Hummingbird Harpy’s guidance had divided the members.
The Hummingbird Harpy stood as if it had been waiting for us. In the dim light, only that place seemed to shine as if it were illuminated by a spotlight. It was small, but its presence was clearly felt even across the swamp before me.
With cherry-blossom-pink long hair, emerald eyes that seemed to see through me, and vivid wings. The color of its feathers was different from the Quetzal and the harpies of the deep forest I had encountered before. It wasn’t just colorful; it was more accurate to say it was beautifully crafted.
Its chest was covered with shimmering, scale-like feathers. The crimson feathers turned golden upon contact with the moonlight. As its name suggested, the Hummingbird Harpy’s beautiful coloration bore a resemblance to hummingbirds.
One wouldn’t doubt it if it were said that a god had breathed life into gems. If only I could hold that small gem in my hand. Confine it in a birdcage, never to give it to anyone.
I want it, I want that thing. It’s so close, within reach. It feels the same as trying to grasp a star in the sky.
“Hey, hey! What are you doing!”
I snapped back to reality as someone grabbed my collar. Wh-what happened? What was I about to do? I felt something strange around my feet and looked down to see I was submerged up to my ankles in water.
“That was close.”
“Huh? Ah, right. What about everyone else?”
“Over there, they’ve gotten stuck in the swamp.”
In the direction Pauline pointed, Philiana and Sharin were struggling, unable to move due to the swamp. They must have jumped in trying to follow.
“Just wait a moment, I’ll save you now.”
“You mustn’t come here. Although the water looks clear, the bottom is muddy and treacherous.”
Is that so? Indeed, the water was transparent and clear. Unlike the dried-up Spring of Life. That’s probably why they thought they could swim across.
“Can that thing fly? If so, we have no choice but to fly over too.”
Veronica intended to fly across the swamp to the other side. The Hummingbird Harpy seemed to be observing our situation, standing still.
Piyo took flight, following her. The two glided silently over the water’s surface. Then, a “bonk” sound came from somewhere.
“Gah!”
Veronica stopped abruptly in mid-air. Piyo turned and hid behind her. Then, two or three more popping sounds were heard.
“What’s wrong?!”
“It’s sniping at us from somewhere. What is this? Some kind of hard seed? It’s coming from below!”
Did it anticipate them flying overhead? Lotuses and similar plants were blooming in the swamp. It was probably shooting seeds from them. Was there a mechanism to shoot seeds whenever something passed overhead?
“Damn it, the flowers are moving.”
Flowers began to move, surrounding the two in the air. If they couldn’t fly above, how was it able to cross to the other side? It must have used the large leaves floating on the water as stepping stones. A feat only possible due to its light body.
If I put even one foot on it, it would surely sink. It was dangerous, but I had no choice but to rely on her.
“Pauline, can you cross to the other side by stepping on those leaves?”
“Yes, I’ll try.”
I put Pauline on my shoulders and stepped into the swamp. The water depth immediately increased, and like Philiana and the others, both my legs got stuck. The opponent must have been aiming for this.
“I can reach from here, please do your best.”
Pauline hesitantly placed her foot on a floating leaf. It’s okay, it didn’t sink. This way, we could reach the other side without being sniped.
But, as if it had predicted this, the leaves began to drift apart.
“Ah, ah…”
Pauline was left stranded on the water. But it’s not a problem; one leaf is enough. I gave Pauline a dagger, and she could cut the stem and use it like a raft. Of course, I didn’t give her my Enchanted Sword. It would be terrible if she got paralyzed.
The two in the air flew higher, out of range. Veronica was trying to reach the other side in an arc. Now, if attacked from both sides, how would it move? No matter how strong it was, it only had one brain; it couldn’t move them all at once.
Furthermore, Nina, who was losing patience, started swimming across the water. Since she had no legs, she could move without getting stuck.
Elana appeared from behind the Hummingbird Harpy. She too had taken a different path and had gone ahead. We had her cornered; although she had the advantage of terrain, we weren’t inferior in numbers or individuality. Because we all belonged to different races, it was difficult for her to devise countermeasures.
But in the next moment, my vision was filled with water. What, what happened?! I can’t breathe!
“Gasp, help, everyone!”
Something was entangled around my legs. I-I can’t move, my whole body, my whole body is restrained. I could barely keep my head out. What about everyone else?
“What is this! Let go!”
Nina was also drowning. Huh, the leaves on the water were moving towards us. Is it planning to crush us? I could also hear Lauren screaming from the land. Were we all being attacked simultaneously?
Elana was writhing on the ground. Veronica and Piyo were also being dragged into the water. How strong is this thing? Is it moving all these plants at once?
Could it be, could it really be, its spirit? Not an animal, but a plant? It wasn’t strange to say that plants have souls.
