Several days had passed since the rainy season ended, and March—the beginning of spring—had arrived.

It’s not exactly hot yet, but the daytime is already warm.

In the past few days, the ground that had been muddy from the long rains had dried up, and the conditions were good enough to go outside. People had started coming and going more frequently again.

Today, I’m only going for the day, but I’m accompanying the 2nd Unit on their mission to inspect the territory after the rainy season.

That thing that came up at the recent gathering—it was hard to tell whether it was supposed to be a tea party or a meeting.

It’s a survey to check whether any damage occurred from the heavy rains, especially to the roads and other parts of the territory.

After leaving the capital of the territory, we traveled with the 1st Unit up to about the halfway point to the town of Arios. There, the 1st Unit continued investigating the road, while we headed into the forest.

◇

“Nothing here, huh…”

I was floating gently through the forest on my long-unsealed 【Floating Orb】, scanning the surroundings carefully… but there was nothing.

Even though we were still in the shallow parts of the forest—normally you’d expect at least some kind of beast or monster to be around… but even with 【Fairy’s Eye】 and the serpent’s sight, I couldn’t spot a thing.

I couldn’t help but grumble aloud.

“We’re roaming around in this many numbers. Monsters aren’t just going to casually show up,” said Alec, who was walking ahead.

“Yeah… guess it’s the usual. Nothing strange around here,” added Zighart.

Though we were in the forest, they remained mounted on their steeds.

And aside from them, there were about 30 capable knights from the 2nd Unit in the area… Of course, nothing was going to come near us.

“Disappointed there isn’t a big one around?” Alec said with a teasing tone, picking up on my reaction to the lack of monsters.

“Yeah… If it was nearby, we could’ve brought it back to town, right?”

This mission’s goal is strictly to check for rain damage—it’s not about hunting monsters.

Especially not big ones—that’s definitely outside the scope.

But the reason I’m hoping for one is because I want the fur you can get from a big monster.

The yoga mat I use was made from the hide of a bear monster that went on a rampage a while back, material secured by the craftsman Rob.

It’s high quality, large, and free of scars, so they were able to cut a single piece measuring one meter by two meters from it.

The mats Elena and Teresa use are made from three separate hides sewn together.

I’m not sure what kind of hides they are, but apparently that’s what happens if you try to make a mat from ordinary materials.

Recently, Seriana joined our stretching group, and Fiora is likely to join soon too. They’re also planning to make mats, but at this rate, theirs will probably end up being the three-hide kind as well.

They say they don’t mind, but… mats made from a single piece of hide really are superior in quality.

Still, as the president of the Riana Stretch Appreciation Club, I want the members to use quality gear.

That’s why I tagged along on today’s inspection.

There’s always the chance we might encounter a large beast or monster. If we do, I want to take it down in a way that doesn’t damage the hide and get it processed in the town of Arios.

Then ideally, the material could be brought back to the capital.

But… yeah, with a big, armed group like this, no monster’s going to come close.

I should’ve kept the hide from that bear we took down in the southern forest of the capital a while ago…

We continued investigating the forest afterward, but in the end, not only did we not find any large beasts, we didn’t see any ordinary beasts or monsters either.

According to one of the more experienced members, there are several low-elevation hills further in from where we were patrolling, and it seems the creatures tend to gather there.

Apparently, it’s like this every year, and this year’s no different.

Still, we didn’t slack off. We kept moving westward while investigating, and as the sun began to set, we arrived at our destination for the day: the town of Arios.

◇

“Oh? That’s the 1st Unit, isn’t it?”

After entering the town, Alec and I headed for the magistrate’s residence to report in. We left the remaining members to Zighart.

On the way, we spotted what looked like members of the 1st Unit walking through the streets.

Unlike last year during the attack, where they were stationed outside the town, this time they’re staying in lodgings within the city.

The town can accommodate them, after all.

Alec told our members not to get too carried away… but they’re all former adventurers.

They’ve got experience and skill, and they’re not likely to do anything that would interfere with tomorrow… but who knows.

Compared to that, the 1st Unit we just saw looked so sharp and put-together.

They were carrying what seemed to be food ingredients, so maybe they’re planning to cook for themselves.

“Are they preparing their own meals?”

“Probably. I’ve heard that those guys avoid taverns during missions and prefer to handle things themselves.”

“…Hoooh.”

Our guys were doing their job seriously too, but they seemed to be treating this like a little vacation.

Man… discipline sure makes a difference.

———————————————————————————————————————————————

Sera ・【Hideout】+1 【Prayer】 【Mira’s Blessing】 【Wind Garment】 ・【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】 【Monkey’s Arm】 ・4 cards

Seriana ・【Range Detection】・【】・39 cards

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

Alec ・【Heavy Strike】・【Red Shield】 【Fierce Horned Trumpet】・10 cards