There was a loud pop, almost as if Agnes’s words had been a signal. A creamy Macrocybe gigantean suddenly sprouted on the boar-like monster’s back. It quickly surged to more than twice the monster’s size, crushing and pinning it beneath its weight.
A pale yellow-capped Galerina fasciculata growing in the dog-like monster’s mouth was quickly gnashed between its teeth, but a few seconds later, the beast began to thrash and writhe on the ground. The attacking mushroom was powerfully toxic, but the effects kicked in so quickly—no doubt it contained a super-charged dose.
Stretching protectively in front of the monsters was a red, lattice-like cage. The stench of the Clathrus ruber seemed to repel the monsters away, but in their hurry to flee the stink, they crashed into the monsters in the rear.
“The sprouting…” Agnes was the one who’d summoned this fungal onslaught, but…she would never have expected it to be this dramatic.
A loud shriek of “Ohhhh! Mushrooms!” from behind snapped Agnes out of her state of semi-shock.
The multitude of monsters turned into black mist and dissipated. In other words, the mushrooms had defeated them.
“Mushrooms! You were amazing!” Agnes breathed excitedly.
It was unbelievable that mushrooms alone could have done all this! Just as the monsters abhorred dragon blood, they must be weak against the power of the spirits as well.
Just as things were looking up, a huge monster suddenly appeared, crushing the garden gate. The bear-like monster was so huge, it made Ciel look like a tiny kitten again. A bear alone would be bad enough, but a monster bear wrapped in black mist…
“Arrgh!”
“Be quiet, you excuse for a man!”
It was SO annoying the way Philip was just standing around screaming.
The monster locked on to Agnes and began lumbering over to her. Still, she did not flee. She planted her feet and stared it down.
As the beast was about to attack by swiping at her with a paw as thick as a tree trunk, Agnes heard a sharp voice cut through the air.
“Lightning!”
The huge monster was instantly charred by a bolt of lightning from the sky. Before it could hit the ground, the body crumpled and dissipated in a black mist.
“Claude…”
Appearing beyond the disintegrating monster was a beautiful young man with that familiar blue hair.
…Ah. He’d come for her.
Just before Agnes could collapse on the spot, Claude ran over and enveloped her in his arms.
“Agnes, are you all right?!”
She wanted to respond, but no words came out. It was only just now realization dawned on her, how terrified she’d been.
Before Claude could say anything, the few remaining monsters began to move all at once. The more threatening monsters had all been defeated, but there were still enough smaller stragglers to pose a threat.
Claude, supporting Agnes in one arm, thrust out his hand only to pause at the sight before him.
“Goodness! It’s a mushroom paradise!” Eyes wide, he took in the sight of the field that was once covered in grass but now was the scene of mushrooms rolling this way and that, bobbing around on the bodies of the monsters.
Despite his shock and awe, he couldn’t forget the attacking monsters—much as he’d clearly rather focus on the shrooms.
Lightning bolts rained from the sky, charring the monsters. Black mist trailed from bodies, and the charred remains of the mushrooms wafted away on the breeze.
“Brave mushrooms… I’ll never forget your sacrifice,” Claude whispered as he gazed wistfully at the sky, his eyes glistening with emotion. A little annoying, but also slightly moving at the same time.
And, on this one occasion, Agnes could share his sentiments a little. She took a moment to silently thank the mushrooms for responding to her call and for fighting so hard.
“Agnes, are you hurt?” he asked.
“I’m okay. Ciel and the mushrooms protected me.”
Claude touched Agnes’s cheeks and arms, making sure she was okay. He glanced at Ciel and gasped.
“What an amazing Amanita muscaria and Amanita cokeri!” Claude’s expression softened as he gently stroked the red and white caps. “Ciel, you did well.”
Was he praising Ciel? Or just crooning over the red and white mushrooms?
But the moment he stroked Ciel’s head, the black mist that had been wafting out of the wound on Ciel’s paw instantly dissipated. Ciel roared proudly, instantly looking healthier than ever. Claude, his contracted master, had clearly just healed him.
“Thank you, mushrooms.”
Claude smiled at the mushrooms on Ciel, which bobbed around as if to say, “Right, don’t forget about us!” The sight of red and white mushrooms bobbling around on the head of a large white tiger was unusual to say the least, but still rather adorable.
Suddenly, Claude stopped beaming at the mushrooms, and his face instantly darkened.
Philip, dirty from rolling around on the ground, let out a small scream when his eyes met Claude’s.
“So. What are you doing here, Philip?” Claude asked, his voice lowering an octave.
“Oh, I…”
Agnes wasn’t sure what Philip’s official role here was, but it was clear he wasn’t taking it seriously. Though she didn’t really care about Philip at all right then.
“Claude, never mind him. Please, take me to the hole in the wall. I feel like I understand something now. About my mushroom powers.”
Now, Agnes felt she could help, so she didn’t have time to worry about the miscreant that was her ex.
“Agnes! Some mushrooms sprouted suddenly, and… Claude?!”
Cesar and Armand emerged and came running over from the house. Apparently, the mushrooms had properly informed Cesar.
“Uncle, monsters have broken through. Caution is advised,” Claude warned.
“I see… The mushrooms were a signal, then?”
“It’s not just one band of monsters. Apparently, the wave we expected has arrived,” Claude informed the pair.
Cesar and Armand’s eyebrows furrowed as they looked at the charred ground. Looking at the surroundings, even if monsters had appeared, the amount of evidence must have seemed a little odd.
“By the way, there are red and white mushrooms growing on the sacred beast’s head… Are those…”
“Isn’t it poetic?!”
Armand’s question was perfectly valid, but the mushroom fetishist’s response was…unhinged.
However, the sight of the small Amanita cokeri bobbling around on Ciel’s head really was rather adorable.
Agnes wished she could explain better, but even she didn’t know exactly why mushrooms grew on top of Ciel’s head. Why choose to sit on top of the fluffy and soft head of Ciel… Why there, of all places? The great view, perhaps? Maybe it was a bit…poetic.
Agnes felt a little disappointed with herself for so easily reaching the same conclusion as a confirmed fungi fan.
“Agnes and I will head to the hole in the wall now,” Claude said. “Please deal with our intruder and any remaining monsters.”
“Wah?!” Agnes shrieked as Claude picked her up and placed her on Ciel’s back before jumping on behind her.
“Leave things here to us,” Cesar said. “Go ahead; we’ll follow soon. Be careful, Agnes.”
“I will!”
“Wait, Agnes!” Philip cried out to her, and Agnes felt a wave of irritation. As she sighed, a multitude of mushrooms erupted all over Philip.
The pale ocher Lactarius aspideus and Hydnellum peckii, a sort of white mass oozing red bloodlike sap, instantly dyed Philip’s clothes with their juices.
The Astraeus hygrometricus, which looked like a peeled orange, scattered a cloud of spores, making the mottled pinkish-stained clothes look even dirtier.
To top it off, Philip suddenly coughed and spat out something that looked like the yellowish-brown cap of a Lactarius torminosus.
“Gack! Mushrooms! So spicy!”
Cesar and Armand both stepped back as Philip convulsed, but Claude watched with rapt fascination.
“What a combination. And such wonderful colors…”
Uh-oh. At this rate, Claude would be consumed with the mushroom show.
“L-Let’s go!” Agnes insisted.
Did Ciel sense the tension in Agnes’s voice? Or did he just want to get away from Philip and the racket he was making? Either way, he started running. Agnes was caught off guard by the motion and started to tip backward, but Claude supported her from behind, steadying her in his arms.
Agnes almost fell off the horse…er, tiger. They were in a hurry, yes, but she couldn’t afford to go getting hurt right now.
“Thank you, Claude.” She looked over her shoulder to thank him only to find him beaming. “What? Why are you smiling?”
“I was just thinking… The Agnes you were when we first met would have apologized for the trouble, not thanked me. It’s a welcome change.”
“Maybe. But if I’ve changed, it’s all thanks to you, Claude. And I’m certain I’ll continue to change in the future, too.”
Agnes wanted to change. With Claude, the one who’d inspired her.
“I look forward to it. Ah, look ahead. It’s in sight.”
The cliff Agnes had spotted from the house was looming ahead. A huge monster, shrouded in black mist, was crouched at the base.
“There it is… The hole in the wall,” Agnes said in awe.