Chapter 12 - The Presence Deep in the Forest
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“I didn’t expect to find one of those things this close to the surface.”
“Yeah. It’s definitely not normal.”
Hidden in the shadow of a tree, we observed the monster that had taken up residence near the stream flowing through the forest.
This place was relatively close to Marhas, and a popular fishing spot for villagers. Seeing something like that calmly drinking water here sent a chill down my spine.
“What should we do?”
“Obviously, we take it down. Monster materials fetch a good price.”
Rolo nodded at my reply and cast enhancement magic on me.
Once the spell took effect, I leapt forward in a single bound—raising my mace against the bear-like monster.
“Graugh!?”
Maybe it was distracted, or just caught off guard. The monster shrieked in surprise as my ambush sent it flying. It bounced once, twice, then crashed into a tree trunk—no longer moving.
“You and your ridiculous strength, Yulg.”
“Was that supposed to be a compliment?”
“Of course it was.”
Fimia smiled cheerfully as she patted me on the shoulder. Not every day a “Saint” acts so casual.
“Still, seeing a Grayback Bear out here is serious business.”
“Yeah. It was the right call to warn the villagers.”
“And to run into something like this right at the start of the survey—what a great omen…”
I sighed as I glanced at the unmoving Grayback Bear.
This beast, over two meters long, was a ferocious creature that lived deep in the forest—within true monster territory.
Like the Vampire Goat from the other day, it was definitely not something that should be wandering close to people.
Its appearance alone would usually warrant a subjugation party dispatched by the Adventurer’s Guild.
“Since we’ve got a river nearby, let’s bleed it out here and butcher it. We can sell the pelt and eat the meat. Not that it tastes great.”
“Some ginger or pepper would help.”
“Hah, Fimia. Didn’t think you knew stuff like that.”
Surprising, considering she was a noble lady. Then again, I don’t actually know much about her.
She’s a beautiful woman, and even someone like Albert would probably be a little smitten—but I can’t bring myself to feel that way. Sometimes she gives me these sharp, evaluating glances, and they’re a bit unsettling.
“Is something wrong, Yulg?”
“Nah, it’s nothing—…!”
I stopped mid-sentence and gave a hand signal to alert them. Maybe we’d let our guard down too much, just because we knew this place.
“…”
The forest was too quiet. Normally, you’d hear animals or birds somewhere, but now there was only the gentle babbling of the stream. Even the insects that usually crawled around seemed to be holding their breath.
“This presence… isn’t good. It’s not close, but not far enough to ignore either.”
“Yeah. It’s the kind of presence that makes your legs freeze. You think it’s directed at us?”
Rolo and I both looked deeper into the forest. Fimia didn’t seem to feel it as strongly, but she sensed something was off and stayed silent.
“If we don’t confirm what it is, we can’t even file a report to the Guild… I’ll go check it out.”
“Wait—Yulg.”
“Hm?”
Just as I was about to take off, Rolo grabbed my arm and shook his head.
“Don’t do anything reckless.”
“I might push it, but I won’t be stupid about it. Scouting ahead is my job.”
“But when you scout, you always end up fighting whatever you find.”
Rolo’s pointed remark made me chuckle dryly. He wasn’t wrong. I had a long track record of that kind of thing. Still, with Fimia here, I could get away with a little more recklessness. Besides, if we didn’t confirm this, we couldn’t even request an investigation team from the Guild.
“This time, I’m just checking. I’ll come back.”
“Promise?”
“Promise. I’ll come back, no problem.”
After a brief pause, the strength in Rolo’s grip weakened. Looks like I won this round of stubbornness.
“Fimia, sorry, but I need enhancement spells.”
“…”
“Fimia?”
“Oh, sorry. I was thinking about what kind of monster it might be.”
Her expression seemed a bit slacked for that, but she’s always been like this. I didn’t bother to question it anymore.
“Right, enhancement magic. Let’s see… protection, arrow deflection, poison resistance, and fire resistance. That should cover it.”
“Efficient as ever.”
“It’s the least to keep you alive from your own recklessness.”
Cleaning up after my messes had always been Fimia’s job. Apparently, it’s become a habit to prepare in case of accidents.
“Alright, I’m off. Be good and wait here.”
I ruffled my still-unsatisfied best friend’s hair and then took off at full speed. In the old days of Silhaster, I had been the one in charge of scouting. At first, Rolo and I did it together, but over time, I started doing it alone—because it was more efficient that way.
Our party’s style matched mine: I’d be fully buffed and act as both scout and shock trooper. If needed, I could launch a preemptive strike and eliminate threats, minimizing the risk to others.
…Of course, just like now, Rolo never really liked that plan.
“Alright, where is it?”
Muttering to myself, I raced through the untamed forest. I did my best to avoid other monsters, but even then, they were everywhere. Some of them definitely shouldn’t be this close to the edge.
As I scanned my surroundings, I suddenly slammed into a wall of thick, oppressive bloodlust. It was the same presence from before.
“…”
Climbing up a thick tree without making a sound, I scanned the forest carefully. It had been a while since I did pure recon instead of a forced recon-assault.
It felt… oddly refreshing. And what I saw next proved that I had made the right call.
“That’s Scarr…!”
The name escaped my lips before I could stop it. That was the title listed on the Special Subjugation Request that had been posted at the Adventurer’s Guild for years.
It was a Manticore, and not just any manticore, it was a specially “Named” monster said to have led a rampaging horde of monsters in a Stampede and wiped out an entire fortress of a certain kingdom.
And now, it was walking leisurely through the forest.
