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“Hmm… It’s already getting dark over there.”
It had been a while since I departed from Arios.
I was flying toward the territorial capital, but the eastern sky was already darkening.
Well, it is winter… The sun sets earlier these days.
When I was heading toward Arios, there was still some foot traffic on the highway, but now, there wasn’t a single person in sight.
“Well… it’s dangerous, after all. Monsters are more active after dark than during daylight hours.”
It’s not that monsters and beasts are strictly nocturnal, but they do seem more aggressive at night.
I rarely go outside after dark, so this is just hearsay, but I’ve been told that highways become especially dangerous at night.
Or so they say…
“That’s strange.”
I had been flying a 【Floating Orb】 along the highway, but I stopped it and let it hover in place.
Then, I surveyed my surroundings.
…There was no sign of monsters or beasts.
The highway stretched between grasslands and forests on both sides.
For places like Riana, stepping just outside the city would reveal the same scenery, and naturally, many monsters and beasts lived there.
Even during the daytime, if travelers on the road let their guard down, they could be attacked immediately.
Before I acquired 【Wind’s Mantle】, I didn’t fly at high speeds, so I was often chased.
If I looked closely, I could sense the presence of small animals like rabbits and squirrels.
However, there wasn’t even a trace of any monster or beast large enough to attack people.
Now that I think about it, I hadn’t really paid attention before, but the same was true on my way here.
Even if they didn’t always show themselves on the highway, there were usually some lurking at the edge of the forest, watching for an unwary traveler to pass by…
“Could this be related to the attack…? I’d better hurry back.”
Regardless of whether it was connected to the attack or not, something unusual was definitely happening.
Even if it wasn’t useful, I should report it.
“…Alright!”
I reinforced my wind shield and accelerated toward the territorial capital.
◇
Upon reaching the estate in the territorial capital, the office window was already open, as if someone had sensed my approach.
I flew in and greeted the room.
“I’m home!”
As I looked around, I noticed that there were more people here than when I left.
The branch chief himself wasn’t present, but I recognized some officials from the Adventurers’ Guild whom I had seen in his office before.
They were working alongside the civil servants.
I usually don’t see them around, so they were probably discussing preparations for the attack.
“Welcome back.”
Teresa had been waiting nearby and approached immediately.
Lately, she had been stationed at the Knight Order’s headquarters most of the time, but was she done with her work there today?
She reached out to take my pouch, but I shook my head.
“Thanks, Teresa. But I have something to report first.”
“Did something happen?”
Liesel, having overheard our exchange, called out to me.
“Yeah. On my way back…”
I told them about the lack of monster presence between the territorial capital and Arios.
Immediately, the civil servants gathered, and a discussion began.
From the snippets I overheard, it seemed the leader behind this attack was a wolf-type magic beast that ruled over the First Mountain.
It had been gathering monsters from a wide area, and starting from the First Forest, creatures had been disappearing from the outskirts of the magic zone.
They weren’t sure if it was a Demon King Type, but it was strong enough to command a diverse horde of monsters.
Lately, even though hunting in the magic zone had calmed down after securing permission for dungeon exploration, the monster encounter rate in the outskirts had remained strangely low.
The Adventurers’ Guild had begun investigating, and they discovered that the number of monsters in the outskirts had drastically decreased.
Meanwhile, deeper into the forest—though no creatures were visible—there were clear traces of many monsters.
As they continued tracking, they eventually found a massive horde gathered at the base of the First Mountain.
Through the pattern of their howls, they determined that a wolf was the leader.
Using this information, they calculated when the horde would run out of food and be forced to attack.
…That’s impressive.
However, after hearing my report, everyone’s expressions turned grave.
“Vice Captain Sera, is there… any chance you’re mistaken?”
One of them hesitantly asked if my report could be incorrect.
Verification was important, but…
“I saw it myself, along with these little ones.”
I pointed to the 【Fairy’s Eye】 floating above my head and Akame, who was peeking out from my collar.
This wasn’t some sixth sense—I had visually confirmed it.
I wasn’t an expert on the ecology of wild monsters, so I couldn’t rule out the possibility that something had temporarily caused them to disappear.
But at the very least, I was certain that there were no visible monsters in the surrounding forest.
“Indeed… Given your blessings and familiars, it’s unlikely that you’re mistaken. Thank you, Sera. This is valuable information.”
Liesel remained as composed as ever.
However, looking at the others behind him, I could tell that this situation had become more complicated.
“Seriana, our discussion is going to take a while, so you should head up first. Also, when Alexio and Zighart return, I’ll be borrowing them.”
If they were summoning those two, then this was serious.
Had something gone off their calculations?
“Alright. Do as you please.”
Seriana responded casually, stood up, and headed for her room.
———————————————————————————————————————————————-
Sera: 【Hideout】+1, 【Prayer】, 【Mira’s Blessing】, 【Wind’s Mantle】, 【Floating Orb】+1, 【Shadow Sword】, 【Scarlet Bee Needle】, 【Fairy’s Eye】, 【Dragon’s Lung】, 【Amber Sword】, 【Danrem’s Thread】, 【Serpent’s Tail】, 【Ankle Bracelet】, 【Amber Shield】, 【Purple Wings】, 25 cards
Seriana: 【Area Detection】, 【】, 33 cards
Elena: 【】, 【Green Fang】, 【Amber Sword】, 4 cards
Alec: 【Heavy Strike】, 【Red Shield】, 【Fierce Horned Trumpet】, 9 cards
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Mnotia[Translator]
Just a guy translating stuff.