Iris went around the oasis village with Sichtis and arrived at the watchtower.
The Qahifs, who sighted their families on the watchtower, collapsed in relief.
Chief Sichtis counted the number of families on the watchtower. They were a large tribe with sixty strong men over the age of fifteen. Therefore, it seemed that not everyone could climb the watchtower.
Ultimately, relatively weaker children and the elderly remained at the highest point of the watchtower, while young Qahif women hung in the middle of the watchtower.
Monsters were moving under the watchtower. Among the women hanging from the watchtower, a person who appeared to be the leader found the village men who returned. And made a gesture to be quiet.
The Qahif men who were about to rush in as soon as they found their family, stopped.
“My first child, Cuona.”
Iris nodded at Sichtis’s words.
Cuona also covered her face with a hood, so all she could see was her eyes. However, Iris could see that she was a strong person.
It was natural that it was safer to go higher up in the watchtower, so Cuona, who had a strong body even at a glance, was at the lowest point. She could see that she was the one that the people of that watchtower relied on the most, walking around holding on to the wall of the watchtower with strong power.
One young Qahif man said to Sichtis and Iris.
“You have to climb the watchtower to find out how far the Luwan knights have come to the village.”
“If we run at the same time, we can catch about three monsters down there.”
While Sichtis was talking, one of the Qahifs who were looking at Cuona said to Sichtis.
“It looks like Cuona wants to come this way, Chief?”
Sichtis shook his head in contemplation at his words.
“You’re talking nonsense.”
Next to him, his subordinate nodded and agreed.
“I think your judgement has become clouded by exhaustion and fear.”
When Sichtis tried to send a signal to his subordinates not to approach, Iris said.
“Isn’t it right for Cuona to come this way? That child has been checking the monsters out there for days. She must know more about monsters than anyone else.”
“You want me to put my daughter in such a dangerous situation?”
“She can do it herself. The one who observed this situation the most.”
Sichtis snorted at Iris’s words.
“That shouldn’t be.”
“Doesn’t the chief know best that we have to climb that watchtower somehow? Is there any other way?”
“……”
“I hope you don’t say that you’re going to the watchtower after throwing some of your men as bait to the monsters.”
Iris’s cold voice made Sichtis groan.
He didn’t want his daughter to run to this dangerous place. How could he do such a dangerous thing when he had seen the termite hill swallow his men with his own eyes?
While sharing opinions, Cuona once again made a gesture to go to her father’s side.
Iris said as time ran out while hesitating.
“If Cuona is in danger, I’ll be the bait.”
“……”
Sichtis looked at her unyielding eyes. The reason he was friendly to Iris from the beginning was that he could see his daughter in her eyes.
Sichtis eventually failed to overcome her daughter and Iris’s alternative brushing and allowed Cuona to come this way.
As soon as permission was granted, Cuona climbed the watchtower. And from a high place, jumped to the roof of the nearest house.
The thud of Cuona falling from a high place made the monsters at the watchtower move toward the roof. Cuona straightened her wrist bone, which had been twisted from jumping, with her teeth clenched. She had to run straight, so she was sacrificing her wrist. Then she jumped between the crowd of monsters, and began running in the direction of Iris and the others.
Iris immediately started running with Rayne toward Cuona. Unlike other frightened horses, Rayne ran fearlessly to where the monsters were.
Cuona, who was running with a series of monsters behind her, shouted to Iris.
“Don’t slow down and turn around!”
At her words, Iris turned around in a big circle.
In the meantime, Cuona ran toward the horse, grabbed the saddle, and leapt.
Rayne was an incredibly strong horse with a small frame. After the two climbed on, it was rather excited by the weight it felt and started running energetically.
Cuona got on the horse, clenched her fists, and waved wildly.
“Those monsters! I’ll kill all of you someday!”
Iris, who saw Cuona from afar and thought she was a calm person, burst into laughter for some reason.
Cuona said to Iris.
“You’re not a Qahif, are you?”
“Yes. I am from Luwan.”
“I’ve never seen a person from Luwan before. I still see the Siere merchants about once a year.”
While talking like that, the two people and the horse returned to the place where the party was.
The horse stopped, and as soon as Cuona got off, Sichtis burst into anger.
“Are you out of your mind! You jumped from up there! If you break your leg, what man will come forward to marry you!”
“…It didn’t break.”
“How dare you talk back to your father!”
Cuona pouted and just nodded at her father’s words for now.
After such a long scolding, Cuona said, pointing her chin at Iris.
“I was able to live thanks to that friend, shouldn’t you say thank you, Father?”
“Not a friend, but the Princess of Luwan.”
“Oh, I see. No wonder.”
Cuona whispered when Iris tilted her head at the words ‘no wonder.’
“There’s no way a stubborn man like my father would listen to a Luwan woman. I didn’t know you were a princess.”
Iris nodded at the remark. Then there was no time to waste here, so she immediately asked Cuona.
“I need to know where my party is in the village. Is there a way to climb the watchtower?”
“There is. Those monsters can’t look up. So a few people can climb up the roof and lure them in with a loud noise. And.”
Cuona tapped the soles of her feet and said.
“Their feet are the weakness. Just attack the feet.”
Iris nodded at her words, and Sichtis immediately divided his men into those who would climb the roof and those who would attack the monsters. At the same time, he realized that his daughter had grown up.
─── ⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅ ───
Hayer’s party was heading toward the watchtower with the monsters.
More monsters were occupying the village than they thought, and when they let go of any concern, the monsters attacked right away. So when one person ran, the other person had to pay attention and check the surroundings.
Hayer jumped onto the roof to avoid the monsters that gathered toward him, and saw Annamaria and Hencke struggling with the camel-shaped monsters from a distance.
“Why don’t you die—how can I kill—you?”
Annamaria cursed at the camel monster that casually rushed at her even after the middle of its torso was cut off. Then she put the sword back into the scabbard and grabbed the camel’s body with force.
Power collided with power, and the sand dug out in the shape of hooves and Annamaria’s footprints.
“I’ll never go, you bastard!”
This monster didn’t seem to feel any pain at all. Annamaria gritted her teeth at the great power of the monster.
While fighting like that, Annamaria remembered that the termite hill monster’s feet were weak.
Annamaria said to Hencke, who had a bow inserted into the severed body from behind.
“Hencke, hit the feet.”
“Don’t give me orders. And if you’re going to tell me to attack the feet, you’re going to have to knock it down.”
“You don’t give me orders either!”
Annamaria shouted so, clenched her teeth, and lifted the camel’s torso.
The monster took on a similar appearance to the creatures in the area and appeared in a form larger than the original beast’s size. Therefore, even if it was half, she picked up a camel that was much bigger than an ordinary camel.
Annamaria threw the camel toward the house. As Hencke shot his bow at the camel’s hoof, it felt pain and began to struggle as expected.
Convinced that this was it, Annamaria left it to Hencke and ran toward the rest of the camel monsters, then stopped in the middle of the alley.
“…Huh?”
A girl was standing. The child, who looked about five or six years old, was about as tall as Iris, not suitable for her age.
“Uh…”
Of course, monsters usually had a much larger body than the creature they imitated.
When Annamaria was stuck facing the girl, a dagger flew from behind and decapitated the monster. When Annamaria turned around, Hayer was walking.
He confirmed that the monster had died and retrieved the dagger calmly. Annamaria, who was still in shock, asked.
“Cap…tain?”
“You would have expected it if you saw the termite hills and camels. The monsters form shapes that resembles living things in this area.”
“……”
Annamaria was speechless and couldn’t say anything, but she asked Hayer.
“…Did you know about it, Captain?”
Otherwise, Hayer, who could not use his strength against the weak as if his tendon had been cut off, could not have killed that monster at once.
The desert was a place where there were not many life forms. Therefore, it was natural that there were not so many creatures that could be imitated.
Annamaria cursed and took off of the hood she was wearing, covering the monster. Hencke, who arrived afterwards, was also making a lost expression, then loosened his hood and covered the child-shaped monster.
Iris went around the oasis village with Sichtis and arrived at the watchtower.
The Qahifs, who sighted their families on the watchtower, collapsed in relief.
Chief Sichtis counted the number of families on the watchtower. They were a large tribe with sixty strong men over the age of fifteen. Therefore, it seemed that not everyone could climb the watchtower.
Ultimately, relatively weaker children and the elderly remained at the highest point of the watchtower, while young Qahif women hung in the middle of the watchtower.
Monsters were moving under the watchtower. Among the women hanging from the watchtower, a person who appeared to be the leader found the village men who returned. And made a gesture to be quiet.
The Qahif men who were about to rush in as soon as they found their family, stopped.
“My first child, Cuona.”
Iris nodded at Sichtis’s words.
Cuona also covered her face with a hood, so all she could see was her eyes. However, Iris could see that she was a strong person.
It was natural that it was safer to go higher up in the watchtower, so Cuona, who had a strong body even at a glance, was at the lowest point. She could see that she was the one that the people of that watchtower relied on the most, walking around holding on to the wall of the watchtower with strong power.
One young Qahif man said to Sichtis and Iris.
“You have to climb the watchtower to find out how far the Luwan knights have come to the village.”
“If we run at the same time, we can catch about three monsters down there.”
While Sichtis was talking, one of the Qahifs who were looking at Cuona said to Sichtis.
“It looks like Cuona wants to come this way, Chief?”
Sichtis shook his head in contemplation at his words.
“You’re talking nonsense.”
Next to him, his subordinate nodded and agreed.
“I think your judgement has become clouded by exhaustion and fear.”
When Sichtis tried to send a signal to his subordinates not to approach, Iris said.
“Isn’t it right for Cuona to come this way? That child has been checking the monsters out there for days. She must know more about monsters than anyone else.”
“You want me to put my daughter in such a dangerous situation?”
“She can do it herself. The one who observed this situation the most.”
Sichtis snorted at Iris’s words.
“That shouldn’t be.”
“Doesn’t the chief know best that we have to climb that watchtower somehow? Is there any other way?”
“……”
“I hope you don’t say that you’re going to the watchtower after throwing some of your men as bait to the monsters.”
Iris’s cold voice made Sichtis groan.
He didn’t want his daughter to run to this dangerous place. How could he do such a dangerous thing when he had seen the termite hill swallow his men with his own eyes?
While sharing opinions, Cuona once again made a gesture to go to her father’s side.
Iris said as time ran out while hesitating.
“If Cuona is in danger, I’ll be the bait.”
“……”
Sichtis looked at her unyielding eyes. The reason he was friendly to Iris from the beginning was that he could see his daughter in her eyes.
Sichtis eventually failed to overcome her daughter and Iris’s alternative brushing and allowed Cuona to come this way.
As soon as permission was granted, Cuona climbed the watchtower. And from a high place, jumped to the roof of the nearest house.
The thud of Cuona falling from a high place made the monsters at the watchtower move toward the roof. Cuona straightened her wrist bone, which had been twisted from jumping, with her teeth clenched. She had to run straight, so she was sacrificing her wrist. Then she jumped between the crowd of monsters, and began running in the direction of Iris and the others.
Iris immediately started running with Rayne toward Cuona. Unlike other frightened horses, Rayne ran fearlessly to where the monsters were.
Cuona, who was running with a series of monsters behind her, shouted to Iris.
“Don’t slow down and turn around!”
At her words, Iris turned around in a big circle.
In the meantime, Cuona ran toward the horse, grabbed the saddle, and leapt.
Rayne was an incredibly strong horse with a small frame. After the two climbed on, it was rather excited by the weight it felt and started running energetically.
Cuona got on the horse, clenched her fists, and waved wildly.
“Those monsters! I’ll kill all of you someday!”
Iris, who saw Cuona from afar and thought she was a calm person, burst into laughter for some reason.
Cuona said to Iris.
“You’re not a Qahif, are you?”
“Yes. I am from Luwan.”
“I’ve never seen a person from Luwan before. I still see the Siere merchants about once a year.”
While talking like that, the two people and the horse returned to the place where the party was.
The horse stopped, and as soon as Cuona got off, Sichtis burst into anger.
“Are you out of your mind! You jumped from up there! If you break your leg, what man will come forward to marry you!”
“…It didn’t break.”
“How dare you talk back to your father!”
Cuona pouted and just nodded at her father’s words for now.
After such a long scolding, Cuona said, pointing her chin at Iris.
“I was able to live thanks to that friend, shouldn’t you say thank you, Father?”
“Not a friend, but the Princess of Luwan.”
“Oh, I see. No wonder.”
Cuona whispered when Iris tilted her head at the words ‘no wonder.’
“There’s no way a stubborn man like my father would listen to a Luwan woman. I didn’t know you were a princess.”
Iris nodded at the remark. Then there was no time to waste here, so she immediately asked Cuona.
“I need to know where my party is in the village. Is there a way to climb the watchtower?”
“There is. Those monsters can’t look up. So a few people can climb up the roof and lure them in with a loud noise. And.”
Cuona tapped the soles of her feet and said.
“Their feet are the weakness. Just attack the feet.”
Iris nodded at her words, and Sichtis immediately divided his men into those who would climb the roof and those who would attack the monsters. At the same time, he realized that his daughter had grown up.
─── ⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅ ───
Hayer’s party was heading toward the watchtower with the monsters.
More monsters were occupying the village than they thought, and when they let go of any concern, the monsters attacked right away. So when one person ran, the other person had to pay attention and check the surroundings.
Hayer jumped onto the roof to avoid the monsters that gathered toward him, and saw Annamaria and Hencke struggling with the camel-shaped monsters from a distance.
“Why don’t you die—how can I kill—you?”
Annamaria cursed at the camel monster that casually rushed at her even after the middle of its torso was cut off. Then she put the sword back into the scabbard and grabbed the camel’s body with force.
Power collided with power, and the sand dug out in the shape of hooves and Annamaria’s footprints.
“I’ll never go, you bastard!”
This monster didn’t seem to feel any pain at all. Annamaria gritted her teeth at the great power of the monster.
While fighting like that, Annamaria remembered that the termite hill monster’s feet were weak.
Annamaria said to Hencke, who had a bow inserted into the severed body from behind.
“Hencke, hit the feet.”
“Don’t give me orders. And if you’re going to tell me to attack the feet, you’re going to have to knock it down.”
“You don’t give me orders either!”
Annamaria shouted so, clenched her teeth, and lifted the camel’s torso.
The monster took on a similar appearance to the creatures in the area and appeared in a form larger than the original beast’s size. Therefore, even if it was half, she picked up a camel that was much bigger than an ordinary camel.
Annamaria threw the camel toward the house. As Hencke shot his bow at the camel’s hoof, it felt pain and began to struggle as expected.
Convinced that this was it, Annamaria left it to Hencke and ran toward the rest of the camel monsters, then stopped in the middle of the alley.
“…Huh?”
A girl was standing. The child, who looked about five or six years old, was about as tall as Iris, not suitable for her age.
“Uh…”
Of course, monsters usually had a much larger body than the creature they imitated.
When Annamaria was stuck facing the girl, a dagger flew from behind and decapitated the monster. When Annamaria turned around, Hayer was walking.
He confirmed that the monster had died and retrieved the dagger calmly. Annamaria, who was still in shock, asked.
“Cap…tain?”
“You would have expected it if you saw the termite hills and camels. The monsters form shapes that resembles living things in this area.”
“……”
Annamaria was speechless and couldn’t say anything, but she asked Hayer.
“…Did you know about it, Captain?”
Otherwise, Hayer, who could not use his strength against the weak as if his tendon had been cut off, could not have killed that monster at once.
The desert was a place where there were not many life forms. Therefore, it was natural that there were not so many creatures that could be imitated.
Annamaria cursed and took off of the hood she was wearing, covering the monster. Hencke, who arrived afterwards, was also making a lost expression, then loosened his hood and covered the child-shaped monster.
