CH 185

Blocking our way forward was a spider about three meters in size. I’ve heard that bugs don’t feel pain, but even after having two of its front legs chopped off, its will to fight didn’t wane, and it roared at us with all its might.

“KISHAAAAA!!!”

“Here it comes!”

“Yeah!”

What came at us, was not its huge body… but a horde of spiders about 80 centimeters in size attacking us in the passage. They were small compared to the boss, but their numbers and their three-dimensional attack from walls, floors, and ceilings made them quite troublesome.

However, they were just troublesome, at most. Gou and I cut down the attacking spiders one after another.

“Hmph, haah! We can defeat them, but there’s no end to it.”

“Right, Tia, can you do what you did earlier?”

“Of course!”

Bugs are weak to fire. Tia’s flame spear should be able to pierce through the horde of spiders and open a large hole in the main body. So we thought we just need to buy time until she can activate it…

“KISHAAAAAAAA!!!”

“What is this!?”

“Whoa, this is bad!?”

Inspired by the roar of the mother spider, even smaller spiders began to swarm from beneath it. Each one was about the size of an adult’s fist, but their numbers were extraordinary.

“W-wait! We can’t defend against this! Gou-san!?”

Facing the oncoming wave of small spiders, I turned my gaze towards Gou. I could deal with a big enemy, but when there’s a large amount of small ones, it’s a worst-case scenario for a swordsman like me.

So I thought about how we could handle this, but unfortunately, Gou also grimaced and shook his head.

“I can’t handle this number either. Unfortunately, we have to retreat for now…”

“Yaaaaaa!”

Before us, who were hesitating on what to do, a wall of fire suddenly appeared. The flame rising from the ground burns all the incoming spiders, not letting a single one get through to us.

“Tia!? What the, that’s amazing!”

“No good! I’ve just forcibly turned the flame spear into a wall with this sword, so it has firepower but it won’t last! Ten more seconds!”

“Tch, so that’s how it is.”

It seems that Tia, who was quick-witted, used the spirit sword to forcibly change the characteristics of the magic. This meant how we used these ten seconds was critical… and as I was thinking that, Gou next to me grinned.

“No problem. Lunaritia, I’ll borrow this flame!”

“Eh!?”

Gou, who had taken a low stance, swung his sword to cut through the wall of flame. The flame dwelled in his sword, and at the same time, Gou leapt over the wall of fire that disappeared for a moment when it was cut, and charged into the enemy line.

“Gou-san!?”

“Uoooooooo!!!”

Waving the burning sword around, the heat keeps the spiders from approaching. Cutting down only the bothersome enemies, Gou reached the mother spider in a straight line and jumped with all his might in front of it.

“Haah!”

The sword swung down in time with his fall bisects the spider’s head, and the flame blade extending from the sword bisects the spider’s body.

“GI, GIIIIII……….”

Upon the death throes of the mother spider, the other spiders scattered around the area in an instant. Along with this, the wall of flame that was created on the spot served its purpose, and Tia and I rushed over to Gou.

“Amazing! Gou-san, you are really strong!”

“Seriously, right? What was that just now?”

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“Hm? Oh, that’s my power as a hero. I can draw the power of nature that’s nearby into my sword and cut with it. Though it doesn’t really have much use most of the time.”

“Really? It seems quite powerful…”

Gou responded with a small laugh to Tia who tilted her head in wonder.

“Think about it. Do you think a sword imbued with the power of water would work against an enemy in a water place? How effective do you think a sword coated with clods of earth would be against that spider?”

“Ah, I see. Gou-san can’t use magic after all.”

If the only power one can use is what’s present at the scene, then it’s evident that it would be difficult to mount an effective attack against the demonic beasts living there. In other words, this power was likely difficult to make use of without a good rear guard or careful preparation. It’s no wonder I didn’t notice this during the first loop. I can’t use magic either.

“Why it worked this time was because the base fire power was large. If I can use power in such a way, it seems that the compatibility between Lunaritia and me is good. I hope I can count on you in the future while we travel together.”

“Of course, leave it to me! Fufu, maybe I’ll be more useful than Ed?”

“Tsk, keep talking.”

While saying this lightly to Tia who was looking over at us with a proud face, we left the cave and started retracing our steps. After that, we returned to the village and headed to the village chief’s house to report.

“Oh, welcome back, Yuusha0sama! So…”

“Hm? The pots seem to have been replaced. Wait a bit… should I rummage through the chest again?”

Clang… Clang… Rustle… Rustle…

“Phew, it’s good.”

“…Ah, yes. So, what happened to the beast nesting in the cave?”

“Um. About that…”

Gou, who had just broken a pot that seemed to be newly replaced, responded to the village chief’s question.

“So, is the cave safe now?”

“It should be. I’ve checked all the side paths just in case. But I can’t say all the beasts have been defeated. Especially regarding the Derance Spider, please be cautious for a while.”

“I understand. Well, it’s not possible to exterminate all the demonic beasts anyway. Thank you so much for this time.”

“No, I’ve just fulfilled my duty as a hero.”

To the deeply bowing village chief, Gou casually said that and left the house. As we walked through the village, Gou called out to us.

“That concludes our quest this time. You both worked hard. Thank you.”

“Hahaha, it’s not a big deal. So, what’s next?”

“Well, I guess we’ll go back to Aruana Town and gather information first. There might be a new quest from the king.”

“Got it. Ah, I can finally sleep in a bed again when we get to town.”

“Gahaha! But before that, since we’ve had a day off, we need to go around the town and break pots.”

“………………”

“………………”

At Tia’s distant gaze, I silently pat her back.

“Ed…”

“Let’s have something delicious tonight. Ah, want to have some special coffee?

Among the items I bought in that world, there was a stock of coffee. It’s in a bag with a texture that feels like a mix of paper and metal, and it’s said to keep its contents in good condition for about a year. It’s stored in my [Stranger Box”]

“That sounds nice. It’s a limited supply, but it would be a waste to just keep it without drinking it.”

At my suggestion, Tia gave a soft smile. Hearing our conversation, Gou joined in.

“Oi Ed, what’s this ‘coffee’?”

“Eh? Oh, coffee is… it’s like black tea? It’s incredibly bitter, but somehow the taste lingers in a nice way. If you’d like, I can treat you? Only one cup though since I don’t have a lot.”

“Really? It sounds like a valuable item…”

“Don’t worry about it. We’re companions after all.”

It’s uncomfortable for both parties if one person is left out amongst traveling companions. I readily agreed to Gou’s request, and that night we all had coffee together.

“Gah! This is bitter!”

“I told you. But the bitterness is what’s good about it.”

“Hmm. This aroma, it’s calming… Ah, I wish we had cake.”

“Unfortunately, we don’t have any cake. But, how about this instead?”

“Oh, are these cookies? Thank you… Hehe, they’re sweet.”

“Ed, could I have some of those cookies too? My mouth feels rather dry.”

“Sure, here you go.”

On the road from the village to the town, around the campfire, the hero’s party enjoyed coffee and cookies. And so, our first expedition was brought to a successful close.