The sudden attack of the ant spirit caused Maru to rise high into the sky.
Fortunately, thanks to tightly holding onto the fox rain, Maru didn’t fall straight down… but it seemed like she was trembling with her eyes closed, looking terrified.
“Maru, are you okay? Are you hurt?!”
“I’m flying!!”
Or not? Maybe it was a needless worry.
As expected of a 5-star mercenary, I suppose. If it were an ordinary child, they would probably be crying and scared.
Maru, however, was happily smiling while looking at the clear sky, as if not caring about the situation at all.
The contrast with the trembling person next to her made me worried that she might be overexerting herself…
But right now, dealing with the ant spirit is the priority. At the very least, we need to tie it up so it can’t attack Maru, who is currently defenseless and floating in mid-air.
“Bada! Can you draw the ant spirit’s attention?”
“I’ll give it a try!”
Bada licked her knuckles with her tongue and ran forward.
…That blade is sharp, though. What a daring move. If she cuts his tongue, it’s going to hurt.
“Ugh!”
Nunu was already attacking the ant spirit’s outer shell.
Even without any orders, Nunu seemed to instinctively avoid the attacks and steadily chipped away at the monster’s exterior, proving that she was indeed a veteran.
But…
-Clang!
Despite striking the insect’s exoskeleton, a sound like metal was heard. How on earth is that possible?
…Could it be because Nunu’s weapon is too small? I guess it would take quite a while for such a small dagger to take down that giant.
“It’s too tough.”
Nunu, seemingly aware of this, stepped back and frowned, but there was nothing else to be done.
If we didn’t land any hits like this, not only would the monster hunt be more difficult, but Maru’s survival chances would decrease as well.
“Why does it keep attacking Nunu? Come over here!”
Bada couldn’t even leave a small scratch on the monster.
!%!@!@$!@
“Wait a second!”
“Wow?!”
“Maru!”
Both of them seemed to realize that the ant spirit wasn’t taking any significant damage from them and switched their target to Maru.
The ant spirit, attempting to drop Maru hanging from the umbrella, was struggling with the wind.
“Ah.”
…Because of the strong wind, I think I just saw something I shouldn’t have.
Hmph. That cheeky thing.
It’s causing a scene just to try to eat Maru. Does it think we’re irrelevant?
“…That thing?”
Suddenly, Bada and Nunu’s movements noticeably quickened.
The blades, now infused with emotion, were striking much harder, causing the ant spirit’s exoskeleton to quickly wear down.
Whether it was because they were being ignored, or perhaps because they were angry that the ant spirit was only attacking Maru, I’m not sure, but it seemed like both.
But it’s still not enough. There’s no finishing blow.
What to do…
-Boom!
“Eh?”
“Huh?”
…?!
Suddenly, there was an explosion from inside the ant spirit, and its movements began to noticeably slow down.
“Hehe.”
At the moment of confusion due to the sudden explosion, Maru, who was flying while tightly holding the fox rain, grinned and made a victory peace sign.
…It must have been the flashbang she used in the first battle. It seems like she threw it into the ant spirit’s mouth.
To think of such a thing from that high up, right above the giant monster’s open mouth… If it were me, I would have fainted immediately. I’m really impressed.
By the way, I wish she would leave her constantly fluttering clothes alone. There’s nowhere else to look.
$!@%??!!
The ant spirit, suffering from the direct hit of the flashbang, fell to the ground, dripping green fluid.
It probably didn’t die from that one blow. It’s likely because of its tough exoskeleton that it hasn’t experienced such pain before.
In other words, now is the perfect opportunity to attack the inside of the fallen ant spirit.
“Nunu!”
“I know!”
It seemed like Nunu and Bada knew that as well. They quickly climbed up the ant spirit’s large, sharp jaws, using them as footholds.
Now, this is the crucial part.
How can we most efficiently take down the ant spirit, who is now helpless?
“Ugh!”
Bada was indiscriminately stabbing at the ant spirit’s eyes.
First, making it lose its vision. It’s a decent strategy, but there’s one problem.
“Bada! Don’t go for the eyes. Attack the outer shell where you made a scratch earlier!”
“…Huh? Oh, okay!”
The ant spirit usually hides underground, so it’s probably blind. Given that the monster’s name and appearance match that of an ant spirit, it’s likely sharing that characteristic.
So, targeting the eyes would be pointless.
‘At times like this, sticking to the basic strategy is the best move.’
Surprisingly, these kinds of creatures have great confidence in their exoskeletons and don’t expect them to break.
Just earlier, didn’t the ant spirit panic after getting hit by Maru’s flashbang and instinctively bury its head in the ground and faint?
If we can break through its tough exoskeleton during that fainting period, we’ll have a much better advantage in the battle afterward.
“It’s tough, but not unbreakable.”
We can do this!
At that moment, as Bada and Nunu alternated, relentlessly attacking one spot on the ant spirit’s exoskeleton…
“We’re almost there. Almost there…”
A childish yet cute voice unique to young children came from behind.
When I turned my head, I saw Maru slowly descending while holding onto fox rain tightly, riding the wind.
Her small feet were flailing as if desperately wanting to reach the ground quickly — quite a pitiful sight.
…Does she not realize that the more she struggles, the higher the wind is lifting her?
“Maru, I’ll help you.”
“Th-Thank you. Ah, whoa—!”
I walked over and grabbed Maru’s small body, setting her down.
Maru, seemingly overwhelmed with emotion at touching the ground for the first time in a while, kept letting out sounds of amazement.
Yeoubi, who claimed it had saved her, rubbed its soft cheeks against the closed umbrella Maru was holding.
Her cheeks, which squished and bounced every time they touched the umbrella, were incredibly cute — like slime.
Whenever I see that, I get the urge to poke those soft, bouncy cheeks.
—$$@%@#@!?
“…?!”
Ah— I was too focused on Maru and didn’t pay attention to the fallen monster.
What if Nunu and Bada got hurt?
Worried, I quickly turned around.
“Huhu, it woke up earlier than I expected… but this is good enough.”
“Nice teamwork!”
“…Yeah, not bad.”
“Yes!”
Fortunately, both sides didn’t seem injured.
The antlion seemed to have come to its senses, though.
But…
Seeing the large crack on its belly, it seemed like we didn’t land a direct hit — but we succeeded in creating a weak spot.
This makes things easier.
Since even Maru, who had been floating midair, was back, things were looking quite favorable.
“Hiyaaaaah!”
Maru confidently charged toward the antlion, holding fox rain tightly.
It’s great that she’s so full of confidence…
But what is she planning to do against such a giant creature?
Is she trying to strike before it fully regains its senses?
“Maru? You’re down now?”
“Yeah, Maru, are you okay?”
“H-Huh?”
But Nunu, who was facing off against the antlion, picked Maru up mid-charge, effortlessly ending her assault.
Maru, now stuck with her arms hooked under Nunu’s, could only flail helplessly.
“It’s been a while since I last saw you, Maru.
You’re not hurt, right?”
“U-Um…”
Nunu and Bada’s eyes were practically dripping with honey as they looked at Maru.
The antlion had already been forgotten, as both of them were now focused on carefully checking Maru’s body for injuries.
“Ugh…”
Maru’s face started turning red, probably because of the affectionate looks they were giving her —
Or maybe it was because both of them were pretending to check for injuries while actually poking at her cheeks.
“I’m not a kid anymore!”
“Huhu.”
“Ugh, seriously! Hey!”
Seemingly frustrated by being treated like a child, Maru grabbed Nunu’s cheeks and started kneading them aggressively.
“Oh my.”
“What the—! Let me try too!”
…Why does it seem like they’re enjoying it even more?
—@@%$#!@!@$!
“Huh?”
At some point, the antlion had regained its senses and was furiously clashing its sharp jaws together, letting out a terrifying roar.
But so what?
Its soft underbelly was completely exposed.
It looked so confident despite its obvious weakness — I couldn’t help but feel sorry for it.
“What’s with the noise…”
“Maru, it’s getting noisy here — maybe we should head home.”
“H-Huh? What about that monster? Aren’t we going to capture it?”
Maru tilted her head with a curious expression.
“Ah, that…”
— !@!%$!@$
As if offended at being ignored, the antlion let out another loud roar.
But then…
—$$@!…
The sound gradually weakened until, finally, it collapsed to the ground with a faint groan.
Poor thing.
“Huh?”
Maru still looked confused, tilting her head in puzzlement.
To her, the sight of the enormous monster suddenly collapsing must have been quite shocking.
“Maru, do you see that dagger sticking out of its belly?”
“Y-Yeah… Isn’t that Nunu’s weapon?”
“That’s right.”
Maru, still looking confused, finally seemed to understand after Nunu’s explanation.
“Did you coat it with poison?”
“Bingo! Maru, you’re so smart!”
“Hehe.”
Pleased by the praise, Maru’s smile widened.
She was completely oblivious to the fact that she’d been led into giving that answer.
Anyone could see the way Nunu and Bada were looking at her.
“Then… since our smart Maru knows, you must also know what we’re going to do next?”
“Hehehe, of course… Wait, what?”
Maru flailed in confusion, trying to escape —
But it was already too late.
…Maru, that’s why you shouldn’t waste your wish.