Chapter 51
“Creepy.”
Ruril said, shivering.
The place we had arrived at was, just as Ruril had said, a creepy forest completely surrounded by swamps.
Even in the game, it had been a forest that seemed no different from an ordinary one yet possessed a strangely eerie atmosphere. But seeing it in reality made it so distinctive that I could understand why it had been depicted that way in the game..
If I had to name the closest place on Earth, it would probably be a jungle. Of course, it was quite different from a real jungle, but that was the closest comparison I could make. The foliage was so dense that I could barely see ahead, and it was even hotter than elsewhere, so I couldn't help thinking of a jungle.
The swamps spread out here and there also gave off such a strong sense of danger that we couldn't do anything.
The only fortunate thing was that, thanks to what we'd brought with us before setting out, we weren't completely prevented from going any farther.
“Ugh..”
There wasn't even a way back; swamp stretched out in every direction.. Judging by its condition, if I used my magic properly, it didn't seem impossible to cross.
The swamp was viscous but relatively low in moisture, so if I used these shoes, which prevented me from sinking into it, along with my weight-reduction magic, we should be able to cross without any trouble.
I cast magic on everyone.
The Hero was briefly flustered by the sudden spell, but seemed to realize why I had used it. He thanked me and walked ahead first.
Cecilia was startled and reached out as if to stop the Hero from going on, but then stared in surprise when she saw him walking across the swamp as if it were nothing.
“You just have to cross! This should be enough to get across!”
I didn't really understand how it worked, but in the game, this was a place we could cross as long as we had the equipment. This was reality, so it might not have worked, but I was relieved that we could cross.
Seeing things that had only been possible in the game work so well made me think that, even if this was reality, it was reality based on the game; if something was possible in the game, it seemed possible here too.
Whenever I saw things like this, I felt as though my common sense were being rewritten—as if “of course such things work in this world” had become common sense.
Anyway, I should just assume that equipment and magic would let us cross even a swamp made of poison and make good use of them. It would be a problem if this were harmful, but since it helped us instead, it didn't matter.
Cecilia and Ruril had initially been uncertain too, but after seeing the Hero cross without a problem, they exchanged glances and began crossing one step at a time.
Even while casting the spell, I had been nervous about whether I could cross too, so it was fortunate that the Hero became my test subject, even if that hadn't been my intention.
I felt bad saying this about the Hero, but a swamp made of poison was the sort of thing anyone would be afraid of. Seeing him cross it without the slightest fear made me think that I must have used magic and prepared the equipment before my regression too, so...
I don't need to feel sorry, right..?
It was a shitty thought, but hearing that this was a vicious swamp made of poison, a bog so treacherous that anyone who fell in could never escape, had scared me into thinking that way without realizing it.
The moment I fell in, not only would all my clothes melt away, I would be slowly eaten alive by the monster beneath, so I couldn't help feeling afraid.
...
Wasn't I completely disqualified as a heroine..?
Just moments ago, I'd told the Hero not to go off alone—that we were comrades—and now I was having thoughts like this...
I shook my head, then stepped forward with a determined expression. Cecilia, Ruril, and the Hero all looked flustered when they saw me suddenly move ahead, but since I was the one who could identify any danger first, it was only natural that I take the lead.
When the Hero asked why I was trying to take the lead, I answered not with words but with magic. It was roughly a spell that alerted me to dangers in the surrounding area.
This wouldn't let me respond to every possible danger, but I couldn't relax because that garbage thought from earlier kept bothering me.
It supposedly wasn't painful enough for contact with the poison to melt my skin; all it did was dissolve clothes and produce an effect like an aphrodisiac, so I should be fine.
Probably..?
Phew..
Where had that fearless thought gone—the one I'd had earlier about taking the poison in Cecilia's place if any splashed toward her..?
Get a grip, me.
“It's not as bad as I thought”
Ruril said that as she looked around.
There weren't any monsters appearing, and apart from the swamps made entirely of poison scattered around us, there was nothing particularly strange, so it was understandable that she felt that way.
However, the reason no monsters were visible was only that we were walking as quietly as possible; this place was filled with monsters.
Extremely vicious monsters, at that.
For example, plant monsters with tentacles that dragged you inside their bodies, raped you repeatedly to make you give birth, and then devoured you with digestive fluids.. Or monsters that surged up from below and ate you whole..
They were all monsters that had sex scenes in the game.
As I walked, thinking about what other monsters might be here, I froze in place.
I sensed a creature with magical power through my detection spell.
Judging by the intense demonic energy I could feel, this was definitely a monster that lived in these poisonous swamplands.
I turned to look at the Hero with a serious expression.
As usual, the Hero, who could instantly see through my thoughts, stiffened as soon as he saw me turn around with a serious expression, then nodded.
“Everyone, get ready for battle..!”
The monster was directly beneath us. Before the Hero had even finished speaking, I used magic to fire an ice spell downward.
A swamp was, by nature, ground that contained moisture.
If it contained a lot of moisture, it became a liquid swamp, and even with less moisture, it was a muddy place, so ice magic was bound to work better here than elsewhere. Since the monster was hiding beneath such a swamp, it was only natural that the ice magic would unleash explosive power.
But our opponent was no pushover either.
It easily saw through my ice magic and immediately moved away. My ice magic failed to deal any real damage, but it at least barely deflected the ambush that had nearly caught us from directly below.
A huge tentacled monster rose from the swamp and let out a scream. It seemed to be asking how we'd known where it was.
There was no need to answer; it probably couldn't understand us anyway.
As soon as the monster burst out, the Hero kicked off the ground and leaped.
Now that he had revealed his identity to everyone, me included, there was no need for him to hide his strength. The holy sword, with its full power unleashed, emitted an overwhelming light and fired a blade of energy at the monster.
Monsters were, for the most part, creatures made of demonic energy. Since the holy sword wielded power that exorcised demonic energy, its might was truly devastating.
Perhaps the monster decided that we were the Hero's weakness, because it sent its tentacles flying at us, but Ruril stepped forward and shot every one of them down in midair with her arrows.
She hadn't joined the Hero's party as an archer for nothing.
The tentacles aimed at us were pierced by arrows, while those targeting the human who kept hacking at it with his sword, as annoying as a fly, were cut through like tofu. The monster must have been furious, because it let out a roar.
Was it trying to run?
I seized that moment and used ice magic once more, freezing the ground so the monster couldn't descend again.
It was the obvious thing to do, since letting the monster escape downward would only make things troublesome, but doing so created an opening in my defense.
The seasoned monster, which had survived for many years, didn't miss that opening. As if it had been waiting for this, it fired a blob of poison that looked as if it had been formed by sucking up the swamp.
I couldn't dodge it. I had no strength left because I'd just used magic, so avoiding it was impossible. I'd said myself that it was better for me to take the hit than Cecilia, but I hadn't expected it to simply fling the poison straight at me.
I tried to move as much as possible to avoid it, but the poison was flying too fast; dodging it seemed nearly impossible.
Then it happened.
“Lumia..!”
It was the Hero.
The Hero leaped toward me without hesitation.
Hadn't he been fighting that monster just a moment ago? How had he gotten here already?
While I was still flustered, the Hero had already arrived in front of me—and ended up taking the poison head-on.
Ah..
“Hero?!”
“Hey, you..!“
Cecilia and Ruril must have seen the Hero take the poison in my place as well, because they stared at him with startled expressions. The Hero groaned and dropped to one knee right there.
“...”
I could have taken the hit, so why had he gone out of his way to block it..?!
It would have been enough if I'd taken the hit and he'd defeated the monster, but.. I approached the Hero, who was groaning in pain, and knelt beside him with a worried expression.
I reached out with trembling hands to touch the Hero, but Cecilia and Ruril stepped in and blocked me.
“Don’t touch him!”
“First, wipe off as much of the poison as possible, then use purification magic..”
It was my fault.
If only I'd been more careful..
I was the one who had ruined everything.
On top of that, the monster had even escaped because the Hero took the hit while I was under attack, so even though we'd won, it wasn't a perfect victory.
I lowered my head with a frustrated expression.