dusker here."

　When Set asks, "What's the matter?" Ray replies so.
　Then Seto chants, "I'll do it!"
　To Seto, he just wanted to do something about Ray because he was in trouble.

(Well, if the Vihelas do such a thing as grabbing him by his feet and flying, it doesn't matter what the cages are... but even if you put on a lifeline, you can't make him do that.)

　Dusker, lord of Guillum and leader of the Neutralists, is the only one to replace him.
　Of course, when Dusker disappears, someone will take over.
　But when asked if the person could act like a Dusker, Ray would probably say he couldn't.
　...though Ray had expected that it would never be possible, as I said.
　That's how rare a dusker is.
　Ray is undoubtedly to blame for moving such a person around on Sett's front legs.
　Dusker will be blamed, but Ray, who actually did so, will be blamed.
　For those reasons Ray couldn't have done such a thing.

"I'm sorry, Seto,"
"Glu?"

　When I pat my head while apologizing to Seto, he seems unable to understand why I was apologized, and he grunts strangely.
　But I didn't do anything about it because I liked to have Ray pat my head.

"Well, for the time being, there seems to be nothing wrong here, and I was wondering if I should go home."

　Before Ray finishes, Seto first realizes.
　Then Ray noticed it momentarily late.
　Someone... No, something is approaching.
　If you think about it normally, the attacker might be a monster or something.
　But if it was just a monster, he would have given up the idea of attacking Seto on the spot as soon as he was aware of his presence, and would have fled the scene at full speed.
　But the approaching monster doesn't seem to leave at all, even though it's already within a certain distance of sensing the presence of Seto.
　On the contrary, the speed of approaching seemed to be rising.

"Wow, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh!"

　What I heard was a cry like that.
　The call suggested Ray was probably a wolf monster.
　In that case, however, there is something strange about it.
　Basically, wolf monsters are similar in behavior to animal wolves, usually in groups.
　Nevertheless, only one scream has been heard now.
　And there is only one sign of approaching.
　There is a good chance that an individual who for some reason had been kicked out of the herd would come to attack Ray and Sett on hunger or whatever.
　But for that matter, it seemed like a shout of war.
　as if he were not cornered, but wanted to fight himself...

"Oh my God!"
"Wow!"
"Wow, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh!"

　The next thing I heard was three cries.
　There's only one sign of approaching, but why?, Ray takes the spear of death size and twilight out of the mistling.
　Seto also seems to have had no fun being interrupted while playing with Ray, so he waits, ready to deal with the enemy whenever it comes.
　Then... it was a huge dog monster who appeared among the trees.
　Yes, a monster with three faces of a huge dog.
　Naturally, Ray knows the monster's name.

"Cerberos, if you notice Set, you won't withdraw."

　To be honest, it was Ray's impression that he saw Kerberos in front of him.
　The size of the body is equal to that of Seto.
　They have black hairs, each long and sharp as a needle.
　That was the power of a half-baked weapon that could be played with its hair.
　Also, the three heads glare at Seto and Ray with a fierce expression on their faces and a breath of flame shining in the darkness of the night.
　Rank B Monster, Kerberos.
　ただし、その能力は限りなくランクAに近いと言われている.
　非常に凶暴な性格をしており、自分よりも高ランクのモンスターを相手にしても、逃げるようなことはない.
　いや、寧ろ嬉々として襲い掛かりすらする.
　そんなケルベロスにとって、レイとセトは自分の中にある闘争心をぶつけるにちょうどいい相手なのは間違いなかった.

『ワオオオオオオオオオオン！』

　今度は、三つの首が同時に吠え……その雄叫びが戦い開始の合図となる.
　レイとセトと戦うのは、首を三つ持つケルベロス.
　二対一の戦いではあるが、三つの首を考えれば二対三と判断することも出来る.
　そんなケルベロスは、三つの首で噛みつこうとレイに向かって来た.
　セトではなくレイを相手にしたのは、やはり身体の大きさが理由なのだろう.
　セトとケルベロスは共に体長三m程.
　先に弱い相手を倒して、後でセトという自分と同じ大きさを持つ相手と戦いたいと思ったのか、それともセトよりもレイの方が強いと思ったのか.
　その辺りの理由はレイには分からなかったが、相手が自分に向かって攻撃をしてくるのであれば、それこそ願ってもない.
　ケルベロスとは今まで戦ったことがなく、未知のモンスターだ.
　つまり、その魔石を使えば魔獣術によってスキルを取得出来る可能性があるのだ.No, if you think you're a Rank B monster, you should have mastered your skills.

"Fly off!"

　A flying sword fired from a death size flies toward Kerberos.
　But he's a Rank B monster.
　Ray doesn't think he can shoot down, and this blow is just a check.
　Kerberos also makes himself low as he runs and easily avoids flying.
　Even if you lower yourself, the speed at which you run remains the same, and the three necks peel their tusks at Ray with their tusks.
　If Kerberos had two necks, he could do something with both hands.
　But Kerberos has three heads.
　The right and left hands alone cannot cope with the attack.

"Normally!"

　Ray wields a magical death size.
　The blow was heavy enough to blow away Kerberos.
　A death size weighing 100 kg is such that Ray and Sett hardly feel the weight when they hold it.
　With that blow, I hit one of my faces... ...and it's not a blow I can stand even if I have as much body as Seto.
　a blowaway Kerberos
　Still, it looks like a Rank B monster, and even though it's blown away by its death size, it can be positioned when it bounces several times on the ground.

'Gururururururururururururururururururururururururur

　Towards Ray, all three necks squeak with intimidation.
　The sound itself is not much different from Seto's, but it's probably due to the emotions contained in it. From Kerberos, it's as if the adventurers of the neighborhood could shake.

"Come on, isn't this the end of it?"

　Ray provokes, holding the spear of death and twilight.
　Even though he doesn't understand Ray's words, Kerberos kicks him in the ground and leaps at him.

"Powerslash!"
'Gambling!'

　a power slash that increases the power of a blow
　It was powerful enough to blow away the three-meter-long Kerberos.
　What's more, the blow is the same, but its power is quite different from the blow I made earlier.
　A few previous bounces to the ground allowed Kerberos to stop his movement, but this time without bouncing to the ground, it blew straight to the ground as if he had thrown a ball, and finally stopped his movement when he hit a growing tree.

"Eating... what!"

　Then Ray throws his left twilight spear at Kerberos, who hits a tree and falls to the ground.

"Oops!"

　You must have noticed a thrown spear. When the head in the middle of Kerberos makes a sharp sound, he kicks the ground at once from a falling position and avoids attacking the spear in twilight.
　But the move was within Ray's expectations.
　Throwing his twilight spear at him, Ray had already made up his mind with the death size in his hand.
　And Ray, who has not yet fully recovered himself, brings back the twilight spear that sticks to the ground.
　It's one of the special abilities of twilight spears to get them back at hand just by thinking about them.
　When Ray pauses, the mouths of his three necks open at the same time and he sees a slight flame in his throat, he exercises his skill with a strong hand holding the death size.

"Magic Shield!"

　a shield of light that emerges in an instant
　At the same time, the three mouths of Kerberos spit out firebraces.
　Normally, one person is powerful enough to burn easily.
　It was only natural, given that the Rank B monster is also a top-ranked monster.
　But the Magic Shield prevents any attack, though only once.
　Even if for some reason Ray breaks through the Magic Shield, he still wears a dragon robe made of dragon material.
　The flame of a Rank B monster doesn't make a single burn.
　And when the firebrace went out and the Magic Shield broke, Ray went further forward... cut it.
　A death-size blow had severed all three of Kerberos's heads.