Inside the Cave of Obscenity (WN): Volume 10 - 5

 

Episode 5: Hero's Weakness

 The operation went well.

 …It went so well, really, that one has no choice but to say so.

"What does this mean?"

"Fornelis-sama, there is no sign of the slime on the north side!!"

"The east side is clear too!"

 A tall woman with large wolf ears and tail, and gray hair that is the exact opposite of her black military uniform, and a subordinate with fox and raccoon ears report to her.

 Fornelis, the Grabalt's princess and swordswoman leads the troops.

 Her subordinates are the fox-eared Julia and the raccoon-eared Anri.

 Besides these women, Grabalt's vanguard unit, which was made up of a wide variety of races, including beastmen and demihumans, seemed bewildered and dismayed.

 They were standing there with a vague look, but with a sense of tension remaining.

(It must be a trap that there is so little resistance...)

 Julia and the others were standing in front of the slime castle, which was their goal.

 They were in front of the big gate in front of it.

 ――It was so high and so big that one could look up at it.

 It would be difficult to push it open with a human hand...... Well, no one would want to touch a gate made of the slime's highly sticky mucus.

 Looking up at that gate, Fornelis exhales slowly.

"Well, we've accomplished our original goal, but......."

 The number of slimes they fought before coming here was about thirty.

 All of them were enemies that mimicked the appearance of monsters, but they were all lower-class monsters such as goblins and orcs, which was worrisome.

 According to reports, there were also large magical beasts such as chimeras and powerful demons that could use magic.

 Yet they arrived at the enemy's castle without encountering any of them.

 Anyone would have suspected a trap and become suspicious.

"......Anyway, first of all, call Leticia."

 Fornelis instructs them to send a message to her old friend Leticia, who is waiting behind as a rear guard.

 Without letting her guard down, she stretched out her hand to the oversized sword on her back... the hilt of the oversized sword was made of mithril filled with mana that allows even beastmen who can't use magic to use magic.

 She pulls out the sword and points it at the walls that surround the slime-formed gate of the castle.

 The sword is beautiful as the flames rush out from the blade.

 The shimmering red flame becomes so powerful that it shakes the atmosphere, and it is obvious at a glance from the range of the shimmering flame that it is quite powerful.

 Normally, the heat would reach the person holding it, but Fornelis does not seem to feel the heat.

"Well then."

 Fornelis, who muttered "Let's try this out," swung her oversized sword, which was as tall as she was, out sharply with her right arm alone.

 The blade of the sword, with the sound of the blade ripping through the air, slashes the walls of the slime castle with its flame.

 The sharp blade made a horizontal slash, and white smoke rose from the damage.

 Not only sword damage but also burn from the heat.

 The double damage makes healing difficult and impossible to recover naturally.

 For a living creature, the attack can be fatal―― even for the slime, the effect will reduce its mass by burning the mucus that makes up its body.

 The walls that had been damaged by the slash of the flames were recovering before Fornelis' and her unit's eyes in the blink of an eye.

"As I thought."

(It's the same as the slimes we've fought so far.)

 If it were a normal slime, the mucus that makes up its body would be burned, evaporated, and disappear, making it difficult for the body to attack.

 Depending on the damage, it would also be unable to heal itself.

 Just like that.

 Fornelis looked up at the large slime castle with dismay and sighed.

"So this entire castle is slime?"

 It's so out of the ordinary.

 The walls of the castle are the same as the bodies of the slimes they had seen so many times in the past few years.

 When they are damaged, they move mucus from their bodies to seal it.

 Unless they blow up the entire castle, it will probably heal no matter how much damage they inflicted.

 She doesn't want to think about it, but... it's a ridiculously large slime.

"Haa."

(Can we really beat something like this...?)

 Even Fornelis, who has experience fighting the demon king alongside the hero from the other world, can't imagine their victory.

 That's how large this slime is.

 It is as large as a small mountain, and prior observation has shown that the distance from one end to the other is considerable.

 The castle is not only tall but also wide.

 ...One can see it clearly if one looked closely.

(It looks a lot like Fonteau's Royal Castle...)

 It's an abominable thing, but the slime must have learned it from living in the castle for a year.

 At least, its appearance is the Royal Castle of Fonteau itself.

 The fact that it is not modeled after the royal city may indicate that the slime recognizes that the "castle" is "its own nest".

(If Leticia sees this, she would be furious.)

"Fornelis, are you alright?"

 As she was thinking that, a familiar voice called her name.

 Shaking her wolf ears high up on her head to check the direction the voice came from, Fornelis turned to look in that direction.

“Leticia, we've had very little resistance so far...... what do you think?”

"...We should think that our plans are being used against us."

"I agree."

 Leticia thought so as soon as she came to the front line.

 Just as they themselves are trying to attract the enemy to reduce the burden on the hero Mariabelle, the enemy is ignoring their diversion and gathering all their forces inside the castle.

 Given the lack of resistance, it would be natural to think so.

"Now, what should we do?"

"We've been entrusted with the [Blessed Water] from Kara. First, let's destroy the walls with it."

"...Alright."

 Well, even if their plan is being taken advantage of, what they have to do doesn't change.

 Without destroying the walls surrounding the castle on all sides, it is impossible to enter the castle where the enemy to be defeated and the target to be saved are located.

(The strategy was to attract the enemy's force as a diversion, and rush into the castle while chasing the monsters that would be aiming for the "Hero" when Mariabelle rushed in...)

 The "Valhari Blessed Water" that had been prepared for the occasion was several wagons.

 Most of it was entrusted to Graffus, who was on the front line and in command of the support unit.

 Mariabelle and her team were an elite few and their small number meant that they could only carry a limited number of "Valhari Blessed Water".

 In that case, Mariabelle and Kara thought it would be more efficient to leave most of the water to the diversionary force.

"Is the plan okay?"

 Julia, a fox-eared beastwoman who had been listening to Fornelis and Leticia, asked.

 She wondered if it would be all right to change the operation.

“I’m worried, but it can’t be helped. The enemy that we have to lure is nowhere to be found."

"Yeah. Send word to Graffus' unit!"

"Ha!"

 When Leticia said so,  the fast-footed beastman entered the forest.

 He went to the support unit waiting at a remote location―― a unit of priests for recovery and to Grafus, who was leading them.

 The priests use the miracles of the goddess, but their power is not so strong.

 Only Jenna, who was even called a "saint," and a few other priests could perform miracles that could purify monsters.

 Most of them are limited to recovery and healing, which is normal, but from the point of view of Leticia and Fornelis, who traveled with Jenna, it is a little insufficient.

(If only there were a hundred more priests as good as Jenna, we could preserve the "Valhari Blessed Water".)

 Fornelis thought so, but such a thing is impossible.

 Smiling at her own thoughts, she looked at Leticia, and she too must have seen the exterior of the slime castle and realized that it was modeled after the Royal Castle of Fonteau.

 She could tell that her expression was tense.

"Did you notice?"

"It's in bad taste."

 It was just a conversation, but Fornelis understood that Leticia was angry.

 She had always been the most passionate of them.

 Even though more than twenty years have passed, her nature didn't change.

 ――Fonteau, the symbol of peace she built with her beloved husband.

 She wondered how much anger she must have felt at having the Royal Castle copied by the slime.

 Fornelis, who is not yet married, did not understand....... It's the same feeling of having the memories of her old friends sullied that makes her sick to her stomach.

"――――?"

 It was at that time.

 Fornelis and a few other beastmen with sharp instincts twitched their big ears.

“Leticia, something's coming.”

 Fornelis said, and grabbed the hilt of the oversized sword on her back tightly.

 Leticia, too, held up a large iron staff as tall as she was, and the others, sensing the two woman's caution, readied their weapons without being instructed to do so.

"From where?"

"I don't know."

 There was no other way to put it.

 Killing intent…… No, she felt malice.

 She also felt uneasy.

 However, looking around, it didn't seem as if anything special had changed.

 Fornelis and the other beastmen looked around.

 The knights from Fonteau divide into several groups and form a circle to eliminate any blind spots.

 When Leticia stands guard behind Fornelis...

“Laetitia-sama, Fornelis-sama!!”

 ……Graffus, who was called by a messenger, appeared with a carriage loaded with barrels of "Valhari Blessed Water" in tow.

"Graffus, get back!!"

 Leticia shouted, alert to changes in her surroundings, and at the same time, the ground shook.

 It was no earthquake.

 In a matter of seconds, the ground cracked and rose up, exposing the roots of the surrounding trees―― shattering and tearing them apart as a huge body of mucus appeared, shattering the ground.

"Wh-wha!?"

 Graffus and the priests stopped in their tracks in agitation.

 The huge body stood like a wall between Leticia and Fornelis's battle-hardened troops and Graffus's troops.

 The impact was so great that a cloud of dust obscured its entire shape for a moment.

 Grafus and the others looked up at the giant body in astonishment, and Leticia shouted.......

“Flame, burn it down!!”

 The moment she recognized the figure, Leticia readied her staff and released flame magic.

 Although the elf queen's mana had been reduced to about half due to the slime attack, with the aid of her staff, her firepower was so high that it was hard to believe that it had been uttered in a shortened chant.

 The firepower, which is incomparable to the oversized sword used by Forneris, burns through the wall of mucus―― or rather, the torso of the worm, which boasts such a huge body that its entire area cannot be seen at close range.

 In an instant, the mucus evaporates in a cloud of white smoke, but there is no way it can burn all of it.

 As soon as the flames subside, the damage begins to heal.

 The surface, which had changed like melted wax, quickly returns to its original shape.

"Tch! ――Knights of Fonteau! Follow me!!"

 Hearing that voice, the knights began to prepare their magic by kneading their mana, although they were surprised by the sudden appearance of the huge body.

"What a size..."

 On the contrary, Fornelis was speechless as she looked up at the giant worm, a size she had never seen before, even though it was smaller than the slime castle behind her.

 Against such a huge body, a single sword would be no match.

 ――And.

 She felt a disturbing presence behind her.

 Looking that way, she saw the slime castle―― one after another, goblins, orcs, and other small monsters were emerging from its outer walls.

(Were the monsters that attacked us when we approached the castle appeared like this!?)

 The number quickly became too numerous to count, probably not less than a hundred.

 Moreover, while Fornelis was surprised, more and more were appearing from the castle walls.

 Not only that, but when the knights of Fonteau unleashed not only fire but also ice and wind magic to blow away the body of the giant worm, the mucus that splashed down in droplets fell to the ground and transformed into other monsters.

 Goblins and orcs.

"Follow me, warriors of Grabalt! Ready your weapons! Protect the Knights of Fonteau!!"

 Fornelis instructed them to protect the knights who could use magic, and she herself took the oversized sword and slashed at the monsters that appeared endlessly from the walls.

 In a melee, clear and short commands are effective.

 The warriors readied their weapons and, forgetting the difficulties and the fear of the giant slime, followed Fornelis' lead and moved to protect the knights of Fonteau.

 The flame-clad blades slashed at the obese slime orc's huge body, vaporizing the mucus.

 No matter how much it changes, as long as it is a slime, it is no different from other monsters once it is burned by the heat or frozen solid.

 As long as they know how to defeat it, the only thing that bothers them is the paralyzing poison in its mucus.

"Why is this happening all of a sudden!?"

"We don't have time to think about it!? They're coming, Julia!!"

 Julia's body tensed up at the sudden appearance of the slimes, perhaps remembering her past humiliation.

 However, Anri, who was ordered, waved her sword to obstruct the slime that was coming toward Julia.

 Suppressing her turmoil at the appearance of her partner like that, Julia still hadn't regained her usual composure, but she swung her sword and kept the slime in check, just as she had trained up until now.

"Don't be surprised! The enemy is, after all, the slime! Remember your training!"

"Oh, ooh!!"

"We've fought them many times before. Now, the slimes are!"

 The other beastmen, seeing the slimes appearing one after another, formed a circle with their backs to each other so as not to create a blind spot.

 If the knights of Fonteau were surrounded by the circle, they could safely fight the slimes that mimicked small monsters.

 For a moment, Fornelis breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that the crisis caused by the upheaval was over.

(But why all of a sudden...?)

 There must be some kind of intention, Fornelis thought.

 The slimes look ignorant but are actually very smart.

 Kara, who studies the slimes, reports that slimes may even possess some of the memories of the person they had eaten.

 At least, when she interviewed women who had been trapped and violated by the slime in Fonteau for a year, she gathered reports that the amount of magic knowledge and mana is much higher now than when the slime first appeared.

 A slime with such wisdom won't do meaningless actions―― then what is the purpose?

(These guys appeared when Graffus...)

 And, considering what Graffus is carrying.......

"Leticia! The enemy is after the [Valhari Blessed Water]!"

 When Fornelis yelled that, the huge body of the giant worm, which had been stretched out as if it were reaching for the heavens, began to tilt.

 Just beyond that is the "Valhari Blessed Water", which was carried in a carriage.

 "Valhari Blessed Water", which is nothing but poison for the slimes―― the slime's goal is to destroy it.

"I won't let you!!"

 With that voice, Leticia and several knights who had realized her intention released their accumulated magic.

 Even if the huge body was blown away or burned, it would recover quickly.

 In that case, they had been working on the magic to freeze the whole body completely at the same time.

"Complete freeze――. Graffus, bring the carriage forward!!"

"Forward!?"

"The enemy's target is the blessed water! If so, use that water to break through quickly to make them alert!! Anyone who's available, cover Graffus's troops!"

 Fornelis gave the order, and Julia and Anri took the initiative and ran to Graffus.

 But sooner than that, the giant worm tilted.

"More―― even if you run out of mana, we must stop it!!"

 When Leticia shouted in a passionate tone like she used to, the staff in her hand emitted an even stronger glow.

 The queen's mana... even though nearly half of it was lost, the staff exceeded its limit, and the gem at the tip, which had the effect of amplifying magic, cracked.

 The sparkle flickers as the staff cracks, but she ignores it.

 Leticia further uses her magic to freeze the slime.

 Even with the assistance of the knights, the sight of the huge worm that surprises them froze in front of everyone's eyes is a sight to behold.

 The momentum of the slime's tilt weakens, and its movement gradually slows.

 Even so, Leticia did not stop releasing magic.

(Freeze it completely here...)

 The mucus that was blown off turns into another monster―― perhaps it has countless "nuclei" inside its huge body.

 Leticia, sensing the danger of this, prioritizes neutralizing it, even using most of her remaining mana.

 The entirety of the worm's huge body emerging from the ground is frozen―― yet Leticia still uses her magic.

 Then ice spreads in all directions centered on the worm's torso, and the half-formed, mucus that had not yet taken shape also freezes.

"Haa, haa...!"

“Leticia, that's enough, I'll take care of the rest! Julia, Anri!! You two and Graffus must destroy the city walls first!!

"Yes."

"I understand!!"

 Julia and Anri, who had received Fornelis' instructions, led the carriage, and using their beastmen strength, they lifted a barrel full of "Valhari Blessed Water" and threw it against the castle walls.

 When they tossed it at the wall, the wall, which was still producing countless slimes, distorted, melted, and collapsed.

 There was no way it would recover as it was.

 Even if they tried to seal the walls, the "Valhari Blessed Water" would still remain on the ground and in the surrounding area.

 The remaining water is in the way, making it impossible to seal the wall.

 The mucus on the border between the melted and intact areas pulsated unnaturally, as if the slimes were puzzled by their inability to heal.

"I did it! We did it, Fornelis-sama!"

"Good! Graffus, use the blessed water to melt more of the castle walls! Make a hole big enough for the troops to enter!!"

"I-I understand!!"

 Backed by Julia and Anri, Graffus made a wider hole in the wall.

 It's different from the initial plan, but as it continued, the slimes stopped attacking, probably because they were wary of the blessed water.

"Did we somehow manage to withstand the attack......?"

"Y-yeah..."

 Fornelis keeps her oversized sword at the ready and keeps a watchful eye on the surroundings.

 As for Leticia... she had used up most of the mana she had recovered in this one battle, and was breathing roughly, moving her shoulders up and down.

"Are you okay, Leticia?"

"Not yet... this much..."

"You seem to have the energy to brag."

 She thought it was not the queen, whom Fornelis knew well, but her old friend Leticia, who was standing next to the hero.

 She smiled wryly at that bravado, she relaxed her hand holding the oversized sword as she sensed that the danger had passed.

 When she stabbed the blade into the ground, she entrusted her weight to the oversized sword.

"Count the wounded! Those who can move, guard the hole in the castle wall!!"

 Fornelis rests her weary body and gives orders one after another.

 They used "Valhari Blessed Water" to make a hole in the castle wall, and the enemy's attack stopped.

 To be honest...... Fornelis was worried.

(Things are too different from the prior plan...)

 To be more precise, it is too different from the story that Mariabelle told.

 It feels like the "hero's intuition" is off.

(Because this has never happened before.)

 She's troubled.

 Without words, Fornelis scratches her head so wildly that her waist-length gray hair is in disarray.

 The hero's intuition, akin to predicting the future.

 How could it possibly be wrong?

(If that intuition is wrong... what will happen?)

 In the first place, what is the cause of the misunderstanding?

 …...And there is no end to the number of questions.

"Are you okay, Fornelis?"

"Hmm. I've been thinking too much, and my head is starting to hurt."

"What were you thinking..."

 Leticia is taken aback by her words.

 She is breathing well, but her complexion is pale.

 Fornelis sighs again when she understands that the Elf Queen's mana is running out.

 ......Nevertheless, the battle has just begun.

 All that remains is to cover Mariabelle with all their might.

 As always, it is their role to protect the hero.

"I have a feeling that Mariabelle's intuition is wrong."

“…………”

 When she told her this fact, Leticia gasped.

 With the mana she had lost, it was probably all she could do just to get through the moment.

 Hearing Fornelis' words, she finally came to the realization of that fact.

"Don't be surprised. Our subordinates will notice."

"Y-yeah... but that's..."

"Perhaps it has something to do with the kidnapping of the goddess."

 The hero's power is given by the goddess Fasalina.

 Since the goddess was kidnapped by the slime, it would be normal to think that there was some kind of influence.

 Just…….

"There is no sign of a battle in the direction where Mariabelle and the others are. I think it's unlikely that the slimes are still aware of what's going on over there."

“Then, for the time being, shall we continue the diversion?”

"...In order to do that, we need them to attack us."

 The slimes, who until just a few days ago would attack anyone for approaching the castle, were unresponsive today until they brought "Valhari Blessed Water".

 Now that they have survived the first attack, they didn't attack them even though they are right next to the castle walls.

 ……There is almost no damage to their subordinates, but it still feels eerie.

"Anyway, we need to assess the damage and get our troops in order."

 The formation that was disorganized by the previous attack will be set up and prepared for the next attack.

 ……It was when Fornelis pulled out the oversized sword she had thrust on the ground to prepare for the event.

 Fornelis' wolf ears detected a disturbing presence.

 Her large ears twitched as she looked around.

"It's coming again!! Everyone, be on guard!!"

 At her loud voice, everyone stiffened.

 The knights, warriors, and priests all gathered together to watch their surroundings, making sure there were no blind spots.

 But.

"――――!?"

 The ground on which Leticia and Fornelis were standing collapsed from below.

 The foothold collapsed, and the two beautiful women lost their balance without any way to do anything.

 There was no time to scream.

 The huge worm appeared from under the ground and swallowed them whole with the crushed ground.

"W-wha……"

“Fornelis-sama!? Leticia-sama!?”

 Everyone present was shaken.

 However, the two people who were swallowed were the two strongest people in the land―― the ones who had defeated the Demon King.

 The huge body of the worm, which stretched out as if it was reaching the heavens, however, exploded from within after a few seconds.

 Leticia used flame magic inside the worm's body.

 Fornelis, holding Leticia with one arm, jumped out from the wound made by the explosion, melting part of her clothes with the impact and the worm's bodily fluids.

"Haa, haa!? That's dangero――"

 Using the wound as a foothold, she leaps.

 ――However, before their feet could reach the ground, a second giant worm broke through the ground and bared its fangs at Fornelis, who were unable to avoid it because they were in mid-air.

 It opens its big mouth wide and tries to swallow them again.

 But.

"Ooohhh!!"

 With a fierce cry, she slashed the oversized sword she held in the opposite arm from the one holding Leticia.

 The flame-clad blade swung out with a force that belied its weight, slicing off the upper half of the head of the worm that had opened its large mouth.

"Tch, don't underestimate――"

 Fornelis muttered so and leaped once more, using the wound as a foothold.

 Trying to get down to the ground as it is―― but.

"Kuh!?"

 However, the flames from the oversized sword were not enough to burn the worm's wounds.

 Tentacles immediately extended from the wound, and this time they caught Fornelis in mid-air.

 The first thing it restrained was the arm holding the oversized sword.

 Next, it grabbed Leticia, who she was carrying, with the same care as if it were handling a treasure, and restrained her in the air.

 Leticia seemed to have used too much mana, or perhaps she was knocked out by the shock of the explosion.

 She showed no resistance, and the worm's mouth carried her away using its tentacles.

"Kuh!? Leticia!? You, let go!!"

 On the contrary, Fornelis resisted.

 She ripped the tentacles to shreds and wielded her oversized sword, desperately lashing out.

 But there were too many tentacles.

 The knights of Fonteau tried to support them with magic, but they hesitated because they were afraid they might hit Leticia and Fornelis.

 In the meantime, more than a dozen tentacles were wrapped around her limbs, and finally, the tentacle wrapped around her slender neck.

"Guh, uu!?"

 Once the tentacle blocked the airway, Fornelis loses consciousness.

 Literally, there was no time to be surprised.

 In an instant, the commander was swallowed by the worm and disappeared into the ground.

"W-wait!?"

 Who was the one who shouted that?

 A part of the giant worm peeking slightly out of the ground was frozen by ice magic, and the fast-footed beastmen jumped into the hole the worm had made.

 But there is nothing that can move faster than the worm when it is in the ground.

"No way..."

 The unit lost its commander in an instant, and Graffus, too shaken to know what to do, could only mutter.

 The ordeal continues.

"The slimes appeared again!!"

"Kuh―― withdraw..."

(What should I do!? The situation is completely different from the plan I heard beforehand...)

 With Fornelis and Leticia gone, the command was transferred to Graffus.

 He has little experience in actual combat, but the people here are skilled knights and warriors.

 Whatever the situation, he understood that obeying the commander would reduce confusion.

 So with a glance, they want Graffus to command.

 In other words, they don't act on their own.

 Because they understand that this will lead to confusion and cause the troops to split up.

 If the unit does not act as one, it will not survive―― that is why they wait for Graffus' command.

 But, Graffus is so surprised by the situation that he is unable to think properly.

 That's why.

“We're retreating! Retreat!! The [Valhari Blessed Water] must be defended to the death!!"

"Ha!!"

 So, as per the original plan, Graffus decided to withdraw when the slime attacked.

 Letting go of the option of saving Leticia and Fornelis.

...

"――――!?"

 She suddenly had a bad feeling.

 Mariabelle, who had been hiding away from the slime castle, followed her instincts and stood up.

"What's wrong, Maria?"

"Ah, no..."

 Her heart palpitates. Her breathing was erratic.

 The bad feeling grew stronger, and she found herself sweating so much that her neck was damp.

 It's an unusual reaction.

 ……As Meltia and Kara were wondering what to say, Fenelieka, who had gone up to the sky for reconnaissance, returned.

"It's bad, it's bad!"

"What happened, Fenel-sanl!"

"U-uwa!?"

 Fenelieka came down with her wings flapping, and Mariabelle grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her violently.

 Fenelieka was surprised and saw Meltia and Kara coming out.

"W-what happened?"

"You said it's bad―― so what's the problem?"

"Ah, that's right. I was keeping an eye on the castle, and I saw a really, really big worm!"

 Fenelieka says with her hands outstretched exaggeratedly, and Meltia feels her credibility fading from the way she says it.

 She glared with her eyes narrowed, but such an attitude is normal for Fenelieka.

 More than that.

"What's wrong with that worm, Maria?"

"E-eh..."

 She had a bad feeling about this.

 She had a very, very bad feeling about this.

 At the same time.

(If I move now, I feel even worse...)

 It was the first time.

 She didn't know what was going to happen.

 Only the bad feeling is getting stronger, but she doesn't know what it is.

 The "hero's intuition" that she felt.

 Or like a feeling that the way of life she had relied on was crumbling beneath her feet?

 The feeling of suddenly "not knowing" what she believed in is upsetting to Mariabelle.

"Haa, haa..."

"What's wrong, Maria? Calm down and take a deep breath."

"Y-yeah... suu, haa..."

 Mariabelle, who had trouble breathing while standing still, took several deep breaths as Kara told her.

 As she calmed down, she felt the ground gradually harden.

 The foothold hardened.

 Both of her legs are stepping on the ground.

 As she regains that proper feeling, little by little, Mariabelle's breathing turns slower.

"I-it's okay... it's okay."

"It doesn't look like it's okay―― what's wrong?"

"I don't know."

"Ha?"

 Kara was not the only one surprised by the sudden change.

 Meltia, and Fenelieka too.

 When Mariabelle, who always asserted the correct answer in any situation, said, "I don't know", Fenelieka was surprised and asked back.

"What don't you understand?"

"Something happened, but I don't know what..."

 It was the first sensation she had felt since her powers had been awakened.

 She doesn't know. It's because she had always been able to understand things intuitively that what she doesn't know is frightening.

 Mariabelle looks in a certain direction, puzzled and even frightened by the sensation for the first time.

 Fenelieka said she saw a huge worm in the direction where her mother Leticia and Fornelis were.

(Over there, something...)

 She knows something happened.

 But she doesn't know what happened.

 Mariabelle stood still and took another deep breath.

“We left the diversion to them, right? Then we'll just have to trust them and wait for their signal, okay?"

"That's... that's right..."

 Fenelieka's words are correct.

 Since the operation has started, Mariabelle has no choice but to "wait" no matter what.

(Okaa-sama, Fornelis-sama...)

 It was then.

"Ah, the signal has been raised!"

 What Fenelieka saw was the beacon smoke raised by the unit.

 But it was a trap.

 Graffus and the others were focused on protecting their trump card, "Valhari Blessed Water," that they were unable to retrieve the beacon to communicate.

 As a result, the slime, which had absorbed the knight of Fonteau and knew how to use the beacon, used the tool.

 Smoke rises.

 With that as a signal, Mariabelle and the others began to act.

"The slime appeared...... we're going into the castle while the enemy is gathering over there!"

"Ah, y... yeah."

 Mariabelle asked herself, "Is that really okay?", but she moved her body.

 She can't trust her intuition.

 But her intuition tells her there is no danger.

 Shaken by that incomprehensible emotion, she jumped out of the forest where they were hiding and rushed towards the castle at once.

(It's alright, it's alright...)

 As if to convince herself, Mariabelle repeats "it's alright" over and over again.

 In fact, there was no attack from the slimes, as if the diversion had worked.

 As it is, they are approaching the castle......

"It's coming!!"

 The slime castle, which is their target, is right in front of them, and then Mariabelle raised her voice.

 Everyone stays alert to their surroundings. Nothing could be seen around them.

 The deep forest of Grabalt blocked their view and they could not see the approaching enemy.

 But.

"It's down!!"

 Mariabelle shouted, and at the same time, she pushed Meltia to the side, picked up the petite Kara, and jumped away.

"Fenel-san, fly away!!"

 As soon as she shouted that, the ground cracked. The ground rises up.

 After a moment, a huge worm appeared.

 It is so tall when one looks up at it―― almost as tall as the slime castle that can be seen in the distance.

"Uwawa――――!?"

 Fenelieka, who had flown into the sky to escape as told by Mariabelle, screamed.

 Like a giant tree suddenly growing, the worm grows out of the ground and into the sky.

"Get away from here!!"

“Kyaaaaa!!!”

 When Mariabelle raised her voice again, Fenelieka flew away.

 ――And.

"Onee-sama, please be careful."

"I-it's alright..."

"It's coming down!!"

 Next, the giant worm, as if it could no longer support its huge body, stretched its torso to a certain height and began to fall, this time pulled down by gravity.

 The thick body came crashing down, crushing the surrounding trees under its own weight alone.

 Hearing the sound of the trees being crushed, Mariabelle moved away from the spot with Kara in her arms.

 When she looks toward Meltia, she is relieved to see that she is in the opposite direction of the worm's fall.

“What do we do, Maria!?”

"W-what should I..."

 It is too huge.

 Mariabelle did not know what to do on the spur of the moment, but she ran away from the falling worm.

 When she moved away, the huge body of the worm fell down, shaking the ground.

"R-right now, let's go to the slime castle..."

“Maria, over here!!”

 The worm seemed to be unable to move as soon as it fell, perhaps due to its overly huge body.

 In the meantime, she lowered Kara, who she had been carrying, to the ground, and Meltia, who was at a distance, called Mariabelle.

 Ignoring the immobile worm and pointing at the slime castle.

"Hurry up――"

 At that time... Meltia's feet collapsed.

 In front of Mariabelle's eyes―― another worm appears, shattering the ground and swallowing Meltia whole.

"Onee-sama!?"

 Instantly, Mariabelle pulled out the holy sword at her waist.

 Without hesitation, she held it up, and light overflowed from the blade of the sword.

 ――But the worm that had swallowed Meltia disappears into the ground faster than the sword can be swung down.

"No way!?"

 The worm, perhaps not having time to dive deep into the ground, moves toward the slime castle, heaving up the ground.

“Wait―― wait!!”

"It headed for the castle... it's inviting us! Wait, Maria!!"

“Onee-sama!!”

 The unforeseen event continues.

 Mariabelle is upset because her family, her greatest weakness, has been kidnapped.

"Shit!"

 Kara wondered if the slime was after Mariabelle.

 From the beginning, it may have aimed only at Meltia and attacked.

 That was correct.

 They don't know yet―― Leticia was also swallowed by the same worm and being carried to the castle.

 Just to keep the hero Mariabelle from escaping.

 To get her into the castle.

 To not let her escape from the castle.

 …Her family are hostages.

"Onee-sama!!"

 The hero who had her family kidnapped in front of her was shaken to notice.

 She never imagined that the slime was targeting only her.