Hen na Ryu to Moto Yuusha Party Zatsuyougakari, Shintairiku de Nonbiri Slow Life.

Chapter 47 – To The Natural Hot Spring

Once we had finished gathering the ingredients for the stomach medicine, I patted Fio and Shiro on the head.
Hippolius also licked their faces.

“Thank you, Fio and Shiro. Are there any other herbs?”
“Wuff!”
“Wau-au!”

After talking about it with each other, Fio said, ‘this way,’ and then she rode off on Shiro’s back.
They ran for some time, and then Shiro stopped in a place where herbs were growing.
And once I gathered them, they started running again.

“The original territory for the demon wolves must have been very big.”

It was a pack of eight wolves, so they must have needed a lot of space.
Even the territories of ordinary wolves were said to be about twenty-five thousand meters across.
And since demon wolves were much larger, they would probably have much larger territories.

Still, Shiro and Fio seemed to have a good grasp on the places where herbs grew.
Perhaps they had used the herbs to treat themselves. They really were quite intelligent.

They were definitely more intelligent than the demon wolves that were on the human and demon continents.
Even Fio had been wearing clothes when we found her.
So they had a concept of tools.
I would have to talk to Shiro about it someday.

As I thought of such things, I saw steam rising up ahead.

“Oh, so this is the hot spring. It’s like a natural bath.”
“Bath!”
“Wau.”
“Kyuo!”

Shiro and the others started to run towards the hot spring.

Once we arrived, Fio said,
“There!”
She pointed at the other side of the hot spring.
It was covered with plants that were different from the ones we had gathered up until now.
As they were too far away, I could not check them with my appraisal skill, but they did look like herbs.

While it would take longer, we would have to go around the hot spring in order to avoid getting wet.
In the meantime, I appraised the hot water.

“It’s just the right temperature. It should be good for relaxing and for skin diseases… It must feel really nice.”
“Nice.”
“Wuff!”

Fio and Shiro sounded like they were assuring me that it was so.

“I see. We’ll have to come again then. Because it will take time to dry if we get wet.”
“Wuffu.”
“Wuff.”

Fio and Shiro understood that we didn’t have time now.
They were smart children.

And then, Hippolius looked towards me while wagging their tail.
‘Theodore. Ride.’
“Hippoplius. Are you sure?”
‘Yes! Kyuo!’

And so I climbed onto Hippolius’s back, and Fio rode on Shiro.
Then Hippolius cried, ‘Kyuo!’ and then splashed into the water.
The hot spring was very big, and seemed to be quite deep near the center.
It must be five meters deep at the very least.

“It seems very warm. How is the temperature, Hippolius?”
‘Very nice!’
“I see. We’ll have to come again then.”
“Kyuo!”

And so Hippolius carried me to the other side.

“Thank you, Hippolius.”
“Tank you!”
“Wuff!”
“Kyuo!”

Hippolius started to swim in a circle in the hot spring.
They must really enjoy being in hot water.

And so I touched the herbs directly and started to appraise them.

“Oh, if I use these herbs as ingredients, I should be able to make an antidote for the poison red berry.”
“Wuffu!?”
“Wuff-wuff-wuff!”
“Kyuo!”

Everyone was very happy to hear this.

“Good job, Fio and Shiro. And thank you for carrying me, Hippolius.”

I thanked them again, and started to gather the herbs.
Along with Victor, there were seven patients. And it would take several days for them to heal.
And we would want extra stock as well. That would amount to quite a lot.

Still, there was so much growing here, that it was very little in comparison.
And so I finished gathering them in no time.

“That should do it. Let’s hurry back. Victor and the others will be waiting for us.”
“Wuff!”

Fio was wagging her tail happily, but…
“Shiro? What is it?”
Shiro’s tail was sticking up and he was crouching.

“Grau.”
Shiro said that an enemy was approaching.

“…What about you, Hippolius?”
“Kyuo?”

Hippolius had been splashing around in the water, but now looked at me with a puzzled expression.
Then they moved their ears and started to sniff the air.

‘…There is something here!’

So Hippolius detected the presence as well.
I suppose because Hippolius was stronger than Shiro, they were not as cautious.

By the way, Hippolius was not actually talking out loud, but their will was just transmitted to me as language.
It was like Telepathy, which the sorcerers used.

“Hippolius. Is it an enemy?”
‘I don’t know!’
“Grau!”

‘It is an enemy!’ said Shiro.
Fio was also crouching low now, with her tail sticking up.
However, it seemed like she couldn’t detect it yet.

“Hmm. I can’t detect anything. Hippolius, Shiro. Is it strong?”
‘Strong!’
“Grrrr….grrr…”

Both of them were saying that it was strong.
Shiro was one thing, but if Hippolius, a high-ranking dragon, said it was strong, then it must be so.

“…Is it a demon bear?”
“Grau.”
“I see. So it is a demon bear.”

The demon bear who defeated Shiro’s pack. If possible, it might be best to leave this place without fighting.

“Hippolius, hide yourself in the hot spring so that it won’t see you.”
‘Okay.’

And so like a hippopotamus, Hippolius sunk into the water so that only its eyes, ears and nose stuck out.
Even though Hippolius was not good at hiding their presence, it would be difficult to spot anyone like this.

“Fio, Shiro. Erase your presence and hide behind me.”
“Wau.”
“Wau.”

And then we hid inside of the bushes.
After hiding for some time, I could sense the approaching figure as well. It was very ominous.

And then more time passed, and a huge monster that walked on two legs came into view.