Kill Monsters, Kill More, Kill Them All

Everyone was in full combat gear.

After confirming that and finishing their own preparations, they set off by cart.

This time, the cargo bed was nearly empty.

A monster wellspring spawned large quantities of monsters, even within a limited scope.

He wanted to bring back as many materials as possible, and he especially didn't want to miss any magic stones.

Magic stones had a high exchange rate even in the Empire.

Between those and the duke's commission, they stood to make a small fortune.

Unlike her usual demeanor, Azu wore a slightly tense expression.

When Yohane looked her way, she noticed and turned to face him.

"It's almost time."

"Yeah. I'd tell you not to overthink it, but I'd really like you to pull this off."

"We don't have to risk our lives though, right?"

"Of course not. The duke probably isn't expecting that much either."

"More like it would simply save him some trouble if we handled it, that's all."

In other words, he didn't care that much. Alexia's assessment summed things up neatly.

No matter how large the monster wellspring, a lord ruling a city of that size could deal with it any number of ways.

His own soldiers, plus adventurers who'd move for the right price.

The city's military strength as a whole was considerable.

After traveling for a while, they spotted sentries posted by the duke.

They showed the commission papers they'd been given and were allowed through.

If Yohane's group failed, those soldiers would carry word back to the duke.

He could only hope it wouldn't come to that.

As they drew closer, the air began to feel heavier than the last time they'd visited.

The mules refused to go any further.

Without trained warhorses like the duke's forces kept, going beyond this point wasn't possible, he judged.

Alexia calmed the mules with a few strokes and led them to safety.

"Just as the Fire Dragon said. The seal's about to break. I can sense it even from this far away."

Elza extended her right hand toward the monster wellspring and probed the state of the seal.

It appeared to have already stopped functioning.

The whole group moved a bit closer, and the presence of monsters grew steadily stronger.

Yohane unconsciously hugged his own shoulders.

There was a chill he couldn't shake.

Was the monsters' presence causing it?

But warmth quickly enveloped him, and the chill vanished.

It was the work of the Fire Elemental beside Orleans.

The Fire Elemental floated in the air, burning brightly.

It bobbed along lazily, looking carefree.

Compared to the Water Elemental, it was even harder to tell what it was thinking.

"It says you looked cold."

Orleans could apparently understand it.

"Azu, can you tell what the Water Elemental is saying?"

"No, not at all… I can tell it's there, but…"

"You can't? I can more or less understand."

"Wait, really?"

Azu was surprised by Alexia's words.

"In my case, I've been around spirits since I was little. It's only a vague sense, though."

"Hmm… I can tell it's friendly, but…"

While they were talking, a sound like shattering porcelain rang out.

It was the seal breaking apart.

Black mist rose from the monster wellspring's location.

A massive arm emerged from within it.

The seal had given way and monsters were beginning to appear.

"Master, please fall back."

Azu moved in front of Yohane as if to shield him.

He nodded at her words and retreated even further back behind Alexia.

From the arm, a torso gradually took shape as a huge magical beast materialized.

It was a giant Ape Monster. Covered in thick white fur, it was larger than a grown man.

Behind it, more monsters were already visible.

Elza's blessing served as the signal to engage.

Once the Ape Monster had fully emerged, Azu drew her blade and rushed in.

The Ape Monster clenched its right fist and brought it smashing down toward her.

She sidestepped left to dodge, then slashed at its overextended right arm with the Sealed Sword Grungaus.

The thick fur had a blade-resistant quality, but Azu's sword punched straight through, staining the white fur red.

She then activated the sword's effect, dealing additional damage.

At that point, Azu pulled back.

From the moment Azu had charged in, Alexia had been shaping a sphere of fire magic, and the instant Azu disengaged, she hurled it at the Ape Monster.

Perhaps because of the nearby Fire Elemental and Orleans, the spell was far more powerful than usual.

The Ape Monster was scorched the moment the fire struck, and it toppled over.

"Whoa, you're on fire today."

Azu flicked the blood off her sword as she called out to Alexia.

"Well, of course. With this much fire energy around, what do you expect?"

She held up the brooch gleaming a vivid red.

An overwhelming aura of fire blanketed the area.

Right now, Alexia was the equivalent of an advanced mage, at least where fire was concerned.

Overwhelming firepower, enough to prevail even against a horde of monsters.

She seemed a bit reluctant to call it entirely her own power, but there was no question she was dominating the battlefield.

"Your output's gone up, so watch out for friendly fire."

"I know that without being told!"

Elza's teasing remark, delivered mid-blessing, drew a sharp retort from Alexia as she prepared her next spell.

"Alright, let's go!"

Azu said, and charged in again.

What emerged after the Ape Monster was a swarm of Goat Monsters.

They lowered their twisted, spiraling horns toward Azu and charged all at once.

A direct hit would skewer her.

Azu drove her sword into the ground mid-stride, braced, and launched herself into the air to dodge the charge.

The herd of Goat Monsters pivoted to chase the airborne Azu, turning their backs on Alexia.

A perfect opening.

"Goat's on the menu tonight!"

Alexia unleashed a wave of fire at the Goat Monsters.

It swept through them one after another, and by the time Azu landed, they were all thoroughly charred.

Watching this, Yohane resigned himself to the fact that material harvesting was a lost cause this time around.