Chapter 321 – Friendship and New Home

“Guh!”

A knight who failed to dodge a Water Bullet and took a direct hit gritted his teeth as he fell downward. Another immediately moved to cover his position.

The Aqua Golem scattered Water Bullets at both the knight who moved in to replace him and the falling knight as it flew upward and away.

It was Elliot who dove straight in and retrieved the falling knight from the side. A barrage of Water Bullets passed through the space he’d just occupied.

“Over there!”

A blade of Fighting Spirit flew from the side and struck the Aqua Golem that had flown upward, hitting it directly. The one who launched the Fighting Spirit from a distance was Mercedes.

The Demon-Slaying Knight Order was conducting exercises against Golems, with Chester and Elmer also holding back several Golems… Their covering and follow-up for comrades who took hits and fell out of formation was swift.

I had the pinned Aqua Golems temporarily retreat backward, then overlap perfectly before charging at another knight. Elliot, watching from the side, seemed to notice the change in the Golems’ movements.

“The Golems’ movements have changed! Be very careful!”

At Elliot’s warning cry, the Aqua Golem charging straight at a knight swung its arm back in a wide arc. The moment the knight prepared to block, it broke away at the last second, dropping downward as if in free fall.

Almost simultaneously, the Golem behind it fired a Water Bullet from behind its body. This was the real attack.

“What!?”

He barely managed to block it with his shield. Only because he had heightened his alertness was he able to respond.

“Here I go!”

Chester, holding his spear at the ready from the side, charged forward. He pierced through the Aqua Golem, shattering it. It immediately reformed and lunged at Chester.

The members of the Demon-Slaying Knight Order are moving quite well. Then—let’s try increasing the coordination density of the Golems a bit more.

Meanwhile—preparations for the full moon Labyrinth by the Party members were proceeding in parallel. They were training against specially shaped Golems a short distance away.

These were Aqua Golems modeled after the forms of a Basilisk and a Cockatrice. The Basilisk had a magic light embedded in its head, and they were training to fight without looking directly at its light.

We do have options against monsters that use Petrification attacks, such as deploying Ignis to the front… but this is about having them fight properly in disadvantageous situations, assuming an unexpected encounter. The aim is to have them accumulate combat experience, albeit in a simulated form.

The Cockatrice Golem reproduced its Petrification Breath by having it spew mist from its mouth. They had to fight while ensuring they didn’t inhale or get covered by it.

“Over here.”

Sheila flew diagonally upward sideways, almost without looking forward, while drawing the Basilisk’s attention. The Basilisk Golem’s tail strike swept through the space where Sheila had been a moment too late.

Avoiding without looking at the opponent is something only Sheila, with her sharp senses, could do. Irmhild also has temperature sensing, so it’s a blessing that we can avoid being ambushed by these Basilisks and Cockatrices.

“How about this?”

Grace was facing the Cockatrice Golem. As the training Breath approached, Grace used the flat of her axe to create a gust of wind, pushing it back. Simultaneously, her other axe was thrown with tremendous force. It struck the Cockatrice Golem directly. Cockatrices are probably easier to handle compared to Basilisks.

Ashley, Marlene, Rosemary, and Seraphina generally don’t take the front lines… but well, they each have their own methods. Let’s continue the overall training at this pace.

“—Then, we will conclude today’s training. Salute to the Ambassador.”

As Elliot said this, the lined-up knights saluted while regulating their rough breathing. I returned the salute as well.

“Then, dismissed. Everyone, rest well and ensure you don’t carry fatigue into tomorrow.”

With Elliot’s words, they disbanded. They seemed to be heading inside the facility to change. The knight order members let out deep sighs of relief.

“Even after landing on the ground, I still feel like I’m spinning in the air…”

“Just when you think you’ve crossed blades with an upside-down opponent, they scatter Water Bullets as they pull away… What a dizzying battle.”

“Even considering that our opponents are Demons… it’s completely different from training among fellow knights.”

They exchanged impressions of the training while catching their breath.

“They’re conducting Labyrinth Exploration training at the same time as our training… We can only tip our hats to that…”

“Probably… the Golems’ movements will become even more severe. Theodore-dono still seems to have plenty of leeway.”

At Mercedes’ words, the others showed strained smiles.

Other topics emerged too, like whose movements were particularly sharp.

“As expected… the Commander’s movements were quite impressive.”

“Indeed… He truly lives up to being a Magic Knight who made a name for himself in Silvatoria.”

As for Elliot himself, he was quietly regulating his breathing. He seemed to have more Vitality to spare compared to the other knights. It’s a testament to his standing as Commander of the Demon-Slaying Knight Order.

“Well then… I think I’ll go to the hot spring afterward to wash off the sweat.”

“That’s a good idea. We can’t afford to carry fatigue into tomorrow.”

“If the Commander is going, we shall accompany you as well.”

It seemed the members of the Demon-Slaying Knight Order would go to the Fire Spirit Hot Spring with Elliot. If the hot spring helps with restoring energy and fostering camaraderie among the knights, that’s perfect.

“You’ve been sweating, so don’t forget to hydrate.”

“Understood.”

I had been careful to divide the Demon-Slaying Knight Order into several groups for rotating training and ensuring hydration during breaks… but since you sweat in the bath too, I hope they don’t forget about that. There’s a chance they might let their guard down just because training is over.

“Then… I should be back around lunchtime.”

“Yes. I’ll also contact Alfred.”

We had arranged to go see Elliot and Camilla’s new home after regrouping later. We had promised to create a safe room and install an Alarm Device.

Elliot’s new home was practically right next door—you could say it was just a stone’s throw away. It was directly across the street, separated by just one road.

A two-story house. For Elliot and Camilla, it was plenty spacious for the two of them.

Camilla’s father, Donato, apparently would return to his home in the Barony of Silun for the time being. His reasoning was that living in Termwills would be a hassle with the old fences, or so he claimed.

Donato apparently laughed, saying he’d just be in the way, and that they should spend time together as a couple alone.

Well, if we’re talking about the future, it seems the matter will be settled with Elliot becoming the lord, and then Elliot, Camilla, and Donato would relocate there.

“The white walls make for a lovely house.”

“Thank you. That’s what I liked about it.”

Ashley and Camilla exchanged smiles.

“Then, please come inside and look around.”

“Excuse the intrusion.”

Unlocking the door, we entered the house and looked around at the layout.

Living room, kitchen, bathroom, master bedroom, terrace. Several empty rooms. Plus a storage room. It seemed to have all the basics.

“Where should we make the entrance to the safe room?”

“Perhaps around the kitchen area?”

I see. That’s a place Camilla uses often.

“In terms of the layout, the kitchen is below the master bedroom, so it would be good if you could escape from the master bedroom too. How about creating a partition around this edge… and making a staircase to the basement behind it?”

“Having it from the bedroom is reassuring. You can escape even if attacked while sleeping.”

We proceeded to build it as decided through discussion with Elliot and Camilla.

In the kitchen, we installed a disguised dish cabinet made with Wood Magic against the wall. The mechanism was such that you could hide inside the bottom storage compartment, then slide the wall-side panel to enter the hidden passage.

The master bedroom was similar. A mechanism where you enter the bottom compartment of a disguised wardrobe and slide the floorboard to access the hidden passage.

Going down the hidden staircase led to an underground passage. Then the safe room… I transformed the soil into Golems to dig the hole and solidify the surroundings. All that remained was to create a passage from the safe room to the outside.

“I’ll bring the Dolls once they’re finished. They can be used for night watch and as makeshift servants.”

said Rosemary.

“That’s… very convenient.”

Camilla’s eyes widened.

They seemed useful in the workshop too; those Dolls are actually quite handy. According to Rosemary, the reason there were so many Dolls in the hideout she used to use was because she had the Dolls themselves produce parts and mass-produce them.

“Shall we install the Alarm Device after this is done?”

“Thank you.”

We drew Barrier lines just inside the fence and up to the entrance. It was a simplified Alarm Device that would sound a siren if anyone crossed the lines while the Magic Stone was inserted into the main unit.

It could primarily be used during nighttime sleep or when the house is empty.

Placing the main unit by the entrance allows you to turn the Alarm Device on or off when receiving guests. Before bed, you can activate it while locking up. Combined with the Dolls’ security, it should provide considerable protection.

Well, I suppose that covers the security setup for Elliot’s house.