Since I couldnât operate the magic sparkling stone bomb on my own, I contacted Merinesburg with the large golem communicator installed in the lordâs mansion, but it was instantly rejected by Isla, Sylphy, and even Melty. I canât believe my brilliant strategy was rejectedâŠ
âKosuke. Magic sparkling stone bombs are certainly effective in getting rid of Gluttonous Grasshopper. But you shouldnât use that bomb to blow up the whole forest.â
âI see, from an economic point of view and various other considerations, it is problematic to uproot the forests.â
âAlso, the magic sparkling stone bomb has not been completely confirmed to be safe. In the place where the bombing test was carried out, so far, not a single grass has grown. The soilâs concentration of magic power has also increased compared to immediately after the bombing test. We need to continue to monitor the situation.â
âIn other words, it cannot be used as easily as before. The problem will be even bigger if we use it easily and the forest is blown away, leaving behind only a patch of land where not a single blade of grass grows.â
âI see⊠So what do we do with it?â
Since Danan was wondering what to do about it, I think it was probably impossible for us to deal with it with our own strength alone. Thatâs why I thought of using magic sparkling stone bombs, but if itâs not a good idea to use them, there seems to be nothing more we can do.
âItâs probably okay. Iâll have Grande go over there.â
âGrande, huh? I see⊠I wonder if that will work?â
Grande is a Grand Dragon with mighty power. She is now transformed into a dragon girl through a ritual using a magic sparkling stone, but she used to be a dragon with a large physique that you could look up at. After the magic sparkling stone ceremony, her originally strong ability is said to have been further improved, and Grande may be able to handle the Gluttonous Grasshoppers.
âIâll thank Grande well for coming over here.â
âOh, please do give her a hand. At least until the Gluttonous Grasshopper extermination is over, you should take care of Grande more than Ellen and the others.â
âI will.â
Grande has no obligation to wield her power for the people of the Merinard Kingdom. That said, she is a good girl, so I am sure she will do what Sylphy or I ask her to do. So, instead of taking advantage of her unilaterally, I should treat her with a certain amount of civility, or rather, gratitude.
ââ â
âThatâs why Grande will be coming from Merinesburg.â
âGrande-samaâŠ? I see. I guess we can make it work then.â
Danan, who had heard my report, looked relieved. I wonder if itâs a good idea to address Grande with âsamaâ when youâre calling me by my first name? Well, itâs just weird to be called like that by Danan after all these times, so I donât mind.
âIs it Grande-samaâŠ?â
On the contrary to Dananâs relieved expression, Ellenâs difficult expression⊠hasnât changed much. Her voice sounded serious, and she seemed to be thinking about something.
âIs there a problem?â
âNo, not so much as a problem. But since neither I nor Amalie nor Bertha have had much contact with Grande-sama, Iâm not sure how I should treat her.â
âI donât think you need to do anything special. She may be a bit arrogant, but she is a good and honest girl, so you should treat her normally.â
âNormal, is itâŠ?â
Ellenâs brow wrinkles slightly. She seems to be in trouble.
âYou donât have to worryâââ
Just when I was about to say that, I heard a burst of sound from outside, and at the same time, a tremor struck me. I guessed it was about level 1 at the Japanese earthquake level.
âSheâs here already⊠Isnât it early?â
It had been less than an hour since I ended the call with Sylphy and the others. I wondered if she flew as fast as she could.
When I stopped talking and went outside, I found that there was a great commotion in front of the lordâs mansion. A large crater-like hole had formed at the center point of the commotion, and Grande, covered in dirt, had just emerged from it.
âGrande! You did it spectacularly, didnât you?â
âUmu, I went all out and missed a little. It was all well and good until I landed here.â
As she shook her head while saying that, the dirt fell clean off her face and body. For a Grande Dragon, who excels in earth-attribute magic, dirt and dust seem to be nothing for her.
âNo, I failed, I failed. I made a fuss.â
The crater-shaped hole was quickly closed with a wave of Grandeâs hand, and the shattered cobblestone pavement returned to normal.
âWhen did you become so dexterous?â
âEven Iâm not just lazily coasting along, you know.â
âRight. As expected of Grande.â
âI know, right? I know, right?â
I patted Grandeâs head as she rubbed up against me. Her tail is banging against the cobblestones, but the cobblestone is not harmed, thanks to the elastic tail cover that Lime and the others made for her. The lives of innocent cobblestones were saved by Lime and the othersâŠ
âSo, I hear you have a favor to ask me.â
âYeah, thatâs the thingâŠâ
âWell, Iâve been told itâs a grasshopper extermination.â
âHey.â
âThatâs all right. Theyâre rather tasty.â
âTheyâre tasty?â
âWell, the legs get stuck in your throat if you donât chew them properly, but the belly is tender and quite tasty.â
âTasty, is itâŠ?â
If you say itâs tasty, it makes me want to eat it a little bit. No, but itâs an insect⊠and speaking of that, so is Gizma, so itâs a little late for that now. Iâll try it when I get a chance.
âWhen it comes to controlling the damage they do, itâs best to act quickly. So letâs get going.â
âAlriâEh, now?â
âThatâs right. If we donât, the damage will spread.â
Eehh⊠I didnât even prepare anything, but when I looked at Danan, he shrugged his shoulders and said.
âWe can probably handle the carcass with just Kosuke. Iâll head out after weâve prepared, so you go ahead.â
âSeriously.â
âItâs a good thing weâre moving so fast. Come on, Kosuke. Get that thing out, that gondola or whatever itâs called.â
âO-okay.â
It was understandable that there was not a moment to lose. I thought about it and pulled out a one-seater gondola from my inventory. It looked like a streamlined toy rocket.
âKosuke.â
I was about to get into the gondola when Ellen called out to me. As usual, her expression is emotionless, but I get the feeling that she is concerned about me.
âIâm fine. Iâm probably more stubborn than you think.â
ââŠI see. The Basiliskâs poison is so strong that even if you are stabbed in the heart, you wonât die instantly.â
âEh? Basilisk is that thing that gives you a stomach ache when you eat it, right? It would kill a human being, normally.â
âIâm more surprised at the life force of a dragon, which is limited to a stomach ache.â
I mean, have you ever tried it, Grande? I donât think putting everything in your mouth is a good idea.
âLetâs have a long talk next time if you donât mind. Itâs all quite amusing.â
âHmm⊠I see. After weâve killed the grasshoppers, then.â
Grande looked at Ellen for a moment and then nodded. Did she feel something?
âWell then, Iâm going ahead.â
âYeah, be careful. We will be on our way as soon as we are ready.â
âGood luck.â
Danan and Ellen saw me off as I boarded the gondola.