A huge white object runs up the river Wejus.
　The fishermen were amazed by the bizarre sight, the waterfowl flew away and the fish were deliciously tucked in by the tentacles.
　That's right, a kraken.
　But the kraken is essentially a sea monster. They are not the creatures of freshwater rivers like this one.
　That's why the neighbors were so surprised.

"It really doesn't shake.

　Kara, who accompanies Lasse and the others as a guide, bounces on top of the Kraken and frolics.

"Basically, giant aquatic demons tend to have soft bodies.

Wow, that's strange.

　Due to their size, these aquatic giants can only live in water that is at a certain depth.
　And since deep water generates high water pressure, their soft bodies are necessary for them to be flexible enough to accept the changes in water pressure.
　They had no way of knowing this fact, though.
　What's more, it didn't matter to Lasse.
　His eyes are now glued to the contents of her skirt, which glances up at him as it bounces in front of him.

(Natural isn't bad, either.)

　Fortunately for the demons, who can't understand human nature, they can't understand the meaning of the Lord's gaze and the changes in human expression.
　No, there were. There were people who could understand.

"Master Lasse, you look beautiful over there!

Yes, that's right Lord, it's more beautiful over there.

　Yes, it was Lamia and the Sirens.
　They were half-human, female-only demons who understood the meaning of Lasse's gaze by instinct.
　It was a woman's intuition that was to be feared.

"Agaga.

　It takes two people to forcibly remove their gaze from Lasse.
　And the demons look at them in amazement.

　They are the demons that came along with this request as bodyguards.
　Since this route is a waterway, the demons chosen were carefully selected for their aquatic and flight abilities.
　Also, since demons like Trent, who are not good at moving fast, are left out, Kalkinos, who can only walk sideways, is also left out.

Master Lasse!

　And then the Harpy who had been leading the way on the reconnaissance came back.

"What's up?

　Lasse returns to the posture that the lamia had forced him to adopt and asks the Harpy.

You know, there's a lot of giant toads and stuff down the road.

　The Harpy's task was to understand the obstructing demons and difficult terrain to move through.
　To ensure the Kraken could transport the drug, he had to clear the obstacles ahead of them.

"We'll go clear the roadblock, then.

　With that, Merman and Taraxk's bodyguards stepped in front of the Kraken and continued on their way.

"Well, it's only a giant toad, but for me, it's a pre-dinner snack.

　The Kraken, who has been banned from fighting to focus on transport, blurts out.

"Thank you for saying that, but I can only ask the Kraken to do this. Since we don't have time or a do-over, we have to be very careful.

I'm aware.

　Admonished by Lasse, the Kraken reluctantly decides to focus on the transport.
　Then a large column of water rises from the direction where Merman and his friends are headed.


　The water column rises in the direction of Merman's group.

"No but early!　If it's this fast, we'll be at our destination within a week!

　Soid, who had ridden in the Kraken with me, exclaimed in admiration.
　The owner of the carriage carrying the medicine, he said he would buy the village horse and resume his journey after the baggage is delivered.
　After all, if you return to town, you won't be able to earn money until Lasse and the others return.
　As a merchant, he wanted to avoid that.
　That's why Soid's horses were sold to a ranch in Dexter's town, and now they're waiting to meet their new owner.
　He used the price to buy the trade goods traded in Dexter City.

I'd say we'll reach our destination in three days at this speed, or four if we have time.

　With that, Soid unfolded a simple map that showed how to get to his destination.

"Oh, do you have a map?

　This was a surprise to even Lasse.
　At this time, only the nobility and soldiers had maps.
　Maps are mainly used for warfare, so even simple maps are rarely used by civilians.
　If you want one, you have to make it yourself, because you can't buy one.

Yes, I mapped out my own roads and the ones I heard about to help me in my business.

　Then Soid generously showed me his map.

"Oh, this is quite a detailed map.

　In fact, Soid's map was detailed and quite accurate, although not as accurate as the military map.
　Still, it's more than good enough to be considered an amateur's map.

The town of Dexi is here, so I guess it's around here now.

　Soid ran his finger up the painting of the Wejus River from a place marked with the name of the town of Dexsi, and stopped halfway there. He was about 1/7th of the way from his destination.

We'll want to be in a hurry, since we're probably going to have a monster attack or something.

But there's no point in rushing and ruining the pills.

"It's a difficult place to be.

"It's okay!　It's so fast and soft!　Klar will be right there!

Kraken!

　The Kraken is shocked by Kara's no-nonsense words, which have been mixed in with the seriousness of the conversation.
　Her client, Kara, seemed to have complete faith in the Kraken's speed.

Well, we bet on the Kraken, so it's pointless to worry about it now.

Is.



　That's when the men were convinced.

"Master Lasse!　There's a big waterfall ahead!

""......"

　The two men cover their faces at the too-timely report from the Harpy.

"Are you cursed with this request?

I have to admit, I agree with you.

　Even though the other person was a natural object, they still couldn't help but feel some kind of malice.

"Don't worry. We don't have a problem with waterfalls.

　And then came the Kraken's too masculine dare.

No, the waterfall's vibrations are quite loud. It's dangerous even if you're not careful.

　Lasse, who had traveled through various lands to use the demon, understood how great the force of the waterfall was.
　And with a waterfall big enough to move a giant kraken, the vibrations would be considerable.

"Mr. Soid, is there a route around here that we can take?

　Lasse asks Soid, who has a map, to show him a detour.

"I'm sorry, but my map only shows places that humans have traveled before, so I don't have any information about the uncharted areas,

"Then the Harpy ......

So there is no need. If you can't take the waterfall, you can walk on land.

"Huh?

　The Kraken gently lifted the carriage with the potion with two tentacles and placed Lasse and the others on another tentacle.

"We just have to walk on the ground where the vibrations of the waterfall cannot reach us.

　Thus, the crisis in Otaki was averted with the clever solution of the Kraken.

　◇

"Ah!　That's the suspension bridge to get to the village in the valley!

　When Lasse and the others returned to the river again, Kara pointed to a thin line in the distance.
　They were already in the desired valley, surrounded by a large quay.

Woo, the wind around here is choppy!

　The Harpy, who was on a scouting mission, comes back with her hair and feathers ruffled.

"Did you find any dangerous demons?

Hmmm, sounds fine. Even the demons in the sky can't fly in this wind!

　The Harpy reports to me while Lasse takes care of my hair and feathers.

It's all right!　No demons will appear at this point!　There are holy wards that the priests put up around the village!

　And Kara, excited at her return home, stresses.

"Holy Wards?

"That's right!　This is a village that has housed horrible demons for generations!　And they have strong wards to ward off any evil that tries to break the demon's seal!

　It was here that Lasse realized he hadn't heard of Kara's identity.
　It's been a setback since they arrived, a setback that speaks volumes about the aborted plan.

That's great. Isn't that a pretty high priestess to be able to set up wards to keep the demons out?

　It's a good idea to have a good time with your friends.

(They were fake priests who couldn't even use good recovery magic.

"That's right! Because the priest is a literal genius at sealing demons as well as warding magic!

　And then Kara's tension dropped.

The priest, however, has been stricken with a terrible disease. Her complexion grew worse and worse, she couldn't walk on her own, and finally her magic power was weakened and the demon's seal was broken!　That's why there was a hole in the warding that protected the village, and the demons were able to get in through the hole in the warding.

　Carla sadly explains the situation.

"That's why I was looking for a potion to cure the priestess' illness!　You did it, Priestess!　Kara finally got the medicine!

　Lasse and Soid nodded at each other while watching Kara jumping with excitement.

There's a hole in the wards ......

It's a hole in the ground that allows demons to get in.

"Huh?　What's going on with you two?

　Kara tilts her head at the two mysterious faces.

'The Harpy and Merman, go scout again!　Tarascus and his team are on alert to be ready for battle as soon as they get off the Kraken!

　At Lasse's command, the demons immediately dispersed.
　But it was too late.
　Kuro spots had appeared on the kraken's white body.
　No, they were shadows.
　Something huge had fallen from above, casting a shadow over the kraken's body.

A rock?

　It was a huge rock.
Dozens of rocks were falling on the kraken.

I don't!

　Merman gasps in frustration.
　No matter how proud of your valor you were, it was too difficult to destroy the countless gigantic boulders that were coming down from above with great force.
　The same is true for the harpies. They are light enough to fly.
　Their sharp claws are good for tearing the enemy apart, but they're still not suited for dealing with the huge rocks.


　It's a very good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.

At least keep the potion to yourself: ......?

!

　Pee-pee.

　Lasse tried to give desperate instructions to the Kraken, but the Kraken bounced off the rocks with all nine of its legs, except for the legs that held the medicine carriage in place.
　It was as easy as flicking gravel.
　It was as easy as popping gravel.
　It was big enough to cast a shadow on the kraken's body, but not big enough to cast a speck of shadow. It would have been easy to blow away dozens of them if the kraken's feet had cleared them.
　Rocks bounced off of it and blew away in all directions.
　And then, with a thud, a mass of rock buried against the valley wall.

　And then something else fell.
　It wasn't a thing but a creature.

A giant troll!

　The monster was a giant troll that had a huge body and was attacking the enemy.
　Instead of one giant troll, more than one fell.

''Master Lasse!　Up!

　If you look over the cliff at the Harpy's words, you'll see a flock of giant trolls.

Well, they must have dropped a rock!

"Apparently, the enemy was living off of crushed prey that were unlucky enough to drop rocks from the sky and not be able to counterattack.

　When Merman sees the giant troll, he sees that the rock is made by man.

But I think we know how it works!　Harpy!　Airborne units head to intercept the giant trolls!

"Got it!　I'm going to kill you!

　After receiving Lasse's order, the Harpy and the other flying demons took off into the sky at full speed as if to repay him.

　The Harpy and the other flying demons took off at full speed in the sky.

　Having fought off the flock of giant trolls, Lasse and his team continue to move deeper into the valley.

There it is!　That is our village, the village of Mitley!

　Kara pointed to a tiered town with a shimmering white temple at the far end.