"!?!!?"
"M-my lady…!?"
Thrown off balance, Zane and the maid were knocked to the ground while the surprisingly unaffected Kobolds huddled together, releasing worried screeches.
"What do you think you're trying to pull off here? If you want to do something, do it on your own. Why would either of you make it seem as if you're doing me a favor?"
The gold-haired girl slowly turned around, glaring furiously at her speechless companions.
"I… I'm so sorry!"
The maid was the first to realize what was going on, and she bit her lips, lowering her head in shame.
"Danger! It's not good to stay close to the cracks! They are dangerous…!"
Interestingly enough, the next one to speak up wasn't either of the trio, but the very worried gray-scaled Kobold, who trotted over to Melinda's side, grabbed onto the side flap of her armor and began trying to take the girl away from the threatening spot.
"You're right! We should move a bit, shouldn't we?"
Melinda glanced at the scaly humanoid, and her expression softened as she nodded and let herself be led a few steps away.
"Hmph."
"...shit…"
Seeing Melinda glance back at him and pout, Zane closed his eyes and leaned back, also realizing what he and the maid had done wrong.
"Did we really just try to beat up creatures that Melinda called cute right in front of her?"
He leaned back and asked, looking over at the deeply ashamed maid.
"...to our defense… she personally devised and encouraged several dozens of monster and bandit raids on human settlements, so I wasn't expecting things to be any different with some Kobolds…"
The maid let out a troubled sigh.
"We should… huh…?"
Zane straightened his back, about to approach Melinda, but his distorted green eyes ended up wandering over to the fissure the upset gold-haired girl created.
"I… I don't want to take away from the control she has over her strength, but… doesn't this look too perfect?"
The monstrous man ended up pointing down at the ground.
"Is it just me, but doesn't this look as if this entire… area… could just pop up or fall in at any given moment?"
He added, raising his head high in an attempt to examine as much of the diameter of the created zone which ended up exceeding his expectations.
"...you make a fair point… it does appear a bit too conveniently regulated…"
The maid furrowed her brows and nodded hesitantly.
"Alternatively, that is because the Kobolds have dug out this valley into what it is now and made a template for the crack. Either way, we should keep our eyes on it just in case it turns out to be another threat."
—-
The term rock-munchers that Melinda used to refer to the Kobolds wasn't just some mean nickname—this was proven by the fact that the trio was actually offered a selection of stones and rocks, some precious and some common, in a show of hospitality.
As food.
The Kobolds would also casually help themselves to those snacks as their jaws would produce some questionable sounds that made the humans wonder whether the rocks or the Kobolds' teeth were cracking apart.
All those creatures' behavior was making the maid feel uneasy.
Despite being told about the fragmentary bloodline knowledge that the species of the short scaly humanoids supposedly had, it was still unnerving to see them suddenly invent - or, in this case, remember - manners and customs that were so eerily similar to human culture without being taught a thing.
"..."
While the monstrous white-haired man and the gold-haired girl seemed to find the situation at least amusing to some degree, the maid who found herself by their side didn't share the enjoyment.
One would say that the maid began to question the reason why the journey happened in the first place.
Wasn't the Kobolds' quarry supposed to merely be a stop where they would conduct some investigation regarding the runaway Silva Head?
In the words of Melinda herself, the Deep-Dusk Dullahan and either of the Head monsters would transform from a roaming boss monster into a super boss.
The danger level of that happening wasn't said out loud, but just the implication was enough to warrant a much higher cautiousness and haste than what the gold-haired girl displayed.
While Melinda was showing off some of her magic items to the awestruck Kobolds under Zane's carrying gaze, the maid was looking around warily in search of clues for the Silva Head.
While the already dead Hearth Head and the undiscovered Glacier Head both used their elements for direct attack, Silva Head was supposed to be more of the control-support mix of a type.
It was told to release spores that could cause various effects on the target - including but not limited to poison, confusion, sleep, concussion, and literal mind control.
Silva Head would apparently prefer to gather an army that it could then boost with its spores, which could be used to buff allies and even heal them. This, coupled with some level of camouflage, could prove tricky to deal with.
All of the information about that monstrosity that the maid had at her disposal came from Melinda. The maid did try to do her own research, but the sources she had access to only mentioned some legends about the sealed beast, which, upon release, would end up as the scourge of the land.
So, rather generic stuff that almost every single settlement on the Jewelboxia continent had its own version.
The thing was, mostly, it would be true -although in perspective.
For example, a mini-boss at level 50 attacking a small village in the boonies would definitely end up as a cataclysmic event that would wipe off the population.
But there was a group of skilled adventurers who could deal with them without breaking a sweat.
Hell, the maid herself wouldn't need any hits besides the initial one if she was put in that spot.
But she wasn't immune or even resistant to the status effects. Her ability, despite being equally helpful and debilitating, wasn't one offense or defense-oriented and didn't provide her with worthwhile modifiers.
That's why she wanted to locate and deal with Silva Head as fast as possible.
Or at least find a way to contain it if that was Melinda's wish.