MEMORIES AND ABU HORMUZ

Volume 2 chapter 9 - Release the Self

Haruhiro is not a man endowed with leadership from birth. He has neither character nor ability as a leader, and that is very difficult to improve. But after speaking with Lusi last night, Haruhiro has renewed his determination to do his best as one of the leaders. He doubted that he himself would be able to become a great leader, but even so, he had already established his purpose.

Now here, at the fourth level of the Siren Mine, as Haruhiro had promised yesterday.

“Hey everyone, look here! Look at! Look!” Vina started to be noisy, as she leaned against the fence and pointed at some of the animals outside. “Didn't they look cute?”

“What's’an...of course not!” Come rebuttal from Marco quickly. Haruhiro had to agree.

 At first glance, the creatures that were staggered outside the fence looked like some kind of pig, but when seen again, it also looked like a rat. They look like mice the size of ****. Nobody knows how the kobolds call them, but the reserve army calls them

"****-mouse". And the name was very appropriate, Haruhiro agreed.

There is a fenced area for the number of****-rats in it to increase, but that is not the only reason.

“Vina thinks, they're really sweet. The one up there is also sweet!” vina said, while heading to the other cage. “Or maybe not. Forgetit. It's not sweet at all ..”

“What is it?” instead of approaching the fence, Alice leaned forward to look, but she immediately retreated in fear. “Eww, disgusting. Disgusting.”.

Barto nodded and snorted the omens in agreement.

“They are ..” Haruhiro glanced briefly at the creature that was in the cage that was not for the pigs, and he regretted it. “Truly terrible. I think, creatures like this are not to be seen.”

The corner of Lusi's mouth twitched a little. “I think…. I know exactly what you mean.”

The creatures did not have arms, legs, or a tail. Their bodies are not small, they are so fat, and long. They are like***, but do not have a tail and a motion organ, then their body is elongated. Apparently, they were creatures called "****-worm", and that was the name given to them by the reserve force. Their looks are pretty scary.

“Hmm ..” Marco reaches out to the creature with his sword, and tries to poke it.

“Hey,” Haruhiro stopped it. “Marco, don't.”

“What? Quiet, Haruhiro. I'm just trying to see what's going to happen. Not that I'm torturing her.”

“What's ‘not torturing’??” Haruhiro demanded, then he regretted his words just now. All he had to do was let it all go, but again he took Marco too seriously.

“Already, there will be no problem,” Marco reply.

“Oh. Fine.”

“Really-sure-not-will-there-problem. Understood?!”

“Yes, yes, I get it,” Haruhiro said.

“Repeat once again! I want to listen to it.” Marco demanded.

“Really-sure-not-will-there-problem,” Haruhiro repeated.

“Do not repeat exactly as I have said!”

Haruhiro ignores the rampaging Marco, and he instead sees the herd***worm. The way they furrowed their bodies and crept on the ground, was terrifying and disgusting.

“Do not say that these animals are the food of the kobolds ..” Haruhiro muttering.

It is said that the fourth level of the Siren Mine is the agricultural sector. However, the environment around them is more like the livestock sector than agriculture, but the black-fungus and fern-ogre, and all those plants don't need sunlight to be planted here.

Kobolds are living creatures. If they don't eat, they die. With the exception of the small kobolds, they rarely ventured out into the mountains, so they had to defend themselves here, somehow. The result was that, once all the mineral ores here were exhausted, the vast fourth level would be converted into agricultural land.

“Please!” Lusi suddenly said, bowing to the ground.

Haruhiro, Alice, Barto, and Marco immediately followed suit, but Vina still stood.

"Hm? There's an ap- "

“Do it!” Haruhiro grabs his arm, and intends to force him down, but that instead makes Vina fall backwards.

“Ow!” Vina shrieking.

“M-sorry! But... wait, shh!” Haruhiro raised an index finger on his mouth, to tell silence.

Haruhiro no longer said anything, but Vina nodded, apparently she already understood what he meant. Haruhiro and the others squatted in front of the fence, then they remained motionless for three full minutes, until Marco finally said.

“Have passed .. I think so,” reported.

“Iya?” Haruhiro slowly stuck out half his head above the fence, and looked at the surroundings thoroughly. There was an old Kobold in the distance, but the creature turned its back on them and moved away. “He's still here. Let's wait a little longer.”

When Haruhiro looked again a minute later, a different tipster had appeared, and the monster was closing in on them. "The danger!" Hisses.

“Oy oy oy,” Marco sighs. “How long do we have to hide like this? Let's face him!”

Haruhiro thought for a moment, but then he looked at Susi and exchanged glances. Lusi. “Do not,” his suggestion. “This is not like top level. If we fail to kill him, then the fighting noise will only invite more kobolds to come here.”

Marco scoffing. “Good. In that case, let's beat him with one hit.”

“More easy said than done,” Haruhiro snapped at him with a real upset.

“Maybe .. it might just happen,” suddenly Alice said. “With my magic, it might just happen.”

“Ah,” Haruhiro eyes widen. “Betul. [PHANTOM SLEEP].”

“Ya,” says Alice. “But ... we'll be in trouble if I miss. Maybe it's better not to risk it ..”

“Basic y'all,” again Marco put on an expression that could make even the gods annoyed. “Always think about negative things like fear of drinking water because it might be toxic, or something like that. Do you understand what I mean? Yes?”

Haruhiro hopes that if Marco tries to make a parable, then at least make a parable that fits this situation. Haruhiro remained silent, yet he really did not agree to it, Haruhiro calmly let these moments pass. As the leader of the Party, he should have the skill ‘let it pass’.

“Alice,” says Haruhiro. “If you are not confident, then we do not need to do it. But since you've thought of such an idea, then I think we deserve to try it, even if you've made up your mind.”

Rarely did the shy Alice speak, and Haruhiro wanted to encourage this courage, so he gave his support. Alice's gaze remained pointing downward for a while, before she finally lifted her head and said, “... I want to try it.”

No one is against it. The creature was getting closer, and their distance was only sixty-five feet apart, and it was rarely the ideal one to use [PHANTOM SLEEP]. Before Alice raises her head and staff over the fence, she chants the mantra, "Oom rel deckt chrome run!"

Elemental shadows shot out from the end of his staff, and it was not as fast as the elemental [SHADOW ECHO], but it was calmer. The magic flew without a sound, and struck right at the face of the tip. The elementals seep into the body of the tips through the nose, ears, and mouth. The old Kobold started to sway, and collapsed in time

“Good!” Haruhiro gave a signal, then all of them attacked the tip kobold who was affected by the effects of magic. There was no time to think about their dirty tactics, and they had to get it done as quickly as possible. The one who did it was Marco. Why was Marco the one who acted the fastest in this kind of situation?

“Vice is easy!,” Marco laughs with glee. “Everything, hurry up and loot every prized possession of hers!”

“Since when did you become the one to give the order?”

Haruhiro replied without thinking. This is no good. Let it. Haruhiro had to let him off without much care.

Unlike the tips that occupied the third level, the tips on the fourth level were equipped with iron armor and iron-tipped whips that were hung and looped around their waists. The talisman brought by the tip was in the form of silver earrings whose ends were blue, and it seemed to be quite expensive.

“We'll get an easy win, but Vina feels a bit sorry for this tip. Whatever it is, good work, Alice,” Vina praised. “You really did have the pew-pew with your magic. “

“S-agree,” added Barto. “Alice deserves credit for this hard work.”

“A-I .. err ..” because of the shame of praise, Alice again curled up.

“They're right,” Haruhiro said, give your thumbs up to Alice. You're so perfect. Really am. Now we know that we can use this method to finish off the enemy, if we manage to sneak in and get close to him. "

“Don't forget that I'm the one who will kill that monster,” Marco interrupts.

Right, Haruhiro thought. Let it.

“Her body,” said Lusi as he made a Priest hexagon gesture. “We cannot leave it in such an open state.”

“Iya,” said Haruhiro, while looking at the cage around them. “Let's move to another cage.”

After taking all the valuables belonging to the old Kobold, Haruhiro and Barto took them to the cage

****-mouse. Haruhiro wants Marco to help as well, but he doubts Marco is willing to do so.

It was at that moment that something truly terrible happened.

"What-" Haruhiro begins.

A few****-rats surround the kobold's corpse, and make a sound: boo-hee boo-hee squeals, then ... It is impossible ... They're not gonna eat the kobold's corpse, are they?

Wrongfully. They ate it voraciously, each of them spending the carcass with nothing left

.

“I think that's what we call 'food chain',” whispered Vina.

But that's not the problem. Haruhiro had a feeling that he was unable to grasp the core of the matter.

Alice crouched down, held her staff to support her body, and looked at the scene limply. Susi put one hand over her mouth, as if she was trying her hardest not to vomit. Barto's expression was only dumbfounded.

“Yeah, yeah. Effectively,” Marco said, while putting a strange grin on his face when he saw the terrible sight. “We can kill, kill, kill all the kobolds we want, then throw the carcasses at ****-mice to be cleaned. This is a bit dirty anyway, but this is a proper reply because at one time kobolds that eat the ****-mice, but not us cannibals, or the like. Even so, I knew this was going to happen.” Marco ended his chatter with a weak laugh.

“Then, why are your legs shaking?” Haruhiro asked, then Marco replied with, “A-a-a-what ?!” with a threatening attitude. But Marco's face was so pale, that Haruhiro was not the least bit intimidated.

Marco continued, “K-my legs are not shaking! I-I'm not shaking at all! I-it's because you're the one shaking, so it looks like I'm shaking too, okyye!!?”

“What is ‘okyye’?” Haruhiro asked in a soft voice.

“Shut! 'Okkye'. means yes 'okkye' ... Uhh ... That means, I'll kill you!”

“No need to force yourself if you feel nauseous, Marco,” Haruhiro advises.

“I-iidiot! I'm doing fine! It's nothing! In fact, a scene like this is my favorite! Because Dark Knight likes weird and erotic things!”

“It doesn't matter if you like strange things. But, erotic seems irrelevant to

this is.”

“But I want it! Because I am a man!”

Before they had more time to think about this, suddenly a voice was heard that was caused by***-mouse. Not long after, four kobold tips came to TKP. Haruhiro and the others were forced to hide again, but this time, danger was waiting for them here. They have to get out of here.

Guardrail***-mouse and****-worm are high enough, so from a distance people can see it so be careful not to approach. However, some kobolds continued to arrive around the fence. Mushrooms-black, fern-ogre, and light flowers open wide. They were clearly visible to the caste kobolds

low and kobold workers.

Haruhiro and the others were forced to leave the fourth level in a hurry, then they returned to the center, where they ended up hiding at a corner of the empty cage.

“Do you think that this level is too difficult for us?” haruhiro said, leaning against the wall of the fence, he asked Lusi.

Luci seemed to think before replying, "The conditions here are not so good. My team used to be - "He cut his own words with a distraught expression.

Worried about causing the atmosphere to become awkward, Lusi did not mean to say "my team" or mention his former best friend in front of Haruhiro and the others. Haruhiro was about to tell her that Lusi didn't have to worry about it, but she said no.

“Terlarah. You do not need to always worry about it.” precisely Marco who dared to say it, “Do we look that cool? If I really don't. I am a big hearted person. Big, big, and wild. So, feel free to fall in love with me.”

“Um, no, thank you,” replied Lusi immediately.

Marco was instantly lethargic after hearing Luci's rejection that was so quick, at the very least, his silliness really made Lusi smile a little. Haruhiro suddenly felt his chest tight with annoyance. Whahuh? Could it be that I now feel jealousy towards Marco? Jealous of people as low as Marco ? Not likely…

Haruhiro cleared his throat, to confirm himself. “Then, how about the situation at the level

fifth?”

“Compared to here? Better, maybe ..” Lucia answered carefully.

“Ah ..” Vina nodded.

“If that's the case, then ..” Alice offered something nervously. “Should we get down to level five?”

Barto nodded firmly.

Marco grinned widely. “Then, we have agreed.”