Side Raus
The day after returning to Feel, Rebecca, Carol, and I went to the Hunter’s Guild to complete Carol’s hunter registration and check for any available quests.
It seemed the number of Wolf Species monsters had been increasing again, causing delays in the supply of Glass Boars and Horn Rabbits. So, we decided to take on a quest to hunt Wolf Species monsters and successfully completed it, while also hunting some Glass Boars.
Rebecca and I had both evolved to High Class, so we were eager to find out how strong we had become. I was quite surprised how much easier it was to hunt Glass Wolves now.
Camina, who’s in charge of the Wing Crest, seemed quite taken aback.
I was also asked about what family name I would take now that I had been promoted to G-rank Hunter. I had completely forgotten, but in any guild, upon reaching G-rank, you are permitted to use a family name. I was now eligible to do so. Rebecca, being an S-rank Hunter, couldn’t use a family name yet. However, since we were planning to marry eventually, she had decided not to use one even if she reached G-rank. As for me, since I was going to marry not only Rebecca but also Carol, I had to think carefully about what family name to choose.
“So, with that in mind, do you have any good name suggestions?”
That’s why, on the morning after we were invited to the flying island of Alka, I decided to consult everyone in the Union.
“I’d forgotten about that too,” said the Master.
“Me too. They evolved faster than I expected, and then I reached G-rank, so it just slipped my mind completely,” Carol added.
My two irresponsible masters. Well, it was true that I had evolved and reached G-rank sooner than expected, so I had also forgotten about it.
“It’s rather difficult. Changing your name is not something to be done lightly, and it’s a matter that affects not only your entire life but also your descendants. It’s natural to worry about it,” Mana said.
“And Carol will be marrying into your family, too,” Yuri added.
Mana and Yuri looked troubled. Some people apparently chose simple, everyday names. However, in my case, I was also marrying Lady Carol, who was of noble birth, so I couldn’t just pick a random name.
“We’ll think about it too, but could you give us some time? Of course, if you come up with a family name you’d like to use, Raus, we’ll prioritize that,” Mana said.
“Understood.”
It felt incredibly presumptuous to have princesses thinking about my family name.
“Putting the family name aside, I heard you defeated a Wind Wolf yesterday?” Mana asked.
“Ah, yes. It was a slightly larger individual than a normal Wind Wolf. They said if it had been left alone, it might have evolved into a Green Fang,” I replied.
A Wind Wolf is a B-R Rank Monster, and usually less than two meters tall. However, the one we defeated was nearly three meters long. When we brought it to the Hunter’s Guild, they concluded, much like the Evil Drake that Yamato and Prim defeated previously, that it was likely an individual on the verge of evolution.
“Is that so?” Yamato asked.
“It hasn’t even been just over two months since Black Fenrir and Green Fang were hunted, and something like that is already appearing?” Prim exclaimed.
“That suggests a strong suspicion of Demon Crystal usage. Perhaps the Wind Wolf you defeated, Raus, was a naturally evolved individual?” Mana inferred.
“Ah, that’s true,” I conceded.
Two months ago, Yamato and Prim had hunted disaster and abnormal species of Wolf Species, a G-C Rank Black Fenrir and an S-I Rank Green Fang, on the road from Prada Village to Feel. However, those monsters were apparently evolved using something called a Demon Crystal by Retisencia, so they were considered different from naturally evolved monsters. The Wind Wolf we defeated was larger than normal, leading to the speculation that it was a naturally evolving individual. However, Yamato and Prim couldn’t entirely dismiss the possibility of external influence. It was confusing that an abnormal species could be considered naturally evolved.
“As for the Boar Species, your brother and the others defeated a Grand Dick Boar about ten days ago. Considering that a Mud Boar was defeated by Prim, I think we’re likely safe on that front,” Mana stated.
“I think the other monsters are probably fine too, but the real problem is the Orcs, isn’t it?” Prim asked.
“Indeed,” I replied.
The abnormal species of Boar Species in this area are the Mud Boar and the Grand Dick Boar. Prim defeated the Mud Boar, and Emperor Reinhardt and his party dealt with the Grand Dick Boar when they visited Feel. It made sense that other monsters were likely safe, given that multiple abnormal and disaster species had been dealt with. However, with Orcs, we had no idea what was happening. This was due to the existence of the Demise Species Orc Emperor and Orc Empress, which were defeated in the Alliance a month ago. Demise Species are said to produce abnormal species, and as if to prove this, there were eight abnormal species and five disaster species in their settlement. Furthermore, Orc Princes and Orc Princesses had been defeated several times, making it impossible to identify any individuals that might have used Demon Crystals.
“There might still be Princes and Princesses, and we can’t rule out the existence of Kings and Queens either,” Mana said.
“Especially since Demise Species were present. I also heard that Holy Grave has defeated three abnormal species in the last month alone,” Yuri added.
“Ah, they also defeated an Orc Prince yesterday!” I recalled.
I learned this at the Hunter’s Guild when I met them there. While it was already impressive that they had seven High Class members, defeating a total of five Orc abnormal species in a month was extraordinary. They also mentioned that no one had been injured. However, the problem was that the Orc Prince defeated yesterday had descended from Maelight.
“Descended from Maelight? That’s a huge problem!” Yamato exclaimed.
“Absolutely. From what we heard, the number of Orcs was small, and with only twenty in total, it was probably just a migration to establish a new settlement,” Prim mused.
“That’s what they said at the Hunter’s Guild as well,” I confirmed.
It wasn’t limited to Orcs, but abnormal demi-human species usually lived alone. When multiple abnormal species were born, the younger ones were said to migrate to establish new settlements. Exceptions were made for mated pairs or Demise Species, but these were rare. These rare events had coincidentally occurred simultaneously a month ago.
“In that case, we should probably destroy any Orc settlements we find today as well,” Yamato decided.
“That seems to be the best course of action. I’m not thrilled about cleaning up Retisencia’s mess, though,” Prim muttered.
Yamato, Mana, and Ludia all nodded in agreement with Prim’s sentiment. I understood how they felt, but if we didn’t act, not only Feel but even Prada Village could be attacked. So, whether we liked it or not, we had to proceed. Or rather, we *had* to make sure it was done.
“Even if we search from the sky, Maelight doesn’t have a landing space large enough for Griffins, let alone Dragonians, does it?” Mana asked.
“It’s not that there isn’t one, but whether a settlement is close by is another matter,” Yamato replied.
Yamato and Prim informed me that there was a relatively large open area in the mountainous forests of Maelight. Therefore, it seemed that not only Jade and Fluorite, but also Athena and Eos in their dragon forms could land there. However, whether Orc settlements or Feather Drakes were nearby was a separate issue, making it a difficult decision.
“It’s inevitable, but at this point, we’ll just have to leave it to fate,” Mana sighed.
“Yeah, I guess so,” I agreed.
It was understandable that Mana offered a compromise since we wouldn’t know the location of the Orc settlements or Feather Drakes until we got there.
“Flying in dragon form is fine, but repeating the transformation between dragon and human form will deplete my magic power quickly!” Eos warned.
“I understand that, and we don’t intend for you to fly for extended periods,” I assured her.
Dragon transformation apparently consumes a tremendous amount of magic power, but I’d heard that one could remain transformed for hours just for travel. However, repeating it too often would apparently deplete magic power quickly, so we couldn’t rely on it too heavily. Therefore, once we landed, we would have to search on foot. We wouldn’t be able to use the beast carriage on the mountain paths, after all.
“Assuming we find a place, who will stay behind in Alka?” Mana asked.
“There’s no one to stay. I can’t leave Alka without Raus. Ed and the others are fine, but what about Lady Apricot?” Yuri inquired.
“I’ll also stay here. The bathing facilities are amazing, and I heard the second floor of the Crafting Hall is a library, so I plan to go there,” Lady Apricot replied.
A library, you say? The Crafting Hall, as its name suggests, was a workshop, so Ed and the others were incredibly excited. I had assumed the second floor was also a workshop, but it turned out to be a library.
“There’s a library? I’m really drawn to it, but we can’t just leave the Orc settlements unattended…” Fiam, who had been studying crafting yesterday, said with a troubled expression.
I didn’t know why there was a library in the Crafting Hall, but she probably wanted to read books related to crafting.
“You can go there if you want. We can easily wipe out Orc settlements with just a few of us,” I offered.
“Indeed, with two Ancient Classes and nine High Classes, it’s almost equivalent to a small Alliance,” Mina pointed out.
Mina was right. Normal Alliances didn’t even include Ancient Classes. Considering the strength of Yamato and Prim, our fighting force was likely superior to a regular Alliance.
“No, we’re going to live here from now on, and we can’t leave Orc settlements unattended. We’ll prioritize that,” Fiam declared, making the decision with a hint of reluctance.
I thought, why not just stay if she was that curious?
The discussion continued, and it was decided that Yuri, Lady Apricot, Ed, Marina, Fiana, Marisa, Viola, and Yuria would remain in Alka. Rika, however, had official duties as the Provincial Governor, so arrangements were made to send her to Feel.
After escorting Rika, we had Eos transport the beast carriage to Maelight, where we proceeded to annihilate four Orc settlements. One was a small settlement with only rare species, but two contained abnormal species, and the last settlement had an Orc King. This meant we needed to find and eliminate the other settlements quickly. Ah, the Orc King was defeated by all of us High Class hunters. It wasn’t easy, as it was a P-C Rank Monster, but in the end, Mina’s Mace Quake sent it flying, and Mana’s Sterling Divider and Ludia’s Firing Impact struck it directly, with Fiam’s Tidal Blaster delivering the finishing blow.
We also managed to find a Feather Drake while searching for Orc settlements, and we hunted two Winger Drakes as well. All of these were to be handed over to Conrull.
Upon returning to the Hunter’s Guild to request a buyout, they had apparently anticipated an Orc King’s presence in one of the settlements. Since it was us who defeated it, they weren’t particularly surprised. Hunter’s Master Linus handled the report with practiced ease, and it was over quickly.
After that, we stopped by the Crafter’s Guild to pick up the dismantled monsters. We had prioritized the Gold Dragoon, so I expected a small number, but with the full effort of the dismantling team, the dismantling of the Grand Deathwurm, Ignis Bird, Flame Dragoon, and Disaster Dragoon was already complete, which surprised me. The Grand Deathwurm would be used for the beast carriage wheels, the Ignis Bird for the familiar’s equipment, and the three Dragoons for crafting new Armor Coats. The sooner we got them, the better. They mentioned that the remaining monsters would be dismantled in another two days, but the Fortress Whale, due to its immense size, would require an additional five days. The Fortress Whale was also intended for the beast carriage, but since we didn’t need it urgently, we agreed to their timeline.
We then returned to Alka. Rika informed us that she couldn’t make it today due to her duties as Provincial Governor. Therefore, the first Gate Crystal would be given to Rika, but since it wasn’t enough to teleport within Feel on its own, a Gate Stone would also be installed in Rika’s room. Rika seemed happy, though also a bit disappointed. In contrast, Marina and Fiana looked like they were about to start dancing. Even though the Dragoon hides weren’t all ready yet, the difference between having some and none was significant, so it was understandable. Ah, the meat from the monsters we requested dismantling could all be eaten. Rera, Eos, and Yuria immediately prepared it, and it was unbelievably delicious. The Gold Dragoon, in particular, tasted unlike anything I had ever eaten before, and I found myself asking for seconds multiple times. When Fiana went to pick up her family, a plan was underway for a wedding reception party for Yamato and Ed. It was decided then that high-rank monster ingredients would be provided. To my surprise, they also decided to register a Gate Crystal at Float and invite Emperor Reinhardt and the others. Well, considering they were the families of Mana and Yuri, it was only natural.
