Together with Alo, we returned to the Dragon God’s shrine.

There was a bizarre-looking tree next to the shrine, and as we approached, its roots sprouted out of the ground and a big mouth opened.
Oh, it was Lesser Treant.

As Treant shakes its branches, a small yellow-green spider came falling down.
It’s the Baby Arachne.
More Baby Arachne crawl out of the shrine.

“Gra~a! Gru~a!”

Partner extends her neck and goes near the baby spiders.
The spiders approach Partner’s head.
They climb over her head with their skinny legs.

…… You really want to keep them, huh…
Don’t come crying to me when things get out of hand for you.

But, somehow, being greeted like this makes me feel at home.
The baby spiders, Treant, Alo…… and, the earth rabbit too.
Yes, it’s good that everything’s lively and all. But…… I am seriously entering the demon lord route, aren’t I?
Once these guys level up, they’re going to be quite a powerhouse.

“Gra~a! Gra~a!”

Partner roars as if in panic.
When I turned to her, her face was wrapped in spider silk.
What are you playing around for?

【“Get it off! Get it off me!”】

…… You know you can just shake them off your head…

【“If they fall from my head, they’ll die!”】

O-Oh……

I don’t think it’s something to worry about, these little guys aren’t that soft.
I mean, it’s not often you see the head of a rank A evil dragon being used as a nest.
Regardless, I softly brush the spiders off of Partner’s face with my claw.

“Gra~a……”

Partner drops her head on the floor, dead tired.

…… I let the spiders be and put my attention elsewhere.
Just a little further from the shrine, there were stock loads of food again.

I guess the Lithuvar Tribe paid me a visit.
So, that’s why Treant hid as an ordinary tree.
I can picture Baron being downhearted at the sight of the empty shrine.

Anyways, thank you for the food.
It seemed that Partner recovered from her groggy state and is now staring at the food hungrily her mouth drooling.

To be honest, I’m also quite hungry after all that Manticore-hunting that just happened recently.
Let’s see, we have a jar filled with sake, a boar, a giant wooden box…… wait, isn’t the box’s lid half-opened?
I take a peek at what’s inside.

As I get closer to the food, I think about what’s to come.
I think the next main thing for me to do is to help the Ryujin village and the anti-Ryujin village reconcile.
Even if the anti-Ryujin side gives in and does try to make up, the next problem is how the seemingly stiff Ryujin village accepts it.
There’s also Tatarc’s case.
If the Dragon God has some level of authority over this, I think it’s manageable at best…… but, I don’t how many will oppose, especially the stiff Ryujin village.

Arriving at the food, I suddenly got a bad feeling.

【“Sake! Sake! Sake!”】

Partner calls out sake repeatedly in my head.
Well, I guess it’s nothing to worry about.
If what’s inside is a bomb and it explodes, hopefully my rank A body can tank it.

With that in mind, I extend my claw, opening the lid, half-expecting the contents to blow up.

I heard a rustling sound from the inside and I immediately let go.
The wooden box slightly shakes.

My〖Presence Sense〗, which didn’t detect anything until now, detected something.
I felt my back muscles getting tense and the familiar chill down my spine.
This feeling, I felt it before.

But, I can’t just keep ignoring it.
I’ll feel bad for always breaking the Lithuvar Tribe’s gifts.
Think happy thoughts, what if it’s a live animal offered to me?
What should I do after I’ve confirmed what’s inside?

I push the lid away with my claw.

【”…… It’s not good to stop halfway”】

Partner seems to notice something too.
But, I had already swung my claw with great force.
The lid flew quite a distance.
At the same speed the lid flew at great speed, a giant insect jumped out.

A striped body and eight long legs extending from the sides.
Outside its mouth are large fangs.

“Vu~e~eeee”

I knew it, it’s the Abyss.
I hate crushing it with my bare claws so I stepped back.

“Vu~ea~a!”

It’s spitting leftovers of what it ate as it screeches.
Blood and mush splash in its mouth and on the ground, mixed with its green saliva.
I’m guessing the Abyss already ate whatever was previously inside that wooden box.

I guard myself with my wings.
I felt something warm sticking into my wings.

“Vu~e~eeee! Vu~e~eeee!”

The Abyss moves around in a zigzag with its quick feet and runs away from me.

“Gru~u~ooooo!”

I pour magic on my wings and release my guard to shoot〖Wind Slash〗at the Abyss.
Surprisingly, it wasn’t one shot, but eight shots fired.

The blades of wind cut through earth, trees, and rocks.
And finally, one of them cut through the Abyss.

【Regular Skill〖Wind Slash〗has risen from Lv5→6.】

A creamy liquid gushes out of the Abyss’s body.
It was cut straight in half, revealing its grotesque interior.

【Obtained 180 Experience Points.】
【〖The Walking Egg〗skill gives you additional 180 Experience Points.】

…… Urgh, I should be getting used to the Abyss soon.
But, I’ll never get used to seeing its gross carcass.

Did the Abyss jump out because I noticed the lid being misplaced?
Stop being so creepy all the time, please.

I look inside the wooden box and find the remains of three bird-like monsters inside.
They appear to have been eaten from their bellies, as shown with their intestines leaking out.
…… Why do they eat in small bites, this is harassment.

I may be hungry, but I don’t want to eat the Abyss, nor anything it ate……
Wait, don’t tell me the Abyss laid eggs inside these birds’ stomachs? It didn’t, did it?
If I remember it right, I think God’s Voice said that it lays eggs on monsters larger than itself.
Then, these birds are safe since they’re smaller than the Abyss, but…… the way it was eaten is just disgraceful……
There’s also Abyss saliva mixed in.

Even Partner stared at the Abyss like she’s never before after seeing what became of these birds.
So, even Partner sees this as gruesome.
But, of course.

【”…… Maybe if we close our eyes, we can still eat it”】

S-Seriously…… no, I don’t feel like doing it.

As Partner said that, she closed her eyes and ate the bird (dripped with Abyss saliva) inside the box.
After chewing for a while, Partner breathed heavily and opened her eyes.

【“Gimme, water…… water……”】

Y-You don’t have to force yourself to swallow it……
And, since we share the same stomach, I know how hungry you are.

【“It’s probably nothing, but I felt something slimy in ma mouth……”】

…… Ah, I get you, I’ve been there.
Rather, if it was really bothering you, why’d you have to go and eat it?
You just ate bad food is all, though I wonder where this crazy food obsession of yours is coming from.

I turn towards the jar of sake.
For now, disinfect your mouth with alcohol.
You can drink it all, if you want to.

Partner grabs the side of the jar with her mouth and lifts it up.
After a hearty drink, she drops the jar on the ground.

【“Aa~…… I feel much better……”】

Yeah, yeah, good for you……

As I breathe a sigh of relief, I saw the spiders swarming over the Abyss’s corpse.
The Abyss is chewed at, shredded apart, and gets wrapped around in spider webs.

I sat there shocked.
A-Are they really going to eat that?
Or, better yet, that thing’s edible?