Death March — Fixed

“Tek here, shooting games are rather popular, having seen an even bigger resurgence since the release of VR, but since starting a job making games--I found that I don’t feel such a strong urge to play games anymore--I can only see the features and start automatically trying to figure out how I would code them.”

The Flying Ants again formed groups of eight, which seemed to be something unique to their species, and started rapidly aiming for the wagon.

Since there is a small amount of time, I pass crossbows to all the girls other than Lulu, who will be driving the wagon. Since there was time, I gave them simple instructions on how to use them, though Arisa may have some trouble with the strength requirements for reloading--Liza said that she would help if needed.

Use the lever to pull back the bowstring, put the bolt on the rail and pull the trigger. It’s actually quite simple--as long as you don’t think about aiming and hitting the target.

 

“Alright. Ready--Aim--Fire!”

 

Matching my words, the bolts fire from everyone’s crossbows. We are targeting one of the approaching groups of eight. Three Flying Ants were shot down, since there was time we reload and fire again--this time two fall.

Both times, only Liza perfectly hit her targets--she is one combat-specialized Lizard; if she had training earlier, she could have been sold for a lot as a bodyguard for noble girls.

We won’t make it in time for the next volley, but Arisa unleashes a Shockwave, according to the plan; and the remaining three hit the ground.

Because the next group is getting closer, we only get to fire one volley before having to rely on Shockwave to decrease their numbers--the remaining two Flying Ants die by Liza’s spear and my Magic Pistol.

 

“Master, do you have any MP Potions, or recovery medicine?”

 

I take three of them from storage, unfortunately only low quality MP Potions, and give them to Arisa. After receiving it, she quickly drinks one of them.

“This next one will be a little dangerous.” I warn the girls--not that they will be in any true danger, but they should learn to fight in desperate situations, in case they have to fight when not around me.

Yes, for the next wave, there will be three groups attacking together; we have already begun firing, but because of the sheer numbers, it doesn’t look like they are decreasing--I can see from the radar, however, that they are.

 

“Master, please give me permission to use Over Boost? I can somehow do something to half of them,” Arisa asks quickly, drinking another MP Potion.

 

She doesn’t need to ask, I gave her permission to use all her Magic and Unique Skills, but she does anyway.

 

“Alright, I permit it.”

 

“Thank you, I love you!” From her tone, she seems to be joking to help lower the tension, but--please don’t raise any flags.

“Over Boost!” As she says the Trigger Words, a light violet aura begins to emerge from her body.

Holding out the long staff, she starts chanting out loud. The violet aura moves and drifts, forming a large number of Magic Circles floating around her body and staff.

 

“*** ***** *** *******, Shockwave!”

 

An invisible shockwave emerges and smashes into the swarms of approaching Flying Ants.

The Flying Ants who get hit directly, unlike before, die with fluids spraying from their heads; the others who are hit by the aftermath, begin spinning around until they fall.

Even though Arisa said half--in actuality, all three of the groups are completely incapacitated.

 

As expected of a Unique Skill.

 

Arisa slumps over, passing out from the stress and loss of Magic Power--I carefully catch her in my arms.

 

“My eyes are spinning!”

“Round and round.”

“Perhaps it’s the effect of Arisa’s Magic, but I feel a bit dizzy.”

 

The three Beastkin girls seem to have been hit by some minor backlash from Arisa’s spell and are unable to stand. I move along the skirting board, holding Arisa; leaving her to Liza, I decide to clean up the remaining five Flying Ants, which were late for some reason.

I tell Lulu to stop the wagon.

The Beastkin girls rapidly recover from the backlash, Liza ready to protect the unconscious Arisa.

 

“Pochi, Tama, load the crossbows--give them to me when I ask.”

 

“Okay.”

“Aye.”

 

The two look exhausted, but they’re doing their best to load the crossbows.

Whenever I shoot a bolt, I exchange the crossbow with one of the loaded ones from Tama or Pochi.

After clearing the swarm up, I begin to fire at a higher angle--I aim at the fainted Flying Ants, using the radar and map, and a function that looks similar to a moveable aiming circle from games. I have no idea how I made it appear, but it works as I shoot, as close as continuously as possible, into the crowds of enemies.

While the hit rate is fairly low at first, I soon get used to it.

Several of the Flying Ants that were knocked out at the very beginning of the fight are still alive, but it’s impossible to hit enemies who are almost two kilometers away after all. The bolts can’t reach them, even if I can highlight them with the circle.

***

Since there don’t seem to be anymore enemies, we take a short break to quench our and our horse’s thirst.

 

“It’s tiring, but it’s good that everyone is safe.” Liza spoke, wiping her forehead.

 

“Tir!”

“Ring.”

 

Pochi and Tama talk, one after another.

 

“Arisa still isn’t coming to, is she alright?” Lulu is worried for her sister.

 

“She’ll be fine after a night’s sleep.”

 

I can see from the Heads-Up-Display that Arisa’s Stamina and Magic Power, which had reached zero, are gradually recovering.

Lulu is carefully wiping sweat from Arisa’s forehead, using a towel that I wet using the Hell Water Bottle.

 

“Liza, Tama, Pochi, please collect the Magic Cores, stingers and poison glands.”

 

“I can see what the stinger is, but which part is the poison gland?” Liza asks, bending down to inspect one of the dead Flying Ants.

Since it’s hard to explain, I show it to them after dismantling a Flying Ant, specifically pointing out the poison gland.

“Put the stingers in this bag, and the poison glands in this container--five of each is enough. Please take care not to get poisoned while doing this.”

The remaining ants, far in the distance are withdrawing, the number of dots on the map are decreasing.

While the Beastkin girls finish gathering the stingers and poison glands, I quickly go back into the wagon and gently pick up the still unconscious ‘Princess’ that the red helmeted Ratman left to me, before jumping from the wagon; I cancel all of the force from the impact, so as to not hurt her, before carefully placing her on the ground.

I sit down and begin compounding an ‘Antidote: Minor Paralysis Potion’ from the poison gland I got from dismantling the first Flying Ant.

“Master, Arisa has woken up.” Lulu’s pleased voice rings out from nearby.

“Wait--didn’t I say to tell him ‘Arisa isn’t waking up.’, and then guide him to give me a MP Potion, mouth to mouth?” Arisa’s joking voice rings out.

Still able to make jokes after waking up from extreme Stamina and Magic Power exhaustion, she really is an impressive girl.

Arisa and Lulu come out from inside the wagon, Lulu is helping to support her. She opens her arms, saying, “Help me down.”

So I gently grab her waist and help her down--seeing a mischievous glint in her violet eyes.

Sure enough, she clings to my neck--and kisses me.

Which seems to have been her real aim.

I don’t really object, but after almost a minute, I look over at Lulu; she is fidgeting, her eyes swimming. I break the kiss and lower Arisa.

Stepping forwards again, I grab Lulu by her slim waist, and help her down as well; but she doesn’t kiss me. Well, she does hug me, and look up at me--so cute.

Once I let her down, she stands at Arisa’s side and looks sheepishly at me--so cute.

“By the way, who is this? Is she something you got from that Ratman?” Lulu speaks a little embarrassedly--trying to change the atmosphere.

 

“The Ratman said that she’s a Princess.”

 

“Oh, a Princess, you say? Even though you have beauties from various races waiting for you, now you even want to add a Rat Princess into your Harem! This, is A, Real Man!” Arisa speaks enthusiastically, thrusting her fist into the air--obviously acting--I can see the grin that she’s struggling to hold back--her shoulders trembling with suppressed, amused laughter.

“M-Master--” Lulu stutters, her face going brilliant crimson.

Huh?

Did you take Arisa’s words serious?

“I-I’ll also do my best to get your f-favour.” She stutters a little, gripping her hands into fists--eliciting a muffled giggle from Arisa.

“Yes, yes--you’re cute Lulu--Do your best!”

Since I never expected her to say this, I accidentally answered her with the same strange way of speaking that Arisa sometimes uses--

Lulu puts both hands on her cheeks while letting out a hot sigh, moving her body slightly and looking down--it’s so cute.

Uhh, what do I do now?

 

“We’re”

“Back.”

“We have returned, Master.”

 

The three Beastkin girls came back at perfect timing.

There are five poison gland insides the container, as well as many Magic Cores inside the bag. And--

“How come there are so many stingers?”

“Well, Master had said that it’s enough to collect five of them--but I wonder if it’s possible to make disposable spears or throwing weapons from them, so I collected more. Sorry if I made a mistake, Master.” Liza sounded slightly excited at first, but gave an apology at the end.

 

“I see, let’s make some next time--it was a good idea, Liza.”

 

“Yes! Thank you very much, master.” Her tail starts swinging slowly.

 

It’s likely that I will forget to do this, so I make a memo. If I were to forget this kind of simple promise, it would gradually worsen our relationship.

Moreover, Pochi and Tama collected some of the Rat Cavalry’s equipment--there are no corpses, and the armour worn by the other Rats were broken, so they left them.

I forgot to ask for them to collect the bolts, but the girls did it anyway.

Liza seems upset that there is no meat left from the Dash Boars.

The ‘Princess’ still hasn’t woken up, and since beasts might gather to eat the Flying Ant’s remains, we drive the wagon several kilometers ahead of the site of the battle.

The camping ground that I finally decided on is an open space near a small pond. Lulu seems to be afraid of places without a pond, maybe it is some kind of trauma.

I decided to ask Arisa, who told me that when the fire burned down the castle, Lulu’s clothing had begun to catch fire, so she had to jump into the moat to put it out--she barely managed to survive because of the close water; every time she goes to sleep, she likes to be near somewhere that she can have access to water in the case of another fire.

***

After I finished taking care of the horse, I decided to read books while drinking the tea that Lulu brought me, coming over when there was a break during cooking dinner; she stood quietly by my side as I drank it--until Liza called her back.

I’m skim reading the travel journals that I bought, using the Menu to look through them quickly. Since I don’t want to look like I’ve gone senile and stare aimlessly into the air, I open the introductory Life Magic book.

The Menu is a little more convenient in these situations, because as well as easily reading in a darkened environment, I can also take memos--and search for certain things with great ease.

My attention begins to wander as I start to smell a delicious aroma from Liza and Lulu’s cooking.

 

“I’m back!”

“Preys!”

“We’ve caught it.”

 

Arisa, Tama and Pochi, who went hunting, have come back.

I hope that they’re not bringing Fairies or something.

Hearing the voices, I close the book and place it on the ground, turning to them.

With Arisa in the lead, Tama and Pochi are holding wild boars--not Dash Boars, normal ones--high above their heads.

 

“Master, please taste this.” Lulu says, bringing over a small bowl with soup inside.

 

“Why only master? Unfair.” Arisa said, but lost interest when she heard that it was just a vegetable soup, and went to dismantle the boars with Liza.

Yup, it tastes good.

 

“It’s delicious,” I say to Lulu.

 

“Yes! I’ll work hard to help,” Lulu sounds very happy at my words, though she looks down and shields her face with her long hair.

A sudden movement alerts me that the Ratman’s ‘Princess’, who is laying beside me, has awoken.