The weakest tamer, who was expelled because they could only tame the lowest-ranked trash monsters, awakens the "Breeder" ability. Eventually, they become a hero commanding extraordinary divine beasts and mythical creatures. - Chapter 57
**Episode 057: Decision**
Three Harpies circled overhead. If they attacked while we were sleeping, we’d be in big trouble. We needed to buy time until everyone was ready.
“Lily, distract the Harpies for us.”
“Tch!”
Following my instructions, Lily jumped up and chased after the Harpies. Lily’s speed and agility outmatched the Harpies, confusing them and disrupting their movements in the air.
Good, now’s the time!
“El, Keith, Chris, are you awake?!”
Seizing the opportunity, I approached the tents where El and the others were resting and called out again.
“Sorry, we’ll be right there!”
“Just wait a bit longer!”
“I’m almost ready too!”
I heard responses from everyone. This way, they would likely come quickly before much time passed.
“Understood! Caron and Chaco, protect Pedro-san!”
“Gaa!”
“Won!”
I gave instructions to my familiars and returned to support Lily.
“Fireball!”
I sent multiple fireballs in succession, restricting the movement of the Harpies.
“Tch!”
“Puiiiii!”
In the meantime, Lily, who had approached, breathed out a Fire Breath, and the Harpy she targeted closely burned and fell to the ground.
“Ha!”
Drawing my sword, I rushed to the fallen Harpy and delivered the finishing blow.
Now, two more to go.
“Puiiii!”
One of the Harpies, witnessing its companion’s death, attacked me.
“Hmph!”
“Puiiiii…”
If it comes at me, it makes things easier. I sliced the Harpy in half.
One more to go.
I thought I could finish it before everyone arrived, but my optimistic expectation quickly proved wrong.
“Piiiiii Hyororororo!”
The last remaining Harpy let out a particularly loud cry, seemingly calling out to someone.
—Piiiiii Hyororororo
—Piiiiii Hyororororo
—Piiiiii Hyororororo
Then, echoes of many Harpies’ voices resonated from somewhere.
“Damn. A flock!”
It seemed the monsters that had taken residence on this pass were indeed a flock of Harpies. Monsters residing in the mountains varied, but Harpies were among the worst.
Although Harpies were D-rank monsters, in open spaces like this, they demonstrated unmatched strength, similar to Lily. Considering their difficulty to hit—no, they were even more troublesome opponents.
Dozens of shadows emerged in the sky, coming toward us.
“Sorry, we’re late!”
“Sorry for the wait!”
“Apologies for the delay.”
Just then, everyone gathered.
“Listen up. A flock of Harpies is heading our way. Escaping seems unlikely. Wake up Pedro-san quickly and prepare for a counterattack.”
Fighting dozens of Harpies while protecting someone was a suicide mission. Ideally, we all wanted to escape, but fleeing from those flying creatures would be challenging.
There was no choice but to fight.
Upon hearing my words, El and the others wore grim expressions. They seemed to grasp the severity of the situation.
We hurriedly woke up Pedro-san.
“W-What’s happening!?”
Pedro-san, abruptly awakened, was in a state of panic.
“It’s a flock of Harpies. Hide low in the carriage bed and stay out of sight.”
“Harpies…”
Pedro-san turned pale upon hearing about the Harpy flock.
He must have understood the significance of encountering Harpies here. Normally, meeting a flock of Harpies in a place like this meant certain death—a natural reaction, I believe. We positioned ourselves around the carriage bed in preparation.
By then, the sky was surrounded by over 50 Harpies. Considering Chris and Lucky couldn’t participate in the fight, it was essentially 6 against over 50. The odds were not in our favor.
“Power Up, Defense Up, Speed Up, Magic Up, Sharp Edge, Hard Armor.”
Chris and Lucky prepared enhancement magic, distributing it among us. I felt that the range of ability improvement was larger than before. They must have become stronger by completing various requests during our separation. With these enhancements, our situation improved considerably.
“Puiii!”
The presumed leader Harpy screeched, and they all descended rapidly towards us.
“Sharakuseee!!”
“Haaa!!”
“Sei!!”
In close combat, we had the upper hand. The Harpies that approached were brought down by Keith, El, and my attacks, followed by our familiars for further pursuit. This scene repeated several times.
“Puiii!”
Observing this, the Harpies changed their tactics. Instead of a direct charge with a few individuals, many kept their distance, preventing us from focusing on one target. They took advantage of opportunities to attack while avoiding our retaliation.
“Annoying!”
“Kuh!”
Frustrated by the attacks not landing, Keith, and El, who couldn’t shoot arrows at such close range, grimaced. Lily also found it challenging with that number of opponents. Despite our efforts, we accumulated injuries, gradually being pushed into a difficult situation.
Chris, with a tense expression, ensured she didn’t let her enhancement magic lapse, and Pedro-san crouched down, holding his head, trembling.
…
In this situation, it was a deadlock. We had to do something.
If this were Noir Forest, I could have somehow managed with Sasha’s power. However, Sasha wasn’t here.
No other choice… It can’t be helped. I made a decision.
“Summon.”
I called out all the familiars I had concealed, utilizing all their abilities.