A Cunning Encirclement And A Dying Kiss.

The moment I raised my hand high, Paula moved instantly.

She clamped her hands over Mia’s mouth and neck from behind to keep her quiet before forcing her into a crouch. A second later, the Chief dashed toward me, sword in hand, keeping his body low. Staying close to him, I joined the two women kneeling in the shadow of the Branch-Horn Deer’s carcass. Yoru and Kuu were already lying flat against the slimes’ backs. It seemed they had properly remembered the signal for danger.

“Has something happened?”

“Fugh! Ugh!”

“The Kone-ko-chans vanished. …Where’s Yo?”

“…I don’t see her anywhere.”

During our fight with the deer, she should have been on lookout duty. I had nothing but a bad feeling about this.

“Hee-hee.”

Gob-tchi, who had blended into the undergrowth some distance away without my noticing, pointed toward the shadow of a tree to alert us. Peeking out from behind the deer’s carcass, I spotted a dark mass lurking in the grass.

“Is that… a wolf?”

“A Black-Fur Wolf. Troublesome customers have arrived.”

“My Lord, over there as well.”

“Fugh-gu-gu-gu!”

Just as Paula pointed out, several beasts were watching us from various spots. A Black-Fur Wolf is a reasonably strong monster on its own, but the real nightmare is their proficiency in pack tactics. In the game, they were annoying monsters that used their high mobility to surround a single ally and unleash concentrated, consecutive attacks.

From what I could see, they were a size larger than an average dog. Their legs were thick, and their builds were sturdy. If I recall, their specialty is Biting. It’s the same as the Skeletal Dogs, but with actual muscle behind it, the power would be significantly higher. And then there’s that black fur they’re named for—that, too, has a troublesome trait.

“How did so many gather without us noticing…?”

“They likely caught the scent while we were fighting the Branch-Horn Deer. They’re looking for an easy meal.”

“I see. Cunning, aren’t they? What’s the plan?”

“If we’re surrounded, we’re at a total disadvantage. Let’s pull back to the wall. At least there, we won’t have to worry about attacks from behind.”

One-on-one, they aren’t opponents we’d struggle with. But if we’re constantly challenged from all sides, we’ll be the ones to run out of strength first. We’ve used the ‘violence of numbers’ ourselves against boss monsters, so I knew not to underestimate it. Plus, not being able to use or really hurts.

Facing the wolves, who had stopped hiding their low, intimidating growls, we decided to relocate. Led by the Chief, we broke into a run toward the east. But after only a few dozen steps, we ground to a halt.

“Dammit, these guys!”

Several wolves, fangs bared, had gathered to block our path. We could fight through them, but staying in one spot would mean being surrounded instantly.

“Let’s detour. Toward that tree!”

Using Gob-tchi’s arrows as a deterrent, we changed course toward a large tree on our right. But before we could reach it, more wolves emerged from its shadow.

“No good. Let’s fall back!”

We turned quickly. Every time we stopped, our situation worsened. But once again, wolves stood in our way at our new destination.

“Then we’ll use that tree as a wall! Over there!”

But that spot, too, had already become the wolves’ territory. A third tree yielded the exact same result. With every escape route cut off, we were ultimately forced back to the side of the Branch-Horn Deer’s carcass.

“Hah… hah… they’re reading our every move. Puff, puff… how is this happening…?”

No matter how fast wolves are, this level of coordination was abnormal. Paula and the Chief exchanged a quick look at my question.

“My Lord, actually, I’ve been hearing an unfamiliar sound for a while now…”

“Me too. Every time we try to move, something echoes from above.”

“Waaaah! They’re closing in!”

Just as Mia said, over a dozen wolves were slowly narrowing the distance. It seemed we were out of time to think. The Branch-Horn Deer I’d left uncollected as a potential distraction hadn’t been touched by them yet. And from all the running around, my stamina was near its limit. It was all going exactly as they planned.

I gulped down a Mana-Vitality Potion and steeled myself while catching my breath. I had hoped to win without overextending, but these weren’t opponents that allowed for such luxury.

“It can’t be helped. We take our stand here!”

If they were gathering in one place, that was also an opportunity to wipe them out in one go. Besides, if we took some injuries, I could use the meat of this Branch-Horn Deer to patch us up.

“No time. Yoru, Kuu, over here!”

“At your service—!”

“Koo!”

Nodding to the two who looked up at me innocently, I hurriedly pulled out the Numbing Mushrooms. The monster-kids’ mouths immediately began to water. Holding the mushrooms to their faces, I whispered an apology.

“Sorry about this.”

“Gonyoh—!”

“Gnugh!”

While stuffing the Numbing Mushrooms into Yoru and Kuu’s nostrils, I tossed some Labyrinth Garlic to Gob-tchi.

“Alright, let ’em have it!”

The goblin bit into the garlic, swallowed it, and flashed that familiar evil grin. He took a deep breath and leaned forward.

—!

A horrific stench erupted from the goblin’s mouth, engulfing the wolves just as they were about to pounce. The pack instantly recoiled, their faces contorting from the intense odor as they staggered back. Since they have such a keen sense of smell, the effect was devastating!

“Now!”

“Kuu, !”

“Goo!”

The bird-child soared into the air, raining down a barrage of sharp feathers with a flap of his wings. Usually, this would settle things, but today’s opponents weren’t that easy.

“Tch, just as I thought.”

The black fur covering the wolves was not only flexible but also extremely slick. Half the feathers failed to pierce, sliding off the surface of their bodies. Still, they took a fair amount of damage. Seeing the wolves dripping blood, Paula followed up with a command.

“Don’t let up! Yoru, !”

“Got it!”

The small figure vanished, and suddenly Yoru appeared right in the middle of the pack. Wreathed in purple lightning, the beast-child slammed her sharp claws into the wolves. Howls of pain and sprays of blood erupted instantly.

The reason the two kids could move normally despite being right next to Gob-tchi’s —which they usually hated—was thanks to the Numbing Mushrooms shoved up their noses. Those mushrooms actually have the property of paralyzing sensory organs for a short time. That’s why, in the workshop, they were used strictly as raw material for paralysis potions. It was also the reason I’d said I’d handled them but never eaten them.

“Waaaah, more are coming!”

“Gob-tchi, behind you!”

“Kee-hee-hee!”

While we had stalled the wolves in front, an attack came from our now-unguarded rear. However, as if they had seen through Gob-tchi’s move, the wolves stopped just short of him. They took a wide detour, several of them closing in from the flanks.

“Dammit, they’re reading us again!”

I pulled out some Terror-Bird bones, rang the handbell, and summoned three Kone-ko-chans in quick succession. I had to increase our “walls” by any amount possible. The Chief and Paula swung sword and whip to deter them, but the wolves skillfully stayed just out of reach. Mia’s lacked the power to be a finishing blow.

“Tch… we’re being whittled down.”

The moment I muttered that, a shrill, piercing cry echoed from above. Simultaneously, a black shadow began flying around frantically.

“What is that!?”

In the next instant, Gob-tchi’s bowstring twanged, and the shadow was shot down, falling headlong to the ground. What tumbled onto the grass was a bird whose feathers were stained entirely black. And clutched in its talons was the limp form of Yo the Fairy.

“I see… so this was your doing!”

The wolves’ abnormal movements and the words of Paula and the Chief finally clicked in my mind. A Forest Crow. In the game, they teamed up with Black-Fur Wolves to corner the player—a truly nasty monster. This thing must have been observing our movements from the sky and signaling the wolves.

And…

I gently picked up the blood-stained fairy. She must have been caught while she was scouting. But sensing our peril, she must have mustered the last of her strength to release <Fairy’s Kiss>.

Having lost their eyes in the sky, the wolves were no longer a match for us.</Fairy’s>