Chapter 401

Joint Request, Once Again (2)

The search for herbs that began in this way went very smoothly.

(Ah, there’s Lilie Grass over there~)

(There’s some over here, too~)

“Sensitive plants were over there~”

“Found papaw too~”

Joule, Feat, and the children kept finding and collecting various herbs and bringing them to me.

(Ah, a Gray Wolf. I’m going to defeat it~)

Vector, as usual, was running out dashingly when he found a monster, easily defeated it, and returned dragging his prey with him.

(Aniue, there was Yuzuyu over there.)

(Takumi Nii, I found Ena Grass as well!)

Bolt and Mile found fruits and vegetables and returned with a plentiful harvest.

“This is so relaxing.”

“… Indeed, relaxing.”

“Very relaxing.”

“Yep, relaxing.”

Everyone in Soleil was stunned and followed the children's movements with their eyes.

“It’s like we are just taking a walk.”

“Truly. Is this really fine?”

“Well, as an adult, I suppose not~”

“However, we are not getting any action at all~”

“… Hahaha~”

The children's work in collecting and defeated monsters was done without me and everyone else in Soleil having to make a move.

For me, it was a usual scene, but when I heard the opinion that this was not good as an adult, something rang in my mind. Indeed, I will have to make some improvements in the future.

“However… with these amazing monsters as familiars, requests like this would be a breeze~”

(……… Shu~)

“Nono, you are also awesome, Kiltie. You are always of great help to me! No need to feel down!”

“You worded that poorly, Arya. I feel sorry for Kiltie.”

“What are you saying, Myra! I find Kiltie adorable and she is a great helper! I’m talking about Takumi’s familiars’ greatness, and that’s different! Isn’t that too extraordinary!?”

Arya-san may have just praised Joule and the others for how well they did, but from Kiltie’s point of view, she probably felt she was being compared.

“Kiltie’s… Hellsnake’s fangs contain strong poison, right?”

“Yeah, It's a pretty potent paralyzing venom. It's not lethal, but you will lose consciousness within minutes of being bitten.”

“A few minutes, huh. That’s pretty powerful.”

“Yes, it is! And the best thing is that the paralyzing venom of Hellsnakes wears off in a few hours, so it doesn't even affect meat!”

I knew that the venom of the Hellsnake was very potent, but I didn’t know that it was a paralyzer. What’s most amazing is that it doesn't ruin edible meat.

I guess there would be a number of people who wouldn’t like eating… something that has been poisoned, even if the poison fades away?

“Can the meat that Kiltie secured by using her venom be sold as normal?"

“Yeah, there’s no problem to do that. The Guild will appraise the meat and make sure it’s in good condition!”

“Heeh~ Then Kiltie’s venom is very handy.”

I guess that means Hellsnakes use their venom to neutralize their prey and eat them alive.

“What, what?”

“What are you talking about~?”

“N? We are talking about the usefulness of Kiltie’s venomous fangs~”

Allen and Elena returned with a basket full of herbs.

“”Kiltie’s venom?””

“Yes, it’s incredible. It can apparently make monsters immobile in just a few minutes.”

“”Ohh~ That’s amazing, Kiltie!””

(… Shu~)

Kiltie's tail flapped and wagged as if she was happy to be praised by the children.

(Shu, shu, shu~)

“”Eh, is that okay?””

(Shu~~~)

Allen and Elena were having a conversation(?) with Kiltie.

“Err… Allen, Elena? What is Kiltie saying?”

“You see, she’s saying she’s going to show us.”

“How she brings down monsters.”

“Eh, is that so?”

It seems that they were having a real conversation with Kiltie.

It only sounded like squeals to me~

(What, what? Kiltie is going to show us her prowess?)

(Wah~ I am very intrigued.)

(Any chance we can get a suitable monster to come over?)

(Vector, you can’t defeat the next monster that appears!)

(Ugh~ I got it~)

Joule and the others were also interested in Kiltie’s venom, so they were excitedly trying to set the scene.

“Arya-san, it looks like we have decided on our own to get Kiltie to show us how she fights, but… is that okay with you?”

“Ah, yes, Kiltie also looks quite eager, so isn’t that just fine? Rather, it’s about time we got to work, so leave it to us.”

“Right~ we should get to work soon.”

The kids are excited, but as expected, we can't proceed without Arya-san's permission. So I asked for her opinion. Then, not only Arya-san, but also Myra-san agreed.

(Oh, just in time, here comes a Rockbear~)

“Takumi, leave that Rockbear to us!”

“Ah, yes, roger that!”

The Rockbear was to be dealt with by Soleil, so we dropped back a little and waited.

“Arya, Madrika, stop its movements!”

“Got it!—O’Fire, gather around, Fireball.”

“O’Light, pierce my enemy, Light Arrow.”

(Gugargh!)

Arya-san and Madrika-san attacked the Rockbear first with fire and light magic, respectively, and Myra-san and Ellie-san moved toward it with their spear and sword.

“Kiltie, now!”

(Shu~~~)

As Myra-san and Ellie-san challenged the Rockbear from the front, Kiltie took a roundabout path to get behind the Rockbear.

She then took advantage of the opportunity and bit Rockbear on its hind leg.

“Good work, Kiltie!”

(Shu~!)

Soleil did not continue attacking indiscriminately, but kept on defending themselves until Kiltie’s paralyzing venom took effect.

“Is it about the time?”

“It’s going down! Myra, Ellie, don’t get crushed!”

Myra-san and Ellie-san moved away from the Rockbear as it began to wobble. Then, the Rockbear—thud… fell to the ground.

“Ellie!”

“Leave it to me!”

Without a moment's hesitation, Ellie-san approached Rockbear again and delivered the finishing blow.

It was a very fluid battle, and a solid one at that.

“What do you think?”

“”Amazing!””

“Indeed, it was terrific. It was very fluid with no wasteful movements, it truly felt like a ‘party combat.”

It was a style of fighting that we could not imitate yet.

“I'm glad to hear your compliments. However, did you find anything that could be improved?”

“I don't think there was anything in particular that needed improvement. It's just that…—”

“Just that?”

“I'm concerned about how you would act in a situation where Kiltie couldn’t get to an enemy’s blind spot. If you got that down properly as well, then I really didn’t see any problems."

“”””Ahh~……””””

All the Soleil party members let out, "As expected" when I pointed this out.

Soleil clearly fights around Kiltie's paralyzing venom, and if that doesn't work well, it could turn into a drawn out battle, and if they are not skilled at that, they could find themselves in danger. And, maybe they have problems against more than one enemy, too?

“… Umm?”

“I didn't think you could tell our weaknesses just by watching one fight.”

“Indeed. Even though you are this young, should I be saying as expected of an A-ranker?”

Arya-san and Myra-san let out a sigh.

It seems that they have a good grasp of their own weaknesses.