Iris (René) flew over the silvery earth illuminated by the morning sun.
Right next to her was Derik, who was magically made to float alongside her.
His arms and legs were torn off at the base, and the wounds were sealed with magic, making him look like a hideous statue. The sleeves and pants of his winter clothes were flapping uselessly.
His eyes were dazed, like he had already given up his sanity, but Iris (René) was regularly making sure he didn’t go off to a happier world.
“So. Next, about the emergency refuge of the big boss, I take it that the three ‘bouncers’ have been made aware of this?”
On the road (and flying, she didn’t know how to describe it), Iris (René) continued to interview him about the Night Pythons structure and the state of the general headquarters.
But when she looked to the side, Derik was looking down at the ground in a daze.
“…………”
“Late reply.”
“Gyaaaaaaaa!!”
Iris (René) grabbed Derik by the hair and pulled him up by her face, and then plunged a needle into his mouth.
Blood dripped from Derik’s mouth. He struggled like a caterpillar in mid-air, but his body, suspended by magic, continued to fly mercilessly next to Iris (René).
“I want you to answer my questions immediately and accurately.”
“Hahi!”
“Hmph, you’re all whining about a needle or two. I’ve been stabbed a hundred times in one day!”
Iris (René) spat out and looked ahead.
The hills, mountains, and forests blocked her view of the road ahead, but at this speed, she would probably reach Wesala, the capital of the Duke Gerald’s territory, before nightfall.
–But it’s not as fast as I thought it would be… It’s simply too hard to control.
Iris (René) was now flying with her figure and presence hidden, while protecting herself with magic from the cold and wind.
The reason why the speed couldn’t be increased in this situation was simply because Iris’s (René’s) maneuvering ability couldn’t keep up. It was a matter of technique, not magic.
When she was flying at the limit of her speed, she lost control, spun around, and almost threw up (Derik did). She almost lost control and crashed.
So now she was flying at a slower speed. Although she didn’t know the exact speed, it was about the speed of a car.
–But even so, I must be moving at a speed that is unbelievable according to the common sense of this world. I’m moving without regard to the road or the terrain. Even if the big boss senses something, he won’t be able to respond in time…
The two unidentified flying objects continued to fly in a straight line like unleashed arrows.
＊ ＊ ＊
The three members of the “Dragon’s Throat” party, who had passed through the old road, arrived at the city of Thies at dawn.
Thies, the capital of the Marquis Arawen’s territory, was a city about one size larger than Eltaref.
They rushed to the Adventurers’ Guild branch, which was open 24 hours a day, and borrowed a map from the branch and spread it out on the table.
“I knew it was going in this direction … in a straight line toward Wesala, Duke Gerald’s territorial capital. At this speed, they will arrive there in the evening.”
Diana assured, overlaying the map with the results of the detection mark on her chest.
The magic that can detect the location of a target usually comes with a sense of distance and direction in mind. At least, Diana’s crest was of that type. If the person you are dealing with is in an unfamiliar place, you need to combine it with a map to know exactly where they are and where they are going.
Both Benedict and Hugh nodded when they heard Diana’s words.
“…Why in Wesala?”
“I don’t know, but I’m pretty sure it has something to do with the Night Pythons, don’t you? They’re based there, they say.”
“Iris’s response is the same.”
“…Yeah. The guy we’re tracking with the crest and Iris’s response has always been in the same place. I think we should assume that it hasn’t changed.”
Diana chose her words carefully. It was possible that the reaction from Iris and the reaction from the person who killed the Night Pythons was the same thing. It was a possibility she did not want to consider.
After that explosion, Iris’s movement stopped in one place for a while. However, just as soon as they thought they had closed the distance, she started moving at a very high speed and they missed her. It began to move in a straight line, not following the road, at a speed that exceeded even the Wendigos.
Diana guessed that they might have started flying with magic, and the other two agreed.
But why was “the one who killed the Night Pythons” moving towards Wesala? If it was a different person from Iris, why were they accompanied by Iris? They didn’t know.
All that was certain was that something incomprehensible and disturbing was happening, and that Iris was caught up in it.
“What are we going to do? There’s no way we can follow them. They’re faster than Wendigos, and they’re ignoring the road and going in a straight line.”
Hugh lamented exaggeratedly, like he was venting his frustration at something.
In the meantime, however, Diana continued to stare at the map, and then she said something.
“…There is a Hippogriff flight from this city.”
“Hey, no way.”
“Three trained Wendigos for a one-way flight. Luckily, the weather is good today.”
A black shadow crossed Hugh’s field of vision as he looked out the window.
A huge shadow, spreading its wings and dancing in the blue sky…, a monster with the wings, the head of an eagle, and the torso of a horse. A Hippogriff.
Hippogriffs were high-class cavalry beasts used throughout the land. Among flying monsters, they stood out from the crowd for their ease of taming and their strength.
Their uses were wide-ranging. Not only for military use, but ambitious, active, and wealthy people had made owning a hippogriff as a personal vehicle a status symbol. Hippogriffs were also used for transporting goods, though the compensation was quite steep.
The Marquisate of Arawen, with its wide, flat pastures, served as a base for supplying war horses and cavalry within Ciel-Terra. Hippogriffs eat meat, especially horse meat, not grass, but they have no trouble finding food here.
And the Transportation Guild in Thies had the means to transport goods by air, as a matter of course.
But they usually transport only goods, and transporting people was not their specialty.
“It’s absurd. You want us to be carried in a hanging basket!?”
“They say it can carry a little over 200 kilograms. If we take breaks, it could carry the three of us, right?”
“It’s not a question of whether or not it can… “
“At this speed, maybe we can catch up with them. And if we don’t go after them now, they might end up in a place that even my Stigmata can’t track them. Wesala may not be the final destination.”
“Oh no! It can’t be helped!”
Hugh banged on the desk in a tone of helplessness, and the adventurers, who had come early in the morning to look for their requests, looked at the three of them to see what was going on.
“… Are you sure about that, Benedict?”
“Yeah, I’ll take that bet, too.”
Benedict nodded at Hugh’s question.
And immediately stood up.
“I’m going to the Transportation Guild to negotiate. Hugh, arrange for the sale of the Wendigos.”
“Since it’s sudden, I’ll do my best to raise the price as much as possible, but don’t complain! Isn’t it better to hit the Transportation Guild first? They use Wendigos, too.”
“Well, I guess I’ll go with you first. In the meantime, Diana, you should get ready. I don’t think we can withstand something like that by ordinary means. Find some potions or magic items so we can travel recklessly.”
“Understood.”
“Just make sure we have some way of recovering our strength. We’re going all out.”
The three of them made a list of things they needed to do and set to work to solve the problems they faced.
Adventurers were supposed to go on the road less traveled.
No matter how reckless it may seem, once you decide to do something, you just have to do it. That is what makes a good adventurer.
“I would also like to go to the communications office and report to Earl-sama to let him know what’s going on. Then ask him to get through to the Duke Gerald and ask for his cooperation.”
“Will he cooperate?”
However, Diana was skeptical about Benedict’s proposal.
“Well, of course, if they’re on their way to Wesala, we could catch them if we had someone waiting for us over there. But I wonder what the Duke Gerald, who is a royalist, thinks of the Earl Keely…”
The “Dragon’s Throat” party enjoyed a close relationship with Oswald, but they did not have the influence to talk to lords anywhere. In fact, there are only a few adventurers who can do so.
Whether it’s cooperation in an investigation or a warning to be careful, if it doesn’t go through Oswald’s mouth, it would probably never even be heard.
But then, there would be the question of a battle above the clouds.
Although they could only guess how bad the relationship between the Earl Keely and Duke Gerald was (it couldn’t be good), it was hard to believe that he would make a move after being approached with such an obscure proposal.
“Maybe, but it’s still a good idea to just plain say it. It’s a form of advice.”
“Yes, … but we still have to go after them. We are the first ones who can move for Iris.”
“That’s right.”
Diana looked a little confused, like she was worrying about too many things.
＊ ＊ ＊
When the servant came to Oswald in the lord’s office with a message from the communications office, Catherine followed suit.
“Father…”
“Catherine.”
“What about Iris? What happened to her?”
Catherine looked exhausted. She had not been able to sleep last night, and her face showed signs of exhaustion.
“I don’t … know what happened to her. At least she doesn’t seem to be dead…”
The report from the “Dragon’s Throat” seemed cloudy, but it was clear that something out of the ordinary was going on.
Hearing Oswald’s words, Catherine clung to him.
Catherine, who had learned to behave perfectly as a “young lady” even though she was a child, raised her voice, seemingly unable to suppress her emotions.
“Please, Father! Save Iris! … I haven’t heard back yet if Iris will be my friend!”
Her ashen and crimson eyes wet with tears, looked up at Oswald.
Oswald was a little surprised.
Oswald had somehow known that Catherine didn’t seem to like Iris very much, but then she had suddenly said, “I’d like to take some time to talk to her” and now this.
He didn’t quite understand the whole ‘reply to be my friend’ thing, but he thought it would be a good thing if his daughter had someone that she cared that much about, and… he didn’t want a tragedy to happen, to lose someone precious who had just been handed to her.
“I’ll do what I can, too. But we’ll see what happens.”
“Ah…!”
Clasping her hands tightly together, Catherine prayed.
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