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Chapter 288 Part 2

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Translator: “Hakou”                             Editor: “Weasalopes”

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The reply that came from him was as bad as I thought. And he said that he could probably destroy the Spirit Cannon, but he didn’t know if he could afford to return.
Imosuke and Dangorou let out a wave of screams and started to raise a fuss. Zaratan waits for me to calm them down with my hand, and then speaks quietly.

『I have lived long enough. If I can destroy the Spirit Cannon only at the cost of my life, then it will be worth it』

He said such cool lines with an air of coolness. But I can’t accept such a thing even if it sounds cool.

「The Pomelos are going to be ripe soon, you know? You’ve been looking forward to it so much, are you really fine missing out the chance to eat it?」

Moreover, Imosuke, the forest sage, has declared that this year’s ones are going to be great. When I continued, the turtle slumped and fell silent.

「I have an idea. Listen to me」

What I told him was an idea that I came up with a while ago.
It was originally intended to show Zaratan the Old Lady, but I combined it with the current plan.

「There’s a lake east of the royal capital. I want you to teleport there」

We’ll meet up there and teleport to Spirit Lake with me riding the Old Lady on his back.

「I’ll shoot the World Tree with my long-range offensive magic from the top of your shell. And I will need you to focus on the defense and movement.」

We can combine our power like this. Unlike Zaratan, no matter how powerful the magic I use, it will not shorten my lifespan.
This would significantly increase our success rate and chances of survival.
I looked at the turtle’s face nervously and he opened his mouth after a short pause.

『……Thank you』

It seems my proposal passed. However, Zaratan had one request.
It was about power. The magic that had healed Zaratan’s tail before. It was a B-rank cure injury, but he said that I shouldn’t cast it while riding a Knight.
It would definitely break through the protection of the World Tree, but he said it’s not good for me.

(Well, I have never intended to use B-rank magic in the first place)

Even at C rank, the amount of magic power almost caused the Old Lady to burst. I had planned to use a D-rank Light Arrow.
But from the way he just said it, I guess D-rank won’t be enough.

「I get it. I’ll use C-rank magic instead while trying to increase the fire rate」

The memory of me and the Old Lady being ripped to shreds in a blender with countless chunks of rock in the underground Helldiver Bee’s nest.
Not that I’ve forgotten, but I feel like I can do it now.

(The magic has passed through the Old Lady better than it did then. And I don’t have to worry about where I shoot)

It’s not an enclosed space, but in the open outdoors. And the target is the World Tree.
Thus, the plan was decided. The only question left is how much time we have until the elves fire the Spirit Cannon again.

『They shouldn’t be able to fire it again anytime soon』

I patted my chest at the turtle’s answer.
The cooldown seems to be long, after all, it is large-scale magic. The time it takes to fill the magic might have something to do with it.

「Firstly, I’ll going to the merchant guild tomorrow to see if I can borrow the Knight」

What’s bothering me here is the caterpillar and the dung beetle that seem to want to go with us to the Spirit Lake. I harden myself and tell them.

「Sorry, but you guys gonna have to stay in the house」

Sure enough, Imosuke and Dangorou shouted, 『We’re going too!』 with an excited voices.
But as expected, I couldn’t take them with me. It was difficult for me to persuade them, so I decided to ask Zaratan, who was also a senior spirit animal.

『Definitely come back, okay?』

『Promise?』

I managed to get them to understand somehow.
Zaratan and I made a pinky promise with Imosuke and Dangorou. Though, in truth, in Zaratan’s case, he only lightly head-butted them.
And tonight, we all slept together in my bed.

***

The south side of the northern gate of the royal capital. In this area, located north of the royal castle, there are a number of facilities related to the knight order of the Kingdom.
Headquarters, training grounds, hangars, and pilots’ quarters. This is also where Ponytail, Busty-chan, and the single old adventurers live.

(I let my guard down. I should have known best that that man is a coward)

It was midnight. Many of the windows in the inn had already lost their light.
In one of them, Ponytail looked up at the ceiling from her bed and thought back to her previous battle.

(I can’t believe he stabbed me in the rear with his finger after I won the match)

It was the match with Tauro at her part-time job at a store that specializes in uniforms.
The dirty tactics of continually loosening her rear gate with his fingertips. Despite being tormented by it, Ponytail was able to endure.

『It’s my win!』

This was the first victory that she had been longing for so long. It is no wonder that she shouted with a bright expression as she threw her fist in the air.
Immediately after that, the coward pushed the tip of his finger, which had been slightly pressed into the chrysanthemum, all the way to the base.

(He admitted his defeat with his mouth and even praised me)

Underneath his thin smile, he must have been aiming the moment my rear gate loosened. He must have been so frustrated with his defeat that he couldn’t resist doing so.

(How childish for a person who is already at that age)

She was just dumbfounded.
But even though he was childish inside, he was very skilled. The shock she received at that time was huge.
A spring that had been slowly pushed in and had been accumulating strength. Perhaps it could even be described as a clasp being removed.
Her mind was instantly blown away, high into the sky.

(Unforgivable. I will never forgive him)

Her eyebrows furrowed and her mouth contorted as she writhed and let out several ragged breaths. This was due to the fingers of both her hands invading her body from front and back.
This was necessary in order to recreate the flow of the battle as real as possible.

「I won’t forgive hiiiieeeee–!!」

Ponytail squirms on the bed and screams involuntarily. She instantly came to her senses and listened carefully.
Fortunately, there was no wall banging from either side of the room, which was probably due to the fact that the room was well-built for a highly-paid pilot. Even if one makes a noise, it doesn’t affect the neighbors too much.

(It was his fault. Everything was his fault)

Because she used both hands, the surges came from the front and back. It’s hard enough on its own, but on rare occasions, they overlap and turn into a huge triangle wave.
When that happens, it’s over. There was no way to stop her from screaming.

(……Maybe I should do the image training one more time)

It can’t be helped. It is necessary to do so in order to win again.
She used her imagination to supplement and construct a battle scenario that she had not yet seen.

(I’m sure he’ll try to trick me this time and come at me from behind)

Ponytail swallowed her saliva and shoved the finger she pulled out back again.
Tauro in her head was in the playroom, saying 『Hmm? I wonder why this door is left unlocked』.
When she turned her butt on the bed to check, he grabbed her sides with his hands and was a jerk. It was just as she thought, he had come in through the emergency exit without warning.
And he did it with something much thicker than his fingers.

(You coward!)

Ponytail is suddenly overwhelmed by his rough behavior. But the man didn’t stop. He slid his hand forward and started to finger her from the front as well.
Ponytail’s fingers, which had increased to two, moved violently to match the image.

(You should be ashamed!)

The guy she hates in her mind is smiling at me. It should only be her own imagination, but he takes over her fingers and stirs the contents like crazy.
Then, at the most unfortunate time, another synthetic wave formed.

「Hnmf~~~!!」

Ponytail succeeds in suppressing her voice but kicks the wall repeatedly instead.
As expected, even the thick and heavy partition wall could not prevent this impact. Busty-chan in the next room kicked the wall back at her.

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