Crunch...
"......"
Pulling [Black Star of Domination] from the body of the B-rank monster, the [Blade Tiger], Adelio spread his senses and scanned the magicules across the great forest.
"Looks like I'm almost there now."
Before long, he found Rimuru's magicules, along with the magicules of Moss's clone that was keeping watch over her.
As a bonus, he also picked up a [Tempest Wolf] and a [Hobgoblin] secretly observing the area.
"......"
It didn't seem to be a [Hobgoblin] born naturally in the wild, and considering it was together with a [Tempest Wolf], its natural predator, it was probably one of Rimuru's subordinates.
"Probably part of the guard unit. Since things got so noisy here, they must have come to check it out themselves."
Then again, after a fight this loud, it would have been stranger if no one had shown up. Thinking that, Adelio swept his gaze over the B-rank and A-rank monsters lying as corpses on the freezing ground like the [Blade Tiger].
Even by rough count, there were well over twenty.
They were mindless monsters, yes, but with numbers like this, they had enough force to wage war on one of the great forest's upper tribes.
"Adelio."
"Teacher."
It seemed Shizue and Ria had sensed those two presences as well. They came over to Adelio's side and pointed into the grass with slender fingers.
Adelio nodded to show he already knew, then cast a glance toward Eryun, Kabal, and Gido.
The meaning was clear: he would check the monsters hiding in the grass, so they should protect Eryun's group. Having fought alongside Adelio for a long time as part of the [Hero Party], Ria and Shizue understood his intent immediately.
It was proof that they understood each other well enough that there was no need to use [Thought Communication].
"That settles this side. Now then... let's take a look."
......
"...What is that human... exactly...?"
Grrrr...
A young green-skinned [Hobgoblin] with a red bandanna tied around his head, Rigru, and a black-gray [Tempest Wolf] growling low with both ferocity and composure.
As they secretly watched Adelio and his group from the grass, the sight of dozens of monsters collapsed at his feet made cold sweat pour down them like a waterfall.
"...He pierced the [Blade Tiger]'s head in a single strike..."
Any one of the monsters over there was powerful enough to slaughter dozens of [Hobgoblin]s with ease, yet not a single one had survived even one exchange against the ash-haired man and his companions.
Whether it was magic or the sword, it had all ended in a single blow.
The monsters they had thought were still far-off nightmares had all been swept away by attacks that looked almost casual in the hands of that man and those women.
"...That human is dangerous."
Could Rimuru, who should be with the leader of the [Tempest Wolf]s, Ranga, right now, fight like that?
Under normal circumstances, Rigru would have answered yes without hesitation. But perhaps because of the battle he had just witnessed, he couldn't bring himself to answer that question.
And then that thought vanished in an instant at the sound of a voice.
"If you thought I was 'dangerous,' shouldn't you be reporting to your superior first?"
"!!"
Rrr?!
A sharp yet calm voice came from behind them.
Perhaps because he had been fighting only minutes ago, traces of [Heroic Aura] still lingered in every word he spoke. Adelio's voice was more than enough to put Rigru and the [Tempest Wolf] on edge.
"...W-who... are you...?"
G-growl...
Forcing their bodies, which were stiffening more and more, to twist around, Rigru and the [Tempest Wolf] looked back and up at Adelio.
Adelio, who had thought he'd approached with fairly light footsteps, wore a faint smile.
"You two are Rimuru's subordinates, right?"
He added that he had no intention of killing them, so they could relax.
*
Meanwhile...
"...Hmm?"
Around the time Rigru and Adelio encountered each other, Rimuru also sensed traces of a large group of A-rank monsters moving through the area.
It took her a little time because she still wasn't very proficient with her [Skills], but since a battle had broken out not far away, she noticed it faster than usual.
"Hey, Ranga. Don't you feel some unfamiliar magicules over there?"
"Yes. It seems the number of magicules with stronger scents than usual has increased."
A giant wolf with black-gray and dark blue fur, fierce yellow eyes, and a horn like a unicorn's.
Ranga, the leader of the [Tempest Wolf]s, who had evolved one step beyond [Fang Wolf], sniffed the air like an ordinary stray dog despite a body far larger than most tigers. Then, while even wagging his tail, he answered Rimuru, who was sitting atop his head.
"It seems to be coming from the direction Rigru's guard unit went. Would you like to go check it yourself?"
Excited at the thought of running through the forest with his master, Ranga swung his tail through the air like a whip as he asked. But after seeming to think for a moment, Rimuru shook her head.
"N-no. I think it'll be fine."
"...Ah... is that so..."
Ranga's voice turned gloomy at once, his tail drooping instantly.
But Rimuru didn't notice the disappointment in his voice.
"......"
She felt sorry for Ranga, but someone even more important was approaching right now.
"These magicules are..."
The magicules of a [saint], the natural enemy of monsters, which she had first sensed not long ago in [Dwargo].
"...It's Adelio!"
She could feel that the one fate had chosen for her was drawing near.
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