Winter came to an end, and spring arrived at the base. It was about time for the active season to begin. Lil was worried about the divine beasts.

Then, it happened suddenly. The hawks sent out through the communication network began relaying numerous sightings of powerful mutated creatures across various regions.

Lil reported this to Ian, and the Saint Knights from each base mobilized in response. Whenever summoned, the hawks would fly back to the knights repeatedly.

Ria took on the role of organizing and compiling the information gathered by the hawks. Her reports were praised for being easy to understand. Kaname, it seemed, was accustomed to compiling information from her time as a police officer.

The hawks carried injured divine beasts in baskets adorned with flags embroidered with the national insignia, transporting them to the nearest healers. Thanks to this, the casualties among the divine beasts were minimized. On the human side, the advance warnings provided by the divine beasts allowed for effective countermeasures, which proved to be a great help.

Even the smaller birds did their part. From the safety of the skies, they detected the miasma emanating from the monsters and conducted reconnaissance. This allowed for prioritized extermination efforts.

At some bases, there were many instances of divine beasts and humans fighting side by side.

Even in the forest near Lil’s base, sightings of violent mutated monsters became frequent. The younger children, unable to fight, were confined entirely to the base. Every time a mutated creature appeared, the military would arrive, so Lil and Ria hid their faces with veils as a precaution.

Ian, too, was incredibly busy in his dual role as commander and healer.

Today, a dragon arrived at the base. Normally, during the active season, dragons were responsible for handling the monsters deep in the forests—areas inaccessible to humans. But this time, the dragon also made regular rounds to various forests, assisting whenever powerful monsters appeared.

“Lil, today I shall lend my strength to purge the monsters in this forest.”

With those words, the dragon took flight and returned after hunting down a staggering number of monsters. Each time the dragon finished its hunt, the forest would remain calm for several days. Unlike divine beasts, monsters seemed to spawn from somewhere, but it appeared to take a few days for them to reappear.

Thanks to this, the soldiers were able to rest, and the extermination efforts proceeded smoothly. Compared to records from the previous active season, the number of casualties was drastically lower, and everyone expressed their gratitude to the dragon.

When the knights learned that this dragon was the same one who had formed a pact with the founding king, they began offering prayers.

The days passed in a whirlwind. By the time summer arrived, reports came in of a disaster-class monster appearing in one of the forests. The creature slowly advanced toward human settlements, wiping out the military forces sent to exterminate it. Though the dragon rushed to the scene immediately, minimizing the damage, many lives were still lost.

“Why does the active season even exist?”

Lil couldn’t help but murmur those words, and the dragon answered.

“Monsters are necessary for the purification of the world. The impurities accumulated in the world’s core are expelled through them. Right now, it is a period where an excess of impurities is being purged all at once. Without this period, the world would lose its balance.”

At the very least, she understood that it was necessary for the world. In the end, all they could do was try to ensure as few lives were lost as possible.

“This active season is also a trial bestowed by the gods. To help humanity overcome this trial, the gods occasionally summon individuals with beautifully refined souls to this world and grant them special powers. This time, it seems to be you and Ria. Just like with Virus.”

Lil was bewildered. The idea that she had been summoned by the gods for the sake of humanity didn’t quite resonate with her.

“There’s no need to overthink it. Simply do as you wish, in the way you wish. The divine beasts will surely lend you their strength.”

Maybe all she had to do was continue as she had been—ensuring that humans and divine beasts could live together in harmony. If that was the case, it seemed like something she could manage.

“Are there others besides us who’ve been summoned?”

“There likely are. Most fade away without accomplishing anything significant, but some, like Virus, achieve the greatest outcomes. I hope you and Ria can be like Virus.”

That sounded incredibly difficult to Lil. She wondered if she could manage it with her sister’s help. But even then, it still didn’t quite click in her mind.