"And ...... me, dah!

　One of the holy knights, wobbling, fires a stopping blow at the demon.
　The last of the demons finally stopped their activities and fell to the ground.

"Hahahaha ...... it's finally over. ......

　A holy knight kneeling with a sword in his staff.
　There were more than a dozen dead demons lying around them.
　These were all demons they had defeated.
　They were foolishly fighting all the demons they met without avoiding unnecessary battles.
　Also.

Are you hurt, dryad?

　A cheerful Edil, though covered in wounds all over his body, smiles and talks to the dryad.
　Honestly, the sight of the bloody man breathing heavily and smiling at you is a bit of a horror story.

"Yes, it's okay. Thanks to you, I have a lot of herbs.

"Oh, that's good!

　Keep up the good work.
　The dryad is wandering deep into the great demon forest in search of medicinal herbs, and the boss fights doggedly to make her look good.
　The holy knights were already reaching their physical and mental limits.

Captain, it's time to call a retreat. We don't have any more.

　The deputy director, unable to bear it, makes a proposal to Edil.
　But Edil judges that the XO's comments were cowardly.

"How can you be so pathetic. Look at the dryad. Even this deep in the woods, he's still alive and well!

(That's because the kid wasn't fighting, though.)

　But here's what they should have known.
　Edil was right about the dryad being ping-pong crazy.
　No matter how much they weren't fighting, a woman in a dress is nonchalantly walking through a forest with poor footing and many dangerous demons, an insane situation.

　But even if she had noticed it, Edil, whose eyes were clouded by love, would not have been able to make a calm judgment.
　So, the deputy director decided to take a different approach and persuade Edil.

Considering the enemies we've fought to get here, there is a risk of encountering a similar enemy when we retreat. In that case, it's clear that the weary men will have even more trouble than they did. If you plan to go further in, you should avoid taking non-combatant women with you. You should come back and try again when you are well prepared.

　To go forward must also take into account the return journey.
　To go any further in the present weary state would be nothing short of suicide.

MUH......

　As expected, Edil's eyes weren't so glazed over that he couldn't understand the meaning of the XO's words.
　He looked down in disappointment for a moment, but quickly regained his composure and turned to the dryad.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Dryad. Since we are not ready, we should withdraw from this area at this time. Fortunately, we have a sufficient amount of herbs.

　Edil was hesitant to show weakness towards the dryad, but he tried to persuade the dryad that there was nothing to gain if he was wiped out.
　Normally, it would be strange for his client, Edil, to keep a low profile, but he had a weakness that he was in love with, so there was no way he could win.

"Is that so?　I'm sorry to hear that.

　Fortunately, the dryad seemed to accept Edil's words and did not complain about the withdrawal.

"Lasse-sama wouldn't retreat and continue gathering herbs with the momentum to the other side of the forest, but Edil-sama isn't Lasse-sama, so there's no way around it.

What?

　The subordinates were relieved to finally be able to return home, but an oversized land mine was stepped on.

"Lasse-Tamer can go to ......?

　It was a humiliation to Edil, who had clearly stated to Lasse that the man he hated was better than him, as he was the enemy of Lasse.
　You're not going to be able to get a good deal more than you would like. 　　

"Ha-ha-ha! We are only retreating in the interest of safety. We can even turn around and go back to the other side of the forest!

　Buying words. Lasse's rivalry with Edil makes him say things he wouldn't do.

Hey, captain!　What do you mean?　What if they take you seriously!

　The assistant director rushes to stop him.

"Don't be a softy!　We're the Holy Knights of the King's Temple!　If a demon hunter can do it, we can't do it!

"You're dealing with a demon hunter with a dragon!　Don't think like we do!

"Do you think we are less than that man?

　Emotionalized by his rivalry with Lasse, Edil shouts out.

'There are more demons out there than just dragons!　Of course we're at a disadvantage if we're not prepared!

　Normally, the XO would obey his superiors without disobeying them, but with his life at stake, he couldn't afford to do so.
　But here was a mistake.
　In their overheated state, they neglected to warn their surroundings and continued to shout in the dangerous woods.

　The woods were filled with a violent vibration.

What the hell?

　Suddenly, with a jolt, Edil and the others look around, oblivious to the argument.
　Then they realize.
　And then they noticed a figure looking down on them.

This is ......?



　It was a huge lion.
　But it was no ordinary lion, and although it was a lion, it had three shark-like teeth at either end of its mouth, and its face was shaped like a human's. The expression on its face was one of delight at finding its prey.
　The expression is the look of joy on the face of a predator when it finds its prey.

　The lion wags his long tail at a nearby holy knight.
　The holy knight manages to raise his shield on the spur of the moment, but the shield cracks open like a cookie and blows the holy knight's body to pieces.

What a tail!

　If you look at the tip of the lion's tail, the tip of the lion's tail is swollen like a mace, with a series of long, thick needles like spikes at the end.

Oh my God, that's a manticore. The needle in the tail is poisonous, so please be careful.

　Upon hearing the word "poison", the holy knights immediately raise their shields and surround their blown-up comrades.
　Then one of the holy knights goes inside and cures the fallen comrade by casting a poisoning spell.

Be careful, I can send the needle flying.

　Dryads who comfortably give advice like it's someone else's. "Deploy all hands on deck!

"Deploy all hands on deck defensive magic!

'No, they all have no magic left!　If you use any more magic, you will lose consciousness!

What?

　Edil is surprised that his men are more exhausted than he thought.
　But the enemy doesn't care about our situation.
　The Manticore's long tail snaps again as it attacks Edil and the others.
　The holy knight's shield, which was meant to protect him, is broken again.

Are you hurt?

None!

　A subordinate, whose shield was destroyed, responds to checking for poison needles.

All hands retreat! He who has a shield and a long coat, go back with a diversion!

　Following Edil's instructions, a holy knight with a large shield serves in the hall, and behind him a holy knight with a spear or a bow takes his place.
　The holy knight with the bow fires an arrow at the manticore.
　The Manticore dodges the attack and slams his tail again.
　The holy knight catches the attack at the cost of his shield.
　The shield this time is indeed a large one, and was not destroyed by a single attack, but you never know what will happen if it strikes twice or thrice.
　A solid shield that was designed for practice would have held up better, but the holy knights' shield had sacrificed performance in order to look good. That's why they were so fragile, even though they were not shields.

"Mr. Dryad, my men will escort you.

"What will you do, Master Edil?

I will return after defeating this demon.

　Edil stands in front of the dryad, sword at the ready. 　
　Several holy knights attack the manticore with their bows, and after avoiding all of their attacks, the holy knight with a spear inflicts a wound on the manticore's body.
　But it doesn't do much damage as the power is greatly diminished by the thick, hard fur before it reaches the body.

Quickly!

　Shields destroyed, spearless knights rush the dryad.

"We have weapons without magic!　Try to avoid getting hit by your opponent's attacks and scrape away!　That way, we can take it down for sure, even if it takes a long time!

　Following Edil's instructions, your men will focus on evasive tactics as the battle progresses.
　If this is the case, it will take some time, but we can win.
　That's what everyone thought.
　Except for about one man and one animal.

"Oh my, you'll get wiped out if you keep fighting that way.

　The dryad mutters dismissively.

"What?

　The holy knight who was able to hear that little murmur tilted his head.
　Why would they lose when they have the upper hand?
　Noticing the Holy Knight's doubts, the dryad replies with a bewitching smile at him, "Because there's only one demon.

''Because there's only one of those demons.

　That was true, but then it would be easy to defeat the enemy, wouldn't it?　So thinks the holy knight.

"But shouldn't a living creature think that it has a mate?

　For a moment, the holy knight didn't understand the meaning of the dryad's words, but he soon figured out what it meant.
　But the realization came too late.

　A new roar echoes through the forest.

No way. ......

　Thanks to the dryad's explanation, the only one who could understand the situation correctly was the despairing face of the holy knight.
　From the corner of his eye, he saw a flock of manticores coming one by one from deep in the forest.