We left Rishnal Lake as the sun began to set after the cleansing was over.
　We need to continue exploring for a few more days to see if there is anything else unusual.
　So today, we are moving to some distance away and making an encampment.

''I'm really grateful for the request with you guys this time. If it had been just us, I don't know what would have happened....

No, I was saved from a very dangerous situation by Miss Merce. I'm glad to have been able to accompany Mr. Gretz and the others.

'Yes. That's why my brother and I didn't get eaten.

　The Crocodilus Rex nearly ate me and I have to thank Mr. Maas for that.
　This Mr. Mars is sitting as far away as he went, but I think he's glancing at me.
　Gretchen and her friends are talking about the day's events.

I was wary when I heard that we were commissioning an investigation for a B rank 2 party, but I didn't think it would be as horrific as this.

''There were twelve Rexes and more Crocodilus than I could count, and this is already a big defeat. I've never participated in a big defeat before, so it's a great experience.

'Stupid, what a good experience. I've had my lifespan reduced by being surrounded by such a large number of crocodilus.

　Weil-san is rushing in on Azery-san.
　We've already experienced the big defeat class many times, but it's not like big defeats happen that often.
　A total of 12 Crocodilus Rex appeared, all of which we defeated with just Esther and Noll.
　The skins from the drop items are pretty rare, so I've already collected them.
　It looks like they can be used as materials for armor, so I guess I'll give these to Dius and the others.

　While I was thinking about this, Mars-san, who was only glancing at me a moment ago, comes closer.
　He had an awkward look on his face as he stuck his hands into his pants, but he called out to me.

''I'm sorry about... well, what... for everything,''

　Ma, Mr. Mars apologized to me!　What's the matter with me all of a sudden?
　Sisha is laughing with amusement as she looks at Maas-san, who has apologized to me for my confusion, looking elsewhere.

''Ufufu, it looks like you're finally ready to acknowledge us. I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make an honest apology. I'm very impressed.

Shut up!　d*mn, is this guy really a priest........

'I'm really sorry about our priest...'

　You came here to apologize, but you have no idea what the hell you're talking about!　You really are a helpless priest.
　However, Mars-san, who had an embarrassed look on his face as if that distracted him, has completely returned to his usual tone.
　Then he changed his expression to a serious one and stared at me.

'Is something wrong?'

"...I'm sorry for being a pain in the ass to you in particular. Okura, you saved my life when I was surrounded.

Oh, no, I don't think so...

　I can't believe Mr. Maas thanked me!　And it's the first time I've ever been called Okura!
　Can I assume that this is an approval?
　............................That, something is wrong. Surrounded means when the scaffolding collapses, right?
　It was supposed to be Sisha who put up the Goddess' sanctuary at that time, so why are you thanking me?
　After finishing my talk with Gret and the others while wondering, I decided to discuss it with Sisha and the others.

I'm not sure why Marth thanked me.　Aren't you going to tell Sisha?

Maybe she knows that it was Okura-san who used the Goddess' sanctuary. She's quite good.

It's amazing that you're not fooled by Sisha, who said it so confidently. If it were me, I'd believe it completely.

'I'm not asserting myself, so I don't know if you're aware of it. But the fact that you have taken the trouble to tell me this means that you must have an inkling of what is going on. That's how well he knows his surroundings.

　Indeed, at that time, the Goddess' sanctuary revolved around me, the user.
　Don't tell me that you had a hunch that I was the one who triggered it?
　Gret said he's very vigilant, but I didn't think he'd notice this much.
　Marth was also the one who found the sacred body of Testudo-sama buried in the mud, and that man must be quite an amazing person.
　Once my doubts were cleared up, the next step was to talk about the current mutation.

We'll continue our investigation for a few more days, but I think we've solved the Rishnal Lake problem for now.

'Yes. I don't think they can make something that large happen over and over again, and I don't think there's going to be any more mutations here.

This one was amazing. Their individual strength was in its own right, but if there had been any more Rexes, they would have been a threat.

''Hmmm, you were able to stop that from happening thanks to me cleansing the lake!　You don't mind if you compliment me, do you?

"Yes, yes, yes, thanks for your work.

I'm not feeling it. That's okay.

　Sisha is not happy with my reply. This guy gets carried away when I give him too much praise.
　I'm really grateful to him for purifying the lake.

I'm not sure why I caused such a strange phenomenon in this place. The presence of Testudo-sama's deity means that it was planted after the disturbance at the shrine, right?

You didn't attack the shrine to lose your guardian god's blessings, but to take his body?

It's a reasonable assumption. The blessings will be removed from Sevalia while taking away the goddess' body. Considering the traps and the demons that were there, though, it sounds like they put some effort into it.

'Even if we're squashing that idea, it's a tricky opponent to act two or three moves ahead of us. We've been chasing them from Queres, but we still haven't even been able to catch their tail.

　It started with Queres, because I haven't been able to get any clues other than speculation until now.
　Is it really the involvement of a demon, or is there another entity doing this?
　But unlike the time of Grandis in Queres, this time they still seem to be active in Sevalia, so it seems unlikely that they will escape so easily.
　If you continue to pursue it, you might be able to find the mastermind behind it.

There's a lot of things we don't know about that red monster, and this time there are a lot of things we don't know about.

'It was similar to Diabolus, and I'm sure they're friends. But for now, let's just think about the future.

'In the meantime, we need to figure out what Diabolus and the others are up to.

　After all, what is the reason for causing mutations here and there, and even taking away the Goddess' body?
　If we don't know that, it's hard to decide what we should do from now on.
　Ester-san gave me her opinion on my question.

'Hmm, I suppose. First of all, maybe we should go to the temple after this investigation is over.

Surely you should at least give them a report since you've found the deity, right?

Yes, as well as the size of the stolen object of worship. If it's as big as the one enshrined in the shrine, it means that the stolen object is still there.

Does this mean that we're going to see another mutation like this one?

''You're a punishing opponent to cause a strange change through the medium of a deity. I'm sure the people in the temple would be furious if they knew.

　Even that mature-looking Irina-san would be furious if she found out that she was using her patron goddess' sacred body to generate demons.
　In a way, it's a blasphemous deed, I'm afraid of what kind of reaction I'll get just going to tell him.

It's also important to know whether or not this latest mutation was just an experiment or if they had some other agenda.

What else?

'For example, you were going to generate a mass of demons while Sevalia was confused by the loss of her guardian's blessing.

But if you did that, weren't those red demons also used to protect the shrine?

'Yes. So it's quite possible that this mutation would have happened with or without your blessing.

''You mean you didn't rely on the blessing? Then it would be something else to aim for, but...

　In other words, he was trying to cause this mutation unrelated to the matter of the shrine.
　The only priority was to secure the sacred body, and the loss of the guardian god's blessing was only a decoy.

The other reason why you chose this place for the sake of it is because it's so far away from Sevalia. It could be simply because it's far from Sevalia, but probably not.

You've seen Diabolus, and if that's the case, I suppose a change of location wouldn't hurt.

I don't know why it had to be here, but I don't know.

''Hmm, the only idea that comes to mind is that it's so far away that it could easily develop into a major defeat, but... if I were to express my opinion from a priestly standpoint, would it be something like the compatibility of the sacred object and the demon?''

There's no such thing as chemistry.

''Yes, as I've said before, I think Testudo-sama is a demon. Depending on the affinity with the demon that is the source of its power, the effect will be different as well.

Oh, I wonder if that idea could only come from a priest. I wouldn't have thought of that. Nice work, Sis-Ha.

It's not every day that I get a compliment from Esther, so I'm happy.

　That's how you get along with demons. So you're saying that Master Testudo is a close crocodile?
　That's why such a large number of demons sprang up all at once.
　I wonder if there are various conditions in the place where the demons are generated, and it's not possible to trigger a mutation anywhere?
　Come to think of it, the places where mutations have occurred until now were originally places where demons appeared.
　It's a rare thing for Sisha to come up with an opinion to the point that Esther is impressed with it.

I was thinking about the proximity of the sea and the type of demons. If we can generate a large number of demons here, there is a possibility that not only the land but also the sea will be full of these demons. And I'm not talking about the small island near here that has something to do with the temple.

Oh, I see!

　If they're doing something on that little island, they may have been thinking of creating a mass of demons here to release them into the sea and keep the ships away.
　If they were to be attacked by a Rex at sea, there would be no room for one more.
　It's doubtful that crocodiles can operate in the sea, but they're demons, so I guess that's not a problem.

But the sea has its own blessings, right?　If that's the case, demons shouldn't be able to get to Kojima, right?

'I don't know about that either. After all, they are demons generated by the power of the guardian gods. It's possible that the blessings could break through without any problems.

　I see, so it doesn't matter if I have a guardian god's blessing or not.
　But if that's the case, there's another question that comes up.

''So what do you think the protection here was pretty thin?

'I guess that's the only part they weren't expecting. I was enhanced, too, and you didn't think Sisha could cleanse the lake, did you?

"Before, they only had one strong monster, but this time they generated a large number of decent monsters. I think he was trying to hit them with quantity rather than quality.

''Ufufu, it's more of a fight for us to beat them in large numbers. I'm sure our opponents will be frustrated by this.

　Last time we fought the Diabolus to show as little of our power as possible.
　There's a good chance that they haven't been able to assess our strength.
　But when I think about it that way, I can't help but feel that they'll be putting more effort into it from now on...will they be able to get to the mastermind safely?