In the center of the blood pool, Raffy slowly delivered his sword. Surrounding him were a large number of lacerated bloodwolf corpses.

　Raffy himself didn't have a single scratch on him.

''It took you longer than I thought... well...''

　I look around. However, I can't find the alchemist who came with me to this forest.

''Did they get separated...?

　If that's the case, it's a little bad. Unlike Raffy, Wraith doesn't have the ability to fight. If the demons find me, I'll have no choice but to run away. I could at least use alchemy to buy some time, though.

''We have to find it quickly.

　When Raffy was about to take a step forward in a hurry - suddenly, a roaring sound was generated.

''Nah........!

　Raffy paused and quickly placed her hand on the hilt of her sword, wary of her surroundings.

''What was that sound...''

　I look around, but there's no sign of a demon around. The source of the sound would be far away from where I am now. It was as if a tree was cut down with force all at once.

　I don't want to think of a demon capable of such a trick, though.

''What to do........''

　Your first priority is to meet up with the Wraith. Then, we head to Wraith's house to collect the materials and escape the forest.

　This would be the ideal flow, but it probably won't work out that well. Like the identity of the roaring sound just now, there are demons in this forest.

'I don't know what's going on here...'

　Deciding to start by searching for Wraith and exploring the area first, Raffy began to move.



　*****



　--I'm not sure if that was when I was 14 years old. My master told me to get the materials for alchemy (compulsory) and I visited a certain old graveyard.

　And it was the first time I met one. A horrible demon called the undead.

'Aaaaah!

　The Wraith was running. Full force, ready to die, and it was already a breeze. He didn't care that his lungs were starting to hurt, he just ran.

"f*ck you...!　Why do I have to be chased around so much just because I'm trying to get back to my home for the first time in a long time?

　Behind the running Wraith was a white-boned humanoid demon - a skeleton. It wore sturdy-looking armor and held a large sword with a rusty and poisonous color in its hand.

　The skeleton's size is easily over two meters, and the sight of it slicing away the trees of the forest as easily as if it were paper, one can only feel fear.

　Why are we in this situation?

　The skeleton had appeared out of nowhere.
　When Wraith, who had escaped from the Blood Wolf, was resting on a tree, he suddenly appeared from somewhere and reaped the tree with his great sword.

　Wraith was fortunate enough not to be seriously injured even though the tree was cut down, but he was chased by skeletons for a long time afterwards.

''I wonder what we'll do...!

　Every time you hear the sound of the great sword cutting the air with a powerful bang from behind you, a chill runs down your spine. If it was a direct hit, Wraith's body would easily be shattered.

　Although I have been thinking about escaping somehow, just like with Blood Wolf.

　In any case, skeletons have few weaknesses.

　First of all, they have no five senses. That's why potions and dyes that repel demons and block vision are completely ineffective.

　To put it bluntly, against skeletons, Wraith's alchemy to buy time is not expected to have much of an effect.

　On top of that, the skeleton chasing the Wraith is clearly strange.

　Normal skeletons don't have huge bodies that exceed two meters in height. Of course, it's also impossible for them to cut down a tree with a single blow with a large sword.

　At that point, he knew that he was a better individual than an ordinary skeleton.

　However, even such a skeleton has only one fatal weakness. It's a type of potion called 'Holy Water'.

　Although there are only a few of them due to the fact that the material is a bit difficult to obtain, but holy water is immensely effective against undead-type demons.

　There are three such holy water in Wraith's hand. However, you can't defeat the undead just by hitting them with holy water. At best, stalling them would be the limit.

　Therefore, the Wraith must escape from the skeleton while using the three holy water. Even the Wraiths don't want to be ground meat in a place like this.

''Well, realistically speaking, it's going to be tough to escape, but...''

　Perhaps because it hasn't been that long since the escape drama with Bloodwolf, Wraith's physical strength is nearing its limit. He is also short of breath, and it's not surprising that the skeleton could catch up with him at any moment.

　Wraith glances at her bag while moving her legs. Then next, he looked around busily.

''........Okay.''

　Wraith blurted out as if he had made up his mind about something. Next, he took out the first bottle of holy water from his bag and threw it at the skeleton.

　The skeleton, which was drenched in holy water on its face, stops moving with a snap and looks like it is struggling.

''While we're at it.......!

　Using his remaining strength sparingly, the Wraith aims for a certain (...) place (...). It's a place that Wraith knows because he lived in this forest.

　When Skelton is freed from the effects of the holy water, he chases after the Wraith, swinging his great sword, as if to say that he will never let her escape.

　Even though Wraith almost caught up with him many times, he uses holy water and alchemy to buy time.

　And then--

For God's sake, let it work!

　Wraith splashed water on the grass that was growing from the ground as soon as he reached his destination. The skeleton was almost there and he had a frantic look on his face.

''Compression,'' ''Agitation.''

　Wraith activates two alchemy techniques in succession, and then leaves the place as it is.

　Of course, the skeleton also tries to chase the Wraith as it is.

　However, he lost his stance when he raised his great sword wide.

　Seeing the skeleton fall to the ground with a flourish, Wraith let out a big sigh. Looking at the skeleton's legs, he saw that there was a large amount of grass growing from the ground that was tangled up in it.

　The name of that grass is called Kuchina grass, and it produces a trace amount of sticky liquid when it is kneaded with water. With a large amount of gardenia grass, the powerful adhesive action could be used intentionally.

　Just like the Wraiths now.

'In case you're wondering, it's a good thing I remembered all the things in the forest that could be used as alchemy materials...'

　Wraith breathes on his shoulder with a look of exasperation.
　Although it's impossible to keep him in custody forever, this will buy us some time.

　I'd like to join Raffy while I'm at it. It would be nice for Wraith to hear the sound of trees being chopped down and get closer to us.

'For now, let's take all the steps we can.