Having been clearly labeled disgusting, the creature twisted its fishlike face in an oddly expressive way, as if genuinely shocked. Oh. So that’s something it’s sensitive about.
That shock immediately twisted into rage. With no further hesitation, the creature lunged at us.
“Kishaaahhh!”
But it never reached us. The creature was violently blasted aside, sent flying across the room before it could even swing its tentacles.
When I followed the trajectory back to its source, I saw Lulune standing there with one leg raised from a completed kick.
“Fish should not come onto land.”
What kind of criticism is that?
And honestly, Lulune saying that of all people was rich. If anyone started throwing stones here, the first thing they would say was, “A donkey shouldn’t be talking.”
That said, visually speaking, the thing could pass for a fish if you squinted hard enough.
Even so, despite facing such a bizarre creature, Lulune showed no sign of losing control.
“Lulune, you really have grown,” I murmured, moved despite myself.
“Mm. But now, I’m worried,” she replied flatly. “Is it really okay to call myself a glutton?”
“What kind of concern is that?!”
Sorry, Lulune. I kind of understand how Origa feels.
“I mean, I was just surprised,” I said honestly. “Seeing a fish and not having your appetite kick in right away felt strange for you.”
“Master, t-that may have been true before, but after eating Bahamut, ordinary fish just don’t quite…” Lulune trailed off, looking faintly uncomfortable.
So it wasn’t really growth, just her becoming a gourmet?
Still, the fact that her appetite had finally calmed down was a blessing. If becoming picky was the price, I would gladly pay it. I should take her out for something delicious again sometime.
After kicking the fishlike creature away, Lulune lightly shook her leg and muttered in clear annoyance.
“That aside, can the people of this country truly not defeat something like that? It was merely a fish with arms and legs attached.”
Fish aren’t supposed to have arms and legs.
I was taken aback by her casual remark, but then something occurred to me.
“Wait… come to think of it, we never actually figured out what that thing was.”
“Huh? Does it matter?” Saria said cheerfully. “It looks like we could beat them easily anyway!”
“Yeah,” Al agreed with a shrug. “Whatever they are, if they come at us, we just knock them down.”
“I-I don’t know how much help I’ll be,” Zora added nervously, “but I’ll do my best!”
Everyone sounded far more confident than I expected. That was when I noticed how quiet Yaiba and the others had become. When I turned to look at them…
“…”
“…”
“…”
Yaiba, Tsukikage, and even the captured leader were staring at us in stunned silence.
Uh… what?
The leader, in particular, had his eyes stretched wide, as if they might pop out of his skull.
“Impossible… our blades cannot even scratch those creatures!”
“That simply means your kitchen knives are dull,” Lulune replied flatly. “You should sharpen them properly.”
“They are not kitchen knives! And that thing is not a fish!”
Honestly, Lulune. The weapons that man carried, and certainly the swords Yaiba and the others used, were very much not kitchen knives. And while the creature did look vaguely fishlike, if anything, it felt far closer to some kind of alien than an actual fish.
Still, compared to that evil god Lulune had supposedly picked up from the sea, this thing was practically cute.
As that thought crossed my mind, yet another creature of the same kind came crashing in through the window.
“Honestly, it doesn’t matter how many times they come,” Lulune muttered, irritation clear in her voice.
“Wait, Lulune!” I hurriedly cut in. “Let me at least check what this thing actually is first!”
Before she could land another kick, I immediately activated Advanced Appraisal on the creature right in front of me.
But then…
>
“Huh?”
There was nothing. No name. No level. Not even question marks. The display was completely blank, as if the system itself had refused to acknowledge the creature’s existence.
“That’s weird…” I muttered.
Advanced Appraisal worked just fine on Bahamut and even on that evil god. There’s no way this thing is stronger than them. I tilted my head, utterly confused. So why is it coming up as nothing at all?
While I was still puzzling over it, the creature let out a shrill cry and lunged straight at me.
“Kishaaaaaaaaah!”
The next instant, its movements went completely haywire. It thrashed wildly, as if it had lost all control over its own body, flailing its limbs and repeatedly striking itself.
“K-Kisha?! Sha?! Shaaa?!”
Its fishlike face twisted in pure confusion, unable to comprehend what was happening to it. Then, with one final, self-inflicted blow, it sent itself flying backward and tumbled straight out through the window on its own.
“Well, I don’t really get what just happened,” I said honestly, “but it looks like we’re fine.”
“No, no, no, no, we are not!”
Tsukikage, Yaiba, and even the captured leader all shouted at once, vehemently rejecting my conclusion.
“That makes no sense!” Yaiba barked, his composure finally cracking. “What was that phenomenon just now? How does an enemy suddenly destroy itself without being struck?”
“E-Exactly!” Tsukikage added, clearly shaken. “By all accounts, these were foes our weapons could not even harm. And yet, just now…”
“Our attacks truly did nothing,” the bound leader muttered, his voice trembling. “That is precisely why we were invaded by that being in the first place. And still, why did this happen?”
“Don’t ask me,” I said helplessly. “I’d like to know too. I didn’t even do anything. It just panicked and ran off on its own. That’s kind of unfair, honestly.”
As Yaiba and the others struggled to process what they had witnessed, Al let out a tired sigh.
“If you’re going to stick with Seiichi, you’ll never survive if this level of weirdness shocks you,” she said flatly. “We’ve seen the same kind of thing happen a few times already, so we’re used to it.”
“You have seen this phenomenon multiple times?” Tsukikage asked, incredulous.
“Yeah. And thinking too hard about it is pointless,” Al went on. “No matter what we come up with, it’ll always be something beyond our understanding anyway.”
“I am not doing this on purpose!” I protested. “Why does everyone act as if I dive headfirst into nonsense by choice? None of this is under my control. It’s all collateral damage!”
Al ignored my complaint entirely and turned back to Yaiba and Tsukikage. “More importantly, what now? If enemies like that are the best they’ve got, we can handle them ourselves. Might as well take the fight to their home base.”
“T-That is…” Yaiba hesitated, clearly uneasy.
Tsukikage, however, fell silent for a moment, then gave a single decisive nod. “That may indeed be the best course.”
“Tsukikage-dono?” Yaiba looked at her in surprise.
“Yaiba-dono, you have seen them fight,” she said calmly. “Seiichi-dono and his companions possess power far beyond anything we could have imagined. And in any case, the entrance to the Shadow Village has already been discovered. Running will change nothing. It would merely mean fleeing straight toward the enemy’s stronghold.”
“I still believe that to be dangerous,” Yaiba replied, frowning.
He thought it over carefully, then finally let out a long sigh.
“Perhaps this, too, is a path we must take. Very well. It is decided. From here on, we head for the enemy’s base.”
With Yaiba’s declaration, our next destination was set, and without wasting another moment, we began preparations to move.