It had been three days since Hanslick and the seven men had hidden themselves in the cave.
　The plan was for Clente and the others to return with help.

　But three days of confinement in a small space was debilitating the spirits of Hanslick and his friends.
　Michelle and Helena's experience was indeed different from theirs. Therefore, they looked almost the same as they did on the first day.

　What was surprising was Sorte.
　You might think of her as a boxed-in lady of the church, but she seemed to be the most stout of the students.

'Oh dear, you've lost all your energy,'

At their age, they can't help it. I don't want to spend days in a cave just because I want to.

　Helena chuckles.
　For Helena, who is still young even though she is experienced, these three days would not have been a short time.
　In addition, the lives of six people, including Michelle, are in your hands. That pressure is no ordinary thing.

(I don't want to think that it's just because I'm old that I feel three days or so in the blink of an eye.

　Sighing lightly, Michelle blurts out inwardly.

'I should have brought Raina with me if this was going to happen.

　Helena bit into it.

'When you say Raina, was that the spirit you heard me talk about before?

Yeah, that's right. The correct answer is not a spirit, but a spirit child, according to him. I had a grandchild born three months ago, so I left it there as a babysitter.

You know, .......

　Michelle and Helena were chatting with each other when Sorte interrupted them.

''Excuse me. May I share that story with you?

What story is that, Raina's?

''Yes. I've never heard of a spirit child in the school. I'd love to hear about it for the sake of later study.

I don't mind, but I don't know much about it. I don't know much about it, either.　The only genie that I know of is Lenya.

So, what's this Mr. Rainier guy like?

　Slightly confused by the unexpected bite, Michelle began to talk about the spirit child called Raina.

''Hmm ....... It's about the size of a body like this.

　'I'm a girl with silver hair,' he said, indicating the size of a small pot with his hand.

She looks like a girl with silver hair. She looks like a girl with silver hair, except she's small and has what looks like bird feathers on her back, so she's not much different from a human being.

If you have wings, do you mean you can fly?

　Helena asks with interest.

'Yeah. 'Not for too long, apparently.'

'That's great. I'd like to meet you once. By the way, do you get old?

Well, what do you think?　It's been over twenty years since I first met him, but his appearance hasn't changed since then. He said he doesn't know how long he's been alive.

Could it be that you are of the noble species linked to the Goddess?

　Solte said, curiosity in her light red eyes.

'I don't think it's that big of a deal. When I met her, she was very shy and shy, but now she's become a very noisy girl. It's hard to imagine what would happen if she were to flap her head around and make a noise while whining.

And then?　What if I had brought that Raina with me?

　Helena takes the conversation back to the beginning.

'I'm not sure or sure of that. I feel like I don't run into as many beasts and demons as I would with Raina with me.

'It doesn't happen to be ......, does it? It's just that Michelle says so.

That's true. At first I thought it was a fluke, too. But it's hardly a coincidence when it's been going on for 20 years, is it?　And even more so if you clearly see how different you are from the other peddlers. It is obvious that you don't encounter the beasts as often as those who go the same peddling route. This is especially true when Lenya is singing like a goblin.

A song?

　Solte asks, tilting her head back and shaking her cherry-red hair.

'Yes, I guess so. I don't think he knows it, but when he's in a good mood, he often sings a song, especially when he's holding an apple, which is his favorite. Especially when he's holding an apple, which is his favorite food. It's a strange thing that even the beasts don't come close to me.

'I see. So, you mean if there's a girl named Lenya?

That's what I mean. Well, it's no use saying this and that about something that isn't there right now.

　As she said it, Michelle gave a scare to Helena.

　As Michelle mentioned, it's pointless to assume that the other person who isn't there is "if they are with you".
　But in order to avoid being psychologically trapped in a small cave, they know from long experience that distracting themselves with meaningless chatter like this is an effective way to distract themselves.
　That's why I brought up a topic that the curious students might be interested in, but only one girl, Sorte, had the energy to join the conversation.

(The four of them over there seem to be pretty depressed.)

　As Michelle sees it, Hanslick and the other four are nearing the end of their rope.
　Somehow, reason has managed to outweigh their emotions, but they could be crushed if the rescue is delayed or some other unexpected event occurs. There was a hint of that.

'I'm going to check out the outside for a bit. And if there's room, I'll replenish the water.

　Feeling stuck in the air, he said and Helena walked towards the entrance of the cave.
　She had brought enough water with her when she hid in the cave, but of course that wouldn't last for three days. We would need to make sure we had enough water, including a check of the surrounding area.

　But Helena is the only member here who can walk around in the dangerous forest.
　It's for that reason that Helena was left behind as a bodyguard, who has the ability to fight an unbeatable battle, even against lacter, and be able to escape if it comes down to it.

　Normally it would have taken Helena thirty minutes to patrol the perimeter and secure the water, but that day she came back quickly. It hadn't even been a minute yet.

'It's not good.'

　Helena returns in a panic and reports in a whisper into Michelle's ear.

'What happened?'

Whips. There's a Whips preying on the lacter outside the cave.

　Michelle's face instantly twists and turns.

'Have you noticed us?'

'No, I don't think he's aware of it at the moment because he's too busy eating: ......

　Helena slurred her words.

　Originally, what they burned at the entrance of the cave was beast avoidance.
　Beasts such as the double-sworded beasts and lacter do not like this smell, so it is an essential tool when camping in a beast's habitat like this one.

　But the beast repellent is only effective when it comes to beasts. Whipps was not a beast, but a demon.
　Except for some of the strongest remnants of beasts, beast-avoidance is less effective on demons.

　Beast avoidance didn't work on Whips.
　There was no guarantee that Whips wouldn't come into this cave after they finished eating.

''What if they fought?''

If you're going to fight head-to-head one-on-one, you might be able to manage it by being prepared to hit each other: ......

　If it's against Lactor, she's capable of defeating him unilaterally if he catches her by surprise, or even if she suffers a few wounds in the case of a frontal attack, Helena has the ability to defeat him.
　But even that Helena is not good enough against the Whips.

　If they are taken by surprise, they have a chance to win.
　But if Helena loses her life or is injured to the point where she can't fight, that is to say, the fate of Michelle and the other six will be exhausted.
　Helena, who has the lives of six people in her hands right now, can't take such a one-or-other gamble.

'We'll just have to pray that they don't notice, won't we?

　Fortunately, Whips have a dull sense of smell, and like humans, they rely on sight to gather information.
　However, even so, they still have a keener sense of hearing than humans, even though they rely more on sight for their demons.

　It is unlikely that they will notice us unless we make a very loud noise, but even Michelle can't predict how much noise generated in the cave will resonate.
　Even if it's only a normal conversation, it's probably best to avoid shouting and ranting.

''I think we should give those kids a heads up just in case.

　Helena nodded at Michelle's words.

　The four of them except for Sorte. Among them, Hanslick in particular was in a very unstable mental state. They should have nailed it beforehand.
　If only they hadn't done anything unnecessary, Whips, who bunked in the trees, would have walked away and not entered the cave.

'Can you do that for me, Helena?

"Okay. Let me explain it to you.

　Helena, who readily agreed, walked over to the students.
　She must have explained the current situation. The students' expressions, who were wondering what was going on, turned blue as they looked at her.

(Well, that's tough on the students.)

　Even though they had it coming, they were still locked up in a cave for three days in the middle of this magical cave.
　It's hard to defend it, but Michelle felt sorry for the feelings of a young boy and girl.

　Oh dear, she sighed inwardly and tried to avert her gaze, when a human raised his voice to spoil Michelle's consideration.

'f*ck off!　You're the ones who put us in here!　You think it's dangerous now?

　Expressing his frustration, it was the silver-haired boy, Hanslick, who approached Helena with a swordsmanship that was about to hit her.

''That idiot!''

　Who could blame Michelle for the involuntary tongue lashing?
　Hanslick's voice echoed through the cave.
　He could only hope that this voice had not reached the Whips.

'Keep your voice in check. Your voice could bring in the demons.'

　Helena told her in a tight tone while keeping the volume down.
　Solte and the other boys and girls were also rushing to placate Hanslick.

　But it was already too late for their efforts.
　From the entrance of the cave came a voice that was clearly not human.

'Four, four.'

　The expression instantly disappears from Michelle and Helena's faces when they hear it.

'Jesus Christ, ......'

　For they knew that the sound that reached them was the investigation of the underworld that would bring death to them.