“A magical beast, perhaps?”

Klaha whispered cautiously, her voice hushed as she stared in the same direction as Ziel.

In response, Ziel—

“—Yeah. I don’t think there are any particularly strong ones around here, but…”

Be careful, he warned her.

Wild magical beasts were generally not very strong.

Unlike those found in labyrinths or magical energy hotspots, they did not receive a steady supply of magic.

Thus, under normal circumstances, there was no need for excessive caution.

However, the two of them were well aware of wild but powerful magical beasts—the Apocryphal Beasts, remnants of the Vanquished King’s minions.

For that reason, they exercised far greater vigilance than an average adventurer or traveler would.

“…May I take the lead?”

“Hm,”

Ziel hesitated for just a moment at Klaha’s suggestion before—

“Yeah, let's give you some experience. I'll back you up from behind. Stay sharp.”

“Understood…!”

Her determination was palpable.

Klaha unsheathed her sword. As she advanced one, then two steps, Ziel couldn't help but widen his eyes slightly at the impeccable precision in her movements.

Her positioning was flawless.

She stood at just the right distance, ready to either press forward or retreat the moment something emerged from the bushes.

Softly, she chanted.

“—〈Blow〉”

Still holding her stance, she cast a brief spell, sending a slight gust forward as if to announce her presence.

Rustling.

From the thicket, something appeared.

“—A… tanuki?”

A plump, stubby creature covered in grayish-brown fur.

Not a magical beast, just an ordinary wild animal with a dopey expression.

It popped its head out—

Just as Klaha, relieved, began to relax her shoulders.

“GWOAAAAAH!!”

“—!?”

Another one.

From the shadows of the grass, it appeared.

“A bear—”

A magical beast.

It wasn’t just tall; it was huge. Both vertically and horizontally, its mass easily quadrupled Klaha’s.

With a deafening roar, it raised its enormous claws overhead and lunged.

“—!”

Klaha dodged by shifting her weight forward and lowering her stance.

Into its blind spot.

She slipped beneath its chest, right into its belly.

“From here—!”

Yet, even as she stood before its unguarded body, Klaha did not immediately drive her sword into the beast.

Instead, she grabbed its side, pulled herself around like circling a pillar, and—

Seized its back.

A perfect opening.

Now she would strike.

Or so she intended.

“—Ah.”

But her blade—

It barely bit into the beast’s fur.

She tried to drive it in further, but the magical beast turned faster than she could press her attack.

In the end, she lost her grip, and her sword remained lodged in the beast's flesh as it reared back—

“—Yeah. Not bad.”

A sharp snap.

With a single stroke, Ziel’s sword severed the bear’s neck.

A burst of mist sprayed forth.

The telltale sign of a magical beast’s demise.

The massive body wavered—

Then crashed to the ground with a heavy thud, sending tremors through the earth. Birds took flight in panic from the surrounding trees.

Ziel calmly withdrew his sword from its back and held it out to Klaha.

“I-I'm so sorry…!”

“Nah, don’t worry! That magical beast was stronger than I expected. But overall, you did great.”

Hurriedly, Klaha accepted her sword.

Ziel asked, “You’re not hurt, right?”

She nodded. “No, I’m fine.”

“Good,” he smiled.

“Starting off with wind magic was a solid move. Attacks always come with openings, but that method lets you avoid breaking your stance, minimizing risk. And—hm?”

He paused mid-evaluation.

As if sensing something, he turned his gaze back toward the thicket.

“…Something’s still there.”

His eyes sharpened.

He remained poised, sword at the ready.

And as if to confirm his suspicion—

Crack, crack, crack.

The sound of snapping branches.

Something moving away, slowly.

“…Klaha, let me ask you something.”

“Y-Yes! What is it?”

“How strong would you say that bear was?”

For a moment, she hesitated.

Then, carefully choosing her words, she prefaced, “This is just my personal assessment, but—”

“…When the Apocryphal Beast〈Insto〉 attacked the city, and hordes of magical beasts swarmed in… this one would be just a step below those.”

Meaning—

A beast of the caliber typically assigned to A-rank adventurers.

Ziel rolled the massive corpse over.

There was no sign of an Apocryphal Beast’s mark.

“…So, how does it sound to you? A beast like this just wandering around?”

“If there’s a strong enough magical energy hotspot nearby, then maybe, but…”

Ziel glanced up at the sky.

The spring evening was shifting its hues to a deepening indigo-tinged violet.

Night would soon arrive.

And yet—

“—If we leave it alone, people are going to die. Klaha. I want to pursue it further. Can you support me?”

“Yes! Understood!”

The two of them advanced into the depths of the forest.

Before long, they found traces of the beast they were pursuing.

“…The surrounding plants are broken. It was here just moments ago.”

“It’s quite large. These tracks… no, it’s a trail. It’s a snake. As for its size…”

Klaha crouched down, examining the scattered branches, tree trunks broken near the roots, and the flattened vegetation that indicated something had slithered through.

From this, she deduced,

“If this is the head, then the tail should be around here.”

“…It’s huge. This thing could swallow two or three people my size whole.”

At Ziel’s words, Klaha nodded as well.

“Tracking it should be easy at this size.”

Leading the way, she began to move.

She was right.

The snake’s trail was clearly imprinted. Simply following it by foot was sufficient.

However, Klaha then spoke.

“…Ziel-san. May I run?”

“Yeah. That’s fine, but… what’s wrong?”

“It’s entered a bamboo grove… At this rate—no, it may have already reached the village.”

“…Understood. I’ll keep watch on the surroundings, so pick up the pace as much as you can.”

“Yes!”

Klaha nodded firmly and followed his instructions.

She pushed herself nearly to full speed as she pursued the beast’s trail.

She stopped just in time.

The terrain had leveled out. If they went any further, they would likely emerge into a human settlement.

There, she halted abruptly.

“What is it?”

“The trail ends here—”

Ziel, too, turned his gaze to where she was looking.

In the middle of the bamboo grove… the snake’s trail suddenly vanished.

He tried to deduce where it could have disappeared to.

But—

“Above—!”

He sensed it first.

A massive weight.

Something enormous coiled around several bamboo stalks, waiting for them overhead—

“Ssssshhhaaa!!”

It dropped down.

Klaha looked up.

But Ziel had already drawn his sword.

And even faster than that—

An arrow shot from the side, piercing straight through the snake’s head.

“…Eh?”

Before Klaha could even react, the arrow had already pinned the snake’s head to a bamboo stalk.

Venom dripped from its fangs, sizzling against the forest floor, creating smoking holes in the soil.

“…Where the hell is that coming from…”

Ziel muttered in exasperation.

He had already relaxed his grip on his sword.

In fact, he even sheathed it.

The beast had yet to dissolve into mist, indicating it was still alive.

“Ziel-san! We still need to finish it off—”

“No, it’s fine. I didn’t shoot it, but someone’s coming, full of energy.”

Since I didn’t do anything this time, I’ll let them have it, he murmured.

Right after he said that, Klaha heard it too.

Footsteps.

Rustling through the bamboo grove, something fast approached.

Listening carefully, Klaha could tell.

The sound came from two feet—

The stride suggested someone not particularly tall, a small-built person.

But before she could fully process that—

That person appeared before them.

“

They leapt.

A boy—his slightly long hair tied on the left side—burst forward right in front of them.

He wore a robe with wide sleeves, reminiscent of the Eastern lands.

From those sleeves peeked strange markings.

Effortlessly, he leapt to the height where the snake was pinned to the bamboo.

His arms, both marked with those mysterious symbols, wielded twin swords.

Arching his body back—

He swung them down.

“—!”

Lightning crackled.

Sparks flew—perhaps, in sheer brilliance, rivaling even Ziel’s explosive strikes.

Dozens of flashes in an instant.

When they faded—

What remained was the charred corpse of the serpent.

And—

“—You’ve powered up, Icca.”

“Right? As expected of Ziel-senpai, you get it!”

One of the disciples from the they were headed to.

The boy named Icca stood there, grinning from ear to ear.