Published: August 15, 2025
I went to the goddess's bathing spring again with Brigitte.
We passed through the sharp winding paths made by the trees and approached the brightly sunlit spring.
When the high priest at the front rode his Mount toward the spring, the surface of the water started to swell dramatically.
“Tarklosh!”
A shadow erupted near the center of the spring. Three, no, four shadows leapt high out of the water.
“Rosemine, bless us!”
“Yes!”
At the command from the high priest charging forward, I poured mana into my ring. I had prayed for the blessing of the god of valor so many times now that I had grown accustomed to it.
“May the blue light from the god of flames Raiden Shaft’s retainers and the protection of the god of valor Angrief be upon us all.”
A blue light shot out from my ring, showering everyone. As the weakest in combat and due to my frail constitution only able to hold others back, this was the only thing I could do.
“Darmel and Brigitte, wait with Rosemine! Eckhardt, let’s go.”
“Yes!”
The Tarklosh that leapt from the spring was the size of an adult with both arms spread wide—a toad. Compared to Golze from the autumn gathering and Shnetilum, the lord of winter, it seemed quite small. Though in terms of appearance and creepiness, nothing else compared.
“Why do only ‘toads’ stand as my enemies?”
I sighed involuntarily, and Brigitte and Darmel tilted their heads in confusion.
“...A toad?”
“It’s a creature very similar to Tarklosh. Don’t you think it looks just like Count Bindebald? Up until they get defeated by the high priest.”
Darmel burst out laughing. Clanking sounds came from his armored hand as he covered his mouth and looked forward, but he was shaking strangely, clearly caught in a fit of amusement.
Brigitte, who apparently had never seen Count Bindebald in person, murmured, “A person resembling Tarklosh, huh... I wouldn’t want to get close.”
“Combining!”
I turned at Eckhardt Brother’s voice. The largest Tarklosh stuck out a long tongue and wrapped it around a slightly smaller one next to it, swallowing it down.
Immediately, the Tarklosh began to grow huge. Then, flicking out its tongue again, it swallowed smaller Tarklosh one after another.
“W-w-wha—!”
“Calm down, Lady Rosemine. Tarklosh are nothing to fear… they’re just disgusting.”
Brigitte apparently hated Tarklosh for how gross they were, and I understood the feeling well. My left hand holding me was gripping tighter than usual.
The high priest and Eckhardt Brother transformed their staves into sword shapes and glared at the swollen belly of the now enormous Tarklosh, charging mana into their weapons.
As they raised their swords to strike the bloated abdomen, suddenly a long, long tongue shot out at high speed. Before we knew what was happening, Brigitte and her Mount were entangled, and we were thrown through the air.
“What!?”
“Ugh!?”
Before Brigitte could even draw and transform her stave, we were thrown headfirst into the yawning mouth of the Tarklosh.
The tongue retracted, and the mouth closed. Inside was pitch black, warm, and smelled fishy.
Once freed inside its mouth, Brigitte vanished her Mount and transformed her stave into a naginata-like weapon longer than her height. A faint glow surrounded the weapon, probably from mana.
“Lady Rosemine, are you hurt?”
Brigitte checked my safety first as she positioned the weapon ready to stab to prevent swallowing.
Held tightly in Brigitte’s arms, I was completely unharmed. Because my armor’s strength hadn’t lessened during the embrace, I only felt a bit suffocated by her soft chest.
“Only sticky and slimy everywhere, no injuries.”
“Then could you bless my gathering knife with mana and stab its tongue? I can’t move my weapon now.”
Brigitte crouched, holding me under the arm with her left hand while pressing her right hand gripping the weapon into position to pierce the tongue. The soft, warm, and springy ground beneath our feet and knees made us both cringe.
“I’ll do it.”