"That bow is incredible. Just how do you shoot with it?"
"Do this, then like that."
"Hmm, hmm... But wouldn't it work better like this? See?"
"Sloppy... You do this, then like that."
"Ah, I see, I see. That's definitely more like this, then."
Walking along the eastern side of the plains, Yuri and Urla were deep in conversation.
The topic at hand was, naturally, Urla's bow.
Having witnessed her incredible feat of piercing through a monster just a little while ago... Yuri had grown curious and was asking her all sorts of questions about it.
Yuri had always been the curious type.
With anyone, about anything, she lived honestly according to whatever caught her interest.
Right now, she was chatting amiably with Urla, receiving a lesson on how to shoot a bow.
"Like... this? Hmm, I can't hit anything."
"Too tiny."
"Ah, you're right. The bow's too small for me. I'd need something bigger and sturdier."
"Tighter."
"So the string should be drawn tighter too. I see, I see..."
Before she knew it, Yuri was having a perfectly normal conversation with Urla.
Rest couldn't understand a single thing Urla was saying... but Yuri already understood her words without a translator.
"Yuri... you understand her perfectly."
「Hm? Ah, don't try to understand with words — just take it in with your heart. That's what passion is all about!」
「……I see.」
He didn't get it.
Apparently, it was still too early for Rest.
There was no way he could squeeze into the warm, friendly circle the two of them had formed.
(Well… honestly, I am grateful for the help. Stepping in as a buffer like that really takes the edge off.)
Honestly, if it had just been Urla and the members of House Lavender here, the awkwardness would have been unbearable.
(Bringing Yuri along was the right call… This girl's carefree nature is a kind of talent in its own right. Is it just her natural personality, or does it come from growing up in such unusual circumstances? What must life in House Cattleya have been like for her?)
「From here on, it becomes wetlands.」
Ostley, who had been leading the way, called back to them.
Now that he mentioned it… the ground beneath their feet was growing increasingly damp, practically turning into a series of puddles.
Beyond that, small marshes dotted the landscape in every direction, and even the patches of solid ground had turned into waterlogged, muddy soil.
「It might be a bit late to ask, but… is there actually any merit to developing this land?」
With this much water and mud, building a town or farming fields here would be nearly impossible.
That was what Rest was thinking… but Urla shook her head vigorously.
「Fish. Crabs. Water.」
「What the young lady means is…」
「Oh-ho! So they intend to farm fish, crabs, and other seafood, and also channel the water eastward as a water source! I see, I see… The fish raised here would certainly be rich in nutrients, and with this much fat content, they'd be absolutely delicious!」
「Mmph…!」
Before her attendant could get a word in, Yuri had already taken it upon herself to voice Urla's meaning.
The female attendant whose job had been stolen glared at Yuri, sparks practically flying between them.
"So the wetlands have their own uses, do they? Then we'll have to take out whatever monsters are getting in the way."
"Yes, we'd greatly appreciate your help."
Ostley bowed his head.
"Most of the monsters are ones we can handle on our own… but the worms are another matter entirely, and we've been at our wits' end. If Count Clover could do something about them, it would be a tremendous relief…"
"Well, I'll see what I can do. I can't very well promise victory against an enemy I haven't even—"
Rest stopped mid-sentence.
His presence detection magic had picked up something approaching.
A large presence, coming from the west… crawling through the water of the wetland like something slithering along the bottom.
"Everyone, stay on guard! It's coming!"
"GYAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
The moment Rest shouted his warning, a guttural shriek tore through the air.
A massive spray of mud scattered in every direction.
And then… a gigantic serpentine creature burst from the water.
"Oh man, that thing is huge!"
"It's… really… big."
Yuri's eyes sparkled with excitement, while Urla's voice trembled as she muttered.
"That's… a worm?!"
"GYAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
The enormous snake, as thick as a telephone pole, reared up toward the sky and shrieked.
Rest refined the mana within his body to counterattack the enormous monster.