Chapter 267: A discovery


    We continued the search while also leveling the Aligerous Tribe, and their abilities wereing along well. Today, we made two teams of five from the Aligerous Tribe and three from our party then went searching the Demon Continent.


    The mobility of the Aligerous in the sky was as expected, and because we moved by focusing on the search, our investigation was many times faster than before.


    The six city-states of the Demon Continent, which includes uros, had conducted searches in their respective countries’ surroundings, increasing the number of unchecked areas on the map.


    At Berkut’s proposal, we shuffled the members searching from time to time. I did not know Berkut’s ulterior motives, but I think it was a good idea because the young Aligerous Warriors were able to gainbat experience in varied situations.


    Sophia’s Gloam, Akane’s Ferryl, and Laeva’s Seru were also participating in the search, and though it was limited to grasnds and open monster nests, Tsubaki joined as well, so it goes without saying that we were making far more progress than when we were doing it by ourselves.


    And atst, we were able to find a monster nest that clearly felt off.


    「I was the first to find it. Amazing, right?」


    The ones who discovered the monster nest was Berkut’s team. Then the pair, Laeva and Seru, said it felt off having a monster nest for human-type monsters.


    「I feel dense magic power from the central part of the monster nest. It is simr to the magic power I felt at the cathedral of the Divine Empire Sydnia.


    「A dungeon?」


    「It is likely so.」


    「Wa-wait, I found it first. Praise me, praise me!」


    「……a-, yeah, you’re amazing.」


    Recently, it’s like Berkut’s character had been crumbling. She’s no different from Kaede when she’s like this.


    「Did we receive word of discovering the remnants of the old Sydnia?」


    It was then that Sophia’s team came back.


    「Yeah, Laeva’s team had apparently discovered the monster nest. I was thinking of checking it out with Kaede.」


    「Very well. When ites to scouting, there would be little danger if Takumi-sama and Kaede were to go.」


    While Sophia and I were talking, we heard a voice cut in.


    「Sophia-anesan! Please wait! That was cruel of you to leave meee!」


    「……<em>tch</em>.」


    Sophia’s expression turned icy, and she clicked her tongue.


    <em>Eh?</em> Sophia clicked her tongue?


    「That was heartless, anesan!」


    「You have no right to call me “anesan”.」


    「Not that again, please don’t say something so cold!」


    The person who cut in on my conversation with Sophia was Bagworm-kuー Bart-kun.


    <em>Huh?</em> Didn’t Bart-kun like Berkut?


    I was puzzled, wondering why Bart-kun was following Sophia so excessively.


    「<em>Oi</em>! Bart! We’re having an important discussion. Don’t follow Sophia-san!」


    Berkut shouted at Bart-kun.


    「<em>Hmph</em>! What is this, you were here Berkut?」


    「Don’t be like “you were here”! Takumi-sama, the others, and I are talking about important things! You’re a nuisance!」


    Berkut shouted at Bart-kun.


    「Hey Sophia, what’s with Bart-kun? He liked Berkut, didn’t he?」


    「……<em>haa</em>, recently, Bagworm has been in the same team as me for a while and……」


    ording to Sophia, unlike everyone else, Bart-kun who was the only person who chose the sword and the shield was often in Sophia’s team as she was proficient in both the spear, and sword and shield. To Sophia, Bart-kun who snarls at me was detestable and so she deals with him harshly. Nheless, for some reason, the harsher she was, the more emotionally attached he became.


    「Umm…… could that be his fetish?」


    「Ugh, please stop. I am getting goosebumps.」


    Sophia lookedpletely disgusted.


    「Oi! Stop clinging to Sophia-neesan!」


    While Sophia and I were whispering, Bart-kun realized this and this time chewed me out.


    Gon! Bata!


    「「Eh!?」」


    「You embarrassment to the Aligerous Tribe!」


    Berkut hit Bart-kun, who was approaching me, from behind and knocked him out.


    「Takumi-sama, we must check the suspicious ce in the map. Let’s go, Takumi-sama, Sophia-san.」


    「Ah, yeah, will it be okay? Leaving Bart-kun here?」


    「You don’t need to call him by Bart. Bagworm is good enough for a guy like that.」


    Berkut-san took our hands and pulled us into a meeting room in the base.


    Poor Bart-kun. He’s been downgraded to “Bagworm” even by his own race.


    ***