Early in the morning, I left the mansion before my family and servants were awake.
I told the gatekeeper that I wanted to take care of my armor, but he was concerned that I was fully equipped and even carrying a backpack.
But it has been over a year since I started imitating an adventurer. He thought I needed to get into sothing because I was about to leave. The gatekeeper thought nothing more of it and sent us on our way.
The hunter, Gordo, was quite an accomplished hunter.
He's seriously wounded in a forest, and the enemy is unknown. The adventuring party has also disappeared. Perhaps everyone overestimates Gordo, and the adventurers' disappearance may have been a coincidence. But if not, there was no doubt that sothing was lurking in the forest.
I don't have much ti. I leave in a week.
I wonder if adventurers and knights can handle this kind of thing.
Even if they could, how much damage could they do?
If I did not find out, I would not be able to set out on my journey with peace of mind.
The main gate was packed with people.
Most were adventurers and rchants, with security guards keeping a close eye on them as they checked their identities and luggage. Although the baggage checks were not as strict, it still took a long ti for rchants and others.
A long line of people ford, and street vendors opened their stores early in the morning to take advantage of the long lines.
I stopped in front of one of them and looked at the line from the corner of my eye.
I couldn't find anything that looked like it. Even the "Appraisals" were all off. It may not necessarily be that they are leaving today, or if I'm out of luck. They may have already left.
If the latter is the case, we will surely lose them if we don't pursue them now.
Should I wait and see, or should I go after them?
While I struggle to make a good decision, I felt a strange presence.
Rare.
It was a feeling similar to that of Ose and Nerio. No, is it more than that?
The presence was coming from the back of town toward the gate.
I observed it while pretending to be rummaging through the rchandise.
They were still in town – which was unusual.
Walking at the head of the group of five was a halfling.
They were fewer in number than the elves and dwarves, as they rarely ca out of the west. He was probably the only one, not only in Reedwald and in the nearby towns.
I was surprised at him, but the group mbers were also unique in many ways.
The leader of the group was no doubt Pidosios, a halfling.
Not only did he have a pompous attitude, but his abilities were simply outstanding. As a scout, he was even better than Ose. In addition, he has mastered "Denatured Magic" and "No-attribute" magic and is good at giving up. If it is a simple magic skill, this is also more than Danil. His disadvantage is that his direct combat ability is low, but even with his weaknesses. He is still an excellent adventurer.
Walking alongside Pidosios is Salma, a Toar woman.
The Toar are characterized by their dark skin and live in the wilderness and desert region known as Korsnet, which lies to the south of the Korgess Union to the east. I've seen the rchant a few tis, but this is the first ti I've seen the adventurer.
She is a light warrior, her weapon is a curved sword, and she wears leather armor only around her chest and waist. Her defense is kept to a minimum. She seems to prioritize evasion and mobility.
She also wears a thick winter coat, which she holds in place with several belts, perhaps because she does not want it to impede her movent. Tha accentuates her style and attracts the attention of n who pass by. It would be even more difficult in the sumr.
The last man in line, protecting his companions, is Dailas, a beastman.
I have never seen a beastman before. He is taller than a human and has a thick build. Despite this, he was a scout. He had a compound bow slung over his shoulder, and his armor and skills were more rear-guard. He has a broad smallsword strapped to the back of his waist, but he seems unlikely to use it, as he has "One-handed Sword 1" in one hand and "Archery 5"
The rests are Imperial man and woman.
The other three are so distinctive that they were overshadowed. But they are still specialized adventurers. Efurd, a light warrior, and shield is a holder of "Shield 6", although his abilities are average. His skills are on par with Roland's.
The other is Milana, a scout. She is highly dexterous and skilled at traps and lock-picking. In dungeon and urban exploration, she would be as effective as the leader, Pidosios the halfling, with his pompous attitude, is moving away with a different kind of companion.
So of them gather ears and eyes, while others are not so competent.
It should also be noted that the "Sword of the Deep Silence" has a major characteristic. They have a distorted formation of three scouts and two light warriors. They are designed to carry out requests without fighting with an emphasis on mobility and search capabilities. Or, it was a formation for surprise or raid.
If they were to fight, "Battle Axe of Destruction" would win. But it would not be a battle. Even if
Ose could discover them, their mobility as a party would be too different. To avoid being defeated individually, "Battle Axe of Destruction" would have no choice but to give up the chase. They are capable enough to go through such recklessness and have reached the C rank. No wonder the guild leader Herrit gave his approval as a suitable candidate for the job.
The "Sword of the Deep Silence" lined up in a row.
It would be better not to line up right behind them.
Pidosios doesn't mind the stares because we are in town, but if I get too close, I could draw their attention for so trivial reason. It is not a good idea if they notice here.
With that in mind, I waited a while before getting in line, but suddenly I was the center of attention around .
A ten-year-old child dressed as an adventurer, and all alone, was about to step outside. It was natural to be concerned. Fortunately, adventurers know and are self-responsible residents, so they don't try to get involved, but rchants are not so simple. So have purely good intentions, while others are trying to figure out who I am and see if they can use for their business. The rchant in front of was inspecting Eras Rhino's leather armor and Rhino sword, looking for an opportunity to talk to . I'm doing my best to emit an aura of "Don't talk to ." so it's all under control, but I guess it's only a matter of ti.
That is not good. My objective was to identify the invisible monster lurking in the forest. I want to do it without the "Sword of the Deep Silence" noticing. There is no way they would allow a child to follow them, especially if they know my identity. If I am not careful, there is a possibility that the search will be interrupted. Six days until departure. There is no ti to waste.
Pidosios, perhaps sensing a change in the atmosphere, looks around with a gesture.
Should I leave the line until they leave town?
As I was about to make my move, one of the gatekeepers ca straight at .
It seems that Pidosios was not the only one who sensed the change.
That's tricky. If I ntion my identity, I wonder how the rchants who are looking at will react.
"You, hey…"
After saying that much, the gatekeeper drank his words.
It seems he has realized who I am. I've seen this face a few tis.
Pidosios turns around at that mont.
Fortunately, they can't see yet because I'm in the crowd.
"Show to the stuffing station."
"Uh–oh, yes, sir. Yes, sir."
We head for the packing house, hiding from a group of adventurers passing by.
A mont later, just as the wall breaks slightly, I feel a sharp gaze on .
Did they see ? I think I can handle this level of scrutiny.
As I slipped into the stuffy room, the gatekeeper let through to a room.
"I apologize for the place is like this. I will bring you sothing to drink in a mont."
"I won't stay long. No need. I'm sorry for interrupting your work."
"No, sir, not at all, sir."
The gatekeeper waved his hand grandly.
Then he slightly lowered his voice.
"So, how can I help you at the gate?"
"I will be outside the gate in a few monts. At that ti, I would appreciate it if you would give priority to let through."
"Yes, sir."
The gatekeeper was relieved, as he had expected the soldier to point out his disrespect and inadequate security.
"By the way, where are the usual adventurers?"
"I'm alone today."
"–That is."
Once again, the gatekeeper's expression clouded.
He opens his mouth as if he wants to say sothing, but he refuses to say a word, aware of his position.
If I had to speak for him, I would say, "Did you get my father's permission?
"Has my permission to go out been revoked?"
"No, I have not received such a notice."
"Then there should be no problem."
The gatekeeper stamred.
Co to think of it, this was the first ti I had been out alone. Before, Roland had accompanied . Also with Nerio and "Battle Axe of Destruction". He must have known that.
Whatever the case may be, as long as permission has been granted, there is no authority to stop them. Let's quickly do that.
I was about to leave the packing house, but then I suddenly reconsidered.
If I go out like this, there might be so problems.
I told the gatekeeper of the mansion that I was going to maintain my protective gear and ca out. I didn't even leave a note. If I had done so, redith would have spotted and brought back in a flash.
The gatekeeper would be able to tell that I had gone out of town, but if the search were to stay overnight, it would be a big deal. Maybe they will send a search party for .
"Can I borrow sothing to write with?"
On a piece of parchnt offered by the gatekeeper, I said, "I'm going to gather dicinal herbs for the road. I may stay the night. I carefully wrote sothing like,
"Sorry for the delay in telling you.
I'm sure he'll find out my real purpose. My father has a keen intuition. I am sure that we don't have enough ingredients for the potion we will use on the road, so I will make sure to collect dicinal herbs as well. It just so happens that the direction is the sa as that of the "Sword of the Deep Silence". Yeah, no problem.
By the way, can you tell your na?"
"I beg your pardon for this. My na is Krell of the Ten Chiefs."
I nodded, "Krell is doing his duty. I had to, so I forced my way through," I added. Krell looked in, but his expression didn't change much. I thought he was concerned about his responsibility, but it seed he was really worried about .
"When I co out of the gate, deliver this letter to the mansion."
Krell took one look at the parchnt and bowed his head.
"Alter-sama, I know I am being rude, but I must make a statent. Please do not go out alone. Especially not now."
"Because of the invisible monster?."
"Did you know about it?"
“Of course. I heard that the hunter was injured, but don't worry. The monster is deep in the forest. I go to the adow. I rarely go near the forest. You won't run into any monsters like that."
I said it all with a laugh, but Krell was not convinced.
Did he see through my lie? I think he's just a good guy.
"You're a worrier. Have you seen the front of the gate? That many adventurers and troopers are heading out. I'm sure they'll be safe around Reedwald."
Krell nodded grudgingly at that.
If I were near the forest, the surrounding adows would be safe. Otherwise, there would be no way to farm outside the gate. If he still thought it was dangerous, it was the negligence of the guard part who was in charge of security. It was a bit cowardly of to say, but I had no choice but to convince him.
It seed that they had given up trying to stall , so I entrusted the letter to Krell and left the packing house.
We ate up a lot of ti in a place I hadn't expected.
There was already no sign of the "Sword of the Deep Silence".
It's not that I don't care. Because I don't know how to stay close to them, it's going to be hard to track them if I don't know which direction they're going.
As I headed for the gate, Krell rushed over to give any instructions to the other gatekeepers.
I'm not sure what to expect, but I'm sure I'll be able to find a way to get a good look at the world outside.
◇◇◇◇
"The guild reports that we've encountered an invisible monster up ahead. The formation is as usual.
The mission is to uncover the monster's identity. And no unnecessary fighting. Our priority is to bring back information. Then, let's go."
The place where "Sword of the Deep Silence" is talking is in the forest southeast of Reedwald.
When I passed through the main gate, there was not a shadow of them left.
I check the remaining snow at random and manage to find what I think are their footprints. If it had not been for the large beastman, I might not have been able to distinguish them from the rest of the adventuring party.
Once we had a good guess, the rest was easy. I soon spot them, as the adows provide a good vantage point to the forest. After all, only Pidosios is exceptional, and many of the others specialize in one art or another. Compared to Ose and Nerio, they are not as good scouts. It was not difficult to track down the "Sword of the Deep Silence" even though it would be troubleso if I had to chase after them as they fled.
Even so, I made sure to track it at a sufficient distance.
The Pidosios has a "Presence Detection 6", and my "Stealth" is 5 even if I activate the "Seeker of the Everlasting Darkness" through the shadows of the trees. I should not take any chances.
Fortunately, the forest was a silver world. The canopy of the trees was a cover, blocking out the sunlight. Thanks to this, we could not lose sight of them even at a considerable distance.
The "Sword of the Deep Silence" passed through the gentle snow, following only the gouged out hollows.
These must be the footprints of Gordo, the wounded hunter. I only know that they are the tracks of a human being, but Pidosios must have seen sothing, and perhaps Nerio too.
If I had known I was going to the academy, I would have spent a little more ti hunting.
Pidosios, such as he was, seed to pick his way haphazardly, but soti he would take a large detour or make everyone stop and duck into the shade of a tree. Every ti he gave any directions, a monster passed beyond the hollows, and roars and cries echoed from the distance.
Even though I understood this from his skill structure, I was impressed when I saw it. There are adventurers like this, aren't there? The opposite of the motto of the "Battle Axe of Destruction".
Their motto is to blow them away when you encounter them.
The "Sword of the Deep Silence" avoided all combat and finished the first day's search.
I decided to climb a large tree close at hand and rest on it. I would have tied myself to the tree with a rope if I could. But the forest is inhabited by Nudorok, tree-climbing wolves. They move through the branches like monkeys, so it would have been dangerous to tie myself to the tree.
I chewed dried at while watching a small fire floating in the distance.
I was resting at a greater distance than I had been on the road.
Pidosios was still a nuisance. During the chase, he would occasionally look back and give a questioning look. The reason he didn't act on it was probably that he only had suspicions at the mont. I don't want to end up with a knife around my neck when I find out.
After finishing a simple al, I wrapped myself in a blue and indigo cloak.
The cloak was warr than I had imagined. It was made large enough to allow for growth, and with its "Water Resistance 2," it repelled moist air and night dew. With my own "Freezing Resistance 2,"
I didn't mind a bit of cold.
I spent the night in a shallow sleep.
The next day, the search resud.
Unlike yesterday, the "Sword of the Deep Silence" slowed down. The reason was that they were in the deep part of the forest. And they had been unable to evade monsters and had entered into battle.
The increasing density of the monsters is evidence that we are approaching deeper into the forest, and inevitably, their strength will also increase.
I had thought about helping them if they were in danger, but it seed that there was no need.
They were able to toss the monsters around and steadily finish them off, despite the terrible footholds.
Even though the lack of firepower is undeniable, they're only the sa rank as the "Battle Axe of Destruction".
Just now, too, the monster scread its last cry.
The one they defeated was a zebra-patterned lizard nad Orslizard.
Efurt drew its attention, Pidosios and Mirana distracted it, and just after Dailas' bow shot through one of its eyes, Salma took its head off.
"Why, Piddo! You're too good for it!"
Salma's voice reached .
I guess she's got a warning that her voice was too loud, but then she still complained while holding it down. It seems they are struggling over what to do with the Orslizard. The body alone is three ters long, and it's big enough to swallow Pidosios or in one gulp. Although the patterns on it are flashy, it is a perfect material for leather armor in terms of both quality and quantity. The Orslizrad has a skill that kills ice magicians, called "Freezing Resistance 6," so if you can expect even a little of that effect, the price will be high for those ice magicians.
In the end, Pidosios has pushed aside, and he dismantled the orslizard, securing the skins and the at for dinner. I wonder if they could share so of the at with . It's hard to live on dried at for two days in a row.
Salma suddenly hugged Pidosios.
She is the type of person who expresses a lot of emotions. Pidosios pulled it away from her in exasperation, while the rest of the group laughed at her while looking at her with a look of dismay on their faces.
It seed to be a friendly party, but one thing was clear. Pidosios is a small guy. I had no idea he was going to pull it off. I've been nearly killed by Valerie many tis, and I've never resisted her.
What a happy way to die. Let the worm man eat you alive once. And take my place.
With this one incident, my pursuit continued.
The chase, which would have been a simple one, was surprisingly enjoyable thanks to the unique personalities of the group.
Above all, the chase against the three scouts was an experience unlike any other. I had learned my skills from Nerio, and sotis from Ose. It was the culmination of all that, and I felt like I was taking a little test.
And even more so, to see their techniques. What did Pidosios find in the traces and how did he judge them? I would observe where they stopped, mull over, speculate on it, and look for answers.
Even if we don't find anything, the fact that we didn't make sense. I wished I had gone to the institute a little further.
The search and pursuit continued, and when the sun was just past its zenith, the "Sword of the Deep Silence" reached a point where the traces were widely scattered.
Pidosios looked around the whole area and suddenly bent down.
Then he plucked up a piece of snow and threw it down.
"So this is the site."
The light warrior duo of Salma and Efurd backed away from the scene so as not to disturb the trail.
The three scouts then put their faces close to the snow surface and searched for clues.
After a while, they all gather at their original locations. They found nothing.
"I'm sure this is where the hunter encountered the invisible monster. It's probably due to the blood spilled, the monsters are ravaging the place. Let's hear what you guys think. We can keep going, or we can go back and follow the other trail."
They had found traces of what appeared to be a missing adventurer. It was hard for to judge, but
Pidosios seed to think the probability was high.
After so discussion, the "Sword of the Deep Silence" chose to move on.
I am not certain why, but I suspect they decided that they could get no more clues. The missing adventurer was attacked earlier than Gordo and was dead. The devastation of the traces must be incomparable to . Even if a body had remained, after being devoured by monsters and animals, there was no way to tell which wounds were the monsters they were looking for, and the sa was true of the footprints.
I agreed with their decision and was relieved.
The tracks of the adventuring party were far behind. Even though I was careful, my footprints had not been completely covered. Pidosios would soon discover the trackers' presence. I have decided that if that happens, I will proudly identify myself and join the search, but there is nothing I can do to prevent that from happening.
The "Sword of the Deep Silence" begins to make its way through the snowy forest again.
From here on, it is a groping search. While assessing the traces of sothing that can be found from ti to ti, "Sword of the Deep Silence" is walking cautiously. It is much slower than before. Perhaps it has been just a move so far, and this is where the real work begins.
However, even from the side, it is a tricky request. We have only a little information in advance, and there are countless types of monsters. It would be impossible to find out who they are. To be frank, I don't want to do it. The head of the Herrit branch said he "accepted" the request, but I am sure he "approached" them. As one's fa and power grow, so do one's troubles. Adventurers are not so easy to deal with.
They avoid and sotis repel the occasional monster that appears.
None of the monsters have abilities that satisfy them, and several hours pass in the search.
Even though the evening is still far away, the sun sets earlier than in the adows because of the tall trees. When it gets dark, it becos more difficult to identify the traces. They should have finished their search by now.
We should look for a place to roost, too.
As I look up at the trees, a small warning from Pidosios reaches my ears.
I hide behind a tree and look around.
Is that – is that a monster?
Further ahead of the "Sword of the Deep Silence", a small creature sitting on the snow with three fingers.
It sat like a cat, but it looked much like a white weasel.
They were called Hunter Fitch's and sold for a high price because of their beautiful fur.
Sure enough, they bite.
Even if it is not as high as the C-rank success fee, it should still be worth the change after paying the necessary expenses.
Not to raise any alarm, "Sword of the Deep Silence" unfolded quietly.
Hunter Fitch just turned its red eyes with a scowl on its face.
Although he is one size larger and taller overall, his nature is not much different from that of an animal weasel. By nature, it was a very cautious monster and rarely appeared before an ard human. This far back, it might not be accustod to seeing humans.
As the "Sword of the Deep Silence" encircled the place from a distance. I looked around to see what was going on.
I tilted my head.
I thought it was a bit too much for them to be cautious when they encircled it.
As I looked around to see what they do, I noticed that only Dailas had not moved from his original position.
In his backhand was a compound bow.
I see, that with a bow and arrow, the damage to the fur would be minimal. The others are trying to get its attention, and the archer is trying to finish him off.
Dailas took out his bow and gently placed the arrow.
It was at that mont.
A strong chill.
He instinctively ducked down.
"What?"
I looked up in surprise to see a cloud of smoke rising from the snow.
A few seconds later, Dailas exclaid.
"What? What happened?"
The snow plu clears.
There was Dailas with his arms slouched down.
A compound bow, severed in two, lies at his feet, and fresh blood spurts from his arms, staining the snowy ground.
Behind Dailas, Hunter Fitch slowly turns around.
"Fool, don't jump out!"
Faster than Pidosios' warning, Efurd, a light warrior, rushes out to fulfill his role and backs Dailas up.
And then the white shadow scrapes away, and blood spurts from Efrt's side.
My eyes widen.
Do they understand what is happening now?
The white weasel sits up a little.
Pidosios was just standing frozen in front of it.
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