There was even more that Slappy could do.
Perhaps inspired by the bath I made the other day, he was now able to make hot water using Bond Summon. Now there was no need for Colène to heat it up. It was a relief when she intervened because it almost always ended up pushing through to the boiling point.
In fact, on the contrary, Slappy's Bond Summon was very thoughtful... It didn't just summon hot water...
Bond Summoning Lv18
> Bond: Slime
> Summonable: Hot Springs
…
The options were even wider from now on...
> Kusatsu Hot Springs
> Arima Hot Springs
> Beppu Hot Springs
> Pompeii Hot Springs
Something different happened!? I didn't know what the differences are, but I should try them out and study them little by little.
Just like that...
"Master, please be on your guard." As I was playing around with Slappy, stretching and shrinking him, Colène suddenly said something to me. "We have detected multiple hostile signals heading in our direction. I recommend establishing interception positions."
Can Colène do that? It was a threatening statement, so I obediently followed her advice and got ready.
"There might be a fight. Get ready," Colène added.
"Haven't seen blood in a while, huh?!" Goblina exclaimed and picked up a weapon or something.
"Squeaeaeaeaeaeak!!" Slappy also wanted to kill.
As we left the log house to wait, I heard multiple footsteps running up the hill.
…….
Those weren't human footsteps.
Mixed in with the sounds was a high-pitched sound like an animal's howl. In fact, it sounded like a howl.
"A wolf...?!" (Idhir)
We could see several quadrupedal animals sprinting up the hill where we were waiting.
I had had many interactions with wolves, one of the most common pests. Exterminating wolves that attacked livestock was one of the standard quests in Adventurers' Guild.
However……. Isn't the wolves I see today very different from what I knew before?
"Its body is big and strong...!? And its fur is so fluffy it looks like armor...!? And its fangs are long too? Aren't they sticking out of its mouth?" I wondered in confusion.
"That's a wolf species endemic to the Great Sea of Trees," In response to my confusion, Colène explained. "Most of the plants and animals in Great Sea of Trees have evolved in unique ways, making them stronger than in other places. The wolves must have grown stronger over the generations in order to survive in this uncharted territory."
"Speaking of which...!?" (Idhir)
That reminded me. I was pretty sure that in the Ydeonyr Great Sea of Trees there were powerful wolves called Hellwolves, which were not seen anywhere else, according to the shared information of the Adventurers' Guild.
Is that it?!
However, from the top of the hill it was clear to see the wolves running up here. The log house was built on land that was originally protected by Colène, and this incident made us realize how well suited its location on a hill was for defense.
...Eventually the wolves reached the top of the hill and were right in front of us.
The other party must have already spotted us by now. Without any hesitation, they simply let out a threatening growl, "Grrrrr...!"
"..." (Idhir)
"…………!"
After glaring at each other in silence for a while...
"...I see, the giants have indeed disappeared from the hill."
"...!?" (Idhir)
Whose voice was it that I suddenly heard?
I turned to the right and check on Colène. She shook her head from side to side and said, "No." I turned left and looked at Goblina. She denied. It wasn't what she said.
Including me, there should only be three of us here who can speak human language, right?
If there was anyone else...
"I am the leader of the proud Hellwolves... Urshiva. You feeble creatures, you have become the flesh and blood of the strong, so fulfill your duty."
"It was definitely this guy!?" I exclaimed.
The wolf spoke!? Is this also an evolution unique to the Great Sea of Trees?
"Even though they are wolves, they are still a type of monster... so wouldn't it be strange if they had undergone a special evolution that exceeded our expectations...right?!" I muttered.
Come to think of it, I once heard from an adventurer's information that there was a species called Helheim Wolf that was a superior species to Hellwolf. Not only were they far stronger than normal Hellwolf, but I had even heard they were intelligent... Who would have thought that they were smart enough to understand human language?
...Behind the boss wolf, who called himself Urshiva, were several other wolves that seemed to be led by him. That was quite a number. If they were to attack us all at once, we might not be able to cope with them with our current numbers.
"...Please be careful Master," Colène whispered in my ear. "They came climbing while howling. We assume they were communicating with their comrades who were far away as they attacked."
There aren't just the wolves in front of me, there must be others hiding somewhere, huh... We had to assume that in the worst-case scenario, we might be surrounded.
It seems that wolves have not lost their characteristic of hunting down prey in packs…!?
"...What is the purpose of this large group?" I asked.
In any case, speaking a language means that communication is possible.
The atmosphere of confrontation had reached a point where it could no longer be contained and it seemed as if an explosive reaction was imminent, but I thought that it would not be pointless to try to get to know the other party, even if they were enemies.
"If you're looking for food for tonight, I think you should look elsewhere. After all, all we have here are a bony human and a goblin," I told them.
At first glance, Colène looked like soft and juicy meat, but the inside was made by machine, so it might be disappointing.
I tried to say something probing, but the wolves, who could understand human language, replied with obvious contempt.
"Hmm... who would willingly eat humans...? However, if it's an added bonus to what we truly desire, we won't mind enduring the bad taste and devouring it."
"What do you really want?" I asked.
"This place."
"?" I was confused when I was suddenly told where to go. What does that mean?
"This land itself is what we want. This hill is our territory. This hill is ours."
A bold declaration of aggression. Who would have thought that a wolf's beastly nature would start a territorial war?
"As I have explained before, this hill is a high point and a natural fortress well suited for defense. For the wild beasts competing for survival with other races, it is something they would want to control at all costs," additional explanation from Colène. Are humans and animals alike in fighting over territory?
"This hill is the best place in this whole area. Not only us, but all other races have coveted this land, but a giant has been there since ancient times, and it has never moved, so no one has been able to get close," the wolf said.
Giant……. I had a hunch and looked over at Colène who was standing next to me. She obviously looked away.
"But now, the giant is gone. I don't know where it went, but it is only natural that we should take over this land without a master. We, the Hellwolves, were the first to notice the giant's absence and were the first to arrive there, and we are the ones qualified to become the next rulers of this hill!!"
"The owner of this land has already been decided. It is my Master," it was Colène who directly refuted the wolf's threatening claims. "It is unacceptable for a mere canine to disturb my Master's territory. You are advised to leave immediately. Remember that you will only be warned once."
"It's laughable that weakling humans would claim territory! If this is your territory, then we'll bite your necks and take your lives along with it! That's the law of nature!"
"is that so……!" As the wolf spoke confidently, Colène's voice became colder. Freezing cold.
She declared that she was a mechanical creation, but was it really possible for an artificial being to emit such chilling emotions? It wasn't an inorganic cold, but an intense cold energy, like a blizzard blowing in the middle of winter.
"...Master, permission to fight please," Colène asked me.
"As you like," I had no choice but to accept.
"I will correct your misunderstanding, beast. The Giant you speak of has not left here. It is still here, right in front of you...," Colène declared.
"Huh?"
"In the natural world, the ability to avert danger is more important for survival than physical strength. Rather than developing your feeble fangs, you should have developed the timidity that would allow you to avoid danger," Colène added.
...Colène started Bond Summon.
Bond Summoning Lv18
> Bond: Colène (Automata)
> Summonable:
- Reinforced Exterior Type: Gigant
The golem's reinforced exterior appeared. It was as if Colène was drawn into the golem's shell, or perhaps it would be better to say that she entered it. The giant that had protected this hill for thousands of years now once again revealed its enormous body and looks down on the wolves.
"Agh?! Arrghhhhhhhhhh...?!"
"I will teach you that it would have been better to have survived as a coward than to die as a fool," the golem declared.
Her guard duties weren't over yet.