Turtle Slaying

The Green Turtle sluggishly moved its colossal body, which took up a full tenth of the room. Its bulk came with the lumbering slowness you'd expect.

Its main attacks were stomps and headbutts.

Impressive looking, but the wind-up was easy to read, making them simple to dodge.

I evaded an attack, closed the distance, and cut with my sword.

Business as usual for me as the vanguard.

I tried smashing the shell once with everything I had, but even with magic channeled into the blade, I barely left a scratch.

The surface was overgrown with dirt and grass, cutting my effectiveness in half to begin with.

The recoil hurt my hands.

Targeting the legs and neck where they extended from the shell seemed like the better approach.

Alexia-san's magic was more effective than my attacks.

Even when it hit the shell, the heat still drained the Green Turtle's vitality.

My role was to periodically slash its legs and aim for the neck to keep its attention on me.

Given its massive size, its stamina was incomparable to anything we'd fought before.

It seemed to have regeneration as well — shallow wounds would close after a short while.

If I'd been told to solo this thing, I couldn't imagine how long it would take…

Just as I was thinking that, a fireball engulfed the Green Turtle's head and it reeled back hard.

I pulled away to regroup with the other two.

"Stubborn thing."

"About what you'd expect from its looks."

"But the magic is working. I think we can take it down at this rate."

Once we'd weakened it enough, I could use the Apostle's power to deliver a burst of damage and finish it off.

"Azu-chan, I know you already know, but."

"I won't use it recklessly. It's fine."

Using the Apostle's power came with heavy exhaustion.

The burden had eased somewhat since the Water Elemental joined me, but overusing it still brought me to the edge of blacking out.

The Green Turtle watched us, then retracted its head and legs into its shell.

Then it started spinning.

"Uh, isn't that bad?"

"This is no time for commentary!"

"Run!"

The shell spun, and by some impossible mechanism, it began moving toward us while still rotating.

If that massive body collided with us while spinning, a human wouldn't stand a chance.

We'd be torn apart.

The spinning momentum was deflecting magic as well.

"What do we do?"

"Don't ask me!"

I snapped back at Elza-san's question.

There was no way I could do anything about that kind of force with a sword.

I might be able to stop it with the Apostle's power, but…

"Azu, over here!"

Alexia-san called me over and grabbed my right arm.

"We'll flip it with water magic. Focus on the Water Elemental."

"R-right!"

I focused on the Water Elemental residing in my right eye.

Normally it was hard to even perceive, but it was definitely there.

Then I felt some kind of link form between the Water Elemental and Alexia-san.

The Green Turtle closed in, spinning all the while.

Its trajectory was obvious.

I stood in front with Alexia-san behind me, both of us extending our right arms toward the enemy.

"Now!"

A torrent of water erupted from beneath the spinning shell like a geyser.

The Green Turtle's massive body lifted slightly.

That was when Elza-san struck it with everything she had.

The spinning had sent water spraying all over us, but it was worth it — the shell flipped beautifully.

Once a turtle is on its back, it's completely helpless.

Its limbs flailed out of the shell, thrashing uselessly.

Given enough time it might right itself, but for now, it couldn't do a thing.

I readied my sword again.

Being soaked head to toe was unpleasant, but this was our only chance.

"Here I go!"

It was a little pitiful, but we took our time and finished it off.

The massive turtle shell remained, but we had no way to carry it.

We could probably break it down to transport, but we had neither the time nor the tools.

It might be worth some money, but…

Ignoring the spoils, we pushed deeper. There, we found a single tree.

It had taken root in crystal-clear water.

The atmosphere in this room felt different from the one before.

"Is this the Silver Peach tree?"

Moving closer, I could see several peaches on its branches.

"It smells sweet."

"So these are Silver Peaches…"

I took out the extraction kit and read the instructions.

The procedure was simple. It just needed to be done quickly.

I spread out the tools and washed my hands clean using Alexia-san's magic.

It felt wrong to dip my hands in the clear water without cleaning them first, like I might contaminate it somehow.

Thanks to Elza-san, I was in an exceptionally clean state right now.

I reached for one of the Silver Peaches and plucked it.

The instant I held it, I felt its vitality begin to fade.

I'd heard it was a finicky ingredient, and that was certainly proving true.

I peeled the skin, wrapped it in the filtering cloth, and squeezed out the juice.

A clear liquid dripped out, and a rich aroma filled the air.

The scent was so sweet it made my throat tighten involuntarily.

The drops that spilled from the flask onto the ground clouded almost immediately.

It spoiled fast. Far too fast.

After squeezing two peaches to fill the flask, I stoppered it.

Giving it a small shake produced a faint sloshing sound, but the liquid was so clear that without the noise, it would be hard to tell there was anything inside.

"Hey, want to try eating one?"

"Why not. Who knows if we'll ever get another chance."

I thought the same.

Our task was done, and we had a little time.

We each picked one and bit into it.

Sweet, with a faint tartness — the juice flooded my mouth and flowed down my throat.

The flesh was so soft you could swallow it without chewing.

Supposedly, eating one extended your lifespan and slightly boosted your abilities, but I didn't feel any difference.

What I could say for certain, though, was that I'd never eaten anything this delicious.

A single fruit, and I felt strangely fulfilled.

I wished Yohane-sama could have tried one, but since they could only be eaten here, there was nothing to be done.

If we had the time, I could bring him here, but… no, that wouldn't work. I couldn't let him fight a Green Turtle.

"A little overripe, maybe."

"Oh, really?"

Elza-san said that after finishing hers.

Had she eaten one before?

"Ahaha. A while back."

"Nothing surprises me anymore."

"Anyway, let's get going."

Elza-san had supposedly run an orphanage before becoming a slave, yet she seemed to know a great deal about many things.

I had my thoughts about that, but at the same time, it didn't really change anything.

Still, there were definitely moments when she felt like a different person entirely.

I wrapped the flask carefully to make sure it wouldn't break.

Now we just had to hurry back.

We left the Silver Peach tree's room behind.

Quite a bit of time had passed during the fight.

And my body felt a little warm.

Seven days remaining.