Reconnaissance and Begging

Deep in a forest where even moonlight couldn’t reach…

In the world shrouded in the darkness of the night, what unfolded was a scene that made me doubt my own sanity.

A creature with wolf-like characteristics was crouching on the ground motionless…

*Creak!*

*Creak!* *Creak!*

And with an indescribably unpleasant sound, something resembling a lump of flesh emerged from its back…

“It’s like that caterpillar fungus, isn’t it…”

As I gazed at the monitor, I recalled a plant my father had purchased out of curiosity during my childhood, and it sent shivers down my spine.

“But, this is not a mushroom.”

“Huh, that was a mushroom?”

“Yes.
Caterpillar fungus is a type of parasitic mushroom that grows on insect larvae and such.”

“I had no idea. That’s…”

“Hey, can I have a rifle?”

Among the group staring at the monitor intently, Eve’s straightforward explanations brought a different kind of surprise.
But right now, it’s not the time to expand trivial knowledge or listen to the noise.
Within the monitor, another activity was unfolding.

“This… clump of meat is transforming into a monster’s form.”

“Hmm… I have lived for a long time, but to think they multiply in this manner.”

Pale-faced, Uruka muttered as Senior Forusha followed suit.
Yes… What was being reflected on the monitor was exactly as they described.

From the meaty lump growing out of the demon, gradually, organs like eyeballs and fangs emerged…
Not only that, the entire shape of the meaty lump transformed into that of a beast with limbs…
And in the process, the surface was gradually covered in fur…

Eventually, completely detached from the original monster, it was a new monster that looked just like the monster that had sprouted it.
Transforming from the meaty lump into the monster took about a hundred seconds, more or less…

“By increasing like this, they end up multiplying in large numbers without us realizing.”

“Hey, how about it? Give me a rifle!”

Muttering bitterly and resolutely ignoring the background noise, I manipulated the controller.
The monitor scanned the surroundings, and there, various types of monsters produced individuals identical to themselves in the same way.
If there is such a thing as hell, this might just be it…
That’s the sight that makes me think so.

“Sending out the drone was the right choice.
Once again, I learned that monsters are not beings that can coexist with us… that they are not ordinary creatures.”

Everyone gathered nodded in silence at my words.

It was late at night…
We were at the residence of Senior Forusha, who had welcomed us during the day.
We were gathered there, absorbed in the valuable footage captured by the reconnaissance drone we had sent out.

By the way, this drone we used this time was different from the one Keaton had used before; it had a bee-like appearance and physically flapped its wings to fly.
The wing sound was almost silent, and it had a high-performance night vision camera installed, which was perfect for this reconnaissance mission.

“It is likely that they are multiplying by using a type of psychic ability that the Master refers to as magic.
Normally, they reproduce like regular creatures, but during a large outbreak like this, they probably use this method of reproduction.”

Now that there’s no need to hide, Eve, with her hair changing colors endlessly, as usual, says expressionlessly.
Perhaps she kept wearing the clothes she bought in Urones because I liked them.

“Huh? Magic can do this kind of thing?”

“Yes and no.
It may be possible to learn through the Master’s ingenuity, but according to the drone’s analysis data, it puts a great burden on the cells throughout the body.
Therefore, I wouldn’t recommend it too much,”

“Even if you recommended it, I’d definitely hate it…”

Imagining myself multiplying in this way, I feel a slight nausea.
I’ll multiply in the usual way. Uh, eventually.

Suddenly, I caught Uruka’s eyes, and we both blushed.

Not good, not good.
…We’re having a serious conversation right now.

“I don’t really understand what ‘cells’ means, but it’s not an easy thing, right?”

“Yes,”

When Senior Forusha confirmed, Eve nodded lightly.

“Then, the increase of monsters will likely reach a plateau at some point.
…Nevertheless, it still won’t change the fact that they have overwhelming numbers.”

Everyone deeply nodded in agreement with the elder’s words.

“However, being able to know the enemy’s movements through these drones, there’s no need to fear.
After all, the number and location of their forces… it’s all clear to us.”

“Hey, hey? Can you give me an old rifle from this grandpa?”

Even with the noise’s source clinging to my head, I managed to put on a stoic look…
Banho declared, making the most of his samurai spirit.

Yeah… or rather… it’s like…
It’s getting kinda annoying.

Receiving my gaze that seemed to say ‘do something’, Senior Forusha sighed and turned towards the source of the noise.

“Ente… We are discussing the survival of the autonomous region.
If you have nothing to do, help your mother.”

“But I really want a rifle, though.”

“Ente.”

“…Okay.”

Quietly persuaded, Ente left to assist her mother - an elf woman cooking - after being spoken to.

We exchanged looks without saying a word and shared a wry smile.

And then, for about two days…
While we were preparing for the interception, Ente kept asking for a blaster rifle.

Pestering, insisting, and asking again and again.

…The persistence was such that I seriously considered just giving in and handing one over.
Well, if I did that, it would go according to her intentions, so I didn’t give in.

“Hey, Eve? It’s fine, right? Can I have the rifle?”

“No.
If Master doesn’t allow it, I can’t give it.
Besides, without spare beam packs, it’s impossible to continue using it.”

“Then, how about those too?”

“No.”

At times like this, she would pester Eve…

“Hey, Uruka? Can you convince your husband?
I can handle it better than anyone else, you know.
Oh! Look! Do you want to try some honey-soaked nuts that I prepared?”

“I hold the same opinion as Asuru-sama, so I have to decline.
The honey-soaked nuts… Well, it’s a shame…”

At other times, she would try to bribe my wife…

And they approached Banho and the samurai with the same tactics…
Their determination was quite impressive.

Of course, I was the one most bothered by it…
While handling that casually, I continued to monitor the monsters’ movements and make plans for interception…

Realizing that my friends’ preparations were not yet complete, we welcomed the morning of the third day.