Chapter 52 Emergency

As Touma launched his flare, Azi exited Shizu's tent. He had been sleeping for the past few hours and he felt a bit better. After being awake for 5 days straight, Azi's mental exhaustion was peeking.

Due to his time in the black void, he was able to adapt to the uncomfortable feeling of sluggishness that persisted in his body by dulling some of his pain receptors.

Seeing Shizu at the center bonfire of the camp site now turned small fortress, he approached her.

Shizu noticed that Azi was awake and asked as he approached with a still sleepy expression.

"Morning Azi, or more like good night, how is your body are you ok?"

"*Yawn* Still a bit sluggish but my stamina and magic energy are both restored. What happened while I was asleep and what's with the stone walls?"

Shizu explained to Azi about the cursed bait and the current situation they now faced.

"3 days in total, but 2 have passed. It seems I wasn't of much help since I slept in. Sorry about that."

Azi apologized for his lack of assistance to prepare the fortress, he knew that he could have helped if he drank more stamina potions and used his thaumaturgy to help the wounded, but Shizu placated him.

"You don't need to worry about it, we got set up in time thanks to the stamina potions you gave Touma and his group. So you did help, also thank you for arriving in time before the swarm overwhelmed us."

"I'm just glad you are ok. You should have seen how flustered Kajima was when we came to see me about your situation. He busted down the workshop door and his face was so serious."

Shizu and Azi laughed for a bit, as Shizu regretted not being there to see it. They never usually saw Kajima become flustered so it was a rare sight. But as if on cue, Kajima added as he approached the laughing pair.

"Yes, Yes laugh it up. But I do remember a certain someone getting all stone faced and serious when I mentioned Shizu being in trouble." Smirked Kajima as he grinned at Azi.

To this Azi stiffened up and turned his head to look at the campfire, but Shizu gave Azi a knowing look and teased him.

"Oh, so you were worried about me?"

Azi's face became flushed with a ting of embarrassment, and he whispered softly.

"Well, I am your apprentice and umm fiancé. I should worry about ummm you ummm I...."

Not able to complete his sentence, Azi put his head into his hands to his embarrassment. This prompted Shizu to laugh raucously at Azi's expense.

While this was occurring, a storm was starting to stir, and a snowy wind began to encroach onto the camp.

At the wall of the small fort facing the mountain path, Touma and a soldier were standing guard atop the fort's entrance. Touma had erected a stone barrier to block the entrance to the fort and he could take it down with a moment's notice as the magic was simple enough at his level of expertise.

Noticing the oncoming snowstorm, they took thick fur coats from their packs and garbed themselves against the cold winds that attempted to freeze them.

Rubbing his hands together to generate some warmth, the guard said to compatriot. "Touma, I don't think we will be able to spot the enemy in this snowstorm. You'll have to cast detection magic periodically from now on."

"Agreed, *sigh* it's going to be a long night." Touma groaned.

For the past few hours, Touma has been expending his magic energy to build the fort. He did have some magic energy left but very little as he had run out of stamina potions to use as a stop gap.

With what little magic he had left, he now had to use it sparingly to last through the night. Luckily, detection magic was a basic thaumaturgy practice, so it took little effort on his part, but he was nonetheless annoyed that he was stuck with the short end of the stick.

His other fellow thaumaturge was on break due to over exhaustion, he had been on break for the last 4 hours so he should be somewhat refreshed.

Touma then produced white concentric circulars around himself, he scanned and sensed the area in front of him. For the next few hours, he sensed the occasional swarm of gengiri which prompted a swift defense by the volunteers and soldiers, but Azi, Shizu, and Kajima were kept in reserve to save their strength.

In the plan they discussed, they expected to soon face a swarm of Kengiri so the trained soldiers and most experienced fighters were given priority to rest. Azi would take part as he was an exception due to his unorthodox fighting style.

No one in the expedition was going to argue on this as they had witnessed his prowess in thaumaturgy from his earlier explosive display of power.

As expected, Touma noticed a large swarm of monsters approaching but he could sense that these monsters were larger than the usual swarm of gengiri. He turned to instruct his fellow soldier.

"Go tell Shizu that the swarm of Kengiri is coming, we should get.... huh?"

"What's wrong?" Asked the soldier.

Taking a moment to focus more of his concentration on his detect spell, Touma had noticed another small group approaching at high speed to their position. He could sense that they were bigger than gengiri but smaller than Kengiri.

To get a better sense of what was out there, Touma invoked a higher tier of detection magic that would help him visualize what he was sensing. The basic detection spell could only detect size and magic energy, this high tier magic allowed him to use a limited form of clairvoyance.

Touma's eyes glowed with a faint white hue as he peered out from atop the wall and into the snowstorm in front of him. He looked as if he was seeing something that could not be seen with a normal human eye as the soldier looked on into the snowstorm in confusion.

After a few moments, Touma frowned and in a firm voice told his fellow soldier.

"This is an emergency! Stay here and get the men ready for battle, I must personally inform Shizu of this."

The soldier gave Touma a nod and turned to instruct the men at the walls to prepare for battle. Touma leapt down from the 3 meter tall wall in a hurry.

He tripped a bit on the snow but ran as quickly as he could to the center of the fort to find Shizu.

After Shizu got her fill of laughter she noticed the oncoming snowstorm and took her chance to tease Azi some more. Grabbing a large fur blanket she wrapped it around herself, but before Azi could move to grab a blanket of his own.

His hand was grabbed by Shizu and was tugged away into her lap. Azi, still embarrassed about his actions that were "graciously" regaled by Kajima, was now sitting in Shizu's lap as he had a large fur blanket enveloping him.

Seeing the stares and wry smiles he was getting from the expedition's soldiers, Azi opted to hide within the blanket to hide his embarrassment. He knew this would also seem more embarrassing, but whenever he got stared at in such a way he felt incredibly embarrassed.

Shizu did her best to hold back her chuckling as she embraced the now hiding Azi under the blanket. This went on for a couple hours which allowed Azi enough time to calm down, but he still hid in the fur blanket.

The warmth of the blanket and the warmth of Shizu's body was quite relaxing. Azi felt like he could stay in this position for forever if he so chooses to but knew that Kajima would sooner or later scold the two of them for showing too much intimacy in public.

As if on cue, Kajima got up and moved to grab Azi a fur blanket of his own but as he was about to open his mouth to prompt Shizu to release Azi, he was interrupted by another approaching voice.

"Lady Shizu!! We have an emergency!"

Her expression turning serious, Shizu turned her head and saw that Touma was in a panic as he was panting deeply while breathing heavy cold puffs of air.

"Report! What has occurred"

Taking one last deep breath and composing his words, Touma stated with urgency.

"Detecting a swarm of Kengiri, but there is a small traveling caravan nearby heading to our fort. I can confirm that Lady Rulu is aboard. We must get her out of danger."

Shizu shuddered at Touma's words and deliberated if what he said was true. Yes, Rulu was on her way to Shisayama but they should be arriving in two days. It also did not make sense for why they would take this route to Shisayama as it was not a regular route to take from Kujyuri to Shisayama.

Shizu then remembered the flare she had Touma launch recently and periodically launched during the night, a gear clicked into place in her mind. She realized that Rulu, in her naivety, most likely saw their distress flare and opted to move to provide support.

Rulu had a streak of helping people in Kujyur's capital so Shizu knew all too well of her younger sister's personality.

Her trembling became noticeable, but Azi tightly embraced her under the blanket in an attempt to calm her down.

Popping his head out of the fur blanket, which was much to Touma's surprise. Azi asked Shizu.

"What's the plan Shizu?"

She looked at Azi who was in her arms and saw that he was looking to her for orders, she scanned the faces of the other soldiers and saw the same thing. People with expressions that were waiting for her command.

This reassured her as she could tell that everyone was willing to follow her out of a sense of trust and comradery.

Thinking of a plan, she commanded.

"Prepare the 4 kibusanshou." Pointing at the soldiers around the bonfire she ordered. "5 of you shall be with me."

Turning to her right she looked to Kajima.

"Take command of the defense with Touma as your second and Azi."

Looking down at Azi who was in her embrace she said to him.

"You're with me."

In practiced synchronism, every affirmed.

"Yes Ma'am!"