THWACK! THWACK! THWACK! THWACK! THWACK!
As if to urge us onward as we advanced through the forest, the pleasant sound of a woodcutter striking a tree with an axe echoed all around. Since adventurers had entered the forest, they could chop wood safely without worrying about monsters.
I planned to have the felled trees dried and then used directly as construction materials. We had to make proper use of them, after all.
As if spurred on by the pleasant sound echoing in a steady rhythm, we advanced deeper into the forest. We’d already gone through three battles, so there were no worries. The party was functioning properly.
Distant mountains were visible through a break in the trees. It would be nice to clear the forest all the way there someday.
The King made a promise that any territory we clear is ours for the taking, but I didn’t know how long that would last. Let’s expand as much as we can while we have the chance.
“A pond, isn’t it?”
Just when I was thinking about pushing forward, it seemed we immediately ran into a pond. It was a fairly large pond filled with murky water. We couldn’t use it as drinking water.
“Let’s go this way.”
“Understood.”
Eleonore seemed to have decided to go around the pond clockwise. I followed, maintaining formation.
“!? A monster!”
After walking for about five minutes, Eleonore’s sharp voice rang out.
However, at first glance, no monster was visible. Where was it?
“It’s the tree in front of us! It’s a Treant!”
GIGIGIGIGIGIGIGIGIGIGIGI!
Simultaneously with Eleonore’s voice, the large tree in front of us began to move, making an unpleasant sound. It was a Treant disguised as a tree.
“Hyaa!”
“Yah!”
Claudia and Cornelia slashed at the Treant, but they only managed to chip its surface.
So this was a Treant’s physical attack resistance.
“It’s hard!”
“Lily!”
“Mm.”
As Lily nodded, a magic circle of light appeared above her head. I’d seen it in the game. It was the magic circle for Photon Laser.
“Fire.”
Lily’s voice was somewhat sharper than usual. Simultaneously, a laser beam as thick as a watermelon shot out from the magic circle and pierced the Treant.
JUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUT!!!
“AHOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!?”
The laser of light pierced the Treant. In the space between the three cracks in the wood that looked like its face—its brow—a watermelon-sized hole had opened up and was smoldering.
However—!
“GUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!”
The Treant thrashed about, swinging its branches wildly. Despite having a hole in its body, it apparently wasn’t dead.
“This is…”
“What should we do!?”
This Treant, whipping its branches around like whips, was out of control. No choice. I’d play one of my cards, partly as an experiment.
I took out a round, fist-sized jewel from my breast pocket. It was a rare item, only one of which could be obtained in the game: the Jewel of Fire Extinction. Its effect was—!
“Burn…!”
Consuming the MP within me, known as Holy Power, I would overwrite reality and bring about a miracle permitted only to the chosen.
“Fire Lance!”
What appeared above my head was a spear of fire.
The instant it appeared, the spear of fire flew towards the Treant at high speed.
DOGON!!!
“PIGYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!?”
Upon impact, the spear of fire caused a massive explosion, tearing off and obliterating half of the Treant’s body.
With more than half of its body gone, it seemed it couldn’t move as it wished; the Treant’s movements stopped.
“Fire magic!?”
“Why can Dee use fire magic!?”
“First, let’s finish off the Treant, shall we?”
“Honestly! You’d better explain this properly later!”
Saying that, the three vanguard girls pounced on the Treant.
“Is that okay?”
“Hm?”
“That.”
Lily pointed to the Jewel of Fire Extinction in my hand.
She was probably asking if it was okay to show Eleonore and Claudia the power of the jewel.
I nodded and patted Lily’s head.
“They’re not enemies.”
“I see.”
“Lily, you can use all your magic too, okay? Those two know that you were under the Curse of the Evil God.”
“Mm.”
Lily could use not only stone and light magic, but all seven elemental types of magic. Being able to use the necessary elemental magic when needed made Lily quite strong. She was someone whose Gift I wanted to actively develop.
“Lily, you can use your magic freely until your Holy Power is at half. In return, please keep half of your Holy Power in reserve, just in case something happens.”
“Mm. Okay.”
“Good girl.”
When I gently patted Lily’s head, Lily narrowed her eyes, looking pleased.
“You can touch here too.”
“Hm?”
Lily took my hand and, what do you know, pressed it flat against her own chest. What was she thinking?
“Lily? You sometimes do things unbecoming of a lady, you know.”
“Hm? But Onii-chan likes boobs. Dora-onee said so.”
“That girl…”
What has she been telling Lily…?
“Is it about over now?”
When I looked ahead, the Treant, which had been like a magnificent large tree, was slowly falling.