As the Grinder strike team proceeded westward through the grasslands, they split up into squad units around the area where there were many sightings and began to search.

''Are we going to be okay like this?

　Ted said as he looked up at the blue sky overhead.
　The group from Byakuya no Meibei was walking leisurely through their assigned search area, looking for the grinder's shadow.

Ha-ha. That's right. I didn't think you were going to challenge a demon with that thing ......, it's laughable.

　Laughing, Norris agreed.

　Not only did Norris feel the same way, but Aldis felt the same way.
　A grinder with incomparable power, such as the disperser that crowns the despair of the grasslands, is incomparable.

　Against that overwhelming power, the force prepared by the lord was just over four hundred people. It's not a small number.
　But no matter how many miscellaneous soldiers you gather against demons - especially flying demons - it's almost useless.

There are no sorcerers, most of the soldiers are young guys with no experience in battle, and none of the commanders seem capable of fighting properly, so defeating monsters with that is a bad joke!

　Orphelia agrees with Ted, who counts his fingers and shrugs his shoulders.

'Really, you underestimate the strength of demons.

　In battle, numbers are power. This is true even if you are fighting against a demon.
　Even if each one of them can only give a small scratch, the more people there are, the more wounds they can give.

　However, numbers are only effective when people with a certain level of competence are gathered together.
　No matter how many people who can't even scratch their opponents, the damage they can inflict remains zero.

　In fact, it's only a disadvantage in the sense that it inhibits the movement of your allies.
　Not having a sorcerer along with you to deal with demons is the height of folly from the point of view of a mercenary, and from what Ardis has seen, there are too many new recruits who have no real combat experience.
　The only thing that will happen is that they will increase the number of victims if they try to fight against demons with that kind of formation.

'If we're going to make up for quality in numbers, we'll need at least twice as many as we have now, right?　As far as the quality of the soldiers are concerned, though, we could at least hold them back if we hung on to about three squads at a time and didn't look at half the casualties.

　Ted says so, but Aldis has a slightly different view.

　If Aldis was the commander, he wouldn't let his soldiers carry spears. They would be organized in units of at least fifty men or platoons, with half of them carrying large shields and half of them carrying bows.
　It is not possible for the soldiers to injure the monster anyway. Then it's better to let them focus on defense and check from the beginning, and after the grinder is found, it's better to reduce casualties by fighting while retreating until the rest of the squad arrives to support.
　The demons can be dealt with by experienced mercenaries. There would be no need to wear out the soldiers in an unfamiliar battle.

　In fact, with the strength of the soldiers that Ardis saw, they were unlikely to be able to beat a dispenser, let alone a grinder.

''But all of the territorial forces seem intent on winning. There's even a platoon leader who says he doesn't need the help of mercenaries.

You've been training so hard, your mind's gone fuzzy, ain't you?　Even against the Beast King like that, we'll be annihilated!

　Ted says wildly to Norris, who speaks in a tone of voice that sounds like someone else's.

''Well, it's because the Beast King has been reduced in the first place that this is happening.

　Norris laughed with an indifferent look on his face.

'Yes, yes. I know you want to complain about it, but I'm undertaking it as a request. Let's do our job properly.

I know, Orphelia. Work is work.

　No matter what he said, he had to do his job well once he received it.
　With Ted leading the way, Aldis and the others proceeded through the grasslands while keeping an eye on the air.



　Even though the number of dispersers and beast kings has decreased, it does not mean that the grasslands are completely free of danger.
　Aside from the pairs of dispersers, carnivores such as the Green Knife, Coyote, and Grasswolf are also dominating the prairie.

There he goes, Ardis!

　Ted's warning flies in.
　Aldis and the others were now fighting against the pack of 'coyotes' they had just encountered.

　The coyote is a small carnivorous beast of the canine family. It is a slightly lower-ranked beast compared to the Beast King, but its fangs are sharp and it has a different danger than the Beast King in terms of herding.

　Aldis points his shortsword in the air at one of the coyotes coming towards him and cuts off its head before it can pounce on him.

　Two coyotes were coming around behind him. But before Aldis could turn around and compose himself, Nere was standing in front of the coyotes.
　It's not just a matter of time before you get to the point where you'll be able to get a good idea of what you're looking for.

　It's not just a matter of time before you're ready to go.
　It's not just a matter of time before you'll be able to get your hands on a new one.

I'm sure you'll be able to find a great deal more to say about this. It's a good move.

It's not much of a joke, really.

　Nere replies to Ted in a curt tone.

'Eh, hey, hey, you!　You weren't chanting just now, were you?　What do you mean?　Could it be that you can use magic without chanting like Aldis!

Chanting?　What's that?

What?

　Orphelia and Nere are bouncing question marks off each other.

　It's a good idea to be able to have a good time with them.
　It can't be helped, since the fundamentals of their common sense are at odds with each other.

　It's not just a matter of time before you get to the point where you'll be in a good mood," said Ted, while Orphelia began to hold her head in her hands.

It's just too good to be a one-time member. What do you think?　Would you like to join my party with Aldis?

"I only obey my Lord. If my Lord acts with you, I will go with you.

Haha. That master-slave setup sounds like a serious--serious--thing. Sorry, sorry.

　Nere glared at Norris, who had a teasing tone.
　As soon as they met, she said, "My name is Nere. I'm not going to be the only one who has been in a position to do that.

　In this way, Ardis and his team continue to search for the grinder while kicking away the beasts that occasionally attack them.

''There really are only zakos here.

　After roaming the prairie for half a day, all we encounter are green knives, coyotes and grass wolves.
　Not even the Disperser, or even the Beast King, showed their appearance.
　You can see from this situation how extraordinary Aldis and Nere's hunt was.

"Hey Ted, can we have lunch now?

Hmm?　Oh, is it that time already?

　So far, the Grinder hadn't shown up.
　It's possible that other mercenaries and territorial troops may have encountered them, but at least no word had come to Aldis and the others.
　Since we haven't heard from them, we will proceed with our search on the assumption that we haven't yet found them. We can't just leave our posts without permission.

　In that sense, too, there are many problems with this defeat.
　There is a possibility that some squad may be engaged with the grinder at this moment, but Ardis and the others, who do not know that, cannot go to cover them.

　The signal is supposed to be a signal with a smoke signal if they are found, but when they actually enter a combat situation, they won't have the time to take such a long time.
　There is even a possibility that a squad with only ordinary soldiers will be wiped out in the blink of an eye.

　Of course, that doesn't give Ardis and the others the authority to express their opinions.
　The only thing they can do is to solemnly fulfill their assigned roles.

Then, shall we take a break under the shade of that tree?

　Ted points to a tree in the vicinity.
　Even though it's a grassland, there are places where trees grow in places.
　The shade of the trees along the road is a natural resting place and a valuable resting place for mercenaries hunting and traveling peddlers.

Hey, Ardis. "Hey, Ardis, I'm sorry, but can you help me out with the water?　My water bottle is empty.

"I will.

　Before Aldis can answer, Nere creates water from his white-fish-like hands.

'Mmmm. ......'

　Orphelia was watching the scene as if devouring it.
　As far as she was concerned, another person who used magic without chanting appeared after Ardis. She wouldn't be able to stay calm inside.

I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this. It's a good idea to have a quick bite to eat.

　Ted, a swordsman, would never understand the agony of a sorcerer whose common sense has been radically overturned.
　Beside Orphelia, who is holding her head in her hands with her eyebrows raised, Ted and Norris take a bite of bread with a piece of roasted meat between them in a carefree manner.

'My Lord, your meal is warmed.

'No, so. I'll eat it on my own, so don't bother heating it up, I told you.

Even in the open air, it's a disgrace for a servant to serve the Lord something cold. Isn't it a vessel for the Lord to receive and eat in silence?

No one asked me to do this. ......

　Throughout the break, Nere takes care of Aldis in a worthy manner.
　When Aldis's hand is free, she hands him a loaf of warmed bread and offers him a cup of cold water at intervals.
　It was the very appearance of a squire rightly serving his master.

　Ted, who had been watching from the edge, bread in hand, murmured to no one.

'Well, you certainly don't look like a squire in what you're doing ......

But I don't think I've ever seen a squire with a tone so blunt, though, have I?

　Norris poured some cold bread into the water and said, "Huh?　'This water is delicious,' he said, looking into his water bottle.
　It's not a good idea to complain about it, as Aldis is in a position to be served, but I'd rather have the effort spent on something else anyway.

　On the other hand, that's how much time he can afford to spend.
　In fact, as long as they didn't run into the grinder, this search trip wasn't much different than a picnic for Aldis and the others.

　Aldis eventually finishes her meal and goes to lie down for an "after-dinner snooze," but Ted and his friends won't allow her to do so, so she resumes her search for the grinder.

　The task, however, is no different than it was in the morning.
　We walked through the grasslands unhurriedly, avoiding the occasional coyote or green knife we encountered.

　I'm sure you'll be able to see the road in the direction of Aldis and the others.

'If we continue on to the road, then we're going to go south along the road a little bit from there, and now we're going to go back to facing east, right?

Yeah, if we can just keep going east and meet up with the main unit where the commander is, the search for today will be over.

　Norris replies to Orphelia.

'There's a lot of people on the streets.

　As they approached the road at the turnaround point, Aldis noticed that there were more shadows of people than he had expected.

''Rumors of the Grinder have been spreading these days. The peddlers and troopers who have been staying in town to see what's going on must be moving en masse.　Right now, there are soldiers of the territorial army scattered all over the grasslands, and it would be hard for the field robbers and bandits to move.

　Next to Norris as he peered at the map, the members of The Midnight Star exchanged words with relaxed expressions.

'Oh dear, we're finally halfway there. It's not going to make much money, but it's nice to do this kind of relaxing work once in a while.

'Yes. The weather's nice and pleasant, and most importantly, it makes me feel better.

　Aldis agrees with that point. But in his case, he doesn't want to get involved in the territory's military unnecessarily.

I'd like to see them come out to the grinder as soon as possible. It's a good idea to do this for one day, but I honestly don't want to be locked up in this for days on end. And I'm sleepy.

It's always sleepy, isn't it?

　Orphelia gasps.

'Oh well, don't say that, Ardis. Look at that. Warm sunshine, a pleasant breeze, no troublesome dispersers or beast kings, flowing clouds in the blue sky, and the shadow of a bird flying through the sky ---- an?

　Ted's brow wrinkled as he put his arm around Aldis's shoulder and spoke with a smirk.
　Out of the corner of my eye, there was a shadow that looked like a bird gliding lazily high in the sky.

"'Killer Bird' ...... ain't it?

It doesn't look like you're a 'watcher' either.

　Nayle points out calmly from behind the two of them as they narrow their eyes.

'Isn't that the grinder?'