Marnudark was quite vast. The people of the Amuria Kingdom must be somewhere in this land, but finding them quickly proved to be difficult.

“There must be traces left behind. Don’t overlook even the smallest of creatures.”

Some measuring devices for artificial objects exist in this world. However, they are not convenient enough to survey a wide area; their performance is limited to measuring within a kilometer at most. In this open space, that range can easily be seen with the naked eye, making it not very useful.

“Hmm, we might need to develop a high-performance measuring device.”

Rafishal said this while deep in thought.

“Oh, that sounds good. Can we make it soon?”

“I’m not sure how long you’re expecting it to take, but it definitely won’t be ready in time for this search.”

“I see, that’s unfortunate…”

“Nana, I’m already bored of looking outside.”

“I feel the same; it might be better to read a book.”

Having looked at the unchanging scenery all day, Nanami and Falma seemed to be completely bored.

“Hey, look over there! Something’s fallen!”

Nagisa, who had also been watching outside, raised her voice. Upon closer inspection, something appeared to have fallen behind a rock in the wilderness. When they quickly recovered and examined it, it turned out to be a product made in the Amuria Kingdom.

“Finally, we’ve found something. If we follow the traces, we should be able to reach them.”

Once one trace is found, searching the surrounding area makes it easier to locate the next one. If several traces are found, the direction they’re heading in can be predicted. If they just follow that path, they should eventually catch up.

As they followed the traces, Feri’s pseudo-body began to behave strangely. Curious, they asked her, and she gave a cryptic response.

“Indeed, fate doesn’t let us miss the opportunities of time… They may be destined to awaken in this era.”

“What do you mean?”

“It means that even if they lose their physical bodies, a woman’s intuition is not lost. I sense something ominous in the air.”

Though unsure, it seemed Feri had a bad feeling. There might be some connection to the direction they were heading.

Feri’s intuition, however, seemed to be accurate. The alert operator reported an anomaly.

“Combat confirmed at a distance of three kilometers ahead; there also appears to be a ride carrier thought to belong to the Amuria Kingdom.”

“What? What’s the scale of the battle?!”

“It seems to be a small-scale conflict involving several dozen units.”

“Yuta, prepare for deployment! Head to the scene immediately!”

“Understood!”

They were about to board the Arleo II when the situation changed rapidly. The operator’s voice stopped them in their tracks.

“Please wait. It seems the battle has ended. A ceasefire signal has been issued.”

“What about the Amuria Kingdom’s ride carrier?”

“It’s intact. It seems the Amuria Kingdom has won.”

Hearing that, they breathed a sigh of relief. Just then, Jean murmured with a puzzled expression.

“It’s strange… They had been fleeing, so they should have been inferior in strength to their pursuers…”

Indeed, it was odd when put that way, but perhaps they had managed to win against the odds. I hadn’t thought too much about it.