Chapter 88: Swimsuit Caenis.
[You hold Medea in your arms, not looking back as you run straight toward the hunting area.]
[Caenis is made slightly flustered by the series of situations before her, but she still follows your command, running along the direction you lead.]
[Not far ahead is the hunting area; you are forced to race against time.]
"Can you explain it to me, kid? Did you poke your 'little stick' into something you shouldn't have poked?"
Caenis's voice comes from behind, quite some distance away.
"Don't say such dirty things, I didn't poke anything I shouldn't have poked!"
Eikou says with a red face.
Caenis lifts the long spear skewered full of sea fish: "I just went out to spear some fish for a bit, how is it that when I came back you were already stuck together with Medea? And why do I even hear the voices of those Argo people?"
"That's right, it's them!"
From the dense green forest comes the sound of swift and sharp footsteps, four limbs hitting the ground, sweeping up a wave of fallen leaves. Without a doubt, it is the sound of Berserker Atalanta.
Immediately after that is a series of heavy, thunderous stomps—this is the sound of Heracles running over, the momentum like a thousand warhorses charging together.
From very far away, Jason's shout can also be heard: "Hey, Atalanta, Heracles, why did you two leave Captain behind by himself! Wait for me—!"
This is bad, they are about to catch up!
[You want to get ahead of these competitors and reach the hunting area one step faster.]
[Please perform an opposed Agility check.]
[Because your debuff state has not yet disappeared, and you are also holding Medea in your arms, this check will become Very-hard.]
A die falls.
[Check - failed.]
As expected...
Eikou does not place too much hope in it anyway; after all, he has never really expected something called luck. What's more, he also has Disaster With Women on him, so things going smoothly is even more impossible.
Do I have to compete with Jason and the others again?
Last time, facing the Argo group in the Singularity, that suffocatingly intense battle still seems vivid before his eyes.
Eikou clenches his teeth.
Fine then, let's do it one more time!
"But at least please give me one more Agility check, so Medea Lily can get properly dressed first."
[Afraid of others seeing, right?]
"Even if it gets discovered, it would only be a small matter, but with my gentlemanly spirit, I absolutely will not allow a lady to appear before others in a state of having nothing covering her."
Eikou says seriously: "I will not allow a lady's honor to be damaged!"
[...]
[(Saying that, but Barghest often secretly sees you and other women in a state of having nothing covering you…) (whisper)]
[Please perform one more opposed check. Considering what you intend to do this time, the difficulty can be lowered to normal.]
A die falls.
[Opposed check successful.]
[Although you cannot shake off Jason and the others, you still gain a bit of time.]
"Phew..."
Seeing the check result, Eikou finally lets out a sigh of relief.
[You quickly set Medea down, giving her time to put her clothes back on properly.]
[After temporarily arranging things for Medea, you and Caenis immediately turn back, preparing to face Jason's three-person team.]
"They're here."
Eikou takes a deep breath, preparing to activate the Projection Magecraft he just learned yesterday.
[You activate Projection Magecraft, creating a pair of twin blades Kanshou and Bakuya most favored by Archer EMIYA.]
[The Projection Magecraft you learned is very good at copying sword-type weapons, and the quality can be increased by several tiers.]
"Good at copying sword-type weapons, huh..."
Eikou thinks for a moment, then asks: "Then can it copy Ea?"
[Are you out of your mind?]
This system really has no sense of humor at all. Eikou mutters inwardly.
And in that short moment of teasing, the three-person team led by Jason had already caught up.
The atmosphere instantly became so tense it was like a tightly drawn bowstring.
Especially Heracles standing at the side—fierce and ferocious like a god of slaughter—just standing there alone made people feel as if a storm of blood and gore was about to erupt.
Seeing that the competing opponents were Eikou's group, Jason was not particularly surprised.
"So it's you. I knew it..."
Jason ran over panting heavily; to keep up with those two Greek Hero figures, he had nearly run his legs off.
He glanced at Eikou, then swept his gaze around the area, immediately confirming that they were also aiming for the hunting point here.
"So that means you're also eyeing the monsters here, right? Too bad, all the prey here belongs to me."
He flicked his hand dismissively.
"If you know what's good for you, hurry up and leave. You're not my opponents. Go find another hunting area now—maybe you'll still have a chance?"
"Well, about that..."
If possible, Eikou really did want to avoid clashing with the Argo group.
But he glanced at the position of the sun, estimating that there was only a little over an hour left before the deadline, and decisively shook his head.
"If we go look for another hunting area now, there definitely won't be any chance left. We might as well take a gamble right now—maybe there's still a way."
"Hey, hey, hey, you're not joking, are you? You actually dare to challenge me?"
Jason laughed loudly.
But when he saw Eikou's serious expression, he reined in his smile.
"Alright, so you're not joking."
Jason's expression turned solemn. "I don't know why, but I always have the feeling that you're a very troublesome opponent. But on my side I have the undefeated Great Hero Heracles, so you're nothing to worry about."
Is Jason feeling wary? That really is good news.
Eikou tightens his grip on Kanshou and Bakuya in his hands; he is already ready for battle.
[A battle between you has become unavoidable.]
[You activate Dreamlike Charisma B+, significantly increasing the strength of yourself and your allies.]
"Caenis,"
Eikou says in a serious tone.
"Saying this might be a bit forcing, but I still hope you can hold Heracles back for me. I'll find a way to deal with the others. Can you do it?"
"Hey, what kind of way are you talking like that?"
The proud dark-skinned female warrior shows dissatisfaction. "What do you mean forcing? Do you think I'm weak?"
"I'm not underestimating you, but the opponent is Heracles..."
"Umu, he really is very strong, but I came here after making special preparations."
Bang—Caenis forcefully plants the spear in her hand into the ground, her white beast ears standing straight up.
She bares her teeth in a grin, revealing a sharp, spirited smile, and in the blink of an eye neatly removes the golden armor from her body.
Beneath that armor is a firm, well-proportioned body full of vigorous beauty, alluring brown skin honed through training. That entire body brimming with vitality is wrapped in a bikini with very little fabric, bold and unrestrainedly displaying full and seductive curves.
Sturdy, healthy thighs, a slender and supple waist, brown skin overflowing with vitality, and a full chest bound within the swimsuit—all of it exudes a feminine allure that almost spills out.
Hey, hey, this body of hers... this is seriously way too much!
Eikou is a bit stunned.
Good heavens, Caenis, you...
You secretly switched to a Swimsuit Spirit Origin with a combat buff at the beach?!
…