Chapter 92 – Shield Shell Falis
The next morning, Menew yawned loudly, as he had been listening to the singing until dawn.
Now that he thought about it, the only entertainment he experienced in this world was feasts. He had not listened to music or watched plays. And so he could not help but be absorbed by it.
“Are you alright? Were you unable to sleep?”
“I’m fine, I’m fine. I just stayed up quite late… Ah, that’s right.”
As he prepared for the morning and talked with Totto, he passed the other three the mystery masks.
“Huh?”
“What’s this, all of a sudden?”
“…”
Ralph had a bad feeling about it, and so he stayed silent as he accepted it.
“They have resistance against sleep.”
He then connected to Mr. Wal, Kanon and Stan, so the resistance would be linked, and then he had the other three wear the masks, and then they were ready.
“Alright, now I will introduce you! …Summon!”
A cocoon of water that was about the size of a human appeared, and then a siren with two torsos emerged from it.
The other three were stunned. Menew looked at them smugly.
“Here is Singing Princess Yaya, who I befriended yesterday. …Yaya, if you would be so kind.”
Menew asked her to sing, and so Yaya began to sing a song in her beautiful voice.
A song like splashing fish and like small flowers swaying in the spring.
When she was finished with her song, everyone clapped. Yaya smiled happily.
“I befriended her while you were all asleep. I have resistance against status effects. It seems like as soon as I heard her voice, the resist activated and I woke up. Still, isn’t it nice to have music while traveling?”
Apparently, Menew meant to use the siren’s layered vocals for entertainment.
He asked her to sing again sometime, and let her go. And then Menew took back the masks and severed the link.
“Well…that was a surprise. I didn’t realize she would be a siren like that.. Not only that, but you intend to summon her while we are traveling?”
“She was alone for so long.”
“That’s not an answer.”
“I’ve never heard such beautiful singing!”
Totto scratched his head and bashfully added that he also liked his mother’s lullabies.
Mofusen and Ralph were exasperated, but they knew that Menew would not change his mind.
Besides, they could not deny that she had a wonderful voice. The problem was that you would be put to sleep immediately if you could not resist it. But on the other hand, it also meant they did not have to worry about being attacked by enemies.
It might also help Totto develop a taste for the arts. Ralph forced himself to believe it.
Stan was still flying excitedly in the sky, while Kanon ran around below. They too had enjoyed the music.
“Now, let’s eat breakfast and then search for the other two.”
And so after this pleasant morning, they went about preparing for their adventure.
As they would be leaving much of their belongings at the campsite, Kanon and Stan would stay behind.
Just as before, the jungle was filled with creatures.
It was like a paradise for Totto, and he constantly gathered plants and threw them inside of Mr. Wal.
Menew inspected the search instructions and saw just why the Falis was being hunted.
“So it attacks people who are gathering herbs, just like Totto. I suppose humans enter its territory without realizing it.”
There were no signs put up inside of the jungle. But the herbs were too tempting to ignore.
Humans were rather self-centered. But it could not be helped.
“You can continue gathering, Totto. It should not be long now.”
“Ye-yes!”
And then five minutes later.
The sound of wings were heard, and a strange creature that looked like a cross between a praying mantis and a human appeared.
The base was a praying mantis. A cave mantis.
It had thick limbs and large pincers, but also looked like a knight in armor.
Falis did not attack. It seemed to be observing us carefully.
Even though Totto continued to gather, it did not attack.
(Oh?)
What if it was not the one to attack, but it was only watching the invaders, and it was the humans that attacked it first?
Well, it would be difficult to remain calm when a two meter praying mantis was staring down at you.
“Falis!”
Menew tried talking to it.
And then the evolved cave mantis beat its wings and descended. It stopped about two meters away from Menew.
“We’re sorry for intruding in your territory. Would it be alright if we gathered some herbs?”
Falis nodded. As expected, it was not hostile.
It was then that Torum appeared gallantly.
Menew thought that they were going to start a territorial dispute, but apparently, they were about bettering each other.
And so they started to train, where one would unleash a technique on the other.
“Should we really kill it?”
“I don’t think that is necessary? The instructions were wrong.”
“But they won’t be satisfied with that explanation… Well, I’ll try talking to it.”
Said Menew, and then he leapt up into the trees, where they were training.
From branch to branch, trunk to trunk, he went. When he was right between them, Menew stopped Falis’s attack with his staff.
“Will you join me in order to prove that it was just self defense?”
“…”
“Kue. Ka. Ka.”
Torum was saying something to Falis, which caused it to nod understandingly.
“Uh, are you sure? What about training?”
“Master, while this cave mantis pursues strength, it does not like to fight.”
Said Mr. Wal, and Falis nodded.
That was why it just observed, even when someone invaded its territory.
“So can you promise that you will continue to not attack anyone, even when they come here?”
It nodded again.
As Falis quietly spread out its wings, Menew raised his staff.
“I hereby declare that Shield Shell Falis a beast summon of Menew.”
He tapped his staff on Falis’s head, and the contract was complete. It then went back to training with Torum, and so Menew scratched his head and descended to the ground.
“Well, that just leaves…it has a difficult name to pronounce.”
“Flying Damagarga. …How dangerous. It attacks you out of nowhere. Both on the island and out at sea.”
So it was the opposite of Falis.
“VOOOOOOOOOO!!”
As they tried to decide whether they should wait or go and search for it, there was a sudden roar that shook the forest.
It must be the voice of the Damagarga.
As Menew and the others prepared to fight, Torum and Falis joined them.
Apparently, the Damagarga did not only attack humans.
The roars were getting closer.
Thanks for all your hard work and this chapter!