“Would you mind telling me everything in detail?”

The man who entered the room introduced himself as Curtis, the guild master. He looked quite old with his white hair and beard, but his sturdy build and muscular frame gave off an imposing presence.

Sitting beside him was the same guild staff member from earlier. After setting out four cups of tea, they took out writing materials, fully prepared to take notes.

“...And that’s how it is.”

I explained everything once again, just as I had at the counter earlier.

“Hmm...”

The guild master stroked his beard, lost in thought.

“Do you recall the direction and approximate distance?”

“It was directly in front of the cape’s tip, so I’d say due south. I’m not sure about the distance.”

“I see... It sounds like it warrants an investigation, but it may be a bit far.”

I hadn’t paid enough attention to use enhanced vision or extend my detection skills to pinpoint the location.

“Why don’t you take on this investigation request yourselves?”

“Huh? You mean us?”

We were newcomers to this town, even as C-rank adventurers. I didn’t expect the guild to place that much trust in us, but did that mean a C-rank adventurer held that much value here?

“That’s right. You discovered the anomaly yourselves, so wouldn’t you be curious to investigate it?”

“Well, yeah...”

“Of course, I’ll also issue the request to other parties. I have just the right group in mind.”

I turned to Rio, and without hesitation, she nodded.

“I think we should accept it.”

“Alright, then let’s take it.”

“Great. I’ll classify it as a special request. Since you’ll need a ship, come back to the guild tomorrow.”

Oh, right, it was an investigation at sea.

“We won’t need a ship.”

“Yeah. We’re heading there now.”

“Huh? But it’s over the sea. Don’t tell me you have your own boat?”

Ah, of course, he wouldn’t expect us to be able to fly.

“Well, we have a way to get there, so don’t worry about it.”

“I... see. If you’re heading out now, I’ll have the request form issued immediately.”

“Understood.”

“Then I’m counting on you.”

With that, the guild master gave instructions to the staff member, and our meeting concluded.

After having lunch, we returned to the guild, where our request form was already prepared.

“Are you absolutely sure you don’t need a ship?”

“Yes, we’ll be back by this evening.”

Smiling wryly at the staff’s insistence, I accepted the request at the counter, and we left for the investigation. We decided to start from the cape again, hoping to find a quiet spot. However, when we arrived, two adventurers were already there.

“What the hell is that...?”

“Yeah... I can see a shadow...”

Looks like they overheard the guild discussions.

“What do you think, Shu?”

“Well... I don’t mind if they see. If anything, having witnesses prove we don’t need a ship might actually be useful.”

“Ahaha. Then let’s go boldly.”

We approached the adventurers, walked past them, and headed straight for the cliff’s edge.

“You guys came to check out the rumored island too?”

“No, we’re actually investigating it.”

“Oh, so there’s already an official request?”

“Yep.”

“Good luck, then.”

They casually waved us off, and we returned a nod.

“Alright, we’re off.”

We lifted off from the cliffside.

After confirming that Rio was also airborne, we exchanged a nod.

“Huh?”

“What?”

Leaving behind their stunned reactions, we accelerated toward the island. Nir leapt into the sky, following close behind.

We weren’t flying at full speed, but after about five minutes, the island became clearer. However—

“We’ve come pretty far out, but... how far is the horizon supposed to be?”

Pausing midair, I turned to Rio.

“I’m not sure. Isn’t the horizon’s distance dependent on the size of the planet?”

“Oh yeah, good point...”

Looking back, the mainland was barely visible. Only the cape remained in sight. Thanks to my spatial magic, we had marked coordinates, so we wouldn’t get lost, but in the open sea, losing one’s sense of direction would be terrifying.

“Still... is that really an island?”

“...It doesn’t feel like one.”

“Grrrr...”

“Nir is on guard.”

“If it’s not an island... could it be a monster?”

“No way... that’d be too big, right?”

Trying to appraise it, I got no response—probably still too far. Using enhanced vision, I saw what looked like jagged rock formations, nothing that screamed "monster."

Expanding my detection range—

“—!?”

“What’s wrong?”

“...The entire island is giving off a monster’s presence.”

“Huh? Wait, you mean there are a lot of monsters on the island?”

“No...”

There were some scattered monster presences, nothing unusual for an uninhabited island.

However—

“The whole island itself feels like one giant monster.”

Rio’s sharp intake of breath told me she understood the implications.

“Judging from its presence... it might be stronger than the Earth Dragon we fought before.”