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[The Shadow of the Abyss Walker]
“Dimol, let’s go!”
“Kueee!!”
After finishing the preparations, I straddle the back of Dimol who was waiting at the meadow.
The sun had already set and the surroundings was covered in darkness, but in the mansion, the knights holding torches could be seen moving around busily.
“Frick-sama, thank you for waiting!”
Noelia, who had changed into her usual mage’s robe, was rushing this way from the mansion.
I reached out to Noelia and pulled her up to the saddle on Dimol.
“Noelia, hold on firmly to me. We’ll fly to the Demon Forest after all.”
“Y-yes. U-umm, excuse me.”
Noelia tends to be reluctant to cling to me.
Because we’re going to fly quite fast, there was a possibility that she would be shaken off if she refrained from clinging too much.
“Noelia, hold on to me more firmly!! We’re going to fly!”
“Y-yes… Is this enough?”
Noelia put her hand around my body and clung tightly.
If she grabbed me this firmly, there’s no way she would be shaken off, right.
“Alright, then let’s go! Our destination is the vicinity of the Demon Forest’s entrance. The place seems to be near the road that the investigation team took last time.”
“Understood. Since I was a kid, I’ve heard about the appearance of the Abyss Walker from my father so many times till I got sick of it, so I don’t think I’ll make a mistake.”
I can also imagine the appearance of the Abyss Walker I heard from adults, but it will be bad if I make a mistake in my judgment, so I was grateful that Noelia would accompany me to confirm it.
And I’ll not forget to protect her either.
According to the adventurer who reported it, the number that he saw was one, but it seems that he has not confirmed what happened after that.
Perhaps that place would be crowded with Abyss Walkers by the time we arrived.
We also had to be careful about monsters, to lose focus would be unacceptable.
“Noelia, I’m counting on you. Alright, let’s go, Dimol!”
“Kuee!”
I pulled the leather reins on Dimol, fly into the sky and head for our destination, the Demon Forest.
Thanks to the high-speed the Wyvern Dimol proud of, we arrived by dawn on the journey from Youg Hannotes to the Demon Forest, which took several days on foot.
Lloyd and the others may have already departed from Youg Hannotes, but it will take them two days to arrive at the sighting point no matter how hurried they were, so until then we were planning to proceed with the search of the Abyss Walker.
“Noelia, I’m going to lower our altitude. Once we arrived on the ground, we’ll take a temporary nap. Dimol who has been flying all night must have been tired too.”
“Eh? Is it already over? …ah, no. Yes, I understand.”
Perhaps she was half asleep, a strange reply came back from Noelia.
As I thought, it was wrong to fly without sleeping.
Let’s take turns taking a nap and then start the search for the Abyss Walker.
Deciding to take a nap, I lightly pressed on Dimol’s neck to tell him to descent.
“Kueee!”
Sensing my intention, Dimol gradually lowered his altitude, and when he found a slightly open place, he landed there.
“OK, we’ve arrived. I’ll quickly make a temporary tent.”
“Then, I’ll prepare a light meal. We haven’t eaten since yesterday’s dinner after all.”
“Now that you mention it, that’s right. I’ll set up a Sanctuary. We mustn’t neglect our vigilance.”
“Understood.”
Noelia, who got off from Dimol, immediately took out the ingredients from the bag tied to the saddle and started preparing food.
I also immediately take out the tent from the luggage and assemble it.
Our current location is just one step short of entering the Demon Forest, so there aren’t many presences of monsters yet.
However, it is place where it wouldn’t be strange if we were ambushed if we’re not on guard.
After I prepared the tent, we had a quick meal and then we took turns taking a nap.
After taking a nap, we start the search in the vicinity of the entrance of the Demon Forest, where the sighting report is.
[Fuaaaa… Good morning! Master! Wait, where is this?]
While I was thinking that I hadn’t talked to it since last night, and apparently the magic sword was sleeping.
Everyone said that sleeping children mean they’re growing up, but will the magic sword also grow up if it sleeps?
“So you were sleeping, huh.”
[Yes, Master was happily wiping Dimol-chan’s body, so I became sleepy…I’ve been sleeping until now!]
“Frick-sama was enjoying Dimol’s body…I also, want…ahem, it’s nothing.”
Noelia, who was listening to the conversation between me and the magic sword, suddenly blushed.
Perhaps Noelia also want to take care of Dimol.
If so, I should invite her next time, huh.
Dimol will be happy too, let’s ask her once the matter of the Abyss Walker is done.
[So? Why are we in such a place? If I remember correctly, we should have been in Youg Hannotes though?]
Come to think of it, the magic sword didn’t know the reason why we were in the Demon Forest because it was sleeping.
I told the magic sword, which was fallen asleep, the reason why we were here.
“A monster(Bakemono), Abyss Walker, has been sighted. We were riding on Dimol and scouting ahead.”
[Abyss Walker?]
The magic sword that did not know Abyss Walker blinked its magic stone faintly.
“Yes, you might not know about it, but Abyss Walkers are the creatures that put this country in danger of extinction 20 years ago. It’s been 20 years since it ended, and they haven’t been sighted for a long time, but…”
[So that thing was discovered, right! It’s terrible! Is that Abyss Walker strong? Perhaps, w-w-w-we’re going to fight them!?]
“Yes, if we come across and found them, it will be a fight immediately.”
The magic sword began to clattering after receiving the explanation of Noelia.
“It’s okay, you and I have defeated that Demon Beast Cerberus, remember. One or two Abyss Walkers will be easy.”
[Master! Y-yes! I will do my best!]
“That’s right. If it’s Frick-sama and co, one or two Abyss Walkers are easy, right.”
While we were talking like that, I saw something like a human figure moving in the inner part of the forest.
However, Sanctuary that should still be activated has not responded even though it is within the effective range.
“Perhaps we’ve found them right away. Everyone, don’t let your guard down. Noelia rides on Dimol and watches from above. There may be Ground Fortress Turtle, so don’t fly too high.”
“Y-yes. Understood. I’ll search for the Abyss Walker from above――”
“Kueee!!”
Dimol hold the collar of Noelia’s robe in his mouth, put her on his back, and immediately took off.
[Dimol’s reaction is fast! He made Noelia-san ride on him and flew with a lightning speed~! What a quick work~!]??
“Even though he looks like that, Dimol is smart y’know. Rather than that, we’ll follow that human figure too.”
[Ah, yes! It’s a battle, right!! I’ll blast it with a bang with my newly learned magic!!]
I pulled out the magic sword from its sheath, and ran toward the direction of the forest where the human figure disappeared to.