Synopsis of the last chapter:

Katō-san mustered up her courage .

Lily and I went out to the top of the fortress’ outer wall, an area heavily scarred by the attack a few days ago .

The area around Fortress Tilia, which sat in the northern area of the Sea of Trees, had been cleared by human hands . Having an un.o.bstructed view made spotting monster attacks easier .

It was clear from looking around on top of the outer wall that the boundary between the brownish ground and the green forest was visibly showing the area in which humans lived .

……Somehow, that boundary appeared to be closing in on us .

It wasn’t my imagination . The ground that had supposedly been cleared was already sprouting trees .

The growth speed of the trees felt irregular to me, and naturally, apparently even in this world this wasn’t normal .

This was the Sea of Trees . A special forest tinged with rich magical power .

Trees in the Sea of Trees grew quickly .

All the more so if the area was no longer home to humans .

The land where the fortress no longer stood would be eroded by the Sea of Trees in the blink of an eye .

The trees would hasten their growth and fill the cleared land, as if the forest knew the defeated humans were retreating .

That was something I’d heard from Kei the other day .

With the forest in front of me like this, the Sea of Trees itself seemed to be a monster and a chill went down my spine .

“So this is where you were, Takahiro-dono . ” (Leader)

Along with Lily, I looked back towards where the voice came from .

There stood a tall knight with a robust build——it was Leader-san, the unwomanly leader of the Alliance’s Knight Order . Next to her was someone short—Mikihiko Shumoku, my friend .

“I will be going first, Takahiro-dono . I ask of you to take care of our rear . ” (Leader)

“Got it . ” (Majima)

After speaking to me, Leader left .

There were hundreds of lives on her back . It seemed as if the weight showed in each step she took .

“……Leader-san looks a bit worn out, is she all right?” (Majima)

When I asked him such, Mikihiko’s face grimaced .

“The opinion of ‘we should wait for the people that went to help in the Deep Part of the Sea of Trees……especially Ena Yuno, to return’ arose at the end . We persuaded them, but it is a waste of time . Even though she’s already busy… . Haah, honestly . ” (Mikihiko)

There was still a chance there were surviving transferees in the mountain huts protected by barrier stones inside the Deep Part of the Sea of Trees . Today marked the tenth day since the『Great Runner』Eno Yuna took the Empire’s Knight Order and went to the Sea of Trees to rescue them .

Silane had already taken the Alliance’s Knight Order around the mountain huts that were relatively close to Fortress Tilia . Therefore, Eno went to the more distant huts away from here .

As a result of her own suggestion, they would go to a large number of them at once and then go to the Colony as well . Naturally, if they did, the number of survivors would increase——provided that, of course, they could find any——but the movement of the group would slow .

At first it was thought to take twenty days round trip, but eventually it seemed like it might take around a month with breaks in the mountain huts—safe areas .

Unfortunately for Eno and the Empire’s Knights, the state of the fortress was too poor to allow us to wait that long .

Fortunately, as the『Great Runner』had prominent combat ability even among the ‘Scouting Corps’, their safety was guaranteed to some extent .

The Empire’s Knight Order was unsparingly handing out quite high-priced magic tools, such as tool bags that carried far more than they appeared to, so there was no need to worry about carrying anything .

The one who first said it would be right to do so was Leader, who made the decision to retreat .

However, even if it was right, it wasn’t entirely acceptable .

“And, when you think about the future . ” (Mikihiko)

Mikihiko scratched his unkempt hair .

“If a big incident occurs, someone needs to take responsibility for it . But, everyone in charge of Fortress Tilia was killed……” (Mikihiko)

“So they’re pinning the blame on Leader-san?” (Majima)

“……The knights’ jurisdiction was originally the subjugation of the monsters running rampant in the Sea of Trees, not the defense of the fortress . In fact, Leader just led the knights; she wasn’t in a position to be speaking about the fortress’ management . However, if there’s no one else, it’s possible Leader will solely be held responsible . I stayed at Fortress Tilia longer than you guys, so I know the weakness of the Alliance’s Knights’ position . ” (Mikihiko)

Sighing listlessly, Mikihiko held his breath and clenched his fist .

“To prevent that from happening, I’ll give it my all . That’s why I’m going . Yeah… . anyway, I’ll see you later . Tell Rose-san and Katō-san that, too . ” (Mikihiko)

This morning, I consulted with Mikihiko about ways to use Rose’s pseudo-magic stone .

He only heard a little bit from Rose, yet Mikihiko appeared to have come up with a lot of ideas . When he was free, he would come to us .

This doubled as rehabilitation for Katō-san’s fear of men .

By speaking to her, as of this morning, she hadn’t collapsed even when Rose and Mikihiko were talking . I hoped she would get better, even if only bit by bit like this .

“Sorry . I’m having you a.s.sociate even though you’re busy . ” (Majima)

“Haha . You don’t have to say that . Besides, I’m having fun . ” (Mikihiko)

“Well, you have always been a fan of handicrafts, huh . ” (Majima)

Mikihiko, an active otaku with many hobbies, worked part-time in secret at school since he was in middle school . He saved money, and then turned his interests towards plastic models and things like that .

Something seemed to have tugged his heartstrings; Mikihiko was trembling with excitement as he watched Rose’s manufacturing technique this morning .

“Hmm . That’s true, but that’s not all . I look away for just a second and now you’ve become quite the smooth operator . ” (Mikihiko)

Giving a grin, Mikihiko waved his hand .

“You mean Lily? Or Gerbera?” (Majima)

When I named the girl who clearly had feelings for me besides Lily, Mikihiko shook his head .

“No . That’s true for both, but what I’m talking about is Katō-san . She’s innocent . As your friend, I think she’s managed to get close to you . Her motivation to rehabilitate seems to be so she doesn’t hold you back . ” (Mikihiko)

“……Well, she trusts me, that’s for sure . ” (Majima)

As I listened to Mikihiko, I recalled Katō-san’s frantic voice “Please stay with me” as she listened to Rose and Mikihiko’s conversation, and her reddened face .

“But, she’s not like that . ” (Majima)

Katō-san was different from Gerbera .

If you didn’t know anything about her circ.u.mstances, it definitely wouldn’t be strange to misinterpret .

But, she couldn’t afford to do that now . After all, she was in the midst of fighting her serious fear of men .

What’s more, she was in a difficult period . Mikihiko wasn’t aware of the detailed circ.u.mstances, so that was inevitable, but I didn’t want him to poke fun at her like that .

“Poking fun at me and having a laugh is fine . But, not her . Stop . ” (Majima)

As I spoke in a chiding tone, Mikihiko made a very skeptical face before looking at Lily .

“Lily-san . This is a serious question, how’d you fall in love with this oaf?” (Mikihiko)

“There were some events, but you have a point . ……If you approach with sincerity, Master will respond seriously…I think?” (Lily)

“Hmm? Ah……I get it . Basically, you pushed him down?” (Mikihiko)

“What kind of misinterpretation is that? Hmm?” (Majima)

I frowned at Mikihiko as he snapped his fingers .

I mean, sure, that was basically what happened .

Basically……basically? No . Was that really how it was?

Thinking back on it, had I ever once approached her?

In fact, hadn’t everytime so far been her approaching me……?

While I thought in shock about only now realizing the situation affecting my pride as a man, Mikihiko spoke to me .

“They’re all good girls, you have to take care of them, okay? I guess that goes without saying, though . ” (Mikihiko)

“Yeah . Of course . ” (Majima)

Mikihiko grinned, his eyes squinting in the process .

“Welp . It’s about time I get going . ……Aah, d.a.m.n it . I want to feel Leader’s warmth too!” (Mikihiko)

Immediately after Mikihiko shouted, a voice came from far away .

“Mikihiko! What stupid things are you shouting now!” (Leader)

“c.r.a.p, she heard that!? I’m sorry, Leader . I said it as a joke, but it’s true!” (Mikihiko)

Having been told off, Mikihiko chased after Leader while babbling nonsense . I watched his back .

“……Do your best, Mikihiko . ” (Majima)

Mikihiko, having stayed at Fortress Tilia for a relatively long time and was without any difficult circ.u.mstances like me, was using his position as a hero to the maximum and was following Leader .

Leader-san was the head of the Alliance’s Third Knight Order, so for the people of the Empire that made up a great majority of Fortress Tilia, she was just someone of another country . For someone like her, whether Mikihiko was beside her or not, the ease of her movements was quite different .

He was doing everything he could .

Because he was my friend, naturally he didn’t want to lose…I think .

As we watched from atop the outer wall, soldiers began to move in a single line across the temporary bridge installed in front of the main gate .

On the center of the road, wide enough that carriages could pa.s.s one another and maintain some distance, was the aforementioned car that used the magic stone, and it was parading with a line of defense on each side .

Leading this were the Alliance’s Knights, their figures dark gray from their armor .

About half of the Alliance’s Knights were here . Among them was a white armored figure—Silane .

Even without her enemy search ability, the Northern Sea of Trees most powerful fighter was still going strong . Silane had been positioned in the vanguard group to be their outrider .

In contrast with this, the other half of the Alliance’s Knights were protecting the central portion of the group .

It was only natural for the group to be long if there 500 people moving on the highway .

The main road stretching through the forest had a forest with brutal monsters running rampant on either side of it . The main force, led by Leader, was to protect the center of the line while taking overall control .

Among them was also Mikihiko, wearing just some leather armor .

“……Seems like it’ll be possible to depart without any delay . ” (Majima)

I’d been watching over the situation, but at least for now there were no monster attacks . It was unlikely we would be attacked immediately following the departure, disheartening the moment of departure .

“All right . We’ll be leaving soon . ” (Majima)

We had taken the position of the rearguard .

It was a position hidden from the public gaze, even if push came to shove and my family was mobilized .

Incidentally, cars with noncombatants on board were gathered in the very back . They were relying on our strength, and at the same time, it was a testament to the trust Leader-san who was trying her best to save as many people as possible, had in us .

Once we went into the building, we once again headed for the main gate .

There were almost no cars left there . The remaining cars were all starting to clatter along already—except for one .

Perfect timing . I jumped onto the driver’s seat of the last car——the one we were borrowing .

After Lily jumped in after me and I caught her in my arms, I turned over the cloth attached to the entrance so that the inside couldn’t be seen from the outside .

Inside, in addition to my family, Kei was having a friendly chat .

“It’s about time we leave . ” (Majima)

Speaking aloud, I sat down next to Lily on the driver’s seat .

The drivers’ side of a car from another world, powered by magical power, was close to that of the basic covered wagon .

The seat, wide enough to sit three males, had a slanted footrest which could fix your body in place .

A mudguard protective plate was installed in front of the driver’s seat, and it warped towards the seat .

This came up to the chest of the driver sitting on the driver’s seat, and a fist-sized, gray magic stone was installed just within reach .

On the protective plate, towards the front of the car, there was a statue modelled after the top of a horse’s head, which vaguely reminded me of the G.o.ddess statues on the bows of s.h.i.+ps . The magic stone was attached to the base of its neck .

I touched the magic stone .

The way of operating it was simple . Just touch it and pour your magical power into it .

This acted as a replacement for the ignition device . As long as the magical power in the atmosphere was stored and used as a power source, there was no need to keep putting in magical power .

Incidentally, I was wondering what force was driving the wheels, but it appeared the effect of the attached magic stone was『to generate a pulling force on the front of the car』 . In short, it was a vehicle following the example of a horse-drawn carriage .

This force only extended to the vehicle body and did not include the things loaded within . You had to be careful about falling down immediately after departure .

When the vehicle body began moving along with a creaking sound from the wheels, rattling vibrations came from the ground .

It wasn’t the most comfortable, but the road was in a bad shape, so I guess it couldn’t be helped . It’d be harsh on those with motion sickness .

“Takahiro-sa~n . How’s Ane-sama doing~?” (Kei)

Once I began chasing after the car in front of me, Kei immediately leaned in between Lily and me .

The gesture, reminiscent of a friendly puppy, made me smile .

“Silane’s leading us all elegantly . So, what were you talking about, Kei?” (Majima)

“About my hometown . ” (Kei)

Today, Kei’s hair—golden like Silane’s—was in tiny braids, and they were hanging down to her stomach . This was probably Katō-san’s doing . She occasionally changed Rose’s hair style .

“Gerbersan wanted to listen, so I told her about it . ” (Kei)

“Mhm . I had yet to hear about it . ” (Gerbera)

Next, the face of a white girl appeared next to Kei’s .

Her beautiful face, which I’d gotten used to yet still I couldn’t help but have my gaze stolen by, was even closer than Kei, who closed the distance with her childlike innocence .

After grabbing both my shoulders from behind, Gerbera put her head over my shoulder, and peeked at my face from the side . Her white, thin hair like a spider’s thread hung down and slipped off my head, tickling me .

“……Be careful, Gerbera . ” (Majima)

Gerbera was in a good mood; I glanced at her red eyes .

“It’ll be a big deal if someone happens to catch sight of you . Look, Ayame’s even imitating you . ” (Majima)

The baby fox Ayame had jumped out when Gerbera poked out her face, and she was sitting on my lap now . Her nose was twitching, probably because she felt the changing smells in the air as the car moved .

“I am aware . However, as long as the only thing out art just my upper body like this, I appear no different from a human, and Ayame cannot be seen atop your lap from outside due to the angle . ” (Gerbera)

It seemed even she was thinking for the time being .

“Maybe it’s fine then”, I thought, but Gerbera was careless . It was best to nip that in the bud now .

“Sorry, but please stay inside once we enter the village . Your appearance is just too eye-attracting . We’re hiding secrets, so getting unnecessary attention is a no-go . ” (Majima)

“Gerbersan is so pretty, isn’t she? Right? Takahiro-san?” (Kei)

“Yeah . You got that right . ” (Majima)

“M-Mm . Do thee think so?” (Gerbera)

Tearing my eyes off from Gerbera, who was holding her cheeks and showing a cute reaction, I asked Kei:

“So, how much have you talked about?” (Majima)

“Ummm, let’s see——……” (Kei)

The Empire, the largest nation on this continent, was officially called the『Illex Empire』 .

It was a feudal country ruled by n.o.bles with territory, with the Emperor at the top .

In contrast with this, the『small country depending upon the Empire as a suzerain state』was named the Alliance .

This appeared to be the end of where these small countries once tried to band together and oppose the Empire . This story was hundreds of years old, and the rule of the Undead King Carl, the aforementioned tragedy, happened around this time .

Possibly due to such circ.u.mstances, while some of the Empire’s huge territory was connected to the Sea of Trees, all of the Alliance’s countries touched the Sea of Trees .

Naturally, each of these small countries had a name . For example, the Alliance’s Third Knight Order were dispatched from one of these small countries,『Akel』 .

The Alliance’s countries touching the southern part of the Empire and facing the Northern Sea of Trees were called the『Five Northern Countries』, and were west of Fortress Tilia . In contrast with this, the Alliance’s countries located east of the Sea of Trees were called the『Three Eastern Countries』 . Incidentally, the Sea of Trees’ west and south were said to be buried in trees all the way to the edge of the continent, but no one had been able to confirm this .

The small country Akel, where we were invited to by Leader-san, was one of the Northern Five Countries .

Apparently it was a small country with only villages . As about one-third of its small territory was occupied by steep mountains, and because some areas had a part of the Sea of Trees left behind there, its population was small .

Though poor, it seemed to be a country full of militaristic spirit, and children of pioneer villages like Kei held swords and learned how to fight from a very young age .

It would be more correct to say “they wouldn’t survive otherwise” .

The threat of monsters was big due to the small countries touching the Sea of Trees, and it seemed the royal family which led the Akel Kingdom’s Knight Order—the parent organization of the Alliance’s Third Knight Order, was running around from east to west .

Such circ.u.mstances were normal in the Northern Five Countries .

When I heard “King”, an image of an old man laying on his back in a red-carpeted room in a castle appearing in a game came to mind, but for the royalty of the Alliance’s many countries it might have been more like the Sengoku Warlords found in j.a.pan .

The reason Leader-san, a supposed princess, was normally on the battlefield with the knights was probably a result of such a foundation .

Along with the survivors of Fortress Tilia led by Leader-san, we were heading north on the highway through the Sea of Trees . This highway led to the『Earl Lawrence’s Territory』in the southern part of the Empire .

The closest big city from Fortress Tilia was the trade city『Selatta』in the center of the Earl Lawrence’s Territory . We were to head north to this “Selatta” first .

Accordingly, Leader-san planned to report to various places about the events that transpired at Fortress Tilia .

I was told Selatta had a long-range communication method linked to Fortress Tilia and Fortress Ebenus in the far east . That which was in Fortress Tilia had been lost when it was attacked by monsters, so we would use the nearest one .

While I’d heard fast horses were already dispatched the day after the attack, there was a possibility that the information was not relayed reliably as they were pa.s.sing through the land known as the Sea of Trees, which meant there was meaning in someone aware of the situation to make a report .

After that, the soldiers belonging to the Empire’s Army would be left in the care of Earl Lawrence’s Territory in the same Empire, and Leader herself would lead the Alliance’s Knights and return to her country, and then give a face-to-face report to her father . At that time, she would take us with her .

The small country Akel was to the southwest of Selatta so a slight detour would be made, but that much was unavoidable .

But before all that, we couldn’t talk unless we made it out of the Sea of Trees safely .

I had to brace myself .

“YAAAAAHHH!”

A flash of fighting spirit . As the Lesser Hydra attempted to attack the soldiers defending the moving car, one of its six serpent heads was pierced by the tip of a black spear, fired so fast it was like a bullet .

The one who brought back the spear, now wet with its body fluid——was Lily, my family, and a monster with the appearance of a very young girl .

Lily easily evaded the attack of another head as it tried to bite her with its poisonous fangs, and then smashed the attacking head in return by trampling it .

“TAAH!”

She rotated on the foot she was standing with .

Her skirt fluttered, and her long legs drew a beautiful arc .

She roundhouse kicked behind her .

Contrary to its delicate appearance, her heel had great power in it as it struck the serpent’s lengthened head . There was a sticky *splat*, and the serpent’s head spun in the air and vanished into the forest .

“……How overwhelming . Though, it is a monster of the Sea of Trees’ Outer Layer . ” (Majima)

“Indeed . ” (Gerbera)

Sitting in the driver’s seat, I murmured to myself, and Gerbera lifted up the cloth cover and poked out her body from within the car, her shoulders shaking happily .

Lily’s movements were much better than before .

In addition to her magical power being increased from her preying on a lot of monsters at Fortress Tilia, it appeared there were monsters that could strengthen her sensory organs by being preyed upon, like a Fire Fang . Not only could she understand her surroundings, she was now able to grasp her physical abilities as a monster and control them better .

And that wasn’t all .

In Lily’s left hand, a『red』magic circle was constructed .

What it constructed—was 2nd rank『fire magic』 .

The fireball launched and exploded, burning the serpent’s eyes .

When it shrieked and recoiled, the tip of her spear tore open its throat .

By eating monsters such as Fire Elementals, Lily had become able to use fire magic and earth magic . Both were 2nd rank, but our range of tactics had unmistakably expanded . Presently, she was progressively using new magic to get accustomed to her new power .

Lily was certainly climbing up the ranks . ……Though, she still couldn’t compare to the fighting ability of a cheat holder .

And just like that, the Lesser Hydra sunk to the earth .

As we were within view, naturally she couldn’t prey on it . It was also a monster she’d eaten during the post-cleanup of Fortress Tilia, so we’d just leave it here .

As the soldiers’ very hot gazes showered her, Lily returned to me .

I left conveying the situation to Rose and those inside to Gerbera, who sunk back into the car, and welcomed Lily .

“I’m baa~ck . ” (Lily)

“Nice work out there . ” (Majima)

As I wiped the serpent blood that’d splattered onto her cheek with a cloth, Lily bashfully smiled next to me as we sat on the driver’s seat .

Just how many times had I thanked Lily like this?

Six days had pa.s.sed since we left Fortress Tilia . Monsters had appeared in no small numbers along the way .

According to what I heard from Mikihiko when we met them, there were apparently a lot more monsters than expected .

This could be called natural, as during the time Fortress Tilia wasn’t functioning, the knights that exterminated the monsters near the highway were unable to move .

Silane’s enemy search ability was still unusable .

Only my group with Ayame and Lily with her nose could take the initiative against monsters . Mimicking her human-like figure, Lily had jumped out of our car many times a day .

But, we could only cover the back of the group at most .

Though we could not see it firsthand, Silane seemed to be displaying her tremendous strength in the front of the group . But, she too had limits for what she could cover .

The remaining monsters were repelled by the Alliance’s Knights, led by Leader, and the Army’s soldiers .

When monsters appeared, the Army’s soldiers lined up in between the cars set up their s.h.i.+elds .

While injured appeared, the soldiers managed to stave off the first blows . In some cases, the Alliance’s Knights’ a.s.sistance made it in time before that .

Direct combat was the Alliance’s Knights’ job . They set up their large s.h.i.+elds and protected those behind them, and when they saw a gap they unleashed the weapons they were holding .

The Army fired cover arrows and magic without pause, both of which rained down incessantly on the suppressed monsters .

The Empire’s Army was by no means filled with weak soldiers . Even though striking directly was inefficient, the Alliance’s Knights showed cooperation in shaving them down from long distance .

The nature of these Army’s soldiers was that though many had strong fighting ability personally, the actions they took in the Sea of Trees made it difficult for them to receive cooperation in large numbers . Such could be called ‘contradictory’ .

Whenever they could, they attacked from afar with a concentrated barrage of arrows and magic .

If it was a short distance battle, they made a line of spears at the ready and crushed the enemy collaboratively .

Their fighting style was based on the premise of a defensive battle at Fortress Tilia or fighting in an open field .

Violence in numbers was practical . Such was the training they were receiving .

In my opinion, fighting a large number of monsters like what Kudō did might have been the worst for the number-reliant Empire’s Army .

In fact—unlike the first attack, which was closer to an extermination battle, the Army’s soldiers were able to fight the monsters by using the narrow pa.s.sages once the battle moved to within the fortress .

Possibly, if they disregarded all damage and all the fighters stationed in Fortress Tilia attacked directly, it may have been possible for them to fight against Juumonji .

Of course, a great sacrifice still would have to be paid . Furthermore, fighting Juumonji directly was out of the question, and I couldn’t even imagine the soldiers would be able to rebel against a hero to begin with .

In any case, the army in this world was stronger than I expected .

This would make it possible to cross the Sea of Trees with minimal damage .

After the injured soldiers finished being healed, the line of stopped cars began moving .

We in the very back were last to move . Possibly noticing I was free, Asarina suddenly appeared, and I played with her while I waited .

“Hmm……” (Lily)

“What’s wrong?” (Majima)

Lily raised a displeased voice next to me, so I glanced at her .

“I just can’t get it to work, is what I’m thinking . ” (Lily)

With a serious face, Lily was staring down at her right hand on her lap . What was she doing?

The second I thought that, a change appeared on the edge of her right wrist .

“Eh……?” (Majima)

Her slender hand grew a size bigger, and bristles covered its surface .

A bear’s hand . I realized it belonged to a beast monster in the Deep Part of the Sea of Trees, a Rough Rabbit, when——

“Rghh . ” (Lily)

——The same time Lily raised a cry of pain, her bear hand began to wriggle as though something was raging within .

No longer able to show control, Lily chewed her lip lightly .

“A!?” (Lily)

When my eyes fixed on her frowning form, a *pop* sound came from her hand and it turned back to slime form before bursting .

“Are you okay, Lily!?” (Majima)

“Mhm . I’m fine, it’s fine . ” (Lily)

I hurriedly took her wrist, but before long her slime body swelled up there and shaped into a girl’s hand, though it took a little time .

I held her restored hand . I sighed in relief .

“What did you just do?” (Majima)

“An experiment, I think? Ah, Master . The car in front of us moved . ” (Lily)

When I moved the car, Lily opened her mouth .

“My mimicry ability seems to have a limit, you see . ” (Lily)

“Limit?” (Majima)

“Yep . I can only mimic one type of monster at a time . ” (Lily)

While Lily’s lips frowned, I tilted my head at her words .

“You’ve made only your lower body into slime form, haven’t you?” (Majima)

“Master . Slime is my original form, not a mimic . ” (Lily)

Now that she mentioned it……while Lily usually looked like a girl, she never had changed a part of her body to something other than a slime .

She wasn’t mimicking; she was only undoing a part of her mimicry . Was that why she could do that? I didn’t think I’d ever seen her mimic two or more things until now .

“Of course, I have used the abilities of other monsters in this form before . I’ve used a Fire Fang’s sense of smell, and have borrowed the strength of a Rough Rabbit . Same goes for how I am now able to use fire magic and earth magic . But, no matter what I do there’s a degradation . ” (Lily)

“Degradation……?” (Majima)

“a.s.suming monsters’ original ability is 100%, I think I can show about 80% at most when in their form . If I exhibit their abilities in a different form, it should be about 60% . Of course, there are special abilities I am unable to manifest in this form to begin with…… . ” (Lily)

Lily’s mimicry ability could not perfectly reproduce the abilities of the mimicked monster . That was something I’d known before .

“My mimicry isn’t the real deal . There is an insurmountable gap between fake and real . ” (Lily)

Lily spoke in a slightly low voice .

“But even if there is, I just can’t give up, can I? If it’s insurmountable, then I just need to find a way . ” (Lily)

“So that was the partial mimicry from a little while ago, huh?” (Majima)

It made sense . Why couldn’t she say so suddenly?

Rose hadn’t been the only one to experience a cheat holder’s power and feel a sense of danger .

Lily must’ve been thinking a lot as well . While Rose had turned towards martial arts, she was thinking about making the best use of her special characteristics as a monster .

Since Lily and the rest were doing their best, I couldn’t afford to be careless . As their Master, I’d have to make several times the effort .

“Hey, Master . ” (Lily)

As I thought about such things, Lily asked me in a semi-monologuing tone .

“I wonder why I can’t use my cheat ability . ” (Lily)

“Eh……?” (Majima)

“I mean, I……” (Lily)

Lily began to speak, but then suddenly blinked as if she noticed something .

“Master . Look . ” (Lily)

At where she pointed to, I saw something strange within the scenery where nothing but the trees were lined up .

A st.u.r.dy wall made of stone . There were many deep moats and earthen walls stretching around, though not as good as Fortress Tilia’s .

The fortification-esque appearance matched what I had heard beforehand .

We had finally arrived at the pioneer village closest to Fortress Tilia .

Next chapter sometime this weekend .

If you guys notice anything wrong, please let me know!