Preparations

17. Preparations

Since they needed more rope, Shia spent her time unravelling and re-weaving the rope she had, while Tori divided the liquid from before into several small bags.

As for that part of the task, Tori told Shia to stay away, as it was a bit dangerous.

Just then, Ronar, who had gone out on horseback, returned.

"Found them."

In his gloved hand, he held something that looked like plant vines, though Shia couldn't tell exactly what they were.

"What are these?"

"Ah—don't touch it with your bare hands! they're poisonous."

"Poison?"

"Shia, those are a type of bramble, and they have thorns, so be careful. Also, rather than 'poisonous,' they'll cause a rash if you're pricked, so wear gloves when you touch them. —Now, Ronar-san, could you weave those into the rope? Try to keep the thorns facing in the same direction as much as possible."

"Yeah, got it."

After that, the three of them worked in silence. Once the thorny ropes were finished, they used the small windows of the Tochka to weave them along the outer walls.

"Ronar-san, thorns facing upward."

"Hmm... barbed thorns, huh."

"Yes, exactly. Also, the toxicity of these brambles reacts strongly to magic power, so they're effective against magic beasts."

"Heh, to think something that grows everywhere could do that..."

Ronar nodded solemnly. This kind of knowledge would likely be essential in Orun from now on.

Taking advantage of her agility, Shia worked at the high windows, looking down and thinking that Tori really was incredibly knowledgeable. She didn't understand a thing about the work they were doing.

Shia then took the small bags Tori had made and fixed them to the inner wall of the Tochka, sandwiching them against the rope. She wondered, though, if they wouldn't just burst from the slightest impact?

But how this would all play out would only be revealed when the Serpent actually arrived and the battle began.

"—Alright, I think the preparations are mostly done."

Hearing Tori's voice, Shia hurriedly but carefully finished attaching the last bag and ran over to Tori and Ronar.

"I don't quite get it, but instead of doing something so tedious, why not just blow it up with explosives or something?"

"We don't have that kind of equipment on hand, so that's impossible. Besides, unless we devise an extremely clever plan, the smell of gunpowder would give us away instantly."

"I see."

"Now then, Ronar-san, could you take one of the horses and move to the Tochka in front?"

"You don't need my help here?"

"If the attempt to stall it fails, I want you to head for the town immediately."

"Ah... I suppose that's true. ...—So, in the end, what do you plan to do with the kid?"

The moment Shia arrived, Ronar brought the subject up to Tori. Shia stepped right into the center of Tori's vision as he turned around, staring into his light grey eyes with a look of intense resolve.

That resolve, of course, was her desire to stay by Tori's side.

After a brief silence, Tori lowered his gaze and let out a deep sigh.

"...Can you do as I say?"

Shia's ears twitched, and she gave a vigorous nod.

"Yeah!"

"You might have a bit of a scary experience, though?"

"Shia's fine with that!"

"……Haah... well, there's something I want you to do, so I suppose you'll stay here..."

"Really!?"

"Yeah..."

His voice sounded like he had simply given in, but Shia wagged her tail so hard that her robe fluttered, causing Tori to let out a wry smile.

"Oh, looks like it's settled," Ronar remarked.

"Yes, well, I'd feel more at ease having her within sight than having her suddenly charged at."

"A desperate measure, then."

"Haha... —Now, for the plan: once the battle begins, I'll fire a flare. And when it's over, I'll fire another. If the second one doesn't go up within an hour of the first, please run for the town."

"Got it."

After finishing the conversation with Ronar, who nodded solemnly once more, Tori placed a hand on Shia's head and spoke.

"—Alright, time for the strategy meeting."

＊＊

Floating in the deep ultramarine sky was a thin crescent moon, like a sliver of lemon peel. There was no hope for moonlight.

But since Shia had night vision, it wasn't a problem, and the Serpent likely did too. And as for Tori...

The two of them were now on a small hill between the forest and the Tochka they had just rigged.

Shifting her gaze from the moon overhead, Shia glanced at Tori, who was holding the horse's reins behind her. However, Tori's light grey eyes were hidden, covered by something that looked like strange glasses.

They were a magic item called night-vision goggles, which allowed the wearer to see the landscape even in total darkness.

Though the shape was different, it was something Shia had seen once before.

Yes, the men who had stolen the light-gathering stones she collected had worn the same things on their faces.

According to Tori—

"Crushed light-gathering stones are used for the lenses of these goggles."

"Crushed?"

"That's right. They crush them down, melt them, and mold them into lenses. They work by detecting the faint traces of light emitted by objects, making them visible to the wearer."

"...?"

"In short, it's the same as your eyes, Shia."

"Hmm?"

He told her that a considerable amount of light-gathering stones were needed to make those lenses, and that they traded for a high price.

"However..." Tori's voice trailed off.

"They're not a very common magic item."

"People don't usually need them?"

"They're convenient, but if you have a light, there's no real need for them. That's why they haven't spread to the general public. Not that it's my place to say, since I have a pair, but those who use them are usually the military, or people who want to move in the dark without being noticed..."

"......"

...I see. The purpose of use made sense.

As she stared intently at the device covering half of Tori's face, he noticed her gaze.

"Shia?"

"Yeah."

"……Are you scared? It's okay. I'll definitely protect you."

Shia shook her head. She wasn't scared. Because Tori was here.

"I'm fine, I'm not scared."

Having someone you can trust—that was incredibly reassuring. But Shia didn't just want to be protected. She wanted to be of help to Tori.

After a short while, something touched her sharply honed senses.

"………!!"

The moment Shia jolted, the horse let out a loud snort.

"Looks like... it's here."

At Tori's voice, Shia gave a small nod, her gaze never leaving the direction of the forest.

Her ears had picked up that terrifying presence and the faint sound of undergrowth being crushed. No, in truth, it wasn't actually being crushed.

Holding her breath, she stared ahead, and a massive, shadow-like form suddenly slid out from the forest.

"...Alright, Shia, we're going according to plan."

"Yeah."

Shia leaped nimbly off the horse and ran toward the Tochka. Tori then calmed the horse, which was showing signs of terror at the Serpent's presence, and fired a flare into the sky.

The surroundings brightened for an instant.

With the light of the flare at her back, Shia ran through the grass that reached up to her chest.

The contents of the strategy meeting with Tori were as follows:

"First, we have to lure the Serpent to this Tochka where we've set the trap. That's the first step."

"Won't it come this way?"

"As it is, it'll probably head for the town; there's more prey over there. That's why I intend to scent the entrance of the forest closest to this Tochka."

"Scenting..."

"Yeah. Ideally, I'd want something that smells like prey, but we don't have time to go hunting, so I'll use my own blood from earlier—...Don't worry, I'm fine now."

Tori continued to let out a wry smile as Shia knit her brows tightly.

"After scenting the area, I'll guide the Serpent coming out of the forest toward the Tochka... but... in the very end, I'll have to rely on Shia."

"On Shia?"

"Yeah, because I can't act as the lure..."

Tori spoke apologetically, but Shia had been here from the start specifically because she wanted to help him. Moreover, Shia vaguely understood what Tori meant by not being able to act as the lure.

It was that special presence Tori possessed.

Humans, who could only perceive what was visible, might not understand, but to those who relied on sensing presence, Tori was incredibly difficult to detect.

Shia herself could see him if he was close and could smell him, but as for his presence, she recognized that lack of it as Tori himself.

"Then what should Shia do?"

"Ah, yeah... let's see... I want you to lead the Serpent to the top of the Tochka."

"Um, make it climb the Tochka?"

"Exactly. I'll lead it this far on horseback. Of course, I intend to wear down its mobility to some extent, but I don't think I can completely stop it with what I have. That's why—"

Tori stopped talking, crouched down, and brought his gaze level with Shia's.

"If you think it's dangerous, run away immediately."

"I understand."

When she answered without a hint of hesitation, Tori's brows knit together.

"……Really?"

"Yeah."

"……Really, really?"

"? Yeah."

Even though she was telling him clearly, Tori's brows remained knit, as if he didn't trust her. Then, he began rummaging through the inside of his jacket and pressed something into Shia's hand.

It was something like a brooch with a whitish stone.

"It's an amulet. It has a protective effect."

"For Shia? ...But... this is Tori's, isn't it?"

"I have others, so you should keep this one."

Told this, Shia looked down at the amulet in her palm. The white stone wasn't purely white; it emitted a complex radiance of red, blue, green, and yellow.

Shia gripped it tightly, thanked Tori, and tucked it into the inner pocket of her robe. She decided she would properly attach a string to it later.

Now, as planned, she had passed a string through it and wore it around her neck, tucked away near her chest.

She stiffened for a moment at the sound of a horse's neigh and the ground-shaking noise echoing from a distance, but she continued to run, touching the amulet through her clothes.

She was worried about Tori, but Shia had her own job to do. She couldn't afford to neglect it.

She reached the rigged Tochka and let out a long breath. This was her battlefield.

And so, Shia waited near the Tochka for the moment to arrive.