Author: TA☆KA	Original Source: Kakuyomu / Syosetu
Translator: Jiro	English Source: Re:Library

When I returned to where Millie and the others were, they were just finishing off the last one.

With a quick glance, I spotted two bodies reduced to smoldering charcoal.

(Did Katy’s summoning magic do this?)

The other two had probably been stabbed straight through a vital spot because their corpses were clean and intact. I could see Millie’s name written all over it. To think they could take down five monsters with Threat Level 16 in just one or two minutes. They were amazing. As expected of Team Aria. They worked fast!

Nearby, weaker Shallow Layer Demonic Beasts still scurried around here and there, but none of them in packs… With the Red Pongos taken care of, the disturbance from this morning quieted down for the time being… so as long as they didn’t come here, I could just ignore them.

I passed by a little distance away from Millie’s group and headed toward the campsite. I didn’t make eye contact—after all, I was still in the middle of my trial. In principle, it would be unthinkable for me to have contact with Team Aria, who were supposed to be guarding me.

…But this was an exceptional emergency! For now, I would just pretend I never saw Millie and the others!!

Besides, Aria would be back soon, and I was sure she would figure out how to handle things on her end. So it was totally fine! There was no way I’d fail the trial over something like this!

Right? It would be fine, right?

…Anyway, for now! I just needed to focus on finishing this trial safely. Once tonight was over, the trial would be over!

Oh, right! For tonight’s last supper, I was planning to gather some yams!

Three days ago, I found some smaller ones growing on the southern slope of the hill I was on. Mia had taught me that they sometimes grew on sunny southern slopes, so I went searching, and sure enough, I found them.

These yams were a legume plant; their large, swollen rootstock was an excellent source of nutrition in the wild. Its taste was something like a cross between potato and sweet potato—delicious whether boiled or roasted. So I made a yam potage soup by simmering them well, and thanks to that, my meals afterward were much more satisfying!

At the yam patch, I spotted some healthy-looking vines and pulled them up, revealing big yams that had probably grown for 3–4 years. They were all about the size of my fist.

(I’ll bring back about five of these—steam two for a snack, and use three for dinner! Hehe…)

As I was holding the yams and looking down the slope, a mischievous thought popped into my head. Just below where I was digging, there was a nice stretch of grassy slope. It looked just like a riverbank…

(Wait—couldn’t I… slide down it? Grass-skiing?!)

The slope stretched downward for over twenty meters. Between the trees, the grass swayed in the afternoon sun, covering the ground like a green carpet. The blades were only about ten centimeters tall, so this was probably some type of lawn grass. They spread across the whole sunlit slope, mixed with other, taller blades of grass, forming a lush green carpet.

(Wouldn’t it be amazing if I just threw myself onto it, and the grass carried me all the way down?)

Once I thought that, I couldn’t resist! It was like a voice in my head said, “Do it! Just do it!!”

But I didn’t have the tools… In my old world, I’d use cardboard to slide, but… Then I remembered the wolf fur pad I wore around my waist.

It kept me warm, sure, but it was also waterproof—meaning I could sit anywhere without worrying about my butt getting wet.

And nothing was stopping me from using it as a sled!

I removed my sword and scabbard from the sword holders, tucked them under one arm along with the yams, and sat on the grass. I pulled the fur pad under me from between my legs and spread it below my butt… It looked a little indecent, like I was reaching under a miniskirt with both hands, but—hey, no one was watching!

Then I launched myself down the valley slope! At the same time, I cast the basic wind spell Air, creating a layer of air under my butt.

(Aren’t I like an air hockey puck right now?!)

It worked even better than I had imagined—I was sliding like the wind! Like a storm! Like a raging gale!

…Okay, maybe not that fast. It would’ve been faster if I’d just run, but no nitpicking! The point was, it felt amazing! The sensation of sliding directly on my butt was exhilarating, and when I hit a little bump that made me hop up, I couldn’t help but let out a weird “Kyaah~!” sound when I landed again. But it was fun, no doubt about it!

By the end, I was laughing like an idiot, sprawled out, arms and legs stretched, laughing, “Ahahahahaha!”

For a while, I just lay on my back, gazing at the blue sky, drifting clouds, and swaying grass, breathing in the fragrance of it all… But then I noticed. There was a Demonic Beast right in front of me.
I knew there were some around here, but since they were weak and not coming at me, I had ignored them.

But this one was less than a meter away, yet it wasn’t moving at all. I couldn’t figure out why. I noticed its stare. I pushed my upper body up with both hands and tucked in my legs so I could spring up at any moment. Then I glared back at it…

It was a Crawl Tortoise. A land turtle type of Demonic Beast with a Threat Level of 0.3. The Crawl Tortoise was about the size of a giant tortoise, with a big spiny shell tinted teal-green. Its only attack was headbutting, so even children could handle it as long as they avoided standing in front of it.

(But why is this one frozen, right in front of me? Wait… its breathing seems weirdly heavy… Whoa, it started bobbing its head back and forth. That’s the motion it makes before headbutting, right? But why isn’t it attacking? Is it just threatening me? Still… that heavy breathing… and where exactly is it looking?! Where the hell are you looking at, you damn turtle!)

I jolted upright and yanked down my skirt!!

(T-This thing—!! This damn turtle was staring up my miniskirt and getting excited!!!)

Normally, in the village, whenever I wore this skirt, I wore shorts beneath it. Otherwise, Papa Howard wouldn’t allow it… At first, he absolutely forbade me from wearing such short, tight skirts, but eventually allowed it if I had undershorts on.

But during this trial, there was no one around, so for the past week I’d gone without them, feeling all free and open!!

So right now, I was only in thin panties—just a single layer of cloth!! And I was sitting in the letter M position, leaving it fully exposed.

(Noooo! I don’t think I’ve been this embarrassed before! All summer I’ve kept it safe and guarded, only to be exposed like this to some stupid, pervy turtle?! How humiliating!!! Noooo! And look at this turtle go! It’s bobbing its head, breathing wildly! That’s lewd, you know?! I-It’s creeping closer!)

“You filthy… perverted turtle!”

With a loud crashing sound, I kicked that indecent turtle straight into the sky, turning it into a shooting star!!

***

“Huh? This is!”
“What’s wrong, Alan?”
“Belknap, I think I’ve missed something incredible!”
“…That sounds serious.”
“Yes! Very serious! I feel like I missed an opportunity that I absolutely should not have missed!!”
“What the hell are you talking about, Alan? You’re making no sense.”

“Don’t you get it, Carl? This is a big deal!”
“No, I don’t! Calm down first!”
“Damn it… damn it!! Why do I feel so jealous of turtles all of a sudden?! Damn it alllll!!”
“Hang in there, Alan.”
“Alan… Where are you going with this?”
“Daamn iiiitttt!”