Iris Lune soared through the air above a silvery land illuminated by the morning sun.
Beside her was Derek, who she’d made float with magic.
His limbs had been ground down to the roots, and the wounds were sealed with magic, making him look like a grotesque statue. The sleeves and pant legs of his winter clothes flapped emptily.
He seemed to have already lost his sanity, his eyes glazed over, but Iris Lune periodically “jolted” him to prevent him from escaping into a blissful world.
“So, about the big boss’s next emergency escape destination, it’s okay to assume that the three ‘bodyguards’ know about it, right?”
Along the way (though she wasn’t sure if it was appropriate to call it that while flying), Iris Lune had been listening to Derek’s explanation of the Night Python organization and the details of their headquarters. However, when she glanced to the side, Derek was staring blankly at the ground.
“…”
“Your answer is slow.”
“Gyaaaaaaaaaaa!!”
Iris Lune grabbed Derek’s hair, pulled his face up, and thrust a needle into his mouth. Blood dripped from Derek’s mouth. He writhed like a caterpillar flailing in the air, but his body, suspended by magic, continued to fly mercilessly alongside Iris Lune.
“Answer my questions immediately and accurately.”
“Y-yes!”
“Hmph, making such a fuss over two or three needles. I took 100 of those a day.”
Spitting out the words, Iris Lune looked forward.
Hills, mountains, and forests obscured the path ahead, but at this speed, she would probably reach Wesala, the capital city of Duke Gerald’s territory, before sunset.
“–But it’s not as fast as I thought… I mean, it’s just plain hard to steer.”
Currently, Iris Lune was flying with her appearance and presence erased, protecting herself from the cold and wind pressure with magic. The reason she couldn’t increase her speed in this situation was simply that her piloting skills weren’t up to par. It was a matter of technique, not magical power. When she had tried to fly at maximum speed, she’d lost control, gone into a spin, and almost thrown up (Derek did throw up). If she wasn’t careful, she could even crash. So now she was flying at a reduced speed. She didn’t know the exact speed, but it was probably about the same as a car.
“–Even so, I’m moving at a speed that’s impossible by the standards of this world. I’m ignoring roads and terrain. If the big boss senses something, I think the response will be too late… that is what I will believe.”
The two unidentified flying objects continued to fly straight ahead like released arrows.
The three members of “Dragon’s Throat” emerged from the old road and arrived at the town of Tees at dawn.
Tees, the capital city of Marquis Arawen’s territory, was a city about one size larger than Erutaref. The three rushed into the adventurer’s guild branch, which was open 24 hours a day, borrowed a map, and spread it out on a table.
“It’s definitely heading in this direction… straight towards Wesala, the capital city of Duke Gerald’s territory. At this speed, they’ll arrive in the evening.”
Diana confirmed, overlaying the results of her detection with the crest on her chest onto the map. Magic that detects position often gives a sense of distance and direction. At least, Diana’s crest was of that type. If the target was in a place she was unfamiliar with, she needed to combine it with a map to know the exact location and destination.
Hearing Diana’s words, both Benedict and Hugh tilted their heads.
“…Why Wesala?”
“I don’t know, but it’s definitely related to Night Python, isn’t it? I heard that’s where their headquarters are.”
“Iris’s reaction is the same, right?”
“…Yeah. The reaction from the crest and Iris’s reaction were always in the same place. It’s safe to assume that it hasn’t changed.”
Diana chose her words carefully. There was a possibility that “Iris’s reaction” and “the reaction of the person who killed Night Python” were the same entity. It was a possibility she didn’t want to think about.
After that explosion, Iris’s reaction had stopped in one place for a while. However, just as they thought they had closed the distance, it started moving at an incredible speed and escaped. It was moving faster than even a Wendigo, straight ahead, ignoring the roads. Diana speculated that it had “started flying through the air with magic,” and the other two agreed.
But why was “the person who killed Night Python” moving to Wesala? If it was someone other than Iris, why was it accompanied by Iris? They didn’t know. What was certain was that an incomprehensible and disturbing situation was occurring, and that Iris was caught up in it.
“What are we going to do? There’s no way we can chase something like that. It’s faster than a Wendigo, and it’s flying straight ahead, ignoring the roads.”
As if venting his frustration on something, Hugh lamented dramatically. But even then, Diana continued to stare at the map, and eventually said quietly.
“…There’s a Hippogriff service from this town.”
“Hey, don’t tell me…”
“If we sell three trained Wendigos, we should be able to charter a one-way trip. Luckily, the weather is good today.”
Hugh, who reflexively looked out the window, saw a black shadow cross his field of vision. A giant figure spreading its wings in the blue sky… a magical beast with the wings and head of an eagle and the body of a horse. A Hippogriff.
Hippogriffs were high-class riding beasts used in all regions. Among the magical beasts that fly, they are outstanding in their ease of domestication and their strength despite that. They have a wide range of uses. Of course, they are used for military purposes, and ambitious and active wealthy people own Hippogriffs as personal vehicles, which is a status symbol. They were also used to transport goods, although the rewards were exorbitant.
The Marquisate of Arawen, with its wide, flat pastures, is a base for supplying warhorses and riding beasts to the kingdom of Ciel-Terra. Hippogriffs eat meat, especially horse meat, rather than grass, but they have no trouble finding food here. And the transportation guild in Tees naturally had the means for air transport. However, they usually only transport goods, and transporting people should be outside their specialty.
“That’s ridiculous. Are you telling me to use a hanging cage to transport us!?”
“I heard they can carry a load of just over 200 kg. If we take breaks, shouldn’t they be able to carry the three of us?”
“It’s not a question of whether they can carry us or not…”
“At this speed, we can probably catch up. And if we don’t chase them now, they might go to a place where even my Combat Stigmata can’t follow. Wesala isn’t necessarily their final destination.”
“Daaah, fine! Whatever!”
Hugh slammed his fist on the table in a manner suggesting resignation, and an adventurer who had come early in the morning to look for quest requests glanced at the three of them, wondering what was going on.
“…Is it okay, Benedict?”
“Yeah. I think I’ll bet on that hand too.”
Benedict also nodded in response to Hugh’s question, which was like a confirmation. And he immediately stood up.
“I’m going to negotiate with the transportation guild. Hugh, please arrange the sale of the Wendigos.”
“It’s a sudden request, so I’ll try to get the highest price possible, but don’t complain if they lowball us! Or rather, wouldn’t it be better to contact the transportation guild first? They use Wendigos too, right?”
“Right, then let’s go together first. Diana, please get ready in the meantime. I don’t think you can withstand that thing by normal means. Find potions or magic items, and prepare for a reckless journey.”
“Got it.”
“Think of a way to recover our strength too. We haven’t slept at all.”
The three of them listed the things they needed to do and started to move to solve them by sharing the tasks. Adventurers are, by definition, those who travel on paths without roads. No matter how reckless it may seem, once they decide to do something, they just need to act. That’s what good adventurers are.
“And I want to ask the communications bureau to report the current situation to the Count. Then, have him contact Duke Gerald’s territory and ask for their cooperation.”
“Will they cooperate?”
However, Diana questioned Benedict’s proposal.
“Well, if they’re heading to Wesala, they could catch them if they wait for them there. But how does Duke Gerald, who is a member of the King’s Brother faction, feel about Count Kealy…”
Dragon’s Throat is a party that is close to Oswald, but they don’t have enough influence to talk to any lord. In fact, there are only a handful of adventurers who do. Whether it’s a request for cooperation in the investigation or a warning to ‘be careful,’ they probably won’t even listen unless it comes through Oswald’s mouth. But that would bring the conflict in the upper echelons into question. They can only speculate on how bad the relationship between Count Kealy and Duke Gerald is (it can’t be good), but it’s hard to imagine that they would be willing to move on such an incomprehensible request.
“Maybe, but it’s still better to say something. It’s a warning in form.”
“That’s true… but we still have to chase them. We’re the ones who can act for Iris. We’re the ones who can act for Iris.”
“Well, yeah, that’s true.”
Diana looked like her head was a little confused from worrying about so many things.
When a servant brought a message from the communications bureau to Oswald in the lord’s office, Catherine arrived as if chasing after it.
“Father…”
“Catherine.”
“Iris? What happened to her?”
Catherine looked exhausted. She hadn’t slept last night, and her face was etched with fatigue.
“…I don’t know. At least she doesn’t seem to be dead…”
The report from “Dragon’s Throat” was like grasping at clouds, but it was certain that something extraordinary was happening.
Hearing Oswald’s words, Catherine clung to him. Catherine, who had learned to behave perfectly as a “little lady” despite her age, raised her voice, unable to control her emotions.
“Please, Father! Save Iris! …I haven’t heard her answer yet, whether she will be my friend!”
Her gray and crimson eyes were wet with tears as she looked up at Oswald.
Oswald was a little surprised. He had somehow known that Catherine didn’t seem to like Iris very much, but suddenly she said she wanted to take some time to talk to her, and now this. He didn’t quite understand the “answer to whether she would be her friend,” but he thought it would be good if his daughter had made such an important person, and… He didn’t want the tragedy of losing someone she had just acquired to happen.
“I’ll do what I can. But, I don’t know what will happen.”
“Ah…!”
Holding her hands tightly together, Catherine prayed.