v3 Chapter 12: Spring Plains
“If it's just for dinner, the smallest lizards are enough, you know,” Shouko grumbled.
“True enough,” Haru nodded in agreement.
Although they were proceeding along the grasslands, there were many hills, some rocky and rugged, so they encountered various monsters, not just those specific to the plains.
Shouko understood she needed to improve her hunting skills, but she still didn't particularly enjoy hunting itself, so complaints tended to slip out.
Led by Falco and Leon, Shouko and Haru were learning how to fight different types of monsters one by one. They were already fine with the yellowish-brown Winged Great Lizards common in the grasslands, even those half their size, as they had hunted them before.
However, along the road through the grasslands leading to the Plains, they encountered several monsters they had never seen before. The most impressive among them was the Aohane Saurus. It was over two meters long and flew through the air. Its dark blue body could easily be mistaken for rock when still, and once airborne, its wings, translucent in the sun, blended with the sky, making it a troublesome foe. The only saving grace was that it always acted alone.
The first time they saw one, it looked just like a rock on a hill.
“Shouko, keep a close eye on that thing that looks like a rock,” Falco instructed.
Glancing over as he said that, she saw it was indeed darker than the surrounding rocks. Eventually, perhaps sensing their presence, it slowly uncurled its body and spread its blue wings.
“Beautiful...” Shouko breathed in admiration.
However, Falco just gave a single, sharp command. “Incoming.”
Just as he said, it glided down from the middle of the hill, heading straight towards them.
“Meeting it head-on, you'll be overpowered. Standard tactic is to bring it to the ground first.”
Simultaneously with Falco's words, Leon grabbed Shouko and quickly sidestepped several paces.
“This is the one that attacked Lyla-san...”
“Rather than attacked,” Leon calmly replied to Shouko's murmur, “it's probably more accurate to say it lunged, and its sharp claws caught her accidentally, tearing into her.”
“Monsters, big or small, are generally bad at fine movements. When that monster took off from the hill, it targeted Falco. It's almost unheard of for them to change direction mid-air to switch targets.”
Falco stood silently, sword ready. Haru, also slightly offset, prepared to unleash fire magic at any moment.
As Shouko was about to cry out “Dangerous!”, Leon calmly instructed her.
“Shouko, you can use magic too, but switching between magic and sword instantly is difficult. Watch carefully how Falco handles this as a swordsman.”
When the Aohane Saurus drew within a certain range, Falco suddenly sidestepped and swung his sword at it. The monster, wounded in the wing, lost its balance and crashed heavily to the ground with a scraping sound. Before the monster could regain its posture, Falco closed in and delivered the finishing blow.
“Amazing...”
“Well, he's a skilled hunter,” Leon said, slightly proud.
Falco strode back towards them.
“So that's how it's done. Next time we see an Aohane Saurus, Shouko, you do it.”
“He really is this kind of person...”
Falco, who had told her to handle slimes right after they met, left her a sword without explanation and went off, had always been this way. What did he mean, “So that's how it's done”? He hadn't explained anything. He was utterly unsuited to being a teacher.
While living this spartan life, the changing seasons felt faster than usual for the group heading south along the road to the Plains. Though they had set out at the beginning of spring, the grasslands rapidly grew greener, and the wind grew warmer before their eyes.
“The monsters really have decreased,” Shouko murmured, glancing around casually. This was about two weeks after their departure, when they were nearing the entrance to the Plains proper.
This area was still Deep Forest territory, but there wasn't much that could be called a forest, and farmland had become more prevalent. However, to their left, the east, soared a considerably high mountain range, separating the Deep Forest from the Plains. To enter the Plains from the Deep Forest, one had to pass near Iwadou on the western side.
“If this central mountain range wasn't here, I think there'd be more interaction between the territories,” Leon mused.
“True enough,” Falco agreed. “Getting to Iwadou or the Lakes is tough, but going to the Plains is also a hassle.”
“But,” the High Priest added, “because these mountains exist, monsters originating in Iwadou or the Deep Forest rarely reach the Plains, so it must be a good thing for the Plains. Plus, thanks to these mountains, water is abundant.”
Falco, Leon, and the High Priest were talking. As for Shouko, she was simply gazing in admiration at the grand mountain range, still capped with snow. The Deep Forest had many mountains too, and the Lakes' academy city was in a basin surrounded by mountains, but none were this high.
“I wonder if people climb these mountains to gather mushrooms or nuts,” Shouko wondered aloud.
“Is that what you're thinking about?” Leon immediately retorted.
“Of course they do,” the High Priest informed them, though a little uncertainly. “Come to think of it, the next town we stop at is the last in Deep Forest territory, and I believe it was a production center for dried mushrooms and nuts.”
Shouko's and Haru's eyes lit up. Mushrooms were sold in the Northern Town, of course, but buying them directly at the source was best. Plus, they might be able to get chestnuts and the like cheaply! However, Shouko suddenly realized something.
“But wait! The Northern Forest has lots of monsters, and the rocky areas have plenty too. Then shouldn't this mountain range be a place where massive monster outbreaks could easily occur?”
That was certainly true. Yet, in reality, monsters decreased as they approached the mountains, and they reportedly didn't appear on the Plains side either.
“That is the mystery,” Sain explained. “For some reason, monsters rarely appear in this central mountain range. That's why even non-hunters can enter the mountains and obtain their bounty. For that reason, they are called the Mountains of the Goddess's Mercy. However, just as monsters don't appear, medicinal herbs also don't grow there.”
Hearing this, Shouko wrinkled her nose. Haru giggled beside her. Shouko had been dropped near Falco, but if he hadn't happened to find her, she would have frozen to death. Haru, dropped in front of the Magic Academy, wasn't even given a proper caretaker. In other words, for Shouko, the goddess wasn't someone particularly worthy of praise, nor did she believe she possessed any mercy.
Nevertheless, upon entering the town and obtaining large quantities of dried mushrooms, nuts like chestnuts, and rare herbs, Shouko's mood improved. Whether the reason was the Goddess's mercy or not, if delicious things were available, that was good enough.
After leaving that town, they would enter the Plains the next day. Driving the wagon along the mountain range visible to their left, she looked to her right and saw the grasslands stretching out, though the passage seemed narrow.
“Is this the only place to enter the grasslands?”
“From the Deep Forest, yes,” Leon confirmed. “That's why, see? There's a lot of wagon traffic, right?”
Even without Leon pointing it out, they had passed numerous wagons recently.
“But... I don't like this place,” Haru said suddenly.
“Haru? What's wrong?”
It was unusual for Haru to start saying such things.
“Listen, Shouko. Positioning is crucial when fighting monsters.”
“Eh?”
Shouko was a little surprised, but Haru wasn't just the gentle girl she appeared to be. In the Lakes, she had been forced to stand at the front lines, facing monsters for nearly two years as a magician. She had been brought to the Deep Forest because she was weakened, but she had always maintained a strict perspective on how to protect oneself and fight.
“A few monsters are fine. Maybe even something like the Winged Great Lizard migration the other day could be managed if there were enough hunters. But what if even larger monsters, in much greater numbers, surged through all at once? This narrow passage... I think it's dangerous for the Plains, which lacks sufficient preparation.”
“Haru, you...”
Not just Leon, but Falco and the High Priest too, looked at Haru, startled. Because the exact kind of disaster Haru described had indeed happened there in the distant past.
