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For a little while, the story will focus on the northern region. Nicole won’t be appearing.

◇◆◇◆◇

That day, Lyell and others were climbing up a small but steep mountain a little separated from the pioneer village.

The medicinal herbs growing there were necessary for the antidote against Kufar’s poison.

The knowledge of it came from Fina and the textbooks that the God of Destruction left for her.

A three-year-old girl even remembered the breeding grounds of the herbs, so it showed just how frightening the Gift of Pharmacy was.

“She’s only three, but she accurately knows the types of herbs growing here. As expected of my daughter, don’t you think?”
“Geeh…haah…”
“And she’s the cutest girl in the world. Or I suppose Nicole is the first one. At any rate, she’s definitely among the top three.”
“H-Help… Zell’s already…”
“H-He’s going to die…”
“Don’t worry about me. Leave me here and go on ahead…”
“S-Squeeee…”

Because of the north’s characteristic steep terrain, the three who were ordered to accompany him —ex-kidnappers Troy, Jones, and Zell— were already at death’s door. The Carbuncle was much the same.

However, Lyell alone was neither bothered by the altitude nor the steep path.

“Oh, you guys. Let me remind you, I’ll kill you if you touch Fina, got it? Or Nicole.”
“We…are in no state for that…”

Lyell suddenly turned around and pointed at the gasping trio and an animal with that warning. Naturally, the people concerned had something else to worry about now. The steep route had shaved away their stamina and they were on the verge of collapsing.

“How…are you… so energetic?”
“Hmm? If the path is steep, you just have to step firmly, right?”
“It’s not so easy to do—hwah?!”
“Troy…if you fall here… you’d get…eaten by wild beasts.”

Troy, who yelled, fell to his knees despite Jones’ warning.

“You’re lacking stamina more than I thought. If you stay like that you’d get used all over again.”
“I don’t think stamina has anything to do with getting deceived… um, never mind.”
“Please, let us rest a little…”
“No helping it. Fine, we’re resting for half an hour.”

Lyell allowed the fallen trio some rest.

This herb gathering was also used as a march to give them some stamina training as their punishment.

Having said that, if he forced them to move and they fainted, Lyell would be the one that’s inconvenienced by it.

Plus, perhaps they were reflecting on their actions, they really endured it until the very limits of their stamina.

Lyell wasn’t someone who wouldn’t acknowledge that.

“Here, if you cut this vine the sap will come out so drink it. You still have water in your sacks right?”
“Yes, we do.”

He severed a vine coiled around a nearby tree and had them drink the water coming out of it.

Water was a precious resource on a mountain. If they could procure it locally, it was better to consume that instead.

This area was particularly lacking water sources, so some of the plants had a nature to store a large amount of water.

Lyell knew that, so he told it to them and had them drink it to economize on their own water.

“At this rate, you’ll just get in the way of the other soldiers.”
“We know that but… we can’t suddenly increase our lacking stamina.”
“I know that after looking at my daughter. Oh well. I guess I will take my time with you.”

Lyell didn’t want to kill them or anything. Rather, he even recognized their resolve to even throw away their lives to save their family and dear ones.

The problem was their method itself, and it involved Lyell’s family.

As such, he couldn’t declare them innocent. He had to punish them in a way that the soldiers and the villagers could witness, or it would affect the order.

Thus, he decided to take them along on this herb-gathering trip. Along with the Carbuncle who’s gotten fatter again as of late.

“Kabby, that goes for you too. You can’t protect Fina the way you are, you know?”
“Squeeee…”

The Carbuncle squeed back as if ashamed, but it was plopped down with limbs spread, showing no signs of getting up.

“Good grief, I know Maria’s food is delicious but…hmm?”

Suddenly, Lyell cut his words.

His eyes turned sharp, and he looked around in vigilance.

“Is something wrong?”
“Yeah, this feels… like a battlefield.”
“Battlefield…?”

Lyell didn’t have as high a detection ability as Reid, but having overcome life and death situations countless times, he could still sense danger.

And his senses keenly sensed a crisis.

“This is bad, I—”

‘I might not handle it while burdened,’ before he could finish that sentence, the source of the danger showed itself.

It was a giant over three meters tall, having a goat-like head and holding giant swords as wide as a human’s torso in each hand.

It was the same thing he had seen recently in Berith.

“Twin-bladed Devil?! Get back, all of you.”

It was a strong foe, but he had experience defeating it. That made him decide not to flee.

However, the next second he realized that it was a mistake. Because one more giant showed up from behind the rock.

“Two of them?!”

One of them gave him a hard fight as is. He managed to overcome that battle without an injury all thanks to Reid’s support.

But this time Reid wasn’t here, and he had people to protect behind him.

“Kh, you guys, run like your lives depend on it! If you stop, you’ll really die!”
“W-What are those?!”
“Monsters!”
“S̲h̲i̲t̲, let’s run, Troy, Jones!!”
“Squee!”

Lyell pulled out his trusty sword and faced the Devils.

Of course, the Devils had no intention of overlooking him either. One of them raised both of its swords and rushed at him.

He stopped them with his heirloom holy sword, repelled and stayed in place.

He planned to buy the three behind him time to escape.

“Mr. Lyell, you should run too!”
“I will after you do! If you don’t want me to die, hurry up and go!”

So he yelled back, but facing not just one but two, he couldn’t help but feel hopeless.

Even so, in order to protect the three behind, he couldn’t step back.

“S̲h̲i̲t̲, I’m doing exactly what that fool (Reid) did, huh!”

He kept swinging his sword as he yelled those words.