5-5. Flying Ants (2)
Satou's here. Shooting games were popular a long time ago, but I didn't play it. But since my work was related to FPS, I did play them in game shows...
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The flying ants formed groups of 8 ants and then start to head toward this wagon.
I pass 4 crossbows to everyone except Lulu who is handling the wagon, and give them a simple lecture for its operation.
Use the lever to pull the bowstring, then put the bolt on the rail and pull the trigger. If you don't think the hitting the target part, it is actually quite simple.
"Take a stance... shoot!"
Matching my signal, the bolts fly. The target is the approaching swarm.
Three ants were shot down. After setting the next bolts, we shoot once again. This time we hit two.
We won't make it for the next volley, but Arisa unleashes Shock Wave as we've arranged before, and shoots down the remaining three.
Because the next group is getting closer than the one before, after shooting one volley of bolts, we decrease their number with Shock Wave, and then, the remaining two ants fall prey to Liza's spear and my zero-distance bolt shot.
"Master, do you have any MP recovery medicine?"
I give three of it to Arisa. After receiving it, Arisa puts one hand on her waist and gulps down the energy drink in one breath.
"The next one is dangerous."
Yes, for the next wave, three groups are attacking at once. We are already shooting with bolts, but it doesn't look like they're decreasing. The saving grace is the fact that there's still some distance.
"Please give permission for me to use Over Boost. I could somehow do something to half of them."
During the pause of our conversation, Arisa gulps down another medicine.
"I understand, I permit you."
"Thank you, I love you."
Please don't raise a strange flag.
Arisa's light joke is a bit stiff.
"Over Boost!"
Matching Arisa's Command Words, light violet aura gusts forth.
She holds the long cane, and begins to chant orally.
The violet aura are forming great numbers of magic circle on the center of the long cane.
"■■■ ■■■■■■■ ■■■ ■■■■■ Shock Wave"
An invisible shock wave tramples down upon the swarms of ants. The ants who got hit directly, different from what happened until now, die while spilling their bodily fluids from their heads. The other ants who got hit by the aftermath wave are also spinning around until they fall.
Even though Arisa said half, in actuality, all three of the groups become unable to fight. As expected of unique skills.
I gently catch Arisa who blacks out.
"My eyes are spinning~."
"Round and round~ nano desu."
"Perhaps this is the effect of Arisa's magic, I feel a bit dizzy."
The three seems unable to stand due to the after effect. I leave Arisa to Liza, and decide to clean up the remaining five ants which were late.
I have Lulu to stop the wagon.
"Pochi, Tama, pull the strings of the crossbows."
"Aye.""Desu."
The two looks exhausted, but they're doing their best to set up the crossbows.
Whenever I shoot the crossbow, I exchange it with the loaded one from Pochi or Tama.
This feels like Nagashino.
After clearing the swarms up, I fire at high angle aiming at the fainted ants by confirming their position on the radar. I tried to mimic the protagonist from a manga I read long ago, but I didn't think that it would really hit.
Because I have no scope, I shoot continuously at the relative position where the enemies are crowding while learning the fine-tune. Even if the hit rate is no more than 20%, it should be enough.
Several of the ants who got shot down in the beginning are still alive, but it's impossible to hit enemies who are two kilometers away after all. The bolts can't reach them.
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We're taking a short break to quench our and the horse's thirsts.
"It's tiring but it's good that everyone is safe."
"Tir~""ring nodesu."
"Arisa still isn't coming to, is she alright?"
"She'd be fine after a night's sleep."
Seen from the AR, Arisa's stamina and magic power which have became zero are gradually getting restored.
Lulu is wiping her sweats with a wet towel.
"Liza and the girls, please collect magic cores, stingers and poison glands."
"The stinger is clear, but I wonder which part is the poison gland."
Since it's hard to explain it, I demonstrate to them by dismantling an ant and show the location of poison gland.
"Put the stingers in this bag and the poison glands in this container. It's enough to just collect 5 of each. Please take care not to get poisoned while doing it."
The remaining ants far in the distance seem to be withdrawing, the dots are decreasing on the map.
I entrust the wagon to Lulu, while I'm compounding several [Antidote: Flying Ant] from the poison glands as the raw materials. One of them could be made into five antidotes.
I lower the "Princess" the red helmet left from the wagon, and put her beside me while I'm compounding. I could put her on the bare ground, but then it'd feel like I'm abusing a child so I spread a sheet on the ground for her.
"Master, Arisa has awoken."
"Wait, no~ Didn't I say that you should tell 『Arisa isn't waking up.』 to master, and guide him to give me MP recovery medicine by mouth~."
It's really Arisa-like, but what are you doing exposing your own evil intention.
Since she did her best today, let's pardon her with just a forehead poke.
Arisa come from inside the wagon borrowing on Lulu's shoulder. She opens her arm and says, "Help me down", so I help her to get down.
Sure enough, she clings on my neck when she's getting down-- That's a feint, her real aim is to kiss me.
I barely succeed on avoiding her holding my ground, and hit her with porehead poke α. There's no meaning to the α.
"Auu, love is painful."
"Yes yes, I love you Arisa."
Looking at the wagon, Lulu also shyly stretches her arms. She's probably inspired by Arisa.
For Lulu who rarely shows her spoiled side, I gently hold her to get down. Of course I did not hug her tight.
However, I'd like you to stop staring at me so sheepishly. I feel like I would forget the age differences.
"By the way, what is this? Is she something you got from the rat-tan?"
Rat-tan... she means the red helmet right. That's quite a cute nickname.
"The red helmet said that she's a princess."
"Oh, a princess you said! Even though you have beauties from various races waiting for you, now you even want to add the rat princess into your harem! This is why a man is so!"
You reeks of acting.
"M, master..."
Huh? By any chance, did Lulu take Arisa's words seriously?
"I, I'll also do my best to get your favor."
"Yes, yes, you're cute Lulu. But let's talk about favor after 5 years while refining yourself to be a woman."
Lulu's tension is strange, I wonder if this is an after effect of the battle. I unintentionally answer her like to Arisa.
Lulu puts both her hands on her cheeks, and she is twisting her body. It's cute, but what do I do now.
"We're~""Back~"
"We have come back, master."
The three came back at the right timing. There are 5 poison glands inside the container. The magic cores are plentiful inside the bag. And--
"Why are there a lot of stingers?"
"Yes, master had said that it's enough to collect 5 of them, but I wondered if it's possible to make disposable spears from them so I collected more."
"I see, let's make it next time."
"Yes! Thank you very much."
I likely will forget this, so I make a memo. If I forgot this kind of promise, it would gradually worsen our relationship.
Moreover, Pochi and Tama collected some parts of the red helmet and the rat cavalries equipments. There are no remains of the corpses, and the armor worn by the rat cavalries beside the helmet's were broken so they left it as it is. Also, I forgot about the recollection of bolts, but it seems that they have collected all the bolts besides the broken one.
Liza laments greatly at the fact that there is no meat left from the dash boars.
The "Princess" entrusted by the red helmet still hasn't awoken yet.
Since beasts might possibly gather at the ants' remains, we go ahead several kilometers with the wagon.
The camping ground is an open space with a small pond nearby. Lulu is really afraid with places without a pond. It may be some kind of trauma.
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After I've finished taking care of the horse, I'm reading books while drinking the teas brought by Lulu who came during the break of cooking.
I'm skim reading the travel journals I bought back then by unfolding them in the menu. Since I don't want to look like I've gone senile, I open the introductory for life magic book wide turning it vainly.
It's probably better to read normal books, but it's more convenient to use the Menu because I could take memos and search for similar items.
I'm starting to smell a delicious aroma from dinner Liza and Lulu are cooking. They're making bean soup for today's dinner at my request.
"Oo~i""Preys~""We've caught it nodesu~"
The three girls who went hunting come back. I hope that they're not bringing fairies or something~
I slide the book sideway and look at the voices. With Arisa in the lead, Tama and Pochi are holding wild boars-- Of course, it's the four-footed ones-- high up.
It seems that they also hunt the ants which had fainted from the Shock Wave on the ants remains site.
"Master, please taste this."
Lulu brings a small bowl with soup inside.
Arisa said "Why only master, unfai~r", but she lost interest after being told that it's a bean soup and went to dismantle the boars with Liza.
I taste it. Yup, it tastes good thanks to the peppers I've bought from the high-class restaurant.
"It's delicious, I'll be enjoying the dinner."
"Yes! I'll work hard to help."
Lulu's expression has become quite natural.
I feel warm and fluffy now, but the the rat-men's "princess" who is beside me awaken.