Death March kara Hajimaru Isekai Kyusoukyoku 5-9 (EDITED)

Edited Version of this chapter: http://www.sousetsuka.com/2015/04/death-march-kara-hajimaru-isekai_98.html

5-9. Shadow and the Magician

Satou’s here. The one who’s weak to horror movies, Satou.

I’m fine with ghosts or apparitions, but I’m scared of the faces of characters who are in spasms of terror.

◇

The enemy who suddenly sprung up came from the direction of the owl.
Unable to see its face because of the hood it wore, a figure of a person wearing a black robe had started to appear from the stretched shadow behind the owl.

“I’ve come to take you back, Mia.”

Mia who is beside me is trembling.

“…No.”

This hunched over man is without a doubt, the magician. The owl from earlier is nesting on the man’s shoulder. Is it a pet or a familiar?

I put myself in front of Mia so she would be safe behind me. I then checked his status. His name is Zen, his level is 41 which is quite high and his Skills are— [Unknown].

I am getting an unpleasant feeling, is he the same kind as Arisa and the heroes?
While agitated I continue to read his status— What is this?!　Skill [Unknown] also appears there.

Mia is trembling behind me.
I can roughly understand the details. This guy is too dangerous for anyone but me. Let’s deal with him carefully. It doesn’t seem possible, but if I can, I’d like to settle this with a discussion.

“Nice to meet you, magician-dono. I’m Satou, a merchant.”
“I don’t have business with someone like a merchant.”

The magician doesn’t seem like he’d even bother to introduce himself.
I wonder if it’s because he looks down on merchants or he just has a low communication skill.

“Even if you don’t, I have a duty to protect this girl. I won’t pass her to a suspicious man.”
“Fumu, you seem to be protected by generous and skillful mercenaries, but if they stand before me it will become a bloodbath, do you understand?”

The magician points his cane here while keeping his back bent.

“It’s no good! Master, this guy is too strong.”

Arisa warned me from behind.

“I am the great King of Night. It’s good that you know your place, but trash don’t have any reason to call me ‘this guy’.”

This is bad, the magician’s attention is directed toward Arisa.

“■■■■　■――”

The magician begins to chant magic toward Arisa.

I don’t want to leave Mia, but I can’t afford not to now. I rush toward the magician, and strike his stomach with my fist.
But the strike is unable to stop the magician’s chant.  My fist has penetrated the magician’s robe, but there is no response at all. Is it this guy’s unique skill?

“—Shadow Whip.”

When the magician finishes his chant, a shadow stretches from his foot to form something that look like a spear that plunges toward Arisa. Is that the shadow whip?
I’m back stepping away from the magician, and I position myself between the shadow whip and Arisa.

I block the shadow whip with my whole body. The shadow whip coils around my body, at that time I feel some small pricks.

> [Shadow Magic Skill Acquired]
> [Shadow Resistance Skill Acquired]

What do you mean with shadow resistance?
Ah, it’s been a while since my scientific blood denies the fantasy.

But I’m profiting from this trouble.
I feel like the resistance skill will be of small importance in this situation, but it might increase my chances to protect Mia, even if it is only a little.
I allocate points to shadow resistance and activate it.

◇

“Fumu, that’s an unbelievable body. Are you really a merchant?”
“A friend of mine calls me a nimble merchant.”

From behind our conversation, I can hear Arisa’s whimpers.

“It’s useless, it really didn’t work.”

Did Arisa counterattack when the magician started to chant? Her magic power decreased for a bit. There is absolutely no change to the magician, he probably has resistance.

“To put yourself in front of a woman to protect them from my attack, you have my praise.”
“If you admire me then won’t you back down?”
“That’s a different story. Mia is needed to achieve my goal.”

I’m finally able to free myself from the shadow whip. This shadow whip only gives me insignificant prickly damage but it had no substance and did not react to my touch so I couldn’t tear it off. Yet it could be used to restrain things, It is some kind of fantasy substance.

“What is your goal?”
“There is no meaning to tell you that. If you want to save Mia, then bring a hero along.”
“Do you have some grudge against heroes?”

The magician doesn’t answer and laughs loudly while looking up at the sky.
Accompanying his laughter, countless shadow whips appear from his feet. Did the spell earlier retain its effect?

It’s going to abduct Mia who stands listlessly. If physical attacks don’t work then how about a magical attack.
I take out magic guns from the pocket, equip them to both hands, and set the power scale to MAX.
For someone of this guy’s level, this much probably won’t kill him.

“There is a limit even for facades.”

Following the magician’s word, the magic whips expand toward me and Mia.
I intercept the shadow whips with the magic guns. Dual wielding guns feels like a chuunibyou from somewhere, I don’t like it.

It’s working.
I succeeded in destroying every magic whip that had went toward Mia, while I allowed the one that came toward me to coil itself around me. As expected, I wasn’t able to destroy them all.

“Those weapons are quite good.”
“Is that so? If you leave Mia alone then I will give you one, how about it?”

While offering the trade to the magician, I smash the shadow whip coiling around my body with the magic gun.
I hear Mia’s short scream from behind.

I turn just my head, Mia is being restricted by shadows appearing from below her feet.
More shadow whips appear from the magician and restrict me.
The magician begins to chant a new magic.

I can’t let him cast more magic than this, I fire the magic guns at the magician. His health decreases but immediately recovers before the next shot. Is this guy’s unique skill invincibility?
I change my aim to the cane, and fire another magic bullet.

“Help me nodesu!” “Help~?”

Pochi and Tama seemed to try to do something to the shadow whips but they slipped through it. Even just slipping through the shadow whip seems to give them damage, the two jump back while screaming.
Liza and Arisa are looking over here from some cover while eluding the magic whips and waiting for a chance.

All the magic bullets that I fire are blocked by the shadow whips that appear from the magician’s feet.
Then, finally the magician’s magic, [Shadow Portal], is activated.

Mia’s body is sinking into the shadow.
I give up on shooting the magician, and with brute force, hold Mia’s upper body to stop her from sinking.

“I’ll have you return this girl. Since it’d be troublesome for me if you’re careless, I’ll say this, if you try to forcibly pull her out, Mia’s life will be no more.”

The magician is sinking into a shadow too. I still can’t see his face.

“You are no match for a transcendent being like me, resign from your unreasonable struggle. If you wish for death then you’re free to visit my maze, I expect a show of courage and wisdom to break through it.”

The magician disappears into the shadow while laughing loudly. He didn’t see through to Mia’s sinking until the end, is it because he has allowance to or because of carelessness.

My body is almost dragged into the shadow too, but maybe because of my resistance, it stops at 1 cm deep.
The pulling power of the shadow on Mia is strong. My pulling power is even stronger, but Mia’s health gradually decreases. If I apply more power than this, Mia’s body will break.

I have decided.

“Arisa! When the morning comes, go ask for assistance from the worker’s guild manager.”

After telling her that, I let myself sink into the shadow with Mia.

Arisa and the girls should be able to deal with the shadow stalkers somehow. Hopefully, without injury.
That manager is unreliable but this time it’s a crisis having to do with a person from his tribe, Nadi-san should be able to arrange for it.

◇

After I have fully sunk into the shadow, there is only jet black space around.
There is no sound or light, it truly feels like inside a shadow. Of course there is also no air.
It is indeed a bit painful as my health decreases faster than from the coiling shadow whip. It seems that I am unable to die by suffocation since my health is rising back up at fixed intervals thanks to my self-healing.

Even with air, a person would go mad if they spend too long in this place.

And because of the lack of oxygen, I can’t concentrate well.

What about Mia?
Since I can’t even look at my own body, it goes without saying that I can’t see her either.

I take out Light Drop from Storage and pour some magic power into it.
I thought with this I could see my body, but it didn’t work. Furthermore the radar is only showing me.
I use [All Map Exploration] after a long time of not using it. But unfortunately, the radar display remains as is. I might really be the only one here.
I open the map and look at it.
There! something is written– [It’s an area with no map].

“What is this! a game?”

I retorted.

And then, as if the voice is echoing back to back, the shadow space with no sound is breaking, like a glass, vanishing into fragments.
<TLN: We Majin Buu now lol>

◇

I’m in a place like the ones nobles use to have audiences with people. It’s a vertical room, like a school gymnasium cut in half. The floors are made of stones, with fat circular stone pillars lined up along the wall and candlesticks attached to the walls are emitting LED-like magical lights. There is a throne in the furthermost of the interior, and in that interior a sphere 2 meter big in diameter is blinking rainbow lights while floating at knee-high height.

Mia has been made to sleep, sitting on the throne. Beside her, an unknown beautiful blond woman is nursing her. Her face looks exactly like Mia, but her breasts are outrageously big! No, such a thing doesn’t matter right now.

The magician is running his fingers through something that looks like a piano beside the throne, but before I could rush him he notices me.

“Absurd!”

Even while surprised, the guy is not loosening his fingers from playing the piano.

“Yes, absurd! How did you escape from my prison of shadow!?　It’s something that can’t be broken by a group of low level people like you bastards.”

Are you surprised, boasting or looking down, be clear about it.
My feet are a bit unstable, I wonder if it’s the effect from the shadow space earlier.

“I have a light amulet with me. Shadow magic isn’t going to work.”

Oops, I wasn’t going to tell him the true reason, but even for a deception, telling him that detail was too appropriate. Is it thanks to the deception skill?

“I see, I cannot permit unfairness. This room only allows people who have captured the maze, only those who have earned that right may enter here, that is the rule.”

The magician stops there, and nods at his own words.

“And only then, the hero who is able to get here, is the one who is qualified to annihilate me, The Immortal King!”

What is this guy saying?
Capture the maze, does he want to kill himself?
Furthermore, didn’t he say that he was the King of Night initially? Can he not decide on his name for himself?

But, rather than that, I feel slightly mad at this guy’s excuse. He got my girls and Mia in trouble for such a reason?

“If you want to die then go do it yourself. Don’t involve other people.”
“Fuhahaha, I have received this blessing from god, I am immortal.”

It’s unpleasant, but if I continue this stupid talk, my feet will recover soon.
But, the other guy doesn’t seem like he intends to continue.

“Well then, I will have you leave the master room.”

The door located beside the throne opens and then–

Death March kara Hajimaru Isekai Kyusoukyoku 5-8 (edited)

Edited version of: http://www.sousetsuka.com/2015/04/death-march-kara-hajimaru-isekai_18.html

5-8. Shadow Stalker

Satou’s here. It’s nice to have handy tools, but relying too much on it made you unable to notice the oddness with your own eyes, thus unthinkable mistake happens.
This happens in daily life, work and even in another world.

◇

Just before Liza’s and Arisa’s night watch duty is over, I see enemies on the map.
There are three monsters called Shadow Stalkers. Since I’ve never heard of them, I check their details. Level 12, it has [Physical Damage Halved] and [Stamina Drain] as race specific skills. They might become formidable foes if I don’t have any means to counter them. They don’t seem like they are undead and their speed isn’t that fast, but they will likely arrive here in about an hour. The enemy have probably run out of flying-type monsters.

I’m arranging various things related to battle to be displayed from the menu.
And then I turn to look at my chest. I had felt something had been putting pressure on my chest for a while now, but as it turns out, it’s Pochi and Tama who climbed onto my chest and stomach while letting out ,”Gude~”, sounds, sleeping there lying on their bellies.
I place them on the sheet while being careful not to wake them, and get up.

“Ara? Master, are you doing yobai?”

“Are you having trouble sleeping? Master?”

Arisa who’s somehow being held up by Liza’s arms calls out to me. Liza is also probably very sleepy, her voice is weak without power. I should let her sleep a little before the enemies get here.

“I’ll change with you, so it’s fine for you two to sleep.”
“Is that okay? Isn’t it Pochi and Tama’s turn next?”
“I’ll make them two take up watch duty together with Lulu early in the morning.”

Arisa who’s free from Liza’s hold comes up to me while saying, “Let me sleep on your lap~.”, but I lift and roll her to beside Lulu. Arisa is probably tired too, without complaining she goes to sleep while using Lulu as a body pillow. Lulu’s painful expression from being clung onto by Arisa is cute too. I’m almost taken over with wicked thoughts but I manage to forcibly shake it off.

I continue watching the map while adding twigs to the bonfire. There is still about 50 minutes before the monsters arrive and no others have yet to join them.
“…I’m thirsty.”

Mia who has woken up hands me a water bottle. After I receive it she sits beside me while I’m drinking the water.

“Why?”

A small voice comes out of Mia. It doesn’t seem to be a monologue.

“Why am I protecting you from the magician?”
“Yes.”
“As you can see, there’s nothing deep to it.”

Likely not satisfied with my answer, she falls silent.

“It’s dangerous.”
“Looks like it, a lot of monsters did come out back in the afternoon.”
“Mize and even the others… died.”

Come to think of it, what’s the relation between elves and the rat-men?

“The red-helmet(Mize)-san, do you know him from somewhere?”
“Forest.”
“Borunean Forest?”
“Yes.”

Connecting the story from the few words of Mia, it seems that the red-helmet was saved by Mia’s parent when he was dying and surrounded by goblins outside the forest 10 years ago. After that, they became acquainted while the red-helmet stayed in Mia’s parent’s house. Together with Mia he was taught various things by Mia’s parents.
It seems that the red helmet he was wearing was a mithril product given by Mia’s parents.

So it mithril exists huh.
The reason the red-helmet called Mia princess, was probably because of this.

“Did you get attacked by the magician when you’re visiting Mize-san’s hometown with him?”
“No.”

After asking her several times in various different ways, I understand the rough situation. It seems that Mia was abducted from her hometown in the forest by the magician, and held captive in a maze in a mountain. The magician then forcibly made her to be the “Master of Mazes” with a forced contract ceremony. Even if she’s called master, she was nothing more than the proxy of the magician, she was forced to sit in the master’s room for half a day.
According to Mia, the maze’s movement is weak, so she’s probably some sort of a key or a catalyst.

“Did Mize-san come to help you in the maze?”
“A coincidence.”

Mia denies while shaking her head. When I inquire for more details, she executed an emergency escape command on the Maze Core when there was a chance that at the time the magician was back in his room. When I said “You know well”, she said, “It’s in elf language.” Perhaps, she pushed something like a button written in elf language.
And then she escaped to the Rat-men village and reunited with the red-helmet there.

“It was because of me that the village was burnt down.”

As Mia painfully said this, I put my arm around her shoulder, held it and said, “It’s not your fault.” to console her. In times like this anyone would want to be comforted even if it’s just merely words of consolation.
The subordinates of the magician who came to look for Mia seemed to have burned down the village as a lesson. Those subordinates were disposed of by red helmet and his friends in a counterattack, but not before some of the other villagers fell victim to the fiends.  Hence, it became hard for her to stay in the village. So the red helmet with his friends were going to escort Mia to meet the elves in Seryuu city.
And then, when they were going down the mountain–

“We were attacked.”
“By the flying ants right?”
“Yes.”

From then on, we had seen the rest of what had happened.

◇

Meanwhile, the shadow stalkers had stopped at the site where the flying ants were slain by Arisa.

I should wake everyone soon.
I call Pochi while sending magic power to the Light Hot Plate.

“Pochi.”

Pochi had been quietly sleeping curled up like a ball with Tama. Her ears twitched and perked up at the sound of her name. Pochi slowly rises while rubbing her eyes and looking so sleepy.

“Unyu~, food?”
“Not that, wake everyone up. I feel a presence from the forest.”

Among this lot, Pochi is the easiest to wake up. The hardest one to wake being Liza.

“It’s not morning but wake up nodesu~.”

Pochi steps on Tama’s stomach and knocks on Arisa’s head with a whack. Lulu gets up hearing Pochi’s voice.

“Liza wake up too nodesu.”

Liza’s body is swaying from the shaking but she’s only groaning without waking up. Tama gets on top of Liza’s stomach to assist Pochi. However, while half-asleep, Liza catches the two and pulls them into a tight hug.

“Mugyu~.””Wake up~?”

Looks like those two will be like that until Liza wakes up.
Arisa is coming to the bonfire while yawning with her mouth wide open. Lulu puts her hand in front of her mouth and begins yawning cutely. Where is this difference in this girl’s power coming from?

“Fuwaah~ is it enemies?”
“They’re still far off, but there are three coming.”
“Judging from the atmosphere, they’re not powerful.”

I tell her about the enemies’ types and characteristics.

“They’re not undead right? Then they’re easy prey for my mind magic.”

When she gets to the bonfire and sees Mia who is sitting besides me, Arisa does an exaggerated gesture of opening her eyes wide while saying, “What a fearful girl!”. Who is she imitating?

“Hey wait, you have me if you want to do it with someone!”
“Stop saying those stupid things. I was just hearing about her rough situation.”
“Then why is she clinging to your arm?”

Come to think of it, before I knew it, Mia had already clung to my right arm. I thought we were separated after I activated the light hot plate earlier. Since I’m used to be hugged by Pochi and Tama, I didn’t mind it.
Mia parts her hands after being pointed out by Arisa.

‘”I didn’t hug him.”‘
“She didn’t hug me she says.”
“That’s a lie! I saw you separating just now.”
‘”It must be a mistake.”‘
“If you’re an adult, don’t fuss too much over it.”
“Gunununu~
I receive a cup of tea from Lulu who has begun to serve it. Am I overthinking too much as I watch Mia who casually sits beside me after getting her tea?

“Liza, here nano desu.”
“Nya, my tail hurts~.”

Following the two, is the now half-awake Liza.
I wonder if Pochi and Tama dislike tea, they’re drinking plain boiled water that Lulu had prepared. By the way, It seems Tama can drink hot water just fine. She drank soup just fine too.

“Liza, it’s about time to wake up.”

I said to her, and her loosened face began to rapidly tighten. After confirming me visually, to keep up her appearance, she greets me with composed face.

“G, good morning, master.”
“Good morning.”

It’s not morning though.
I should make them get ready soon.

“Enemies are closing in. Wash your face and keep awake.”

Everyone begins to prepare, except for Tama who keeps staring at the top of a tree. There aren’t enemies there according to the radar.

“Is there something over there?”
“Those birds, they’re weird~?”

Birds?
There are around 20 owls nesting there. It’s certainly a bit scary.

◇

It seems that the shadow stalkers have noticed the bonfire, they’re closing in on the camp. They’re at the other side of the owls’ tree.

The three beastkin girls are in charge of the middle while Arisa will deal with the enemy on the right and Me and Mia are left to deal with the enemt on the left. Lulu is taking refuge in the wagon for safety.

I’m hearing fluttering sounds from behind.
Is it the owls from earlier?

I look back for a bit to confirm it.
It really is an owl from earlier. It has a single red head-feather as its characteristic. Since the place where the owl landed is the place where we buried the boar remains from dinner earlier, it’s probably attracted to the smell.
I’m convinced of that and look back to the front.

Right at that time, a red dot indicating an enemy suddenly appeared on the radar— Furthermore, it was at point blank range.

Death March kara Hajimaru Isekai Kyusoukyoku 5-7 (Edited)

Sousetsuka’s Chapter. Edited.

http://www.sousetsuka.com/2015/04/death-march-kara-hajimaru-isekai_15.html

Would have posted in comments, but there is a character limit of 4000.

——————————————————————————————————————-

5-7. Mistake and Clean-up

Now then, with night approaching maybe I should go pay a visit to our magician?
I’d hate to get attacked by the army of ants when the morning dawns …ants are not nocturnal right?

I go inside the wagon alone and begin to change my clothes. Since Arisa is peeking, I roll up my smelly sweaty shirt into a ball and throw it at her face. Suffer well in that stink!

I’m still wearing a mantle on the outside, but I change into some thick trousers, an inside shirt and also knee-high leather boots. Since I will be trekking through the mountain, it’d be inconvenient to wear a robe.

“Sniff, sniff, snifff.”
“Arisa, stop it, that’s vulgar.”

This is the first time I have seen Lulu scolding Arisa. Still, what the heck is this girl doing???No, I understand when I see it, but I refuse to acknowledge it…. Aren’t you being too much of a pervert by sniffing a smelly shirt?
I take the shirt away from Arisa and give it to Lulu.

“I’m sorry, but please wash this when you’re doing laundry.”
“Yes, master.”
“Before that, let me enjoy the teen scent””Auu.”

I poked her forehead before she finished.

“Love is too painful~ please do the punishing in more sensual way!”
“There are a lot of other girls who would cry after being defiled, treat yourself better.”
“Uuu~ I’m a maiden too.”

A maiden wouldn’t do such things— At least publicly.

“At any rate, what are you going to do by changing clothes?”
“I’m going to go do some reconnaissance.”

I’m actually going to the magician’s place, but I won’t say it.

“I will accompany master.”

Liza proposed, but I persuaded her to defend the camp. She insisted that I take Pochi and Tama as bodyguards, but when I said that I’d be back before sunset, she let me go.

◇

Truthfully, I won’t be going straight to the magician’s place right away. I want to enlarge the search area before the next pursuing force comes, so I’m going to retrace our route until about the area where the rat cavalry was devastated. I should be able to reach it before the sun sets if I run.

After I reach a place not visible from camp, I start running to where the ground was gouged. In just five minutes, I’ve reached the place where Arisa massacred the ants with her unique skill.
I lightly jump over the ant bodies which are piled up one after another obstructing the road.
A lot of small animals are gathering, perhaps the monsters’ remains are delicious?

Even so, with this many monsters carcasses, it will interfere with traffic.
If this were a game, then they would in time just disappear… reality sure is troublesome.

…Hmm?

…Dang.

“‘Reality is troublesome’, not that!”

I stop my feet, and look back at the mountain of monster remains.

I’m imagining it for a bit.
There are monster bodies piled up on a highway with scarce traffic. Dead ants whose bodies show no external injuries and some with only a singular arrow wound. A normal person might be interested in knowing more. And with our wagon being the only one to have recently taken this route… It wouldn’t take a genius to make the connection between us and these dead monsters.

This could be bad.

I change my plan, and hastily stow away all the monster remains inside my storage in an “ants” section. I had thought of dismantling and tossing them on the roadside, but I decided to use my storage since it’d be too time-consuming to do otherwise.
Since the remains are not displayed on the radar, I have to rely on my sight. It was easy to gather the bodies on the road, but the ones stuck in the thickets a bit away took some effort.
Nevertheless, thanks to my clean up efforts, the road was cleared from them as far as the eye can see just before the sun had started to set.

I hide blood and traces of the battle with suitably long tree branches. They might attract some attention but it’s better than puddles of blood in plain sight.
Since I see from the radar that Pochi and Tama are departing from the camp to look for me, I quickly finish hiding the remaing blood with branches from my storage and start to head back.

This took more time than I thought, forcing me to give up on my original goal.

◇

With Pochi and Tama hanging on my arms, I walk down the highway in the sunset.
I hear the sounds of small animals gnawing on something in the bushes on the roadsides. There are probably still some bits and pieces leftover from the remains, I start to feel some remorse for having taken food away from the small animals. And it was unexpectedly hard to keep Pochi and Tama from pushing through to the bushes.

In a place 10 minutes walking distance away from the camp, I catch a monster on the radar.

Let’s check the details.

Gargoyle, level 5. Plainly speaking, it’s a flying stone statue. Some note worthy points are it’s night vision and complete immunity to mind attack. Also, being a stone statue, it’s hard exterior.
It could be an independent monster or a familiar of the magician. Though this time I would guess the latter.

Its moving speed is slightly faster than a person.
The gargoyle’s destination is probably the place where Arisa massacred the large groups of ants right?

“Master~?””What’s wrong desu?”

Pochi and Tama pull on my hands. I’ve stopped swinging them on my arms.

“Tama, do you have the throwing stones?”
“Aye.”

Then, I should drop it with a stone.

“I forgot something, let’s go back.”
“Yes nano desu~.””Aye~.”

I spin the two like tops while on my arms. Since they demand to do it again, I do it thrice more after that.
They were demanding more, but since it’d be troublesome if we can’t secure the best location to attack the gargoyle, I promise them to do it again once we get back to camp.

◇

The three of us are hiding beside a shelter. Although I say shelter, it’s just a rock about as high as a grown man.

The gargoyle is flying just overhead.
After a moments pause, I throw two fist-sized stones with both hands. I throw one more a heart beat later. All three stones hit the target and the gargoyle becomes a mere broken statue.

“Co reco co re.””Core nano desu~.”

Is that some kind of core retrieval song? While listening to the mysterious song, I watch as Tama who’s singing with strange intonation and Pochi who’s interluding retrieve the core.
Just like the ants, this low level monster has a small magic core with pale color. The price is most likely cheap too.

“Aye.”, so she says while presenting the core. After putting it in my pocket and straight into storage we start to head back to the camp site.

Needless to say, the two didn’t ask what was the [Something] that I forgot.

◇

Since I don’t want to needlessly make Lulu and Mia worry, I only tell Arisa and Liza about the gargoyle.

And since the probability is high that the camp will be attacked when I head towards the magician, I decided not to do a late-night visit.
Although, even if I don’t go there, I feel as though the opponent will come here instead.

Tonight’s night watch will be in 3 shifts. The first pair will be Liza and Arisa, the second are Pochi and Tama and the last is me, Mia and Lulu. They are equally alloted according to our search potential of the enemy and fighting skill. I’d be glad to have Lulu together with Arisa, but since I wouldn’t know what to do with just me and the taciturn girl, I made her join us.

Lying on the sheet, Pochi and Tama take positions on the left and right of me. We’ve been sleeping together since the time in Labyrinth. Although at that time I didn’t sleep at all since I was on guard.

“Together~.””Nano desu~.”
“Good night, Pochi, Tama.”
“Aye~.””Nighty~.”

I could hear Arisa grumbling from a distance, but since it’s nothing much, I let it go. Lulu and Mia were at loss finding a place to sleep, but by Arisa’s suggestion, they will be sleeping beside us. It’s a bit crowded, but warm, so it’s nice.

I frantically try to retain my consciousness which was almost taken away by the comfortable warmth. There is to be 3 shifts to the night watch, but since I’m almost certain that there will be an attack tonight, I’m careful not to sleep.
While watching the radar, I read a book from the menu to prevent drowsiness.

This is going to be a long night.