Arden and Derek talked about various things.
"You see, this profession called hunting involves catching all kinds of things with a single gun. Sometimes, we even catch criminals."
"Ah, really?"
"Even then, those are the jobs no one else will take. People hesitate to kill another person, even if the target is a criminal. It is ridiculous. They are all well-fed."
TRICKLE....
Then, the sound of flowing water suddenly reached them.
Derek must have heard it as well, because he guided his horse in that direction.
"I think it is over there."
After riding a little farther, a long river came into view through the trees.
"This is it, but... I do not think we can drink this water."
Derek frowned as he examined the river.
Arden did the same.
Blood-red water was flowing through it.
"Why is there blood...? First, let's go upstream. We should find out what caused this. If it starts partway along the river, we can resolve the problem and drink from upstream."
"All right."
Arden nodded and guided his horse onward.
It seemed that the villages and cities did not yet know that blood was flowing through the river.
If they had noticed, they would have sent someone to investigate long ago.
That was why Arden and Derek were the only people who could resolve this situation now.
CLIP-CLOP, CLIP-CLOP....
The two traveled along the river without resting.
Along the way, Arden's horse became thirsty, so he gave it all the water he had left.
He could not make it drink the river water mixed with blood.
Because of that, Arden did not eat any jerky even though he was hungry.
If he became thirsty while eating, he would have nothing to drink.
After traveling farther, Derek spoke.
Something was beginning to come into view.
"I think it is over there. The blood is getting thicker."
"I think so too."
Even Arden could tell at a glance.
What could have died to cause something like this?
The closer they came to the end, the more his curiosity grew.
Before long, Arden and Derek found the source of the bloody water.
"......"
An enormous mountain of corpses made solely of wolves was blocking the river.
Arden grimaced.
Derek let out a deep sigh after him.
"It seems something happened."
Arden quietly nodded, got off his horse, and approached the corpses.
Every one of them had died with its belly badly bitten open.
It looked as though they had each been torn apart in a single bite.
Had a monster that survived on the Snow Mountain come down here?
Or was there something else?
Since he had not seen it himself, he could not know.
"What kind of creature did this...? It does not seem to be on the level of a wild animal."
Even Derek, who had worked as a hunter for a long time, did not seem to know.
It could not be helped, since a monster seemed to have done it.
"Hm...."
Arden stared at the mountain of corpses for a long time.
"......!"
Then he remembered the conversation he had had before leaving the city.
Dylan had said that he needed to stay longer because he had something to do.
Could that task be related to this?
He could not be sure, but he had a feeling it was.
While Arden continued his thoughts, Derek came closer.
"I do not think this is something we can resolve on our own. It will take a long time to clear that mountain of corpses, and the thing that caused this may attack us in the meantime, would it not?"
"That could be true."
Arden nodded in agreement.
"It cannot be helped, but let us leave it as it is for now. I will go to a nearby city, so you hurry to Prelia. It does not seem you will come to any good by getting involved."
Derek did not want Arden, who had only recently left the orphanage, to become involved in something like this.
He wanted Arden to leave for the task he needed to do.
Understanding Derek's concern, Arden answered.
"All right. I'll go right away. And... if you reach the city, you should look for Dylan or Kane immediately."
"Who are those two? Could they be...?"
"Yes."
"Are they really the people from the Snow Mountain?"
Derek asked in surprise.
Arden nodded and continued.
"Yes. They're still in the city even after finishing things at the Snow Mountain. It seems this is why, so if you tell them, they'll move quickly."
"Ah, I understand. This... I have heard something important."
"It isn't that important. The people in the city know too. If you ask, they'll probably tell you where they are."
"I see. It seems they have stayed there for a long time."
"Probably?"
"Thank you for telling me. Travel carefully to Prelia."
"You be careful too, Derek."
Derek answered with a broad smile.
"I had an enjoyable day. If we can meet again, let us do so."
Derek mounted his horse, passed the mountain of corpses, and went farther upstream. There, he drank some water.
Then, as he passed Arden, he called out in a drawn-out voice.
"The water is clean, so drink over there—!"
Arden smirked and led his horse upstream.
As Derek had said, the water flowing down from above was clean.
After letting his horse loose nearby and taking a drink himself, Arden headed toward the mountain of wolf corpses.
"Let's do this."
In truth, Arden was not the type to leave simply because someone told him to.
If he left things as they were, he did not know what would happen to the cities and villages that drew drinking water from this river.
They might have no choice but to drink it because of a lack of water and fall ill.
"First...."
Arden lightly shook out his hands, stepped onto the wolf corpses, and threw the one at the very top out of the river.
Because so much of it had been eaten, it was lighter than he had expected.
THUD!
THUMP!
***
After working for a long time, Arden grew hungry and sat on the corpses, wiping away sweat.
"Hoo."
There were more corpses than had appeared from the outside, so it was taking a long time.
The sun had not only risen to its peak but had begun to tilt slightly.
After confirming that, Arden took out the jerky he had put in his pocket and chewed it.
What on earth was it made from?
It was sweet and spicy, and far more delicious than any jerky he had ever eaten.
After finishing the rest of the jerky, Arden stood up.
"I need to keep going."
He washed his hands in the river, which had become somewhat clearer, and began clearing away the wolf corpses again.
He would have to dig into the earth later as well, so he had no time to rest.
He had heard that if corpses were not buried properly, a Thoughtform could occasionally take root in them and become troublesome.
NEIGH—!
Then it happened.
The horse Arden had let loose by the water ran toward him.
It had not behaved this way even when the wolf corpses were there, so Arden turned his head in confusion.
"......"
At the same time, he saw something black walking out of the forest.
It was a Chimera.
A monster made from all kinds of animals fused together, a creature said to be created only by highly accomplished Black Mages.
The Chimera before him looked similar to a White Tiger, but it was three times larger. A black snake dripping greenish poison was attached to its tail. Its legs were a mismatched combination of bears, wolves, and other creatures, making a total of eight.
It had a grotesque appearance.
That was not all.
Since the Chimera's body was made of corpses, an intense rotten stench drifted from it.
Arden grimaced and muttered.
"Something like that is here...."
So that was why the two of them had not left.
Thinking that, Arden threw the final wolf corpse out of the river.
He washed off the blood in the river, which could now be called clean, and approached his horse.
"You stay over there."
Arden patted the horse's head and pointed toward the other side.
As though it understood, the horse gave a quiet whinny and crossed the river.
It even moved a little farther away.
Arden nodded in satisfaction and drew his sword.
SHHNK—!
For some reason, it seemed sharper than before.
Had someone sharpened it while he was unconscious?
After silently looking at the blade, Arden shifted his gaze ahead.
RAAAAAAAR!
The Chimera opened its jaws wide and howled.
Flesh stuck to its teeth fell away.
An even stronger stench stabbed into Arden's nose.
It was a smell unlike anything he had encountered even while fighting on the Snow Mountain.
"......"
Arden frowned, gripped his sword tightly, and stepped out of the river.
The creature also did not take its gaze off Arden as it slowly approached.
An uneasy silence filled the forest.
The Chimera shattered it and charged.
THUD!
THUD!
The forest shook with every step it took.
Leaves barely clinging to the trees fell in clusters.
The winter birds had likely fled long ago, and no sound could be heard.
"Hoo...."
In that situation, Arden did not move.
He only stood still with his sword in hand until the creature came closer.
RAAAAAH!
When the Chimera, its jaws gaping wide, came right before him—
Arden awakened something within his heart.
Just as he had on the Snow Mountain.
It was possible because the sensation still remained.
WHOOOOOM....
In an instant, pure-white light covered his entire body.
His body slowly began to heat up.
It felt as though the foul stench coming from the creature had weakened slightly.
"Good."
Arden concentrated the light over his entire sword.
WHOOOOOM—!
The sword trembled violently.
After taking a deep breath, Arden slashed horizontally through the Chimera's gaping jaws.
SHHHRK—!
That was not all. He cut its body in half.
The thing wrapped around his sword felt similar to Divine Power, allowing him to deal with it without much effort.
THUD—!
The Chimera, split in half, fell past Arden.
Then the corpses of the different animals bound together by Black Magic came apart.
It seemed far more creatures had been combined than was visible from the outside.
"The Black Mage must be somewhere nearby too."
Arden shifted his gaze to the area from which the Chimera had emerged.
He needed to check over there first.
Waiting until the two arrived carried too much risk.
If the Black Mage was there, he did not know what they might do in the meantime.
"Let's go."
Arden called the horse from across the river, mounted it, and headed into the forest.
***
First floor of the restaurant.
The interior was bustling with people gathered for lunch.
"......!"
Just as Berua lifted a spoonful of soup and was about to tear off some bread, her eyes widened.
The message scroll she kept in her pocket so she could receive contact at any time had begun to vibrate.
There was only one thing that indicated.
THUD.
Berua's expression hardened as she set down her spoon.
She took out the letter she had kept in her pocket and checked its contents.
[Marc Forest — Black Magic Detected]
"Sir Dylan, Black Magic has just been detected."
At those words, Dylan wiped his mouth with one hand and hurriedly asked,
"Where is it?"
"It is not far. It is a location we can reach within two days. I will accompany you as well."
Dylan nodded and spoke to Kane, who sat beside him.
"Understood. Kane, we are leaving immediately, so prepare yourself. By the way, why are you not saying anything?"
As Dylan said, Kane remained still.
The reason was nothing special.
After meeting the High Priest, Kane had thought Berua would be the same.
No, he had been certain of it.
That was why he had avoided conversation.
After hesitating for a moment, Kane opened his mouth.
"Ah... Captain. We haven't even recovered completely yet. Can't we rest a little longer?"
"Do not talk nonsense. And have your bones not almost completely mended by now?"
"...Hm. You noticed?"
Kane turned his head and rose.
"Hoo, right. We have to do our work. Let's go, Captain."
"Then, Saintess Candidate, once we are fully prepared, we will see you again at the stable."
Dylan spoke as he stood up.
Berua nodded.
"All right."
The two left the restaurant, leaving Berua behind.
After watching them disappear through the window, Berua took a large bite from the bread on her plate.
"Ahh."
She had struggled so much to tear it apart carefully until now.
It was all because of strange etiquette.
Could she not live more comfortably?
Thinking that, Berua brushed away the crumbs and looked around.
"Nice."
She smiled and took another bite of bread.
No one was looking at her.
Thanks to that, she could pick up the bowl and drink the soup instead of carefully taking spoonfuls.
"This is much more comfortable."
Only after drinking all the soup did Berua set down the bowl, place a gold coin on the table, and leave.