As we progressed to the back of the woods, the types of demons that emerged changed.
There have been fewer demons very similar to eating plants, and demons very similar to mushrooms have emerged.
There are a lot of toxic shades of mushrooms that you can't definitely eat.
As expected from the looks of it, the mushroom demon also launches an attack that becomes a state anomaly.
The knights wearing spores that had been spit out were poisoned or paralyzed.
I haven't seen it yet, but they say some spit out spores that burn when they touch the skin.
Each time I received a condition anomaly, I proceeded with caution while releasing it.
How far would it have gone?
A knight who was leading called the captain who was walking next to me.
When I nodded to the captain who saw this one for a moment that it was okay, the captain hurried to the front.
"What is it?
"I don't know from here, but it doesn't feel like it's urgent."
I asked the court magician who was beside me, but I didn't know what was going on.
You can wait here, but I'm curious, and I think I'll go forward and ask.
When I look at the captain, he'll be fine to go forward, as much as he's talking to a few knights in the front with a difficult face, not even looking particularly hasty.
"Is something wrong?
Going forward and speaking to the captain, he looked at this one with a difficult look on his face.
The look on the face of the knight I'm with is similar.
It seems certain that something went wrong.
"Hey, find me a trail of troublesome demons."
"Is it a troublesome demon?
"Ah."
Hearing it as a trace, I saw the direction the knight was looking in, and there was a fallen tree lying on the soil.
People's hands are in the woods to take resources, but it's not uncommon to fall trees.
If I tilted my neck to see what was wrong with this, the knight pointed to some of the fallen trees.
Hmm?
If you stare and look closely, there is a slightly teratogenic part.
I wonder what it is?
Traces of Namekuji crawling?
"What is it, this?
"This is a predatory trail of slime."
"Slime!"
What comes to mind in the brain is a blue Shizuku-shaped demon coming out of a certain famous RPG.
Up to this point, I thought it was a sticky fungus next, because it started with animal-type demons, eating plants, mushrooms, and the more plant-type demons I went in the back, the more I thought it was just slime.
Since the slime is similar to the viscosity fungus, I wonder if the prediction was wrong, though?
I was comfortable thinking about that, but as I listened to the captains, I found that the slime of this world wasn't the kind of lowly cute demon that would appear in that game.
It seems like it's a kind of demon you don't want to encounter if possible because it's a hassle to defeat.
When it comes to slime, I hear a lot about it, and they say that physical attacks hardly work.
"If it's magic, does it work?
"Right. Most slimes are often magically defeated."
If physics doesn't work, you can't just magically defeat it, what an old friend of mine said came back to life in his brain.
Think about it as you manage to almost erupt unexpectedly.
There are many knights with us now.
There are court magicians, but there are times when there is a captain and I who can use magic, and there is only one in this squad.
Originally, there are a small number of court magicians, and there are as many as one to three court magicians in one squad.
Some knights can use magic, but such people are extremely few even when viewed by the entire Knights.
Besides, naturally, it seems that the magical prowess of the knights does not extend to court magicians.
To the extent that one or two slimes exit, I would be able to handle the configuration of this squad without any problems.
But if you come next, like you did in the West Forest...?
I think it's tough to deal with.
I may be able to sweep it with [Virgin] 's technique, but I have a little anxiety.
I'm not used to the exercise of the procedure, so I don't know if I can activate it in an emergency.
It would be reckless to convert it as a hand in a magical attack in its present state.
"When you can only defeat a magic attack, you're worried about the composition of this squad."
"Right. I can't deal with dozens of them if they come out."
"That's it for the back, will you turn back?
"... no, let's go a little further. I want to see what's going on back there."
The head of the regiment seems to have come up with something to the extent that I can think of.
But after considering the risks, it seemed a priority to explore what was going on in the back.
Assuming, of course, that if the slime emerges the more difficult it is to deal with, we withdraw.
As we proceeded that way, we encountered several slimes.
There were not many encounters at once, and I was fortunate to be able to defeat them with the magic of the Commander and the court magician.
I didn't participate in the attack, but I had my turn as well.
Slime has been attacking like a mushroom demon to become a state anomaly, so he's turned around to relieve the state anomaly.
After several battles with Slime, looking around the futon, he noticed that the view of the forest was changing.
There were fewer weeds growing at his feet, and he could see the exposed ground everywhere.
Was there so little weed? Are you out of your mind?
I thought so, but it wasn't my fault.
Once I realized it, it was something that bothered me, and from there I started watching the woods carefully.
The next thing I noticed was more trees standing dead.
Sometimes trees stand and wither due to external factors, but isn't this a lot?
In the original world, acidic rain was a problem for trees to stand and wither, but it still came down here or something?
No, no...
For that matter, the trees that are standing still are too neglected.
"What's up?
I thought the woods were kind of weird.
"Again...... I felt like the atmosphere had changed, too."
"We're out of weeds, and more trees are dying, right?"
After a few thoughts, the captain instructed the knights to examine the standing trees nearby.
The knights who started looking into it immediately raised their voices like "wow" or "uh".
"What happened?
"Look at this. Maybe the dead one got hit by a slime."
When I saw with the captain where the knight pointed, there was an unnatural hole in the area about as close to the ground of the trunk.
I wasn't pushing through on the other side, but the depth of the hole is pretty deep.
Moreover, the hole was also extended longitudinally.
The outside remains, but it could be almost hollow in the tree.
Does the fact that the entrance to the hole has the same telltale marks that were in the fallen tree earlier mean that the slime ate it?
Could it be that other stand-up trees around have been devoured in the same way?
"There are traces in this tree, too."
"This way too."
One voice after another from the knights who were looking around at similar other trees.
I just didn't realize it before, and the dead trees on the road probably withered for the same reason.
"Captain, what do you want to do? Still want to move on?
In response to an inquiry from the knight, the captain put his hand on his chin and thought.
I only have a bad feeling about the slime and dead trees that increase as I go back, but I also want to see how terrible the back is supposed to be.
I don't know if you felt what I was thinking, but the contemplating captain turned a chillary glance at me.
I don't know what the intent was in that gaze, but I nod and give it back with the desire to move on in the back.
The feelings seemed to have been conveyed properly, and the captain told the knights to go further in the back, and we started walking again.
As I had a hunch, the dead trees grew as we proceeded to the back and the scenery turned into something more killer landscape.
Along the way, slime still descended from the top of the leafy tree, which was very surprising.
Besides, it was right next to me that fell, and although it was only screaming that I didn't scream, I felt indescribable disgust afterwards, so much so that I accidentally stepped on the estate rubbing my arms on the spot.
It was seen by the subtly troubled looking head of the regiment, who lowered it's brow butt, he decides he didn't realize.
Coming down from the top was a powerful attack inside...
"Time to go back"
When the chills subsided crawling up his spine, the captain opened his mouth.
On the occasion of being surprised by the slime, he decided to turn back once.
I plan to stay in a village near the forest this time, so I can stay in the forest for a relatively long time.
However, if it is not time to start returning, it will be the feather that will reveal the night in the woods where the slime will come out.
Though watchdogs can be set up in turns, they are definitely more dangerous than resting in the village.
The knights seemed to have the same idea and snorted at the words of the captain uniformly.
Where everyone's opinions had come together, we turned to the original and began to move through the woods.
After a few short walks, the captain's face turned into something dangerous.
"What's up?
"Quiet."
The knights around them stop, and the atmosphere turns into something tense.
Is there a demon?
When you lurk your breath and clear your ears, from time to time you hear the wind shake the leaves of the trees.
"I'm out!
"Become!"
One knight raised his voice and pointed toward you. What we saw was a slime seeping out of multiple holes open in dead trees.
It is also impossible that the other knights raised their voices of surprise.
Because the slime that passes down trees like sap was several times bigger than anything I've ever seen.
When everyone was paying attention to that slime, they heard the knight looking around him humming and breathtaking.
As I circled my gaze, I could see the same slime seeping out of the dead trees here and there.
It's the size, but it's also the biggest number that came out at a time.
When I saw the court magician standing next to me, I found that he was pale and in a tough situation.
"'Icewall'"
An ice wall is built with the chant of the captain.
The chant goes on several times, leaving the front, surrounded by ice walls all around us.
"You'll be eroded one of these days, but it'll be better than none"
"You don't have to worry about the back."
The knight overlaps words, as he supplements the explanation of the captain.
It seemed like a wall to ease the situation surrounding 360 degrees.
And when I was ready, the battle began.
It is the Captain and the court magician who attack Slime.
The knights are holding back the approaching slime and keeping it away from a certain distance.
I was also relieving state anomalies and hanging restorative magic.
The battle lasted longer than ever before, and the ice walls built around them were gradually eroded, coming out where holes were about to be drilled.
Seeing that, during the battle, the captain chants' Icewall 'to rebuild the ice wall.
The current magic seemed to deplete the MP, and the captain took the MP potion out of the waist porch.
Speaking of knighthood captains, they seem to have fewer MPs than court mages, and the captain drinks potions more often.
Even if the base level is over 10 away, the amount of max MP seems quite different for knights and mages.
Even though we had a good amount available, one day the potion will also be depleted.
Nonetheless, knock it down or not, it doesn't feel like the slime around you is diminishing.
Hasn't there been an addition from the back?
Unexpectedly look to heaven for the anticipation of Jiri poverty.
Is that it?
I feel like the branches above my head reflected the sun's light and brilliant, staring into my eyes.
I thought it was my fault, but it wasn't my fault.
Many branches had slimes clumped together.
I was able to anticipate future developments, and my blood drew from my face.
"It's coming from up there too!
Raising his voice, the captain looked up and glanced.
The voice has signaled, the slime descends from the next to the next over the leader of the regiment.
At the same time I thought it was dangerous, I felt the magic gush.
Agitationally, activate the [Virgin] technique to purify the surrounding slime.
The range of effects is narrow, partly because of the rush.
However, the overhead slime and the surrounding slime of about five meters disappeared.
"Sai, can we go again?
"I will!
"Can we pave the way in that direction?
"You can!
"All right, we're retreating!
Fortunately, it seems possible to activate the procedure again.
When the captain speaks, the knights who were out front come back.
If in the meantime I accumulated a little and activated the technique in a straight line direction in the direction told by the captain, the slime that was on the line disappeared and the road opened.
We rushed through before the road got blocked and managed to get out of the siege net.