We walked along the path in the forest, stepping through the underbrush.
The source of the water that the Seek Water spell had detected should be a little off to the side, straight ahead.

Satsuki was getting her bearings, Eileen was sniffing her clothes from time to time, Mee was keeping a sharp eye on the surroundings, and Cyril, though not yet proficient, was keeping a serious eye on the surroundings.
I, too, carefully walked forward, stepping firmly on the unstable footholds caused by overhanging tree roots.

The group had been walking for a while when Mee suddenly said, "I'm here.
Mee suddenly shouted a sharp warning.

'Stop, sir. ...... smells something.'

'What? I don't think so. I don't feel it that much myself.'

Irene rushes to sniff herself, but Mee shakes her head.

'No, I don't. I'm saying that I smell something dangerous. ...... I can't quite put my finger on it, but my intuition is telling me that it's not safe to go any further.'

Mee said, looking around more carefully.
I followed her lead and looked around.

But to my eyes, there seemed to be nothing unusual.
The scenery was the same as before, colored with green and brown.

If I had to say anything, it would be that the number of vines ( ) wrapped around the surrounding trees had increased slightly.
There was no response to the alert spell, and it's possible that Mee's intuition might be off once in a while...

No, wait...

Vine plants ......?
Maybe that's...

If that's the case, then it stands to reason that my intuition wouldn't be caught by an alert that requires me to sense a threat.

'...... Mee, have you ever heard of "Strangling Ivy", the Strangle Creeper monster?

At my question, Mee, standing in front of me, twitches her cat ears and then turns her gaze toward me.

'A strangle creeper? I've never heard of it. What kind is it?

Mi's honest question.
I responded by spewing out all the knowledge I had in my head.

Strangle creepers are known as a type of plant monster, but it might not be appropriate to call them monsters.
If anything, it is better to recognize it as a kind of trap.

A strangle creeper is a type of vine ( ) that spreads ivy over a wide area.
At first glance, it appears to be an ordinary, harmless plant that wraps itself around the surrounding trees and grows thickly.

However, the strangle creeper, which thrives over a vast area, does not miss an organism that enters its dominant territory.
As soon as its prey steps into its territory, the myriad ivy infestations begin to move like creatures with their own will, creeping up on its poor victims and wrapping around their bodies to strangle them.

The usual cause of death for victims at the hands of a strangle creeper is asphyxiation by strangulation.
The victim, whose arms and legs are bound by ivy, is strangled helplessly, usually for 30 seconds or so, and exhibits convulsive symptoms accompanied by dripping feces and urine, becomes comatose and stops breathing after about a minute, and dies after several minutes to several dozen minutes.

The territory of a strangle creeper varies from individual to individual, but a standard size strangle creeper is said to cover an area of about 10 meters square.
If one were to step into that territory, a living person would be strangled to death without a moment's hesitation...

In the event you're not sure what you're looking for, you'll be able to find a lot more information on the web.

'...... I see. You'll be able to find out the reason for the discomfort. The birdsong that had been coming from everywhere was no longer coming from this direction. And if you look closely, you'll see that there are dead animals hidden in the grass and behind the trees. A rabbit, a deer, and is that a wolf?

I looked at the place where Mee was pointing, but all I could see was a patch of grass.
If you stare closely, it may look like what she says is lying there, but if the observant thief girl says so, it must be exactly what it is.
When she thought about it, the scene in front of her suddenly seemed horrifying and a little frightening.

She shrugged her shoulders and added, "Well, that's not good.
I nodded my head in agreement.

Even though I knew that there was a nasty killer in front of me, if I didn't go this way, I would have to make a very steep and troublesome detour.
On the other hand, even if Irene and Satsuki tried to use their swords to cut through the ivy, there would be no end to it even if they cut down the ivy one by one.

In addition, Irene and Satsuki, although they are skilled swordsmen, are not invincible.
If they stepped into the Strangle Creeper's territory, it was uncertain whether they would be able to completely handle the ivy that attacked them from all directions, and it was not hard to imagine that they would eventually collapse from exhaustion if they continued to stand around.

If that's the case...

'I think it's best to do this here.

I raised my wand on the spot and began chanting spells, increasing the magical power in my body.

Then, after completing the Fireball spell, I threw the scorching ball of energy that I had created in front of me forward.

The ball of magical power landed on the ground in front of him as if it were being sucked in...


Do-go-go-go!


The magic power turned into red flames and engulfed the area where the Strangle Creeper seemed to be thriving with explosive flames.

When the flames ceased in an instant, a burning field of crackling sparks was created in a radius of about ten meters in front of them.
We had no choice but to burn other objects as well, but it was unavoidable.

Meanwhile, watching the collection of vines ( ) crumble into black charcoal, Mee muttered in dismay.

'Oh, you're still as amazing as ever ........ With William around, it's easy to take on such a nasty opponent.

I put my hand on her head and ruffled her hair as she looked up at me.

'I guess it's thanks to Mi that she noticed in advance. Otherwise, it would have been more serious. It's all Mee's fault.

'No, that's not true ......! Meow, meow, meow, .......'

She squinted her eyes like a cat, her cheeks turning bright red and her cat ears twitching.
She was still amazingly cute as ever.

On the other hand, the other three who were watching the scene said..,

''I like .......''

All of them wagged their fingers and looked envious.
I realized once again that we all have a hunger for approval.