Daren is almost unwilling to let go of the new shield.

The afternoon after he got it, he went to the training ground of the Self-Defense Corps and practiced until dark with great energy. In fact, because the village of Dore experienced a difficult battle against monsters at noon, there was not even a single figure on the training ground except Deren.

Because the shield was a gift from Uncle Antonio and he received it on the same day as he became a formal member of the Knights of Self-Defense, Delan gave it a commemorative name - "Shield of Self-Defense Corps".

The Shield of the Self-Defense Corps is forged from fine iron, and the whole body is in the shape of an inverted tower with round top and pointed bottom. It is almost the same height as Daren's height and is four fingers wide. The defense of such a large and thick iron plate can be imagined, which is several levels higher than white solid wood! However, the weight is also several levels higher...

Fortunately, the design behind it is very exquisite: there is a horizontal hidden groove on the inner side of the shield, and the forearm can be stuck steadily inside, making it easy to lift it with force. There are grips at both ends of the hidden groove, which are easy to hold both the left and right arm. At critical moments, you can even grasp it with both hands, which is very practical.

The surface of the concealer and grip are also wrapped in cooked buffalo leather, which also increases comfort while accumulating shock.

There is also a slanted strap that can be carried on the back when not fighting, reducing the burden!

The front of the shield is relatively simple and unpretentious, and there is no other decoration except for the anti-slip patterns - but don't underestimate these circles of patterns. Sharp weapons can easily slide along the shield when hitting the shield. Taking advantage of this, the enemy can pose a huge threat to the person behind the shield! These patterns are used to prevent side slipping, especially the deep grooves close to the edge of the shield, which are almost a must-have for all large shields.

Using such a large tower shield is a bit difficult for Deren today.

That's why he had to practice hard so that he could master this big guy as soon as possible.

And there is actually another reason that prompts the brunette teenager to train so hard... that is Gene!

According to Antonio, Adventurers believe that the captured children may not be dead, and the mutational demon itself is also the target of active elimination by all Adventurers, so they are gathering teams to prepare to enter the Dark Valley and set off immediately as soon as the help arrives.

Of course, the Self-Defense Corps will not be out of this matter!

Putting aside the mutant demon species that only adventurers can deal with, there are a large number of ordinary heartless monsters in the Dark Valley. This is a well-known fact in the nearby area. The Dark Valley is a gathering place for low-level monsters. Whether it is to retrieve children who are uncertain about their lives or death, or to allow adventurers to concentrate on dealing with the three mutant demon species, the self-defense group must do its part.

Daren, who learned the news, was of course happy and worked harder to train. He is now an official member of the Self-Defense Corps, and he will go together then!

—————————————————

"I need to improve my strength, at least I can use the new shield smoothly."

During dinner, Delan looked at Enidor with a serious look.

It is obvious that the food on the table changed a lot today and returned to its level many days ago - just some ordinary simple meals.

"So…?" Enid looked at him innocently.

"I need the food I used to be!" Deren pressed his hands on the table, leaning forward with his upper body, almost putting his face on Enid's nose, "Hey, don't pretend to know nothing. The strange food you made before made me full of strength during training. The effect of a day's training is almost half a month! Why don't you do it today?"

"Those are just more nutritious foods," the girl with flax hair still pretended to be stupid. "Didn't you just say that you have money? Go buy more meat and eat it, it's almost the same."

"You really think I'm stupid." Deren gritted his teeth, "You must have put something strange... In short, I will follow Uncle Antonio and the others to the Dark Valley in a few days. I must save Gene. The stronger I am, the bigger my hope will be, so I will have to train more desperately in the past few days..."

"Please!" The brunette boy showed a nearly begging look to the girl for the first time.

But the girl still shook her head.

"I just knew that you just didn't want me to be an adventurer! You and your mother have always been like this!" Deren was really angry this time and pushed the bowl hard, "But you can't stop me. I must be strong, otherwise the danger will come and even those who want to protect you! I failed to protect Gene this time. He is still alive and dead. Who knows who will be next time..."

The boy's voice was a little choked and he didn't say anything more.

He had turned around and ran into his room and closed the door heavily.

“…”

At the dining table, Diana, a woman who couldn't see anything, suddenly sighed, her expression was a bit lonely, while the girl with a white turban blinked her black eyes and looked at the place where Daren's back disappeared.

[Brother, you are not in danger of your life this time…]

———————————————

Dinner ended so badly.

Even until before going to bed, Delan was still angry and was unwilling to read Enid's adventure stories.

[Even I have to stop myself from becoming an adventurer, so why do I still listen to adventure stories!]

but.

Just after Deren lay down for a moment, the movements next door suddenly attracted his attention.

"Um...um..."

It sounds like a girl's moan of pain, or she is crying softly in the quilt.

"No, it's again today?!"

Delen almost bounced off the bed, and all the unpleasantness was thrown behind his head in an instant, and ran to Enid's room in three steps and two steps, and then saw the familiar scene without surprise:

The moonlight outside the window fell into the room, and for some reason it changed, like a substance, floating in the small room like a fog of light.

Enid lay flat on the bed, her eyes closed, and the fog around her was particularly rich. Her long light linen hair seemed to be dyed with a light golden halo, and her skin became translucent, the freckles on her cheeks disappeared, and her whole face was crystal clear and flawless, like a smooth and white thin porcelain doll.

He is obviously a young girl with an ordinary appearance, but at this moment he gives people a beautiful, holy and fragile feeling.

The girl was frowning in pain at this moment, murmured and said something vague. Although she had seen this situation many times, Deren still leaned against Enid's lips and tried to listen.

However, this time he actually heard clearly...

"The Endless Lake..."
Chapter completed!