As I moved, floating with my viewpoint directed downward, I discovered something.

“…Oh? Found it here too.”

What I found was the corpse of a monster.

Slowing down the speed of the 【Floating Orb】, I noted the approximate location and type on the piece of paper I held.

Then, I increased my speed again and resumed moving.

“Looks like there are more as I get closer to the city…”

Right now, I’m heading from the capital to the city of Arios.

There’s no particular urgency, but after receiving a report from the city of Arios this morning, I prepared a reply, and once that was done, Seriana and the others had finished their work.

So, they took a break, but I had already gotten a good rest.

It seems like things outside the city have settled down, and while I could try going back to sleep, I didn’t feel quite right about that. When I asked if there was anything to do, I was given a task.

That task was to investigate the number of monster corpses along the highway between the capital and Arios.

Between these two cities, there is a forest to the north, and to the south, there are plains and farming areas along the highway.

The south side offers good visibility and lacks places to hide, so if a monster is being cornered, it would escape to the forest in the north.

However, any monsters that get pushed further away end up collapsing along the highway.

Fortunately, it’s winter, so they won’t rot quickly, but we can’t just leave them there.

Thus, when the soldiers return from the capital, they will collect them, but it’s better to know the quantity in advance so that preparations can be made before departure.

So, I’m doing the preliminary investigation.

One thing that bothers me is the messengers carrying the signed orders from Liesel and the others.

I’ve already passed them… What should I do if I run into them?

◇

As I neared the city of Arios, just before the city wall, I saw several tents lined up.

Horses were tied up nearby, and soldiers were coming and going, so this must be the main camp.

There were also people gathered a little farther away, but for now, I’ll head to the main camp.

“Good work!”

As I called out and descended, a response came immediately.

“Yo! Vice-Captain, you came too!”

“I heard it was quite the scene in the capital!”

“Hmm… there were a lot of people. Zighart was really active.”

They had already heard about the situation in the capital, including the appearance of several Demon King types. I answered briefly, and then some of the other older guys gathered around, full of energy.

I didn’t ask in detail, but it didn’t seem like there had been any casualties… A total victory?

After that, I casually brushed aside the older men and asked where Alec was. Apparently, he was at the magistrate’s mansion, discussing the upcoming city defense and the search of the forest.

As for the orders, the messenger would bring them later, so I didn’t need to make an appearance myself. He would return soon, and it was fine to wait here for now.

“Hey, what’s going on over there?”

Since I was going to wait here, I got curious about the crowd I had seen from above.

Are they gambling or something?

“Oh, wanna check it out?”

The man I asked suddenly suggested that.

The location was right next to the city, so I didn’t think they were hiding anything dangerous, but maybe it’s quicker to see it for myself?

Either way, let’s head over.

◇

As expected, there was a crowd.

There were two simple wooden enclosures, each about 10 meters on each side, and inside them were…

“A monster!?”

In one, there were two wolves.

In the other, a chestnut-colored horse was quietly waiting.

I hadn’t been searching actively, and the crowd was so large that I hadn’t noticed them.

They were being treated decently, with meat, fodder, and large buckets of water, and although they didn’t show any signs of aggression, they were remarkably docile.

“What’s going on!? What’s that!”

I was momentarily dumbfounded by the unexpected situation but snapped back to reality and shouted, wondering what was going on.

At the very least, I had never heard of adventurers in the 2nd squad or those active in the capital or city of Arios having familiars.

So, they must have captured them during yesterday’s attack…

I’ve confronted monsters in dungeons or forests before, but in those cases, we were focused on exterminating them, so I never had a chance to observe them closely.

Seeing them up close now… well, they are huge.

The monsters and beasts… they belong to similar species, and their appearances are close, but their tusks and hooves are much more formidable.

Wow… the sheer intimidation is incredible.

“When the group broke up during the pursuit yesterday, several parties managed to capture them. Sorry for the wait, Seria.”

“Oh, Alec.”

The one who answered my question wasn’t the man who had guided me here but Alec, who had arrived at some point.

He was wearing armor and holding the 【Red Shield】 and a demon’s mace, ready for battle at any moment.

Did he go to the magistrate like that?

“So, did you bring the orders from the lord?”

He seemed a bit relieved, perhaps because having those orders would reduce the burden for what’s coming.

But sorry about this…

“Oh, sorry, I’ve already passed them.”

“Huh?”

Alec looked at me with a puzzled expression.

Sorry about that.

That’s not my job.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————–

Sera ・【Hideout】+1【Prayer】【Mira’s Blessing】【Wind’s Garb】・【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】【Red Sword】・15 cards

Seriana ・【Range Identification】・【】・33 cards

Elena ・【】・【Green Fang】【Amber Sword】・4 cards

Alec ・【Strong Strike】・【Red Shield】【Fierce Horned Trumpet】・9 cards