“Twenty-nine, huh?”
“Please stop referring to them as “hiki.”
“I’m sorry, Rick, but that’s what the parasite in Nina’s stomach is saying.”
Slightly displeased by my words, Nina unceremoniously ejected me from her chest, from within her mantle! I had contributed to defeating some of them with my distant attack skill using the Hero Sword, though.
(Ah, I defeated all the Urban Lamias!)
Hellen safely tamed eight of them. Eleven were knocked out or had injuries that prevented them from moving. Seven were unconscious from Poi-chan’s (Poison Succubus) poison, and then…
“…Nina, that was truly a Berserk Sword.”
Ignoring my remark, Nina spoke to Rick in front of three corpses.
“I apologize, I ended up killing a few. If you insist, I can revive them.”
“No, it doesn’t matter if they’re revived, they’ll be executed by their comrades anyway.”
So, they’re for material collection. Besides normal earth magic stones, will anything else be useful? I hesitate to eat humanoid enemies that can talk; a Great Dragon would be one thing, but this is different.
“Um, then, can we take all of these Urban Lamias, Rick?”
If you’re worried, you can ask Master.
Is “Master” the chief? It might be better to accompany them under the pretense of escorting her. If we’re attacked then, well, that would still be self-defense, right?
“I can’t carry them all at once. Even if the tamed ones can follow via teleportation, Rick, which one of these is the leader? If it’s dead, let’s revive it.”
“…Tsumune-neechan… Ugh… Why, why…”
Ah, yes, yes, that was the Lamia who was particularly strong. In the end, En-chan (Ent-Succubus) broke its neck with brute force. It seems to be unable to move its body; no, I’m surprised it didn’t die sooner.
“Guh, kill me! Better that than become a plaything for humans!”
“Rick, is that perhaps your sister?”
“No, she’s Tsumune-neechan, who I often played with when I was little.”
So, she’s like a neighborhood older sister.
“If an execution is necessary, we’ll present this leader to the chief, is that alright?”
“No, the leader is that one.”
“What, the Archer Lamia?”
It’s her! Yes, my skill that can cut at a distance severed its right leg, or rather, its right tail. Silk-neechan (Silver Succubus) also cut off its left leg, or rather, its left tail, with wind magic.
(However, the bleeding is severe, and it’s barely alive.)
“Hellen, can you heal it?”
“Yes, but it will heal faster if you bring me the severed tail.”
There are two cut-off tails lying in the distance. Which one… I wonder if I’ll get confused about which is which. I can roughly tell from the direction it flew and the length it was cut… Yes, let’s reattach them.
“Is this okay…? Hellen!”
“Yes… Goddess too.”
“Understood, Master.”
Thus, with the combined efforts of two people, no, with a voice-less incantation by the Summoner and their summon for the umpteenth time…!
“Alright, it’s healed. Capture it.”
“Yes, sir!”
At Nina’s command, three Succubi restrained it. Given that it just healed, its body will likely be sluggish.
“Guh! Humans… are this strong!”
“…You will be taken to the chief as a representative for judgment. In return, I will guarantee the lives of the survivors for now.”
“Th-then, do you intend to do something crueler than letting us live?!”
…Well, if I were to sell them as tamed monsters, some Lamias might do that.
“In a way, this is a chance, so be grateful… Rick, please continue to guide us.”
“Yes, this way.”
“You traitorous scum!”
We brought along those who could be brought. For those who were left behind, we left three Succubi as guards, and we headed towards the Urban Lamia village.
(…And we’ve arrived.)
It’s a cave, after all. So, would this place be considered a dungeon? If so, it wouldn’t be strange for humans entering to be treated as enemies.
“Be careful of traps.”
Rick guided me through places that were safe to walk. The light inside seems to be from the glowing moss; how mystical. After walking for a while, we encountered Urban Lamia soldiers in armor.
“It’s Rick. I’ve returned. The humans have something to say.”
The captured leader, who was just apprehended, struggled and tried to say something, but En-chan (Ent-Succubus) covered its mouth and firmly restrained it. The Guard Lamia quickly stepped aside and guided us deeper…
“Hmm, it’s surprisingly, a proper settlement.”
“Yes, it reminds me of the inside of Lizard Village, though not as meticulously organized.”
“Master, there seems to be a sign of some sort, so they appear to have written culture.”
Lamia language. Strictly speaking, it’s likely Urban Lamia language, but it’s rare to encounter an Urban Lamia race this intelligent.
(Ah, the room with the heavily guarded door, this must be it.)
Upon entering, we saw a mature-looking Lamia, about a head taller than the others, in the back!
“You’ve come, humans. I am the chief here, Ruhati.”
Oh, she speaks smoothly! Does that mean she’s also Quasi Demon Lord level?
“A pleasure to meet you. I am Nina. These individuals came to attack.”
En-chan slammed the captured leader down before Ruhati!
“That hurts!”
“They are no longer of consequence to us. I apologize for bringing them to you, but…”
“Then, may we dispose of them?”
“Do as you please.”
With that, Nina drew her Berserk Sword.
“Yiiih!!”
And with that, she easily decapitated it. Or rather, given the size of the sword, it was more like a clean slice. I just reattached both its legs (or rather, tails), you know.
(And the chief, who didn’t change expression even with the blue blood spatter, is as expected.)
Cool, mature women are nice, even if they are monsters.
“Excuse me. With that, our business here is concluded. Do you need the corpses?”
“We’ll take them to eat. That’s our way of mourning.”
They’re cannibals!
“Understood. We’ll just take the magic stones.”
“Yes, then we’ll handle their processing right away.”
“Ughhhhhh…”
It’s still groaning even after being decapitated, what amazing vitality.
“Now then, the reason we came here is partly because Rick informed us of the attack… but…”
During their conversation, my gaze was drawn to the chief’s chest, hidden by her long hair.
(She’s hiding it well with her hair, but if you look closely…!!)
Even so, it’s still nice to see something, even on a monster.
“…Therefore, our objective is purely investigation. If you agree not to attack us again, we will recommend you as a protected area.”
“Rather than being strangely protected, we’d be more grateful if you kept our location a secret.”
“Do you have any intention of interacting with us?”
“No. We would appreciate it if we could remain non-aggression pact.”
Thus, all the defeated enemies became our property. At the end of the conversation, the Earth Magic Stone from the Lamia was brought.
“…Understood. Then, as a final gesture, we will give you this.”
With that, Nina produced a large quantity of Great Heavenly Tree’s Fruit!
“Wh-what is this?!”
“We hear it’s a delicacy even for monsters. Will two hundred be enough?”
“We are grateful. We humans often have the image of not being able to communicate, but some are understandable if you talk to them.”
…I wonder if the reason people around here, the residents of Ikutamakki Village and such, can’t communicate is because they have thick accents.
“Then, we shall take our leave. If you ever encounter trouble again, you can rely on Dwarves or Humans for help. We will explain.”
“We thank you. Please tell them that the remaining traitors have been officially ‘exiled’.”
“Understood. Then…”
As we were about to leave…
“A-um…”
Rick, the hero of this encounter, seems to have something to say. I should handle this one.
“What is it?”
“Please take care of Tsumune-neechan.”
I wish I could make such a request.
“Yes, well, I’ll think about it.”
“I want my kind Tsumune-neechan to return…”
And so, we were guided to the exit by Guard Lamias (because there were traps!) and returned to where we left the Urban Lamias.
“Alright, let’s get all of you to the Great Heavenly Tree.”
Nina held up a Teleport Scroll and cast it within range to ensure none were missed…!
(Arrived in front of the dimly lit reception, right.)
In front of the counter at the Adventurer Guild’s planned site, I peeked and saw Verbin, the receptionist, leaning back deeply in her chair, sleeping with the receptionist’s guide open on her face!!
“Hey!!”
“…Huh?! Welcome! Would you like the Special Cleansing Course?”
Who is she talking to?!
“That’s right. Let’s have the Urban Lamias we tamed cleaned later.”
Yes, even if we sell them, they need to be clean!!
