471 – Splitting into Groups

Upon returning to the cavern, I tell Aro and the others about the levelling grounds I found, and propose that we head over there now.

“Hou… A grove of troll mandragoras, you say? How unusual.”

Volk murmurs. It seems they’re rare from his perspective, too.

『You know of them?』

“I do. They’re valuable, but rare and vicious. They’re the cause of many an overconfident adventurer’s death. They’re usually hunted amid ogre mandragoras.”

…Ogre mandragoras…? I don’t know what those are, but I guess they’re the pre-evolved species. Volk hasn’t accumulated knowledge over his twenty or thirty years in this world for nothing.

“They might be a little easy for me, but I shall accompany you.”

That’s reassuring to hear from someone who can defeat a fenrir by himself. For Aro and the others, a troll mandragora might still be a little tough. No, if Aro were to fight effectively, I’m sure she could take one of them down, but it would still be too much to ask of treant-san, the nightmare, or the black lizard. If Volk were act as a second person who could step in if things got dangerous, I’d be most grateful.

With Aro and the others on my back and Volk and magiatite-jii following behind, I walk through the mist-covered forest. I decide not to use [Dragon Mirror] this time so that I can regain some MP, and because I’ve already levelled up and we’re in too large a group to hide effectively.

It feels like it would be hard to use [Dragon Mirror] to hide or transform anything that’s not a part of my body. My other skill, [Mirage], might work, but the MP cost would be a bit too much if I were to use it every time we moved.

Fortunately, we don’t encounter any monsters en route. It might have helped that I just passed through here, but it’s still lucky. Of course, if all we had encountered had been a fenrir, I could’ve hit it with [Gravity] and defeated it from range like last time.

With Volk and magiatite-jii on my back too, I vault over the wall separating the grove from the forest and crash down on the other side. I lower myself to the ground to let everyone off.

Their levels are:
Aro 【Lv: 39/85】
Nightmare【Lv: 29/70】
Treant【Lv: 15/60】
Magiatite【Lv: 39/85】
Black lizard【Lv: 26/55】

If possible… I’d like for the black lizard and treant to somehow evolve this time. Treant-san’s fundamental lack of mobility is a problem though…

Volk is near his maximum level, and I don’t think he’s about to suddenly sprout wings and evolve, so there’s not much point in raising his level any further. I’ll ask him to act as a chaperone this time.

『So… This time, I’d like for you to try your hardest, black lizard… Can you do that? Of course, I’ll be backing you up as much as I can. I want you to have high enough stats to be able to run away from Lilixira. It’s scary just imagining what she might do if she caught you.』

“Kishi…”

The black lizard nods her head, a slightly forlorn look on her face.

I understand her feelings. We used to fight side-by-side. But now I’m a Legendary [Oneiros], while she’s a C rank [Venom Queen Lecherta]. If I was in her place, I’d feel bitter too. A 3-rank difference has opened up between us.

“Troll mandragoras, huh… With magiatite acting as my sword, we’re exactly six… Even if we split into three groups, our margin of safety should be plenty. Of course, we should take into account the possibility of an unexpected enemy showing up.”

Aro and the black lizard react with a twitch.

Splitting into groups does indeed sound reasonable. If we fought the mandragoras seven-on-one, the experience points would be split too widely. In more concrete terms, treant-san’s level wouldn’t rise.

“Ouroboros… No, now you are oneiros, I suppose.”

『…It feels weird for you to change what you call me. Irushia is fine. There’s no guarantee I won’t evolve any further, after all.』

“Mu… That is your name?”

Volk asks in surprise. Right, I guess I never told him my name.

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“It’s a rather cruel name… No, I suppose it might suit you.”

Volk laughs lightly.

『N-no, I used to be more cute, you see.』

“This is the first time I’ve heard it too…”

Aro’s mouth is wide open in shock. I-I haven’t had [Telepathy] until recently, so I had no way of conveying something as detailed as my name. I’ve used [Humanisation Technique] a few times, but it never felt like there was a good opportunity… It’s a bit embarrassing now.

“Then, from now, I shall call you Irushia. I believe the best strategy is for, myself, Irushia, and Aro to act as chaperones for the magical tree, nightmare, and lecherta.

Upon hearing Volk’s suggestion, Aro closes her mouth and blinks. The black lizard glances at Aro and shakes her tail happily.

“I-I… I think it’s better if I’m not a chaperone… I’m still far too weak…”

“There’s no problem. From what I’ve seen, you have more than enough power to fight a troll mandragora. But I suppose it is sensible for you to be paired with the nightmare, who is the strongest of those that need help. I will be careful too.”

Precise commands, as expected of Volk. I can see everyone’s statuses, yet my view is the exact same.

“The one who needs the most help is the magical tree. As far as I can see, it is unsuited for combat. The magical tree seems to excel at supporting and applying status conditions, but without some other strengths, it is hard say it can take the first step towards being able to fight.”

Why so harsh against treant-san!? Treant-san stares at Volk open-mouthed, then looks at me as though asking for help.

“Ultimately, in the high-level battles where support magic and status conditions are useful, unless the practitioner is able to keep up with the battle themself, there will not be much they can do. On the battlefield, there is no need for one who cannot stand alone to some extent.”

Why does everyone bully treant-san so much! Treant-san has a sturdy body and some fairly powerful magic skills, including the deadly [Gravity]…!

『…S-stop. Please leave it at that.』

I raise my foreleg to rein in Volk.

“Mu… I was only thinking about our actions for today…”

『I know you were only taking everything into consideration. I’m counting on you for results.』

“Let’s see… Irushia should probably go with the magical tree. Even if I were to try and cover for it, I expect I would end up doing most of the killing.”

『…I suppose that does make sense.』

I nod in agreement. I should be able to create a situation in which treant-san can play an active role.

The black lizard’s wagging tail droops down.

“Kishi…”

“By elimination, I shall accompany the lecherta.”

Volk plops his hand on the lecherta’s back.

Behind them, Aro appears to clench her fist in triumph, but then stretches out both her arms. Ah, she was just doing warm up exercises.

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