Those Heading for the Forest

"Izam-san, do you have a moment?"

After Jigoro and the others set out on their expedition and Iris returned to her workshop, Sei came to see me after I resumed my work. This was a rare visit from him, since he was just as active in the field as Jigoro and the others.

We sometimes chatted in the lounge, and because he was sociable, he often joined in the conversation. However, he had to raise and care for multiple familiars, so he needed to fight and train even more than the rest of us. As a result, he spent longer periods of time out in the field.

"Ah, of course. What's up? It's unusual for you to come all the way here to see me."

"Um, I wanted to ask you for some advice."

"Advice?"

"Until now, I only had Phil and Tess as familiars, right? I've been thinking it's about time I added another companion. I was wondering if you knew of any suitable monsters."

Sei said this bashfully. I had heard it directly from him before, but rather than simply seeking strength, he only wanted to make familiars of creatures he truly felt a connection with. That was why he had only had Phil the wolf and Tess the fairy until now.

I had wondered whether he planned to increase their number, but it wasn't something I could force him to do, so I had never brought it up. What had brought about this sudden change of heart, that he was asking me about suitable monsters himself?

"I met all sorts of tamers at the event, and it made me realize that I really did have too few companions. Apparently, some people save up enough money to buy a house and keep dozens of familiars there on standby. Isn't that crazy?"

"Oh, that's impressive."

"I'm not planning to abandon my standards, but that's exactly why I decided to search more actively. That person apparently goes out looking on their own, too."

"I see. So you've realized that you can't simply wait for them to come to you. Still, what sort of companion are you specifically looking for?"

Sei's feelings had come across clearly enough. However, I could not offer advice without knowing what kind of companion he wanted. Thus, I asked him about the most important point.

"Um, I think what we're lacking most is defense. So, I guess I'd like a companion with high defense."

"Defense, huh? Then how about the 'Spearrock Fortune Mine'? It was full of nothing but rugged monsters."

The 'Spearrock Fortune Mine,' where Jigoro was currently training the Undead Puppets while procuring materials for their equipment, was a den of monsters with high defense. Monsters with metallic scales or shells might be able to meet Sei's needs.

After I made my suggestion, he thought for a moment, then shook his head. They were too heavy, he said.

"I fight while riding Phil, right? So it would be difficult if they couldn't keep up with his speed. I could have Phil carry them, but if they're too heavy, Phil won't be able to move..."

"The monsters in the 'Spearrock Fortune Mine' were all essentially walking rocks or metal, so there probably aren't any monsters there that fit your criteria. Hmm..."

He wanted a companion with high defense, but did not want to sacrifice mobility. It was a rather demanding request, but I would have to think of something.

I could not think of any suitable monsters in the 'Ashfall Hills,' and the 'Great Vein River Circling the Land' was home exclusively to aquatic monsters. I had not yet explored the harsh field I had seen when looking down from Shiratsuki, so I had no idea whether we would find anything there. Besides, with a major battle approaching, I would really rather not go there now.

In the end, I knew of no monsters suited to his needs. I would have to have him search a relatively nearby area that we had not yet fully explored. Was there really a place that convenient...? Of course there was!

"How about trying the 'Dark Forest of Temptation'? I believe I've told you that it's a forest inhabited by Dark Elves, but we never explored it in detail. You might encounter a monster that meets your standards."

The 'Dark Forest of Temptation' was where Jigoro, Kal, and I had gone after getting into a scuffle on the first day of the event. Aside from Kal eating too much dangerous fruit and collapsing, and our battle with the plant-type monsters that targeted him, we had done almost no fighting there. We had avoided combat as much as possible thanks to the guidance of the Dark Elves Kirils and Arana.

The few battles we had fought at the time had all been against plant-type monsters. There should have been monsters for those carnivorous plants to prey on, but we had not encountered any then. Perhaps one of them would be perfect for Sei.

"Hmm... Okay. Then I'll go take a look. Thanks, Izam-san!"

"You should bring someone from the lounge with you. And take this."

I stopped Sei as he was about to leave the hall, apparently having made his decision on the spot, and handed him the token of friendship we had received from the Nadeus clan. Without it, they might mistake him for an enemy.

There was nothing to gain from becoming their enemy, only unpleasantness. I wanted to treasure it precisely because it was a token of friendship, but if one of my companions needed it, lending it to them was only natural for a leader.

"Keep it somewhere visible. The Dark Elves shouldn't ambush you if they can see it. Also, I don't think they'll mistreat you if you mention Jigoro and me."

"Got it. I'll remember that."

Sei nodded obediently and left the hall where I was. I had no idea whether my advice—even if it could be called that—would be of any use to him. I would pray for his success while I made soldiers.

◆◇◆◇◆◇

Following Izam's recommendation, Sei was making his way toward the 'Dark Forest of Temptation.' Accompanying him were his familiars, along with Shifune, Wool, and Nanako. The three had just been wondering where to go, so they had volunteered to accompany him.

"Sei, you've gotten really strong!"

"You're just like Genjuro-san!"

They had been working together to repel the monsters that attacked them along the way, and Sei had performed particularly impressively. Skillfully wielding a long staff, he struck some enemies and pierced others, laying them low one after another.

"That's because Genjuro-san has been teaching me how to use a staff."

"Me too. Well, I'm mainly a magic user, so I'm a slow learner! Ha ha ha!"

Nanako laughed self-deprecatingly, though without seeming particularly bothered. Those who fought with weapons, including Izam, occasionally received lessons from Genjuro. Perhaps because he was such a good teacher, all his students had been improving rapidly, and Sei was no exception.

Sei had initially chosen a staff as his weapon because he thought it would be easy to use and require no particular skill. However, after Genjuro taught him about its depth, he had become completely fascinated by it. He even practiced with one occasionally in the real world as a form of exercise.

Thanks to that effort, Sei had learned to wield his staff freely whether standing on the ground or riding a mount. Even so, he still had a long way to go before reaching Genjuro's level, so he continued training without fail.

"Lucky! I wish I could use weapons too!"

"But you're being taught how to maneuver in battle, aren't you?"

Of the four players here, Shifune and Wool had not received instruction from Genjuro. More precisely, even someone like Genjuro, who could handle every kind of weapon, had no way to teach someone who did not use a weapon.

However, he could analyze their traits and personalities and teach them how to fight effectively. The idea of figuring out how a spider and a sheep could become stronger was unprecedented, and Genjuro enjoyed the challenge itself.

The two of them had experimented with different approaches, using the movement techniques, martial skills, and magic they had learned from Genjuro to develop their current fighting styles. Genjuro had even praised them for establishing styles of their own, but this was probably just a case of thinking the grass was greener on the other side.

"Anyway, aren't we nearly at our destination? Take out the thing you borrowed from Izam-san."

"Oh, right... What's that!?"

Before entering the 'Dark Forest of Temptation,' Sei took out the item Izam had entrusted to him from his inventory. Without it, the worst-case scenario was a fight, so of course he needed to have it ready.

As they drew near the forest, they noticed something strange: black smoke was rising here and there among the trees. They exchanged glances, then broke into a run toward the forest.

"I wonder what's going on... Whatever it is, it's bound to be bad."

"All the more reason to hurry!"

"Yeah. Wool, it'll be a little bumpy, but hang on!"

"Nooo..."

Nanako flew onward with an exasperated sigh, while Shifune anxiously sped up. In response, Sei picked up Wool, who was the slowest of them all. Wool's legs dangled limply in the air as they gave up resisting and resigned themselves to being carried.

When they reached the forest as quickly as possible, they saw Dark Elves with brown skin fighting unfamiliar monsters at the border between the forest and the plains. The monsters took many forms, from insects to beasts to masses of tentacles. They rampaged indiscriminately while the Dark Elves fought back.

"By chance, we've got an opportunity to attack them from both sides. Let's lend a hand. Sei-chan, charge. Wool-chan and I'll provide support, and Shifune-chan, charge in behind Sei-chan."

"Yeah!"

"Got it!"

"Okay!"

Nanako, the oldest of the four, was their leader. Nanako was not good at giving orders, but had stepped up so the other three could fight freely.

As soon as Nanako issued the order, Nanako sent the crows summoned with 【Summoning Magic】 at the monsters. The monsters faltered when the crows ambushed them from behind, and the Dark Elves seized the opening to go on the offensive. The battle tilted in the Dark Elves' favor, at least locally.

"Let's go, Phil! Tess!"

Sei charged in atop Phil. Now the size of a horse, Phil attacked with an icy breath, while the glittering Tess attacked with magic, delivering a merciless opening strike.

The monster targeted by Sei was a creature with insect-like limbs sprouting from a giant human arm. It tried desperately to turn around, but Sei's staff slammed into it. Along with the sound of flesh being struck, Sei felt the unpleasant sensation of bones breaking. After delivering a powerful blow, Sei pulled away, and countless arrows pierced the arm-monster, killing it.

"I don't know who you are, but thank you for your assistance! If possible, I would like you to continue helping us!"

"That was our plan from the start, so don't worry! More importantly, don't attack my companions!"

"Baaah, baaah!"

"Take that!"

"Come on, go, go. Just focus on disrupting them; that'll be enough."

Sei gruffly agreed to the request from the handsome, long-haired Dark Elf. Meanwhile, Wool's cries inflicted status ailments, Shifune sliced through the monsters with blade-like legs, and Nanako controlled the crows to interfere so that Sei's group and the Dark Elves could fight more easily.

The Dark Elves had seemed to be winning from the outset, but with Sei and the others joining the battle, the outcome was decided. Through their splendid teamwork, improvised though it was, they drove off the monsters without difficulty.