After a short break after breakfast, we headed to the entrance of the "Bed of the Sheep God".

　On the way, we passed the members of the Alliance for Freedom, who were different from the men we saw yesterday. I had heard that the leaders of the Alliance would achieve their target contribution tomorrow, but would they still be diving into the 'Beach of the Falling Sun' today?

''They seem to be members of the lower part of the 'Alliance'. I could tell from the sign, but that's the entrance to the 'Ochiyang Beach'.......I'm a bit curious.
'Aricht, were you on a hostile tour yesterday when you were out of the room?　That's a lot of nerve....
'It just happened, and eavesdropping is basically a bad idea. They said that the goal is to reach them tomorrow, not today. It's going to take a lot for our members to dive every day without a break.
'We do that almost every day too, but my brother was feeling the most tired. But today, your skin seems to be glowing... ha!
'I had Louisa give me 'acupressure'. We're going to live in the same quarters, so everyone can ask for it if they wish.

　Even when I looked in the mirror in the morning, I still thought I was looking good. Igarashi-san seemed to want to say something, but I wonder if 'under what circumstances the acupressure was given' was still tricky.

'Well, well, it's good to see that you seem to have gotten rid of your fatigue. Louisa-san was in a good mood too, and it looks like she was fine in the same room.
'It's okay, Theresia-san is here too! Ms. Theresia is the conscience of our party.

　The person in question doesn't realize that she's being referred to, and she follows closely behind me to my left. The trust that she will not have a problem sharing a room with me seems to be gradually spreading among my friends. On the other hand, though, you could say that Theresa has become my supervisor.

''Kyouka-sister seems to have severe shoulder stiffness, so why don't you ask her to do it today?
'I thought you'd say that, but since I've been over here it's not that bad. I knew that sitting and working all the time wasn't the healthiest thing to do. It's like swinging a spear is good for your health.
I feel like just seeing the labyrinths of various environments while walking through them is very therapeutic. I feel like I'm exercising muscles that I don't normally use when I'm fighting demons.
'I think Arihito-san looks so much better than when I first saw her. You looked so tired from the soul.

　How many of these people could have imagined partying with that tired businessman - I was the one who couldn't imagine the situation right now the most.

'Tired from the soul... it's all right now, isn't it?
'Yes, I'm feeling much better. I'm about the most energetic of all of us.

　It's kind of embarrassing when you say that, but I'm sure I'm in good spirits. I'm leading everyone - or rather, I'm following from behind, but as a leader, I think I should be more motivated than anyone else.

''Ah, brother Arihito, good morning!
'Dr. Arihito, why don't we set up a simple camp today?　I'm going to look for 'sheep' on two levels, but I'm not sure how long it's going to take.

　Kaede and Ibuki seem to have slept well and are in good spirits. Anna is putting her hand over her mouth and stretching absent-mindedly, and Ryoko-san is still in a daze.

''........Ah. I'm sorry, I was up early and making lunch, so I was a little fuzzy.
Lyoko is our mother.
Oh, you're not so old as your mother, you know, and Atoobe must have laughed at you.
I'm surprised there are so many parties that make lunches because portable food is so tasteless.
We buy from a food truck, but we try to prepare our own breakfast and lunch. But when we come back from exploring, we mostly eat out.

　A lunchbox for lunch is fine, but if we were to camp, we'd need food that would last for the day. I also bought fuel for the night, as there was a lapse of time in the labyrinth - Madoka's 'carrying' was maximized, and the increased luggage could be carried without being a burden.

　Entering the interior of the labyrinth, the first level was still the same idyllic scene. I bypassed the part where I defeated the demon yesterday and moved out of sight of the flying faux beetle, avoiding the battle and reaching the entrance of the second level.

　As for party organization, I'll have Madoka join the Four Seasons this time.
Even if we become a separate party, there will be more opportunities to use 'Support Attacks' on Igarashi-san and Sion, so the magic power consumption will be less than if we were to use 'Other Assist' in succession. As we found out in the previous exploration, there will be situations where you need to support another party at key points, so using 'Other Assist' continuously will probably cause you to run out of magic power.

　After advancing through the undulating grasslands for a while, two stone pillars stood atop a hill. Passing through the space between them, we transitioned to the two levels - the clouds were mindlessly flowing fast, and although the scenery didn't change much, I felt a sense of tension from the moment I entered something.

That was........
'.........Aricht, that's the 'sheep' fellowship!

　Anna shouts excitedly. We enter the second level and suddenly we encounter - a single large mass of cotton wool that looks like a cottonball. The difference is that it has what looks like horns growing out of it.

　◆ Encountered demon ◆.

　Stray Sheep A: Level 1 Vigilance Drop: ?
　Stray Sheep B: Level 1 Alert: ?
　Stray Sheep C: Level 1 Vigilance Drop: ?

(Straysheep ... the lost sheep (Straysheep)?　(What the hell is level 1...?)

Arihito, they're over there...
Wait, isn't that a little hard to fight?　It's kind of cute to look at.
'Ummm, yeah I don't want to shoot that girl with a bow or anything either...'

　Misaki and Suzuna are hesitant to fight - but the Four Seasons are looking for sheep material to enhance Anna's weapons.

　I can't help but notice that they're level 1 here. Watadama had a vicious look on his face, but this time Stray Sheep was dull-eyed and cuddly as a plush toy, even if I observed it with my 'hawk's eye'.

''Anna, is that the 'sheep' that they say can be used to make a racket?'''
''No, the 'Stray Sheep' will run away quickly. We're talking about a higher level, the same strain of demons... I've been looking into ways to catch them, and I've prepared one of them.
''Ah ... they've run away. Those kids are harmless, but it's hard to get another demon to come out until the one you're after comes out.
Stray Sheep seems to have been eaten by other demons... I feel sorry for them, but that must be how the labyrinth ecosystem is built, right?

　Ibuki also seemed to have a weakness for cute things, and her expression was different from that of a brave karate fighter. Igarashi liked mofo, so he was relieved that he didn't end up fighting.

　A low level demon means that the contribution you can get from defeating it is considered low, and if you can't aim and trap it, then the efficiency of hunting it is also low.

　However, even with that, the 'sheep' type demons are still worth aiming at, and the other parties appear to be far away.

　Then we have to find a place to set the trap so that it doesn't cover the other parties. I want to focus on finding a place, but it doesn't seem to be an easy task.

　Another demon appears in Teresia's search range. A wolf-shaped demon that seems to be aiming at sheep in any way - Theon, who is out in front of the most, clears his throat in a threatening manner.

　The demon encountered

　Aerowolf A: Level 5 In Combat Drop: ?　
　Aerowolf B: Level 5 In Combat Drop: ?
　Aerowolf C: Level 5 In Combat Drop: ?

So sheep and wolves are the demons of the flock...
'There's one that's drawing our gaze, but there are two wolves that are bypassing the other side of the hill and approaching us. We, who have more men, will take on the two.

　Following Elitia's suggestion, two parties of us intercepted the enemy. While we were preparing for the bypassing wolves, a howling wolf rushed towards the maple that was the vanguard of the Four Seasons.

'--Theon, 'Covering' please!
Whoa!

　At the same time as Aerowolf ran out, Sion was sprinting - just like last time, Igarashi-san and Sion would join the Four Seasons and balance it out. What's good about doing so is that they can put 'Support Defense' on Sion without depleting the magic power with 'Other Assist'.

　◆Current Situation ◆

　Aricht activates 'Support and Defense 1' → Target: 'Theon'
　Theon activates Covering → Target: Maple
　Aero Wolf A activates "Aero Charge" → Target: "Sion" No damage

Thank you....!
Wham!

　The defensive wall that arose in front of Sion completely reduced the damage to zero. The sheltered maple, and Igarashi-san, who was following Sion, matched the timing of the attack with Sion, who was going to counterattack.

''--Sion!　Try using the power of the 'fire boxwood'!
'Maple, let's go with Zion!
Copy that!

　My activated 'Eye of the Hawk' catches the place where the wind surrounds the ducking Aero Wolf - seeing that, I remember that I can now do the same attribute attack on Sion, and quickly give him instructions.

　The anklet attached to Sion's paw emits a red glow. And the claw strike unleashed leaves a red afterimage.

''--Grrrrrrrrrr!

　Current Situation

　Theon activates Heat Claw → offsets Aero Wolf A's Aero Shield. Support damage 12
　Kyoka launches a double attack.
　The first level hits Aero Wolf A. Support damage 12.
　The second level hit on Aero Wolf A. Support damage 12.

　The support effect was a little larger because of the 'Eluminate Mounted Boots' equipped - however, even with the three levels of support damage enhanced by Sion and Igarashi-san's continuous attacks, they couldn't get to the point where they were able to defeat him.

''One more push........!
Maple, right.

　Ibuki warns from behind Kaede - the aero-wolf, which has been hit by a series of blows, does not fall, and its eyes have the glow of a hungry beast.

　But as if Kaede had read that it was going to happen, he crosses paths with the Aero-Wolf as he attempts a final counterattack.

'--Haah!

　Current Situation

　Arihito activates 'Support Attack 1' and 'Other Assist'.
　Aero Wolf A" activates "Fang of the Road".
　Activate the maple tree to turn back → Counter to Aero Wolf A. Support damage 12
　Defeat one "Aero Wolf".

　A counter that allows the wolf to attack and then return it before it can receive it. It's so fast that if you blink, you'll miss it - it's nothing short of brilliant.

　The two aero wolves, whose pincer attempts were so flippantly broken, still came toward you without running away.

　But--the blow that should be absolutely impossible for them to miss is delivered towards Theresa who dares to come forward from herself and cut the sky as hard as she can.

　◆Current Situation ◆

　Theresa activates Mirage.
　The attack of "Aero Wolf B" failed.
　The attack of "Aero Wolf C" failed.
　Mirage" in "Theresia" is released.

　The circular shield inlaid with a shimmering stone created a mirage that blinded the enemy - it disappeared after being attacked twice, but Elitia never took a moment of confusion from the Aero Wolves who were scooped up by the attackers. I won't miss it.

　And I'm going to put 'Support Attack 2' on her attack - the one I'm going to try is an attack using the magic stone that I just installed.

(The magic bullets that activated the effect of the 'Leaping Stone'.......I want to see what kind of trajectory it flies on......!

Come to an end.

　Current Situation

　Arihito activates 'Support Attack 2' → Support: 'Force Shoot Bounce'.
　Elitia activates Blade Rondo.
　Two-step hit on 'Aero Wolf B'.
　Two-step hit on "Aero Wolf C".
　The "Force Shoot" bounces off of "Support Attack 2".
　Force Shoot" bounces three times between "Aero Wolf B" and "Aero Wolf C".
　Defeat two "Aero Wolf".

GAWN...!

　The sword dance performed by Elitia bounced off the flying Aerowolf - and the magic bullets that hit the two bodies bounced off and reflected several times between the two bodies.

　Everyone rolled their eyes as they looked at the two blown up Aerowulfs. That included me and Elitia.

''What........this.......this......Aricht, what on earth did you do......?''
'Huh?　The wolf that looked so scary got whacked and flew away.

　Misaki seemed to see it that way, but I myself could barely grasp what the hell was going on - Elitia's attack frequency was increased by the Gauntlet of Quick Work, and my magic bullets were piled on top of each other as a support attack for the amount of times she attacked. It ricocheted between the two demons that were in close proximity, dealing damage in succession.

''Huh........'Bounce' is more expendable than I thought.......''
'Aricht-san........are you okay? That was an amazing move, but I guess you'd better be careful when using it for the first time.

　Suzuna, who was nearby, supports me as I wobble. I managed to regain my composure, but it's true that Suzuna was right, I should have thought about the risk of the new magic stone a little more.

''Brother Aricht, I'll give you some potions.......!
''It's valuable and I'd like to save some money, but I'm sorry, can I have the magic potion?''

　Madoka comes running up to me after I release 'hide' and takes the potion out of the backpack I'm carrying and hands it to me. I've recovered quite well after just two sips, so I ask Madoka to keep the bottle for me.

''........Oh, I see. Sorry, just me recovering. We're all exhausted too.
'That's all well and good but once you open the bottle, the potion deteriorates faster. It's best not to leave any of it undrunk.

　What Elitia's words meant - the potion I drank, everyone who was consumed by the current battle would drink it too.

''Doh, please.......Elitia-san.
''Wow, I wasn't trying to urge you to do anything, but.......Kyouka, after you.
'Yeah, well, the double attack isn't that much of a drain, so I think I'll start with Ellie, who used the most powerful move.
Well, well, don't hold back. I think you should drink this because the demon might still be coming.
Can I have one of those?　Potions are hard to find, so I wanted to see how they taste.

　Everyone takes a sip of the potion after a cunning turn of events. I know that turning and drinking is necessary for recovery, but I can't calm down watching them.

''The last one goes to Sion-chan........hmmm, cute.

　Igarashi put the liquid from the potion on his hand and let Sion lick it. That made one bottle just empty, but he was going to take the bottle home and reuse it since it was precious.

''Well, since I was able to observe my brother's initial reaction, why don't we find a place to camp?　This shall be our camp!　I wanted to say that once...
'What are you looking at, what are you looking at, Anna, after you set the trap and then camp out and watch for it or something like that?'
'Yes, sir. I'd like to locate a few trap locations and split up to monitor them, if you could help me?
''If this labyrinth hasn't been captured in its entirety, then maybe catching that 'Stray Sheep' will give us what we need to conquer it... is a bit much to think about.

　Igarashi is humble, but there is a great deal of potential for this to happen. If that's the case, we don't want to waste our time with the Aero Wolves getting caught in a trap.

　But where should we set the trap to trap the desired sheep-type demon? When I thought that I had no choice but to search the entire second level for now, Theresia walked out.

''.........''
Teresa, what's wrong?

　Theresia doesn't answer, waiting for us to follow her. I wonder if she senses, which we don't understand, that she knows where we should set the trap.

　As we follow Theresa, who is leading, we see what looks like a spring beyond the hill - there have been few trees growing up to now, but only near that spring are trees with lush leaves.

　Surely there was something in that watering hole. The stray sheep that were bouncing near the spring disappear as soon as they notice us - they still look as lovely as ever, but that doesn't mean we can't be careful.

　Why is there a level 1 demon in this labyrinth? If I could solve that mystery, something would happen - I had a feeling that something would happen.