We knew that the spring we could see from a distance was quite large, but when we got close enough to it, it was large enough that a person could normally swim in it. It was about a 50-meter pool.

　On the other side of the spring is a steep slope - more like a sheer cliff. Since it seems that you can reach the top of the cliff if you go around it from the left and right, you might want to check later to make sure there are no monsters.

''This spring is so clear... I thought there might be water demons here, but the creatures themselves don't seem to be here.''
'Well if you can swim, I'll go in and find out more about it.

　Igarashi-san and Ryoko-san approached the fountain as they consulted with each other. Earlier, there were three or four Stray Sheep near the spring, but they had escaped or hadn't come out.

　There was a small forest by the spring, and Teresia and Theon approached it, but it still seemed to be empty.

　The area around the spring was white sand, and combined with the clear blue water, it looked like a resort somewhere in the world that I had only seen in pictures. I was not expecting to see this kind of scene in this labyrinth, which I had thought was full of grasslands, and it made me feel a little relaxed.

''Arihito, I figured I shouldn't let my mind wander... but this isn't too much to ask.''

　Even Elitia, who had been wary of her surroundings, decided that the current situation was safe and relaxed her tension. Suzuna, who was next to her, also smiled happily when she saw that.

''There's a labyrinth where you can see such beautiful scenery. I thought I'd have to save up and travel to see it when I grew up.''
'Yeah, I guess so. If it's too pretty, I'm afraid there's some kind of trick in there... but so far it looks okay.
'For now,' he said, 'you just have a cute little sheep. Oh, they're looking for a wolf, too, though.

　The aero-wolf is a problematic enemy as long as you're not caught off guard, and no other demons can be seen. Is the fact that there is a hierarchy where there are only wolves and sheep is also a feature of this labyrinth?

　But where are the higher species of Stray Sheep? There are not many of them, or even though the field of vision is open, there is no sign of them at all.

''Anna, is this the right place to set the trap?''
'According to the information I learned from my informant beforehand, if you set it up near this spring, a demon called 'Thunderhead' can take hold of it during the night.
The guy who makes lightning happen just to hear his name...


　The maple and ibuki are pretty much sitting on their haunches, as if they imagined what it would be like to be in a battle. My Igarashi-san also uses lightning, but I'm curious about how powerful it would be if it were to be used against the enemy.

''I'll take off my electrically charged equipment... or better yet, what's a better way? We can set up a lightning rod and let the current flow through it. Anna, can you show me the trap?

　Anna takes one of the traps out of her inventory. It was a simple matter of setting a bait in a basket, and if you put your hand out, it would be caught.

'Originally, it was made to catch Stray Sheep. Other demons could be caught there, and the existence of the 'Thunderhead' was confirmed.
I see...

　I wonder if the trapper, Falma-san, is also able to make something like this? I had never thought about the fact that there are demons that can't be seen unless you set a trap - I'm grateful to have this kind of experience.

''I wonder if my 'Thunderbolt' will make them recover if I use it?
It's possible. It would be wise not to dare to use the attributes the enemy seems to be good at.
Uh, do you have a minute?　Brother Alihit.
Hmmm... what's the matter?

　It seems that Misaki has something to talk about in private, so she declines everyone once and leaves and decides to ask them.

'Unusually, it sounds like a serious story...'
''Pardon me, I can at least think of something serious. I'm sorry to the Four Seasons, but I don't think my 'morale release' thing should be spread too widely, so I thought we should discuss it together.

　That said, people would be wondering if I talked too long in private, so I turned back to them and raised my hand, as if it was nothing to talk about. Even the girls, who had been looking at us to see what was going on, responded with brightened expressions.

'Well, you don't know if setting a trap is a surefire success, do you? But with my 'Fortune Roll', I think it's almost possible.
'Well, that's the way it works. Surely that's a good idea.

　I make an involuntary hand-clapping gesture. A friend once laughed at me for overreacting - but it still comes out of habit.

'Ehehe, thank you for the compliment. I'm also concerned that I don't want my presence to fade - I'm like the person in charge of ministering at the dais these days.
'Another nostalgic metaphor... if Misaki were in the dais, she'd be talking to me quite often. You've always been a great help to me by being a mood-maker.
Happy Birthday!　I'm ready to give you a talk any time in the future!

　Misaki is more pleased than I thought she would be - this is probably because she was worried about being too talkative.

If it's going to be a sure thing, our mindset will change.
I'll leave that decision to my brother. I won't tell you what my brother said about not telling you, and I've talked to everyone about it.
Oh, really?　When did we ever talk about that...

　Misaki holds up her index finger and pauses as if to say, 'Don't tell anyone. If you do, you won't be able to hear anything - although it's the least of my worries.

　Theresia, who had continued to search for me with Sion, had returned in the meantime. She indicated the top of the cliff with her finger, and Sion also sat down and looked in that direction.

'You mean there's a demon in here?　I guess I'd better take it down?
..........
'If we're going to set up camp around here, we'd better take it down. And, uh...rear, do you have a minute?
What's going on?

　When Igarashi-san called me back, I turned around and saw the members near the fountain, looking at Ryoko-san, who was about to step into the water alone.

''........Ah. I'm sorry, Atobe-san. It's beautiful water, but it's dangerous to swim in it. And since we're in a labyrinth, we don't know what's out there.
Well I suppose I wouldn't mind swimming a bit as long as the water quality is okay.

　If you love to swim and became a swimming instructor, this spring might be appealing to you.

　As long as you're safe, it's not a must stop. If you survey the water, you'll find something new - although you'll think about it. For the always calm Ryoko-san, the spiritual pillar of the Four Seasons, it seemed to be a bit of a bold move.



I think a water quality study could be done this way.

　Ryoko reached inside her boa coat and quickly pulled out a small bottle. It looks like it's meant to carry drinking water, but after drinking it with the party members and emptying it, he crouched down in the shallow end of the spring and drew water.

　　　◆? A bottle (or two)

　A bottle of water from the "Bed of the Sheep God".

I see... this is how water can be used in the 'Appraisal Scroll'?
'Yes, it is. It's not impossible for me to draw water by hand and try to make an appraisal, but I'm pretty sure I can do this.
'Um, may I have the pleasure of appraising you?　If we could appraise it with skill, we wouldn't have to use a scroll.
'Yes, if you'd like, please. Mr. Atobe, may I ask you for a favor?
I will. Madoka, take care of yourself.

　When Madoka received the bottle, she activated her 'appraisal' skill, showing a little nervousness as everyone's attention was on her.

　　　◆ A bottle of clean water ◆

　Clean water from the "Bed of Sheep".
　Does not affect your health.
　Easy to conduct electricity.

Well, you can swim in it. You can use it for drinking water too.
Well, we'll have a little bit of that too. Do you want some ibuki?
''I just drank a bottle of water, so if you can't get it to tappan... oh, it's so good...''

　It sounds like a picnic, but furthermore we are now going to be camping here.

(I hadn't done it since I was a kid and didn't get to do it until I was in the workforce... well, I didn't have any outdoorsy friends who were willing to go camping with me.)

'Rearward, Anna wants to examine where to set the trap. I'll have the licensee send me the map he drew for you.
'Yes, I'll have a look too. I thought we'd have to wait quite a while until nightfall, but apparently we have a different sense of the passage of time since we came to this level.
'It's going to be evening soon and if you're going to erect a tent, I think it's better to do it before dark.

　Suzuna says, looking at the flowing clouds. In some labyrinths, time passes quickly - not that I think it's a quick change between morning and night, but it's certainly not safe to act after dark.

　We keep an eye out for traps while keeping an eye out for enemy attacks during the night. We'll have to split up into several tents, so I'll have to take my place at the back of the others.

　I take out my license and look at the spring and Anna's handwritten map with the surrounding terrain scrawled on it. I think there is one trap on the west side of the spring near the woods, one on the south side of the spring, and one on the east side of the spring. In order to keep an eye on it, I need to figure out where to set up my tent.



　There aren't many other parties in this hierarchy, but they seem to be interested in seeing us near the fountain - well, they're not hostile, but we don't want to get into a situation where our key prey is in competition with them. If we're trapped, though, I'm sure we have priority.

'Mr. Alihit, I'd like to hear your opinion. Where would you prefer to be?
'Let's set one up in the woods near the fountain first, and then we can pick a place that Anna thinks is here and a place that we think is here.
'Yes, sir. I would prefer the front, where we can look out over the vicinity of the spring. It's difficult to find a place to set up, since people might be wary if they realize we have a camp, but...
'The woods to the west are shielded, so if we can use that to our advantage... yeah, there's some undulations to the east that could at least hide the tent from view from the trap location.
'From a higher vantage point, you can see a wider view, and you'd be better off keeping an eye on the cliff tops.

　The opinions were agreed upon - the Four Seasons will be on the east side of the fountain, Igarashi-san, Sion, Suzuna, Misaki, and Melissa will be stationed near the woods, and me, Theresia, Elitia, Elitia, and Madoka will be on the cliff.

　The presence of Elitia, the main member of the cliff top group, was meant to be my guard. Considering Madoka, I can feel safe with Elitia staying - a single blow could be fatal, so it's better to be able to destroy the enemy with the first move.

'Guys, if we get into a battle, hopefully you'll turn your backs to the cliff. That way, I can use my skills to assist you.
Yes!
Whoa!

　They all responded in unison, though they were speaking in different voices - Theon seemed to know what they meant, and barked out a reply, though his timing was delayed.

'Anna, can you wait a moment to set the trap? May I have a lecture on how to set it?
..........
Teresa, can you do it?

　Theresia nods dully - apparently, the trap can be set. Just to be sure, Anna has explained to her, but it doesn't seem to be a problem.

''I wonder if 'rogue' is a profession that can handle traps a bit too.
'There was a kind of skill to remove traps, so maybe the person who sets them can learn to set them as the level goes up. I think I'm better at it than most jobs, even if I don't have the skills.

　Before long, the lecture on setting up the traps progressed to assembling the iron cage and then putting the bait inside.

'Here, we will put the meat in here. After setting the trap, if the demon tries to take this meat, the spring force will kick in and the cage will close, along with the teeth coated with the 'de-power' poison.
..........
"...?　Miss Theresa, what is the matter with you?

　Theresa stopped moving when she saw the meat on the bone for the trap - I realized what was happening, took out my portable food and offered it to Theresa.

'It's a tasty piece of meat, even from my point of view, but it's meant to be used for trapping. Sorry it's tasteless right now, but I'll make a proper meal for you later, after we build the tent.

　Theresia still seemed to be unhappy with the meat, but when she took the portable food from me, she opened the package and began to eat it.

''........hmm......''
That portable food bar isn't too bad, though, since it's seasoned dried meat that's hardened with vegetables and nuts. The meat used in the trap is also of high quality in order to attract demons. I can understand why you'd want to eat it.

　It seems that when you put the meat in, the trap is completed, so Anna removes the trap once. I see, she herself has already used it several times and is familiar with it.

"Anna, is that meat a favorite of 'Thunderhead'?
'That's what I've heard. 'Thunderheads are fierce and carnivorous in nature. I've heard that he can turn around and eat any predator that attacks him.
''Hi........I thought sheep were supposed to be quiet, but such a radical.......''
Are you going to eat the Aerowolf?　Then it might be easier to catch the three bodies we caught earlier if we dismantled them and put the meat down.

　Melissa suggested, but if they ate the meat and escaped, it seemed to be effective to trap them and buy them time.

　The harvest from defeating the three Aerowolves was the material of the Aerowolf itself and the magic stone on the forehead of one of the three. After appraising it, it was called 'Whirlwind Stone' - a light green crystal shaped like quartz, presumably to enable the use of the techniques used by the Aerowolf. The meat certainly had no use, so it couldn't be used as fishing bait.

''But well, I feel like it's not good manners to leave the meat out in the field. If we don't get trapped, we'll consider that as a subsequent measure.
'All right. Kyouka looks amazing too, so I won't take it apart this time. I might take the fur off when I get home.
''It's okay ... well, I just thought, even if you say wolf, it looks like a dog, so I don't know if I should take it apart. You shouldn't say that after you've killed it.

　It would probably be more gratifying to have demons look demonic and demonic in their moods - although, saying that, there might be some demons that look too scary. Watadama's face was scary, too, but that much was cute from the demons of the Labyrinth Country as a whole.

''If we feed a lot of aerowolves, wouldn't we be able to make a large army of wolves or something?''
''It's hard to get the demons to obey the conditions. For now, it's just demi-harpy....

　I remind Misaki of this in reply. The seed of the main body of the "Puppeteer of Vine Grass" - I have to go to the ranch and make a contract with it. Because it's a demon with a nasty ability, it will be very useful when it uses that ability against the enemy.

''Anyway, if it's a demon that uses Aero Wolf as its prey, we need to prepare ourselves well. Everyone, let's 'brace yourselves'.

　　　Current Situation

　Aricht activates 'Support Elevation 1' and the party's morale increases by 12.
　Arihito activates "Recovery 1" and the party's health is restored.

It's going to be a long day, so I'll have to activate my support recovery periodically.)

　I had used 'Support Elevation' several times before, so I had about 40 more morale numbers to go before I could release my morale. I used 'Support Elevation 1' every time I was able to reuse it and prepared to activate Misaki's 'Fortune Roll' while we all prepared to camp for the night.