Leona and I wandered through the forest for some time in an attempt to find the other girls. Despite the presence of the sun, the trees cast shadows, providing limited visibility. Although we brought food, it was stored, so it was crucial to locate the girls quickly, preferably before nightfall.

As I contemplated the situation, I sensed a presence in my shadow. Already knowing who it was, I remained calm. Leona, who also seemed to notice, became a bit nervous. To reassure her, I ran my hand over her head, indicating that everything was okay. As expected, Shade emerged from my shadow.

"Shade, have you found any of them?"

In response to my question, Shade nodded. Then, she pointed in a specific direction of the forest and said.

"Yes, my king, I managed to locate Ana. She's at a nearby lake"

Nodding in response to Shade's words, I turned my gaze to Leona, who stared at me with determination while nodding affirmatively. We then headed toward the location indicated by Shade. After a few minutes of walking, we arrived at a spring.

By the edge of the small stream, Ana was sitting, dangling her feet in the water, displaying a calm expression on her face. Although the serenity was comforting, I expected her to be a bit more apprehensive, considering she arrived here alone.

As I approached, Ana seemed to notice my footsteps. Her cute face turned in my direction, and with a radiant smile, she stood up and ran towards me, hugging me effusively. Ana's expression was comparable to that of a little happy puppy welcoming its owner back after a few hours away.

"Ma-kun, you took so long"

Said Ana while keeping her face against my chest. With a small smile on her face, I stroked Ana's head, causing her to react like a little puppy asking for more affection. This scene was refreshing as Ana was incredibly cute.

"Sorry for the delay. Are you alone?"

Upon hearing my words, Ana nodded. Then, I directed my gaze to Shade, who accompanied us, and she quickly understood what I intended to ask.

"However you prefer, my king. My children are already searching for them, so it's just a matter of time until we find them"

Shade replied. After uttering these words, Shade disappeared once again. We chose to spend some time by the stream until we received news from her. Honestly, at this moment, I wished Glasy were with us. Although Shade is incredibly powerful, she is not a dog, let alone a wolf.

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While waiting, Ana enjoyed the water, while Leona watched with a bored expression. Well, honestly, I can't blame her; it's been almost an hour since we've been here, waiting for news from Shade. As I pondered this, Leona's ears twitched to the sides, catching my attention.

Before I could even ask if something was wrong, I sensed a presence coming from behind me. Instinctively, I turned around and noticed that Leona was also focused in the same direction as me.

In a matter of seconds, a small creature, resembling a possum, emerged from the bushes. I glanced at the critter with a slight expression of doubt, pondering the reason for its presence. Initially, I thought it might be due to the water available here, a hotspot for animals, but the little being continued to watch us persistently.

“That's bad”

Said Leona. Upon Leona's words, I fixed my gaze on her for a few seconds, trying to decipher the underlying message. Perhaps sensing my uncertainty, Leona continued.

“Monsters like these are hard to come by, as they spend most of their time hidden. However, underestimating them can lead to death”

Despite hearing Leona's words, my confusion only grew. It's not that I doubted what she was saying, but as much as I observed, what harm could a creature of this size do to us?.

“Are you sure? It doesn't seem very intimidating to me. Besides, it seems more scared of us than the other way around”

Hearing my words, Leona swallowed hard. This made me realize that something might be about to happen. And as that thought crossed my mind, my senses alerted me to something. While Leona spoke, several small red eyes began to appear one after another.

“They really aren't a problem when they're alone... but usually, when one shows up, it means many more of them are hidden around”

As Leona said this, I could only look horrified as more and more red eyes continued to appear amid the bushes. Before I knew it, the entire area was already surrounded by those red eyes watching us.

Before I could reason about what to do, my body reacted automatically, and without realizing it, I stepped back into the stream, keeping Leona and Ana in my arms. Although surprised by my almost instinctive action, I calmed my thoughts to try to find a way out of this situation.

Initially, I considered the idea of casting magic on all of them in an attempt to reduce their numbers, but I don't even know how many are exactly around us. If I start attacking them, and they manage to get close to Ana and Leona, I would never forgive myself.

Also, although not sure, something told me that their numbers were continuously growing while I was distracted in thought. While various thoughts crossed my mind, they began to approach slowly, their numbers increasing every moment as they emerged from the bushes.

At this moment, although unsure if it would work, an idea came to my mind. Moving the girls behind me, I looked at them with a smile on my face, trying to convey the idea that everything would be okay. Then, I stepped back a bit from them as a black mist began to surround me.

“Mimicry”

Uttering these words, the mist enveloped me completely, giving rise to a black whirlwind. From the shadows of the whirlwind, a multi-headed hydra emerged, roaring into the sky. Its heads moved in a disorderly yet coordinated manner as its mouths prepared to launch various elemental attacks on the monsters.